《Fire Mage》


 Chapter 1: Assassin

    <h4>Chapter 1: Assassin</h4>


    Pain!


    John felt a tearing pain in his head. He slowly opened his eyes but saw nothing clear.


    He only saw how some red liquid, simr to liquid, clouded his vision and became worried. A secondter, confusion and panic appeared in his mind.


    ''Was that my blood?''


    A thought shed through his head.


    He tried to open his mouth but soon noticed that some powdery substance had gotten inside. Dirty sand filled with water hit his throat, causing him to cough violently.


    ''Damn it, my body is not responding! Moreover, why do I feel pain all over my body? ¡­ Wait ¡­ Now I remember ¡­ Angele betrayed me! Was I caught by the Ghosts?''


    An ominous thought entered his head. He clearly remembered thest moments before he passed out.


    ''Angele drugged me at a wedding party and was forced to kneel in front of Thomas. I hate those Ghosts. Even though I was a member of that organization, now I hate them to the core. Damn it, one day I will kill every single one of them. But how did they know my whereabouts? How did they know Angele? I didn''t leave a single clue. ''


    He was puzzled inside.


    "# @% @ & k% @ ~ & *?% ''@"


    While he was deep in thought, he heard a strange male voice behind him and got startled.


    ''Foreigner?''


    He had an uneasy feeling.


    At the same time, he felt that someone had put a foot on his back and turned pale.


    ''Where the hell am I?''


    He screamed in his mind, trying to blink away the drops of blood that were blurring his vision.


    His vision gradually cleared in a second, and the muddy earth opened up to his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw a strange blue game interface appear in front of his eyes and was dumbfounded.


    ''What the hell is this?''


    For a moment, John''s head went nk. Before checking further details about the blue interface, another pain came out of nowhere and assaulted his head.


    Countless memories shed before his eyes in the form of images and soon imprinted in the depths of his soul.


    When he looked into these memories, his expression became serious.


    ''A strange magical world ¡­ Churches ¡­ Mystic ¡­ Reincarnation? ¡­ No ¡­ Transmigration?''


    He took a deep breath.


    But before he could read these memories, someone grabbed his right leg and dragged him somewhere.


    ''Could you give me some time to put my thoughts in order?''


    He mentally cursed the enemy.


    Then he looked around and noticed that he was in some underground hall.


    John also saw several prison cells across the hall and was taken aback.


    Several ming torches were already burning on the walls, illuminating the entire underground hall with a bright yellow light.


    ''Dungeon?''


    Squinting, he turned his face and saw that a dark blue-haireddyy on the opposite side of him.


    She was about 40 years old, and she looked at him with tear-stained eyes.


    Her beautiful oval face was already covered in crimson blood and looked even more pitiful. John also saw a long ck sword that pierced her shoulder from the back and pinned her to the ground.


    From time to time, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and crawled in John''s direction with a painful smile on her face.


    When he saw that smile, his lips quivered, and he unconsciously muttered something in an unfamiliarnguage.


    "Mom!"


    Even he was startled by his emotional reaction and thought it must have something to do with the remnants of the original owner''s soul.


    ''What happened to her? Why am I in this state?''


    Confusion appeared on his face.


    A grim look soon emerged as he noticed that whoever was dragging his body had already ced him next to the blue-haired woman.


    ''My head is spinning ¡­ This foreigner must have hit this boy''s head before.''


    He touched his temple in rm and felt a sharp pain. While he was deep in thought, the dark blue-haireddy gazed at the enemy and asked.


    "W-who are you? W-why are you doing this to us?"


    At the same time, she used all her strength to crawl over to John and put her smooth palm over his mouth.


    John suddenly noticed that she was secretly trying to pour some liquid into his mouth through a transparent bottle!


    He co-operated with her.


    A semi-liquid liquid with a bitter taste got into his mouth.


    After a bit of hesitation, he silently swallowed it.


    The next instant, strange energy entered every part of his body and began to heal his wounds at an unimaginable rate.


    The wound in his temple began to heal quickly and soon disappeared from John''s head.


    ''What the ¡­''


    Sensing the change, he was stunned inside.


    ''Magic!''


    His eyes were full of awe and shock!


    "He is destined to die here, Eve."


    A cold voice rang out over John''s head, sending a chill down his spine.


    "J-James?"


    Shock appeared on Eve''s face. Soon, the shocking face turned into disbelief and then despaired one.


    At the same time, John turned his head and stared at the red mask man standing over his head.


    No, he was looking at the game interface that appeared before his eyes!


    ¡­


    [Main Mission: Escape from the Red Masked Assassin, James.]


    [Quest Content: On June 5, 6396 of the Second Secret Era, you and your mother were kidnapped by a mysterious assassin in a red mask and are now being held in an unknown underground prison. Find a way to escape from this masked assassin and then determine the reason for this kidnapping.]


    [Quest Reward: 500 Exp.]


    [Mission Deadline: 35 minutes.]


    ¡­


    [Sub-Quest: Find a way to save your mother.]


    [Quest Content: Your mother, Eve Nightwind, is seriously injured and on the brink of death. Find a way out of this situation and bring her to the Church of Life to heal her.]


    [Quest Reward: 100 Exp.]


    [Mission Deadline: 24 minutes]


    ¡­


    ''The game world, isn''t it? Truly incredible.''


    He realized that somehow he had transmigrated to a strange magical world.


    Dismissing the blue game interface, he looked at red-masked James to find clues about his current situation.


    James was dressed in a ck butler suit and appeared to be holding an old-fashioned golden dagger in his hand.


    He looked about 40 years old and had long gray hair.


    He did not answer Eve''s question; instead, he walked over to John and kicked him hard in the chest.


    "W-Wait! I''m begging you! Please don''t kill my son, James."


    Eve grabbed James by the leg and begged. Tears streamed from her eyes and flooded her slightly wrinkled cheeks.


    At the same time, John let out a painful groan and fell.


    ''Damn it, this body is too weak! I couldn''t even dodge his blow.''


    He groaned in pain and soon realized something.


    ''Game? Can I open my status?''


    Hope appeared in his mind.


    ''Stats window!''


    He said in his mind.


    Although it was embarrassing, he didn''t think much about it and gave it a try.


    A secondter, the same game interface appeared before his eyes.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Race: Human


    ss: No


    Subss: None


    Health Points: 18/20 (Healing)


    Attributes:


    Strength - 8


    Agility - 9


    Constitution - 10


    Wisdom-11


    Charisma - 12


    SP (Skill Points): 0


    AP (Attribute Points): 0


    ss skills: None


    Affinities:


    Fire: High


    Darkness: Average.]


    ''Strength and Dexterity below 10 ¡­ Not only that but the ss and subss are also seemed empty ¡­ How the hell can I escape without a ss?''


    He was stunned inside.


    While he was lost in thought, James grabbed his hair and mmed his face against the concrete floor.


    Crimson blood stained the floor, and pain clouded his ability to think.


    ''Damn it! I can''t die like this.''


    He looked at the Red Masked Assassin, James, and then noticed that something was wrong.


    Instead of attacking him further, James stood there like a frozen statue with a distorted expression on his face.


    ''What happened?''


    He asked himself.


    John got confused a little and soon turned his attention to the mother of his current body, Eve.


    Instead of pleading, she bit James on the leg like a maniac!


    Tears and blood flowed down her delicate face, staining it in red color.


    "Eve, I have changed my mind."


    James said with a twisted face and grabbed Eve by her long dark blue hair.


    Then he bent down a little and thrust an old-fashioned golden dagger straight into her throat.


    But to his surprise, he saw a red transparent shield appear around her body and blocked his dagger.


    At the same time, Eve bent at an odd angle and drew the ck sword without even flinching.


    She then pointed that sword in his direction and lunged at him with all her might.


    "Y-You!"


    James was shocked by her act and took a step back.


    But John had already taken this opportunity to get up and kicked him from behind.


    As a former assassin, he knew how to adapt to dangerous situations and acted calmly.


    The ck sword pierced through James''s body with a sharp sound and severely wounded him.


    Even Eve was amazed at her son''s action and smiled.


    "Get away from here, Charles."


    She said hastily and was about to poke her fingers in James''s eyes.


    But James grabbed her arm and pushed her away.


    Then he gazed at her and drew the ck sword from his body.


    "Eve, do you think you can protect your son from the True Lords? Even if you somehow manage to kill me here, they will send another member to kill your son. You cannot hide from their eyes."


    He said coldly.


    Upon hearing those words, a wry smile appeared on Eve''s face.


    "I know. But you think I care about these things? It''s a mother''s job to protect her children, James. That''s why I chose the right Job."


    She muttered calmly and snapped her fingers.


    James soon saw that Eve and her son''s figure turned blurry and disappeared from the underground hall!


    "Spatial Mage!"


    James cried out in surprise and quickly ran to the exit.


    He did not even look around and hurriedly headed for the exit.


    After a few seconds, the underground hall began to shimmer slightly, and soon two people appeared in it.


    Eve stood in the same ce as before and began to fall backward.


    Meanwhile, John, aka Charles, had already approached her and grabbed her with both hands.


    Then he ced her on his shoulder and went to the exit.


    ''That was very close. It must have been an Illusion-type Ability. She easily tricked that fool. But who is she anyway? Why are these guys hunting her son? Moreover, who are these ''True Lords''? An assassin organization? ¡­ Damn it! First, I need to know more about my current situation. How the hell did I end up in this Magical World?''


    He muttered to himself and left the gloomy underground hall through the exit gate.


    ¡­


    [Author''s Note: I added Mc''s affinities earlier on after hearingints about MC''s choices for choosing Fire Mage ss. Affinity Levels: Low¡ú Average¡ú High¡ú Good¡ú Genius¡ú Prodigy¡ú Divine.]

 Chapter 2: Trickster

    <h4>Chapter 2: Trickster</h4>


    After exiting the underground dungeon, John''s face turned grim. Because what he saw was not an exit but a spiral staircase.


    ''Damn it! Are there no elevators in this world?''


    He clicked his tongue despondently and began to walk unsteadily up the steps, holding Eve on his back.


    Two minutester, he finally reached the surface and noticed that he was in some mansion garden. An underground staircase led him directly to this strange garden full of ornamental trees and nts.


    He looked around and noticed that it was already a dark, gloomy night.


    Three red moons hung in the sky, lighting the night with blood red.


    Yes, three damned red moons!


    These three moons instilled an ominous feeling in his heart.


    ''Was it because of the unknown?''


    He asked himself.


    These strange bloody moons also made the three-story mansion in front of him look more like a haunted building. He nced around and then stealthily headed for the gate.


    But when he took the second step, he heard an angry voice from afar.


    "WHERE ARE YOU HIDING, EVE?!"


    John''s body tensed for a moment as he heard James scream.


    He felt anxious inside.


    He also noticed that dozens of guards in silver armor were guarding the entrance like hawks and darkened.


    ''First I need to know where the hell I am.''


    He took a deep breath to calm himself and then headed for the nearest ornamental tree. He made no unnecessary noise and turned his attention to the interface.


    He saw three icons in the left corner of his eyes.


    ''Quest Icon, Status Icon, and Skill Icon.''


    He felt a familiar feeling upon seeing these icons and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''These icons look more like the ones in Mystic Worlds Game!''


    His heart beat faster.


    ''But I never heard of any Arcane Era in the ''Mystic Worlds'' game¡­ Moreover, the status screen itself looked different than in Mystic Worlds. Was it possible that some psycho from this magical world kidnapped me and put me in this body as his test subject?'' He shuddered at that thought.


    ''Heck! I need to find a way to do a full-body check-up.'' He clicked his tongue in annoyance and then focused on the status screen.


    After that, he focused his attention on the ss area and noticed that the interface began to change.


    ¡­


    [Avable sses for the User: Swordsman Apprentice (300 Exp), Thief (380 Exp), Warrior Apprentice (340 Exp), Apprentice (120 Exp), Cook (140 Exp), Dancer (100 Exp), Teacher (150 Exp), Archer (450 Exp), Assassin (400 Exp), Deceiver (250 Exp), Trickster (275 Exp), ¡­ Apprentice Fire Mage (750 Exp), Apprentice Darkness Mage (1000 Exp), etc.,]


    ¡­


    ''Experience points? Do I need to spend Experience points to buy a ss?''


    He raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to the Subss option.


    But soon, a wry smile appeared on his face when he saw the same information in the Sub-ss section.


    He then ced the unconscious Eve next to the tree trunk and panted.


    ''This mother is really heavy. If it weren''t for the unusual feeling in my heart, I would have left her somewhere and run away myself.''


    He took a deep breath and then checked the timer.


    ''I only have 19 minutes to save her.''


    He nodded inwardly and crept further towards the nearbypound wall.


    [Thief Skill: Stealth Learned!


    20 experience points obtained!]


    ''What the heck?!''


    John flinched for a moment, noticing that his figure had suddenly darkened, and soon came to a conclusion.


    ''I can actually recover my past life skills ¡­ Moreover, it looks like I can even earn experience points as rewards.'' He was stunned inside.


    He then scanned the surroundings and noticed that a human shadow was moving in his direction.


    ''Is he a security guard?''


    He knitted his brows and silently squatted down beside the ornamental bushy-like nt.


    Due to his stealth state, the guard did not notice his presence at all!


    John silently focused his attention on the guard and observed his every movement.


    But just after a few seconds, he widened his eyes all of a sudden.


    [Thief Skill: Dark Vision Learned!


    20 experience points obtained.]


    ''Damn! I''m starting to like this game system. Although I gained these skills due to my previous life experiences, the notification gives me more confidence.''


    He curled his lips upward and looked at the guard who was walking in his direction.


    Unlike the other guards, this guy was wearing ck clothes.


    He held a dagger on his belt and looked like an ordinary guy. He was about 30 years old and had a pale face due to the dark red night.


    ''This skill seemed to enchant my vision a little!''


    John smiled. Although he was thrilled a little, he did not like the situation at all.


    The guard stopped next to him a few secondster and muttered something aloud as he unzipped his trousers.


    "Those a**holes. They dare to make fun of Master James. If he finds out that we are all messing around, he will punish us for sure."


    "Is that so?" An eerie, chilling whisper came from behind, causing him to shudder involuntarily.


    The guard widened his eyes in horror and tried to turn around.


    But before he could mumble or scream, a soft hand appeared from behind and covered his mouth.


    At the same time, another hand wrapped around his neck and tightened it like a snake.


    Noticing the seriousness, the guard moved his hand to the grip of the dagger, grabbed it tightly, and drew it.


    Although he panicked at the sudden ambush, he did not lose hisposure!


    ''I''m choking! I need to kill this vile rat quickly.''


    He muttered furiously and stabbed his dagger in the back.


    But to his surprise, the soft hand on his lips moved and grabbed his wrist straight.


    The hand then moved like a poisonous snake and grabbed the hilt of his dagger.


    "You are seeking death! Do you dare to grab my weapon?"


    He was furious and tightened his grip.


    If the enemy hadn''t grabbed his neck and made him gasp for breath, he would have easily killed the sneaky rat with brute force.


    But, to his horror, the enemy seemed to be well prepared and more adept at snatching weapons.


    Before he could try to use his other hand, the enemy had already snatched his dagger!


    [Assassin Skill: Snatch Learned!


    200 experience points obtained.]


    ''200 Exp? I didn''t expect that.''


    John curled his lips and aimed the dagger at the guard''s chest.


    The silver dagger tore through the air with a whistling sound, appeared in front of the guard''s chest, and plunged right inside.


    After some twitching, the guard''s eyes were bloodshot, and then his body went motionless.


    [Thief Skill: Basic dagger arts skill learned!


    20 experience points obtained.]


    [Target Eliminated! 22 experience points obtained.]


    Ignoring the notification from the game interface, John retracted the silver dagger from the guard''s chest and dragged his body towards the nearest bush.


    Although he managed to kill this guy, he was not happy at all.


    ''His strength is slightly above normal.''


    He narrowed his eyes for a moment and turned his attention towards the dead body.


    Then he looked at the silver dagger and frowned.


    When he plunged the dagger into the guard''s chest, he also felt another difference.


    ''This dagger is also unique. I made no effort, but this silver dagger entered the enemy''s chest like a very sharp knife ¡­ I had never seen such a sharp weapon in my life.''


    Shaking his head, he hid the body in the bushes and checked the timer.


    ''17 minutes.'' He took a deep breath and turned his attention to the Sub-ss option.


    After reviewing the information, he fell into deep thought.


    ''I don''t have enough experience to select the Thief option.''


    ''But if I don''t choose any Subss now, the chances of ''me'' dying here are very high. There must be many anomalies out there like this guard. Hmm, ss [Trickster] might be the right choice ¡­''


    ''Wait ¡­ The [Deceiver] ss also looks good. But why do I get a weird feeling when I thought of choosing this Trickster ss?''


    Charles''s face suddenly became serious.


    ''What does this System do? Did it influence my thinking?''


    ''Damn it, time is running out. Haa, I''ll select the Trickster option then. Maybe I can get some skills that will help me get out of this situation.''


    He groaned in displeasure and reluctantly chose the ''Trickster'' option.


    As a former assassin, he had to choose a job rted to the Thief ss anyway.


    ¡­


    [275 Exp deducted!]


    [Trickster ss obtained!]


    [1 Free Attribute gained!]


    [50 skill points gained!]


    [Trickster skill obtained!]


    [Clown skill obtained!]


    [Sixth Sense skill obtained!]


    ''Clown? Well, that''s an unusual skill.''


    Shaking his head, John added one free attribute to the dexterity.


    A secondter, he felt some changes in his hand movements and was surprised.


    He then shed his dagger and smiled, noticing that he could y with it like a real trickster.


    After that, he opened a status window and checked out the changes.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Race: Human


    ss: None


    Subss: Trickster Level 1 (0/150) [Rank-1]


    Health points: 31/31 (healed)


    Exp: 7


    Attributes:


    Strength - 8


    Agility - 10


    Constitution - 10


    Wisdom-11


    Charisma - 12


    SP (Skill Points): 50


    AP (Attribute Points): 0


    ss skills: None


    Subss Skills:


    Trickster''s Hand - 20


    Clown - 20


    Sixth Sense - 20


    Unique skills


    Snatch -51


    Stealth - 26


    Dark Vision - 25


    Basic dagger arts skill - 34]


    ''Are these my real skills?''


    John furrowed his brows as he focused his gaze on the unique skill area.


    Although he hadn''t regained the physical strength, he indeed felt that he had already recovered most of his assassin skills, making him smile subconsciously.


    ''Awesome! I''ve learned these skills over the years of training and killing, but here ¡­''


    He took a deep breath and shook his head.


    ''This is not Earth. This is a magical world.''


    He calmed his mind and then decided to add 25 skill points to [Stealth] skill and 16 skill points to [Basic dagger arts] skill.


    ¡­


    [The stealth skill has been upgraded!]


    [The Rank-2 [Assassin] ss''s [Conceal] skill obtained!]


    [Basic dagger arts skill has been upgraded!]


    [The Rank-2 [Assassin] ss''s [Intermediate dagger arts] skill obtained!]


    ¡­


    After upgrading, he felt that some information about [Conceal] and [Intermediate Dagger Art] skills appeared in his mind.


    ''Damn! My [Assassin] skills have been improved to an unimaginable level!''


    ''Conceal''


    He muttered to himself and soon noticed that his body began to grow dimmer and dimmer and soon merged into the darkness.


    After a second, he dispersed the [Conceal] skill and added the remaining nine skill points to the [Sixth Sense] skill.


    ''Not bad ¡­ Not bad at all.''


    He smiled radiantly and noticed that something had changed in his body and mind.


    At that moment, he felt that he could now easily dodge most of the sword attacks and got thrilled.


    Hiding his excitement, he nced at the interface and checked the timer.


    ''16 more minutes.''


    He nodded his head and returned to pick up Eve Nightwind.


    After that, he used [Conceal] skill and moved towards the gate, hiding in the dark.


    At that moment, about 20 soldiers sat near the entrance and seemed to be ying cards.


    ''It''s time to escape!''


    John muttered to himself and crept up to the gate like a sneaky cat under the shadow of darkness!

 Chapter 3: Life Church

    <h4>Chapter 3: Life Church</h4>


    Around 20 silver armored guards sat on the concrete road in front of thepound gate entrance and yed Mystic Cards game in the dim streetmplight.


    "Mine is Silver Knight. It''s a Grade-2 card with rank no-45. Take your card and show it, Jimmy." A slightly obese guy said while rudely licking his lips.


    Meanwhile, a lean guy named Jimmy gritted his teeth and spoke while cursing,


    "F*CK! It''s the Legendary Clown again!"


    "Hahaha, Jimmy, you really are the Unlucky Star." The slightly obese guyughed out loud and added,


    "It''s my win again. Take out three silvers."


    "Damn it! Let''s try again. I won''t lose this time, Henry." Jimmy said as he passed three silver coins to Henry. Those silver coins had an Eye symbol on one side, a lean woman''s portrait on the other side.


    "You want to y again? But you already lost to Henry thrice!" Another silver-armored guard shouted in surprise.


    "I won''t lose this time. If I lose once again, I won''t y the ''Mystic Card'' game for the next three months." Jimmy mmed his fist on the ground and announced loudly.


    "What?! Jimmy, then how are we going to earn our pocket money daily? Change your resolution!" Another guy protested.


    "Yes, Yes." Other guards also nodded their heads and stared at Jimmy with expecting eyes.


    "Real men won''t go back on their words." Jimmy proudly stated and soon froze as he saw a dark shadow near the half-openedpound gate.


    ''Is it a G-Ghost?'' He blinked in shock and then noticed that there was no shadow near the gate.


    ''I almost freaked out!'' He shook his head and picked the dozens of cards from the concrete ground.


    After that, he shuffled the cards like a real expert and stared at Henry with a confident smile.


    "Are you ready?" Noticing his smile, Henry stared back into his blue eyes and asked.


    "I''m born ready." Jimmy''s smile widened further as he picked one random card from the shuffled cards and stored it in his pocket instead of seeing it. Meanwhile, Henry picked his card and showed it to everyone.


    A picture of a naked female appeared in the card, making others droll in lust. The female picture looked very real and gave off some strange feelings to others'' minds.


    "Mine is the Card of Lust, Grade-5, Ranking no-34," Henry said with an excited smile on his face.


    All those silver armored guards stared at the card while gulping down their saliva and turned their attention towards Jimmy.


    Although Jimmy was shocked inside, he didn''t show it on his face and showed his card to others. He didn''t even look at the card and observed others'' reactions patiently.


    Nobody moved for three seconds, and soon a guy in the crowd muttered slowly.


    "It''s the Card of Spark. Grade-1. Ranking number-4. You are the Unlucky Star of River dale, Jimmy."


    A heartbeatter, a burst ofughter echoed at the entrance gate.


    Jimmy groaned in displeasure and asked the nearby guard to change the topic.


    "Jobs, where is Rick?"


    Others also stoppedughing as they heard his words and then nced at each other.


    "Didn''t he go to take a leak?" Henry asked while furrowing his brows.


    "But it was around 10 minutes ago." Jimmy turned his expression solemnly and stood up while grabbing the sword hilt.


    "Let''s split up and search." Another guard proposed, and soon the group was split into two. One moved towards the left side while the other moved towards the other side of the mansion.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, John walked out of the mansion and moved stealthily towards therge building. That building appeared brighter even in the dark red night, giving a sensation of warmth. From Charles''s memories, John guessed that building must be Life Church.


    ''Without shoes, it feels rough to walk on this mud road.'' He sighed as he nced at Eve Night-wind, who had already lost lots of blood, and became puzzled.


    ''How is she still alive?'' He was indeed astounded inside. Her nightgown was already soaked in blood and leaving blood trails frequently. With a single nce, anyone would tell that she was gravely injured.


    ''Those guards will soon follow after this blood trail.'' He narrowed his eyes.


    Shaking his head, he nced at the surroundings and noticed rows of brick houses, shops, wooden houses, and huts that appeared all over.


    He hastened his footsteps towards the tall, dome-shaped building that appeared farther away from his vision in the dark-red night. After absorbing the original owner''s memory, he understood his current situation and hastily walked towards the Life Church.


    From the memories, he learned that Charles was a resident of River-dale City, located on the Eastern edge of the Arc Kingdom.


    It was one of the small kingdoms in the Mystic World. Riverdale''s city lord was a Baron who had an Expert level strength and had some connection with the Arc Royal family.


    He became an Expert Rank Swordsman twenty years ago and obtained the noble title through various schemes. From Charles''s memories, John learned that one must be a wealthy individual to get a ss. Otherwise, they would stay asmoners for the rest of their lives.


    Unlike ordinary citizens, wealthy individuals, nobles, tycoons, and merchants had many opportunities to buy the ss and Sub-ss gems from various Churches.


    John wasn''t interested in others'' business. He skimmed through those memories and soon found out some information about Charles Night-wind and Eve Night-wind.


    Charles was born from a renowned wealthy family, and his father had some special status in the family.


    But an ident urred 15 years ago. Charles''s father, Harry Night-wind, was poisoned by some mysterious enemy in the Ember Kingdom and died a horrible death in his own house.


    Nightwind family members used Eve of killing Harry and disavowed her and her child Charles from the Night-wind family. After that, Eve Nightwind took Charles in fear of assassination and left the Ember Kingdom.


    As for those ''True Lords'' he heard from James, he didn''t found any clue at all.


    Mother and son lived peacefully in the River-dale town''s El Street for the past 15 years and were already epted by the locals long ago.


    They had a sizeable two-storied house in El street and 23 hectares ofnd outside Riverdale City.


    As for why she brought thatnd using her savings? Even Charles knew nothing about her n. Whenever he asked about thatnd, she would say that it was her intuition or some prediction.


    But Charles felt off about thatnd. A few months ago, the Life Church Bishop visited their house and asked them to sell thatnd for 2000 Arc gold coins.


    It was triple the amount of the actualnd rate!


    Charles was beyond shocked by that amount and even persuaded his mother to sell it.


    But Eve was very adamant about her decision and declined Bishop Reynolds''s offer. After that, their rtionship with the Life Church members became very odd.


    If his mother were an ordinary woman, Charles would have continued to argue about her. But he knew that her mother was not an ordinary one.


    Eve''s main ss was Level 5 ''Astrologist.'' It was a rare ss and would be very hard to obtain even in ck markets. She usually spent her time staring at the dark red sky and make money from divination.


    ''She is good at predicting dangers.'' John frowned as he read Eve''s information.


    Yesterday, she had been even predicted the impending danger and filed a detailed report to the Security Office for protection.


    But nobody took her words seriously and sent her back. Once she returned to the house, she told her prediction to Charles and even asked him to escape from Riverdale City.


    Like others, Charles also didn''t take her words seriously and locked himself in his room. Then, James kidnapped them when they were asleep and ruined their peaceful life.


    ''Moreover, the real owner Charles appeared to be more interested in Archaeology. He also nned to buy the ''Historian'' ss gem from the auction and seems to be nning to walk on Explorer''s path.'' He briefly skimmed through the information and was disappointed a little.


    ''There is no clue about the ''Mystic World'' Game. ces and kingdom names are unfamiliar.'' He furrowed his brows and then shook his head.


    ''I will search for itter.''


    John nced at the timer and hastened his footsteps towards the Life Church direction.


    ''9 minutes left.'' He sighed heavily and began to ponder about the ''True Lords.''


    ''Hmm, Charles''s father''s death seems like a well-nned assassination. Are these ''True Lords'' behind Harry''s death? But why are they after Charles and his mother? Are they Eve Nightwind''s enemies?'' He began to breathe heavily and noticed that he already arrived near the dome-shaped building.


    Unlike the other building, this dome-shaped building looked beautiful even in the creepy dark-red night. Multiplemp lights were hung on every corner of that white building and illuminated the surrounding areas in dim yellow light.


    He retracted his eyes while panting heavily and began to think about the kidnapping.


    ''From James''s earlier words, I can tell that he is specifically targeting Charles''s life.'' He felt puzzled inside and soon made a bold guess.


    ''They must be Harry''s rivals or enemies. What if the ''True Lords'' are some high-ss members of the Nightwind family? Like those arrogant Family Elders from the lots of web novels.'' He let out a chuckle and soon arrived in front of arge white domed building.


    Two fair-skinned guys who appeared around 30-years-old stood at the entrance while holding spears in their hands and appeared in a half-sleepy state. Both wore white armor on the linen shirt, brown leather shoes, leather gloves, and ck leather pants.


    John had already undone his [Conceal] skill and went near them while breathing heavily. Due to Eve''s weight, he looked exhausted and was already on the verge of falling.


    Both guards woke up from their sleep due to his footsteps and moved their spearheads towards John''s face in unison. Unlike the guards he saw in James''s mansion, these two guards looked stronger. John felt threatened by their simple stare!


    Meanwhile, those two guards stared at John''s face for a second and soon widened their eyes. At that moment, Eve''s blood pained John''s oval face, hands, and dress.


    "Charles?" One of the guards shouted in shock as he identified him and quickly retracted his weapon.


    He had silver hair, a rough face, and silver eyes.


    John narrowed his eyes for a second and soon learned his name from Charles''s memories.


    ''Mr. Hunt. He is a Rank 2 Holy Knight of Life Church. He lives near Charles''s house and has an affair with City Lord''s second wife. As expected of a Holy Knight, he already aimed his ''Holy Sword'' at City Lord''s second wife.'' He stopped thinking and turned his gaze towards another Holy Knight.


    That man had blonde hair, a round face, thin eyebrows, and blue eyes.


    ''Mr. Rob. He is also a Rank-2 Holy Knight of Life Church. Except for his name, Charles had no information about him.'' In a split second, he learned more about these two Holy Knights.


    ¡­

 Chapter 4: Bishop Reynolds

    <h4>Chapter 4: Bishop Reynolds</h4>


    "What happened, kid?" Robb asked while grabbing the injured Eve Nightwind from John''s shoulder.


    "I-I don''t remember much. We were kidnapped by some guys and were locked up in that mansion." John said with an exhausted face and pointed his finger towards the faraway mansion building. After that, he shook his head and muttered.


    "This Lady- My mom is severely injured. Please help her."


    Both nodded their heads as they heard his words and brought her inside. Meanwhile, John followed after them hurriedly and entered the dome-shaped building.


    In front of him was arge hall with a high ceiling, and pews were neatly arranged in rows on the Aisle sides. Meanwhile, the sacred Emblem of Life, ironmpstands, and candles were ced at the front wall.


    At the front stage was a white statue of a beautiful woman with a big chest. She wore a draped blouse, a long tulip skirt, and Dorsey shoes. She had big blue eyes, long curly hair, and a soft, beautiful smile on her face. A mere sight of the statue caused John''s heart to thump harder. John stared into those big blue eyes and felt something was off!


    "Charles, what happened to Eve?" A pleasant male voice came from the right side, causing him to turn his head.


    In front of him was a white-haired man, who was around 40-years-old, walked towards his direction withrge footsteps and was staring at Eve with concerned eyes. He had deep-set amber eyes, a square face, thin eyebrows, and a long hawk nose. He wore a golden line embroidered white robe, with a white beret in his hand, and held a unique golden pocket watch.


    ''Bishop Reynolds!'' John easily identified him.


    "Father Reynolds, please save my mother!" John bowed his head and asked anxiously.


    "Tell me what happened." Reynolds signaled Hunt and Robb to ce her on the long desk and asked calmly.


    John checked her pulse rate with a weak smile and then started narrating the whole story while skipping some parts.


    Meanwhile, Bishop Reynolds nodded his head and began to chant some weird incantation from time to time while listening to his narration.


    By the time Bishop healed the wound on Eve''s body, John also ended his speech.


    But he wasn''t happy at all.


    ''If Charles''s memory is not wrong, this Bishop is a greedy and sly fox. He is also the one who came to offer 2000 gold coins for 23-hectarends¡­ Hmm? Her wounds are already healed but, why her pulse is not improving?''


    "I healed most of her internal injuries. But her soul is weakening, and she won''t wake up anytime soon. Unless you purchase a ''Life potion'' from the Holy Life Cathedral, saving her is almost impossible." Reynolds said with a regretful tone.


    ''Life potion, huh.''


    "How much is it, Father?" John asked with a frown.


    Hearing his words, Reynolds stared at him like a poisonous snake and muttered in a calm yet cold tone.


    "500 Gold coins."


    ''I knew it!'' John closed his eyes for a second and asked.


    "How many days does she have?"


    "4 hours. But if you get a loan from our Life Church using that 23-hectarend, you will be able to save her." Reynolds said with a sly smile.


    ''What a sly bastard!'' He sighed heavily and asked.


    "How much is the interest?"


    "It''s 5% per month. If you didn''t pay the interest amount for three continuous months, we would confiscate your property legally. If you didn''t pay the interest for the next 12 months, we would sell it." Reynolds replied shamelessly.


    ''25 Gold coins per month? With that amount, amoner can live his life leisurely for a year! What a cunning bastard!'' He red at the Bishop for a second and coldly spoke while turning around.


    "I will return with thend documents. Till then, take care of my mother."


    Hearing his cold tone, Reynolds smiled widely and rubbed his hand.


    "Father Reynolds, why did you lie to him? Life potion is only 40 gold coins, right?" Robb arrived near Bishop Reynolds and asked while watching John walking towards the exit in confusion.


    "Cardinal Snake once ordered me to buy thatnd if an opportunity arises. Even I don''t know about the details. But one thing is sure. If we didn''t miss this opportunity, we wouldn''t get thatnd from Eve. Did you hear his cold tone? A cornered cub will always act recklessly." Reynolds patted Robb''s shoulder and turned his attention towards Eve.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, John walked out of the church and moved towards El Street, located one mile away from the Life Church. On the way, he nced at the sub-quest window and noticed that the timer had changed from 2 minutes to 4 hours.


    ''As I expected, this system is not an omniscient one. It can predict using basic information and turns them into a game-like quest.'' He snorted inwardly.


    Then, he looked at the main Quest window and curled his lips upward.


    [Main Quest: Escape from the Red-masked assassin, James.]


    [Quest Description: On June 5th of the year 6396 of the Second Arcane Era, you and your mother were kidnapped by a mysterious Red-masked assassin and are now held in an unknown underground prison. Find a way to escape from this masked assassin and then determine the reason for this kidnapping.]


    [Mission aplished!]


    [Quest Reward: 500 general experience points (Exp).]


    ''500 Exp! That''s a good sign.'' He nodded his head and nced at the tall mansion in the farthest area.


    ''James and his followers must have already noticed the blood trails. They will follow after it¡­But they wouldn''t dare to attack the Life Church.'' He shook his head.


    ''This boy''s mother is indeed a brave one. Tsk, I will try my best to keep her alive. This is the payment for giving me this youthful body, Charles.'' He muttered under his breath and moved towards El Street while putting the silver dagger on his waist along with its sheath.


    A few minutester, John reached El Street and began to search for his own house.


    ''45 El Street.'' He walked on the dirt street road and soon arrived in front of arge two-storied house''s entrance. Unlike other houses, this house was made of white granite rocks and looked prettier.


    He walked into the yard while ncing at a few ornamental flower trees and opened the door using the key, which he took from near the porch pir.


    After that, he entered his house and pulled the long thread that was hanging from the ceiling. A secondter, multiple candles started lighting one by one and illuminated the building with bright yellow light.


    ''Are these Magic Lamps or Magic candles?'' He furrowed his brows and then went towards the wardrobe. He picked up a tight ck shirt and ck pants and then went to take a shower. Fifteen minutester, he walked out of the bathroom and started searching for thend documents everywhere. There was no memory of those documents in Charles''s memory, which made his job harder. But as a skilled assassin and a thief, he searched the important areas and soon found a suitcase under his bed.


    It was not someplicated lock suitcase, so John opened it quickly. Then, he began to read the line one by one, and soon his expression turned gloomy.


    Without the house document, the owner wouldn''t be able to sell thatnd at all. The first seller of this house made such aplicated document.


    ''But why did the first seller went on a roundtable way to create such aplicated document?'' He got puzzled.


    ''Damn, what is special about thatnd? That Bishop is eyeing for the 23-hectarend¡­And from Charles''s memory, Eve also seemed to be predicted something. What is that damned Bishop is scheming?''


    ''Wait a sec¡­He might be eyeing for this house!'' A thought surfaced in his mind.


    ''Possible! Then, what is this house hiding? Hmm, I need to have a long chat with Eve Nightwind.'' He folded those two documents and was about to put them inside his shirt but stopped.


    He felt a slight vibration from the ground. It was like 10 to 20 peoples were swarming in his direction.


    If it were before, he wouldn''t have noticed it. But after he received the [Sixth Sense] skill, his sense of perception improved to another level!


    ''Enemy! It must be James and hisckeys.'' He unsheathed his silver dagger and made a swift movement towards the ceiling. The next second, the magic candles started to die out one by one, and soon the whole building absorbed into dense darkness.


    [Chain Quest: Blood for Blood


    The mysterious Red-masked kidnapper James followed after the blood trail and sent 12 professional killers to finish you off. Someone had already given your personal information to the enemy.


    . Find out the Spy who sold you out - Reward: 100 Exp.


    . Survive the uing ordeal - Reward: 300 Exp.


    . Kill the Red-Masked kidnapper, James - Reward: 500 Exp.


    Mission Deadline: 1 hour.]


    ''Spy? The one who sold me out might be the Bishop. It''s not a surprising thing. Well, I will ask him personally after I finish off these killers.''


    ''Tsk, I thought of saving up the Exp to select the main ss. But it seems I have to take a step back now.'' He sighed heavily and put 150 Exp to the Trickster subss.


    ¡­


    [150 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 2 Trickster!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm, I need 225 Exp to level up once again. Thankfully, I still have another 400 Exp.'' A smile crept on John''s face as he put another 225 Exp on the Sub-ss.


    ¡­


    [225 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 3 Trickster!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    ''This looks good. My HP also increased!'' He nodded pleasantly and added one free attribute point on the strength and another free attribute point on Dexterity.


    He added 19 skill points to [Dark Vision], and the remaining 21 skill points to [Sixth Sense].


    [Sixth Sense skill has reached its peak level!]


    A shock went through John''s brain as the skill upgraded. The next instant, his sense became heightened to another level.


    ''My Dark vision also increased to the peak level. I can walk in the dark like I''m walking in daylight.'' He grinned viciously and then moved towards the kitchen.


    ''Kitchen knives will be useful during the fighting.'' He nodded his head and soon blended into the darkness.


    After taking a few knives from the kitchen, he moved towards the reception hall and then waited for those prey to stretch their necks!


    ¡­

 Chapter 5: Ruthless Killer

    <h4>Chapter 5: Ruthless Killer</h4>


    Meanwhile, a total of 12 ck-cloaked guys arrived in front of the two-storied house and then scattered in different positions.


    Unlike the guards, these guys looked more like professional killers! John wasn''t unaware of their movements. He studied those cloaked figures'' movements one by one through an opened window and became deadly serious.


    ''These guys are not a normal bunch. But they aren''t well-trained.'' He nodded his head.


    ''It''s been so long since I went on a rampage. Tsk, although my action will enrage this city lord, it can''t be helped.'' Although John was a little worried about these guys'' abnormal strength, he didn''t put much thought into it.


    He was a skilled assassin on Earth. With the newly attained magical skills, he wouldn''t have any problem dealing with these killers.


    ''Moreover, they are not assassins. From their movements, I can tell that most of them are relying on their brute strength. Their stealth skills are pathetic¡­ Hmm? They also seemed to have no experience in weapons. There is one thing I''m worried about these guys are numbers. I need to kill these guys quickly. I can''t fight against all of them at a time.'' He made a few ns inside his head and moved in the dark like a spider.


    Meanwhile, two cloaked guys went to the backside, and another three guys stealthily climbed up and seemed to be nning to move towards the second floor through the opened windows. The other seven killers took out their weapons and moved inside after opening the entrance gate.


    John activated [Conceal] and [Dark Vision] skills and then moved towards the back door. He saw two cloaked guys were sneaking into the Lounge and sprinted towards them while holding the silver dagger in his right hand.


    Before they could notice his presence in the dark, he appeared behind them and thrust his dagger into one of the guys'' necks.


    A heartbeatter, his silver dagger plunged into the killer''s neck while tearing the flesh and gave him a fatal wound.


    John didn''t stop his hand and swiftly withdrew his dagger from the enemy''s neck. He then made a hand movement and swiftly sliced the other guy''s throat in a second!


    The enemy fell on the tiled floor a heartbeatter while gripping his throat and soon went motionless!


    [Target Eliminated! 30 Battle Exp obtained!]


    John curled his lips as he saw the notification icon and then shifted his gaze towards the other guy, who was now gasping for breath with a horrified expression on his face. He then tried to grab John but failed miserably before falling on the floor.


    Meanwhile, John squatted next to the twitching man and shook his head.


    "This is what happens when you dare to y hide and seek with a former assassin." He let out a chuckle and sliced his throat calmly.


    [Target Eliminated! 29 Battle Exp obtained!]


    "Not bad. Not bad at all!" He spoke lightly, sheathed the dagger, and stood up. After that, he calmly walked towards the spiral stairs with light footsteps and moved towards the second floor.


    A few secondster, he arrived at the second-floor corridor and noticed another guy was cautiously walking out of his bedroom.


    He then walked on the smooth corridor and appeared to be moving towards his study room!


    John also noticed the other two guys'' presence from the storeroom and gave a cold look.


    He gripped his silver dagger and was about to attack but stopped.


    His heartbeat raced all of a sudden!


    It was the [Sixth Sense] warning!


    He reflexively moved towards the right side and narrowly avoided a dark lightning bolt that came from outside.


    A secondter, the lightning bolt exploded and illuminated the whole corridor while exposing his location to the enemy.


    ''There must be an observer outside! But how did he found my location? Also, what is this powerful lightning attack?'' He didn''t dare to waste a second and moved towards the sole enemy who just walked out of his bedroom.


    Meanwhile, the killer also noticed his presence and rushed towards his direction while gripping a short sword in his right hand. His movements were unique and gave only a few openings for John to attack. A secondter, ngs reverberated at his bedroom''s entrance, and yellow sparks flew everywhere.


    After parrying for five seconds, John felt a numb sensation.


    No, a total of three shallow cuts appeared on his right arm!


    ''His strength is above normal! I can''t kill him using normal means.'' He frowned and crouched down a little.


    He then took out a kitchen knife from his ck boots and threw it towards the killer at high speed. Simultaneously, he also took a step back and blended into the darkness.


    Meanwhile, the killer moved his sword and blocked the kitchen knife. But soon, he frowned as he noticed the disappearance of his target and shouted.


    "Guys, Be careful of any sneak attack. This guy seems to have chosen the-''Cough''." But before he could finish his words, a silver dagger came from his right side and plunged into his throat!


    A secondter, John appeared next to the killer, snatched his sword, and shed at his head.


    Like his silver dagger, this short sword was abnormally sharper and decapitated his head in an instant!


    [Target Eliminated! 28 Battle Exp obtained!]


    The enemy''s head flew up in the air with widened eyes and sprayed the scarlet blood on the white ceiling!


    Before the decapitated head could reach thend, a soft hand caught the head and disappeared into the darkness.


    When the other two killers arrived near the bedroom entrance, only a headless bodyy on the tiled floor.


    "Ray is down!" One of the killers growled in anger.


    "I will hold him off for a while. You go and tell the situation to Zero." Another voice muttered and moved towards the headless body.


    But before he could take a step forward, his expression went stiff as he heard a shing sound from behind.


    With wary eyes, he turned around and became horrified!


    Instead of his partner, he saw a headless body dancing in the dark and soon fell, leaving a thudding sound behind.


    "Are you looking for this?" John appeared in front of the killer and threw the other guy''s head towards him.


    Fear gripped his heart as he caught the head instinctively and screamed in anger!


    "Did you feel the fear?" John smiled coldly while avoiding the iing sword and directly shed the sword at the killer''s throat.


    [Target Eliminated! 30 Battle Exp obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 26 Battle Exp obtained!]


    John nodded inwardly as he nced at the notifications and soon heard multiple footsteps from the stairs.


    ''Before theye here, I should go and finish off the sneaky observer.'' He sliced the killer''s head and threw it in his bedroom. After that, he went near the opened window and stealthily climbed down from the second floor.


    He nced around warily and then noticed one dark shadow was peeking towards him from the El Street road. The shadow''s eyes glowed in green color.


    Before John could climb down from the second floor, the dark shadow noticed his presence and ran away hurriedly.


    ''Who is he? A neighbor?'' He furrowed his brows and shook his head.


    He then moved towards the backside and looked at the opposite building''s rooftop. The building was a simple one-storied house and looked abandoned.


    He saw a dark human shadow on the rooftop and noticed that guy seemed to be searching for him using a telescope-like instrument.


    ''There he is.'' John muttered inwardly and moved towards the opposite building.


    Before the observer could notice his presence, he arrived at the foot and climbed up hastily using the nearbydder.


    The poor observer didn''t sense his presence and appeared to bemunicating with other assassins through a strange silver ring.


    ''Magic cell phone?'' John stealthily climbed up to the rooftop and silently appeared behind the observer.


    Unlike others, this guy didn''t wear any ck cloak. He wore a loose red robe and looked more like a mysterious mage. He had dark hair, a round chubby face, and looked around 20-years-old.


    "I didn''t see any traces of him on the second floor." The observer muttered in dissatisfaction.


    "Are you looking for me?" John didn''t n to waste any more time and asked.


    The observer jolted up in shock and turned around with a frightened face.


    "H-How did you find me?" He asked with a stutter and then activated the strange ring.


    "I will tell you when you answer my questions," John said as he shed his silver dagger and severed the observer''s wrist.


    The next instant, the observer screamed while attracting the other 7 killers'' attention and nearby neighbors.


    "I-I will answer! I will answer it." He shouted while shivering like a frightened cat.


    "Good. Tell me your full name." John stared into his red eyes and ordered while analyzing him.


    ''Hmm, he looks more like a coward. Heh, let''s see what information I will get from him.''


    "Rios Garcia." The observer replied while gashing his teeth.


    "Who are those ''True Lords''?" John nodded his head and asked while ying with his silver dagger.


    "I don''t know! I don''t know! But I heard from Da- Master James that they have some connection with Nightwind Elders." Rios said hurriedly and nced at those cloaked killers. They were already moving towards this building from Charles''s house.


    John was well aware of the cloaked enemies'' movements and asked another question.


    "Who is James? Why is he after me?"


    "This¡­ His master is afraid of you-." Rios mped his mouth shut at a slip of the tongue and became pale.


    "His master?" John stared at him deeply and skilfully threw a knife towards one of the killers who had already arrived near the building.


    The knife tore through the air with a whooshing sound and directlynded on the opponent''s throat!


    "L-Lord M-Martin Nightwind. He is Lord Martin Nightwind." Upon witnessing such a scene, Rios took a step back in fear and answered.


    "Good. Now, why is he after me?" John was very curious about this. It didn''t make any sense at all.


    "It''s about your father. Lord Martin feared that your father might have given you a final gift before his death. So, he cooperated with the ''True Lords'' and nned to kill you before you chose your Main ss."


    "What has to do with me choosing the Main ss?" John stared at the loose mouth with a deep look and asked.


    "Unless you activate your ss, you won''t receive your father''s gift," Rios replied nonchntly.


    ''Oh? How did he know so much information?'' John became shocked for a moment and soon furrowed his brows.


    "How did you know so much information?"


    "James is my dad." Rios scratched his head awkwardly and hung his head in depression.


    ''Heh, so that exins everything. Moreover, a gift, huh?'' John arched his lips upward as he turned around and moved towards the killers who were climbing up to the rooftop using adder.


    After taking the fifth step, he activated [Conceal] skill and disappeared into the darkness.


    The next instant, he arrived near thedder''s end and started killing the enemies one by one.


    [Target Eliminated! 27 Battle Exp obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 30 Battle Exp obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 24 Battle Exp obtained!]


    ¡­


    A few minutester, John stood on the rooftop while ncing at the eight corpses and sighed heavily. He felt fatigued all over his body.


    ''My muscles are hurting like hell. Tsk, what a troublesome job.'' He shook his head and nced at the shivering Rios. After witnessing the battle, Rios had already submitted his fate to John. Like a scared cat, he stood a few meters away from him.


    Although John managed to kill all of the enemies, multiple shallow cuts appeared all over his body.


    Blood dripped down from his hand and pained the rooftop.


    "Do you have any healing potion?" He asked in a cold tone.


    On the other hand, Rios hurriedly nodded his head, took out a reddish vial, and gave it to him.


    "T-This is the only thing I have." He said in an anxious tone.


    On the other hand, John caught the vial and furrowed his brows.


    ''Is it a healing potion? Or, a poison?'' A frown appeared on his face.


    Noticing his frown, Rios trembled all over and spoke in a hurry.


    "It''s a real one, sir. I wouldn''t dare to lie."


    Upon seeing his terrified face, John gave onest look and opened the vial.


    "Open your mouth," He ordered.


    With a helpless look on his face, Rios nodded his head and opened his mouth.


    On the other hand, John poured a small amount of potion into his mouth and ordered him to drink it. Then, he waited for a minute.


    Only after noticing nothing abnormal happened on Rios did John raised his hand and drank the vial.


    After noticing that the wounds on his body were starting to disappear, he breathed out a sigh of relief and nced at the notifications.


    ''I got 321 Battle Exp!'' He calcted the Exp he got from killing twelve members and nodded.


    He then moved near those corpses and started decapitating their heads one by one.


    After dropping the heads, he climbed down using thedder and began to take these severed heads.


    "W-Why are you taking their heads?" After climbing down from the rooftop, Rios sneakily nced at him and asked in horror.


    "It''s secret. Help me carry them to the reception room."


    John smiled mysteriously as he gave a short reply and then walked into his own house.


    After that, he repaired the connection to the magic candles and lightened the house.


    "Move one wooden table from the dining table to the reception." He ordered Rios and then moved towards the corpses thatid near the backdoor entrance.


    He checked their clothes and soon sighed in disappointment.


    ''These guys don''t even have a single copper in their pockets.''


    "I''m done!" An anxious voice appeared from the reception room.


    Nodding his head, John turned around and went to the reception room.

 Chapter 6: Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 6: Suspicion</h4>


    After cing another table in the reception room, John put fourteen chairs around those two tables. He then ced tes, sses, forks, spoons, napkins, and other utensils in an orderly manner. After that, John started putting those heads in order at the guests'' tes. He left the two hosts'' chairs empty and then decorated the table with red candles.


    Watching the ritual-like horror scene, Rios stood around the corner and began to tremble all over.


    He was deeply regretting his decision to join this hunting mission!


    ''He is a real demon. Is he a member of Wicked Church? Or is a member of the Demonic Church?'' He stared at the deep-blue-haired kid with a terrified expression on his face.


    John wasn''t concerned about Rios''s inner thoughts. He instead poured red wine in those empty sses and then shifted his gaze towards the Questpletion icon.


    He had already got the reward of 300 Exp for the surviving ordeal.


    ''Now, who is the spy?'' He raised his eyebrows and then ced a few chopped pieces of raw meat on one of the two hosts'' tes.


    ''No! These meats are not humans'' flesh. Don''t misunderstand. I''m not a cannibal!'' He ced these chopped meats to scare off the enemy a little.


    John frowned as he felt a dense urine smell!


    "Damn you, boy. Why did you pee in the room? Look, it ruined the dinner mood." Johnined in dissatisfaction and went near Rios.


    A few minutester, John stood alone in the reception hall and ced a few fried pieces of meat on the other host''s te. After that, he went to the opposite side and sat on the wooden chair.


    He then ced the napkin on hisp and waited for the main guest.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, a long grey-haired man was pacing outside the Life Church and sank into deep thoughts.


    ''Why isn''t he picking up the call?'' He stared at the unique silver ring and narrowed his amber eyes.


    ''Why do I feel restless inside?'' He let out a grunt and then turned his attention towards the Life Church interior.


    ''Damn it, that sly Bishop is still guarding Eve like a dog. I hope they will kill her boy sooner.'' He gashed his teeth and waited for Rios to pick up the call.


    2 minutes.


    5 minutes.


    10 minutes.


    20 minutes.


    James began to feel restless and started walking towards El Street hastily.


    ¡­


    After a few minutes, a 40-year-old man in a ck butler suit walking hurriedly towards the porch area and looked around cautiously.


    James then sniffed the air as he arrived near the porch and became icy cold.


    ''Blood scent?'' A foreboding sensation appeared in his heart.


    He took a deep breath to calm his mind and then walked inside while opening the entrance door. He nced warily around inside, and soon his eyes widened. He saw a long dining table arranged in the reception room. Candles were lit, tes, wine sses, forks, and other utensils were ced in order.


    All of them were perfectly arranged in order. The only thing that made James freeze in shock was the dishes.


    Instead of regr dishes, he saw his followers'' heads were ced in orders!


    On the other side, a slim figure sat on the Host seat and seemed to be eating a slice of raw meat!


    Yes, that was a slice of raw meat!


    For the first time, James took a step back in vignt. He quickly identified the boy and became shocked.


    ''Eve''s son is a cannibal? Why didn''t the informer mentioned anything about this?'' Hisplexion turned deadly pale.


    "Hehehe, Mr. James. Is it? Take a seat." John made a twisted face and let out a creepyugh. His tone appeared abnormally eerier.


    ''F*ck! Where is my son?! Also, what is that creepyugh?!'' James''s face went stiff as he stared at the gloomy dining table.


    After looking at his followers'' heads for a moment, he calmed his mind and then shifted his gaze towards the twisted monster that sat on the other end.


    Simultaneously, John stared into James''s eyes and released his inborn, killing intent. An invisible killing power ripped through the air and gripped the opponent''s heart.


    For a moment, James felt bloodlust oozing out from the boy and got astounded.


    ''A real killer.'' Although James was startled by the boy''s sudden change, he didn''t get anxious.


    ''Even if he turned into a psychopath, he is still a ssless mortal. I have already checked his record.'' James sat on the opposite host seat and asked coldly.


    "Boy, where is my son?"


    "I will tell you in a while. You must be hungry. Mom taught me to never speak when eating. It''s basic etiquette." John said with the same devilish smile and took another bite.


    ''Eve! What the hell did you teach your son during all these years?!'' He gritted his teeth and sat with a hesitant face. Although the food on his te was fried meat, he felt uneasy inside.


    John''s face turned icy cold as he saw that hesitant look and spoke chillingly.


    "If you want to know more about your son, then you have to eat it."


    It was a threat!


    Although James could easily kill this little brat, he didn''t dare to take the risk. He also saw some changes in the boy''s eyes and became more cautious.


    ''My son''s life is at stake.'' He closed his eyes for three seconds and then picked up the fried meat with trembling hands. He never expected that a simple hunting mission would turn into something like this.


    ''Damn you, Eve! I''m gonna kill you over and over again!'' He grounded his teeth and took arge bite. Instead of a salty taste, he felt a nd taste inside his mouth. The meat was not cooked well. He chewed it for a while and then gulped it down.


    Under John''s piercing gaze, James groaned in displeasure while cursing Eve in his mind from time to time and started eating with bloodshot eyes.


    A few minutester, James finished eating the whole fried meat and stared back at the devil with trembling hands.


    "Good! Now, I''m happy." John said while licking his red lips and then asked,


    "Who told you about us? For the past 15 years, we werepletely hidden from the Nightwind family''s eyes, right? How did Martin find out about us?"


    A look of astonishment appeared on James''s face as he heard his words. He then shook his head and replied helplessly.


    "We don''t know. The informer sent your information to us anonymously. But we are suspecting that the informer might be Bishop Reynolds."


    John had already expected this and soon asked.


    "Will Martin give up on hunting us? You see, I don''t have any n to avenge my father. I will forgive his past sins and won''t pursue the past matters. But if you guyse again and ruin my peaceful life, I will enter Martin''s bedroom and slit his wife''s neck one day. Then, I will go for his sons'' heads and then his daughters'' heads. I will shave his head, cut his cock, and even put him nakedly on the road. I''m a forgiving person. I won''t kill him. As long as he didn''t cross my path, I will leave this matter off. So, what''s your answer?"


    Anger boiled up in James''s eyes as he heard rude and wicked words from John. He unsheathed his golden dagger and stood up. But the next instant, he felt his head began to feel dizzy!


    ''I''m poisoned!'' He stared at John with an rmed face and stumbled on the nearby chair.


    "You are strong. I can feel the strong aura from your body. But even the mighty elephant has a weakness, James." John shook his head and added,


    "Your weakness is your own son. You shouldn''t have brought your son to this mission."


    Gripping his head, James stared at John with full of killing intent and shouted.


    "WHERE IS MY SON?!"


    "Where?" John let out a soft chuckle and added with creepyughter,


    "He is in your belly, moron."


    Hearing those words, James felt confusion, panic, anxiety, and other emotions appeared in his head.


    "Hehehe, do you really think I will let you off easily?" John stood up from his seat and walked towards the falling James.


    "I knew much about those who are in power. Even if you went there and tell them about my cruel character, they won''t believe you. Your only option is to die here and be my strength. I added a strong poison. Even I didn''t expect that my mother would be storing some poison bottles in the storeroom. Look at you now, pathetically crawling under the chair like a worthless worm." John arrived in front of James and smiled.


    Anger welled up in James''s eyes as he held his golden dagger and lunged towards John at an incredible speed. Even after being poisoned, he didn''t slow down a bit and began to attack him in an agitated state.


    Meanwhile, John backed away hurriedly while avoiding any fatal strikes.


    Within 30 seconds, the whole reception hall had turned into a bloody mess. Chairs and tables were sliced into multiple pieces by James''s attacks and were flying in all directions.


    ''Damn, this is exhrating.'' John felt thrilled inside and started throwing knives at James from time to time. If it were before, James would have easily crippled him. But after consuming the poisonous food, James'' movement became slower and slower.


    After five minutes of struggle, James couldn''t keep his bnce and fell pathetically.


    ''My body is too weak! I need to level up quickly and prepare for their next hunting squad. Moreover, I need to find more information about this magical world.'' John mumbled to himself.


    "Tell me, brat! Is that fried meat is my son''s?" Panting heavily, James stared at the white ceiling and asked anxiously.


    "Hehe, die in suspense." John let out a chuckle and beheaded him on the spot.


    [Target Eliminated! 100 Exp obtained!]


    [Quest reward for killing the mysterious kidnapper, James: 500 Exp obtained!]


    A smile crept on his face as he saw the notification.


    He then dragged those bodies and heads outside one by one and ced them in the yard. After that, he went back to his bedroom and took thend and house documents. He then walked out of his house while scaring the hundreds of onlookers and went towards the Life Church building.


    After he left, security guards and town patrol units arrived at his house and became shocked when watching those multiple headless bodies. The one who led the team was Security Captain Noah. He was an average middle-aged man with broad shoulders and wore a brown uniform. He had wide-set green eyes, short ck hair, an oval face, and thin eyebrows.


    He nced at those bodies one by one and started taking notes on a thick brown sheet.


    Security Captain Noah then walked into therge house and started searching for clues. He saw multiple bloodstains all over the ces and then turned his expression solemn. In his 20 years old experience, Noah had never seen such a horrible killing incident and got an uncontroble fear towards his target. After looking at the markings and bloodstains, he could vaguely understand what had happened here.


    After gathering evidence to make Charles the real killer, he sent a detailed report to the City lord and started searching for his whereabouts.


    Meanwhile, John reached the Life Church and walked inside with a pale face.


    After ncing at the front, he saw Bishop Reynolds was seated on the front pew and walked towards him.


    Hearing his unsteady footsteps, Reynolds closed the Sacred Book of Life, stood up from his seat, and turning around.


    "Did you bring the documents?"


    "Yes," John replied with a nod and then nced at Eve Nightwind, who was ced on the wooden table around the corner.


    "Good. We should sign the contract quickly." Reynolds curled his lips upward and grinned.


    Meanwhile, John stared into Bishop Reynolds''s deep-set amber eyes and asked sharply.


    "Father Reynolds, are you the one who informed about us to the Nightwind family?"


    His sudden question startled Reynolds greatly.


    "Why do you think it is me?" Reynolds turned his expression serious and asked.


    "In Riverdale city, no one knew about our real identity. But you are an exception. You are a powerful Rank-3 Bishop. I heard from my mom once that Bishops have the skill to see through one''s secrets and identity. What is that skill name? Ah, yes. [True Eyes] is it?" John asked while turning his expression cold.

 Chapter 7: Apprentice Fire Mage

    <h4>Chapter 7: Apprentice Fire Mage</h4>


    "Haha, Interesting. Charles, I''m impressed." Reynolds let out a boomingugh and went near Eve Nightwind.


    "Indeed, I knew about your identities long ago. When I visited your house to ask about thend matters, I checked your identity and learned about your surname. But I''m not the one who informed your presence to your family. I''m a greedy fox, and I do some shady works. Even the Honourable Divine Lady Nira knew about my schemes. But I''m not a betrayer." Reynolds said while pointing his finger at the beautiful Life Goddess''s statue.


    John followed after Reynolds with hurried footsteps and became puzzled inside.


    "Then, who is the informer?" He asked out loud.


    "That¡­ I don''t know. But one thing is certain. Your family members or the one who is after your heads will send more men in the future to kill you." Reynolds said with a sigh and then took out a scroll from the altar table.


    "Now, let''se to the current business. This scroll is a contract scroll, and I already wrote the contents. Once you signed the contract, you will get 500 gold coins and save your mother." Reynolds said and passed the brown scroll to John.


    "You don''t need to see thend document?" John furrowed his brows.


    "Nah, no one can fool our almighty Goddess''s eyes." Reynolds chuckled while waving his hand.


    Meanwhile, John opened the contract scroll and began to read word by word. Although thenguage was a strange one, he didn''t face any difficulty at all.


    ''Charles''s memories helped me in many ways.'' He muttered inwardly and then said with a sly smile.


    "Father Reynolds, I heard from my mom that ''Life Potion'' is very cheap in other Gods'' Cathedrals. I heard her saying that it was only 40 gold coins. Why is so high in Life Church''s Cathedral?"


    Reynolds narrowed his eyes for a second and said indifferently.


    "If you feel that I''m scamming you, you can go to other churches and buy ''Life Potions'' or some other ''Healing Potions'' from them."


    A bitter smile appeared on John''s face as he heard Reynolds''s words.


    ''This guy sure is after something. What a poisonous snake.'' John heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head.


    ''Other than Life Church, there are two more churches in this city. But there are only priests working there. I don''t want to make a bet using Eve''s life.'' He took a quill pen from the desk without saying anything and dipped it into the ck ink. He then opened the scroll and signed in it.


    A heartbeatter, the scroll began to shine brightly and then disappeared from his eyes.


    ''I need to find a way and repay the debt quickly.'' He said to himself and then turned his attention towards Bishop Reynolds.


    Meanwhile, Bishop Reynolds arrived near Eve and took out a white vial from his pocket. After that, he opened her mouth using his other hand and poured the potion into her mouth. Simultaneously, he recited a short incantation and ced his hand on Eve''s throat.


    A momentter, Eve moved her lips and swallowed the ''Life Potion.'' Once Bishop Reynolds noticed that she was okay, he turned his head towards John and patted his shoulder.


    "You can go back now. It will take 4 to 5 days for your mother to wake up. I will send someone to inform you when she wakes up."


    After that, he moved towards the front pew, sat on it, and then started reading the ''Sacred book of Life'' book.


    Meanwhile, John saw a notification popped up in front of his eyes and smiled.


    [Sub-Quest Completed! Rewards: 100 Exp obtained!]


    John didn''t walk out of the Life Church. Instead, he also sat beside Bishop Reynolds and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''If Bishop Reynolds is not the informer, then who is it?¡­ Think John¡­Think¡­What did the informer want from us? Is he after money? Probably not. Is he after the treasure that hid in our house ornd? Possible. Hmm, I don''t have any clue. But, the informer must be hiding in this town and gathering information about me¡­Wait!'' John suddenly recalled the shadow with green eyes.


    ''That shadow. He knew about the assassination incident. If he has some big background, I will be in deep sh*t.'' He thought of the worst possibility and made an emergency n.


    ''I already killed 14 assassins. If the informer wants to frame me, he might use their deaths as excuses. If I''m not careful, I will end up being in Iron Prison. In the worst-case scenario, I will be executed in public. Although I can avoid the execution by selecting a Mage ss, I will still get punished if I''m not careful.'' John frowned deeply and turned his gaze towards Bishop Reynolds.


    "Father, can you do me a favor?"


    Bishop turned his head towards John in annoyance and asked,


    "What is it?"


    "I want you to stop the City Lord for some time if an Execution happens," John said in a solemn tone.


    It was his backup n if something went wrong.


    "Execution?" Bishop Reynolds widened his eyes in surprise and asked hurriedly,


    "Who''s Execution?"


    A wry smile appeared on John''s face as he pointed his finger towards his chest.


    "Mine."


    "What did you do?" Bishop Reynolds turned his face serious and asked.


    "I killed a bunch of assassins," John said and then started exining everything while skipping some information.


    "I''m amazed by your ruthlessness. Although I love to help you, I don''t want to offend Ethan Walker." Bishop paused for a moment and then added,


    "But if you died before paying the debt, I will end up losing 500 gold coins. Moreover, the contract will also go invalid."


    John smiled as he heard Bishop Reynolds''s words.


    "Thank you, Father," John said and stood up from the pew.


    After that, he gave a bow towards the Goddess Nira''s statue and walked out of the Life Church.


    But soon, his face turned grim as he saw tens of security guards in brown uniforms stood outside the Life Church and held different weapons in their hands.


    As soon as they saw him walking out of the Light Church, they started surrounding him and aimed their weapons at him.


    Then, a ck-haired officer took a step forward and loudly announced.


    "Charles Miller, You are under arrest for killing normal citizens. We have multiple witnesses saying that you killed more than 10 citizens in your house."


    ''Charles Miller? It seems Eve done a good job.'' He nodded inwardly and nced at the officer.


    He had wide-set green eyes, an oval face, and thin eyebrows.


    ''Green eyes!'' John raised his eyebrows and spoke coldly.


    "I indeed killed a few people. But they are not citizens of Riverdale. They are professional killers. I killed them to defend myself. You should have already found out about their real identities, right?"


    "But killing someone in this city is still a crime, Charles. Say your useless excuses to the City Lord during your execution." That ck-haired officer responded as a matter of fact.


    At that moment, John also noticed a smirk on the officer''s face and furrowed his brows.


    "Execution, is it? Are you sure about that? Do you have an authority to execute an apprentice mage?" John let out a cold snort and asked.


    "A-Apprentice Mage?!" All the security guards took a step back in anxiety and muttered in unison.


    John had already expected their response and smiled.


    From Charles''s memories, he learned that Mages were precious treasures in any kingdom.


    Moreover, one needs a considerable amount of luck to get any Mage ss gems.


    John was very familiar with these types of ss gems.


    In the ''Mystic World'' game, wealthy NPCs would send out multiple quest missions to search for ss gems from the Mystic Towers.


    Although the sses and abilities were totally different, John felt that there must be some link to it. Moreover, there were no Mystic Towers in this strange world.


    Instead, 13 Lawful Churches controlled these ss gems all over the continent and monopolized them.


    As for where they get these Mystic Gems, no one knew. But few lucky ones would get these ''ss Gems'' from killing monsters.


    Yes, many monsters were lurking in this mystic world, and some of them were very dangerous.


    ''But the possibility of getting a ''ss-Gem'' is very slim like the ''Mystic World'' Game. There are some simrities between the Mystic World game and this strange world.'' John mused in thoughts.


    "You are not a mage! You are still a ssless human." The ck-haired officer quickly snapped out from the shock and spoke in a grim tone.


    ''Oh? It seems he knew more about me.'' John shook his head and turned his gaze towards the game interface.


    ''1396 Exp! Well, this should be more than enough to flip the situation.'' He shifted his gaze towards the main ss option and started to ponder.


    ¡­


    [Avable sses for Host: Apprentice Swordsman (300 Exp), Thief (380 Exp), Apprentice Warrior (340 Exp), Learner (120 Exp), Cook (140 Exp) Dancer (100), Teacher (150 Exp) Archer (450 Exp), Killer (400 Exp), Deceiver (250 Exp),¡­ Apprentice Fire Mage (750 Exp), Apprentice Darkness Mage (1000 Exp), etc.,]


    ¡­


    ''There are only two mage options on this list. It might be due to one''s own elemental affinity.''


    ''Although Darkness Mage looks cooler, they have some bad reputation. Not only that, but the strange feeling also wants me to choose Apprentice Fire Mage ss¡­ This feeling is much powerful than before. Darkness Mage or Fire Mage¡­ A tough choice, indeed.''


    In this unknown magic world, surviving without relying on external help is almost impossible. I know almost nothing about Darkness Mage ss¡­ Was it a curse-rted ss? Or, ck magic? Shadow magic? Do Churches hate them? Will they burn me in the name of purification if they found out that I be Dark Magician? I can''t bet my life on it¡­ On the other hand, Fire Mage has a good reputation among the masses¡­ Life or gamble¡­ I choose life.''


    He hesitated for a moment and selected the ''Apprentice Fire Mage'' option.


    [750 Exp deduced!]


    [Apprentice Fire Mage ss obtained!]


    [2 Free Attributes Rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom obtained!]


    [10 skill points]


    [Spell Book option will be avable from now on!]


    [You can use Experience points to buy suitable fire spell models!]


    [With your current Wisdom, you can construct only one spell model!]


    [You have an ''Inheritance Gift'' in your body]


    [Opening the ''Inheritance Gift''¡­]


    [You have learned a unique ''Inspect'' skill]


    ¡­


    Many information about Fire elemental spells appeared in John''s head!


    ''I can think faster than before.'' He was surprised and soon widened his eyes as he nced at the ''Inheritance Gift'' notification.


    ''[Inspect] skill, huh? Not so special, though. Maybe it can evolve in the future? Hmm, Main ss gives me more attribute points. From the information, I have to increase my wisdom if I want to learn more spells. But currently, I need to increase my body strength. Otherwise, I won''t be able to use the full extent of my assassin skills.'' He pondered for a moment and then added one free attribute to the ''Strength'' and another free attribute to ''Constitution.''


    After that, he shifted his attention to the ''Spell Book'' option.


    [Avable Fire Spell models for the Host: Fire Orb (430 Exp), Fire Arrow (250 Exp), Fire Breath (250 Exp), Fire Shield (320 Exp), me Body (350 Exp), me Jump (540 Exp), Fire Wing (450 Exp), Fire Wisp (240 Exp), Fire de (459 Exp), Fire Prism (310 Exp), etc.,]


    ''Oh? Do I have to spend Exp again?'' He grunted in dissatisfaction.


    ''This is also a tough choice. Should I select [Fire Orb] or [Fire Arrow]? But these all are Rank-1 spells, right? Can a Rank-1 spell kill a Rank-2 Mystic? What if it didn''t? Wouldn''t I be wasting all these exp points? Yes, I can kill multiple Rank-1 Mystics using my assassin skills. So, why should I need to waste it? I should focus on my survival first. Let''s see. If I choose the Fire Wings spell model, I can intimidate these soldiers and even escape in case something bad happens.'' Multiple thoughts whirled in his mind.


    He made up his mind in an instant and clicked the ''Fire Wings'' Spell model.


    Within a second, something exploded in his mind, causing him to stumble a little!


    Security guards also noticed his strange behavior and gripped their weapons tighter.


    "Capture him!" Security Captain Noah roared in excitement.


    On the other hand, tens of weird mystical letters emerged in John''s mind and started constructing into a red crystalline hexagon!


    No, it was a spell model!


    The ''Fire Wings'' spell model flickered in his mind and began to glow like a raging fire.


    ''F*ck! I''m losing focus!'' He also saw a strange timer appeared in the corner of his eyes and got stunned.


    ''Constructing spell models take time? 58 seconds?'' He waspletely stupefied.


    This waspletely out of his expectation!


    At that moment, the spell model construction also started interrupting his focus!


    ''Thankfully, I already made some backup ns. I hope Bishop intervenes when the timees. Otherwise, I''ve no choice but to escape.'' He thought.


    Meanwhile, Noah and a few other brave guards arrived near to him and yanked his legs. Due to the attack, John lost his bnce and fell while staring at the dark-orange sky.


    ''Dawn appears! Haa, I feel so tired.'' A heavy sigh came out of his mouth.


    The construction process continued in his head, causing him topletely lose focus.


    Meanwhile, multiple soldiers attacked him with their fists and made him immobile in two minutes.


    Although he struggled a bit, the spell model construction processpletely caught him off guard.


    But instead of panicking, John curled his lips upward and grinned.


    ''Spell model construction is over.''


    ''Stats Window.'' He said in his mind.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Race: Human


    Rank: 1 (Common)


    ss: Level 1 Apprentice Fire Mage (0/150)


    Sub-ss: Level 3 Trickster (0/337)


    Health Points: 61/61 (Healed)


    Exp: 196


    Attributes:


    Strength- 10


    Dexterity- 11


    Constitution- 10+1= 11


    Wisdom-11+1 = 12


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 10


    AP (Attribute points):


    ss spells:


    Fire Wings


    Sub-ss skills:


    Trickster''s hand- 20


    Clown- 20


    Sixth Sense- 50


    Unique skills:


    Snatch-51


    Conceal- 50


    Dark Vision- 44


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 20]


    After checking at the status, he became astounded.


    ''I have already upgraded most of my unique skills. But there is one unique skill that I don''t need to upgrade in the future. [Dark Vision] has almost reached its high state. Even if I add more skill points, it will give the same result.'' He nodded inwardly and then shifted his attention to the [Inspect] skill.


    After thinking for a moment, he added 10 skill points to the [Inspect] skill. He then looked at the ck-haired officer and cast [Inspect] skill on him.


    The next instant, a cold glint appeared in John''s deep-set jade eyes.


    [Inspect (30) skill has been used¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect seeded!]


    The ck-haired officer''s main information appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Name: Noah Moore


    Race: Human


    Rank: 1 (Common)


    ss: Level 4 Soldier (204/506)


    Sub-ss: None


    Health Points: 35/35


    Attributes:


    Strength- 11


    Dexterity- 10


    Constitution- 12


    Wisdom-10


    Charisma- 9


    ss skills:


    Shadower- 21


    Charge-23


    Fearless Body-20


    Weapon proficiency (Basic melee weapon proficiency)-24


    Sub-ss Skills: None


    Unique Skills: None]


    ''Hmm?'' He furrowed his brows and thenid there motionlessly.


    ''Prison is not a bad ce to take some rest.'' He chuckled inwardly and cooperated with security officer Noah.


    Within seconds, Noah cuffed his hands using a handcuff chain and waited for the reinforcement team to arrive.


    Meanwhile, Bishop Reynolds also walked out from the Church and became shocked when seeing the scene. He hurriedly went near Hunt and asked with a frown.


    "What happened?"


    "Father!" Hunt got startled by Bishop Reynolds''s sudden arrival and answered,


    "They are arresting him for killing 14 men in his house. Even after I told those security guards about the kidnapping incident, no one listened to me. Charles also said that he became an apprentice mage in panic, but no one took his words seriously. Well, even I knew that kid is lying."


    Bishop Reynolds''s eyes widened as he heard Hunt''s words. The next instant, he turned his gaze towards Charles and cast [True Eyes] skill on him.


    A secondter, a look of astonishment and shock appeared in his eyes!


    ''H-How?! I didn''t see any changes a while ago!'' He mumbled in shock and then widened his eyes as he thought of a possibility.


    "Interesting! He must have obtained some skill to fake his information." He muttered slowly.


    "Hunt, don''t worry about his safety. He is ying with these fools." He patted on Hunt''s shoulder and then added,


    "Don''t sneak into City Lord''s mansion often. There are few people already started paying attention to your movements. Your partner Robb also became more suspicious of your movements now."


    "F-Father, what should I do?" Hunt''s face turned pale as he heard Bishop Reynolds''s words.


    "Lay low for now. Although City Lord didn''t care about his second wife''s secret affair, we can''t act recklessly. We need Lady Charlotte''s help in this matter. She is the only one who has a more friendly rtionship with Target. Also, be careful of Charles. He appears to have changed. We have to keep a low profile for a while. As for getting the A-035 from that ce, we will have to make some changes in the original n."


    Hunt''s body went stiff for a moment and soon he rxed. Hunt then nodded his head repeatedly and walked away from Bishop Reynolds.


    Meanwhile, more security guards and patrol officers arrived near the Life Church entrance and then transported John to the Iron Prison through a horse carriage.

 Chapter 8: Execution

    <h4>Chapter 8: Execution</h4>


    June 7th, Year 6396, Second Arcane Era.


    Iron Prison, Riverdale City, Arc Kingdom.


    Around 11 A.M., In a gloomy prison cell, an 18-year-old kid wasid on the cold floor and constantly snored while disturbing the nearby prisoners. He wore a tight ck shirt and pants and looked slimmer. He had short eyebrows, a fleshy nose, short deep-blue hair, and olive skin.


    He was none other than John Browning, aka Charles Nightwind.


    After he surrendered to the security guards, they brought him to the Iron prison and locked him inside a most secured cell. John didn''t mind their rough treatment, though. The security officer Noah even gave him some dry bread and told him to enjoy hisst night in the gloomy cold prison.


    While he was snorting in the Iron prison, the whole city, filled with 60,000 people, was shocked by John''s cruel action! There was not even a single incident like this urred in Riverdale City during the past two decades!


    The honorable City Lord, Ethan Walker, was deeply saddened by Charles Miller''s action and announced the Riverdale City that he would personally execute him for his crimes on June 8th Morning at the Execution tform!


    The whole town began to gossip about what had happened in El Street. The neighboring citizens even exaggerated the whole incident and gave him the title of ''Serial Killer.''


    Some even stated that he colluded with Wicked Church''s followers and killed those 14 citizens to do a blood sacrificial ceremony.


    Unaware of those gossips, John rested for another 4 hours and then woke up by the neighboring prisoners'' shouting.


    He let out a groan and noticed that his muscles were aching severely.


    ''Damn, my muscles are aching like hell.'' He nced around the gloomy prison cell and clicked his tongue.


    ''I already chose the Apprentice Fire Mage ss. Now, I need tons of experience points to level up and also to buy those spell models. The best way to grow quicker is by bing an Explorer. But that will put Charles''s mother Eve in danger¡­For now, I will stay in this Riverdale City and gather more information about this magical world. One thing that worries me is the Nightwind family. I have limited information about them.'' He shook his head and then shifted his attention to the interface.


    ''I still have 196 Exp remaining.'' He thought for a moment and then assigned 150 Exp to Apprentice Fire Mage ss.


    ¡­


    [150 Exp deduced from the Host.]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 2 Apprentice Fire Mage!]


    [2 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom obtained!]


    [10 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    ''Heh, 2 free attribute points, huh. Should I add it to my Wisdom attribute? Nah, It won''t help me in this current situation. I should use these points and increase my Dexterity and Strength. Once I increase my body to a certain level, I will put all the free attributes to wisdom. Moreover, whenever I level up the Main ss, the system itself giving me an extra wisdom attribute.'' Muttering to himself, he added one free attribute to Dexterity and another free attribute point to Strength.


    After that, he added 10 skill points to [Inspect] skill.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Race: Human


    Rank: 1 (Common)


    ss: Level 2 Apprentice Fire Mage (0/225)


    Sub-ss: Level 3 Trickster (0/337)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favourability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 71/71


    Exp: 46


    Attributes:


    Strength- 10+1= 11


    Dexterity- 11+1= 12


    Constitution- 11


    Wisdom-12+1 = 13


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 0


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Fire Wings


    Sub-ss skills:


    Trickster''s hand- 20


    Clown- 20


    Sixth Sense- 50


    Unique skills:


    Snatch-51


    Conceal- 50


    Dark Vision- 44


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 40]


    ''I''m a Serial Killer, huh.'' John shook his head and shifted his gaze towards the attributes.


    ''I can feel it! I''m growing stronger! My muscles are strengthening by some mystic force.'' His jade eyes shone in the gloomy prison.


    ''With my current wisdom, I can cast two magic spells.'' He sat up with a cold look on his face.


    ''This body is too weak. I will try and see if I can increase my strength by exercising.'' He nodded his head inwardly and began to do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.


    His weird action got noticed by the jail warden, but the warden didn''t say anything. He felt this kid might have lost his rationality and shrugged it off.


    After he exhausted himself, John sat on the cold prison cell and read Charles''s remnant memories.


    The next morning, a squad of well-equipped soldiers in brown uniform led by the security captain Noah entered his cell and cuffed his hand using a handcuff. After that, they pushed him out of the prison cell and led him out of the Iron Prison near the City Lord''s mansion. The squad then stood behind him and ordered him to walk in the front. Shaking his head, John did as those soldiers told him and started walking on the dirt road.


    Soon, he reached the main road and saw tens of thousands of citizens were looking in his direction.


    Today, Riverdale City was filled with furious shouts and slogans. Thousands of citizens stood on the street side and waited for the criminal to pass through the main street.


    Within a day, John became a monster who reaped more than 200 lives in this world. The citizens exaggerated the rumors and made him a famous killer. Some even imed that they had seen him killing slum citizens during the past two years and reported it to the security office multiple times.


    ''Someone is definitely fueling the fire. But for what purpose?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    As John walked on the main street, the Riverdale citizens threw stones, slippers, rotten fruits, and many other things at him while cursing vulgarly.


    Upon hearing those curses and shouts, he felt amused inside.


    ''What a bunch of fools.'' He shook his head and walked leisurely towards the elevated Execution tform.


    Ethan Walker stood with a solemn face on the execution tform and held a broad sword in his right hand. His face was rough and a little old, seemingly in his forties, and he wore a ck surcoat. He had short ck hair, rounded eyebrows, amber eyes, and a shadow nose bridge.


    Curling his lips upward, John silently walked on the straight staircase and reached the execution tform.


    Seeing the target was going to be executed, Noah, the security captain, grinned inwardly and yanked John from behind.


    Due to the sudden attack, John lost his bnce and stumbled in front of tens of thousands of people.


    But he didn''t fall, though. Instead, he made a strange dancing movement, regained his bnce, and started stretching limbs.


    At that moment, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    He raised his cuffed hands, extended them wide, like breaking the chains, and made a nging noise using his mouth.


    To others'' astonishment, his hands became freed from the cuff!


    No! There was no cuff in his hand at all!


    It was a small trick he learned from one of his colleagues!


    The whole crowd became stunned by his performance!


    John then nodded his head and thrust out his hands like a showman revealing the grand treasure!


    The citizens looked confused for a second and soon widened their eyes.


    Even Ethan Walker became baffled by the sudden change and peeked at the grand prize area.


    Everyone saw that a ck-haired officer in his brown uniform looked at his own cuffed hands in confusion and puzzlement!


    The next instant, John waved his hand towards the dumbfounded crowd and in kissed those audiences like a real trickster.


    He then turned his gaze towards the handcuffed officer and greeted him with a grin.


    "Hello, Mr. Shadower."


    [100 Exp rewarded for finding the informer!]


    John''s grin widened as he saw the notification and nodded pleasantly.


    He was suspicious of Noah as he saw him at Life Church entrance.


    "H-How?!- What nonsense are you spouting?" Noah flustered for a second and then argued angrily.


    "Hehe, stubborn, aren''t you?" John chuckled and then walked near to Noah. Meanwhile, Ethan Walker frowned a little and was about to intervene but stopped.


    At that moment, he heard a familiar voice in his head.


    ''Telepathy?''


    His eyes swept past therge crowd and soonnded on the white-robed elderly man.


    The next instant, a surprise shed on his face.


    ''Bishop Reynolds, why are you stopping me?'' He asked coldly in his mind.


    ''Don''t intervene. Watch the good show, Ethan.'' Reynolds replied calmly and turned his attention towards John.


    Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of citizens, John gripped Noah''s cor and dragged him towards the front.


    He then yanked his knee and made him kneel on the execution tform. After that, he unsheathed Noah''s long sword from his waist and ced it above Noah''s nape. At that moment, everyone who stood near John felt a chilling sensation.


    Even Ethan was startled by John''s bloodlust and became surprised.


    ''A killer! Only a guy who killed hundreds of peoples would give this type of aura.'' He was astonished.


    "Are you the one who peeked at my house during the assassination?" John asked in an icy voice.


    Meanwhile, Noah got frightened by the sudden change and then looked at the City Lord for help.


    But to his worst luck, the City Lord stood there watching his reaction with an indifferent gaze.


    ''What the hell?!'' Noah went pale as he saw the City Lord''s reaction and shouted in a hurry.


    "W-Wait! I''m not your enemy. I''m just an informer!"


    John was pleased by his response and continued to ask.


    "Who is your employer, then?"


    Upon hearing John''s question, Noah trembled all over and replied while gritting his teeth.


    "I don''t know his name. But he is from the royal capital. He might be one of the Royal Mages." Noah''s words surprised him.


    ''A mage, huh? Troublesome, indeed.'' He clicked his tongue while raising his hand upward and shed the long sword at Noah''s neck.


    Before others could blink their eyes, the long sword left a trail of blurring images and cut Noah''s head neatly!


    Noah''s head detached from the body and rolled on the execution tform with wide opened green eyes while spraying scarlet blood everywhere.


    [Target Eliminated! 21 Battle Exp Obtained!]


    Even Ethan became shocked by John''s decisiveness and then gripped his broadsword in anger.


    Meanwhile, tens of thousands of citizens screamed in shock!


    Nobody, including Bishop Reynolds, expected John''s decisiveness and became stunned.


    "WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?" Ethan pointed his broadsword at him and bellowed in anger.


    Wiping the scarlet blood from his face, John turned his cold gaze towards Ethan and asked in a deep tone,


    "Mr. Ethan Walker, I will ask you a single question. Answer me properly. Is your city safer for amoner to stay?"


    "YOU! ARROGANT BRAT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! YOU, A FILTHY COMMONER, DARE TO CALL ME, A DIGNIFIED NOBLE, WITHOUT ANY RESPECT? ATROCIOUS! I SHALL EXECUTE YOU AND CLEAN THIS ARROGANT BEHAVIOR WITH YOUR OWN BLOOD!" Ethan bellowed violently and sprinted towards John at a fast speed!


    ''Wow, this guy sure is from a noble family. Well, I should use this as an opportunity and get something.''


    John let out a chuckle and snapped his finger. A heartbeatter, two scorching crimson wings appeared behind him, sending heat waves in every direction.


    John felt those fire wings were like his own and pped forcefully with his thoughts.


    Before Evans''s broadsword could pierce through his body, he flew up in the sky and looked down at everyone with cold eyes.


    ''It''s time for acting.'' The corner of his lips went upward.


    For a second, nobody moved an inch!


    Even Ethan became shocked by the sudden change of scene and became unsettled.


    Although he was a dignified noble, his title wasn''t worthy in front of an apprentice mage''s title. If kingdom Royalty or Sun Church found out about this incident, it would be too troublesome for him. He would even be an enemy of the Sun Church in the future.


    Fire Mages were Sun Church''s pirs and precious treasures!


    "Now, I will ask you once again, Ethan Walker. Is your city safe for amoner to stay?"


    Hearing the domineering voice from the sky, Ethan narrowed his eyes and nodded.


    "My city is safer."


    "Is that so? But my mom and I were kidnapped two days ago in this same Riverdale city. Before the kidnapping incident, my mom even asked your security office for protection. But not only your irresponsibleckeys denied her request; they even called her delusional. Because of yourckeys'' ignorance, my mother is still lying bedridden in the Life Church. If not for our Honorable Bishop Reynolds''s precious ''1000 gold coin Life Potion'', I would have lost my mother today."


    Hearing his words, Bishop Reynolds almost coughed up a mouthful of blood!


    ''500! I gave that potion for only 500 gold coins! Why did you double it?! F*ck! I can''t even refute now. Over! My reputation is all over!'' He red at the damned Charles and sighed heavily.


    Simultaneously, Bishop Reynolds felt res from every direction and became flustered.


    Meanwhile, John looked at Ethan with a void of emotions and spoke indifferently,


    "But the show didn''t end there. When I went back to my home to get the money, some sneaky ck-cloaked assassins entered my house and tried to assassinate me. To defend this poor me from being kidnapped again, I have no choice but to kill those assassins. I acted out of self-defense. But your security officer yanked me in front of the Life Church entrance and humiliated me! He arrested me, an innocent citizen, for killing a bunch of assassins. And you, a dignified Noble, agreed to his suggestion to execute me and organized an execution ceremony like a dumb fool. Pathetic." His cold voice echoed through the whole city while he had an amplifier. Even John became surprised by his own speech and went with a flow.


    The whole tform went dead silent!


    After a whole minute of silence, Ethan looked up at the crimson winged human and asked coldly,


    "What do you want?"


    A cunning smile appeared on John''s face.


    "Because of your men''s fault, I lost 1,000 Gold coins. So, you have topensate me. I''m a noble and forgiving person. You guys put me in jail and were about to execute me. If I was a normal ssless man, I would be lying there instead of Noah. You guys ruined my dazzling, handsome fac-"


    "What do you want?" With a gloomy look on his face, Ethan red at John and asked impatiently.


    "I want information." John pped his wings slowly as hended on the execution tform and spoke in a solemn tone,


    "I want information about past histories, important ces, important artifacts, and other important incidents."


    ''Although most of them would bemon knowledge, it should be enough for me to understand more about this world. If I ask this guy in secret, there is no way he would agree to it. I wouldn''t be surprised if he tries to kill me. But now, he has to think twice¡­ Nobles cares for reputation and honor after all. So, I will be safe for the next few days. That is more than enough for me.'' He thought inwardly.

 Chapter 9: Edhen World

    <h4>Chapter 9: Edhen World</h4>


    Ethan Walker stood silently on the Execution tform for a while and then nodded,


    "I willpensate for your loss, Charles Miller. You can go to Riverdale''s Amber Bank and get 1,000 gold coins tomorrow. As for the other request, you can use this." Ethan took out a red badge, threw it towards John, and then added,


    "This is the City Lord''s Token. With this, you will be able to enter Riverdale''s Wisdom Library and read all the books. There are over 200,000 books stored in the Wisdom Library. With this token, you can read all you want for the next six months."


    Once he said those words, he turned around and stepped down from the execution tform.


    After that, he red at Bishop Reynolds and then walked away from City Square.


    Meanwhile, Bishop Reynolds let out a bitterugh andmented,


    "He outsmarted me."


    Without minding the citizens'' suspicious gazes, he went towards the dark alley and disappeared.


    In the meantime, John nced at the massive crowd from the execution tform and let out a sigh of relief.


    ''I already offended the City Lord. But I don''t have any other choice.'' He was well aware of City Lord''s strength. Ethan Walker, a Rank 3 Expert Swordsman. With his measly apprentice mage power, he would be squashed to death in a few seconds. If Bishop didn''t intervene earlier, John knew that he would be beaten brutally in front of therge crowd.


    ''My name is already spoiled. It would be a little difficult for us to live in this city. Even though I proved that I''m an innocent bystander, most citizens would never believe my words. In these citizens'' eyes, I''m nothing but a ruthless serial killer. It seems I have to keep a low profile for a while.'' He sighed heavily. After that, he nced around and then stepped down from the execution tform.


    Riverdale citizens also dispersed after City Lord''s speech and went on their way.


    John didn''t stay near the execution tform and went towards Ivy Street, where Life Church was located.


    After a few minutes of walking, he arrived in front of the dome-shaped building and walked in through the Narthex.


    "It''s good to see you again, Charles." A silver-haired guy held a spear in his right hand and greeted with a smile as John walked past him.


    "Hello, Mr. Hunt."


    John greeted him with a nod and then walked forward towards the Nave.


    He walked on the smooth aisle and soon arrived in front of the Goddess of Life, Nira''s statue. Gasps and whispers could be heard from behind, but he didn''t even nce at those citizens. Instead, he looked into Goddess Nira''s beautiful blue eyes and smiled lightly.


    He then bent his waist a bit and bowed towards the beautiful statue. After that, he recited a usual short incantation and moved towards the front pew. It was Charles''s regr habit.


    Although John felt little difort when praying to an unknown Goddess, he didn''t put much thought into it.


    Casting those useless thoughts away, he sat on the front pew and waited with closed eyes.


    Countless memories of John Browning and Charles''s remnant memories appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''How did I transmigrate into this magical world? No! This world has a name. It''s called Edhen. A world filled with magical and mysterious powers. Can I even able to go back to Earth? Even if I did go back, who is there for me?'' He heaved a heavy sigh and began to think deeply about his future.


    ''First, I need to ept Charles''s identity. Then, I will think of a suitable job for me. Assassin? Nah, I don''t want to be an assassin in this life. If I choose to walk on the dark path, I will be hunted down by the 13 Lawful Churches.'' He frowned upon thinking about those churches.


    ''These 13 Churches are the main pirs of this world. No, there were only 12 Churches a few centuries ago. But a new God was born in this Edhen. He is the mysterious Sun God whose real name is still shrouded in mystery. After his ascension, he killed three Chaotic foreign Gods during the nar Invasion and forced five foreign Gods out of the. After that, he proposed a mutual alliance between Lawful Gods of Edhen and Maintained the Peace of this world till now.'' After reading the information from Charles''s memory, John was amazed by the mysterious Sun God.


    ''Well, he didn''t seem to be a bad guy. Moreover, he is biased towards Fire mages. It must have something to do with his title, Sun God.'' He nodded in his mind.


    ''After thest nar Invasion, all the 13 Churches became wary against the foreign Gods. Hmm, I don''t want to be on their bad side. I also don''t want to go and kill citizens randomly for getting Experience points. But if I want to increase my strength, I need some powerful backer.''


    When thinking about the unknown future, John got a headache. No, Charles got a headache.


    ''I will think about itter.'' Charles shook his head and sat silently for five minutes.


    After that, he stood up and went towards the left transept. A few nuns and one blue-robed priestess sat on the stools on the corner and appeared chattering.


    Charles looked around and soon noticed a deep-blue-haired woman with olive skin wasid on the wooden bench around the corner.


    He went near her and then checked her pulse rate while looking at the Clock watch ced on the opposite wall.


    ''62.'' He nodded his head and sat on the wooden stool ced next to the wooden bench.


    ''Mother, huh. What a strange fate.'' He looked at the slightly wrinkled woman''s face for a second and then breathed out a heavy sigh.


    He then stayed near her for two hours and then walked out of the Life Church silently.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, Charles arrived in front of a small two-storied building at Gold Street and entered.


    It was Riverdale City''s Amber bank.


    He then directly went to the reception counter and informed about his visit to the bank officer. The bank officer was a ck-haired male employee with big eyes. He wore a white shirt, red tie, ck pants, and formal ck shoes.


    "You are the Serial Killer?"


    A secondter, the bank officer''s attitude turned colder.


    A cold glint appeared in Charles''s eyes as he heard the bank officer''s question.


    But he didn''t dare to act arrogantly. Instead, he nodded his head and remained silent.


    After checking a few documents, the bank officer told him to wait in the reception hall and then went to the second floor through a spiral staircase.


    Charles nodded his head and then waited patiently in the reception hall.


    Thirty minutester, the same officer returned from the second floor and asked him to follow him.


    Without any other choice, Charles stood up and then followed after the bank officer. Both went to the second floor through the same spiral staircase and soon arrived in front of arge wooden door. Next to the wooden door was a lean woman''s portrait drawn on it. The woman in the portrait wore a golden tunic dress and appeared more like an empress.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was the crown on her head. Unlike the other crowns, this crown appeared to be made of a red gem, and it looked gorgeous.


    "It seems Riverdale City''s Serial Killer didn''t recognize Lady Myer''s portrait." A cold female voice came from the other side, causing Charles''s lips to twitch.


    ''Bank Manager? Did she have an ability to see through objects?''


    "The door is open." She added from the other side.


    Charles nodded his head as he pushed the door open and walked in. It was a 12x18 ft room. A decorated work table was ced on the left side, two sofas ced in the center, and a small chandelier was hung on the ceiling, illuminating the room with yellow light.


    A slim young woman in a red peplum dress was seated on one of the sofas and appeared to be in the middle of reading a golden-covered book. She had long silvery hair, a pear-shaped body, a pale face, oceanic eyes, and a hawk nose.


    After two seconds, she closed the book and turned her attention to Charles. She then stared at him for few seconds while crossing her long smooth legs and smiled lightly.


    "I''m Be Collins, Riverdale''s Amber Bank manager."


    Charles got confused inside by her smile, but he showed no expression and responded calmly.


    "I''m Charles Miller, a Riverdale Citizen, Ma''am."


    Hearing his words, Be Collins narrowed her eyes for a moment and then said while pointing her finger towards the opposite sofa,


    "Please have a seat."


    Charles nodded and then satfortably on it.


    Both didn''t speak for a while and maintained a long silence.


    While in silence, Charles first cast the [Inspect] skill on her.


    [Inspect (40) skill has been used¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect Failed!]


    ''She is a Mystic.'' He mumbled inwardly. Mystic was the term yers and normal NPCs used to call the ranked NPCs.


    "What do you want from me, Ma''am?" John stared into her pure silvery eyes and asked after a minute of silence.


    Be pressed her plump red lips together and gave him a bunch of documents.


    "We are sorry for doing this. But we don''t have the power to oppose the order from the higher-ups." She added.


    Charles narrowed his deep-blue eyes and began to read the bundle of documents one by one.


    ''If I want to get the 1000 gold coins from Amber Bank, I need to sign all these documents. But the documents-'' As Charles skimmed through the documents, his lips started to twitch uncontrobly.


    ''Once I put my sign in all these documents, it will be like cutting my ties with the Riverdale''s Amber Bank. I will be on their cklist forever.'' If there were other banks like Amber Bank, Charles would have signed it willingly.


    ''But, there is only one bank in Riverdale. Moreover, this bank belongs to Amber Church. If I sign this contract, it will be like offending Goddess of Wealth, Zephine.'' A grim expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''The enemy is nning to iste me.'' He quickly saw through the enemy''s n and coldly snorted inside.


    He could tell that someone was pulling strings from behind the scenes.


    ''And the one who is pulling the string might not be Ethan Walker.'' He frowned.


    ''Whoever is pulling strings, he must be the same level as Ethan Walker. And the only person who came to my mind in this Riverdale City is Bishop Reynolds. But why is he doing this? Is this way of him expressing his anger?'' The frown on his forehead deepened.


    He leaned back on the soft sofa and closed his eyes.


    ''Ethan Walker? Or Bishop Reynolds?¡­ Or, is there another hidden enemy aiming for my head? Nightwind Family? Nah, I don''t think so. If they had nned on scheming, they would have sent a Rank-2 assassin or above to kill us earlier. Martin is the one who is after my head, not the entire Nightwind family. The only one who remained is the mysterious informer. Tsk, I need to find out what is hidden in our house sooner.''


    ''Does the enemy thinks that I won''t dare to offend a Goddess?'' He curled his lips upward and opened his cold deep-blue eyes.


    He then took the quill pen and ink bottle from Be Collins and started signing those documents one by one.


    "A-Are you sure about your decision? Your current action will be considered as offending the whole Amber Church. No, it will be like you are offending Our Divine Lady!" Be stared at John in confusion for a second, and then she warned. Her earlierposed expression was nowhere to be seen. Her face was filled with anxiety and confusion. She didn''t even consider that a randommoner boy would be willing to offend the Goddess of Wealth.


    Charles didn''t stop his hand movement as he heard her words and signed those documents one by one. After 30 seconds, he finished signing thest document and stopped the quill pen. He then gave the document bundles; quill pen, and ink bottle to Be Collins and replied calmly,


    "You gave the choices, and I chose the best one."


    A deep sigh leaked out of Be Collins''s mouth as she stared at Charles in puzzlement.


    She then shook her head and passed ten golden cards to Charles.


    "Each card has 100 gold coins credited to it. You can directly withdraw it in any Lawful Church."


    Charles took the cards from Be''s hand and stood up from his seat. He then moved to the wooden door and added,


    "You will regret your foolish decision."


    After that, he closed the wooden door and walked out of the Amber Bank.


    Meanwhile, Be Collins stared at the wooden door with a stunned expression on her face and then asked,


    "Did you expect this oue, Lucas?"


    A heartbeatter, her own shadow moved and soon formed into a ck-hooded figure. Lucas''s face wasplete covered in a ck mask with an eye-symbol on it, and he appeared more like a skilled assassin.


    "I didn''t, My Lady. But he is a foolish one. He didn''t seem to know that offending the ''Divine One'' means offending the ''Wealth'' itself. Although I respect his courageous act, he is still the foolish one. Without wealth, he will die of starvation one day." Lucas said while shaking his hooded head.


    "He is a foolish one, huh. From his perspective, we seem to be made a foolish decision." Be said with a frown and then asked after a short pause.


    "Did you find out any news about A-035?"


    "No, My Lady. But I got an interesting clue when searching about it. And it coincidentally rted to this kid, Charles Miller."


    Upon hearing Lucas''s words, Be''s silvery eyes widened.


    "Exin to me in detail."


    "A-035 has some rtionship with the first owner of 45 El Street. And the current owner of this house is Eve Miller."


    Be''s expression froze for a moment, and soon she asked another question.


    "Who is the first owner?"


    "Eddie Nightwind. He is the founder of the Nightwind family and also a legendary powerhouse. On August 8th of the year 5280, he gave the A-035 to Lady Myers and went to look for the Myth Tree in the Endless Ocean. But till now, we never heard any news about him." Lucas said in a solemn tone.


    "He also went to Endless Ocean, huh." Be let out a deep sigh and added,


    "Keep an eye on Charles Miller. We need to re-check the information about A-035. If the information we got from the ''ck'' is right, then the A-035 will appear in this Riverdale city. It might find a suitable host to escape from our grasp. Before that, we have to capture it. Those Series artifacts are always troublesome bunches."


    Once she finished her words, Be opened the golden book and started reading. Meanwhile, Lucas nodded his head and then turned into clouds of ck smoke.


    ¡­

 Chapter 10: Wisdom Library

    <h4>Chapter 10: Wisdom Library</h4>


    It was around 10 A.M.


    After walking out of Riverdale''s Amber bank, Charles didn''t stop anywhere and went towards Ivy Street.


    Riverdale City was filled with life. Shouts of shopkeepers, chattering noise of vendees, creaking noises of carriages, and the horses'' neigh sound entered in Charles''s ears as he moved towards Ivy Street.


    A few minutester, he walked into the Light Church and then saw Bishop Reynolds was standing in front of Goddess''s statue.


    He also walked in front of the Goddess''s statue and recited the usual prayer. After that, he turned his gaze towards Bishop Reynolds, standing silently near the Goddess''s statue, and said slowly.


    "Father, I got the money to pay the debt."


    Bishop Reynolds''s eyes widened as he heard his words.


    "You agreed to that request!?" He turned his face in shock and asked in disbelief.


    "Do I even have a choice?" Charles shifted his gaze into the Goddess''s beautiful blue eyes and refuted.


    "You had another choice. If you have chosen the other choice, you wouldn''t have offended the ''Divine One of Wealth.''" Bishop Reynolds red at him and said coldly.


    Charles didn''t mind his re, though. He looked up at the high-ceiling and muttered like a real Charles,


    "If I agreed, I would have lost my house and thend. Moreover, I would have disappointed my mother, Eve Nightwind."


    "FOOLISHNESS! What would you gain-!?"


    "He did the right thing." A cold voice interrupted Bishop Reynolds''s talking.


    Both Charles and Bishop Reynolds turned their heads in unison and saw a long deep-blue-haired woman was standing on their left side. She had wide-set blue eyes, a celestial nose, olive skin, and short eyebrows. She wore a standard gray robe and looked around 35 to 40 years old.


    "Mother!" Charles turned his face into a surprised one and called out in excitement.


    With light footsteps, Eve Nightwind walked towards Charles and gave him a big hug.


    "You have changed, Charles." She whispered in his ears.


    ''Did she found out about me?'' Charles''s heart skipped a beat. But he turned his face solemnly and responded like a responsible kid.


    "I''m your son, Mom."


    Eve''s smile widened as she released him and patted his shoulder.


    "You did an excellent job. But I need to have a long talk with you about the ''Serial Killer'' incidentter." Saying so, she turned her face colder and then shifted her gaze towards Bishop Reynolds.


    "I heard about your schemes, Bishop Reynolds." Her tone was cold as chilling ice.


    "You are after something. Although I don''t know what you are after, I can tell that material will bring great danger to this city." She said as she was peeking at Bishop''s future.


    "Should I take that as advice from the Predictor?" Bishop Reynolds stared back into Eve''s eyes and asked coldly.


    A heavy sigh escaped from Eve''s mouth as she saw Bishop Reynolds''s attitude and shook her head.


    "All I can give you is a warning. Whether you listen to it or not, it''s your choice."


    Eve muttered as she turned her gaze towards Charles and added,


    "Son, we must pay the debt first."


    Letting out a relieved sigh, Charles took out the five golden cards and gave them to Bishop Reynolds.


    "I failed." Muttering in a displeased tone, Bishop grabbed the five golden cards and then made a strange incantation.


    A secondter, the signed contract scroll appeared in front of them and then turned into powders.


    Both Eve and Charles didn''t stay inside the Life Church and returned to 45 El Street. While walking, Charles began to exin everything in detail while adding few extra bits to Eve. He told her that he got ''Trickster'' and ''Apprentice Fire Mage'' ss-Gems in the underground prison hall and made a fake story.


    "That''s what happened, huh. But what''s your sub-ss again?" As they arrived in front of 45 El Streetpound gate, Eve stared at him in confusion and asked.


    "Trickster." Charles felt something was amiss and replied after a short pause.


    "Trickster¡­Trickster¡­I never heard of a ss-Gem called ''Trickster'' in my life. No, there is no ''Trickster'' ss-Gem in the history records." Eve opened the ironpound gate while muttering and soon shook her head.


    ''Never heard of the ''Trickster'' ss? Tsk, too troublesome. From the looks of it, the ''Game-System'' deliberately used the ss selection order and manipted me to pick up the ''Trickster'' Sub-ss. But what if I chose the ''Trickster'' ss as the Main ss?¡­ Well, I have no power to change anything now. Moreover, the ''Game-System'' appears to be helping me, so I don''t think I have to worry about it for now.'' He fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Even sses'' names are different whenparing with ''Mystic World'' game. I need to gather more information first.''


    "Don''t overthink about it. So, what skill did you get from your father through the ''Inheritance Gift''?" Eve walked on the grassy yard while waving her hand and asked.


    "I got the [Inspect] skill, mom. Is it something special?" Charles turned his face like a curious kid as he followed after her footsteps and asked.


    "Special? It''s a legendary Wisdom skill, Charles. Unlike [True Eyes] skill, learning this skill through training is impossible. You can only get this skill through ''Inheritance Gift,'' or you can get it by bing the ''Blessed ones'' of the Goddess of Wisdom. [Inspect] skill is an upgraded version of [True Eyes] skill. With this, you will find out other''s original name, affiliation, race, and even about hidden skills." Eve said solemnly and then stopped as she opened the house entrance gate.


    The next instant, a rotten smell assaulted their noses and caused them to take a step back.


    A secondter, Eve covered her mouth and puked at the entrance. Charles also covered his mouth and groaned in displeasure. Although the security guards removed the assassins'' bodies, they didn''t clean the house at all. Blood trails appeared all over the areas, and the whole reception hall looked more like a rotten house.


    After ring at Charles, Eve dragged him to the nearby shop to buy detergents and then started cleaning their two-storied house.


    It took two days for them to clean the house thoroughly. After they did the cleaning, they brought white paint and painted the house.


    For the next few days, the mom and son duo spent their time in their house and made it anew. Charles also acted more like the ''real'' one andpletely reced the ''real'' Charles''s ce.


    When they were having dinner on a particr day, Charles brought up the matter about ''True Lords'' and asked Eve Nightwind.


    "Who are these ''True Lords''?"


    "Why are you asking coldly? Ha, I will tell you. The ''True Lords'' is a business organization, and the current Nightwind family leader is a member of the ''True Lords'' organization. The ''True Lords'' assassinated Harry because they found out about his position in the Wisdom Church. Moreover, Harry seems to have found out something through [Inspect] skill, but ended up getting assassinated."


    "When I returned to our house from the market, I saw his body lying on the cold floor. Before I could understand the situation, security guards stormed into our house and arrested me for putting poison in Harry''s food. Later, I escaped from prison with your grandfather''s help and took you from my mother''s home. I knew they woulde after your head, so we both left the Ember Kingdom, leaving no trace behind." She said while taking a bite of grilled steak.


    She also added that Martin must have acted alone to gain favor from Nightwind''s family head and not to worry about them for now. But Charles knew that the beaten wolf would never back down.


    Charles took a sip of the red wine and asked while raising his left eyebrow,


    "But why did you choose Riverdale City to hide, mom? Is there something special about this city? Or is there something special about this house?"


    Eve swallowed the grilled steak and replied with a smile,


    "I felt some familiarity when I came here to buy this house. I also used the [Intuition] skill and then found out this house has some rtion with the Nightwind family. After checking deeply, I found out that the first owner of this house and 23-hectarend was Eddie Nightwind. I then realized that it must be the power of ''Fate'' which brought me to this city.''"


    Charles felt a chill went up to his spines upon hearing Eve''s words.


    ''This is not a coincidence! Oh, the poor mother of Charles, didn''t you feel something was off upon seeing the information about Eddie Nightwind?'' Charles looked at the innocent face of Eve Nightwind and sighed heavily.


    ''Someone must have suggested her to go to Riverdale City. Then, aren''t we under someone''s surveince this whole time?'' A grim expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    Seeing his serious face, Eve made a fake cough and added,


    "You are overthinking nowadays. Eat first."


    Charles heaved a heavy sigh as he nodded and then picked up the roasted meat using a fork.


    ¡­


    June 12th, Year 6396, Second Arcane Era.


    It was around 8 A.M,


    Charles walked out of 45 El Street and went to Riverdale''s City Library while thinking deeply.


    ''What is she going to do with 500 gold coins?''


    Last night, Eve came to his room and asked him to lend her 500 gold coins. At first, Charles didn''t put much thought into her request and gave her those five golden cards. But now, he suddenly felt curious.


    ''Hmm, she seems to be already aware of our current situation. But why did she always look so calm?¡­ She acted as if everything was under her control!'' Charles''s deep-blue eyes widened. He suddenly thought of Eve''s Main ss.


    ''She is an Astrologist. She has more than 15 years of experience in Astrology, and she can Rank Up at any time. But she didn''t have arge sum of money to buy the corresponding ss-Gem.'' Charles halted his footstep as he saw through her n.


    ''She is going to buy Astrologer''s corresponding ss-Gem!''


    ''Hmm, that exins her calm attitude. Her [Intuition] skill itself is a powerful one. Wait a minute¡­ Isn''t the [Intuition] skill almost looks simr to [Sixth Sense] skill?'' Charles narrowed his eyes.


    ''The ''Trickster'' Sub-ss appears to be a good ss.''


    He nodded inwardly and then continued his walking.


    After a few minutes of walking, he made a turn and reached Elm Street.


    It was where Riverdale''s Wisdom Library was located!


    He looked around and soon smiled as his sightnded on the four-storied building. After a few seconds of walking, he arrived in front of the building and then entered.


    Simultaneously, Charles took out his ''City Lord''s Token'' and showed it to the blonde-haired male librarian.


    After seeing the token, the male librarian nodded his head and then gave a short exnation about the library.


    Wisdom Library was divided into multiple sections.


    There were history-rted books, science books, ss-rted books, and war-rted books ced in order on the first and second floors.


    As for the third floor, most books stored on the third floor were about magic-rted books and religion-rted books. Only Church members and Nobles were allowed to read those books.


    As for the fourth floor, Charles heard it from the male receptionist that the whole fourth floor was filled with books rted to thest nar War, artifacts'' information books, and extraordinary incident books. With the City Lord''s token, Charles would be able to read all the books!


    Charles first went to the ss rted books and searched for information about ''Trickster'' ss Gem.


    He skimmed through the ss-rted books in five hours and sighed in disappointment.


    ''There was no information about the ''Trickster'' ss Gem. But-'' He curled his lips upward and held another book in his hand.


    It was the Astrologer ss book!


    He read the book for the next three hours and smiled as he looked at thest page.


    ''Astrologer''s corresponding ss is Prognosticator.''


    ''Unlike Astrologers who could only make a vague guess about the fate of a person, Prognosticators will be able to see a string of person''s fate!'' Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''Is that even possible!?'' He sat in front of the reading bench for a whole minute and soon calmed down.


    Although he learned basics from Charles''s remnant memories, he was still clueless about the magical Edhen World.


    ''Everything is possible in this magical world.'' His jade eyes shone in excitement.


    ''What ability will I get in the future for the ''Trickster'' Sub-ss?'' He suppressed his excitement and began to read more about other unique sses. Although there were only Rank 1 ss books stored in the Wisdom Library, he was still shocked by various unique skills.


    After that, he ced those books in the right sections and then walked out of the Wisdom Library around 7 P.M.

 Chapter 11: Withering Shadows

    <h4>Chapter 11: Withering Shadows</h4>


    Charles nced up at those three ominous-looking red moons and then went towards El Street.


    After a few minutes of walking, he reached 45 El Street and was surprised upon seeing a new, unfamiliar guest in the reception room.


    ''A woman?'' He narrowed his eyes as he walked and then looked at the woman, who sat on the ornate sofa.


    Upon hearing his footsteps sound, the woman also turned her head around and peeked at the visitor in curiosity.


    She had monolid hazel eyes, barely visible eyebrows, a duchess nose, fair skin, wiry blonde hair, and an upper lip with sharp philtrum. She looked around 25 years old and wore a V-neck white shirt and tight ck skirt.


    "Charles, how is the day?" A slightly wrinkleddy with deep-blue hair stuck her head out from the kitchen and asked with a smile,


    "It''s good, mom." Charles waved his hand and then gave a clueless look at the blonde-haired woman.


    "She is my colleague, Saron White. Due to her family circumstances, she will be staying with us from now on." Eve said with a smile and then went inside the kitchen.


    Meanwhile, Charles greeted Saron with a smile and used [Inspect] skill on her.


    [Inspect skill has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect Failed!]


    ¡­


    Charles wasn''t surprised by the oue. He had expected this and silently went to the second floor through the spiral staircase. After that, he moved towards his bedroom and locked it from inside.


    ''She is also a Mystic. Hmm, Eve seems to be nning to keep her son in the dark. But it''s a bad choice.'' Charles shook his head while picking up a white towel and went to the shower. After 20 minutes, he exited the shower and changed his cloth into a Nightgown.


    "Charles,e to the dining hall. It''s dinner time." A loud sound came from downstairs, causing Charles to sigh heavily.


    He walked out of his bedroom and then went downstairs. In the dining hall, he saw Eve and Saron sat in their seats and appeared to be waiting for him.


    He sat on the opposite chair and ced the napkin on hisp.


    On the dining table, various dishes like meatloaves and mashed potatoes, fried chickens, roasted chicken, crab cakes, and three cups of potato soups were ced in order.


    Once Charles sat on his seat, Eve Nightwind stood up and started serving the food one by one.


    After serving, she went back to her seat and then pped her hand together to pray.


    Charles and Saron also followed her action and then recited a short chant.


    They then picked the fork and spoon and started eating.


    Charles precisely cut the roasted chicken into four small pieces and put one in his mouth. After that, he looked at Eve and said with a smile.


    "Congrattions on your Rank Up, mom."


    Eve''s eyes widened as she heard her son''sment and asked in surprise.


    "How did you find out?"


    "I guessed." Charles lied without even flinching and then turned his gaze towards Saron. He then looked into Saron''s hazel eyes and asked.


    "She is a mystic, isn''t she?"


    Both Eve and Saron stopped their hand movements and looked at each other in confusion. A secondter, Eve curled her lips up and muttered with a smile.


    "I forget about your inheritance gift. You used [Inspect] skill on us, didn''t you?"


    Charles nodded his head and probed further.


    "Why is she here? I want the real answer." His tone and his face were dead serious.


    "Should I feel happy? Or feel sad that you have changed." Eve ced the fork on her te and muttered in a bitter tone. She then closed her deep blue eyes for a second and then spoke,


    "She is here to protect you, my son. Although I have the power to see through one''s fate, I''m nothing but a powerless mother." Eve opened her eyes and then added while ncing at Saron,


    "She is the Priestess of the Wisdom Church, and I employed her to protect us for the next three months."


    ''Priestess¡­It is the corresponding Job of ''Clerk.'' She must be a Rank 2 Mystic from the Wisdom Church.'' Charles nodded his head in enlightenment.


    Meanwhile, Saron White turned her gaze towards the opened window and frowned. Charles and Eve also noticed her odd behavior and followed after her gaze.


    Charles activated [Dark Vision] and peeked into the dark yard. A blurry humanoid shadow appeared in his sight!


    The humanoid shadow seemed to be writing something on thepound wall and soon turned around as it noticed Charles''s gaze. A secondter, the ck shadow began to distort and then disappeared from his eyes!


    ''What was that?!'' Charles was stunned by the shadow intruder''s action and then turned his gaze towards Saron White.


    "A while ago, I sensed a presence nearby," Saron muttered with a frown and stood up from her seat. Charles and Eve also followed her action, and the trio went out of their house.


    After a minute, they arrived in front of the oppositepound wall and became puzzled.


    On thepound wall, there were only two words written on it.


    Charles moved the fire torch closer towards the wall and soon widened his eyes. He saw two words that looked familiar yet unfamiliar. He hurriedly searched Charles''s memories and quickly found out the answer.


    It was written in Laka Language! It was an oldnguage that had dated back to the First Arcane Age.


    ''Laka is one of the ssicalnguages surviving till today. Laka inscriptions from 2000 FAE have been found, and thenguage is believed to be more than 9,000 years old! This ''Lakanguage'' is currently the officialnguage of 2 Kingdoms: Herath and Moon Kingdom. Moreover, the Lakanguage is also recognized as a minoritynguage in the Northern Ember Kingdom and parts of Arc Kingdom.'' He shuffled through the information and began to read.


    "Holem''s Crown? What does that mean?" Charles asked out loud.


    Upon hearing his question, Eve and Saron looked at each other and shook their heads.


    After that, Eve touched one word and closed her eyes. She then made some strange hand gestures and spoke,


    "Reveal."


    A secondter, webs of dark strings appeared in her mind, and soon her vision zoomed into a single string. The single string then twisted into a void-like ss and revealed a reddish crown in her mind.


    The next instant, she opened her eyes and said in confusion.


    "I saw a Red Crown. And, that''s it." Eve''s reply gave no clue to Charles at all.


    "Is that a Ranked Artifact?" Saron looked at Eve and asked.


    "Possible. We should send the report to the higher-ups of Wisdom Church and ask them about the ''Holem''s Crown.''" Eve suggested.


    "Don''t." Charles looked up at those three ominous red moons and shook his head.


    "The other party wants us to do the same thing. If we search for clues about the ''Holem''s Crown,'' it will be like we are dancing on the other party''s palm."


    "Indeed, you are right." Eve looked into her son''s eyes in surprise and nodded.


    "It might not be something serious. Although the ''Intruder'' appears suspicious, he seems to be providing us some clue. I heard from Lady Eve that someone leaked information about you guys to your family. So, what if this ''Intruder'' is trying to help you guys?" Saron interjected.


    ''Possible.'' Charles narrowed his eyes and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''But why didn''t hee to meet us directly? Is he afraid of the other party? Or, the one who drew these words is the ''real Informer'' himself? If so, what is his aim?'' Charles heaved a heavy sigh and spoke,


    "I still don''t agree with your suggestion. We shouldy low for a while and then see what happens next."


    ''Meanwhile, I will also find a way to increase my strength.'' He muttered inwardly.


    The trio discussed the mysterious intruder''s intention for a while and then went inside.


    They continued their dinner and then went to their rooms. Once Charles entered his bedroom, he locked it from the inside andid on the soft bed.


    After staring at the white ceiling for a few minutes, he closed his eyes and then fell into a deep sleep. A whispering sound of the cold wind echoed inside the bedroom, causing his closed eyes to twitch. Charles got confused as he noticed a strange condition. He could think clearly but couldn''t speak or move his muscle.


    He tried to walk up many times, but he felt some invisible power shackled his body!


    "I''m the Crown!" He heard a devil-like whisper from his right side!


    It was a male''s voice!


    ''Magic?'' He tried to ask questions but ended up failing miserably.


    "Find me." This time, the whisper came from his left side and soon went silent.


    Charlesid on the bed for another five minutes motionlessly and then regained control over his body. He sat up with a tensed face and nced at the surroundings warily.


    ''What the hell was that?! Is it even possible for an artifact to control humans like a puppet?!'' Charles was beyond shocked and began to think deeply.


    ''That Holem''s Crown seems to be looking for me. But why it has to be me? Is it even possible for an artifact to gain intelligence?¡­ I need more information.'' Charles took a deep breath and then calmed his mind.


    ''I will go to the Fourth Section tomorrow and search for more information about artifacts.'' He nodded his head and thenid on the bed again.


    ¡­


    The next day,


    Charles woke up earlier than usual and walked out of 45 El Street after having breakfast. Unlike yesterday, there was another person who apanied him, causing him to grunt in dissatisfaction.


    Yesterday, his current mother, Eve, told Saron to act as Charles''s bodyguard and protect him.


    Although Charles attempt to oppose her decision, his attempt went futile as usual.


    He walked across many shops and houses and soon reached Olive Street. Unlike yesterday, the library was filled with many peoples, giving a unique atmosphere to the library. Charles didn''t even nce at those peoples and went to the fourth floor through a spiral staircase.


    Meanwhile, Saron stayed in the reception hall and waited for Charles''s return like a loyal bodyguard.


    After walking through the spiral staircase, Charles arrived at the gloomy section and searched for books about artifacts.


    He first chose a book called ''Ranked Artifacts'' and started reading.


    Ranked Artifacts were divided into four types.


    The first type was Rank 1 artifacts or ''Common Artifacts.'' These ''Common Artifacts'' were usually found inmon markets, and some of them were used regrly. Those Magic candles woulde under this section.


    The second type was Rank 2 Artifacts or ''Umon Artifacts.'' These ''Umon Artifacts'' were hard to find, and only wealthy people would have the money to buy these items.


    ''Hmm, themunication ring woulde under this section.'' He nodded in enlightenment.


    The third type was Rank 3 artifacts or ''Rare Artifacts.'' As the name suggests, these artifacts were very hard to find among ordinary citizens.


    The fourth type was Rank 4 artifacts or ''Extraordinary Artifacts.'' Extraordinary Artifacts were powerful artifacts and would be found only in the Kingdom''s treasury or some Nobles'' treasure.


    Charles read the book patiently for two hours and closed it.


    ''Hmm, there is no mentioning of any intelligent artifact in this book.'' He shook his head and started reading other artifact books.


    After staying there for the next few hours, Charles went downstairs and returned to his home with Saron.


    ¡­


    Two weeks passed in a blink of an eye.


    During those two weeks, Charles read hundreds of books about artifacts and finally discovered a clue about intelligent artifacts.


    Although he didn''t get much information about those living artifacts, he learned a little.


    Those living artifacts were called ''Series Artifacts.'' Only the Thirteen Lawful Churches and other Four Chaotic Churches possessed those items. Those items were kept in much secretive. That''s all he learned about those ''Series Artifacts.''


    He also learned about the Churches'' secretive organizations and then thought of joining one of them.


    Today, he didn''t go to the Library; instead, he locked himself inside his bedroom and started writing something on white paper using a golden quill pen.


    The Golden Quill pen was the only gift Charles got from his grandparents.


    He sat on a wooden chair and looked at the white paper in contemtion.


    ''In this bunch of organizations, only Withering Shadows and Silver Servants have branch offices in Riverdale City. Withering Shadows belongs to Life Church while Silver Servants belongs to Amber Church. Silver Servants Organization is not a good option because I already ''offended'' the Goddess of Wealth. It leaves me with one option, and that is Life Church''s Withering Shadows. It seems I need to talk heart to heart with that sly Bishop. Although I don''t like that guy, I have no other choice now.'' Charles stood up from his seat and sighed heavily.


    He then changed his clothes into formal ones and walked out of his house.

 Chapter 12: Discussion

    <h4>Chapter 12: Discussion</h4>


    June 27th, Year 6396, Second Arcane Era.


    It was around 9 A.M.


    After greeting Hunt at the entrance gate, Charles walked into the dome-shaped building and soon appeared in front of Life Goddess''s statue.


    After that, he pped his hand together and recited a ''Prayer of Gratitude'' while bowing his head. Meanwhile, a 25-year-olddy in a brown shirt and long ck skirt stood near the front pew and looked around at the Church''s interior in curious.


    "What is a Wisdom Church''s Priestess doing here?" A calm yet cold voice came from Saron''s right side, causing her to furrow in annoyance. Saron White then turned her head towards the voice and saw a white-haired man, who was around 40 years old, was staring at her in confusion. He wore a golden line embroidered white robe, with a white beret in his right hand, and held a unique golden pocket watch in his other hand.


    "Greeting, Bishop Reynolds." Saron greeted him and then gave a slight bow.


    "Saron White, is it? I heard a lot about you." Bishop Reynolds walked near her with his calm footsteps and asked with a smile,


    "Did youe here to change your b-?"


    "Father Reynolds, don''t go and hit on other Church''s priestess. She isn''t your type." Charles interrupted him.


    Hearing Charles''s words, Reynolds swallowed his next words and red at him. After that, he snorted coldly and sat on the front pew. Charles didn''t mind Bishop Reynolds''s cold attitude and sat next to him.


    Meanwhile, Saron also went to the second pew and sat behind them.


    Nobody said a word for the next few minutes, and they sat in the Church hall in silence. In the meantime, many believers walked past them and offered their prayers to the Life Goddess.


    After 10 minutes of long silence, Charles leaned towards Bishop Reynolds and asked in whispers,


    "Father Reynolds, are you after one of the Series Artifacts?"


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, Bishop Reynolds opened his eyes wide and then looked at him in shock and disbelief!


    ''How did he find out?'' He stared into Charles''s jade eyes for three seconds and soon calmed down.


    ''Is it Wisdom Church''s interference? No, that''s not possible. He must have learned about it from the Riverdale Wisdom Library. That Ethan, did he allow this kid to read everything in the fourth section?''


    "It''s confidential information." Bishop Reynolds turned his gaze towards the beautiful statue and replied calmly.


    "Oh," Charles let out a disappointed sigh and then asked,


    "Can I learn more about Life Church''s Withering Shadows organization?"


    "It''s confident-" Bishop Reynolds stopped in halfway and then widened his eyes. He sat there like a statue for the next few seconds and asked while looking deeply into Goddess Nira''s blue eyes.


    "Why do you want to learn more about our secret organization?"


    ''Oh? I didn''t expect he would listen to my words.'' Charles curled his lips upward and spoke like a brave kid,


    "I need to get stronger to protect my mother, Father Reynolds. For that, I need an organization''s help. Although many private organizations are out there, I felt Churches'' secret organizations might be the right choice. As a firm believer of Life, I would never go and seek help from other Churches, so I came here to seek help from you."


    Bishop Reynolds nodded his head and spoke after a short pause.


    "If you want to join in our ''Withering Shadows,'' you have to learn a few things. First, you must never collude with the Chaos Faction in the future. Withering Shadows and otherwful organizations are created to maintain Peace and Harmony in Edhen World. Meanwhile, Chaos Faction organizations are created by foreign gods to create War and Destruction.


    Second, Withering Shadows is a Secretive Organization, and it has its own rule like never leak your identity to the public and other few things. You must follow all those rules.


    Third, you must never betray yourrade during missions.


    Fourth.


    Fifth,¡­,"


    Bishop Reynolds continued to spoke about the rules for another 30 minutes and then asked.


    "So, do you still want to join our organization?"


    Charles sat beside him with a serious face and stared pondering deeply.


    ''Although it''s not a loose organization, its rules are not much of a problem. It''s a piece of cake for me to hide my identity as a member of ''Withering Shadows'' from the public.''


    After thinking deeply for a while, Charles nodded his head and said,


    "I agree, Father Reynolds."


    Bishop Reynolds nodded his head as he stood up and spoke while giving a sealed letter to him.


    "Go to 35 Ivy Street and give this to a guy named Russell. He will tell you more detailed information about our secret organization."


    While saying so, he bent his waist a bit and bowed at Goddess''s statue. After that, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and went towards the left transept.


    "Withering Shadows is not a ce for kids, Charles. Your reckless choice will disappoint your mother." Saron White spoke coldly from behind, causing Charles''s lips to twitch.


    "I''m not a kid anymore, Lady Saron." Charles shook his head, turned his head around, and then asked while looking into Saron''s eyes.


    "What do you know about those ''Series Artifacts''?"


    Upon hearing his words, she smiled while moving her right hand towards his face and flicked her finger on his forehead.


    "It''s too early for you to learn about those troublesome bunches, Charles. I will tell you once you Rank Up and bes a ''Fire Weaver''."


    "Fire Weaver?" Charles stared at her face in surprise and asked.


    "It''s the corresponding ss of the Apprentice Fire Mage ss. You will get the Fire Weaver ss Gem when you contribute enough throughpleting missions. But I''m warning you. Don''t consume the ss Gem before you reach the bottleneck. You will turn into a Distorted Shadow."


    Upon hearing those familiar words, Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''Distorted Shadows¡­When a Mystic consumes ss Gem beforepletely reaching the previous ss''s peak stage, he will face a huge bacsh. He will lose his rationality and then finally turn into a mindless monster. But that''s not a scary thing. His strength will instead rise to a peak state of consumed ss level. He will attack anyone or anything thates nearby and causes Chaos and Destruction.


    It seems there is some connection between the ''Mystic Worlds'' game and Edhen World. ss-Gems are the final clue. If I manage to find out the secret behind the ss Gems, I will also get a clue about Earth.'' He instantly linked those two.


    "I will remember your words." Charles nodded his head and then turned his head around. He then stood up, went near the Life Goddess''s statue, and bowed his head.


    After that, he straightened his back while turning around and walked on the concrete floors of aisles calmly. Saron White also stood up from her seat and followed after him with hurried footsteps. Both walked out of the Life Church and went back to 45 El Street.


    ¡­


    After reaching 45 El Street, Charles went inside and then noticed that Eve Nightwind was nowhere to be seen.


    "Where did she go?" He asked out loud as he walked into the reception hall. Meanwhile, Saron went to the corner room and locked it from inside. It was the room Eve Nightwind arranged for Saron White.


    Charles shook his head and sat on the Ornate Sofa. After that, he closed his eyes and waited for Eve Nightwind.


    After five minutes, Saron White opened the corner room door with a click and walked into the reception room.


    Charles opened his eyes in confusion and soon widened his eyes a little. Instead of formal clothes, she now wore a red nightshirt and pants.


    He nced at her beautiful curvy body for a second and then closed his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Saron went towards the opposite sofa and sat while crossing her soft legs.


    "It seems my job as a bodyguard will end soon." She opened her thin lips and said.


    "My mother still needs your strength, My Lady." Charles opened his eyes and said calmly.


    "Why are you acting like some dangerous viin is after your head?" Saron straightened her back and asked with seriousness.


    Charles curled his lips up and asked with a mysterious smile on his face,


    "Is he not?"


    Confusion and puzzlement crossed Saron''s face.


    "What do you mean?" She looked into Charles''s jade eyes and asked in a dead-serious tone.


    A chuckle escaped from his mouth as he heard Saron''s question.


    "Don''t you feel something was off about our situation? Someone is after our heads, and that ''someone'' is not acting personally due to some whatever reasons. Let''s call him Zero for now. The mysterious ''Zero'' can order an Amber Church''s higher officer and even manipte the Riverdale citizens'' thoughts. If I''m not wrong, Zero must be some big shot in this kingdom. As for why he is after us? I can only think of one reason. That is Holem''s Crown." He said with a calm voice.


    "So, is that why you chose to join Withering Shadows?" Saron widened her eyes a little and probed.


    Charles nodded his head and added,


    "Joining the Withering Shadows is not a bad choice for me. If I join the Withering Shadows, Zero might think twice before hees for my head. Harming my mother or me will be equal to offending the Life Church itself. Although the enemy seems to be a maniptive and a crafty one, he might not be as bold as me."


    Charles''s lips arched upward as he said those words.


    "He might not be as bold as you?" Saron asked in confusion as she didn''t understand his words.


    "Would you offend the Goddess of Wealth for 1000 gold coins?" Charles stared into her eyes and asked with a smile.


    Saron went silent for a whole three seconds and asked in a serious look,


    "Is that true?"


    Charles nodded his head and added,


    "They forced me. No, I would say the maniptor Zero forced me to sign those documents."


    "Oh! I understood your n now. By joining the Withering Shadow organization, you don''t need to rely on money in the future. They will also protect you from dangers. It will be like killing two flies with one p." Saron nodded her head in enlightenment.


    Charles smiled and responded mysteriously,


    "I will kill three flies with one p."


    After saying so, he turned his gaze towards the entrance and asked,


    "Why are you spying on us, mom?"


    "Tsk, did you also get [Perception] skill from your dad?" Eve said from outside and then walked into the house.


    Charles stood up and greeted her with a smile.


    "Where were you?" He looked at her formal attire and asked in confusion.


    "I went to the City Lord''s office to get the Diviner Job certificate," Eve said with a heavy sigh and sat on the nearby wooden chair.


    ''Diviner Job? Is she nning to continue her previous job through official means?'' Charles narrowed his eyes and asked as he sat on the sofa.


    "How did it go?"


    "Thanks to your action, they gave me the cold shoulder and then asked me to get a sign from Ethan Walker. Well, I will have to go and meet him tomorrow." Eve said in a dissatisfied tone and added,


    "Don''t worry, I''m already a Prognosticator, so he wouldn''t dare to y in this matter."


    Charles nodded his head and then told his n on joining Withering Shadows.


    After listening for five minutes, Eve heaved a heavy sigh and nodded,


    "If Harry is still alive, I would never allow you to join in one of those Church organizations. But, he is no more, and we have to rely on ourselves. Withering Shadows, is it?" Eve frowned deeply and then turned her gaze towards Saron White.


    "Lady Saron, can you tell me more about this Withering Shadows?"


    Meanwhile, Saron watched their conversation in puzzlement and became startled a little.


    ''Strange¡­Why is she acting so calmly? Did she already peek at her son''s fate?'' A thought crossed her mind.


    ''That has to be it. Otherwise, Lady Eve wouldn''t act calmly like this. What a scary ss. Her son is ruthless and calctive, while his mother is calm and a predictor.''


    Calming her mind, Saron looked into her deep-blue eyes and nodded.


    ¡­

 Chapter 13: Telepathist

    <h4>Chapter 13: Telepathist</h4>


    Saron first told some information about Withering Shadows organization to Eve and then exined the rules clearly like Bishop Reynolds. After hearing her words, Eve closed her blue eyes for a while and then agreed.


    "When are you nning to join the Withering Shadows, Charles?" Eve asked while opening her eyes.


    Charles sat in deep thoughts for a while and then said with a smile,


    "I''m nning to join tomorrow, mom."


    A smile crept of Eve''s face as she heard her son''s words.


    ''He is acting like a grown-up now.'' Eve thought inwardly.


    After discussing for a while, Charles went to the second floor, leaving Eve and Saron alone in the reception hall.


    Both sat in silence for a whole minute, and then Eve spoke up. But, her tone was gloomy.


    "Did you find out anything odd about Bishop Reynolds, Lady Saron?"


    "Yes. Bishop Reynolds seems to be injured. Although he looked normal outside, I sensed something dark in his body." Saron said while frowning deeply.


    "Demonic Energy?" Eve straightened her body and asked in seriousness.


    "Possible. Bishop must have fought against a Demonic Cult member a few days ago. From his internal injuries, it must be done by a Rank 3 [Demonic Man] or a Rank 4 [Sinful Demon]."


    "What are those lunatics are up to?" A deep frown appeared on Eve''s face. Soon, she let out a sigh and then asked,


    "What about Holem''s Crown? Did you found any clue about that Series artifact?"


    "Yes. I did found a clue about that crown. But there is something wrong with the whole situation. The first owner of the Holem''s Crown¡­ He is someone you are very familiar with¡­ I think something or someone is pulling strings from the dark. We should report it to the Wisdom Church." Saron said while suppressing her voice.


    Eve''s ears perked up as she heard Saron''s nervous tone and asked,


    "Who is its first owner?"


    Saron let out a helpless sigh and answered with a bitter smile,


    "He is Eddie Nightwind."


    A chill went up to Eve''s spines as she heard those words!


    "Eddie Nigtwind¡­ It can''t be a coincidence¡­ I didn''t leave a clue behind¡­ The enemy seems to be aware of our background¡­ Who are they? How did they find us?" Eve mumbled in shock. Eve sat there pondering for a few seconds and then heaved a heavy sigh.


    "I need to prepare for the worst," Eve said after a long silence.


    Meanwhile, Saron White stood up from the sofa, went near the opened window, and asked while looking at the blue sky,


    "Tell me, Lady Eve Nightwind. Whom did you offend in thest twenty years?"


    Upon hearing Saron''s words, Eve frowned and then started to think. After thinking for a long time, she looked confused and then shook her head.


    "None."


    "So, what''s your n now? Did you see your son''s fate?" Saron turned around and asked in curious,


    Eve nodded her head and spoke solemnly,


    "His fate is constantly changing now. He should have died during the kidnapped incident. But, he is still alive and even became a ruthless killer."


    "Somebody changed his fate?" Saron''s eyebrows arched up as she heard Eve''s words.


    "It seems so. But I never heard of such a miracle in my experience." Eve replied in puzzlement.


    "Miracle¡­ Is it?" Saron narrowed her eyes for a second and soon shook her head.


    Noticing Saron''s odd behavior, Eve became curious and asked,


    "What did you find out?"


    Saron made a troubled face and then replied while shaking her head,


    "I once heard about a Series Artifact that could create a random miracle. But, I heard that artifact is long lost in time."


    Eve''s eyes widened upon hearing Saron''s words. She stood up from the wooden chair and asked hurriedly.


    "What is the name of that Series artifact?"


    Saron pondered for a moment and then replied,


    "I don''t know the artifact''s original name. But, it seems to be a Series-A artifact."


    Eve furrowed her brows and soon widened her eyes as she thought of an absurd possibility.


    ''What if the Holem''s Crown is the Miracle creating artifact?''


    She was about to reveal her thoughts to her friend, but she stopped.


    ''She is a Wisdom Church member. If I tell her about this, she will report it to the Wisdom Church and make things moreplicated. Moreover, I know nothing about Holem''s Crown''s abilities.''


    Eve heaved a heavy sigh and spoke in a weary tone,


    "It doesn''t matter now. I will constantly monitor the fate of Charles''s and see if I can get some clue about the enemy."


    Saron narrowed her eyes for a moment and then nodded her head.


    "Hmm, I don''t think the maniptive enemy wille out and seek trouble for you after knowing that your son is nning to be a member of the Withering Shadows."


    "Haha, yes. My kid made the right choice." Eveughed proudly and then went to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Saron shook her head and stayed in the reception hall.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    It was around 8 A.M,


    Charles, in a ck suit, walked out of his room and went downstairs. He then entered the dining hall and had some toasted white bread and bacon.


    After having breakfast, Charles went to the reception and noticed that his mother was already seated on the sofa. Unaware of his arrival, Eve held a book in her hand and seemed to be thinking deeply about something.


    Charles went near her and made a fake cough.


    But Eve didn''t even take her eyes off the ck-covered book and stayed silent. He then looked at the book and then smiled as he saw the familiar words. It''s the Blen Language.


    It was themonnguage of the Arc Kingdom.


    "Mom, I''m going out." He said while letting out another fake cough.


    Eve turned her head towards Charles with a startled face and nodded her head.


    Charles adjusted his surcoat and moved out of the reception room.


    "Follow the Shadow. You will find something good." But before he could step out of the reception room, a pleasant voice came from behind, causing him to turn around in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Eve stared back at Charles and waved her hand with an amusing smile on her face.


    Shaking his head, Charles turned his head and then walked out of 45 El Street. Unlikest time, he walked alone on the street and then narrowed his eyes as he saw the Holy Knight was also walking out from the opposite single-storied house.


    He had silver hair, a rough face, and silver eyes, and he wore silver armor and a unique golden bracelet on his right hand. The golden bracelet had a symbol of a circle with a six-pointed star in it. It looked much like a wheel, representing the symbol of Life.


    ''It must be a ranked artifact.'' Charles thought.


    "Good day, Charles!" While he was in muse, Hunt greeted him and then nced around the surrounding houses in cautiousness. Once he noticed no one was around, he turned around and said slowly.


    "You cane out now, dear."


    A secondter, a big-chesteddy, who was around 30 years old, walked out of the single storied house and greeted Charles while cing her forefinger on her lips.


    "Lady Charlotte!" Charles'' eyes widened a little as he identified thedy and greeted her with a suppressing voice.


    ''Too bold, aren''t these two afraid of Ethan Walker?'' He furrowed his brows and studied her.


    Charlotte had an apple-shaped body, long blonde hair, olive skin, and deep-set amber eyes. She wore a brown-colored shirt, a knife-pleated white skirt, and chunky heel shoes.


    "Hello, Charles." She stared at him for a second and then asked,


    "Are you going to the Library?"


    "No, My Lady. I''m going to search for a job in Ivy Street." Charles replied politely and then began to walk on the mud street.


    Meanwhile, Hunt and Charles followed after him while maintaining some distance between themselves.


    "I heard about your past achievement, Charles. How did you change so much in a short time?" Charlotte walked near him and asked in curiosity.


    Charles peeked at her oval face and said with a wry smile,


    "If I didn''t change, my mother and I wouldn''t have walked out of that mansion, My Lady." Charles paused for a second, then looked at Hunt and asked.


    "Do you know who the owner of that mansion is, Mr. Hunt?"


    Hunt thought for a moment and replied with a nod,


    "It belongs to a famed tycoon, Addie. I heard that he is staying in a Royal Capital. You can find more about him in the City''s Security Administration office."


    Charles nodded his head and then continued to walk. After reaching the Ivy Street intersection, Charles and Hunt bid his farewell to Charlotte and then entered Ivy Street. Meanwhile, Charlotte took a luxury carriage and went to the other side.


    After walking for a while, Hunt also separated from him and went towards Life Church direction.


    Charles strolled on the muddy road and then arrived in front of a single-storied building. A wooden board was ced at the entrance and on it were a few words written in Blen Language.


    "Secret Department of Life?" He stared at the board for a second and then walked in.


    He went inside the single-storied building and soon noticed a 50-year-olddy was seated behind the reception desk.


    After she noticed his arrival, she adjusted her round eyess and asked in a clear voice.


    "Are you Charles?"


    Charles froze for a moment and soon nodded while passing the sealed letter to the olddy. She had curly ck hair, a slightly wrinkled round face, and grey eyes. She wore a grey peasant blouse and ck pants.


    ''Hmm, something is odd about this olddy.'' He furrowed his brows.


    "I''m not an olddy, brat." She stared at his jade eyes for a moment and spoke coldly.


    Charles flinched at her words and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Mind-reading?'' He took a step back and stared at her warily.


    "You heard about mind-reading? Well, it seems you are not some dumb moron."


    ''She really can read my mind!'' Charles got shocked for a moment and soon tried to think in English.


    A secondter, astonishment appeared on her face as she stared at him in shock.


    "Whatnguage is it? The ng is weird¡­"


    A crafty smile appeared on his face as he cast [Inspect] skill on her.


    [Name: Emilia Wilson


    Race: Human


    ss: Lv 4 Telepathist (Rank 2)


    Sub-ss: None


    Health Points: 108/108


    Attributes:


    Strength- 13


    Dexterity- 14


    Constitution- 13


    Wisdom- 15


    Charisma- 11


    ss skills/ spells: Probe Thoughts, Discern Lies, Mind-fog, Hypnotism, Touch of Idiocy.


    Unique Skills: Gaze of Medusa.]


    ''Her unique skill seems to be powerful.'' He thought inwardly.


    "Greetings, Lady Emilia, I''m Charles Miller." While she was standing with a dumbfounded face, he smiled at her and greeted her.


    "H-How did you know my name?" She stared at him in a daze for a moment and sighed deeply.


    "I heard a lot about you in the past two weeks. But you look like a smart child. There are no calluses in your palm, which shows you are a greenhorn in weapon battles. Hmm, I don''t know how you managed to kill those assassins, but you are not strong enough to apply to be a member of Withering Shadows." Saying so, she stood up from her seat and then moved towards the room on her right side. She then knocked it thrice and went inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles stood in front of the reception desk with a stunned expression on his face and then smiled helplessly.


    ''Well, she is right. This body needs training. Although I''m doing regr exercise in the past two weeks, it''s still not enough. But before that, I need to be an official member of Withering Shadows.'' He muttered inwardly.


    After a minute of silence, Emilia walked out of the room and spoke,


    "You can go in, Charles. Branch Head is waiting for you."


    After saying those words, she returned to her desk and then sat on her seat.


    Charles nodded his head and then entered the room after knocking it twice.


    It was a 12*16 ftrge room. A wooden table was ced at the center, while a brown-haired man was seated behind it.


    He looked around 40-years-old and had ck eyes, thick eyebrows, and a rough face. He wore a long ck surcoat and appeared more like an expert leader.


    He looked at Charles in interest and then weed him with a smile.


    "Charles Nightwind, wee to the Withering Shadows."

 Chapter 14: First Mission

    <h4>Chapter 14: First Mission</h4>


    Upon hearing the brown-haired man''s words, Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and then greeted him with a polite smile,


    "Pleased to me you, Mr. Russell."


    Meanwhile, Russell curled his lips upward and nodded his head.


    "Bishop Reynolds told me about you. I also learned about your past achievements through some investigation." Russell paused for a moment and then continued with a chuckle,


    "Your actions are bold and ruthless, kid. These types of characters are what we needed in the Withering Shadows. Before we discuss further, take a seat." Russell pointed his finger at the wooden chair ced in front of the table and took out many documents from the cupboard.


    Meanwhile, Charles sat on the wooden chair and patiently waited for Russell to continue.


    "Charles Nightwind. We had already learned more about your background and even knew about your inheritance gift. We agreed to take you as a member of Withering Shadows is part of that reason. But before that, I will send you on a mission with some members, and then I will decide about your position by calcting yourbat capabilities. If you seed in the first mission, you cane here to sign these documents and be an official member of Withering Shadows. But if you end up failing in the first mission, then you will have to wait for one year."


    "If you seeded in the first mission, we will also send a warning letter to your family and will inform them about your position in Life Church. As for how they respond to Church''s warning, it''s not within our hands. You know the rules; we are not allowed to intervene in others'' family business. We will back you up and intervene if the action leads to a life and death situation. I think Bishop Reynolds had already told you about the rules and regtions of Withering Shadows, right?"


    Charles nodded his head as he listened to Russell''s words and asked,


    "What is my first mission?"


    Russell grinned widely and then gave a ck color document file to him. Charles opened the file carefully and skimmed through it.


    "Helping the ACES team to hunt a Rank 2 Distorted Shadow, is it?" He peered into Russell''s ck eyes and asked calmly.


    "Yes." Russell nodded his head and smiled. His mysterious smile made Charles''s face turn puzzlement.


    "Tell me more about ACES team members." Charles narrowed his eyes for a second and asked,


    "You will see them in a few minutes. Team Aces had four members, but it became three a few days ago. We lost one elite member during a fight against the Demonic Cult members and we are in dire need of recement. You will be the recement for now. If you achieve some merits during the next mission, Team leader Emilia Wilson might ept you as her new team member." Russell said while turning his face solemn.


    ''Emilia Wilson? That olddy is the team leader?'' Charles got startled a little and then nodded.


    "You can go to the reception hall and wait for the Aces Team''s arrival. You guys will be heading out of Riverdale City before noon." Russell said while waving his hand and then started reading other documents.


    Charles let out a sigh and walked out of Russell''s office room.


    He then moved towards the right corner and sat on the empty wooden chair.


    A few hourster, two guests entered the reception hall and politely greeted Emilia Wilson. One was a 30-year-old bald man, while the other was a 50-year-old muscr man. The bald man wore normal half-sleeved linen shirts, linen pants, and normal footwears and looked like an average guy. He had ck eyes, a round face, and a hawk nose. On the other hand, the old-muscr man wore a neat ck surcoat, ck pants, and leather shoes and looked more like an expert killer. He had blonde hair, oceanic eyes, an oval face, and pale skin.


    In the meantime, Charles cast [Inspect] skill on those two new faces and checked their skills.


    Bald headed guy''s name was Andrew Harris, while the muscr guy''s name was Luke rk. Andrew was a Rank-2 Elite Man and hadbat-rted skills. Luke, on the other hand, was a Rank-2 Bowman!


    He had some exception skills like, [Keep Sense], [True Mark], [Tracking], and [Sniping]!


    ''He also has a troublesome unique skill called [Devil''s Heart].'' He furrowed his brows.


    Meanwhile, the trio chatted among themselves for a few minutes and then turned their attentions towards Charles. The bald man and the muscr man showed annoyance expressions on their faces, while Emilia showed an uninterested expression.


    As they were about to continue their discussion, Russell opened his office door and walked in. He then nced at the trio first, then towards Charles, and let out a disappointing sigh.


    "Charles,e here." He waved his hand towards Charles and went near the trio.


    Upon hearing Russell''s words, Charles stood up from his seat and followed after him.


    "Good day, Branch Head!" After noticing Russell''s arrival, the trio turned their faces serious and greeted him politely.


    "Hmm," Russell nodded his head and then spoke,


    "I have a job for your team."


    "Sir. Russell, we won''t allow this powerless kid to join our team." Emilia looked at Charles with a frown and said decisively.


    "I know he is a powerless kid. That''s why I''m asking you guys to show him what a real battle looks like." Russell patted on Charles''s shoulder and said with a smile.


    "What is his ss?" The bald man, Andrew, asked while narrowing his ck eyes.


    "He is an apprentice fire mage. From his earlier battle records, we concluded that he also seems to have consumed thief ss-Gem. His battle skill looks fine in the report."


    "Is he a Dual-ss holder? Nurturing him is a waste of time, Sir. Russell. It will take years even for a peerless genius to rank up from Apprentice Mage to a Fire Weaver. But he doesn''t look like a genius; he might take decades to Rank Up." The muscr guy said with a disappointing tone.


    Upon hearing Luke''s words, Russell shook his head and said,


    "He has a unique inheritance gift."


    "Oh? Care to exin more about it?" The muscr guy, Luke, gave Charles a skeptical look and asked.


    "It''s ssified. Only Bishop Reynolds and I knew about his skill, and we don''t have the authority to share it with others. But if the real owner agrees, I might tell you." Russell spoke while giving Charles a meaningful look.


    ''Oh? You want me to tell my secret to gain their trust?'' Charles easily saw through Russell''s naive n and snorted inwardly.


    "If you guys are willing to share information about your trump cards, I will be more willing to tell you about mine." He said coldly.


    "Don''t be mad, kid." Emilia gave Luke a piercing look and then turned her gaze towards Russell.


    "Is he worth nurturing?" Her voice was steady.


    Russell nodded his head and added,


    "Bishop Reynolds thinks highly of him."


    Upon hearing those words, Emilia''s grey eyes widened in surprise. A secondter, she nodded her head and probed more about their mission.


    "What are we after?"


    "Yesterday, we got a piece of information about a sighting of a Distorted Shadow in Greke Forest. A few wild hunters spotted that creature in the Greke Forest two days ago, and the Town Chief asked the Riverdale City Lord''s help. They also told in the report that many strange events like kidnappings, murders, and sacrifices are happening around Pine Town during the past few weeks. Your job is to go and subjugate the Distort Shadow and investigate those unusual events in Pine Town."


    Emilia''s face hardened when she heard Russell''s exnation.


    "It''s the fifth Distorted Shadow in this month. Moreover, the fourth Distorted Shadow¡­ It managed to calm its emotion during the battle and acted like a regr human. If anything goes wrong during the battle, we might lose." She said while ncing at Charles.


    "I won''t cause any problem during your mission." Charles got annoyed by their distrust and said coldly.


    ''His tone¡­ He spoke like a fearless guy.'' Russell frowned a little and then shook his head.


    "We don''t have time to wait for Ironfort Cathedral''s help. If we wait too long, the whole town might get annihted by the Rank 2 Distorted Shadow."


    The trio understood the seriousness in a second and nodded their heads.


    After that, Russell invited Charles to his room and gave him a Rank 2 iron dagger. Although it looked like a normal one, Charles knew it was a precious weapon. He didn''t take the dagger, though; instead, he looked at Russell skeptically and asked with a frown.


    "Why are you giving this to me?"


    "You are sharp, kid. If what I heard from the report is true, then you are not a normal mystic. But without a proper weapon, you may die during the battle. I can''t afford to lose a member who has a precious inheritance skill. If you survived this mission and became an official member, this dagger will be yours permanently." Russell said calmly.


    ''No¡­ Russell isn''t telling the whole truth. Something feels off¡­'' Charles thought for a moment and cast [Inspect] skill on the dagger.


    [Ghost Dagger (?)]


    Quality: Umon


    Effect: Extra Sharpness, Freezing Edges.


    Requirement: 11 Wisdom


    ''It''s not some random weapon. It must be worth around 20 gold coins. Moreover, that question mark¡­'' Doubt appeared in his mind. He pondered for a moment and then chose to ept it.


    ''I will use this until I get a better one.'' He nodded his head and took the dagger from Russell.


    He then walked out of Russell''s office room and followed after the temporary team members.


    "We should get a few bags of rations. It might take one or two days to return." Emilia said while turning her gaze towards Charles and added,


    "You should also follow us and get some rations from the storage room, kid."


    Saying so, she turned around and went to the locked room on their right side.


    After gathering a few boxes of rations from the storage, Charles and the trio walked out of the single-storied building and entered the luxurious horse-drawn carriage parked at the entrance.


    A ck-suited coachman greeted the mystics politely and then whipped the ck horse.


    A secondter, the ck horse let out a loud neigh and went towards the main street of Riverdale City.


    After a few minutes, the luxurious carriage moved towards therge city gate and went out of Riverdale City.


    Charles peeked through the golden curtain and noticed mangrove-like trees and weird shrubs appeared on both sides of the dirt road.


    ''Hmm, our Wind Vi is on the opposite side.'' He mused in thoughts and then closed the curtain.


    The carriage made creaking noises from time to time and soon went west. Some farnds and farmhouses appeared in their visions, but the carriage didn''t stop and went towards the west.


    After five hours of travel, the luxurious carriage arrived at the entrance gate of a well-fortified town called Pine Town.


    A single blonde-haired gatekeeper stood at the entrance while holding a golden spear and blocked the carriage. The blonde-haired gatekeeper wore iron armor, leather shoes, ck leather gloves, and ck leather pants.


    "State your purpose!" He gave a cold look at the coachman and ordered.


    Upon noticing the outsiders'' arrival, many soldiers looked down from the 4-meter tall walls and gave curious looks.


    Meanwhile, the coachman opened a sealed scroll and showed it to the gatekeeper.


    "We are from Riverdale City, my friend. Mystics are here to investigate abnormal incidents." The coachman added,


    In the meantime, the gatekeeper gave a nce at the opened scroll and then nodded his head.


    "Open the Gate." He gave the scroll back to the coachman and said.


    No, it sounded more like an order.


    Along with a loud screech, a four-meter tall Iron Gate opened and revealed the town''s interior.


    Charles peeked at the town''s interior through the curtain gap and narrowed his eyes.


    ''Brick and mud houses are built in order. Hmm, from the information about Pine Town, the total poption should be around 8,000.'' He nced at those passerby citizens and noticed that there was no happiness on their faces.


    ''The town looks gloomier. There are fear and anxiety in the peoples'' faces.'' Charles thought inwardly.


    The luxurious carriage made a few turns and soon arrived in front of a three-storied mansion vi.


    A brown-haired soldier opened thepound gate and asked the coachman to follow after him. The carriage went in and moved towards the three-storied building.


    Once the carriage stopped in front of the mansion building, Charles, the baldy Andrew, the muscr man Luke, and Emilia walked out of the carriage and looked around in curiosity.


    "Wee, my dear guests." A booming voice filled with dominance echoed from inside. A secondter, a blonde-haired male walked out of the mansion and greeted them with a smile.


    "You must be the Pine Town''s Chief, Darwin." Emilia took a step forward and greeted the blonde-haired male with a slight bow. Darwin wore a standard gem-embedded silk cloth and looked around 35-years-old. He had amber eyes, a round face, and a slightly obese body.


    "Yes, My Lady." Darwin nodded his head and invited them in. Nodding their heads in response, the Aces team members took a step forward and walked into the reception hall.


    Once they went inside the reception hall, Emilia halted her footsteps and looked at the three unfamiliar faces in puzzlement. All three of them were seated in luxurious sofas and seemed to be chattering.


    But she felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing them.

 Chapter 15: The Mysterious Jimmy

    <h4>Chapter 15: The Mysterious Jimmy</h4>


    She stared at those three people, who were seated on the sofas, for three continuous seconds, and then asked in curious.


    "Who are those people?"


    "T-They are my guests, mydy. T-They came here to discuss some private matters." Darwin walked beside her nervously and stuttered.


    Upon hearing Darwin''s stuttering words, Charles squinted his eyes and looked at those three people in puzzlement. He then cast [Inspect] skill on a ck-robed guy and soon widened his eyes.


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect Failed¡­]


    A momentter, the ck-robed guy turned his gaze towards Charles''s direction and looked at him with his snake-like yellow eyes!


    A chill went up to his spine as he felt the ck-robed guy''s gaze! His heart also began to thump faster madly.


    He had never felt any ominous feeling like this before and became shocked inside.


    ''He is a real maniac. He is oozing out so much bloodlust¡­ A guy who loves killing for fun¡­''


    ''My [Inspect] skill has failed which means he must be above Rank 2 mystic. Moreover, that guy''s yellow eyes¡­ Something is odd about those eyes!'' He retracted his gaze and then looked at the other two guests. One was a blonde-haired male with red eyes, while the other was a silver-haired female with ck eyes. Both wore a formal ck suit and looked around 30 years old. Although they looked normal, Charles felt an uneasy feeling when looking at them.


    "Let''s go," Noticing his odd behavior, Emilia patted his shoulder and said while following after Darwin.


    They walked on the red-carpeted floor and went to the second floor through the split staircase. After that, they walked in the decorated corridor and soon arrived in front of a gold-painted metal door.


    "Honorable Guests, you must be tired due to the long journey. You can stay here for a day and rest well." Darwin said while rubbing his hand and added with a smile,


    "My town guards woulde and ask your help if they met any abnormal activities." Saying those words, Darwin turned around and went downstairs in a rush.


    Meanwhile, Team Aces members opened the golden door and went inside. The guest room looked more like arge hall. Multiple magic candles were lit in the corners and illuminated the whole room in dim yellow light. Furniture like tables, beds, and chairs was arranged in the guest room''s center and enchanted the room like a luxurious banquet hall.


    Once they walked in, Emilia locked the door from inside and asked in confusion.


    "We came here to subjugate a monster. But why is he acting like we came to attend a banquet?"


    "Shall we go and gather information from the town citizens?" Andrew sat on a wooden chair and asked while rubbing his chin,


    "That''s a good idea." Luke went near the slider window and closed it quietly. Meanwhile, Emilia took a head-sized blue crystal from a small pouch and ced it at the room''s center.


    ''Void pouch? It''s must be an umon artifact.'' Charles thought inwardly.


    A heartbeatter, the room magic candle lights shimmed a little and then went out with a poof!


    After that, the crystal began to glow in blue light and illuminated the room.


    Charles didn''t felt any change and got puzzled by their action.


    "This is Concealment Stone. Once you activate this stone, no one would be able to hear or see what is happening inside." Emilia said with a smile as she noticed his puzzlement and then turned her face seriously.


    "Now, let''s talk about the mission. Something is definitely off about Darwin''s guests. I also felt some familiarity feeling when seeing their faces." Her tone was dead serious.


    "I also felt abnormality around their bodies." Luke nodded his head in agreement and spoke in a grim tone.


    "Did Darwin seek help from some private organization?" Andrew grunted in dissatisfaction while furrowed his brows.


    "That might be possible. But does he have that much money? If so, why did he send a request to Riverdale City Lord? Something feels off about the situation." A frown appeared on Emilia''s forehead as she thought about those three guests.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked around the room curiously and interjected their conversation,


    "That ck-robed guy looks powerful. He must be a peak Rank-2 mystic."


    Emilia, Luke, and Andrew froze for a moment and then turned their heads in shock.


    "They are not good people," Charles added calmly.


    ''What is his inheritance skill? Is he able to perceive other''s facial expressions keenly? Or, is it [Perception] skill? Nah, It shouldn''t have attracted Bishop''s attention. Although the [Perception] skill is rare, it''s not very hard to find among the mystics. Hmm, is his skill able to see others'' emotions?'' Emilia pondered deeply and then shook her head.


    ''He must have a rare skill. He could help us gather more information about those guys.'' She looked at Charles in interest and asked,


    "How are you so sure about that?"


    "That¡­ It''s up to you to decide whether to believe my words or not." Charles leaned on thedder-back chair and said.


    The trio went silent upon hearing Charles''s answer. After thinking for a moment, Emilia nodded her head and asked further.


    "What about the other two guests?"


    "I didn''t felt any danger from them. But they might also be powerful as the ck-robed guy." Charles said solemnly.


    ''Hmm, are they from Demonic Cult?'' Emilia furrowed her brows and shook her head.


    ''They are not our main target. We have to go to the Grake Forest and subjugate the Distorted Shadow first.'' She pondered for a moment and then made up her mind in a second.


    "Rest for a while, we will start our main mission at 4 P.M." Saying so, she went near the wooden bed andid on it. Others also went near other beds and began to take rest.


    Charles was the one who didn''t sleep; instead, he sat on the bed and then took out the ''Ghost Dagger'' from his leather bag. After that, he looked at the ck eye-like gem embedded silver hilt and frowned.


    An uneasy feeling appeared in his mind!


    It was a warning from his new [Sixth Sense] skill!


    He looked at the ck eye in confusion and began to think deeply.


    ¡­


    At Riverdale City, 35 Ivy Street.


    Russell was seated in his office room and was looking at a void-like screen in amusement. The one who appeared on the screen was none other than Charles''s face!


    "Is everything ready, Russell ck?" An old voice appeared from behind, causing Russell to stand up hurriedly.


    "G-Grandpa Anderson!" Russell turned around in shock and nodded his head.


    A secondter, an illusionary image of a white-haired old man appeared in front of him. He looked around 90-years-old with full of wrinkles on his pale face. He wore a golden robe and gave off a sense of ancient aura!


    Russell calmed his mind and spoke,


    "Everything is ready. We should find out his real capabilities through this mission. If our luck is good, we might find some clue about A-035."


    "Good, proceed with the n then. As for Bishop Reynolds, finish him off when the time is right." The old man named Anderson said coldly and then looked at the void-like screen in expectation.


    "F-Finish him off? G-Granpa, he is a blessed child of Life Goddess Nira! If someone finds about our scheme, all of us will face the wrath of Life Church members." Russell''s face turned pale as he broke into cold sweats.


    "So what? We can go and hide for a few decades in another world. After that, not even devoted believers of Life will remember a guy called Bishop Reynolds." Anderson ck sat on the wooden chair and said calmly.


    Upon hearing his grandfather''s idea, Russell began to calm down and nodded his head.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, at Pine Town entrance,


    A wooden carriage stopped in front of the Iron Gate, and soon two people walked out from it.


    One was a slightly obese guy, while the other was a lean guy. Both looked around 25 years old and wore tight leather armors. Knife scars and wounds on their bodies showed that both were well-experienced inbats and sword battles.


    The obese guy had ck hair, a round face, and wide-set oceanic eyes. On the other hand, the lean guy had blonde hair, amber eyes, and an oval face. He also wore a red gem embedded bracelet in his hand and looked calmer as ice. His amber eyes showed a sense of mystery.


    "Henry?" A loud shout, which was filled with surprise and shock, came from the fort wall, causing both to look up in wonder. A secondter, a ck-haired guy who was around 20 years old looked down from the top at the slightly obese guy and started roaring in anger,


    "Bastard, what the hell are you doing here?!"


    Meanwhile, Henry became startled as he stared at the familiar ck-haired guy''s face and soon grinned.


    "Show some respect to your elder brother, Sam."


    "Respect? You are a thief! If not for our mother''s plea, I would havee and search for you in Riverdale City and killed you ages ago!" Sam red at the ruffian looking Henry and then added,


    "Wait there for a minute. I will ask our guard captain to open the gate."


    Saying so, he turned around and went to the other side of the gate.


    Meanwhile, Henry let out a heavy sigh and asked while looking at the calm-looking lean guy.


    "Why did you ask me to apany you to my hometown, Jimmy?"


    Upon hearing his partner''s question, Jimmy shook his head and spoke in confusion.


    "I don''t know. But something is telling me toe here."


    "Is it another strange dream of yours?" Henry gave a weird look at Jimmy and continued with a sigh,


    "You need to see a psychiatrist soon, my friend. If you didn''t find a way and cure your mental illness, you would face problems in the future. You are showing symptoms of multiple personality illnesses these days."


    "Am I?" Jimmy''s amber eyes shed in cold light as he gave a sharp look at Henry. He then shook his head and replied calmly.


    "It''s not a big deal. I will be normal in a month or two." He said with a chuckle and then turned his attention towards the Iron Gate.


    A secondter, the gate made creaking noises and opened loudly. Both walked in and met Sam on the other side. After some argument between Sam and Henry, the trio went to Blood Street and soon arrived in front of a single-storied brick house.


    They walked into the medium house and soon met with a middle-aged woman. When she saw Henry, she cried out in surprise and embraced him in her arms. A small reunion happened in the poorly polished house.


    Henry also started crying in his mother''s arms and shared his hardship and adventurers like a small kid. Well, he did exclude the robbing and thieving parts, though. Henry also introduced Jimmy to her mother and told her about their deep friendship. He talked about his dangerous missions and even told her about how Jimmy got his famous ''Unlucky Star of Riverdale City'' title.


    After an hour, Jimmy got tired of their bbering and walked out of the brick house while saying a random excuse. He then went to the town chief''s mansion street and then looked at the mansion for a few seconds in silence.


    After that, he looked at the red gem embedded bracelet and smiled mysteriously.


    If someone looks closely at the red gem, they will find a tiny humanoid fog was screaming in pain and anger!


    "How are you, Jimmy?" He asked while letting out an evilugh.


    "Release me!" A secondter, a shout filled with grief and pain appeared from the bracelet and soon died down.


    "Sorry mortal, you have to wait for a while. Don''t worry; I will give you a peaceful death before I take your body." The ''Fake'' Jimmy let out a chuckle and caressed the bracelet like a precious treasure.


    "Bastar-" As the ''Real'' Jimmy was about to shout again, the ''Fake'' one waved his hand and blocked the ''Real'' Jimmy''s loud voice.


    After that, he nced at the surroundings in amusement and silently left.


    ¡­

 Chapter 16: Distorted Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 16: Distorted Shadow</h4>


    Hours went by as the sun descended towards the north-west sky and painted the sky in scarlet color.


    Emilia opened her grey eyes and sat upon the wooden bed. Meanwhile, Charles and others also woke up and started to get ready.


    Emilia then walked away from her bed and then took out a blue robe from her leather bag.


    Upon seeing the unique robe, Charles got curious and inspected it in interest.


    ''It''s a rare artifact!'' He was stunned for a moment.


    [Queen''s Robe]


    Quality: Rare


    Effect: Ice Web- Rank 3 spell.


    Usage: 0/1 per day (Limited use Item).


    ''She is rich.''


    He shook his head while taking out the Ghost Dagger from his luggage bag and then ced it on his waist. After that, he took a few dry bread pieces from his bag and put them in his pocket.


    Meanwhile, Luke took out a red-coated bow, a quiver, and many metal arrows from his luggage bag and began to gear up.


    Andrew was the only one who sat silently on the bed and ced a single long sword on his waist.


    Once everyone got ready, Emilia took the bluish gem from the floor and stored it inside her void pouch. After that, she ced the pouch in her small leather bag and went to the balcony. Others also followed after her and then looked around the mansion yard in vignce.


    "The security isx here," Andrewmented as he looked down at the mansion yard.


    "Darwin is not noble, so it''s not a surprising thing. But what surprised me is thisrge house. From where did he get this much money to build arge mansion in this rural town?"


    Luke peered at the mansion and furrowed his brows.


    "No more chit-chats, Luke," Emilia said calmly and then jumped down from the second-floor balcony.


    A secondter, two illusionary wings appeared behind her back and levitated her body like a feather. She suspended in the air for a moment while pping those illusionary wings and thennded on the grassy yard. After that, she made a short incantation and conjured a ck smoke out of thin air. She then molded the smoke and turned it into an eye with wings.


    "Stay here." She said calmly and then waved at others to climb down. Meanwhile, the ck eye made a small squeaky scream and flew up.


    Simultaneously, Andrew and Luke grabbed the nearby pipes and started climbing down nimbly.


    Charles let out a chuckle as he watched their skillful movements and jumped down while opening his arms widely. A momentter, two crimson wings appeared behind his shoulder and slowed down his falling.


    He floated like a crimson feather andnded on the grassy yard silently. Once everyone got in their position, they stormed out of the mansion without hiding their identities and went to the main street.


    A few minutester, they managed to convince the town guards and walked out of the Pine town.


    After that, Emilia took out a ck ring from her void pouch and started walking towards the dense woods.


    It was called the Grake Forest, a forest filled with bandits, thieves, and dangerous monsters. Before they leave, Russell warned them that some evil cult members were hiding in the woods and asked them to be careful of unexpected ambushes.


    Conscious of the unknown dangers, they arrived in front of the dense forest and looked around warily.


    Poisonous trees, shrubs, and vines entangled together, causing the forest to look gloomier.


    After confirming that they were in a safer position, they walked into the woods and started their search.


    Although they met a few wild animals like wolves and kobolds during their search, they didn''t face any trouble killing them. They searched the outer areas of Grake Forest till 7 P.M and stopped as they heard Emilia''s voice.


    "Something is wrong. Someone destroyed the ''Shadow Eye.''"


    "Enemy?" Luke scanned the dark woods and asked.


    "It seems so. We should return to Pine Town and check if everything is okay." Emilia said while turning around.


    Others also nodded their heads and followed after her without any refusal.


    But what awaited them was not a peaceful town; instead, they saw that the whole town was burning in chaos!


    Panic cries and shouts echoed from all over the town, causing the mystics to hasten their footsteps towards the entrance gate.


    Upon arriving at the entrance, all of them became stunned for a moment!


    The entrance was filled with blood and corpses. But instead of w marks, sword cuts appeared in those corpses!


    "They were killed by humans." Emilia nced at those soldiers'' corpses and heaved a heavy sigh.


    "Let''s go." Luke gripped his bow tighter and said while cing a metal arrow on the silver string.


    Charles and Andrew also nodded their heads and went inside. Multiple battles happened all over the towns, and cloaked figures were killing and causing chaos everywhere. The Aces team became dumbfounded for a second and soon moved towards the town chief''s mansion. But they halted their footsteps when they walked past the town square.


    Around fifty citizens, including children and old peoples,id on the dirt ground and were screaming in pain. Seeing this, Emilia turned her gaze towards a particr area and noticed a human was standing at the center while gripping two long swords in his hands. She also saw a strange ritual-like circle were drawn on the dirt ground and became serious.


    ''Sacrificial ritual circle!'' She nced at those screaming citizens and then turned her attention towards the human.


    He looked around 6 feet tall, had yellow eyes, pale skin, and ck hair. He wore a ck robe and appeared about 40 years old.


    "Who are you?" Emilia took out a slim silver sword from her void pouch and asked. But soon, her eyes widened as she remembered the guy''s face.


    ''He is the ck-robed guy I saw in Darwin''s mansion.'' She looked at his face closely and noticed a tangled snake symbol on his wrist area.


    ''I-It''s the symbol of the Divine Order!'' Her body went stiff as she stared at the enemy in vignce. Unlike the Demonic Church and Wicked Church members, who love to cause chaos and fear among ordinary citizens, these Divine Order members were real maniacs. They were the children of destruction themselves. Although the title sounds noble, they weren''t noble at all! Most of the members of the Divine Order organization were Shadow Killer ss series members.


    They love killing, killing, and only killing!


    The Divine Order was an organization created to kill all the livings mortals who were corrupting the Edhen world and make the world a peaceful ce. The organization''s main goal was to eliminate the humans and other intelligent races from Edhen!


    The more they kill and cause chaos, the stronger they would be!


    It was as if they had different types of game systems ced in their bodies!


    They believed that the mother Edhen was bestowing them with the Shadow Killer series ss-Gems in the name of blessing.


    It was the main reason Charles chose to join Withering Shadows. If he had decided to be an independent assassin in this life to grow stronger, the Lawful churches would have assumed him as a Divine Order member and might put his head on the wanted list shortly.


    Before Emilia could wake up from the shock, the enemy appeared in front of her face while holding two long swords in his hand and shed at her neck.


    "Ice Web." Meanwhile, Emilia spoke in an unknown ancient tone and then took a step back. At the same time, she moved her sword and blocked those two swords skilfully.


    An instantter, hundreds of chilling web strings appeared under her feet and started to slither towards the killer. In a second, those stingspletely bounded the enemy and made him immobile! The surrounding temperature started to change and soon began to turn into a chilly atmosphere.


    The killer stood like a frozen statue for a second and soon let out a creakyugh. Before others could understand the reason for his creepyugh, the killer''s body turned into dark smoke and disappeared from there.


    "Shadow teleportation?!" Luke and Andrew nced at each other and then looked around warily.


    "He must be a Rank-2 Shadow Guard. It''s the corresponding ss of Shadow killer ss. Beware of shadows." Emilia said while controlling those web strings in her mind and then added,


    "Split up and control the chaos. Kill all these Divine Order maniacs on the spot."


    ''I can maintain this web for two more minutes. Before the time ends, I have to find the Shadow Guard and kill him.'' She nodded her head and looked around.


    Upon hearing Emilia''s order, Charles unsheathed his rank-2 iron dagger and held his weapon tighter.


    ''Follow the shadow. You will find something good.''


    He suddenly remembered Eve''s words and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Did she foresee this incident? Or is it a coincidence?'' He furrowed his brows in suspicion.


    ''Shadow? Did she tell about this Shadow guard? Or Distorted Shadow?''


    While he was in muse, he heard heavy footsteps from the front. All of them nced towards the front and narrowed their eyes.


    In the meantime, Luke ced the metal arrow in the bow and pulled the string while aiming at the uing hooded figure. No. It was not a hooded figure!


    It was a humanoid ck monster with fangs-like teeth. It had red eyes, round ears, an ugly goblin-like face, w-like hands, and ck fur covered all over its body. It wore a torn ck dress and looked around 2 meters tall.


    When it noticed their presence, the strange monster let out a terrific roar and sprinted towards their direction madly while crushing a few unlucky citizens on its way!


    "Distorted Shadow!" Charles muttered out loud and cast [Inspect] skill on it.


    [Name: None


    Race: Distorted Shadow (Former Human)


    ss: Rank-2 Prisoner (Lv 5)


    Sub-ss: None


    Health Points: 241/241


    Attributes:


    Strength- 19


    Dexterity- 17


    Constitution- 18


    Wisdom- 7


    Charisma- 0


    ss skills: Rage (Sealed), Bloody Hands (Sealed), Evil Mind (Sealed).


    Subss skills: None.]


    While Charles was looking at the creature''s body status, Luke clicked his tongue in annoyance and released the string.


    With a swoosh sound, the arrow pierced through the air and directly stabbed on Distorted Shadow''s forehead.


    But, the metal arrow shattered into pieces after leaving a loud, nging sound.


    "Enchant the arrows with your skills before releasing them," Emilia said calmly and added,


    "Charles, hide somewhere."


    Although Charles was dissatisfied by her words, he didn''t get angry. Instead, he nodded his head and took a few steps back.


    After that, he blended with the darkness and disappeared from others'' visions.


    In the meantime, Emilia let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes for a second.


    ''I need to restrict its movement before it kills all these citizens.'' She made up her mind.


    A secondter, she opened her eyes and stared deeply into the Distorted Shadow''s eyes.


    But unlike her original grey color, her eyes glowed in golden-red color!


    As the Distorted Shadow saw her golden-red eyes, its whole body turned stiff, and it began to turn into a stone!


    It was her unique skill [Gaze of Medusa]!


    "Perfect!" Luke curled his lips upward and pulled the string after cing another arrow.


    But this time, he enchanted the arrow with [True Mark] and [Sniping] skills.


    The metal arrow glowed in a blue color as it pierced through the air and directly prated the Distorted Shadow''s right eye!


    Simultaneously, Andrew sprinted towards the Distorted Shadow while enchanting his sword with [Unbreakable] skill and soon arrived in front of it.


    He then swiftly evaded the creature''s slow attack and appeared right behind the Distorted Shadow. After that, he used [Deep sh] skill and severed its right upper limb!


    The Distorted Shadow roared madly and then took a nearby wooden club in its rock-like left hand.


    Although Emilia''s [Gaze of Medusa] skill was powerful, it couldn''tpletely turn the peak level Rank-2 Distorted Shadow into a stone.


    "Back away, Andrew. It''s not a good move to battle against the Distorted Shadow in closebat."


    Saying so, Emilia controlled her icy web strings and restricted the Distorted Shadow''s movement.


    Like an insect that caught in a spider''s web, the Distorted Shadow tried to tear those white ice webs. But its attempt went futile.


    In the next five seconds, Luke released another six metal arrows and started attacking fatally.


    In the meantime, Charles hid in the shadows and started looking for the Shadow Guard.


    Although the Shadow Guard was just an average mystic, he felt something was off about his first mission.


    ''Why do I feel a staring sensation from the surroundings?'' He frowned.


    He felt that someone was spying on him from somewhere!

 Chapter 17: Shadow Guard

    <h4>Chapter 17: Shadow Guard</h4>


    ''Is the Shadow Guard after my head?'' A thought crossed Charles''s mind.


    ''Is he nning to eliminate me because I''m a weak one? But I still didn''t sense any abnormality around the surrounding areas.'' He furrowed his brows and soon made up his mind.


    ''I will show him an opening and lure him out from the shadow.'' He curled his lips upward and rxed his guard a little.


    A momentter, he sensed an unpredictable danger from behind!


    It was the same [Sixth Sense] skill''s warning!


    He instantly held his Ghost Dagger tighter and turned around while twisting it towards the uing Shadow Guard, who had two swords in his hands.


    Upon seeing the Shadow Guard''s speed, Charles''s heart sank!


    ''My dagger is not suitable for long-term battle. And he is moving faster.'' He made a swift n and bent forward a little.


    Simultaneously, he cast his [Fire Wings] spell and pped it forcefully.


    Like a bullet, he sprinted forward towards those two uing swords and smirked.


    ''He took the bait!''


    As he flew near the Shadow Guard, he used [Snatch] and [Trickster''s hand] skills at a time.


    A secondter, he took a side step while pping his right side crimson wing and calmly evaded the Shadow Guard''s swords.


    He then let out a cold snort and touched the Shadow Guard''s elbow area with his left hand.


    Meanwhile, he also moved his dagger towards the Shadow Guard''s chest using his other hand and smiled widely.


    Due to Charles''s sudden trick, the Shadow Guard felt a numbing sensation from his elbow and got startled.


    But he didn''t lose his calm, though; instead, he moved his other sword and blocked Charles''s dagger attack.


    With a nging sound, sword, and dagger collided against each other, leaving multiple fire sparks behind.


    After a second, both backed away from there and looked at each other cautiously.


    Shadow Guard''s expression turned gloomy as he started to feel something was odd and soon looked at his right hand.


    ''Wha-!¡­ My Ring sword is gone!'' His yellow eyes squinted sharply.


    In the meantime, Charles stared at the enemy coldly and took a step back. After that, he inspected the long sword in his left hand and nodded.


    [Item: Ring Sword


    Quality: Umon


    Effects: Sharpness, High-durability, Self-Repairable.]


    ''Good sword. But I''m not a swordsman.'' He let out a disappointing sigh and then grumbled inwardly.


    ''It seems my [Snatch] skill is very effective with the [Trickster''s Hand] skill.'' He nodded his head and then looked at the Shadow Guard.


    But there was no fear or anxiety in his eyes; instead, his deep-set jade eyes were now filled with greed!


    It''s because he saw a notification appeared in front of his eyes.


    ¡­


    [Chain Quest Triggered!]


    Quest Details: One of the four Chaotic Church Organizations called Divine Order is causing genocide in the name of Righteousness and Justice. Due to their horrible actions in these past few centuries, many variables have appeared in the current timeline, causing the Future to move in an unpredictable direction!


    The Edhen world is moving to its destruction. Join any of the Lawful Factions and help them eliminate the Divine Order from this.


    Quest Rewards: You will get double Exp when killing a Divine Order member from now on!


    Time Limit: None


    ept/Decline


    ¡­


    "The Divine Order, huh. Hmm, this chain mission looks good." Charles muttered under his breath and epted the Quest mission.


    ''It seems the game system in my head is siding with the Lawful Faction. My real backer might be a member of the Lawful Faction. Hmm, there are thirteen Gods in the Lawful Faction. Among them, who is responsible for my transmigration?'' He thought for a second and soon shook his head.


    ''I will think about thatter. For now, I should kill this guy and increase my strength.'' He held his dagger and moved.


    But he didn''t attack, though; instead, he took two steps back and ran in a different direction. Seeing his action, the Shadow Guard widened his yellow eyes and pursued after him.


    Emilia also noticed the Shadow Guard''s action and frowned.


    "Should I go and help him?" Luke released an enchanted arrow at the Distorted Shadow and asked.


    "He isn''t an official member yet. Moreover, we have to finish off this monster sooner and kill the other Divine Order members." Emilia said and continued after a short pause,


    "His mission is to help us, not the other way around."


    Upon hearing their team leader''s words, both Andrew and Luke let out a bitter smile and nodded.


    After that, the trio split up and started attacking the seriously injured Distorted Shadow from a different direction.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, a blonde-haired lean guy stood on a nearby building terrace and looked at Charles with a cold expression on his face. He wore a unique red gem embedded bracelet and appeared like a mysterious expert.


    "It seems they are nning to put him in a life and death situation. Is this a trap to lure me out? Too bad, I have no n on helping him." He mumbled calmly and soon groaned as he saw a ck thread came out from his bracelet. The ck thread then slithered towards his neck and started tangling it.


    "Damn it, I shouldn''t have signed the abyssal contract with Eddie," Jimmy grunted in a displeased tone and then mused inwardly.


    ''You may have put a restriction on me from killing your descendants, Eddie. But you made a grave mistake. Tsk, tsk, my freedom is bound to happen, and I will have my vengeance then. I will let them know what a true hell will be like.'' He let out a creaky sinister chuckle and then disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Unaware of the uing hidden dangers, Charles ran towards the more chaotic area and noticed that tens of ck-cloaked guys gathered hundreds of citizens on the mud path and appeared to be preparing for something. They had already bound the citizens in ropes and made them kneel in lines.


    ''Are these guys making some blood sacrificial ceremony?'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''It doesn''t matter to me. But, those guys will give me more Exp.'' He was about to move in their direction but paused as he saw a knife cut through the air and appeared behind him.


    ''Tsk,'' Charles clicked his tongue in irritation and barred the knife with a ng. After that, he made a few turns and went in a different direction.


    In the meantime, a ck-robed guy followed after him like a mad dog and even threw some darts at him from time to time.


    But whenever Shadow Guard''s attack was about tond on his target, he found that his target had somehow foreseen his attack and blocked them like a skilled hunter.


    ''Oh? Did he have [Foresight] skill? Impossible. He is too weak to gain that skill.'' He got puzzled and started throwing darts while adding some strength.


    Meanwhile, Charles started noticing something was odd in Shadow Guard''s earlier attacks and got puzzled.


    ''He is not aiming for my life¡­ His strength is way above mine, and from his earlier attacks, I can tell that he is just ying with me. He appears to be testing my real strength by forcing me into life and death situation. But for what purpose?'' A grim expression appeared on his face as he recalled the earlier chasing. After thinking for a moment, he stopped running and activated [Conceal] skill.


    A secondter, his whole body turned transparent and soon disappeared from the Shadow Guard''s eyes.


    ''H-How?'' Shadow Guard became stunned for a moment and soon looked around in confusion.


    "Looking for me?" A sharp voice came from behind, causing him to turn around in surprise!


    But to his astonishment, Shadow Guard couldn''t see Charles, which caused him to be more confused inside.


    ''Did he already manage to upgrade his [Stealth] skill?'' An absurd thought appeared in his mind. He knew that only Rank 2 Mystics could upgrade the [Stealth] skill and be puzzled.


    ''He is an abnormal one. If he started building spell models, he would be invincible among his rank members.'' He muttered to himself in shock.


    But he wasn''t worried much about a Common Rank Mystic. Shaking his head, he took out a white crystalline card from his pouch and tapped it twice.


    A momentter, hundreds of green vines sprouted out from the ground and began to spread in every direction while destroying the nearby houses and walls. In a blink, the whole 100-meter surrounding turned into an area filled with green nts and vines.


    Meanwhile, Charles got startled for a moment and soon backed away while evading those slithering vines.


    After that, he took a moment to breathe and then cast [Inspect] skill on the card.


    [Item: Card of Arcane


    Rank: Rare


    Effect: A rare rank-3 spell model called the ''Nature''s Hands'' was engraved in this Arcane card. When you activate this card, poisonous green vines will sprout from the ground and help you to prevent the enemies from getting close to you.


    Cooldown Time: 1/1 per day.]


    ''Damn it; this guy is the real treasure.'' Charles looked at those vines for a moment and soon sighed helplessly.


    ''But he is a powerful one.'' He clicked his tongue and soon went towards the sacrificial area. Although he was eager to kill this Shadow Guard, he didn''t like to take risks. He knew the possibility of him defeating a Rank-2 Mystic was very slim.


    ''First, I need to increase my strength. Those ten plus mystics will be more than enough to satisfy my hunger.'' He licked his lips and fastened his footsteps towards the mud path.


    Meanwhile, the Shadow Guard looked around the surroundings cautiously and waited for the invisible enemy to enter his attack range.


    One minuteter, he grew irritated a little.


    Three minutester, he got impatient and started cursing him.


    After five minutes, he became tired of waiting and taunted the invisible enemy.


    "Come out, coward!"


    No one responded to his shout!


    ''Hmm, wait a minute¡­ Why am I waiting for him toe and attack me? I should be the one to test his capabilities, right?'' His expression soon froze as he noticed the eerie silence.


    ''Oh, sh*t! Did he run away?'' His expression went unsightly in a second.


    He also thought of Charles''s earlier magic spell and grew furious.


    ''If he had used the earlier fly spell, he would have escaped easily. But why didn''t he use that fire spell and ran around in the streets like a coward?''


    He felt puzzled inside and soon took out a blue gem from his pouch. He then closed his eyes while holding the gem tightly and soon opened with an exciting face.


    "Found you." He muttered coldly and moved towards the direction where Charles went.


    Meanwhile, Charles arrived at the sacrificial area and started assassinating the Divine Order members in his concealed form.


    Like a ghost, he suddenly appeared behind a ck hooded man and then sliced the enemy''s throat. After that, he disappeared into the darkness and soon reappeared behind another hooded guy. Like a real Rank 2 Assassin, he moved in the dark and started his massacre.


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, you will get double Exp! 86 Exp Obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, you will get double Exp! 92 Exp Obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, you will get double Exp! 98 Exp Obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, you will get double Exp! 103 Exp Obtained!]


    In two minutes, he killed 15 Divine Order members and scared the others away.


    ''I''m already getting used to it. Moreover, these killers only have a slightly abnormal strength. As for their experience in giving fatal blows to the enemy, they are really pathetic. Hmm, this dagger also giving me a big boost when killing the enemy.'' He nodded thoughtfully.


    ''There are still many Divine Order members left.'' His eyes glinted in cold light.


    But he didn''t chase after them; instead, he chose to stay and waited for the dumb Shadow Guard.


    Moreover, he reaped arge amount of Exp in thest few minutes and nned to increase his level.


    ''1351 Exp.'' He smiled lightly and then shifted his attention to the interface.


    ''Hmm, I already have 217 Exp. Adding 217 Exp with 1351 Exp, I now have 1568 Exp. With this much Exp, I can level up a few times.'' He curled his lips up and added 225 Exp to his Apprentice Fire Mage ss.


    [225 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 3 Apprentice Fire Mage!]


    [2 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom obtained!]


    [10 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    He didn''t hesitate to add another 337 Experience points to the Apprentice Fire Mage ss and leveled it up again.


    ¡­


    [337 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 4 Apprentice Fire Mage!]


    [2 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom obtained!]


    [10 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    He felt his mind became cooler due to the sudden increase in wisdom and noticed that he could maintain more than five rank-1 spell models in his mind. Moreover, he felt that his thinking capability increased to an unimaginable level and became stunned.


    ''Is this due to increasing my wisdom to 15?'' He wondered.


    He then thought for a moment and then added two attribute points to Strength and Constitution. After that, he added the remaining two attribute points to the Dexterity attribute and nodded with a pleasant smile.


    For the next ten seconds, he stood in silence and concentrated his full attention on his body. He felt his body muscles and bones were undergoing some changes and became excited. He then stretched his lean hands and legs and soon widened his eyes as he noticed the differences.


    ''My body has grown stronger. I had already surpassed my former body''s peak strength.'' He grew confident in soloing the Shadow Guard.


    ''Hmm, let''s see where I can spend these skill points.'' He nced at his ss skills for a moment and added 20 skill points to the [Sixth Sense] skill. But to his astonishment, he couldn''t upgrade the skill, which made him stunned for a while.


    ''Is it because of Rank restriction? Does that mean I have to increase all my skills to 50 before ranking up?'' He mused for a moment and soon nodded his head in enlightenment.

 Chapter 18: Battle

    <h4>Chapter 18: Battle</h4>


    ''Hmm, I should save these skill points for now.'' Charles thought for a moment and nced at his body status.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Inflicted by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Human


    Rank: 1


    ss: Level 4 Apprentice Fire Mage (0/506)


    Sub-ss: Level 3 Trickster (0/337)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favourability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 91/91


    Exp: 1006 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 13


    Dexterity- 14


    Constitution-12


    Wisdom-15


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 20


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Fire Wings


    Sub-ss skills:


    Trickster''s hand- 20


    Clown- 20


    Sixth Sense- 50


    Unique skills:


    Snatch-51


    Conceal- 50


    Dark Vision- 44


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 40]


    ''Oh? Amber''s Curse, huh? Tsk, that darned Amber Church. You think you can suppress my growth just by cing some wealth curse?'' He coldly snorted inside.


    ''Forget it, it''s time for me to check a suitable magic spell model.'' He nodded his head and then turned his attention to the spellbook option.


    ¡­


    [Avable Fire Spell models for the Host: Fire Orb (430 Exp), Fire Arrow (250 Exp), Fire Breath (250 Exp), Fire Shield (320 Exp), me Body (350 Exp), me Jump (540 Exp), Fire Wing (450 Exp), Fire Wisp (240 Exp), Fire de (459 Exp), Fire Prism (310 Exp), Fire Mark (300 Exp), etc.,]


    ¡­


    ''I don''t need any attack power for now. All I need is some supportive type spells.'' He thought for a moment and soon turned his attention to the [Fire Jump] spell.


    But he didn''t choose to construct the spell model now.


    ''Once I choose the spell model, the system will automatically start constructing the spell model in my mind for the next few minutes. That will do no good for me in my current situation. Moreover, I don''t have any information about how mages create spell models in their minds.'' He heaved a heavy sigh and then turned his attention to the citizens.


    Most of them had already removed the ropes and started untying the nearby citizens. Although the Shadow Killers already killed some, he didn''t think much about them.


    ''Hmm, the Shadow Guard should be here at any minute.'' He muttered inwardly and then looked at his Ghost Dagger.


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect Sess!]


    ¡­


    [Ghost Dagger (Observer''s Dagger)]


    Quality: Umon


    Effect: Extra Sharpness, Freezing Edges, (Prober''s Eye).


    The requirement to see the hidden effects: 15 Wisdom


    ¡­


    ''I knew it!¡­ That Russell must have been observing me all this time. Is he probing my real strength? But why is he doing this?¡­ Something feels off¡­This whole chaos incident looks like an orchestrated mission. Did he have a link to Divine Order organization?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon turned his face serious.


    ''It seems I entered a lion''s den. Thankfully, I have a system to level up faster than normal humans. Still, I need to fool their eyes and hide my strength for a while. I don''t think that enemy doesn''t have a way to check my real strength¡­ Troublesome¡­ Hmm, there must be some strange skills out there to hide one''s real strength. I have to find a way and get it.'' He thought to himself and turned his attention to the citizens.


    "Get away from here." He said coldly and held the Ghost Dagger in his right hand.


    As for the Ring sword, he held it in his other hand and smirked as he saw a ck-robed guy was running in his direction.


    Upon hearing his unkind words, the citizens nodded their heads in fear and ran in different directions while dragging the severely wounded ones.


    In the meantime, Shadow guard had already arrived in front of him and was staring at him in anger.


    ''It''s time to perform a show.'' Charles turned his face solemn and sprinted towards the Shadow Guard while roaring,


    ''''Why are you guys killing the poor citizens?''''


    Charles''s action caused the Shadow Guard to be confused for a while. He soon returned to his normal state and muttered inwardly.


    ''He looks like a naive fool!''


    He coldly watched the maddened youth, who was running towards him in anger, and then aimed his sword at Charles''s shoulder. After that, he activated [Killer''s Thirst] skill and rushed towards the opponent at an unimaginable speed.


    A secondter, he closed the distance between himself and the target using the [Shadow Step] skill and lunged at Charles.


    Upon seeing the uing dangerous sword attack, Charles turned his expression serious and blocked the long sword with his dagger.


    A loud, nging sound resounded. A momentter, Charles''s body was pushed back, and soon he was blown away.


    Simultaneously, his Ghost Dagger was also sent flying in a different direction andnded one hundred meters away from him.


    A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he stood up hurriedly and then gripped the Ring Sword in his left hand.


    He then turned his gaze towards the other side and started running.


    Noticing his target''s cowardly act, Shadow Guard curled his lips upward and chased after him.


    Charles, on the other hand, smirked inwardly and ran towards the Pine Town''s exit.


    Although many Shadow Killers appeared in his sight while running, he didn''t have any luxury to even look at them.


    After a few minutes of running, he managed to found the town''s exit and ran towards it.


    Meanwhile, Shadow Guard became shocked by his speed and became more resolute about his original mission.


    ''Lord ck''s guess is right! He really is hiding his strength.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he locked his eyes on Charles''s back.


    Like a cat and mouse, both soon moved out of the Pine town and entered the nearby woods.


    After confirming that no one was following them, Charles heaved a relieved sigh and soon began to look for a suitable grasnd-like area to battle.


    ''I need to find a way and capture him quickly.'' Charles became firm about his decision.


    After running deep into the woods for a while, he came across arge grasnd-like area and halted his footsteps.


    ''''Are you got tired of running?'''' Shadow Guard''s mocking words came from behind, causing Charles''s lips to twitch. Letting out a heavy sigh, Charles switched the Ring Sword to his right hand and turned around with a mysterious smile on his face.


    Puzzlement appeared on the Shadow Guard''s face as he saw Charles''s mysterious smile.


    ''''You still didn''t get it, do you?'''' Charles narrowed his eyes as he stared at the dumb Shadow Guard and then cast [Inspect] skill on him.


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect Sess!]


    ¡­


    [Name: Ian Adams


    Race: Human


    Rank: 2 (Umon)


    ss: Level 3 Shadow Guard


    Sub-ss: None


    Title: Murderer, Killer, ck''s Loyal One.


    Health Points: 99/111


    Exp: 0


    Attributes:


    Strength- 14


    Dexterity- 15


    Constitution- 13


    Wisdom-14


    Charisma- 9


    ss skills:


    Shadow Steps-70


    Shadow Teleport-63


    Killer''s Thirst- 57


    Unique skills:


    Basilisk''s Eyes- 50


    Basic Sword Arts- 38]


    ¡­


    ''He is still stronger but not strong enough to kill me. My only worry about him is his unique skill [Basilisk''s Eyes]. Now, I understand why Lady Emilia told us something about familiarity when seeing him.'' He nodded inwardly and then moved closer towards the Shadow Guard.


    "Quite an arrogant tongue you have, kid," Ian said in a cold tone and then turned into a cloud of smokes.


    A momentter, Charles''s own shadow moved on its own and formed into the ck-robed Ian.


    Before Charles could mutter another word, Ian clenched his fist and threw a punch at him with full force.


    If it were before, Charles would have dodged it with all his strength. But after he leveled up twice, he became much stronger.


    He calmly took a step back and blocked the punch with his hand. A momentter, a look of astonishment appeared on Ian''s face.


    ''He blocked my attack!'' He squinted his eyes sharply.


    Ian then muttered strange words and stared deeply into his target''s eyes.


    It was the incantation of [Confusion] magic spell!


    Ian learned this spell incantation from a magic book called Starfall Codex book and used it often against his opponents to catch them off-guard.


    Meanwhile, Charles felt confusion feeling appeared in his mind. But due to his high wisdom, he managed to resist the confusion and became clear-headed.


    After that, he took a step back and avoided his stare.


    ''I must be wary of his [Basilisk''s Eyes] skill.'' He thought to himself and then shed the Ring Sword at Ian''s neck.


    Upon noticing the iing attack, Ian Adams grew more alert and blocked the Ring sword.


    He then took two steps back and parried against his skillful sword strikes while pondering deeply.


    ''He managed to resist my [Confusion] spell and also seems to be cautious of looking at my [Basilisk''s Eyes]! From his earlier attack, I can tell now that he has the strength of a rank 2 Mystic!'' Ian widened his eyes in surprise and soon backed away using [Shadow Steps] skill.


    At the same time, Charles gripped the Ring Sword and cast [Conceal] skill on himself.


    A look of rm appeared on Ian''s face as he stared cautiously at the surrounding grasnd.


    ''I was wrong. Did this kid lure me here to silence me?'' A foreboding thought appeared in his mind. He recalled Charles''s naive action and soon realized his situation.


    ''He is a dangerous one and seems to have enough strength to kill me. I need to warn Mr. ck.'' He muttered under his breath and soon took out an eerie ck covered book from his void pouch. It had strange letters engraved on the cover and appeared ominous.


    Meanwhile, Charles felt an unknown fear upon seeing the eerie ck book and cast [Inspect] on it.


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspection failed!]


    ¡­


    ''It looks dangerous.'' Charles frowned as he saw the eerie book and backed away from Ian. At the same time, Ian Adams let out an evilugh and opened the book.


    After that, he looked at the book and started chanting in a weirdnguage.


    ''Isn''t he afraid of assassination?'' Charles got shocked by Ian''s confidence and soon sprinted towards him at an unimaginable speed. In two seconds, he appeared in front of Ian and thrust his sword towards his heart.


    But to his amazement, a thinyer of transparent force field appeared around Ian''s body andpletely blocked his attack.


    Meanwhile, Ian made strange hand signs using his other hand and continued to chant.


    Before Charles could back away, he felt the space around his body began to distort and soon pulled him into the void!


    ''What is this?!'' He was baffled for a moment and soon noticed that he was standing 100 meters away from Ian Adams!


    ''Forceful teleportation?'' He was deeply surprised for a moment and soon froze.


    Because he saw Ian held the ck covered book tightly and started running into the woods, but he could still hear weird rhythmic incantations from Ian, which gave him goosebumps.


    ''What happened?'' Puzzlement appeared on his face.


    ''Follow the Shadow.'' Eve''s words once again appeared in his mind.


    He hesitated for a moment and soon chose to trust her words. But before he could take a step forward to follow after Ian, he saw dense clouds of grey smokes appeared from the eerie book and soon turned into daggers and swords. In a blink, all those weapons aimed in all directions and flew everywhere at an unimaginable speed!


    A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he jumped up and avoided a dagger that appeared in his direction.


    ''It seems he is nning to retreat.'' A cold smile appeared on his face as hended on the grassy ground.


    ''If I let him escape now, he might inform about my original fighting capabilities to his employer. I need to capture him and find more information about the situation. I''m still dancing in the dark like a dumb fool.'' He grew annoyed inside and soon chased after Ian.


    Meanwhile, Ian''s face grew solemn as he held the mysterious ck book in his hand.


    ''Damn it; I feel fatigued after reciting a single Rank 3 spell.'' He gritted his teeth in anger and soon went towards the eastern direction.


    It''s where his secret hideout was located. Although he was afraid of the exposure, he didn''t put much thought into it.


    ''My current goal is to escape and inform Lord ck about Target''s real strength.'' If it were another person, he would have stopped earlier and killed his target using various means. But his owner warned him not to kill the target, which made him frustrated inside.


    ''I can''t kill him. Lord ck had already made many preparations to catch A-O35. I can''t mess up the n.'' He grumbled inside and then moved faster.


    Charles also pursued him while looking at the interface in contemtion.


    ''I still have 1006 Exp. Tsk, I actually thought of using this exp to construct spell models, but it looks like I need to dy that for some time. Hmm, once I use the Exp to maximize my Trickster ss, I will be able to overwhelm him and kill him swiftly.'' He nodded his head in enlightenment and soon added 843 Exp to the Sub-ss.


    ¡­


    [337 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 4 Trickster!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    [506 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level 5 Trickster!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded]


    ¡­


    ''I have two free attribute points and 60 skill points in total.'' He checked the interface while avoiding the iing [Acid Arrow] spell attack and then added one attribute point to Dexterity. After that, he thought for a moment and added the remaining attribute point to Strength.


    In a blink, he noticed the changes happening in his body and grinned inwardly.


    If not for the wooden branches and vines obstructing his path, he would have already caught up with Ian Adams.


    ''Ian appears to have some n¡­ He is moving in a particr direction.'' He guessed.


    After pondering for a moment, Charles didn''t dare to dy any longer and added 30 skill points to his [Trickster''s Hand] skill.


    A heartbeatter, a massive amount of information about hand tricks appeared in his mind.

 Chapter 19: Information

    <h4>Chapter 19: Information</h4>


    The next instant, he loosens his sword grip a little and twisted his hand at a weird angle. He then aimed the Ring Sword at Ian and threw it casually.


    Like a slithering snake, the Ring Sword flew towards the target while arching in a weird angle and directly stabbed onto Ian''s shoulder!


    A groaning sound leaked out of Ian''s mouth as he staggered and directly crashed onto the wooden trunk.


    Meanwhile, a change urred in the interface, causing Charles to pause in surprise.


    ¡­


    [Trickster''s Hand skill reached its peak level!]


    [Host''s Snatch skill looks simr to the Trickster''s Hand skill!]


    [Merging is possible due to skills simrity!]


    [Would you like to merge these two skills and create a unique skill?]


    [Cost for merging the two skills: 200 Exp.]


    ¡­


    ''Exp again.'' He clicked his tongue in annoyance and soon arrived in front of the groaning Ian Adams.


    ''I aimed for his heart.'' He furrowed his brows and soon shook his head.


    ''I need to train my skillster.'' While thinking, Charles went beside the wounded Ian Adams and pulled the Ring Sword out of his shoulder.


    Meanwhile, Ian stood up with staggering footsteps and turned around with a piercing re.


    But he didn''t lose his calm, though: Instead, he held his book¡­


    Widening his yellow eyes, Ian looked at his hand and soon got perplexed as he noticed his empty hand.


    ''Where is the Starfall Codex?'' He drew a heavy gasp and soon froze.


    ''Could it be¡­?'' He stared back at the humanoid figure and took a step back in the dense darkness.


    In the meantime, Charles curled his lips upward and asked while holding an eerie ck book in his hand.


    ''''Are you looking for this?''''


    ''''H-How?'''' Ian became stunned for a while and soon widened his eyes as he remembered Thief''s [Snatch] skill!


    ''No! I have to think of a method. If he captures me, the possibility of me exposes Lord ck''s identity is very high. That Telepathist can read memories.'' Although the enemy had stolen his trump card, he wasn''t swallowed by the despair. Instead, he took out a ck gem from his void pouch and was about to move it towards his mouth.


    ''I will turn into a Distorted Shadow and kill him-'' While Ian was nning, Charles smirked at him and shed his sword at his neck.


    Upon noticing the uing sword, Ian retracted his hand and backed away with no other choice, and tried to evade the sharp sword tip. Still, his movement became slower due to fatigue, causing the sword tip to made a small cut on his neck.


    ''Sh*t!'' He drew a deep breath while covering his neck with one hand and stared warily at the blue-haired kid.


    Ian then let out an angry grunt and started moving backward.


    Simultaneously, he put the ck Gem in his pocket and searched for his sword. He also realized that his target wouldn''t give him enough time to swallow the [Phantom Stringer] ss Gem and made a swift decision.


    ''I need to find my sword first. After that, I will swallow this [Phantom Stringer] ss Gem.'' He grew more resolute as he thought of his main mission.


    On the other hand, Charles didn''t hold back his strength and attacked Ian with all his might. His every attack turned into a fatal one as he started shing his sword.


    Covering in wounds and blood, Ian desperately avoided his sword attacks and finally found his sword, whichid a few meters away from him.


    A hideous grin appeared on Ian''s face as he saw his sword and ran towards it.


    Meanwhile, Charles noticed his n and snorted coldly.


    ''Toote for that.''


    Unlike thest him, he aimed his sword at Ian''s back and threw it swiftly.


    In a second, the Ring Sword made a whooshing sound and prated deep into Ian''s right chest area, causing him to fall again.


    Before Ian could stand up, Charles appeared right behind him and pulled his sword out from his chest. After that, he severed his limbs'' tendons and crippled Ian shortly.


    Ian also tried multiple times to swallow the ck Gem in those few seconds, but his every attempt failed.


    Charles then snatched the ck Gem from Ian''s hand and started dragging him towards the east.


    Two minutester, Charles found an open space and started tying Ian''s hands and legs using green vines.


    ''''What are you trying to do?!'''' Ian got agitated by Charles''s action and asked in wary eyes.


    Not responding to Ian''s question, Charles took out Ian''s void pouch and started checking the contents inside.


    ''Two silver coins, One Arcane Card, five packs of dry bread, and one leather water pouch. He didn''t have a single document. This guy is careful.'' Charles clicked his tongue in annoyance and then shifted his gaze towards Ian.


    He then made a yful smile and asked,


    ''''Who is your master, Ian Adams?''''


    When he heard his cold yet yful tone, Ian''s face stiffened up.


    ''How did he know my name?'' He got rmed inside. Although he heard of some unique skills that could expose one''s secret, he didn''t expect his target to possess one of the mysterious skills.


    ''He is a dangerous one. I must find a way and kill myself before that Telepathist arrives,'' He muttered inwardly and stayed silent.


    In the meantime, Charles squatted down and asked coldly,


    ''''Is your master is also after the Holem''s Crown?''''


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, Ian''s eyes widened in surprise, and he asked in a stutter,


    ''''H-How did you know about A-035?''''


    ''A-035? Is this some code name? Interesting, let''s see if I can get more information from this fool.'' He smirked inwardly and spoke casually,


    ''''What so odd about it? I have long known about that Series Artifact.''''


    Ian went silent upon hearing those words from Charles.


    ''Is his sudden rise in strength is also rted to A-035? Is it already controlling him in the shadows? But why didn''t Lord ck sensed its presence around him?'' He looked suspiciously at Charles and probed,


    ''''Why are you speaking so confidently? Aren''t you afraid of the Holem''s Crown?''''


    ''Afraid? Is it a dangerous artifact?'' Charles smiled mysteriously to avoid being suspicious and began to ponder inside. Surprisingly, his facial muscles acted on their own and concealed his real facial expressions.


    ''Hmm, Holem''s Crown seems like a dangerous, intelligent artifact. But, what about Ian''s master? Is he also a dangerous one? Like Rank 3 or Rank 4 mystic? I need to get more information from this loose lip.'' He muttered to himself and added calmly.


    "Don''t be so surprised. I also know about your master ck''s schemes."


    "W-What?!" Ian stared at Charles with a horrified face and soon blurted out,


    "How did you find out about Lord Anderson''s schemes?"


    ''Wow, he is a dumb idiot.'' Charles stared at Ian Adams in amazement for a moment and soon fabricated a lie.


    "Don''t think I don''t have any spies in your organization."


    Without waiting for the shocking fool to reply, Charles tapped his forehead twice and asked,


    "Now that I think about it, did Anderson reveal our identities and location to our Nightwind family?"


    "No. Lord Anderson didn''t know about your real identity before the kidnapping incident. We just followed Legend Eddie''s prophecy and waited for A-035 to show up in Riverdale City for the past 20 years. Not only us, but there are also many organizations watching the city from the shadows. But we found a clue that A-035 would act when its sessor''s life is in danger. That''s the reason we made a small n and cornered you." Ianpletely believed that Charles knew more information and spilled everything.


    ''Legend Eddie? Prophecy? Am I the sessor of Holem''s Crown? Is that the reason that Holem''s Crown came to my room and asked me to search for its location? Moreover, a Prophecy, is it? Things are getting more and more interesting.'' Charles curled his lips upward and soon moved his sword.


    "I wonder why your master assigned this mission to an idiot like you," Charles muttered loudly and shed his sword at Ian''s neck, cleaving it into two.


    A secondter, Ian''s eyes went wide, and soon his whole body began to twitch uncontrobly.


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s Special Identity, 984 Battle Exp Rewarded!]


    ''984 Battle Exp.'' He licked his red lips and nodded with a pleasant smile on his face.


    ''My real reward is this mysterious book.'' Charles held the ck book in his right hand and looked at it closely.


    Charles saw a strange ck scythe symbol on the book cover and became curious about the mysterious book''s origin.


    He then thought for a moment and opened it carefully to read the content hidden inside.


    A heartbeatter, he furrowed his brows as he saw the mysterious words written in that book and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Don''t these characters look simr to the characters in Fire Wings spell model?'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face.


    ''Looks like I need to search more information about the Mages'' pathways.'' He nodded his head in enlightenment and then stored the book into the new void pouch. The space inside the void pouch was around 3 cubic meters, which would be more than enough for him to store his belongings.


    After that, he picked Ian''s another Rank 3 sword and stored it in the void pouch.


    ''Hmm, it''s time for me to hide Ian''s body somewhere and go back.'' He nodded thoughtfully and started to act. He first dragged Ian''s body to an open area and started erasing his trails. He knew that the blood scent would attract the nearby wolves and acted fastly. Once he erased his trails, he carefully followed the route and went in Pine Town''s direction.


    While moving, he also added another 30 skill points to the [Clown] skill. Earlier, he noticed that this [Clown] skill activated on its own and helped him to control his facial muscles, giving him a big surprise.


    [Clown skill has reached its peak level!]


    [Requirement has been met for Trickster ss advancement!]


    [You can Rank up by consuming Disguiser ss gem or by spending Experience points!]


    [Experience points required for ranking up the Trickster ss: 2,000 Exp!]


    Charles halted his footsteps in surprise and soon clicked his tongue.


    ''Disguiser ss? 2,000 Exp? It looks like it will take some time for me to rank up.'' He mumbled inwardly.


    ''I did gain good things by following the shadow.'' He smiled and then continued to walk in the dark forest.


    Before he walked out of the dense woods, Charles heard multiple howls from behind and curled his lips upward.


    ''Those wolves will eat Ian''s body and leave no trace behind. If someone dide back to search for him, they would only find his bones.'' He smirked inwardly and entered the Pine Town. Unlike before, the chaos in Pine town had already quieted down. Charles first went to the area where the shadow killers gathered the citizens earlier and searched for the Observer''s Dagger. But to his worst luck or good luck, the dagger was nowhere to be seen.


    ''Hmm, it seems someone took the dagger. It''s a good thing, anyway.'' He muttered inwardly and then searched for a spare bag. Due to the chaos, he soon found a leather bag near a merchant''s dead body and took it. After that, he ced his new void pouch inside the leather bag and concealed it. For now, he doesn''t want others to know about him possessing a void pouch.


    After re-checking everything, he took a few turns and went in Town Chief''s mansion direction. In the darkness, he walked past many wounded citizens and soon found the main street.


    ''Once I return to Riverdale City, I have to build some spell models and start searching for clues about the strange magguage.'' While crossing the town square, he started thinking about his future.


    ''Another worry in my mind is the Holem''s Crown¡­ A dangerous intellectual artifact, is it? From the earlier information from Ian, these shadowy forces seem to be acting based on some foolish Prophecy. Who is Legend Eddie? Moreover, am I a sessor of Holem''s Crown?'' Charles got puzzled inside.


    ''Why did it choose me? Something feels off here¡­ Did that intelligent artifact know about my transmigration?'' An uneasy feeling appeared in his mind.


    ''I have to ask Eve. Maybe she can help me find more clues about this intelligent artifact. Hmm, Ian also showed a disbelieving expression when he learned that I know more about Holem''s Crown. From his expression, I can vaguely guess that controlling a Series artifact is an impossible task¡­ Should I ask for help from Bishop Reynolds? That sly devotee is not a normal guy. He also seems to be chasing after that artifact¡­'' He thought for a moment while arriving in front of the mansion entrance and shook his head.


    ''Forget it¡­ It''s not a good idea for now. He hasn''t gained much trust from me, and he looks more like an opportunist. But I can tell him some information about Russell. Observer, is it? That dagger¡­'' A cold glint appeared in Charles''s deep-blue eyes as he made different ns in his mind and turned his attention towards the mansion.

 Chapter 20: Contract

    <h4>Chapter 20: Contract</h4>


    Unlike the other brick houses, the town chief''s mansion shone brightly in the dark, gloomy night. Hundreds of fire torches were lit all over the ces and illuminated the mansion building in bright yellow color.


    ''Darwin must have spent hundreds of gold coins on building this mansion.'' Charles mumbled inwardly and nced upward towards the red sky.


    One red moon peeked from the east while the other two moons had already hung in the center sky, giving Charles a sense of uneasiness.


    Taking a deep breath, Charles shook his head to relieve the uneasiness and moved towards the Iron Gate.


    He then opened the closed gate and went inside while ncing at the wounded soldiers and citizens gathered in front of the mansion. The weeping and cursing sounds of citizens echoed from the building entrance, making the ce looked more like a battlefield. In a minute, he arrived in front of the mansion building, looked at the peoples, and soon followed their gazes.


    Meanwhile, all those citizens'' eyes were glued on the slightly obese man, who was tied on the porch pir. Some cursed silently, while a few threw stones at the round-faced Darwin and the remaining people grieved silently in anger and frustration. They were angry at their town chief for colluding with criminals who killed their loved ones and frustrated for not having the authority to disobey the three mystics who saved Pine Town from turning into a ghost town.


    Charles''s eyes flickered as he stared at the trio and soon smiled.


    "It seems you guys already killed the Distorted Shadow," Charles said while attracting everyone''s attention.


    "Charles?" Andrew and Luke turned their heads in unison and shouted in surprise.


    "I thought the Shadow Guard killed you," Andrew said, and soon both stepped down from the elevated porch. On the other hand, Emilia smiled at him from the porch and then turned her attention towards Darwin. She then started frowning on her own as if she was reading the town chief''s memories.


    Charles also moved ahead, excluding the crowd, and soon arrived in front of Andrew and Luke.


    "How did you escape from a Rank 2 Shadow Guard?" Andrew sized him up and down before asking him in confusion.


    "I''m good at running and hiding," Charles replied with a chuckle and stepped up to the porch.


    "Tsk, you are a lucky one to escape from Rank 2 Shadow Guard''s eyes. But you have to be more careful in the future. It will not be the same next time." Andrew warned him and then gave an iron dagger to Charles.


    ''Tsk, so it was him.'' He grunted inwardly and thanked him.


    "Andrew found it near Elite Street. Although you didn''t help us during the battle, you helped us luring out the Shadow Guard and even killed tens of Shadow Killers. That''s an impressive feat." Luke said in an energetic tone and went beside Emilia.


    "Team Leader, did you get some clue from his memories?" Andrew also followed after him and asked the confused Emilia.


    "No, his memories are altered," Emilia said with a frown and soon shook her head,


    "Our job here is done. Once we return to Riverdale City, I will submit a detailed report to the Branch Head and let him take care of the rest."


    Saying so, she turned her attention towards Charles and said,


    "You have done a good job surviving on your own, kid. Once you be an official member, I will give you a chance to be a member of our Aces Team."


    "I''m honored, My Lady." Charles curled his lips up and bowed courteously.


    "You don''t have to act humble in front of me." She waved her hand and then shifted her gaze towards the citizens who gathered in front of them.


    "Fellow citizens, I deeply apologize for your losses." She paused for a moment and continued with a sigh,


    "We had already notified about the current situation to Riverdale City Lord. A squad of 20 soldiers wille and take over this town''s security in a few hours. As for the wounded ones, the town''s security will take you to the infirmary. I wille over thereter and give you healing potions for 10 silver coins. As for this idiot''s crime against colluding with nefarious cult members, Lord Ethan will personallye here and execute him tomorrow."


    Upon hearing Emilia''s words, all the citizens and soldiers nodded their heads solemnly and then dispersed in different directions.


    Meanwhile, the Aces Team went inside Darwin''s mansion after telling the town guards to watch after Darwin and began to take a rest.


    The next day,


    It was around 6 A.M. A loud horn sound echoed from the western gate and woke up the whole town. Aces team members then walked out of the mansion after a few minutes and soon saw a group of elite cavalrymen strolled on the mud road. cing different types of swords on their waist, they rode their horses and soon reached the mansion entrance.


    A secondter, the leading cavalryman stopped his horse, dismounted from his white horse, and then removed his silver helmet. Unlike others, who wore simply leather armors, this soldier wore silver-ted armor and gave off a noble aura around himself.


    After cing the silver helmet on the horse saddle, he turned his attention towards Emilia and said,


    "Hello Mystics, I''m the First Knight of Riverdale."


    After a pause, he nced at the other three and then added in a cold tone,


    "You and your team members can return to Riverdale City. We will take care of this town from now on."


    Emilia wasn''t affected by the soldier''s cold attitude: instead, she let out a relieved sigh and responded,


    "We will be on our way then," Saying so, she called out their coachman and told him to prepare the carriage.


    A few minutester, a silk curtained carriage exited from the mansion house and soon went out of the Pine Town.


    ¡­


    After a few hours of travel, the luxurious carriage soon reached Riverdale city and moved to 35 Ivy Street.


    After arriving, the coachman parked the carriage in front of the fence and informed the mystics.


    One by one, four mystics in different attire walked out of the carriage while pushing the silk curtain and went inside the single-storied house.


    Once they walked in, Russell greeted them at the reception hall and asked Charles and Emilia to follow him to his office room.


    Both nodded their heads and went after Russell silently.


    Once they walked in, Russell locked the wooden door from inside and went towards his office desk. After sitting on the wooden chair, Russell gestured them toe forward and spoke.


    "Take a seat."


    He then took out a monocle from the drawer, put it on his left eye, and ced his hands on the wooden desk.


    In the meantime, Charles and Emilia walked ahead and sat on the chairs ced near the wooden desk.


    "How is the mission?" Russell turned his face serious and asked.


    Emilia took out a file filled with brown papers from her void pouch, passed it to Russell, and then started to exin everything in detail. She told him about the Divine Order organization''s suspicious movements and asked him to report it to the higher-ups.


    Once she finished her exnation, Emilia nced at her side and added,


    "Charles is skilled in sneaking and hiding and has the qualification to be an official member, Branch Head. He survived the chase of a Rank 2 Shadow Guard, which itself is an impressive feat. He is powerful enough to kill tens of shadow killers, so you don''t have to worry about his battle skills."


    "Oh? That''s surprising." Russell shifted his gaze towards Charles and nodded.


    "I will promote him to an official member then."


    Saying so, he took out a bunch of papers and spoke in a calm tone.


    "To be an official member of the Withering Shadows, you have to sign a contract, Charles."


    "Contract?" Charles''s brows shot up as he stared at Russell in vignce.


    "Yes. It is to prevent betrayal." Russell added with a smile.


    ''Betrayal? Then, why didn''t it work on you?'' Charles scoffed inside and began to read the contract documents.


    Most of them were about rules he heard from Bishop Reynolds, but there was one rule that caught his attention.


    ''Rule 53: If the Withering organization failed to keep their words, official members have the right to leave the organization. But, they have to sign a special contract not to divulge any of the organization''s secrets to another party.'' Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and nodded.


    ''Hmm, keep their words, huh. Can I add some requests before signing the contract?'' He thought for a moment and spoke,


    "I want to add some requests before signing the contract. Is it okay?"


    Russell squinted his eyes for a moment and said while showing two fingers.


    "You can add two requests. But in return, we will reduce half of your monthly sry."


    Charles paused in surprise for a moment and soon asked,


    "How much is my monthly sry?"


    Russell thought for a moment and said,


    "All official Rank 1 members will get 10 Arc gold coins per month. But if you add requests when signing the contract, you will get only 5 Arc gold coins."


    Charles went silent for a moment and soon remembered Amber''s Curse.


    ''I can use that request to remove the curse ced by Amber Church. Although it isn''t affecting my growth, it is still affecting me in another way.'' He still remembered the amount left in Ian''s void pouch and began to contemte deeply.


    After thinking for a minute, he organized his thoughts and spoke.


    "I want to add some requests before signing the contract. But before that, do you know anything about these characters?" He took a quill pen from the table and started drawing a few characters on the nk paper while asking.


    In the meantime, Emilia and Russell looked at the paper in confusion, and soon Russell''s eyes went wide in surprise.


    "Runal?! How did you know about Runal Language?" He asked in a startled tone.


    ''Runalnguage? It seems he knew something.'' Charles smirked inwardly and lied without blinking,


    "I saw these characters in one of the history books at Wisdom Library, and it piqued my interest. You should have read about my records, right? I''m an Archaeological student, and I''m more interested in history-rted things."


    Russell went silent for a moment as he heard Charles''s words and replied with a solemn tone,


    "Runal Language was a holynguage for Mages during the First Arcane Era. Unlike now, First Arcane Era mages used thisnguage as a medium to understand the secrets ofws and evenid their hands on divinities. They believed that their holynguage had some deep connection with the Law powers and had done many forbidden experiments while hiding themselves from the churches'' eyes. Their action infuriated the Divine Ones. That''s why twelve Gods sent their avatar from their divine kingdoms and destroyed the First Era''s Arcane Empire. Because-"


    "I want to know if I can get Runalnguage book from somewhere." Charles interrupted him and revealed his intention.


    Russell red at him for interrupting his talk and nodded,


    "It is possible. The First Arcane Era''s remnant mages are still hiding in this world. So, if you encounter any of them in the future, you can try asking them to help you learn theirnguage."


    ''Future? I don''t have time to go on a journey to search for those mages.'' He grumbled inwardly and asked,


    "Do you have any other information about them?"


    At this time, Emilia turned her gaze towards Charles and asked,


    "Have you ever heard of the Destiny Conquerors?"


    Her question made Charles''s expression turn solemn.


    ''Destiny Conquerors¡­ I do read some information about them in the library.'' He thought inwardly and nodded his head.


    "Are you talking about the group of unruly mages who destroyed a whole kingdom using some strange curse magic a millennium ago?" He asked in surprise.


    ''If I''m not wrong, churches had already ced arge number of bounties on those mages.'' He pressed his lips together and waited for her to continue.


    "Yes, they are also a part of the First Era''s remnant mages. During the Magic gue incident, Life Church caught a few lunatics and confiscated their belongings, including their books and artifacts. If you use one of your requests, the church may give you the Runal Language book." She said while staring at him meaningfully.


    In the meantime, Charles widened his eyes and nodded in confusion.


    ''Why is she helping me?'' He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment and soon dismissed the suspicion in his mind.


    ''At least I got a lead now.'' He heaved a deep sigh and asked,


    "Branch Head, I want to borrow the Runal Language book from Life Church in exchange for the first request? Can you help me with that?"


    Russell got surprised by Charles''s decision and asked,


    "Why are you wasting such precious requests for some forgottennguage book?"


    After noticing Charles''s silent response, Russell shook his head and added,


    "If you n to walk on the path of First Era Mages, I will advise you to think twice. Although Life Church doesn''t forbid anyone from using thatnguage as a medium to build spell models, the higher-ups will be dissatisfied by your action. Moreover, using thatnguage to build spell models in your mind is more like walking on a rope. A single mistake when constructing the spell models will put you in deep sh*t. The backsh will also affect you both mentally and physically."


    "It''s for research purposes. I won''t use Runalnguage to construct spell models," Charles responded while pinching his chin and started pondering about the second request.

 Chapter 21: Miracle

    <h4>Chapter 21: Miracle</h4>


    ''Hmm, what Ick now is strength.'' He contemted for a while and soon said,


    "When my mother or I''m in danger, Life Church has to send a Rank 4 or above Rank Mystic to help us solve the problem once. If Life Church fails to do it, I will walk out of the Withering Shadows."


    Upon hearing his words, Russell fell silent for a moment and then took out a silver ring from the cupboard. After that, he muttered a strange incantation to activate the ring and soon said few words in an unknownnguage. After a minute of silence, a male voice came from the other side, causing Charles''s eyes to widen a little.


    ''Is it some long-distancemunication artifact?'' He wondered.


    Without minding Charles''s questionable gaze, Russell started discussing with the man from the other side.


    After a lengthy discussion, Russell hung up the call and turned his attention towards Charles.


    "Archbishop Abel epted your condition. But it will be only valid for ten years. If you didn''t use that request by then, the second request would be invalidter." Russell said solemnly.


    "Okay." Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded.


    ''My second request seems to be a simple matter for them. Well, I''m also losing half of my sry in return. So, it makes sense.'' He thought inwardly.


    In the meantime, Russell took a sealed scroll from the same cupboard and started writing those conditions in detail with a ck quill. He then checked it for any mistakes and passed it to Charles.


    Charles also checked the content for the next few minutes and signed it using the same ck quill.


    Like thest time, after he signed the scroll, the contract paper started to burn and soon disappeared from their visions.


    ''''I will ask the higher-ups to send you a copy of the Runal Language book in a month,'''' Russell said and then started exining about his job.


    ''''There are four adept teams and two elite teams working in Riverdale Branch. You have toe here daily before 6.A.M and deliver the present-day mission letters to different team members. After that, you have to go to Riverdale''s security administration office and get the unusual case files from there. Then, you are free to do your work till the next day morning. Your temporary team leader Emilia will give an intro to those team members tomorrow.'''' Russell paused for a moment and added while giving him a small book.


    ''''Memorize the contents in this book before tomorrow morning. This book has names and details about abnormal Mystics. If you bump any of them in the future, you must immediately report it to your team leader.''''


    ''''Who are they?'''' Charles raised his eyebrows and showed a confused look.


    ''''Like your mom, these Mystics are also from big family backgrounds or some well-known organizations. We don''t know why there are lurking in this city, but if they show any suspicious movement, we have the authority to apprehend them. They are powerful mystics. Unless they showed hostility, don''t make any trouble with them.'''' Russell warned him.


    After that, he also told him about Charles''s special missions.


    ''''Once in a week, you also have to apany the Aces team and participate in some random missions. After three months, I will check your battle capabilities again and promote you as an official member of the Aces Team.''''


    ''''Got it.'''' Charles nodded his head and asked few more questions about Mystics.


    After discussion for a while, Charles walked out of the office room with an official badge in his hand. It was an iron badge with a Life symbol engraved on it. The badge had a circle with a six-pointed star in it and looked much like a wheel.


    While walking out of the Life department building, he met Luke and Andrew in the reception hall and discussed few words with them.


    After that, he bid his farewell to Luke and Andrew and walked out of the Life department. His next destination was, of course, the Life Church.


    After walking for a minute, he appeared in front of a dome-shaped building and noticed Holy Knight Hunt was standing at the entrance while holding a long spear in his hand.


    "Good Morning, Mr. Hunt." Charles greeted him with a smile and walked into the church building.


    ''''Charles, are you free now? I have to tell you something important.'''' Hunt''s question made Charles narrow his eyes for a moment.


    He then halted his footsteps and looked back at Hunt in confusion.


    ''Hmm, did something happen to Eve when I was away?'' He creased his eyebrows and asked in concern,


    ''''What is it, Mr. Hunt?''''


    In the meantime, Hunt nced around sneakily to see if someone was monitoring them and then spoke in a suppressing tone,


    ''''Follow me. Father Reynolds wants to meet you in private.''''


    ''Why is he acting like a thief?'' He stared at Hunt''s face for two seconds and said with a nod,


    ''''Lead the way.''''


    Both went towards the Life Church''s rear and soon arrived in front of a small one-storied building. It was a small brick house with a small porch in front. Hunt took the lead, soon arrived in front of the iron door, and knocked it thrice.


    A few momentster, a 40-year-old man in a golden-lined white robe opened the door and invited them in.


    Charles immediately nced inside; his gaze swept across the reception room. This room was at least three timesrger than his room. At the very end were a desk- Painted red and brown- and tworge bookshelves. On the left side of the wall were three tables. They were ck and looked rather old. There was a leather sofa set, a coffee table, and four wooden chairs.


    At this moment, Bishop Reynolds sat on the sofa while opening a white-covered book in his right hand and gestured them to sit on the opposite chairs. Charles gave a polite nod and seated on the wooden chair. Hunt also nodded his head and sat next to Charles.


    Nobody spoke for a whole minute and watched each others'' faces in awkward silence.


    After a minute, Charles got annoyed by their sneaky behavior and opened his mouth.


    "I''m not interested in men."


    Hearing his words, Hunt coughed loudly in embarrassment and soon spoke.


    "We invited you here to discuss something about the Series Artifact."


    Charles''s eyes widened and soon turned his face serious.


    "Is it about A-035?" He asked in a cold tone.


    "It seems you used the [Inspect] skill wisely and gathered some information on your own," Reynolds said with a smile.


    ''He knew about the Pine Town incident?'' Charles got startled inside and started to ponder.


    ''Did he also know about the mysterious Anderson''s schemes? Something feels off here¡­Think¡­ What did I miss¡­ Wait¡­ Is he also colluding with Russell? If so, why did Russell use the Observer''s Dagger to probe my strength¡­ Hmm, there are only four people who knew about my inheritance skill. The first is Bishop Reynolds, the second is my mother, and the third one is Sharon White. As for Russell, he-'' Charles''s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered Russell''s behavior when introducing Aces Team members.


    ''I still remembered his meaningful smile. Did he purposefully act to find out my inheritance skill''s name?'' The more he thought about it, the more sure he became.


    ''That means Bishop Reynolds might be on odd terms with the Branch Head Russell!'' A look of realization appeared on his face.


    In a second, he organized his thoughts and asked the most important question.


    "Father, do you know anyone called Anderson? He might go by the name ''Mr. ck.''"


    "Anderson ck? Are you talking about Russell''s grandfather? Where did you hear his name?" Bishop Reynolds closed the book and asked in a serious tone.


    ''Russell''s grandfather?'' Charles felt that the whole puzzle began to link together and soon realized his situation.


    ''Did I walk into a lion''s den?'' He turned his attention to Bishop Reynolds and then clicked his tongue.


    ''This man¡­ He appears to have already known about Russell''s scheme. Did he purposefully hide my inheritance skill name to learn more about Russell? Possible! If Russell had known about my inheritance skill, he wouldn''t have given the Observer''s Dagger as a gift.''


    Without any dy, Charles unsheathed his iron dagger and passed it to Hunt.


    "Branch Head gave this dagger as a present."


    Meanwhile, Hunt stood up from his seat and went near the sofa before giving Bishop Reynolds the dagger. After that, he went beside the leather sofa and stood there calmly like a statue.


    At this time, Bishop Reynolds inspected the dagger with his [True Eyes] skill and soon turned his face colder.


    "My guess is right." He curled his lips up and handed the dagger back to Hunt.


    "Can he spy on us now?" Charles''s deep-blue eyes glinted as he stared at the Observer''s dagger in a cold look.


    "Using this eye-like gem, he can indeed monitor your movements. But that won''t work here." Bishop Reynolds curled his lips upward and then added,


    "This house is built using some special stones, which prevents any abnormal energies from getting near it."


    Upon hearing Bishop Reynolds''s words, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded.


    "Charles, do you want to know more about the situation you are in?" Bishop then looked at Charles and asked with a solemn look on his face.


    "Yes." Charles nodded his head and waited for Bishop Reynolds to continue.


    "A-035. It''s a series artifact with mysterious powers hidden in it. Except for your ancestor Eddie Nightwind and Myers Collins, nobody knew about its abilities. Some say that the Holem''s Crown has the ability to create a ''Miracle'', while others say that it could see through the ''Past'' itself. But nobody, even the Divines, knew the answer." He paused deliberately for two seconds and continued with a wry smile,


    "But twenty years ago, a mysterious person sent anonymous letters to Life Church, Amber Church, and few other organizations and revealed some confidential information about A-035 to all. He mentioned in the letter that A-035 had already chosen its master, and it would reveal its presence to the world soon. He also mentioned the exact location and date of its future appearance in the letter." He finished the sentence and then looked at Charles with shining eyes.


    ''Old man, your stare gives me a creepy feeling.'' Charles stared back at Bishop Reynolds for a second and asked,


    ''''Did you manage to find out any information about this mysterious person?''''


    ''''Nope. We used some unique methods to track his origin and guessed that he might be an Astrologer ss Mystic. As for his strength, we know nothing about them. But-" He paused for a moment while looking deeply into Charles''s deep-blue eyes and added,


    "We found out who is A-035''s sessor.''''


    ''''How are you so sure about me being A-035''s sessor?'''' Charles straightened his back and asked, without losing his calm.


    ''''It already helped you and revealed its presence to everyone. Now, it is hiding among the citizens and is searching for a chance to meet you.'''' Bishop Reynolds said mysteriously.


    "When did it help me?" Charles felt numb for a moment and soon muttered in confusion.


    "Don''t you remember? It can create a ''Miracle,'' Charles. A-035 used its power to change your personality and made you a cold-blooded killer. That itself is a ''Miracle.'' We all felt a strange, mysterious power sweeping down the whole Riverdale city during your kidnapping incident. After that night, I sensed that something was not right. I seem to have lost something precious." He paused for a second and added in a grave tone,


    "I, No. We, the Riverdale Citizens, might have lost our ''Luck.''"


    "Luck?" Charles''s expression went stiff as he heard Reynolds''s words.


    ''Is that even possible to steal one''s luck?¡­ Moreover, ''Miracle'' is it? Is my transmigration also rted to A-035? What about this strange game system residing in my body? Did A-035 create this system using the so-called ''Miracle''?'' A chill went up to his spines as he shuddered in anxiety.


    ''I heard from Ian that A-035 is a dangerous artifact¡­ But why is it helping me? Damn it; I need to find a way to get out of this situation.'' He grumbled inside in dissatisfaction and soon asked,


    "But you look normal to me, father Reynolds. Even after losing your ''Luck,'' nothing bad happened to you, right?"


    A weak smile appeared on Reynolds''s face as he heard Charles''s words. He didn''t say anything; instead, he took off his golden-lined white robe and revealed his upper body to Charles.


    The next instant, Charles held his breath and squinted his eyes sharper. Because what he saw was not a well-built muscr body. Instead, he saw strange dark-red lines, flesh wounds, and pus appeared all over his body. Some dark-red lines even prated his deep wounded areas and made his body messier!


    Widening his eyes, Charles stood up from the chair, took three steps forward, and looked closer.


    He saw that those dark-red lines were tangled one another and appeared to be moving on their own. Those dark red lines appeared to be sucking Bishop Reynolds''s blood!


    "What are these things?" He asked out loud.


    "A curse. It''s a curse I got from the [Sinful Demon] ss member during thest battle." Bishop wore the golden-lined white robe and said gloomily.

 Chapter 22: Clue

    <h4>Chapter 22: Clue</h4>


    "Who is this [Sinful Demon]? Also, what type of ss is this? I never even heard of it." Charles got puzzled by the new term and asked in curiosity.


    "It''splicated. Well, the Demonic Cult members also have a separate ss system. It''s the path of Demons." He stopped for a moment and added in a grave tone,


    "[Sinful Demon] ss is a Rank 4 demon ss, and walking on this path will turn the humans into real Demons."


    "Demons? Are demons real?" Charles had forgotten entirely about the Series Artifact and started asking more questions.


    "Yes, they are real. Now, let''s discuss the current situation." Bishop Reynolds deliberately paused for a second and asked,


    "What would you like to drink, tea or coffee?"


    Charles stared at Bishop in surprise for a moment and soon spoke,


    "Tea."


    Nodding his head, Bishop turned his gaze towards Hunt and said,


    "Go and prepare one ck tea for our guest." He paused for a moment and then spoke while turning his attention towards Charles.


    "Charles, I need your help to cure this curse and my bad luck."


    Aplicated expression appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at the white-haired man. He didn''t reply, though; instead, he went back to the wooden chair and sat on it.


    "What can I get in return?" He asked solemnly.


    "I can give you an important clue. That clue can help you to get the A-035 Series Artifact." Bishop Reynolds said in a tempting tone.


    "I''m not an idiot, father. If I find the Holem''s Crown, multiple organization members wille after my head. Humph, even the Churches will corner me from all directions and force me to give up the Series Artifact. I want to live a little longer." Charles responded in dissatisfaction.


    A chuckle escaped from Bishop Reynolds''s mouth as he stared at the blue-haired kid in amusement. If it was the old Charles, he knew the conversation would have gone in a different direction.


    ''Well, nothing can be changed now.'' He muttered under his breath and spoke,


    "That''s why I want to form an agreement with you, Charles."


    "An agreement, is it?" Charles''s lips twitched as he heard that word from Bishop Reynolds''s mouth.


    "Yes, it''s a win-win agreement this time." Bishop smiled without any shame and continued,


    "Holem''s Crown has already chosen you as its sessor, Charles. Even if we snatch it from you using force, that series artifact will try to retaliate and escape from us shortly. If you promise us to return the Holem''s Crown to Life Church before your death, I will ask the higher-ups to solve all the current problems. But you must promise me that you will stay in the Withering Shadows for the rest of your life and serve our Divine Lady. You know, these series artifacts are troublesome bunches, and keeping A-035 in the Life Church''s Secret chamber is the best option."


    "This is not a win-win agreement. You are just using me to capture the roaming Holem''s Crown before others." Charles''s tone went cold as he heard those conditions.


    "I''m helping you to solve your hidden problems." Bishop Reynolds refuted.


    "I can solve them myself, father Reynolds." Charles red at the Bishop for a second and shook his head.


    "If you want my help, then you have to adjust the agreement." He added.


    Bishop Reynolds went silent for a moment and soon asked,


    "What do you want?"


    "I want aplete ownership over the Holem''s Crown." Charles leaned back a little and replied calmly.


    "Impossible!" Bishop Reynolds shook his head and continued,


    "There are rules everyone must follow in this world, Charles. Unless you are a Rank 5 Mystic, Churches won''t allow any low-rank mystic to own the Series Artifacts."


    "Even if they are the real owner of the Series Artifact?" Charles asked while furrowing his brows.


    "Yes. Those artifacts are dangerous and have strange abilities to cause destruction." Bishop said in a calm tone.


    Upon hearing Bishop''s words, Charles''s expression went gloomy. He sat in silence for two minutes and shook his head.


    "I will be on my way then." Charles stood up from the seat and said in disappointment.


    "I have a solution." Hunt interrupted their talking as he walked into the reception hall with two teacups and gave one cup to Charles.


    Taking the cup, Charles paused for a moment in surprise and urged him to answer.


    "Why not alter the condition a little?" Asking, Hunt passed another teacup to Bishop Reynolds and borated,


    "Why not make a little gamble, father? You can let Charles keep the Holem''s Crown for the next ten years. If he manages to reach Rank 5 Mystic in those ten years, he doesn''t need to return the Series Artifact to Life Church. But if he didn''t, then the Church will have the right to confiscate the Series Artifact from him. How is this condition?"


    "Okay for me," Charles sat on the wooden chair and nodded his head.


    ''10 years are more than enough for me to rank up a few times.''


    In the meantime, Bishop pondered for a moment and nodded,


    ''He is still naive. In the history of the Arcane Era, there are only a handful of geniuses achieved that feat. Well, all I have to do now is wait for another ten years and gain full control over the Series Artifact.''


    "Then, let''s talk about how to catch the Holem''s Crown," Bishop said in excitement.


    "Before that, tell me about the clue to find the Holem''s Crown," Charles spoke impatiently.


    "I will." Bishop Reynolds patted his thighs and asked,


    "Do you know Eddie Nightwind?"


    Charles thought for a moment and soon shook his head. There was no memory of Eddie Nightwind in real Charles''s memory, which caused Charles to think deeply.


    ''Eddie Nightwind¡­ From the information I gathered from Ian''s mouth, I can guess that he must be an ancestor of the Nightwind family. But what it has to do with me? How did A-035, aka the Holem''s Crown, know about me? There are too many questions in my mind. There is also something off about our house and the 23-hectarend¡­''


    "Who is he? Did he have some deep history with Riverdale city?" Charles took a sip of the ck tea and asked,


    "You guessed right." Bishop Reynolds replied in a surprised tone and continued,


    "Riverdale city is indeed Eddie''s home. He was born in this city and became a member of Withering Shadow like you. He is a Dreamer ss member, a rare ss Mystic. He made great achievements when he worked as a Withering Shadow and became a famous hero in fifteen years-"


    "Is he also the first owner of our current house and the 23-hectarends?" Charles interrupted his talking and asked while turning his face gloomier.


    "How did you find out?" Bishop Reynolds looked at Charles in surprise for a second and asked,


    "I guessed." He replied vaguely and started to ponder.


    ''It''s not a coincidence. Someone is pulling strings behind our backs.'' While he was in muse, Bishop Reynolds nodded his head and continued,


    "Due to some misunderstanding, Eddie left the Withering Shadows and joined a certain mage organization. After that, he created a special team and started researching about Edhen World and outer space. He, his childhood friend Myers Collins, and few other mages explored all over the Edhen Continent and began to raise questions about Gods, Demons, and Devils. They were always a troublesome bunch."


    "During their space research, Eddie found this Holem''s Crown in the outer space and captured it. He then became the owner of this series artifact and turned into a mysterious individual. With this artifact''s help, he even killed a Demi-God and became a legend among the mystics." Bishop Reynolds stopped for a moment to take a long breath and continued,


    "But even the mysterious legend met some troublesome enemy during his journey to a secondary dimension. He never mentioned anything about his enemy and returned to Edhen World. After that, he hid from the outer world and started researching about ''Myth Tree.''"


    "He imed that our world is moving to its doom and the only way to save our from its destruction was to find the world tree of Edhen. Everyone thought that Eddis became crazy after he came from the secondary dimension. So, Lady Myers even invited a Dream Church member to check any abnormalities in his soul. To their amazement, they found out Eddie''s inner world was not damaged at all!"


    "After years of researching, Eddie made a decision and set out to search for ''Myth Tree'' by himself in the Endless Sea. But before he went on his long journey, he returned to Riverdale City and stayed here for six months. We learned from the records that Eddie stayed in the Wind vi and appeared to be preparing for something. He also wrote a strange prophecy at that time and spread it all over the continent. That''s the reason that many Mystics from different organizations are hiding in this city. They are waiting for you to find the artifact and steal it for themselves. They are a bunch of greedy bastards." Bishop said in anger.


    Hearing Bishop''s angry voice, Hunt and Charles became speechless.


    ''You are the one to talk,'' Charles grumbled inwardly and asked,


    "The clue you are talking about is not that strange prophecy, right?"


    "Yes. Although Eddie Nightwind is not a divine being, he is still a legendary one. With his strange dream power, he might have some power to see the distant future. Don''t forget that dream is interlinked with past, present, and future. I think Eddie might have deliberately released the strange prophecy to divert others'' attention. He might have ced some valuable information in your home or the Wind Vi."


    ''Wind vi¡­ Is he talking about that 23-hectarend? Hmm, it seems I need to go and search for clues on my own.'' He mused in thoughts and soon asked in suspicious,


    "Are you hiding something from me? Did you find something in our vi?"


    Hearing Charles''s words, even Hunt became surprised and nced at Bishop in wide eyes.


    "''Cough'' No. I didn''t intend to hide it from you on purpose. I thought of revealing it to youter." Bishop coughed twice to clear the awkwardness and continued while taking out a thumb-sized greyish-ck pebble from his pocket.


    "3 months ago, I went to the Wind vi and found this strange stone in Eddie''s study room."


    ''I knew it! He indeed stole something from our ce. What is this strange stone?'' He furrowed his brows and soon cast [Inspect] skill on it.


    [Item- Nightmare Stone


    Rank- Unknown


    Effect: If you ce this stone near your heart when sleeping, it will send your consciousness to a strange dream world. It is believed that these stones are only found in the Woolgather world and are very rare in Edhen World.]


    "Nightmare Stone?" Charles asked in a startled tone as he read the effect.


    "Yes. I found it on Eddie''s desk." Bishop Reynolds nodded his head and continued,


    "I tried to enter this so-called ''Woolgather World'' and but all my attempts ended up as failures."


    ''Nightmare stone? What is this?¡­ Nightwind¡­ Nightmare¡­ Does this stone have some rtion with Nightwind family members? Eddie is the one who found this family, so it''s not a surprising thing. Did he foresee the future?¡­'' He thought for a moment and soon put it inside his void pouch.


    "Where did you get a void pouch?" Bishop Reynolds stared at the void pouch for a moment and asked in shock.


    ''Right? I should exchange those two rare-rank swords with this old man and ask for some good dagger or other-'' Charles abruptly stopped thinking as he remembered a particr type of artifact and furrowed his brows.


    ''If I''m in the Ember Kingdom, it would be very easier for me to get one of the magic pistols. As a former assassin from Earth, having one of the familiar weapons will give me some advantage against my enemies. Although it has a long cooldown time like one day or something per shot, it will definitely be useful as one of my trump cards. Currently, I only have the mysterious magic book as my trump card. But to use that book, I need to learn that strangenguage.''


    ''Moreover, I need to learn more about these spell models and get my hands on the strangenguage book. Yes, thatnguage definitely has some link with the mysterious characters in the spell model.''


    Shaking his head, Charles curled his lips upward and stared deep into Reynolds'' eyes.


    Seeing Charles''s strange smile, Both Hunt''s and Bishop Reynolds'' faces went stiff for a second. Before they could ask further, Charles smiled widely and asked,


    "Father, can you get me one Ember Pistol?"


    "Do you have enough money to buy that?" Reynolds stared at Charles for a moment and then said with a sigh,


    "Ember Pistols¡­ Those are expensive weapons, Charles-"


    "Can I get one in exchange for these two rare swords?" Charles interrupted his talk and asked with a smug smile.


    In the meantime, Reynolds stared at those two long swords for whole ten seconds and shouted in excitement,


    "Deal!"

 Chapter 23: Red-Haired Man

    <h4>Chapter 23: Red-Haired Man</h4>


    Charles wasn''t surprised by Bishop''s excitement. Although Ember Pistols were expensive due to the production cost, they weren''t popr in this magical world. To use Pistols, Bows, or other long-ranged weapons, one must need [Sharpshooting] skill.


    But except for the [Archer] ss Mystics, no one would pay any attention to these types of weapons. Moreover, learning unique skills from other sses was also not a simple matter. It would take years to learn other ss unique skills. Even if someone manages to achieve that, they would probably find it difficult to further improve that skill.


    Moreover, the Ember Pistols also have a long cooldown time, making it hard for [Archer] ss Mystics to choose this weapon. But Charles didn''t think much about the cooldown time. What attracted Charles was the Pistols'' unique magic technology.


    ''It''s a bulletless Pistol¡­ Real Charles also studied a little about this weapon in his archaeology ss¡­ Unlike normal pistols, these pistols gather some supernatural power called ''Mana'' from the surrounding atmosphere and stores them in the pistol.


    When pulling the trigger, a strange ray of white light wille out and give a much more devastating attack¡­ Damn, even the fantasy world kids are more attracted to pistol-like weapons. Man, I already started to miss a particr gun game. If I''m not wrong, the one who creates these weapons must be the [Artisan] ss mystics. Unfortunately, the [Artisan] ss Mystics had tried many methods to improve the cool-down time, but none of them worked and this weapon finally became a fancy tool for nobles.'' Charles mused in thoughts and soon gave those two rare swords to Hunt.


    Although these Ember Pistols were useless against high-ranked Mystics, Charles didn''t put much thought into it.


    ''I have a vague feeling that I can improve its effectiveness to some extent in the future¡­'' He abruptly froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes, startling Bishop Reynolds and the Holy Knight Hunt.


    ''Something feels off¡­ How do I feel about the future events?¡­ Is it about [Sixth Sense] skill? Or, is someone manipting my mind?'' He stared at the puzzled Bishop Reynolds for a second and soon shook his head.


    ''No, that''s impossible. I had already learned my lesson and started to think about everything in English. Even if someone like Emilia tried to read my mind, they would only hear gibberish words.''


    "Why are you acting strangely?" Bishop Reynolds asked in confusion.


    "Nothing, Father." Charles waved his hand and asked,


    "How long would it take for you to get the Ember pistol?"


    "Maybe a week or two. Don''t worry; I won''t go back on my words." He said with a smile.


    Nodding his head, Charles ced his hand on his chin and probed,


    "Father, what are you going to do about Anderson ck and Russell ck? Aren''t they traitors of Life Church?"


    "Haha, do you think I don''t know about his schemes? But, what can I do? Report it to the higher-ups? Humph, they will ask me to show the proof. Even if I showed them a piece of evidence, they wouldn''t take any action against a Rank 4 mystic for a simple matter, kid." Reynolds said after loudughter.


    "Simple matter?" Charles was shocked by his reply and asked while straightening his back.


    "Yes, the higher-ups only care for benefits like me. Although we signed contracts, it won''t affect us as long as we didn''t cross the line." Bishop Reynolds stopped for a moment and continued in a solemn tone,


    "Charles, I will give you a piece of news. All the thirteen Churches are filled with schemes and corruption. Never put so much trust in anyone, including me. ''If there are enough profits, even I would be tempted and betray you in the future''."


    Charles stared at Bishop Reynolds in wonder and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Is he giving me some hint?'' He thought inwardly and then nodded his head while asking.


    "Is there anything else?"


    "Nothin-." Bishop Reynolds paused for a moment as if he suddenly recalled something and asked,


    "How many spell models did you create in your mind?"


    "One." Charles got puzzled by his question and answered truthfully.


    "Good. Mages usually create spell models for attacking, defending, and escaping. Yeah, that is indeed is a good choice. But, you must also create a spell model rted to your body. For Fire mages, the [me Body] spell model is very important. Body and soul are different matters. To connect these two things, so you must create a spell that has the power to link body and soul. Otherwise, your growth will be hindered in the future and It won''t be fun for me to watch you lose your artifact easily." Bishop started talking like a real teacher and gave him a huge hint.


    In the meantime, Charles stared at Bishop in amazement and soon blurted out,


    "Father, did you drink any alcohol today? You are talking to me so nicely and even giving me hints without asking anything in return."


    Hearing Charles''s words, even Hunt started nodding his head in approval.


    "Humph, I''m a devoted believer of Life Goddess Nira and I won''t even touch a single drop of liquor." Bishop refuted while making his face angrier.


    "Yes. Father Bishop only sniffs some weird white powder called ''Nose Candy'' and eats some strange pointy leaves in secret." Hunt added in a loud tone, causing Charles to open his mouth subconsciously.


    "I often do that to enter Divine Lady Nira''s divine kingdom and get her blessing." Bishop also nodded his head in approval and soon added,


    "That''s it, Charles. You can go back to your home and find some clue with the help of that Nightmare stone. We only have three months to capture the Holem''s Crown."


    "What will happen after three months?" Charles stood up from his head and asked in surprise.


    "How did I know? That anonymous person is the one who mentioned in the letter that A-035 will reveal its presence on October 2nd, Year 6396, Second Arcane Era."


    ''October 2nd? What day is today?'' He furrowed his brows and nced around the reception room to see any Arcane Calendar.


    Noting Charles''s action, Hunt cleared his throat and spoke,


    "Today is June 29th."


    ''June 29th?¡­ Looks like I need to work harder for the next three months and find a way to earn more Exp to construct all the remaining spell models.'' He nodded thoughtfully and bid his farewell to Bishop Reynolds and the Holy Knight Hunt.


    He then entered the Church building and did his usual prayer. After giving a respectful bow towards the Life Goddess''s statue, he walked out of the dome-shaped building and moved towards El Street.


    It was around 11 A.M. The main street was bustling with merchants, customers, and soldiers. Some horse-drawn carriages would pass by from time to time, causing the muddy water to stter in all directions. Angry shouts, furious arguments, and even helpless cries were heard in multiple areas, making the ce a little gloomier. Charles even saw many fights among the citizens and became puzzled by the strange atmosphere.


    ''What happened when I was away?'' He wondered.


    With a puzzlement stered on his face, Charles walked on the muddy road and soon entered El Street''s junction.


    That instant, he noticed that everything around him began to move slowly. In a second, he saw two people in explorers'' clothes were walking behind him and then shifted his gaze to the front.


    He then saw a luxurious carriage drove from the opposite direction and soon stopped beside him. In puzzlement, Charles''s gaze swept past the opened curtain and soonnded on a red-haired man was looking at a mirror with a strange smile on his face.


    He looked around 30-years-old with a slightly obese body and had crimson eyes, an oval face, skinny eyebrows, and strange bluish teethes. He wore a tight ck suit and appeared very charming. In a moment, the red-haired man also turned his head towards Charles with a smile and opened his lips.


    Although Charles didn''t hear a single word, he understood the meaning behind the red-haired man''s lip movements.


    "Get in." That was the word that came out of the red-haired man''s mouth.


    He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and soon nodded his head.


    Charles entered the luxurious carriage without any refusal and sat on the opposite seat while closing the curtain closely.


    "What is your name?" That red-haired man asked while storing the mirror into his void pouch.


    In the meantime, Charles''s body went stiff for a moment, and soon he answered politely,


    "****** *******."


    The red-haired man stared at Charles in surprise for a moment and became confused.


    "What did that artifact do to him? What is that strangenguage?" He muttered out loud and then ordered,


    "Speak in Blen tongue."


    For a moment, unwillingness appeared on Charles''s face, and soon his face contorted into shock and anger.


    A momentter, he returned to normal and answered politely.


    "Charles Nightwind."


    ''Hmm? Did my spell have less effect on him? Why did he show facial reaction?'' The red-haired man nced at him oddly and soon asked again,


    "Did the Holem''s Crown contact you?"


    "Yes." Charles nodded his head and replied,


    "What did it say?" The red-haired man''s smile widened as he heard his answer and questioned him further.


    "The Holem''s Crown asked me to find it," Charles answered truthfully.


    "Oh? It seems I need to speed up my n." The red-haired man muttered once again and asked,


    "Did you kill Ian Adams? How did you do it?"


    Charles nodded his head and then exined everything, including the strange book, to the red-haired man in detail.


    "Take that strange book out of your void pouch. I want to take a look at it." The red-haired man stared at Charles with a cold look and ordered.


    In the meantime, Charles nodded his head expressionlessly and then passed the ck-covered book to the red-haired man.


    A look of astonishment appeared on the red-haired man''s face as he stared at the book for a moment and soon nodded his head.


    "Runalnguage? Unfortunately, I didn''t learn much about that oldnguage. Magic book, is it? Not bad. I will let you keep it for a while." He said in an unwilling tone and then asked more questions. He asked about Reynolds, then about his mother, and even asked him about his daily schedule. After a few minutes, the red-haired man learned all about Charles and let out a coldugh.


    "You are indeed a good toy, Charles." He paused for a moment and soon started muttering on his own,


    "In thest three weeks, this toy has caused more than 20 variables. Heh heh, I really want to know what is hiding in his inner world." He looked deeply at Charles for a second before giving up on probing his mind world.


    "Probing his mind world now is not a good option. That series artifact will sense something odd about his mind and might try creating another miracle." He grumbled inwardly and shook his head.


    "Now, forgot everything about this conversation." He stared coldly at Charles for a moment and opened the silk curtain.


    Simultaneously, Charles nodded his head and soon stepped out of the carriage.


    A secondter, the carriage moved from there and soon went in the opposite direction.


    In the meantime, Charles looked back at the luxurious carriage in confusion and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Why did I stop walking?'' He looked around in puzzlement for a moment and soon sensed something was abnormal about his action.


    ''Where are those two explorers?'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    As a former assassin, he always took great importance in collecting minute details whenever he roamed outside. It was an assassin''s instinct! He was always careful of any unexpected assassination and became utterly puzzled by the current situation.


    ''Did someone manipte me?'' A thought crossed his mind. After he transmigrated to this magical world, he learned that there were many strange skills out there, and they could even kill someone in their sleep.


    He soon vaguely recalled the moment when a blurry red-haired human called him from the luxurious carriage and momentarily stunned for a while.


    "[Conceal]" Realizing the situation, he coldly muttered while concealing his body like a transparent air and soon disappeared from there.


    He stalked the luxurious carriage from afar in his concealed form and soon noticed that carriage was moving towards Brook''s Street. He didn''t dare to move closer towards the luxurious carriage and soon saw it entering into a two-storied buildingpound gate.


    "112A Brook''s Street." He noted the house number and then turned around.


    ¡­

 Chapter 24: Dream World

    <h4>Chapter 24: Dream World</h4>


    After a few minutes of walking, Charles arrived in front of 35 El Street around 2 P.M and went inside. As he stepped into the reception hall, he noticed that an old man was seated on the sofa while Eve Nightwind stood at the center of the reception room with closed eyes while making strange hand signs. He also saw Saron White standing around the corner and appeared to be waiting for Eve to open her eyes.


    Furrowing his brows, Charles halted his footsteps and patiently waited.


    After two minutes of long silence, Eve raised her brows and muttered,


    ''''Mangrove trees¡­ It''s a City Ruin¡­ Something ising¡­ Red hair¡­ It''s not a monster¡­ It''s not a human either¡­ Blood¡­ Lots of Blood¡­ Corpses¡­ Derrick is hiding in those corpses¡­''''


    Upon hearing Eve''s strange, ominous words, Saron sucked in a cold breath and squeezed out a single word,


    ''''Six.''''


    ''''Six?'''' Charles got started by her reaction and asked in surprise.


    ''''It''s my sixth simr vision, son.'''' Eve opened her eyes and muttered in a solemn tone.


    Charles got stunned for a moment and soon stared at her in confusion.


    ''Six simr visions? Red-Hair? It seems like something big is going to happen. City ruins, is it? I need to be careful of any strange incidents.'' He nodded thoughtfully.


    In the meantime, Eve walked in front of him and said while flickering her finger on his forehead.


    ''''Charles, inform me before you n on staying outside.''''


    For a moment, Charles froze and soon widened his eyes as he recalled that he didn''t tell her about his visit to Pine town.


    ''She must have worried about her son.''


    He nodded his head and then went upstairs while saying loudly.


    ''''I''m going to take some rest, mom. So, don''t disturb me.''''


    ''''Did you have Lunch?'''' Eve stared at Charles''s back and asked,


    ''''No. ce it in my study room. I will eat itter.'''' Charles replied without turning back and stepped on the stairs.


    ''''He is acting so cold nowadays.'''' Eve shook her head in depression and then turned her attention towards the white-haired old man.


    He was lean and looked around 70-years-old. He had ck eyes and a pale face filled with wrinkles.


    ''''Eve, can you tell me more about this strange vision? Why would my son go to a city ruin?'''' The old man asked in puzzlement.


    ''''He is already a Historian, an Explorer ss member. But something feels off¡­ Did someone discover a new ruin in the past few days?'''' Eve furrowed her brows and soon shook her head while adding solemnly,


    ''''If Derrick went to explore any city ruins, his life will be in danger. Tell him to stay away from exploring any strange ruins.''''


    ''''Okay.'''' Old man stood up from his seat and then asked,


    ''''What happened to Charles, Eve? I think he didn''t recognize me.''''


    ''''His personality ispletely changed, Sir Carter. Even if he recognized you, he would give you a nod and will go on his own.'''' Eve shrugged her shoulder and then continued,


    ''''Don''t forget to inform me if any of the explorer team went missing. First Era ruins are dangerous ces; we don''t even have any clue about what is hidden in that ce.''''


    ''''I will.'''' Carter nodded his head and pped his hand together while bending his waist a bit. After that, he turned around and walked out of their house.


    In the meantime, Eve turned her face gloomy and said to Saron White,


    ''''Inform City Lord Ethan and Bishop Reynolds about this strange vision. They might have some clue about it.''''


    ''''Okay. Did you find any abnormalities or unique things in those visions?'''' Saron nodded her head and asked,


    ''''That city ruin¡­ All those houses in the ruin are more than five-storied buildings and looked very different from other First Era ruins¡­ It might be rted to the Era of Ancients.'''' Eve said in a grim tone.


    A look of anticipation appeared in Saron''s eyes as she heard Eve''s words.


    ''''Ancients¡­ Are you sure? If we find the city ruin before others, we might find some relics of taboo existences.'''' Saron said in an excited tone.


    ''''There will also be some terrifying dangers. Don''t forget about our current situation. We will wait for the explorers'' teams to find the ruin. After that, we should join the mission with some elite explorers and find out more about this strange vision." Eve said in a gloomy tone.


    "Should we inform Charles to be careful when joining any ruin-rted missions?" Saron thought for a moment and suggested.


    "I will tell him to be careful of ruin-rted missions." Eve nodded her head and then sat on the sofa with an exhausted smile on her face.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles entered his bedroom, taking a white towel in his hand, and soon went to take a shower.


    After few minutes, he walked out of the bathroom and changed his cloth into a nightgown. He then took out a greyish ck stone from his void pouch and ced it on his bed.


    After that, he ced the void pouch in his storage cab and theny on the soft bed.


    Charles ced his head on the cotton pillow and soon fell into a deep sleep.


    After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes and soon frowned as he noticed that he was lying on the concrete floor instead of the soft bed.


    ''What happened to my bed?'' He stood up in confusion and soon noticed that there was no furniture attached to his room. His gaze soonnded on the broken mirror and soon noticed his short deep-blue hair appeared messier. His deep-set jade eyes looked as calm as ever and seemed to have some mystery hidden in them. He nced at his lean hand and sighed heavily.


    ''I really need to work out from now on.'' He thought in distress and soon nced at the concrete walls and ceiling.


    ''They looked very old.'' He narrowed his eyes.


    In confusion, he walked out of his bedroom and soon went downstairs.


    "Mom, are you there?" He shouted loudly and soon grimaced as he sensed the eerie silence.


    ''Is this the Dream World? No, it should be the Woolgather World¡­'' He widened his eyes as he understood the situation and soon began to check for any abnormality.


    ''This dream looks very real. My mind is also clearer than ever.'' He checked his body to find anything abnormal.


    ''I can''t even tell the difference between reality and dream.''


    ''Hmm? Can I get hurt in this Woolgather world?'' He furrowed his brows as he went near the concrete wall and punched his hand at it with full force.


    A secondter, he felt an endless pain from his right hand and got stunned.


    ''I can really get hurt in this Dreamworld! Moreover, I can''t wake up by the sharp pain.'' He was beyond shocked by this discovery. He quickly calmed his mind down and checked for any other clue about this Woolgather world.


    Howl!


    His heart skipped a beat as he heard the strange wolf''s howl from outside and grew alert.


    He hurriedly searched the house to find out any clue and soon noticed nothing left behind in his house.


    ''How should I wake up from this Dreamworld?'' He raised his brows and soon thought of moving upstairs.


    But as soon as he went near the stairs, he heard a loud shriek of a bird from above. It was so loud, which caused him to grip his head involuntarily.


    ''What was that?'' After the sound died down, he looked at the sky through the window gap and soon widened his eyes in shock!


    A monstrous ckbird with three heads circled above his house and appeared to be searching for something. It looked more like a mutated version of an eagle! No, he saw two¡­ No! Ten different monstrous birds were circling in the sky and seemed to be watching the gloomy city like predators.


    ''Is this DreamWorld? No¡­ It looks more like a Nightmare World.'' A look of shock and awe appeared on his face. He took two steps back from the window to avoid being noticed by the bird-like creatures and then turned his gaze towards the stairs.


    Growl!


    His face stiffened up as he heard a strange growl from behind.


    Turning around, he saw a one-meter tall shadow-like humanoid creature with pointy ears and a sharp nose was standing with a wicked grin on its face. This creature''s face resembled more like a goblin and its skin looked very darker.


    ''Is it also a goblin?'' He turned his attention towards the dark creature''s weapon and became stunned for a moment.


    ''Scythe?'' Without any dy, he rolled down in an instant and avoided the uing sh from the dark creature. He then slid towards the side and picked up a broken wooden leg of a chair.


    Although he was shocked by the sudden turn of events, he didn''t lose his calm. He evaded the scythe once again and stood up while distancing himself from the dark creature.


    In the meantime, the dark creature growled at him in anger and then sprinted forth while shing the scythe again. Charles calmly evaded the attack and noticed that the game interface was still working in this strange, dream-like world!


    A look of astonishment appeared on his face as he cast [Conceal] spell on himself.


    ''How is this possible?!'' He warily stared at the puzzling dark creature and started moving around it.


    He then aimed the sharp wooden leg towards the dark creature and lunged forward from its back.


    In a blink, he appeared right behind it and stabbed its chest area with full force. A painful growling sound came from the creature''s mouth as it waved the ck scythe in panic. Dark blood and worms oozed out from the creatures'' orifices!


    Charles didn''t dare to stay close to the dark creature as he saw the strange phenomenon and took few steps backward.


    Before he could initiate another attack, the dark creature let out a roar and started moving in unsteady footsteps.


    The dark humanoid creature danced on the concrete floor for a few seconds and soon fell on the ground with a thudding sound, painting the white floor in shade color.


    Breathing heavily, Charles went near the strange humanoid creature and frowned. He saw that creature started to turn into a ck liquid-like thing and soon disappeared in front of his eyes.


    [Target Eliminated! 230 Exp Obtained!]


    Dismissing the interface, Charles squatted down near the area where that dark creatureid before and then turned his gaze towards the ck scythe.


    ''It''s amon item with no special skills.'' He inspected the weapon for a second and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''This dream-like world seems to have connected to the physical world. Otherwise, the game interface shouldn''t have appeared here. But, this world looks so dangerous.'' His gaze swept past the reception hall and soonnded on the outside yard. He saw a five-meter-long ck snake was slithering towards his direction while hissing fiercely. He also noticed some strange diamond-like gem on its forehead and got more curious about this strange world.


    ''What a bizarre world!'' He muttered under his breath and soon heard multiple roars and shrieks from all directions. His expression stiffened up as he noticed that they seemed to be moving in his direction!


    In a second, he turned around and moved towards the second floor. He soon arrived in the corridor and hurriedly went towards his bedroom. After arriving in front of the bedroom door, he opened it with a click and entered. Following that, he pushed the wooden door and locked it from the inside.


    At that time, multiple crashing sounds came from downstairs, and soon the whole building began to shake.


    Hiding his anxiety, Charles stared at the concrete floor and smiled unconsciously as his gazended on the greyish-ck stone.


    ''Nightmare Stone.'' He picked it up in a sh and ced it in his palm. A momentter, he saw the surrounding started to distort and soon noticed that his consciousness pulled out of the Nightmarish world.

 Chapter 25: Magicians Hand

    <h4>Chapter 25: Magician''s Hand</h4>


    Gasping loudly, Charles opened his eyes and soon clutched his right arm as he felt immense pain from his right hand. He hurriedly looked at his hand and then held his breath for a second.


    ''How did I get injured in the physical world?¡­ Could it be that strange dream''s doing?¡­ Can the dream really influence reality?'' He silently sat on the soft bed for few more seconds in shock and soon heaved a heavy sigh.


    ''That was dangerous. I shouldn''t have acted carelessly. But, man, who would have thought that strange dream world would really influence the reality itself? I actually thought of searching for some clue about Eddie Nightwind. But, I ended up meeting some strange humanoid monster.'' He paused for a moment and soon realized that he was missing some memories from the dream world.


    ''Wait¡­ I can''t recall that monster''s clear appearance! What is it?¡­ Is it also entered into that dream world through some strange skill or object? Hmm, I should act carefully from now on.'' He muttered inwardly and ced the ''Nightmare Stone'' in the cab. After that, he took out a notebook, ink bottle, and a golden quill from the cupboard and started writing everything about the strange dream world. He had a feeling that he mightpletely forget about the dream-world incident if he didn''t record it.


    ''If some monster killed me in the nightmare world, would I also die in reality?'' While he was writing, an absurd thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Unlike others, I didn''t run out of luck. It must be the artifact''s doing.'' Charles nodded as he finished his writing and soon turned his attention towards the interface.


    ''Hmm, I have 1,378 Experience points. I should spend 200 Experience points and merge [Trickster''s Hand] and [Snatch] skills.'' He thought for a while and soon spent 200 exp.


    [200 Experience points have been deduced!]


    [Merging [Snatch] and [Trickster''s Hand] skills!]


    [Merging Sessful!]


    [Unique skill [Magician''s Hand] has been created!]


    ¡­


    A momentter, some information about the [Magician''s Hand] skill appeared in his mind, causing him a little difort. Groaning slightly, Charles clutched his head for a second and soon read the newly obtained information.


    ''Magician''s Hand¡­ This skill looks simr to Earth Magician''s [Sleight of Hand] skill¡­An ultimate skill used to deceive countless audiences¡­ If I concentrate carefully, I can even move objects from afar¡­ Telekinesis?'' He was stunned for a moment and soon noticed that it was not.


    ''Magician''s Hand can move objects through a strange invisible string. Once I activate this skill, my hand will release an invisible string, and that string will move ording to my thought.''


    ''If I upgrade this Magician''s Hand skill further, I can even turn other objects to be invisible¡­'' He curled his lips upward and soon turned his attention towards the game interface.


    ''I still have 1178 Exp. Before I chose any random spell model, I need to learn about my weakness.'' He thought for a moment and soon recalled the previous incident.


    ''I''m more or less vulnerable to mind or dream-rted things. Are there any mind-reading-like fire spell models in the spellbook?'' He skimmed through the skill book and soon groaned as he saw only one mind-rted spell in the fire skill book.


    ''But It doesn''t look like a good one, though. As for other spells, most of them are attack spell models, supportive spell models, and defensive spell models. It looks like I need to adapt to the situation and start learning mind-controlling skills. Although it is a time-consuming process, I think I can achieve it in a year or two. If not, I will have to buy some mind-rted artifacts from the ck market.'' He muttered inwardly and then thought about his unique skills.


    ''[Conceal] and [Inspect] skills are good for now. [Snatch] skill is already merged with [Trickster''s Hand] skill, so all that left is [Dark Vision] skill. Hmm, I don''t think I need to spend any more skill points on this skill.'' He nodded thoughtfully.


    ''As for the [Sharpshooting] skill, I still didn''t see it on the interface. Hmm, once I use the Ember Pistol, I will get the [Sharpshooting] skill. If my luck is good, I might get the [Sniping] skill instead of the [Sharpshooting] skill.''


    ''Should I construct the [me Body] spell model now?'' He thought for a while and soon dismissed that idea.


    ''I will do it after I get my hands on the Runalnguage book.'' He made up his mind and then stood up from his bed. He then opened the cub-board and took out a silver pocket watch. After that, he opened the case front and nced inside.


    ''It''s already 5.40 P.M.''


    After checking the time, he closed the pocket watch with a click and ced it on the wooden table. Charles then took out the small book, which Russell gave him earlier, and put it beside the silver pocket watch.


    He then went to the shower to wash his face and soon walked out of it in casual clothes. After taking the pocket watch and the small book, he walked out of the bedroom and soon entered his study, located opposite the storeroom.


    Once he walked in, he locked the door from inside and seated on the Wingback Chair.


    Leaning forward a little, he ced the small book on the wooden table and then put the pocket watch in his shirt pocket.


    He then took the wooden box that was ced on the table and opened it.


    A savory aroma assaulted his nose as he opened the lunch box. He inhaled deeply with a pleasant smile before cing the napkin on hisp and took the fork from the table. He then nced inside the wooden box and noticed a few fried chicken pieces, three sandwiches, and two egg toasts ced inside. Pressing his lips together, he picked the fried chicken piece using the fork and took a bite.


    A crispy, juicy flesh entered his mouth as he chewed the tasty fried chicken for a while and then gulped it down. He then picked the egg toast and ate it slowly. After swallowing the final bite, he took the sandwich pieces one by one and started eating them. By the time he finished his lunch, it was already 6.15 P.M.


    After closing the wooden lunch box, he cleaned the table and ced the lunch box outside the study room. He then closed the study room door from inside and sat on the Wingback Chair.


    Following that, he opened the small ck-covered book and started reading the title.


    "Abnormal Mystics- By Russell."


    ''Did he really write a detailed book about mystics?'' He stared at the book in surprise for a moment and soon turned the page.


    "Current Name: Lucas King


    Original Name: Unknown


    Age: 34


    Sex: Male


    upation: Librarian


    ss Name and strength: ??? (Possibly a Reader- Rank 2 Mystic.)


    Abnormalities: None.


    Facial description: Short blonde hair, wide-set hazel eyes, square face, and around 176 cm high.


    Residential Address: 355A Olive Street, Riverdale City.


    Danger level: Medium¡­


    ¡­


    Current Name: Mateo Torris


    Original Name: Unknown


    Age: 29


    Sex: Male


    upation: Carpenter


    ss Name and strength: ??? (Possibly a Dream Walker- Rank 3 Mystic.)


    Abnormalities: None.


    Facial description: Short grey hair, deep-set blue eyes, an oval face, and around 185 cm high.


    Residential Address No.1: 456 Ivy Street, Riverdale City.


    Residential Address No.2: 22A Bell Street, Commoners'' Borough, Royal Capital, Arc Kingdom.


    Danger level: Unknown.


    ¡­


    Charles memorized the names and descriptions one by one and soon stopped his hands as he saw his own mother''s name on some random page.


    ¡­


    Current Name: Eve Miller


    Original Name: ???? (Eve Nightwind)


    Age: 35


    Sex: Female


    upation: Diviner


    ss Name and strength: ??? (Possible a Prognosticator- Rank 2 Mystic.)


    Abnormalities: Involved in a kidnapping incident.


    Physical appearance: Blue eyes, short eyebrows, long deep-blue hair, fleshy nose, and olive skin.


    Residential Address: 45 El Street, Riverdale City.


    Danger Level- Medium


    ¡­


    ''As expected, they were monitoring our movements all this time. But even they found out about our family background only after this kidnapping incident¡­ Then, who is the real culprit behind the kidnapping incident? Who leaked the information about our location to the Nightwind family¡­ Is it the Red-Haired man?'' He abruptly froze for a second and soon started flipping his page one by one. Instead of memorizing the names and their abilities, he focused his attention on their physical appearance.


    After an hour, hepletely checked the book and then wrote numbers on ck paper using a ck quill.


    Real Charles got this quill pen as a present for hisst birthday from his archaeological ssmate Derrick. Derrick was also his close friend¡­ Because of his selfishness, Charles joined the archaeological department instead of the Healers Department after they finished their Basic school studies. Shaking those useless thoughts away from his head, Charles dipped the ck quill into the opened ink bottle and then started writing.


    "Mystics with red-hair.


    Page no- 24, Name- Austin Thomas


    Page No- 32, Name- Den Mitchell


    Page No- 45, Name- Addie Baker


    Page No- 64, Name- Ayden Green


    Page No- 69, Name- Cole Rivera


    Page No- 87, Name- Luis Ramirez."


    ''Austin, Den, Addie, Ayden¡­ Addie? I think I heard of this name before¡­ But where did I hear it?'' Charles raised his eyebrows for a moment and soon started recalling his memories. After thinking for a moment, he flipped the page to 45 and soon widened his eyes.


    ¡­


    Current Name: Addie Baker


    Original Name: Unknown


    Age: 30


    Sex: Male


    upation: Tycoon


    ss Name and strength: ??? (We knew nothing about his ss.)


    Abnormalities: None.


    Physical appearance: Short red hair, around 30-years-old with a slightly obese body, crimson eyes, an oval face, skinny eyebrows, and strange bluish teethes.


    Residential address no 1: Evergreen Mansion, 57A Lost Street, Riverdale City, Arc Kingdom.


    Residential address no 2: Windy Residency, 84 Gold Street, Riverdale City, Arc Kingdom.


    Residential address no 3: Mangrove House, 112A Brook''s Street, Riverdale City, Arc Kingdom.


    Residential Address no 4: Mad House, 158C Amber Street, Nobles'' Borough, Royal Capital, Arc Kingdom¡­


    ¡­


    Charles''splexion turned gloomy as he stared at the page.


    ''No doubt about it. Addie is the red-haired man!'' He got stunned for a moment and soon frowned.


    ''If he had read my memory, then he should have known that Mr. Hunt had already told me about him, right?'' He creased his eyebrows in suspicion for a second and soon thought of another possibility.


    ''What if he didn''t read my memory and only learned through hypnosis-like skill? Possible¡­ Then, did he know about my transmigration? If so, why didn''t he abduct me to search for more clues?'' He thought for a moment and soon made a guess.


    ''He might not have known anything about my transmigration. Although mind-rted skills look fearsome, they are not omnipotent skills. There may be some restrictions.'' He nodded thoughtfully and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Even though I learned the identity of my enemy, I don''t have the power to control my life.'' He heaved a heavy sigh andmented in depression.


    ''There are two ways to gain experience points. One is by participating in the regr mission. Unfortunately, Russell won''t allow me to do that. He might have already suspected that my sudden increase in strength is somehow rted to the Holem''s Crown. If he had known about Holem''s Crown''s miracle ability, then I''m damn sure that he would put me in house arrest.'' He shook his head.


    ''The second option is a very dangerous one, and that is to enter the Dream World. If I enter the Dream World using the ''Nightmare Stone,'' I don''t need to worry about the prying eyes and gain hundreds of experience points in a single day. But the problem is the dangers hidden in that Dreamworld. Those monstrous birds and other creatures are not something I can easily mess with. If I made a single mistake, I might even end up dead in the real world.'' A wry smile appeared on his face as he thought of his current predicament.


    ''I will explore the Woolgather World after I get the Ember Pistol.'' He turned his face serious and then shifted his attention to the small book.


    ''It''s time for me to memorize this book.'' He mumbled inwardly and started flipping the pages once again.


    The sky turned darker, and soon the three ominous red moons painted the sky with dark-red lights. In the meantime, Charles lit the magicmp and continued his study.


    Around 9 P.M, he went downstairs to have dinner and then returned in 30 minutes. He continued studying the list for another two hours and finally finished the whole book around midnight. He then went to his bedroom and rested for the next four hours.


    ¡­

 Chapter 26: Strange Coincidences

    <h4>Chapter 26: Strange Coincidences</h4>


    Around 5.00 A.M, he walked out of his bedroom in a formal ck suit and went downstairs. As he reached the reception room, he halted his footsteps as he noticed that his mother had already woken up and seemed to be cooking in the kitchen.


    "Mom, why are you cooking so early?" He asked in a surprised tone.


    "I know about your job timing, son. Yesterday evening, Lady Charlotte came to our house along with Mr. Hunt. When we were discussing jobs rted topics, Mr. Hunt informed me about your job timing. Otherwise, I would have let my son go out with an empty stomach." Eve walked out of the kitchen with a te full of burritos on it.


    With a wry smile on his face, Charles walked near Eve, picked one burrito from the te, and took a bite. He slowly munched while enjoying the taste and soon gulped it down.


    "Awesome food, mom," Hemented casually and then started taking another bite.


    "Are you telling the truth? Or, did youpliment me just to make me happy?" Eve stared at him with her wrinkled face for a second and soon continued before he could answer,


    "Be careful of any ruin-rted missions, Charles. If your higher-ups assigned you on such a mission, avoid it at all cost."


    "Who is that old man, mom?" Instead of responding, Charles posed a question and took another bite.


    "Are you asking about Mr. Carter?" Eve stared at her son with wide eyes and soon asked,


    "When did you started losing your memories?¡­ Ha! He is Derrick''s father." She stopped for a moment and soon widened her eyes further,


    "Don''t tell me-"


    "You also forgot about Derrick?" She stared at him in confusion for a second and soon became worried.


    "I didn''t forget him. It''s just my memories are a little hazy." He waved his hand and then warned,


    "Be careful of any Red-Haired individuals, mom. I have a vague feeling that someone is plotting something behind the scenes." He paused for a second as he wiped his hand and mouth using a soft tissue cloth and added,


    "That certain Red-Haired person''s target might be us."


    Upon hearing his words, Eve stood there for a second and soon nodded her head.


    "I will be careful."


    Heaving a deep sigh, Charles also nodded his head and then moved towards the entrance. He then picked up the ck leather shoes and wore them.


    "See you, mom." Saying so, he waved his hand and soon walked out of 45 El Street, leaving Eve alone at the reception hall.


    Unlike a few moments ago, her eyes turned cold as ice. In a second, her whole pupil turned white and then returned to normal.


    "Red-Hair¡­ Red-Hair¡­ He is not a monster¡­ He is not a human either¡­ Who is he?" She muttered in a weird tone and soon shook her head.


    "I don''t have enough information to do a divination." She sighed helplessly and then closed the wooden door from inside.


    In the meantime, Charles went to 35 Ivy Street and entered the Withering Shadows branch office. After notifying Russell about his arrival, he silently left there with multiple sealed letters and moved towards Gold Street. Charles then went to 34B house number and gave that letter to a guy named Harry. But to his surprise, he met Luke over there and exchanged few words with him before leaving Harry''s house.


    After that, he searched those sealed letters and noticed that two other members were living in Gold Street. Letting out a heavy sigh, he went to the right houses and started delivering the sealed letters. But he got more surprised¡­ No, he got astonished as he met Be Collins in one of those two houses and became confused. He didn''t talk much with her after greeting her and walked out of that house.


    He then went to multiple houses in different streets and started delivering those sealed letters one by one. But one thing that gave him a feeling of uneasiness was that he met his acquaintances like Emilia Wilson, Andrew Harris, Mr. Hunt, and Lady Charolette multiple times in one way or another. If not for his keen observation ability, he wouldn''t have noticed that. When he delivered the letters, some would appear in the same house, while others would pass by along the way.


    ''Coincidences?'' He felt puzzled inside as he returned to 35 Ivy Street and gave a short report about his daily mission. After that, he received another sealed letter from Russell and went to Olive Street, where the Security Administration Office was located.


    It took him almost fifteen minutes to reach the Security Administration Office. Unlike other administration buildings, the Security Administration Office was just a small single-storied brick house.


    Once he entered the security department''s fence gate, he gave the sealed letter to the bald security officer, who looked around 40-years old and waited outside the building. In the meantime, the security officer walked in and soon returned with few folded paper sheets. Taking a closer look, Charles noticed that some red wax sealed those folded papers together.


    ''Looks like secret letters.'' He thought inwardly and then extended his right hand to get those papers.


    "Deliver these letters to your boss before 8 A.M." The bald security officer passed the folded papers to Charles and said.


    Nodding his head, Charles turned around and started walking once again. But he soon bumped into a 30-years-old man. If not for his good reflexes, he would have crashed onto him.


    "Don''t daydream when walking, kid." The silver-haired man said in an annoying tone and then walked past him. With a nod, Charles nced at him and furrowed his brows. If he didn''t bump into him, he wouldn''t notice strangeness.


    ''I also saw him earlier when delivering those letters.'' His eyes widened as he looked at the silver-haired man deeply.


    He had short hair, fair skin, an oval face, a small mustache, average height, and a skinny body. He wore a formal white shirt and ck pants. Engraving his appearance in his mind, Charles shook his head and started walking.


    He didn''t stop anywhere and soon reached 35 Ivy Street. After that, he went to Russell''s office room and gave those sealed papers.


    "You did a good job, Charles." Russell leaned back on his wooden office chair and added,


    "Your today''s job is over. You cane back tomorrow morning around 5.30 A.M, and repeat today''s job."


    Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded his head. After that, he bid his farewell to Russell and went to the Life Church. He walked on the smooth aisle and soon arrived in front of a beautiful woman''s white statue. Charles then pped his hand together and started praying while reciting a usual ''Thanking'' incantation.


    After he did that, he bent his waist and bowed his head while maintaining the pping posture.


    "Life is Eternal." He said in praise and then walked out of the dome-shaped building.


    After that, he went to Wisdom Library in Olive Street and thought of searching for books about Fire mages. He went to the fourth floor and started his search. After searching for an hour, he found a red-covered book called ''Crimson Eye'' on a corner shelf. As the name suggests, a crimson eye was portrayed in a vertical position drawn on the cover, making the book look dangerous.


    "Crimson Eye- by Helen" He muttered the book title and the author''s name loudly and hit the book thrice to remove the dust. After that, he went to the lonely table and sat on the old chair.


    He then ced the Crimson Eye book on the table and opened it. The first few pages were about his ramblings about how great the fire magic was and about his personal experiences. Charles skipped most of Fire Mage Helen''s early life experiences and soon stopped as he stared at the new information about mages.


    "What are these spell models? How can mages create spell models in their minds? It is one of the biggest mysteries till now. Let me share my experience with my fellow readers. After consuming the [Apprentice Fire Mage] ss gem, I suddenly felt some deep connection with the fire!


    I lit the candle and stared at it for a moment. But soon, I started mimicking the fire''s movements and done strange dances like the candle fire. At that moment, I wanted to be free like the dancing fire. When I was dancing, I suddenly gained some enlightenment about the fire! Countless sparks appeared in my mind and soon formed into a hexagonal-shaped crystal. When I ended the dance, I found out that I somehow constructed the ''Fire Wings'' Spell model!


    Surprising, isn''t it? But gaining enlightenment is a rare urrence. If you want to construct an attack-rted spell model, you have to think deeply about destruction using fire. Everything is based on your thinking. If you''re going to construct the next spell model, you have to be patient.


    You will only gain your next enlightenment after you understand the secrets of the constructed spell models. That''s how a normal mage constructs his spell model. If you ask me how the First Arcane Era mages constructed their spell models, I will answer a single answer.


    F*ck off!


    I''m not a mage from the First Arcane Era! dammit." Charles stopped reading the book as he digested the newly gathered information from the Crimson Eye book.


    ''It''s all about thinking, huh.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and then continued to read further. Fire Mage Helen then mentioned various spell names and their uses. Nothing piqued Charles''s interest as he read the book patiently.


    After reading for another hour, he soon straightened his back as he saw that Fire Mage Helen wrote about the new topic.


    "Elemental Heart Creation or Mana Heart Creation-


    If you are an apprentice mage, I don''t think you need to learn about this now. But if you are a [Fire Weaver] or other Rank-2 mage ss member, you must know something about getting the Elemental Heart. When you are a Rank-1 mage, you don''t need to gather ''Mana'' from the outer atmosphere for a long time before releasing your spell.


    But that changes when you be a Rank-2 mage. When you became a Rank-2 mage, you will face a big problem in releasing your magic spells. That is- Fuel. Without fire-elemental energy, you won''t be able to cast a Rank-2 fire spell. Although there is some amount of fire elemental energy in the atmosphere, it won''t be enough for you to cast a Rank-2 spell. It will take a day or two to fill your Rank-2 spell model with fire elemental energies. It goes for other elemental mages too. If you didn''t create an Elemental Heart, you would be stuck in this Rank forever!


    Now, how to create this Elemental Heart, if you ask?


    That should be done by the ritual method. To do the Elemental Heart Creation ritual, you need three things.


    First one- You need the coordinates of any fire-elemental ne. Don''t worry about it. Our Lawful Churches has many fire-elemental nes under their control.


    The second one is- Sacrifice. When summoning the will of a Fire-Elemental ne, you need to offer something unique. It can be a fire demon''s corpse, a fire-elemental crystal, or a rare fire-rted artifact.


    And thest one is- ritual materials. To create a ritual circle, you will need some materials.


    They are:


    . Twelve drops of any Fire elemental Creature''s blood.


    . Twelve Fire Stones


    . Twelve Red fruits


    . Twelve types of fire elemental herbs.


    Once you gathered these four materials, you have to inscribe a unique ritual circle. About the unique ritual circle¡­ Sorry to break it to you, but there are only the Churches, Old organizations, and the four ancient Empires that possessed these unique ritual methods. You don''t have to worry much about it, though. Once you give enough sums to any of these organizations, they will lend you a copy of it.


    After that, all you have to do is follow the methods and summon the ''Will'' of any fire elemental ne. When the ''Will'' descended to the ritual circle, it will send its'' imprint to your ''Inner World'' as a gift. That gift or the Fire imprint is the Elemental Heart. Once you possess this imprint in your Inner World, you will be instantly able to link that imprint to a fire-elemental ne using the right co-ordination. After that, you can quickly draw fire-elemental energy using the Fire Imprint from the fire-elemental ne and refill your fire spell models¡­"


    As Charles read the contents, his eyes went wide for a moment.


    "This book is a treasure for an apprentice mage." He muttered slowly and then continued to read till evening.


    Once he noticed that the darkness had appeared, he closed the reading book and ced it on a particr shelf.


    After that, he walked out of the Wisdom Library and went towards his house.


    In a blink, one week passed smoothly.


    During the past seven days, Charles woke up early morning and done his morning job perfectly. Although he ''coincidentally'' met his acquaintances one way or another, he didn''t put much thought into that strangeness and started doing his regr work.


    When he was free, he spent most of the time in the Wisdom Library and read more books about mages. Like the Fire Mage Helen, other authors also notified about the Elemental Heart and even gave some clues about where to get the ritual materials. After reading all those books, Charles started to understand something. To walk on the path of mages, one needs to be a filthy rich person.


    ''Rich, huh. I have only two silver coins.'' He muttered to himself as he stood in his house yard. Today, he wore a neat blue surcoat over his grey shirt, deep-blue pants, and brown leather shoes. Rubbing his forehead, he searched his void pouch for a whole minute and soon frowned.


    ''Where did I put those two silvers?'' He checked once again and soon got confused.


    He then shook his head, took out the silver pocket watch from his pant pocket, opened it with a flip, and nced at it.


    ''11.00 A.M.'' He nodded his head as he walked on the grassy yard and then went out of thepound gate. Simultaneously, he took out the steel dagger from his luggage bag and ced it in his waist along with its sheath. Unlikest time, the Observer''s dagger''s appearance looked very different. Yesterday, he went to an Artisian''s shop and painted the steel dagger in his skin color. Smiling lightly, he walked on the muddy road and soon crossed El Street''s junction.

 Chapter 27: New Mission

    <h4>Chapter 27: New Mission</h4>


    Today was his first official mission. When he went to do his regr job this morning, Russell told him toe to the Withering Shadows office around noon to receive his first mission. While pondering deeply, Charles crossed the El street junction, walked on the main street road, and soon reached Ivy Street. After that, he went to the Life Church''s backside and soon appeared in front of a single-storied brick house.


    Unlike thest time, he stood alone in front of the wooden for a few seconds and soon knocked it thrice.


    After some time, he heard soft footsteps along with the anklet''s bell sound from the other side and became puzzled.


    It was the footsteps of a woman!


    ''Did I knock on the wrong door?'' While he was in confusion, the wooden door opened with a click, and soon ady with blonde hair opened the door from inside. She wore a red-lined white gown, a long red scarf around her neck, and a pair of white slippers.


    Due to her unique gown, Charles clearly saw her round melons, and smooth curvy body and got stunned for a moment. Her eyes were dark like ck marbles from the abyss, her long blonde hair was curly, and her skin was ruddy. She bowed politely with a charming smile on her face and invited him in.


    In the meantime, Charles blinked his eyes in surprise and soon walked in. He then swept his gaze towards the reception hall and noticed that Mr. Hunt and Bishop Reynolds were chattering inside while sitting opposite each other.


    Noticing his arrival, they stopped their chattering and gazed towards his direction.


    ''''Take a seat, Charles,'''' Reynolds said while pointing his fingers towards the two empty wooden chairs, ced beside Hunt, and added,


    ''''Your weapon has arrived.''''


    Charles raised his right eyebrow in wonder as he went near the wooden chair and sat down while nodding his head.


    In the meantime, the blonde-haireddy, who looked around 30-years-old, took out a wooden case from her void pouch and gave it to him.


    Charles extended both hands to hold the wooden case and took it from her.


    He then ced the case on hisp and opened it with a click.


    Inside the wooden case, a ck single-barrelled handgun was ced in a sponge-like cloth. In the grip where one would normally put the magazine, Charles saw weird characters engraved on it and got startled.


    ''Runal characters? No¡­ But these look simr¡­'' He widened his eyes as little and soon waited for the blonde-haireddy to exin the function.


    ''''Mana gathers in the grip area. When you adjust the hammer, some stored mana will eject from the grip and form a condensed metal bullet through some magical words. At that time, the remaining mana will also transfer from the grip area and then store inside the metal bullet through the same magical characters. When you pull the trigger, the stored mana will burn and quickly generate lots of gas. The sudden, high pressure of the gas splits the bullet from the end of the cartridge, forcing it down the gun barrel at an extremely high speed of 400 m/s. When exiting the muzzle, the mana bullet will create a bang and kill the target in a single shot. Even Rank 3 Mystics will be severely injured if they got a direct hit from this Ember Pistol.'''' The blonde-haireddy exined calmy.


    ''''But to urately kill your target is not an easy matter. You must possess the [Sharpshooting] skill.'''' Bishop Reynolds said while interrupting her talking.


    Without minding Bishop''s words, Charles waved his left hand as he touched the chilling ck gun and took it from the wooden case.


    He then held the pistol around the grip and aimed at the outside tree through the window gap. After that, he adjusted the hammer using his thumb finger and aimed correctly with both his eyes. Once he locked on the tree branch, he curled his lips upward and squeezed the trigger.


    BANG!


    A momentter, a bang sound resounded in the reception room, causing Hunt and others to cover their ears instinctively.


    They then stared at the smoky muzzle for a moment and soon turned their attention to the outside through the window gap. A heartbeatter, all of their eyes went wide as they saw a fist-sized hole on the wooden branch!


    Turing their heads around in unison, all three of them stared at Charles in confusion and amazement.


    In the meantime, Charles nodded his head and soon asked the blonde-haireddy.


    ''''Do you also sell silencers?''''


    ''''Silencers? What is that?'''' The blonde-haireddy asked while staring back at the deep-blue-haired kid in puzzlement.


    Charles had already expected her answer, so he didn''t reply to her; instead, he shook his head and said.


    ''''Forget it. I will adjust with this.'''' Saying so, Charles put the Ember Pistol in his leather bag and then nced at the game interference.


    ¡­


    [Archer ss''s Sharpshooting skill has been learned!]


    [20 Experience points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    Smiling lightly, Charles looked into the blonde-haireddy''s marble-like ck eyes and asked,


    "May I know your name, My Lady?"


    "Pardon me for not introducing myself." The blonde-haireddy covered her mouth and replied,


    "I''m Victoria. Victoria Gray."


    Widening his jade-eyes a little, Charles nodded his head and stood up.


    "Thank you for bringing me this weapon, My Lady." He paused for a moment and added,


    "Life is Eternal."


    She stared at him for a moment and responded while bowing her head.


    "Reality is an Illusion, Illusion is a Dream, and Dream is the Reality."


    Charles got dumbfounded as he heard those words and soon realized that she must be the believer of Dream God, Ithos.


    ''Ithos, he is one of the thirteen Lawful Gods in the Edhen World. He also controls the domain of Dream, Illusion, and Imagination and has another nickname¡­ Reality Twister.'' He recalled the information from the original Charles''s memories and soon bowed his head in response to Victoria.


    After that, he nodded his head at Bishop Reynolds and Hunt and then walked out of the single-storied brick house.


    ¡­


    Charles then went to 35 Ivy Street and soon entered the Withering Shadows office. In the reception hall, he saw the muscr man Luke rk and the bald Warrior Andrew Harris were chatting and soon waved his hand as they noticed his arrival.


    A smile appeared on Andrew''s face as he stood up from his seat, walked near him with heavy footsteps, and spoke with a grin on his face.


    ''''Luke personally asked Branch Leader to put you in our today''s mission, Charles. So, you have to give us a party.''''


    Charles stared at Luke for a second and asked in surprise.


    ''''Why?''''


    ''''If I didn''t ask, that old man would have put you in a different team and give you some difficult job.'''' Luke paused for a moment and added, ''''I heard from our Team Leader that today''s mission is just a searching mission, so you don''t have to worry about your safety.''''


    Charles''s lips twitched as he heard Luke''s words.


    ''You ruined my n from getting more Exp, damn it.'' He then shook his head and asked,


    ''''Do you know any information about today''s mission?''''


    Upon hearing his question, Andrew and Luke went silent for a second and soon nced at each other.


    After that, Luke nodded his head and started talking.


    ''''It''s about the abnormal disappearance of 3 Rank-1 Historians.''''


    ''Historians? The [Explorer] ss members?'' Charles furrowed his brows and then waited for Luke to continue,


    ''''A few days ago, a group of 3 Rank-1 explorer ss members went to find some antique in Slum Street. But they somehow disappeared, and even the elite explorers couldn''t find any trace of them. Our Aces team''s job is to search for some clues about their disappearance in Slum Street.''''


    "It looks like a normal mission. Historian ss is not abat-rted ss, so it''s not surprising for them to disappear suddenly in Slum Street. In my opinion, they are a bunch of reckless fools who dared to walk into an area filled with thieves and bandits." Andrew clicked his tongue and said in disdain.


    "They are not fools, Andrew." A cold female voice came from the entrance, causing them to turn around in surprise.


    "Why do you think so, Team Leader?" Andrew asked while suppressing his voice a little.


    Emilia walked on the blue-carpeted floor and said while arriving beside the trio.


    "Although Historians has nobat-rted skills, they aren''t easy to be bullied by some bandits and thugs," She paused for a second and quickly added,


    "They have a skill called [Recall], and this skill allows them to check even the minute details about their surroundings. Mere thieves and bandits don''t have the power to catch them when they have this skill. They also have the [Wonder Sense] skill, which will also enchant their luck to survive in any dangerous situations."


    "[Wonder Sense] skill?" Andrew furrowed his brows as he heard the new word and asked.


    "Historian''s another skill. It can give hints about the uing dangers and help them survive in any dangerous situations." This time, Charles answered his question.


    "How do you know?" Anderson asked in surprise while Luke and Emilia nced at him in confusion.


    "I''m an Archaeological student. If not for the assassination incident, I would have already joined the Explorers'' Association and became a [Historian]." Charles pinched his chin and then added in a solemn tone,


    "If my guess is right, those three Historians might not be dead. Someone might have kidnapped them for whatever purpose and hide their trails."


    "Yes, that''s the reason Explorers'' Association requested us to search for clues about those three Historians'' disappearance," Emilia said calmly and then continued,


    "It''s a search mission, and it will take three to four days toplete this mission. Till then, we will be roaming everywhere in the Riverdale City and looks for clues about those Historians."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles, Andrew, and Luke turned their faces serious and nodded their heads in unison.


    Emilia rubbed her chubby nose and spoke while walking towards the ckboard attached right next to the window with a smile on her slightly wrinkled face.


    "We have four suspects, and all of them happened to be in Slum Street during this incident." She paused for a second as he took the white chalk from the nearby box and continued,


    "Our first suspect is Jeffery Dahmer. He is suspected to be a Rank-2 [Elite Man] and has some mysterious background. He is one of the abnormal mystics and is a very cautious person. He contacted one of the three Historians multiple times and even argued with him once for whatever reason. He happened to be walking behind them when the abduction incident happened, and he was the one who informed the Explorers'' Association."


    "Why did he argue with the Historian? Is it about the antique?" Andrew posed a question.


    "How would I know?" Emilia red at him for interrupting her talking and spoke,


    "Next one is John Wayne. He is suspected of being a contracted killer of Andes City and has no history with any Historians. But when the elite explorer team searched for those three missing Historians, he just happened to be sitting in the nearby fruit shop and even acted very abnormally."


    "Acted abnormally?" This time, Luke raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes, he sat on the wooden bench and ate dozens of apples in ten minutes while breathing heavily." Emilia thought for a moment and added,


    "At that time, He looked very sweaty, and the explorers also mentioned in the report that his hands and legs were trembling."


    "Was he nervous of being caught by the explorers'' team?" Luke muttered out loud and soon shook his head, "A professional killer won''t get nervous just by seeing a bunch of elite explorers. There must be another reason."


    "That''s what I thought when seeing the report. Now, let''s move to the next suspect." Emilia said while writing on the ckboard using the white chalk.


    "Our third suspect is Willy Pickton. Unlike others, he is a well-known celebrity of Riverdale Town and has some deep connection with the Explorers'' Association. He is a Rank-2 [Storm Bringer] ss Mystic and a firm believer of Edina, Goddess of Storm. Our reason for the suspicion is that he also had some quarrel with one of the three Historians a few days ago and happened to be in Slum Street when the three Historians got abducted. "


    "It''s definitely about the antique!" Andrew shouted, causing Emilia to stare at him with dagger eyes.


    "Well, we can''t be so sure of that," Emilia said while cing her forefinger on her smooth lips and continued,


    "Ourst suspect is Jimmy Holmes. He is a rank 1 [Soldier] and has no family background. Six years ago, he came to our Riverdale City and became a Slithering rowdy Gang member. He is a strange fellow and hasn''t killed anyone like the other thugs."


    "Why are we suspecting a normal thug then?" Andrew asked in puzzlement.


    In the meantime, Emilia sighed heavily and spoke,


    "He isn''t a normal one." She paused for a moment and soon added with a wry smile,


    "He is the Unlucky Star of Riverdale City."

 Chapter 28: Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 28: Investigation</h4>


    Upon hearing her words, Andrew burst intoughter and soon asked,


    "Don''t tell me that kidnapping incident just happened to have urred in front of his house?"


    Emilia heaved a deep sigh and nodded her head.


    "He indeed is the Unlucky Star of Riverdale." Even Luke muttered while showing a disbelieving look on his face.


    Among the three, he was the one who doesn''t believe in ''Luck'' or ''Fate.'' But as he heard Emilia''s words, even he showed an abnormal expression on his face. Well, anyone with simple knowledge about the Mystics could tell that something was off about this whole situation.


    "Four abnormal Mystics, No, three abnormal Mystics just happened to be in the incident area and also has some connection with those three Historians. This is not a mere coincidence, is it?" He asked out loud.


    "Why are you skipping the Unlucky Star?" Charles asked in puzzlement. Moreover, he also felt that he had heard of that title before and became more curious about Jimmy Holmes.


    "If there is any abnormal incident happens in Riverdale City and if you search for any possible suspects, you will see his name on the list." Emilia stopped as she recalled something and soon added,


    "He also showed his appeared during your kidnapping incident. He and his gang members were the ones who guarded the Evergreen mansion when you and your mother were locked inside it."


    Upon hearing Emilia''s words, Charles''s heart skipped a beat.


    ''Unlucky Star¡­ Jimmy Holmes¡­ Something feels off¡­ Am I thinking too much?'' He thought to himself in shock.


    After thinking for a second, he gave up while turning his face serious and nodded his head.


    Puzzled by his strange inner mumbling in a foreignnguage, Emilia tilted her head and said,


    "Our first job is to find Jeffery Dahmer and ask him some questions about this strange antique."


    In the meantime, Andrew ced his hand on his chin and started speaking in a dead-serious tone,


    "It''s the Goddess Rodia''s Cursed Gem. In January 7024, a beautiful but spooky gem mounted on a ring in the form of a snake was donated to the Explorers'' Association by Richard Arc''s daughter. Along with it was a letter exining the gem''s strange and rming tale.


    This spooky purple gem was looted from Goddess Rodia''s ancient temple during 6450 S.A.E and subsequently brought to the Arc Kingdom, given to Richard Arc as a gift. It then allegedly wreaked havoc for decades. When Richard passed the purple gem on to various friends, they reportedly experienced abnormalities, including a trail of kidnappings, coincidences, and murders.


    When the gemstone returned to him, Richard wrote a letter and sealed it in the Royal family''s hidden chamber. It remained there for centuries, and now it showed its appearance again."


    When he finished his words, everyone went silent for a whole minute.


    "If you spout any nonsense again, I will twist your neck and hang your body at the entrance," Emilia said in a cold tone and soon turned around.


    In the meantime, Charles gawked at Anderson for a second and soon blurted out,


    "Was that a made-up story?"


    Upon hearing his words, Andrew nced at him with a mysterious smile on his face and said one word before following Emilia''s footsteps.


    "Guess."


    "After reading too many mystery books, he became mentally abnormal and would spout nonsense sometimes. Don''t take his words too seriously." Luke ced his hand on Charles''s shoulder and then walked past him.


    Nodding his head, Charles put his leather bag on his shoulder and walked out of the Withering Shadows office while thinking about Andrew''s words. He also thought about those strange coincidences and became warier.


    ''Goddess of Day and Night, Rodia¡­ Did he really spout some believable nonsense?'' He stared at Andrew''s back for a moment and soon shook his head.


    While he was in muse, they hopped on the office carriage and went towards Olive Street. That''s where Jeffery Dahmer was residing.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, the silk curtained carriage parked at a single storied house entrance, and soon a group of four people walked out from it. The first one to step out of the carriage was a grey-robeddy, who appeared to be around 40-years-old. She had curly ck hair, grey eyes, a fleshy nose, and a slightly wrinkled round face.


    After her, a baldy man, a muscr man, and a young deep-blue-haired teen, around 15-20 years old, walked out of the carriage one by one. Aces Team stared at the single storied house surrounded by a wooden fence for a while and soon went near the wooden gate.


    Andrew took a step forward as he unlocked the wooden gate and then walked in. Others also followed after him and soon appeared in front of the single-storied house''s entrance door. Andrew then raised his hand above his chest and knocked on the door thrice.


    A few momentster, a grey-haired man, who looked around 35 to 40 years old, opened the door and stared at them in confusion. He wore a blue cotton shirt, ck trousers, and a long ck scarf around his neck. He had blue eyes, straight eyebrows, a sharp nose, fair skin, and was around 170 cm high.


    Emilia smiled as she saw the grey-haired man''s confused face and said calmly,


    "We are looking for Jeffery Dahmer."


    Jeffery''s expression stiffened up as he heard Emilia''s words.


    "Who are you? Why are you looking for me?" He touched his unique double-sword symbol engraved golden ring and asked warily.


    Emilia''s tone went cold as she saw his action.


    "Sir, please don''t do anything reckless. We are here just to investigate." Saying so, she took a step forward and touched his hand.


    A secondter, Jeffery revealed a foolish smile as he turned his gaze towards Charles and said in an exciting tone,


    "I was wondering if you had an extra heart. Mine was just stolen."


    For a moment, an awkward silence filled the entrance area.


    "Pff-ahahaha. It''s called ''True love''. He really loves you, kid." Emiliaughed out loud as she took a step back and soon stared at Jeffery with an amusing smile. In the meantime, Jeffery cleared his throat and started singing in a loud voice.


    "When the tidal sea is at rest, why my inner sea is overflowing?


    When thend is lingering, why my heart is throbbing?


    Chirping forest birds are returning home,


    Hunters and Bowmen are moving towards their home,


    When the sky and the earth are deep staring at the moon,


    Why there is a storm in the blue-eyed man''s heart?¡­"


    When Jeffery started his singing, Andrew silently walked in front of him and removed the unique golden ring from his right hand. After that, he took a few steps backward and stood in front of Luke.


    Meanwhile, Charles red at the singing fool for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards Emilia.


    ''It must be the [Touch of Idiocy] skill'' Charles''s eyes widened as he recalled Emilia''s ss skills.


    Ignoring his stare, Emilia stared at Jeffery for a second in interest and soon asked a question while casting [Hypnotism] skill and [Discern Lies] skill on him.


    "Why did you argue with the [Historian] a few days ago?"


    Jeffery stopped singing and responded while turning his face solemnly.


    "I asked the [Historian] Max to search for a crown in Slum Street and offered him 250 gold coins in return. But he sold that information to the ck-market leader, Silver Knife, and even ckmailed me. That''s why I made a loudmotion at the Explorers'' Association main office and then followed after those three kids to get that crown."


    "Are you also after A-035?" Charles stared at Jeffery for a moment and asked in surprise, startling Emilia, Luke, and Andrew.


    "Not only me. Most of the Mystics are after that artifact." Jeffery responded tersely.


    "Who gave you this information? How did you know that A-035 is hidden in Slum Street?" Charles turned his face cold and questioned him further.


    "My employer gave me this information," Jeffery responded vaguely.


    "Employer? Can you tell us more specifically? About his name? Or, about his appearance?" This time, Emilia joined their conversation and asked in curiosity.


    Upon hearing her words, Jeffery nodded his head and spoke,


    "I don''t know his real name, but he goes by the alias name called ''Red Prince''." Saying so, Jeffery froze for a second and showed an uneasy face. A secondter, he widened his eyes in horror and muttered a single word,


    "Sh*t!"


    In a second, Charles''s [Sixth Sense] skill activated on its own and gave him a dangerous premonition!


    "Shield." He spoke and started backing away.


    Meanwhile, Emilia froze for a moment as she heard Charles''s voice and soon activated her Queen''s robe while taking two steps back.


    Thousands of chilly web-like strings appeared under her foot in a blink and then formed into a wall filled with icy strings.


    It was the Queen''s Robe''s spell, Ice Webs!


    In the meantime, Jeffery''s body began to swell up like a balloon and soon exploded while sending flesh and blood in all directions. A secondter, those flesh, bones, and blood began to burn fiercely in purplish me, leaving no single bone behind!


    "T-This¡­" Even Emilia got dumbfounded by the sudden change and became a loss for words. She then nced at the purplish me burning the icy webs and became deadly serious.


    "Charles, can you tell us more about this A-035? How did you know about a Series Artifact?" Emilia asked and squatted down to check the still burning purplish me.


    "It''s a long story." Charles paused for a second and soon exined the Holem''s crown. He wouldn''t have shared that information with others if it was before. But once he found out that many people were aiming for that artifact, he was sure of one thing.


    ''In others'' eyes, I''m nothing more than a chess-piece. The real yer hadn''t even started their move yet. Red-haired tycoon Aidde Baker, Russell''s grandfather Anderson ck, and now this mysterious guy called ''Red Prince.'' I need some external help to get out of their clutches.''


    After hearing Charles''s exnation, Emilia stood up and said in a gloomy tone,


    "It seems you already got yourself involved in some deep trouble."


    A wry smile appeared on his face as he nodded his head and asked,


    "Team Leader, can you teach me some mind-rted skills? I want to learn some skills that could block others from reading my mind or controlling me using [Hypnotism] skill."


    An amusing smile appeared on Emilia''s face as she heard his question. Shaking her head, Emilia dismissed her Icy webs spell and responded in a calm tone.


    "Resisting the opponent''s mind-rted abilities are not an easy matter. It''s not about skills, Charles. It''s about one''s Wisdom. As for how to increase one''s Wisdom, I don''t know. But I once heard from a schr that reading books, gathering knowledge and personal experience will allow one to increase their Wisdom."


    Charles''s eyes went wide for a moment and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    ''It''s same like [Inspect] skill. Thankfully, I have a system to help me improving the Wisdom.'' He smiled lightly and thanked her from the bottom of his heart.


    "Hmm, what should we do now?" Emilia pondered for a second before ncing at the surroundings and soon spoke,


    "If we report about his sudden death to our organization, it will only cause us more trouble." She paused for a second and continued,


    "We came here to investigate the Kidnapping incident. But, we couldn''t find any clues about Jeffery in his house. He seemed to have disappeared mysteriously like the other three [Historians]. Add it in the report, Luke." Saying so, she entered Jeffery''s house and started erasing all of his trails.


    "Okay, Team Leader," Luke nodded his head with a weak smile and followed after her.


    Aces team did their work perfectly and made the house looked unclean for two to three days. After that, Emilia went to the nearby residents and made them forget about Jeffery using a strange ring artifact.


    Once they finished their work, the group hopped on the carriage and went to their next target.

 Chapter 29: Arbiter of Storm

    <h4>Chapter 29: Arbiter of Storm</h4>


    "Go to the Gold Street''s Half-Dragon Residency." Emilia sat next to Charlesfortably and ordered the coachman.


    In the meantime, the bowler''s hatted coachman in a ck suit drove the carriage towards Gold Street and then stopped the carriage in front of arge three-storied building. Unlike other buildings, this three-storied building looked more like a mansion building.


    "John Wayne is staying on the third floor, room no.325," Emilia spoke as she strolled on the grassy yard and soon entered the three-storied building. Others followed after her with light footsteps and soon went up to the third floor through the curved staircase.


    They then walked on the smooth corridor and soon arrived in front of a wooden paneled door.


    But before they could knock on the door, a nging sound came from the other side as the door opened with a screech.


    A momentter, a 30-years-old man in silver hair opened the paneled door and said with an anxious tone.


    "Please get inside, Shadows."


    He had fair skin, an oval face, a small mustache, average height, and a skinny body. He wore a casual white shirt and brown pants.


    Charles stared at him in a daze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''He is the silver-haired guy!''


    He was the one whom Charles met near the Security department office. While he was staring at John in surprise, John''s eyes wandered towards the corridor for a minute second before shifting towards their direction.


    Without walking in, all four of them stood at the entrance and nced at each other. From the other party''s response, they could tell that John was already aware of their identities, and from his tone, they also felt that he was in a hurry to invite them it.


    Before others could respond, Charles took a step forward to close the distance between him and John Wayne and put his hand on John''s shoulder.


    "We meet again," He said with a mysterious smile on his face, causing the other party to stiffen up for a second.


    Before John Wayne could wake up from the shock, Charles pushed the wooden door and peeked inside. It was a 15*18 ft room. There were two tables, one bookshelf, one wooden bed, two chairs, and one wardrobe were ced in order.


    Charles nodded his head with a smiling face and walked inside. In the meantime, Andrew stared at Charles for a moment and soon muttered,


    "He is acting carelessly. What if the suspect used this opportunity and stabbed him from his back or takes him as a hostage?"


    "He isn''t. See his other hand, you will know the answer." Emilia also walked in as she muttered coldly.


    Widening his eyes, Andrew looked at Charles''s hand and soon noticed that a steel dagger was attached to his hand. It was gluing in a strange angle and almost looked invisible. If not for the slightly dim color difference, he wouldn''t find any abnormalities at all!


    ''Damn it! When did he take out his dagger from the sheath? Moreover, why did he paint the dagger in his skin color?'' He stared at Charles''s back with wide gaped mouth and soon froze.


    ''Did he be a disciple of some legendary assassin?'' An absurd thought crossed his mind.


    ''If not, how did a measly mortal improved his skills to an unimaginable level? No doubt about it. There must be some old man stalking him from the shadows.'' While he was thinking, he subconsciously nced towards the hallway and became stunned for a moment.


    Because he did saw a blonde-haired old man looking in his direction from the hallway!


    A chill went up to his spine as he retracted his gaze and then walked in, sweating continuously.


    In the meantime, Luke stood outside in confusion for a moment and then walked in. Once he entered John''s room, Luke locked the door from inside and went near the cotton bed to sit. At this time, Charles had already sheathed his sword and looked around the room in interest.


    "Why are you hiding from that blonde-haired man?" Luke suddenly turned his gaze at John Wayne as he sat on the soft bed and asked.


    "I-I don''t know him¡­ But, he is following after me for a while." Shaking his head, John said in an anxious tone.


    "He is just an average mortal, though." Charles also turned his gaze sharply towards John Wayne and then asked,


    "What do you know about A-035?"


    A look of amazement appeared on John''s face as he stared back at Charles''s face for a second and then replied with a sigh,


    "I know a few things about that artifact, kid. It is a lot more dangerous and powerful than other Series-A artifacts."


    "Why do you think so? Care to tell us more about this artifact?" Emilia walked near the wooden chair, sat on it, then took a strange head-sized blue crystal from her void pouch and started asking questions. In the meantime, Andrew went near her, took the blue crystal from her hand, and ced it at the room''s center. After that, he activated the concealment stone and then backed away.


    Watching their strange actions, John furrowed his brows and then said in a heavy tone,


    "Aren''t you guys notice something odd about this city?" He paused for a moment as he turned his gaze towards the balcony and continued with fearful eyes,


    "Something terrifying must have happened when Charles and his mother were locked up in the Evergreen Mansion. After that kidnapping incident, multiple strange incidents like killing, kidnappings, and coincidences are happening around us. Moreover, I couldn''t even get out of this city for some strange reasons. Even if I did try to go outside, I feel some shadow is stalking me all this time."


    "Now that you mention it, I do felt something abnormal about the strange coincidences. But, it''s not a surprising thing. Only a hundred or so Mystics are working in this city, so it''s not a strange thing to meet each other frequently. Unlikemoners, we are working in high positions and are constantly going to some security-rted ces." Emilia said while shaking her head in disapproval. Coincidences were scary indeed, but she didn''t feel that these strange meetings were coincidences.


    "If so, why aren''t we meeting those rank 1 mystics frequently? Only rank 2 Mystics and Rank 3 mystics are experiencing these strange coincidences." John said in a solemn tone.


    "It must be the Goddess Roysia''s cursed gem''s doing." In the meantime, Andrew widened his eyes in disbelief and said in a loud voice.


    "One more word from your mouth, I will slit your throat for real, Andrew." Emilia red at Andrew for a moment and then turned her gaze towards John.


    "Are you saying that these strange killings, kidnappings, and coincidences are happening because of this A-035 series artifact?" She asked in puzzlement.


    "Yes." John nodded his head as he leaned his back against the concrete wall and continued,


    "I came to this city to protect the seventeenth young master of Fireborn family. When I found out that he is studying in the archaeological department, I was shocked a little. I didn''t expect that the Fireborn family head would send his child to be an explorer. At first, I didn''t take my mission seriously and simply protected him from the shadows. But a few months ago, I got bored and then peeked at his research paper when he was attending his lecture." He closed his eyes as if he was ming himself for his reckless behavior and continued with a bitter smile,


    "But I didn''t expect that 17-year-old kid was researching all this time about a Series-A artifact. After that, I followed him like a regr guardian and also started searching for clues about the Holem''s Crown on my own. But after Charles''s kidnapping and the serial killing incident, I noticed some strangeness when following the young master.


    Sometimes, he would go on a normal walk and then bumped into some familiar faces like it was just a coincidence. If it were once or twice, I would have thought of it as a normal coincidence. But, this action continued tens of times. After that, I also started paying more attention to my surroundings and noticed that strange coincidences are happening to all Rank 2 and Rank 3 Mystics." When he finished his words, a strange eerie silence descended to that room.


    ''Coincidences¡­'' Charles widened his eyes for a moment and went dead silent.


    ''A-035 again¡­ Looks like I need to enter the Dreamworld and search for clues there.'' He pondered for a moment and soon asked,


    "Why did you go to Slum Street when the three Historians were disappeared?"


    "Young master Max is one of the three Historians." John Wayne let out a heavy sigh and said in depression.


    "That exins everything. So, you followed Max to protect him from the shadows while Jeffery must be followed after him to get some clues about the crown. As for why our famous artist Willy Pickton followed after the trio Historians, we can vaguely guess from the clues." Andrew mumbled on his own and soon frowned,


    "Did you know how those three Historians were kidnapped? Who kidnapped them? Did you see the kidnappers'' faces?"


    John''s body quivered on its own as he heard Andrew''s question. He leaned on the concrete wall for a whole minute and soon spoke in a solemn tone.


    "It happened when they walked past the famous Unlucky Star''s house. I saw a strange humanoid shadow descended from the sky and covered the nearby area inplete darkness. At that moment, I entered into some strange ck world. I couldn''t feel my body parts, I couldn''t sense any smell, nor could I hear any words.


    I floated¡­ No, I stayed in the strange dark world for a long time¡­ I couldn''t pinpoint the exact time in that world, but I felt like I was in the dark world for years. If not for my strong will to live, I would have died there. When I returned to reality, I noticed that only seconds have passed¡­ It was the scariest thing I encountered in my life-long experiences. When I looked around in a panic, I noticed that those three Historians were nowhere to be seen. I knew that the strange being must have kidnapped them and became scared. I ate the apples to ease my anxiousness and silently returned to my room."


    All four of them went stunned for a moment upon hearing John''s words.


    "What should we do now?" Andrew nced warily at the entrance and asked in anxiety.


    "Are you afraid of that blonde-haired man?" Emilia threw a nce at him and asked with a smile.


    "Yes, Team Leader. He also looks very suspicious." Andrew said while nodding his head.


    Charles also felt something was off about that blonde-haired man and nodded in approval. The Aces team quickly walked out of John''s house and soon noticed that the blonde-haired man was nowhere to be seen!


    "Did he escape?" Emilia furrowed her brows and soon shook her head.


    "Let''s go. We should go and meet our next suspect." Saying so, she turned her gaze towards John Wayne, who stood at the entrance, and spoke,


    "If you encounter anything abnormal, contact the Withering Shadows department and tell them that you want to meet me." She paused for a second and added,


    "I''m Emilia Wilson. Hope we meet again."


    She turned around and walked on the smooth corridor after saying those words. In the meantime, Charles and others followed after her from behind and soon went downstairs.


    After walking out of the Half-Dragon Residency, they once again hopped on their office carriage and went towards El Street.


    After crossing the junction, the carriage parked near a two-storied house, and soon all of them walked out of it. Unlike the other houses, this house looked well-maintained. Their group even saw a gardener trimming the ornamental nts using arge scissor. The gardener looked around 35 years old, had ck hair, wide-set hazel eyes, an oblong face, arge belly, and an obese body. He wore a brown shirt, leather pants and appeared 182 cm high.


    Once they entered the housepound, he inquired about their visit and soon guided them into the two-storied house.


    The gardener soon appeared in front of the door, turned the doorknob, pushed the door open, and walked in.


    "Please,e in," He spoke as he entered the vast hall, sat on the couch, and added,


    "I''m Willy Pickton, Eighty-seventh Arbiter of Storm."


    A look of surprise appeared on everyone''s face as they stared at him for a moment and soon bowed their heads in greeting.


    Emilia then raised her head, walked in front of the opposite couch, sat on it, and said in confusion.


    "Honorable Arbiter, We thought that you are just a believer of Storm Church."


    A chuckle escaped from his mouth as he straightened his back and spoke with a polite smile on his face.


    "If not for that strange incident, I wouldn''t have revealed myself now."

 Chapter 30: Meeting the Unlucky Star

    <h4>Chapter 30: Meeting the Unlucky Star</h4>


    In the meantime, Charles and others went near the couch and stood behind it.


    "Arbiter Willy, we came here to inquire about that strange incident. Can you give us some useful information?" Emilia turned her tone soft and asked politely.


    A troubled look appeared on Willy''s face.


    "During the incident, I detected the presence of an ''Irregr.'' The strange coincidences must be his doing. Well, as long as he didn''t cross my line, I''m not nning on involving myself with that troublesome person." Saying so, he called out a male servant and asked him to bring some drinks for the guests.


    Meanwhile, Emilia pondered for a moment and then asked in curious,


    "If so, why did you go to Explorers'' Association and argued with [Historian] Max?"


    Willy grumbled as he heard that name and soon said in anger,


    "That damned brat was the one who came to my doorstep and looked for trouble. If Max didn''t ask my help to protect him in the shadows, I wouldn''t have ended up offending the ''Watcher''."


    "Watcher?" Charles and Andrew nced at each other and asked in unison.


    "It''s a Rank-3 Astrology ss series name," Emilia replied vaguely.


    ''Tycoon Addie, Anderson ck, Red Prince, and now this Watcher.'' Charles furrowed his brows in puzzlement and soon asked,


    "What is his aim? Why is he doing these strange coincidences?"


    "I think he is nning to confuse his real target. If he used his power to change one''s ''Fate,'' it will be easy for others to detect the anomaly. But, if he creates multiple coincidences, his real target will also get confused and lower his guard."


    ''Is he making these coincidences to lure the A-035 out of the shadows? Or, is he after another thing? What did those three [Historians] do to make him angry?'' Questions whirled in Charles''s mind as he fell into deep thoughts.


    In the meantime, Emilia nodded her head and asked more questions about the kidnapping incident. Most of them were vague replies, which made her sigh in disappointment. If it were another Rank-2 mystic, she would have used her authority to question him further. Unfortunately, Willy was not a regr Mystic. Emilia knew that only Rank-3 had the qualification to be an Arbiter and gave up pestering further.


    While she was asking questions, a blonde-haired servant arrived near her and gave her a ss of grape juice. After that, he went beside her and passed other ss cups to Charles and others.


    Taking a sip, Emilia held the ss in her right hand and asked,


    "Are you also after A-035, Arbiter Willy?"


    "Nope. I came here on another purpose, but I was unexpectedly involved in this incident." Willy responded in a heavy tone.


    In the meantime, Andrew shook his head and corrected him.


    "Coincidentally."


    Furrowing his brows, Willy stared at Andrew for a second and asked in curiosity.


    "Are you saying that I''m also a part of the Watcher''s n?"


    Before Andrew could open his mouth, Emilia red at him and then responded,


    "He thinks too much."


    "No. Your teammate might be right." Willy turned his face solemn and then added,


    "Abandon this mission and go back to your office. Then, exin the current situation to your higher-ups and ask them to send reinforcement."


    Emilia nodded her head without any refusal as she gulped the grape juice in one go, ced the ss on the table, and stood up from the couch.


    "I will report it to our Branch Leader." Saying so, she bends her waist a bit and then turned around before walking out of the two-storied house. Charles and others followed her footsteps and soon walked out of Willy''s house.


    "Are we going to abandon the mission, Team Leader?" As they walked out of the whitepound, Andrew asked in a suppressing tone.


    "Do I look like a fool to you?" Emilia red at Andrew for a moment and then shook her head.


    "He is not telling the whole truth, Andrew. He didn''t get involved in the kidnapping incident coincidentally." She paused for a moment and then added in a gloomy tone.


    "He also seems to be after the Series-A artifact. He told us to back down because he might have found some traces of A-035."


    "What?!" Andrew widened his eyes for a moment and soon asked in anxiety,


    "If we continue our investigation, doesn''t that mean that we are offending the Eighty-seventh Arbiter of Storm?"


    "Eighty-Seventh? No, he lied to us about him being an Arbiter of Storm. If he is a Rank-3 Mystic, our Branch Head Russell would have mentioned in the book. So, Willy might be just a peak level Rank-2 [Storm Bringer] ss Mystic. Well, I''m not so sure about that, though." Emilia shook her head and entered the carriage. Others also followed after her, and soon the silk-curtained carriage disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, a silk-curtained carriage drove past the Amber Church and soon reached the Slum Street Junction. Because of the densely popted area, the Bowler hatted coachman stopped the carriage at the junction and spoke in a solemn tone,


    "Lady Emilia, I think you guys should go by foot from here on,"


    A secondter, a gray-robeddy walked out from the carriage. Charles and others also stepped down from the carriage and curiously nced at the rows of mud houses, huts, few cottages, and poorly constructed buildings. Although cleaners well maintained the dirt road, they still got nauseous by the heavy urine and feces smell. Charles looked around the people in curious and soon noticed that most of them looked pale and skinny.


    "Follow me closely," Before he could take a good look at the slum citizens, Emilia said in a loud tone, causing the nearby citizens to turn their heads at her. She didn''t mind their stare, though. She silently walked on the smelly road and soon entered a narrow alley. Charles and others followed after her and soon arrived in front of a one-storied brick house.


    "He hasn''t gone to Richard''s house." Shemented casually and then knocked on the door thrice.


    After a minute, the door opened with a click and soon revealed a blonde-haired male figure, who looked around 25 years old. The blonde-haired male had a lean body, an oval face, amber eyes, and was around 175 cm tall. He wore a regr grey linen shirt, linen pants, and a unique red-gem embedded bracelet in his hand.


    With wary eyes, he stared at them for a moment and soon asked in an anxious tone,


    "Lady Emilia? Why are you here?"


    In the meantime, Charles cast his [Inspect] skill on the suspect and then squinted his eyes.


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect is sessful!]


    ¡­


    [Name: Jimmy Holmes (??????)


    Race: Human (????)


    Rank: 1


    ss: Level 4 Soldier (0/337)


    Sub-ss: None


    Title: Unlucky Star.


    Health Points: 61/61


    Attributes:


    Strength- 11


    Dexterity- 12


    Constitution- 11


    Wisdom- ???


    Charisma- 11


    ss skills:


    Charge-33


    Fearless Body-24


    Weapon proficiency (Basic melee weapon proficiency)-38


    Sub-ss skills: None


    Unique skills:


    Knowledge Seeker-45


    ¡­


    ''Knowledge Seeker skill? How did he get the [Historian] ss skill? Inheritance gift?'' He got confused inside and soon noticed the question marks in Name, Race, and Wisdom.


    ''Something is wrong about this guy.'' He stared at the blonde-haired man for a second and soon retracted his gaze.


    Meanwhile, Emilia took a step forward and spoke in a polite tone.


    "As usual, we are here on an official matter, Jimmy." She paused for a moment and then added, "We would like to ask you some questions regarding the kidnapping incident."


    Jimmy heaved a deep sigh as he heard those words and soon invited them in. The Aces team members'' gaze swept past the entrance and soonnded on the small room filled with two chairs, one small cab, and one bed. On the right side were the kitchen and storehouse, while a small attached bathroom on the left side.


    Jimmy hurriedly went inside and started removing the messy clothes on the chairs and beds before gesturing them to sit. Emilia nced around the small messy room, filled with strange paintings for a second, and soon turned her gaze to Jimmy before she sat on the wooden chair. Charles and Andrew also went near the old wooden bed, sat on it, and then nced at the strange paintings.


    Charles first focused his attention on a three-headed strange humanoid creature''s painting and then turned his gaze towards another rose-like nt. He then shifted his gaze towards the next portrait and got confused.


    ''Why did he draw these strange creatures on the walls?'' Puzzlement crossed his face.


    While he was in deep thoughts, Luke leaned his back against the wall, took out a small notebook, a strange blue-feathered quill from his pocket, and started writing few words in it. He then nced at Emilia and waited for her to ask questions.


    "Did you witness the kidnapping incident?" On the other hand, Emilia wore a soft smile and asked. Her tone was calm and contained an aura of arrogance.


    "At that time, I was asleep, My Lady." Jimmy didn''t dare to look into Emilia''s eyes and replied while lowering his gaze.


    "Oh? That''s disappointing." She said as she narrowed her eyes and soon asked.


    "If you don''t mind, can you give some answer to another question?"


    Jimmy raised his head a little and asked in the same anxious tone.


    "What is it, My Lady?"


    "Did you go to Pine Town during thest two weeks?" Emilia crossed her legs and asked.


    Jimmy didn''t mind her strange question, though. He thought for a moment as he nodded his head, and answered in a polite tone.


    "My friend Henry asked me to apany him to his hometown, so I agreed to his request and went along with him."


    "When is it? Can you tell us the exact time and date?" This time, Luke raised his voice a little and asked in a cold tone.


    Charles felt puzzled by their current cold attitude towards Jimmy and nced at Emilia for answers. Noticing her gaze, she ced her forefinger on her mouth and gestured him to stay silent.


    Although he was confused by her order, he didn''t dare to raise any questions and waited for Jimmy''s answer.


    "I went to Pine Town on June 28th." Jimmy paused for a moment and continued with a bitter smile on his face.


    "Five hours before the killing incident."


    Charles''s mind went nk for a second as he heard those words!


    ''It''s not some mere coincidence, right?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    "Don''t think much about it. We already used to your Unluckiness effect." Emilia said casually and stood up from her seat.


    "But if you have any n on going to another defenseless town, inform it to the security office before you depart. We can''t predict when your unluckiness title effect would act again." Saying so, Emilia turned her gaze towards the new strange paintings and asked in curiosity.


    "Why are you drawing strange paints on the walls? Won''t your house owner scold you?"


    Jimmy scratched his head awkwardly and replied with a timid smile.


    "I recently got some interest in painting, so I thought of practicing inside to improve my skill, My Lady. Did you find it likable?"


    "These are notdy-like paintings. Was it the Abyssal Rose? How did you know about it?" She waved her right hand and posed another question.


    "I once heard about it from my father. He worked as a gatekeeper of Twelfth Chaotic Zone at the Unexplored Forest and knew some things about those chaos creatures." Jimmy''s tone went down as he talked about his personal life and shook his head.


    "7 years ago, a group of demons raided the Twelfth Chaotic Zone and killed hundreds of guards. My father, Evan Holmes, is among those hundreds of guards." He paused for a moment and continued with a gloomy tone.


    "Before his death, he left me twenty gold coins, one small hut, one [Soldier] ss-gem, and somend. I spent my first few months doing nothing using those gold coins and soon realized that I would die out of starvation in a year or two. After some thought, I sold that small hut to a nearby viger and came to Riverdale."


    It was the first time Emilia heard about his background and became somewhat surprised.


    "What about your mother?" Andrew interjected.


    "I have no memory of her. My father once told me that she died after giving birth to me, but I once heard from other vigers that she ran away with another man." Jimmy turned his face serious as he responded gloomily.


    "Hmm, how did you get the Unluckiness?" This time, Charles asked in curious.


    Aplicated expression appeared on Jimmy''s face as he turned his gaze towards the unique red-gem embedded bracelet and shook his head.


    "I don''t want to talk about it. It''s not a pleasant memory for me."


    Although Emilia could order Jimmy to tell her about it, she felt that it was not a good idea.


    In the meantime, Charles also stared at the unique red-colored bracelet for a second and soon cast his [Inspect] skill on it. A momentter, he sighed in disappointment as he noticed that it was just a normal bracelet.


    "Why did you tell us about your personal now? We asked about your background multiple times, but you didn''t even say a single word. But why now?" Luke straightened his back a little and asked in the same cold tone. Even Emilia was surprised by his cold attitude and got puzzled.


    Jimmy let out a chuckle and said as he stared at the white ceiling with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "Truthfully, even I don''t know why I said that. What am I? Do I have any future? I don''t have a girlfriend, nor do I have someone to lean on their shoulders. What if I die in a few days and no one knew about my personal life? Would someone remember me after a year or two? No. I will fade away even from my friend Henry''s memories. I told you guys about my personal life because I wanted to. There is nothing there to hide it any longer."


    Upon hearing his reply, Aces Team members became stunned for a moment.


    Emilia suddenly stood up from her seat after a second and said in a solemn tone.


    "Don''t worry too much about your future, Jimmy. If you are okay, I can rmend you to work in the Life Church, and you can start a normal life. Although the Slithering rowdy gang members wille and look for troubles, I will ask Father Reynolds to look after you. What do you think? Are you okay with that?"


    Jimmy blinked his eyes in surprise and soon spoke in a thoughtful look.


    "I will continue my job for the next three months. Once I manage to solve my problems, I wille and look for you."


    Emilia''s lips curled upward as she heard his words. She nodded with a pleasant smile and said while walking past him.


    "I will be waiting for you then."


    In the meantime, Charles and Andrew also stood up from the bed and followed after Emilia. Only Luke stood with a frown on his face and soon shook his head.


    "Don''t cause any more trouble." Saying so, he stored the notebook in his void pouch and walked out of Jimmy''s house.

 Chapter 31: Star Watch

    <h4>Chapter 31: Star Watch</h4>


    Once the Aces team member walked out of Jimmy''s house, he breathed out a sigh of relief, went near his wooden bed, and then sat on it.


    "Good acting, Jimmy." A creakyugh filled with evilness came from his unique red bracelet, causing his body to tremble uncontrobly. It was the voice of an older man!


    "Don''t be sad. Your time hasn''te yet." The old voice muttered like a devil.


    A chill crept up to Jimmy''s spines as he heard those words from his unique bracelet. He soon shook his head and then asked in confusion.


    "Why didn''t you reveal your true identity to your inheritor? If you reveal your presence to Charles now, it would be easier for you to gain your freedom, right?" Jimmy leaned his back against a cotton pillow and asked.


    "No. I felt something strange about his arrival. Moreover, there is still some time to get my freedom so I don''t need to act rashly." The red-bracelet shone as it said in a cold tone and then asked after some deliberation,


    "Why did you reveal your personal matter to them? Do you think that they will show some pity and tries to save you when the ''right'' timees?"


    A bitter smile crept on Jimmy''s face as he hung his head in helplessness. Yes, he did reveal his personal information to gain some help from Emilia in the future. But he knew that it was just false hope. Even so, he wouldn''t give up his life easily.


    ''I will find a way to save myself and then escape from this devil.'' He clenched his fist and swore to himself.


    "Your thoughts are leaking outside, Jimmy. I like your resolve to live longer. Too bad, I don''t have any n to leave any loopholes behind." After saying those words, the red bracelet dimmed for a second and then went silent.


    Meanwhile, Jimmy sighed heavily andid on his wooden bed. He knew that his end was nearing and became depressed.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Aces Team member hopped on the silk-curtained carriage, and soon the coachman drove the carriage from Slum Street. Emilia sat beside Charles inside the carriage like thest time and started asking Luke a few questions. After that, she cleared her throat and said about the current mission''s progression.


    "After asking the four suspects, I came to a conclusion." She paused for a second and continued with a solemn tone.


    "We have two more suspects. The first one is Jeffery''s employer ''Red Prince'' and another one is ''Watcher''. But we know nothing about them. We only have one clue and that is that they both seem to be after A-035, a Series-A artifact. Now, if we want to find the real kidnapper, we need more details about them. So, for the next few days, I will go to the security department and search for them in the confidential files. As for you guys, I will give you guys a separate mission and you have to search for clues about the abnormalities on your own."


    After that, she started to take out a blue quill and wrote a detailed report in a notebook.


    As the carriage drove past Gold Street, Emilia finished her writing and then turned her attention towards Charles.


    "Charles, go and get the copy of Runal Language Book from Russell. Higher-ups already sent that book two days ago." Saying so, she leaned her back against the leather seat and closed her eyes.


    In the meantime, Charles widened his eyes in surprise and soon nodded his head.


    ''Why is she helping me again?'' Although he was puzzled by her motive, he didn''t put much thought into it.


    While he was in muse, the carriage reached the main street and soon went to Ivy Street. A few minutester, Aces Team members walked out of the curtained carriage as the carriage reached 35 Ivy Street and went inside the building.


    Recalling Emilia''s earlier words, Charles walked into the reception hall and soon arrived in front of Russell''s office room.


    He stood there for a moment in hesitation and soon knocked it twice.


    "The door is open," The Branch Head Russell''s old voice came from inside.


    Raising his brows a little, Charles pushed the door open and then walked in with light footsteps. In the meantime, Emilia also followed after him and then walked along with him like mimicking his footsteps.


    Charles''s gaze swept past the table and soonnded on Russell. He sat on thedderback chair and appeared to be in the middle of reading while adjusting his monocle from time to time.


    "Branch Head, Charles is here to get that Runal Language Book. Did you forget to give it to him?" Emilia went near the wooden table as she spoke in a loud tone and casually ced a notebook on the table.


    Meanwhile, Russell red at Emilia for a moment, opened the cupboard, took out a ck-covered book from it, and then tossed it to Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles skillfully caught the ck-covered book and ced it inside his leather bag.


    "You can go now, Charles," Russell said while looking at Emilia''s notebook for a second and then stared at her in confusion.


    In the meantime, Charles bowed lightly towards Emilia and walked out of the office room silently.


    Once Charles closed the reception door, Russell heaved a deep sigh and asked in a gloomy tone.


    "Why did you tell him about the Runalnguage book? Don''t forget that you are working under me, Emilia."


    Upon hearing those cold words, Emilia curled her lips upwards and asked with a mischievous smile on her face,


    "Is that so? Indeed, you are in a higher position than me, Branch Head. But, that doesn''t mean that you could do whatever you want. Charles has potential and I''m already nning to take him as an Aces team member. I don''t care about your personal matters. But if you n to make trouble for him, I won''t sit back and watch as most members would."


    Anger swelled up in his head as Russell red at Emilia in an icy face.


    "He has yet to be a member of Aces team, Emilia. The final decision lies with me."


    A deep sigh leaked out of Emilia''s mouth as she heard those words from Russell. Shaking her head, she took out a sealed letter from her backpack and ced it on the table.


    "I know that you would say something like this. That''s why I asked Archbishop Abel Wilson and got his permission from the Snow Cathedral."


    A troubled look appeared on Russell''s face as he heard her words. He suddenly remembered that the person in front of him was not a normal member and got a headache.


    "Why are you interfering, Emilia?" He asked in the same gloomy tone.


    A chuckle leaked out of her mouth as she stared at him in amusement for a second and soon asked coldly.


    "Why wouldn''t I? Why wouldn''t I try to recruit a member of the Nightwind family into my team? Do I look like a dumb idiot to you?"


    A look of astonishment and shock appeared on Russell''s face as he realized the situation.


    "You knew about his background? How did you find out?"


    "My brother came here to see me yesterday and told me everything about Charles''s real Identity."


    Upon hearing those words, Russell went dead silent for a whole minute.


    "Archbishop Abel¡­" He gritted his teeth as he mumbled Archbishop Abel''s name and soon turned his attention towards the notebook.


    "Did you finish your mission?" He asked while raising his brows and then picked it up with both hands.


    He then flipped the pages as he skimmed through the notebook for the next few seconds and then stopped his hand.


    "Where did Jeffery go?"


    "How would I know?" Emilia didn''t even look into Russell''s eyes and responded casually.


    Letting out a helpless sigh, Russell started reading the notebook page by page and soon finished it.


    "Strange coincidences? Are you suspecting that there is a high-rank Mystic manipting everything from the shadows?" He stared at Emilia''s face for a moment and asked.


    "I''m not 100 percent sure. But, I want to dig further and find out the truth about those three [Historians]''s disappearance." Emilia turned her face solemnly and said.


    "Are you sure about this? This case looks more like a normal one to me." Russell frowned.


    "Nope, we got two more clues." She paused for a second and soon added,


    "We would like to do some research about those clues. To do that, our Aces Team members need a permission letter from the Branch Leader of Withering Shadows."


    A worried expression appeared on Russell''s face as he stared at her for whole ten seconds before raising his hands in defeat.


    "I will give the permission letter in an hour. But, don''t cause trouble in the city." Saying so, he leaned back on thedderback chair and adjusted his monocle.


    "You can go back now." He then said in a tired tone.


    Emilia stared at Russell with a hesitant look on her face and said in a low voice.


    "I''m not done yet, Branch Head."


    Russell almost shouted in frustration as he red at her with daggering eyes and then spoke.


    "Say it."


    "I also got a permission letter from my brother to use the ''Star Watch''," Emilia said while taking out another letter from her leather bag and passed it to Russell.


    "Impossible!" Russell stood up from his seat while mming his fist on the wooden desk and stared at her fiercely.


    "You are not its owner, Branch Head. The ''Star Watch'' Artifact belongs to Life Church and I have the permission to use it now." Emilia stared into his eyes without minding his angry stare and said calmly.


    "Why don''t you ask your brother and rece my ce?" Russell got infuriated inside and thundered.


    ''I already submitted a recement form for that.'' She mumbled inwardly and waited patiently.


    In the meantime, Russell opened the nearby cabin unwillingly and took out a silver watch from it. It was made from rare titanium metal and looked very ancient.


    Unlike the other watches, the outer ss was made of a rare ''Time'' elemental crystal, which could even resist the power of ''Time'' and ''Fate.'' The ticking sound echoed loudly in the office room as he took out the watch from the cabin and ced it on the wooden desk.


    "Take it," Russell said as he nced at the watch for a moment and then sighed heavily.


    In the meantime, Emilia locked her gaze firmly on the silver watch for three more seconds and picked it up with both hands. She then looked into the ss-like crystal and furrowed her brows as she noticed a difference.


    Instead of needle hands, numbers, and dials, she saw countless star-like dots inside.


    "Don''t stare at it too much, it will pull your consciousness into it and show you what really a ''Time'' can do," Russell spoke as he noticed that she was looked at the Star watch and warned.


    Nodding her head, Emilia shifted her gaze hurriedly from the silver watch and then asked in confusion.


    "How can I use this?"


    "Our church hasn''tpletely studied the secrets of this ''Star Watch'' yet. From the guide, the wielder can activate two abilities now. The first one is an ability called ''Fog of Time.'' If you activate this ability, you will be able topletely erase your presence from the world, no, from the ''Time'' itself. Even the Churches'' divine spells or strange ''Fate'' spells won''t affect you. Unless you reveal your presence on your own, no one will be able to notice you. Ah, I omit the Divines and the Taboo Existences. They might have a way to track your location using their strange spells.


    The second ability is called ''True Vision.'' When you activate this ability, you will see one of your most possible futures. But that future might note true if someone sensed the change in the trajectory of ''Fate'' and interfered with it. Both abilities have a cool down time of seven days. So, use it carefully."


    Emilia''s eyes went wide as she heard Russell''s exnation. She then skillfully put the watch on her hand and spoke while cing her hand on her forehead,


    "I forget to say goodbye to Charles." Saying so, she turned around hurriedly and walked out of Russell''s office room with fast footsteps.


    "Are you a kid?" Russell shouted at her from behind and then sat on thedderback chair with a depressed face.


    He then took out a silver ring from his cupboard and started muttering in a weird tone.


    A few secondster, the ring shone brightly in yellow light and formed into an illusionary figure of an old man. He had white hair, a wrinkled, pale face, oceanic eyes, and a long nose. He wore a golden robe and appeared to be in the middle of eating.


    "What is it?" The golden-robed man stopped his fork and asked while staring sharply at Russell.


    "A change has been urred, Grandfather." Russell paused for a second and soon started informing Anderson about Emilia''s sudden actions.


    Upon hearing his words, Anderson fell into deep silence for a whole minute and soon spoke,


    "Let her be for a while. Offending her will be more like offending Archbishop Abel himself and it won''t do any good for us." Anderson said while stroking his long beard and soon added,


    "Although the ''Star Watch'' is in her hands now, it doesn''t have the ability to perceive one''s urate future like Astronomer ss members. Be careful of any abnormalities in Riverdale City. The time is nearing." After saying those words, he tapped his wrist and closed his eyes. A heartbeatter, the whole illusionary image began to dim and soon disappeared, leaving Russell alone in the office room.


    ¡­

 Chapter 32: Small Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 32: Small Breakthrough</h4>


    In the meantime, Charles and others met Emilia in the reception hall and nned their next move to find more clues about the three [Historians] '' disappearance. After pondering for a long time, Emilia finally made a decision and spoke solemnly.


    "Andrew Harris, your job is to do disguise yourself as a tailor and go to the Gold Street. After that, use your tailoring skill in any of the tailor shops and became a real tailor for the next few weeks." She paused for a moment and then added,


    "After that, you have to monitor John Wayne''s every movement and report it to me everyday evening."


    Saying so, Emilia adjusted her curly grey hair and turned her gaze towards Luke,


    "Luke rk, your job is to go to the slum street before disguising yourself as a normal thief and became a member of Slitherers'' Rowdy gang. After that, you have to monitor Jimmy Holmes and report it to me using a secret letter." She said.


    Upon hearing her words, Luke raised her eyebrows for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "I don''t like that guy. Team Leader, give this job to Charles." He said while pointing his fingers at Charles.


    Emilia paused in surprise as she heard Luke''s words and soon nodded her head.


    ''It seems he didn''t like Jimmy. What''s gotten into him?'' He stared at him for a moment and soon asked,


    "Charles Miller, can you do it? If youplete this mission sessfully, I will take you to my Aces Team officially."


    Charles raised his eyebrows a little upon hearing her words, ced his hand on his chin, and started pondering.


    It''s not hard for Charles to act as a thief, so he didn''t put much thought into it. But if he wants to be a member of Slitherers'' Rowdy gang, he had to disguise himself as another person.


    "Team Leader, can you give me some materials to do disguise? It would be better if you give me some wigs, mustaches, and disguising facemasks." Charles made a request.


    Emilia became startled by his words and soon stared at him in wonder. During their previous undercover missions, they usually cover their faces with ck masks and do their work most suspiciously. So, this question caught them off guard.


    Although disguising facemasks and wigs weren''t rare items, the people in this magical world wouldn''t prefer those things. No, they would avoid using those facemasks at all costs. Unlike the Earth, this world wasn''t technologically improved, and the inhabitants always relied on mysterious skills and magic spells.


    Except for the very rare [Deceiver] ss, there was no ss avable in this world that could be suitable for disguising. Well, Charles''s unique [Trickster] ss was a special one, though. So, the [Artisans] used this opportunity and started making disguising facemasks using an unorthodox method. At first, many assassins, thieves, and even merchants brought these products and used them for various purposes. But that soon ended when a [Artisan] revealed how the [Artisan] ss Mystics created those disguising facemasks.


    "A-Are you sure about using the face masks?" Even Andrew stared at him with wide eyes and asked in an ufortable tone.


    In that instant, Charles knew that he had asked something he shouldn''t have and soon question.


    "Why do you guys find it ufortable to use facemasks?"


    "It seems you didn''t know about that subject." Emilia heaved a heavy sigh and continued after a short deliberation.


    "Everyone finds it ufortable in using those facemasks because they were created by skinning the dead human''s faces. The [Artisans] made some alterations and stored them in a rare liquid as preservation for years before taking it to the market for selling. That''s how the disguising face masks are made."


    A look of realization appeared on Charles''s face as he heard her words. Now, he understood why they stared at him weirdly earlier. He coughed twice to clear the awkwardness and then asked,


    "Team Leader, then can you give me wigs, mustaches, and face coloring powders? It would be better if you give me the wigs of both genders."


    "I can arrange it for you." Upon hearing his request, Emilia tersely nodded, took out a few skin coloring potions, a voice changing artifact, wigs of men and women, woman''s breast pads, beards, and even some sharp des for shaving hairs, put it in a ck-colored suitcase and gave it to him.


    Once she passed those things, Emilia breathed out a sigh of relief and said solemnly.


    "All that left now is Willy Pickton. Luke, he is yours now. Although I don''t know his real rank, I can tell you that he is the real deal. Don''t take him lightly and get caught." Saying so, she turned around and went near the study room.


    "You guys can go back to your go and prepare for this undercover mission." She stopped her footsteps as she thought of something and soon added,


    "Charles, you don''t have to do your morning works from now on. I already talked to our Branch Head Russell."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles widened his eyes for a moment and nodded his head. After that, he also bid his farewell to the other twopanions and walked out of the Withering Shadows department.


    As he went near the Life Church, he stealthily stored his Runal Language Book''s copy inside his void pouch and started walking towards 45 El Street. He didn''t even stop near the Life Church and soon reached 45 El Street within a few minutes.


    After that, he greeted his mother in the reception room and then went to his study through the spiral staircase.


    He then sat on the wooden chair with an excited face, took out the Runal Language Book, and ced it on the wooden table. After that, he took a deep breath and opened the ck-covered book.


    To his surprise, he saw only ck pages inside and frowned in puzzlement.


    ''Did Russell give me an empty book?'' He furrowed his brows and soon felt that strange invisible energy was overflowing all over the book. He got more curious about the book and focused his attention on the invisible power.


    A heartbeatter, he saw that the book started to tremble and soon turned into a ball of green light!


    Before he could do anything, the ball of green light floated up in front of his face and directly entered inside his head.


    "What the hell?" He jolted up in surprise and soon felt a sharp pain in his head. Simultaneously, he noticed that the Runal Language Book''s information entered his mind like floodwater and soon engraved deep into his consciousness.


    Charles leaned back on the wooden chair for a whole minute and soon widened his eyes in surprise.


    ''So, this is the holynguage of Magic, huh.'' He muttered inwardly and soon shifted his attention towards the spell model in his mind.


    Like a statue, he sat in the same posture and started analyzing the spell model for hours.


    After five hours, he finally understood the meaning behind those letters and then noticed that something was happening inside the ''Fire Wings'' spell model. Without even ncing at the fire spell model, he knew that he had already made a breakthrough in understanding the ''Fire Wings'' spell model!


    Unlike all these times, the ''Fire Wings'' spell began to shine brilliantly in his mind and gave him a warm feeling.


    ''If I decipher all those Runal Words in the fire spell model, I will be able topletely master the Fire Wings spell in a week or two!'' A look of astonishment and awe appeared on his face.


    He then stood up from his seat, went to the balcony, and opened both his hands while closing his jade-like eyes.


    A secondter, two crimson wings conjured behind his back and spread out. But this time, there was a change that urred in those crimson wings. Crimson-colored feathers started to appear in those wings, and soon it looked more like a real bird''s wings!


    "Interesting." Charles opened his eyes and nced at those wings in amazement.


    ''So, thisnguage really did help the mages to master their spells models real quick, huh. But, why did the Churches hiding it from the masses and current era mages?'' He froze for a second and soon noticed a huge problem.


    ''Spell models. The churches might not have any spell models at all. Even if they have, I''m pretty sure that there must be some restrictions to construct these spell models. And, there is also another problem finding the Fire-Mage ss gems.'' He muttered inwardly and then noticed that it was already dusk.


    ''It''s time for me to construct new spell models.'' Charles curled his lips upward subconsciously and then went inside his study after lighting the room with magic candles. Instead of sitting on the wooden chair, he moved towards the center and sat on the tiled floor.


    After that, he opened the interface and nced at his remaining Exp.


    ''I have 1198 Experience Points.'' He mumbled inwardly and then shifted his gaze towards the spellbook option.


    [Avable Fire Spell models for the Host: Fire Orb (430 Exp), Fire Arrow (250 Exp), Fire Breath (250 Exp), Fire Shield (320 Exp), me Body (350 Exp), me Jump (540 Exp), Fire Wisp (240 Exp), Fire de (459 Exp), Fire Prism (310 Exp), etc.,]


    ''Which spell should be more suitable for me now?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and chose [me Body] spell model to construct it in his mind before closing his eyes.


    Like thest time, multiple weird Runal characters appeared inside his mind from somewhere and soon formed into another hexagonal-like structure.


    After a minute, he opened his eyes and then shifted his gaze towards the spellbook once again.


    Although he didn''t know how many spell models could he construct in his mind, Charles vaguely felt that he could build more than six spell models.


    ''Hmm, what Ick is defensive spell and long-range offensive spell. Although I got the Ember Pistol now, the cooldown is too long. It is better to keep this Pistol hidden and use it only when my life is in danger. It''s more like a trump card for me.'' He nodded thoughtfully and started searching for a suitable offensive spell.


    ''Fire Orb, Fire Arrow, me Bolt, Incinerate,¡­'' He nced at those spell models one by one and soon locked his gaze on the [Incinerate] spell.


    [Spell name: Incinerate


    Rank: Rank-1 spell


    Effects: When casting this spell, you will be able to release a pure ray of fire and incinerate your enemy in a second. If you mastered this spell modelpletely, you can even kill or severely injure a Rank-2 Mystic.


    Cooldown: Due to less fire-elemental power in this world, it will take 30 minutes to resupply the ''fire elemental energy'' into the spell model.]


    ''Oh? Now that I think about it, I didn''t use the ''Fire Wings'' spell continuously and didn''t even notice that. But man, these magic spells seem to be powerful enough to kill Rank above Mystics.'' He nodded thoughtfully and then turned his gaze towards other fire spell models for a while.


    ''Although [Fire Bolt] spell looks awesome, I have a feeling that [Incinerate] spell will more suitable for me.'' He thought and soon checked the number of Experience points to buy the spell model.


    ''650 Exp. A little bit expensive spell model indeed,'' He hesitated for a moment and finally chose to confirm it. A secondter, another wave of weird Runal characters appeared out of nowhere and started constructing another hexagonal spell model in his mind.


    He closed his eyes as he studied the mysterious construction of the spell model by the system for another minute and soon opened his eyes. He then grinned widely and stood up from the tiled floor.


    After that, he nced at the interface and soon checked his status window.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Afflicted by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Human


    Rank: 1 (Common)


    ss: Level 4 Apprentice Fire Mage (0/337)


    Sub-ss: Level 5 Trickster (0/506)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favourability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 111/111


    Exp: 198 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 14


    Dexterity- 15


    Constitution- 13


    Wisdom-15


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 0


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Fire Wings- 23


    Incinerate


    me Body


    Sub-ss skills:


    Magician''s Hand- 50


    Clown- 50


    Sixth Sense- 50


    Unique skills:


    Conceal- 50


    Dark Vision- 44


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 40


    Sharpshooting- 30]


    ¡­


    ''My subss skills have already reached their peak stages. As for the Main ss spells, I need to concentrate on them from now on. Although I managed toe this far due to my unique skills, I can''t rely on those too much¡­ Moreover, the [Intermediate Dagger arts] won''t be much of use for me in the future. Fire Mage Helen also mentioned in his book that the magic spells are much more powerful than normal skills and are very scary. If what he said is true, then I don''t need to rely too much on daggers and shortswords. In the future, Conceal and Inspect skills will be the ones that I need to pay more attention to.'' Charles nced at the stats window and thought deeply.


    He then took out the silver pocket watch from his void pouch and flipped it open to see the time.


    ''6.30.'' He nodded his head, walked out of his study, and went downstairs.

 Chapter 33: Fate Reader

    <h4>Chapter 33: Fate Reader</h4>


    Charles went to the kitchen room and noticed that Eve was preparing dinner for them.


    "Mom, do you need any help?" He walked on the red-carpeted floor and asked her from behind.


    Eve got startled a little as she heard his words and soon turned around with a warm smile on her face.


    "Peel the potatoes for me, son." She said while handing him a knife, a te full of well-cleaned potatoes, and a small bag to put those peeled skins.


    Charles nodded his head as he took the te, knife, and a small bag with both hands and sat on the carpeted floor. He then took a potato and started peeling it. But as he peeled the first potato, he noticed some change in his movement.


    He felt that his hands were moving like a real expert chef''s hands!


    ''Was it because of the [Magician''s Hand] skill?'' He got baffled for a moment and soon ced the peeled potato in the corner of the te. After that, he took another one and started peeling it. Within three minutes, he peeled ten potatoes and said, like a real kid,


    "It''s finished, mom."


    In the meantime, Eve turned around in confusion and soon widened her eyes in surprise!


    "That was fast¡­ Very fast." Shemented as she stared at him for a moment and soon asked,


    "How did you peel so fast?"


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at her with a grin and said proudly,


    "It''s one of the [Trickster] ss skills, mom." He paused for a second and soon asked,


    "Do you want to learn it?"


    Eve blinked her eyes in surprise as she heard her son''s question and soon shook her head.


    "It will take years for me to learn a unique skill, son. I''m already crossed 35, and by the time I learned this skill, I might be an old hag."


    Charles went silent upon hearing her words and soon nodded his head.


    "Don''t be down, Charles." She paused for a second and soon suggested,


    "How about this? Do you want to learn any unique skills from me? Although it will take some time, I know that you can learn it in a year or two."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles froze for a second and soon widened his eyes.


    "Can I?"


    "Of course, you can, silly." Eve let out a chuckle as she took a cutter board from the shelf and sat next to Charles. She then ced the cutter board on the carpeted floor, took out a peeled potato, ced it on it, and then started slicing it with a sharp silver knife. She made precise t, elongated cuts and put them in a separate bowl.


    "What is the skill name, mom?" Charles showed an excited face and asked.


    "I have one unique skill, three main ss skills, and three subss skills. Among those skills, the Astrologer ss skill called [Fate Reader] skill will be most useful for you. With this, you will be able to perceive one''s Fate. It has some restrictions, though. You can use this skill only once per day and will also receive some side effects every time."


    Charles stared at her in surprise for a moment and soon asked while furrowing his brows,


    "Side effect?"


    "Yes, when you read one''s Fate, you will somehow alter their Fate in one way or another. When that happens, you will create a coincidence. What will happen when you use this skill on multiple individuals? Everyone''s Fate will change and be a mess." She stopped her silver knife for a second and soon added while taking another peeled potato to cut.


    "That''s the reason I rarely use this skill on others. Fate is like a bunch of long threads, Charles. When you alter one thread''s movement, it will go and collide with the nearby thread and soon tangle with one another. That''s the reason for those coincidences."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles''s mind went nk for a second.


    ''Wow.'' He stared at her for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Coincidences¡­Don''t tell me-''


    "Mom, are you the one who is creating those strange coincidences?" He stared at her in shock and disbelief. He couldn''t hide his surprise because he never imagined that Eve''s skill would be powerful enough even to scare the Rank-3 mystics.


    In the meantime, Eve curled his lips upwards as she stared into his jade-like eyes and asked.


    "Do you think of me as a fool?" After asking that question, she shook her head and responded,


    "Although I created some coincidences, not all of them are created by me. There is another [Astrology] ss member lurking in this city and seems to be plotting something. Creating coincidences is not a normal matter, son. If we create too many coincidences, we must find a way to solve those coincidences. Otherwise, we wouldn''t be able to Rank up for a long time and receive a huge backsh."


    "Still, your ss looks awesome, mom." Charles was deeply impressed by the [Astrologer] series ss andmented in surprise.


    "It has its own limitations." She paused for a moment and soon asked him with a mischievous smile on her face.


    "Do you want to know about ''its'' current location?"


    ''It? Is she talking about A-035?''


    A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face as he blinked his eyes in surprise.


    She put the sliced potatoes into arge bowl and spoke while shaking her head with a smile on her face.


    "There must be some powerful peoples monitoring our movements, so don''t make any unnecessary movements for the next few days. I find out about ''It''s'' location not long ago when I noticed the sudden disappearance of an [Historian]''s Fate. About that [Historian], he told me that he is Derrick''s friend and came to our house to check about his future a week ago. Upon hearing his request, I peeked into his Fate.


    At that time, I noticed that some powerful individuals would target him and told him about the dangers. Still, his Fate didn''t change. After seeing the anomaly, I put a Fate mark on him to check and check his Fate from time to time. Not too long ago, a change urred in his Fate. No, I would say that his ''Fate'' thread was severed and became a bunch of broken strings."


    "Was it another [Astrologer] ss Mystic''s doing?" Charles interrupted her talking. Arbiter Willy''s words also appeared in his mind as he heard her words.


    "I don''t know. But that possibility is very low. Any powerful individual''s interference in a low-rank Mystic''s life will lead to the destruction of their Fate strings. As for why I mentioned about the [Historian], it''s because that he has some connection with the Red Crown, no, Holem''s Crown."


    Charles''s ears perked up as he heard her words and patiently waited for her to continue.


    "That artifact was hiding nearby when a powerful individual severed his Fate string. If you want to find that artifact, you have to search for the ce where the [Historian]''s Fate got destroyed."


    Upon hearing Eve''s words, Charles subconsciously thought of Jimmy Holmes.


    ''Wait¡­ Holmes¡­ Holem''s¡­ Something''s telling me that these two almost identical-looking names are not a coincidence¡­'' He touched his chin and fell into deep thoughts.


    "Now, do you want to learn [Fate Reader] skill?" While he was in muse, Eve ced the final potato on the cutter board and asked.


    Charles stared vacantly at her for a moment and soon said with a smile.


    "I will think about it."


    "Don''t try to learn more than three unique skills, Charles. It will only restrict you from ranking up the main ss. Concentrate on improving your main ss and subss skills." She stood up with a bowl full of sliced potato pieces and went near the heating stove after saying those words. Instead of gas, this stove operated by collecting the ''mana'' from the environment and turned them into fuel.


    In the meantime, Charles took the bag filled with potato skins, knife, and cutter board and then went near the kitchen table. After that, he put the cutter board in the sink and then transferred the potato skins into the nearby dustbin.


    When doing the job, he started to think more deeply about the [Fate Reader] skill.


    ''Although it looks awesome, it will also create more coincidences. A single misstep, I will be in deep sh*t. Moreover, Astrologer skill looked more like a troublesome maniptive one.'' He thought for a second and soon shook his head.


    ''I need to think more about choosing my final unique skill. If I choose too many unique skills, I will face difficulty when improving them using skill points.'' He nodded thoughtfully and then turned his attention to Eve.


    "Charles, take the olive oil from the cab." Before he could ask about his next job, Eve sent out an order.


    A wry smile crept on his face as he smiled lightly and squatted down to take the olive oil.


    In the meantime, Eve lit the magic stove and ced a silver cup on the blue fire. Passing the olive oil to Eve, Charles stared at the blue me for a long time and requested,


    "Mom, can you cast [Fate Reader] skill on me and peek into my future."


    Upon hearing his strange request, Eve got startled a bit and soon nodded her head.


    "Wait for a second." Saying those words, she switched off the stove and then stared deeply into his eyes before casting [Fate Reader] skill on him.


    She then closed her eyes and made different kinds of strange hand gestures. In the meantime, Charles observed her hand movements and soon noticed that her lips started to move.


    "Hmm,¡­Gloomy house¡­ Red clouds¡­ Strange creatures¡­ Dangers are lurking everywhere¡­ so are the rewards¡­ It''s going to be a long journey for you¡­ Follow the snake; you will meet a benefactor."


    Charles blinked his eyes as he heard her words and soon thought of the strange Dreamworld.


    ''I need to be extra careful when entering the Dreamworld.'' He thought to himself and soon noticed that Eve was staring at him with her deep-blue eyes.


    "What is that strange ce?" She asked with full of curiosity.


    "It''s a dream-like world, mom." He responded shortly and then fell silent. Noticing that her son was unwilling to tell her more about it, she smiled and nodded her head at his wise decision.


    "It seems that ce is very dangerous. Be careful when you go there ande back safely." Eve said as she switched on the stove and started preparing the dinner once again.


    For the next hour, Charles helped Eve in the kitchen while discussing various things and cooked six different dishes.


    Once they finished arranging the dishes in the dining hall, Charles went to Saron''s room and invited her for dinner around 8.30 P.M.


    As usual, they had their dinner silently and went on their own. Charles also went upstairs after saying goodnight to Eve Nightwind and entered his bedroom.


    Once he walked in, he locked the wooden door from inside and went near the cab to take out the ''Nightmare Stone.'' After he took out the ''Nightmare Stone,'' he turned his attention to his leather bag and took out the newly painted Observer''s dagger from it.


    ''If this dagger is with me, Russell can monitor my movements through this strange gem anytime.'' He clicked his tongue in annoyance and took out a sharp steel knife from the nearby cupboard. After that, he tried different methods and finally removed the gem from the dagger.


    ''It came out.'' He nodded with a smile as he went near the opened window and threw the gem out with full force.


    The gem made a whooshing sound and soonnded on Mr. Hunt''s residence''spound¡­


    No, it bounced twice on the concrete floor and soon flew into Mr.Hunt''s bedroom!


    Charles stared at Mr.Hunt''s bedroom for a second in a dumbfounded face and soon scratched his head awkwardly.


    ''''Will Branch Head watch live p*rn from now on?'''' He muttered out loud and then closed the curtain before turning around.


    After that, he put the dagger in his waist as he sat on the bed and then took out the void pouch from the luggage.


    ''Can I able to bring the void pouch to the Dreamworld?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon thought of testing it out. Before that, he once again went downstairs and storing a few packs of dry bread and water pouch into it. After that, he stealthily went upstairs and walked into his bedroom again.


    He then silentlyid on the bed as he held the void pouch in his right and ced the ''Nightmare Stone'' in his pant pocket.


    ''Everything is ready.'' He muttered inwardly and then closed his eyes.


    ¡­

 Chapter 34: A Weird Snake

    <h4>Chapter 34: A Weird Snake</h4>


    After an unknown amount of time, Charles opened his eyes in the gloomy room and sat up with a puzzled look on his face. Unlike thest time, he was in the wooden bed and appeared in the same cloth. He hurriedly shifted his gaze towards his right hand and smiled as he noticed that the void pouch was still in his hand.


    Within a second, he peeked inside and soon breathed out a sigh of relief as he noticed that his Ember Pistol and other things were still present inside. He then checked his pocket and became rxed as he saw that the ''Nightmare Stone'' was also still there in his pocket.


    Curling his lips upward, he walked out of bed and saw that everything around him looked gloomy as before.


    ''Gloomy house¡­'' Eve''s prophecy-like words appeared in his mind.


    ''Can I use my magic spells?'' He creased his brows for a moment and cast the ''Fire Wings'' spell.


    In a second, two crimson wings appeared behind him and illuminated the gloomy bedroom.


    Nodding his head with a pleasant smile on his face, Charles dismissed the ''Fire Wings'' spell and then cautiously walked out of his bedroom.


    He didn''t go downstairs rashly, though; instead, he peeked outside through the window and noticed that no monstrous birds or any creatures were circling in the sky.


    But he only saw some strange red clouds floating in the sky and grew solemn.


    ''Hmm, should I start searching for any clues about Eddie here? Or, should I search for the ''Snake''?'' He furrowed his brows and then went to his study room first. He didn''t make any unnecessary noise and started searching for clues in the Study.


    Due to his worst luck, he couldn''t find anything rted to Eddie Nightwind or any snake and got disappointed.


    ''Eddie Nightwind is a dreamer, so there must be something hidden in this dream world.'' He thought to himself and soon went to the storage room. He searched for clues on the second floor for an hour and soon shifted his attention to the first floor.


    After gripping the dagger in his hand, he went downstairs cautiously and soon started scouting the first floor.


    Soon, Charles frowned as he noticed that there was not even a single presence near the house.


    ''Should I go out and look outside?'' A dangerous idea appeared in his mind. But he didn''t act like an impatient kid. He first sat on the torn Ornate Sofa and looked around in puzzlement.


    ''From the outer appearance, this home seemed to be abandoned for years¡­ But why didn''t I see this sofa when I came herest time? Did someonee here and put the furniture? Even if they did, how did they get the Ornate sofa here?¡­ Think¡­ Think¡­ What did I miss?¡­'' Charles narrowed his eyes in suspicion and confusion and soon began to think from a different perspective.


    ''First, let''s see what I know about this Dreamworld and Dream¡­ First is [Dreamer] ss members. They must have some connection with this strange world. The second one is the God of Dream, Ithos. He owns the domains of Dream, Illusion, and Imagination¡­ Imagination¡­'' He paused for a moment and soon widened his eyes as he thought of a possibility.


    ''Did the changes ur due to my imagination?¡­ It''s not entirely impossible¡­ This Dreamworld can influence reality itself, so why not it can also change on its own through one person''s imagination? But, why did I appear in this house? Not the house in Earth¡­'' He pondered for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''I should think about the current situation. Can I use magic spells here? Can the cooldown be the same or it varies?'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and checked the interface.


    He then focused his attention on the [Fire Wings] spell model in the status and soon saw the details.


    ''1 minute¡­'' He stared at the cooldown time in deep thoughts and soon mumbled,


    "It looks like this world has more mana than the Edhen World." After saying those words, he stood up from the torn sofa and got ready to go out.


    He silently walked out of the reception room before looking warily at the empty yard and soon noticed a strange scene in the northern sky. He saw an enormous cone-like red tornado in the farther area, and it seemed to be moving in a particr direction while connecting its anvil with those ominous red clouds!


    ''It is farther away from the Riverdale City.'' He gulped down his saliva as he stared at the monstrous natural disaster and soon nced around his surroundings.


    ''Why there are no strange creatures in this city now?'' He took a step forward towards thepound gate and soon noticed a strange ck snake was slithering towards his direction from the right side yard!


    It was the same ck snake he saw when he came herest time! But this time, he noticed something unique about that snake. Instead of a strange diamond-like gem on its forehead area, he saw a blue-crystalline cone and got curious about its origin.


    Before he could think further, he heard an alluring female voice in his head.


    "Follow. Me."


    Charles stared at the five-meter-long ck snake in surprise for a second and soon frowned as he saw that the ck snake had already changed its direction.


    ''It talked!'' He muttered to himself in shock.


    In the meantime, the snake slithered out of thepound gate and soon entered the mud street road.


    He had vaguely guessed that there must be some intelligent lifeforms in this dream-like world and got confused by how it knew about the Blennguage.


    ''Did this snake appeared through my imagination?¡­ No¡­ That''s almost nonsensical¡­''


    "Who are you? How did you speak Blen tongue?" He asked in a suppressing tone and followed after it.


    The ck snake raised its head for a moment and soon continued to slither towards the main street.


    ''Is it ignoring me? Or, is someone controlling this snake from afar?'' He got puzzled inside and furrowed his brows.


    Before he could ask further, the ck snake muttered in a breaking female voice.


    "Dream. Lord. is. waiting. for. you."


    ''Dream Lord? Is it a title? Or, a ss name?'' He narrowed his eyes for a second and soon chose to stay silent.


    ''Looks like I need to be extra careful. Although Eve told me to follow after the snake, I don''t want to bet my life on some strange fate.'' He thought for a moment and soon halted his footsteps.


    In the meantime, the ck snake also stopped its movement and let out a loud hiss. After that, it turned around and said while flickering its tongue.


    "Danger. Hide."


    The snake slithered into the street corner and soon moved into the drainage passway after saying those words. In the meantime, Charles looked around in surprise and soon noticed a humanoid shadow wasing out from the nearby house.


    He was about to go and hide in the nearby house but soon stopped his footsteps as he knew that it would be a futile effort.


    In a second, he saw that the opposite party appeared 20 meters away from him and seemed to be holding ck darts in its hands. No, the other party was also a male human!


    He wore a ck hooded top, ck pants, and a pair of strange grey shoes. He looked around third-years old, with amber eyes, a rough face, and a lean body.


    Before he could ask any question to the opposite party, Charles''s [Sixth Sense] skill warned him about the impending danger as he bends down a bit and soon leaped towards the nearbypound wall.


    In the meantime, three ck darts flew towards the area where he stood before and soon stabbed onto the mud road. A secondter, purple gas appeared from those darts and started spreading like wildfire!


    On the other hand, Charles ced his hand on thepound wall and skillfully jumped towards the other side. After that, he didn''t dare to face the other party without having any information and thought of escaping.


    But before he could take a step forward, he saw that thepound wall started to turn minute sses and soon disappeared!


    ''Dream-rted abilities? He can manipte this illusionary world?'' Cold sweats dripped on Charles''s forehead as he turned around with a stiff smile on his face and pointed his forefinger at the enemy.


    A momentter, a ray of condensed red fire came out from his forefinger and moved towards the human at an unimaginable speed.


    It was Charles''s Rank-1 long-ranged offensive fire spell, Incinerate!


    For a moment, surprise and shock appeared on the hooded human face, and soon it turned gloomy. The hooded human then removed his ck hood while revealing his brown hair and whispered something in his mouth.


    Like a ripple, the surroundings air vibrated for a moment and soon formed into a transparent spherical shield!


    It looked more like a science fiction movie''s force field ability.


    A momentter, bang sound echoed as the fire ray collided against the sphere and the momentum threw the enemy off along with the forcefield-like sphere.


    When the hooded human snapped out from the daze, he noticed that the transparent sphere began to break like ss and widened his eyes!


    Before he could think further, he heard a strange metal clicking sound from the front. Squinting his eyes, he stood up unsteadily and locked his gaze on Charles, who was holding an odd metal scrap in his hand.


    A secondter, the brown-haired male''s instinct screamed all of a sudden to dodge the uing invisible attack!


    Horrified, the brown-haired human took a step back and tried to dodge the unknown attack by jumping towards his right side.


    But Charles didn''t even give any time for the brown-haired human and squeezed the trigger. A momentter, a sharp metal bullet came out from the Ember Pistol''s muzzle and soon collided on the strange human''s head!


    A millisecondter, another banging sound echoed as the strange human''s head shattered like a watermelon!


    [Target Eliminated! 170 Exp obtained!]


    Charles breathed as he stared at the headless corpse for two long seconds and then walked near it.


    ''Who is this?'' He raised his eyebrows in suspicion. Due to the sudden battle, he couldn''t even have any time to use his [Inspect] skill on the enemy, so he didn''t even have a single clue about why he attacked him earlier.


    "He. Is. a. Dreamer." He heard a strange breaking voice of a female and soon turned around. A weird ck snake slithered out of the drainage passway within a few seconds and soon appeared near him.


    "Dreamer?" He stared at the weird snake for a second while tilting his head and asked in confusion.


    "He. must. be. a. Rank-1. Dreamer. ss. Mystic." It replied while letting out a small hiss and then started slithering towards another direction.


    Sighing heavily, Charles followed after the weird ck snake and pondered about his previous battle.


    ''Rank-1 Dreamer ss Mystic. But why did he attack me? To rob me? If I didn''t have the Ember Pistol, I would be the one lying over there. His weird dream abilities were also powerful.'' He felt that he had to rank up quickly and increase his strength. Charles then turned his gaze towards the ck snake and asked another question as he walked on the empty main road.


    "Where did hee from?"


    "I. don''t. know." The snake spoke while slithering on the smooth mud road and soon added,


    "Maybe. from. another. ne."


    ''ne? Is it talking about another world?¡­ That''s interesting¡­'' He arched his eyebrows a little and followed after it silently.


    The duo walked out of Riverdale City through the eastern gate and soon moved into the woods.

 Chapter 35: An Irregular

    <h4>Chapter 35: An Irregr</h4>


    As they moved into the dense woods, the slithering ck snake once again spoke in a hissing voice.


    "Another. Enemy. Big. one."


    "Okay." Charles squinted his eyes as he hid behind a tree trunk and unsheathed his dagger.


    In the meantime, the ck snake circled therge tree trunk and soon turned transparent.


    "Do you have anybat skills?" Charles also cast [Conceal] skill on himself and asked the weird ck snake.


    Upon hearing his words, the ck snake moved its concealed head up and down and then spoke in the same breaking voice.


    "Dream. Hiss, Memory. Steal, Nightmare. Poison."


    ''Hmm?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in confusion and soon thought of casting inspect skill on it.


    A secondter, a row of information about this ck snake appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Name: Shadow Princess


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Dream Snake


    Rank: 1 (Common)


    ss: Level 3 Nightmare Snake (0/225)


    Health Points: 59/59


    Attributes:


    Strength- ??


    Dexterity- ??


    Constitution- ??


    Wisdom-10


    Charisma- 6


    ss skills:


    Dream Hiss- 45


    Memory Steal- 34


    Nightmare Poison- 42


    Unique Skills: None]


    ''Wow, we got a princess here.'' He stared at the snake''s name in surprise for a second and soon nced at those ss skills.


    ''Hmm, Nightmare Poison looks good. Although I don''t know how it works, at least this weird snake won''t be useless during the battle.'' He nodded thoughtfully and then looked at the enemy, who was already shrouded by shrubs and vines.


    Due to his sharp eyes, he soon saw the enemy''s appearance and sucked in a cold breath. Like the Shadow Princess had said earlier, the enemy was indeed a big one.


    It was a grey-colored horse-type creature with a single horn on its forehead. Although it looked more like a Unicorn from the fairy tales, sadly, it wasn''t. It had four creepy white eyes, scorpion-like tails, and a body of a zebra. It looked around five meters tall as a giraffe and appeared more like a horse from someone''s nightmare.


    ''Well, it might really be created from someone''s nightmare, though.'' He let out a silent sigh and then cast inspect skill on it.


    A secondter, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.


    ''Inspection failed. It means this weird horse is a peak Rank-2 creature or Rank-3 creature.'' He thought that retreating was the best option and said to the Shadow Princess in a suppressing voice.


    "This creature is way above our strength. Is there any other way to go to your Dream Lord''s residence?"


    The ck snake weirdly tilted its head to show its confusion and soon nodded its head. After that, it slowly slithered from the tree trunk and started moving in a different direction. In the meantime, Charles followed after it with light footsteps and soon noticed that they were moving in a familiar path.


    ''Isn''t this the way to out Wind Vi?'' He furrowed his brows in surprise for a moment and soon concluded.


    ''I thought that this Dream Lord has some connection with Eddie Nightwind. Now, it confirmed my suspicion. Hmm, I can''t rule out the possibility that some other guy is manipting me behind the scenes and trying to lure me into this dream world. But that possibility is very low. If such a guy really wants to harm me and find more information about me, he could have extracted my memories using strange mind-rted methods.'' He thought to himself as he soon saw a muddy path in front of him.


    The weird Shadow Princess didn''t exin anything as it simply slithered towards the muddy path and soon moved on the mud path. With a helpless look on his face, Charles wore a wry smile and followed after the snake. The gloomy way soon came to an end as therge mansion-like building stood blocking their path. It was a two-storied building and appeared very eerie and gloomy. Multiple creatures with different looks roamed in the yard, and Charles even saw some humanoid creatures cutting the ck leaves of the nightmarish ornamental nts.


    ''What the hell did the Dream Lord turned this ce into?'' He stared at those creatures with a stupefied face for a moment and soon walked in.


    The duo walked past many strange ck dogs, goats, three-headed orc-like creatures, and even old-looking women with fish bodies and soon arrived under the slightly tilted porch.


    "Go. In." The ck snake said slowly and then went in a different direction. In the meantime, Charles turned the doorknob, pushed it forward, and opened the door with a click. After that, he went to the reception hall with arge chandelier floating at the center and soon looked up at the split staircase.


    Without even looking at the surrounding rooms, he walked ahead and soon stepped on the stairs. He walked on the stairs with loud footsteps and soon reached the second floor. He paused for a second to recall Charles'' memories about this Wind Vi and soon found out the study room''s location. Nodding his head, he gripped the dagger hilt with his right hand and started walking on the right-side hallway.


    After walking for a while, he soon appeared in front of a wooden panel door and knocked it twice.


    "You are sharp, visitor." An old, ancient voice filled with the power of dominance came from inside, and soon the door opened with a click, leaving a small creaky noise behind.


    Charles''s gaze swept past the table and soonnded on a white-robed man. He showed his back to him and seemed to be looking at the outside world through the opened window. He hadbed straight ck hair and looked around 187 cm tall.


    Furrowing his brows, Charles took a step forward and walked into the study. He soon appeared in front of the table, pulls over the wooden chair, and sat on it. Following that, he took out the Ember Pistol from his void pouch and ced it on the table.


    His calm action even surprised the mysterious old man!


    Turning around, the mysterious ck-haired old man stared into his eyes and said in deliberation.


    "You look calm¡­ Very calm¡­Why?"


    Charles smiled instead of responding and then asked after a short pause.


    "Why did you invite me here, Dream Lord? Or, should I call you as Eddie Nightwind?"


    A look of amusement appeared on the old man''s square face as he closed his monolid blue eyes for a second and soon opened while asking.


    "How did you find out?" His wrinkled face was filled with full of confusion and curiousness.


    Charles curled his lips upwards as he leaned on the wooden chair and started talking with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "I guessed with all those small clues left behind by you. First, your strange prophecy and our coincidental appearance around this time to Riverdale city gave me a big clue. Moreover, my mother''s intuition on buying this vi and our current house from the previous owner¡­ It looked more like someone with a higher power forced thend on us in the name of intuition. Unlike others, I somehow felt that someone was manipting us from behind the scenes and led us to this city using some strange, mysterious power like ''Fate.'' After watching my mother''s skills, I knew that it is possible in this magical world. You are one of those suspects.


    Second, It''s about the Holem''s Crown. If I''m not wrong, you must have left the Series-A artifact in Riverdale City to achieve specific goals. To aplish those goals, you need one of your descendants'' help. Although your reason about saving the world from its doom sounds reasonable for others, I don''t believe in such bullsh*ts.


    And about the third clue, it''s the ''Nightmare Stone.'' If you have put that stone in some hidden ce and made someplex mechanism to open it with your descendants'' blood or something, I would have believed it. But when Bishop Reynolds told me that he found the ''Nightmare Stone'' in Wind Vi, I almost felt that you are the one responsible for pulling strings."


    Eddie''s lips twitched as he heard that his descendant pointed out his mistakes like an expert teacher.


    "Impressive." That what all he could say as he felt ashamed of admitting his defeat. But soon he shook his head and spoke,


    "You are indeed smart. But you are wrong about one thing." He paused for a second and continued with a solemn tone.


    "I''m not Eddie Nightwind. I''m nothing but a remnant of his memories with a separate consciousness. Incarnation should be the best word for it."


    "Incarnation?" Charles raised his eyebrows at the new term as he straightened his back a little and asked in curiosity.


    In the meantime, Eddie Nightwind walked near the wooden table, pulled another chair from the side, and sat on it.


    "Yes, I''m nothing but a powerless incarnation. My true body died in the strange dimension when battling against the World Eater." He paused as he saw the puzzlement on Charles''s face and continued with a sigh,


    "Let''s talk about the World Eaterter. Now, after the death of my true body, all the remaining incarnations and avatars started to destroy one by one. But I entered the Woolbringer World and survived by absorbing the memories of other creatures and humans. Then, I slowly umted my strength by gaining different experiences from others and soon formed a fake soul. That is the current me."


    Charles widened his eyes for a moment and then asked in surprise.


    "Why did you lie to others then?"


    Eddie nced at him for a second and soon changed the topic.


    "Let''s talk about you, now. What''s your name? Why did you change so suddenly? What''s the cause of your Irregrity?"


    Charles''s lips twitched as he heard Eddie''s questions and soon shook his head.


    "I''m Charles Nightwind. As for why did I change, it''s the situations that forced me to walk on another path." He replied vaguely.


    Stroking his beardless chin, Eddie Nightwind sighed in disappointment and then pped his hands. A heartbeatter, two sses of ck teacups appeared on the table, causing Charles to widen his eyes a little.


    "Creation Magic? Or, Teleportation?" Charles then asked in curious.


    "Creation Magic? Do you even know how absurd your thinking is? Do you think of me as a creator of this universe?" Eddie almost lost his cool as he stared at his descendant with daggering eyes and then exined with a sigh.


    "This is the power of ''Dream''¡­No, ''Imagination'' should be the right term for it." He took one ck teacup from the table and passed it to Charles after saying those words.


    In the meantime, Charles took the cup, blew some air to break the surface bubbles, and then took a sip.


    "It looks so real. Can I also learn this skill?" Hemented in surprise and then asked.


    Eddie, who was about to take the other cup, stopped his hand and said in a surprising tone.


    "I''m really starting to wonder if you really are my descendant." He paused for a moment as he took the cup from the table, moved it towards his mouth, took a sip, and then added.


    "The answer to your question is, no. Unless you be a [Dreamer] ss Mystic, It''s really is impossible to learn anything about the power of ''Imagination''."


    Charles got disappointed a little upon hearing Eddie''s words and soon changed the topic.


    "So, why did you lie to everyone about the Edhen world? Was that a made-up story?"


    "No, the destruction of our world is bound to happen in the future. At first, my memories about the ''World Eater'' were disappeared. No, I would say that the real ''Eddie'' sealed my memories. The real ''Eddie'' must have anticipated the original body''s demise and made some n. After entering this Woolgatherer world, I instinctively absorbed memories of other creatures and started improving my ranks.


    After reaching a certain level, I suddenly recalled my battle with the World Eater and got anxious about our world''s destruction. After making a detailed n, I returned to Edhen World, warned my friends about the destruction, and went out to the Endless Sea to search for the ''Myth Tree.'' In truth, I used that reason as an excuse and returned to the Dreamworld. After that, I used one of my remaining unique skills and started seeing the future changes continuously."


    "What are the futures did you see?" Charles interrupted his talking.


    "Most of them are Edhen World''s destruction. But I also some Irregrs in the vision and was greatly impressed by their irregrities. Many of them were not restricted by the strings of Fate and even made a great mess in the timeline. Among those irregrities, only one guy caught my attention." He closed his eyes for a second and then finished in a solemn tone.


    "Not you. He is an Elf and also an Irregr."

 Chapter 36: Holems Crown

    <h4>Chapter 36: Holem''s Crown</h4>


    "Elven Irregr? Are you talking about the Elves from the Ancient Legends?" Charles widened his eyes in surprise and asked.


    Eddie also started by Charles''s knowledge about Elves and nodded in appreciation.


    "Yes, I saw that vision 500 years ago. Suddenly, an elf appeared from the City of Miracles and then ascended to a God in less than a decade. He then stood beside humanity during thest nar invasion and helped us repel those foreign invaders. By the nature of Fate, he shouldn''t havee to our world and caused a variable in the timeline. But he came to our world a few centuries ago and made a name for himself." He deliberated for a second and then added in a deep tone,


    "He now goes by the title ''Sun God''."


    ''Sun God again?'' He took a note of this Sun God and thought of staying away from him in the future.


    "Why are mentioning him now?" Charles felt confused by his ancestor''s words and asked.


    "Well, you are the second ''Irregr'' that piqued my interest when I was looking into the future visions. Unlike the other visions, I saw a vague shadow of myself or my family member in one vision. After finding out that the ''Irregr'' will be my descendant, I made a n and created the prophecy like I normally do. After that, I didn''t interfere in any of the real-world matters and mostly secluded myself here in this Dream World. I indeed wrote the prophecy. But, I''m not the one who led you and your mom to this city."


    Turning his face solemn, Charles nodded his head and soon asked,


    "What about Holem''s Crown? Why is it sneaking inside the Riverdale city?"


    Eddie Nightwind''s face went dark as he heard that name, and soon he spoke with a sigh,


    "That artifact¡­ Before I tell you about that artifact, I will tell you about how I obtained it. When I found the Holem''s Crown, it was drifting in outer space towards an unknown destination. I tried to capture it, but it retaliated with full power. A fierce battle happened in the void, and finally, I managed to capture it in a sealed Time Stone. But, I soon realized that I don''t have the power to maintain the sealed Time Stone. In the meantime, Holem''s Crown also felt the danger and made a suggestion.


    It said that it would surrender to me in exchange for its future freedom. Holem''s Crown told me that it could create ''Miracles'' by stealing lucks of other peoples and tempted me to sign an Abyssal contract. I was a little naive back then, so I fell for its trap. But I did some tricks before signing the contract, though. That''s the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life." Eddie let out a bitterugh and continued with a deep sigh.


    "I tricked the Holem''s Crown by creating a realistic illusion and showed it to create ten miracles for me and my descendants to get its freedom." He paused for a moment and spoke while scratching his head,


    "In reality, I altered the condition and added two zeros after 10."


    "1000 Miracles?!" Even Charles lost his calm for a second and stared at his ancestor full of respect and awe.


    "You are the real Trickster!" He was astounded by Eddie''s evil trick.


    "Well, I should have prepared for the consequence when I tricked the Series-A Artifact to sign a ve-like contract. When I dismissed the illusion, it almost went on a rampage, so do I." He heaved a heavy sigh as he said that.


    Charles narrowed his eyes at his words and asked while creasing his brows.


    "What do you mean by ''So do I''?"


    Eddie stood up from his seat as he shook his head, went near to stand while facing his back against him, and said in a gloomy tone.


    "Like me, it also used a strange method and altered a condition. The condition is that after creating a miracle, the user has to bear the consequence." He paused for a moment and soon said while shaking his head.


    "User will be the Unlucky one."


    Upon hearing those words, a chill went up to Charles''s spines!


    ''Unlucky?¡­ Unlucky Star?¡­'' He froze for a second and soon asked a strange question.


    "Ancestor, do you know anyone from the Holmes family?"


    "Why do you ask?" Turning around, Eddie asked in a surprised face and soon answered.


    "It''s been a long time since I heard that word. Marie Holmes¡­ She is my second daughter and was married to Holmes Family under this artifact''s proposal. It was a political marriage and I agreed to it without putting much thought into it. In two years, she suddenly became ill and soon died of an unknown curse. After her death, I lost contact with that family and even lost some clue to find the culprit." After saying those words, he even created his daughter''s virtual video and showed it to him. It was a video with realistic sound effects.


    As he saw the virtual video, Charles''s mind went nk for a moment.


    She had long ck hair, an oval face, tan skin, and deep-set jade eyes like Charles''s. But what caused him to be stunned was her facial appearance.


    ''Her face looks almost simr to me. If not for the tan skin, ck hair, big breast, and female gender, she and I would look like identical twins.''


    Eddie noticed his puzzlement, let out a chuckle, and replied while dismissing the video by waving his hand.


    "Most of our family members have some simr facial appearances, so it''s not a rare thing in this magical world."


    Nodding his head, Charles pinched his chin and asked,


    "Can you tell me more about her? What main ss did she choose? What did she like most? Whom did she love in her childhood life? What is her sub-ss?"


    Eddie went silent upon hearing his strange request and sighed after a long silence. He couldn''t even able toprehend what the hell did his descendant was thinking in his mind and becamepletely stupefied. After thinking for a moment, he gave up on understanding Charles''s character and started talking.


    "She is a very active one and always loves eating sweet items. As for her main ss, she is a [Psychologist] ss mystic and has one powerful unique skill. It has some rtion with the power of ''Time''. As for her sub-ss, it is the [Fire Mage] ss. You have many simrities with her characters and even sses. If you were a girl, I would have thought of you as Marie''s reincarnation."


    Charles went silent for a long time and soon began to think.


    ''Simrities¡­ Well, we are from the same family, so there is nothing strange about having simr characters and simr facial appearances. Now, my main problem is A-035¡­ Holem''s Crown¡­Jimmy Holmes¡­ Jimmy might be the descendant of Marie Holmes¡­ It also indicates that he has the blood of Eddie Nightwind¡­ But somehow, Holem''s Crown didn''t choose him as a sessor and took him as a temporary host¡­ No, that doesn''t add up¡­ There must be some other reason. It might have chosen Jimmy Holmes as a temporary owner for another purpose. Why did it choose me as its sessor?''


    He furrowed his brows in suspicion and soon asked,


    "Ancestor, did Marie have any children?"


    Puzzlement crossed Eddie''s face as he heard strange questions from Charles.


    "No, she didn''t have any children." He shook his head and went silent.


    In the meantime, Charles felt more confused.


    ''Then, why did it choose Jimmy Holmes? What did I miss now?'' He also stood up from his seat and walked near Eddie Nightwind. He then peeked at the odd tornado and red clouds for a second and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Holem''s¡­ Holmes¡­ What if the Holmes family''s original name was Holem in the first ce? I also heard that some humans came from other worlds after the destruction of the first Arcane Empire and became Edhen World''s residents¡­ What if the Holem''s Crown was an artifact owned by the Holem Family long ago but somehow got lost in time and space? That''s not entirely impossible¡­ And by some ''Miracle'', Eddie Nightwind found that artifact in the space and brought it to Edhen World where its real owner was¡­Did it manipte the ''Fate'' itself and made contact with Holmes'' family through the political marriage of Marie Holmes? What the f*ck? From when did I start overthinking? But I don''t think that it''s a mere coincidence¡­'' His lips trembled as he came to a daring conclusion.


    ''Holem''s Crown might be plotting something big¡­ Really big¡­'' His heart thumped harder as he rubbed his sweaty hands and soon asked,


    "Is there a way to control that artifact, Ancestor?"


    Upon hearing his question, Eddie curled his lips upward and said with a smile.


    "Yes. You can control it by tricking the artifact once again."


    "You are dreaming. Do you think it is very easy to trick the tricked one?" Charles almost got angry at Eddie''s reckless proposal.


    An amusing smile appeared on Eddie''s face as he shook his head and asked,


    "Do you know why I made such aplicated n to contact you instead of just appearing in front of you?"


    Charles stared at the nightmarish yard for a second and soon frowned.


    Noticing his frown, Eddie let out a chuckle and said while waving his hand.


    "Do you think that it is easy to trick a Series-A artifact?"


    "No. Unless you are a legendary trickster, it will be very difficult to trick an intelligent artifact." Charles shook his head and said solemnly.


    "Correct. You see, the Holem''s Crown uses some strange method to detect its owner or its inheritor. During the past hundreds of years, I studied its strange mechanism and finally made a breakthrough. I tried many methods and finally managed to find a solution." He paused in deliberation and soon took out a reddish paper from the nearby cupboard.


    "And, what''s that?" Charles asked in curiosity.


    "It''s a fake Abyssal contract. Like other artifacts, this Holem''s Crown seems to have some weakness against illusion-rted things. So, what if we use a contract made of ''Illusion'' and ''Imagination'' to trick the Holem''s Crown instead of taking risks?"


    Charles got more or less confused by his words and stared at him with a clueless face.


    Eddie shook his head and then started to speak.


    "You see, this world is not some normal world. The Woolbringer world is somewhat linked to all the nes in the universe and can influence reality itself. Abyss and hell are not exceptions. There is also a strange Abyss-like Superior world hidden somewhere in this Dreamworld. It''s the real power of ''Imagination'' and ''Dreams''. I already created an Abyssal Contract with the Dreamworld power through countless trials and errors and now waiting for a suitable candidate toplete the task. What do you think? Can you do it?"


    Charles went silent upon hearing the old man''s question.


    ''Although he is speaking honestly, I can''t show any recklessness.'' He thought to himself and posed a question.


    "What would you gain by helping me take full control over the Holem''s Crown?"


    A sly smile crept on the old man''s wrinkled face as he stared at him for a moment and then said calmly.


    "That artifact can create miracles, so I need you to create a veryrge miracle for me when I''m trying toplete a ritual."


    "Ritual?" Charles blinked his eyes in surprise.


    "Yes, it''s a ritual to turn my false soul into a true one with the power of ''Imagination'' and ''Dreams''. Unlike other rituals, this ritual is a veryplex one, and the possibility of seeding is almost zero." Eddie deliberately paused for a second and continued with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "Unless a big ''Miracle'' happens, it will definitely end up as a failure."


    Charles thought for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Big Miracle¡­ He is the one who needs the A-035 artifact most, but it seems he didn''t have the power to capture it¡­ No, the Holem''s Crown might have already sensed his death and the present ''Him'' might not have the power to control it¡­ Yeah, he is just an incarnation of Eddie Nightwind and also a fake soul, not a real one¡­'' Multiple thoughts whirled in his mind as he understood Eddie''s n.

 Chapter 37: Dream Creator

    <h4>Chapter 37: Dream Creator</h4>


    Charles took the red-colored contract from Eddie''s hand and started reading it.


    After reading the contract for a whole minute, he went silent for a while. Like he had expected, the main owner of A-035 would be himself and would have the power topletely control the Series-A Artifact. That would be only possible when he sessfully tricks the Artifact to sign the contract.


    "This is too good. It is more like a servitude contract for the Holem''s Crown. Do you think that A-035 would be willing to ept this contract?" He asked while sharpening his gaze towards the outside.


    "You are right. But when you show this contract to A-035, it won''t see the real content. You can write what rubbish you want to write and trick that artifact into signing it. But you have to act carefully and make it believe that the contents are not too good. If you made a mistake when showing the contract, the Holem''s Crown will be on guard and might find out about our real n."


    Charles nodded his head solemnly and then cast [Inspect] skill to check if the contract was real or fake.


    [Name: Contract of Imagination


    Rank: ????


    Effects: It''s an absolute contract and has power equal to the Abyssal Contract. It has the power of ''Imagination'' to deceive the opposite party and make them believe whatever you write.]


    ''This is a real and a very powerful contract¡­'' He nodded as he stored it in his void pouch and then asked another question to rify his doubt.


    "Why aren''t you doing it on your own? Is it rted to your true soul?"


    Eddie smiled as he nodded his head and spoke.


    "Yes. I also don''t want others to know that my original body and three avatars have already died. My mere incarnation has only the strength of a [Dream Creator], and I won''t be able to stay in the Edhen World for too long. But once I convert my fake soul into a true one, I will be able to rank up once again and be a true [Dream Lord]. If I managed to create a physical body in the real world, I might be an [Imaginary Lord] and will walk on the Edhen World like a normal Mystic one day."


    Charles''s heart stirred as he heard those new terms and began to organize his thoughts.


    ''Those titles must be the [Dreamer] ss rank names. [Dreamer] is a Rank-1 ss. What about the 2nd Rank ss name? Rank-3?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon asked.


    "Which rank is [Dream Creator] ss, Ancestor?"


    A look of puzzlement appeared on Eddie''s face as he stared at him for a moment and soon spoke with a sigh.


    "It seems you are clueless about the Gem ss ranks. [Dream Creator] is a rank 5 ss. Now that I think about it, you are still an [Apprentice Fire Mage], aren''t you?" After sizing him up and down for a second, Eddie asked.


    "Yes, Ancestor." Charles didn''t find anything abnormal and replied honestly.


    "Good. Fire Mage is a good ss." Eddie nodded thoughtfully and soon gave a suggestion.


    "When you have enough material do the ritual for Elemental Heart Creation,e here. I will give you a particr fire elemental ne''s coordinates. That''s all I can do to help my descendant."


    "Thank you, Ancestor." Charles felt a strange warm emotion appeared in his heart as he heard Eddie''s suggestion and thanked him subconsciously.


    After that, he thought for a moment and soon asked questions while pointing his forefinger towards the yard.


    "What are these weird creatures? Are these the original residence of Nightmare World?"


    A proud look bloomed on Eddie''s face as he heard those words.


    "They are my new creations. When someone dreams, they will subconsciously create some living illusions through the power of ''Imagination'' and ''Dreams.'' Although they would be just temporary illusions, I made some alterations in those illusion creatures and let them evolve like me. That ck snake is also created by this method when you came to this Dreamworldst time."


    "Oh? But why is there no human in the crowd?" Charles looked at those different types of creatures and posed another question.


    "Humans, huh. They are not trustworthy." Eddie instantly shook his head and replied.


    "Are there any native species in this world?" Charles wandered his gaze towards the outer Dreamworld and soon asked while staring at the strange typhoon in interest.


    "Yes, there are many types of Nightmare Creatures, Dream Wanderers, and Trouble Makers roaming in this world. They were born from strong emotions of someone''s dream and then evolved into powerful creatures naturally. Oh, they also have true souls. Due to them created by the power of ''Imagination,'' they aren''t restricted by the Dreamworld and even have some terrifying abilities. If you met any of these weird native creatures, don''t try to confront it." Eddie turned his face seriously and gave him a warning.


    Charles widened his eyes and nodded his head gravely. After that, he turned his gaze towards his Ember Pistol and asked casually.


    "Can you help me upgrade this Pistol, Ancestor? The cool-down time is too long."


    Eddie narrowed his eyes as he walked near the table, picked up the Ember Pistol, and then started inspecting it.


    "Hmm, they used Runal characters to create a good mechanical weapon. Let''s see if I can infuse my ''Imagination'' power and make some changes." After saying those words, Eddie created different characters in the air using a needle-like quill and started sending them into his Ember Pistol. Like butterflies, those weird characters surrounded the Ember Pistol for some time and soon absorbed into the grip area. Once those characters were absorbed into the Pistol''s grip, Eddie nodded his head with a pleasant smile on his face and said.


    "You are a Fire Mage, so I added a particr Fire ne''s coordinates as an imprint in weapon and made a few changes. So, from now on, the Pistol will absorb the ''Fire elemental energy'' from the Fire ne through the imprint and increase the destructive power up to three folds of your attack magic spell. That''s only for now. If you increase your rank, it will also grow alongside you. I also put your soul mark on it. So it will be bounded to you from now on, and no one can steal it from you. As for changing the cool-down time, it''s almost impossible for me. If I try to alter those Runal characters, this weapon might get destroyed instead."


    Upon hearing Eddie''sst sentence, Charles didn''t get depressed. Instead, he smiled widely and agreed.


    ''It''s a perfect trump card for me. Although the destructive power from the condensed mana bullet is higher than the current bullet, it won''t be useful in the future if I didn''t alter it now.'' He curled his lips upward and took the Ember Pistol from Eddie.


    After that, he asked few more doubts about Dreamworld and then asked another important question.


    "Ancestor, can you tell me more about the so-called ''Irregrs''? Why do you call me and the mysterious ''Sun God'' as ''Irregrs''?"


    Rubbing his temte, Eddie thought for a moment and said solemnly,


    "Unlike normal Mystics, you can''t measure the ''Irregrs'' strength by normal means. They will grow at an abnormal speed, their actions will always be unpredictable, and they also can control their own fates. Even I don''t know much about these Irregrs."


    ''Control their own fates, huh¡­'' Charles creased his brows in surprise and soon nodded in understanding.


    Both then discussed for another hour, and soon Charles found out more interesting information about the Dreamworld.


    The first one was about the ''Time'' anomaly in this Dream World. Due to this world''s strangeness, ''Time'' would flow sometimes faster while other times slower. No one, not even a mighty [Dream Lord], had the power to influence it. He also mentioned that there would be a time when he would have the possibility of encountering past, present, and future worlds! Although it was a rare urrence, Eddie said that it did happen sometimes. As for why it was happening, he said that it had something to do with a mysterious Time God.


    The second one was a strange thing called ''World Eater.'' Eddie mentioned that the ''World Eater'' was a strange creature in space and had the power to swallow everything in its path. He mentioned that it looked like arge ckish round thing, and it even absorbed his most devastating attack into its belly. Eddie said that this strange ''World Eater'' was drifting in the space and appeared to be moving in Edhen World''s direction.


    Charles instantly thought of the ''ckhole'' and became more curious about the origin of this ''World Eater.''


    Thest one he talked about was the ''Divinities'' and Divine Path. Unlike the ss-gem Path, Divine Path was forbidden and a dangerous one. To walk on this divine path, one needs to collect divinities from many parts of the universe. Divinities were very rare to find and were dangerous things to touch. Eddie told him that it was a separate path from the ss gem path and had severe restrictions. He also warned Charles not to absorb any divinity even if he stumbled upon one and told him always to be wary of the Divines.


    Eddie then put a ''Star Mark'' on Charles''s right hand and said in a solemn tone after exchanging few words.


    "This is the Mark of Imagination. Once you activate this ''Mark'' when disguising, you will have an easy time disguising yourself as another person and could trick others easily. Whoever sees you will be affected by this ''Mark of Imagination'' and would never suspect of you as a disguised person. But be careful of its cool-down, though. You can use this Mark only once a day. Once this Mark is activated, you will be in that state for 2 hours, and then the ''Mark'' will be deactivated on its own. So, use it properly."


    ''Mark of Imagination¡­'' Charles suddenly stopped thinking and stared at Eddie with wide eyes.


    "Did you influence my thoughts with your power of ''Imagination''?"


    ''After I came to this ce, I acted very differently. I felt as if the person in front of me was my closest person and could always trust him with my life on the line¡­ Dangerous! Is he controlling my emotions?''


    Noticing the change in his facial expression, Eddie waved his hand and said with a smile.


    "If I didn''t use the power of ''Imagination'' to make you believe my words, you wouldn''t have listened to my words and might be scheming in your mind by now. I''m not a smart one, so I have no other choice." He paused for a moment as he saw the sudden vignce in Charles''s face and sighed heavily.


    "I will be honest with you now, Charles. The reason I brought you here is not to kill you or control you. I brought you here to achieve something, and once we achieve that, we will be walking in different paths."


    Charles grew warier as he heard Eddie''s words and soon realized that he was nothing in front of this powerful old man.


    ''Yes, he is indeed somewhat polite whenparing to other Mystics. At least, he hasn''t shown any ill intention against me other than manipting my emotions to trust his words.''


    After thinking for a moment, Charles thanked Eddie Nightwind for his earlier help and soon asked him about the ''Time'' difference between this dream and the outside world. If it was some other mystics, they would have kept their mouth silent and won''t even dare to interact with a dangerous person. But Charles knew that every piece of information was precious, so he didn''t hold back and asked him.


    To his surprise, Eddie told him that when someone enters the DreamWorld using the ''Nightmare Stone,'' they will be able to stay here for a week without any restriction.


    But during the time, the ''Time'' difference will vary from minutes, days, or even weeks in Edhen World. Eddie then told Charles that if he wants to return to Edhen World, he must return to the ce where he first woke up in the Dreamworld. Otherwise, his consciousness would be destroyed by the Dreamworld''s Will, and his real soul would also receive a heavy injury in return. Eddie also told him that If his soul was in a weaker state, the possibility of him dying in the real world was very high.


    Once the discussion was over, Eddie informed him that the current ''Time'' variation between Dream World and Edhen World was not abnormal, so he advised Charles to return to Riverdale City in four days and then disappeared from the study room. Charles stayed alone in the study for some time and started to return to his normal self. As his original emotions began to return, Charles''s face went gloomy and cold.


    ''He is indeed influenced my emotions to believe his wordspletely¡­ Thankfully, he isn''t a psychopath. Otherwise, I would be dead or enved by now. Hmm, from his earlier words, I can guess that he is indeed in dire need of my help. Well, as long as he didn''t double-cross me, I won''t make any rash moves against him. His abilities to create things out of nothing through ''Imagination'' power are indeed terrifying. But there must be some restrictions to use those abilities in Edhen World. If he is powerful in creating things out of ''Imagination,'' he would have stormed into the Edhen World and captured that A-035 on his own.'' He turned his face solemn and heaved a heavy sigh.


    Shaking his head, Charles then walked out of the study room, went downstairs through the split staircase, and sat on a smooth sofa. After that, he thought of spending the time inside and improved his spell models using the Runalnguage knowledge. He felt that this was also an opportunity to improve his spells and study the spell models.


    He stayed mostly in the reception hall while eating the dry bread from time to time and improved his offensive spell model. Due to his hard work and persistence, he finally managed to master the [Incinerate] spell model on the third day. Once hepletely mastered the offensive spell, he didn''t shift his attention to other spell models. Instead, he took out the magic book called Starfall Codex and started flipping the pages.


    Unlike the spell models, the Starfall Codex was written in clear Runal words and appeared more like poetry verses. He saw many magic spells'' incantation verses and also noticed the warnings. Each spell verse had some cool-down time and restrictions. If you take the Rank-1 [Confusion] spell as an example, it had a cool-down of two hours, and one needs to have the Wisdom power of 12.


    That precise number gave Charles a huge surprise. From Emilia''s words, he learned that normal mystics had no idea about measuring one''s Wisdom power. But the book owner seemed to have already aware of the secrets behind Wisdom Power. He looked at those spells one by one and soon found out that he could only use five spells from the Starfall Codex book with the Wisdom of 15. Among those five spells, one was a Titan''s offensive bloodline spell, two Rank-1 supportive spells, and two Rank-1 agility-types spells.


    The time passed slowly, and soon Charles''s time to walk out of the dream also came.

 Chapter 38: Abnormal Battle

    <h4>Chapter 38: Abnormal Battle</h4>


    After saying goodbye to Eddie Nightwind, who just happened to pass by, Charles stood up from the sofa and walked out of the two-storied building. To his surprise, he noticed that the five-meter-long ck snake was waiting for him at the entrance and smiled subconsciously.


    "We meet again, Shadow Princess." He said while stepping on the greyish yard.


    "Meet. again." As usual, the weird snake said in a breaking female tone and then slithered after him.


    Both soon appeared out of the Wind Vi and soon went into the dense woods. Unlike thest time, they didn''t meet any dangers on their way to Riverdale City and soon reached the City entrance.


    But as soon as he stepped in, a chilly wind blew past him and gave him a dangerous premonition.


    "Go back. I will go on my own." This time, he muttered hurriedly as his gaze swept past the buildings and soonnded on a Dark Wolf-like creature. Its fur was a mixture of dark and grey color and appeared around 2 meters tall and four meters long. It stood on the mud main street road and appeared to be in the middle of eating its prey!


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, the Shadow Princess nodded its head, slithered around, and soon moved in another direction.


    Heaving a heavy sigh, Charles gripped his dagger tighter and then cast the [Inspect] skill on it.


    A secondter, hisplexion turned gloomy as he noticed that the [Inspect] skill had failed.


    ''It means that the Dark Wolf''s Wisdom is higher than mine. It is most likely a peak-level Rank-2 creature. If it is a Rank-3 creature, I would be in deep sh*t.'' He muttered to himself as he cast [Conceal] skill on himself and then crept towards the Dark Wolf like a sneaky cat. At that time, a bold idea appeared in his mind.


    ''Should I kill it using this upgraded gun and my [Incinerate] spell? Although these creatures are tougher to kill, I don''t think it is entirely impossible. Moreover, this one is already injured by its prey.'' He instantly calmed down his mind and soon noticed something was affecting his inner feeling. Unlike before, Charles sensed that this emotion was urging him to act against that Dark Wolf!


    ''Why did I think of such a dangerous idea?'' He was about to question himself but soon felt an irresistible urge to attack the Dark Wolf. Before he could understand it, his hand pulled out the Ember Pistol from the void pouch, aimed at the Dark Wolf''s forehead, and turned the hammer before pulling the trigger.


    BANG!


    A loud explosion echoed in a moment, and soon a red bullet came out of the Ember pistol''s Muzzle and tore through the air towards the creature at an unimaginable speed!


    In the meantime, Charles felt an irresistible urge to kill the Dark-Wolf creature and got both anxious and excited.


    ''My thoughts are deviating¡­If this wolf is a Rank-3 creature, I will gain thousands of experience points¡­Staying here is too dangerous and confronting this creature is a terrible idea¡­ I need to escape now¡­ No, this is a good opportunity. I''m very confident in killing it now¡­''


    Charles''s mind went chaos for a moment.


    ''No¡­I can''t end it like this¡­'' Suddenly, he made another bold decision as the crimson fire bulletnded on the Dark-wolf''s forehead.


    ''I will kill it for real.'' Both emotions became one as he stared at the wounded Dark-Wolf and sprinted towards it while unsheathing the dagger.


    In the meantime, the Dark-Wolf let out a loud howl in anger, turned its monstrous head, and then leaped towards his direction while opening its hideous mouth.


    ''Damn it, if I get near recklessly, I will die here for sure¡­ I have to think of another n.'' He instantly cast his [Fire Wings] spell and pped it forcefully.


    He then managed to evade the Dark-Wolf''s monstrous mouth in a hairbreadth and hovered up in the sky. Although he managed to escape from the Dark Wolf, he felt that his inner emotion was acting weirdly and urging him to it quickly.


    Resisting the desire to kill, he stared at the Dark-Wolf for a moment and soon noticed a bloody crack on its forehead. Dark blood filled with nasty disgusting smells gushing out from its forehead and caused strange dizziness to Charles.


    Charles bit his tongue to stay calm and then pointed his forefinger at the Dark-Wolf. If it were any other Fire Mage, he wouldn''t have enough confidence to kill this creature in one go. But Charles was a strange guy and had multiple unique skills.


    For a moment, the pupil inside his jade eyes shrunk as he aimed at the Dark-Wolf''s wounded area and got ready to cast the [Incinerate] spell on the Dark Wolf at any time. Simultaneously, he took out a strange ck-covered book from his void pouch and started chanting in the Runalnguage.


    A momentter, a condensed ray of fire appeared from his forefinger and soon moved towards the Dark-Wolf!


    Perceiving the threat, the Dark-Wolf looked up at the crimson bird-like human in anger and soon discovered that the danger was from the human''s forefinger.


    It was about to evade the uing attack using its [Dream Walking] skill, but soon its thoughts went disarray. It suddenly felt that it couldn''t move its body at all! No, the Dark-Wolf got confused all of a sudden and couldn''t able to think properly!


    It was the Rank-1 ''Confusion'' spell from the Starfall Codex magic book!


    Before it could wake up from the dazed state, [Incinerate] spell ray entered the Dark-Wolf''s cracked forehead and soon burned it from the inside.


    A heavy pain assaulted the Dark-Wolf as it howled in pain and anger and started banging its head in the nearby building walls. Stones and rubbles flew in different directions and destroyed the nearby buildings.


    Charles curled his lips upward as he saw the Dark-Wolf''s action, took out a card from the void pouch, and activated it by crushing it a bit.


    A heartbeatter, hundreds of green vines, ck vines, and grey vines popped out from the ground one by one and soon slithered towards the Dark-Wolf.


    Within seconds, all those vinespletely tangled the Dark-Wolf and made it immobile. In the meantime, Charles didn''t stay idle as hended a few meters away from the almost bounded Dark-Wolf and started to chant after flipping two pages.


    Unlikest time, he took almost a minute toplete the chant and finally closed the Starfall Codex book.


    The next instant, an illusionary third-eye appeared on his forehead, and soon a purple bolt of lightning came out from it.


    It was a unique Titan''s Bloodline spell, Eye of Destruction!


    The purple bolt of lightning flew in a straight path and soonnded on the bounded Dark-Wolf''s head!


    It then went inside the severely wounded Dark-Wolf''s head and destroyed its head from the inside, causing ck-colored blood, flesh, and brain matters to stter in different directions.


    [Target Eliminated! 1710 Exp obtained!]


    A secondter, tiredness and dizziness assaulted Charles''s mind as he stumbled a few steps and stood in unbnced footsteps.


    ''So much Exp¡­ This wolf is not a normal one. Thankfully, the Dark Wolf was already injured and seemed to be exhausted. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to battle against this creature. If it used any offensive skills, I would have ended up in a disadvantageous position.'' He groaned in pain and soon dismissed the crimson wings from his back.


    After that, he also deactivated the Arcane Card''s nature spell, stored the Starfall Codex Magic book, Arcane Spell card, Ember pistol into the void pouch, and then started walking towards El Street with fast footsteps.


    ''My head is aching all over, and my body is not responding properly. I''m feeling fatigued¡­'' He walked in a half-conscious state and soon reached the El street junction. Although he defeated the Dark-Wolf, he still felt that staying in the Dreamworld was not safer.


    He went forward on the El Street road while ncing around everywhere in vignce and soon reached 45 El Street. He then opened the rustypound gate, walked on the yard filled with weeds and strange nts, and soon appeared in front of the wooden door.


    He then pushed the door open, walked into the reception hall, and then went upstairs through the spiral staircase.


    Within seconds, he appeared outside the bedroom, turned the doorknob, pushed the wooden door open, and walked it.


    Once he entered the bedroom, he locked the door from inside and then went near the old dusty bed.


    Without minding the dust, Charlesid on it and soon closed his eyes.


    ¡­


    After an unknown amount of time, Charles gasped for breathing in the real world and soon opened his eyes before sitting up.


    He instantly felt the tiredness and exhaustion appeared in his mind as he started breathing heavily.


    ''That was a very dangerous adventure¡­ I need to increase my Wisdom and then started learning ''Confusion'' spell-like skills. It was handy back then¡­'' He muttered inwardly and then took out the ''Nightmare Stone'' from his pocket. After that, he stood up with unsteady footsteps, went near the cab, opened it carefully with a small key, and ced it inside.


    He then closed the cab, put the void pouch and dagger on the table cupboard, and went back to the bed.


    Once he confirmed that there were no serious injuries in his body, he breathed out a sigh of relief and then ced his head on the soft cotton pillow.


    Within seconds, he felt darkness invaded his mind and soon fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡­


    The next day morning, around 7 A.M.


    Charles woke up from his deep sleep and began to fresh up. He went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth using a neem stick, washes his face, and then took a long bath in the cold water. After that, Charles walked out of the bathroom, wiped his body with a white towel, and wore brown checked casual clothes. He then went downstairs, had his breakfast, and returned to the study.


    Once he entered the study room, he locked the door from the inside, went near the table, sat on the woodendderback chair, and began to think about the previous battle experience.


    ''That Dreamworld is much more dangerous. If not for my quick decision, I would have made more mistakes and got killed by a beginner-level Rank-3 creature. No, it doesn''t look like a Rank-3 creature but in-between. If I had encountered any real level Rank 3 creature instead of this half-assed one, I would have died there. In my previous battle, Icked two things. One is a defensive spell, and another one is a supportive spell. The Starfall Codex magic book did a great help during the battle¡­ And thatst Eye spell was very destructive¡­'' He organized his thoughts and then shifted his attention to Experience Points.


    ''Hmm, I now have extra Exp to level up the main ss.'' He thought for a moment and then put 337 Exp into the main ss.


    [337 Exp deduced from the Host!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a level 5 Apprentice Fire Mage!]


    [2 free attributes rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom attribute rewarded!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm, I should increase my Wisdom first.'' He nodded thoughtfully and put those two free attribute points to Wisdom. After that, he put the ten skill points to the [Inspect] skill and soon noticed some changes in his mind. He felt that he had touched an invisible wall for a second and soon realized that it must be rted to the Rank-up process.


    ''Unlike before, I now can create another four spell models in my mind.'' A pleasant smile appeared on his face. He then shifted his attention to the skill book and started to ponder.


    ''Hmm, I still have 1733 Exp. With this, I canpletely build all the remaining four spell models. The main problem now is about which spell to choose.'' He started checking the spell models one by one, and soon a single defensive spell caught his attention.


    [Spell Name: Crimson Robe


    Rank: Rank-1 unique defensive spell


    Effect: It''s a passive spell. When you master it to its peak level, you will have the power to block Rank-2 offensive spells of the normal Arcane Era Mages and other mystics'' umon weapon attacks.


    Cost: 450 Exp.]

 Chapter 39: First Step

    <h4>Chapter 39: First Step</h4>


    ''Unique spell? It''s is the first time I hear about such a spell. But Exp is very less whenparing it to other spell models.'' Charles felt that he was missing some crucial information.


    ''Wait¡­It might take a long time to master it.'' He thought for a moment and soon chose to construct it. Like the previous times, he closed his eyes and silently watched the constructing process in his mind like a manager. After five minutes of long constructing process, Charles opened his eyes and became stunned for a moment.


    ''This spell model has double the amount of Runal Characters and appears veryplex.'' A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face as he looked at the new hexagonal spell model in his mind.


    ''Hmm, the next ones are supportive spells.'' He nced at the spellbook and soon chose three spells.


    The first one was the only mind-rted spell in the spellbook called [Burning Thoughts].


    When you cast this spell on an opponent, a strange type of fire called ''Mind Fire'' will appear in the opponent''s Inner World and burn their current thoughts. It had a simr effect as the ''Confusion'' spell and was a very scary one.


    What if the enemy suddenly found out that some spell had secretly erased what he was thinking before? He would feel confused, and his mind would go nk for a moment. Although this spell doesn''t have any effects like mind protection abilities, Charles felt reassured to have one mind-rted fire spell. Unlike the previous spells, this spell model''s cost was meager. It was just 230 Exp points!


    If Charlesprehends the secrets of this unique ''Mind Fire'' in the future, he could influence the opponent''s thoughts and would be able to pull their consciousness into a separate illusion world! It was a perfect spell to manipte others'' thoughts.


    The second spell was a fire-type healing spell called Blue Cure. Unlike other fire spells used for burning and destruction, this spell would do the opposite. This spell came from a different type of fire called Violet me or soul fire. The violet me had many purposes. It could revitalize and invigorate the user. It could also heal emotional and even physical problems, improves the 10 HP for each casting. Most importantly, the violet me can change the surrounding mana into life energy, making it an effective tool for healing one''s soul itself in the future. Although it was just a healing spell, it was costlier than the unique fire spell.


    ''510 Exp points.'' Charles didn''t mind the cost and chose to construct it.


    The final one was a movement-type spell called [Crimson Steps]1. As the name suggests, it could fasten one''s speed by twisting the space and helps the user to takerge steps. If Charles picks a suitable corresponding spell in the future, he could even teleport to a different ce by altering the spacew with this fire spell. As for the cost for [Crimson Steps], it was 404 Exp points.


    After constructing all those spells, he felt that he had finally taken his first step on walking the Fire Mage path.


    ''Only 139 Exp points are remaining.'' He looked at the interface for a second and shook his head.


    ''I still have many works to do.'' He took a deep breath and then began to ponder about his work in Slum Street. But instead of going to Slum Street to do his undercover job, he stayed in the study, took out arge chart, ck quill with a blue ink bottle, and started writing.


    He knew that just going to Slum Street would do no good for him, so he made a detailed n and started to go through it multiple times.


    Around noon, he changed his clothes into a formal ck one and went to his mother''s room. It was located just near the kitchen room, making his job easier. He also packed some of his belongings in arge iron suitcase and held them in his right hand.


    Once he saw her reading something serious, he knocked on the opened wooden door and said with a smile,


    "Mom, I''m going out of Riverdale City for a while, and it will take a few days for me to return."


    Eve stopped reading as she heard his words, looked at him for a three long second, and soon nodded.


    "Don''t go near any ruin-type areas." She warned him. After that, she waved her hand and turned her gaze towards the book.


    In the meantime, Charles nodded his head, turned around, walked out of the room, and closed the wooden door.


    He then walked out of his two-storied house, stepped on the mud road, and soon went to the main street. He didn''t stop anywhere and soon reached the Riverdale City entrance gate. Due to the presence of his Withering Shadow membership batch, the security guards didn''t even ask him a question and let him walk out of Riverdale City.


    Charles didn''t even conceal his presence and went into the nearby dense mangrove woods. Once he entered the deep woods, he cast [Conceal] skill on himself and soon disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, one human shadow walked out of the dense wood and soon looked around in confusion.


    "He disappeared?" A cold male voice came out from the shadow''s mouth as he touched his silver ring to send out a warning signal to his boss. A secondter, the human removed his ck hood and stared at the ce where Charles stood before in puzzlement. He had deep blue hair, a lean body, and looked around 187 cm tall. He wore a ck mask with an eye symbol engraved on the forehead area and looked more like a skilled assassin.


    Before he could utter another word, his silver ring began to shine brightly and soon formed into a small illusionary figure of a slim young woman in a blue peplum dress. She was seated on a sofa and stared at the masked human in confusion. She had long silvery hair, a pear-shaped body, a pale face, oceanic eyes, and a hawk nose. If Charles had been here now, he would have identified her in an instant. She was none other than Be Collins, who forced him to sign a contract and cklisted him from Riverdale City''s Amber Bank!


    "What happened, Lucas?" Be asked in a deep tone.


    "He disappeared, My Lady." The masked human named Lucas said in a confused tone.


    "How did he escape from an expert assassin like you?" Be asked him in surprise.


    Silence descended as she finished her words. Noticing Lucas''s silence, she waved her hand and muttered.


    "It looks like he is not a normal Mystic. Back off from your current mission." She paused for a moment and then added after a short deliberation,


    "Protect his mother. The Nightwind family Ancestor owes our Collins family a big favor. So, I''m nning on helping him this time. Moreover, I also unknowingly ced a curse on him and made his life harder."


    In the meantime, Lucas squinted his ck eyes and soon asked in puzzlement.


    "My Lady, I thought you just used a cklist contract to restrict his movement? When did you put a curse on him?"


    A wry smile appeared on her face as she shook her head and said solemnly.


    "I didn''t. But someone from the headquarters with higher authority did. That someone used that contract as an offensive mark and put an ''Amber''s Curse'' on him."


    "Amber''s Curse?!" Lucas went wide eyes as he heard her words and soon blurted out in surprise.


    "Why did they go that far?"


    "I don''t know. But Charles didn''t seem to have realized that someone put an ''Amber''s Curse'' on him. Well, his mother is the one doing all the financial works, so it didn''t affect him in any way yet." Be said with a sigh.


    "But he will find out soon." Lucas paused for a second and then asked.


    "Did the higher-ups know about his background?"


    "How would they not know about his background?" Be pinched her chin and then shook her head.


    "He is bound to be on odd terms with the Amber Church from now on. Well, there is no point in talking about this matter now. I can now use the favor as an excuse and give him some help through various means. As for how he is going to survive without money in the future, it''s all lies in the upper-echo men''s hands." After saying those words, Be Collins waved her hand and cut off her long-distance virtual magic call.


    In the meantime, Lucas shook his head, pulled his ck hood over his head, turned around, and soon disappeared into the woods.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles made a few turned in the woods and soon moved towards Wind Vi''s direction.


    After two hours of walking, he soon reached the Wind Vi building''s entrance and then walked in. Unlike the Dreamworld''s Wind Vi, this one looked gorgeous, with many ornamental nts and trees nted in the outer yard and appeared well maintained. As soon as he went near thepound gate, a muscr man, who was around 40 years old, walked from inside and soon smiled. He had long ck hair, a round face, and brown eyes and wore a regr brown linen shirt and pants.


    "Charles? What a surprise!" The muscr man''s smile widened as he recognized Charles''s identity, opened the metal gate with a click, and then invited him in.


    Charles also identified the man from the real Charles''s memories and walked in.


    The ck-haired man''s name was Rey. He and his family members were the ones who were currently farming the 23-hectarend and maintaining the Wind Vi under Eve''s order. After Eve brought the 23-hectarend, she gave the Wind Vi and thend to Rey''s family in the name of lease and earning most of their money from the lease rent. If not for this rent money and her divination job earning, Charles wouldn''t have finished his higher studies in the Archaeological department.


    Shaking those useless thoughts away, Charles chatted with Rey for a while as he walked into the yard and soon appeared in front of the building entrance. He didn''t enter the building, though. Instead, he got the guest house key from Rey and then went towards the building''s right side.


    After a minute of walking, he soon arrived in front of a small single storied brick house and unlocked the wooden door using an iron key. After that, he turned the doorknob, pushed the door open, and walked in. Unlike the main building, Eve didn''t give this guest house to Rey''s family as a lease and let it be for their personal use.


    Once he entered the guest house, Charles locked it from inside and nced at the interior building. Unlike the house in Riverdale city and the outside three-storied mansion-like building, this one looked very simple. There were a kitchen room and a storeroom on the reception room''s right side, while the bathroom and bedroom appeared on the left side.


    Charles walked on the concrete floor and soon entered the bedroom. After that, he put his iron suitcase on the wooden bed and opened it. Inside were skin coloring potions, a voice-changing gem artifact, wigs of men and women, woman''s breast pads, beards, and even some sharp des for shaving hairs arranged in order.


    Charles first removed his formal dress, put them in the wardrobe, and took out a tan-colored skin coloring potion. He then opened the bottle tap and gulped it down. A few secondster, his olive skin started turning darker and soon turned into a tan-colored one!


    ''I have three more Tan skin potions, and each bottle can be effective for 12 hours.''


    Nodding his head, Charles took out a thin de from the suitcase and started shaving his face like a young woman''s face. If he were a little older, he would have faced some difficulty. But due to his child-like oval face, he didn''t face any difficulty at all!


    He skillfully removed those few hairs using a sharp knife and then washed his face using the bathroom tap water. After that, he put a long ck-haired wig on his head and adjusted it to his head.


    Once he finished the process, Charles wore a ck bra, put the breast pads inside, and made it look like a real woman''s breasts. After that, he wore tight ck pants and a full-sleeved ck shirt and then stared at his reflection in the mirror.


    "Damn, there is some simrity in between Marie Holmes and me!" He muttered out loud as he pressed his chest area to feel the softness and then nodded his head. After that, he took a blue crystal from his void pouch, put it in his mouth before swallowing it, and started adjusting his voice tune. He spoke while tuning it to his original one and soon tuned it to Marie Holmes''s voice. After a lengthy process, he cleared his throat and muttered in a pleasant young female voice.


    "Should I call myself as Marie Holmes from now on? Or, should I use another identity?"


    He furrowed his brows and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Directly using Marie''s name will attract too much attention and future problems. The Mystics will search for Marie''s background and soon find out that Marie was the daughter of Eddie Nightwind. Although Eddie gave me the ''Mark of Imagination,'' I don''t want to put my life on someone''s strange skill. When the mystics find out that I also disappeared when Marie shows up, they will connect the dots and discover my real identity¡­


    That''s not a good thing. During this undercover mission, I n to get close to Jimmy Holmes and see if I can get some information about the Holem''s crown. My option now is to use another name as a cover and get close to Jimmy. After that, I will directly ask him about the Holem''s Crown and check if A-035 would respond to my call¡­


    Although the Series-A artifact has the power to check if the other party is a Nightwind member or not, it doesn''t have the power to check the Nightwind family member''s real identity. That is more than enough for me. Once it reveals its presence, I will then use Marie''s identity to threaten it and trick it into signing Eddie''s special contract paper.''


    After thinking for a minute, Charles let out a heavy sigh and muttered.


    ''It''s been so long since I disguised myself to do an undercover mission. I should use my former title, ''Colorless Ghost.'' Let''s go by the name ''Edith Oliver.'' Edith''s main ss is a Rank 2 [Assassin], and she is more skilled in stealing. She was born in Twin Towers City and came here to do an assassination job. Her target is Addie Baker, and her job is to probe the target''s strength and kill him swiftly. As for his employer¡­'' He paused for a moment and soon curled his lips upward.


    ''Her employer is Anderson ck.''


    After making the fake identity''s goal, he took out red lipstick and started getting ready to do his first job.


    Once he changed his outer appearance, he put the makeup kit in the ck suitcase, closed it with a click as he stored it into his void pouch, and then waited for the sun to go down.


    ¡­


    False Fire- A certain type of fire that could manipte other elements to a certain extends. Crimson Steps spell model is created from this False Fire.

 Chapter 40: A Perfect Disguiser

    <h4>Chapter 40: A Perfect Disguiser</h4>


    It was around 7.A.M.


    A slim shadowy figure walked out of Wind Vi''s guest house and soon arrived beside thepound hall. In the dim darkness, the shadowy female-looking figure moved its slim body, jumped towards the other side, walked into the dense woods, and soon disappeared into the darkness.


    Two hourster, a long ck-haireddy, around 25-years-old, entered Riverdale City by climbing the stone wall and soon went to Slum Street with a ck iron suitcase in her hand. She had deep-set jade eyes, an oval face, tan skin, and trimmed thin eyebrows. She wore a ck full sleeve top, ck pants, and ck leather shoes.


    She was none other than Charles in his disguised form.


    Charles walked on the muddy road and soon went in the direction where Slum Street was located. Although it would be dangerous for women to walk alone in the slum road, he didn''t even consider the danger hidden in the slum street and went ahead with a calm expression on his face. Within few minutes, he entered the slum street and soon went to a random dark alley. But on his oval face, confusion and puzzlement could be seen he arrived in front of a random house door.


    A few minutes ago, Charles used his [Magician''s Hand] skill and stole a few silver coins from a random passerby. But to his shock, he found out that whenever he touches the silver coins, they disintegrated into ashes!


    ''Is this the effect of Amber''s curse? Is that why I didn''t find those two silver coins in my void pouch?'' He stood in front of the wooden door with a dazed look and soon snapped out of it as he heard running footsteps from the other side.


    A lean young girl around 15-years-old opened the gate in excitement and soon frozen stiff for a second.


    After that, she took a step back and asked in a wary look.


    "Who are you?"


    Charles curved his lips upward and spoke in a caring female voice.


    "My name is Edith Oliver. I''m new to this city, so I came here to ask if there is any house nearby for rent."


    Upon hearing the pleasant female voice, the young girl looked more rmed and mmed the door shut instantly.


    Charles smiled wryly as he saw the other party''s response and then went towards a different house. He asked the same thing to multiple house owners, but nobody believed his words. After roaming in the slum street for an hour, he soon arrived in front of a single-storied brick house and then knocked it twice.


    A few secondster, a blonde-haired lean guy with amber eyes opened the wooden door while holding a unique candle in his right hand and stared at the woman in a daze. He first stared at her seductive red lips, moved his gaze towards her bulging chest for two seconds, and soon shifted his gaze towards her bright oval face.


    The blonde-haired guy wore a casual cotton shirt, brown trousers, and a unique red gem-embedded bracelet. He was none other than the Unlucky Star of Riverdale city, Jimmy Holmes!


    "Who are you?" Jimmy asked while staring at the beautiful ck-haired woman in surprise and soon froze as he heard Holem''s Crown''s warning in his mind.


    ''She is an anomaly! She has the blood of Nightwind family.''


    Jimmy''s body instantly got stiffened up as he heard the artifact''s warning words and then stared at her warily.


    In the meantime, Charles casually activated the [Mark of Imagination] by touching it and said with a troubled tone.


    "My name is Edith Oliver, sir. I came here to ask if there is any house nearby for rent. You see, I have been roaming here for an hour searing for renting houses, but I can''t even find a single one."


    Jimmy''s lips twitched as he heard her words and soon shook his head.


    "I''m also staying in a rented house, ma''am. You can''t get any house in the Slum Street at this hour."


    Although her action showed that she really needed a house to stay in, he didn''t dare to let his guard down. He also clearly remembered the Holem''s Crown''s earlier words and became unsettled inside.


    ''Don''t be anxious, Jimmy. She might not have aware of my existence in this house. Do you still remember the consequence of changing one''s Fate?'' Holem''s Crown asked in his mind.


    ''Coincidences? Are you saying that she came here due to coincidence?'' Jimmy asked in surprise.


    ''Yes. It may be possible for more Nightwind members toe to this city and create variations in the Fate.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and soon added.


    ''A [Astrologer] series ss mystic is pulling the ''Fate'' strings from the shadows.''


    ''Should I close the door and shoo her away?'' Jimmy asked while taking two steps into his house.


    ''Don''t do that. Help her and make her stay near your house. Only then can I monitor her movement all the time and find out more about her.''


    Widening his eyes a little, Jimmy went silent for a second and soon suggested with a hesitant look on his face.


    "If you have no objection, you can stay in the backyard cottage now and search for a better house tomorrow, ma''am."


    Charles heaved a heavy sigh, making the sponge-like breasts bounce a little, and bowed his head.


    "You are a generous guy, sir. Would you please tell me your noble name?" He asked in a smooth voice.


    Jimmy wandered his amber eyes towards her bulging chest from time to time and replied with a stiff smile.


    "I''m Jimmy Holmes. Parting of being a person is about helping others, ma''am."


    Charles smiled lightly and nodded with an admiration look on his face.


    In the meantime, Jimmy locked his house door using a silver key and then asked Charles to follow after him. Letting out a relieved sigh, Charles lifted his ck iron suitcase and followed after Jimmy with light footsteps. When they arrived in front of another brick house, Jimmy took a step forward, knocked on that house''s wooden door thrice, and waited in dark candlelight.


    Within seconds, a slightly obese guy with multiple scars on his face opened the wooden door and started at the visitors in surprise for a second.


    "Jimmy? What are you doing here at this time?" He paused for a moment as his gaze swept past Jimmy and soonnded on Charles.


    "Who is she?" He raised his eyebrows in suspicion.


    "She is my friend, Henry." Jimmy coughed twice and soon added,


    "Can you give the Mud Cottage''s door key? She will be staying there tonight."


    Henry stared suspiciously at both of them and soon went inside. After two minutes, he returned and gave a rusty, old iron key to Jimmy.


    "Return it to me before tomorrow evening." After saying those words, Henry went back to his house and shut the door from inside.


    Meanwhile, Jimmy passed the old iron key to Charles and led him to an old mud cottage. As soon as they went near the cottage, Charles''s lips began to twitch uncontrobly. Because what he saw was not a cottage, but a hut! Although the surrounding stone walls looked sturdy, the top was actually covered in coconut and palm tree leaves!


    Jimmy went near the single wooden door, put the rusty iron key into the padlock, turned the key to the left, and opened the lock with a click. After that, he turned around and said with a smile.


    "You can stay here and rest, ma''am." Jimmy then gave him the candle and soon went towards his house, situated in front of the old hut.


    In the meantime, Charles let out a deep sigh, walked into the old hut, and then closed the wooden door from inside.


    After that, he ced the candle on the nearby broken table and looked at the hut''s interior. Inside, a single stone b at the center for sleeping, an emptyrge jug, few old clothes, and one woolen mattress was ced.


    ''Thankfully, I took the quilt, pillow, and bedsheet before leaving. Otherwise, I would have to endure the torturous cold night with a single thin cloth.'' He muttered to himself as he took out those things from his void pouch and then ced them on the stone b.


    At first, Charles thought of removing the disguise when staying inside the hut, but soon he gave up on that idea.


    He then arranged the bed for the next few minutes and soony on it while staring at the hut''s cone-shaped roof.


    ''I thought my n would go perfect. But I didn''t anticipate the Amber Church''s curse effect. From my earlier understanding, I can tell that theypletely restricted me from using any coin. If I didn''t find a way to lift this curse, I would face many problems in the future.'' Charles rubbed his smooth chin in frustration and soon sighed. In this magic world, Amber Church was the one who controls the Wealth. Without the Amber Church''s approval and their Goddess''s symbol, no nation had the guts to make a new currency without an ''Eye'' symbol on it. The only one who had done that was the former Arcane Empire''s rulers. But all of them had already disappeared from the ''Time'' itself.


    ''Is there still any alternative currency method avable in this world?'' He began to search for any useful information and soon thought of Fire Mage Helen''s book. In that book, Charles read something rted to currency and started to recall all the contents. If it were before, he would have faced many difficulties when recalling those minute matters. But the improvement in Wisdom points gave him a big boost and made him remember most of the things. He closed his eyes for a moment and started to recall the contents of the ''Crimson Eye'' book.


    After an hour of struggle, he soon recalled a word and then sat up with an exciting smile on his face.


    "Arcane points. In that book, he said something about buying a rare material from a roaming mage using a magic credit system." He stared at the almost vanquishing candle for three continuous seconds and soon mumbled.


    ''I have to ask Lady Emilia about this. She already helped me twice and seemed to help me improve my personal strength. At least, she hasn''t expressed any hostility towards me.'' He thought to himself and soon closed his eyes.


    ¡­


    The next day morning,


    It was around 6.20 A.M.


    In Edith''s appearance, Charles woke up from the bed and brushed his teeth using a neem twig. After washing his mouth with the leather pouch water, he washed his face and started doing some makeup. After some time, Charles finished his disguising work and went out of the hut.


    Charles walked forward on the emptynd and soon stood at Jimmy''s brick house''s entrance.


    Showing a hesitant look on his face, he raised his smooth hand and knocked it twice. But soon, his eyebrows arched upward as he didn''t hear a single sound from inside and got puzzled.


    ''Is he not here?'' He made his face looked disappointed and then turned around. He then walked on the small alley path, went to the Slum Street road, and soon moved towards Main Street.


    In the meantime, Jimmy Holmes opened the door with a click and soon muttered.


    "I can''t tell if she is acting or not."


    "Even I couldn''t see through her real self." His red-gem embedded bracelet spoke in an eerie old-man voice and soon added,


    "Follow after her."


    Heaving a deep sigh, Jimmy nodded his head and started stalking her in the shadows.

 Chapter 41: Discussion

    <h4>Chapter 41: Discussion</h4>


    Hearing the Holem''s Crown''s suggestion, Jimmy nodded his head and started stalking her in the shadows.


    In the meantime, Charles walked on the muddy road with quick steps and soon reached Slum Junction. After that, he stood at the junction for a few seconds and then started walking towards Brook''s Street.


    After a few minutes of walking, he arrived in front of 112A Brook''s Street and stared at the two-storied building for few seconds. Charles then retracted his gaze, turned around, and started walking once again.


    In the meantime, Jimmy hid in the dark alley and watched the woman''s action in suspicion and puzzlement.


    ''Why did she stare at that building for a moment?'' Holem''s Crown asked in Jimmy''s head.


    ''How would I know?'' Jimmy grumbled inwardly in displeasure and soon saw a red-haired guy was walking out of the two-storied building. A secondter, the red-haired guy stopped on the muddy road and then stared in the direction where Charles went before.


    He then took out a gold coin from his pocket and tossed it upward.


    With a chink sound, the gold coin flew up while flipping continuously and soon fell on his palm. The red-haired guy stared at the coin for a second and soon creased his eyebrows.


    After staying like that for few more seconds, he nodded his head and went back to his house.


    In the meantime, Jimmy and the Holem''s Crown watched the red-haired man''s strange action and got more confused.


    ''Strange¡­ Hmm? Is he using some artifact to check if there is any variation in his Fate?'' The Holem''s Crown''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''What should we do now?'' Jimmy didn''t dare to stay near the Red-haired man''s house and asked while walking deep into the dark alley.


    ''Get back to the Slum Street now. I need to alter some changes in the n before I cast myst ''Miracle'' on Charles.'' Holem''s crown muttered solemnly.


    At this time, Jimmy suddenly thought of Edith and asked in curiosity.


    ''Why don''t you use yourst ''Miracle'' on that woman? She is also from the Nightwind family, right?''


    ''No, that is a reckless idea. Although Charles is improving at a fast rate due to my previous ''Miracle,'' he doesn''t have the strength to interfere with my original n. He is the perfect target for my final ''Miracle.'' Once I did that, I will return to your house with the reward, take full control over your body, activate the runic formation circle, and then escape from this city before others notice my presence.''


    Jimmy let out a cough as he reached the Gold Street and soon raised his brows in suspicion.


    ''You told me that there is a time limit to activate the ''Miracle'' ability, right? In such a short time, how do you n on getting that much luck power?''


    Jimmy''s question made the Holem''s Crown vibrate in excitement.


    ''You are wrong. My miracle ability works by stealing my host''s luck. I put some time-limit before creating a ''Miracle'' because of harming others and putting myself in danger. But if I notice some variable likest time, I won''t hesitate to steal others'' luck to finish the Miracle. As long as I don''t kill anyone, the Churches won''te after me, and I will also get my full freedom.''


    Jimmy went silent for a whole minute and then asked in a provocative tone,


    ''When are you going to reveal your presence to Charles? Are you afraid of being captured by the Life Church members?''


    ''Tch, I''m not afraid of the Life Church members. If I reveal my presence to Charles now, multiple powerhouses will take some notice by seeing the drastic change in his Fate. At first, I thought that contacting him was the right choice.


    But when I saw that ''someone'' led him to your own house, I knew that ''someone'' is already aware of my presence in your house. The only reason he didn''t act against me must be due to other powerhouses hiding in this city.


    Although your family ancestor sealed my soul in a red crown, he didn''t put any seal to restrict my power in fear of losing any of my skills. Moreover, I''m not some weak artifact. If the other party attacked me to gainplete control over me, I will retaliate with my full power and attract everyone''s attention.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a calm tone.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Jimmy nodded his head and went back to Slum Street.


    In the meantime, Charles made a few turns after casting [Conceal] skill on himself and soon entered an abandoned house. After that, he removed the wig, facial makeup, breast pads, and dresses and changed into his original appearance.


    Two minutester, Charles wore hooded ck top, ck pants and waited for the Tan Skin potion''s effect to go down. After 30 minutes of waiting, he noticed that his color changed from tan color to olive one and soon went towards Ivy Street. While walking, he also started adjusting his tune once again and tuned it to the original Charles''s voice.


    After that, he made a few turns by concealing himself and reached 35 Ivy Street. He then walked into the Withering Shadows reception hall and waited for Emilia. Hours went by as he sat motionlessly on one of thedderback chairs and soon saw a gray-haired woman walking in from the outside.


    Upon seeing her face, he breathed out a sigh of relief and greeted her. In the meantime, Emilia arched her eyebrows, went near him, and sat on the chair next to him.


    Before she could ask about his arrival, Charles went straight to the point and told her about Amber''s Curse.


    "Amber''s Curse?!" Emilia shouted in surprise.


    "Am I in some serious trouble?" Charles wore an anxious look and asked her in nervous.


    "Yes, you are really in deep trouble this time." Emilia took a deep breath and then continued,


    "You should tell your mother about this and let her do all the financial works from now on."


    Charles''s face turned ugly as he heard her words. He then suddenly thought of the Red Mage Helen''s words in Crimson Eye book and asked.


    "Team Leader, do you know something about the Arcane Credit method? I read something about ''Arcane points'' in a mage''s book and thought of following that method."


    "It''s an unauthorized currency method mostly used by the mages. Due to the deep conflicts between the First Arcane Era Mages and Churches, the ne Alliance memberspletely banned this currency system and also prohibited other mages from using it. But there is one city still following this method." She deliberately paused for a second and was about to continue, but Charles interrupted her.


    "Are you talking about the City of Miracles?"


    Nodding her head, Emilia ced her finger on her nose tip and said.


    "Yes. It''s a city filled with all types of mystics and mages. Unlike other Kingdoms and Empires, this city has no Churches or any other religious temples and is filled with sphemers. They are still following the unauthorized Arcane Credit method and arepletely isted from the rest of the world."


    "Arcane Credit Method¡­Why the Lawful Churches put no restriction on them? Forcing them to summit to the ne Alliance is not a hard thing for Churches, right?" Charles asked in confusion.


    Emilia gave him an in-depth look and then said with a sigh,


    "Although the ''City of Miracles'' looks weak on the outside, many powerful mystics are hiding in that city. If the Lawful Churches uses force on them, they will definitely retaliate and cause massive destruction all over the world. Moreover, the City of Miracles is also the Home Town of the Sun God. So, Churches won''t send an inquisitive army to that city and force them to submit under them."


    ''Sun God¡­ He is an Irregr who killed three foreign Gods during thest nar Invasion.'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he thought of such a terrifying God.


    ''Is he also a transmigrator?'' He furrowed his brows and soon changed the topic.


    "Team Leader, what should I do now? Even to rent a house is impossible for the current me."


    Emilia also went silent upon hearing his words and began to ponder deeply.


    After a long silence, she stood up from her seat, went to the storage room, and soon returned with many silver and gold coins. But these coins didn''t look like the Arc Kingdom''s official currency and had no eye symbol on them. She went near Charles, sat beside him, and then passed those coins to him.


    "These coins are the official currency of Life Church and are rarely used in the market nowadays. You would only found these types of coins in Life Church Cathedrals and the Holy See. Although the Thirteen Gods formed an alliance and created a peaceful era in name, there are still some frictions happening in between the churches due to personnel benefits. So, all the Churches use their own currency systems to restrict the Goddess of Wealth from gaining full control over the Financial World. You can use these coins for now but don''t take change from others. If you did that, the coins will only turn into ashes."


    Charles nodded his head in seriousness and soon nced at the silver coins. Unlike the other currencies, these new silver coins had Wheel symbols imprinted on them and looked sacred with the power of life hidden in them.


    "Thank you, Team Leader." Charles turned his face towards the wrinkled olddy and nodded.


    "Don''t thank me yet. This is just a temporary measure. If you really want to solve the problem, you have to talk to the Amber Church higher-ups and resolve them yourself. If you had signed the contract after joining the Withering Shadows organization, we would have used some reason to force the Amber Church and made them remove the curse. Unfortunately, you signed this contract beforehand and we have no authority to intervene in this matter." Emilia rubbed her temple and said in a solemn tone.


    Charles also turned gloomy as he heard her words and began to think.


    ''Why the Amber Church is looking for trouble from me? Although I can solve this problem by talking with the higher-ups, would I be happy after that? If I did that, wouldn''t it look like I''m admitting defeat?'' He let out a wry smile and shook his head.


    ''I can now use other churches'' coins, so there is no need for me to go and lower my head to the Amber Church higher-ups.'' He thought for a moment and asked.


    "Team Leader, can you talk to our Branch Head and tell him to give me Life Church coins as a payment instead of the Amber Church''s logo imprinted one?"


    "I will go and talk to himter." Emilia nodded her head and soon changed the topic.


    "What about your mission? Did you find anything odd about Jimmy?"


    Charles thought for a moment and shook his head.


    "No. If I find something abnormal, I wille here and report it to you." Although Emilia was nice to him, he didn''t dare to say more information about the Holem''s Crown at all.


    "Then, you should go to Slum Street and do your job properly." Emilia paused for a moment and soon asked,


    "Is there anything you need for this undercover mission?"


    "Yes, I need 10 bottles of Tan skin potions, few packs of dry bread, anddies'' clothes for disguising," Charles said while blinking his eyes with an innocent smile on his face.


    Emilia rolled her eyes at his acting and then sighed.


    "Slum Street is a dangerous ce for a woman¡­ So, don''t get caught by some thieves and expose yourself to others. Don''t get banged by them." She then paused for a moment and soon added with a smile,


    "I do hear that some thieves have some unique taste about having sex with men and all, so you better watch your back."


    "Yes, Team Leader." Curling his lips upward, Charles nodded his head and then asked in a quiet voice.


    "Did you manage to find out about those two guys?"


    "Nope. They are very careful and didn''t leave any clues behind." Emilia shook her head and then talked about her search mission in the security department records.


    Suddenly, Emilia thought of something as she took out a pocket watch from her void pouch and clicked the crown area. A secondter, her eyes turned white for a moment and soon returned to normal.


    Noticing his questionable gaze, she shook her head and muttered with a frown.


    "Your life is in danger." She paused for a moment and soon continued with a sigh,


    "I will follow you in the shadows." After saying those words, she once again adjusted the pocket watch''s crown area and smiled.


    "You may go now." Emilia then waved her head and shooed him away.

 Chapter 42: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 42: Confrontation</h4>


    When Charles walked out of the Withering Shadows department, the sky was bright as silver, and the hot north wind was blowing the heat straight into his face. Inhaling the hot air, Charles walked on the muddy road and then went to the Life Church in deep thoughts.


    ''My life is in danger? Who is after me? Addie Baker?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon sighed.


    ''I just stared at his house for few seconds. But he seems to have sensed something¡­ Wait¡­ Is he the [Astrologer] ss Mystic? No, his skills seem to be mind-rted ones. He must be a [Dreamer] or a [Psychatrist] ss Mystic. Maybe a sub-ss? It is possible. If not, how did he find out about the change in his fate?'' He paused for a moment and soon thought of another possibility.


    ''He might have some ''Fate'' rted artifact. Earlier, Team Leader Emilia also used a strange artifact to peek into my future and finds out about the uing threat. Thankfully, Team Leader is following me from behind as a backup. From now on, I need to think twice before acting.'' He thought to himself and then entered into a dome-shaped building.


    As usual, he walked on the aisle with light footsteps, stopped in front of the Goddess Nira''s statue, pped his hand together, and then started muttering a strange ''Praising'' incantation. After a minute of long chant, he inhaled deeply and then bowed his head towards the statue.


    "Life is Eternal." He said in praise.


    After that, he turned around and then walked out of the Life Church.


    He went to Ivy Street''s end, walked into a small gloomy alley, found an abandoned house nearby, and then walked in.


    A few minutester, a ck-haired woman walked out of the abandoned house and then moved to another gloomy alley. She wore a pleated white shirt, red ck skirt, high-heeled ck shoes, and held a bell sleeve jacket in her right hand. She had deep-set jade eyes, an oval face, tan skin, and looked around 25-years-old.


    She was none other than Edith.


    After reaching the end of the gloomy alley, she stopped in front of the one-meter tallpound wall and jumped over. Her ck skirt fluttered in the air as shended on the other side and then started walking towards another dark alley.


    It was a shortcut route from Ivy Street to Gold Street. Within a few minutes, Charles, in Edith''s appearance, made a few turns and soon reached Gold Street. Unlike thest time, he noticed that Gold Street looked gloomier and showed an unsettling expression on his feminine face. At this time, there would be at least tens of citizens pass by his side, but today, there was none in the street. It was as if someone had already cleared the citizens and was waiting for her to walk through.


    While Charles was in deep thoughts, a silk-curtained luxurious carriage came from the opposite direction and soon stopped a few feet away from him. Wearing the bell-sleeved jacket over his white shirt, Charles turned his face solemnly and stared coldly at the carriage.


    A secondter, a rough hand opened the silk curtain and revealed a human''s face to Edith.


    In the meantime, Charles''s gaze swept past the opened silk curtain and soonnded on a red-haired man, who was looking at him in confusion.


    He looked around 30-years-old with a slightly obese body and had crimson eyes, an oval face, skinny eyebrows, and strange bluish teethes. He wore a tight blue suit and appeared very familiar to Charles.


    "Get in." The red-haired man stared at him for a moment and then ordered.


    Charles''s mind suddenly entered a half-conscious state at this time, and he felt that some invisible power was trying to control his emotions. Unlike thest time, Charles noticed that he could resist the other party''s ability for the next three to four seconds and went on a battle mode.


    ''Addie Baker.'' As he identified the red-haired man in an instant, he didn''t hold back any longer and cast [Burning Thoughts] on him.


    A momentter, Addie felt a sudden burning sensation in his mind and got puzzled by his current situation. He suddenly couldn''t understand why he came to Gold Street and became utterly clueless!


    Meanwhile, Charles woke up from the half-conscious state and got relieved.


    Grasping the opportunity, he pointed his finger at Addie Baker and cast the [Incinerate] spell.


    A condensed ray of red fire appeared from his forefinger and soon went towards Addie in a blink.


    At that moment, Addie''s crimson eyes suddenly shone in red color as he moved his hand a little and blinked his eyes twice.


    A heartbeatter, his body blurred for a moment and soon disappeared from there!


    It was his unique skill called Escape Danger.


    When the user was in danger, this skill would activate its own and forcefully teleport the user to another location. This skill would trigger even if the user were in an unconscious state. But there was a restriction, though. The distance of the ''Teleportaion'' would be based on the user''s understanding of this skill.


    Meanwhile, the ray of fire directly tore through the air and soonnded on the carriage seat.


    Within a second, the raging fire began to spread from the seat and burned the carriage fiercely. Unfortunate for the butler-suited coachman, the fire directly devoured him from behind andpletely absorbed him into the crimson me. In two seconds, the luxurious carriage burned, no! It disintegrated into ashes!


    Although the coachman cried to seek help from his boss, it fell into deaf ears.


    Charles, on the other hand, clicked his tongue and then looked around in wary eyes.


    ''Where did he go?'' He furrowed his brows and soon cast [Crimson Robe] spell on herself. As he cast this spell, a tangled fire symbol red robe suddenly appeared on his clothing andpletely enveloped him. Simultaneously, he took out the Starfall Codex Magic book from the void pouch and flipped the pages in a fast manner.


    He soon stopped his hand on the fourth page and started muttering few words in a Runal Language. Three secondster, he curled his lips upward as he locked his gaze on a particr area and smirked.


    It was a Rank-1 spell called, Spatial Sense!


    Once the user cast this spell, they would sense the surrounding areas for a brief moment.


    In a second, Charles''s look changed from a normal to a mysterious Fire Mage!


    Even Addie Baker, hiding thirty meters away from Charles in his concealed form, became stunned for a moment and soon got tensed up.


    Meanwhile, Charles took a step forward as he held a ck-covered book in his hand and began to walk in Addie''s direction while muttering another strange incantation. But whenever he took a step forward, some fire sparks would appear around his shoes and began to intervene with the spacew itself!


    Charles''s every step decreased the distance between him and Addie by a great margin!


    Addie also sensed the seriousness and took out a strange gold coin from his pocket.


    Before Charles could reach him, he tossed the coin upward and muttered a word in a strange tone.


    ''''*******.''''


    A spatial ripple appeared behind Addie in the next moment and soon formed into a bluish vortex. After that, two bony hands suddenly appeared behind his back and began to pull Addie into the vortex.


    Of course, Charles wouldn''t allow him to escape. As the bony hand started pulling Addie into a void, a strange illusionary closed-eyelid appeared on Charles''s forehead as he ended his chanting and soon began to open the third eye!


    But this time, he didn''t aim at the Addie Baker, though. Instead, he locked the third eye''s gaze on the bony hand and opened the vertical ck eye!


    A momentter, a strange purple bolt of lightning came out from the illusionary eye and directlynded on the bony hand!


    The purplish lightning disintegrated the bony hand in the next moment and soon disappeared into the bluish void.


    Before long, the other bony hand also retracted into the bluish vortex and soon disappeared. Addie Baker also noticed the failure of the long-ranged teleportation method and grew solemn. But he didn''t lose his calm, though. Instead, he let out a coldugh and then pped his hand.


    With a slight vibration, a ck-lined icy spear began to form in front of Addie and soon moved towards Charles faster. Charles''s [Sixth Sense] skill also sensed the impending danger and warned him to dodge.


    ''It looks like [Crimson Robe] spell won''t be able to block this spear.'' He frowned for a moment and then took out an Arcane Card from his void pouch.


    "Addie Baker, you really have some guts to attack my team member." Before Charles could activate the Arcane Magic Card, a cold female voice came from the nearby dark alley, and soon a grey-robed female, around 40 years old, with a slightly wrinkled face, walked out from it.


    Simultaneously, hundreds of white icy threads popped out from the muddy ground and soon formed into a wall-like shield in front of Charles. A banging sound echoed as the spear crashed on the icy-wall-like shield and soon broke into many pieces.


    "Team Leader!" Charles breathed out a sigh of relief as he noticed Emilia''s arrival and soon warned her in a pleasant female voice.


    "He is a [Psychiatrist] ss Mystic, and also has the ability to created Ice spear, so be careful."


    "Heh, that''s interesting." Emilia arrived beside Charles as she locked her gaze on Addie Baker for a moment and then sighed.


    "A double ss Mystic, huh. He is really a troublesome opponent to face alone." After saying those words, she nced at Charles and said.


    "Save your strength for now." Once she finished those words, she took out a silver card from her void pouch and crushed it a little.


    A secondter, the space around Addie Baker began to fold strangely and soon sealed him in a cube-like space. On the other hand, Addie raised his hand a little, ced it on the cubic space''s interior, and then created a foggy mist inside the space.


    Before Charles and Emilia could understand the reason behind his action, the cubic space shook and soon broke into multiple pieces like grasses, creating a strange ck void in return. Upon noticing the appearance of the strange void, Emilia furrowed her brows and soon spoke gravely.


    "Be careful of any sneak attacks."


    After that, she controlled her Ice spell and moved those icy threads in different directions. Within two seconds, she curled her lips upward and pointed her finger in a random direction. In a second, a golden ring in her hand began to tremble slightly and then released a ray of pure white light.


    An instantter, the white ray of light traveled at an unimaginable speed and soonnded on an invisible shield-like thing.


    The white ray then divided into multiple rainbow-colored rays and soon attacked the invisible shield from all directions. Within two seconds, the shield couldn''t hold off those rainbow rays and then broke like sses while exposing the red-haired Addie to Emilia and Charles.


    But instead of smiling, both of them turned their faces solemnly and took a step back in unison.


    In the meantime, Emilia also controlled her ''Ice Net'' spell and made a wall-like shield in front of them.


    But before those icy web-like threads tangled together to form a wall, a chilling ray of ice came from Addie''s hand, directly tore through the Ice Net-like wall, broke the Crimson Robe, and soonnded on Charles''s shoulder!

 Chapter 43: The power of Time

    <h4>Chapter 43: The power of Time</h4>


    Charles felt pain as he stumbled a few steps and soon fell backward. Breathing heavily, he sat up hurriedly without minding the pain and soon noticed that a superficial wound appeared on his right side chest area. At the moment, some strange, chilling energy also started to invade his chest area and caused him to breathe harder.


    "Are you okay, Charle- youngdy?" Emilia teased Charles from his side and then sharpened her gaze on the red-haired Addie Baker.


    "Cough, I''m okay," Charles said while cing his hand on his shoulder area and cast [Crimson Cure] on himself. A momentter, the chilling energy began to disappear from his shoulder, and soon the superficial wound also began to heal at a visible rate.


    Charles then stood up from the ground and turned his gaze towards Addie. Unlike before, Addie was also wounded on his right shoulder and stood with a grim look. As for how he got injured, only Emilia would know the truth. Charles even heard rough breathing sounds from him and instantly acted.


    First, he cast the [Crimson Steps] as he ran towards Addie and pulled out the Ember Pistol from his void pouch.


    In the meantime, Emilia took out a small blue crystal from her void pouch and muttered a word in an unknownnguage.


    An instantter, Emilia disappeared from where she stood before and soon reappeared behind Addie. Before he could respond, she lifted her right hand and ced the palm on his back.


    But instead of smiling foolishly, a wicked grin appeared on Addie''s face as he raised his right hand and strangely wiped his mouth!


    Noticing his abnormal action, Emilia spoke another word in an unknownnguage and then disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Addie shook his head and then returned his gaze towards Charles, who was running towards him at an abnormal speed.


    "Snake," Addie spoke a single word and then walked forward with a calm expression on his face.


    Meanwhile, tens of snakes made of ck water popped out from the dirt ground and soon tangled Charles''s legs. Within a second, those creepy snakes moved into his ck skirt and white shirt and started restricting his movements. After that, those snakes bit him in different areas and caused him to curse in pain and anger.


    At this time, Emilia reappeared a few meters away from Addie and was about to attack him using an Arcane Card but stopped.


    No, she suddenly forgot how to activate the Arcane Card and got confused!


    "Who are you, youngdy?" In the meantime, Addie asked as he arrived in front of Charles and then took the Ember Pistol from him before creating more ck snakes to immobilize himpletely.


    Within seconds, more ck snakes slithered around Charles''s body and covered him entirely, leaving his head, feet, and hands alone!


    In the meantime, Addie casually threw the Ember Pistol towards his right side and then stared at Charles''s feminine appearance in keen interest.


    "Why did you stare at my house for a few seconds? Why did your action cause a variation in my fate?" He licked his lips and was about to probe Charles''s mind but soon froze.


    He suddenly sensed a dangerous promotion from his right side and got confused. Turning his head to his right side, Addie stared at the strange Ember Pistol, which was now hovering in the air in puzzlement, and soon widened his eyes as he heard a hammer clicking sound.


    Before he could understand the situation, some invisible power controlled the Ember Pistol, aimed it urately at Addie''s head, and squeezed the trigger.


    At this time, Emilia suddenly appeared behind Addie, touched his back, and cast [Touch of Idiocy] skill on him!


    Addie couldn''t understand why she wasn''t affected by his [Mind Freeze] skill and got anxious.


    But unlike thest time, the power hidden in the [Touch of Idiocy] was three times stronger!


    Before Addie could even think further, Emilia''s [Touch of Idiocy] spell took effect and ultimately affected his mind.


    An instantter, a dense bullet made of pure fire energy came out from the muzzle and directly went towards Addie''s forehead!


    With a foolish smile on his face, Addie closed his eyes and waited.


    In the next instant, the condensed me bullet directly entered his head and exploded from inside.


    An instantter, Addie''s head exploded like watermelon and soon sent blood and brain matters in all directions!


    Then, all those creepy ck snakes on Charles''s body turned into a puddle of ck water and fell on the muddy road before absorbing into it.


    [Target Eliminated! 1350 Battle Exp Rewarded!]


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth as he stared at the game interface for a second and then curled his lips upward.


    Meanwhile, Emilia wiped off the scarlet blood from her face and then stared at Charles''s face for three full seconds.


    "Sigh, you actually created six spell models in just one month. If I didn''t see it with my own eyes, even I wouldn''t think of such possibility." Emilia said with a dubious look on her face.


    "I was lucky-" Charles was about to put the me on the ''Luck,'' but Emilia cut him off.


    "Charles, I''m not a dumb idiot. Haa, if you don''t want to talk about it, leave it." She waved her hand before he could say anything and then changed the topic.


    "Now, what should we do with this current situation?"


    "Why not take his body into the void pouch and dump him somewhere?" Charles suggested as he stored the Ember Pistol into his void pouch.


    "No. Yesterday, I heard a piece of news from my brother. A Rank 4 [Historian] ss member had alreadye to this city and he seemed to be working with the security department to find more clues about the disappearance of three [Historians]." Emilia shook her head and spoke in a gloomy tone.


    "Why are you mentioning him now?" Charles got confused by Emilia''s words and asked.


    A sigh leaked out of Emilia''s mouth as she rubbed her temple and then spoke.


    "The upgraded version of the [Wonder Sense] skill has the ability to see a glimpse of the past incidents. So, if he came here to search for any clues about those three [Historians], our secrets will be exposed."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles blinked his eyes in surprise and soon asked,


    "What should we do?"


    In the meantime, Charles also thought of the Holem''s Crown''s another rumored ability and grew warier inside.


    ''It can see through past incidents¡­ Sh*t, if it uses that ability to watch this battle, wouldn''t it find something was odd about me? Moreover, Team Leader also participated in this battle¡­ The Holem''s Crown will definitely link my facial appearance with Charles Nightwind''s one and will see through my n¡­'' A grim look appeared on his face as he thought of that possibility. Meanwhile, Emilia thought for a moment and spoke.


    "Charles, hide in Slum Street and try to act like a real¡­" She paused for a moment as she had no memory of Charles''s new fake identity and soon asked.


    "What is your fake name?"


    "Edith Oliver, Team Leader." Charles covered his mouth to hide his emotion and replied.


    "Yes, hide in the Slum Street using that name and keep monitoring Jimmy for the next few weeks. You don''t have to worry about your fake identity''s rtionship with me. Because-" She purposefully paused for a second and continued with a mysterious smile on her face.


    "My existence during the previous battle will be erased from the ''Time'' itself," After saying those words, Emilia took out a sealed letter from her void pouch and passed it to Edith.


    "What is it?" Charles raised his thin brows and asked in suspicion.


    "It''s our next mission. It''s an escort mission to the outer area of the Unexplored Forest. Be sure to arrive at Withering Shadows on September 18th. That day will be the end of this search mission. If we found some clue before the escort mission, Muddy''s team will take over this search mission. Otherwise, this mission will be considered as a failure and we will lose some rewards."


    "Unexplored Forest? Whom do we need to escort?" Charles became confused by Emilia''s words and asked.


    "Our employer is a rare ss Mystic and I don''t have much information about him. But he seemed to be an important person to the Life Church higher-ups. There will be many people apany this escort mission, so be prepared for any unexpected situations during the escort." Emilia said vaguely, took out a silver pocket watch, pressed the crown twice, and then walked towards the dark alley.


    Meanwhile, a strange ripple came out from the stopwatch, went to the surrounding areas, and erased her appearance from the ''Past'' itself. Truthfully, she participated in the earlier battle, but her existence was reced with an invisible space. Unless a Divine or a Taboo Existence intervenes, nobody will find out that she had participated in the previous battle!


    They would only find that some mysterious power intervened and helped Edith during the battle!


    The strange ''Time'' power also entered Charles''s mind and was about to alter his memories, but the game system suddenly acted and nullified the ''Time'' power.


    Unaware of the actions that happened in his mind, Charles went near the headless corpse and then took the strange in gold coin, silver ring, and blue gem-embedded gold coin from his neck. After that, he cast his [Inspect] skill on the in gold coin and inspected it.


    [Name: Coin of the Helper


    Rank- Rare


    Effect: This coin has the power of ''Death'' hidden in it. When you activate this coin by saying the ''Change'' word in the Nether tongue, an undead will appear from the Underworld and help you or yourpanion escape by creating a Nether Portal.


    Caution: If you summon a high-ss messenger, run for your life; otherwise, it will enve your soul in return. This coin doesn''t have to power to control a high-rank undead.


    Usage: 1/week.]


    ''It''s a double-edged sword. Moreover, ''Nether tongue''? Is that a magguage like the Runal Language?'' He stared at the strange in gold coin for a moment and soon shifted hIS gaze towards the blue gem-embedded silver ring.


    [Name: Space Ring


    Rank: Rare


    Effect: This ring has ten cubic meters of space in it. By binding this ring with your soul imprint, you will be able to store your materials with much more protection. Unless you die, or someone with a high-level understanding of spacew came and broke your soul imprint, no one would be able to steal the things from you. Even if they stole this space ring, you would be able to find its location using your soul imprint.]


    The corner of Charles''s lips curled upward as he saw the information in front of his eyes.


    ''I heard that space rings are scarce in this Edhen World, but I didn''t expect Addie has one.'' He stared at the ring for a moment and soon got puzzled about the ''Soul Imprint'' thing.


    ''Looks like I need to check it using the hard way.'' He muttered to himself and soon focused his full attention on the ring. As he had expected, a strange suction came from the ''Space Ring'' and pulled a small part of his consciousness into it.


    Charles saw different types of materials hovering in the space a momentter and got stunned for a while. Although he was eager to explore the contents, he hid his curiosity and then shifted his attention towards another gold coin.

 Chapter 44: Rewards

    <h4>Chapter 44: Rewards</h4>


    [Name: Watcher''s Coin


    Rank: Rare


    Effect: This coin has the [Prognosticator] ''s skill called [Fate Vision] skill was engraved in it. When you activate this skill by pressing the blue gem at the center, you will see the other''s or other ce''s destined future.


    Usage: 1/ Week.]


    ''Is he the one who caused the previous coincidences?'' Charles furrowed his thin trimmed eyebrows for a second and soon shook his head. He knew that this was not the right time to think, so he put the [Space Ring] on his ring finger and stored other things into it. After that, he went near Addie''s headless corpse and stored it in the space ring.


    ''It''s time for me to go.'' He muttered inwardly and then ran into the nearby dark alley.


    A few minutester, Charles stealthily walked out of Gold Street and soon entered Slum Street. After that, he acted like he was looking for a rent house for another three hours and finally went to Henry''s house to discuss his housing problem. Charles then asked him to let him stay in the old hut for the next two months and even acted seductively to make him agree to his request. Although Henry refused his request initially, he reluctantly agreed when Charles gave him extra two silver coins.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Gold Street suddenly turned into a hotspot filled with security guards and Mystics. Although Charles managed to take Addie''s headless body from the mud road, the bloodstains and brain matters were still present all over the area, causing huge sensational news. Many mystics with different backgrounds arrived at the battle area and noticed many abnormalities about the fight. Jimmy also stood with a gloomy look on his face in the nearby dark alley and watched the battle area while talking with the Holem''s Crown in his mind.


    ''Why did you ask me toe here?'' Jimmy asked in a weak, helpless tone. If a high-rank mage looks at his soul, they will find that his soul was in a fragile state.


    ''Don''t look annoyed. The one who died during this incident is the Red-haired man. He is the one we saw him during this earlier morning.'' The Holem''s Crown lightly flickered as it spoke to Jimmy''s mind in an old man''s voice.


    ''Are you saying that Edith Oliver is behind this incident?'' Jimmy raised his eyebrows in suspicion and asked.


    ''I''m 100 percent sure about that. But I couldn''t guess about the other person''s identity. I also sense the power of the ''Divine'' in the surrounding area.'' It stopped for a moment and then continued with a sigh,


    ''Looks like I need to see it for myself.''


    A secondter, Jimmy lifted his head and noticed that everything around him suddenly went quiet. No, he saw that the surrounding people, drainage water, flying crows, annoying bees, and the green trees suddenly froze. After that, the whole surrounding broke all of a sudden and was reced by a different scene.


    He saw a ck-haired woman in a white shirt, and ck skirt walked on the dirt road and soon stopped her footsteps as she saw a luxurious silk curtained carriage wasing from the opposite direction.


    "Edith Oliver." Widening his eyes, Jimmy watched the scene where the carriage suddenly stood in front of Edith and soon sharpened his gaze not to miss a single detail.


    He then saw how the Red-haired man tried to control her mind and how Edith retaliated with her fire magic spells. After watching the magical battle, he got astounded deeply. He also saw that a strange invisible power attacked the red-haired man and got confused. Moreover, he noticed that he couldn''t hear whatever the other party discussed with Edith Oliver and became more puzzled.


    The whole fierce battle came to an end in less than twenty seconds, causing Jimmy to widen his eyes in disbelief. Unlike other battles he saw in his lifetime, this battle appeared more mystical and confusing.


    ''Edith¡­ Fire Mage¡­ Something feels off about her¡­'' While Jimmy was staring at the headless Addie, the Holem''s Crown muttered in puzzlement.


    In a second, Jimmy woke up from the daze and asked,


    ''Why are there two Fire Mages of Nightwind Family appear here? What if-?'' He was about to imagine another possibility of her being disguised as Charles, but suddenly he forgot about it.


    With a clueless face, he coughed quietly and then asked,


    "Is she also after you?"


    ''I can''t predict her action. What worries me is not her presence but her backer''s identity. Moreover, that backer seems to be walking on the path of ''Divine''.''


    ''Path of Divine?'' Jimmy got more curious and asked.


    ''A dying soul doesn''t need to know about that.'' The Holem''s Crown cut him off and then broke the realistic illusion. In a blink, the surrounding broke into multiple broken sses and soon reced it with a real scene.


    Jimmy let out a bitterugh and nodded while lowering his head in dismay. After that, he turned around and then went deep into the dark alley.


    ¡­


    Addie''s death caused confusion and panic among the Riverdale Citizens. Although the Rank-4 [Historian] ss mystic visited the incident area to get some clues, he found out that someone had already erased the evidence from the ''Past'' itself and became disappointed.


    Without minding the outside fuss, Charles returned to the single hut in Edith''s appearance and started checking the contents in the space ring.


    After separating the normal items like dresses, smoking pipes, loaves of dry bread, water can, and few gold coins from the space ring, Charles took out a red-covered book, two crescent-shaped earrings, a Pupil-Less eyeball from it and ced them on the stone b.


    First, he inspected the red-covered book and soon noticed it was just an ordinary book with some Blen words written inside a page. He looked at those characters for a moment and soon ced them inside the space ring to check itter. After that, he cast his [Inspect] skill on one of the crescent-shaped earrings and found out that it was a ritual material for contacting the God of Moon, Anos!


    ''Anos¡­ A Lawful God that governs the domains of Moon, Cold, Water, Blood, and Ice.'' Charles stared at those earrings for a second and soon turned his gaze towards the strange pupil-less eyeball.


    [Name: Eye of Shadow


    Rank: Rare


    Effect: With this artifact, you can put a shadow mark on your opponents and spy on them from afar. Unless the target went 5 km away from the user, the shadow mark won''t disappear for the next three days.


    Cooldown: 2/ Week]


    ''Looks good.'' Charles nodded his head and then transferred all of his important things into the Space Ring. After that, he sneakily went out of Riverdale City at night and buried Addie''s body in the depths of the mangrove woods. After that, Charles stealthily returned to the city and isted himself from the outside world. He first took out the normal book from the space ring and stared at the inscribed words for a whole five minutes.


    It was just a single paragraph. But the one who wrote those characters arranged in aplicated manner like a bunch of code-words.


    The real Charles was an archaeological student, and he knew much about these secret code methods. If Charles had walked on the path of Explorers, it would have been very easier for him to decode the message hidden in the book. Unfortunately, the current Charles chose a different ss and was walking on a different path.


    ''Looks like I need to find an explorer and ask his help.'' He sighed as he put the book into his space ring and then started concentrated his attention on improving his strength.


    He used most of his time on understanding the spell models using the Runal Language knowledge and mastered the spell models one by one. asionally, he would sneak out of Slum Street, remove his disguise and go to El Street as Charles. He then stays in 45 El Street for a day and then returns to Slum Street to do his usual disguising.


    In a blink, four weeks passed.


    Aug 5th, Second Arcane Era, Year 6396.


    During the past four weeks, Charles mastered the [Fire Wings] and [Crimson Cure] spell models in his mind and was about to analyze his next spell model thoroughly. Moreover, he also entered the Dreamworld thrice and even gained 800 Exp points by killing many strange ck goblin-like creatures.


    When killing those creatures, he also found something odd about those dark goblins and started paying more attention to those creatures. Charles noticed that the ck goblins were different from other nightmare creatures, and they acted more like civilized creatures than the mindless ones. Furthermore, Charles saw that those creatures wereing from Riverdale City''s outer area and could evenmunicate with each other! Although those creatures'' actions piqued his interest, he didn''t dig further and continued analyzing the spell models.


    As for his current search mission, there was no progress at all. He also noticed that Jimmy also isted himself from the outside world and seemed to be preparing for something. Only Luke did some research and found something odd about Willy''s movement during the past few weeks. Except for him, none found an important clue about those three Historians'' disappearances.


    As usual, Charles sat on the stone b in the old hut and was deeply immersed in understanding his fourth spell model, [Burning Thoughts]. As he was about to finishprehending the twenty-sixth word, a sudden knocking sound came from the outside and woke him up from his deep meditation. He opened her jade eyes in annoyance, stood up from the stone b, went near the wooden door, and opened it from the inside.


    In front of him stood a lean man with blonde hair, amber eyes, and an oval face. He wore leather armor over his brown linen shirt, ck pants, and ck leather shoes and appeared around 25-years-old. He also wore a red gem-embedded bracelet in his hand and was staring at him¡­


    No, he was staring at her with a stiff smile on his face. He was none other than Jimmy Holmes!


    Seeing Jimmy''s appearance at the entrance, Edith turned her face into a smiling one and greeted in a soft female voice,


    "Good morning, Sir. Jimmy."


    Jimmy nodded at her in response and soon asked cautiously,


    "Are you also a Mystic, ma''am?"


    As he ended his words, the smile on Edith''s face vanished in an instant and was reced with a cold one. Before Jimmy could take a step back, Edith took a ck pistol from her new space ring and pointed it on Jimmy''s forehead.

 Chapter 45: History of an Intellectual Artifact

    <h4>Chapter 45: History of an Intellectual Artifact</h4>


    Cold sweats dripped on Jimmy''s face as he shrunk back in fear and soon raised both his hands in surrender.


    "How did you know?" Edith asked as she moved her finger and turned the Pistol''s hammer with a click.


    "D-Don''t shoot me. I''m also a Mystic." He said in a hurry.


    Edith wore a surprised look on her face and then furrowed her brows.


    "Why are you here then?" She asked while not removing the Pistol from his forehead.


    Meanwhile, Jimmy breathed out a sigh of relief and started to speak.


    "I came here to ask if you are interested in joining a certain group mission."


    Edith''s thin eyebrows arched upward as she heard his words and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Mission? Why is he inviting me now? To learn more about me?''


    Edith retrieved her Pistol and probed.


    "What kind of mission is that? Can you tell me more details?"


    Seeing that Edith was willing to listen to his words, Jimmy nodded his head with a forced smile and then spoke.


    "Two days ago, Underworld Boss of Riverdale issued a mission to explore the Unexplored Forest on September 18th. Boss Night-eye said that only Mystics will be allowed to participate in this mission and asked the seven Rowdy gangs to recruit new Mystics from the outside."


    ''September 18th¡­ Unexplored Forest¡­ Something is definitely suspicious going on here.''


    "I''m not interested." Edith instantly refused to join in an unknown mission. Although Charles came here to monitor Jimmy and to find clues about A-035, he wouldn''t act rashly just to gain more information. Moreover, Eve also warned him to be more careful when joining the ''Ruin'' rted mission, so he didn''t ept the mission.


    As Jimmy was about to turn around in disappointment, Edith raised her hand and muttered.


    "Stop."


    Jimmy got startled for a moment and soon stared at her in puzzlement. In the meantime, Edith stared vacantly at the orange sky for a moment and soon sighed.


    In reality, she stared at the game interface and noticed a new mission suddenly popped out in front of her face.


    [Main Quest: Save the Intellectual Artifact and gain its full ownership.


    Quest Description: On October 2nd of the year 6396 of the Second Arcane Era, a big change will happen in the Unexplored Forest and would cause a massive change in the ''Fate'' of the Arc Kingdom. Participate in this mission and save Rh from being devoured by the Chaos Wanderer.


    Quest Reward: 8,450 Experience Points.


    Mission Deadline: October 2nd.


    Quest failure: Unknown


    ept/Decline.]


    ¡­


    ''Intellectual artifact? That''s a new term. I also have an option to decline it? Hmm, the Mission Deadline¡­ It''s the exact date Eddie Nightwind mentioned in the prophecy. It looks like I won''t be able to avoid this ''Fateful encounter'' even if I decline it now.'' After encountering those strange coincidences, mystical effects, and all, Charles knew that escaping from the ''Fate'' was not an option.


    ''If I didn''t grow stronger and break these ''Fate'' like shackles, I will forever be yed around by the bunch of schemers. These mind tricking and manipting powers are nothing in front of pure strength. My main-ss is the best example of that.''


    The corner of Edith''s lips curled upward as she stared at the mission icon for a second and soon spoke.


    "I will apany you in this mission."


    ''This mission is definitely dangerous¡­ But the Quest Reward is quite tempting for me. Moreover, I have more than a month to prepare. Something is telling me that this mission has some connection with the Escort mission. If so, I can ask Team Leader and continue this undercover mission as Edith. If this mission has nothing to do with escort mission, I can just use an excuse and withdraw.'' She thought for a moment and then spoke,


    "Although this mission looks dangerous, I don''t think it will affect my personal mission. Moreover, if I find something good in the Unexplored Forest, I might quit my job and enjoy my life peacefully. I need to go out for a while and prepare something for this mission. Mr. Jimmy, you cane here on the 18th morning and pick me up." After saying those words, Edith turned around and shut the door from inside.


    In the meantime, Jimmy shook his head in a gloomy look, turned around, went near his house, and muttered in a creaky old man''s voice.


    "I didn''t expect such an oue."


    He then stared at the red-gem embedded bracelet for a moment and chuckled.


    "Jimmy, your time is nearing."


    "You will never seed." A solemn voice echoed from the red bracelet and soon died out.


    "Hehe, that''s not possible. When I cast the final ''Miracle'' on Charles, I will get his heart as a reward. It will be my final sess. Heh, after so many years of schemes, I''m almost seeded in everything and also gained full control over the body of the Holem family''s 65th descendant. Specifically, I almost gained control of your body. When your soul withers and enters the cycle of reincarnation, my soul will directly enter your body and will obtain full control over it as per the ''Ancient Agreement''. Along with the ''Heart'' of the Nightwind family descendant, I will finally obtain a real body and then rise as a true ''Origin Seeker''."


    "What a cursed life I have¡­ Holem''s Crown¡­ Can you tell me your true name before my soul withers? What is your true goal? Why are you targeting us?" A weak solemn voice came out once again from the red bracelet.


    ''Name, is it?'' The Holem''s Crown in Jimmy''s body went silent for three full seconds and soon said in his mind.


    ''My real name is Rh, one of the fifty-seven Universal Explorers in the whole Universe. Long ago, I was ambushed by your ancestor and his friends and then sealed in an ''Eternal Prison'' for 20,000 years¡­


    Well, the reason for their sess is mostly because of my weakened state, though. After my strength got entirely absorbed by the Nullifying Stone, the Holem family members captured my soul in a separate soul stone. They then created an intellectual Artifact with the help of a damned Divine.


    That''s how I was reborn as a Series-A Artifact. The Holem family then forced me to sign a ve-like agreement and started conquering multiple nes with the help of my ''Miracle'' ability.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly paused for three full seconds and then continued with a disdainful tone,


    ''But, they underestimated me. When I signed the ve-like agreement, I also used a trick and added few conditions for my freedom. I then altered those conditions little by little with the Holem family descendants'' help and started ying different tricks like forcing them to sacrifice their people''s luck.


    Finally, I made another gamble-like agreement with the seventeenth head of the Holem family. I forced him to give one of the Holem family members'' bodies a reward if I seeded in helping them escape from their homeworld. Regretfully, when I cast the big ''Miracle,'' someone interfered with my ''Fate'' and separated me from them.''


    ''I then traveled in the void for hundreds of years while gathering luck powers to create another big miracle. That miracle is the result of meing to this Edhen world with the help of the Nightwind family elder, Eddie Nightwind. Well, I also fell for Eddie''s trick back then and once again signed a ve-like agreement. No, this incident happened due to my arrogance and overconfidence. After that, I started to look for Holem family members and then waited for Eddie''s contract to over. After 25,560 years of a long wait, I''m finally going to get my freedom and return to the Easica World.''


    Upon hearing the Holem''s Crown''s long history, even Jimmy got stunned for a moment.


    ''You are the Unluckiest among all.'' He squeezed out those words and then went silent.


    "Hehe, in this Universe, everything has a price, Jimmy. Honestly, you are a good person, a very good one. Even though I''m an enemy, you didn''t hold any grudge against me and remained rational. That''s why; your life is going to end very soon." The Holem''s Crown, aka Rh, spoke out loud as he opened the wooden door with a click and then walked in.


    In the meantime, a dark shadow eye hovered above in the air for the next ten seconds and soon dispersed into smokes.


    A secondter, Charles opened his eyes inside the old hut and soon turned his face serious. Using the ''Shadow Eye,'' he watched Jimmy''s earlier actions and heard the unfamiliar old man''s voice.


    ''Holem''s Crown seems to have already gained full control over Jimmy''s real body and also appears to be nning to take my heart as a reward. That red-gem embedded bracelet¡­ Is it''s the Holem''s Crown? Did the Holem''s Crown change into a bracelet instead of a crown using the imitation-like skill? Moreover, the ''Last Miracle,'' is it? I need to find a way and trick it to sign the Contract of Imagination before the ''Last Miracle.'' This artifact is indeed a dangerous one.''


    Charles inhaled deeply and then stood up from the stone b. After that, he packed his belongings and walked out of the old hut in Edith''s appearance.


    Like thest time, he made few turns and soon found a dark alley to remove his disguise. After he removed his disguise, he changed his cloth into a formal one and then cast [Conceal] skill on himself.


    After roaming in the streets for an hour, he arrived in front of the Withering Shadows office building and then walked in. Once he walked in, he saw Emilia was seated on the receptionist desk and seemed to be in the middle of writing.


    He first went near her, cleared his throat, and spoke politely.


    "Good Morning, Team Leader." Although his word sounds like a teenager''s one, one could feel that his tone contains not a single emotion hidden in it. It was neither joy nor sorrow.


    Raising her head, Emilia stared at Charles for a second and pointed her hand at the oppositedder-back chair.


    "Take a seat."


    Nodding, Charles took off his long ck coat, ced it on his hand, and sat down.


    "I got some information about the Escort mission, Leader." He didn''t want to beat around the bush, so he went straight to the point.


    Emilia stopped her ck quill as she heard his words and soon asked.


    "What is it?"


    "Jimmy visited me this morning. He said that the Underground Boss Nighteye issued a mission and asked the seven rowdy gangs to recruit Mystics. He said that they are nning to go to the Unexplored Forest on September 18th and invited me to join this mission."


    "September 18th?" Emilia went silent for a few seconds and soon asked.


    "Did you ept his request?"


    "Yes," Charles nodded.


    "Smart move. I also felt something was off about this escort mission." She deliberately paused for a moment and then continued with a sigh.


    "Look like something big is going to happen in the Unexplored Forest. Charles, you will be ourst card so unless something big happens, don''t expose your real identity. Continue your disguise as Edith Oliver and stay hidden among the Slitherer''s Rowdy gang. Your secret identity lies with me, not even Andrew knew about this."


    Charles''s smile widened as he heard her words and nodded his head in approval. After exchanging few words about the escort mission with Emilia, Charles walked out of the Withering Shadows building and went to El Street.

 Chapter 46: Unexplored Forest

    <h4>Chapter 46: Unexplored Forest</h4>


    Fifteen minutester, Charles reached his house and soon furrowed his brows as he heard an argument from the reception hall.


    To his surprise, he saw Bishop Reynolds, Lady Charlotte, Mr. Hunt, and Ethan Walker seated on the ornate sofa on the right side and were discussing something serious.


    To their opposite side, he saw a white-haired old man, whom he had met a few weeks ago; Saron White, two other old-looking men, sat on thedderback chairs and appeared to be listening to their discussion. In the meantime, Eve Nightwind held a ce full of ss bottles and served the orange juice sses.


    With light footsteps, Charles walked in and attracted others'' attention in an instant.


    "Why are they all gathering here?" Without minding their gazes, he stared at Eve Nightwind''s back and asked.


    "They are here to talk to you," Eve said as she turned around, took a few steps forward, and gave him a ss of orange juice.


    "Talk to me?" Charles took the ss with his right hand and then turned his gaze towards Bishop Reynolds.


    Noticing his gaze, Bishop stopped taking the sip and said in a casual tone.


    "I arranged this meeting, Charles." He paused for a moment as he took arge sip from the orange juice ss, gulped it down, and then added while cing his trembling hand on hisp.


    "All of them here are trusted members of Life Church and would help you obtain the Holem''s Crown at the cost of their own lives."


    "All of them?" Charles asked as his gaze swept past Bishop Reynolds and soonnded on the two old-looking men seated on two wooden chairs. One guy had blonde hair, a sharp nose, a lean body, a pale face, and emerald eyes, while the other guy had silver hair, a round nose, a slightly obese body, and pupil-less eyes. Both wore blue robes, strange wheel-symbolic badges, and strange tattooed shoes and looked more like wizards from a particr fictional series.


    "They are mages of Life Church. Both are Rank-2 mages with considerable battle experience. Blonde hair guy''s name is Logan Myth, and he is a Rank-2 [Lightning Man]. As for the silver one, his name is Leo Blue, and he is a Rank-2 [Spatial Blinker]."


    Charles greeted them with a nod and soon shifted his gaze towards Charlotte and Ethan Walker.


    "Ethan Walker is originally a member of Withering Shadows in the past. Due to some personal reasons, he and Charlotte stayed undercover in Riverdale City and is currently acting as husband and wife." Without waiting for Charles to ask more questions, Bishop said.


    "What about Mr. Hunt? Don''t tell me¡­ Are Mr. Hunt and Lady Charlotte husband and wife?" Charles widened his eyes for a moment and soon nodded in understanding.


    ''Heh, so that''s why the Holy Knight always sneaked into Ethan Walker''s mansion and ends up gaining the title of Wife Stealer.''


    "What about Lady Charlotte''s Rank?" Charles didn''t put much thought into their personal affairs and soon asked.


    "Charlotte is Rank-2 [Reader], a [Student] ss Mystic." Bishop Reynolds didn''t hide anything and responded in an instant.


    Even Charles became stunned by his words and soon asked another question.


    "What about Derrick''s father then? Why is he here?" He knew that Derrick''s father was not a member of Life Church and became puzzled.


    "Sir Carter is a Rank-3 [Seeker], a [Historian] ss Mystic. I asked him toe here and attend this meeting, son." This time, Eve interjected their talking and said in a solemn tone.


    "Because of his Rank-3 power strength, we also agreed to her suggestion." Bishop Reynolds also said with a nod and then took the opportunity to gulp the whole ss of juice in one go. After that, he took out a pointy-leaf from his pocket and stuffed it in his mouth.


    In the meantime, Hunt heaved a deep sigh and said.


    "To put it more simply, when the Holem''s Crown revealed its presence, we will work together and capture it before others do. After that, we will hand it to you as per the agreement and would help you to gain full control over it."


    Charles wasn''t surprised by their decision. He acted like he was in deep thinking, rubbed his temte for a moment, and then spoke.


    "Mr. Hunt, you are wrong about one thing. A-035 is not a normal Series-A Artifact and has the power to do miracles. Although I''m its sessor, it doesn''t seem to be willing to serve under me. So, do you think a bunch of Rank-2 and three Rank-3 Mystics have the power to force the Holem''s Crown to submit to us?" Without waiting for Hunt to respond, Charles shook his head and continued.


    "Moreover, I also heard from Father Reynolds that this A-035 could see the ''past'' itself. Using normal methods to capture this artifact would never work against it."


    "What do you suggest then?" Bishop''s stared at Eve with wide red eyes and asked.


    "I''m on your left side, Father. As for your question, I do have some ns. But to achieve that, I need all of your help."


    Everyone straightened their backs as they heard his words and waited for him to continue.


    "Before that, what do you guys know about the Unexplored Forest?" Charles wore a mysterious smile on his face and asked.


    "Unexplored Forest? It''s the treasure house for Explorers and Adventurers and has some connection with the Abyss ne. I heard that a total of 128 Chaos Rifts were hidden in the Unexplored Forest, and these Rifts are the main reasons for the previous nar Invasions. Some say that these Chaos Rifts are still connected to the Abyss and other Chaotic nes and would activate once in a millennium. As for the dark creatures hidden in the deep area, I knew nothing about them." Carter took the initiative and exined what he had known from his years of experience as an Explorer.


    At this time, another voice came. It was Bishop Reynolds!


    But Charles felt a sense of mystery and profoundness in his words.


    "Unexplored Forest has some deep connection with the Ancient Era. It''s an Era where Gods and Mages united and explored the cosmos together. There were no ss gems, nor do peoples have other methods to understand the secrets of the mysterious powers. Only Mages and Divines ruled the World¡­


    No, only Divines, Warlocks, and Mages ruled the Universe. But that soon came to an end when a mysterious ''Taboo Existence'' collected the 100 divinities of ''Luck'' and created the ''ss-Gem'' path by casting an Ultimate Miracle." Bishop Reynolds stared vacantly at the ceiling and said in a weird monotonous tone, causing everyone to stare at him in wonder.


    "Hush! His consciousness entered the Divine Kingdom of Life." Hunt stood up from his seat and muttered in shock.


    "Is that a rare urrence?" Charles was clueless about that part, so he asked with a frown. When Bishop said something about entering the divine kingdomst time, he didn''t put much thought into it. But now, he was a little surprised inside.


    "It''s a very rare urrence. It''s the third time Lord Bishop is entering the Divine Kingdom of Life in his whole life. Whenever he enters this state, his soul will be linked to the Goddess Nira''s divine kingdom, and he would be able to ask answers from one of the Goddess Nira''s incarnations." Hunt paused for a moment and soon added.


    "Ask another question before he awakens."


    Nodding his head, Charles folded his hands and asked.


    "What is going to happen in the Unexplored Forest?"


    "Tragedy. It will be an orchestrated encounter. You can''t escape from the ''Fate''." Bishop paused for a second and soon added with a weird creepy smile on his face.


    "Face it. Face the ''Fate'' and reborn as a new."


    Before Charles could utter a word in response, Bishop Reynolds gasped for breathing and soon slumped on the sofa.


    Upon seeing the strange incident, Charles closed his jade eyes and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Unexplored Forest¡­ City Ruins¡­ Orchestrated Encounter¡­ Face the ''Fate''¡­ Tragedy¡­ Red-Hair¡­ Red Prince¡­ Fate¡­ Fate¡­ Someone is manipting the strings¡­ Multiple Coincidences¡­ Is this rted to the [Astrologer] ss Mystic? Arbiter Willy also said something about an Irregr¡­'' Multiple words whirled in his mind and soon connected to a single person in his mind.


    "[Watcher]" He muttered out loud and soon asked.


    "Do any of you know anyone with the title of [Red Prince] or [Watcher]?"


    Saron suddenly raised her hand, wiped the corner of her red lips, and said.


    "He might be a member of the ''Fate Rulers''. Most of the [Astrologer] ss Mystics are members of this ancient organization, while the rest are members of the Lawful Churches. Unlike other organizations, this organization is a secretive organization with no goal¡­


    No, I would say that this organization was born to create disturbance in other''s Fates. The members of this organization are maniptors of Fates and would cause strange variations in everyone''s life. I once heard from the Wisdom Church Bishop that the Fate Rulers are lurking in every city and are manipting everyone''s life from behind the scenes. That''s the reason all the Churches put bounties on the entire Fate Rulers'' heads."


    "How many members are there in this strange organization?" Eve leaned her back on the granite wall and asked. Although she heard about the organization in the past, she didn''t know much about its information.


    "I have no idea about the numbers. But there must be more than thousands."


    "Thousands¡­" Charles sucked in a cold breath and soon understood the seriousness.


    ''If what Saron White said is true, then we are in serious trouble. But what can I do now? Watcher''s identity is still shrouded in mystery, and I knew nothing about him. Even if I found out about his identity, do I have the power to fight against him? I couldn''t even hold off against the half-baked Addie Baker. If not for Team Leader Emilia''s warning, I would have killed on that day.'' Charles thought for a moment and soon spoke.


    "If my guess is true, someone had already found a city ruin. They seemed to be nning to go alone, but I don''t think it''s possible. Within a week or two, someone will expose the city ruin''s location and reveal it to everyone. So, you guys should form a team with some explorers and go there. I will also go to the ruin in disguise and wait for the Holem''s Crown to show its presence. Till then, you guys should hide your strength and act as normal Mystics."


    At first, Charles nned something else in his mind, but Bishop Reynolds''s sudden prophetic words changed his whole n. After some discussion, the gathered Mystics walked out of their house one by one, leaving only Eve, Saron, Carter, and Charles in the reception room. Without minding Saron''s curious gaze, Charles sat on the ornate sofa and then turned his gaze towards the old man Carter.


    Noticing his gaze, Carter made a fake cough and said.


    "You have changed, Charles."


    "Everyone has their reasons, uncle." He purposefully paused for a second while taking out a book from his space ring and gave it to Carter.


    In puzzlement, Carter caught the book and opened it to see the content. He flipped the empty pages one by one in confusion and soon stopped in front of a handwritten page.


    As he stared at the content for a moment, Carter instantly understood the reason and started decoding those messy words.


    After five minutes of struggle, he let out a chuckle and read the content out loud.


    "Keep an eye on the target all the time and be careful of the Life Church members. If you met an anomaly, use your full force and kill the other party. To seek the truth, we need to make some sacrifices. ''For the True Fate.''


    By- The Red Prince."


    Carter read the content with a solemn tone and then shifted his gaze towards Charles.


    ''Red Prince¡­'' He muttered the name and soon shook his head.


    "It''s nothing serious, Uncle. I just found this book on the road and became curious about these strange words. But I didn''t expect that this book is a secret letter."


    "It looks like a troublesome book. I don''t know what you are doing in secret, but be careful of this Red Prince. First, give this book to Bishop or some other person with high-authority; they will find use some artifact and might learn more information about this mysterious ''Red Prince.''" Carter felt something was not right about the contents and gave him a suggestion.


    Without even waiting for Charles to nod, he stood up from his seat and said to Eve in a solemn tone.


    "It''s gettingte. I''ll be leaving now, My Lady."


    After that, he bowed his head to Saron and then to Charles and walked out of the reception room in hurried footsteps.

 Chapter 47: Strange Vision

    <h4>Chapter 47: Strange Vision</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles leaned back on the sofa and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''First thing, I have to confirm that the Red Prince and the Watcher ss member are the same individuals or different ones. These strange prediction abilities are not to be messed with. I need to act more cautious and started researching about this [Watcher]¡­ No, that''s the mistake I madest time. If I hadn''t gone to Brook''s Street, Addie Baker wouldn''t havee after me using the Watcher''s artifact¡­


    So, my job is not to search for Watcher. I will enter the Dreamworld often and try to gain more Exp points. After that, I will Rank-Up my both sses and apany Jimmy as Edith Oliver. When the timees, I will reveal myself as Marie Holmes and trick it into signing the contract¡­ Nah, that won''t work at all.


    Hmm, which contract would do the trick? I need to find a reason to get closer to Jimmy and sign a normal contract with him¡­


    He is the one who invited me to this Mission. So, when I''m at a disadvantage during the Mission, I will argue with him for involving me in a dangerous task and force him to sign a contract topensate me for my loss. But I need to lose some precious artifact during the Mission to make my action feels real. Which one should I sacrifice? Ghost Dagger? Nope, it isn''t worth much. Starfall Codex? Nope, it''s a priceless treasure. Ember Pistol? Nope, it''s my only trump card¡­


    Should I lose any one of Addie''s artifacts?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon chose to lose the ''Coin of the Helper'' artifact. Although it was a rare artifact, Charles felt nothing in front of a real Series-A artifact.


    ''Once the Holem''s Crown signed the contract, I will take full control over the Holem''s Crown and would search for the [Watcher] with its help.'' He nodded his head thoughtfully and soon nced at Eve, who was still leaning her back against the cold concrete wall. She also seemed to be thinking about something and stared at the ceiling in a daze.


    "What''s on your mind, mom?" He raised his eyebrows and asked.


    Eve blinked her eyes as she heard her son''s words and soon straightened her back. After that, she walked two steps in front, sat on the opposite sofa, and spoke in an uncertain voice.


    "Something feels wrong, Charles. After the Kidnapping incident, our life seems to have changedpletely. Wherever we took a step, thorns seem to be popped out of nowhere and harming us. Shall we sell this house and go away from this city?"


    Charles got stunned by her words and soon widened his eyes.


    ''What happened to her? Did she see an anomaly in my Fate?''


    "What did you see?"


    "I didn''t. But why should we destroy our peaceful life by involving in others'' business?" Eve inhaled deeply and said.


    "No, it''s the quiet opposite, mom." Charles deliberately paused for a second and then continued with a grave tone,


    "The reason for the variations in this City peoples'' fates are due to a certain individual. That certain individual might be the reason for my father''s assassination. He might be the one who manipted us toe to this Riverdale City and seemed to be plotting a big scheme."


    "Are you still clinging on to that possibility?" This time, Saron widened her eyes and stared at him in shock. Thest time when Charles mentioned those words to her, she didn''t take it seriously. But now, she also began to feel that it was possible as she had long sensed the coincidental anomaly in the Riverdale City.


    "Yes, My Lady." Charles didn''t say anything further and simply nodded.


    "If there really is a schemer after you guys, what is he after?" Saron became interested all of a sudden and asked further.


    "What''s there to think about? His target is the Holem''s Crown." Charles said as a matter of fact.


    "Oh, that''s right. I almost forgot about that artifact." Saron ced her right hand on her forehead and said with a nod.


    Meanwhile, Charles waved his head and responded as he saw Eve''s worried look on her face.


    "Don''t put too much thought into it, mom. I will take care of it."


    After that, he stood up from the ornate sofa, went near the spiral stairs, and moved upstairs. He then reached the second floor, walked on the smooth tiled floor, and soon arrived in front of his bedroom door on his right side.


    He was about to ce his hand on the doorknob but suddenly stopped. He then took out a gold coin from his space ring and pressed the small blue gem at its center.


    It was the [Watcher''s Coin] artifact!


    A secondter, his vision turned blurry as he soon found himself standing above arge crater. He then nced at the surroundings and soon noticed that the crater was almost covered the size of Riverdale City. Sharp rocks, bounders, andvas spread all over the crater, causing Charles to stare at the vision in puzzlement. Before he could look further, his vision blurred once again, and soon he found himself standing in front of his bedroom door.


    He blinked his eyes twice, ced his hand on the doorknob, turned it a little, and opened the door.


    After locking the wooden door from inside, He went near his bed, sat on it, and then thought of the strange vision in confusion.


    ''Is that the future of Riverdale City? What caused that crater?'' Suddenly, he thought of Bishop''s earlier words and became gloomy.


    ''Looks like I need to speed up my n.'' He heaved a heavy sigh and then took out the ''Nightmare Stone'' from his space ring. He ced the stone in his pocket,y on the bed, and ced his head on the cotton pillow.


    As usual, he closed his eyes for a moment and soon fell asleep.


    ¡­


    After some time, Charles opened his eyes in the Dreamworld, sat up suddenly on the old dusty wooden bed, and took out the pupil-less eye from his space ring.


    At that time, the gloomy old house suddenly shook for a second and soon returned to normal. Charles raised his eyebrows as he heard window ttering noises, howling winds from outside, and grew solemn.


    With a frown stered on his face, he tapped the pupil-less eye twice and activated the ''Shadow Eye'' skill. A secondter, a cloud of dark smoke came out from it and soon formed into an eye-shaped shadow with two bat-like wings.


    Simultaneously, Charles also felt the connection from the shadow-eye and controlled it to move outside. Using the eye, he scouted the nearby rooms slowly and went downstairs. Once he made sure that no strange creatures were hidden in his house, he breathed out a sigh of relief and then looked outside. Unlike thest time, the whole city was filled with gusty winds and appeared to be in the middle of arge tornado!


    Widening his eyes, Charles stared at the dusty red sky, and soon his whole body went stiff.


    Up there in the dusty clouds, he saw a shadow of a dark lizard-like creature with wings hovering above the city and let out thundering roars from time to time.


    "Dragon." He squeezed out a single word and soon ran back to the second floor through the spiral staircase. After a few seconds, he entered his bedroom and soon exited the Dreamworld.


    Although he was curious to know more about that dragon-like creature, he didn''t dare to take the Dreamworld creatures lightly.


    ¡­


    After some time, Charles woke up in his bedroom and soon shook his head. He actually thought of using the ''Dreamworld'' to gain some experience points, but he didn''t think that a monstrous lizard would ruin his n in a second. Quietlymenting for a second, he let out a bitter smile and concentrated his attention on mastering his spell models.


    Days passed as he secluded himself in his room, and soon it was September 10th.


    During the past few weeks, he entered the Dreamworld thrice to try his luck and gained 1420 exp points by killing seven dark goblin-like creatures and two lizard-like creatures. Currently, he had 3709 Exp points in his Experience bar. But that was not his real achievement. Due to his hard work, Charles finally mastered his final [me Body] spell model today and was about to Rank-up!


    If he faced Addie now, he would have an easy time battling him. During the past few weeks, he also visited the Withering Shadows office once and learned some city ruin information. This time, Luke tailed Willy Pickton and found some clue about the City Ruins hidden in the depths of Unexplored Forest. He mentioned that Willy and many other mystics were gathering secretly for a while and seemed to be nning to explore the Unexplored Forest.


    As for those three [Historians] ''s disappearance? It was still shrouded in mystery.


    Casting those thoughts away from his mind, Charles stood up from the tiled floor and soon furrowed his brows as he saw the Rank-up question in the game interface.


    [Main ss Rank-up Quest: Sense the presence of your soul.


    Quest Description: Mages are masters of elements and mysteries. But to be one, you need to learn about your soul and the Inner-world. Find a guide and learn more information about the Inner-World. Once you obtain enough information, try to sense your soul.


    Quest Rewards: 500 Exp


    Mission Deadline: None.]


    ''Rank-up quest? Does that mean I don''t have to spend hundreds of Exp or consume a ss-gem to Rank-up?'' He got confused for a moment and soon thought of the ''Inner-World.''


    ''I do read something about ''Inner-World'' in one of the library books. What book is that again? Soul of Mysteries? Nah, I think its name is Secrets of the Soul.'' He thought for a moment and soon decided to check it quickly.


    After changing his cloth into a casual one, he walked out of his bedroom and went to the Wisdom Library. It was around 11 A.M.


    The rising sunlight scorched his back from the east as he stepped out of his house and soon walked on the El Street road. Charles didn''t stop anywhere and soon reached Oliver Street. Charles then entered the Wisdom Library. He directly went to the fourth floor and started recalling his memories about where he put the book containing information about the Inner World. After searching for a while, he soon found the book called the ''Secrets of the Soul'' and started reading it.

 Chapter 48: Secrets of the Soul

    <h4>Chapter 48: Secrets of the Soul</h4>


    Charles opened the ck covered book and started to read,


    "Good Day, My dear fellow readers,


    I wrote this book to create some awareness about human souls and their secrets. What are these souls? Well, that''s a veryplicated question, and even I knew nothing about it. Who created our souls? For what purpose did they create us?¡­ These questions would go on endlessly if you started to ask yourself. But there is something I can help you with. I will now share my knowledge about souls and their secrets in the following chapters¡­"


    "To feel the soul, you will need answers to various questions like who you are. Are you a being of Chaos? Are you a being of Law? Did you pass through the Eternal River of Life when you reborn? Were you a human being in the past life? And so on¡­"


    Charles raised his eyebrows for a moment as he read the contents and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Being of Chaos? Being of Law? No, I''m neither of those. I''m a neutral one. As for the Eternal River of Life, I think I didn''t pass through by normal means. Some maniac abducted me in the name of transmigration and even put some game-system inside my body¡­ So, I''m a soul from the outside.'' He organized his thoughts for a moment and then continued to read.


    "If you know the answer, then search for things like what our body is made up of? How this Universe created? All these answers will lead you to know what a real soul is¡­"


    ''Hmm? What is our body made of? That itself is aplicated question. If it is a biologist, he would say something like water, cells, within the cells are many molecr machines, bacteria, and so on. A chemist would say Oxygen, Carbon, and Hydrogen, and so on. Physicists would say ''Nothing.'' But each answer is correct in its own way.'' Charles rubbed his temte for a moment and soon began to think like a person from the Edhen World.


    ''The World itself is a magical existence. Unlike Earth, this world has a unique thing called magic or a kind of mystic power. I haven''t checked how the human organs are working. Do the Edhen People''s anatomy is simr to humans from the Earth? Are they different? Moreover, there is another thing called soul-rted questions like Inner-World, magical spell models, and so on¡­


    What really is a human from this Edhen World made of? I would say that they are created by the supernatural thing called ''Mana.'' This mana might be something simr particle like ''Atom'' and must have some connection with the souls. So, when a ''soul'' gets mutated by gaining experiences, it might form some link with this so-called ''Mana'' and might gain extraordinary abilities.


    I also noticed that the game-system acts like an intermediate machine. If I''m not wrong, this game-system somehow steals the other party''s life power in the name of experience and strengthens my soul and body. Although these are just a hypothesis of mine, I can tell that the truth is not far from behind.'' Charles subconsciously came to a bold conclusion and soon turned his attention to the book.


    "Once you get the answer, you will start feeling the soul inside you. That''s the first step to be a true mage. After that, you have to study your soul for years and find a way to enter your Inner-World. Once you enter your Inner-World, you will connect yourself with your Inner-World and feel like you are the Creator of that world. You are the Creator; no, you are the only Creator of that World! Once you realized that, you would be able to control your own emotions and thoughts¡­


    If you manage to understand all the secrets of your Inner World, then you will be an omnipotent being in that world. I also heard that everyone has different types of Inner-World and each world is unique to one''s imagination¡­


    If you control your Inner-World fully, not even Gods will dare to enter into it recklessly.


    But for a normal mage to achieve that stage, it requires thousands of years¡­"


    As Charles read the content, the corner of his lips curled upward subconsciously.


    ''Sea of Consciousness¡­ Damn, this ''Inner-world'' looks more like one''s Sea of consciousness. Hmm? Creation of this Universe? Is he talking about the Big-Bang?'' He furrowed his brows as he sat on the wooden chair and then closed his eyes. After that, he thought of trying out something interesting and soon muttered while imagining the scene of the singrity begins.


    ''Universe


    Omnipotent


    God


    Singrity.''


    He tried different methods, but still, he failed to sense his soul at all. As he was about to give up, he suddenly thought of his ''Main-ss.''


    ''Does this have something to do with my main ss? Wait¡­ This is not Earth. I should think differently. This world has skills, magic, and there is also a power of Imagination that resides everywhere.'' He thought for a moment and started imagining a different scene. He thought of a single spark creating the Universe instead of a Big Bang singrity in his mind.


    "I''m the spark." He muttered loudly and then opened his jade eyes.


    A momentter, something exploded in the depths of his mind!


    Before he could understand the situation, all those seven fire-spell models brightened for a second and then calmed down.


    Puzzled by the sudden change, Charles closed his eyes again and perceived the changes. He saw an empty dark world appeared in his mind. No, it was not a dark world, but a small dark space!


    He saw seven types of spell models at the center hovered in the dark space and looked more like seven suns hovering in the void.


    ''Is this the soul? Or, an Inner-World?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion and soon guessed it must be the first step to enter into the strange ''Inner-World.''


    After thinking for a moment, Charles let out a sigh and opened his eyes in the Wisdom Library.


    He also saw the missionpleted notification in the quest icon and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    [500 Exp points Rewarded!]


    But what made his lips twitch uncontrobly was another notification.


    [Host has met the requirement to Rank up!]


    [There are two avable methods for the Host to Rank Up


    . Host can consume a ''Fire Weaver'' ss-Gem and Rank up by normal method.


    Sess rate: 80%


    . Host can use Experience Points to Rank-up Main ss now.


    Exp needed for Rank-up: 3900 Exp. (3394 Exp for ss-Gem and 506 Exp for Rank-up.)


    Sess rate: 90%]


    ''Fire-Weaver ss-Gem? That''s troublesome. Can I ask the Withering Shadow organization to get that? Nah, I haven''t done enough merit to earn a Rank-2 ss gem. If I ask them now, they wouldn''t give it to me easily and might try to sign another contract with me. 3900 Exp¡­ With additional 500 Exp points, I now have 4250 exp points. With this amount of experience points, I can Rank-up the Main ss at any time using the second method.'' Muttering inwardly, he closed the ck-covered book, stood up from his seat, went near the nearby shelf, and ced it in the corner.


    After that, he turned around, moved towards the staircase, and went downstairs. He then walked out of the Wisdom Library and returned to 45 El Street.


    When Charles reached his house, it was already 4 P.M.


    Once he stepped in, he noticed that Eve and Saron White were seriously doing some baking work in the dining hall, so; Charles didn''t disturb them and directly moved towards the second floor.


    After that, he took out the Watcher''s coin from his space ring and activated it. As usual, his vision still didn''t change, which made him smile wryly.


    ''There is still no change in the vision at all. I heard that the consequence of changing one''s fate will always end up into a veryplicated problem.''


    Shaking his head, hey on his bed and entered the Dreamworld using the ''Nightmare Stone.''


    ¡­


    After some time, Charles opened his eyes in the Dreamworld and noticed that he returned to the gloomy house.


    He skillfully took out the ''Pupil-less'' eye artifact and scouted his house using the ''Shadow Eye'' skill. Once he confirmed that there were no dangers nearby, he breathed out a sigh of relief and went out of the bedroom. After that, he directly went downstairs and then looked outside through the opened window.


    Thankfully, he didn''t saw any monstrous being in the sky, nor do near any dangerous creatures'' roaring voices from the outside. But the whole City looked dusty. Almost all the surrounding areas were covered in sand and looked like the City just escaped the wrath of an angry tornado!


    Breathing out a sigh of relief, Charles took out the ''Starfall Codex'' magic book from his space ring, cast ''Crimson Robe'' spell on himself, and walked out of his house. He looked around cautiously and soon zeroed his eyes on the northern corner as he reached the main street from time to time. This time, he saw an abnormality in that area.


    Two purplish mes hovered up to the sky and illuminated the whole street in a fierce purplish light. Those two mes looked more like eyes.


    As he focused his gaze on those two mes, he suddenly noticed that the space around those two mes began to distort slightly, and soon two bony hands appeared from the dark void. A secondter, a grey-robed skeleton walked out from the ck void and soon turned his gaze towards his direction.


    In that instant, Charles also recalled the strange bony hands from the earlier battle against Addie Baker and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Did he follow after me to the Dreamworld?'' He froze for a second and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Did my mind subconsciously create this being through the power of imagination?''


    A chill crept up to his spines as he thought of another possibility.


    ''Dream is a scary thing. Thankfully, my mind didn''t create an army of Darth Vader or an army of futuristic psychic people.'' Cold sweats dripped down from his forehead as he took a step back in vignce and opened the Starfall Codex.


    Without even waiting for the grey-robed skeleton to act, he took the initiative and started to chant in the Runal tongue.


    In the meantime, the grey-robed skeleton turned its human-like skull and took out arge staff made of bone from the ck void.


    The skeleton then let out a wicked chuckle as itnded on the dirt road and mmed its staff. A secondter, skeletons started to crawl out from the ground!


    Tens, no, hundreds of skeletons popped out from the dirt ground and soon turned their skeletal heads towards Charles''s direction.


    ''What the hell? Do I have to fight against an army now?'' Charles cursed under his breath as he continued to chant and soon opened his illusionary third-eye.


    In a blink, a bolt of purplish lightning flew out from his third eye and soonnded on the grey-robed skeleton''s forehead. To his surprise, the lightning attack didn''t inflict any damage on the skeleton at all!

 Chapter 49: Traveler Trees Leaf

    <h4>Chapter 49: Traveler Tree''s Leaf</h4>


    Charles didn''t even have the time to think as he saw hundreds of skeletons with different appearances sprinted in his direction like mad dogs. Unlike the grey-robed skeleton''s eyes, these skeletons'' red eyes looked ruthless and maniac.


    Clicking his tongue, Charles took out the Arcane Card of Nature magic spell and activated it by crushing it a little.


    Like thest time, hundreds of vines popped out from the ground and started obstructing those skeletons'' paths. Each vine moved at Charles''s thoughts and slithered around those white bony skeletons. Some were turned into power instantly, while the other skeletons stood struggling like a dying animal.


    Using this opportunity, Charles started flipping the pages and soon stopped on the seventh page. Then, he cast [Fire Wings] spell on himself and soared up towards the gloomy dusty sky. Charles soon stopped soaring when reaching 20 meters high and then zeroed his gaze on the grey-robed skeleton. At that time, he also curled his mouth and started chanting a weird incantation in Runal Language.


    While chanting, he also cast [Inspect] skill on it and got confused in a second. He noticed that his [Inspect] skill wasn''t working on the skeleton at all!


    ''What is going on here¡­'' He didn''t dare to dy any longer and pped his crimson wings to fly towards the grey-robed skeleton while pointing his forefinger at it.


    A momentter, a crimson ray of fire came out from his forefinger and soon reached the skeleton''s chest area.


    To his shock, the grey-robed skeleton suddenly moved its bony staff and blocked the ray with it!


    For a moment, Charles felt that he should escape from this strange creation. He once again pped his wings to suspend in the mind air and grew anxious.


    Shaking the uneasiness from his heart, Charles continued his chant loudly and soon finished while turning his face solemn.


    After that, he closed the book with both hands and spoke two words in Runal tongue.


    "Crusade Strike!"


    It was a Rank-2 Light spell!


    A single long sword made of pure light gathered in front of him and soon flew towards the skeleton at an unimaginable speed!


    In a blink, the long sword tore through the air and appeared in front of the grey-robed skeleton''s forehead.


    A secondter, the ''Crusader''s Strike'' spell directly entered the skeleton''s forehead and exploded along with the grey-robed skeleton''s head!


    Upon seeing the scene, Charles''s lips curled upward subconsciously. But the next instant, his expression turned gloomy!


    ''Why didn''t I receive any battle experience?'' He nced around cautiously and soon noticed that the summoned skeletons also disappeared, leaving only strange vines behind on the battlefield.


    ''Does that mean I won''t receive battle experience when killing an imaginary creature?'' He stared at the ce where the grey-robed skeleton stood before in a daze and soon sighed.


    ''I still need to learn more about this Dream-world.'' He then let out a wry smile and noticed that three dark goblins were rushing towards the battlefield from the nearby street road. Squinting his eyes, Charles descended from the sky and soon dismissed the [Fire Wings], [Nature''s Hand], and [Crimson Robe] spells.


    ''It looks like my earlier battle drawn these creatures'' attention.'' He thought to himself and then brushed off the dust from his shirt. Following that, hebed his messy dark-blue hair using his hand and noticed that his hair had grown longer!


    ''I wonder where I can find the barbershop in this magic world.'' He muttered inwardly and then shook his head.


    Without waiting for the dark goblins to notice his presence, he cast [Conceal] skill on himself and stood near the streetlight post like an invisible statue. He almost turned invisible due to the concealment effect and soon blended with the shadow itself!


    Meanwhile, the three goblin creatures looked at the battled area in vignce and started discussing in an unknownnguage. One goblin went near the spot where Charles stopped before battling the imaginary skeleton and measured his footprints! After that, those three dark goblins started analyzing the skeletons'' footsteps, and one dark goblin even began to take some notes using a pen-like utensil.


    After some time, those creatures went to the nearby houses and began to search using various methods. Thankfully, Charles hid his tracks in the concealed form and started studying those creatures'' movements.


    ''They are well-equipped and even using some strange artifacts tomunicate. These goblins are not stupid. No, these dark goblins are exactly like humans from the Earth. They are not afraid of dangers and even would dare to explore other worlds without knowing the consequences.'' While he was in muse, he noticed that the dark goblin trio finally gave up on searching the nearby areas and started moving towards the east.


    Charles also stalked them and soon saw that one dark goblin separated from the other two after a few minutes and went in different directions. From his observation, Charles concluded that this dark goblin was going somewhere to send the observed details about Charles''s earlier battle. At this time, he also noticed something odd about these creatures.


    ''They are not using any skills or magic at all! What are these creatures doing here?'' He felt that he was missing some key information, so he thought of tailing the lone dark goblin instead of the other two. Moreover, he sensed that he would gain something if he follows after this dark goblin. It was the same future prediction-like feeling he had felt earlier.


    ''Does this have something to do with my Sub-ss? [Sixth Sense] skill?'' A question appeared in his mind. Hiding his curiosity, Charles carefully maintained a 20-meter distance and followed after the dark goblin.


    After a few minutes, the lone goblin walked out of Riverdale City and soon entered the nearby mangrove woods. When walking in the dark, gloomy forest, the dark goblin would sometimes change its direction and went in different directions like a clueless fool. But Charles knew that this creature was actually trying to observe if someone was tailing it from behind!


    ''This guy is overly cautious like an assassin.'' Charles thought inwardly and soon noticed that he actually forget to cast [Inspect] skill on this creature at all!


    Without alerting the goblin, he cast [Inspect] skill on it from the dark and waited patiently.


    A secondter, a row of data about the dark goblin appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Name: Theyr Darwn


    Race: Night Goblin


    Age: 9 years old


    Health: Normal


    HP: 80/80


    Rank: 1


    ss: Level 5 War Scout


    Sub-ss: None


    Attributes:


    Strength- 11


    Dexterity-13


    Constitution-12


    Wisdom- 13


    Charm- 0


    ss Skills:


    Hiding


    nning


    Instant memory


    Tracking


    Sub-ss Skills: None


    Unique Skills: None]


    ''Night goblin? Hmm, looks like a subspecies of the goblin.'' Charles nodded thoughtfully and soon checked those four skills. Although they looked normal, he knew that they were perfect for scout-rted jobs.


    Dismissing the game interface, Charles continued to follow after it and soon noticed that this goblin suddenly stopped in front of arge sycamore tree. The tree stretched skyward in thece of silent bark, the brown wrapping each as the most beloved of skin. Dried ck leaves and flower petals fell from the sky as the dark-skinned Night goblin appeared in front of the tree trunk and muttered a few words in a weird singing tone. It looked more like a chant than a song!


    After ncing around the surroundings for a moment, the Night goblin then ced its w-like hand on the tree''s trunk and soon revealed its ugly yellow teeth. An instantter, a suction force came out from the gem-like green leaf and pulled the Night goblin into it!


    Charles was stunned by the strange scene and soon took a deep breath to calm his mind. He then went near the tree to take a closer look and circled it for a moment. He then carefully checked the tree''s trunk area and soon furrowed his brows.


    At the center of the trunk, he saw a strange leaf-like gem was embedded in it and got curious about the leaf''s origin. Without any dy, he focused his attention on the green-leaf and cast [Inspect] skill on it.


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect is sessful]


    ¡­


    [Name: Traveler Tree''s leaf


    Item Rank: ???


    Effect: This leaf can transport any living creature from its current location to its twin''s location.]


    ''Traveler Tree''s leaf.'' Charles raised his right hand, moved his finger towards the gem-like leaf, and tried to touch it. But to his astonishment, an invisible power came out from the leaf and blocked his hand from moving near it!


    ''Force-field? Why is it blocking me? Is there any passcode to travel to the other side? It seems these goblins are using this leaf to enter this Dreamworld. Does that mean those creatures are entering with their physical bodies?'' He thought of a possibility and soon noticed another notification popped out in the game interface.


    [Host has triggered the Hidden Quest!]


    [Hidden Chain-Quest]


    [Quest No.1: Find out the cause of this Twin-Leaf''s arrival]


    [Quest Description: Due to someone''s interference with the ''Time'', a Traveler Tree''s leaf traveled through Time and Space and appeared in the Woolgather World. Using the Traveler Tree''s leaf, an unknown civilization arrived at this Woolgather world in the name of exploration and seemed to be invading this ce. Find out the cause of the arrival of this Twin-Leaf and stop the civilization from invading this ne further. If not, they will conquer Riverdale City and might interfere with Riverdale citizens'' dreams.]


    [Quest Reward: A specific Fire-Elemental ne''s coordinate.]


    [Mission Deadline: 7 months, 23 days.]


    [ept/ Decline]


    ¡­


    Charles stared at the quest window for a second and soon squint his eyes sharper.


    ''A specific Fire-Elemental ne''s coordinate? This quest is not apulsory one.'' He thought for a while and soon chose to ept it.


    ''As I suspected, my [Sixth Sense] skill is a future prediction-rted skill.'' He nodded his head in enlightenment.


    After that, he sat on the nearby rock and waited patiently to farm more exp using this ce. Within a few minutes, another Night goblin in a weird ck robe appeared in front of the tree and nced around cautiously.


    In the meantime, Charles silently crept behind the Night goblin and wrapped his hand around its neck before it could notice his presence. Like a snake, he moved his other hand and swiftly stole its short sword using his [Magician''s Hand] skill. After that, he broke the Night goblin''s tiny arms and released it from his grip.


    In the meantime, the Night goblin stumbled forward as it wailed in pain, then turned around and red at him fiercely in anger and hate. Shrugging his shoulders, Charles stared at the dark creature for a moment and asked in Runal tongue,


    "Do you speak Runal?"


    A silence answered, and soon the Night goblin started shouting at him in an unknownnguage.


    "Looks like there won''t be any use in talking now," Charles muttered in a cold tone and directly plunged his dagger at the Night goblin. A wailing cry echoed from its mouth as it tried its best to dodge the dagger. Unfortunately, Charles''s dagger swiftly entered inside the Night goblin''s chest area and wounded it severely. After that, Charles neatly pulled the Ghost Dagger and swiftly sliced its throat area. Dark blood oozed out from its neck, and soon the Night goblin fell on the ground with a thud.


    [Target Eliminated! 150 Battle Exp obtained!]


    Nodding his head with a smile on his face, Charles leaned on the opposite tree trunk and waited for more goblins. After an hour, Charles killed four more Night goblins and began to contemte deeply about his next step. In total, he earned 700 Exp points and got tempted to stay here for another hour.


    But soon, Charles gave up on that idea and went back to Riverdale City. He knew that these creatures must have some way to contact one another, so he felt that staying near this strange tree wasn''t a good idea. After roaming in the woods for a few minutes, Charles soon arrived in front of the Riverdale City gate and entered.


    In the meantime, arge type of mutated Night goblin appeared in front of the tree and looked at the Night goblins'' corpses in silence. It then sniffed the air for a moment and soon followed after the footsteps of Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles already went back to his house and soon exited the Dream World with the help of ''Nightmare Stone''.


    ¡­

 Chapter 50: Birthday

    <h4>Chapter 50: Birthday</h4>


    After some time, Charles woke up from the Dream World and soon frowned as he noticed some memories about thest dream appeared hazy. Shaking his head, he took the golden quill, notebook, and an ink bottle from the cab while cing the ''Nightmare Stone'' in it and ced them on the wooden table. Charles then opened the cupboard and took out the silver pocket watch in a hurry. He flipped open the outer case and checked the time.


    ''11.30 P.M. I slept for more than 7 hours.'' He put the pocket watch back into the cupboard and started writing all the incidents that happened in the Dreamworld. Once he rechecked everything, he safely put the book into the cab and went to the bathroom to freshen up.


    Thirty minutester, Charles walked out of the bathroom, changed his cloth into a casual one, and went downstairs to have something. To his surprise, Eve and Saron sat in the reception hall and seemed to be waiting for his arrival. Charles''s gaze swept past them as he walked on the tiled floor and soonnded on the wooden table ced in front of the dining hall.


    Meanwhile, Eve curled her lips upward as she nced at the pocket watch for a moment and then spoke while opening her arms wide.


    "Wish you many more happy returns of the day, Charles."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles wore a surprised look, took a step forward, and thanked her.


    "Thank you, mom."


    When Charles returned from the Wisdom Library earlier, he did notice them making a cake and already learned that today was the real Charles''s birthday.


    Nodding her head, Eve gave him a tight, reassuring hug worth millions of words and brought him to the wooden table.


    A cake was ced at the center of the wooden table.


    The cake was a perfect size, a sort of cupcake set upon a cookie, and all of its chocte on chocte. The arrival of this cake meant more than words could say. In his previous life, Charles, aka John, hadn''t celebrated any birthday parties and always envied others.


    It was a lonely life for him.


    John lost his parents when he was four and became an orphan kid. After getting his basic education from the government school, a particr criminal organization picked him up and started nurturing him as an assassin. From that day onwards, John never felt happiness or sadness.


    To him, there was only one thing that always on his mind. That was to kill a specific individual! Most specifically, he became an assassin to kill the guy who murdered his parents. As for why did the killer murdered John''s parents? Johnter found out that the killer killed his parents simply because he wanted to erase the witnesses!


    After years of training in the assassin organization andpleting many dangerous missions, John managed to find the culprit and murdered him ruthlessly. But when he vents all his anger on the murderer, he felt an emptiness in his heart. For the first time, John felt no desire to kill others. He felt that he finally finished his life mission and thought of moving on.


    After making some ns, John left the underworld criminal organization and started living an ordinary life. When ites to hiding trails, John was an expert. Even the underworld boss would feel helpless to track his location. So, he hid from the other organization members for years and spent his normal life working at a tea shop. During his free time, he would read books,ics and also yed all types of games. It was a peaceful life for him. But somehow, the underworld criminal organization members found him by bribing his best friend, Angele, and even killed him brutally.


    But now, this simple cake brought him real happiness, even though it was not meant for him but for the real Charles. Although he didn''t cry emotionally, his happiness was showed clearly on his face.


    "It took three full months for you to smile normally, Charles," Evemented from his right side and gave him a silver knife.


    A wry smile crept on his face as he took the knife and bent his waist down to cut the cake. He then precisely cut a square shape piece, took it with his right hand, and gave it to Eve. After that, he took another piece and gave it to Saron White. Meanwhile, Eve took out a small gift box wrapped in Kraft paper from the nearby chair and gave it to him with a smile.


    Charles took the box from her hands and raised his eyebrows.


    "Open it," Eve said while curving her mouth into a smile and then added.


    "It''s a bracelet."


    ''Why did you even ce it in the gift box if you are going to reveal it to me before I could open it?'' He went speechless for a moment.


    Shaking his head, he tore the outer cover and then opened the ck wooden box, which looked more like a gift than the real one.


    Inside the luxurious ck box, a silver bracelet rested on the red velvet-like cushion and soon red at the visitors with its single emerald gem-like eye. Without minding the bracelet''s sudden reflection ray that entered his eyes, Charles picked the silver bracelet and ced it on his palm.


    Out of curiosity, Charles zeroed his gaze on the emerald gem embedded bracelet and cast [Inspect] skill on it.


    [Name: Mother''s Wish Bracelet


    Rank: ???


    Effect: Unknown]


    ''That''s new.'' Charles stared at the bracelet for a second and then wore it before his mother could startining. Charles knew that if he didn''t say anything, Eve would definitely misunderstand that he didn''t like the gift and would add extra salt in the morning food. Without any dy, he raised his head while showing a joyous expression on his face and said with a nod.


    "It''s so beautiful, mom."


    Her eyes twinkled as she heard his words, and she said with a nod.


    "I''m d you like it." After saying so, she took a piece of chocte cake and gave it to him.


    After eating the cake, Charles chatted with Eve for a whole hour and returned to his bedroom. He didn''t let his emotion overwhelm his heart andy on the bed silently. Within minutes, he closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.


    Countless memories resurfaced in front of his mind. Some were filled with his nightmares, while the other memories were filled with sadness and loneliness.


    After a long sleep, Charles woke up around 6 A.M and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He freshened himself up, took a short bath in the cold water using a bar of soap, and then walked out of the shower.


    After that, he changed his clothes into a casual one before he went to the kitchen and took a loaf of soft bread stored on the kitchen shelf. He then took the peanut butter, a bottle of grape juice on the corner shelf and satfortably on the nearby chair.


    Charles first sliced the bread loaf into five pieces and put some peanut butter on it before taking a bite. He silent ate in the kitchen, drank a ss of grape juice, and then went back to the bedroom.


    Minutes passed as he immersed himself in doing exercises and soon noticed that the morning sun ascended from the east.


    ''It''s already 7.'' Charles looked at the outside street and then began to contemte deeply.


    ''Should I use those experience points and rank-up my Main-ss now? But that would create many variations in ''Fate'' and alert the enemy, right?'' He frowned as he thought of the troublesome enemy, Watcher.


    ''If I Rank-up the main-ss now, Life Church will also suspect that I already mastered a way to get the ss-Gem ''luckily'' and might interrogate me. I already used the ''Luck'' excusest time, so if I use it again, the higher-ups will definitely find something odd about me. Would they put me in some experimentboratory and search my soul aka Inner world?'' An ominous thought appeared in his mind.


    ''But I have to rank up my main ss before the escort mission. Unlike the sub-ss, the system needs some time to construct Rank-2 spell models. If I Rank-up my main ss at thest minute to surprise my enemy, it won''t do any good at all. I will only improve my body strength and would feel helpless to create new corresponding spell models. Moreover, I don''t even know how long it would take for me to create a Rank-2 spell model at all!


    If so, I also need to think of a way to fool these fanatics first. Should I go to the Withering Shadows department and Rank-up in front of my team members? No, they will question me about why I can rank-up without using the ss-Gem¡­ That''s thest thing I want to hide from everyone.'' He massaged his temte in frustration and soon thought of a helper.


    ''Holem''s Crown¡­ Miracle¡­ Wait a sec. What if I put the me on the Holem''s Crown to Rank-up? Will they believe me? Yes, they will believe my words. But they must have already known that creating a ''Miracle'' needs the power of ''Luck'' from others¡­


    If so, they will feel fear of losing their luck. Last time, many Mystics, including Bishop Reynolds, lost their luck and became victims. I have to make another lie¡­ Moreover, I also have to keep the information about my Rank-Up confidential. Hmm, it looks like I need Team Leader Emilia''s help again.'' Nodding his head, Charles changed his cloth into a formal ck one and walked out of his house.


    A frown crossed his face as he saw the dark clouds in the sky and then went back to the reception room. He then searched the umbre for a whole minute and then went to the dining hall to ask Eve about it. Knocking lightly, he opened the wooden door a little and noticed Eve was in the middle of cutting vegetables.


    "Mom, where did you put the umbre?" He asked in puzzlement.


    "Ask Lady Saron. She is the one who took it yesterday." Fixing her gaze on the carrot and the silver knife, Eve said in a silvery voice, causing him to nod his head subconsciously.


    "Got it," Charles said as he walked out and then went near the room on the other end of the reception room.


    Before he could knock on the wooden door, a clicking sound came from the other side, and soon a whirly blonde-haired woman in a ck long gown dress opened the door and gave him a ck-colored ssic umbre.


    Curling his lips up, Charles caught the handle and nodded his head. He then turned around, walked out of 45 El Street, and went to 35 Ivy Street, where the Withering Shadow Branch office was located.


    As he had expected, while he was walking on the dirt road, small raindrops fell from the sky and went fiercer in mere seconds. Letting out a heavy sigh, Charles gripped the handle, opened the umbre, held it above his head, and started walking.

 Chapter 51: Rank-Up

    <h4>Chapter 51: Rank-Up</h4>


    After walking for a few minutes on the muddy road, Charles arrived in front of the single-storied building and ced the umbre outside before he walks in. Once he entered the reception hall, Charles noticed that an unfamiliar guy sat on the reception seat and raised his eyebrows.


    The guest seated in the reception seat was a long brown-haired man in a blue surcoat and looked around 50 to 60 years old. He had emerald green eyes, thick eyebrows, olive skin, and a thin mustache on his face. Upon noticing Charles''s arrival, the brown-haired man looked up and soon smiled.


    "Charles! I''ve been waiting for you."


    Surprised, Charles stared at the brown-haired man for a second and asked in confusion.


    "Have we met before?"


    A chuckle escaped from the brown-haired man as he looked at Charles''s face and spoke in a casual tone.


    "I''m Archbishop Abel Wilson, and I''m also an older brother of your team leader, Emilia Wilson."


    ''Wilson?'' Charles quickly recalled Emilia''s family name and then nodded in understanding.


    "Greetings, Your Excellency." He said after a short deliberation and then asked,


    "Why are you waiting for me?" Although he asked politely, Archbishop noticed that Charles was different from other church members and got surprised.


    ''He is talking to me without showing any nervousness.'' Archbishop Abel admired his calm and unique character and then said with a smile.


    "No, I just came here to see the descendant of the Nightwind Family." He paused for a second and then added,


    "Please take a seat."


    Adjusting his full-sleeved red shirt, Charles pulled thedder-back chair and sat on it.


    "Your Excellency, what do you want from me?" He asked him directly.


    A troubled expression appeared on Abel''s face as he ced his hand on his chin and spoke after a short pause.


    "I heard from Emilia that you have a magic book in your possession. Can you lend it to me for a while? I will return it in a day or two once I take a look at all those spells."


    Charles didn''t reply to him. Instead, he wore a solemn look and then shook his head.


    "It''s impossible, Your Excellency. If I give my magic book to you, it will be like revealing one of my trump cards to an outsider."


    Archbishop Abel thought for a moment and soon nodded. Although he was eager to know more about such a rare magic book, he didn''t dare to use force on his sister''s teammate.


    "Okay. I will be on my way then," Abel said as he stood up from his seat and was about to go outside, but Charles suddenly asked a question.


    "Your Excellency, do you still remember that second request of mine?"


    Archbishop Abel stopped for a moment and soon revealed an understanding smile on his face.


    "Do you what the Life Church to protect your mother on October 2nd?"


    Charles nodded his head and spoke,


    "I want a Rank-4 or above rank member to protect her in the shadows."


    "A good decision." Archbishop Abel praised in admiration and then nodded.


    "I will ask a High-Rank Deacon toe here and look after your mother on that fateful day."


    Charles breathed out a sigh of relief as he also stood up from thedder-back chair, bent his waist a bit, and thanked him.


    After that, he suddenly thought of something and asked with a smile.


    "Your Excellency, do you want to see a ''Miracle''?"


    Abel''s expression hardened for a moment as he heard that noun.


    "What do you mean?" He turned his face serious and asked solemnly. Abel was well aware of the Holem''s Crown''s ''Miracle'' ability and began to search Charles using his mysterious soul power.


    Meanwhile, Charles adjusted his redshirt and said with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "Yesterday night, the Holem''s Crown paid me a visit when I was in half-sleep and told me that it could help me Rank-Up the Main-ss by creating a miracle." He purposefully paused for a moment to observe Abel''s facial expression and then continued with a sigh,


    "But I know nothing about the Rank-Up process, so I told the Holem''s Crown that I will need some time to think about it. Your Excellency, what do you think about that artifact''s suggestion? Is it possible for an artifact to help someone Rank-Up?"


    His questions made Archbishop Abel fell into deep thoughts. After a long ponder, Abel sat on the reception seat and said in a solemn tone.


    "Possible. Its ''Miracle'' ability might have such an effect. But I heard from Bishop Reynolds that it will take others'' luck to create a ''Miracle'', is that true? Also, would A-035 contact you again?"


    Upon hearing his question, Charles shook his head and said in a grim tone.


    "It told me that it will monitor me all the time from somewhere and if I agree to its suggestion by saying its name in my mind, it will cast the ''Miracle'' ability on me at any time. As for your previous question, It said that it will only steal my luck and create a ''Miracle'' for me to rank up. Once I Ranks up, the Holem''s Crown said that I will face series of bad luck for the next two months."


    "Are you sure about that?" Abel nced around suspiciously and asked. Even though Abel was a Rank-4 Archbishop, he still felt nervous when he thought of a troublesome Series-A artifact.


    A wry smile appeared on Charles''s face as he shook his head and said with a helpless tone.


    "I just ryed what that artifact told me when I was in half-sleep."


    Abel rubbed his temte for a few seconds as he heard those words and soon took out a ring from his pocket. After that, he recited a short chant and activated themunication-ring.


    An illusionary figure of a curly ck-haired woman with a slightly wrinkled face appeared in front of their sights before long.


    "What is it, Abel?" Emilia frowned and soon widened her grey eyes as she noticed the familiar background.


    "What are you doing here? Why are you cing your ugly ass on my favorite seat?" She barked in an angry tone.


    "Come here Emi, we have something important to discuss." Abel smiled amusingly at his younger sister''s shouting and said in a calm tone.


    "We?" Emilia raised her eyebrows as she looked around, and soon her gazended on Charles.


    "What are you doing here, Charles? Is there anything important?" She instantly turned her face serious and asked.


    "Yes, My Lady." Charles didn''t mention it in detail and simply nodded his head.


    "I will be on my way then," She said as she wore a grey robe over her chemise and cut off her virtual call.


    In the meantime, Archbishop Abel and Charles sat on their own seats in silence and patiently waited for Emilia.


    Thirty minutester, a grey-robed woman walked on the grassy yard and soon entered the single-storied Withering Shadows department building. Once Emilia entered the reception hall, she red at Abel, who was still seated on her favorite seat, and then shifted her gaze towards Charles.


    "What''s the matter? Did you find anything odd about Jimmy?" She went straight to the point.


    "No, My Lady. It''s about the Holem''s Crown." Charles''s words surprised her.


    "Holem''s Crown? What happened?" Asking, she pulled anotherdder-back chair from the nearby area and sat on it.


    "I will tell you," Abel interjected their conversation and started exining about the Holem''s Crown''s suggestion.


    As Abel finished those words, Emilia leaned her back on the chair and muttered in an envious tone.


    "Three months¡­ Only three months have passed but you are already going to Rank-up using an abnormal artifact."


    "If you had used the Blessing Stone''s function 10 years ago, you could have achieved that same result." Her brother Abel said from the side.


    "No, that will do no good for me. If I didn''t Rank-up using normal means, I will face failure in the future. Moreover, I don''t want to sign that ve-contract, brother." Emilia firmly shook her head and soon asked Charles in a suppressing tone.


    "Do you want this matter to keep it secret from others?"


    Charles subconsciously smiled as he heard her question and then nodded.


    "Good." She smiled lightly and then nced at Russell''s office door.


    "I send him off to deliver a message to the cathedral. It will take a day or two for him to return." Archbishop Abel replied in a casual tone.


    Upon noticing his casual expression, Emilia squint her grey eyes and asked in a deep tone.


    "Did you foresee this?"


    "It''s a pure coincidence. If I knew about it, I would have made some preparations and might catch that sneaky artifact using it." Abel instantly shook his head and said.


    "Let''s go to the underground basement then. I want to see if A-035 really has the ability to do ''Miracles''." Emilia stood up from her seat, went near the entrance, locked the door from inside, and then gestured Charles and her brother to follow after her.


    Meanwhile, both stood up from their seats and followed after her.


    Emilia walked past the storage room, arrived in front of the copsible steel door, and inserted an iron key into the locker. She then turned it a little, unlocked the door, and opened the copsible steel door with both hands.


    A gloomy staircase appeared in front of their eyes. While Charles watched the gloomy staircase in curious, Emilia took out a matchbox and fire torch from her void pouch and lit it. After that, she held the fire torch in the front and stepped downstairs.


    "This is the underground basement of Withering Shadows. Only Rank-2 and above members are allowed to enter inside." She exined as she reached the end of the staircase. She then went near a metal box and hit it thrice with the fire torch.


    A secondter, the metal box let out a vibrating sound and soon shone brightly. Simultaneously, multiple lights lit from every corner, illuminating the area and revealed arge underground basement to their eyes. In therge hall, different types of weapons, clothes, and even some steel armor were scattered all over the areas.


    If someone looks closely, they will find out that this underground basement was used for training for years. Multiple cracks appeared on the concrete floor and appeared very old.


    "Why is it looks like this? Why isn''t Russell let the young kids train here?" Abel looked around the underground basement for a moment and asked.


    "After he became the Branch Head, he prohibits the orphan kids toe here and train and also stopped sending funds to the Richie Orphanage. He said that it''s an order from above."


    "Order? Hmm, I will look into it when I have some free time." Abel creased his eyebrows for a moment and continued while ncing at Charles.


    "You can sit anywherefortably and try to Rank-up with A-035''s help."


    Once Abel said those words, he and Emilia sat on the concrete floor and then patiently watched Charles''s movements.


    Meanwhile, Charles walked ten steps on the cracked concrete floor and sat down.


    He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    But the game interface in front of his eyes didn''t disappear. Charles stared at the interface for a moment and directly sent 3900 Exp points into the Main-ss through his thoughts.


    [Host has chosen the 2nd method for Rank-Up!]


    [3394 Exp points deduced for ''Fire Weaver'' ss gem!]


    [506 Exp deduced for Rank-up!]


    [Fire Weaver ss Obtained!]


    [You are a Level-1 Fire Weaver now!]


    [2 Free Attribute points Rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom Obtained!]


    [10 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­

 Chapter 52: Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 52: Preparation</h4>


    Although it was just a small process, Charles felt some invisible shackle disappeared all of a sudden! His senses became heightened, and he even perceived the surrounding areas more clearly.


    Abel and Emilia also noticed some change appeared in his soul and became surprised.


    "He really is Ranking-up," Emilia muttered solemnly and then nced around to locate the Holem''s Crown.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Abel scanned the surrounding area through his soul power and soon frowned.


    "I didn''t see the presence of A-035 nearby." He muttered and then shifted his attention to Charles.


    "There is nothing wrong with his body. He is ranking-up perfectly, and the possibility of him turning into a Distorted Shadow is less than 10 percent." His words caused Emilia to widen her eyes in disbelief.


    "What the hell do you mean by that? Are you saying that A-035pletely hide its presence from your scan and helped him rank-up already?" Emilia stood up with a serious expression on her face. Her face was now dripping in cold sweats, and she looked more nervous than ever.


    "Holem''s Crown might have the power equal to a Series-S Artifact." Muttering, Archbishop Abel also stood up and then added,


    "It must have some ability to hide its presence even from a Rank-5 Mystic."


    Emilia nced at Abel for a moment and then nodded with a sigh. Today, she had heard and even witnessed an absurd scene in her life, which made her lose her calmpletely.


    While the brother-sister due was chattering, Charles calmly added one free attribute to the constitution and another free attribute to Wisdom.


    A secondter, a change urred in his mind and his eyes.


    His mind began to think faster at a much faster rate, and his eyes started to analyze even the minute details like a machine!


    Charles instantly knew that his Wisdom attribute had already crossed a certain threshold and got stunned.


    Hiding his excitement, Charles looked at the ten skill points for a moment and soon thought of ranking up one of his unique skills. He knew that ranking up his subss was still not possible, so he instantly looked at his unique skills and soon fell into a dilemma.


    ''Hmm, should I increase my [Inspect] skill? Or [Conceal] skill?'' He thought for a moment and soon added ten skill points to [Inspect] skill.


    [Inspect skill has been upgraded!]


    ¡­


    ''That''s it?'' He raised his brows for a moment and soon checked his ''status window'' bar.


    ¡­


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Inflected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Human


    Rank: 2 (Umon)


    Main ss: Level 1 Fire Weaver (0/759)


    Sub-ss: Level 5 Trickster (0/506)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favorability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 131/131


    Exp: 1050 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 14


    Dexterity- 18


    Constitution- 14


    Wisdom-20


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 0


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Fire Wings- 50


    Incinerate-50


    me Body-50


    Crimson Robe-50


    Burning Thoughts-50


    Blue Cure-50


    Crimson Steps-50


    Sub-ss skills:


    Magician''s Hand- 50


    Clown- 50


    Sixth Sense- 50


    Unique skills:


    Conceal- 50


    Dark Vision- 44


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 60


    Sharpshooting- 30]


    ¡­


    ''Good.'' He curled his lips upward and opened his jade eyes.


    "Congrats, Charles." Emilia also woke up from the shock when he opened his eyes and congratted him with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Abel also nodded his head and said in a solemn tone.


    "Congrattions."


    "Thank you, Team Leader. Thank you, Your Excellency. If not for your presence, I wouldn''t have dared to think of ranking-up the Main-ss." Charles bent his waist a bit and thanked both of them like an honest kid.


    After that, he asked them some questions regarding his ''Elemental Heart Creation'' ritual and left the underground basement.


    He then opened the locked entrance gate, took the ssic ck umbre, and walked out of the Withering Shadow department before holding it above his head.


    ¡­


    Mad House, 158C Amber Street, Nobles'' Borough, Royal Capital, Arc Kingdom.


    A three-storied mansion stood there as if the surrounding nature had embraced it, that the flora flowed within it as much as around it. The architect had loved the trees so much that there was a mighty oak tree in the center, centuries-old, and the great mansion had been built around it.


    Under the oak tree, there stood a man in histe 40s. He wore a blue robe, a long green pendant around his neck, and two unique tinum earrings. He had long wavy blonde hair, wide-set oceanic eyes, a lean body, and appeared around 184 cm high.


    If not for the slightly wrinkled face, he would have looked more like a handsome young man from the popr romance novels!


    While he was standing in a daze, a pebble-like stone flew from the sky and directly fell on the ss tumbler ced on the table. The ss tumbler faced the fierce enemy with a ting noise and soon revealed cracks all over its body. A secondter, the ss tumbler fell from the table and broke while spilling all the yellowish juices outside!


    A look of puzzlement crossed on the blonde-haired man''s face as he stared at the broken ss for a second and then narrowed his eyes in suspicion.


    He then suddenly took an ancient-looking book from the table and started flipping the pages. The white pages fluttered in the breeze and soon calmed down upon reaching a certain page.


    "Another variable? No, it''s not just a variable; it''s a big variation in the Fate itself," A frown hung on the man''s wrinkled face as he stared at the page for a second and then closed his eyes.


    A few secondster, he opened his oceanic eyes and showed a doubtful look on his face.


    "Charles ranked up? How did he do that?" He muttered loudly and soon grew solemn.


    "He ranked up in just three months. Hmm, leaving him alone will only trouble me further." He closed the book with both hands and then shook his head.


    "But killing him is an impossible task now. Tsk, nothing can be changed now. I can only send Daniel to lure the artifact away from the City and seal it in the 35th Chaos Rift for a day."


    After saying those words, the blonde-haired man sighed heavily and then sat on the nearby chair.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles entered the dome-shaped Life Church, done his usual prayer, and purchased few things in the market street using 10 Life gold coins he got as a payment. He first went to a bread store called Dream Pie and purchased a few packs of dry bread, dried meats, and dried fruits for one gold coin and 50 silver coins! He spent a total of 150 silver coins on food and went to a dress shop.


    He then purchased few leather jackets, tent fabrics, a few inners, linen shirts, and leather shoes for one gold coin in the dress shop and then stored everything in arge leather bag. After that, he walked out of the market road, situated in Olive Street, and went to 45 El Street.


    Once he walked inside thepound gate, he tapped the space ring, stored the leather back into it, and then went into his house. In the reception hall, he saw Eve sat on the ornate sofa while holding a towel in her hand and seemed to be waiting for his return.


    "I''m home." He said as he ced the ssic umbre near the porch and walked inside.


    Upon hearing his words, Eve also stood up from the sofa, turned around, and walked in his direction with a smile on her face. Once she arrived in front of him, she gestured him to lower his head and started drying his hair using a white towel. Once she finished drying his head, she put the towel on the nearby rack and said,


    "Remove your shoes before walking in."


    Nodding, Charles removed his ck leather shoes, put them near in the corner, and then wiped his feet on the doormat. After that, he walked on the chilling tiled floor and moved towards the spiral staircase.


    After he climbed up the stairs, he went to his bedroom, took a long bath in the shower, and soon walked out while covering his lower body with a brown cotton towel. Charles then changed his cloth into short pants and a brown shirt andy on his wooden bed.


    He then ced his head on the spare pillow and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Everything is prepared. But it''s not time yet. The only worry in my heart is the [Astrologer] ss mystic. He will definitely show up on October 2nd and try to capture A-035. But he will most likely show himself by the end of the day¡­ Unlike other mages, I can construct my spell models quicker. So, I have a big advantage-'' While he was in muse, he suddenly heard Eve''s call from downstairs and sat up in a hurry.


    He then checked the time using the pocket watch and soon noticed that it was already 1.00 P.M.


    Shaking his head, he stood up from the bed, went near the wooden door, opened it from inside, and walked out. After that, he went downstairs and soon walked into the dining hall. Eve and Saron were already seated in their seats and waited for him to sit on his own seat.


    Once Charles walked near the chair, he pulled it a little and sat on it without making any loud noise. After that, he ced the napkin on hisp and then waited for Eve to do the serving. As usual, Eve stood up from her seat and started serving the foods like fried meats, fully fried eggs, roasted beef, and a bowl of vegetable soup.


    After serving those, she also took arge jug from the center of the table and poured white sparkling Champagne into three sses. Once she did all these servings, she returned to her seat, pped her hands together, closed her eyes, and started doing a usual ritual to thanking the Goddess Nira for giving the gracious food.


    Saron and Charles also followed her action and joined the prayer. But Saron didn''t utter the divine name of Goddess Nira when chanting and thanked the Wisdom God instead.


    After they have done the usual prayer, all of them skillfully picked the fork and knife and started eating.


    Charles sliced the roasted beef into three parts, stabbed his fork into one piece, raised his hand, and put it in his mouth. A mixture of spicy and salty taste entered his mouth and gave a unique taste to his tongue. Due to pepper powder sprayed on the well-cooked flesh, Charles sniffed two times to smell the unique aroma and took another bite. After munching it for a while, he gulped it down and took a sip of Champagne.


    "Awesome food, mom." Hemented in praise and soon asked,


    "Did you find anything odd during these past few weeks?"


    Eve paused her fork in mid-air, wiped her mouth using the napkin, and spoke,


    "Nothing unusual. I also noticed that abnormal coincidences are not happening these days."


    ''Now that she mentions it, I also didn''t encounter any familiar person often. Does Addie Baker is the one who caused those abnormal coincidences?'' A strange thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Am I thinking too much in the past few weeks?'' He took the napkin from hisp, wiped the corner of his mouth, and took another bit of roasted beef. He then turned his gaze towards Saron White and asked,


    ''''Lady Saron, you are not a Rank-2 Mystic, right?''''


    After his Rank-up, Charles had already cast [Inspect] skill on Saron and saw that the inspect skill had been failed.


    ''It means her wisdom attribute is above 20.'' He raised his eyebrows and stared at her in suspicion.

 Chapter 53: Schedule

    <h4>Chapter 53: Schedule</h4>


    "Ask those questions after you finish the lunch, Charles." Eve interrupted his thinking and then started to eat slowly. Only then did Charles remember that Eve hated it when someone spoke when she was eating.


    Letting out a grunt, Charles nodded his head and continued to eat.


    After a few minutes, Charles finished eating the food and waited for Eve and Saron to finish their meal.


    Once they did, he stood up from his seat, took the te, and went to the kitchen room to ce the te on the sink. Eve and Saron also followed after him and then returned to the reception hall.


    As Charles sat on the ornate sofa with a rxed expression on his face, Saron let out a fake cough and spoke,


    "I''m a [Teacher] ss mystic. Rank-3 [Lecturer]."


    Charles widened his eyes a little and soon nodded his head.


    ''Looks like she has more secrets than I thought it would be.'' He thought for a moment and then asked,


    "Why are you staying here with us? Are you here to capture A-035? Or, are you here to protect me and my mother? Or, are you here to watch over us constantly?"


    Upon hearing his questions, Saron narrowed her eyes for a second, turned her gaze towards Eve, and then said with a sigh,


    "James Nightwind is my close friend and also a good ally to my family. I''m promised him once that I would protect his family members once to repay the kindness. That''s the reason I came here hurriedly when I received a message about the kidnapping incident."


    ''That exins everything.'' Charles nodded in understanding and spoke in a polite tone.


    "Sorry for doubting your kindness, My Lady."


    His polite speech surprised both Eve and Saron. After staying silent for a moment, Saron White curled his lips upward and said while waving her right hand.


    "You don''t have to apologize for that. If not for your mother''s request, I would have told you about my origin earlier." She suddenly paused for a second as she thought of something and asked in curiosity.


    "So what''s your n, Charles? How do you n on capturing A-035?"


    Aplicated expression appeared on Charles''s face as he heard Saron''s question. Although Saron told him that she came here to protect them, Charles didn''t wholly believe her story. After his transmigration, Charles believed only one person in the whole Edhen World. And that person was Eve Nightwind, aka the real Charles''s mother.


    As for Bishop Reynolds and Emilia Wilson, Charles knew that both were just acting on their own personal gains. If there were a life and death situation, they wouldn''t put their life on their line to save him at all.


    Casting those useless thoughts away from his mind, Charles raised his hand, ced it on his chin, and said with a cunning smile on his face,


    "I don''t have any n, My Lady. I will improve my strength constantly and leave everything to ''Fate.'' If I end up as a lucky one, I will definitely able to capture it before others."


    Saron''s lips twitched as she heard his excuse and then let out a heavy sigh. She knew that getting some information out of this smart kid''s mouth was an impossible task, so she gave up on probing him further and started walking towards her room.


    In the meantime, Eve suddenly nced at him with a smile and gave him a thumbs-up.


    Upon seeing her sneaky action, Charles left speechless for a second.


    ''It seems Saron really is not a trustworthy person.'' He thought to himself and then nodded his head.


    "Don''t worry about her, son." After saying those words, Eve turned around and went to the kitchen.


    ''Is she not a threat?'' Charles rubbed his chin in puzzlement and then spoke.


    "I will be going out for two weeks, mom."


    "Take care of your health, sweetie." Eve''s caring voice came from inside, causing him to be stunned for a moment. It was the first time she spoke to him in a caring tone!


    He felt that Eve''s voice also contains a hint of sorrow and loneliness.


    ''Is she worried about her son''s safety? Now that I thought about it, she is not even asking about myte arrivals and all. Did she put that much trust in her son''s personal strength?'' He pondered for a moment and then shook his head.


    ''Emotions will only obstruct your way. Thankfully, she is not like other overprotective mothers.'' He inhaled deeply and stood up from the ornate sofa. After that, he went to his bedroom and rechecked everything. Once he checked everything, he sat on the wooden bed and then shifted his attention to the game interface.


    ''Today is September 11th and I currently have only 1050 Exp remaining. It is not enough for constructing a single spell model or ranking up my sub-ss. It looks like entering Dreamworld again is the only choice for me to gain more Experience points now.'' He took a deep breath and thought of the problems when entering the Dreamworld.


    ''One''s imagination is their greatest enemy in the Dreamworld. Other dangers are the dark goblins and the dangerous nightmare creatures like Dark-wolf. Moreover, there is a ''Time'' anomaly appearing all over the area. So, I need to make some ns before I enter the Dreamworld¡­


    First, I will enter the Dreamworld and stays there for 2 hours before waking up. Even if there is a ''Time'' anomaly, I won''t be staying in the Dreamworld for too long.


    Second, I won''t go out of Riverdale City. If I''m in Riverdale City, I can return to my house and can exit the Dreamworld at any time. The same thing can''t be possible if I went to explore the outskirts of Riverdale City.


    Lastly, I should never face my imagination creatures. Although I manage to kill the first one quickly, I''m not sure about that next time. Moreover, my imagination is very different from others. The possibility of me creating an overpowered evil character from the anime is also very high.'' He wore a grim expression and then took out the ''Nightmare Stone'' from his personal cab.


    He theny on the wooden bed and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Soon, he felt that his consciousness pulled into a different world and noticed that he had already entered the Dreamworld!


    ¡­


    Days passed as he explored the Dreamworld using the schedule, and soon it was September 16th.


    During the past five days, Charles entered the Dreamworld fifteen times and explored almost every city corner. Due to his better luck, he had encountered the dark goblins four times and earned 2400 Exp points! Although it just a measly amount for him now, Charles didn''t felt discouraged. Instead, he thought of how to use these Exp points properly and nced at the spellbook tab.


    Unlike thest time, only seven rows of spells appeared in the spellbook option, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise. Soon, he noticed that each of those spells were corresponding spells of the previously created rank-1 spell models!


    He focused his eyes on the [Incinerate] spell name and soon saw six types of corresponding spells of [Incinerate] spell with detailed exnations.


    ''Anger''s Finger, Needle of Fire, Incinerate, Rage Touch, Destruction Arrow, Spear of Chaos.'' He stared at the Rank-2 attack spell models for a moment and soon noticed that the [Incinerate] spell model name was among them.


    ''Is it the upgraded version of [Incinerate] spell?'' He raised his eyebrows for a moment and soon nodded in enlightenment.


    ''3,250 Exp points. It''s worth upgrading it now. Moreover, I can only increase the offensive power of the Ember Pistol after constructing my attack spell model.'' He muttered inwardly and sat on the tiled floor in his bedroom.


    It was already 10 in the morning. Eve had already started doing her divination job in the reception hall, causing Charles a headache. If it was some other work, Charles wouldn''t have cared about her job at all and would have argued with her. Sadly, her job was divination. Due to that, she would shout the prophecy-like words and disturb him multiple times like an annoying neighbor.


    Heaving a deep sigh, Charles shook his head, zeroed his focus on the upgraded [Incinerate] spell model option, and poured 3250 Exp points using his thoughts.


    After that, his consciousness appeared in the small empty space, and he started watching the spell model creation scene.


    As his consciousness entered the dark world, he noticed multiple Runal characters starteding out from the empty void and merged with the Rank-1 [Incinerate] spell model. While the system was constructing the spell model, Charles also started to decipher the Runal characters andprehend the spell model. Time passed as he stayed in the same position and opened his eyes after a long time. He hurriedly took out the pocket watch, checked the time, and soon widened his jade eyes.


    It took 13 hours for the system to create a Rank-2 attack spell model!


    During the time, Charles also started gaining an in-depth understanding of the upgraded [Incinerate] spell model and became more confident about his fighting abilities now.


    He stood up from the cold floor, stretched his hands and legs, and then went near the table. Once he arrived in front of it, he flipped open the silver pocket watch again and nced at the hands.


    ''It''s already 1 A.M.'' He frowned for a moment and soon went downstairs to see if there was anything delicious stored in the Coolkit artifact. To his surprise, Eve stored a te full of roasted meat, grilled chicken, white bread toast, and bacon in it. Gulping his saliva, Charles took the te from the Coolkit and went to the dining hall. He then ced the te in front of the guest seat, took the utensils, sat on the seatfortably, and started eating it.


    He savored the food in silence and then cleaned the te and other utensils before going upstairs. Following that, hey on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.


    September 17th,


    As usual, Charles woke up early in the morning and began to get ready for his departure. Once he freshened himself up, he changed his cloth into a formal ck one and then started going through all over the n.


    Once he found out that everything was perfect, he went downstairs, moved to the kitchen, informed Eve about his departure, and left the house silently.


    After that, he walked out of Riverdale City, disguised himself as Edith Oliver in the woods, and then returned to Slum Street stealthily. He then moved to the old hut and patiently waited.


    After an hour, he heard a knocking sound from outside and smiled.


    ''He is here.'' Charles, aka Edith, activated the ''Mark of Imagination'' as he stood up from the stone b, went near the old wooden door, and opened it with a click from inside. Unlike before, He now wore a ruffled ck shirt with a pleated skirt, which covered up to his kneecaps, ck brogues shoes, and a unique emerald-gem embedded silver bracelet on his wrist.


    A creaky noise echoed from the door as he pulled it inside and stared at the blonde-haired man with a cold look on his face.


    In the meantime, Jimmy greeted the woman with a smile and said while peeking at the soft neck,


    "You came earlier than I expected, Ms. Edith."


    "I came earlier to get more information about this mission, Jimmy Holmes." Charles turned his face serious and said in a calm tone.


    "What information do you need?" Jimmy raised his eyebrows and asked cautiously.


    "I need information about the employer first. If possible, I want to know who all are apanying this mission." Charles answered.


    "Only our Slithering Rowdy gang leader knows about that information, Miss. If you really want to know, you can apany me and ask him yourself." Jimmy said after a short deliberation.


    "That would be really helpful." Charles nodded his head and waited for him to lead the way.


    Meanwhile, Jimmy turned around, took a deep breath, and moved into the nearby dark alley. Charles also followed after him with fast footsteps, and soon both arrived in front of a two-storied brick house.

 Chapter 54: Departure

    <h4>Chapter 54: Departure</h4>


    It was old fashioned building with a few thugs stood outside on guard. All of them appeared to be around 30-40 years old and looked stronger. With a single nce, anyone could tell that most of them were Mystics, and they appeared well-equipped.


    Charles and Jimmy arrived in front of the porch area and soon met a bald guy with a unique tattoo on his neck area. Unlike other thieves, he was an obese guy and had a bulging belly. A look of surprise appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at the strange fish symbol tattoo for a second and soon retracted his gaze.


    ''He is the believer of Storm.''


    His action didn''t go unnoticed by the bald man, though. But he revealed his golden teeth, sized Jimmy up and down, and then asked.


    "Who is this booty, Jimmy?" His deep-blue eyes glued on Charles''s bulging chest as he asked that question.


    Noticing his gaze, Jimmy coughed twice and said in a solemn tone,


    "Boss Richard, she is also a mystic and came here to ask some questions about the ''Special Mission.''"


    "Mystic?" The bald man raised his brows as he still fixed his gaze on the fake melons and soon asked Jimmy in a suppressing voice.


    "Just staring at her makes me want to taste her body. How much is she for a single night?"


    Upon hearing Richard''s words, Jimmy was momentarily at a loss for words. Soon, he let out a fake cough and said wryly.


    "Don''t joke around, boss."


    Richard didn''t even respond to Jimmy''s words and asked Charles while licking his lips.


    "How much is your worth?"


    Upon hearing his words, Charles got stunned for a second and soonughed out loud. Thankfully, he controlled his voice and tuned it more like a woman''sughter through the artifact; otherwise, things would have gone in the wrong way.


    His suddenughter caused the nearby thugs to stare at their boss in puzzlement. Meanwhile, Richard felt something suddenly induced his desire to obtain this woman at all cost and stared at Charles''s feminine figure with a lustful gaze. Noticing this, Charles curled his lips up and teased him with a smile.


    "If you beat me one on one, I will think about it-."


    "Deal." Without even waiting for Charles to finish his sentence, Richard drew his long sword and sprinted towards her at a fast speed.


    Charles wasn''t surprised by Richard''s sudden action. He had already noticed his abnormal behavior and guessed that the Holem''s Crown must be using some weird skill to control his emotions.


    Charles made a swift hand movement as Richard arrived near him and moved it towards the iing sword. As Richard''s sword was about to bypass his hand and head towards Charles''s neck, an olive color coated dagger appeared out of nowhere in his hand and blocked the long sword with a ng.


    For a second, Charles felt that his hand was about to tear from the opponent''s brutal strength and grew solemn. He didn''t get anxious, though. Instead, he took a step back and parried against his sword attacks.


    In terms of strength, Charles was slightly below. But in terms of skills and battle experiences, he was way above him. Moreover, the abnormal dexterity gave a massive boost to his hand skills. Both continued to parry for a whole ten minutes and soon separated to take a long breath.


    "We are evenly matched," Richard said in a surprised tone.


    Charles also nodded his head and spoke highly of Richard.


    "You didn''t leave an opening for me to give you a shallow wound."


    "That''s because you are using a dagger. If I used a dagger against your weapon, I wouldn''t be able to hold off this long." Richard recalled his weakness and muttered solemnly.


    "Do you admit defeat?" Charles didn''t miss the opportunity and asked while curling his lips.


    "Yes. To show my sincerity, I will wipe your body during your bath and give you a satisfying night." He stated shamelessly with a grin.


    "Not going to happen," Charles said calmly, turned his face serious, and then added,


    "I''m here to know more information about the new mission."


    Upon hearing his words, Richard also turned his expression solemn and then gestured Charles to follow him. When he heard about Edith from Jimmy two weeks ago, he didn''t put much thought into it. But after he witnessed the woman''s battle strength, he knew that her strength would be beneficial during the uing mission.


    ''Now, our gang also has one abnormal mystic. Edith didn''t reveal her full strength yet. Boss Night-Eye said that multiple factions were nning to go to the Unexplored Forest region in a day and asked us to recruit anyone with abnormal strength even if there is a chance of betrayal.'' While thinking deeply, he walked past the porch pirs and soon entered his two-storied house.


    "We don''t know about our employer''s real name. But he goes by the nickname ''Red Prince,'' and he seemed to have some connection with Arc royal family." He said as he walked on the concrete floor.


    "Red Prince?" Charles asked in a surprised tone. If not for the [Trickster] ss''s clown skill, he would have exposed his shocked face!


    ''Red Prince¡­ I didn''t expect this at all. But why did he reveal his presence now? Who is he?'' Charles felt that he had forgotten something essential and began to recall all the past incidents.


    ''Whom did I miss?¡­ Wait a minute. Arc Royal family? Why haven''t I search for the Royal mage from the Royal Capital? Noah said that his employer might be a royal mage at that time. After I killed Noah on the execution tform, Ipletely forget about that matter. No, that''s not my character at all. Why did I forget about that important person? Is it a mind-rted ability?¡­'' A solemn look appeared on Charles''s face as he raised his hand like a curious person and asked,


    "Do you know how many Royal mages are there in the Arc Kingdom?"


    His sudden question surprised Richard. He then thought for a moment and replied with a nod.


    "There are five Royal Mages in Arc Royal Castle. All of them are above Rank-3 and have a high position in this kingdom. Among the five, Dark Mage Xander is the one who is loved by Citizens of Arc Kingdom and has a great reputation among the masses. If my memory is not wrong, he even came to this city thrice during the past six months and even donated arge amount to Slum Street''s Richie Orphanage."


    ''Hmm? A noble character?'' Charles furrowed his thin eyebrows and soon sighed.


    ''I need to be more careful during this mission.'' He thought for a moment and asked Richard.


    "Why is the Red Prince going to the Unexplored Forest? Do you know about his purpose?"


    Richard went near the iron stool, pulled it a little, sat on it, and then started talking,


    "Boss Night-Eye is the one responsible for such matters, Miss. We are just thugs who would follow his footsteps like a flock of sheep. But I do hear from a friend that the ''Red Prince'' had found an ancient ruin through divination, and that might be the reason he asked for Boss Night-Eye''s help."


    ''As expected, he is going to the ruin. Hmm, something feels off¡­ What is his n? Did he found an ancient city ruin through divination? Wait! Divination? It means he has a prediction-like ability. So, does that mean Red-Prince is the Watcher ss mystic? But why is he changing his n? Isn''t he after the Holem''s Crown? Did he already found out about Holem''s Crown? If so, why is he leading us to the Unexplored Forest? What did I miss?¡­


    Wait a sec. The Red Prince must be the one who employed our team to escort him, and there is a high chance that he knew about me! If not, he wouldn''t have specifically asked ACES team members to be his guards!'' Charles''s heart skipped a beat as he thought of a possibility.


    ''If he ns to lead ''me'' to the Unexplored Forest, he will be disappointed. Although he can see Fate''s strings to make the predictions, he isn''t an omnipotent one in that field. My rank-up must have already startled him greatly and forced him to alter his ns a little. Currently, I''m not Charles, and with this ''Mark of Imagination,'' I already fooled Eve a few days ago by asking her to cast the Fate Reader skill on me. So, the chance of him seeing through my disguise is very slim. Hehe, the more I interfere with his n, the more he will leave clues behind. It won''t be long before I find out the real identity of this ''Red-Prince.'' Even a mighty elephant would stumble when a mere ant walks into its ears.'' Charles walked while showing his sexy back to Richard and sat on the opposite wooden chair with a charming smile on his face.


    At that time, hisrge fake melons bounced abnormally and caused Richard to cross his legs together like a tangled snake to hide a sneaky snake.


    Letting out a teasingugh, Charles also crossed his long smooth legs and then started asking questions about the remaining royal mages. He first asked him about their names, their backgrounds, and their unique appearances. Although Richard told him everything, Charles knew that the information was not enough to discover the real culpritpletely. After discussing with Richard for a while, he stood up from his seat, adjusted the ck skirt, and then said goodbye to Richard before walking out of the two-storied building.


    In the meantime, Jimmy waited at the entrance and soon followed after him. They then entered a dark alley and went to their own house. Charles also returned to the old hut and locked himself in.


    ¡­


    On 18th September,


    A group of 30 Mystics from five different rowdy gangs gathered in front of the Riverdale City entrance and waited for the underworld boss to arrive. Charles, in Edith''s appearance, also stood among the group and nced at the gate with curiousness in his eyes. Unlike others, though, his deep-set jade eyes scanned everyone, and he gathered all the minute details about them.


    Meanwhile, Jimmy stood beside him while rubbing his tummy and seemed to be in deep thoughts. Even Charles couldn''t confirm that the one who possessed the body was whether Jimmy or the Holem''s Crown by his strange immature behavior.


    "Boss Night-Eye is on his way with the employer." While he was in muse, Richard raised his hand to attract other mystics'' attention and shouted, causing hisrge belly to shake slightly.


    "Are there any other team other than us?" A round-faced good-looking woman, who was in herte twenties, asked him from the crowd. She looked around 175 cm tall, perfect body with a round chest, olive skin, and eyes as dark as the night sky. Her long curly brown hair was rolled up and tied into a knot, and she wore a double-breasted satin blouse, skinny blue jeans, and brown leather shoes.


    "I have no idea about that, my dear Nicole. But there must be a secret team of any church apany our employer, so be careful if you want to look for troubles in the Unexplored Forest." Richard turned his voice into a caring one and said.


    "Aye aye, Richard," Nicole responded in a careless tone, and soon her gaze swept past the mystics andnded on a group of five members, who were moving towards them from afar. One was a woman in her 40s with curly ck hair and grey eyes, and she wore a grey-colored robe over with a hood attached behind it. Unlike others, she looked more like a confident leader and held a small silver pocket watch in her hand. The other four were men with different attires, and all of them looked around 30-50 years old.


    Nicole observed the group for a second and soon saw the underworld boss, Night-Eye. He was a man in his forties with long, loose curly silver hair and big hazel eyes. He had a cold demeanor, above-average height with a strong fit, and broad shoulders, unlike others.


    Night-Eye wore a red vest, long ck coat, and formal ck shoes and appeared more like a perfect gentleman than an underworld evil boss.


    Among the group, a long, messy red-haired man in histe fifties caught her attention. Raising her eyebrows, Nicole lifted her hand, pointed her finger at him, and asked,


    ''''Is he our employer?''''


    Richard, Charles, and others also followed after her gaze and soon observed the red-haired man. He had almond silver eyes, a lean body, and appeared around 174 cm high. He wore a tight ck suit, a silver dagger in his waist area, and seemed very pale.


    Upon hearing Nicole''s question, Richard let out an embarrassing cough and said with an awkward smile,


    "He might be the one."


    "Might be? Are you not sure?" Nicole''s eyebrows arched upward as she red at him.


    "How do I know who is our employer?" Richard grumbled inwardly and then added,


    "I''m also staying with you guys all this time, right?"


    At this time, Jimmy let out a fake cough to attract others'' attention and spoke.


    "He is the employer."


    His answer surprised everyone. Before others could question him, Jimmy smiled lightly and said,


    "I know the other three members. They are from the Life Church and belong to the Life Church''s secret organization. That grey-robed woman''s name is Emilia, and she is the leader of that group. As for the Baldy and Muscr guy, both are herpanions, and all of them must be Rank-2 Mystics."


    "That''s a lot of information. How do you know about them, Jimmy?" Richard muttered in a surprised tone and soon asked.


    "They came to ask about my Unique ''Unluckiness'' a few times, boss. If I''m not wrong, there should be another member in that group, but I didn''t see him now." Jimmy said in puzzlement as he took out dry bread from his pouch and took a bite. Although he looked calm outside, he got deeply confused by the sudden turn of events.


    ''Why isn''t Charles here? Where did he go? Did his mother foresee something and ask him not to join? Heh, not bad. Thankfully, I expected these types of oues and came prepared.'' Smiling lightly, he nced at the star tattoo on his wrist and snickered inside.


    It was a forbidden spell tattoo called Mark of Destination.


    A few weeks ago, he already put a simr invisible mark on Charles''s body and became more confident about his n. Even if Charles went to hide in another dimension, Jimmy would be able to twist the void itself and pull him from there. Although it was a one-time-use spell, Jimmy felt that it was worth it. Casting those thoughts away from his mind, Jimmy turned his face grim and said.


    "We must be careful when they are around."


    "Don''t even try your thieving tricks on those guys, morons. If you get caught, even I wouldn''t able to save you guys." Richard also nodded his head in approval and shouted.


    Fortunately, all of them were Mystics and had some knowledge about the strength of Rank-2 Mystics, so they zipped their mouths and nodded silently.


    Before long, five members arrived in front of the thug groups, and soon Night-Eye invited Richard and the other four gang leaders privately and discussed a few words with them. After that, the Mystics took their luggage and set out under the order of the gang leaders. Charles also nodded at Richard''s orders and silently followed everyone.

 Chapter 55: Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 55: Secrets</h4>


    Within few seconds, the Mystic thieves group started walking on the dirt road and soon appeared on the city''s outskirts. After that, they made a turn and then went in the northern direction.


    If they were going to explore other regions like Death Swamps or Red Hills, the Mystics would have rented a few carriages earlier and might have gone leisurely. Unfortunately, this time the group had nned to go to a totally different region, Unexplored Forest. So, they had no other choice but to choose the primitive method. They knew that the forest''s outer area was filled with mutated creatures and nts of the Abyss and acted more carefully.


    "Walk faster morons, it would only take five to six days to reach there if we didn''t take too many breaks," Richard shouted as he led the group in the front and soon entered into dense woonds. Under the shadows of tall Blood Sycamore and Corrupted Maple, they walked on the wet path and soon disappeared into the millions of trees.


    While walking, Charles analyzed the Red-haired man from time to time and soon fell into deep thoughts. From his study, he found out that this Red-Haired man''s name was Daniel and became puzzled. He also heard from Richard that this red-haired man was not their real employer but just a servant!


    Not only that, but Charles also found out that the Red-Haired man seemed to be monitoring his movements and got shocked.


    ''Why is he looking at me frequently?'' Charles avoided his gaze and silently followed the others. As they went past therge green swamp, he suddenly overheard the conversation between Luke rk and the Red-haired man and got surprised inside. Not because of their conversation, but because of how Luke rk addressed the Red-Haired man.


    ''Daniel Baker? Where did I hear that Baker name? Wait¡­'' He squinted his eyes as he avoided the green vine and continued to walk on the small dirt path while thinking deeply.


    ''Red Hair¡­ Addie Baker¡­ Does that mean Daniel Baker is a family member of Addie Baker? Did he already find out about me? It seems so.'' A grim expression appeared on his face as he realized the situation he was in.


    ''I did expect that someone from Addie''s family woulde after me, but.'' He stopped thinking for a moment as he zeroed his gaze on Daniel and sighed.


    ''He seems to be a Rank-3 member. From the looks of it, he didn''te here to take revenge.'' He pondered for a moment and then shifted his gaze towards Luke rk.


    ''Luke is acting differently than before. Usually, he wouldn''t talk much, but now he is talking to Daniel Baker like a close friend.'' He thought of keeping an eye on him and then began to think of some emergency n.


    ''Although that guy is a Rank-3 member, I''m not a rank-1 mystic anymore. After I constructed my Rank-2 attack spell, my trump card ''Ember Pistol'' also upgraded already. With that as a backup, I won''t be pushed into a life-threatening position. Moreover, Team Leader is also there to help me during an unexpected situation.''


    After that, Charles didn''t put much thought into his current situation and went near Jimmy. In the meantime, Jimmy stared at the different types of nts and muttered the nt names like a botanist.


    "How do you know about these nts? Have you been to this Danger zone?" He asked in a suppressing female voice.


    "Yes, I grew up in a vige that is not far away from these dense woods." Jimmy didn''t even nce at him and said motionlessly.


    "Then, do you know about those Chaos Creatures? Have you met them before?" Charles thought of getting closer with Jimmy to see if the Holem''s Crown had already taken over his body and started asking him questions.


    "Met? I was chased by a Shadow Rat once and almost got myself killed by that creature when I was five." He said while making a wry smile on his face.


    Overhearing their conversation, Richard, Nicole, and a few other mystics also became curious about the Chaos Creatures and moved closer towards them like a flock of sheep. In the unexplored area filled with dangers, information was a priceless treasure for any Mystics. There were times when Mystics died disgraceful deaths without knowing much information about the Unexplored Forest. So, they would never miss such an opportunity to get more information.


    Knowing that things wouldn''t go smooth if he didn''t continue his exnation, Jimmy let out a chuckle and started speaking,


    "The Chaos Creatures are simrly like Distorted Shadows. But they have both intelligence and extraordinary strengths. Small creatures like Shadow Rats, Devil Horn Rabbits, and Mad Cats are not a big threat for Rank-1 mystics. But if you identally bump into Evil Snakes, Blood Hounds, and Shade Goblins, run for your life. Those creatures have the strength of Rank-2 Mystics and would always roam in packs." He purposely paused for a moment to see the fear in hispanions'' eyes and then added with a chuckle,


    "Don''t be scared, guys. Those creatures would only appear in the deepest part of the Unexplored Forest. But we haven''t even reached the outer area of the Unexplored Forest, so you don''t have to think too much about it."


    "But they will appear when we reach the deeper region, right?" A ck-haired kid named Philip asked. If someone looks closely, they will notice that this kid''s hands were not callous at all. Truthfully, he was a newly recruited Mystic and had always been favored by Nicole.


    "Even if theye, those three will take care of them and protect us." Another brown-haired guy said with a wide grin on his face.


    "Dream on, they won''te to the interior area. I heard from Boss Night-Eye that they only came here to escort Lord Daniel to the outer region." Richard said in a cold tone.


    "It looks like we will be on our own then. Well, nothing''s going to change even if they apany us anyway." The same brown-haired guy muttered in a disdained tone.


    "Yes, we do have seven Rank-2 Mystics and our boss is already a Rank-3 Mystic, so we don''t need to rely on their strength anyway." Nicole suddenly opened her mouth and muttered, causing others to nod their heads subconsciously.


    They then moved while discussing for hours and soon reached a grasnd area. At that time, the sun also went to the west and started painting the sky with orange-red color.


    It was already 5 P.M.


    Without waiting for orders from Richard and the other four gang leaders, the thugs took out the tent fabrics and started building tents using the tree branches as poles. Although it was just a white cloudy sky, they knew that the atmosphere would change at any time in the dense woond regions. So, they even picked up few dry blocks of wood from the nearby areas and started to light the fire earlier. They then added some powder into the campfire and let the smoke spread in all directions.


    It was mosquito repellent power!


    In the woods, humans''mon enemy was the mutated mosquitoes and Insects. Although they wouldn''t cause any causality, they would spread disease and even make the Mystics sick!


    The dusk came as the sun hid from the orange sky and soon leaves the world to engulf in darkness. The campfire raged in the dark forest and illuminated the whole grassy surroundings. The thugs cooked different kinds of foods using the fire and ate while singing and dancing like foolish adventurers. Charles also built his tent, ate a few dry loaves of bread silently, and watched the dancing in amusement.


    Emilia Wilson, Luke rk, and Andrew Harris also built their tents a few meters away from his tent and started doing their jobs. Charles nced at them from time to time and soon noticed Luke suddenly stood up and went deep into the dark grasnd.


    ''Is he going to take a leak?'' Charles raised his brows and soon shifted his gaze towards Jimmy''s tent. Unlike him, he and his friend Henry were staying together in the same tent.


    After some time, the thieves got tired of dancing, went to their tents, and started resting. Only the escort team members stood on guard the whole night while changing shifts and then woke up the thieves around 6 A.M.


    Once again, they resumed the journey and continued to move closer towards the Unexplored Forest. They met a few nearby vigers when they on their way and silently walked past them like strangers. The mystics knew that would only alert the other party, so they altogether avoided making contact with the vigers and moved on.


    On the 4th day of their journey, their group finally saw the Unexplored Forest''s outer area beside therge M-shaped Mountain and became stunned by the scenario. Unlike the typical forest, the Unexplored Forest area appeared darker in color and gave off the feeling of anxiety and fear to everyone.


    Although the forest region appeared very far away, the Mystics still felt ufortable when seeing the shady dark area.


    Moreover, Charles noticed that Luke was acting very suspiciously during the nighttime in the past few days and became more curious about his secrets. Furthermore, he also got closer to Jimmy and finally confirmed that the person resides in Jimmy''s body was not the real Jimmy but the dangerous artifact!


    If he were a real Jimmy, he would have shown some instinctual reactions upon seeing a woman.


    But the current Jimmy was not a good actor. Although he often acted like a real Jimmy by staring at women''s chests, ncing at their buttocks, he still didn''t do his job correctly. When Nicole tried to seduce him from afar a few times and when she invited him openly to have sex, he justpletely turned her off by saying some random excuses.


    If not for them linking him with Charles''s fake identity, the other Mystics would have already assumed him as Eunuch!


    ''My [Inspect] skill also confirmed his real identity by showing question marks all over the status area.'' He mumbled inwardly.


    After confirming that Jimmy''s current was the Holem''s Crown, Charles began to think of a n to make the other party sign a contract.


    As usual, the group stopped near ake as the sky darkens and started building their tents. After building the tent, Charles sat inside it and patiently waited for everyone to go to sleep. An hourter, a human shadow walked out from the nearby tent and soon entered the dark woods. Charles also stood up from the mat and cast [Conceal] skill on himself. A secondter, his figure turned darker and darker and soon disappeared.


    Charles, in Edith''s appearance, walked out of his tent and then stalked the human shadow while maintaining considerable distance. He soon noticed that Luke was moving deeper into the forest while checking around cautiously from time to time and even erased his tracks like a skilled hunter!


    If not for the ''Pupil-Less Eye'' artifact, Charles would havepletely lost his trail.


    After 15 minutes of walking into the woods, Luke arrived near a gloomy bush and then took out a metal box from his void pouch. He then ced his bow and the box on the ground and drew a circle around it. After that, he recited a short chant and tapped the red symbol on the metal box twice.


    A few secondster, a monotonous cold voice came from the other side.


    "I''ve been waiting for your call, Devil."

 Chapter 56: Guesses

    <h4>Chapter 56: Guesses</h4>


    Charles''s eyes widened as he heard those words from the metal box.


    ''What is this situation?'' He stared at Luke''s back for a moment and soon heard Luke''s reply.


    "Charles is not here, Your Highness. I''m pretty sure that he is hiding somewhere in the City."


    Charles''s face went stiff for a moment as he heard those words.


    ''What the hell? Why is he searching for me? Moreover, who is the other party? Why did Luke mention him as Your Highness?'' Questions whirled in Charles''s mind as he hid his slim body behind arge tree trunk and patiently listened.


    "Impossible. Check again. If he is in the City, I would have known by now." The monotonous voice paused for a second and soon asked.


    "What about Jimmy? Did he show any abnormal reaction?"


    "He didn''t, Your Highness. Jimmy is acting very normal these days. I can''t even confirm if the Holem''s Crown is with him or not." Luke sat on the rock and said in a solemn tone.


    "Hmm, monitor them constantly and if you need any help, ask ''Twilight''. He will lend you a hand." The monotonous voice said.


    "What about the Escort Mission? Once our team reaches the Thirteenth Chaotic Zone, our job will be over, Your Highness." Luke said in a confused tone.


    "Worry not. I already gave one emergency sealed letter to ''Twilight'' before he went on this mission. When the timees, he will use that letter and shut Emilia''s mouth." The monotonous voice responded eerily.


    "Then I will proceed ording to our n, Your Highness," Luke said while curling his lips upward into a twisted one and soon muttered.


    "Holem''s Crown is already in our grasp. Once we led the Crown into the 35th Rift, Chaos Wanderer will take care of the rest."


    "Don''t be too happy. We need to find Charles first; he is the main problem now." The monotonous voice interrupted his talking and then continued after a short deliberation.


    "I will also send ''Evil'' to look for him in the Wind Vi. If Charles isn''t there, then we have no choice but to speed up the process. Nowadays, I can''t even predict his action using my power of ''Fate'' at all. Charles should have contacted the ''Holem''s Crown'' by now, but that damned [Historian] kid interfered and messed up our n." After saying those words, the monotonous voice heaved a deep sigh and then cut off the connection.


    Meanwhile, Luke stood in silence for a minute and then shook his head. After that, he stored the metal box in his void pouch and moved from there.


    In the meantime, Charles stood with a dazed face for a whole minute and soon turned his face into a gloomy one.


    ''Luke rk¡­ What is this situation? Is ''Devil'' his nickname? Then, who is this ''Highness''? Moreover, there seem to be two more persons in this group. Evil and Twilight. I didn''t expect that Luke would be a schemer¡­ Highness¡­ Hmm? Wait a sec. I once read in a book that people use this title only to call the princes¡­ Prince-''


    Charles''s jade eyes squinted sharper as his lips trembled for a moment.


    ''Red Prince.''


    That word suddenly appeared in his mind!


    ''Damn it, I should have noticed it. That really is possible. So, Luke rk might be just a pawn of Red Prince. Upon seeing Luke''s [Devil''s Heart] unique skill during the first mission, I didn''t doubt him at all. I actually thought of it as a cool skill at that time.'' Charles wore a wry smile and soon began to ponder.


    ''If what I''m guessing is right, then I can tell now that this Luke is just a puppet of the real mastermind. Then, that monotonous voice must belong to the real Red Prince. Now that I think about it, isn''t Luke the one who rmended me to join the search mission? Did Red Prince kidnap those three [Historians]? Did he do that just to create a search mission? Something is not right. Wait, he did mention about a damned [Historian] kid interfered with the Fate, right?¡­ Historian? Who is he cursing at?''


    He frowned for a moment and soon recalled the fake Arbiter of Storm, Willy Pickton''s words.


    ''Yes, Willy Pickton also mentioned about a damned kid colluding with an underworld broker to ckmail him¡­ He is also our third suspect, John Wayne''s employer''s son. What is his name again?'' Charles rubbed his temple for a second and soon started recalling the conversation.


    ''I think his name is Max or something. He is an archeological student who got interested in Holem''s Crown and researched about it in Slum Street. But when he went near Jimmy''s house, a dark human shadow fell from the sky and kidnapped him along with his two other [Historian] ss friends. That''s what John Wayne told us when we asked about the disappearance of three [Historians].''


    ''From the words of ''Highness,'' I can tell that this Max has somehow escaped and seemed to have changed the trajectory of Fate. But he is just a [Historian] ss member, right? Then, how did he escape? I''m missing some important information¡­'' Charles tapped the wooden bark lightly and soon began to think.


    ''Other than this, he also encountered multiple coincidences before he was kidnapped¡­ Wait¡­ Only Rank-2 and Rank-3 encountered those strange coincidences, right? Then, howe he encountered one?'' He suddenly stopped tapping the bark and soon curled his lips.


    ''What if Max is a Rank-2 or a Rank-3 Mystic? It is possible. Red Prince and his pawns must have thought of him as a normal Rank-1 mystic and tried to silence him off along with his friends. But this guy must have perceived the danger and escaped. As for the other two [Historians], they must have killed off by the dark shadow that descended from the sky. As for the identity of the dark shadow, it may be the Red Prince himself. From John Wayne''s words, this Red Prince seems to have abilities that could affect one''s senses like sudden Blindness, Deafness, Anosmia, and so on.''


    ''That must be the reason Holem''s Crown didn''t contact me even when I went near him. It must have perceived that someone was checking its movement all the time.''


    ''Damn, what a big scheme. If the Holem''s Crown had acted at that time and revealed its presence to me, Luke would have acted in time and captured it¡­'' Charles felt that the earlier puzzles seemed to be weaved together and formed into a gigantic spider.


    ''Hmm, I did feel something was off about our first suspect''s death. When Jeffery Dahmer was under Team Leader Emilia''s hypnosis effect, he suddenly cursed after he mentioned the word ''Red-Prince'' and detonated himself¡­No; I read in a book that those types of skills have a distance limit and are very hard to master. Which leaves with only one option, and that is an artifact. The enemy must have used some artifact on Jeffery to kill him. Still, that doesn''t exin why his body exploded all of a sudden when mentioning the ''Red Prince'' word¡­


    I''m pretty sure that there is no passcode-like artifact avable in this world. Even if there was one, those artifacts shoulde under Series-type artifacts. The possibility of the enemy using a Series Artifact to kill Jeffery is almost none. It means the enemy must have monitored us all the time while hiding somewhere nearby and activated the ranked artifact when Jeffery was about to reveal more information¡­ And, that enemy must be Luke Carter.'' Charles organized his thoughts and soon nodded in understanding. He also remembered the moment when Luke rejected Team Leader Emilia''s order and asked him to monitor Jimmy.


    ''There seem to be more members in this group. Twilight. Who could it be?'' Doubt appeared in his mind as he raised his eyebrows and soon widened his jade eyes.


    ''It might be Daniel''s nickname or Night-Eye''s nickname. Yes, other than Daniel and Night-Eye, Luke isn''t closer to anyone. As for the ''Evil,'' there is no information about his real identity.''


    Charles soon shook his head and then stealthily went back to the camping area.


    After returning to the camp, he stayed in his tent and then began to take some rest.


    The dark red night passed in a blink. In the early morning, the group packed their belongings and resumed their journey once again. They continued their journey in hot, burning daylight.


    When they stopped near the Night River to take some rest around the afternoon, Charles casually walked past Emilia and silently dropped a small piece of paper. After that, he turned around and went near the flowing river to refill her water can.


    In the meantime, Emilia became surprised by his action and picked up the paper before others could notice. She then went near a Sycamore tree to sit in the tree shadow and then opened the rolled paper.


    In it, she saw three words written in the Blennguage and became stunned for a moment.


    ''Beware of Luke? What does that mean?'' She furrowed her and soon stored that slip into her void pouch. After that, she leaned her back against the tree trunk and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Looks like Charles found something about Luke but he seems to be afraid of alerting the enemy.''


    In the meantime, Charles filled all his empty water cans and leather pouches and went near Jimmy, who was discussing something with Henry.


    "We need to talk." He said with a smile before he turns around and then went near arge rock. His feminine words implied other meanings to outsiders, which made them subconsciously turn their heads and stare at Jimmy with daggering eyes. All those male Mystics from Slitherer''s Rowdy Gang, including Richard, felt jealousy all of a sudden. They couldn''t understand when Jimmy got closer to Edith and started whispering like gossiping olddies. They want to find out whether those two were dating or not!


    Unaware of their inner thoughts, Jimmy went near the rock and soon asked cautiously,


    "What do you want, Miss Edith?"


    "I called you here to tell you an important piece of information, Jimmy Holmes." Charles purposefully paused for a second and then said with a suppressing tone.


    "During the past few days, I noticed that the bowman was acting very suspicious, so I followed him and found something very interesting. Do you want to hear it?" He asked with a sly smile on his face.

 Chapter 57: Acting

    <h4>Chapter 57: Acting</h4>


    Before Jimmy could respond, Charles raised his forefinger, ced it on his mouth, and continued,


    "I saw him talking to someone through a strange metal box in the woods and he seemed to be plotting something. And that plot might have something to do with you."


    "What do you mean?" Jimmy instantly became alert as he heard the final sentence and looked around cautiously.


    "He seems to be searching for someone named ''Charles''. He then told his employer that he couldn''t even confirm if the Holem''s Crown is with you or not." He stopped for a moment to notice Jimmy''s facial expression and soon asked curiously,


    "What is this Holem''s Crown?"


    In the meantime, the current Jimmy''s head went nk for a moment. Rh, aka the Holem''s Crown, suddenly became vignt and soon connected the dots. As soon as Jimmy noticed the situation, he calmed his mind and said with a nod,


    "You really helped me this time, Miss Edith. If not for your earlier warning, I would be still being in a clueless state without even knowing the imminent danger."


    "Ah! I forget to mention that he also said something like ''Chaos Wanderer'' is waiting in the Unexplored Forest to take care of you." Charles said calmly, causing Jimmy''s body to stiffen up for a second.


    Noticing his stiff smile, Charles turned his face solemn and asked in a quiet tone,


    "Is there anything serious? Do you need my help, Jimmy Holmes?"


    Doubt appeared in Jimmy''s mind as he heard those words.


    ''Why is she helping me now? Is she also after me?'' He took a step back and stared at the ck-haired woman in full of wariness. Although his mind became a mess after he became an artifact and caused him to make silly mistakes, he was still a 30,000-year-old soul!


    Noticing his wariness, Charles let out a heavy sigh and added,


    "I also need your help to deal with our employer, Jimmy. I killed his family member and I''m pretty sure that he already knew that I was the one who killed Addie Baker. When the timees, Daniel might attack me using some unreasonable excuse and would try to kill me."


    Upon hearing those words, Jimmy paused for a second and soon nodded in understanding. He felt that Edith was really telling the truth andpletely believed her story. Truthfully, the ''Mark of Imagination'' yed a crucial role here and intervened with Jimmy''s imaginations!


    "I see, that exins everything. Don''t worry, Miss Edith. Once I take care of that guy, I will help you dealt with Daniel." Jimmy said with a reassuring tone.


    A skeptical look appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at Jimmy for a moment and proposed an idea,


    "Why not take care of both matters at once? When we enter the Unexplored Forest, we can sneak out during the night camping and walk on our own. Then, we don''t have to waste our energy on them, right?"


    "It''s impossible. The dangers hidden in the Unexplored Forest are not something a Rank-1 and Rank-2 member can deal with. We might die in just a few minutes."


    Charles wore a surprised expression on his face and soon said,


    "If we want to stay alive, we need to protect each other. If Daniel made a move against me, you must intervene and stand beside me like a protective lover." He paused for a second and soon asked with a seductive smile,


    "Can you do it?"


    Noticing the woman''s seductive acting, Jimmy chuckled inside while nodding his head and then spoke.


    "Same goes for you. When Luke tries to attack me, you must protect me. You know, I''m a Rank-1 Mystic with no defensive artifact and I''m not strong enough to face Rank-2 member''s attacks."


    "Deal, but we must sign an official contract. Otherwise, we won''t trust each otherpletely." Charles added.


    Upon hearing the word ''Contract'', Jimmy stared at her for ten seconds and then sighed.


    He knew that Edith was not a threat to him, so he nodded his head and agreed.


    "We will sign the contract when the dusk arrives. There are too many eyes watching us now." He said before turning around and then went towards his gang members.


    Meanwhile, Charles made a fake blush on his face, covered his mouth to look like he was embarrassed, and went in a different direction while giggling.


    Upon seeing the blushing, embarrassed face, Richard almost went berserk and stared at Jimmy like he was his mortal enemy.


    After resting for another 30 minutes at Night River''s bank, the group once again set out and moved towards the gloomy forest. Unlike the past few days, they also encountered some mutated wolves and rabbits on their way and moved even slower. Once again, the dusk arrived as three red moons peeked at them from the east and shrouded the forest in dark-red color.


    Around 9 ''o''clock, Jimmy exited his tent after saying an excuse to Henry and went near Edith''s tent. He then nced around cautiously to check if someone was monitoring him and entered inside before closing the zipper. Meanwhile, Charles, in Edith''s appearance, sat in a cross-legged position and nodded at him.


    "Before we sign the contract, you can use this artifact on me and see if what I said is true or false." Charles said in a calm tone while taking out the ''Pupil-Less Eye'' artifact from her space ring and gave it to Jimmy. In truth, he knew that tricking the artifact was not an easy matter. To make the artifactpletely believe his words, he had to distract that artifact for some time. To his surprise, Luke gave him a big opportunity.


    While Charles was in muse, Jimmy caught the weird eye with his hand and checked it with his soul power. After confirming that this artifact was real, he nodded his head and cast the shadow mark on Charles. A cloud of dark smoke came out from the pupil-less eye artifact and soon marked on his wrist area. Before Jimmy could ask about this artifact, Charles smiled lightly and said,


    "I got this artifact as loot by killing Addie and am still clueless about its effective range. Once I started to follow Luke, maintain a 100-meter distance and follow after me. Even if I got found out by Luke, you will have an easier time escaping." After saying those caring words, he stood up and signaled him to get ready.


    Meanwhile, Luke walked out of his tent, nced around the surroundings, and went into the dark, gloomy forest. After two minutes, Charles and Jimmy also walked out of the tent and stealthily followed Luke''s foot trails. After walking for few steps, Jimmy stopped for a whole minute to maintain some distance between him and Edith and entered the gloomy woods.


    Meanwhile, Emilia, in her grey robe, sat up in her tent and squinted her eyes.


    "What is he scheming with Jimmy? Moreover, when did they get so close?" She wore a skeptical look on her face and then started muttering a weird incantation. After a long chant, she closed her eyes for a second and ended her chant.


    A secondter, two pitch-ck illusionary eyes appeared above her tent and moved towards the dark red sky. After reaching a certain height, those two eyes multiplied into hundreds of ck eyes and monitored Luke''s movement from the sky!


    Unaware of these things, Luke entered deep into the forest and soon found a suitable location for making contact with ''His Highness.''


    After a minute of searching, he found arge bush area and went near to it. He then hung his bow near the tree branch, squatted down, and took out themunicated box.


    Like thest time, he made a short chant after making a small circle around it and then waited for the other party to respond. Today, it took more than five minutes for the other party to respond.


    "Anything important?" The same monotonous voice came from the other side. Luke felt that ''His Highness'' was in bad mood, so he spoke hurriedly.


    "Yes, Your Highness. Jimmy seems to be acting weirdly today. He talked more than usual with a girl named Edith and that girl even started flirting with him often. I have a feeling that something suspicious is going on." Luke''s words surprised everyone.


    Charles, hiding 20 meters away from him behind the tree, widened his jade eyes and soon turned his face solemnly.


    ''Damn, he is monitoring Jimmy like a legendary stalker.'' He soon shook his head silently and then started listening to the other party''s words.


    "Try probe her mind when you enter the Unexplored Forest and see if you can get some information. As long as Jimmy didn''t try to run away from this mission, you can just watch him from the sides and act like you are just an escort guard. We need to lead him directly to the 35th Chaos Rift and seal him there for a day with Chaos Wanderer''s help. Otherwise, my n will go boom in a second."


    "Acknowledged, Your Highness. I will follow your words." Luke nodded his head and said in a zealous tone.


    "Alright then, I will be out for a while to search for that sneaky rat, so don''t try to contact me often." After saying those words, the monotonous voice cut off the connection from the other side.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Luke stood up with a solemn look on his face and then stored the metal box into his void pouch. After that, he took the bow from the nearby tree branch and moved towards the camping area.


    In the meantime, Charles moved in a different direction and led Jimmy to the opposite side. He knew that Jimmy had no stealth skill, so he acted on his own and brought Jimmy to a different area. After few minutes of roaming in the woods, both circled the camp area and walked out of the woods from another direction. After that, both went into his tent and closed it.


    "Do you believe my words now?" Charles whispered in a solemn tone as he sat on the mat. Meanwhile, Jimmy also sat down and started to thinking deeply.


    After recalling the earlier scene for more than a minute, Jimmy wore a gloomy look on his face and nodded thoughtfully. To put it more simply, the Holem''s Crown sensed the presence of ''Fate Divine Power'' earlier in themunication box andpletely believed his words.


    ''He is the one who kidnapped those three [Historians] to put a me on Jimmy. No, he did that to make Charles meet me earlier.'' He already knew that some powerful Mystic was eyeing for him, but he didn''t expect the person already chose to walk on the path of Divine!


    ''Thankfully, this Edith girl has a backer and that person also seems to be walking on the path of Divine.'' He quickly organized his thought and nodded.

 Chapter 58: Entering the Unexplored Forest

    <h4>Chapter 58: Entering the Unexplored Forest</h4>


    A pleasant smile appeared on Charles''s face as he tapped his finger and took out an empty wheel-symboled contract paper from his space ring. Charles had already filled most of the contract rules and only left the contractors'' names, terms, and conditions nk.


    "Life contract? I thought you are a believer of Sun God."


    A chuckle escaped from Charles''s red lips as he took out the quill and Ink bottle from his space ring and said while dipping the quill into the ink bottle.


    "I''m the follower of Ancients. All these gods are just fake deities for me." His words contain a sense of mystery.


    "Those are dangerous words, Miss." Jimmy didn''t ask anything further about that topic and zeroed his attention on the contract. Even though it was a regr contract used for signing a simple agreement under the name of Goddess Nira, he still stared at it with wide-opened eyes and checked multiple times.


    On the other hand, Charles wrote the terms and conditions clearly, put his sign, and then presented the contract paper to Jimmy along with the golden quill and the ink bottle.


    Jimmy caught the contract paper, checked once again, and then dipped the golden quill into the ink bottle before signing it.


    A secondter, the contract started burning and soon disappeared from there.


    Once the contract disappeared, Jimmy noticed a small mark appeared in the depths of his Inner-World and shook his head.


    ''If I was a Rank-4 [Quest Finder], I would have easily erased these fake marks. Sadly, I can only abide by the rules for now and fulfill the contract on my own. Hmm, Jimmy''s soul is already in deep sleep. Within a week or two, hisst ''Will'' will also wither and then his soul will enter the cycle of reincarnation through the Eternal River of Life. That will be my first sess.''


    While Jimmy was mused in thoughts, Charles noticed a different kind of mark appeared in his mind. After checking the mark, he found out that he could restrict the Holem''s Crown with his simple thoughts and became deeply astounded inside.


    ''But why did the Holem''s Crown acting as if everything was still in its control?'' He became puzzled for a moment and soon thought of a possibility.


    ''Is this the effect of the ''Contract of Imagination''? Heh, so even after signing the contract, this contract will make the opposite party believe in their own imagination, huh. Unless I restricted the Holem''s Crown using the mark, I think the artifact won''t suspect a thing.'' Charles''s lips curled upward subconsciously as he understood the ''Contract of Imagination'' effect and said.


    "That''s it, Jimmy. You can go back to your tent now."


    Meanwhile, Jimmy nodded his head, stood up from the ground, and walked out of the tent stealthily.


    Charles watched Jimmy in amusement and soony on the mat to get some rest.


    The next day morning,


    The group packed their things and started walking into the deep woods one by one.


    Unlike thest time, the group moved at a much slower pace while resting from time to time and saw a lone fortified castle near the summit of a small hill around dusk. As they went near the gloomy castle, all the Mystics unknowingly packed together like a flock of sheep and stared at the surrounding eerie tall trees cautiously.


    Amid the evening mist and the rising red moon, the stone walls seemed to hold a supernatural stillness. Some windows, illuminated by reflected firelight, seemed to observe them from up high. The causeway that crossed the moat was slick with moss and algae, painting it an eerie green. The portcullis was down but was stuck two feet from the stone floor. Though this seemed to invite the curious members, it brought caution to the rest of them. The Mystics'' torches reflected off the moat''s water that seemed home to dark things that swam just out of sight.


    The courtyard beyond the gate was dark except for a single fire brazier that burned atop an ancient fountain. Its dark water seemed to absorb all light and leave the Mystics'' mouths dry with fear.


    Daniel took the lead as he saw the half-stuck portcullis and went near the gate. After that, he lifted his head, looked at the interior area through the holes, and shouted.


    "Casten Rowley, I''m Daniel Baker, one of the seventieth Hignders, came here to explore the Unexplored Forest under the Order of the ''Royals''. Please open the gate."


    After a minute of long silence, a shadowy human figure surrounded by 14 well-equipped soldiers came from the other side and stopped near the gate. All of them held a unique type of long swords in their hands, and their ck eyes appeared motionless like dead ones. On the other hand, the shadowy human wore a ck hood andpletely covered himself with a ck robe-like cloth. If not for the fire torch he held in his right hand revealed his rough white-bearded face, others would have thought of him as a Necromancer!


    "Why are there so many visitorsing here from the south in the past few days?" The shadowy human asked in a calm voice and then removed his ck hood using his other hand. The shadowy human was a man in his fifties, and his face had multiple de marks. His eyes were sharp as cat''s ones, and his white beard almost knotted one another and formed into a bundle. He walked a few steps front, ced his hand below the portcullis, and pulled it up singlehandedly!


    "The lever is not working due to the rust." He exined as he fully opened the portcullis and turned around.


    "Is Orvin still alive?" He asked as he pped his hand to remove the rust.


    "Yes, My Lord." Daniel bowed his head lightly and responded with a polite tone.


    "Hmm, that''s a piece of good news. Now, those who want to explore the Unexplored Forest shall apany me. As for others, you can go back to your peacefulnd now." Without even waiting for Daniel to speak another word, Rowley cut him off and ordered.


    But, nobody moved a muscle. All of them, including Emilia, stood there motionlessly and patiently waited for Rowley to lead them inside.


    Luke rk and Daniel didn''t expect this oue and were at a loss for words.


    ''Why is she not backing down?'' Bothmunicate with their eyes, and soon Luke asked in confusion,


    "Team Leader, what are you doing? Our escort job is over, right?"


    Upon hearing his words, Emilia curled her lips upward and spoke with a mysterious smile on her face,


    "No, we actually have another secret mission."


    "Why haven''t you mentioned anything to us?" Luke raised his eyebrows and asked in a gloomy tone. This was not supposed to happen!


    "Hmm? Do I have to exin everything to you? If I didn''t exin, are you going to disobey my orders?" Emilia''s tone went cold as she stared at him with provocative eyes and asked.


    "Team member doesn''t have the right to disobey the Team Leader''s orders." Andrew suddenly raised his hand, rubbed his nose, and warned him.


    "Sorry for my rude behavior, Team Leader." Luke instantly noticed the change in Emilia''s action and apologized.


    "Follow me then," Rowley nced at Emilia for a moment and then turned around before saying those words.


    Other guards also followed his action and went around the gloomy castle. They first went near the ancient fountain, circled it once, and then walked on the grassy courtyard towards the Castle''s left side.


    At first, the Mystics thought that Rowley would allow them to stay in the castle for a day or two, but when they arrived at the other side, all of them knew that they were wrong.


    On the other side, a total of hundred guards stood above the stone wall and were continually watching the outside like hawks.


    "You can leave through the Exit Gate." Rowley didn''t wait for the mystics to raise any questions and said while pointing his finger at the dark wide opened Iron Gate. It was as if they had already expected their arrival and seemed to be waiting for them to walk out!


    Sighing heavily, Daniel nodded his head and then walked towards the Exit Gate. Other Mystics also followed after him, walked past the colossal stone wall, and soon appeared on the other side of the dark forest.


    The forest was primordial. Centuries-old mutated trees with sprawling limbs guarded the darkness, blotting out any sunlight. Their bark was mottled and splotched as if the bubbled soup had been frozen in time on its surface. Clumpybs of wet moss dangled from their rotten boughs. Underneath the moss, lethal mad Larkspur peppered the mulchy floor.


    A pungent tang oozed from every sentient being in the forest. Wailing sounds ghosted through the trees. Whether it was from victim or victor, only the forest could tell. It was indeed a ce to make one''s veins freeze over. Everything considered edible in another forest was nauseating here. It left the Mystics with the sickening taste of their own blood. It was a forest to be avoided.


    Before the Mystics could look around the dark forest, a creaky sound came from behind, and soon the guards shut down the Iron Gate.


    Daniel took the lead with no other choice and went deep into the Unexplored Forest while others followed after him silently. After walking for a mile, he stopped at a in-looking area and ordered the mystics to clear the woods, vines, and shrubs. Once they did that, Daniel made a ritual circle using different materials and started chanting in apletely differentnguage. After a lengthy chant, he knelt at the center and kissed the ground thrice.


    A secondter, an illusionary ss-like thing came out from the ground and began to expand. Within seconds, the illusionary ss went past the mystics'' bodies and soon covered the whole grasnd area like a force-field!


    "Chaos Creatures won''te near this domain, so you guys can go and take a rest now." Daniel stood up from the ground and said solemnly. Nodding, all of them went in different directions and started building tents.

 Chapter 59: Death

    <h4>Chapter 59: Death</h4>


    While others were building their tents, Charles nced at Emilia from time to time and got puzzled by her action. At first, he thought of staying with Emilia and others at the Castle, but he didn''t expect Emilia to say something about another mission and became surprised.


    While he was in confusion, strange words entered into the depths of his mind and startled him greatly.


    ''If we didn''t follow after them, something bad might happen to Riverdale City.''


    It was Emilia''s voice!


    Widening his deep-set jade eyes, Charles nced at her and then nodded in understanding.


    ''She must have checked the future using some strange artifact.'' He instantly nodded his head in enlightenment and then took out tent fabrics from his space ring to build the tent.


    Three crimson moons showed up in the sky one after another and soon painted the night with dark red color.


    The next day, the Mystics group packed their things and once again started their journey. It was a tiresome journey for all of them. They would usually meet a few mutated animals from time to time and proceed further cautiously.


    It was around noon,


    When the group walked past a swamp-like area, their group suddenly encountered five red-skinned humans and entered into a battle mode.


    Meanwhile, those red-skinned humans simply stood on the ground like frozen statues and showed different kinds of facial reactions! But what made the Mystics to widened their eyes were the red-skinned humans'' facial appearances. All of their eyes looked pure ck and they even had horns protruded on their foreheads!


    One guy showed a dubious look, another guy showed a happy face, and so on.


    If not for their loud beating heart sounds, Charles would have thought of them as dead peoples and killed them on the spot to dispel his uneasiness!


    ''What happened to these guys?'' Charles and a few mystics also circled those five red-skinned humans and checked their body conditions.


    Charles noticed a symbol of the crow in their dress as he looked at their outer clothes and soon widened his eyes.


    ''They are from the Explorer Association! It looks like they came earlier than us but seemed to have encountered terrifying.'' He muttered inwardly and was about to cast [Inspect] skill on them, but a sudden rm echoed inside his head.


    It was the [Sixth Sense] skill''s warning!


    Without even thinking for a moment, he ducked his body and rolled from there.


    A secondter, a silver dagger passed through the area where he stood before and swiftly moved towards the frozen humans'' neck area like a boomerang!


    With a flesh-tearing sound, the dagger neatly cut those five red-skinned humans'' heads and soon returned to a silver-haired man!


    In the meantime, Charles also stood up from the ground, cast his [Crimson Robe] spell on himself, and then unsheathed his dagger while turning around.


    He then stared at the silver-haired man with cold eyes and soon turned around while warning in the woman''s chilling voice.


    "If you attack me on purpose again, it will be yourst moment."


    The one who attacked now was none other than the underworld evil boss, Night-Eye!


    Upon hearing her warning, Night-Eye simply snorted and went near Daniel for further orders.


    Under Daniel''s order, the group then trekked further into the forest and soon encountered mutated animals like Shadow wolves, Three-horned goats, and Poison tigers. If the group were just normal humans, they would have faced life-threatening problems. But the Mystics faced those mutated animals like skilled hunters and killed them in seconds.


    Days passed, and soon it was October 2nd!


    On this day, the group finally entered a dense mangrove swamp filled with poisonous snakes and insects and began to move very carefully.


    During the past few days, the Mystics encountered different kinds of toxic nts, mutated animals in the dark forest, and even lost seven Mystics!


    Although they were just Rank-1 thieves, they were still powerful people in Riverdale City!


    Losing one Rank-1 thief was equal to losing one elite guard''s protection.


    Meanwhile, Charles also used this opportunity and earned a total of 820 Exp points!


    Now, he had a total of 1870 Exp points.


    ''130 Exp points to rank-up my subss.'' He muttered inwardly and then sighed.


    ''Each mutated creature is only giving 20 to 30 Exp points. If not, I would have already Ranked-Up.''


    But before the group could reach 500 meters into the mangrove forest, two thieves suddenly fell on the ground, and their bodies went motionless in an instant!


    They were walking on the open wet ground and appeared safer. But the current situation made the mystics think twice.


    "What happened?" Asking, Richard tried to get closer towards them but soon stopped as he heard Jimmy''s words.


    "Their eyes are turning pitch ck-" Before Jimmy could finish his sentence, those two Mystics'' bodies suddenly began to twitch.


    "Decapitate their heads now. They are turning into Chaos Beings!" This time, Emilia said in a hurry, took a few steps backward, and appeared right beside Luke.


    In the meantime, Richard and Nicolle unsheathed their swords and shed at those two Mystics'' necks in unison.


    Unfortunately, their reaction speed was too slow whenparing it to the transformation of Chaos Beings. In an instant, the corrupted mystics'' skin turned red, a red horn began to protrude in front of their foreheads, and they blinked their ck eyes rapidly.


    Upon noticing the iing sword attacks, those two former Mystics then rolled to the sides, jumped up nimbly, and then pulled out their weapons from their sheaths.


    Watching their extraordinary disy, Charles was momentarily stunned for a second and soon blurted out,


    "Aren''t these guys supposed to be mindless creatures?"


    Emilia nced at his feminine appearance for a moment and then responded,


    "Unlike Distorted Shadows, the Chaos Beings arepletely different. Technically, those two humans are still alive and their souls are also still attached to their bodies. But these thugs'' souls and bodies were already corrupted by the foul evilness and became eternal ves of their own emotions. From now on, they will side with the Chaos faction and would walk on the Path of Destruction. Sir Daniel chose to bring these thugs and thieves to this chaotic ce must be because of this reason. He wants to turn all these thugs into corrupted Chaos Beings and seems to achieve something in return."


    Her voice was so loud, which caused all the Mystics to stiffen up all of a sudden.


    "You knew about our n?" Daniel wore a surprised expression on his face as he turned around towards Emilia and asked.


    "Even a small kid could see through your n, Sir. Daniel Baker." Emilia curled her lips upward and cast her [Mind Fog] skill on the two Chaos Beings, who was about to jump into the swamp area to escape.


    An instantter, their bodies staggered weirdly, and soon they fell on the ck soil.


    Charles wouldn''t miss such an opportunity to gain free Exp points. Curving his lips up, he activated his [Crimson Steps] spell and sprinted towards them at an unimaginable speed, leaving fire sparks behind. In three seconds, he appeared beside them and swiftly decapitated their heads using his Ghost Dagger.


    [Target Eliminated! 230 Battle Exp Obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 195 Battle Exp Obtained!]


    "Shall we begin our hunt?" Turning around, Charles stared at Daniel with a cold look on his face and asked.


    Simultaneously, he opened his game interface and poured 2,000 Exp points into the subss section.


    [Host has chosen the 2nd method for Rank-Up!]


    [1,494 Exp points have been deduced for ''Disguiser'' ss gem!]


    [506 Exp has been deduced for Rank-up!]


    [Disguiser ss obtained!]


    [Host''s Body is undergoing a mutation change!]


    [¡­]


    [Mutation Completed!]


    [Host''s Race has been changed from ''Human'' to ''Human/???'']


    [You are now a Level-1 Disguiser!]


    [1 Free Attribute point Rewarded!]


    [20 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [Skills Upgraded!]


    [''Sixth Sense'' skill has been upgraded to ''Prevision'']


    [''Clown'' skill has been upgraded to ''Disguise'']


    [''Magician''s Hand'' skill has been upgraded to ''Magician''s Hand +1'']


    ¡­


    In a second, Charles sensed countless pieces of information about ''Prevision,'' ''Disguise'' and ''Magician''s Hand'' entered his mind and became started deeply.


    ''Prevision! My [Sixth Sense] skill really has a prediction-like ability. Although I can only see 0.5 seconds into the future with a cooldown of one minute and get some warning signs about the future, it is still a great skill. No, I would say that this [Prevision] skill is a legendary ability.'' He curled his lips upward and then added one free attribute point to his ''Strength.''


    A change went through his body as he clenched his fist and nodded.


    Unlike thest time when he was ranking up the main ss, nobody noticed a change now. So, he silently ranked up his sub-ss without alerting the enemy in two seconds and silently watched Daniel''s movement.


    Meanwhile, Daniel wore a troubled look on his face as he heard the ck-haired woman''s words and took a step back. He then shook his head and said.


    "I''m going ahead, Night. Stay here for an hour and then bring all of them to the Ruin."


    After that, he turned around and soon started walking into the woods.


    Meanwhile, Night-Eye took a step forward and unsheathed two silver daggers from his waist!


    ''He is an assassin ss Mystic, Rank-3 Rogue!'' A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face as he gripped his dagger tighter and moved.


    If it were before, he wouldn''t have dared to face a Rank-3 Mystic, but after he Ranked-Up both sses, Charles felt more confident now.


    ''Moreover, I''m not facing him anyways.'' He smirked inwardly as he suddenly changed his direction and dashed towards Emilia. In the meantime, Emilia suddenly raised her hand, ced it hand on Luke''s shoulder and cast [Touch of Idiocy] skill on him.


    An instantter, Luke revealed a foolish smile on his face and opened his arms wide to ept the opponent''s attack.


    Simultaneously, a dense ray of crimson fire appeared from Charles''s forefinger and flew towards Luke at an unimaginable speed!


    Their sudden action caused Daniel Baker to pause his footsteps in surprise!


    With a shocked face, he turned around and waved his hand.


    As the [Incinerate] spell was about to pierce through Luke''s head, an invisible ripple came out from his body and soon formed into a force-field-like structure!


    Bang!


    A collision sound echoed as [Incinerate] spellnded on the force-field and threw Luke a few meters backward while obliterating the force-field in return!


    But Charles had already expected this oue with the help of his new ''Prevision'' skill and pulled out his ''Ember Pistol'' from his space ring. He then turned the hammer using [Magician''s Hand] skill and squeezed the trigger.


    A condensed fire bullet came out from the muzzle, tore through the air, and soon appeared in front of Luke''s forehead!


    But just as the bullet was about to prate his head, Luke suddenly twisted his lips upward and muttered in a cold tone.


    "Change."


    At that instant, something extraordinary happened.


    Luke''s body suddenly became transparent and was reced with another figure!


    That figure was none other than Jimmy himself!


    The next instant, the fire-bullet tore through Jimmy''s forehead and appeared on the other side, leaving a bloody hole at the center.


    Jimmy''s body danced in the air for a moment and soon fell with a dumbfounded look on his face!

 Chapter 60: Battle

    <h4>Chapter 60: Battle</h4>


    In the meantime, Luke appeared beside Daniel Baker and muttered in a gloomy tone.


    "My identity is already exposed. Let''s go and release the ''Chaos Wanderer'' before the Crown escapes."


    "Who said I would let you leave after ruining my whole lifelong n?" A chilling old man''s voice came out from the red-gem embedded bracelet, and soon it began to shine in bright red color.


    A momentter, the wound on Jimmy''s forehead healed at an unimaginable speed, and soon Jimmy stood up with a twisted smile on his face.


    Noticing the strange situation, Luke and Daniel nced at each other and soon sprinted into the dark woods.


    Jimmy was about to chase after them, but Charles suddenly turned his face towards Jimmy''s direction and ordered in a cold tone,


    "Stop."


    When Jimmy heard those words, he subconsciously stopped his footsteps and stood there with a disbelieving look on his face.


    ''Why am I responding to her order? No, something is wrong.'' The Holem''s Crown instantly sensed a change urring in its inner world, so it concentrated its full attention on it.


    In the depths of the Holem''s Crown''s mind, the previous contract mark began to change its shape and soon formed into a reddish star!


    Within two seconds, three red stars appeared instead of two!


    The first and second stars were the marks of the abyssal contract he signed with Holem and Nightwind family members. But the Holem''s Crown felt that the third star was apletely different one!


    ''It''s not an abyssal contract¡­ But its power is on par with the other one¡­ Hell''s Sign? No, I haven''t sensed any devil''s presence in her. What the hell is this contract?!'' For a moment, The Holem''s Crown couldn''t be able to think properly at all!


    ''No! No! How did this happen to me? When did I sign such a ve contract? Wait a sec¡­ That Life contract I signed earlier¡­ Did she trick me to sign a different one? But I didn''t sense any anomaly at all. Why? Why? Why?!''


    Holem''s Crown instantly knew that it got tricked once again and became furious!


    "Leave Jimmy''s body ande here." Without minding Jimmy''s ring look, Charles took a step forward and spoke in a cold tone.


    "NOOO!" An old man''s painful screaming voice echoed from the red-gem embedded bracelet, and soon the bracelet moved from Jimmy''s wrist. Simultaneously, Jimmy''s body moved backward while twitching and soon fell on the ground with a thudding sound. A secondter, the previous bullet wound also reappeared on his forehead area and dyed the ck sand in scarlet color.


    In the meantime, the red bracelet hovered in the air for a second and soon revealed its true form. The bracelet first expanded a little, and soon multiple red crystal-like gems appeared from the single red gem.


    It was a tiara crown made of pure reddish gems and gold!


    The crown hovered in mid-air for a whole three seconds and soon moved towards Charles.


    Once it arrived in front of him, Charles picked the crown and ced it on his head.


    "Good." Charles was pleased by the Crown''s silent response and nodded his head.


    "Now, I want to ask some questions." He said coldly and then started walking towards Emilia. Once he appeared beside Emilia, he licked his lips and then asked.


    "Why are you in a hurry to go deep into the Unexplored Forest? Who is ''Chaos Wanderer''?"


    Although he just asked simple questions, those words struck deep into the Holem''s Crown''s soul like divine words, making it reply in a hurry.


    "I was in a hurry toplete a ''False Reincarnation Ritual'' and be a true human."


    "False Reincarnation Ritual?" Charles got startled deeply and then patiently waited for his second question''s answer.


    "As for your second question? No, I also don''t know anything about this so-called ''Chaos Wanderer''." The Holem''s Crown didn''t dare to y any tricks without knowing the consequence and answered him truthfully.


    "Why did you n to do this False-Reincarnation Ritual at the Unexplored Forest instead of Riverdale City?" Charles suddenly felt curious about the ritual and asked further.


    "Doing False-Reincarnation Ritual in the Riverdale City? That would be a suicidal task. False-Reincarnation Ritual is a taboo ritual and doing it openly will attract unwanted attention. Humph, I wouldn''t be surprised if Goddess Nira sends one of her Incarnations to stop the ritual in the name of justice and Harmony. But this Unexplored Forest is the good ce to do such ritual."


    ''Oh? Hmm, this strange ritual looks interesting.'' Charles took a note about the ritual and then changed the topic.


    "Do you know about the ''Watcher'' ss Mystic, Red-Prince? If so, tell me something about him. How did he found out more about you in the first ce?"


    "How do you know him-?" That instant, the Holem''s Crown suddenly thought of a possibility and becamepletely stupefied!


    "Charles?" It shouted in a shocked tone.


    "Haha, it took you long enough." Charles suddenly changed his voice tone and muttered in a male voice, startling the still dumbfounded thieves.


    Simultaneously, he removed his ck wig, fake pads with sponges and then deactivated the ''Mark of Imagination.''


    An instantter, everyone felt that Edith suddenly disappeared and was reced with a male figure!


    They couldn''tprehend what was happening in front of their eyes and became utterly bbergasted!


    For a whole minute, nobody, not even Night-Eye, moved his muscle. Even the perfect gentleman became stunned silly for an entire minute and soon sighed.


    "I never noticed that there is such a pretty young man hiding in the slum street."


    Upon hearing those ominous words, Charles felt chills all of a sudden.


    Now, he understood why Emilia warned him earlier and smiled helplessly. He had seen such people in his past life, so Charles simply took out afortable cotton shirt from his space ring and wore it.


    "DAMN IT! I Curse you, Charles! I curse your family! One day, I will break these shackles and make you a puppet for million years!" The Holem''s Crown suddenly started cursing upon realizing that Charles was the one who enved it.


    "Shut up! If you don''t want to lock up in Life Church''s Secret Chamber, stop your mumblings and obey my words from now on." Charles took off the crown from his head and then ordered,


    "Change your form back to the bracelet. Wearing a crown feels a little ufortable for me."


    Like a cute little pet, the Holem''s Crown let out a grunt and obeyed.


    In a second, it changed into a bracelet andy on Charles''s palm silently.


    Charles nodded his head with a pleasing smile on his face and wore it in his left hand. After that, he turned his head towards Emilia and asked with a smile,


    "What are your orders, Team Leader?"


    Emilia also somewhat understood the situation as she heard their conversation and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    After thinking for a moment, she took out a silver pocket watch from her void pouch, opened the outer case, adjusted the crown area, and then clicked it.


    The next instant, her eyes turned pure white for a millisecond and soon returned to normal. Emilia quickly stored the pocket watch into her void pouch and said.


    "There is no change in the current mission. We will follow after those two criminals and stop them before they release some monster or something. I also need to clean up the bad root of our ACES team."


    "What about these guys?" Andrew suddenly raised his hand, pointed his finger at the thugs, and asked.


    "We didn''t hire them, so it''s not our problem." Edith waved her hand and was about to walk into the deep forest but suddenly stopped. An instantter, she turned around, red at Night-Eye, and then asked in a cold tone.


    "What are you doing?"


    To others, it looked more like Emilia was the one who was looking for trouble with Night-Eye.


    But Charles knew that Night-Eye would have attacked her with full force if she had taken a step.


    "I''m sorry, Lady Emilia. My employer specifically asked me to not let you walk further into this forest." Night-Eye removed his surcoat, threw it towards the still dumbfounded Richard, and said in a calm tone.


    "Is that so?" Emilia turned her expression grave and nced at Charles, who already removed most of his disguise.


    "Do you think we can defeat him?" She asked. In truth, she had some methods to defeat Night-Eye, but that would reveal one of her trump cards to the outsiders.


    A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "I can only use my other trump card to slow him down, Team Leader. As for defeating him, that will be an impossible task for us now." He said in a deep tone.


    ''I already used Incinerate and Ember''s Pistol earlier. The only thing I have is the ''Starfall Codex'' magic book, but I need time to cast those spells.'' He muttered inwardly and then shifted his gaze towards Andrew.


    Truthfully, he felt Andrew must have something up in his sleeve and became curious.


    ''Except for his over-thinking character, he is a normal guy in every way. But, Withering Shadow wouldn''t take a normal guy unless he has something up in his sleeves.''


    Noticing his gaze, Andrew let out a fake cough and sighed.


    "Okay, Okay. If you guys made him immobile for two seconds, I can try out something-"


    Before he could finish his words, Night-Eye moved from where he stood before leaving blurry images behind and soon disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    In a second, he appeared behind Andrew like a shadow demon and swiftly moved his daggers towards his neck to decapitate him!


    Sensing the uing threat, Andrew calmly bent his waist and muttered a word in Runalnguage.


    "Protection."


    A secondter, two illusionary shields appeared from his sides and blocked those two silver daggers, leaving nging sounds behind.


    A grim look appeared on Night-Eye''s face as he turned invisible in a second and withdrew his daggers before moving in a different direction.


    "He is not an idiot." Charles curled his lips upward as hemented on Night-Eye and then took out the Starfall Codex from his space ring.


    Simultaneously, Emilia tapped her grey-colored Queen''s robe and cast the ''Ice Net'' spell. An instantter, those icy webs spread to the surrounding areas andpletely covered the ground like an actual spider!


    Casting the [Crimson Robe] spell on himself, Charles hurriedly flipped the pages and soon stopped at the fourth page.


    After that, he took a deep breath and started chanting.


    In the meantime, in his concealed form, Night-Eye scanned the three people and ordered his subordinates.


    "You guys go and run in all directions."


    Although he was surprised by the web-like, he knew that Emilia wouldn''t have the power to concentrate her attention on every web, so he sent out those orders.


    In less than three seconds, those thieves entered the web under their boss''s order and started to jog like dumb idiots. Even Richard and Nicole followed Night-Eye''s words and entered the domain of the ice.


    "This is just a in and effective way to counter my spell." Emilia wore a dumbfounded look and then muttered with a surprised tone.


    But she shook her head and added.


    "Charles, it''s up to you now."


    After saying those words, she controlled the ''Ice Net'' spell and activated the hidden effect.


    An instantter, those who stepped on the web lines started to feel their legs numb and soon froze.


    No, the ice threads released dense ice-elemental energy and froze their bodies within few seconds. During the time, Night-Eye also tried different methods to get closer to Charles and Andrew. Still, to his astonishment, Emilia maintained her calm expression and protected them using those icy threads.


    Two secondster, Charles curled his lips upward as he ended the short chant, locked his gaze on a particr area, and then smiled.


    Seeing Charles''s strange smile, Night-Eye''s body suddenly stiffened up!


    He suddenly forgot how to maintain his concealed form and soon revealed his body to others!


    It was the effect of the Rank-1 Fire spell, Burning Thoughts!


    Usually, Rank-1 spells didn''t have the power to affect a Rank-3 Mystics.


    But there were exceptions.


    For example, Rank-3 Rogue was weak against mind-rted abilities because Rogues would primarily focus on improving their Dexterity and Strength!


    For them, improving wisdom was a waste of time.


    Meanwhile, Charles put most of his attribute points to the Wisdom attribute and already raised it to an extraordinary level! His wisdom power was already 20, which was above average whenparing to other Rank-2 mages!


    Even a Rank-3 Rogue would feel helpless in that situation and would be affected for a short period.


    Without wasting such good opportunity, Emilia suddenly teleported in front of Night-Eye and cast her [Gaze of Medusa] skill on him.


    She didn''t end it there, though. She then touched Night-Eye''s chest and cast [Touch of Idiocy], [Mind Fog], and [Hypnosis] skills simultaneously and then took a step back.


    Although she had low wisdom power, she used an artifact called [Sage''s Tear] when casting those skills and upgraded the skills'' effects before casting!


    Night-Eye''s mind wentpletely nk. He couldn''t move a muscle, nor couldn''t he think something.


    No, he felt that thinking was a terrible choice and epting the reality was a must!


    At this time, the baldy Andrew suddenly teleported in front of him and raised his right hand towards his chest.


    He then tried to clench his hand, but something invisible obstructed his fingers from closing together!


    Groaning, Andrew clenched his jaws for a second and finally squashed the invisible thing from his palm.


    The next instant, blood started toe out from Night-Eye''s mouth, and soon he woke up.


    But instead of calmness, anxiety and fear took over Night-Eye''s face as he ced his hand on his chest and staggered back and forth.


    "He became a heartless now," Emilia muttered in pity.

 Chapter 61: New information

    <h4>Chapter 61: New information</h4>


    Charles''s eyes widened as he understood her words and soon went near them while staring at Andrew in confusion.


    ''Why couldn''t I see that skill in his status bar?'' He raised his eyebrows in puzzlement.


    ''Withering Shadow Organization knew what to hide from others,d. They aren''t fools.'' Suddenly, he heard an old man''s voice in his head and got startled for a moment.


    ''What are you doing in my head?'' Realizing who was taking in his head, he asked in annoyance. He hates it when someone reads his thoughts without his permission.


    ''Don''t worry; I''m justmunicating with you through telepathy. I can read the flow of your thoughts like a telepathist and canmunicate with you easily.''


    Without minding the old man''s words, Charles appeared in front of Night-Eye, stared at him for a second. Suddenly, he thought of something, gripped his Ghost Dagger tighter, and then lunged forward. Although Night-Eye tried to dodge the attack, he didn''t even have the time to think about it due to immense chest pain.


    Meanwhile, not only Andrew and Emilia, even the Holem''s Crown became started by Charles''s action. On the other hand, Charles directly stabbed his dagger into the half-dead Night-Eye''s chest and pushed it harder. He didn''t stop there, though. Charles then pulled his dagger and then swiftly moved it towards his neck.


    Like a demon, he shed his Ghost Dagger multiple times andpletely decapitated Night-Eye''s head in less than four seconds. He then stood up, wiped the scarlet blood that dripped down from his chin, and turned around.


    [Target Eliminated! 2574 Exp Rewarded!]


    A secondter, the notification appeared on the game interface, causing his lips to curl upward subconsciously.


    A devilish smile appeared on his oval face.


    ''It doesn''t matter who gave the fatal blow. All that matters is the final blow.'' He nodded in enlightenment and soon turned his attention towards Emilia and Andrew, who were now looking at him with slightly wary eyes.


    "Ahem, I got angry at him all of a sudden," Charles replied with an awkward smile and then wiped the blood on his face.


    "What should we do with these guys?" Asking, Emilia turned her attention towards the frozen thieves and narrowed her eyes.


    "Shall I kill them?" Charles''s jade eyes glowed in excitement.


    ''There are more than 20 Mystics here. Killing each of them will give me more than 200 Exp points. With those Exp points, I can construct my other spell models or Level-Up and improve quickly.''


    Before he could jump towards them, Emilia shook her head and refused,


    "Don''t forget that these guys are the pirs of Slum Street. If not for them maintaining a peaceful atmosphere, the whole slum would have already filled with killers and evil cult members. If the situation didn''t force me, I wouldn''t have agreed to kill Night-Eye."


    A look of realization appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at those frozen thieves for a moment and then sighed in regret.


    ''Well, all I can do now is increase my strength using the current Exp points and progress steadily.'' He thought to himself and then shifted his attention towards the game interface.


    Meanwhile, Emilia dismissed the ''Ice Net'' spell and started chanting an incantation.


    Charles froze for a second as he heard those strange words and soon checked the real Charles''s memories.


    A few secondster, he creased his eyebrows and asked Andrew in a curious tone.


    "Whatnguage is this?"


    "It''s Goddess Nira''s Divine Language. Our team Leader is casting a divine spell by borrowing the power of ''Life'' from the Life Goddess. It will take more than 10 minutes for her to finish this type of chanting."


    Andrew said in a solemn tone and then started taking the two silver daggers, two rings, and one bracelet from Night-Eye and patiently waited for Emilia to finish her chanting.


    In the meantime, Charles thought for a second and asked the Holem''s Crown in his mind while leaning his back against a slightly tall ck mangrove tree.


    ''Hey, Holem''s Crown, what are your abilities?''


    He was always curious about Series-A artifact''s other abilities. He knew it had ''Miracle'' and ''Past-seeing'' abilities, but he wasn''t sure about other abilities and their cool-down time or effects.


    Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment as it heard his words and then said in a cold old man''s tone.


    ''Just call me, Rh. Before I answer my question, when will you release me? I''ll be honest with you,d. If you don''t promise to release me without ying any other tricks, I willmit suicide by severing my link with the Crown and harm your Inner World before entering the Eternal River of Life.''


    Charles became surprised by the artifact''s decision and soon frowned. He suddenly felt a danger premonition from the [Prevision] skill and knew that this artifact wasn''t bluffing.


    Although the contract mark in his mind restricted the artifact from acting against him, it wasn''t an omnipotent one topletely control the artifact''s soul. Even if the mark could control the soul, Charles wouldn''t do it unless he left with no other choice.


    He started to think in English.


    ''Forcing it to work for me will do no good. I need to make this artifact submit to me. Otherwise, it will simply scheme behind my back and might harm me in the future. Hmm, should I make a tempting deal? Yes, that''s a better way to control it. If my guess is right, the Holem Crown''s previous owners, including Eddie Nightwind, forced this artifact to work like a ve and became its sworn enemies. If they had made some equal agreement, they wouldn''t have ended up dead.


    Eddie Nightwind is a real example. He did achieve great things by using numerous miracles, but the real Eddie isn''t alive anymore. From my understanding, casting these miracles must have some consequences on the user''s body, but this artifact seemed to have hidden some important details. If not, Eddie wouldn''t have ended up meeting a very powerful foe in another dimension and got killed in return. He must have relied too much on this artifact and acted without knowing the consequence.''


    After a short silence, Charles closed his jade eyes for a second and then said in mind while opening those two eyes slowly.


    ''Okay. I will release you after 100 years. But before that, you have to help me achieve my goal.'' He offered a deal.


    Charles didn''t even ask anything about strange miracles or any other abilities. What he needed now was a powerful helper. Although the fake Eddie Nightwind seemed to be an honest guy, Charles was still wary of his mind and imagination-rted abilities.


    Unlike him, this artifact had restricted abilities and appeared to be easy to control. Although 100 years looked like a long time, Charles knew that an average Rank-1 Mystic had a lifespan of 130 years, and for a series artifact, this much time would be like taking a nap.


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, Holem''s Crown, aka Rh, became surprised for a moment and soon asked,


    ''What is your goal?''


    It had long already realized that it would be a futile attempt to ckmail the opposite party due to the new contract and chose to submit for now. Yes, for now.


    Charles maintained his cold look and said in deep thoughts.


    ''My goal is to stand above all. I want to reach the pinnacle in power and be a truly omnipotent being.''


    The Holem''s Crown went dead silent for a whole three seconds and soon asked in an angry tone.


    ''Crazyd, you want me to be your eternal ve, aren''t you?''


    Before it could curse at him in bad words, Charles interrupted the Holem''s Crown.


    ''I don''t need to rely on some artifact to survive in this world, Rh. You are just a tool for me, once I got powerful enough to face my enemies, I will just release you somewhere in the void. So, 100 years are more than enough for me to walk on my own. Now, what is your answer?''


    It suddenly realized that this kid had some problem in his head and began to ponder deeply.


    ''Hmm, something is not right. From where did he get this kind of confidence?''


    After some thought, the Holem''s Crown let out a dim light through the red gem and said in Charles''s mind.


    ''I will work for you, then. As for your previous questions, I have three main abilities. Before I tell you the details of those abilities, I will ask you a question.'' It paused for a second and then asked while organizing its thoughts,


    ''What do you know about the ss-Gem path?''


    This question made Charles raise his thin eyebrows in surprise. But he didn''t put much thought into it and replied,


    ''I almost know nothing about this ss Gem Path. Actually, I nned to ask this questionter. Who is the ''Taboo Existence'' who created this ''ss-Gem'' Path by gathering 100 Luck divinities? Why did he do that?''


    His sudden questions startled the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Are you a demon? You sure knew more about forbidden things. But you also knew nothing about themon knowledge of Mystics.'' Holem''s Crown said in a baffled tone and soon started talking.


    ''It''s not a time for you to learn about the Taboo Existences names. The more you learn about them, they will also perceive your existence and learn more about you. Now, I will tell you some basic things about the ss-Gem path. The ss-Gem path can be divided into four types.


    The first type is the Outer ss-Gem path. Thief, Warrior, Prisoner, Explorer, Deceiver, Shooter, Swordsman, and so on woulde under this section. This ss mainly involves strengthening one''s body.


    The second type is the Inner ss-Gem path. Psychologist ss, Corrupter, Dreamer, Astrologer, Seer, Learner, Teacher ss, and other mind-rted sses woulde under this section. This type of ss mainly involves strengthening one''s wisdom and mind-rted abilities.


    The third one is the Mage ss-Gem path. As you know, mages are seekers of truth in one aspect. Before the Era of New Time, I was an ancient mage. At that time, I was a powerful Tri elemental Mage and explored many dangerous High nes.


    But due to an ident, I lost my body and chose the ss-Gem path to rise using the ''False Reincarnation Ritual''. At that time, I chose the [Historian] ss Gem and started my journey to the void to understand the Origin of the Universe and everything.


    Tsk, I''m going off-topic. Let''se to the current discussion. This Mage-ss path includes Fire Mage, Darkness Mage, Necromancy, Water Mage, Wind Mage, etc.


    Unlike the above two paths, this Mage path is a different one. If a mage wants to rise in power, he needs to face too many obstacles, like creating spell models on their own, linking their Inner World with the corresponding elemental ne, traveling to the elemental ne to get more resources, and so on. But the reward will also be huge. A peak level single Rank-2 mage can have the power to toy with multiple same rank individuals of other sses.


    But sadly, there are no natural dungeons in this world. So, the chance of a normal mortal or low-level Mystics finding a corresponding Mage-ss gem is very hard here. Even if he did find one, he will be stuck in the same rank due to the Churches'' monopoly of Mage ss gems and would die early. Due to the severe restrictions, the current era mages now became tools for Churches and other organizations.


    The fourth one is the Fake Origin path. Except for the ancient existences and the foreigners, nobody knows about this path in Edhen World. This Fake Origin path is a unique one and was specially created for the Gods. In this path, the Mystics will borrow power from their favored Gods and battle their opponents. Well, there is a side-effect in this path, though. Unless their chosen God dies, the Fake Origin path Mystics will never be able to enter the Eternal River of Life, and those pitiful souls would forever be eternal ves for their chosen God.


    Then there is the Forbidden Path, but this one is totally different from the ss-Gem path. Forbidden Path mystics are Warlocks, Druids, Divines, and Ancient Mages and are rarely seen in Edhen World. It would be better not to learn any information about this one because this world''s Gods feared those who walk on these paths.''


    The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a second and then continued in a solemn tone,


    ''Now, I will tell you more about the skills. My current skills are from the [Historian] ss. Except for the Mage path and Forbidden path Mystics, all other types of mystics will receive three main skills as a reward when ranking up. Ancients call this process gifts from the Creator. The [Historian] ss has three main skills. They are [Recall], [Knowledge Seeker], and [Wonder Sense]. And, yes. You can learn additional ss skills through various means, but it is a time-consuming process and lessens your progression.


    Next, when someone ranks up to a higher level, they will also improve their skills and get a deeper understanding. Take [Recall] as an example. Once you rank up a few times, this skill will also evolve and let you remember every minute of details about what happened in your whole life. For example, you will have an Eidetic Memory and wouldn''t forget about what you had for dinner on your 3,000th birthday.


    The second one is [Knowledge Seeker] skill. The evolved version of this skill [psed Time] is a very powerful one and has the origin divine power of Time. When activating this skill, you will be able to see the past itself. For an ancient mage like me who seeks the truth of the universe, this skill is a valuable treasure. I chose to walk on the path of [Historian] mainly because of this skill.


    Thest one is [Wonder Sense] skill. The reason Explorers dares to enter deep into devil''s den is mainly because of this skill. It can let you steal one''s luck and enchant your own. Same as before, this [Wonder Sense] will also evolve and will be [Miracle] in future ranks.


    Except for the [Recall] skill, I put a one-month cool-down on the [psed Time] skill and 45 days cool-down on the [Miracle] skill. Although I can activate this skill beforehand, the consequence will be severe. Moreover, constantly activating the [psed Time] skill will also harm my inner world and might erase some memory permanently, so I mostly activate these two skills only when the cool-down ends.''


    Upon hearing the lengthy exnation, Charles nodded his head solemnly and then fell into deep thoughts.

 Chapter 62: Questions

    <h4>Chapter 62: Questions</h4>


    ''Mr. Rh, can you be able to cast a miracle now? Also, can you exin more about this miracle skill? Is there any specific amount of Luck need to cast a miracle? Will the user receives any side-effects? I want the truth, not the one you told your previous owners.'' Charles asked after a short deliberation.


    ''Tsk. You sure dock manners,d. Well, I already stole the Riverdale Citizens'' Luck to create the final miracle on you. But to cast a miracle, few requirements need to be met. First is the reason. Without any proper reason, the miracle won''t be sessful. The second one is the range of the miracle. I now have 540 peoples'' Luck. But with this much amount of Luck, I can be only able to do small miracles like fulfilling a mortal''s lifelong wish or something like that.


    For example, a farmer suddenly encounters a mutated wolf when he is doing some fieldwork. In this situation, the possibility of him defeating the wolf is almost zero. But if I made a change in the farmer''s Fate by boosting his Luck to an incredible level, the farmer might defeat the mutated wolf just by swinging his draw hoe. If possible, he might get a unique ss gem in return upon killing the wolf. It is basically a miracle for the farmer. But there is another possibility. The ''Miracle'' might fail if the farmer suddenly lost his courage and ran away from the mutated wolf.


    Next is about insufficient Luck when casting a miracle. It is the tricky part, and I faced such a problem when I cast the miracle spell on you. I have gathered a total of 50 thousand people''s luck powers in the past few decades, so I thought it would be more than enough to get you out of such a minor kidnapping incident. But something extraordinary urred when I cast the ''Miracle'' skill, and the gathered luck power disappeared in a blink. Left with no other choice, I made a swift n and borrowed the Riverdale Citizens'' Luck. Although I stole only their next two months'' Luck, it still affected them in many ways. So, you can never predict what will happen next when casting a miracle skill. And if I didn''t steal their Luck at that time, then thest miracle might not have happened at all.''


    ''Oh.'' Charles nodded his head in enlightenment and soon thought to himself in English.


    ''My transmigration must be the cause of this extraordinary urrence. Still, what about the origin of the game system? It sure isn''t caused by a miracle. Then, is there any other third party involved in this?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    Casting those thoughts away, he took out the silver pocket watch from his pocket, flipped open the outer case, and checked the time.


    ''It''s 2.35 P.M.'' He nodded his head and soon muttered to himself.


    ''It''s been almost four months since I transmigrated into this magical world. So, the misfortune effect on Riverdale Citizens has gone, right?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and asked to study more about the Holem''s Crown''s character,


    ''Mr. Rh, if I end up in a simr situation, can you steal the Riverdale Citizen''s Luck once again and fulfill the miracle?''


    ''No, if I further steal their luck power, the whole city will plunge into a great disaster. Many citizens will die.''


    ''Oh, it seems you do care about the poor citizens'' lives. But if I didn''t trick you into signing the contract, you would have created a formality ''Miracle'' for me to fulfill the contract, stole my heart as a reward, and escape from others by casting another extraordinary miracle, right?'' Charles asked in a sarcastic tone.


    The Holem''s Crown went silent for a whole minute and soon sighed.


    ''It seems I ended up in the hands of a smart one this time.'' It paused for a moment and continued in a careless tone.


    ''Well, who cares about those mortals'' lives? Even if I didn''t kill them, they will age 50 to 100 years and die naturally anyway. So, there is no harm in stealing their luck power beforehand to cast a ''Miracle'' on you and get my freedom and a true body. Haa! If not for my impatience, ego, overconfidence, I wouldn''t have ended up signing another contract like a dumb fool and became a ve once again.''


    A frown appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''This artifact sure is a troublesome one.''


    He knew that if the artifact triggered something disastrous in the future, the wholewful Church organizations mighte for his head. He suddenly thought of Bishop Reynolds''s request and soon asked,


    ''Can you able to give back the stolen Luck to the people? If not, how many days will they be affected by the misfortune effect?''


    The Holem''s Crown didn''t take much time to think and replied instantly,


    ''No, I can''t give back the luck power to the people whom I stole. The duration of the misfortune skill will depend on how much Luck I stole from their lifetime. Mostly, I won''t steal more than six months of their lucks in fear of changing their Fate. Luck is somewhat interlinked with one''s Fate. If I stole too much Luck from a particr individual, the particr individual might permanently lose his/her life and cause deep variation in the timeline.


    Let''s take this ruin mission as an example. A year ago, I made a n to do the ''False Reincarnation Ritual'' in Unexplored Forest and created a future mission by changing your Fate by manipting the power of Luck. That somehow attracted a certain individual''s attention, and he started manipting behind the scenes. He is the one Luke addressed him as ''His Highness''. If not for your warning and another individual''s interference, I wouldn''t have noticed this ''His Highness'' scheme and would still be in a clueless state. So, frequently using my miracle skill will cause too many variables in the Fate and attract unwanted attention.''


    ''Another individual? Are you talking about the [Historian] Max?'' Charles raised his thin eyebrows in surprise.


    ''I don''t know about that guy''s name. But he seems to have interfered with the ns of ''His Highness''. You do remember about him cursing someone as damned [Historian] kid, right? That [Historian] Max might be that another individual.''


    ''Heh, so that exins everything.'' Charles nodded his head and soon turned his gaze towards Emilia, who almost finished her long chanting.


    A few secondster, Emilia finally ced her right hand on the ground andpleted her long chanting.


    An instantter, an electric arc came out from her hand and spread in all directions, causing the ice on thieves'' bodies to melt at an unimaginable speed.


    Before long, all those Mystics gasped for breath and began to shiver due to the cold. Some stared around cautiously while gripping the weapons, while others started gathering together in a group.


    "BOSS?!" Richard was the first to notice Night-Eye''s body on the wet ground and called out in rm. Others, including Nicole, and Henry, also went near him and checked his body in a hurry.


    "He is dead." Before they could check his pulse, Emilia muttered coldly and then added after a short pause.


    "You guys should get out of this forest before something weird pops up and kill you all."


    After saying those words, she turned around and sat under the ck mangrove tree''s shadow. Unlike before, though, there was a sadness that appeared on her face.


    "It''s been five years since he joined the Withering Shadows organization and became a member of the Aces team. I didn''t expect him to betray and became a criminal at all." She muttered in a gloomy tone.


    "Why did he became someone''sckey?" Andrew sat beside Emilia and asked with a frown.


    "Did you forget about his lover''s death? That happened due to Jaxon''s mistake. He might have held some grudge against our team." Emilia rubbed her temte in frustration and said.


    "What if he became a member of Withering Shadows just for this moment? There is a possibility that he might be Red-Prince''sckey from the beginning itself! Team leader, haven''t you noticed another clue?" Andrew purposefully paused for a second and soon continued with a serious look.


    "It''s his house, Team Leader. He hasn''t moved to another street for thest five years and stayed in 134 El Street. He might have monitored Charles''s and his mother''s movements from the very beginning."


    Although his words sound absurd, Emilia felt that there might be some truth in his words and soon frowned.


    "It doesn''t matter now." She took a deep breath to calm her emotions and stood up with a stern look on her face.


    Then, she nced at the surrounding area for a moment and started walking in the direction where Luke and Daniel went before. Charles and Andrew nced at each other and then followed after her silently, leaving thieves alone in the dark, gloomy forest.


    Once they reached a certain distance, Emilia stopped near a swamp river and asked.


    "Charles, did you have any guess about Red Prince and hisckey''s goal?"


    Her sudden question made Charles pause in surprise.


    "Aren''t they after the Holem''s Crown?" He asked but soon frowned.


    Noticing his frown, Emilia nodded her head and spoke,


    "When the Holem''s Crown revealed its presence earlier, they didn''t even try to capture it. Instead, they ran away like cowards. Although they told Night-Eye to bring us to the ruin, Luke should have known about most of my trump cards. And, the possibility of Night-Eye defeating me is only 50 percent. So, I think that their main goal might be something else."


    Charles widened his eyes as he heard those words and soon thought of a possibility.


    "They want to lure us into the city ruin? Daniel also said something about releasing Chaos Wanderer before Crown escapes¡­ What does that mean? Their goal is not to capture Holem''s Crown but then what is it?" He muttered out loud in a confused tone.


    ''Wait¡­ Let''s think from the enemy''s perspective. If I''m the Red Prince, would I be happy about my enemy having an artifact that could create miracles? No. First, I would have made some ns and try to capture the Holem''s Crown. But capturing a series artifact is not an easy matter¡­'' He instantly halted his thought and soon asked the Holem''s Crown in Blen Language.


    ''Mr. Rh, what is the rank of Eddie Nightwind when he tries captures you in the void?''


    Holem''s Crown became startled for a moment and soon replied without putting much thought into it.


    ''He is a [Dream Creator] back then.''


    ''Dream Creator¡­ That means this series artifact has the strength to battle against a Rank-5 individual. But why is it afraid of Rank-4 members?'' He furrowed his brows and soon asked the Holem''s Crown directly,


    ''Then, why are you afraid of Rank-3 and Rank-4 individuals now?''


    ''I''m not afraid of facing a Rank-4 individual,d. But once I reveal my presence, there won''t be just one rank-4 member. Dozens of Rank-4 and even Rank-5 members wille from afar and try to capture me. That is thest thing I want to face in my life.'' Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded his head and then continued to ponder.


    ''So, let''s assume that the Red Prince doesn''t have the power to defeat this artifact. Then what will I do if I were in his ce? Of course, I will try to separate it from my main target.'' A look of realization appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Enemy wants to seal this artifact here? Then, therees another problem¡­ Who is their main target?'' He organized his thoughts for a moment and spoke while pointing his finger towards the red bracelet.


    "Team Leader, the enemy might be nning to seal this artifact here."


    Emilia raised her hand, ced it on her chin, and asked with a frown.


    "Can you tell me the reason?"


    Charles nodded his head and continued.


    "Enemy fears the Holem''s Crown''s ''Miracle'' ability. Although I''m not sure about their main goal, I can vaguely guess that they might be targeting me. As for why they are targeting me, I have some guesses. It must be something to do with thest Miracle and my abnormal progression."


    "That still doesn''t exin why they are acting sneakily," Andrew said in a solemn tone.


    "Everything started on June 5th. It''s the kidnapping incident that caused me to change into an abnormal one. Moreover, I have a vague feeling that the kidnapping incident might be an orchestrated one. What if Red Prince orchestrated that kidnapping incident to lure this Holem''s Crown out from the shadows?" He suddenly shifted his attention to the Holem''s Crown and asked in a deep tone.


    "Why did you help me during the kidnapping incident?"

 Chapter 63: Strange Hypnotism

    <h4>Chapter 63: Strange Hypnotism</h4>


    Charles always felt something was amiss about the kidnapping incident, so he asked that question directly to the Holem''s Crown.


    In the meantime, Holem''s Crown thought for a moment and then responded in an old man''s voice.


    "I acted due to the contract,d. If I hadn''t cast a ''Miracle'' skill on you, the abyssal contract would have activated on its own and harmed my Inner World. That will be the worst situation for me. When signing the Abyssal contract, Eddie Nightwind added a condition. That is when Eddie or his descendant''s life is in danger; I must use a ''Miracle'' skill on them and save them. Otherwise, the contract would go invalid, and I might face a severe bacsh. Ah, as for the kidnapping incident, I do feel something off at that time, but I didn''t put much thought into it."


    ''Yes, James''s action at that time was also odd. Why did he kidnap us if he wants to kill us? That leaves a big clue. Hmm, Red Prince must have nned to force me to face a life and death situation to lure this artifact out from the shadows.''


    Charles''s lips curled upward as he heard organized his thoughts and then said with a smile.


    "From the Holem''s Crown''s words, I can guess that the Red Prince knew about the contract details, but he might not have known about where the series artifact was hiding at that time. Only when the Holem''s Crown cast ''Miracle'' skill on me did Red Prince might found its location using some skills. But what he didn''t expect was the sudden change in my character and strength. Still, Red Prince created multiple coincidences and tried to let us meet the Holem''s Crown directly during our search mission. As for why he did that, I have no idea about it. Maybe he knew about the Holem''s Crown''s real n?" He paused for a second and then continued.


    "But the Holem''s Crown sensing something was amiss about the whole situation and chose to stay silent."


    Upon hearing his exnation, Emilia went silent for a whole minute and finally opened her mouth.


    "Whether it is true or false, it doesn''t matter. What matters now is what to do with our current situation?"


    A frown appeared on Charles''s forehead as he thought of their current problem.


    ''What is our next move? Are we going right into the trap? Or, are we going back?''


    Before he could speak, Emilia rubbed her fleshy nose and said in a deep tone,


    "Retreating is not an option, Charles. Moreover, there won''t be any Rank-4 membersing to this forest, and the possibility of us getting cornered is very slim. Moreover, we have a series-A artifact to back us up in difficult situations." She stopped for a moment and then asked,


    "Mr. Holem''s Crown, although it is very inappropriate to ask this, can you tell us more about your other skills? If we know more about your battle capabilities, we might have a big advantage."


    Actually, Charles had the same thought, but he knew that revealing the Holem''s Crown''s abilities to others was not correct.


    ''But if I didn''t ask the Holem''s Crown to reveal some of its battle abilities, we might end up in a bitter situation. Hmm, it seems like I don''t have any choice this time now.'' He pondered for a moment and soon agreed by nodding his head.


    At that time, he asked the Holem''s Crown to reveal its two or three abilities to Emilia and waited.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown didn''t say any other word for the next few seconds and finally spoke.


    "I was a Tri-Elemental Ancient Mage in the beginning, so I still have three spell stars in my Inner World. Although those three spell stars were damaged when the damned Divine and the Holem family members forced my soul into this crown, I can still borrow some power from those spell stars and cast low-level spells."


    "What are the spells'' names?" This time, Andrew folded his arms and asked.


    "One is a Travel star, and it can help me travel from one ce to another by creating a portal."


    "Spatial spell?" Charles raised his brows and soon through of the hidden quest he triggered earlier in the Dreamworld.


    ''That Traveler Tree''s Twin Leaf also has the simr ability¡­ Did he know something about that tree?'' Charles pondered for a moment and chose to ask itter.


    While he was in muse, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and answered in the old man''s voice,


    "It''s a different one, but this spell can manipte space elements but has some restrictions. Unlike before, I can''t exactly pinpoint the destination. So the possibility of reaching the right destination using this spell is almost zero." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then continued.


    "Second one is Mind Star, but this one is damaged heavily, and I can hardly use its ability. With my current restored power, I can make others'' bodies immobile for a short time, but I don''t have the power to stop their thoughts like your mind-rted skills. If I use this skill on a mage, he can easily cast his magic spells without moving a muscle and attack me.


    Then, there is the Chaos Star. It''s the only attack spell I have in my Inner World and is rted to pure destruction. But there is a huge cool-down problem, though. Due to the connection rift with the previous Chaos ne, the ''Chaos imprint'' has long vanished. So, I can use this spell only once in a month."


    "Wow, the Holem Family really did f*ck you up very hard, didn''t it?" Even Charles felt pity for the Holem''s Crown.


    Without minding Charles''s pitying eyes, the Holem''s Crown simply let out a sigh and went silent.


    In the meantime, Emilia widened her eyes a little and spoke in an exciting voice.


    "Excellent. With these abilities, we will have some advantages if a battle urs. Now, if I''m not wrong, there should be one or two Rank-4 members involved in the Red Prince''s schemes. If not, he wouldn''t have hidden his track from my brother''s divination. But even if they are involved, they wouldn''t dare to set their foot in the Unexplored Forest due to the fear of angering Castellon Rowley.


    At the very least, those Rank-4 members must have sent their incarnations in disguise to strengthen Luke and Daniel, and their strength won''t be above Rank-3. As for the Chaos Wanderer, we will see what it is when the right timees. Simply pondering about it won''t change a thing at all." She deliberated for a moment and soon added as she noticed the hesitation look on Charles''s face,


    "If you feel it is a reckless n, then how about this? We can search for an Explorer team and might ask their help to deal with the problem. Yes, with our official badge, it won''t be a problem for us to issue a mission at all."


    Charles''s eyes lit up as he heard those words and immediately nodded. The trio then discussed for a while under the tree shadow and soon went in a different direction.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Richard took the lead and brought other thieves in a different direction.


    The thieves also didn''t refute his words and simply followed his footsteps. During the previous battle, Richard and other gang leaders felt a great difference in their strength and lost their courage to enter deep into the Unexplored Forest.


    Although they were tempted by the treasure hidden in the ruin, they knew that their own lives were more precious than some scrap metals. They continued their walk for an hour in the wet forest and soon noticed something was odd about the surroundings.


    "Why are we still roaming inside the Mangrove Forest?" Nicole rubbed her smooth temte and asked in confusion.


    At that time, Richard suddenly saw a blurry stone wall-like structure through the dense tree woods and squinted his eyes.


    "Look, sister! It''s an old ruin!" Before he could utter a word to warn others, a ck-haired kid eximed in shock as he pointed his finger at the old stone wall and ran towards it in excitement. To thieves, old abandoned houses or ancient temples were the real treasure houses. These five rowdy gangs had explored different ruins in other forests in the past ten years and found many valuable things. So, when seeing a ruin, the reckless kid suddenly abandoned his cautious nature and ran towards it.


    "In one month, hepletely changed into a real thief. Don''t go too far, Philip!" Nicole shouted in worry as she remembered they were still in a most dangerous ce and soon sighed helplessly.


    "Why did I bring this reckless kid to this dangerous mission?" Shemented in distress.


    "Be careful of your surroundings, guys," Without minding Nicole''s distress words, Richard warned others before covering his face with a ck scarf and moved ahead towards the direction where Philip went before. Other thugs also followed after him and soon saw an old stone wall that stood around 3 meters tall.


    Mangrove trees and shrubs covered the wall in all directions, and a swamp river encircled the stone wall and wholly isted thend from the Unexplored Forest.


    "Philip?" After staring at the beautiful scenario for a second, Nicole suddenly noticed that her newly joined member was nowhere to be seen and got startled.


    "Philip?" She and other thugs shouted in worry.


    But even after a long shout, no response came from anywhere, causing others to nce at each other in wariness.


    After entering the Unexplored Forest, they had already met different kinds of dangers in the past few days, so all of them went on a battle mode.


    A total of 17 Mystics stood on the river bank with solemn expressions on their faces. Gripping different kinds of weapons in their hands, they nced around cautiously and soon froze as they heard a melody voice from the other side of the stone wall.


    A secondter, the Mystics group suddenly noticed something strange.


    The surroundings went too quiet all of a sudden and sent eerie feelings to their hearts!


    Noticing the eerie atmosphere, Richard opened his mouth and said something to Nicole but soon widened his blue eyes.


    He couldn''t hear his voice at all!


    His lips trembled in fear as he nced at hisrades and soon noticed that other thieves also faced the same problem. Some even got panicked a little and showed agitated expressions on their faces.


    ''What the hell is happening?'' Richard''s face covered in cold sweats as he nced around for a moment and then signaled others to follow after him.


    At that time, he felt that something was calling him from the opposite side and moved his legs towards the river subconsciously.


    His heart thumped harder as he stared at the old yet sturdy stone wall for two continuous seconds, and soon he felt that the fear in his heart suddenly vanished. Not only him, but other thieves also felt sudden warmth feeling upon looking at the stone wall and got relieved.


    They subconsciously thought that this ce was safer than the outside!


    ''We need to check what is hidden on the other side.'' Simr thoughts appeared in everyone''s mind.


    Inhaling deeply, Richard first went near the muddy swamp river and soon moved towards therge wooden tree trunk, connected to the other side.


    He then nimbly climbed onto the wooden trunk and moved towards the other side like a circus magician. But to his surprise, he suddenly noticed that he could bnce his body at all!


    ''Is that due to my sudden deafness?'' He wondered.


    He tried to warn others, but his words ended up entering into the void. He danced on the wooden trunk for a second and soon fell into the muddy river water!


    Upon noticing the situation, others also stopped crossing the river using the wooden trunk and waited for Richard to reach the other side by swimming.


    Not even a single person stepped forward to help Richard and simply waited like it was the normal thing to do!


    In the meantime, Richard drank a mouthful of mud water and started moving his hands to swim. The water moved around his limbs in swirls, creating joy and a sense of relief.


    As he moved further towards the other side, the exciting feeling in his mind became stronger, causing him to push forward. Even though he perceived the strangeness, his greed destroyed his cautious thought.


    ''My intuition is telling me that something precious is hiding in the other side.'' Richard opened his blue eyes wider with a single thought in his mind and moved his hands in a hurry. After five minutes of long swimming, he finally reached the other side, then turned around and signaled them toe.


    Although something manipted his thoughts to go deep into the ruin, he somehow controlled his urge to walk further and waited for his gang members toe. At least, he felt that was safer than roaming alone in the new ce.


    Ten minutester, the Mystics group finally arrived in front of the stone wall and started searching for a way to enter the other side. Actually, most of them guessed that it must be the same city ruin that their employer was searching for and got delighted to find it earlier than them.


    As they went near the stone wall, they became entirely charmed by the unknown ruin and subconsciously started searching for a way in.


    After searching for another ten minutes, they soon found a half-broken area and climbed up hurriedly to move to the other side.


    A shocking gasp escaped Richard''s lips as hended on the other side.


    In the massive ruined city, he saw hundreds of broken buildings, a half-broken tent-roofed temple at the center, pirs, passages, stairways, and statues appeared all over the ces.


    Squinting his eyes, Richard zeroed his focus on the tent-roofed temple and felt odd about it.


    Palm trees and rainforest pressed against each side, pulling at the stone in an attempt to reim it, and the massive moat surrounding the temple shimmered orange and pink.


    Disease-carrying mosquitoes buzzed around Richard, but in his long-sleeved jacket, he paid no mind.


    Moreover, at that moment, he felt a change urred in his thinking¡­


    No, he suddenly woke up from the half-hypnotized state!


    ''Something is wrong about this situation! Wait¡­Sh*t, we are in danger-'' That thought abruptly froze as he felt an uncontroble excitement entered the depths of his heart once again.

 Chapter 64: City Ruins

    <h4>Chapter 64: City Ruins</h4>


    Without even waiting for others to get ready, Richard patted the dust off and fastened his footsteps in a particr direction.


    Weather-worn stone pirs surrounded by dead clumps of grass appeared on the sides of the concrete roads. The half-crumbled ancient buildings, cracked blocks, and stones were broken up by meandering tree roots, pitted steps, and staircases were found all over the city ruins.


    Thankfully, the other Mystics hurriedly crossed the stone wall in few seconds and followed after their new leader with hurried footsteps. Except for the strange excitement to explore this new ruin and sudden attachment to this ruined city, somehow, their minds acted normally.


    While walking deep into the ruin, the Mystics also saw seven rectangr-shaped high-rise buildings stood in a particr area and got fascinated by the beauty for a moment.


    ''They are skyscrapers from the stories!'' A thought appeared in their minds.


    Beams of lights from the sun reflected on skyscrapers'' steel curtains and ignited the city pathways as if they were in the Divine city of Miracles!


    Unlike other half-broken buildings, those seven tall skyscrapers appeared in good condition and looked around 250 - 350 meters high.


    ''This looks like a real paradise.'' A strange thought etched in their minds.


    The Mystics even noticed some unknown inscriptions carved on the roadside pirs and became curious about this ancient city''s origin. Most of the ruins they found in the past decades were from just 1,000 to 2,000 years old. So, the presence of an unknown-ancient ruin city in the Unexplored Forest startled them greatly.


    "Is it belongs to the First Arcane Era?" Nicole asked out loud.


    But due to the strange deafness, no one responded to her question.


    ''Although I''m not an explorer, I read something about First Arcane Era in the Holy Book of Life once. In the book, the author mentioned that the Unexplored Forest Regions appeared long before the First Arcane Era. So, this city ruin might not belong to the Fire Arcane Era at all.'' She nodded inwardly and soon nced at the buildings.


    ''Moreover, the ones who created used different architects from normal ones. These buildings are very tall and appeared very straight in line. Those inscriptions in the stone pirs look more likeplex words used for writing secret letters. It looks more like a city from stories.'' Nicole mumbled inwardly and soon frowned as she stared at Richard in confusion.


    ''Where is he going?'' A thought appeared in her mind and soon disappeared like it never been there before.


    After noticing that their current leader was walking in a particr direction, other Mystics, including Nicole, instantly dismissed other thoughts and followed his footsteps.


    Richard and those thieves then walked on the rubble and broken concrete road through endless plies of dismembered buildings that sprouted smalls vines from the broken city wall.


    After walking for a while, they saw a path to the seven skyscrapers and fastened their footsteps towards it.


    One minuteter, they arrived at the center of the seven tall buildings and nced at the surroundings in curiosity and wonder.


    A pedestal built on the right side, and on it was a single human-like stone statue.


    It was also the area where Richard felt that something precious was hiding in there!


    Turning around, Richard arrived in front of therge ancient-looking statue of a long-ear man and stared at it for a few seconds. Unlike the humans, he saw a strange red horn protruded on the long-eared man''s forehead, and the man even had two ck metal-like wings. The man in the statue had long wavy hair, wide-set eyes, and he wore a simple robe, a long pendant around his neck, and two unique earrings.


    Although it was just a statue, the [Artisan], who created this statue, must have spent a lot of time and made this statue like a real person!


    Other thieves also followed after his gaze and soon fixed their gaze at the statue in awe.


    "Why this ce looks cleaner? Moreover, who drew these circles around this statue?" At this time, Nicole touched Richard and other thieves and pointed her finger towards the ground.


    Other thieves also startled by hand gestures and soon looked below. There, they saw strange writings were engraved below their feet and became puzzled inside.


    Due to Nicole''s sudden distraction, Richard became clear-headed once again and soon took a step back. He then touched his nose and started sniffing.


    The next instant, his expression turned strange.


    ''I couldn''t smell, I couldn''t speak¡­ Why did Ie to this ce?'' He then cast a wary look at the strange long-ear human statue and soon stiffened up.


    ''I need to warn others about this strange hypnosis-'' that thought instantly froze as Richard felt dizzy all of a sudden.


    Before he could think further, darkness covered his eyes andpletely blinded him!


    Not only him, all those thieves suddenly lost their vision and got panicked. They then tried to move near but couldn''t!


    Richard felt that he was going through the most dangerous torture and got frightened.


    He found himself standing in a void filled with nothing but darkness. He felt numbness, blindness, deafness, Anosmia, and so on!


    He even felt that something was affecting his thinking and got scared!


    He stayed still like a statue in the empty darkness world for a long time.


    Time passed slowly like a snail. He felt that he stayed in the dark world for years without doing anything and started to lose his sense.


    His mind turned nker, and his memories started to disappear one by one. After an unknown period, he suddenly started to question himself, like, who was he? What was he doing in the dark world?


    At that moment, the dark world started to crack a little and soon disappeared in front of his eyes.


    With a numb expression on his face, Richard finally saw a human face.


    The one who suddenly appeared in front of him was a red-haired man!


    He had messy, long hair, almond silver eyes, and appeared around 174 cm high. He wore a tight ck suit and looked very pale.


    Upon seeing the man''s face, Richard felt confused¡­


    No, he just felt nothing but emptiness at that moment as he stared vacantly at the Red-haired man.


    Meanwhile, the Red-haired man''s almond silver eyes flickered as he looked into Richard''s eyes for a second and then sighed.


    "What a strong-willed thief." He said as he adjusted his ck suit and pulled out a silver dagger from his waist.


    Due to his lean body and average height, he looked more like a normal guy from the neighboring house than a powerful Mystic.


    A secondter, the corner of his mouth curved up and formed into a smile.


    That Red-haired man''s smile gave a sense of warmth andfort feeling to Richard''s nk mind.


    ''Master.'' Richard subconsciously smiled in return.


    His smile was one of happiness growing, much as a spring flower opens.


    In a second, Richard''s head suddenly began to bulge like a balloon and soon exploded, spreading blood, flesh, and brain matters in every direction!


    Following him was Nicole.


    One by one, simr things happened to all those thieves. All of them saw hope from the Red-haired man''s smile before their heads began to bulge and explode!


    A secondter, the headless bodies swayed and soon fell. The bodies then began to twitch for some time and theny motionless on the ground.


    Once all of their bodies went silent, the Red-haired man knelt on the ground, pped his hands together, and prayed in a strange ancientnguage.


    As his voice resounded through the lone city, the ancient-looking statue suddenly let out a dim red light from the crown area and illuminated the surrounding area.


    Then, all those scattered blood, flesh, and brain matter began to move in reverse and soon reattached to the headless bodies. In a blink, all those thieves returned to normal lively persons!


    But there was a change, though.


    Unlike earlier, the thieves'' skin turned redder, and their eye color also changed into scarlet ones. Moreover, there was also a strange reddish horn that protruded on their foreheads.


    "There are only 17 Chaos Beings. We still need 8 Mystics. These Chaos Beings are not enough to do the summoning ritual ceremony." The Red-haired man muttered with a frown as he stood up and soon asked.


    "Twister, how long will it take for you to lead the Explorers here?"


    As his voice fell, the silver dagger in his hand trembled for a moment and soon revealed a person''s illusionary image.


    That person was a male, who appeared to be around 18-years-old, had monolid eyes, and unique ck hair.


    His hair was done very nicely; he had some form of oil mixed in to give a short but noticeable wavy form to the ck strands. His forehead was almost square,rge, and imposing, but notughably so.


    A few lines wereid upon it, but they were dismissive as tricks of illusion. His eyebrows were impossibly straight, his eyes made of rich mahogany. Eyes that told many secrets but held them locked in a strongbox so vile that one wouldn''t dare to open in fear of what they might find within.


    The guy named Twister nodded his head and responded in a calm yet cold tone.


    "''Sea'' is leading a group of Mystics there now, so you don''t have to worry about the sacrifices. They are all specifically picked by him, and all of them done atrocious crimes in their life. Hehe, he will be there on time, so you can go and start the preparations now."


    He then raised his brows and asked while rubbing his temple.


    "Now, what are we going to do with the Explorers? If my guess is not wrong, quite a few powerful people are in this Explorers'' group, and most of them are from Life Church. One wrong move, our whole n will fail, Sir. Twilight."


    The red-haired man frowned deeply upon hearing Twister''s words and soon asked,


    "Where is ck''s Incarnation?"


    "He is with me. But I''m not too fond of that old foggy. I wonder why ''His Highness'' selected him as thest member of our group." Twister shook his head and said in a distrustful tone.


    "Although he isn''t a trustful person, we can use his strength in many other ways." The red-haired man stopped for a second and soon asked,


    "Did you contact ''His Highness''?"


    "No, he and Evil are searching for Charles in every nook and corner of Riverdale City. Damn, even I didn''t expect that he would grow at an unimaginable speed and would interfere with the ns of ''His Highness.''" An interesting smile crept on Twister''s face as he said those words.


    "At least we have an advantage." Suddenly, the Red-haired man took a deep breath and muttered.


    His sudden words caused the Twister to furrow his brows. Noticing the puzzlement, the Red-haired man let out a chuckle and said,


    "He didn''t know anything about your real identity. Even if his character ispletely changed, you''re his only best friend. Hehe, I wonder how he will react when he found out that his best friend is his main enemy."


    "It''s not funny, Sir. Twilight. He is growing into a dangerous person, which is not a good thing for ''His Highness''. Moreover, I haven''t contacted him after that kidnapping incident at all.''" Twister stopped for a moment as he suddenly thought of something and soon asked,


    "Did you avenge your son?"


    Upon hearing Twister''s question, a trace of anger swells upon the Red-haired man''s face, causing his nose to turn red.


    "No, that''s where the problem lies. That girl, ''Edith,'' is not a normal one, and she seems to have some connection with Abel''s sister, Emilia. When we entered the Mangrove woods, two thugs were somehow affected by the Chaos power earlier and turned into ''Chaos Beings.'' At that time, Emilia suddenly said about how these Chaos Beings are created and instantly saw through our n."


    "Did you finish her off?" Widening his mahogany eyes, Twister turned his face serious and asked in a hurry.


    "You are crazy. Don''t forget who Emilia is. Once you kill her, ten Rank-4 powerhouses will show up here in 30 minutes and wipe us out brutally. Humph, I don''t want to die like ''Mind'' and ''Coward''."


    Twister simply snorted coldly and then waited for him to continue.


    Meanwhile, the Red-haired man raised his hand, touched his chin, and ryed the whole scenery about how they ambushed Luke and almost killed him.


    "They even found out about Devil''s identity, huh! But why is that ''Edith'' helping the Life Church members? Something is not right¡­" Twister suddenly stopped for a moment and soon blurted out.


    "What if Charles disguised as Edith and monitored you guys all this time?"


    "Are you nuts? How can it be possible? No, there is no way that pretty girl is a Charles." The Red-haired man firmly shook his head and refused to believe those words from Twister.


    Meanwhile, Twister became stunned by the Red-haired man''s adamant behavior and soon felt something was wrong.


    "Where is Devil-" As he was about to ask further, Twister suddenly stopped for a moment and soon said with a smile,


    "Hehe, Emilia and others areing towards our camp area. Hmm? Oh? My guess is right. Charles is here with Emilia and others. From the looks of it, the ''Holem''s Crown'' is also with him. Quick, send this information to ''His Highness'' and tell him to start the n. It''s time to finish our long mission."


    Upon hearing Twister''s exciting words, the Red-haired man went wide-eyed and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    "You should do your job properly and led the ''Holem''s Crown'' here. Meanwhile, Devil and I will contact ''His Highness'' before awakening the Chaos Wanderer."


    After saying those words, Daniel cut off the virtualmunication by waved his hand, made the Chaos Beings sleep beside the winged man''s statue, and then disappeared from there.

 Chapter 65: Suspects

    <h4>Chapter 65: Suspects</h4>


    Ten minutester, a ck-haired kid named Philip, who was around the same age as Charles, walked on the concrete road and soon stopped in front of the red-skinned Chaos Beings.


    Although he entered the city ruin earlier than the thieves, he went in the other direction and luckily escaped from Daniel''s prying eyes. He wore a brown leather jacket, ck shoes, and ck leather pants and appeared well-equipped.


    He first arrived near the Chaos Beings and soon identified Nicole''s face among the newly created Chaos Beings.


    "What a pity." He said in an uncaring tone.


    "I thought of using these guys for another purpose. But that red-haired man-" He stopped for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "Thinking about the past won''t change the future. Only seeing it might give me more clues." He closed his emerald eyes and then muttered,


    "Past Seeker."


    A secondter, the surrounding image froze for a second before broke into multiple pieces and soon reced with another scene.


    It was the scene when Richard and other thieves arrived near the statue!


    The ck-haired kid soon saw the Red-haired man''s sudden arrival in the vision and watched him killing the thieves using a strange method with calm eyes.


    "Why is he changing them into evil monsters?" He asked himself in a t tone and soon squinted his eyes as he noticed that the Red-haired man was contacting another person.


    But once he heard their conversation and saw the other person''s face, the ck-haired kid''s pupil constricted as he soon muttered with a dubious look on his face.


    "Derrick? I heard a lot about him during myst semester, but I didn''t expect him to be a big schemer. Heh, it seems things will get interesting."


    The ck-haired kid waved his hand and broke the realistic ''past'' illusion after saying those words.


    "Twilight, is it? You shouldn''t have attacked me at that time, big nose. If I hadn''t entered my pocket dimension, you would have killed me like Landon and Conner. Humph, I will show you how a ''Seeker'' will take his revenge." He muttered in an icy tone and then disappeared from there¡­


    ¡­


    Somewhere in the Unexplored Forest,


    A few minutes ago, Aces team members roamed in the mangrove forest and soon stopped in front of a 100 feet tall pin oak tree while showing confused expressions on their faces.


    "Something is wrong. We walked past this tree 10 minutes ago." Emilia said while creasing her brows. She clearly remembered that they didn''t make any turns and got puzzled about how they got lost.


    At this moment, Charles took out a leather pouch, drank a few gulps of water, and asked a question as he thought of his progress in fire magic,


    "Team Leader, is there a way to get the ritual method so sooner?"


    After he ranked up to a ''Fire Weaver'' ss mystic, Charles asked some questions about ''Elemental Heart Creation'' to Archbishop Abel and learned that there were two ways to get the ''Elemental Heart Creation'' ritual method.


    The first one was signing another contract with Life Church.


    If he signed such a contract, the Life Church itself would provide ritual materials, Elemental ne co-ordinations, sacrifice material, and so on. They would even send a Rank-3 mage to help himplete the ritual.


    But Charles knew that it was just a ve contract, so he instantly refused.


    The second one was bypleting missions.


    Abel said that once he earns enough merit bypleting dangerous missions, Charles can request the Church and get the ritual method as a reward.


    But Charles was still clueless about how many missions he needed toplete to get a ritual method.


    Emilia raised her right hand upon hearing his sudden question, rubbed her slightly wrinkled cheek, and said in a thoughtful tone.


    "It''s not about the number, Charles. It''s about the gain. By giving you a ritual method, what will Life Church get in return? Once you get the ritual method, would you choose to stay in the Life Church, or would you go on your own? Think carefully. There are different methods out there to break the Life contracts. So, the higher-ups won''t give those methods so easily."


    Charles''s eyes narrowed as he heard those words, and he soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''She is right. But if I didn''t get the elemental ritual method, I won''t be able to rank up at all.'' He suddenly stopped for a moment and soon asked the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Mr. Rh, do you know any ritual method to create an ''Elemental Heart'' for a Fire Mage?''


    ''No. But I have another way to summon the Will of any elemental Fire ne.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly said in a tempting old man''s voice.


    ''But you won''t tell me unless I alter some changes in the contract, am I right?'' Charles clicked his tongue in annoyance and soon shook his head.


    "Don''t put too much thought into it, Charles. You already gained full control over the Holem''s Crown, which itself is a big merit. Once they learned that you are already in possession of the Holem''s Crown, they will definitely step down and give you that ritual method." She deliberately paused for a moment and soon said,


    "Now the bad root has been cut off from our team; I will ask you a question directly. Do you know why my brother asked me to go deep into the forest?"


    Confusion appeared on Charles''s face as he raised his eyebrows and soon went silent.


    Upon noticing his silence, Emilia smiled lightly and said.


    "It seems you have no n to tell us about Divine One''s warning."


    At that moment, Charles''s jade eyes widened.


    ''So, that exins her action! How could I forget that? I''m still a member of the Withering Shadows, so in others'' eyes, I''m still a firm believer of Goddess Nira, and I would definitely follow the Goddess''s words. In other words, Emilia''s secret mission is to lead me to face the ''Fate'' and make me reborn as a new!'' A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Sh*t, isn''t that what Goddess and my opponent want? Damn you, fanatic woman.'' He cursed at her silently and said with a forced smile on his face.


    "No, I thought that involving the team members in this matter is not a good option, Team Leader."


    Actually, his main goal was to gainplete control over the intellectual artifact. Although hepletely tricked it into signing the ''Imagination Contract,'' the quest about saving the Holem''s Crown still hadn''t beenpleted. If he somehow managed toplete it, he will get 8,000 Exp! For him, that would be the real treasure.


    "Nah, it''s okay. Bishop Reynolds visited me before you ranked up and told me about everything. Heh, although I don''t know much about this Fate and all, I can tell that it is possible to change one''s Fatepletely." While he was in muse, Emilia waved her hand and continued.


    "Bishop Reynolds got a revtion from the Goddess herself, which is not something we should casually brush it off. Take your new artifact as an example. When your ancestor made a prophecy, he mentioned that Holem''s Crown would show its appearance on October 2nd. To our surprise, the Holem''s Crown indeed revealed its presence to the world today. Did you understand why I lead you here?"


    Upon hearing her question, Charles thought for a moment and furrowed his brows,


    "Are you saying that I won''t be able to change My Fate?"


    "That itself is a sophisticated question. What is ''Fate''? In my opinion, Fate is nothing but a twisted future, and it will restrict the mortals from deviation to a dangerous path. If you try to change your Fate, it will not only affect you; it will also cause harm to your family members and friends. That''s why the Astrologer ss Mystics always pays close attention when changing one''s Fate. Everyone''s Fate has one single destination, and we all work hard in our life to reach that particr destination. Then, in the end, it''s all up to us to decide whether to walk on it or not. If we give up earlier, then that destined Fate will also fade away while creating a totally different one."


    "What about the Red-Prince? Isn''t he creating multiple coincidences and changing the whole city''s Fate?" Charles asked with a frown.


    At this time, Andrew suddenly sat on the nearby rock and posed a question.


    "What if he is correcting others'' Fate? What if the one changed the others'' Fate is another person, and he is trying to change it to a normal?"


    This question caught both Charles and Emilia off guard.


    ''Now that I think about it, it is possible. What if someone interferes with Red Prince''s n and constantly breaking others'' fates?'' At that moment, Charles subconsciously thought of the Game-system hidden in his body.


    ''Did my Game-Interface started all this? Wait¡­ The fake Eddie Nightwind also said something about me being an Irregr¡­ So, what if whenever I use the Game-Interface to level-up, I''m also creating a variation in the ''Fate''? It is possible!'' A look of realization appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''So the Game-Interface in my body is the real culprit, huh.'' He was momentarily at a loss for words.


    Meanwhile, Emilia took out her star watch and muttered in an understanding tone.


    "It may be rted to the power of ''Time.''"


    Upon hearing those words, Charles raised his head and stared at her in puzzlement.


    Noticing his gaze, Emilia ced the ''Star Watch'' back to her void pouch and shook her head.


    "I also know nothing much about the ''Time.'' And, I never even heard of someone with abilities to see futures other than Astrologers."


    At that moment, the red bracelet on Charles''s wrist shone in dim red light, and soon an old man''s voice came out from it.


    "Ancients call them as ''Seers,'' and they are the opposites of ''Astrologers.'' Although I don''t know why there were no ''Seer'' ss Mystics appeared in this Edhen World, I can vaguely guess that these fake Gods must be the reason." Without waiting for Emilia to say something in anger, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and continued.


    "Time and Fate are two different things,ds. No, I would say that those two are pr opposites. For example, Astrologers always try to control someone in the name of ''Fate'' and improve themselves by twisting someone''s Fate in their own way. Although they let the mortals move to their destined Fate, they are still restricting the mortals in many other ways. Now, this ''Time'' is a unique thing. They break the Fate strings and create a unique future. Unlike Fate, Time is differentiated into three types.


    The first type is Past Time. My Historian ss''s [psed Time] skill is the real example.


    The second type is Present Time. Irregrs, Taboo Existences, and Divines are the ones who mastered this Present Time. With Present Time, they can change the future at any time, and their actions will be always unpredictable. As far as I know, the Fallen Time God Udnir and the newbie Time Angel Abium from my world are the only ones who delve deep into this Present Time.


    The third type is Future Time. Seers, Tricksters, Time Mages, and some forbidden path Mystics like Warlocks, Divines, and Ancients explore deep into this one. Unlike Astrologer ss Mystics, these Mystics will see countless futures when understanding the full nature of Time Law. But there are always some disadvantages, though. Except for the forbidden path Mystics, the ss-Gem path Mystics are weak in many other ways.


    Even if they can see the future, if they don''t have enough power to stand on their own, then their enemies will squash them to death in seconds. Even if they watch their death countless times and y countless tricks using future visions, they won''t be able to save themselves at all. So, if you want to stand above all, you need the real strength."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles widened his jade eyes.


    ''Finally, I have some information about the ''Trickster'' ss.'' He subconsciously nodded his head and then soon understood everything.


    ''Moreover, my game system has some Present Time ability which itself is a big clue for now. At first, I knew nothing about my sudden transmigration. But in few months, I already gather so much information about the real culprit behind my transmigration.


    My first suspect is the ''Taboo Existence'' who created the ''ss Gem'' itself. That possibility is very slim because my soul is not worth catching a big shot''s attention.


    My second suspect is Life Goddess. I''m joining the Life Church''s organization member, and her warning about the uing danger through Bishop Reynolds''s mouth; these two reasons made me feel something is off about that goddess.


    My third and final suspect is the Sun God. The only reason is he and I are both irregrs.''


    When he was pondering, he suddenly heard a voice from afar and soon looked around.

 Chapter 66: Derrick

    <h4>Chapter 66: Derrick</h4>


    As Charles was about to ask further about the Trickster ss, he heard a human noise from afar.


    In an instant, the trio went on battle mode and moved stealthily into the woods.


    They walked on the wet soil while avoiding the dense, muddy areas and soon noticed that the dark clouds had already starting to gather above their heads, blocking the sun in return.


    "We can''t even hide our foot trails in this wend," Emiliamented casually and took the lead as she noticed that they were nearing the area where the human sound came from.


    The trio walked for five more minutes while avoiding the strange round leaf nts and soon saw a few camp tents ced on in ground, covered by a protectiveyer shield. Due to the presence of dense round-leaf nts, nobody from the camp noticed their presence yet.


    Charles''s gaze swept past those tents and soonnded on a single g, ced above the farthestrge tent.


    A ck crown symbol was drawn on the g, giving a sense of mystery to the trio.


    "Explorers!" Both Emilia and Charles muttered in unison.


    At that time, the scout from the Explorers'' suddenly noticed some presence nearby and alerted everyone by blowing a whistle.


    Within seconds, a group of twenty members walked out from all those tents and soon gathered in the center. Unlike thieves, these Explorers wore different types of suits and robes and looked rather professional. There were even two blue-robed, and one golden-robed old man stood with a solemn look on their faces in the group and appeared different from the rest.


    After casting their search-type skills, all of them looked around for a few seconds and soon turned their heads towards a particr direction.


    Due to vines and small nts, they couldn''t see the visitors'' physical appearance and only saw some human shadows.


    "Who is it?" A lean, white-haired old man, around 70-years-old, walked ahead and asked in a cold tone.


    He wore a in ck shirt and pants and appeared very simple. His ck eyes flickered in the gloomy forest as his gaze swept past those darkish green nts and soonnded on those three human-like figures.


    Upon hearing a familiar voice, Charles curled his lips upward and smiled,


    "Uncle Carter. It''s me, Charles." Charles shouted, and at the same time, moved his hand towards his waist area.


    On the other side, Carter also identified his voice and responded with a smile,


    "Charles? Is that you? Come out."


    Nodding, Charles excluded the nts and vines and walked towards the group slowly while cing his right hand on the dagger sheath''s grip.


    "Why are you gripping your dagger?" Andrew sensed that Charles''s heartbeat was beating faster than usual and became confused.


    "Something dangerous is hiding in that group. I feel the gaze of a poisonous snake." With a smile stered on his face, Charles muttered in a low voice and walked ahead.


    His words surprised both Andrew and Emilia. It was not a skill but his lifelong experience in studying the humans'' characters.


    Charles''s eyes wandered for a second and soonnded on a ck-haired guy with mahogany eyes. He looked around 18-years-old, had impossibly straight eyebrows, and wore a simple linen cloth under the leather armor.


    ''His face¡­'' Charles instantly felt some familiarity upon seeing the ck-haired guy''s face and soon widened his jade eyes.


    In a second, information about this guy surfaced in Charles''s mind. Upon finding that this guy was real Charles''s close friend, he got stunned for a second.


    ''This moron is the real Charles''s best friend?''


    Without any dy, Charles cast the [Inspect] skill on him and waited.


    ¡­


    [Inspect has been cast¡­]


    [Wisdom Check¡­]


    [Inspect sess!]


    ¡­


    [Name: Derrick Dewbringer (Twister)


    Race: Human


    ss: Lv5 Explorer (Rank 2)


    Sub-ss: None


    Title: None


    Health Points: 118/118


    Attributes:


    Strength- 14


    Dexterity- 16


    Constitution- 13


    Wisdom- 17


    Charisma- 8


    ss skills/ spells: Full Recall, Wonder Vision, Lucky Treasurer, History Recorder.


    Unique Skills: Devil''s Eyes.]


    ''He is Rank-2 Mystic? But Carter said that he is just a [Historian] ss Mystic, right? Moreover, Devil''s Eyes, is it? This sure gives me a big clue.'' A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face as he shifted his attention to the title area and soon made up his mind.


    "Team Leader, be careful of the kid with ck hair and mahogany eyes. If possible, use some random excuse and arrest him with your ''Ice Net'' spell and make him immobile." Charles didn''t even think for a second and said in a cold tone.


    With their status as members of the Withering Shadow Organization, they had the full rights to arrest anyone from Riverdale City. Although these guys were Explorers, even they had to abide by the rules of Church organizations.


    When Charles saw those vile eyes, he knew that guy had ill intentions against him and became more careful. If it were before, he wouldn''t have noticed those ill intentions hid in those eyes. Thankfully, his current [Prevision] skill also activated earlier and alerted him about the impending danger.


    "Ice Net is a limited spell, and I already used it earlier." Emilia stopped for a second and soon added,


    "I can use ''Touch of Idiocy'' and ''Mind Fog'' and make him immobile for three seconds."


    Charles thought for a second and nodded.


    ''If I use the dark magic spell from the Starfall Codex book, I can restrict him in that time.''


    "Are you sure about this? He is your close friend, Charles." Andrew said with a clueless look on his face and soon widened his eyes.


    "Don''t tell me-" He stopped for a second and soon muttered in shock,


    "What a pervert. You have to be more careful, kid. I don''t know why these men are eyeing your body."


    Upon hearing those ominous words, both Emilia and Charles were at a loss for words.


    "I didn''t mean it like that. He might know something about Luke''s background and the so-called mastermind ''Red Prince.'' He clearly has some ill intention against us." Charles whispered in a helpless tone.


    "Ill-intentions?" Emilia raised her eyebrows and soon followed after Charles.


    After crossing the muddy area, the trio soon appeared in front of the group of twenty and greeted them with a nod. At that time, Charles''s gaze scanned those twenty-plus explorers and soon widened his eyes a little as he was two familiar faces.


    He then hurriedly turned his face normal and shifted his attention towards Carter.


    "Why are you here, Charles? Your mother warned you about the dangers hidden in ruin-rted missions, right?" Carter took the initiative and asked.


    "Behind every fortune lies a great danger, uncle. If I want to push forward, I have to face these types of obstacles." Charles suddenly paused for a second as he felt a slight abnormality in this thinking and got stunned.


    ''From when did I start speaking like a philosopher?''


    In fact, he was surprised by his own quotes for a second and soon changed the topic,


    "You should concern more about Derrick''s safety, uncle. He is the one who is in a dangerous situation."


    "Haha, that''s why I came along with him to this mission," Carter said with an awkwardugh and soon nced at Derrick, who wasing towards Charles while excluding the crowd.


    "Good to see you, my dear friend," Derrick said with a smile as he arrived right in front of him and deliberated for a second before continuing.


    "You sure have changed in the past few months. Heh, look at those biceps, you even starting to work out, huh."


    "Derrick, can we talk in private? I need to tell you something." Charles suddenly raised his right hand, pointed his forefinger towards therge lone tent, and asked.


    Derrick''s smile disappeared in an instant as he heard those words, and soon he nced at an old-looking man in the crowd before curling his lips upward.


    "Don''t worry; these guys are all ourrades. You can say it in the open." Derrick was not an idiot to fall for such a trick, so he instantly refused to go alone.


    ''So there is another pawn hiding here, huh.''


    A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at Derrick for a moment and then asked,


    "Then, do you know anything about ''Devil''?"


    Upon hearing his words, Derrick''s body went stiff for a moment, and soon he cast his ''Devil''s Eyes'' skill on Charles.


    At that moment, Charles felt an invisible power was trying to invade his mind. But he simply used the dark space andpletely blocked it from entering!


    A momentter, shock appeared on Derrick''s face as he took a step back in anxiety and nced at a particr white-haired old man.


    The old man looked around 90-years-old, full of wrinkles on his pale face, had cial blue eyes, a sharp nose, straight eyebrows, and a rough square face. Unlike other explorers, he wore a golden robe and gave off a sense of ancient aura!


    In the meantime, Emilia followed Derrick''s gaze and soon froze,


    "Chief Deacon? What are you doing here? Why are you in your incarnation state?" She asked in a surprised tone.


    Earlier, she entirely focused her attention on Derrick, so she didn''t even check who was hiding in the Explorers group at all!


    At that time, Charles also turned his gaze towards the old man and soon noticed a difference.


    His face looked slightly dimmer than others'' faces, and he appeared more like an illusion.


    ''Is this the Incarnation form? Mr. Rh, can you guess how strong he is?'' He asked in his mind.


    ''His strength should be around Rank-3.'' The Holem''s Crown replied honestly.


    In the meantime, the old-man moved his gaze towards Emilia and then raised his eyebrows.


    "Emilia Wilson, right? I heard a lot about you from my grandson, Russell. What are you guys doing here?" Even after Emilia revealed his identity, the old man didn''t even flinch a bit and responded calmly.


    At that time, sudden realization dawn on Charles''s face.


    ''Wait¡­Russell? Is he the Anderson ck? Why is he here? Could it be¡­Is he also ackey of the ''Red Prince''? Wait a minute¡­ Something is wrong here. If he is the pawn, then he should have known about the Holem''s location, right? Then, why did he send the [Shadow Guard] Mystic, Ian Adams, after my head during the unofficial mission? Did he send Ian to test my strength?¡­


    No, I don''t think so. At that time, I also felt puzzled about why Anderson sent a foolish loud mouth on such a mission¡­ But seeing him here is not a mere coincidence! He must havee for the Holem''s Crown! Did he purposefully send Ian Adams to leak some information about the Holem''s Crown to me? Now that I think about it, I knew nothing about the Holem''s Crown back then. All I knew about was its name, and it is a series artifact.'' He suddenly felt that Anderson ck might have deliberately asked Ian Adams toe after his head and got stunned for a second!


    ''It is possible.'' Charles nced at the calm-looking white-haired man and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Then, why did he give ''Starfall Codex'' to Ian? Hmm, was he that much confident in Ian''s strength? Nah, that''s not possible. Starfall Codex is an extraordinary artifact, so not even Anderson would give up on such an artifact¡­ That leaves with only one answer, and that is Anderson knew nothing about the ''Starfall Codex'' magic book at all. Instead, it might be Ian''s trump card. So, there is no way Anderson ck knew about the ''Starfall Codex''!'' He instantly made a guess.


    While Charles was in muse, Emilia curved her lips upward and said with a smile,


    "My brother personally gave a secret mission to me before leaving and asked me to go deep into the Unexplored Forest with my teammates."


    Her words surprised Anderson. Truthfully, he thought of using his status as an excuse and asked her and her teammates to follow after him to the City Ruins. But now, he instantly dismissed that idea.


    ''Archbishop Abel¡­ Why did he ask his young sister to go deep into the Unexplored Forest? Did he foresee our scheme? Then, there is a high chance that he might have his own motives.'' Aplicated look appeared on his face as he thought the most troublesome person and soon sighed.


    But that sigh made Emilia, Charles, and Andrew take a step back in unison.


    They instantly tensed up and went on a battle mode!


    "You guys shouldn''t havee here. Sadly, you and your team members already learned too much about us, so I can''t let you live any longer. Moreover, it''s already the right time to start our n. I want to see if the ''Holem Crown'' really can save you guys by creating a ''Miracle.''" He said in a mocking tone and conjured a long crystalline sword out of thin air.

 Chapter 67: Kidnap

    <h4>Chapter 67: Kidnap</h4>


    "Sir. ck, wait." Suddenly, Derrick remembered Twilight''s warning and shouted in a hurry.


    But Anderson didn''t even listen to Derrick''s words as he narrowed his blue eyes and directly shed the crystalline sword at Andrew''s neck!


    But to other''s surprise, he stopped his sword in a mid-way and then turned his gaze towards the dense woods.


    In the meantime, other Explorers, including Carter, got stunned by the sudden change and stared warily at Anderson ck and Derrick. Anderson''s action was too sudden, which caught thempletely off guard.


    Carter was the first to wake up from the shock as he unsheathed his long sword and pointed at Anderson in a hurry.


    "Sir. Ande, what is the meaning of this? You said that you would never attack anyone without my permission!" Carter bellowed in anger.


    "I lied." Anderson didn''t even turn around as he said those words and soon squinted his eyes while locking his gaze into the deep woods.


    "Sir. ck, you are supposed to capture them, not kill them." This time, Derrick also woke up from the shock and said in a gloomy tone.


    "I won''t take order from a mere servant." Anderson coldly snorted and then frowned.


    Meanwhile, a male human figure walked out from the dense nts and revealed a bewildered look on his face.


    The figure was a curly white-haired man with few wrinkles on his face, and he looked around 40-years old. He had deep-set amber eyes, a square face, thin eyebrows, and a long hawk nose. In his golden line embroidered white robe, that man looked like a sacred being descended from heaven itself.


    He was none other than Bishop Reynolds!


    A few minutes ago, he went to take a leak, but before he could return, things escted very quickly, causing him to stare at everyone in bewilderment.


    Shaking his head, he wore the white beret and took out a unique golden pocket watch from his void pouch.


    He then walked on the wet sand and soon appeared beside Charles.


    "You sure do love to create trouble." He muttered in a dissatisfied tone and then turned his gaze towards Anderson.


    "Bishop Reynolds." Anderson''s expression went cold as he stared at the Bishop for a second and then narrowed his eyes.


    "Do you think you can stop me from killing him?" Asking in an icy tone, he moved his sword and pointed the crystalline sword tip at Charles''s chest.


    To his surprise, Bishop shook his head and smiled. It was a simple smile with a mixture of helplessness and tiredness hidden in it.


    But that simple smile made Anderson''s heart beat faster all of a sudden.


    ''What is he plotting?'' A question arose in his mind as he tilted his sword and moved the sharp edge towards Bishop Reynolds. He felt that it was necessary to kill this man if he wanted to kill the other three.


    At that time, Bishop suddenly stretched his hand into his pocket at an unimaginable speed, took out a green-colored pointy leaf from it, and stuffed it into his mouth before closing his eyes.


    His sudden action startled everyone greatly.


    It took only 0.1 seconds for him to put the weird green leaf into his mouth!


    ''Why are you eating a marijuana leaf now?'' Even Charles wore a baffled look on his face and soon widened his jade eyes.


    At that moment, an illusionary green sword appeared in front of Bishop Reynolds and blocked Anderson''s sword on its own, leaving a nging sound behind!


    Before Anderson could take a step back in shock, Bishop Reynolds opened his eyes and stared deep into Anderson''s eyes.


    "I''m indeed powerless against your incarnation, Mr. Anderson. But I have an omnipotent Goddess behind me." Bishop said in a calm tone and gripped the illusionary sword.


    ''Humph, a fool who doesn''t even know where he got the power to create an imaginary sword.'' The Holem''s Crown retorted in a sarcastic tone in his mind.


    ''Inner World?'' Charles asked in surprise.


    ''Yes. Fake Origin ss members always have an easy time perceiving their inner world and can borrow the power from it. Although their Gods indeed help them shorten the distance between their body and their inner world, it is still their power.''


    Charles frowned as he heard the Holem''s Crown''s words.


    ''Why do I feel that this artifact is revealing too many secrets about the ss system?'' After thinking for a moment, he shook that thought away from his mind and then shifted his attention towards Bishop Reynolds.


    ''Did hee here to fulfill the Goddess''s prophecy? Or, is he after something else?''


    In truth, Charles hadn''t put much trust in Bishop and Ethan''s words at all. But as he saw his arrival, he felt rxed inside and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    In the meantime, a blue-robed old man from the Explorers'' group suddenly took a step forward and pointed his fingers at Anderson.


    An instantter, an arc of blue lightning came out from his fingertip, stuck Anderson from behind, andpletely caught him off guard!


    It was a simple Rank-2 lightning spell, Thunderbolt!


    As the blue lightning arc contacted Anderson''s body, it spread all over his illusionary body and paralyzed him on the spot!


    Bishop''s lips suddenly arched upward as he took a step back and spoke.


    "Leo, do it now."


    Upon hearing those words from Bishop, another blue-robed man nodded his head and took out a blue gem embedded staff from his void pouch. It was a simple 2 feet long stick with a blue crystalline gem embedded on the top of it.


    The blue-robed man named Leo then blinked right next to Anderson ck, pointed the staff at him, and smirked.


    Then, the space around Anderson began to twist and soon formed into a circr void. After that, a suction force pulled him, Bishop Reynolds, Anderson ck, and the Lightning Mage into the void, and then the void disappeared like it never been there before.


    At this time, Carter finally woke up from the shock and red at his son.


    "What the hell is happening here?" His cold voice echoed in the gloomy forest, causing Derrick''s face to stiffen up.


    Although he was a big schemer, he was still an 18-year-old kid who was always afraid of his dad. Upon noticing his dad''s cold gaze, he subconsciously gulped his saliva and then broke into cold sweats.


    ''An opportunity.'' Curling his lips upward, Charles took a step forward towards Derrick and kicked his balls.


    Before Derrick could shout in pain while covering his manhood, Emilia also acted on her own and cast ''Mind Fog'' and ''Hypnosis'' skills on him. She then went beside the confused Derrick, ced her hand on his shoulder, and cast another skill.


    It was her ultimate skill, Touch of Idiocy!


    A foolish smile appeared on Derrick''s face as he opened his arm and waited for Charles to finish his chanting.


    "What are you doing to-?" Carter stared fiercely at Emilia and questioned her.


    "We will take care of him, Mr. Explorer." Before Carter could finish his question, Emilia cut him off while showing her Withering Shadows department badge and signaled Charles to proceed.


    On the other hand, Charles had long opened the Starfall Codex book and started his chanting. But unlike before, his lips moved at an impossible speed and vocalized the runic words faster.


    He closed the Starfall Codex book in less than three seconds and waved his hand like a trickster.


    Then, three eerie ck metal chains popped out from the wet ground like snakes, slithered around Derrick''s legs, and soon shackled Derrick''s body in a blink.


    It was a Rank-2 Darkness spell called Chain Curse!


    This spell not only imprisons the opponent''s body, but it also could bind one''s soul itself!


    Upon seeing those eerie ck chains, Carter''s eyes widened into a shock, and soon he stared at Charles in rage and hatred.


    "You are colluding with the Destiny Conquerors?"


    At that moment, other Explorers also shifted their gazes and showed their hostility openly.


    ''Not good¡­ Did they take me as a Dark Mage?'' Charles was momentarily stunned by their behavior for a second and soon nced at their faces.


    When Charles saw fear and rm in their eyes, he knew that taking wouldn''t solve the problem and made a swift decision.


    In an instant, he activated the [Prevision] skill and took out a silver card from his space ring.


    Before Carter could question him further, Charles first crushed the card a little and activated the Arcane card''s Nature Spell!


    But he didn''t end it there, though. Instead, he signaled Emilia to get ready and then cast [Crimson Wings] spell on himself.


    At this moment, hundreds of creepy ck nt vines popped out from the ground and started moving around those Explorers like snakes.


    Without even minding the furious dad''s re, Charles grabbed the chains on Derrick''s body and flew upward while pping his wings forcefully.


    Simultaneously, two illusionary wings appeared behind Emilia as she also grabbed Andrew''s shoulder with both hands and followed Charles''s action.


    The sudden turn of eventspletely stupefied the Explorers.


    ''How did she manage to lift that baldy easily?'' Such thoughts crossed everyone''s mind.


    By the time Carter freed himself from those creepy ck vines, Charles and Emilia flew far away and soon disappeared from their eyes!


    Up in the sky, Charles surveyed the Unexplored Forest while pping his wings constantly and soon saw seven skyscrapers deep in the Unexplored Forest.


    "Charles, maintain a 50-meter distance from the ground and move in that direction. If we flew too high, it would expose our location to the enemies," Emilia also saw the unusual ruin-like area far ahead and spoke in a loud voice.


    Nodding his head, Charles pped his crimson wings and flew towards the ruin while avoiding few taller trees on his way.


    Meanwhile, Emilia held Andrew''s shoulder with both of her hands like carrying a baby and followed after him.


    In truth, she used an artifact and lessened Andrew''s weight using a skill called [Feather Body]!


    While Charles was moving, he stared at the city ruin from the sky and got awed by the beautiful architecture. The seven skyscrapers stood imposing at the center and seemed to be overseeing the Unexplored Forest itself. Surrounding that ruined city was a swampy river, making the city looks more attractive from the sky.


    Charles focused his attention on the ruin for a while and saw a tent-roof temple-like structure near the skyscrapers. Out of curiosity, he zeroed his focus on the particr broken temple-like structure and soon sensed a sudden abnormality within his mind.


    ''Why am I looking for danger? Was this mission worth risking my life? Although Quest reward is good, why am I risking myself and entering deep into the Unexplored Forest?'' Such thoughts surfaced in his mind.


    But as he shifted his gaze from the temple, another thought appeared.


    ''No, behind every fortune lies a great danger. If I want to push forward and be a powerful being, I need to face these types of obstacles.''


    Unlike the previous thought, this one stood firm in his mind.


    Charles suddenly perceived a change in his previous thinking and narrowed his eyes.


    ''Why do I feel d¨¦j¨¤-vu? I also felt this type of different thinking when battling against the Dark Wolf¡­ Am I over-thinking now?'' He pondered for a moment and then shook his head before he pped his wings to rise higher to avoid bumping into arge pointy-leaf tree.

 Chapter 68: Servants of the True Fate

    <h4>Chapter 68: Servants of the True Fate</h4>


    Charles then thought of Anderson ck''s incarnation and asked,


    ''Mr. Rh, can you tell me more about Incarnations? How is a Rank-4 Mystic able to create incarnation?'' After he saw Anderson''s illusionary image, he suddenly felt curious. How could such an illusion have the strength to battle against a Rank-3 Mystic? He was indeed surprised inside.


    The Holem''s Crown also seemed to be enjoying the flight ride as it let out a weird shout and answered,


    ''Hoo, an Incarnation is basically a pure form of energies with some consciousness of a true soul fused with it. Although they don''t have a true physical body, they have their own consciousness. To put it simply, they are more of a condensed memory with some will of the true soul and energies.''


    ''Can you tell me how strong these incarnations are?'' Charles asked with keen interest.


    ''If the real body has the strength of Rank-4, their incarnation should be around Rank-3. But unlike the true bodies, the incarnations have some weaknesses. If you grasp the weaknesses correctly, you can even kill a God''s Incarnation.'' The Holem''s Crown said in an exciting voice.


    ''Do you have some life-long grudge against these Gods? Ah, never mind.'' He suddenly remembered how this Holem''s Crown was created and changed the topic.


    ''Then, can you able to kill an Incarnation of God?''


    ''If my Dark Spell star is in a recovered state now, I might kill a God''s incarnation using some underhand methods.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a proud tone.


    ''But I''m asking about your current Dark Star spell''s strength.'' Charles clicked his tongue and asked while holding the chains on Derrick''s body with both hands.


    ''I can kill a Rank-4 incarnation without much difficulty. But against a Rank-5, I will face some difficulty.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly paused for a second and soon added.


    ''Although killing a Rank-5 Incarnation is difficult, it''s not an impossible thing for me.'' Without waiting for Charles to ask more questions about it, the Holem''s Crown took the initiative and continued.


    ''If I attack my opponent sneakily, the chance of me assassinating a Rank-5 incarnation is very high.''


    Charles nodded his head and then asked another question in his mind.


    ''Are you able to enchant my Luck? I have a feeling that I''m might not make it out alive if I don''t take the necessary precautions.''


    Actually, Charles felt that his [Prevision] skill was warning him about the impending danger.


    The Holem''s Crown didn''t reply, though. It pondered for a whole ten seconds and then said.


    ''I have a way to enchant your luck using the ''Luck Divinity.'' But-'' It purposefully paused for a moment and asked,


    ''What would I get in return?''


    Charles instantly knew that this sneaky old man had already started to scheme and asked in annoyance.


    ''What do you want?''


    The Holem''s Crown didn''t take too much time to reply, though.


    ''I want to see the real content of the contract I signed earlier.'' Before Charles could refute, the Holem''s crown spoke solemnly.


    ''Lad, the contract is already signed. Even if I see the contents now, I can''t change anything in the signed contract. Although you are my real owner now, if someone yed some trick on the contract before we sign, the chance of getting into trouble is very high. A mere illusion even tricked me, so it would be better to check the contract for our own good.''


    The Holem''s Crown''s sudden words made Charles furrow his brows in suspicion.


    ''I already checked the contract with my [Inspect] skill, so there should be no loopholes in it.'' He thought for a moment and soon made a decision.


    ''I will show it to you once wend. But you have to do the ''Luck Enchantment'' on me now.'' Charles didn''t dare to dy any longer as he sensed the urgency from the [Prevision] skill and said.


    ''Hehe, so be it then. For the next 24 hours, you will be a lucky guy. But be careful. When the ''Luck'' ends, you will face unlucky retribution for the next two months, and that will be one hell of a ride. You once again altered your fate now.'' The Holem''s Crown''s words made Charles almost lose his concentration on pping the wings.


    ''You stole my luck to enchant for a short amount of time?'' He red at the red-gem embedded bracelet.


    ''Humph, do you think that''s a simple matter? Changing one''s Luck itself will cause some deep variation in the future, and I will also receive some bacsh in return.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    ''Then, why did you enchant my ''Luck'' now? Moreover, what is the bacsh?'' Even Charles couldn''t understand what this old man was thinking and asked in doubt.


    ''If I didn''t enchant your ''Luck,'' the chance of you surviving this absurd mission is almost none. Humph, you are now walking into a dragon''sir, so how could I let you die so easily and face a huge bacsh?'' Upon hearing those words from the Holem''s Crown, Charles suddenly widened his eyes and soon felt a change in his emotions.


    As he was about to think further about his abnormal behavior, he felt an aching feel from his shoulders.


    ''Damn, this is my limit. I can''t fly any longer while carrying this *sshole.'' He slowed down his speed by pping forward and paused in mid-air.


    "Team Leader, can wend now?" He then asked while turning his head towards the right side.


    Meanwhile, Emilia also nodded her head and spoke.


    "We shouldnd near the bank of the swampy river. After interrogating Derrick, we can follow the river and directly reach the City ruins in an hour or two." She said before flying in a circle and then descended towards the Swampy river bank.


    pping the wings, Charles and Emilia slowly reached the sandy ground andnded on it with light footsteps.


    After that, Charles threw the chained Derrick on the river bed sand and started panting heavily,


    "I didn''t expect that casting a single darkness spell would cause them to show that much hostility towards us."


    In the meantime, Andrew freed himself from Emilia''s hands like a sneaky cat and said while shook his head.


    "After the unruly Mages destroyed a kingdom using a curse spell, those curse spells became forbidden in any kingdom. So, when you used a curse spell on Derrick, it''s not surprising for them to show such hostility. It''s not the dark mages that masses hate; it''s the curse spell. If a Dark Mage didn''t learn any curse spell, the masses would treat them nicely. Even one of the Arc Kingdom''s Royal Mages is a Dark Mage, and he is a noble character with the highest reputation among the masses."


    Emilia also nodded her head in approval and added.


    "These types of curse spells not only harm one''s body, but also harm one''s souls, Charles. If you harm one''s soul severely, then that soul might get rejected by the Eternal River of Life and would perish for real. It means that they won''t be able to reborn in this Universe and disappear permanently."


    "It''s not. Who said this kind of nonsense to you?" The Holem''s Crown instantly disagreed and continued as an expert historian.


    "These curse spells really can harm one''s soul, but when the injured soul enters the Eternal River of Life, it will go into a hibernation state and would reborn only after healingpletely. Humph, even chaotic souls will get purified by the Eternal River of Life, much less some injured souls."


    Charles got stunned by the Holem''s Crown''s words and soon nodded. Although he knew that the dark mages had a bad reputation in this world, he hadn''t thought that the churches had altered the basic information about dark mages and their spells.


    In the meantime, Emilia was also stunned by the new information and soon chose to check further when returning to Riverdale City.


    "Thankfully, you made a swift decision otherwise; things would have gone in a different direction," Emilia turned her attention towards Derrick and said in a solemn tone.


    Unlike before, Derrick''s mahogany eyes were wide opened, and tears could be flowing out constantly from the corner of his eyes. Although he was still smiling foolishly, one could see that the [Touch of Idiocy] skill''s effect was almost over.


    "It''s already more than five minutes. Release the chains now; otherwise, Derrick''s soul might be damaged permanently." Emilia said while taking out a wooden stick from her void pouch and shed at his buttocks.


    A secondter, Derrick woke up suddenly, cried out in pain, and then started crawling towards the opposite side.


    If it were before, he would have used his full strength to escape from this situation. Unfortunately, his body had already weakened, and he trembled all over due to some unknown pain in the soul. He didn''t even have the time to shout out a word as he sensed the tearing pain from his buttocks.


    After a few minutes ofshing, Emilia threw the broken stick and cast [Hypnotism] skill on him.


    After that, she made him kneel on the sandy ground and cast [Discern Lies] skill before questioning him.


    "What is the name of the organization you are working for?" Her slightly wrinkled face turned cold as ice as she asked that question.


    Derrick instantly turned his face serious and uttered three words.


    "It''s Devils'' Lair."


    Confusion drawn on Aces Team member''s faces as they heard the new organization name and became more interested.


    "How many members are there in Devils'' Lair?" This time, Charles took the initiative and asked.


    "Including our boss, there are still seven members," Derrick said truthfully.


    "Who is your leader?" Charles nodded his head and questioned him further.


    "He is the Devil of Fate." Upon hearing Derrick''s words, the trio nced at each other and soon grew solemn.


    "Devil? Why did he call him the ''Devil of Fate''?" Charles questioned.


    A strange smile appeared on Derrick''s face as he raised his hand towards his mouth and tried to wipe his mouth¡­


    His action startled them greatly. When Charles and Emilia were battling against Addie Baker, Charles remembered that Addie also made a ritual sign and tried to wake up from the [Hypnosis] skill effect!


    Noticing the seriousness, Charles instantly grabbed his hand and stopped him from finishing the ritualistic sign.


    At that moment, Derrick''s face showed unwillingness as he bit his lips and spoke in a rough voice.


    "He is the ''avatar'' of Devil Lord of Fate."


    ''Avatar? Does he has multiple personality disorder, or is he really a Devil Lord''s avatar?'' Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and soon asked.


    "Can you tell me the names of yourpanions?"


    Upon hearing his question, Derrick nodded his head and said in a calm tone.


    "We usually call ourselves as servants of the True Fate. The first servant is ''Evil,'' but most of us knew nothing about him. He is a blonde-haired old man and always looks mysterious. The second servant is the ''Devil,'' and he is your former teammate ''Luke rk.'' The third servant is ''Twilight,'' and his name is ''Daniel Baker.'' He is also your current escort mission employer. The fourth servant is ''Sea,'' and his real name is ''Willy Pickton,'' the fake Arbiter of Storm. The fifth servant is ''Twister,'' and that is ''me.''" He stopped for a moment and suddenly raised his other hand to wipe his mouth!


    Thankfully, Emilia caught his hand in mid-air and swiftly twisted it back to break it. Even after hearing a cracking noise, Derrick made no sound and continued with the same unwillingness look on his face.


    "After the death of ''Mind'' and ''Coward,'' Sixth servant''s and seventh servant''s seat remains empty."


    "Mind and Coward?" Emilia raised her voice and asked in confusion.


    "''Addie Baker'' is ''Mind,'' and ''Jeffery'' is ''Coward,''" Derrick said in a t tone and then continued.


    "The eighth servant is ''Night,'' and he is the underworld boss, ''Night-Eye.'' The ninth servant is ''ck,'' and his name is ''Anderson ck.''"


    Charles became stunned for a moment as he realized that he had met almost all of them in the past few months.


    ''It seems Derrick still didn''t know anything about Night-Eye''s death. Moreover, Evil and Red Prince, huh¡­ Except for their nicknames, I knew nothing about them.'' He pondered for a moment and soon frowned as he recalled Jeffery''s death,


    "But when we interrogated Jeffery Dahmer, he hadn''t said anything about him being as the servant of a Devil¡­ Why is that?"


    "Because of his cowardice nature, he always relied on Addie Baker''s ability to change his real memories in fear of exposing our secrets."


    ''Heh, so that''s why they named him coward, huh.''


    Nodding, Charles looked into Derrick''s eyes and then asked another question.


    "Why did you try to kidnap the [Historian] Max and his friends?"

 Chapter 69: Loophole

    <h4>Chapter 69: Loophole</h4>


    Upon hearing Charles''s question, Derrick spoke in a heavy voice.


    "Max tried to search for more clues about the Holem''s Crown. At first, we didn''t consider him a threat. But after some time, we felt that it was necessary to pluck the root before it spouts into a big tree. So, we asked Jeffery to request Max''s help to find the Holem''s Crown.


    But after Max agreed to Jeffery''s request, he sold the information to the ck-market leader, Silver Knife, and even ckmailed Jeffery. Not only that, he even went to visit Willy Pickton and asks him for protection. Even we didn''t expect that someone woulde to our doorstep and ask us to protect him. At that time, we also needed a scapegoat to make a search mission, so we made a n." He deliberately paused for a moment and then continued with a heavy sigh,


    "We led him and his two other friends to Jimmy''s house and asked Daniel Baker to finish them off by hypnotizing. To our surprise, not only Max didn''t get hypnotized, he even attacked Daniel in return. Only then did we know that Max Fireborn is not a Rank-1 [Historian], but a Rank-3 [Seeker]! Before Will Pickton arrives there to help Daniel to finish him off, Max used some strange methods and disappeared from there. Till today, we heard no news about him."


    As Charles heard those words, he subconsciously thought of the word ''Irregr.''


    ''Is he the irregr?'' He raised his brows in suspicion and soon asked the most important question.


    "What about Chaos Wanderer? Who is he?"


    Upon hearing those words, Derrick''s mahogany eyes suddenly turned pitch ck, and soon purplish me crept out from the center of his pupils!


    At that moment, Charles''s [Prevision] skill activated on its own and showed him a blurry vision of what was about to happen!


    "Back away," Charles shouted in a hurry as he cast [Crimson Robe] and [Crimson Steps] on himself and then moved backward at a fast speed.


    Meanwhile, Andrew and Emilia also noticed the abnormality, hurriedly ran towards the nearbyrge rock, and hid behind it.


    By the time everyone went far away, Derrick''s body had begun to bulge like a balloon and soon exploded while sending blood, flesh, and bones in all directions!


    An instantter, all those flesh, blood, and bones bathed in a purplish me and soon disappeared altogether.


    Charles stood 20 meters away from the almost vanquished purplish me and became stunned for a moment.


    ''He died same like Jeffery Dahmer.'' He stared at the area where the purplish me was zed before and soon saw Emilia and Andrew walked out from their hiding spot.


    "It really did bring back memories. With this, we can confirm that enemy must have some ability to control their servants from afar." Cleaning the dust off from her grey robe, Emilia said with a thoughtful look on her face.


    "There are still 6 members remaining, and we still don''t know about their exact goal," Charles said in a solemn tone.


    "Once we capture those two members from the City Ruin, we can think of a way to extract more information about them," Andrew responded with a smile.


    Emilia also nodded her head and said.


    "This Devil''s Lair organization seems to be created just to achieve a certain goal, and the possibility of them after Charles and this Holem''s Crown is very high. And, if Red Prince really did know about this artifact''s skills, he might have already made preparations. Even if we try to hide, they might have some other backup ns to lure us out." She deliberated for a moment and then added with a calm tone.


    "The longer we wait, the more the danger, so why not strike first? We can also fulfill Goddess''s Prophecy at the same time."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles went silent for a second and soon checked the quest icon.


    ''Why do I feel some clue is hidden in this quest icon? It''s a Quest to save the intellectual artifact from the Chaos Wanderer and gain its full ownership¡­ Wait¡­ Does that mean I still haven''t gained full control of this artifact?'' He subconsciously thought of the Holem''s Crown''s earlier words and soon closed his eyes.


    In an instant, a spark appeared in front of his chest, and soon it turned into a reddish me ball. Within seconds, a scroll came out from the me and thennded on his hand.


    Without minding Emilia and Andrew''s puzzled looks, Charles opened the scroll and revealed the true content of ''Contract of Imagination'' to the Holem''s Crown.


    Upon seeing the real contract, the Holem''s Crown stayed silent for a whole ten seconds and finally spoke in his mind.


    ''So this is the Contract of Imagination, huh. It''s the first time seeing it with my own ey- Eh, never mind. Let''s see if there are any tricks ced in this one.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment to check for clues and soon continued with an exmation.


    ''Ho, I guessed right. Lad, who is Xander Nightwind? Have you heard of this name from your mother?''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles narrowed his jade eyes and soon frowned.


    ''Did the real Charles know about him?'' As he was about to think further, another thought reced his previous one.


    ''No, I never heard of that name. I''m damn sure about it.''


    Nodding his head, Charles quickly organized his thoughts and asked,


    ''Why are you asking about him now?''


    ''His name is in the contract,d. If Charles Nightwind, the real owner, ends up dead due to some unnatural cause, then Xander Nightwind will have the full rights to be its next owner. See the contract rule no-13.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a casual tone.


    Squinting his eyes, Charles hurriedly focused his gaze on the 13th rule and soon saw that the Blennguage words in the contract scroll began to twist and soon reshaped into apletely different sentence!


    "What the F*ck?!" He cursed out-loud in English, startling Emilia and Andrew, and soon turned his face gloomy.


    ''Why would the fake Eddie do something like that?'' Confusion dawn on Charles''s face as he stared at the contract scroll for a few seconds and asked in his mind,


    ''Is there any other loopholes?''


    ''Nope. But with this single rule, this Xander canpletely gain full control over me after your death.'' The Holem''s Crown answered honestly.


    Upon hearing those words, another thought urred in his mind.


    Charles felt that Eddie might have put this name as a backup.


    ''It is possible. What if I ended up dead in the Unexplored Forest? He knew that capturing this Holem''s Crown again will be an impossible task, so he must have made some preparations and put this guy''s name in the contract scroll. Well, I can''t deny the fact that Eddie Nightwind might have another n in his mind, but that is unlikely. Thankfully, I showed the contract to Holem''s Crown earlier; otherwise, I would still in a clueless path.'' He hurriedly burned the contract scroll with his thought and turned his attention to the current enemy.


    ''I still have some time to deal with Eddie Nightwind. First, I need to learn more about this Chaos Wanderer.''


    ''From Quest Icon and through spying Luke''s conversation with Red Prince, I have gathered some information about this Chaos Wanderer. First, this being must be some kind of demon or devil. Second, the Chaos Wanderer ns to devour the Holem''s Crown. But why did it want to devour an intellectual artifact instead of using it?'' He raised his thin eyebrows and asked Holem''s Crown in Blennguage.


    ''Mr. Rh, do you know how the intellectual artifacts are created?''


    ''Why did you call the artifacts as ''Intellectual artifacts'' instead of ''Series Artifacts''?'' Holem''s Crown instantly noticed the difference and asked,


    Of course, Charles wouldn''t reply to that question. Instead, he smiled mysteriously and said in his mind.


    ''If you tell me some information about the ''ritual method,'' I might give you some clues.''


    ''Forget it.'' The Holem''s Crown instantly refused it and then answered his previous question.


    ''Intellectual Artifacts are mostly created by Divines and have extraordinary abilities. An artifact that has a considerable amount of divine power or divinity with its own will or soul is called an Intellectual artifact. Take me as an example; although a true divine didn''t create my current crown and my soul, I still have the ability to cast divine skills like Miracle and psed Time. Under normal circumstances, a body-less soul won''t be able to cast these skills. But with the help of the Divinity of Luck and Divinity of Time, I can make these things possible.''


    ''Divinity?'' Charles raised his eyebrows as he heard an interesting word and probed further.


    ''Hehe, if you release me from this cursed crown, I might give those two precious divinities to you in return.''


    Charles went speechless for a moment.


    ''It sure knows how to tempt others.'' He chuckled inwardly and then made a guess.


    ''The Chaos Wanderer might be after those two divinities.'' He thought for a moment and soon began to ponder about how to deal with it.


    ''First, I need to know more about this Chaos Wanderer-.'' At this moment, his [Prevision] skill triggered all of a sudden and warned him about the danger.


    With a startled face, he nced around warily and soon saw drops of rainwater fell from the dark sky. Those droplets then sshed on his face and soon vaporized into thin air!


    A secondter, his thoughts suddenly froze, and his mind became foggy¡­


    He suddenly forgot how to think!


    He then turned around and tried to say something to Emilia and Andrew, but soon noticed that no sound wasing out of his mouth at all!


    In the meantime, Emilia and Andrew also became confused, and soon their faces turned into expressionless dolls!


    After a few seconds, they returned to their senses and soon looked at each other in confusion.


    But this time, all three of them felt that something was calling them from the direction where the city ruin was located!


    "I smell the essence of Chaos in those rain droplets. Grey-robed girl, use your hypnosis skill and eliminate your current thoughts." The Holem''s Crown suddenly spoke.


    "I have a name." Emilia red at the red-gem embedded bracelet and hurriedly cast the ''Hypnosis'' skill on Charles and Andrew. She then ced both hands above her head and then cast ''Hypnosis'' skill on her own mind.


    The trio stood there for a whole ten seconds and soon woke up from the strange hypnosis.


    At this moment, all three of them felt that their thoughts became clearer, and soon Emilia spoke.


    "Let''s go."


    Charles subconsciously ced his hand on his chin and felt it was necessary to visit the city ruin.


    ''But why my [Prevision] skill is warning me constantly?'' He frowned for a moment before he shook his head and then started walking on the riverbed sand.

 Chapter 70: Awaken

    <h4>Chapter 70: Awaken</h4>


    After following the swamp river for an hour, the Aces team members arrived in front of an old ind-like city and stared at the 3 meters tall stone wall in awe and astonishment.


    "How should we cross this river?" Andrew asked while zeroing his gaze on the swamp river that encircled the whole ruin city.


    "There is a natural wooden trunk bridge over there. We can use that," Emilia said as she pointed her fingers at their right side and started walking with hurried footsteps.


    Charles and Andrew also followed after her and soon arrived right beside the wooden trunk.


    ''Hmm, I detect two different types of divine powers from inside.'' As Charles was about to step on the wooden trunk, the Holem''s Crown suddenly spoke in his mind.


    Charles subconsciously halted his footsteps and asked in surprise.


    ''What are those?''


    ''It''s the Corruption and Morality.'' The Holem''s Crown responded before making a short pause and then added in a confused tone,


    ''Something is not right.''


    ''What is it?'' Charles raised his thin eyebrows and asked.


    ''Be careful of any sudden-''


    At this moment, Charles suddenly felt quietness appeared around his surroundings and became stunned. He then realized that he also lost the sense of smell.


    ''What the h-?'' Before he could even curse inwardly, his closed lips opened all of a sudden and let out a few words.


    Although he couldn''t determine what he was talking about, he somehow guessed a single word that came out of his mouth.


    ''Miracle? Why did I mutter that word?'' He gotpletely bbergasted.


    Before he could understand, he somehow gained full control over his body and got relieved.


    ''What happened?'' Charles furrowed his brows as he unsheathed his Ghost Dagger and looked around in confusion. Emilia and Andrew also went took out their weapons and nced around the swamp river, wooden forest, and the other side city wall in puzzlement.


    ''Nothing is abnormal. But why did we lose our hearing all of a sudden? Why did I even speak those unknown words?''


    Charles first nced at Emilia, then at his red-gem embedded bracelet, and soon called out in his mind.


    ''Team Leader? Mr. Rh? Can you guys hear my thoughts?''


    To his shock, the eerie silence remained.


    ''What is happening here?'' He instantly halted his thought and soon looked up at the 3-meter city wall on the other side.


    ''We might find answers from the other side.'' A strange thought appeared in his mind.


    In the meantime, Emilia and Andrew climbed up on the wooden trunk and moved towards the other side.


    Charles also joined them and started crossing the swamp river through the wooden trunk. Although they faced difficulty walking on the wooden trunk due to the sudden deafness, they somehow managed to cross it after long unsteady walks.


    Then, the trio appeared in front of the 3 meters tall ancient-looking stone wall and started searching for a way in.


    Ten minutester, the Aces team members finally found a half-broken area in the stone wall and hurriedly went to the other side by climbing.


    Once they arrived inside, the trio looked around at the city ruin and soon widened their eyes in astonishment.


    They saw hundreds of broken buildings, stairs, pirs filled with green mosses, passages, and statues that appeared all over the ces.


    Without even looking at the surroundings, the trio stepped on the broken concrete passage and soon started walking towards the skyscrapers.


    As they moved deep into the city, the trio suddenly heard a bang sound from the direction where the half-broken ruined temple was located.


    Charles subconsciously turned his gaze towards the temple and soon widened his jade eyes.


    In that instant, his mind became clear-headed all of a sudden!


    He felt that some fog suddenly disappeared from his mind and caused him to think clearer.


    ''What the-? Sh*t! We are in danger! Something is not right. Why are we roaming here openly?''


    ''What the hell are we doing here in the first ce? Why do I even walk deep into this Unexplored Forest? Did someone manipte my thoughts? Are we under some mind control?'' Questions whirled in his mind as his face stiffed up all of a sudden, but he still maintained his gaze on the particr half-broken temple and walked forward.


    ''Mr. Rh? Can you hear my voice?'' Calming his mind a little, Charles first tried to contact the Holem''s Crown, but he couldn''t. He felt that the strange powerpletely blocked him from reaching the outside world and grew anxious inside.


    ''Something is affecting my thinking. It''s the same as the time when I battled with the Dark Wolf in the Dreamworld. If things go on like this, I might die here.'' His heartbeat raced, and soon he noticed something odd about his previous actions.


    ''I already have thousands of Exp, right? Then, why haven''t I leveled up? Is this due to the strange abnormality in my thinking?'' He didn''t dare to dy any longer, so he directly opened the Game-interface and checked the Exp amount.


    ''I currently have 3909 Exp points.'' He muttered inwardly and then poured 3606 Exp into the main ss.


    [759 Exp deduced for Leveling-up!]


    [You are a Level-2 Fire Weaver now!]


    [2 Free Attribute points Rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom Obtained!]


    [10 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [1139 Exp deduced for Leveling-up!]


    [You are a Level-3 Fire Weaver now!]


    [2 Free Attribute points Rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom Obtained!]


    [10 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [1708 Exp deduced for Leveling-up!]


    [You are a Level-4 Fire Weaver now!]


    [2 Free Attribute points Rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom Obtained!]


    [10 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    A bang echoed in his mind, and soon Charles noticed that the small dark space had suddenly expanded twice the size as before!


    But the strange deafness still appeared in his mind, causing him to frown a little.


    Charles thought for a moment before he poured all the six skill points into the ''Wisdom'' attribute and increased it in one go.


    Once he increased the wisdom to 29, another bang echoed inside his head. But this one was ten times greater than before!


    The dark space also expanded to an unimaginable level and appeared more like a big empty world.


    In a second, Charles''s sense heightened to an unimaginable level, and he also noticed some strange power was covering the outeryer of the dark space.


    ''I can even perceive the surroundings clearly and absorb the ''mana'' from the outside world. No, I can extract fire elements from the ''Mana'' and refuel the spell models. With the current absorption rate, I can refill my Rank-1 spell models in 5 to 10 minutes. Hm?'' He suddenly narrowed his eyes and soon noticed that everything around him was also moving slightly slower than usual.


    ''No, I think I''m thinking faster than before and even perceiving the surroundings like radar. Moreover, I''m also sensing another connection from somewhere. No, it ising from my soul. Wait, is this dark space a link between my consciousness and my soul?'' Such thought crossed his mind.


    Hiding his curiosity, Charles first focused his attention on the strange power covering his mind, aka the dark space, and directly broke it with a single thought.


    "Hey, why is your voice breaking?" A secondter, Charles heard an old man''s shouts from his bracelet and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ''Don''t shout. We seem to have been affected by some mind-rted ability.'' He said in a gloomy tone and then turned his gaze towards Emilia.


    ''Can my ''Burning Thoughts'' spell wake her up?'' He halted his footsteps and was about to cast the spell but stopped.


    At this time, he heard a breaking female voice in his head.


    ''Charles¡­Hide and act¡­Then, kill the [Mesmerist].'' She deliberated for a moment and then added.


    ''Then¡­wake me up¡­My thoughts are deviating¡­'' She spoke in a low voice and soon went silent.


    Meanwhile, Charles got stunned for a moment and soon frowned.


    ''Mesmerist¡­ Is this the corresponding ss of a Telepathist? But how did she manage to resist the strange hypnosis this long? Did she also wake up from the broken temple''s effect? How did she know that I would wake up? Is it due to her prediction watch?'' He kept his face motionless and followed after Emilia and Andrew.


    At that time, he suddenly thought of his earlier action and asked the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Did I say something about ''Miracle'' earlier?


    Upon hearing his question, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment and soon said with a deep sigh.


    ''Yes. And, you also asked me to cast the ''Miracle'' skill on you.''


    A startled expression appeared on Charles''s face as he raised his eyebrows in suspicion and asked,


    ''What do you mean?''


    ''I don''t know, but I also felt that it was necessary to cast the skill on you, so I did what you have told me to do.'' The Holem''s Crown also said in a somewhat puzzled tone.


    ''You also manipted by the mind-magic?'' Charles asked in a shocked tone.


    ''It''s is a simr type. Mind-Magic can alter one''s thoughts and it has the ability to confuse us outside. But this one made me subconsciously believe your words from the bottom of my mind.'' Upon hearing those words, Charles''s face stiffened up.


    ''But why did the enemy wants to cast the ''Miracle'' skill on me? Moreover, the earlier ''Miracle'' seemed to be no effect on me. What the hell is happening?'' Charles was bewildered.


    While he was in muse, the Holem''s Crown continued.


    ''Although you are the one who cast this ''Miracle'' spell, the effect seems to have gone to someone else. Even I couldn''t understand our current situation.''


    Charles''s heart sank.


    ''Not a good sigh. Although I woke up from the strange hypnosis, I''m still in danger, and the helping ''Miracle'' effect also appears to have gone already. There are few things I still don''t understand. Does the enemy have the ability to manipte my thought from afar? During the past few days, I''ve been acting very strangely. My first question is: Why did I agree to Emilia''s request to fulfill the Goddess''s strange prophecy?


    Wait. At that time, I subconsciously believed that Quest reward is more important than my own life. Yes, subconsciously¡­ Then, what did I say to Carter when he asked me why did Ie here? Ah, yes, ''behind every fortune lies a great danger. If I want to push forward, I have to face these types of obstacles.'' That isn''t my style. Did someone really manipte my thoughts and engrave this quote into the depth of my mind?!'' An absurd thought appeared in his mind, causing his heart to race faster.


    ''Damn, everything is possible in this magic world. But when did they do? I never came across any terrifying enemy, right? I never imagined-¡­ Imagined¡­ Imagination¡­'' Charles suddenly squinted his jade eyes as he thought of a possibility and soon nced at the ''Mark of Imagination''.


    ''Could it be Eddie''s doing? Is he the one who manipted my mind to cast the ''Miracle'' skill and obtained its effect through strange power? Wait, he also said something about an ultimate miracle, right? Then, why is he acting now?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    ''Is that why Eddie wants me toe to this damned ruin? Something still doesn''t feel right. If Eddie Nightwind is the one who manipted my mind, why didn''t he attack me when I went to the Dreamworld and tookplete control over my soul? If he did that, he could have an easier time capturing this artifact, right?''


    ''Wait! Maybe he isn''t powerful enough toplete control over one''s mind?''


    Charles then suddenly thought of Eddie''s trick in the ''Contract of Imagination,'' and soon his pupil red.


    ''When the Holem''s Crown told me about the loophole in the contract, I didn''t doubt Eddie at all. I felt that Eddie Nightwind might have done that as a backup. That definitely wasn''t me. I would never believe anyone to that level. Moreover, the Contract of Imagination itself looks more like a tricky one. Then, what was the other guy''s name in the contract? Xander Nightwind, is it? Hmm? Wait¡­ Xander¡­ Xander¡­ I definitely heard that name somewhere¡­'' Charles racked his brain as he stepped on the broken path and soon widened his jade-eyes a little.


    ''Yes, I heard it from Richard 13 days ago! When I asked him about the Arc Kingdom''s Royal mages, he told me about a dark mage. I think his name is Xander, and he is the one who is loved by the citizen of Arc Kingdom and has a great reputation among the masses. At that time, I also noticed that somehow I forget to search for the ''informer.'' Richard also said that Xander also came to Riverdale City thrice during the past six months and even donated arge amount to Slum Street''s Richie Orphanage!''


    ''This¡­ Is he also a family member of the Nightwind family? Now, my main question is, why did Eddie put his name in the contract? What did I miss? Think Charles¡­ Think¡­'' As he was about to shift his attention to the current problem, Charles suddenly felt something was not right about the Nightwind family from the very beginning.


    Charles then nced at the Holem''s Crown and asked.


    ''Mr. Rh, why did you choose me as your sessor?''

 Chapter 71: Schemes

    <h4>Chapter 71: Schemes</h4>


    The Holem''s Crown stayed silent for a moment and then spoke in Charles''s mind.


    ''I always chose a mortal as my inheritor,d. That way, I had an easy time finishing the 1000 miracle mission by manipting them from behind. Otherwise, it would have taken more than one or two millenniums for me to fulfill the Abyssal contract. But what I didn''t expect was your scheme and thest abnormal miracle. If not, I would have already on my way to the City of Miracles.''


    ''Oh?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and then asked,


    ''Did you encounter any Nightwind family ''Mystic'' in the past few months?''


    This time, the Holem''s Crown deliberated for a second and responded.


    ''Yes. I saw a Nightwind family member once in the city, but it was just a pure coincidence. That man appeared around 40 to 50 years old, had long wavy blonde hair, a lean body, and ocean-like blue eyes. I saw him entering Slum Street''s orphanage, and he looked more like a mage because of his blue robe.''


    ''Coincidence?'' Charles snorted inwardly and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''This Xander Nightwind might be the ''Red Prince.'' But why is his hair blonde instead of red?'' He froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Did he purposefully use that title to confuse me? Now that I think about it, he did manipte my mind first to believe Addie as the Red Prince, right? If Richard didn''t tell me earlier, I might have believed Daniel as the ''Red Prince.'' Why do these guys are after me?'' While he was in muse, the Holem''s Crown suddenly continued.


    ''If I''m not wrong, there was also another blonde-haired old man tagging along with him. At that time, I even wondered why a Nightwind family member tagging along with a normal mortal. Why are you asking about him now?''


    ''Blonde-haired man¡­'' Charles''s face instantly turned serious.


    He clearly remembered that Derrick said that the First Servant ''Evil'' was a mysterious blonde-haired man and became surer about his guess.


    ''Wait¡­ A mortal, is it? We also encountered a blonde-haired old man near our third suspect, John Wayne''s room. At that time, John also said that a blonde-haired man was stalking him for some time¡­ Is it also a coincidence?'' Charles blinked his eyes in surprise and soon made a guess.


    ''This blonde-haired old man must be the First Servant'' Evil. Fireborn Family sent John Wayne to protect the [Historian] Max. Still, due to some irregrity, John found out the hidden secrets about the Holem''s Crown and started researching his own¡­


    When Max and his two other friends searched for Holem''s Crown in Slum Street, John also stalked them from behind, saw a shadow descended from the sky, and kidnapped them. At that time, he felt full-body numbness, deafness, blindness, and even smell blindness¡­


    It looks exactly like our current situation. So, Daniel''s ability must be simr to pulling someone''s consciousness into a strange illusion. No, this doesn''t look like pulling one''s consciousness. It seems more like interfering with one''s thoughts and senses. Hmm, does that mean Daniel is the [Mesmerist]?'' Charles raised his thin eyebrows in suspicion.


    ''Devil''s Lair''s members are indeed terrifying. Most of them have mind maniption-like abilities and are well hidden.''


    Charles was deeply impressed by the Devil''s Lair organization members'' scheme.


    ''What a n. Although the Devil''s Lair''s organization members did everything perfectly, they still left some clues behind. Otherwise, I wouldn''t havee this far.


    My next problem is Xander Nightwind and Eddie Nightwind. I can tell now that they might be after the Holem''s Crown. The current Eddie Nightwind has no true soul, but he needed a trustworthy ally. But that reliable person is definitely not me. Although I don''t know much about Red Prince, I can tell now that he must be a partner of Eddie Nightwind. Otherwise, Eddie wouldn''t have mentioned his name in the contract. Then, why did he bring me here? That''s a very tricky question¡­


    Eddie deliberately leaked many clues like making a prophecy, cing a ''Nightmare Stone'' in the Wind Vi''s study room during this time, and so on and lured me into the Dreamworld to look for clues about A-035¡­ Think, Charles. Even if he isn''t a genius, would a 500-year man make these kinds of silly mistakes? No! Then, why did you believe his stupid excuse at that time?''


    At that moment, Charles''s jade eyes suddenly squinted as he recalled something.


    ''No, something was wrong at that time. When I was in the Dreamworld''s Wind Vi, Eddie almost made me believe his story with the power of ''Imagination'' and even helped me by upgrading the Ember Pistol. At that time, he even said that he used the power of ''Imagination'' on me to listen to his words.'' He suddenly halted his thought and nced at the ''Mark of Imagination'' once again.


    ''Now that I think about it, this ''Mark'' can trick others, right? If what I guessed is true, Eddie might have put this mark not only to fool the Holem''s Crown but also to fool me!


    Moreover, I''m feeling something was off about those chaotic double thoughts. Yes, when I first saw the Dark Wolf, my thoughts went disarray all of a sudden. One thought told me to act rationally, while the other thought urged me to kill that Nightmare Creature. At that time, I actually believed that it was the Nightmare Creature''s work. But now that I think about it, I''m started to feel suspicious of Eddie. Did he manipte my thoughts to check whether he can control me or not? Then, I also sensed a simr d¨¦j¨¤-vu feeling when I kidnapped Derrick. At that time, I subconsciously saw this temple from afar and became a clear-head. But when I tried to question why I was acting recklessly, that damned quote stood firm in my mind¡­


    F*ck, I need to erase this mark from my hand first. Eddie almost changed my character in the past few months.'' He sucked in a cold breath and grew extremely vignt against the ''Mark of Imagination.''


    ''With this ''Mark of Imagination,'' he must have aware of all of my actions. Damn, he might still be watching us using this mark!'' A chill went up to his spines as he controlled his facial muscles using the upgrade [Disguise] skill and finally shifted his attention to the Quest mission.


    ''Now, my question is who this Chaos Wanderer is? Why would he want to devour this artifact?'' Charles suddenly recalled the earlier ''Miracle'' and got suspicious.


    ''Did they n such grand scheme for just one miracle?'' Charles asked the Holem''s Crown in Blen''snguage.


    ''It is possible. But why would the schemers manipte you toe here? Did they lure you here to finish you off andpletely gain full control over me?'' The Holem''s Crown muttered.


    Charles also thought of that possibility and became solemn.


    ''Things became moreplicated. First, I need to think of a way and get out of this situation.'' He stopped his thinking for a moment and soon asked.


    ''Mr. Rh, do you want to make a deal?''


    Simultaneously, Charles opened the game interference, stared at the Quest Mission, and began to think.


    ''Should I ce my trust in this game system for once? Although a psychopath did force me into this world, he seems to have ced this system to help me grow stronger. The Quest did say to save this artifact and gain itsplete ownership, right?''


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown got startled a bit by his words and asked in an uneasy tone.


    ''What is it?''


    It had already noticed that it was going to hear something dangerous and got anxious.


    ''Do you want your freedom?'' Charles asked.


    If the Holem''s Crown had eyes, it would have already wide opened them now!


    ''What are you plotting?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in a skeptical tone.


    Instead of answering, Charles chuckled inwardly and asked a strange question.


    ''Who is your current owner?''


    The Holem''s Crown took some time to think and then responded.


    ''There are three owners for me. The first one is the Holem family, but I alreadypleted the contract, and I will be able to erase the Abyssal Mark once I reach Rank-6. The second one is Nightwind Family. There is still one ''Miracle'' left toplete this contract, and once I did that, I will not be controlled by Nightwind Family members. Then, my third one is the ''Contract of Imagination.'' Unlike the other two, this one is a ve contract, and currently, you are my only owner.''


    Charles controlled his facial muscle to hide his smile and said.


    ''If I''m your owner and I have absolute control over the contract, I can undo the signed contract, right?''


    While asking, Charles zeroed his attention on the ''Mark'' of ''Imagination Contract'' and confirmed that he indeed could undo the contract with a simple thought.


    In the meantime, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a second and soon replied.


    ''Yes, you can.''


    ''Now, I want you to prepare a single Dark Star spell attack. It may be against Eddie Nightwind or this so-called Chaos Wanderer or the Red Prince. When the right timees, you can act on your own and kill anyone you want.'' Charles said in a calm tone.


    ''What are you nning?'' The Holem''s Crown couldn''t even understand his train of thoughts, so it asked in a confused tone.


    Smiling lightly, Charles used his consciousness to look at the ''Mark'' and then erased it with a single thought.


    A secondter, the Contract of Imagination scroll appeared in his mind and began to turn into powders¡­ No, it turned into ashes!


    The Holem''s Crown also noticed a drastic change happening in its inner world and got utterly stupefied.


    ''You erased the contract mark?!'' It shouted in shock and soon turned its full attention towards its inner world.


    Among the three red stars, two appeared dimmer instead of one. Not only that, the Holem''s Crown soon saw that the Imagination Contract star began to turn darker and soon disappeared in seconds!


    ''Do you know how hard it is for a Mystic to get an Intellectual Artifact? You are crazy!'' The Holem''s Crown said in disbelief.


    Without even minding the Holem''s Crown''s voice, Charles calmly followed after Emilia and soon noticed that they had almost reached the city center.


    ¡­


    A few minutes ago,


    Mad House, 158C Amber Street, Nobles'' Borough, Royal Capital, Arc Kingdom.


    A blonde-haired man in histe forties sat under the shadow of a big tree and was looking at an ancient-looking ck covered book with a solemn look on his face. He wore a blue robe, a long green pendant around his neck, and two unique tinum earrings. He had long wavy hair, wide-set oceanic eyes, a lean body, and appeared around 184 cm high.


    "Another variable¡­ Hmm, the Sess Rate is only 1.2%." He muttered as he leaned his back against thedder back chair and sighed.


    "I should have taken things slowly."


    As he was about to flip the page, he halted his movement, stared at the northern sky for a second, and stood up with a smile.


    "The Miracle effect is here." He said before closing the ancient-looking book and then waved his left hand.


    A secondter, his figure turned blurry and soon reced with the figure of an olddy.


    In the meantime, the blonde-haired man appeared on the outskirts of Riverdale City and soon started walking towards the city.


    But as he walked near the city entrance, he suddenly halted his footsteps and frowned.


    "Why am I feeling uneasy now?" He stood there with a nk expression on his face for a moment and soon continued to walk.


    ¡­

 Chapter 72: Assassination!

    <h4>Chapter 72: Assassination!</h4>


    Meanwhile, the Aces team members arrived at the area where the winged man''s statue was located and saw a gruesome scene around it. Tens of dismembered corpsesy in front of the statue, and their eyes were dug out from the sockets. The blood scent was so dense that it made Charles frown a little.


    ''Hmm, the blood scent is not thick and looks like they were all killed recently.'' Charles thought to himself and soon nced at the clothes on their bodies.


    Upon seeing their torn dresses, Charles confirmed that some belong to the Explorers Association, which had a special crow symbol embroidered on it. In contrast, others'' clothes looked more like normal ones.


    ''Why do their faces showing smiling expressions instead of fear and anxiety?'' He was surprised inside. In his past experience, even a trained person will break down during thest moment of his death and would never show a smiling face. So, when he saw such a scene, Charles felt that something was wrong with this situation.


    ''Mind control? Hmm, Daniel must have the ability to probe others'' thoughts and alter them somehow. Thankfully, even if he tried to probe my mind, he will only hear some strange words. The next one is the upgraded version of the ''Touch of Idiocy'' spell. Their strange smiles must be because of this reason. I need to kill him before he could suspect anything; otherwise, I will be in deep sh*t.''


    Turning his head a little, he also saw a total of 25 red-skinned humans danced around the statue in a circle, and each one seemed to be holding different types of organs in their hands. Some held eyes, some held hearts, and there were even a few headless red-skinned humans who held their own brains in their hands!


    But what made Charles stare at them in confusion was the dance that they were performing. All of them stepped uniformly and seemed to be dancing around the statue while singing verses in an ancientnguage.


    ''This looks more like a folk dance from the Earth.''


    At that moment, Charles''s eyes darted towards the ground and soon saw weird letters were inscribed all over the ce.


    ''Is this a magic ritual circle? I do read a lot about them in books, but I have never seen them upfront. Why did the enemy lead us here?'' His jade eyes scanned the weird ritual circle for ten seconds and soonnded on the winged man''s statue.


    The statue appeared to be made of some precious stone, and it gave off the feeling of creativity.


    Charles also saw an azure gem on the forehead area. Unlike before, he felt a sense of greed appeared in his heart. If it was before, he might have affected by this strange power. Thankfully, it was just another feeling for him.


    ''Greed?''


    Charles frowned a little and then turned his gaze towards the winged man''s eyes.


    His eyes and the winged man statue''s emerald eyes met!


    At that moment, the winged man statue''s two emerald eyes blinked twice!


    ''What the f*ck-?'' Before he could even shift away from the statue''s gaze, something strange force began to invade his mind!


    It was so fast that he couldn''t even notice it!


    Suddenly, a severe headache assaulted him, causing his face to contort a little. Tears flew out from his jade eyes as he took a step back and soon shifted his gaze away from the weird statue.


    ''Kill! Kill! Kill!''


    A strange melody of slogans echoed in his mind, causing him to nod subconsciously.


    In seconds, John''s previous memories surfaced in his mind one by one and started to corrupt his mind!


    Charles felt that it was necessary to kill and plunder the weak!


    He recalled the moment when he first murdered a bunch of tribal peoples. It was the first mission that the Ghost organization leader forced him to do it.


    On that day, he tasted the first blood!


    Then, the demon within him woke up and ultimately turned him into a maniac.


    He started killing for joy!


    The feeling of taking one''s life gave him immense pleasure and joy.


    He became a fully-fledged assassin. No, he turned into something else!


    He turned into a psychopath who would kill just to see the fear in others'' eyes!


    ''Damn it, what the hell is happening? Just staring at a statue caused my past memories to upy my mindpletely. Is it the power of Chaos Wanderer''s statue?'' An ominous thought appeared in his mind.


    Although his ''Inner-World'' was affected by his own dark thoughts, he still controlled himself.


    ''These memories are not strange ones. I did not regret killing those innocents, nor do I felt happiness for my past actions. Their sacrifices were necessary at that time. If I didn''t kill them, I would have died for not even meeting the Leader''s requirement. Although I became addicted to the killing, I already walked out of the path of darkness.'' His breathing grew heavier as he organized his thoughts and soon calmed down.


    In the meantime, the Holem''s Crown already woke up from the earlier shock and said in a solemn voice.


    ''The guy in the statue looks more like a devil from the First Hell.''


    ''First Hell?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and asked.


    ''Yes, among the Seven Hells, Winged Men only live in the First Hell due to harsh, chaotic atmosphere and always a thorn to all the devils. These devils are known for keeping the grudges for a lifetime, so be careful.''


    ''Hehe, I do keep grudges, though.'' He smirked inwardly.


    ''Should I cast my ''Incinerate'' spell and stop the ritual now? Hmm? I feel someone''s gaze from behind, and that person seems to be monitoring our movements.'' He pondered for a second and soon chose to stay silent.


    At that moment, he recalled Eve''s strange prophetic words.


    ''Red Hair¡­ She said something about a monster. No, it is neither monster nor a human. There is only one human who has Red-Hair, and that one is Daniel. Could it be that he is a vampire or something? But there is no memory of vampires in the real Charles''s memory, right? But I can''t rule out the possibility. It looks like I need to assassinate him swiftly; otherwise, things will get out of my hand.''


    Although he could stop this ritual now, he felt that it was necessary to kill Daniel first.


    Simultaneously, his eyes darted towards the front of the winged man''s statue, and soon he saw an obese man was sitting in a cross-legged position.


    Unlike the read-skinned humans, he looked more like an average human and seemed to be in the middle of doing some ritual thing. He had long ck hair, and he wore a white lined ck-robe.


    Whenever the red-skinned humans stop their movements, he would also stop his incantation, pour some oil into the fire that was burning in front of him, and continued to sing.


    Even though he was showing his back against him, Charles instantly identified this guy.


    ''Willy Pickton¡­ A famous artist from the south and also imed himself as the Arbiter of Storm Church.''


    After that, Charles''s gaze swept past him, and soon his eyesnded on the winged man''s statue''s right''s side.


    There, he saw another human figure standing with closed eyes. That human figure was a muscr man, around 50-years-old, and had blonde hair, an oval face, and pale skin. He wore a neat ck surcoat, ck pants, and leather shoes.


    ''Luke rk.'' Charles muttered inwardly and patiently observed their every movement.


    ''Someone ising towards us from the right side.'' After some time, he perceived someone''s presence through the strange invisible wisdom power and moved his gaze towards the ce.


    At that moment, Charles also ced his hand into the pants pocket, stealthily took out the Ember Pistol from the space ring through his thoughts, and let it stay there. Although his pants pocket suddenly turned abnormallyrge, his slightly long ck overcoatpletely hid the pistol from other''s eyes.


    After confirming that he had sessfully taken out the ''Ember Pistol'', he moved his hand away from the pants pocket and started controlling the pistol with his [Magician''s Hand] skill.


    He stood with a solemn look, moved his fingers from time to time, and finally adjusted the muffle to point at an angle of 130¡ã.


    At that moment, a long messy red-haired man in histe fifties walked out from the nearby skyscraper and soon arrived in front of them. He had almond silver eyes, a lean body, and looked around 174 cm high. He wore a tight ck suit, a silver dagger in his hand, and his face appeared very pale.


    He first raised his hands as he stopped two meters away from the trio and pped his hands twice.


    During the first p, Emilia and Andrew heard no sound at all.


    But during the second p, they suddenly felt some invisible power hit their ears and made them cover their ears subconsciously.


    An instantter, the deafness feeling in their minds suddenly disappeared!


    Before they could wake up from the shock, they saw that the Red-haired man arrived in front of Charles and sighed.


    "You guys sure love how to cause troubles." A cold voice came out from Daniel''s mouth.


    Emilia finally woke up from the half-hypnosis state and soon took a step back in vignce. Her grey robe fluttered in the wind as she instantly took out a pocket watch from the void pouch and held it in her palm.


    A chuckle leaked out of Daniel''s mouth as he moved his silver dagger and skillfully gave a shallow wound mark on her cheek.


    "Do you think I won''t kill you because of your family background?" He purposefully paused for a moment and soon revealed his white teeth before he swung his dagger towards her left chest,


    "This is for killing my son." His cold voice echoed as the silver dagger tore through the air and directly moved towards her heart.


    As his dagger was about to pierce through her chest, Daniel suddenly felt an intense pain in his heart. Simultaneously, a burning sensation also appeared in his mind!


    Although it was just a slight burning feeling, he still got affected by it and halted his hand for a moment.


    Before Daniel could think about the cause of these two abnormalities, he heard a bang sound from the front.


    No, it directly came from Charles''s right thigh region!


    If he had a skill like [Sixth Sense] or [Prevision], he would have dodged the bullet. Sadly, he had none of that. What''s more ironic was that he appeared right in front of Charles and gave him a big opportunity.


    In a second, Daniel saw a crimson bullet tore through Charles''s pants pocket, then the surcoat and soon appeared in front of his right eye!


    "Sh*t!" He cursed loudly and then tried his best to dodge the bullet. But the crimson bullet pierced through his right eye in a blink and soon entered deep into his head! Even at that moment, Daniel took a step forward, raised his hand, and moved it towards Charles''s chest region.


    Charles grinned as he unsheathed his Ghost Dagger from his waist and pushed it towards Daniel''s neck area.


    Simultaneously, he raised his other hand and moved towards his face.


    He knew that a Rank-3 Mystic wouldn''t die that easily, so he became firm on giving him more fatal blows and even prepared for an anomaly in advance.


    With a swish sound, his sharp dagger tore through the air and was about to stab him, but suddenly Charles''s stopped his hand!


    At that moment, Daniel''s raised hand had already touched Charles''s chest!


    In a second, a foolish smile appeared on Charles''s face!


    It was the upgraded version of [Touch of Idiocy] skill!


    But before Daniel could rejoice, Charles''s other hand touched the corner of his lips and moved it towards the other corner!


    In that instant, Charles''s foolish smile turned into a normal one!


    Before Daniel could wake up from the shock, Charles stabbed the dagger into his neck area. No, Charles moved his Ghost Dagger directly at his right side carotid artery and pushed it deep into his neck.


    Blood spattered in every direction as Daniel staggered backward while gripping his neck and soon moved towards the ritual circle in a half-conscious state. His face was filled with despair and panic as he gasped for air and kept his gaze locked on Charles.


    Upon seeing the sudden change outside the ritual circle, Luke rk and Willy Pickton opened their eyes wide and hurriedly moved towards their direction.


    Earlier, they didn''t even consider them as a threat due to the group being entirely controlled by Daniel Baker. But as they saw the current scene, both became utterly shocked inside.


    "Daniel can''t die now; save him quickly." Willy Pickton said in a hoarse voice and then uttered a strange short incantation.


    A secondter, the Winged Statue''s eyes let out a dim eerie red light and pulled Daniel towards the ritual circle through an invisible force.


    Upon noticing this strangeness, the corners of Charles''s lips turned up as he raised his hand, pointed his forefinger at Daniel''s head, and smiled.


    An instantter, a ray of crimson fire came out from his fingertip and directlynded on the bloodied right eye socket!


    Daniel''s head burst open with a bang, and soon the headless body fell on the ritual circle, painting the stone-like floor in red color.


    [Target Eliminated! 3,430 Exp Rewarded!]


    Nodding, Charles then turned his head towards the winged man statue, looked directly at the mouth area, ced his middle finger on his left side forehead area, and moved it smoothly towards the right side.


    "F*ck you." He said with a grin.

 Chapter 73: Inner-World

    <h4>Chapter 73: Inner-World</h4>


    At that moment, the dancing red-skinned chaos beings also stopped their movements and soon let outraging roars like he had ruined their important meal.


    Then, they turned their gazes towards the Aces team members and soon locked their eyes on Charles.


    Meanwhile, the winged man''s statue''s head also burst open and soon crumbled into multiple pieces.


    Then, a shadow of a red-skinned winged human with pointy ears appeared at the center of the ritual circle and then turned its gaze towards Charles.


    ''It''s just a memory fragment of the Winged Devil.'' The Holem''s Crown said coldly in his mind.


    But the mere gaze made Charles''s heart thump fiercely!


    It was the gaze filled with a mixture of terror, pain, fear, and madness!


    "I don''t know who you are, Irregr. But I will make you pay for your mistakes." That wicked being said in an eerie, cold tone.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles turned his face serious and said with a nod.


    "I''ll be waiting."


    Saying so, Charles stealthily moved his fingers like he was ying a musical instrument and then stared at the foggy humanoid figure with a calm look on his face.


    Simultaneously, the azure gem began to roll from the ritual circle and started moving on its own towards Charles!


    He then nced at the gem and cast the [Inspect] skill on it.


    ¡­


    [Item name: Divinity Extractor


    Rank: ???


    Effect: This stone has the ''Will'' of a Devil and has the power to steal Divinity under certain circumstances.]


    Although some pure evil power tried to control his mind when he stared at the azure gem, he simply used his wisdom power andpletely blocked it from entering the dark world.


    Charles then directly pulled the gem towards him through the [Magician''s Hand] skill and soon caught it in his hand. After that, he sneakily moved it near his space ring and stored it inside.


    Unaware of his sneaky actions, the shadowy devil-like figure turned into a cloud of dark smoke and soon appeared beside Daniel''s headless corpse.


    Then, the dark smoke entered into the corpse and disappeared!


    At that moment, the surrounding 25 red-skinned Chaos beings returned to their position and continued their chanting!


    ''Oh? Not giving up?'' Charles raised his thin eyebrows and saw a notification appeared in the corner of his eyes.


    ''Hmm? Quest ispleted? Then, why is he trying to possess the headless body?'' He was confused for a moment.


    ''The devil is nning something else-.'' The Holem''s Crown responded but soon went silent.


    ''What happened?'' He asked, and that the same time, he turned his attention to the Quest notification.


    As he was about to dismiss it, Charles suddenly noticed a change.


    He saw that everything around him began to freeze!


    ''What is this? Is this the Present Time effect Rh told me earlier?'' A surprised expression appeared on his face.


    A secondter, Charles turned his attention towards the notification and became stunned.


    ¡­


    [Main Quest: Save the Intellectual Artifact and gain its full ownership.


    Quest Description: On October 2nd of the year 6396 of the Second Arcane Era, a big change will happen in the Unexplored Forest and would cause a massive change in the ''Fate'' of the Arc Kingdom. Participate in this mission and save Rh from being devoured by the Chaos Wanderer.


    Quest Completed!


    Quest Reward: 8,450 Experience Points.]


    ¡­


    [System is analyzing the Intellectual Artifact called the ''Holem''s Crown.'']


    [Intellectual Artifact''s True Soul is heavily injured!]


    [Repairing¡­]


    [Error¡­ Abyssal ne''s marks are detected.]


    [Borrowing the power of ''******'' ne¡­]


    [Removing the Marks¡­]


    [Removal takes time, please stand-by¡­]


    [Repairing the Intellectual Artifact''s soul¡­]


    [Insufficient Life Energy¡­]


    ¡­


    [Hidden Chain-Quest Trigged!]


    [Quest Description: The soul hidden in the Holem''s Crown Intellectual Artifact is severely injured, and it needs the Host''s help to solve it.]


    [Rewards: Based on the progression.]


    Current Progression: 0%]


    ¡­


    Charles stared at the notifications for a while and soon saw that the strange ''Time Freeze'' effect was still active. He tried to move his muscle and soon noticed that he couldn''t!


    Only his thoughts were flowing in this ''Time Freeze'' effect!


    Although Charles felt ufortable by this situation, he knew that it was a blessing in disguise.


    ''Wow, the Game-System can stop the ''Time'' itself? No, that shouldn''t be possible. I guess that the system must have used the power of ''Time'' on me and made me think multiple or a hundred times faster than others. That way, it can speed up the process andpletely remove the Abyssal marks. Although it was just an assumption, this one looks possible whenparing with the other one. Now, every second is precious for me.'' Charles instantly stared at the battlefield and began to think of his following action.


    ''From the looks of it, the system needs some time to remove the ''Abyssal Marks'' in the Holem''s Crown''s Inner-world. Before it ends, I should concentrate on other things. What I need right now is an offensive spell attack. But due to the less absorption rate, I can only cast these spells once every five minutes. That''s not an option for me now¡­ Wait! When I improved my ''Wisdom'' attribute a few minutes ago, I felt a connection with the ''Mana'' from the atmosphere itself. Although it was just a vague feeling, I might decrease the cooldown time if I increase my Wisdom attribute once again.'' Such thoughts crossed through his mind.


    He hesitated for a moment and then poured 2,536 Exp points into the main ss.


    ¡­


    [2,536 Exp deduced from the Host¡­]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You became a Level-5 Fire Weaver!]


    [2 free attributes points are rewarded!]


    [1 Wisdom point rewarded!]


    [10 Skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    As the notifications appeared one by one, Charles felt a tearing sensation from the deepest part of his soul. In an instant, he perceived a strange world appeared in his mind.


    He moved his consciousness to that ce and soon found himself standing in a gloomy dark world filled with trees and shrubs. The forest was filled with hundreds of corpses, trails of blood, and weapons. He first lowered his gaze and soon noticed that his consciousness was just an illusionary form of himself.


    ''This¡­ Is this my soul form?'' He asked himself in shock. Although he did expect such a scene, he was still stunned by it.


    He then nced around his surroundings and soon saw trees, blood-stained grasses, and different kinds of insects appeared deep in the surrounding forests. Some looked illusionary, while others seemed to be original. If not for his earlier knowledge about the ''Inner-World,'' he might have thought of it as an illusion!


    ''This ce looks familiar¡­'' He muttered inwardly and soon saw a 16-year-old teen among the corpses. He wore a dark leather suit and held two sharp daggers in his hand. His eyes were dark as abyss, and he stood on those corpses with a twisted smile on his face.


    ''This is a part of my childhood memory. After my two years of training, I was forced to kill a group of tribal people for training and became a full-fledged killer. That was the first time I tasted the joy of killing and became addicted to it sooner.'' Realization appeared on Charles''s face as he stopped there for a moment and soon moved further deep into the forest. Like before, he saw his previous life''s dark memory scenes one by one and soon understood that this must be the ''Inner-World.''


    ''That strange devil''s statue must be the cause of this mess.'' He sighed heavily.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly felt that the surrounding turned somewhat brighter and soon halted his footsteps.


    BANG!


    An earthshaking explosion came from the sky!


    Widening his illusionary jade eyes, Charles looked up and soon got perplexed as he saw seven red-colored stars were hovering above in the sky!


    Each of them looked simr yet different at the same time.


    ''Spell models?'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face as he stared at the stars for a second and soon squinted his eyes.


    Within seconds, Charles saw that fire-sparks fell from those seven stars like small asteroids and soon fell onto his Inner-World!


    No, fire sparks came from six stars, not the seventh star!


    Before he could understand, the crashed fire sparks ignited the gloomy dry trees, and the fire started to spread in every direction!


    The fires slithered towards the dry nts and trees and tangled with one another like snakes before devoured everything on its way.


    Within seconds, the gloomy dark world itself shone brightly in yellowish red color!


    At the same time, Charles sensed a strange sensation from the seventh spell model. He zeroed his eyes on the peculiar seventh star and noticed that it connected his consciousness to the outside world!


    ''This is the [me Body] spell model!'' He instantly identified it. Earlier, Charles felt that constructing this spell model was a wrong choice. But now, he understood something.


    ''This spell model not only helps me deepen the connection between my consciousness and the ''Inner-world,'' but it also helps me borrow power from this strange imaginary ''Inner-world'' directly!''


    Charles also felt that he could manipte the fire elements from the outside world, pull them into this strange ''Inner world,'' and even weave them into different shapes!


    At that moment, he suddenly thought of something and soon nced around the dark world.


    ''What if the Game-System is hiding in my ''Inner-world''? A question appeared in his mind.


    ''It is possible. Although I somehow entered the Inner-world, I can vaguely tell that entering one''s Inner-world'' at my current rank is almost impossible. Then, what caused this? Is it because of the system? Or is it because I raised my Wisdom above 30? Or, is it because of the devil''s statue that induced my previous dark emotions and memories?'' More questions whirled in his mind.


    ''Tsk, raising questions is easy. But finding the right answer is always a hard task.'' He heaved a heavy sigh and then thought of his current problem.


    ''Outside world has less fire-elemental energy so I need to find a way to get the co-ordination of Fire Elemental ne and created my elemental heart first.'' He instantly understood the seriousness.


    ''If I created the elemental heart, I might have cast the ''Incinerate'' spells simultaneously andpletely wiped the enemies out in seconds. At least, I can absorb the ''Fire elements'' quicker from now on. Although I can''t absorb the ''Fire Element'' due to the ''Time Freeze'' effect now, I can make a rough estimation about the absorption rate. Hmm, it should be around 10 to 30 seconds. Although it is still long like chanting an incantation, it''s much better than before.'' He nodded his head.


    He then closed his eyes for a moment and soon left the Inner-world with the help of the [me Body] spell model.


    An instantter, he stared at the battlefield and then started to n his following action.


    After another 5 minutes of long waiting, another notification appeared in front of his eyes.


    ¡­


    [Removal processpleted!]


    ¡­


    A momentter, the ''Time-Freeze'' effect also resumed!


    Nothing changed except for the calm look on Charles''s face.


    Before Daniel''s headless body could regenerate a new head, he took a step forward and dashed towards the ritual circle.


    At the exact moment, he added one skill point to ''Strength'' and another skill point to the ''Constitution'' attribute.


    A secondter, Charles felt that he had unknowingly broken through an important shackle and entered into a new phase.


    In a blink, he realized that it had something to do with him raising ''Strength,''''Constitution,'' and ''Dexterity'' above 15!


    At that moment, something extraordinary happened!


    His running speed doubled all of a sudden, causing others to widen their eyes in shock!


    ''You entered the realm of Experts?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in a bbergasted tone.


    ''Realm of Experts?'' Charles got stunned by the new term and asked in surprise.


    ''When you enter this phase, your strength will be on par with Rank-3 Mystics. Only a few enters this phase in an earlier stage, so it is a great achievement.'' The Holem''s Crown responded calmly and then started feeling something was off about its inner-world.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, held one dagger in his hand, and moved around the ritual circle with a bloody smile on his face.


    Although he was eager to walk into the ritual circle andpletely rip the headless Daniel''s body, he controlled his emotions and acted cautiously. He had a vague feeling that it was a trap to lure him into this strange bloody ritual circle!


    ''Even if this headless Daniel reborn into a new kind of demon, I have Holem''s Crown to back me up now.'' Nodding his head, he crouched down a little and aimed his dagger at a Chaos Being''s neck area. Due to that being concentrated its attention on some weird ritual chanting, Charles sneakily appeared behind it, cut its throat, and sliced its head away from the body!


    Without minding the rotten blood that sshed on his face, Charles yed with the dagger and moved towards his next target.


    Whenever he went near a red-skinned chaos being, he would swiftly sh his dagger and decapitated their heads. If it were before, he would have faced some difficulty. But after his body entered the phase of Experts'' stage, he turned into a beast!


    [Target Eliminated! 100 Exp Obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 140 Exp Obtained!]


    ¡­


    Like a reaper, he held his dagger, tore through those Chaos Beings'' fleshes one by one, and made their heads dance in the air.


    His ruthless action surprised everyone!

 Chapter 74: Devils Memory Fragment

    <h4>Chapter 74: Devil''s Memory Fragment</h4>


    "Our guess is right. Charles is a shadow Guard series ss Mystic." Willy Pickton finally said in a loud voice.


    Nodding, Luke took out an elegant-looking green bow from his void pouch and took out a metal arrow from his quiver.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown finally sensed the anomaly in its inner world and soon shouted in his mind.


    ''What the f*cking hell did you do to my Inner World?''


    A while ago, the Holem''s Crown saw a massive crystalline star appeared in the deepest part of the inner-world and becamepletely stupefied. From the crystalline star, multiples strings spread towards its inner-world and appeared to be controlling its every movement!


    Not only that, it even noticed that the other two Abyssal marks also nowhere to be seen!


    ''This is not an equal contract¡­ Hmm, I smell the presence of ''Time'' in it. An absolute contract?!''


    Upon hearing those words from the Holem''s Crown, Charles froze for an instant and soon revealed a mysterious smile on his face.


    ''Hehe, do you understand how powerful I am?'' He teased with augh.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown''s mind went nk for a moment.


    ''The strangenguage you spoke from time to time is not from this world¡­Abnormal rise in strength¡­ Are you a ne Traveler? No, you didn''t choose the Space Observer ss¡­ A reincarnated soul! Are you a reincarnated soul? How did you manage to trick the Eternal River of Life when reincarnation? Transmigration? Is that due to the ''Last Miracle''? No, that shouldn''t be possible. You know nothing about the ss system¡­Who are you? Are you an ancient mage from the Era of Primordial Beings? Or, a Fallen God?'' Even Charles went dumbfounded as he heard a lot of new terms and soon said mysteriously.


    ''Only the ''Time'' will answer your questions. But don''t worry; I will definitely release you after 100 years.'' Without even waiting for the Holem''s Crown to start nagging him, Charles nced at Emilia while decapitating another red-skinned Chaos Being and asked.


    "Do you have any n to-?"


    He stopped his talking in the mid-way as he saw a blurry future vision and ducked his head.


    A secondter, an arrow made of silver metal tore through the air, passed through the area where his head was before, and soonnded on another Chaos Being''s forehead!


    Before Charles could move to the next target, another three metal arrows passed by andnded on three Chaos Beings'' foreheads!


    ''What is he doing?'' He got deeply angered by Luke''s action and soon saw that Luke had already released another five metal arrows in different directions!


    Charles instantly realized his n and spoke.


    "Team Leader, they are yours."


    Saying so, Charles hurriedly cast [Crimson Robe] and [Crimson Steps] spell on himself and started walking towards Daniel''s twitching body at an unimaginable speed. Unlike before, Charles also saw a small fleshy thing began to protrude out of the neck region and seemed to be growing into a fleshy head!


    Although there were still eight Chaos Beings standing on the battlefield, he didn''t even nce at them andpletely turned his attention towards Daniel. He felt that it was necessary to finish off the twitching body now.


    In the meantime, Emilia didn''t respond to Charles''s words.


    Instead, she heaved a deep sigh, put her hand into the void pouch, and disappeared from where she stood before.


    An instantter, she appeared behind Luke rk.


    "You made a mistake, my friend." She whispered in his ears as she took out a scarlet knife from her void pouch and directly thrust it towards his back!


    Noticing the dangerous situation, Luke wore a solemn look and activated his force-field defensive shield.


    But soon he realized that something was wrong.


    An instantter, the scarlet knife directly tore through his superficial skin and entered deep into his abdomen from behind.


    Shock and confusion dawn on Luke''s face as he couldn''t understand why his defensive artifact went inactive!


    At that moment, strange energy filled with pure evilness entered his bloodstream and soon started invading his heart.


    "What is this!?" He cried out in shock.


    A secondter, Luke''s body trembled all over, and soon he fell on his knees!


    His face then soonnded on the stone floor with a thudding sound!


    Emilia didn''t stop there, though. She turned her face towards Willy Pickton and started walking without minding the broken stones with an icy look.


    Although Willy became stunned by Luke''s sudden defeat, he swiftly made a decision and directly ced his hand on his chest.


    An instantter, his figure suddenly turned watery and soon disappeared from there, leaving a barrel of water to fell on the concrete floor.


    "He escaped?" Andrew ran towards the area where Willy stood before with a regretful expression on his face and soon asked.


    "It appears so. Well, we captured our friend, so let not bother searching the fake believer." Emilia waved her hand, turned around, and soon locked her gaze on Daniel, whose head was now grownpletely.


    But unlike before, a single horn was protruded on his forehead, and he appeared more maniacal.


    At this moment, Charles also appeared in front of him and directly cast [Incinerate] spell.


    The ray of crimson fire directlynded on Daniel''s chest and directly tore the flesh. But Charles saw that the wound on Daniel''s chest began to heal at an unimaginable speed and grew heavy.


    "Futile." An unfamiliar hoarse voice came out from Daniel''s curve-like mouth as he patted the dust on his ck suit and shifted his gaze towards Charles.


    A secondter, Charles noticed that something was invading his mind!


    No, not only that, he even saw that the surroundings suddenly turnedpletely dark!


    ''Daniel''s skill? He can use Daniel''s skills now?'' A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face.


    At that moment, Charles felt deafness, smell blindness, blindness, and numbness.


    He felt that the time seemed to be stopped for a moment!


    "Do you fear the dark?" An eerie voice filled with malice suddenly reached his mind.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles used his wisdom power and stopped the mysterious power from blocking his sense. Although he was still in the dark world, Charles instantly regained his senses.


    Then, the corner of his lips suddenly rose as he let out a chuckle and spoke in a calm tone.


    "The one in daylight fears dark, Devil." He paused as he searched the surroundings through the wisdom power and soon added,


    "But I lived in the dark, and this was my home ground once."


    Saying so, he waved his hand and broke the dark world with a smile on his face.


    This time, it was the possessed Daniel''s turn to be surprised!


    "You already entered your soul realm?" Daniel said in the same hoarse voice.


    Charles chuckled.


    "You ask too many questions,"


    He appeared right next to the possessed Daniel after saying those words, stabbed his dagger below the sternum, and rammed him to the ground.


    Although the Winged Devil''s memory fragments possessed Daniel''s body to take revenge on him, it didn''t have any other skills other than Daniel''s ones.


    Without minding''s its futile attempt, Charles then ripped his abdomen wall muscles open and plunged the dagger towards his heart. He didn''t stop there, though. Gripping his Ghost Dagger, he then ruptured both of his lungs, liver and even tore the diaphragm!


    After that, he made a vertical line above the sternum, opened the rib cage, and then studied the human body''s internal structure with a calm look on his face.


    ''Oh? Humans'' internal organs look the same as humans from the Earth. But why is he still alive?''


    "Howe his body is still twitching?" He asked out loud and soon noticed a strange tattoo above the right lung.


    Only then did he saw that Daniel''s right lung''s outer pleura was emitting a strange green light, and that light seemed to be spreading to the nearby organs, including the heart, left lung, and even moving below!


    Frowning, Charles then ripped the rib bones and directly extracted the right lung by cutting the bronchial tube.


    At that moment, a cloud of ck smoke came out from the right lung and soon formed into an illusionary figure of a Winged Man. No, it was a Winged-Man Devil!


    Upon seeing the shadowy figure, the corner of Charles''s lips curled upward.


    "Is this your original body''s lung?" His tone was cold as ice as he squeezed the organ a little and soon widened his smile.


    He saw pain and agony on the Devil''s face.


    "Mortal, return my organ to where it belongs." An ancient voice filled with pure rage echoed in the gloomy city center.


    Charles didn''t even nce at the shadowy figure, though. Instead, he stared up at the dark cloudy sky and asked in a gloomy voice.


    "What is your rtionship with the Red Prince?"


    Simultaneously, he squeezed the lung organ and returned his deadly gaze at the shadowy figure.


    "Is he your servant?" He probed.


    In the meantime, the shadowy Winged Man groaned a little and soon said with a wicked grin on its face.


    "I''m his servant."


    As the words ended, the green-colored lung filled with strange viscous fluids suddenly bulged a little and soon exploded, sshing the viscous liquid on Charles''s face.


    "You are a mere worm in ''His'' presence." The shadowy Winged Man''s figure suddenly paused for a second and soon added with a devilish grin on its face.


    "Run and hide like a worthless worm." After saying those words, the shadowy figure turned blurry and soon disappeared into a cloud of smokes.


    "Hide?" Charles paused in surprise as he wiped the viscous liquid off his face and then turned his attention towards the remaining Chaos Beings.


    Charles then stepped forward towards the nearby Chaos Being and stabbed his dagger into its neck.


    ¡­


    Two minutester, the ritual ceremony area returned toplete dead silence.


    ''I got a total of 2340 Exp from these Chaos Beings. Not a bad reward.'' He nodded with a pleasant smile on his face and soon turned his gaze towards Luke rk, who was already woken up from the unconscious state.


    But unlike before, Emilia and Andrew squatted beside him and even shackled him in iron chains.


    Heaving a deep sigh, Charles went near the headless Winged Man''s statue and looked at the ritual circle in puzzlement.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you decipher these words and tell me what is written in this circle?'' He asked.


    The Holem''s Crown replied by emitting a dim light and soon started to speak.


    ''It is written in the Devil''s tongue. Hmm, they were nning to summon the ''Will'' of Hell ne and appeared to be doing some sacrificial ceremony.''


    ''Sacrificial Ceremony? For what?'' He suddenly thought of the azure gem and soon widened his eyes.


    ''So, they nned to steal the Holem''s Crown divinity using the Azure gem and then sacrifice it to the ''Hell'' ne, huh. For what purpose?'' Puzzlement appeared on Charles''s oval face.


    ''Once you sacrifice something valuable to a ne, it will fulfill your wish.'' The Holem''s Crown seemed to have already startedprehending some English words and said in a deep tone.


    ''What the f*ck? You already started deciphering the meanings of English words?'' Shock appeared on Charles''s face, and soon he realized that this artifact had the [Recall] skill!


    Groaning slightly, he used his wisdom power to shield the dark space and soon checked whether the Holem''s Crown could hear him or not.


    After getting no response from the Holem''s Crown, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and started to think about the current situation.


    ''So, they created this ritual ceremony to get a wish, huh.'' Charles instantly thought of Eddie''s request about creating an ultimate miracle and soon guessed.


    ''That exins everything.'' He nodded his head in enlightenment.


    ''But where is Eddie Nightwind? If this ritual ceremony is for him to form his true soul, then why didn''t he appear here even after the failure?'' Puzzlement crossed on Charles''s face and soon widened jade his eyes.


    ''Could it be that he can''t enter this world willingly? Now that I think about it, he never did show his appearance in Edhen World, right? When he told me about the real Eddie''s death, he said that Eddie''s other incarnations and avatars started to disappear one by one, and he survived by absorbing the other creatures'' memories. Wait.''


    ''Memories can even form into physical beings with the power of ''Imagination'' in the Dreamworld. But that wouldn''t be possible once he left that area. But that doesn''t add up about his appearance when he released the prophecy¡­ Was there another helper? No, there must be something else.'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon made a bold conclusion.


    ''When he made that prophecy, he solely isted himself in the Wind Vi and never went anywhere. Could it be that he made a gateway to connect the Wind Vi and our house to the Dreamworld? Could it be that there is a time limit for him to stay in the Edhen World?'' The more he thought about it, the more he became certain of that possibility.


    ''If my guess is right, he must have known about the failure of this ''ritual ceremony.'' But due to some circumstances, he couldn''t enter this world.'' He nodded his head in understanding and soon thought of the robed skeleton that appeared in the Dreamworld.


    ''Did it create through my Imagination? Or, is it also summoned by Eddie to probe my strength?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    ''Does that mean Eddie won''t appear here? No, l can''t let him live any longer. He is a very dangerous person.'' Charles''s face turned serious.

 Chapter 75: Co-operation

    <h4>Chapter 75: Co-operation</h4>


    Upon hearing Charles words, the Holem''s Crown let out a dim red light and spoke in his mind,


    ''Look at the ''Mark of Imagination,''d. It is shining for a while, which means the other party is now using this mark to locate you. It wouldn''t long before hees here.''


    Charles pressed his lips together as he nced at the ''Mark of Imagination'' and soon widened his jade eyes.


    ''It looks like escape is not an option for me now.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''Don''t wait for the opportunity, Charles. Create one and assassinate him here and now.'' A reckless idea appeared in his mind.


    He knew that it was the only chance to get out of this predicament.


    ''I also have a vague feeling that he woulde earlier if I activate this Coin of Helper.'' He froze for a second at the unusual feeling and soon shifted his attention towards the Coin of Helper.


    Charles then took a deep breath and asked the Holem''s Crown in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, do you speak Nether tongue?''


    His sudden question greatly startled the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Where in the hell did you hear about this ''Nether Language''?'' It paused for a second and then answered.


    ''It''s themonnguage of the ''Underworld.'' And, yes. I do speak the Nether tongue.''


    ''Oh? Tell me more about it. Why is it very rare in this world?'' He asked.


    The Holem''s Crown instantly replied.


    ''The Nether Language is same as Runal Language. But unlike Runal Language, which is used to decipher the magic spells by mages, this Nether Language mostly used to decipher the power of Life, Death, and Soul by the Necromancers. If you ever n on visiting the undead ne, you must learn thisnguage.''


    ''Heh, does that mean only the person from the Death Church knew thisnguage?''


    He posed another question.


    ''The Gods of this n are not that dumb,d. If the Lawful Gods of the Edhen allowed the Nether Language and Rune Language to spread freely here, there wouldn''t be able to gain full control over this ne. Many Necromancer ss Mystics and Mage ss Mystics would have born and ruled many kingdoms instead of Gods. Their main goal to eradicate the Arcane Empire off this world is because of this.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    Charles frowned when he heard those words and soon showed the ''Coin of Helper'' to the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Can you guess how this coin ends up in the hands of Addie Baker?''


    The Holem''s Crown went silent for a few seconds to organize its thoughts and then responded.


    ''I smell the power of Dream in it. I''m damn sure Eddie''s incarnation is the one who gave it to Addie.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded his head as he flipped the coin and asked.


    ''How to say ''Change'' in Nether Tongue?''


    ''So, you are nning to lure him first, huh.'' The Holem''s Crown heaved a deep sigh and then told him how to pronounce the word ''Change.''


    Once he got the answer, Charles nodded his head and was about to activate the ''Coin of Helper'' but stopped.


    ''Will you be able to assassinate him sessfully?'' He asked in doubt. Charles knew that once he activated this ''Coin,'' there will be no going back.


    ''I''m 70% sure. Only if Eddie sensed the danger earlier and created an illusion to hide, I won''t be able to lock on him and assassinate him. But you don''t have to worry too much about it because his strength might not be above Rank-4 Mystic.''


    A troubled expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''A Rank-4 Mystic is still a powerful man in my eyes. If not for your ''Dark Star'' spell, I would have already given up on facing him and ran away from here.'' He firmly shook his head.


    ''I should return to Riverdale City and get the hell out of this kingdom. Once I grew strong enough to face a Rank-4 Mystic, I wille and deal with him myself.'' Charles felt that was the right choice.


    Before he could say another word, the Holem''s Crown spoke in disdain.


    ''Do you think that he won''t be able to track you down? Humph, you are his descendant, and he must have countless ways to track you down. Although you manage to erase the Abyss Marks in my Inner world, I can see that you are still weak against Rank-3 Mystics. You are simply using underhand methods to kill your enemies.''


    ''I know.'' Charles closed his eyes and started to ponder deeply.


    ''If I had some powerful allies, I wouldn''t be in this state. Wait¡­ What is Life Church''s aim?'' He felt that something was very odd about them.


    ''Bishop Reynolds and other two Life Church mages¡­ They must havee here for another purpose. Although they helped me when Anderson was about to kill us, I still felt something was off about them. Humph, even Gods sometimes finds it difficult to do good deeds; they are human after all.'' He didn''t have any n to put his hope on them from the beginning.


    ''They are just a bunch of fanatics who would betray me at any time. I should concentrate on how to deal with my current situation.'' He rubbed his temple in frustration and soon nced at Emilia


    ''Why is she so calm?'' He suddenly recalled the moment when Emilia told Anderson about her secret mission and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''Could it be that she has a backup n?'' A strange doubt appeared in his mind as he wandered his gaze towards the surroundings and then narrowed his eyes.


    ''Archbishop Abel¡­ That man''s appearance during my Rank-Up¡­Him sending her sister to a dangerous mission in the name of fulfilling the prophecy¡­ Church''s strange actions¡­'' He subconsciously turned his gaze towards the headless winged man''s statue.


    ''Something is wrong¡­ The Holem''s Crown is already in my hands, and they knew that I agreed to hand it over to the Church if I didn''t reach Rank-5 in the next ten years. So, why would they risk their lives toe here?'' He suddenly zeroed his focus on the headless Winged Man''s statue and asked,


    ''Mr. Rh, can you tell me what is more precious than a series artifact for the Life Church?''


    ''It''s another above rank series artifact or divinities. They are the precious treasures for Gods.''


    ''Is that so?'' Charles soon appeared near the winged man''s statue and soon kicked it with full might. He vaguely felt that something was wrong with this statue, so he thought of checking it out first.


    Due to the earlier damage, the statue trembled and soon crumbled into multiple pieces.


    No, the one crumbled into multiple pieces was just an outeryer of the winged man''s statue.


    Before long, Charles saw what was hiding within the statue and soon widened his eyes.


    Because what he saw was not a box or something; instead, it was another statue!


    This one was a small female statue with a lotus petal-like thing embedded on the forehead area. The woman in the statue had long straight hair, a round face, a slim, curvy body, half-meter tall, and the statue appeared to be made of wood.


    Charles scanned the statue for a moment in shock, and soon his eyes glued on the forehead area where the strange petal was embedded.


    With a curious look on his face, he took the petal with his right hand, ced it on his palm, and cast [Inspect] skill on it.


    To his surprise, he only saw question marks all over the ce!


    "What happened?" Noticing his strange actions, Emilia stood up and asked while she started walking towards him.


    In the meantime, Andrew also stood up and followed her footsteps.


    "This is it!" He muttered in an excited tone as he arrived next to Charles and hurriedly took the white petal from his hand.


    "Team Leader, we need to store this thing; otherwise, others might sense it."


    Emilia nodded her head, took the petal, and hurriedly stored it in her void pouch. She then took two steps back and then said in a calm tone.


    "This is the Divinity of Morality."


    ''Divinity? Why would it appear in this statue?'' Charles asked the Holem''s Crown in confusion.


    ''These type of Divinities holds mysterious power,d. You can find these types of divinities in all the Gods'' and Goddess'' statutes. I once heard that this has something to do with gathering divine powers from the masses.''


    Charles creased his eyebrows and soon turned his face towards Emilia.


    "Team Leader, you led me here in the name of Goddess''s Prophecy for this thing?" He asked.


    "No, that prophecy thing is real. But getting this Divinity is our main goal. Now, what should we do with our guest here?" Emilia simply waved her right hand and soon turned her gaze towards the opposite side.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles raised his eyebrows and soon sensed another presence nearly.


    He followed her gaze and soon looked at the area where the broken temple was located. In a few seconds, he saw a human figure was walking in their direction.


    He was a male kid, who looked around 18-years old, wore a brown leather jacket, ck shoes, and ck leather pants, and appeared well-equipped. His ck hairs were slightly long and somewhat messier, and his wide-set emerald eyes seemed to hold deep secrets behind them. He walked on the stone-like floor with quiet footsteps and soon arrived outside the ritual circle.


    Emilia moved her hand towards her void pouch as she watched the ck-haired kid and took out a ck dagger from it.


    ''He is the [Historian].'' The Holem''s Crown said in Charles''s mind.


    "Max Fireborn?" Charles sized the ck-haired kid up and down and asked.


    Meanwhile, Max curled his lips upward and nodded in the affirmative.


    "I''m here to make a deal with you, Charles." Max went straight to the point.


    "You are not here for Divinity?" Emilia asked him in a bbergasted tone.


    "Who would fight for that scary thing?" Max nced at her weirdly and soon shook his head.


    "What is it then?" Charles stared at him in confusion.


    "I will help you deal with the fake Eddie now. In return, you have to help meplete a mission in the near future." Before Charles could refute, Max raised his hand and interrupted him.


    "That ''Mark'' on your wrist will activate in a few minutes, and he wille out to take revenge on you for ruining this sacrificial ceremony."


    Max said in a t tone.


    Charles and his teammates nced at each other in confusion.


    ''This guy knew more about Edde.'' A surprised expression appeared on his face.


    "How should I trust you? Wait¡­ Are you the one who created the earlier noise to distract us?" Charles''s eyes widened as he recalled the moment when he got the opportunity to level up.


    In the meantime, Max let out a chuckle and nodded.


    "I vaguely felt that you need an opportunity, so I created it for you." He paused for a moment and soon asked,


    "How is it? Do you want to co-operate?"


    Charles stayed silent for a moment and soon asked,


    "Before that, can you tell me more about the future help you needed from me? What do you mean by the near future? Can you tell me the exact date?"


    ''If not for this guy''s interference, I wouldn''t havee this far. Moreover, he seems to have known more about me and Eddie. But the problem is his goal. What is he after? Is he after the Holem''s Crown?'' While he was in muse, Max started to speak.


    "I''m no longer after your Holem''s Crown, nor do I have any ill intention against you, Charles." He deliberated for a moment and soon added in a deep tone.


    "A while ago, I sensed the presence of the ''psed Time'' on your body, and I knew that you are not a normal existence. Moreover, I don''t n on dying just for an Intellectual artifact or some Divinity."


    "He is telling the truth," Emilia said from his left side.


    ''[Discern Lies] skill? No, he is irregr and appears to have some hidden motive. It looks like I have to take a gamble now.'' Charles pondered.


    ''This is a godsend opportunity¡­ No, it might be due to the enchantment in my ''Luck.'' Tsk, this guy sure has some hidden motive. But do I even have a choice now?'' He organized his thoughts in three seconds and soon nodded.


    "I agree."


    In the meantime, Max''s smile widened as he threw a silver bullet towards Charles and soon said.


    "I have abnormal physical strength, and I''m very resistant to mind-rted abilities. If nothing abnormal happens, the Holem''s Crown and I will be able to hold him for more than 20 seconds. When that time rightes, I will give you a signal. Use this silver bullet and paralyze him with the Ember Pistol. Then, your Holem''s Crown will cast its [Dark Star] spell on the fake Eddie and finish him off."


    Charles got stunned inside as he caught the silver bullet with his right hand and took out the Ember Pistol from his pocket.


    ''Where can I put this bullet?'' He checked the Pistol with a frown.


    Noticing his frown, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and said in his mind.


    ''ce it near the grip. The silver bullet will do the rest.''


    Nodding, Charles moved the silver bullet towards the grip area and soon widened his eyes. At that moment, he noticed that the silver bullet suddenly turned illusionary and soon disappeared into it!


    ''Is this due to the power of Inner-world?'' He asked in curious.


    ''Yes. Max''s other ss might be [Artisan] series ss.'' The Holem''s Crown guessed.


    In the meantime, Max walked into the ritual circle and gave two scrolls to Andrew. After that, he turned around and then stared at the ritual circle.


    "Hmm, this ce is good." He nodded his head and gave a signal.


    Nodding his head, Charles moved his lips as he tossed the coin towards the center of the ritual circle and said in Nether tongue.


    "Change."

 Chapter 76: Eddie Nightwind

    <h4>Chapter 76: Eddie Nightwind</h4>


    A bluish vortex appeared at the center of the ritual circle and soon formed into a portal. Then, a gray-robed skeleton with purplish me eyes walked out from it.


    Unlike thest time, the skeleton already held a wooden staff in its right bony hand and stared intensely at Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles saw another two fleshy hands from the other side and got tensed up.


    ''He is here.'' He muttered inwardly.


    "You made a terrible mistake, Charles." A cold, gloomy voice filled with a bone-chilling aura came from the void, and soon a white-robed man walked out from it.


    He hadbed straight ck hair, monolid blue eyes, square face, and looked around 187 cm tall.


    As he stepped out of the bluish portal, the surrounding suddenly turned gloomier, and even the clouds in the sky turned red-in color!


    Upon seeing the changes, Charles''s body stiffened as he showed a shocking look on his face and then stared deeply at the white-robed man for two continuous seconds. He also loosened his grip and dropped the Ember Pistol.


    But in secret, he stealthily moved it towards the Goddess Rodia''s statue using his [Magician''s Hand] skill and patiently waited for the opportunity.


    Still, he didn''t take his eyes off the white-robed old man and asked him cautiously while taking the Starfall Codex book from his space ring.


    "Ancestor? Why are you here? Why did youe from along with that skeleton? You-!"


    Eddie Nightwind felt amused as he saw Charles''s behavior.


    ''Humph, where is your calm andposed character now?'' He snorted inwardly.


    "Don''t be afraid, Charles. The reason your ancestor became angry at you is mainly because of your rash action." He paused for a second and soon took a step forward.


    "Now, hand over the Holem''s Crown."


    A weak smile appeared on Charles''s face as he took a step back and shook his head. At the same time, cold sweats dripped from his forehead continuously.


    ''Damn it, man. I need to act like a timid one and make him believe my acting.'' He muttered to himself.


    Actually, Charles was indeed scared of this old man. Although he was a transmigrated soul with years of experience in the assassination, he was still an infantpared to this old guy. He might have a system to rank up faster, but Charles knew that he couldn''t rely on it too much.


    But what an assassin need was not only a cautious character but also a decisive character. A slight hesitation during an assassination mission wouldpletely turn one''s life upside down.


    ''My job here is to lure him from the Dreamworld and wait for the opportunity toplete my job.'' He made a forced smile as he turned his gaze towards Max and asked.


    "Mr. Historian-."


    Before he could call Max, Emilia''s shadows twisted for a moment and soon formed into a human figure.


    The figure was a long brown-haired man in a blue surcoat, and he looked around 50 to 60 years old. He had emerald green eyes, thick eyebrows, olive skin, and a thin mustache on his face!


    Upon seeing the new guest''s arrival, Charles, Max, and even Andrew became stunned.


    Emilia was the only one who showed a calm face!


    ''What the f*ck? Abel Wilson? So, that''s why she showed calm attitude, huh.'' An understanding expression appeared on his face.


    "An Archbishop?" Eddie also stopped his footsteps and soon zeroed his gaze on the brown-haired man. After looking at his face for a second, he nodded his head as he crossed his arms together and smiled.


    Indeed, he had expected that someone with the same rank would be waiting for him on the other side, so he wasn''t surprised at all.


    "Who else is there?" His cold voice echoed in the gloomy city ruin.


    Abel also narrowed his eyes for a moment and asked with a frown.


    "Are you Eddie Nightwind?"


    Abel tagged along with his sister to search for the Divinity of Morality in the broken temple. Moreover, this was a rare opportunity for him to venture deep into the Unexplored Forest.


    He knew that this Unexplored Forest would turn into aplete danger zone once the First Red moon disappears, so he thought of giving it a try. If he misses this opportunity, he knew that Devils and Demons woulde from the Chaos Rifts andpletely upy most of these city ruins.


    In truth, the city center areas were the Chaos Rifts!


    It''s a ce where the density of the space was very less!


    But what he didn''t expect was Charles''s actions and Max''s arrival. Not only did they make an agreement, they even summoned a troublesome person from the Dreamworld!


    If it were other members, he wouldn''t have shown his presence.


    Unfortunately, the one who was with Charles was his own sister. If he hadn''t acted now, he knew that consequence would have been much more disastrous.


    Casting those useless thoughts away, Abel stared at Eddie for a moment and ced his hands on Emilia and Andrew.


    A secondter, both of them turned illusionary and soon disappeared from there!


    "This is not a battle they should participate," Abel said in a solemn tone and then teleported.


    A momentter, he appeared right in front of Eddie, grabbed his neck, and directly broke it!


    To others'' astonishment, Eddie''s figure suddenly distorted and soon disintegrated into millions of pieces.


    Abel seemed to have expected this, so he clicked his tongue in annoyance and soon searched the surrounding through the power of the soul.


    ''Hmm? Why there are five members still on the battlefield?'' Puzzlement appeared on his face. He then turned around and soon squinted his eyes as he noticed that Emilia and Andrew were still standing near the Goddess Rodia''s statue!


    At that moment, he blinked his eyes and soon noticed that the one who was staying beside Emilia was not Andrew but Eddie Nightwind!


    Before Abel could even understand the situation, Eddie took out an eerie ck dagger from his void pouch and directly plunged into his own chest!


    A secondter, his face once again distorted and soon formed into a bald warrior''s one.


    Shock and fear appeared on Andrew''s face as he looked at his own chest and soon widened his eyes.


    "F*ck,"


    Cursing out loud, he staggered back and forth for a second and fell while facing the gloomy dark-red sky!


    "Andrew!" Emilia also shouted in shock as she caught him in mid-air and hurriedly poured a vial into his mouth. Even Charles became stunned by the sudden assassination and grew warier.


    ''What the f*ck was that? He can even appear like this?'' He nced around the surrounding in vignce and soon noticed that Eddie Nightwind was nowhere to be seen!


    "Our consciousnesses are already pulled into his Dream Domain. No, it''s not. He created a realistic illusion and is ying with us to weaken us psychologically." Abel carefully analyzed the surroundings and said in a cold tone.


    He then let out a heavy sigh and appeared right next to Emilia. A secondter, he looked at Emilia and Andrew, and then his face grew solemn.


    "I can''t even tell whether they are real or illusions."


    "We are real." Emilia red at her brother fiercely and then turned her gaze towards Andrew.


    In the meantime, Andrew gulped down the liquid and started breathing heavily. He then raised both hands and soon showed an anxious expression on his face.


    "T-This¡­My blood?"


    At that moment, Charles noticed a big difference. Instead of red color, the blood that came out of Andrew''s chest appearedplete ck!


    Cough!


    "When he possessed me, Ipletely lost focus and even I thought of myself as the enemy," Andrew said in a raucous tone as he started breathing heavily.


    Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion and soon cast [Inspect] skill on him.


    A secondter, confusion appeared on his face.


    ''My inspect skill is not working on him¡­'' He suddenly thought of something and cast his inspect skill on the Starfall Codex magic book.


    ''It is working on my artifact¡­ Does that mean these two are illusions?'' He furrowed his brows as he squatted down and then directly plunged his dagger into Andrew''s chest!


    An instantter, Andrew''s body turned into a puddle of ck smokes and soon disappeared from there.


    "He is an illusion," He said in affirmative as he didn''t get Exp for killing him.


    "Aren''t you little ruthless?" Even the Holem''s Crown couldn''t understand his trains of thoughts and asked out loud.


    Meanwhile, Emilia''s face suddenly distorted and soon formed into a face of an ugly old woman!


    In a second, both of her cheeks were torn open, worms and saliva filled with blood oozed out from both sides and painted her grey robe.


    "Kekeke," An eerieugh came out from her mouth as she made a twisted, creepy smile and leaped towards Charles at an unpredictable speed!


    Charles only saw a blurry shadow as he cast [Crimson Steps] on himself and backed away with fast footsteps.


    ''Eddie must have found out about our n, otherwise, he wouldn''t have created this illusion to hide.'' The Holem''s Crown calmly analyzed the surroundings and gave him a possible answer.


    Charles barely managed to dodge the dagger in fake Emilia''s hand with a grim look and started flipping the pages. Two secondster, he stopped on the 17th page and started chanting slowly.


    If it were before, he would have killed by this ugly woman-like creature. But after his body entered into an Expert level stage, he gained some confidence.


    While he was battling against the ugly-looking old woman, Abel and Max started to focus on the surroundings.


    "Max Fireborn," Max introduced himself as he bent his waist, took Luke''s greenish bow, and then stood up straight. He then stepped on Luke''s neck and broke it neatly.


    "I really hate these types of characters." He nced at the twitching body for a second and then took out an arrow from his space ring. Unlike the other metal arrows, this one had multiple runal characters engraved all over it and appeared to be made of simple wood.


    "Rune Smith?" A surprised expression appeared on Abel''s face as he stared at the arrow for a moment and then started to chant in a strangenguage.


    Whenever hepletes one verse, his voice changed into a different one and gave off the ancient feeling. Ten secondster, Abel''s eyes turnedpletely white as he ended the reciting and then looked around.


    Soon, he zeroed his gaze towards their left side skyscraper''s entrance, raised his hand, conjured an illusionary spear out of thin air, and tossed it at full speed.


    The spear made a whooshing sound as it created a sonic boom and appeared at the entrance in a blink!


    But before it could collide against the porch pir, it hit against something invisible.


    An instantter, a shock wave appeared from the spear and broke the illusion around it. The surrounding air molecules fluctuated fiercely due to the immense vibration and soon revealed a white-robed old man.


    Meanwhile, Eddie gripped the spear''s tip with his right hand and seemed unaffected by the strong force. He then tilted his head at an abnormal angle and curled his lips upward.


    "Impressive." He said with a nod and soon broke the illusionary spear with his hand.


    At this moment, Max already ced the wooden arrow on the greenish bow, pulled the string, and locked his aim on Eddie''s forehead.


    Then, he released the string, took out a small palm-sized white orb from his space ring, and held it between his fingers.


    When the wooden arrow was about to pierce Eddie, he suddenly broke the orb and spoke in a weird yet ancient tone.


    "Var''mt."


    At that moment, the wooden arrow exploded all of a sudden!


    But that was not the surprising thing. Abel saw that Eddie''s movement suddenly turned sluggish and became stunned!


    "Time maniption?" He asked out loud and soon shook his head. He knew that was an impossible task even for irregr and soon thought of another possibility.


    "It looks more like manipting the earth elements¡­ Gravity control?" Stroking his chin, he waved his other hand, conjured tens of arrows made of pure light, and threw it towards the sluggish Eddie.


    Upon seeing the uing arrows, Eddie simply let out a chuckle and smirked.


    A secondter, tens of weird monsters like horned foxes, goblins, and kobolds appeared before him and blocked those arrows from reaching him like loyal dogs.


    ¡­


    On the other side, Charles evaded the ugly-faced woman''s dagger attacks and soon turned his face grave as he saw a futuristic vision from the [Prevision] skill.


    In a blink, he bends his knee a little and suddenly leaped upward towards the sky. If it was before, he couldn''t have reached 27 inches. But now, his high reached an extraordinary level as he shot towards the sky like a bird and backflipped.


    At that moment, a ck, eerie de came from the other side, tore through the area where he stood before, and directlynded on the ugly woman''s mouth.


    With a flesh-tearing sound, the eerie ck knife prated deep into her throat, and the tip appeared on the other side!


    With a disbelieving look on her face, she gasped for air and soon fell backward. The next instant, her body turned into a puddle of ck viscous things and then directly vaporized into thin air.

 Chapter 77: Devils Smile

    <h4>Chapter 77: Devil''s Smile</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charlesnded two meters away from where he stood before and turned around.


    His gaze was cold as ice!


    He then recalled his previous battle in the Dreamworld as he zeroed his gaze on a lone-robed skeleton and finished his chanting.


    A secondter, a thin ck needle-like structure came out from the Starfall Codex book and then flew towards it with a whooshing sound.


    A momentter, it directly appeared in front of the grey-robed skeleton''s forehead and collided against it!


    BANG!


    The skeleton''s skull tilted upward due to the collision, and soon the skeleton stumbled backward.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown watched the other fight and suddenly spoke in his mind.


    ''This Eddie looks totally different,d. He doesn''t have a physical body nor has a soul. No, he does have something that resembles like a soul, but it''s not.''


    ''Fake soul? Yeah, he did mention that he created a fake soul and is nning to turn it into a true one after capturing you by creating an ultimate miracle.'' Charles swiftly evaded the uing bone spear and responded.


    Oh? That''s why he is borrowing power from the Dreamworld through this skeleton and the ''Mark of Imagination'' to fight against those two, huh. Lad, kill this skeleton and find a way to remove the ''Mark of Imagination.'' Once we did that, we mightpletely restrict him from borrowing energy from the Dream-world and kill him here.''


    Charles instantly raised his hand as he heard those words, pointed his finger at the grey-robed skeleton, and cast [Incinerate] spell on it.


    In a blink, a crimson ray appeared from his forefinger and soon reached its skull!


    But as it was about tond on its skull, the grey-robed skeleton moved its wooden staff and tried to block it like thest time.


    But unlike thest time, this [Incinerate] spell was an upgraded version. As it made contact with the skeleton''s wooden staff, the ray instantly disintegrated it and thennded on the area where the sternum bone was located!


    Charles ced the Starfall Codex in the space ring and started walking towards the skeleton.


    In less than three seconds, Charles arrived in front of the skeleton, curled his lips upward, and gripped the skull-less bony skeleton with both hands. After that, he twisted it with full force and ripped it from the skeleton along with spinal bones!


    He then threw the skull on the ground and smashed it with his right leg!


    In a second, the whole skull turned into a ckish viscous thing and then vaporized.


    ''Next is this mark.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon turned his gaze towards Eddie, who was still moving sluggishly due to the strange gravity force.


    At this moment, Eddie also noticed the sudden weakening of his connection with the Dreamworld and stopped ying around.


    He first took a deep breath and broke the gravitation effect by pping his hands and sharpening his gaze towards Abel.


    Abel also sensed the meaning behind his gaze, so he turned his face serious and waved his hand. One, two, three¡­ No, tens of humans made of pure white light appeared from his body one by one and dashed towards Eddie at an incredible speed while gripping different kinds of weapons in their hands!


    But whenever an attacknded on Eddie, his figure would distort, disappears for an instant like an illusion, and then reappears in another area.


    Watching this scene, Max shook his head.


    ''We are no match for his illusion abilities. Although he doesn''t seem to have other ss abilities, he is still way above us in terms ofprehending the power of Dream.''


    He rubbed his chin, took out an old blue-colored scroll from his space ring, and tore it into two.


    An instantter, the space around the surroundings suddenly began to twist and soon locked into arge cube-like structure!


    It was a Rank-4 space spell, Spatial Folding!


    Upon seeing the strange scene, Eddie finally turned his attention towards Max.


    "You are the irregr?" His tone went cold. If Max didn''t appear in Riverdale City, he knew that things would have gone much smoother.


    "It seems I need to take things seriously." He muttered as he stepped forward towards Max and snapped his fingers.


    An instantter, the surrounding area turned dimmer, and soon Eddie''s figure started to growrger. Multiple heads with distorted figures appeared over his neck region, and he appeared more like a real nightmare Lord!


    Some heads appeared humanoid, while other heads looked like strange animals'' ones.


    Upon seeing the strange humanoid figure with different distorted heads, Abel and Max felt pain in their chest. No, their heart started to beat very faster! Not only that, he even felt that something so evil was trying to invade his inner world.


    "Something is wrong with this guy." Max frowned a bit as he ced his hand on his chest and then took out another spell scroll.


    He then locked his gaze on Eddie''s original head and directly tore it.


    A weird magic circle filled with multiple runal letters appeared in front of him and soon expanded to an unimaginable size.


    "Thought Curse." He spat a mouthful of blood as he said those words and then tapped his space ring twice.


    Another two spell scrolls appeared in his hand as he tossed them upward and made them open on their own.


    After that, he directly tore those scrolls using invisible soul power and smiled.


    One was a spell enchantment scroll, while the other was a reverse spell scroll!


    He knew that hisst scroll doesn''t have much power, so he strengthened the spell effect using the enchantment spell scroll.


    As for why he cast this ''Reverse spell'' scroll, he felt that it might help them in the future.


    Yes, Reverse spell was not an instant effective spell.


    Like the ''Miracle'' spell, requirements were needed for this spell to activate!


    It might take a minute or an hour or even a day. But when it happens, it would definitely catch the enemy off guard!


    At that moment, Eddie felt that he couldn''t think properly from time to time and got confused.


    He didn''t get anxious, though. Instead, he zeroed his gaze on Abel and cast his ss spell [Dream Invasion].


    It was a spell to pull one''s consciousness into a separate world and make them experience despair and fear!


    Eddie knew that battling against two of them would only put him in a more dangerous position, so he instantly made a decision and chose to eliminate the weak-willed person.


    An instantter, Abel''s face froze, and soon he started showing confusion, anxiety, then panic and finally fear!


    In such a short amount of time, he entered into a strange world filled with barrelnd and battled against Eddie countless times. But soon, he realized the difference in strength and started to lose. He first lost to Eddie after one hour of battling. Then, he lost in 50 minutes. Days passed as he lost countless times against the white-robed old man and finally felt despair!


    As he was about to lose his mind, he suddenly saw that the surroundings started to break like sses and soon noticed that he returned to the earlier battlefield!


    ''Is that a nightmare?'' Fear gripped his heart as he cast a wary look at Eddie, who was still showing a calm expression on his face and finally sighed.


    ''Fighting against him will only make things worse for me. Although I could use one of my trump cards and kill him, I think it is unnecessary in this situation.''


    Then, he didn''t even think twice before he cast a teleport skill on himself and disappeared!


    "He escaped?" Even Max became bbergasted at the sudden turn of events and moved his lips.


    "Edth''wft,"


    Another strange word echoed from his mouth as he stared deep into Eddie''s eyes and raised his hand.


    "This is all I can do for you, Charles." He said before he pointed his finger at Eddie and cast a spell.


    Eddie initially showed a confused expression on his face, but soon he let out a strange cry using all those distorted faces and fell on his knees. He suddenly started to lose those memories he absorbed from other Nightmare Creatures!


    Shock appeared on his face as his figure also reduced to normal size, and soon he started breathing heavily. He staggered due to the sudden, shocking blow in his mind and finally stopped in front of the statue.


    He then recalled the moment when the real Eddie died in a strange dimension, and the current ''him'' desperately tried many methods to save himself in the Dreamworld.


    He was not the ''real'' Eddie Nightwind. If he were one, he wouldn''t be in such a state.


    In the meantime, Max took a few deep breaths and felt fatigued. He knew that casting high-level spells using spell scrolls would always give a huge mental burden, but he felt this was worth it.


    "This is my limit." He said as he took two steps back and soon disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Eddie stood up while cing his hand on the Goddess Rodia''s statue to support him and stared at Charles, who was standing at the center of the ritual circle with a stunned expression on his face.


    ''Haha, I won.'' He subconsciously smiled. Although Eddie did lose all of his previous strength, he still won against them and pushed them back in the end.


    ''I need to return to the Dreamworld-'' That thought instantly froze as he felt that the connection with the Dreamworld cut off all of a sudden!


    He instantly zeroed his gaze on the red-gem embedded ring and soon realized that it must be the artifact''s doing.


    But he didn''t lose his calm, though. Instead, he took a small white paper out of nowhere, ced it on his forehead, and then spoke in a cold tone.


    "Rh,e and help your real owner."


    At that moment, Charles subconsciously believed that the one who appeared in front of him was the real Eddie Nightwind and widened his eyes in shock!


    Even the Holem''s Crown felt that the one who appeared was the real Eddie Nightwind and became stunned inside!


    But that shocksted for just a moment, though.


    Charles quickly calmed his mind and gave a new order to Rh.


    ''Go to him and wait for my further orders.''


    Saying so, he used his [Magician''s Hand] skill, controlled the ''Ember Pistol'' which wasid near the Goddess Rodia''s statue, and adjusted the muzzle to 125¡ã angle.


    Meanwhile, the red-gem embedded bracelet in his right hand moved on its own and soon came out from his hand. After that, it hovered in the air for a moment before changing itself into a reddish gem-embedded crown and then moved towards Eddie Nightwind!


    Upon seeing the Holem''s Crown, Eddie heaved a heavy sigh and muttered in a depressing tone.


    "If they had done their job right, I wouldn''t need toe here now."


    After that, he caught the Holem''s Crown with both of his hands and ced it on his head.


    At this time, Charles sat on the stone-like floor with cross-legged position and asked in a tired tone.


    "Why would you pull me into this mess? Why did you lead me here if you want just the crown?"


    Eddie turned his face towards Charles as he heard those words and blinked twice. He then pointed his finger at the ritual circle and spoke with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "It seems you finally figured it out. Hehe, but you are still wrong about one thing. This sacrificial ritual is not to sacrifice the Holem''s Crown, Charles. It is to summon the will of ''Hell'' ne and seal both you and Holem''s Crown in this city ruin for a day. Although I could request the ''Hell'' ne to help me form the true soul in exchange for a divinity, I don''t want to be a devil." He purposefully paused for a second and then asked with a grin,


    "How do you want to die now?"


    Upon hearing those words, the corners of Charles''s lips suddenly started to go upward and formed into a smile.


    It was the smile of a real Devil!


    ''I got you now.'' Charles muttered inwardly and squeezed the Ember Pistol''s trigger using his [Magician''s Hand] skill.


    From the beginning, Chares solely focused on assassinating him, so even after Eddie mentioned something about sealing them in the city, he didn''t even focus his attention on his words and patiently waited for a perfect opportunity like this!


    Eddie suddenly heard a bang sound from behind and got startled!


    ''A sneak attack?'' He coldly snorted and cast ''Double Thoughts'' skill on Charles.


    An instantter, he suddenly felt that his thoughts turned messier and couldn''t be able to think properly!


    No, he suddenly noticed that he was affected by his own spell!


    Now, the Reverse spell activated on its own and attacked Eddie.


    At that moment, a bullet made of pure silver came out from the muzzle and soonnded on his back.


    An instantter, Eddie''s whole body turned stiff!


    He couldn''t move, nor could he able to think properly!


    ''I''m feeling thirsty¡­A nned attack¡­ Why would I need to drink?'' Double thoughts continuously appeared in his head as he tried to move his hand, but it turned into a futile attempt!


    "Do it now." Suddenly, he heard a cold voice from Charles.


    Then, the Holem''s Crown on his head suddenly began to vibrate, and soon he heard a familiar old man''s mockingugh in his head.


    A momentter, Eddie''s mind suddenly turned foggy all of a sudden!


    His memories then started to disappear one by one, and soon he felt that some invisible power was devouring them like a World Eater!


    It was the Holem''s Crown''s Dark Star spell, Erase Existence!


    Within a second, the white-robed old man suddenly turned into a fog and soon disappeared from Charles''s sight.


    No, he was erased from the universe itself!

 Chapter 78: Communication

    <h4>Chapter 78: Communication</h4>


    "What a powerful spell," Charles muttered out loud.


    "Everything has a price,d. My inner-world is damaged further due to the bacsh and for the next forty-five days, I will be in a weakened statue." The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a moment and then added,


    "If I hadn''t enchanted your luck, you would have died much earlier." The Holem''s Crown then moved near him and soon turned itself into a red-gem embedded bracelet.


    Nodding his head, Charles took the bracelet and wore it in his right hand.


    He then leaned his back on the stone-like floor and stared at the sky in confusion. Unlike a few moments ago, the sky looks very brighter, and white clouds were scattered all over the ce. He even saw the ring sun at the angle of 135¡ã and frowned.


    He hurriedly took out his silver pocket watch from his space ring, opened the outer case with a click, and checked the time.


    ''October 3rd, 9.30 A.M.''


    ''It''s been a day already? Did he manipte the time with the power of Dream? What a scary old man.'' He let out a heavy sigh, stored the pocket watch back into the space ring, and then started to ponder about Eddie''s earlier words.


    ''Why would Eddie want to seal me and the Holem''s Crown in this city for a day?'' At that moment, an absurd thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Could it be that their main goal is not us? But why did they controlled my mind earlier and forced me to cast a ''Miracle'' on someone else? Could it be they are after something else? If they are after something else, why would they want to lead us here and try to seal us?''


    At that moment, Charles suddenly noticed that the silver bracelet in his left hand suddenly started to shine brightly!


    ''Hmm, isn''t that the bracelet Eve gave me as a present for the birthday?'' He raised his eyebrows and soon turned solemn as he sensed a strange eerie silence.


    His heart thumped harder all of a sudden!


    A secondter, thunder resounded from the sky.


    Without any hesitation, Charles stood up, leaped towards his right side as he also received the warning from his [Prevision] skill, and hid behind the Goddess''s statue.


    A strange silence remained for a second, flowed by a sh of light.


    In shock, Charles looked up at the bright sky, saw a blue arc of lightning made a turn from the white clouds, and soon moved towards their direction!


    "F*ck! How can this world be so messed up? Lightning from the white clouds?" He cursed out loud as he saw that lightning directlynded on the chained Luke''s body and bathed him in purple fire.


    In seconds, the fire even burned his flesh and bones, leaving nothing behind!


    "What the f*ck? Did someone cast some ultra-level spell or is it really a bolt of lightning?" Charles asked in a dumbfounded tone.


    "No, there is no presence of elements." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and soon added.


    "That lightning is a pure coincidence."


    "Coincidence?"


    Charles''s face stiffened as he took a step back and showed a worried expression on his face.


    "What now? Is this it?" He first ced his hand on his chin and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Goddess''s prophecy hasn''t beenpleted yet.'' He closed his jade eyes.


    ''Tragedy. It will be an orchestrated encounter. You can''t escape from the ''Fate.'' Face the Fate and reborn as anew. These are the prophetic words I heard from Bishop Reynolds.''


    ''Tragedy. There is no tragedy urred to me yet. Does that mean I already changed the ''Fate''? Or, is there still more? As for the orchestrated encounter, this absurd scheme might be the orchestrated encounter.''


    "Are you saying that there will be more enemies?" The Holem''s Crown asked in a startled tone.


    Upon hearing his words, Charles shook his head and said in a confused tone.


    "I have no idea about that. But I have a vague feeling that we missed something important."


    Sighing deeply, Charles looked at his left hand and then puzzled.


    ''Why is it shining all of a sudden?'' He was about to touch it but halted his movement.


    Because Charles felt some suction force was pulling his consciousness from the silver bracelet and got stunned!


    ''Projection-typemunication? No, this one looks like a Consciousness Pull.'' The Holem''s Crown also noticed the anomaly and said in Charles''s mind.


    ''Consciousness Pull?'' Charles asked in surprise.


    ''This skill allows you to pull one''s consciousness from afar and make them appear in front of you. You can stop projection-typemunication methods using some artifacts, but not this one. This is an imitation of Astral Projection skill and is very rare-.''


    Before the Holem''s Crown could finish answering, Charles noticed that his consciousness began to travel through space, and soon he saw a mirage of stars clusters and nebs.


    ''What the f*ck? Interster-space?'' He was beyond speechless by the sudden change and soon felt a pulling sensation from the other side.


    An instantter, he felt dizziness assaulted his head as he bent down and soon noticed that he was in a familiar reception hall.


    Then, Charles''s jade eyes widened.


    ''My home? Am I already in Riverdale City?'' He blinked his eyes twice and soon frowned as he saw his arms and legs.


    They looked more like illusions!


    At that moment, he heard a familiar female voice in his head.


    ''It seems you didn''t face much problem.''


    Turning his head around, Charles saw a long, deep-blue-haired woman was standing two meters away from him and leaned her back against the smooth granite wall.


    She had wide-set blue eyes, short eyebrows, fleshy nose, and olive skin and wore a full-sleeved ck jacket, long skirt, and her hair appeared a little messier. Although she seemed to be aware of Charles''s presence, she didn''t show it on her face at all!


    After taking a deep breath in the illusionary form, Charles straightened his back, stared at her for two seconds, and asked while pointing his finger at the other bracelet.


    ''How did you pull my consciousness here, mom? Is it due to the silver bracelet?''


    ''Yes, I gave that bracelet as a present specifically to contact you frequently. It''s like a long-rangemunication device, but a more secured one.'' Eve''s voice suddenly echoed in his head.


    ''In this form, none can see you or hear your voice other than me.'' She added.


    ''Oh?'' Charles was surprised by the strangemunication method and soon looked at the corner of the reception room.


    There, a ck-haired woman in a ck robe sat in a cross-legged position, and she appeared to be in the middle of deep meditation. She was around 35 to 45 old and looked slimmer.


    ''Who is she?'' Charles asked in curious.


    ''Hmm? You don''t know? She said that you are the one who asked the Life Church to send someone to protect me, son.'' Eve slightly showed a shocked expression as she said those words and soon returned her face to normal.


    At that moment, the ck-haired woman suddenly opened her silvery eyes, stared in their direction for a second before closing it.


    ''Her perception is sharp.'' Charlesmented and nodded.


    ''Yes, I''m the one who asked Life Church to protect you.'' He paused for a moment and then asked,


    ''Why did you call me here through this strangemunication method?''


    ''I just want to see my son''s face. Also, I want to tell you something important.'' She said in his mind, then turned her gaze towards the right side corner room.


    Charles also followed her gaze and soon saw a 25 years-olddy in a v-neck blue shirt and dark blue skirt walked out from the room. She had monolid-hazel eyes, barely visible eyebrows, a duchess nose, wiry blonde hair, and an upper lip with sharp philtrum.


    ''Saron White?''


    Charles retracted his gaze and then asked,


    ''Something important? What is it?''


    Eve didn''t answer instantly. Instead, she went near her favorite ornate sofa, sat on it, and then started to speak with a solemn look on his face.


    ''Due to some unexpected situations, I signed an agreement with Life Church and promised them that I will sell this house and Wind Vi for 2300 Arc gold coins after six months.''


    ''Why?''


    Charles questioned her as he couldn''t grasp her intention and waited in silence.


    Noticing his gaze, Eve let out a heavy sigh and spoke.


    ''Don''t get disappointed. There is some secret hidden in this house and Churches seemed to have found out about it.''


    ''Is it a link to the Dreamworld?'' Charles raised a question.


    Eve''s eyes widened a little as she heard those words and soon nodded her head in understanding.


    ''That must be it. After some long bargain, the Life Church agreed to buy ournd and this house for 2300 Arc gold coins.''


    ''The value of our property should be around 10,000 to 15,000 gold coins.'' Charles said with a frown.


    ''Our life is more precious than this, Charles. Moreover, I also got something big from the Life Church, so it''s okay. Once you return from this mission, I will tell you more about it.'' Eve suddenly turned her face serious and then shifted her attention towards Saron.


    Meanwhile, Saron greeted her with a smile and sat on the oppositedder back chair.


    Eve also nodded her head and then asked.


    "Ms. Saron, what do you want to talk to me?"


    Her tone contained a hint of confusion.


    Saron nced at the ck-robed woman for two continuous seconds and soon spoke.


    "I received important news from the Holy See of Wisdom."


    "What is it?" Eve leaned her body forward, ced her right hand on the arm of the sofa, and asked in interest.


    "It''s about the people who are after the ss gem-" Saron was about to finish the sentence when she suddenly sensed a presence from outside and stopped her talking.


    ''ss gem?'' Charles raised his brows and followed her gaze.


    At that moment, the ck-haired woman also opened her silvery eyes, stood up, and started walking near Eve.


    "A guest seemed to be waiting at the entrance." She said as she turned her face towards the entrance and asked in a loud tone.


    "Who is it?"


    A silence answered for a while, and soon a man in histe 70s walked inside.


    He wore a ck surcoat, white pants, white shirt, brown leather shoes, and held a small sheathed dagger in his waist region. He had short wavy blonde hair, deep-blue eyes, a square face, fair skin, and straight eyebrows.


    ''Why does he look familiar?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and was about to ask Eve but stopped as he heard harsh words from her mouth.


    "What brings you here, Martin Nightwind?"


    A chuckle leaked out of Martin''s mouth as he strolled on the carpeted floor, arrived near adder back chair, ced next to Saron, and sat on it.


    ''Martin Nightwind? Is he the one who sent James and his son?'' Charles pressed his lips together and silently observed him with cold eyes.


    "You appeared to be already aware of my arrival, Eve?" Meanwhile, Martin leaned his back against the wooden chair and asked in amusement.


    Eve stared at the old man for a second and then shook her head.


    On the other hand, Charles''s face froze. Not because of her sudden action, but because of the blonde-haired old man.


    ''Martin Nightwind¡­ Blonde-haired old man¡­ I had seen him somewhere in this city. Wait¡­Yes, he is the one who appeared outside John Wayne''s room! He must be the blonde-haired old man, Evil!'' Charles''s jade eyes widened.


    ''Mom, be careful of him. He is a dangerous one.'' He instantly warned her.


    Upon hearing his words, Eve raised her eyebrows and nodded her head.


    "I''m just here to get the ss gem," Martin said in a calm tone and then turned his gaze towards the ck-robed woman.


    Meanwhile, the ck-robed woman appeared behind the sofa and stared at Martin with an emotionless look on her face.


    Upon noticing her gaze, Martin smiled wryly.


    Before he could open his foul mouth to greet her, a shadowy hand appeared on Eve''s right side.


    A secondter, the shadow erged into a humanoid one and formed into a ck-cloaked man in histe 30s.


    He had deep blue hair, a lean body, and looked around 187 cm tall. He wore a ck mask with an eye symbol engraved on the forehead area and looked more like a skilled assassin.


    Upon seeing the assassin''s arrival, Martin became more surprised.


    "An assassin from the Amber Church?" He sized him up and down and asked.


    "No. I''m from the Collins family." The assassin responded in a cold tone, turned into a cloud of dark smoke, and then disappeared!


    ''Collins family? Who are they?'' Charles frowned and became puzzled by the current situation.


    At that moment, Martin''s smile also disappeared in an instant, and then he turned his gaze towards the entrance.


    "It''s time." He said in a cold tone, causing the room to turn gloomy all of a sudden.


    From the entrance, another two old men walked in.


    One was a white-haired old man, while the other was a blonde-haired one.


    The white-haired old man looked around 90-years-old, full of wrinkles on his pale face, cial blue eyes, and a rough square face. He wore a golden robe and looked very domineering.


    Upon seeing the man''s appearance, Charles''s face went icy.


    ''Anderson ck? Why is he here?'' He stared at Anderson in confusion for a second and then shifted his gaze towards the long wavy blonde-haired one.


    He was a man in histe 40s and wore a blue robe, a long green pendant around his neck, and two unique tinum earrings. He had wide-set oceanic eyes, a slightly wrinkled face, a lean body, and appeared around 184 cm high.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was the unique ck-covered ancient-looking book he held in his right hand.


    ''Why is he staring at the book from time to time?'' He frowned a bit and soon turned his attention towards Eve.


    From her facial appearance, he felt that she was still hiding something from him and became utterly clueless.


    ''Why do I feel Iike they are about to make some illegal transaction?'' He frowned a bit and then shifted his attention towards the three uninvited guests.

 Chapter 79: Failed

    <h4>Chapter 79: Failed</h4>


    "So, you are the one who is after the ss-gem, huh," Eve said in a gloomy voice and then showed a confused expression on her face.


    "But we don''t have any ss-gem, Martin."


    Meanwhile, Charles was also puzzled by the current situation and asked her.


    ''What about this ss gem, mom? Why are they here?''


    Eve paused for a moment to organized her thoughts and spoke in her mind.


    ''I saw a vision four weeks ago. In that vision, I saw some blurry humans visited our house and took a red-colored ss gem from here. Other than that, I''m also in a clueless state.''


    Charles went silent for a moment as he heard those words and then said with a sigh.


    ''Tell them to search the house if they want, mom. We don''t need to get involved in trouble anymore.''


    Eve raised her head in surprise and then nodded.


    She then stared at Martin Nightwind for a second and said calmly.


    "If you want to search for any ss-gem in this house, go on. I won''t stop you guys."


    At that moment, Saron White stood up from her seat, went near the ornate sofa, and stood beside Eve like a faithful bodyguard.


    Meanwhile, Anderson and the other blonde-haired guy also sat on thedder back chairs, ced on the opposite side, and waited silently.


    Their strange action caused Eve, the ck-haired woman, Saron, and even Charles to frown in displeasure.


    As Eve was about to ask about their purpose, the blonde-haired man suddenly opened the ancient book, flipped the pages, and said in a cold tone.


    "87."


    He then shook his head as he closed the book and went silent.


    ''87? What does that mean?'' Charles and others got more puzzled.


    At this moment, Martin cleared his throat and asked Eve with an awkward smile on his face.


    "Eve, can you give us some drinks? You know, it''s not etiquette to not giving some drinks to the guests."


    Anger appeared on her face as she stared at Martin with a cold gaze and said in an icy tone,


    "I wouldn''t forgive you for trying to kill my son, Mr. Martin. Now, shut your mouth and get out of this ce once you find this so-called ss-gem."


    Martin didn''t get angry, though. Instead, he shook his head and leaned his back against thedder back chair.


    Two minutester, the blonde-haired man opened the ancient-looking book once again, nced at it, and muttered.


    "94."


    ''Why is he counting numbers?'' Charles became dumbfounded by the blonde-haired man''s sudden action and soon thought of a possibility.


    ''Could it be him?'' He suddenly recalled the Holem''s Crown''s words.


    ''Mr. Rh said that he once met the member of the Nightwind Family in this city¡­ He said that the Nightwind family member appeared around 40 to 50 years old, had long wavy blonde hair, a lean body, and ocean-like blue eyes. He also saw him entering Slum Street''s orphanage, and looked more like a mage because of his blue robe.'' Charles instantly turned his gaze towards the blonde-haired old man and then froze.


    ''He is Xander Nightwind! Red Prince¡­ Watcher ss Mystic!'' As he was about to warn Eve, Charles suddenly noticed that Xander was looking in a particr direction!


    A momentter, his lips curled up abnormally and formed into a wicked grin.


    "98." He said in an eerie voice.


    The next instant, Martin suddenly raised his hand, pointed his finger towards that direction, and uttered a word in a strangenguage.


    "Zue''at."


    Then, the right side space began to twist into a strange way and folded into a cube-like structure!


    But what caused Charles and others to widen their eyes was not the spell but the one who appeared in the cubic space.


    It was none other than the assassin who revealed his presence a while ago!


    "What are you doing?" The ck-haired woman sharpened her silvery gaze towards Martin and asked in a threatening tone.


    Although she was a Rank-4 Head Deacon of Life Church, she was still surprised by the mortal''s action and got warier.


    Martin didn''t reply, though. Instead, he opened a vortex-like portal by saying another word and threw the cube into it through his thought!


    At this time, Anderson stood up from his seat and asked the ck-haired woman with a solemn look on his face,


    "Lady Rachel, would you please go outside for a moment?"


    For a moment, rage appeared in her silvery eyes as she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.


    A secondter, a thin bolt of lightning came out from her forefinger and moved towards Anderson at a fast speed!


    On the other hand, Anderson didn''t expect her to attack him without warning and hurriedly created a shield made of white light.


    Just when the bolt was about to collide against the shield, the lightning suddenly made a slight turn, went directly to the blonde-haired man, and hit him on his chest!


    In an instant, the bolt of lightning entered his body and paralyzed him on the spot!


    "He can''t move a muscle for the next 15 minutes." The ck-haired woman named Rachel said in a confident tone and then zeroed her focus on Anderson.


    "It seems you already made a deal with a Devil, Anderson."


    Her words caused Anderson''s facial muscles to stiffen up.


    He stood in silence for a whole two seconds, then conjured a slim illusionary sword out of thin air and asked with a wary look on his face.


    "How did you find out?"


    "How?" Rachel tilted her head as she pointed her finger at Martin and then added with a smile.


    "I do know something about the Devil''s Tongue, Anderson. If I''m not wrong, the word ''Zue'' means ''Space'' and ''at'' means ''Lock'' in the Devil''s Language. When he spoke earlier, he not only pronounced correctly, he even said in a Devils'' unique style. That means the possibility of him being the reincarnation of a Devil is very high."


    A look of astonishment appeared on Anderson''s face as he stared at her for a moment and then smiled forcefully.


    "It seems I don''t have a choice now."


    A momentter, he sprinted towards Rachel at an unpredictable speed and soon appeared in front of her.


    "Na?ve." Swirls of lightning covered her whole body in an instant as she said in a cold tone and then disappeared.


    Before Anderson could understand the situation, he suddenly felt that his whole body went stiff all of a sudden!


    "Although I''m just a Rank-4 Lightning Mage, I once killed a Rank-5 Metal Dragon alone, Anderson. Do you think you have enough strength to stand against me?" An icy voice came from behind as he stared at the granite wall in horror.


    Due to the sudden stiffness, the old man couldn''t control the momentum and directly smashed on the granite wall!


    With a bang, the whole house shook for a second!


    A secondter, Anderson''s body fell backward, and his eyes stared at the ceiling in shock and disbelief.


    In seconds, he tasted a salty liquid that entered his mouth and soon noticed that it was his own blood!


    ''She is powerful!'' He tried to speak a word, but he couldn''t.


    In the meantime, Rachel directly appeared in front of Martin and moved her lightning-covered hand towards his cheek.


    A loud pping sound echoed in an instant!


    In a second, Martin''s left cheek torn open, and soon his teeth started to fell one by one, along with blood!


    Martin couldn''t even have the time to think as he felt that the world around him started to move strangely.


    In the meantime, Rachel gripped Martin''s head with herrge hands, turned it around with a snap, and made it face in an abnormal angle!


    She killed him in a second!


    ''She is ruthless.'' That was the first word that came to everyone''s mind!


    As she was about to turn her attention on Xander Nightwind, a cold voice echoed in her mind.


    "100."


    No, everyone heard that word in their minds!


    "What are you doing-?" Rachel suddenly felt some invisible power appeared in her mind and stopped her from thinking further!


    Before she could understand the situation, the space around her began to twist and soon pulled her into the void.


    Her mind went chaos in a second.


    A momentter, she found herself standing on the outskirt of Riverdale City and became dumbfounded!


    "Forceful Teleportation?" She didn''t even think for a moment before she covered herself with full of lightning sparks and sprinted towards the city at an unpredictable speed!


    Meanwhile, a strange silence remained in the reception hall.


    A secondter, Saron White took a dagger out of nowhere and plunged into Eve''s chest!


    Yes, she plunged into Eve''s chest!


    Even Charles didn''t expect her sudden betrayal and became shocked!


    "HAA-!" Meanwhile, Eve cried out in pain and soon widened her deep-blue eyes.


    "Betrayer." A weak voice squeezed out of her mouth, and soon her gazended on Charles.


    Even at that moment, a weak smile appeared on her face.


    ''Take care of yourself, son.'' She said in his mind and then coughed out a mouthful of blood.


    In the meantime, Saron pulled the dagger from her chest and once again plunged it into Eve''s heart!


    She didn''t stop there, though. She continuously stabbed her chest and tormented her chest area in seconds.


    Upon watching this brutal scene, Charles''s eyes went icy cold.


    He gripped his illusionary fist and stood with a grim look on his face.


    He had seen many brutal assassinations and even done these types of missions himself. But this was apletely different one.


    ''I failed to protect her.''


    Finally, a bitter smile appeared on his face.


    He knew that even if he were here with his physical body, the chance of saving her would be almost zero in this situation.


    ''Moreover, why is she smiling like this?'' He stared at her smiling face for a moment and got confused.


    ''Only those who won something big would smile like this.'' His heart thumped harder.


    ''Did she foresee this incident and already aplished something big?'' A strange thought appeared in his mind.


    While he was racking his brain, the emotions left behind by the real Charles started acting up. The years of memories appeared in front of his eyes one by one like a video recorder!


    In the meantime, Eve''s body shook uncontrobly for a whole ten seconds and soon went motionless. But the smile on her face didn''t fade away at all!


    She died with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 80: True Goal

    <h4>Chapter 80: True Goal</h4>


    A secondter, a thumb-sized red gem came out from Eve''s chest area and then fell on the blue carpeted floor.


    "The ''Miracle'' worked, Your Highness." A grin appeared on Saron''s face as she bent down and took the red gem from the floor.


    Meanwhile, Xander suddenly blinked his oceanic blue eyes twice and then nullified the paralysis effect ced on his body through some unusual method.


    After that, he stood up from his seat, went near Saron, and took the reddish gem from her hand.


    "This is our 20 years of hard work. Hmm, I finally got the Rank-4 [Fate Warden] ss gem." He said with a nod and then added,


    "Martin, you can stop your acting now."


    A secondter, a cracking noise was heard from Martin''s neck area, and soon his tilted head rose.


    Then, the wound on his face began to heal, and soon Martin''s body was restored to his former state in seconds!


    Then, an eerie smile appeared on Martin''s face as he stood up from thedder back chair and made a suggestion.


    "We should escape before the Head Deacon returns, Your Highness. Even If we attacked her together, it will be very difficult to defeat her."


    Upon hearing those words, Xander Nightwind nodded his head and said in an affirmative tone.


    "Yes, we also need to get the Holem''s Crown and kill Charles before he bes a real threat."


    He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "You guys should wait for a month or two and then proceed further. Be careful of that Lady Deacon, though. I have a feeling that she will definitely chase us from now on."


    This time, Saron raised her eyebrows and asked in puzzlement.


    "I already told you guys about their whole n, right? Why is Charles still alive?"


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Martin''s face as he arrived near the paralyzed Anderson and shook his head.


    "Something went wrong when they executed our n and most of them died in the Unexplored Forest. We did expect that Archbishop Abel would apany them, so we even asked the fake Eddie to intervene if something went wrong with the n." He stopped for a moment as he squatted down, took out a short sword from his space ring, and continued in a grave tone.


    "But the other irregr Max seemed to have found out about it and screwed everything up. That powerful fake Eddie Nightwind also died in the final battle."


    Saying so, Martin raised his sword and shed it towards Anderson''s neck region.


    In a second, the sword cleaved his head and even made a deep scratch on the carpeted floor.


    Anderson''s headless body twitched for a few seconds, sttering blood in all directions, and then went motionless.


    Meanwhile, Xander turned his gaze towards the motionless Eve and spoke in an impressed tone.


    "She is indeed a good mother. After knowing her uing death, not only did she bribe Bishop to say a fake prophecy, she even manipted her own son to go to the Unexplored Forest with the power of ''Fate'' and made many ns to save him. In the end, she did seed in saving him and give us huge trouble."


    "Well, we also leaked information about the Holem''s Crown to Charles in many ways. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have seeded at all." Saron paused for a moment and then added.


    "That Bishop''s acting is the one that made everything possible. If he hadn''t used some drug to make his tone monotonous and said that eerie prophecy, the Life Church members wouldn''t have believed his words and led Charles directly to the City Ruin. If I am not a core member of Devil''s Lair, even I would have believed his prophecy. Also, Charles seems to have some good luck."


    Xander shook his head and spoke in a calm tone.


    "It must be the Holem''s Crown''s doing. Although I got the ss gem, I did lose many things. Even after her death, she won the real battle."


    He then turned his gaze towards the entrance and went out of the reception room.


    Martin and Saron also nced at each other and soon followed after him, leaving Charles alone in the reception hall.


    Meanwhile, Charles went near Eve''s motionless body, sat in front of the ornate sofa, and muttered with aplicated expression on his face.


    ''She knew about her death; otherwise, she wouldn''t have gifted me that silver bracelet and summoned my consciousness through it at this exact time. She must have anticipated such an oue. Why am I feeling angry? Is it my own emotions? Or, Charles? I haven''t done anything for her, but she even gave her life for me.'' He bit his lips in anger. He then closed his eyes for a moment and then calmed down. He knew that emotions would only get in his way and steeled his heart to move further.


    ''Haa, no use in thinking deeply about the past. I should focus on how to deal with the current situation.'' He shook his head and then started to think about her past actions.


    ''Eve even showed her wariness towards Saron White when she asked me about the Holem''s Crown and even gave thumps up for evading Saron''s question, right? Did she really foresee this incident?'' He pondered for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''Then about the Life Church''s main goal. From the looks of it, they indeed after the Divinity of Morality and they also used Eve''s offer as an opportunity to gain more.''


    ''Next is the Bishop''s prophecy. Was that aplete lie? That indeed surprised me¡­ Wait¡­Now that I think about it, Bishop Reynolds even refuted Eve''s words when she warned him about something, right? At that time, he even asked her coldly that he should take those words as advice from a predictor. I should have noticed that earlier. He never believed in prophecies. Damn, he even used an unemotional voice¡­ No, wait¡­ That prophecy might be real. Yes, he revealed some confidential information about the Unexplored Forest at that time¡­ Could it be that he revealed that confidential information to make me believe his wordspletely?''


    Charles got more confused.


    ''No, that''s not the main thing. That sly fox might have gotten something from Eve, otherwise, he wouldn''t have agreed to join in this plot-'' At that moment, he suddenly recalled Eve''s earlier words.


    ''This house! That exins everything. They agreed to help her not because of pity, but because of this house!'' He finally understood why Eve signed an agreement to sell this house for 2,300 Arc gold coins.


    Shaking his illusionary head, he stood up from the carpeted floor and thought of Red Prince and others.


    ''Red Prince really outsmarted me. Well, he indeed did a grand scheme for 20 or so years after all. I never thought that his main goal was the ss Gem. That earlier ''Miracle'' I cast unknowing appears to have shifted to Saron White and then she seemed to have used that ''Miracle'' to get this ss-Gem by killing Eve. But how did they know that they will get a ss-Gem as a reward for killing her?¡­ Moreover, why Saron? Not Xander himself? Wait¡­ Yesterday, Mr. Rh told me that to create a miracle, some requirements needed to be met. Hmm, Red Prince''s strange countdowns¡­''


    ''Tsk, I''m gonna let them know the pain of losing something precious.'' He red at the entrance for a second and soon turned his gaze towards his left wrist.


    There, he saw a silver bracelet still shining in bright light and zeroed his attention on it.


    A momentter, he once again felt the pulling sensation from the bracelet, and soon he found himself lying on the center of the ritual circle in the city ruin.


    ''Oh? You are back? Kid, your luckiness ended a few minutes ago, so be careful from now on.'' Holem''s Crown''s voice echoed in his head, and soon he saw the red-gem embedded bracelet was hovering above his body.


    ''My ''Luckiness'' ended a few minutes ago?'' Charles suddenly thought of the strange countdown and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Could it be that he waited for my ''Luckiness'' to end?'' His heart skipped a beat as he thought of such a possibility.


    Shaking his head, he then sat up with a solemn look on his face, took the bracelet, and asked while wearing it in his right hand.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you able to cast the ''Travel Star'' spell now?''


    His words startled the Holem''s Crown greatly. It went silent for a whole ten seconds and then asked in a solemn tone.


    ''Where would you want to go? Although I can''t pinpoint the exact destination, I can vaguely teleport you near the destined area.''


    Charles stood up and soon frowned as he sensed the foul smelling from the corpses. He hurriedly covered his nose and then walked away from the city center.


    Simultaneously, he thought of his current situation and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''I have two options now. One is to use the Holem''s Crown''s ''Travel Star'' spell and hide from Red Prince and others for the time being. But even if I hide, Red Prince might have some other methods to track me down¡­''


    ''The second one is to return to Riverdale City and rank up with Life Church''s help¡­ Nah, from Emilia''s earlier words, I can tell that those bastards won''t give those ritual methods to outsiders that easily. Leaving the Withering Shadow Department is an easy job because they already failed to protect my mother, so I have full rights to walk away anytime. But, where can I get the ritual method to summon the ''Will'' of a Fire Elemental ne? Moreover, where can I get the co-ordination of a Fire-Elemental ne?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and then turned his gaze towards the red-gem embedded bracelet.


    ''Mr. Rh, do you know anything about the ''Traveler Tree''s Leaf''?''


    He suddenly remembered the hidden quest mission and asked.


    ''Where did you hear about that leaf,d?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in surprise.


    Charles thought for a moment and revealed everything he encountered in the Dreamworld.


    Upon hearing his exnation, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment and then spoke,


    ''Traveler Tree¡­ It''s a World Tree of a Higher ne,d. This Traveler Tree''s leaves alwayses in pair and those two leaves always have some connection with one another. Moreover, they are very rare.'' It paused for a moment and then added,


    ''Once we went back to Riverdale City, we can enter the Dreamworld and explore further.''


    A troubled expression appeared on his face. Charles then let out a sigh and said in a gloomy tone,


    ''Red Prince and hisckeys already killed my mother, Mr. Rh. I witnessed the murder with my own eyes.''


    ''Oh¡­ I''m sorry for your loss. But why did they kill your mother?'' Even the Holem''s Crown became puzzled by their action and asked in surprise.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Charles exined everything to the Holem''s Crown in detail and then added,


    ''They are also nning to kill me in a month or two. Red Prince appears to be afraid of the Lightning Mage now. But once he ranks up, he will definitelye for you and me. But it will take a month or two for him topletely stabilize his rank. This will be the biggest opportunity. For now, I''m nning to go and meet the powerful Lightning Mage and make a deal with her.''


    Upon hearing his words, the Holem''s Crown also agreed and said in his mind.


    ''I think you should disguise yourself as another person before you meet her. That way, even the Red Prince couldn''t find out about you.''


    Charles also agreed with that idea and said in a solemn tone.


    ''Cast the ''Travel Star'' spell now.''


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown shifted its attention to its ''Inner-World'' and then activated it.


    "Travel Leap."


    A secondter, Charles''s figure blurred and soon disappeared from the city ruin.


    ¡­


    End of the Volume-1


    [Hello, Readers! I hope you could give me an honest review or ament about this volume. It might be very helpful for me to realize what are the mistakes I made in this first arc.]


    ¡­

 Chapter 81: Return

    <h4>Chapter 81: Return</h4>


    October 3rd, around 10.00 A.M,


    Somewhere in the woods near Riverdale City.


    A sudden ripple in space appeared near a tall sycamore tree and formed into a vortex. Then, a male figure walked out from it.


    An instantter, the bluish vortex shrunk and soon disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, the male figure straightened his body and looked around. He wore a slightly long ck surcoat, ck pants, and leather shoes and wore a unique red-gem embedded bracelet.


    He had slightly long deep-blue hair, deep-set jade eyes, short eyebrows, fleshy nose, an oval face, and olive skin.


    After confirming that no one was nearby, he ced his hand on the trunk and leaned his body against it for the next few seconds.


    "Long-distance Teleportation always causes dizziness,d. You should get used to it from now on." The Holem''s Crown said in the same old man''s voice.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head solemnly and sat down on the soft ground.


    After taking 2 minutes rest, he closed his eyes and activated his [Disguise] skill. After he ranked up the sub-ss, he hadn''t even used the other skills much, so he thought of using them now.


    ''With this Disguise skill, I can change my hair color willingly and can even change my facial muscles to an old wrinkled one. Hmm, I can even change my eyes'' pupil and iris colors, eyebrows lengths, and so on¡­ Except for my height and my skin tone, I can pretty much change everything and even control my facial emotions.'' Charles was deeply astounded inside.


    After checking the information, he opened his jade eyes and then nced at the red gem embedded bracelet.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you change your form into a ck cane?'' He asked.


    The Holem''s Crown instantly moved on its own from his hand and soon began to expand.


    ''As long as it isn''t something soplicated like these magic pistols, I can change myself into anything. But don''t use me to hit other objects, because I will also feel pain in my soul.'' Simultaneously, the Holem''s Crown gave a short exnation.


    Within seconds, a ck-coated cane with a red gem embedded on the handle area appeared in front of Charles''s eyes.


    Charles silently ced the ck cane near the wooden trunk and took out a small mirror from his space ring.


    He then stared at his reflection and started using [Disguise] skill to change his smooth skin. His smooth skin started to change within seconds, and soon his face turned into a wrinkled one!


    If someone saw his appearance now, they would definitely think that he was an old man!


    ''What the hell is this?!'' Even the Holem''s Crown became stunned for a moment and soon blurted out.


    "Are you also a [Trickster] ss Mystic? Wait¡­ That exins why you always perceive the uing dangers like a [Seer] ss Mystic. This is indeed a big surprise."


    Charles didn''t say anything and quietly started changing his Iris color from jade to an amber one. Then, he touched his head, and the next instant, his slightly long deep-blue hair started to turn paler and paler and soon formed into aplete white!


    "Can the Red Prince identify my appearance now?" He asked in a cold voice.


    "No. Moreover, even if he uses some blood to track you now, he won''t get any results." The Holem''s Crown responded in a mysterious tone.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles raised his brows and soon checked his status.


    ¡­


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Inflected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Human/???


    Rank: 2 (Umon)


    Main ss: Level 5 Fire Weaver (0/3844)


    Sub-ss: Level 1 Disguiser (0/759)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favorability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 181/181


    Exp: 12,167 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 16


    Dexterity- 18


    Constitution- 15


    Wisdom-30


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 60


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Fire Wings (Rank-1 spell- Completed1)


    Incinerate (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    me Body (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Crimson Robe (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Burning Thoughts (Rank-1 spell-Completed)


    Blue Cure (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Crimson Steps (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Magician''s Hand- 51


    Disguise- 53


    Prevision- 54


    Unique skills:


    Conceal- 50


    Dark Vision- 44


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 60


    Sharpshooting- 30]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm, there are question marks in the race tab now¡­Yes, I do remember the notification about a change in the race when I ranked up my subss. Is it simr to gic modification?'' He pondered for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards the skill points.


    ''How many skill points do I need to spend to reach the second rank-up requirement? 80? Or, 100? This is going to be a huge problem for me.'' He frowned.


    ''If it is 100, then I need around 150 skill points to rank up. Then, there are the unique skills.'' He rubbed his chin and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''From the looks of it, the skills appear to be improving on their own. It must have something to do with my previous actions.'' He nodded his head and then shifted his attention towards the spells.


    ''From now on, I shouldpletely focus on improving my main ss and construct the remaining spell models. But to do that, I need a safe ce. Moreover, I must find a way to get the ''ritual method'' from the Life Church or other third party, andplete the elemental heart ceremony.'' He paused for a second and then took out the azure gem he got from the winged man devil''s statue.


    ''Divinity Extractor¡­ Although this gem looks like an awesome treasure, this stone has the ''Will'' of a Devil is hidden in it. I need to get rid of this thing before some devil or Red Princees after it.'' He suddenly thought of the ck-haired woman named Rachel, and soon his amber eyes shone.


    ''From my earlier observation, I can tell that she is not a smart one. Although she appeared powerful, she was easily angered by Anderson earlier and acted impulsively. She also looked more like a blind fanatic. During the morning incident, she didn''t even observe her enemy''s real strength and rashly attacked them with full power. That indeed ended up as a very big problem. If she hadn''t appeared near Red Prince and acted more cautiously, the oue would have been totally different.'' He stopped for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''Thinking about that won''t bring Eve back. Hmm, that Rachel is my right target. If I manipted her a bit using sympathy and emotions, I can use her strength to protect me for some time and achieve many things. Moreover, she also knew some information about the Devils and might be interested in this stone.'' He nodded his head and soon thought of another problem.


    ''It''s about my ''Unluckyness.'' It will act up one way or another, so I need to act quickly and get out of this city once I achieve my goals. These ''Fate'' and ''Mind'' rted skills are unpredictable, so there will be a chance that I might bump into Red Prince, or Saron, or Martin. Last time, I underestimated them too much and was manipted by them like a fool.


    But I do understand a few things about how these ''Fate'' skills work. If I''m not wrong, Addie Baker came after me only when I stared at his house for few seconds. At that time, he didn''t know my real identity and even asked me about it. From the looks of it, these ''Fate'' rted skills have some restrictions. With it, finding a disguised person''s real identity must very hard. Wait¡­


    It might have something to do with one''s thinking. Yes, when I disguised myself as ''Edith,'' I almost thought of myself as Edith and even manipted others to believe it with the help of the ''Mark of Imagination.'' But why didn''t Eddie revealed my identity to Addie at that time? No, if he had revealed my true identity, there is a possibility that I might found out that something was off about that Mark. So, he must have observed me from the sides.'' He nodded his head and prepared another identity for himself.


    ''Oswald Raven, Eve''s father''s name. I should take his identity and proceed with my n.'' He made a swift decision.


    He then hurriedly stored all of the things into his space ring and then took the handle of the new ck cane. Like a real old man, he used the cane and started walking towards Riverdale City''s direction.


    30 minutester,


    Charles arrived in front of the city gate and entered after giving some Life Church''s silver coins to the guard. He then made a few turns and soon arrived in front of the Life Church entrance. After that, he walked on the aisle and soon arrived in front of the Goddess Nira''s statue.


    Unlike the other day, the temple appeared a little gloomier, and there were only a few nuns and some guests seated on the third pew. Without minding their presence, Charles arrived in front of the Goddess Nira''s statue, pped his hand together, and started to pray.


    Once he finished his prayer, he turned around, walked out of the dome-shaped building, and stood in the entrance.


    Minutes passed as believers gathered in front of the church one by one, and soon the whole entrance filled with murmurs and whispers.


    Charles knew that the reason they were gathered here was to attend Eve''s funeral ceremony, so he also mingled with the crowd and waited.


    When a believer of Life dies, Life Church members must do a funeral ceremony and then seal their body in a coffin and bury them in the northern cemetery. Although Eve was a foreigner to Riverdale City citizens, the citizens, especially some people from El Street, still consider her as their own family member.


    So, her sudden death was a huge shock to the whole street.


    Two hours went by, and soon a group of pdins in silver armors carried a coffin from the southern direction and soon ced it at the entrance.


    Meanwhile, a blue-robed priestess walked out of the Life Church and ced four candles on each corner of the ck wooden coffin. Then, she opened the head panel and looked at the smiling corpse that was ced inside.


    The priestess then knelt in front of the coffin and started to sing the funeral song.


    A voice filled with sacredness came out from her mouth as she took a vial and poured the holy water on Eve''s forehead drop by drop. Simultaneously, her loud voice echoed in the entrance as the believers also joined in the rhythm and sung in unison.


    Life Church members believe that death was just an invitation from the Goddess Nira and the ones who died were gifted ones to enter the cycle of reincarnation!


    Followers of the Life Goddess believe in eternal life. Thus the church strongly emphasized a positive oue in death ¡ª that the deceased was still alive with themselves.


    While death was the separation of the soul (the spiritual dimension) from the body (the physical dimension), they believe that the soul would be once again reborn in this world with a simr physical appearance in another part of the world and continue to live on like eternal life. They believe that the body was merely a cloth. When a person dies, they merely think of it as changing clothes.


    In the old man''s appearance, Charles sang along with them and searched for someone in the crowd.


    After searching for a while, he soon locked his gaze on a ck-haired woman and nodded inwardly.


    The funeral ritual continued for about another two hours, and all the believers started presenting the deceased with flowers, dresses, and even a few gold coins. Charles also followed others'' actions and ced her ''Mother''s Wish Bracelet'' inside the coffin.


    "May you reborn in a good family, my child." He said in an ancient tone and then stared at her with trembling hands.


    His action attracted everyone''s attention. Not only the priestess, even the ck-haired woman and other high-ranked Mystics like Ethan, Hunt, and Charlotte also turned their gaze at him and stared at him in curiosity.


    They felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing the old man''s face and soon widened their eyes.


    They soon looked at Eve''s face and instantly thought that this old man must be her father!


    Upon seeing his face, the ck-haired woman went pale.


    She was none other than Rachel, the Head Deacon.


    A sense of guilt arose in Rachel''s heart as she gripped her fists tighter and swore to kill those three members.


    In the meantime, Osward showed a face that was filled with pain, sadness, and anger and then walked away.


    On the other hand, a ck-haired woman appeared in front of the coffin and ced a red rose flower above Eve''s chest.


    "I-" She was about to say I''m sorry but soon stopped. She then let out a heavy sigh, turned around, and went in the direction where Amber Street was located.


    I changed theprehension of spell models from numbers toplete or iplete. If readers find it difficult, you canment below and I will change it back to the previous state.

 Chapter 82: Cautiousness

    <h4>Chapter 82: Cautiousness</h4>


    A few minutester, Rachel arrived in front of a single-storied house, surrounded by a blue paintedpound wall, and walked in. Soon, she came in front of the entrance, opened the wooden door with an iron key, and then locked it from the inside.


    "I messed up pretty bad this time." She said out loud and then went towards the bathroom. She took a long bath in the cold water for 30 minutes and then walked out in a ck gown. Rachel then went towards the bed, ced it on the main hall, and sat on it.


    As she was about to take some rest, she heard a knocking sound from outside and soon frowned.


    ''Who?'' She raised her eyebrows in suspicion as she stood up, adjusted her dress, and then went towards the entrance. She then ced her hand on the handle, turned it towards the left side, and opened the wooden door with a click.


    Soon, she saw a white-haired old man in amber eyes standing outside and narrowed her silvery eyes. He had a wrinkled oval face, thin eyebrows, and wore a slightly long ck-colored surcoat.


    "You are?" She arched her eyebrows upward and instantly recognized that he was the one who appeared in the funeral ceremony.


    Meanwhile, the old man stared at her for a second and spoke in an ancient tone.


    "I''m Eve''s father, Oswald Raven."


    Rachel''s heart sank as she heard those words. She felt that hundreds of needles were stabbing at her heart when she saw the painful look in the old man''s amber eyes.


    She didn''t say a word and quietly stood there for three continuous seconds like a frozen statue.


    Finally, she regained her senses, took a step back, and invited him in.


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Oswald. I couldn''t able to protect her in time." She bit her lips and said while lowering her head in shame.


    In the meantime, Oswald walked on the red-carpeted floor and soon reached the main hall. He then went near a wooden chair, brushed the dust off from the chair with his right hand, and sat on it.


    "It''s not your fault, child." He paused for a moment and then spoke.


    "I came here for another purpose. Do you mind hearing it?"


    Rachel widened her eyes as she heard his question and soon nodded.


    "I came here to seek some help from you." He straightened his back and said in an old voice.


    "Help?" Puzzlement appeared on her face as she also sat on the opposite chair and stared at him in confusion.


    Oswald nodded his head and spoke.


    "I want you to protect me for a day." He stopped for a moment and continued with a serious look on his face.


    "The one who killed my daughter''s name is Xander Nightwind and he is also a member of the Nightwind family. Although I don''t know why they killed my daughter, I''m afraid they might try to kill me once they found out about my real identity. So, I want you to protect me for a day." Rachel noticed helplessness in his voice and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    In truth, she wanted to go after the guy named Xander and kill him brutally now. But she refrained herself from acting rashly and nodded.


    "I will do it." Her sense of Justice and the former guilt made her say those words subconsciously.


    "Thank you," Oswald nodded his head, took out an azure stone from his space ring, and passed it to her.


    "I also need you to help me with something. This is the payment."


    Although Rachel got puzzled by Oswald''s action, she moved her hand and took the gem-like azure stone.


    "This is called ''Divinity Extractor'' and it also has the ''Will'' of a Devil reside in it." He purposefully paused for a moment to observe her facial expression and soon added.


    "I want to get a ''Ritual Method'' to link one''s soul to a fire elemental ne in exchange for this gem. Can you help me with that?"


    Upon hearing those words, Rachel suddenly turned solemn and then frowned.


    Before she could ask any more questions, Oswald cleared his throat and said in a grave tone.


    "Although I lost my daughter, I still have one grandchild left. If I didn''t protect him and make some preparation for his future advancement, I won''t die in peace at all."


    An understanding expression appeared on her face. Rachel saw that exact resolution she had seen on Eve''s face and became touched emotionally.


    "Getting a ritual method is not a hard thing for a Rank-4 Mage like me." She waved her hand and then asked.


    "Is there anything else, Mr. Oswald?"


    A weak smile appeared on Oswald''s face as he shook his head and said.


    "That''s it."


    "Okay." Nodding her head, Rachel stood up from her seat and continued.


    "Wait here for a while, sir. I will go and get ready in a minute." Saying so, she turned around and went to the wardrobe room. She then locked the door from inside and took off her ck gown.


    After that, she took a sleeveless white shirt, ck tights, brown leather shoes, and a Carlyle id jacket and started wearing it.


    In two minutes, she finished her dressing and then walked out of the wardrobe room.


    "I''m ready, Mr. Oswald." She said in a polite tone.


    "Then, please follow me," Oswald said as he stood up from his seat, held the ck cane with his right hand to support him, and then walked out of the single-storied house.


    In the meantime, Rachel took a small sword from the nearby shelf and followed after him silently.


    Both soon walked out of Amber Street and then went to 45 El Street. Although a few town security guards stood at the entrance, they didn''t dare to block Oswald as they noticed Rachel''s presence and let them in.


    Oswald opened thepound gate, walked on the yard, and soon arrived in front of the entrance door. He then pushed the opened door and walked in.


    To his surprise, the security guards seemed to have cleaned the bloodstains, and the reception room already turned good as new.


    "Not even seven hours have passed, but Life Church is already nning to take this house for their believers." Rachel said in anger.


    "Take?" Oswald halted his footsteps and asked in surprise.


    "Yes, before Eve''s death, she signed an agreement with Life Church. In the agreement, she mentioned that if the Life Church protected her son during the city ruin mission, the Life Church will have the full rights to take this house and the Wind Vi after six months." Rachel exined with a solemn look on her face.


    "But why are they taking this house now? There are still six months left, right?" Oswald''s tone went cold. He clearly showed his dissatisfaction towards Life Church like a real father of Eve.


    "It''s an order from above. Moreover, Life Church higher-ups also said that Charles might have died in the city ruin, so Eve''s property should belong to Life Church from now on." Rachel said in a low voice.


    "What if Charles is still alive? What if hees back and uses them of forcefully taking over his property?" Oswald wasn''t surprised by their greedy action and raised questions.


    "If he reallyes back, then the Church will give him some money inpensation and might let him stay here for the next six months." Rachel paused for a moment and then added with a solemn look on her face.


    "By some luck, if he is really alive, then please take him away somewhere safer. Also, tell him that he has the full rights to walk away from the Withering Shadows department from now on."


    A look of astonishment appeared on Oswald''s face as he nodded his head and then went towards the spiral staircase.


    With great difficulty, he stepped on thoserge stairs and soon reached the second floor. Then, he arrived in front of Charles''s bedroom, opened the door with a click, and walked in. Rachel also followed his footsteps and looked around the room with a curious look on her face.


    "I already contacted Charles and he told me to get something from the Dreamworld for him. That''s the reason I came here and requested your help, child." He took out a grayish-ck pebble from his space ring as he said those words,y on the soft bed, and ced it in his coat pocket.


    After that, he took out the Starfall Codex from his space ring, flipped the pages, and soon stopped on thest page.


    But instead of chanting, he cast his gaze on the Holem''s Crown and said in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, it''s your turn.''


    An instantter, he moved his lips and started to act like he was the one who was chanting.


    From Rachel''s perspective, Oswald Raven was the one who was chanting a strange spell. But in truth, the Holem''s Crown was the one who was chanting this spell.


    Unlike other spells, this one was a Rank-4 spell called Sun''s re!


    It was a Fire spell that could repel any spells, skills, and weapons and protects the user for two consecutive days.


    Due to his less wisdom, casting a Rank-4 spell through chanting would be an impossible task for Charles. But the Holem''s Crown was different. Although it was an artifact with limited abilities, it does have arge amount of wisdom power, so Charles thought of putting it to good use.


    The chanting continued for a long time as Charles moved his lips like an expert mimicker and then ended the chant.


    It took almost 15 minutes for the Holem''s Crown to finish the chanting!


    Once the Holem''s Crown ended the chanting, a dense amount of fire elemental energy came out from the Starfall Codex magic book and formed into a protectiveyer around his body. A secondter, the protectiveyer turned transparent and soon disappeared from the outsider''s eyes.


    Upon seeing such a spell, even Rachel became stunned for a second and soon realized that even she would need more than an hour to break these types of protective spells from the outside.


    ''He didn''t trust me a single bit. Well, I did end up not doing my job properly and caused his daughter to die, so it''s not a surprising thing.'' She let out a disappointing sigh and then sat on the floor in a cross-legged position.


    Meanwhile, Charles ced the ck cane over his chest area and spoke.


    "Protect me for a day from now on. If something abnormal happens outside, notify me in advance by touching this shield. Also, don''t leave this room from now on." After saying those words, he took a deep breath and closed his amber eyes.


    ¡­


    After an unknown amount of time, Charles opened his eyes in the Dreamworld and instantly turned serious as he heard a rumbling noise from the sky. At the same time, he noticed that he was not in the old man''s appearance and became surprised.


    ''Oh? This Dreamworld can even distinguish between true face and false face?'' He raised his thin eyebrows.


    He then took the red crown from his chest and stood up.


    Yes, it appeared that even the Holem''s Crown imitation skill couldn''t fool the Dreamworld.


    Shaking his head, he then went near the window and checked the situation.


    "This room is filled with runic words." The Holem''s Crown said in an old man''s voice and soon turned itself into a red bracelet.


    "Runic words? You mean Runal words?" Charles raised his eyebrows as he caught the hovering bracelet and asked before wearing it.


    "Runic is the right term,d. Like othernguages, the future generations changed the real name and modernized it. There is a legend in my world that thisnguage was actually created by High Humans and High Elves to understand the secrets of magic and then passed down to their descendants."


    "High Elves? High Humans?" Charles became more curious about those new races and asked in curiosity.


    "They are the true ancestors of Elves and Humans. Long ago, a devastating battle urred in my world, and most of the High Elves and High Humans died while the remaining ones were left to search for more power to seek vengeance. Well, let''s talk about them another time." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then continued in an impressive tone,


    "Eddie must have created this ce to link Dreamworld and Edhen world. Otherwise, simply entering this Dreamworld would be an impossible task for other ss mystics."


    Charles looked around the walls and then raised a question.


    "Mr. Rh, can you tell me about this strange Dreamworld?"


    "Hmm, there are many theories about this world, but no one can tell which one is right, which one is wrong. Before I tell you more about my own thought, do you have any idea about how life is created?" The Holem''s Crown asked in a serious tone.

 Chapter 83: Origin of the Dreamworld

    <h4>Chapter 83: Origin of the Dreamworld</h4>


    Charles silently walked out of his bedroom and went downstairs while talking slowly.


    "I can guess. Atoms can create life if they are given enough time. It also depends upon their luck like when they would be able to form molecules that are necessary for life.-"


    Before Charles could speak further, the Holem''s Crown interrupted him and asked in confusion.


    "What is an atom?"


    Upon hearing the question, Charles froze for a moment and soon widened his jade eyes.


    ''Damn, I almost forgot that these guysck scientific knowledge.'' He rubbed his forehead and gave a short exnation about atoms.


    "An atom is a colorful collection of energy and matter, which are both made of tiny particles. The most basic elements in the universe are atoms."


    "You mean Mana? Your description of this atom looks more like Mana." The Holem''s Crown said in surprise.


    Charles went silent for a second as he stepped down on the spiral staircase and continued to exin.


    "Okay. Atom can create molecules and molecules can create life-."


    Once again, the Holem''s Crown interrupted his talking and asked in annoyance.


    "What is this ''Molecule''?"


    On the other hand, Charles showed an irritated look on his face and responded in a vague tone.


    "Molecule is a substance with two or more atoms bonded together."


    "Oh? Do you mean the elemental energies? Or, is it another thing?" The Holem''s Crown raised another question.


    Upon hearing the strange linkings, Charles gave up on saying further and started talking about life.


    "I''m not sure either. The creation of life is not that simple. If it were so easy, life would have been created on every. Certain environmental conditions are also required. So what we require are atoms, optimum conditions, luck, and a long time. Atoms will create molecule and one such molecule is DNA.-"


    "DNA?"


    "DNA is the chemical name for the molecule that carries gic instructions in all living things. If you see the structure of DNA, it is made up of non-living things but DNA is always associated with living things. DNA can do things that a simple atom couldn''t do. Simrly, molecules- bigger molecules like polymers with high molecr masses can be formed." He suddenly stopped for a moment before checking if there was an anomaly in the yard and then continued to walk.


    "Polymer is basically thousands/millions of monomer units or single repeating unit connected in long chains. Anything that is made up of the same type of Chemicalposition which is repeated numerous times can be considered as a polymer. Now, the DNA, along with other molecules and chemicals, enzymes, etc can make different structures, organelles, and ultimately a cell. These cells are the smallest units of life."


    "Your exnation made me realize that we need to do more research at an elemental level." The Holem''s Crown said in a dumbfounded tone.


    "Now, let''se to the current topic. Your exnation made some sense, it doesn''t answer fully. There is no luck when ites to creating life on a,d. Everything has connected to the Eternal River of Life and the mythical World Trees. These two are the main cause of the creation of life on any." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then continued in a profounded tone.


    "Before the birth of Time, a single entity existed and he was the one who gave birth to this universe. He goes by the name ''Creator''. Some ancient mages assumed that he came from another universe, while others say that there was no ''Creator'' to begin with. But this mysterious ''Creator'' has some connection with this strange Dreamworld. I once heard from an undead Lich King that this Dreamworld is actually a real dream of this ''Creator'' and is already formed into a physical ne. He said that whenever the ''Creator'' woke up, this strange Dreamworld would disappear even from the ''Time'' itself and would appear as apletely new one. Our strange dreams that have some links with past, present, and future must be due to this."


    At that moment, Charles stopped in front of El Street junction and blurted out.


    "Don''t tell me that this ''Creator'' is the universe itself?"


    "Hohoho, you figured it out very soon. Yes, that''s why we haven''t seen him yet¡­ No, I heard a rumor that there is one Taboo Existence woke up the ''Creator'' himself and changed a great mess." The Holem''s Crown said in a mysterious tone.


    "You mean the one who created the ''ss-Gem'' path?" Charles instantly linked the mysterious Taboo Existence and asked.


    "Yes. The Eternal River of Life and the links with the World Trees also indicate that the Creator''s real body must be the universe itself." The Holem''s Crown suddenly paused for a moment and then added.


    "There is also another theory circled among the mages that this universe is actually that Creator''s Inner-world and we were just a part of him. But without enough proof, we can''t say anything for sure."


    Even Charles felt somewhat affected by hearing those scary words and grew more resolute on bing a pinnacle-level existence.


    He swore to himself and soon noticed that he already reached Riverdale City''s entrance gate.


    ''But where are those strange dark goblins?'' He furrowed his brows and soon went towards the direction where the strange leaf was.


    After walking out of the city, he soon halted his footsteps and saw a strange watchtower in the outskirts. No, he saw two more broken watchtowers and a strange broken building-like structure in the outskirt and became surprised.


    ''These dark goblins seem to have encountered a troublesome creature. Without knowing the dangers hidden in this world, they did try to explore this strange world too openly, so it''s not a surprising thing.'' He let out a chuckle and then zeroed his gaze towards the non-broken watchtower.


    Up in the tower, Charles noticed a total of three dark goblin-like creatures stood on guard and appeared to be observing the surroundings like hawks.


    "Oh? Are these creatures from the fire-elemental ne?" The Holem''s Crown also noticed their presence and asked in surprise.


    "How did you find out that these creatures are from a fire-elemental ne?" Charles widened his eyes and then asked.


    "What''s there to be surprised about? Look at their skin color. Due to the long exposure to heat and sunlight, their skin pigmentation turned darker. Hmm, they look much like Night Goblins, but these creatures'' skins are darker whenparing it to the real Night Goblins. A sub-race of Night Goblin? It is possible. Although Night Goblins love dark and underground ces, they do have a unique tendency to eat fire-elemental fruits and creatures. Due to the long exposure of heat and fire elemental energy, these Goblins must have mutated and be a sub-race. Moreover, I also sense dense fire-elemental energy in the atmosphere." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then added in a solemn tone.


    "These goblins must have found the Traveler''s twin leaf in their native Fire-Elemental ne and came here through it. That must be the reason for such dense elemental energy in the surroundings."


    Charles instantly concealed his presence while hiding near the entrance gate and observed the watchtower from afar.


    ''Does that mean I can get the elemental ne''s coordination through this Traveler Tree''s leaf on this side? Wait¡­ Now that I think about it, when I came to the Dreamworldst time, I noticed that I can cast the magic spells at a much faster rate here. At that time, I thought that it has something to do with this strange Dreamworld. But it seems this Traveler''s Tree''s leaf is the main reason for the fire elemental density around this area.'' A realization appeared on his face as he zeroed his gaze on the three dark goblins and made a decision.


    ''I need to kill these scouts before they could send a signal to their higher-ups. Moreover, I don''t have any time.'' With that thought in his mind, Charles took a deep breath and stealthily crept towards the tower in his concealed form.


    As he reached 50 meters away from the watchtower, his ''Unluckiness'' effect activated. Although he cast the conceal skill on himself, one of the goblins somehow sensed the anomaly and acted.


    An instantter, his [Prevision] skill triggered as he perceived the uing arrow in an instant and ducked his head. At the same time, he cast [Crimson Steps] on himself and sprinted towards the watchtower.


    In the dark, gloomynd, his figure moved like a bolt of lightning while igniting the dried weeds and soon reached the wooden watchtower''s summit. At the same time, he cast [me Wings] on himself and flew upward.


    Due to his quick action, he soon reached the top and hovered outside the watchtower.


    In the meantime, one of the three dark goblins suddenly took out a strange metal box from its leather pouch and was about to press the blue button but stopped.


    No, the dark goblin suddenly forgot how to press the button at all!


    Before it could wake up from the strange state, it saw a ray of crimson light appeared from the front and directlynded on its face!


    In a second, Charles killed the dark goblin and turned his gaze towards the other two.


    At that moment, both of those dark goblins'' bodies went stiff, and soon they copsed due to deep fear.


    ''Was I that scary?'' Charles pped his wings as hended on the watchtower with an amusing smile on his face and soon noticed a change in his [Incinerate] spell model.


    ''This¡­ Did it already absorb the fire-elemental energy to cast next time?'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face as he pointed the finger at one dark goblin and killed it.


    ''Damn, now I understood why I need to create the elemental heart. Once I create the Elemental Heart, I can cast rank-1 magic spells instantly.'' His eyes lit up.


    Upon noticing his action, thest dark goblin went scared sh*tless and started to shiver all over. It tried to shout, but Charles swiftly decapitated its head using his Ghost Dagger and then jumped from the watchtower while opening the crimson wings widely.


    He thennded on the dried weeds and dismissed the wings. After that, he checked the surroundings for a moment and moved towards the direction where the Traveler''s tree leaf was located.


    On the way, he met a few dark goblins and some weird animal creatures, but he didn''t face any difficulty and killed them before earning a total of 502 Exp points.


    After some time, he soon reached the area where the Traveler''s tree was located and soon saw a small outpost was built near the tree.


    The surrounding trees were cut down neatly, formed into arge fence, and the outpost appeared more like a small vige. A few tent-like structures were built around a single tree and appeared to be guarded by a total of 30 dark goblins.


    ''Oh? It seems they didn''t put much investment into exploring this strange dream world. Well, that has to be expected from civilized goblins after their first failure. Without understanding the strange ce, no civilization would dare to send more peoples at all. These goblins must have thought of understanding the nature of this ne before exploring further.'' He nodded his head in understanding and soon walked out from the woods. After knowing that these goblins'' strength was too low, he felt that it was unnecessary to hide any longer.


    His presence instantly alerted the nearby goblins, and soon those dark goblins moved towards him at a fast speed while aiming different kinds of weapons.


    Watching their acting, Charles coldly snorted and swiftly pointed his finger at them. A crimson ray came out from his forefinger and flew towards one of the goblins. In a mere second, the ray killed the goblin by disintegrating and even burned the tent.


    If he had used the Rank-2 [Incinerate] spell, it would have taken some time for him to replenish the elemental energy in his spell model. Thankfully, he only used the Rank-1 spell, so he didn''t even take a breath and cast the Rank-1 [Incinerate] spell once again!


    Against his powerful spells, those dark goblins stood no chance at all!


    He killed them all in less than a minute and soon went towards the area where the Traveler Tree''s Twinleaf was attached.


    But before he could take a step closer towards the old tree, his [Prevision] instantly triggered and gave him a warning.

 Chapter 84: Leaving

    <h4>Chapter 84: Leaving</h4>


    Charles didn''t even think before he pulled out the Ember Pistol from his space ring, turned the hammer, and aimed at the strange leaf.


    An instantter, the space twisted for a moment, and soon a humanoid figure appeared in front of the tree. Unlike those previous goblins, this goblin looked taller, and two red horns appeared on the forehead area. It was 190 cm tall, muscr and red lines appeared all over the body.


    Before the goblin could realize the situation, it heard a bang sound. A momentter, a crimson bulletnded on the forehead area, entered deep into its head, and killed it on the spot.


    [Target Eliminated! 350 Exp obtained!]


    ''Hmm, I gained a total of 1,360 Exp.'' Charles became surprised.


    "I''m wondering if my ''unluckiness'' is affecting my enemies instead of me," Charles spoke out loud as he arrived in front of the tree and stared at the strange gem-like leaf in curiosity.


    "That might be due to your ''Trickster'' ss''s [Prevision] skill. It can change one''s Future from time to time. So, even if the ''unluckiness'' acted up by creating dangers, this skill can warn you and help you in advance. Do you know what would have happened if the [Prevision] skill didn''t activate earlier? This Night Goblin would have instantly attacked you instead, and you would have injured or lost something in return. I also have a suspicion that you finding this Traveler Tree''s Twin Leaf here might be due to someone''s interference in ''Time'' or ''Fate''." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment as it noticed an indifferent look on Charles''s face and soon asked in suspicion,


    "It seems you already aware of this strange anomaly?"


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a heavy sigh and nodded. But he didn''t say further and quietly observed the Traveler''s Tree Twin Leaf.


    "Do you have a method to extract the ne coordinate from this leaf, Mr. Rh?" Charles asked.


    "I have a method, but it will take some time." The Holem''s Crown responded vaguely.


    "How many minutes?" Charles was well aware of his current situation and asked in a hurry.


    In the meantime, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment and said in a low voice.


    "3 months."


    Charles froze for a moment and soon frowned.


    "It seems my unluckiness still has some effects on me."


    ''Wait¡­ I can just cut the tree trunk into pieces and then take the ''Twin Leaf'' along with a piece of the tree trunk, right? Although the leaf will create a defensive force-field upon sensing the danger, that doesn''t mean it is an intelligent nt. The leaf will try to protect itself, but I think it won''t try to protect its Host tree. It is indeed a good method to fool its instinct.'' He nodded his head and soon took arge ax-like weapon from the nearby dead goblin. Then, he didn''t waste any longer and started cutting the trunk.


    Due to the enchantment in his body strength, it took only 5 minutes for him to cut off therge trunk. Then, he again cut the wooden trunk into pieces, took the gem-like leaf attached to a wooden piece, and ced it on the ground.


    "Good thinking, now we have to seal the space; otherwise, the dark goblins from another side might pop out at any time." The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone and asked Charles to take out the Starfall Codex book.


    Charles also took out the magic book and started flipping the pages. Soon, he stopped on page no.12 and started to chant a spell called ''Space Seal''.


    Once hepleted the chanting, a runic circle appeared under the wood and soon enveloped it. A momentter, Charles saw that the sliced wood was etched with runic words and nodded.


    "Done." He said in a low voice and stored it in his space ring. Then, he didn''t dare to dy any longer and returned to Riverdale City at a fast speed. If it was before, Charles might have taken 1 to 2 hours, but after his rank up, he killed all those low-level creatures in seconds and returned to 45 El Street within 20 minutes.


    In total, Charles took only 90 minutes in the Dreamworld toplete his job!


    Once he returned to his bedroom, he checked everything and closed his eyes.


    A momentter, his figure turned blurry, and soon he disappeared from the Dreamworld.


    ¡­


    After an unknown amount of time, Charles opened his amber eyes and sat up in the old man''s appearance. He nced around the room with wary eyes and soon noticed that Rachel was still sitting in the cross-legged position on the floor.


    Meanwhile, Rachel also opened her ck eyes and wore a surprised look on her face.


    "How many hours have passed?" Charles felt something was off about her expression and asked in curiosity.


    "22 Hours 38 minutes." A short reply came out of her mouth as she stood up, gave a golden-covered notebook, and then added.


    "I contacted my friend when you were in sleep and already wrote down the whole procedure to do the ritual ceremony to summon the will of a Fire-Elemental ne, Mr. Oswald."


    A weak smile appeared on Oswald''s face as he stored the notebook in his space ring and stood up with the support of the ck cane.


    "Thank you for helping me, Child." He said in a polite tone and soon asked in suspicion as he smelled a blood scent in the room.


    "Did anything happen when I was asleep?"


    A gloomy expression appeared on Rachel''s face as she nodded her head and spoke,


    "A few hours ago, two Rank-3 [Shadow Stringer] ss Mystics sneaked into this room and tried to search for something in the dark. Although I killed them on the spot, I have a feeling that something is wrong with their actions."


    "Shadow Stringer ss Mystics?¡­ Aren''t they from the Divine Order?" Charles raised his eyebrows and soon nodded his head.


    ''The Divine Order organization seems to have some rtion with the Red Prince. As for their strange action, Red Prince might be trying to find my purpose in visiting the Dreamworld. No, he might have sensed something abnormal about my current action.'' A heavy sigh leaked out of his mouth as he stepped towards the bedroom gate, opened it from the inside, and walked out.


    "It''s time." He said in a calm tone and looked at the sky, which was filled with dark clouds.


    After staring at the sky for two seconds, he went downstairs and silently walked out of 45 El Street. Meanwhile, Rachel also followed his footsteps, and soon both arrived at the market street, filled with thousands of people.


    "Thank you for protecting me, Child." He said in an ancient old voice and soon mingled with the crowd.


    Before Rachel could say something, the crowd separated them apart, and soon Oswald Raven was nowhere to be seen.


    Rachel stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face and soon shook her head. After that, she turned around, went in the opposite direction, and soon disappeared from Market Street.


    Two minutester, a woman in wiry blonde hair appeared in the corner of Market Street and soon frowned. She had monolid hazel eyes, barely visible eyebrows, and wore a tight ck suit.


    A momentter, another blonde-haired old man walked out from the crowd and spoke in a confused tone.


    "Did you find him, Miss Saron?"


    Saron shook her head and said in a troubled tone.


    "He might be Eve''s father and looked powerful. We have to find this guy before Charles arrives from the Unexplored Forest."


    A grim look appeared on Martin''s face as he nodded his head and soon went into the crowd to search for him. Although he was a Nightwind Family member, he never went to Eve''s and Harry Nightwind''s wedding ceremony and knew nothing about Eve''s father''s appearance at all. So, when he saw that old man''s appearance, he didn''t even suspect a thing and became sure of that possibility.


    Saron, Martin, and few otherckeys searched for Oswald in every corner of the city and soon started to get anxious.


    ¡­


    It was around 9 P.M, October- 4th.


    A slim human shadow climbed on the tall city wall using ropes and soon appeared on the other side. Then, in old man''s appearance, Charles erased his tracks and stealthily moved into the dark woods.


    ''I only have 8 Life Church''s gold coins remaining in my space ring. Hmm, this money will disappear in a blink if I didn''t spend it carefully.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon reached an earthen road. Although it was dangerous to walk in the dark for a normal mortal, Charles didn''t put much thought into it and started his journey.


    He mostly ate the dry bread he stored in his space ring and went in the western direction. Although he met some wild wolves along the way, they didn''t pose much threat to him at all.


    On the second day at noon, he stopped in front of a rural vige, rented a small house for one gold coin, and started to construct the [Fire Wings] spell''s corresponding spell model.


    Usually, he could only maintain the [Fire Wings] spell for 5 to 10 minutes. But after he raised his wisdom to 30, he entered the Inner-world and managed to store fire-elemental energy inside it.


    Due to that, he now could maintain this spell for more than an hour!


    ''But it''s not enough. If I want to travel to another kingdom by walking, it will take a week or two. There is also a possibility that I might leave some clues behind unknowingly. But if I upgrade this spell model, I will have an easy time.'' He locked himself in a wooden hut and opened the game interface.


    After some thought, Charles spent 2,450 Exp points and chose a spell model called [Red Wings].


    Except for the color of wings and time duration, this spell was almost the same as the previous [Fire Wings] and Charles could use this [Red Wings] to fly for 6 to 7 hours continuously. If he managed to understand the meaning behind those Runal letters, he might even maintain the spell for up to 12 hours.


    Once he spent the Exp, he took a deep breath and closed his amber eyes.


    A secondter, his consciousness was pulled by the [me Body] spell model and soon appeared in his Inner-world in his illusionary form.


    Hiding his excitement, Charles nced at the surroundings and soon saw that the whole ce has still appeared darker.


    He looked up at the sky and noticed that his illusionary body was rising on its own! No, he was flying towards those seven spell models at a fast speed.


    In seconds, he appeared in front of the seven star-like spell models and soon noticed one star was ten times brighter andrger than the other six.


    ''Incinerate spell model?'' He raised his eyebrows and soon perceived a sudden anomaly from afar. In the Inner-world, his senses were heightened to an unimaginable level, so it was not surprising that he noticed such changes in the deepest part of the inner world.


    ''This world appeared more like my own mind.'' He turned around and soon widened his illusionary eyes as he saw red-colored sparks were flying from afar and soon started to merge with another spell model!


    With wide eyes, Charles observed those sparks and soon understood that those sparks were Runal letters.


    ''My guess is right. The game system is indeed hidden in my Inner-world.'' The corner of his illusionary lips curled upward as he made a right guess and formed into a smile.

 Chapter 85: Affinity

    <h4>Chapter 85: Affinity</h4>


    Once he noticed what was happening, Charles used his thoughts and directly flew towards the area where those fire sparks wereing from.


    The further he went into his Inner-world, the more he saw his previous life memories.


    ''This world is filled with my memories in the name of illusions.'' He continued to fly towards the sparks'' origin and arrived in front of arge red-cubic crystal after ten minutes!


    Around the cube were countless Runal letters hovered in longitudinal andtitudinal lines, and it appeared very mysterious and sacred.


    He tried to move near the cube, but he felt some invisible force was obstructing him and became surprised.


    ''Is this the game system?'' Charles stared at the cube-like structure and soon squinted his eyes as he saw a total of 9 gems hidden in it. Four were red in color, while the remaining five were ck.


    "ss Gems?" A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at those gems for a moment and soon turned solemn.


    ''The one who created this system is not omnipotent. From the looks of it, this system somehow manipted me to choose the Fire Mage and Trickster ss. If not, why are there only two types of ss gems in the cube?''


    Then, he shook his head, marked the location in his mind, and then quietly observed the inner world.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious Runal letters came out of the cube-like sparks and flew towards the sky one by one.


    Unlike the Rank-1 spell models, the construction of this Rank-2 spell model took 6 hours!


    Charles continued to observe his memories one by one and also learned a secret that he could even alter his memory illusions in this Inner-world.


    ''Heh, so this is how high-level [Psychologist] ss mystics invade one''s Inner world and manipte others'' memories, huh.'' He muttered inwardly and soon noticed that the construction of the spell model was already over.


    Nodding his head, Charles moved his consciousness to the [me Body] spell model and left the Inner-world. A momentter, he opened his eyes and noticed that it was dark outside.


    In the meantime, the ck cane suddenly rose on its own and soon muttered in an old man''s voice.


    "Hmm? Something is changed¡­ Why the fire-elemental fluctuations appear denser all of a sudden?" It suddenly stopped for a moment and soon asked in surprise.


    "Lad, did you construct a spell model now?"


    When he sat in a cross-legged position, it actually thought that Charles was doing meditation to strengthen his soul. But now it became suspicious.


    In the meantime, Charles smiled and said with a nod,


    "Yes. It took more than 6 hours this time."


    "F*ck! Did you really construct a spell model in this short amount of time?" The Holem''s Crown couldn''t hide its shock and asked in a deep voice.


    Charles suddenly noticed something was amiss and revealed a confused look on his face.


    "Damn it; you must have a prodigy-level fire affinity." The Holem''s Crown said in a startled tone.


    "Prodigy level fire affinity? What is that?" Although Charles knew about affinities from real Charles''s memories, he was still clueless about it.


    "Hmm, elemental affinity allows you toprehend the secrets of elements. If you have prodigy-level fire affinity, it will take only 5 to 6 hours to construct a Rank-2 spell model. But if you have an average level fire affinity, it might take days for you to construct the spell models. Mostly, Churches and Royals would only pick those who have good affinities and nurture them to be loyal mages." The Holem''s Crown responded in a calm tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles became more curious about the affinity levels and stared at the ck cane to exin further.


    Noticing his gaze, the Holem''s Crown let out a sigh and said.


    "Affinity levels are ssified as Low, Average, High, Good, Genius, Prodigy, and Divine. You must have noticed why some take years or even decades topletelyprehend the skills and spells while others take only months." It purposefully paused for a second and then added in an affirmative tone,


    "Yes, if you don''t have a high-level affinity, you are bound to lose to those with those who have above affinities."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles suddenly raised his head and asked.


    "Do you have a way to check my affinity level?"


    The Holem''s Crown suddenly became excited and responded in an instant.


    "Yes. And, I''m also curious to know that. Close your eyes and perceived the mana first. In the meantime, I will check the process and give you a correct answer."


    Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon closed his eyes with a nod. A secondter, he used his wisdom power and concentrated his attention on the surrounding air.


    To his astonishment, he couldn''t sense anything at all. But he didn''t give up, though. Instead, Charles rxed his mind and focused his full attention on the surroundings to perceive something.


    After ten minutes of a long search, he finally managed to sense something in the air and soon turned serious.


    At that moment, he finally sensed minute amounts of fire elements and some ck-colored elements in the surroundings and became surprised.


    "Strange¡­ You have only High-level fire affinity and average darkness affinity. But how could you construct the spell models in a short time?" Even the Holem''s Crown couldn''t understand how the hell did Charles achieve that and got confused. But the Holem''s Crown was not a dumb one, though. In few seconds, it ruled out many possibilities and made a bold guess.


    "Could it be¡­? Do you have some artifact to fasten the process?"


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s lips twitched uncontrobly.


    ''As expected of an intelligent one, this artifact indeed is a problem. Thankfully, I have full control over this artifact; otherwise, It would be too difficult to silence it.''


    But Charles didn''t reply, though. Instead, he nced at the Holem''s Crown and asked in a serious tone.


    "Am I able to increase my Fire Affinity?" He felt that he needed to strengthen his Fire Elemental affinity sooner orter.


    ''Otherwise, I might end up in a bad situation.''


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown coldly snorted and said in disdain.


    "You think that is an easy matter? To increase one''s elemental affinity, you need a help of a Divine or an elemental ne. But would a Divine or the ''will'' of an elemental ne help you without getting anything in return?"


    A bitter smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face.


    ''It looks like I need to postpone this and search for a way to increase my affinity in the future.''


    With no other choice, Charlesy on the stone b, rested in the vige for the next few hours, and stealthily left the vige before the dawn arrives. But the worry about his future started to increase.


    After walking away from the remote vige, he chose a suitable open space and cast [Red Wings] and [Crimson Robe] on himself. Then, he pped his wings forcefully and soared up in the sky like a bird. Unlike the previous one, this upgraded version of [Red Wings] spell strengthened his concentration on flying and moved under his thoughts like they were his own.


    He knew that some people might notice his action, but he didn''t care. He rose higher and higher and soon reached more than 5,000 meters high.


    From that height, his legs started to get chill, and even he felt nervous inside.


    ''Thankfully, this world has no monstrous birds like dragons, wyverns, and so on. Otherwise, I might die in seconds.'' He looked at the almost tiny houses and nearby viges and soon zeroed his attention in a particr direction.


    ''Go in that direction,d. Chester City is the safest ce for you now.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    ''The Moon Kingdom?'' He raised his eyebrows, pped his wings wide, and soon flew towards the city at a fast speed.


    Hours passed as he continued to fly at a 400 km/ hr speed and soon saw the Moon Kingdom''s Capital City around noon.


    After that, Charles slowed down his speed and descended from the sky. But instead of choosing tond on the city''s outskirts, he chose a lone mountain hill and stealthilynded on the peak. If he flew at night time, he might have attracted the attention ofmoners. But in daylight, no one noticed his arrival at all!


    Unlike the Arc Kingdom, which was filled with greenery, the Moon Kingdom appeared dry and hot and looked more like shrunds. He only saw rocky mountain ranges and nts like dogwood, alder, Vebrnum, pin cherry, and palm trees all over the ce.


    ''I thought the Moon Kingdom would be a snowy ce.'' He made a disappointing sigh and started climbing down from the mountain hill.


    As he reached the ground, he met a few shepherds and asked them about which route was the best to reach Chester City, the capital city of Moon Kingdom. Once he got the answer, Charles didn''t stop anywhere and started walking in the right direction.

 Chapter 86: Chester City

    <h4>Chapter 86: Chester City</h4>


    As Charles walked near the city, he saw some greenery from time to time and soon realized that they were farnds.


    Charles knew that it would be impossible for an aquifer to appear in the earth''s outeryer in such a dry area. On Earth, farmers would use bore well drilling machines and take water for irrigation propose while drying the underground water in return.


    But he was well aware of the technology gap in this world and became surprised when he saw wells in such dry areas. Unlike bore wells, digging a well was a challenging task even on Earth.


    In curious, Charles went near a well and soon widened his eyes as he saw that the well was deeper than the normal ones he had seen in his previous life.


    Not only that, he even saw a magic motor pump system attached to it!


    After his transmigration, he never went to farm fields and knew nothing about these mechanisms.


    Out of curiosity, he took a closer look at those pumps and got startled deeply.


    ''They are using some liquid to run the motor¡­ No, it''s not a motor, but it looks more like an artifact filled with weird letters.'' While he was in muse, the Holem''s Crown started to speak.


    ''Artisan ss mystics are indeed good at producingplicated mechanical artifacts. Hmm, they are using condensed mana liquid as fuel.''


    ''Oh? They can even do that?'' Charles was indeed impressed by these magical engineers.


    ''Yes. But it is a very costly procedure. Moreover, the owner of this seemed to have invested so much money to dig this well.'' The Holem''s Crown stopped for a moment and soon added.


    ''The Moon Kingdom citizens must be wealthy whenparing with others.''


    Charles also nodded his head in approval. Then, he didn''t stay any longer near the farnd and started walking towards Chester City.


    Around 5 P.M, Charles finally managed to arrive in front of Chester City''s entrance gate and waited in the queue to get in.


    Unlike Riverdale City, the outer walls of Chester City appeared to be made of shining rocks and gave off the feeling of ancient and old.


    It was 7 meters tall, and the entrance gate itself looked more majestic and appeared to be made of pure silver!


    Not even the four Empires would dare to build something like this, but this Moon Kingdom did it grandly. Charles''s gaze swept past the tall stone walls and soonnded on a single tower that appeared at the center of the city.


    Even though the stone wall was blocking his vision, he saw the tower''s top very clearly and became stunned by the height.


    ''Damn, this tower should be higher than Burj Khalifa. What is that tower? Why would these guys build something like that at the center of the city? Moreover, how did they construct this?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and asked those questions in confusion.


    ''That one? It must be the Tower of Elements, a magic tower. Although the building looks grand, it is nothing whenparing it with real ones.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a cold tone.


    ''Magic Tower?'' Charles suddenly thought of those towers from fantasy novels and became more curious.


    "Next." While he was in muse, a cold voice came from the front in Laka Language and woke him up.


    Charles raised his head a little and saw a man in silver armor was waiting for him to show his Id.


    Charles nodded his head, took out the Withering Shadow department''s Life-symbol sealed batch, and showed it to the blonde-haired man.


    Although he could vaguely understand the Laka Language, he felt that it was necessary to learn more if he ns on settling in this kingdom for a year or two.


    ''Mr. Rh, you know thisnguage, right? I only know a little so If I made some mistakes when conversing, correct me.'' He said in his mind and then stared at the guard.


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haired man caught the badge, checked it using an artifact to see where it was original or duplicate, and gave it back to him.


    Thankfully, the blonde-haired man didn''t ask his name or other information and simply let him in.


    Even Charles became surprised by the guard''s behavior and silently walked in.


    ''This badge sure is useful.'' Charles curled his lips and soon walked on the main road.


    Even the entrance area appeared crowded, and hundreds of peoples roamed here and there like bees. Some wore regr linen cloths and ornaments embroidered silk cloths, while the remaining ones wore leather armor-type dresses. But he also saw some people in different colored robes and got curious.


    Charles''s eyes flickered as he analyzed them one by one and soon narrowed his eyes.


    ''All of them are mystics. Hmm? Almost 90 percent of the robed ones are mages, but why have the mages have some question marks in their status?''


    ''Oh? That''s must be servitude marks. That''s because Churches and Royals were the ones who run this Tower of Elements, and these guys are just workers. Each Kingdom''s Capital City must have one or two Magic Towers, and these mages'' job is to protect the Royals when an invasion urs.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    ''Invasion?'' Charles knew very little about neighboring kingdom invasions and became curious.


    ''Although Gods signed an agreement not to cause arge-scale war in the name of religion, that doesn''t mean mortal kingdoms can''t start a war on their own. Wars between kingdoms would often happen due to grudges and greed, but the Gods and the Churches wouldn''t interfere due to agreement.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and soon added,


    ''In this world, these mages are used as tools by Royals and Churches,d. That''s why you need to be careful when signing agreements with them. If you entered their circle, they will find a loophole and restrict you in many ways.''


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth as he rubbed his wrinkled old face and soon moved towards the Slum Borough.


    Unlike Riverdale City, Chester City was divided into four districts. They were Nobles'' Borough, South Borough, Slum Borough, and Mystic Borough. And each section was maintained by a different group of security guards.


    ''I heard that this city has a poption of 2 million, so it''s not a surprising thing.'' Charles quickly found a signboard and read out loud in Laka Language.


    "Hmm, Slum is in the west."


    ''That is east,d. See the first character; there are two strokes instead of one.'' The Holem''s Crown corrected him and then added.


    ''Slum is not a safe ce.''


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he turned around in the nearby junction and started walking towards the east.


    ''Nowhere is safer for a foreigner in any kingdom, Mr. Rh. If you made one single mistake, they will trap you, rob you, and even kill you brutally in the name ofw and order.'' Charles shook his head and continued to walk.


    After a few minutes, he entered the Slum Borough and became surprised once again.


    ''As expected of a wealthy kingdom, even the Slum Borough looks a little cleaner and these people appear a little bit healthier than Riverdale City''s slum people.'' He nodded his head and started searching for Inns. In Slum streets, Inns were always a little cheaper.


    ''But the problem is food, water, and safety. Well, I have to adjust with these for now.'' He hurriedly chose an Inn called Wheat Inn in 50A Harpy Street and rented a small room for a month. Although it cost him five gold coins, he felt that it was worth it.


    ''I need to find a way and remove this Amber Curse; otherwise, I really might end up in huge trouble.'' He recalled the suspicious look on the Inn owner''s face when he gave the Life gold coins and soon arrived in front of the newly rented room on the ground floor. He then ced the iron key in the keyhole, turned it towards the left, and opened the wooden door with a click.


    It was a 10ft x 13ft room, and one foldable cot was ced at the center.


    Charles walked in, turned around, closed the door, went near the cot, and sat on it.


    Even though he was less weight, the cot still made a screeching noise and caused him to cover his ears subconsciously.


    ''The Inn owner said that they would provide meals, but I wonder if they provide enough to fulfill my stomach.'' He mumbled inwardly and soon took out a ck gem from his space ring.


    ''I should sell this Rank-3 [Phantom Stringer] ss gem in this city. But selling it to the merchants will definitely attract attention. Not only that, but I also need to exchange this gem for other churches'' gold coins instead of Amber Church''s ones.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    He pondered for a moment and soon found a way to solve the problem.


    ''I need some loyal pawns, but Slum Street peoples are not trustworthy. Next are the middle-ss people. No, most of them would go on their own. Hmm, my only option is the people from the outside.''


    He yed with the ck gem and asked,


    ''Mr. Rh, how much can this gem worth?''


    The Holem''s Crown didn''t reply for ten seconds and then said in a solemn tone,


    ''It should be around 1500 Gold coins. But if you ask the dealer to give you in other Churches'' currency, they would reduce 100 to 200 gold coins.''


    ''It doesn''t matter.'' Charles waved his hand,y on the cot, and soon closed his amber eyes.

 Chapter 87: Searching

    <h4>Chapter 87: Searching</h4>


    The next day, Charles woke up early, had breakfast in the inn, and went out.


    His first objective now was, of course, to find some loyal helpers. After some thought, he moved towards Main Street.


    From his knowledge and experience, Charles knew that many kids from viges and rural towns woulde to cities for better jobs, so he chose them as his target.


    He found a suitable roadside bench, sat on it, leaned his back against the wood, and started to observe the people.


    At the same time, he also started paying more attention to others'' conversations and started asking doubts about the Larknguage to the Holem''s Crown.


    Hours passed as he continued to search for suitable candidates and sighed in disappointment as he saw the setting sun.


    He didn''t get discouraged, though; instead, he stood up with some difficulty, supported his body with the ck cane, and slowly returned to 50A Harpy Street. Then, he went to his room and locked the door from inside.


    ''I should construct the remaining spell models in the free time.'' He sat on the concrete floor in a cross-legged position and opened the game interface.


    ''Hmm, which spell model should I construct first?'' He pondered for a moment and soon chose to construct the corresponding spell of [Burning Thoughts] spell.


    [Mind Burn (3,000), Fire Seed (3,600), Burning Web (2,050)¡­]


    Among the corresponding spells, a spell model named [Fire Seed] piqued his interest. Unlike Burning thoughts, this fire could hide in one''s consciousness, burn one''s memories slowly, turn them into information, and send them to the user''s mind!


    It was almost like a simr version of Mind Reading skill!


    Not only that, the user could even control the Fire Seed from afar and burn their opponent''s current thoughts!


    Once he saw the effects, he didn''t hesitate any longer and chose to construct it.


    Same asst time, he entered the Inner-world through the [me Body] spell model and watched the constructing process. Unlikest time, constructing this spell model took almost 8 hours for the system!


    After that, Charles opened his eyes and rested for a few hours before going to the main street around 8 A.M.


    Due to his unluckiness, he didn''t find a suitable candidate on the second day too.


    In thest two days, he saw more than 100 rural kids entering the city. But most of them appeared too naive due to illiteracy, so Charles strikes them out from his list.


    He returned to 50A Harpy Street and shifted his attention to the game interface.


    He then pondered for a whole minute and chose to construct the corresponding spell of [Blue Fire] called [Soul Heal] spell model first. It cost him around 2,500 Exp points.


    Once the system finished constructing the spell model, he once again turned his attention to the Game interface and checked the Exp bar.


    ''I still have 4,977 Exp remaining.'' He thought for a moment and chose to construct the upgraded version of [Crimson Robe] spell for 3,420 Exp points.


    By the time the system finished constructing the spell model, it was already morning, so he skipped the day to search for suitable helpers andy on the cot to get some rest.


    Hours went by, and soon the dusk arrived. Charles woke up around 8 P.M and went to the reception hall to have some food. Like he had expected, the Inn owner only gave him a bow of vegetable soup, peas pottage, and a few slices of bread.


    Charles first stuffed the pea pottage in the bread and started to eat slowly. Once he finished the dinner, he drank the vegetable soup slowly and felt better.


    After that, he returned to his room, took out a wooden trunk piece from his space ring, and ced it on the cot.


    ''Mr. Rh, how long could this space seal spellst?'' He asked in a serious tone.


    ''It should take a month or two. Before that, find a way to earn some money and buy a house in a safe area. Then, I will tell you a method to subdue the Traveler Tree''s Twin Leaf.'' Upon hearing the Holem''s Crown''s answer, Charles''s wrinkled face turned gloomy.


    ''That''s where the main problem lies.'' He let out a heavy sigh, stored the wooden trunk into the space ring, andy on the cot with a solemn look on his face.


    The cold night passed slowly.


    For the next few days, Charles visited the main street multiple times but returned to 50A Harpy Street in disappointment.


    He finally realized how dangerous the unluckiness effects would be!


    After some thought, Charles postponed the search mission and concentrated his attention onprehending the Rank-2 [Incinerate] spell model.


    Thankfully, the unluckiness couldn''t find a way into his ''Inner world'' and obstruct his improvement.


    Although he met misfortunes like drawn into some random thugs fight, bumped into a mad person, entering into a wrong room while the other person was changing their dress, etc., he somehow managed to solve all those troubles after apologizing constantly.


    Soon, it was November 3rd.


    Charles sat in a cross-legged position and opened his eyes around 9.30 A.M.


    During the past few days, not only did he finishprehending the [Incinerate] spell model up to 80%, but he also learned to speak Lark Language.


    "Finally." He took a deep breath and stood up with a rare smile on his face.


    Then, Charles walked outside, asked the Inn owner to give him a bucket of water, took a bath in the public bathhouse, and returned to his room while wearing a single towel below his waist.


    After that, he closed the wooden door, wore a pleated linen shirt, grey pants, and leather shoes, and then went to Main Street.


    Like before, he sat on the park bench and silently watched the passerby like a jobless old man.


    It was around 11 A.M.


    While observing the passerby, Charles suddenly saw a few rural kids entering the city and soon squinted his eyes.


    It was not their cautious behavior that caught his attention, but a Rank-3 Ring in a ck-haired girl''s hand.


    ¡­


    [Item Name: Ring of Frost


    Rank: Rare


    Effect: This ring has a spell called ''Ice Land'' engraved in it. When activating, this spell would send out ice elements and freeze the surroundings.


    Caution: To use this ring, the user must have a minimum of 15 Wisdom Points.


    Cooldown: 2/ Week.]


    ¡­


    ''This girl is not a normal one.'' He frowned.


    At that moment, the group of four kids, who were around 12 to 15 years old, walked on the street road and started at the city in curiosity and wonder.


    Two were male kids, while the other two were female kids. They first went near a dressing shop and purchased a hat for a chubby-faced male boy. Then, they moved to the nearby shops and started to inquire about many things like the cost of the dresses, shoes, etc.


    Once they gathered enough information from various shopkeepers, they discussed it secretively and started moving deep into Chester City.


    The one who led the group was a long, whirly blonde-haired girl. She looked around 14-years-old, had emerald-green eyes, a round face, and a lean body, and wore a in sleeveless white shirt and brown leather pants.


    The other girl was a ck-haired one, and she looked more like a foreigner because of her pale white skin. She wore a long brown skirt, full-sleeved shirt and she appeared to be around the same age as the blonde-haired one.


    "Titus, watch your footsteps." The blonde-haired girl suddenly pulled a straight brown-haired kid''s old linen shirt as they walked past Charles and warned him while pointing her finger below.


    Meanwhile, the brown-haired kid named Titus stumbled due to her pull and turned his gaze towards the front.


    "Gold coin?" His deep-set brown eyes widened as he stared at the wheel-symbol engraved gold coin for a moment and then looked around.


    Instead of taking the coin, he maintained his vignce and checked if anything was abnormal in the surroundings.


    His gaze firstnded on few thugs, who stood there in the corner of the main street, then on the opposite side store''s owner, and soon moved towards the white-haired old man, who sat on the roadside bench.


    A secondter, his heart skipped a beat as he noticed that the old man was staring right back at him!

 Chapter 88: Pawns

    <h4>Chapter 88: Pawns</h4>


    On the other hand, a slightly obese chubby face kid instantly squatted down, picked the coin, and then stood up with a foolish smile on his face.


    "This is mine." He said in a proud tone.


    "Drop that thing now, Noel. This doesn''t belong to us." The whirly blonde-haired girl refuted in a cold tone. At that moment, Titus raised his eyebrows and whispered.


    "Big Sis Jessie, that white-haired old man is still staring at us."


    Upon hearing those words, the brown-haired girl named Jessie turned her head and stared at the old man in curiosity and puzzlement.


    Then, she hurriedly snatched the gold coin from Noel''s hand and started walking towards the old man.


    Meanwhile, the ck-haired girl, brown-haired Titus, and the chubby-faced Noel nced at each other and silently followed her.


    Charles watched their action in amusement and soon straightened his back as he saw that they arrived in front of him.


    "Is this coin yours, old man?" Jessie asked in a cold voice.


    Charles didn''t respond to her, though; instead, he checked her information through the [Inspect] skill and asked while sharpening his gaze towards Jessie.


    "Why do you think that this coin is mine?"


    Noticing his gaze, Jessie raised her eyebrows and responded vaguely.


    "Moon Kingdom citizens rarely use Life Gold Coins as currency and you are the only one who is a foreigner in the surroundings." She paused for a moment and then added in a low voice.


    "And, you have been watching us the whole time." Her tone contains a hint of hostility.


    Charles nodded his head in approval and asked.


    "Then, you should have noticed others'' prying eyes, right?"


    Upon hearing those words, the ck-haired girl suddenly pulled out a dagger from her waist and gripped it tighter.


    "Calm down, Rhea. He is not one of them." Jessie raised her tone a little and spoke calmly. Then, she nced around for a moment and soon asked in vignce,


    "What do you want, old man?" She felt no hostility from the white-haired old man and became more suspicious.


    Charles maintained his face expressionless and said a serious tone.


    "You guys seemed to be well aware of those thugs'' movements. Yes, they are thugs from Slums and already ced their eyes on you guys. If you walk into the Slum Borough, they will take you as their gang members by force and make you work for them as beggars or thugs." He deliberated for a second and then gave a warning,


    "If you don''t want that to happen, you guys should go back to your vige and live with your parents."


    At that moment, Titus''s face turned gloomy as he clenched his fist and said while gritting his teeth.


    "We are orphans and we don''t belong there."


    "Then, are you guys willing to be ves for those thugs?" Charles silently observed those kids'' facial expressions and asked.


    "We won''t. Rhea''s water element affinity level is ''Good,'' so we are nning to go to the Tower of Elements and ask the mages to take her in. Once she bes a mage, we don''t need to be afraid of those thugs-." The chubby-faced Noel said as he turned his gaze towards Jessie and soon shut his mouth as he met with her sharp re.


    Charles''s eyes squinted a little and soon returned to normal.


    "What a foolish hope." Charles heaved a heavy sigh and continued in a cold tone.


    "Once the mages took her in, they won''t even let her see you guys again."


    "W-What do you mean?" This time, Rhea started showing a nervous expression and asked in confusion.


    From the information she gathered from vigers and merchants, she learned that mages would rise to be noble and haveplete freedom.


    "You will indeed rise to be a fully-fledged mage in few years and would live a happy life." He purposefully paused for a second and then continued with a smile,


    "But until you be one, you must abide by the rules of Kingdom and stay in the tower. During that period, you won''t be able to leave the tower at all."


    Upon hearing his words, the ck-haired Rhea''s eyes suddenly turned watery.


    ''Heh, there are indeed pure-hearted souls. If nurtured properly, they will indeed be good pawns for my future n.'' Charles nodded inwardly and waited.


    "I don''t want to go to the tower." Meanwhile, Rhea squeezed those words out, and tears started to fell.


    At this moment, Titus''s and Noel''s faces also turned gloomy. They suddenly felt that they had made a wrong choice and began to show hesitation.


    The only one who showed a calm expression was Jessie. She ced her hand on Rhea''s shoulder and said.


    "I know that already. That''s why I''m nning to let her be a mage."


    This time, it was Charles''s turn to be surprised.


    "Then, how are you going to live after that? What if the mages didn''t take her in? How are you going to deal with those thugs?" Charles felt that this girl must have prepared for the worst and asked in curiosity.


    Meanwhile, Jessie shook her head and stared back at him in silence.


    ''She is good at hiding her secrets.'' Charles''s eyes flickered.


    "Then, I won''t stop you guys." He knew when to back down, so he stood up with much difficulty and gripped the ck cane handle for support. After that, he turned around and started walking in Slum Borough direction.


    "Wait."


    This time, the brown-haired Titus took a step forward and asked.


    "Why did you put the gold coin on the road? Is it to test us?"


    Charles instantly halted his footsteps and smiled.


    He turned his head, stared at the kid for a moment, and nodded.


    "I actually thought of making a deal with you guys."


    "Deal?" Jessie''s ears perked upward as her face shed in surprise.


    "I will take you guys as my disciples and protect you from now on. In return, you guys have to listen to my every word and work for me for the next three years." Charles said in a calm voice.


    "You don''t look strong." The chubby-faced Noel pointed it out.


    At that moment, the ck hat on his head suddenly flew upward, circled the area like a kite, and soonnded on Charles''s head.


    "What do you think?" A mysterious smile appeared on Charles''s face as he stared at Jessie and returned the hat to her.


    "Y-You are a Mystic!" Her emerald-green eyes widened in shock and amazement.


    Meanwhile, the other three also got stunned for a moment and soon began to feel nervous.


    Jessie soon hid her shock and hurriedly spoke.


    "We need some time to think about it."


    Saying so, she hurriedly dragged others and soon went towards Mystics'' Borough. That''s where the Tower of Elements was located.


    Meanwhile, a sly smile crept on Charles''s face.


    ''Except for the foolish chubby face kid, all of them are perfect targets.'' The Holem''s Crown said in approval.


    ''No, all of them will be useful in many ways.'' Charles replied in a mysterious tone.


    From his earlier observation, Charles noticed that the chubby-faced Noel kid appeared somewhat odd in the group. But Charles knew that these types of peoples'' actions were always unpredictable and thought of putting him to good use.


    ''Not only that. The Thugs seem to have already noticed Rhea''s ring. Hehe, before getting that artifact, they would never let them move inside the Mystics'' Borough.'' He muttered inwardly, returned to the park bench, and sat on with a calm expression on his face.

 Chapter 89: A Slap

    <h4>Chapter 89: A p</h4>


    Meanwhile, the group of four kids walked past many road junctions, streets, alleys, shops while showing a unique red symbol badge to soldiers, who blocked their way from time to time, and soon arrived in front of a stone wall that obstructed the path to the Mystics'' Borough.


    Once they appeared in front of the wall, Jessie stared at the five-meter tall wall and sighed.


    ''Thankfully, Blood Priest gave a badge before we left the vige; otherwise, it would be impossible for us to get here.'' She thought to herself.


    She knew that if they want to enter the Mystics'' Borough, they need permission from a Noble or a Church member. Not only that, but they also need to pay ten gold coins per person even to walk in.


    Shaking her head, Jessie let the other kids and soon arrived in front of an iron gate. Unlike the entrance gate, this one appeared smaller and was already opened.


    But two muscr blonde-haired guards in silver armor stood at the entrance and blocked the path with their spears as they noticed the kids'' arrival.


    It was their first warning not toe near towards the Mystics'' Borough.


    Upon seeing their cold gazes, Titus, Noel, and Rhea stopped their footsteps and hesitated to walk further.


    On the other hand, Jessie took out a half-moon symbol badge from her luggage bag and went near the guard on the left side.


    "This is not a ce for peasants," The blonde-haired man didn''t even nce at the badge and responded in a cold tone.


    "Blood Priest told us to show it you the mages." Jessie didn''t even flinch a bit and replied calmly.


    A look of surprise and astonishment appeared on those guards'' faces as they nced at each other and soon nodded.


    "Show me the badge." The blonde-haired guard took a step forward as he retracted his spear and showed his palm towards Jessie.


    Although Jessie felt uneasy, she didn''t put much thought into it and gave it to the guard.


    The blonde-haired guard''s eyes squinted sharper as he saw the badge and said while waving his head.


    "It will take a few hours to check if this badge is real or not. So,e back here tomorrow."


    He lied without even flinching. Although their higher-ups ordered them to let those with Moon Church or other Church badges in, he didn''t put much thought into it. He knew the value of this badge, so he instantly thought of selling it to the ck market and earns some gold coins.


    Even if these kids went back to their vige and told the Blood Priest about what had happened here, the guard knew that nothing would change. That''s because he and his partner were Rank-2 Soldier ss Mystics and had equal strength as the Blood Priest.


    Even if the Blood Priest personally came here, they would only give him an apology and send him off with some money.


    If this badge were given by a Moon Bishop or a higher rank Moon Church member, they wouldn''t have dared to block her path. But when they realized that a mere Blood Priest gave this badge, they instantly changed their n.


    As she heard those words, Jessie immediately knew that the guard was lying and stared at him in anger. She clearly remembered that the Blood Priest mentioned that this badge''s worth was higher than 50 gold coins and cursed at herself for rashly showing it to the guards.


    "Give back our badge." She took a step forward and moved her hand to snatch it. Seeing her bold action, the blonde-haired guard got infuriated and gave a sharp p on her face.


    Although he held back a little, his strength was way about normal mortals.


    An instantter, a pping sound resounded at the entrance, and soon Jessie''s body circled a few times before she fell on the ground.


    A huge bloody palm imprint appeared on her smooth cheek, and blood oozed out from her broken mouth!


    She felt that her head began to spin and tried to open her mouth but couldn''t. Saliva dripped down from her mouth and soaked the sand in return!


    In seconds, her body started to shake uncontrobly and soon went silent!


    "Take her and scram." The blonde-haired man didn''t even nce at her motionless body and said with an indifferent look on his face.


    Tears started to flow from all three others'' eyes as they frozen in shock for a whole three seconds and soon ran towards Jessie while crying loudly.


    Even in such a situation, Rhea and Titus somehow regained their senses in few seconds and checked her pulse in a hurry.


    "My sister is still breathing," Titus red hatefully at the blonde-haired guard and picked her upon his shoulder. He knew that these guys wouldn''t even hesitate to kill them if they stayed any longer, so he decided to take his sister away from here first.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Rhea supported him from the sides and soon moved towards the opposite direction while sobbing. The change was too sudden, which caused them to weep in panic.


    Hundreds of citizens watched the scene from afar, but none showed concern or worry. No, they didn''t even pity them and acted like nothing abnormal has happened.


    Rage and helplessness appeared in three kids'' hearts!


    "Her breath is fading." Rhea checked Jessie''s body and said with watery eyes.


    ''It''s my fault.'' A strange sense of guilt appeared in her heart as she unsteadily walked on the road.


    They wandered aimlessly on the streets while asking robed mages and priests for help, but no one showed any response. They even gave them the cold shoulder, and some even raised their hands to shoo them away!


    While walking, Rhea suddenly noticed that they already arrived at the area where they met a mysterious old man, and soon her eyes wandered on their own.


    In a second, she found the mysterious white-haired old man still sitting on the roadside bench and ran towards him with teary eyes. Although they just met him a few minutes ago, he was the only one who showed concern and worries. So, her soft legs moved subconsciously.


    Her sudden action also startled Titus, but soon he realized why she was running and cried. Although he acted cold and tough before, he was still a child after all.


    He and Noel also followed after her, and soon they arrived in front of the roadside bench.


    Meanwhile, Charles was utterly stunned by their return.


    He did expect that the guards would send them away with some warning. But he didn''t expect that the guards would be this ruthless.


    Charles actually nned to save them only when they were taken forcefully by the thugs, but the current situation waspletely out of his expectation.


    After some thought, he realized that the mortals'' lives were not much worth in this world and shook his head.


    ''Well, this is also a good thing for me.'' He muttered inwardly.


    On the other hand, Titus and the other two ced the barely breathing Jessie in front of him and knelt on the ground.


    "P-Please save her, old man. We will follow you forever and listen to your every word." Rhea cried loudly and lowered her head to the ground.


    Meanwhile, Titus and Noel also broke down emotionally and cried for help.


    Upon hearing their sudden outburst, the passerbymoners, a few robed mystics, patrol soldiers, and even a group of merchants got stunned and soon showed different kinds of emotions.


    Some showed pity, some showed concern, but none took a step forward to help those kids.


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Charles''s face as he gripped the ck cane and stood up with some difficulty. He then took two steps and squatted down near Jessie''s body.


    "Call me as your teacher from now on." He said in an old voice and ced his callus palm on Jessie''s cheek.


    An instantter, strange energy came out of his callus palm,pletely bather her body in greenish-blue me, and started reconstructed her body at a cellr level.


    Her swollen, torn cheek healed in a blink, broken cheekbones also reattached, and soon her breathing began to stabilize.


    Upon seeing such a grand scene, even the robed mystics went stunned for a moment!


    In truth, they never heard of a me that could heal one''s injuries and became shocked to the core!


    "He is also a Mage." Among the robed Mystics, a blue-haired woman said in a solemn voice.


    "Light Mage?" Another mage asked in curious.


    "Nope, Light Magic only dispels diseases and burns the curses. But this one ispletely different." The blue-haired woman paused in surprise for a second and added in a solemn tone.


    "We should inform our Teacher."


    Other robed mages also nodded their heads and started observing the old man''s movements.


    In the meantime, Charles stood up with the support of the ck cane and spoke in a calm voice before he started walking.


    "Follow me."


    The trio instantly nodded their heads as Titus picked up his elder sister and ced her behind his back.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and Noel supported him from the sides, and soon they followed the mysterious old man''s footsteps. But unlike before, they felt warmth when they walked under the shadow of the white-haired old man.

 Chapter 90: Minor Troubles

    <h4>Chapter 90: Minor Troubles</h4>


    A few minutester, the group arrived in front of 50A Harpy Street and soon met a middle-aged woman.


    She stood there at the entrance, blocking their path, and stared intensely at Charles and the kids.


    She was none other than the Inn owner. She looked around 35-40 years old, had curly ck hair, a lean body, and brown eyes, and wore a simple linen gown.


    "If they want to stay here, each needs to pay 10 gold coins." She crossed her arms together and said in a cold tone.


    "Is that so?" Charles narrowed his amber eyes and soon shook his head.


    At first, he thought of hiding his mage identity, but now he dismissed that thought.


    ''Why should I need to hide when there are hundreds of mages roaming in this city? Strength is all that matters.''


    "They will stay here for free from now on." He spoke coldly in a Lark Language and raised his old wrinkled hand.


    A momentter, a small yellowish me appeared above his forefinger and soon erged into a human-sized one!


    The fire moved under Charles''s thoughts and soon turned denser.


    Not only that, but the heat emitted from the fire also raised higher, which caused the customers to step back in anxiety and fear.


    After Charles continuously explored his ''Inner world,'' he also learned to borrow the fire elements from it, manipte it to some extent, and gained a deep understanding of Fire Magic. Although this fire didn''t have the power of the Rank-1 [Incinerate] spell, it was still a fire that could harm mortal bodies to a certain level.


    Upon seeing such terrifying fire magic, the ck-haired woman gulped down her saliva and wiped the sweat on her forehead. A momentter, she nodded her head and backed away.


    Shaking his head, Charles let out a heavy sigh and walked in.


    Within two minutes, Charles brought the kids to his room and told Titus to ce Jessie on the foldable cot.


    "Let her take some rest here." He said as he brought them outside and continued while leaning his back against the wall.


    "You can call me teacher or Mr. Oswald from now on." He deliberated for a moment and continued with a smile,


    "Introduce yourself one by one."


    Meanwhile, the trio nodded their heads solemnly and started introducing themselves.


    Except for Rhea, the other three were Sweet Vige residents and were raised by a Blood Priest from childhood. The Blood Priest not only taught them how to read and write, but he also taught them closebat skills, swordsmanship, marksmanship, stealth skills, and so on. Although the kids didn''t learn those skills, Charles felt that they might really learn them if they were given enough time.


    As for their families, Charles found out that none had any memory of their family members and got confused.


    ''Something is not right¡­ Did the priest erase their memories about their parents? It is possible. It looks more like that priest raised them for some purpose. If not, why would a rural priest teach thosebat skills to some kids? Hmm, too bad, these kids end up in my hands.'' He grinned inwardly and soon turned his gaze towards the ck-haired girl.


    Noticing his cold eyes, Rhea hid her nervousness and responded in a polite tone.


    "Around two years ago, Blood Priest came to the Iron Kingdom and save me during an incident. Hmm-?" Suddenly, she wore a confused look on her face and muttered in a puzzled tone.


    "I think it is an assassination incident. For some reason, I can''t recall anything about the ce or my close family members. Except for my mother''s and dad''s faces, I couldn''t remember others'' faces. After he saved me, Blood Priest brought me to Sweet Vige and raised me along with Jessie and others."


    Charles blinked his eyes in surprise and soon nodded his head.


    ''Their memories were indeed manipted. But what is his purpose?'' He thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''It doesn''t matter to me. These kids are educated, intelligent, and appeared very honest and they are my perfect targets. I can''t lose a single pawn.'' He instantly made a decision and spoke.


    "Go and ask the Inn owner to allocate two rooms to stay for the next two weeks." He paused for a moment and then added with a solemn look on his face.


    "After that, go and take some rest."


    After saying those words, he dismissed those kids and began to think deeply.


    ''Those thieves might not be after Rhea''s ring. The Blood Priest might have sent these four kids for other purposes and those thieves must have some link with him. If not, why would theye to Main Street on that specific day? Yes, I have never seen a thug entering Main Street to look for targets in the past 30 days. Why did theye today?''


    ''To their worst luck, these kids ended up catching my attention. If my guess is not wrong, the Blood Priest might have already aware of my actions and might be sweating about how to deal with me. Hehe, will they send a thief to lure me out and finish me off stealthily?'' He let out a chuckle and soon changed his attention to his main problem.


    ''It''s been already a month since I left Riverdale City. Red Prince must have realized that I escaped from the Unexplored Forest and might have started his search. But he doesn''t have much influence in this kingdom and doesn''t have any clue about my whereabouts. Even if Red Prince searches for me using the Nightwind family''s blood, he won''t get a single clue. Once he noticed that something was wrong with my disappearance, he will turn his attention to Charles''s grandfather, Oswald Raven¡­


    Hmm, if Charles''s memory is not wrong, Eve once mentioned that Oswald is also a high-rank Mystic¡­ Hmm, the Red Prince might go to the Herald Kingdom and look for Oswald Raven to know my location. That will be quite a show. Moreover, it won''t be easy for Red Prince to get information from Eve''s father. There is also a possibility that Oswald Raven might have already learned about Eve''s death and started his search on his own¡­


    Oswald and Red Prince would be bound to face each other in the near future. Then, I also created another enemy for the Red Prince. That Lightning Mage will never give up on avenging Eve. So, I''ll be safer for more than six months in this city. Even if Red Prince arrives here earlier, it will definitely alert one of the Five Tower Masters, Destiny Lady. I also heard that she is Rank-4 [Fate Warden] and has a deep hatred towards the Arc Kingdom.'' He halted his thought for a moment and soon frowned.


    ''But she will also be a big obstacle for my n. Although regr crimes and anomalies won''t alert her, if I n to create something extraordinary, she will definitely see a variation in the Fate of this city¡­


    Hmm, I already exposed myself as a Mage, so I should stick with that and find a way to enter the Tower of Elements. I heard that the kingdom ced several old treasures- No, I should stop thinking about it in the open.'' He instantly halted his thought.


    ''Mr. Rh, can be thinking about certain things change a variation in ''Fate''?'' Charles clearly remembered Addie''s action before he was killed and felt suspicious.


    ''It looks like you indeed started to learn quicker on your own. Yes, thinking outside of your inner world will definitely cause a variation in your ''Fate'' because your consciousness already entered the mortal body. This human body is not a powerful one to block the Fate strings.


    But in the Inner world, it is entirely different. In a sense, you are a God of that inner world, so ''Fate,'' ''Luck,'' ''Time,'' or any other supernatural forces doesn''t have the power to enter it. Well, there are exceptions, though. If a powerful person seized the control of your inner world with the help of the ''Will'' of a ne, they would have a chance to learn everything about you.'' Charles could feel the bitterness in its tone, but he simply shrugged his shoulder and nodded in understanding.


    ''It seems I need to be careful when thinking about my future n. Wait¡­ Does that mean the game system also learns everything about me? Hmm, looks like I need to find a way and take full control over it or eliminate it in the future.'' Although the game system constantly supported him to grow stronger, Charles felt that this artifact was not under his control and felt troubled.


    While he was in muse, Titus and the other two kids returned with two keys and went to the nearby room. After that, they moved Jessie to the nearby room and started talking rest in the allotted rooms.


    Charles also returned to his room and entered the ''Inner world'' through the [me Body] spell model.


    A momentter, his illusionary figure floated in the dark world, and soon he cast his gaze on his illusionary memories.


    ''From now on, I have to be very careful and think about my true goals only in this Inner world.'' He nodded his illusionary head and soonnded on the ground.


    He then stood in the same gloomy forest and started to think.


    ''First, I need to find a suitable sacrifice. Buying a sacrifice with money is out of the question. That leaves me with one other option, and that is to steal it. But stealing in this well-secured city is not an easy matter. But with these kids'' help, I might have an easy time. Before that, I need information.'' He thought to himself as he flew towards the spell models and startedprehending the [Incinerate] spell model.

 : Blood Priest

    <h4>Chapter: Blood Priest</h4>


    After some time, Charles suddenly perceived a foreign presence from the nearby room and opened his amber eyes in the real world.


    ''Did they finally send someone to lure me out?'' He arched his eyebrows upward, gripped the ck cane''s handle area, and stood up with a solemn look on his face. Then, he went near the slider window and soon looked up at the three ominous red moons.


    ''It should be around 1 A.M,'' He muttered inwardly and soon ordered the Holem''s Crown to change into a bracelet.


    After that, he stealthily opened the window, wore the red-gem embedded bracelet, and moved outside.


    Simultaneously, his wrinkled face started to change into a young one, and his hair also returned to its original deep-blue color.


    Charles soonnded on the other side, moved to the next room window, and peeked inside.


    He saw a human walking near the cot and soon raised his hand to cast [Incinerate] spell on him at any moment.


    In the meantime, the thief sat near Rhea, took the silver ring from her finger, and then stood up.


    ''Is he stealing her ring?'' Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon smirked.


    ''He is not hiding his presence at all¡­ It looks like he was sent here to lure me out.'' He muttered inwardly and soon blended himself in the darkness.


    On the other hand, the thief silently opened the window, jumped out from inside, and started walking stealthily towards the yard.


    He appeared around 178- 180cm, covered half of his face with a ck scarf, and wore a tight ck suit.


    Once the thief appeared near a tree, he checked the surroundings, ce the silver ring in his pocket, and walked out of the Inn''spound gate with hurried footsteps.


    ''Wait¡­ How did he know about her room number?'' Charles instantly thought of the Inn owner and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''It looks like she sold the information about us to the thugs.'' He made a guess and silently followed him from behind.


    After following him for a while, Charles suddenly noticed that he passed through something invisible and halted his footsteps.


    ''Is this some kind of barrier to iste the space?'' He frowned a bit.


    ''It''s a barrier to nullify the sound.'' The Holem''s Crown replied in an instant.


    ''Oh? Are they that confident about killing a mage?''


    Upon hearing Charles''s question, the Holem''s Crown coldly snorted and refuted in disdain.


    ''In their eyes, you are just an old man with some ability to heal others using magic.''


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he tapped the bracelet twice and continued to stalk the thief.


    Meanwhile, the thief made a few turns and soon stopped as he reached a dark, gloomy alley.


    At that moment, another hooded figure came out from the opposite direction and stopped ten feet away from the thief.


    "I know you are following him, old man. Come out." A cold female voice came from the hooded figure as she removed her hood and turned her gaze towards the trash bin, ced farther away from them.


    A look of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Is her perception that strong?'' He raised his eyebrows and soon walked out from his hiding spot.


    Although the three ominous moons illuminated the alley a little, the surrounding building shadows blocked most of the lights and made the street looks still darker.


    In the gloomy night, Charles stepped on the earthen road and walked towards them. He then changed his voice through the voice-changing artifact and stealthily cast [Fire Seed] spell on the ck-haired woman.


    An instantter, a purplish me appeared in the woman''s inner world and burned a piece of memory.


    At the exact moment, Charles received some information about how she joined a gang called Poison Flowers and curled his lips upward.


    ''This spell is really good.''


    "Who are you?" Meanwhile, the ck-haired woman squinted her eyes as she sized him up and down and asked in a cold tone.


    She thought that an old man woulde out from the shadows, but she got confused when she saw a young boy.


    Even though it was dark, Charles saw her appearance clearly due to [Dark Vision] skill and raised his right hand.


    She was a woman in herte 20s and appeared 180 cm tall. She had curly hair, brown eyes, and her face seemed paler.


    ''Hmm? She is also a foreigner, huh. Wait¡­ Her face has a simr appearance as Rhea¡­ Is she also from the Iron Kingdom?''


    Raising his eyebrows, Charles pointed his forefinger towards his right side and spoke a Larknguage word.


    "Ghost."


    At the exact moment, he cast [Incinerate] spell towards a particr area and dashed towards her.


    Meanwhile, a ray of reddish fire came out from his forefinger and directlynded on a cloaked man, who was hiding in the nearby shadow!


    Charles''s attack was too sudden, which caught the other party offpletely guard.


    Before the cloaked man could move his body, the ray of fire touched his chest and incinerated him in an instant!


    "Harry!" The ck-haired woman shouted in fury and threw multiple knives at Charles.


    Meanwhile, a hood-attached crimson robe covered Charles from head to toe andpletely protected him from the knife attacks.


    Simultaneously, another two shadows moved from the nearby alleys and sprinted towards him while throwing weapons at him in an aggressive manner.


    "It looks like my guess is right," Charles spoke casually as he also cast [Crimson Steps] on himself and moved towards the ck-haired woman at an unpredictable speed.


    Along the way, he raised his dagger, swiftly decapitated the dumbfounded thief''s head, and soon appeared right in front of the ck-haired woman.


    At that moment, another piece of information appeared in his mind.


    ''Aurora Grand¡­ She killed the previous Poison Flowers leader using a strange poison called Blue Tear and became a new leader¡­''


    Noticing his sudden arrival, the ck-haired woman named Aurora became shocked inside and soon moved her hand towards the waist.


    But in that second, she suddenly forgot how to take out her sword from the sheath and stood there with a confused look on her face!


    "Be a good girl and go to sleep." Charles raised his hand, moved it behind the ck-haired woman''s nape, and knocked her unconscious.


    At that exact moment, a dagger appeared in his right hand.


    Charles then turned around, sharpened his gaze towards the other two hooded humans, and moved towards them like a ghost.


    Crimson fire alsopletely enveloped his body and made him look like a terrifying fire deity!


    Before they could turn around and run for their lives, Charles arrived in front of them, killed them on the spot, and burned their bodies, leaving two charred bodies behind.


    ''Hmm, with the [me Body] spell, I''m almost immune to fire.'' He nodded in a pleasant smile and then nced at the Exp bar.


    ''Only 120 Exp? Tsk, these thieves are just Rank-1.'' He clicked his tongue and soon arrived in front of the unconscious Aurora.


    At that moment, a drop of liquid fell from the sky and sshed on her forehead.


    Charles got started by the sudden raindrop and soon squinted his eyes.


    Because what he saw was not a rain droplet, but a drop of dense red-colored liquid!


    Blood!


    Simultaneously, his [Prevision] skill was also triggered on its own!


    Charles moved two steps backward with wary eyes and dodged an invisible de, which appeared from above.


    Then, he continued to back away while looking up at the three ominous moons and soon opened his mouth subconsciously.


    Up in the sky, he saw a human shadow blocked the center red moon!


    ''No, he is falling from the sky!'' He stared at the shadow in surprise.


    With an unpredictable speed, the human shadownded in front of Aurora and turned its face towards Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles saw a brown-haired man in a red robe and instantly guessed the other party''s identity.


    "Blood Priest?" He saw the half-moon symbol on the robe and soon frowned.


    ''He looks strong.''

 Chapter 92: Princess

    <h4>Chapter 92: Princess</h4>


    Charles took a step back, took out the Starfall Codex Magic Book from his space ring, and started flipping the pages at a fast speed.


    In seconds, he stopped on the 15th page and spoke in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, it''s your job.''


    Meanwhile, the Blood Priest stared at the surroundings, then towards the unconscious Aurora, and finally zeroed his gaze on Charles.


    "Who are you? Why did you interfere with our n?" His tone was cold as ice.


    "What are you talking about? I should be the one who needs an exnation and an apology." Charles blinked his eyes innocently and responded with a smile.


    Veins popped out of his forehead as Blood Priest looked up at the ominous three moons and started muttering an incantation in a foreignnguage. He didn''t even dy a second as he noticed that the enemy was simply ying with him and made a swift decision.


    "O Lord of Undying, please guide your faithful servant to seek revenge!"


    As he ended the first verse, drops of blood started to fell from the sky and soon circled the brown-haired man like bees.


    A momentter, the droplets gathered together and formed into two scarlet wings made of pure blood.


    "O Lord of Blood, please protect your faithful serv-"


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown finally finished its chanting and spoke in Charles''s mind.


    ''Blind.''


    A secondter, the Blood Priest''s vision turned blurry and soon went ck!


    Due to the sudden blindness, the Blood Priest almost lost his cool and stopped chanting.


    "Curse Magic!" He gritted in anger and moved his hand towards his pocket.


    ''Steal his lifetime luck.''


    On the other hand, Charles ordered the Holem''s Crown coldly and pulled out the Ember Pistol from his space ring.


    In the meantime, an invisible ripple came out from the red-gem embedded bracelet and soon absorbed the Blood Priest''s luck madly.


    With a calm face, Charles turned the hammer, aimed the pistol at the Blood Priest''s forehead, and squeezed the trigger.


    Bang!


    A bullet made of pure fire came out of the pistol and soonnded on the confused man.


    A bloody hole appeared on Blood Priest''s forehead in a blink, and soon he fell on the ground.


    [Target Eliminated! 450 Exp rewarded!]


    "He talks too much," Charles said as he tossed a ball of fire on the twitching corpse and shook his head.


    ''Chanting during a battle is the dumbest idea.''


    ''Unlike other ss mystics, these Fake Origin Path Mystics mostly rely on their God''s power during battle. Without chanting, borrowing the power from their God is impossible. If Blood Priest had made some connection with the inner world, he might have a chance against you.'' The Holem''s Crown responded calmly.


    Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon turned his gaze towards the unconscious Aurora.


    ''Hmm, it looks like it will take more than an hour.''


    In the past few seconds, the [Fire Seed] spell already burned tens of memories and already sent the information to his mind.


    In those memories, Charles also received a piece of important memory about a man named Leo and soon widened his eyes.


    ''An information broker, is it?'' Charles nodded his head and soon went near the decapitated thief''s body.


    Then, he took Rhea''s silver ring, went near the unconscious Aurora, and picked her upon his shoulder. After that, he walked into the right-side alley and soon disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, Charles arrived in front of a lone hut in the farther end of the alley and opened the wooden door with a kick. From one of her memories, he learned that this hut actually belongs to the thief.


    He then ced her on the concrete floor and silently waited for his spell to absorb more memories.


    One by one, the purple fire burned those memories inside Aurora''s inner world and sent countless pieces of information to his mind.


    Charles skimmed through those memories one by one. He soon learned most of her memories about the Chester City, Moon Kingdom''s nobles, Slum Borough''s gang leaders, information broker''s real identity, secretive cult organizations, and so on.


    After an hour, Charles suddenly noticed that the memories about her teenage appeared in his mind.


    Among those memories, he learned that Aurora''s father was actually a Duke of Iron Kingdom!


    But due to some conspiracy, he was thrown into prison by the king andter killed in secret.


    After that, the King of Iron Kingdom banished their family and sent them to exile.


    But before they could escape from the kingdom, tens of assassins came after their heads and killed her family members one by one.


    With the help of a butler, Aurora hid in a bush and escaped the assassination.


    She then came to this city and became a member of the Poison Flowers gang.


    Charles also read the information about her link with Blood Priest and soon learned that Priest was actually the butler who saved her. After the assassination incident, the butler went of his own and became a Blood Priest.


    But what shocked him more was the real identity of Rhea!


    ''2nd Princess of Iron Kingdom, is it?'' He was indeed surprised.


    The butler kidnapped Rhea during another assassination incident in the Royal pce, manipted her memories using an artifact, and stealthily brought her to Sweet Vige.


    He also picked three talented kids from the vige that he was appointed to take care of and raised them as Rhea''s future vessels!


    They were Jessie, Titus, and Noel!


    ''It appears they nned on kidnapping Rhea from the very start.'' Charles was indeed impressed by their life-long n.


    Aurora''s and Blood Priest''s main goal was to let Rhea be a mage and turn her against her own family by controlling her mind.


    ''What a foolish goal. Their n has too many ws.'' He simply shook his head and dismissed the [Fire Seed] spell from Aurora''s inner world.


    He then took out a water pouch from his space ring and sshed the water on her pale face.


    In a moment, she opened her deep-blue eyes and soon screamed in fright.


    "W-Who are you?" She crawled backward as she stared at him with a terrified expression on her face and soon started to shiver uncontrobly.


    "MOM! THIEF!!" She shouted for help.


    Even Charles became dumbfounded by her sudden outburst and soon thought of a possibility.


    ''Could it be that my spell can burn the memories permanently from one''s inner world? Now that I think about it, it is burning their memory, right?''


    "Don''t panic." He raised his voice a little and soon asked few questions about her gangs.


    Although Aurora panicked at first, she finally calmed down a little and answered all those questions with a confused look on her face.


    Once he heard those words, Charles stared at her for a second and nodded his head in understanding.


    ''So, this spell''s main weakness is that it can permanently erase one''s memory, huh. Moreover, she does recall vague memories of Chester City, but those memories seem like leftover memories.'' He muttered to himself, then raised his hand and pointed his finger at Aurora.


    A momentter, a crimson ray came out from his forefinger, arrived in front of her, and soon incinerated her body into ashes!


    [Target Eliminated! 384 Exp rewarded!]

 Chapter 93: Loots

    <h4>Chapter 93: Loots</h4>


    ''The only suspect remain is the Inndy. But if I kill her now, it will create unnecessary suspicion. Hmm, should I cast my [Fire Seed] spell on her and erase all her memories?'' Charles thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''That will give others some clues about this [Fire Seed] spell. Wait¡­'' At that moment, he suddenly realized that he was in Slum Borough and soon chuckled.


    ''This is awlessnd and killing someone in the Slum Borough is not a big deal. Moreover, Charles is the one who killed these thieves, not Oswald. Still, I need to put a Fire Seed in her Inner world for my own safety.''


    He silently walked out of the alley, went to Aurora''s house, and soon arrived in front of a two-storied building.


    ''Aurora had a habit of writing down most of the important information in a diary.'' He opened thepound gate as he strolled in the yard and soon walked in. He directly went to her bedroom, took an iron key from the cupboard, opened the nearby cab with the key, and unlocked it with a click. Inside, Charles saw a diary, three umon artifacts, one blue gem, a bag full of gold coins and soon frowned.


    ''Amber Church''s currency. How should I take this?'' He knew that the Amber Curse would act even if he didn''t touch the coin and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Should I try taking out with [Magician''s Hand] ''s skill?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    But he didn''t act rashly.


    ''That skill is still a part of me, so there is a possibility of failure.'' He nodded thoughtfully and moved the bag out of the cab using a stick. Following that, he used the same stick to flip the bag to the side and moved one single gold coin from it. Then, he used the [Magician''s Hand] skill and touched it.


    As soon as the invisible string touched the gold coin, it suddenly trembled and soon turned into ashes!


    Watching this scene, Charles was stunned.


    ''So, even using my skill has some effect, huh.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    After some thought, Charles first went near the cab, stored the diary, artifacts, and the blue gem into his space ring, and then turned his attention to the leather bag.


    ''What should I do now? Should I have to carry it with this stick?'' He once again tried to take the bag with the stick, but soon his eyes widened.


    In a second, he saw all those gold coins began to turn into ashes!


    ''F*ck!'' He gritted his teeth in anger and soon took a deep breath to calm down.


    ''Why did the gold coins turn into ashes?'' Confusion appeared in his eyes.


    ''Now that I think about it, the same thing happened with Ian''s two silver coins. After I took his void pouch as loot, I hadn''t touched the gold coin in his void pouch. Still, those two silvers disappeared when I checked itter¡­''


    ''Is this curse active when the coines to my possession instead of touching it?'' He felt that was the possible answer.


    ''Haa, I thought things would go smoother from now on, but I didn''t expect this. Thankfully, I already found the suitable pawns. From now on, I should refrain from touching these gold coins and let the kids take care of the financial problems. But the problem is the possibility of their betrayal. Although I saved those kids, they are still lived in hardship and their minds might be corrupted in the future days. Any man can satisfy his needs, but not his greed. These kids are no exceptions.''


    ''But it can be controble. If I satisfy their necessaries, they will not think much about money and will cast their attention on something else. In this magic world, there is something else that can make others go mad. That is strength. If I show them a way to enter the Mystic world, I can control them easily. From Aurora''s memories, these kids are exceptionally talented in different subjects. Even that chubby face Noel has some innate affinity for swordsmanship. Then, Jessie and Titus are somewhat intelligent and might suspect if I show too much kindness. I need to take things carefully.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon walked out of the two-storied house.


    He then took a few turns while erasing his trails and soon returned to 50A Harpy Street. Then, he stealthily entered Rhea''s room and put the ring on her finger. After that, Charles jumped out of the window and returned to his room.


    ¡­


    The next morning.


    Charles sat on the cot while the kids stood in front of him with nervous looks on their faces. He wore a white linen shirt, a surcoat, ck pants, and ck leather shoes.


    "How is your health?" He stared deeply at Jessie and then asked.


    "I''m perfectly alright, Teacher," Jessie said with a solemn look on her face. After she woke up, Rhea had told everything about how the white-haired man saved her and took them as his disciples. Although Jessie felt something was amiss, she didn''t say anything and simply followed them.


    Charles could feel the wariness in her eyes, but he felt that was reasonable.


    "Good. Then, let''s discuss about what to do next." Charles purposefully stopped for a moment, turned his gaze towards Rhea, and asked.


    "Rhea, do you want to be a mage?"


    Upon hearing his words, all four of them froze for a moment and soon widened their eyes.


    "But we lost the badge to those guards, right?" Noel asked in confusion.


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth as he rubbed his wrinkled chin, took the ck cane from his cot, held the handle area tightly, and stood up with its support.


    "Come on. I''ll take you to a ce."


    Then, he opened the wooden door from inside and soon walked out of the room.


    In the meantime, the kids nced at each other in confusion and soon followed after him.


    Charles walked past many guests on the corridor with slow footsteps and soon reached the reception hall. After that, he turned his gaze towards the Inndy, who sat on the reception desk with a nervous look on her face and stealthily cast [Fire Seed] spell on her.


    A secondter, a purple fire appeared in the depths of her mind and soon shrunk into a tiny seed-like structure.


    Unless Charles activated it with his thought, the fire would stay like this in her Inner world and would never devour her memories.


    Once he cast the spell, Charles didn''t even nce at her and went out of the Inn. Then, they walked on the earthen road and moved out of the Slum Borough.


    Along the way, Charles also overheard others'' talking and soon learned about the death of Purple Flowers gang leader and herckeys.


    ''Hmm, gang fights will happen for the next few days to take control over Twilight Street, so I should stay away from the area.'' He nodded in understanding and soon noticed that they reached the Slum Borough Junction.


    He ced his left hand on Titus''s shoulder and said calmly.


    "Guide me to the Mystics Borough, kid. I want to meet and have some chat with the one who almost killed your big sister."


    A look of surprise appeared on all those kids'' faces!


    "He is a Powerful Mystic, Teacher." Jessie squeezed out those words and soon trembled in fear as she recalled the moment of her life and death situation.


    The corner of his lips curled upwards as Charles stared at the Tower of Elements for a moment and said.


    "Don''t worry; I''m just going to take the badge from him." He deliberately paused for a moment and added,


    "Let''s go."


    In the meantime, Titus nodded his head as he took the lead and started walking towards the Mystic Borough.


    ¡­

 Chapter 94: Mystics Borough

    <h4>Chapter 94: Mystics'' Borough</h4>


    A few minutester, Titus made multiple turns and brought Charles and others kids to the Mystics'' Borough entrance.


    Unlike thest time, two more guards in silver armor stood near the entrance gate and appeared to be chattering among themselves.


    In the meantime, Charles took few steps forwards and soon arrived in front of the entrance.


    His arrival also attracted their attention. The blonde-haired guard with a rough face instantly identified Titus and others and soon curled his lips upward. He had prominent ck eyes, fair skin, and looked around 170 cm tall.


    "Oh? You brought an old man to take revenge?" A mocking smile appeared on his face as he gripped his spear and took a step forward.


    Upon seeing his action, all the kids'' faces turned pale!


    ''Haa, what a waste of time.'' Charles let out a heavy sigh and silently waved his ck cane.


    A momentter, the blonde-haired guard felt that his whole body stiffened up all of a sudden. He couldn''t move a muscle, not he could blink his eyes.


    A chill went up to his spine as he felt the gaze of the old man!


    ''What the hell?!'' He was utterly terrified inside.


    It was the same skill that Holem''s Crown used on Charles and asked him to find its location shortly after his transmigration!


    Curling his lips upward, Charles took two more steps forward and spoke in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, you can dismiss the [Freeze] skill now.''


    At the exact moment, Charles conjured a small ball of me on his fingertip and spoke in a cold tone.


    "This is yourst warning."


    He pushed the guard away as he said those words, gestured the kids to follow after him, and walked inside.


    In the meantime, the blonde-haired guard''s whole body started to tremble uncontrobly, and soon cold sweats appeared on his forehead.


    The other three guards also noticed the sudden change and soon gripped their swords.


    "STOP!"


    Another guard said in a cold tone and was about to unsheath his sword but stopped.


    No, the blonde-haired guard stopped him.


    He then wiped the sweat on his forehead and spoke in a grave tone.


    "Let them in."


    A shock appeared on other guards'' faces as they nced at each other in suspicion and puzzlement.


    Once the blonde-haired man noticed that Charles and the kids had gone inside, he let out a sigh of relief and said in a bitter tone.


    "Be grateful that he didn''t kill us here." He deliberated for a moment and soon added with a heavy sigh.


    "When he waved his cane, Ipletely lost my control over this body. If he had wanted me dead at that time, nobody could have stopped him."


    "High-Rank Mystic?" A ck-haired guard asked in vignce.


    "It appears so." The blonde-haired guard responded with a nod and soon added.


    "We should give him an apology when they return. If I didn''t apologize, I wouldn''t be able to sleep peacefully."


    After saying those words, he gripped his spear to support his trembling legs and sat on the ground while panting heavily.


    Meanwhile, Charles let the kids into the Mystic Borough and looked around the buildings with calm eyes. In the Mystic Borough, street roads appearedrger than normal ones and were clean. They saw mansions, two-storied houses, high-ss Inns, dress shops, and even artifact shops appeared on both sides of the street and got stunned.


    ''Most of the buildings are built with granite rocks and even the roads are concreted.''


    Robed mages, nobles with luxurious clothes, merchants, servants, and guards were the only ones roamed in the street. Moreover, all of them wore some type of red badge on their chest.


    ''Unlike outside, the peoples here all look more like well-trained officers.'' Charles muttered to himself and analyzed them one by one.


    After ncing around for a moment, he turned his gaze and then locked his eyes on the ck circr Tower that almost reached around 900 to 1,000 meters tall!


    It was built perfectly without even a slight misshape.


    Charles soon focused his gaze on the conical dome-shaped tower peak and soon frowned as he noticed a dense amount of energy emitting from there.


    ''That''s must be the tower room. It''s a special ce where only the Tower Masters are allowed to walk in.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    ''Aren''t they real owners?'' Charles retracted his gaze and started walking towards the Tower.


    ''Nope. The Tower owner should be the King of Moon Kingdom and only he has full control over it. The Mages are temporary masters of the Magic Tower.'' The Holem''s Crown responded.


    ''What about Churches? I heard that Moon Church and Amber Church are the ones who mostly control the Kingdom nobles.'' Charles raised a question. Those were the information he took from Aurora''s memories.


    ''They do control the kingdom, but not in the open. For example, Amber Church has full control over the kingdom''s wealth. Take this street as an example. The Shade Merchant Company, Purple Wine shop, All Product grocery shop, Tangled Woman''s Auction House, Evergreen Artifacts, and the other smallpanies are all under the control of the Amber Church. So, one way or another, the citizens'' money would end up in the hands of this Church. I even heard that they own ayer in the Tower of Elements. As for Moon Church, they haveplete control over Moon Kingdom citizens, mages, and half of the nobles. In a sense, the Royal Family is just a puppet ruler.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in his mind.


    ''Whose control are these five Tower Masters?'' Charles asked as he walked on the near concrete road.


    ''How do I know? But the majority of them should be under the Moon Church''s control.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded his head and soon stopped his footsteps as he saw a few guards were blocking their way.


    But unlike the guards at the entrance, these guys didn''t act arrogantly, thought.


    "Mister, can you show me your identity or rmendation badge?" A tall, muscr guard, who was in the lead, asked them in a polite tone.


    "We don''t have any identities." Charles paused for a moment as he conjured a me in his fingertip, made it dance on its own, and then added with a smile.


    "But I think this should be enough, right?"


    Upon seeing the scene, the muscr guard stunned for a moment and soon bowed.


    "I apologize for our rude behavior, My Lord. I didn''t know that you are an Ember Wizard."


    ''Ember Wizard?'' Charles felt puzzled by the new term and asked in his mind.


    ''That''s the corresponding ss of [Fire Weaver] ss. Only after promoting to the Ember Wizards, Mystics can enter the inner world and can create normal mes without the help of the spell models.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles got puzzled inside and soon raised his eyebrows.


    ''But I entered the Inner world earlier than others, right? Wait¡­ It must have something to do with wisdom power. If the mages also mistook me as an Ember Wizard, then my n might go smoother.'' He nodded inwardly and then waved his hand.


    "It''s alright." He said and then dismissed those guards.


    After that, Charles continued to walk, and soon all of them arrived in front of a tall Tower.


    "Tower of Elements." He muttered as he turned his gaze towards the interior and soon led the kids inside. Although the kids'' messy dresses attracted other mages'' attention, they didn''t say a word and simply distanced themselves from them.


    On the other hand, Charles stepped on the smooth staircase and then walked into the firstyer of the Tower.


    ¡­


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Inflected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Human/???


    Rank: 2 (Umon)


    Main ss: Level 5 Fire Weaver (0/3,844)


    Sub-ss: Level 1 Disguiser (0/759)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favorability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 181/181


    Exp: 2,511 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 16


    Dexterity- 18


    Constitution- 15


    Wisdom-30


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 60


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Red Wings (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Incinerate (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    me Body (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Crimson Robe (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Fire Seed (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Soul Heal (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Crimson Steps (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Magician''s Hand- 52


    Disguise- 58


    Prevision- 56


    Unique skills:


    Conceal- 51


    Dark Vision- 45


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Inspect- 63


    Sharpshooting- 35]

 Chapter 95: Affinity Test

    <h4>Chapter 95: Affinity Test</h4>


    Once Charles stepped into the tower, he nced at the vast hall for a moment and soon zeroed his focus on his right side.


    There, he saw a woman in a grey robe sat behind a wooden desk and appeared to be in the middle of writing something. She had silver hair, monolid blue eyes, fair skin, an oblong face, and seemed around 25 years old.


    Although she didn''t look like a receptionist, Charles felt that she might have some simr job. Nodding his head, he first adjusted his surcoat, held the ck cane''s handle tightly, and started walking with slow footsteps. In the meantime, the kids looked around curiously and soon followed him obediently.


    Soon, he arrived in front of the wooden desk, cleared his throat, and asked in a polite voice.


    "Little girl, can I have a minute?"


    Upon hearing his old voice, the silver-haired girl looked up with a surprised face and soon nodded her head.


    "Please have a seat, sir." She said, and soon her charming blue eyes moved towards the four kids. In a moment, she made a possible guess and asked in a curious tone.


    "Are you here to take the affinity test?"


    Meanwhile, Charles pulled over the wooden chair, held the cane''s handle tightly, and sat on the chair with much difficulty.


    "Yes. These kids are my disciples." He said in an affirmative tone.


    "Disciple?" The silver-haired woman wore a surprised look as she ced the quill on the table and soon raised her eyebrows in suspicion. In this magic world, only a handful of mystics would take some slum kids as their disciples, and that was only after checking their affinities. But when she heard the old man''s words, she was indeed stunned inside. At that moment, she also felt skeptical about his real identity.


    Within a second, she turned her face to normal and asked in interest.


    "What is your ss, sir?"


    A chuckle leaked out of his mouth as he raised his hand and spoke.


    "Call me Oswald, and I''m a roaming mage. As for my ss, this should give you some answer, right?"


    Saying so, he conjured a red me on his palm, controlled it to the shape of a human, and then let it dance.


    ''Real Ember Wizards can do much better, so don''t show off too much and expose your real Rank. Although you can fool Rank-3 mages with this trick, Rank-4 Mages are a troublesome bunch, and they always have some unique way to distinguish one''s real Rank.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a cold tone.


    ''I know that.'' Charles grumbled inwardly and silently observed the other party''s facial expressions.


    Upon seeing the dancing me, shock and awe appeared on the woman''s face as she instantly stood up from her seat and bowed her head.


    "Forgive my rudeness, My Lord." She said in a very polite tone.


    "Hoho, you didn''t say anything rude, my child." Charles waved his hand and added with a smile.


    "Sit down and tell me more about the procedure about how to take the affinity tests for my disciples."


    Upon hearing his calm words, the silver-haired woman nodded her head and sat down with a hint of nervousness on her face.


    "What''s your name?" Charles took the initiative and asked.


    "My name is Reba, and I''m a Rank-1 [Apprentice Wind Mage], My- Mr. Oswald." She paused for a moment and soon added while standing up from her seat.


    "As for your previous question about where to do the affinity test, it is in the Alchemy Laboratory, so please let me guide you there."


    ''Alchemy Laboratory?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and slowly stood up before nodding his head.


    In the meantime, Reba first closed the ink bottle and then put the quill and the ink bottle in a separate box. After that, she closed the notebook which she was writing and led them deep into the hallway on their right side.


    Along the way, Charles also saw some ssrooms, spell practice rooms, reading rooms, and so on and felt that this wholeyer looked more like a school.


    "What are they teaching?" While they were walking, Noel overheard a teacher''s lesson and asked in curiosity.


    "The students are having a ss about the Theories of Mana and Soul. It''s is Professor Milton''s ss." Reba gave a short reply and soon moved towards the staircase that led to the second floor.


    Due to Charles''s slow walking, they took some time to reach the second floor and then went to the Alchemy Laboratory at the other corridor''s other end.


    A few minutester, the group entered a gloomy hall filled with different kinds of equipment like alembics, retorts, strange and rare ingredients in vials and jars and soon turned their attention to a particr blue crystal.


    ''That''s the Element affinity checker.'' The Holem''s Crown also said in his mind.


    Nodding his head, Charles walked towards the blue crystal which was ced on the wooden table, and soon arrived in front of it.


    "Rhea, you should go first." He said in a solemn tone.


    "Yes, Teacher." Rhea nodded her head in enthusiasm, took three steps forward, and then ced her hand on the blue crystal.


    A momentter, strange energy invaded her soul, and soon words appeared on the outer part of the crystal.


    "Water affinity- Good, Wind affinity- Average."


    A surprise expression appeared on Reba''s face and soon turned into an understanding one. She felt that this old man might have checked their affinities using other means.


    "Noel." Charles nced at the chubby-faced kid and gestured him to step forward.


    Nodding, Noel arrived in front of the crystal ball and ced his right hand on it.


    "Hmm, Low metal affinity," Reba said in disappointment.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown spoke in his mind.


    ''Ask her if they have a Complete Affinity Checker.''


    Charles squinted his eyes and soon nodded.


    "Do you have a Complete Affinity Checker?" He asked in a solemn voice.


    "Y-Yes, I will bring them in a minute, Mr. Oswald." Saying so, Reba hurriedly ran off to the right side storeroom and soon returned with another head-sized crystal in her hands.


    But unlike the other one, this was red and had various runal letters inscribed all over it.


    Reba then went near the wooden table and ced it beside the Elemental Affinity Checker.


    "Try it in this one, kid," Charles said.


    In the meantime, Noel took a deep breath to calm his mind and then ced his hand on the red-colored crystal.


    A momentter, the red crystal shone brightly, and soon words appeared on the surface.


    "Wow, his sword affinity is Genius level!" Shock appeared on Reba''s face. Even though it was just a sword affinity, Genius level affinities were very rare in any kingdoms that caused her almost to lose her calm self.


    Even Charles became surprised by this and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    ''The Blood Priest must have picked the best ones for his ns.'' He thought to himself and soon waited for the other twos'' result.


    Titus had ''High'' level affinity in shadow affinity, and Jessie had a ''High'' level affinity for a unique affinity called ''Knowledge.''


    Although they were just okay, Charles felt that if these two kids work harder, they might find a way to break through this affinity shackle in the future.


    "Mr. Oswald, these three kids are more suitable to walk on the other ss-gem paths."


    Charles also thought of the same, so he simply nodded his head and posed a question while pointing his finger at Rhea.


    "What about her?"


    "She has ''Good'' affinity in water elements, so she has the full qualification to be a mage of the Tower of Elements." She paused for a moment before looking around and then continued with a suppressing voice.


    "But to get the ss gems for free, she needs to sign the contracts and be a member of Moon Church or Amber Church. I would suggest buying the ss gem with your own money and let her be a non-contracted mage."

 Chapter 96: Shade Merchant Company

    <h4>Chapter 96: Shade Merchant Company</h4>


    "Oh, it seems you don''t really like to stay here as a contracted mage," Charles asked in a surprised tone.


    A bitter smile crept on Reba''s charming face as she shook her head and remained silent.


    In the meantime, Charles also nodded his head in understanding and asked about study fees.


    "We usually collect fees once a year and it should be around 400 to 500 gold coins for a first-year student. If she ns to stay in the Tower hostel, the fees will increase above 800 gold coins."


    ''Too expensive.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    ''Well, it can''t be helped.'' He let out a deep sigh and said.


    "She will be a day schr then." He paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "I''m also nning to work as a teacher during my free time. Can I get a job here?"


    "Which department are you specialized in?" She asked in interest.


    ''Departments? Mr. Rh, do you know anything?'' Charles was totally clueless about such a thing, so he instantly asked the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Tell her that you know Ritual Creation, Divination, History of Elements and its link with the Universe, Void Secrets, and Inspection.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke in a casual tone.


    ''You sure know a lot. Moreover, you knew Divination?'' Charles was startled inside.


    ''No, but you will have an easy time perceiving the futures if you concentrate on learning through Stars. It''s the same as Fate Vision skill.'' The Holem''s Crown stopped for a moment and soon added.


    ''I will tell you how to study the futures byprehending the secrets behind the constetions.''


    Meanwhile, Charles grumbled inwardly and soon spoke with a nod.


    "I''m good at creating ritual circles and Inspect materials." Although the Holem''s Crown told him that he could also see future visions, he knew nothing about the constetions and thought of skipping that department. Moreover, he felt that studying the constetions and telling one''s future through it might not be a simple task for him in the current situation.


    ''It might take years for me to learn about this strange astrology.'' He thought.


    On the other hand, Reba thought for a moment and soon said with a hesitant look on her face.


    "It is possible to get a job in those two departments, Mr. Oswald. But I need to get permission from Head Administrator." She deliberated for a moment and soon added with a smile,


    "I will go and discuss your job with the Headter and let you know if there is any job avable."


    Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded. After that, Reba brought them back to the firstyer and told them more information about other departments.


    Then, she told him to bring Rhea for official registration tomorrow and even gave an official badge for her.


    "Keep it with you all the time. If you end up in any troublesome situation, press the red crystal in the center of this badge thrice and guards or mages wille for your rescue." She paused for a moment as she turned her gaze towards Charles and said with a polite tone.


    "I will also tell the Head Administrator about your request, Mr. Oswald."


    Charles wasn''t bothered too much about it because he knew that Rank-3 mages were very rare in this Tower, and the possibility of them rejecting his request was almost none. That would only happen if a specific person noticed an anomaly in the ''Fate,'' but Charles already found a way to counter it.


    After asking few more questions, Charles bid farewell to the silver-haired woman and brought the kids out of the magic tower.


    Once they walked out of the Mystics Borough, the guards at the entrance gate apologized for their earlier mistakes and even returned the badge to Jessie.


    On the other hand, Charles silently waved his hand and moved towards their next destination.


    The group made a few turns and soon reached a street called Shady Street in South Borough.


    ''Hmm, ck market¡­'' Charles''s gaze swept across the nearby buildings and soonnded on an old three-storied building located on the furthest corner of Shady Street.


    Nodding his head, he swiftly took out the ck gem from his hand and asked,


    "Who is good at bargaining?"


    All the kids nced at each other and soon pointed their fingers towards Jessie.


    "Good," Charles smiled as he tossed the gem towards her and added.


    "Selling this Rank-3 [Phantom Stringer] ss Gem is forbidden in the Moon Kingdom, but they are very rare and countless peoples would fight for it. Use your skill and sell this for a better price. And, you can''t sell it for less than 1,300 gold coins."


    In the meantime, Jessie caught the gem and asked in curiosity.


    "Why it is forbidden to sell here, Teacher?"


    "Well, I got this gem by killing a demon-worshipping member. So, of course, these kinds of things are forbidden to sell in the open. That''s why I''m asking you to sell this gem at the ck market. If you manage to sell it for 1,500 gold coins or above, I will get you a [Learner] ss gem." He said with a smile.


    In truth, he nned on letting them walk on the path of mystics and use their skills for his next n. But he knew that if he gives them too much without expecting much in return, they would feel suspicious. Although a Rank-1 ss gem would onlye around 100 gold coins, it was still arge amount in the kids'' eyes.


    Jessie nodded her head with a serious expression on her face as she heard his words and took a step forward towards the three-storied building.


    At that time, Noel suddenly felt that he also needed to achieve something if he wants to get his own ss gem in return and asked in excitement.


    "Teacher, what should I need to do to be a Mystic?"


    A chuckle escaped from Charles''s mouth as he stepped on the earthen road and said in amusement.


    "You already have a ''Genius'' level sword affinity and if I didn''t give you a ss gem, it will be like wasting your potential. I will give you a [de Wielder] ss gem in advance, but you have to show your worth to me in 2 months."


    "Show my worth?" Noel''s ear perked up as he heard his words.


    "Yes. Once you be a [de Wielder] ss Mystic, your first mission is to go to the Tower of Elements and be a tower guard within the next two months. If you don''t achieve that, I will strike you off. Losers don''t have the qualifications to be my disciple." Charles said in a sharp tone, causing the kids to clench their fists subconsciously.


    After a long silence, Noel finally took a deep breath and said.


    "I will not disappoint you, Teacher."


    "Good." Charles nodded and soon saw that they had already arrived in front of the three-storied building.


    ''It''s a branch of Shade Merchant Company.'' He muttered inwardly and soon entered.


    They walked past some customers and soon arrived at the main hall.


    Candles lit all over the corners while the chandelier hung up in the ceiling and illuminated the grand hall like daylight. Multiple ss boxes were ced on the tables along with the materials locked inside, anddies in ck uniforms stood there with a polite smile on their faces.


    Meanwhile, tens of customers, including mages in different colored robes and other mystics, stood everywhere, and some even argued with the staff over the prices.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that the materials ced in the boxes were for sale. Charles''s gaze swept past those goods and soonnded on the other end of the hall. There, he finally saw the seller''s way and stepped forward.

 Chapter 97: Bargain

    <h4>Chapter 97: Bargain</h4>


    Charles''s group walked on the smooth hardwood floor, turned towards the right side, and soon arrived in front of a wooden panel door.


    After that, Charles raised his ck cane and knocked on the door twice using it.


    ''Damn it, that hurts.'' A cursing old man''s voice echoed in his head, causing him to curl his lips upward.


    After a minute of the long wait, a ck formal suited, messy red-haired woman with slightly exposed cleavage walked out of the room and soon went towards the nearby room while adjusting her coat.


    At the exact moment, they heard a woman''s voice from inside.


    "Please,e in."


    Nodding, Charles raised the ck cane, opened the door using it, and entered in. Then, his gaze swept across the wooden table and soonnded on a long brown-haired woman, who sat on the office chair behind it.


    She wore a white shirt, which almost turned transparent due to the unusual sweat on her body, a half-opened ck coat, and two long earrings. She was a woman in herte twenties and had seductive jade eyes, a beautiful oval face, a pear-shaped body, plump lips, and big half-visible melons.


    Upon noticing the two young boys'' gazes, the woman made a mischievous smile and soon buttoned the coat. Then, she lifted her head and looked at the white-haired old man.


    "Why did you bring the kids to this shady ce, old man?" She asked with a cold look on her face.


    Charles smiled lightly and then spoke while pointing his finger at Jessie.


    "These kids are here to sell something. She is your customer."


    Confusion appeared on the brown-haired woman''s face as she sized Jessie up and down for a moment and then nodded.


    "I''m Margaret Carley. What is your name, kid?"


    "Jessie." Jessie gave a short reply.


    "What do you want to sell?" Margaret narrowed her eyes and asked.


    At that moment, Jessie hid her nervousness, arrived near the wooden chair, ced in front of the table, and sat on it. She then took the ck-colored ss gem from her pocket and gave it to Margaret.


    "Inspect it and name the price, ma''am." She said in a calm tone.


    Upon seeing her calm attitude, Margaret picked up a small lens-like ss from the drawer and started inspecting the gem. After a few seconds, she ced the lens on the table and frowned.


    Then, she ced her hands on the arm pads, leaned her head against the headrest, closed her jade eyes, and spoke in a deep tone.


    "It''s a forbidden item, child. If we buy this, we need to transport it to the Iron Kingdom or Herald kingdom and sell it in the auction house. Suppose, if the transport cart got caught by any Church''s Inquisitors'' Team on the way, we have to face the consequence and give a fine amount of 500 gold coins or more." She paused for a second while slightly opening her right eye and added with a calm voice.


    "I can give you 800 gold coins for this piece. Any more than this, you can go and look for other shops. But be warned that they might take this gem by force."


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a troubled look for a moment and soon squinted her emerald-green eyes as she felt that this woman was saying excuse to lessen the price.


    "Why not use your space ring or void pouch? Would church members dare to check others'' personal things? This gem is just a thumb-sized one and its weight should be less than 200 grams. So, hiding this thing from thosewful believers is just a piece of cake for you guys, right? Then, why are you making such silly excuses? Are you nning to snatch this at a low price by scaring us?" Her face turned colder.


    Upon hearing those words, surprise shed on Margaret''s face as she opened her eyes, raised her head, straightened her back, and stared at Jessie in interest.


    "So, you are a literate child, huh." She clicked her tongue and soon added.


    "1,200 Gold coins. This is the final price I can give it to you for this gem."


    "1,700 Gold coins, ma''am. My teacher said that this gem is a very rare one and we can sell it in the Secret auction house for more than 2,000 gold coins. Due to some personal matter, we are in a hurry and we need extra gold coins for another purpose. Otherwise, we wouldn''t havee to this old ce." Although Jessie spoke politely, the words thate out of her mouth appeared sharp as knives.


    "Old ce? Do you know how many treasures and gold coins are hidden in this old ce?" An angry voice echoed in the small room as Margaret mmed her fist on the wooden table, causing Jessie to shrink in shock.


    At the exact moment, Margaret activated one of her ss skills and released an invisible pressure to the surroundings, causing the kids to lower their heads subconsciously.


    Even Charles became startled by her sudden outburst and soon narrowed his amber eyes.


    ''Is it a skill to intimidate others? Hmm, she is trying to scare these kids and let them realize who the boss here is.'' An amusing smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled oval face as he zeroed his focus on her for a moment and cast inspect skill on her.


    ''Oh? Rank-3 Mystic?'' For the first time, Charles felt that he needed to intervene.


    Although he was just a Rank-2 Mystic, he had much more advantages in battles than normal Rank-3 Mystics. Moreover, he had no n on starting a worthless fight at all.


    ''Wait, I''ll take care of it,d. She is a Rank-3 [Guardian] ss Mystic. Although I can''t freeze her body for more than two seconds, I think that skill should be more than enough to scare her.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke coldly in his mind.


    In the meantime, Jessie felt suffocated all of a sudden, and her legs started to tremble on their own.


    "Enough." Letting out a heavy sigh, Charles tapped the cane''s heel on the floor and spoke in a cold tone.


    A momentter, the Holem''s Crown activated its skill and at the same time released a bit of its soul power to the surroundings.


    For the first time, shock and anxiousness appeared on Margaret''s face as she felt that her whole body began to freeze up all of a sudden!


    Although she could see and think clearly, she couldn''t move her muscle at all!


    ''Sh*t! He is a Mystic! And, he seems to be a powerful one!'' Realizing the grave situation she was in, Margaret instantly dismissed her [Intimidation] skill and soon breathed out a sigh of relief as she noticed that she could move her body.


    Cold sweats dripped on her forehead as she stared at the old man in wariness!


    At that moment, Jessie and other kids also noticed that the sudden pressure had disappeared and soon held their hands together in anxiety.


    Then, Jessie raised her head, stared at Margaret in anger, and spoke before standing up.


    "We will sell this to other shops, ma''am."


    Meanwhile, Margaret wore an awkward smile on her face and spoke in an anxious voice.


    "1,400 gold coins. This is my final price to show my respect to your guardian."


    A look of surprise shed on Jessie''s face as she nced at Charles for a moment and soon gritted her teeth.


    Earlier, she clearly felt the invisible power and knew how dangerous this woman was. But after seeing how this powerful woman got scared of her teacher, she got amazed. At the same time, she realized that she had failed to meet his expectation and grew solemn.


    ''No, I can''t give up like this.'' She bit her lips and said while shaking her head.


    "1,400 gold coins and one [Learner] ss Gem."


    Margaret wore a troubled expression on her face for a moment and soon let out a deep sigh. She could feel the stubbornness in Jessie''s face, so she gave up on arguing with a kid and agreed to her request.


    Although [Learner] ss Gem would cost around 80 to 100 gold coins, she didn''t put much thought into it.


    ''This old man seems to be a powerful mystic. Offending him just for 100 gold coins is not worth it. Moreover, he might be interested in purchasing more items from ourpany in the future.'' She instantly made up her mind and soon took out a wooden chest from her space ring.

 Chapter 98: Disciples

    <h4>Chapter 98: Disciples</h4>


    Margaret then took out 14rge pouches, filled with gold coins, and ced them inside the wooden chest. Once she was done, she nced at the white-haired old man and spoke in a polite tone.


    "You can take this amount, Sir."


    On the other hand, Charles took out a void pouch from his space ring, passed it to Jessie, and said in a solemn tone.


    "You have the potential to be a great merchant,ss. This pouch and the money in the wooden chest will be yours." He paused for a moment and soon added,


    "You''ll be the one who is responsible for doing all the financial words from now on."


    His simple words shocked both the kids and Margaret.


    ''Did he n to teach her about how to spend money and make her an assistant?'' Margaret soon thought of such possibility and nodded in approval. She had seen many mages given their other works to their disciples and concentrated their full attention on improving their strength.


    On the other hand, Jessie''s mind went nk for a moment.


    "T-Teacher, that''s-" Words stuck in her throat as she stuttered in anxiety and confusion.


    "That''s my final decision." Charles interrupted her and spoke in a firm tone.


    Jessie''s emerald-green eyes widened, and soon she nodded her head in determination.


    At that moment, Margaret made a call through amunication ring and soon spoke few words to the opposite side. After that, she turned her gaze towards Charles and spoke politely,


    "Please wait here for a while, Sir. Ourpany staff member will bring the [Learner] ss gem."


    Charles raised his eyebrows and then nodded his head in approval.


    A few minutester, the blonde-haired woman in a formal ck suit came inside after knocking on the wooden door and gave him a thumb-sized jade gem.


    "This ss-Gem belongs to her." Charles shook his head and pointed his finger at Jessie.


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haired woman got stunned a bit and soon apologized for her mistake. Then, she turned her attention to Jessie and gave it to her.


    At that moment, Jessie took the gem from the staff member and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Why did our teacher give me this much money? Is he testing? Wait¡­'' She suddenly recalled Noel''s earlier conversation with their teacher and soon widened her emerald-green eyes.


    She instantly raised her head, stared at Margaret for a moment, and spoke.


    "We also want [de Wielder] ss-Gem, ma''am." She suddenly paused for a moment as she thought of something and soon turned her gaze towards Charles.


    "Teacher, do I also have to buy ss-Gems for my little brother and Rhea?" She asked in an eager tone.


    "You are indeed a sharp one. Hmm, I already have a [Apprentice Water Mage] ss-Gem, so you don''t have to buy one for her." Charles stopped for a second as he rubbed his wrinkled chin and soon added.


    "Buy one [Thief] ss-Gem for Titus. He has the qualifications to be an assassin."


    Charles was indeed surprised by Titus''s patient behavior and thought of nurturing him into a skilled assassin. Unlike Noel, he didn''t let his mouth run wild and keep observing his surroundings all these times. In a sense, he had all the qualifications to be a top-level assassin in the future!


    "[de Wielder] ss-Gem is a rare one, so the cost is 155 gold coins. As for [Thief] ss-Gem, It is 120 gold coins, Jessie." Organizing her thoughts, Margaret said and soon signaled the blonde-haired woman to go and get those two ss Gems.


    At this moment, Jessie went near the wooden chest, which was still ced on the wooden table, and took out three big pouches from it. Then, she took 25 gold coins from one pouch and gave the three pouches to Margaret.


    After that, she took the void pouch from her waist and moved it near the wooden chest.


    Upon watching her action, an amusing smile appeared on Margaret''s face as she let out a chuckle and spoke,


    "That''s not how you use a void pouch, girl. First, focus your full attention on the void pouch and let it absorb a part of your soul power. Then, you will see a link between your mind and this pouch. Once you finish this process, you will have an easy time storing the materials with a simple thought."


    Jessie''s face flustered in embarrassment as she heard Margaret''s lecture.


    She quickly returned her face to a calm and cold expression and focused her full attention on the void pouch. Although she didn''t sense any soul power, she indeed noticed a link appeared between her mind and the void pouch.


    Nodding her head, Jessie stored the wooden chest with a simple thought and bowed her head towards Margaret.


    "Thank you, ma''am."


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haired woman also returned with two other ss-Gems and passed them to Jessie.


    Jessie caught the gems with her tiny hand and soon wore a clueless look as she couldn''t distinguish the difference between the two ss Gems.


    "Green one is [de Wielder] ss Gem and the grey one is [Thief] ss-Gem." Noticing her puzzlement, Charles used his [Inspect] skill on those gems and said in an old man''s voice.


    Jessie nodded her head and gave the green one to Noel and the grey one to Thief.


    Once Noel caught the green gem, he opened his mouth, ced it on the smooth tongue, and swallowed it in an instant, causing other kids to stare at him in shock!


    A momentter, a throbbing pain appeared in his head, and soon he gripped his head tighter.


    Noel''s eyes started to turn red due to the pain, and soon he began to shed tears. But he didn''t cry, though. Instead, he gritted his teeth and endured.


    "Impatience is not a good thing, kid." Charles frowned at his behavior and spoke in a solemn tone.


    But he knew that changing one''s behavior was not an easy task, so he simply sighed in helplessness, took out a blue gem from his space ring, and passed it to Rhea.


    "You guys also take your ss-gems now. It will only take a minute or two anyway." Saying those words, he pulled the wooden chair and sat on it with a calm look on his face.


    In the meantime, the other three kids also nodded their heads in unison and soon swallowed the gems.


    Like before, all of them felt intense pain appearing in their heads and soon started to cry in pain.


    Margaret watched the kids in silence for a moment, then turned her gaze towards Charles and asked.


    "May I know your name, sir?"


    "Oswald." Charles maintained his cold look and responded shortly.


    ''Oswald¡­ It looks like he is not telling his real name.'' She narrowed her eyes for a moment and soon turned her gaze towards the kids.


    Two minutester, all four of them calmed down and soon noticed that something had changed in their bodies.


    "Stealth," Titus instantly tried to activate his skill but soon noticed that nothing changed at all!


    "To activate this skill, you need to choose the right ce and time, kid. This skill will show its full capability when you are under a shadow or during nighttime." Charles paused for a moment and soon added in a solemn tone.


    "You can activate the skills just by thinking. And, never reveal your skill names to others."


    At that moment, Rhea wore a confused look and asked in anxiety.


    "Teacher, I didn''t receive any skill at all."


    "That''s because you need to learn them on your own. The reason mages need to attend the school in Magic Tower is to broaden their knowledge about basic elements and learn spells on their own through enlightenment. That''s why mages are very rare all over the Edhen." This time, Margaret exined in a serious tone.


    Nodding his head in approval, Charles cleared his throat and spoke before standing up.


    "Let''s go. We still have a small work to do in South Borough."


    After that, he nodded his head at Margaret, turned around, and soon walked out of the small room.


    Meanwhile, other kids also bowed their heads towards her and soon left the room one by one.


    Watching their departure, Margaret blinked her eyes twice and then said with an exciting smile on her face.


    "Investigate their background. I want to know the real identity of this old man."


    "Yes, My Lady." The blonde-haired woman nodded her head and soon walked out of the room.


    ¡­

 Chapter 99: Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 99: Weakness</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles and other kids left the Shade Merchant Company and soon went to Maple Street.


    After roaming in the street for a while, Charles soon stopped in front of a Rental Management Company called Easy ts and rented a house in Orchard Street for one year at the cost of 550 gold coins. Whenparing it with other areas, this house was way cheaper in this street. As usual, Jessie was the one who did all the procedures and soon got the house key from the staff member.


    After that, Charles didn''t stop anywhere and brought them to 11C Orchard Street.


    Thirty minutester, the group arrived in front of a two-storied concrete brick house, which was surrounded by a one-meter tall wooden fence, opened the iron gate, and walked in. The ridge was elevated at the center, and the sides were packed with roof tes.


    They walked on the concrete path and soon arrived under the porch. After that, Jesse went near the steel entry door, put the iron key in the key cylinder, and turned it towards the right side.


    Once she heard the nging sound, she ced her other hand on the handle, moved towards the opposite side, and opened the door with a screech.


    It was arge house with a kitchen room, dining hall, a reception hall, two bedrooms on each floor with attached bathrooms, one study room on the second floor, and arge underground basement.


    Except for Rhea, the other three kids hadn''t seen such arge house in their lifetime and started to shout in joy and excitement.


    "You can y all you wantter. First, we need to clean the house and buy furniture, and utensils for cooking." Charles said in a calm tone while damping their mood and dragged them out.


    For the next few hours, they spent their time cleaning the house, brought new furniture like chairs and tables from the nearby shops, and then returned to 50A Harpy Street to get their belongings.


    On the way, they also bought cooking utensils like a magic stove, cooker, silver pots, spoons, tes, and so on.


    By the time they finished settling everything in the new house, it was already around 7 P.M. In fatigue, the kids went to the bedrooms on the first floor and soon fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Charles went to the second floor, arrived in front of the bedroom, and opened it with a push.


    He walked in with quiet footsteps, hung the ck cane on the cane holder, removed the surcoat, ced it on the study table, and started removing his clothes. Then, he took out a ck nightgown from his space ring and wore it.


    After that, he went near the cotton bed, sat on it, and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Everything is going ording to my n. The next thing is about getting information from the informer Leo. Should I use my [Fire Seed] spell on him and learn forcefully? No, I shouldn''t. If I did that, I have to kill himter and also have to erase all the clues¡­''


    ''This city is not Riverdale, and there is also a possibility that killing him might attract a Historian ss Mystic or Mages. If they use any skill to see through the ''Past,'' things will get difficult for me. Killing a slum thug or a gang leader won''t attract much attention. But if I kill an informer, I might attract some big shots'' attention. Yes, I once heard that these informers are always precious treasures in the eyes of nobles¡­''


    ''Moreover, I need to find a way and extract one''s particr memory instead of extracting randomly. And, stealing one or two memories from one''s mind also won''t leave any clue.'' Charles suddenly halted his thought as he recalled the moment he met Emilia.


    ''Wait¡­ At that time, she asked a question and directly learn an answer from me¡­'' His amber eyes suddenly squinted as he made a possible guess.


    ''Yes, whenever someone asks a person about ''something,'' his/her mind will directly think of that ''something'' even it is important information. If I use this method, I can actually get the important information from Leo without killing him. This is actually a good idea.'' He nodded with a pleasant smile on his face and soon frowned as he thought of another problem.


    ''What if someone like ''Destiny Lady'' appears in front of me and asks me about my main goal to enter the Tower of Elements? Sh*t¡­ If she asks such a question, my mind would think of my main goal instead of other ones and expose my real goal to her in an instant!'' His lips trembled in shock as he missed such an important loophole.


    ''Damn it, this is indeed dangerous. Although I can block my thoughts from leaving the dark space, I''m not sure whether I can block a Rank-4 member''s skills from entering the dark space. Truthfully, the dark space is neither in my body nor in my inner world. It is actually a bridge that connects the body and soul and its strength is purely based on one''s wisdom power. In a sense, this bridge is the main weakness for everyone.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    He soon turned his gaze towards the ck cane and asked in confusion.


    "Mr. Rh, am I able to hide a particr memory from a Rank-4 Mystic if they ask any question about it?''


    ''Hmm? You already found out about that loophole?'' The Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment.


    ''Dark Space is not your Inner world,d. It is the link between your soul aka the inner world and your physical body. There is no shortcut to strengthen it. But-'' It purposefully paused for a moment and said in a sly tone.


    ''I do know of a method that could help you hide a particr thought.''


    Charles felt something was off about its tone and soon raised his eyebrows in curious.


    ''What is it?'' He asked.


    ''You have to split a part of your consciousness, hid it in your inner world, and let it guard the particr memory. Once you have done that, even your true consciousness wouldn''t know about that particr memory and can easily fool a Rank-4 Mystic''s skills. Humph, even Rank-5 Mystic would feel helpless against such method.''


    ''Will there be any side effects to my soul? Will it affect my progression?'' Charles instantly thought of side effects.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and said in a calm tone.


    ''If you want to achieve something, you need to be prepared to lose something in return.''


    Charles''s face went cold in a split moment, and soon he asked in a solemn tone.


    ''What do I have to sacrifice?'' He felt like he was really dealing with a devil.


    ''Haha, I''m just kidding. In truth, you would gain an extra bonus in this. Once you split a part of your consciousness, you can strengthen it continuously and create an incarnation in a year or two.''


    A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face as he raised his hand, ced it on his chin, and nodded his head in enlightenment.


    ''So, that''s how a Mystic creates his/her own Incarnation, huh.''


    ''Can you tell me how to split a part of my consciousness now?'' Charles then curled his lips upward and asked in a grin on his wrinkled old face.

 Chapter 100: New Consciousness

    <h4>Chapter 100: New Consciousness</h4>


    ''It''s not a simple thing,d. Before I tell you about how to separate a consciousness, I will ask you a question.'' The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a moment and asked.


    ''Do you know how one''s consciousness is formed?''


    ''No.'' Charles instantly shook his head. He searched about the mysterious ''consciousness'' on the inte even in his past life, but he knew that those pieces of information were just imaginary nonsense of some random spiritualist.


    ''Haa, I will tell you in detail, so listen carefully. Let''s take a newborn male baby as an example. After his birth, his mind will be wholly filled with emptiness. Although he could express his basic emotions, he wouldn''t remember anything and only observe the surroundings curiously. Later, he will gather information in the name of memories, and these memories sooner form into memory fragments.''


    ''Those memory fragments started to gain more knowledge and experiences through seeing, hearing, smelling, and sensing and soon mature into a basic consciousness form. That''s how the babies will be aware of their own selves. Now, if you want to split a part of your consciousness, you need to replicate most of those memories through your inner world''s power and create artificial consciousness. That''s how you separate a part of your own consciousness.''


    A look of realization appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''That exins everything.'' He nodded his head in enlightenment and soon sat on the bed in a cross-legged position before closing his eyes.


    A secondter, his consciousness traveled through the dark space and soon appeared in the Inner world. In his illusionary young form, Charles opened his eyes and soon looked around the gloomy dark forest filled with his past life memories.


    First, he went near an illusionary memory and soon got confused about how to copy this memory.


    ''Wait¡­ I''m a God in this Inner world, right? Hmm, I want to try something interesting.'' He curled his lips upward as he zeroed his gaze on the first memory of his killing and pped his hand. At that moment, another illusionary replica of that memory appeared on his right side!


    "Shrink." He spoke coldly.


    In a second, the whole memory illusion shrunk into a small pebble-like red stone and thennded on his illusionary palm!


    ''It worked.'' A smile crept on his face.


    ''Now, I have to replicate the most important memories and thenbine them to form a consciousness.'' He nodded his head and started to work. Whenever he thinks of a specific memory, it would appear in front of him in the form of illusion. Then, he would replicate them and turn the replicated memory into a pebble-like red stone.


    Like an almighty God, his illusionary form hovered in mid-air and started doing this process at a fast speed. He explored all his childhood memories, training memories, assassination memories, and so on and started picking up the important memories.


    More than 60 years'' worth of memories were scattered everywhere in the form of illusions in his inner world. Among those memories, Charles only chose the basic and important ones and assembled them into a single fragment.


    Once he was done, he concentrated his attention on it and started to weave it into the form of a human shape.


    More than five hours had passed as hepletely focused his attention on weaving the memories and soon smiled as he saw that memory fragment turned into a clone image of his illusionary self.


    ''This is the final touch.'' He muttered to himself and soon put another memory about his first memory of the killing.


    As hepletely weaved the final memory into the clone form, a change urred in it.


    Those memories started to fusepletely, and soon the clone image of him opened his illusionary jade eyes.


    "Who are you?" Charles asked with a grin.


    Confusion appeared on the clone''s face and soon widened its jade eyes.


    "Incarnation?" The clone ''Him'' titled his head in puzzlement and soon started to grasp the situation. But Charles knew that he needed more time to turn this consciousness form into a mature one entirely, so he simply shook his head.


    "Stay in the inner world and gather more information from my memories. Although you can''t absorb those memories without my permission, you can see them for yourself." After saying those words, Charles pulled his consciousness from the inner world with the ''me Body'' spell''s guidance and soon opened his eyes.


    ''Good. Next is about my disguise.'' He thought for a moment as he opened the game interface and poured 1898 Exp points into the Sub-ss option.


    [759 Exp has been deduced for leveling up!]


    [You are now a Level-2 Disguiser!]


    [1 Free Attribute point Rewarded!]


    [20 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [1139 Exp has been deduced for leveling up!]


    [You are now a Level-3 Disguiser!]


    [1 Free Attribute point Rewarded!]


    [20 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm, I now have 100 free skill points.'' He thought to himself and checked his body status.


    ''Oh? Did my [Disguise] skill increase on its own? Hmm, it must be due to my current disguising.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon put 22 skill points on the [Disguise] skill.


    ''The skill hasn''t reached the peak level. Looks like 100 skill points is the peak level for skills.'' Charles instantly noticed the difference and soon put another 20 skill points on the skill.


    [Disguise skill has reached its peak state!]


    A momentter, a change urred in his body.


    ''What is this? I can even control the strength of my body?'' Charles muttered to himself in shock and soon widened his eyes.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown also noticed the change and spoke in a confused tone.


    "Why do I feel like you really turned into an old man?"


    "Did you feel any difference?" Charles raised his head, stared at the ck cane, and asked with an interesting smile on his face.


    "No. Wait¡­ Kid, did it have something to do with the [Trickster] series ss''s skill? Now, that exins a lot." The Holem''s Crown spoke in an understanding tone.


    On the other hand, Charles simply shook his head and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''From my understanding, I can tell that my sub-ss skills are improving on their own. Currently, I have 58 free skill points. If I level up my sub-ss twice, I will also receive another 40 skill points. But that won''t be enough to increase other unique skills.'' He paused for a moment and soon turned his attention to the unique skill tab.


    ''Conceal, Inspect, Intermediate dagger arts, Inspect, Sharpshooting. Among these unique skills, only [Inspect] skill is helping me these days. Although [Sharpshooting] skill is helpful during assassinations, I don''t think I need to waste my skill points on this skill. As for the conceal skill, I will think about it.'' He nodded his head, and soon spent those two attribute points on ''Strength'' and ''Constitution.''


    He then thought for a moment and closed the game interface.


    After that, he took out the pocket watch from his space ring, opened the outer case, and checked the time.


    ''It''s 12.30 A.M. Can I go out and check the informer? If I''m not wrong, he is living four streets away from this Maple Street, right?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and soon shook his head.


    ''Aurora knew very little about that guy''s personal strength. But he knew about Rhea''s background and even ckmailed Aurora with that information. To silence him, Aurora and the Blood Priest paid more than 200 gold coins. Hmm, this type of guy is not someone I should take lightly. He might be a wolf hiding in sheep''s skin.''


    After thinking for a moment, he ced his head on the cotton pillow and closed his eyes to sleep.

 Chapter 101: Personal Missions

    <h4>Chapter 101: Personal Missions</h4>


    The following day, Charles woke up around 6 A.M, took a long bath in cold water, and wore a tight-fitting, calf-length ck frock coat and a red double-breasted waistcoat. After that, he took the ck cane, held the handle in his right hand, and walked out of the bedroom.


    Then, he went downstairs, moved to the reception hall, sat down on the chesterfield sofa, and waited for those kids to wake up. Thankfully, they didn''t take too much time and soon walked out of their rooms around 7 A.M.


    "Go and get ready. Today, I will assign your daily duties." He said in an indifferent tone.


    "Yes, Teacher," All of them said in unison and soon return to get ready.


    Thirty minutester, Titus and Noel walked out of the bedroom on the right side of the reception hall and soon arrived in front of Charles. Both wore velvet jackets with corresponding breeches, buttoned boots and looked good as new.


    Yesterday, Charles took them to a dress shop after purchasing necessary things for the house and brought these new dresses for these kids. He knew that they didn''t have any good clothes, so he didn''t hesitate to spend money on their clothing.


    Charles nced at Titus for a moment and then spoke,


    "Titus, you have to awake during the night and sleep during the daytime from tomorrow. And, your sleeping time should be no more than seven hours. Sleep is the first enemy for every assassin, so you must control your own sleep at all times."


    A startling expression appeared on Titus''s face, and soon he nodded his head in confusion.


    "Next is about your training. From today onwards, I will teach you about physical exercise, extra assassin skills, disguising tricks, and so on. A thief or an assassin must learn to deceive others, otherwise; you will get caught easily." Charles continued to exin about few things and soon stopped as he saw Jessie and Rhea walked out of the bedroom from the left side. Jessie wore a long blue dress with flue sleeves, while Rhea wore a button-down white shirt and cardigan with navy blue pants.


    "I will give you an exnation about itter." Charles paused and soon asked while ncing at everyone''s facial expression.


    "Who is good at cooking?"


    "We all know how to cook, Teacher," Titus said in a solemn tone.


    ''Oh? That''s a good thing.'' He nodded inwardly and soon spoke while organizing his thoughts.


    "Jessie and Titus will be responsible for cooking during the first 15 days. Meanwhile, Rhea''s and Noel''s job is to clean the house and buy groceries from the nearby shops. Once this schedule ends, Rhea and Noel will take over Jessie''s and Titus''s jobs while those two will take over yours. For the next six months, you guys should follow these schedules and do your work properly."


    "What about you, Teacher?" Noel asked in a serious tone and soon froze as he met with res from every direction.


    On the other hand, Charles let out a fake cough and asked while waving his hand.


    "I''m an old guy. Do you think it is appropriate for an old man to do these types of works?"


    A silence filled the hall, and soon all of them nodded their heads in unison.


    "Next is about your personal missions. I already gave one mission to Noel, so he is out of this list." Charles paused for a moment, raised his cane, pointed the heel at Jessie, and added.


    "You are a [learner] ss Mystic. From now on, your job is to make a detailed map and learn all the houses'' numbers and locations in Chester City. Hmm, when going to the Mystic Borough and Slum Borough, you must be very careful. Wait, take Titus with you when going to those two ces, so you don''t have to worry about your safety. You must finish this job in five months."


    ''Well, I wouldn''t be surprised if shepleted this mission in 4 months, though. Her [Fast memory] skill sure will be useful in many ways.'' Charles muttered inwardly and soon moved his gaze towards Rhea.


    "Rhea, although you became a student of the Tower of Elements, you still have to do this personal mission. Your job is to create three spell models within the next five months. Even top most students will find it difficult toplete this task, but you must do it. If not-" He purposefully paused for a moment and asked in a cold tone.


    "I think you know the consequence, right?"


    "Yes, Teacher." Rhea instantly nodded her head and replied while clenching her fists tighter.


    A pleased smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face as he nodded his head and shifted his gaze towards Titus.


    "Titus, your personal mission is to be a Rank-2 assassin in five months. No, you must do it." Charles said in a steady tone as he moved the cane and stood up with its support. He then nced at the outside yard through the opened steel door and spoke.


    "Rhea, Jessie, and Titus, you three will being with me to the tower of Elements." He stopped for a moment to organize his thoughts and then added.


    "Noel, you can go to the market street and buy groceries from there. Hmm, also buy a few wooden short swords and daggers for practice lessons. Jessie, give him some money."


    Nodding her head, Jessie instantly took two gold coins from her pouch and gave them to Noel.


    "Don''t lose it." She added with a stern look on her face. She knew that Noel was always careless about keeping money and got worried inside.


    In the meantime, a smile appeared on Noel''s chubby face.


    "I won''t lose it." He said before he went to the kitchen and took the grocery bag. After that, he put those two gold coins into his pocket and soon walked out of the house.


    Watching his action, Charles felt amused.


    ''He is the only na?ve kid in this group. But that na?ve character is what I needed most.'' He nodded inwardly and soon walked out of the room.


    Meanwhile, Jessie locked the house door with an iron key before they went towards the Tower of Elements.


    Twenty minutester, the group arrived in front of the Tower of Elements and soon walked in.


    Once they entered the firstyer, Charles nced around the surroundings and soon moved his gaze towards their right side. Then, he zeroed his focus on the lone table and noticed Reba was seated on her seat and seemed to be conversing with someone in a red robe.


    "Let''s go." He said while moving ahead, excluding the crowd of blue-robed mages using his cane, and soon went towards the direction where the lone table was located. Although those blue-robed mages got angry at the old man''s rude behavior, they restrained themselves from acting impulsively and watched him and the kids in confusion and puzzlement.


    At that moment, Reba also noticed their arrival, so she quickly stood up from her seat and greeted Charles with a bow. Her action surprised not only the person who sat on the opposite chair but also the blue-robed mages!


    Although Reba was just an apprentice mage, everyone knew that she would not give this much respect to a mere Rank-2 mage. So, they got more curious about the real identity of the white-haired old man.


    At that moment, they subconsciously thought of a possibility and soon nodded their heads in understanding.


    Meanwhile, Charles arrived in front of the lone table, tapped the cane on the tiled floor twice, and asked in an old voice,


    "Shall we do the registration now?"

 Chapter 102: Leo

    <h4>Chapter 102: Leo</h4>


    "Please wait a minute, Mr. Oswald." Reba adjusted her messy hair with her hand, turned her gaze towards the front, who sat on the opposite chair, and gave a file folder towards the guest.


    The guest was a blonde man in histe 20s and wore a grey robe. He had short, whirly hair, fair skin, monolid hazel eyes, and a heart-shaped face. Once he got the brown color file folder from Reba, he stood up from his seat and went towards the exit with fast footsteps.


    Charles felt that man was a little bit familiar and at the same time unfamiliar.


    ''Who is he?'' He furrowed his brows and soon cast [Inspect] skill on him.


    ''Inspect failed?'' He got startled a little and then shook his head.


    ''I should do my regr work.'' He muttered to himself and turned his gaze towards Reba.


    Meanwhile, Reba put the books in the drawers before closing them with a small key and soon led Charles and the kids to the thirdyer of the Tower of Elements. That''s where the Main Administrative Department of Elemental Studies was located!


    They walked past the alchemicbs, ritual chambers, scrying chambers, and experimental rooms for dark arts and soon reached the thirdyer. Unlike the other twoyers, amodation rooms and office rooms were the only rooms that appeared in their eyes. Reba made a few turns in the maze-like corridor and soon arrived in front of a runal letters inscribed wooden door. Then, she tapped on a particr character on the left side corner of the door and patiently waited.


    Two secondster, the runal letters shone brightly for a moment and soon made a metal clicking sound.


    The next instant, the door opened with a screech and soon revealed a small office room to others'' eyes. A table full of documents, amp on the corner, and a few wooden chairs were the only things ced in the small room.


    Reba took the lead, went near the table, took an application paper, and started to fill it using a grey quill.


    Once she finished the process, she gave it to Rhea and asked her to put signs in a few ces. Then, she folded the application paper and locked it in a wooden cab.


    "That''s it, sir. The process will be over once Head Administrator returns from her mission and sign this application." Reba said with a smile and soon added.


    "Next is about your job, Mr. Oswald. Thankfully, we have one ce vacancy in Ritual Department, so you can go to the head department and ask Professor Robert about your schedules tomorrow."


    A bright smile appeared on Charles''s face as he nodded his head and asked.


    "What about the fee payment?"


    "If you have the right amount, you can finish the payment here now," Reba said in an instant.


    Nodding his head, Charles asked Jessie to pay the right amount and then asked few more questions about where to buy theory books, robes, and so on for Rhea.


    "We also want to get the Official Mystic Badges. Where can we get that?" Charles suddenly recalled that they don''t even have any official identity badge and asked.


    Reba paused in surprise for a moment and soon responded politely.


    "You can get those badges in the First Layer, and each badge is only 14 gold coins. If you guys don''t mind, I will show it to you."


    "That would be helpful." Charles nodded his head.


    After that, they returned to the firstyer, brought the necessaries like badges, uniform dresses, and books for 60 gold coins, and bid their farewell to Reba before they walked out of the Tower of Elements.


    "Titus, you and Jessie can go and do Jessie''s personal mission now." Charles paused for a moment as he recalled that they hadn''t had any breakfast yet and soon added.


    "Buy something to eat on the way. Start in the Mystic Borough. If the security guards stop you and ask questions, show your Official Mystic Badge."


    "Yes, Teacher." Both said in unison and soon separated from them. On the other hand, Charles and Rhea silently left the Mystic Borough and returned to 11C Orchard Street.


    But to their surprise, they saw five muscr men and one short man were waiting for them at the entrance and became stunned.


    ''Where is Noel?'' Charles nced at the locked steel door and soon frowned as he inspected their strength.


    ''Five Rank-2 Mystics? And, this short guy seems to be a Rank-3 member¡­'' His wrinkled face turned gloomy as he stepped on the concrete path and soon asked in a cold tone.


    "Who are you guys?"


    Upon hearing his voice, all six of them turned around in unison. Then, the short man took a step forward and greeted him with a smile.


    He had a slightly obese body, straight ck hair, a round face, and wide-set dark-blue eyes. Unlike others, who wore regr clothes and leather armors, he wore a ck vest, worn over a white linen shirt, ck pants, and leather shoes.


    "Greetings, Mr. Oswald. My name is Leo Grant, and I came here to talk to you about something interesting." The short man deliberated for a second and asked with a sly smile,


    "Do you want to hear it?"


    Meanwhile, Charles tapped the cane on the concrete floor and asked in an emotionless tone.


    "Did you kidnap the chubby face kid?"


    Leo''s face went stiff for a moment, and soon the smile on his face disappeared.


    "It seems you already aware of our arrival." He said coldly, took out a bloody human''s finger from his space ring, and tossed it on the ground.


    "I heard that you are a mage from myckeys. This one is that kid''s finger, and you can check whether it is real or fake." He paused for a moment and soon asked with an evil grin on his face.


    "Shall we talk in private now?"


    Meanwhile, Charles bent his waist with the ck cane''s support, picked up the bloody finger, and gave it to Rhea.


    "Keep it with you,ss. If we want to heal Noel''s handpletely, we need this finger." He said in a gloomy tone, walked past the muscr men, and soon arrived in front of the steel door.


    In the meantime, Rhea also followed after him closely, and soon both walked into the two-storied house.


    "Go upstairs and wait there till I call you," Charles said in a low voice and soon added as he saw the panic in Rhea''s eyes.


    "Don''t worry. I will take care of these guys."


    With an anxious face, she nodded her head and soon went upstairs with hurried footsteps.


    On the other hand, Charles turned around, pointed the cane''s heel at Leo, and said in a calm voice.


    "Only you are allowed toe in. Yourckeys have to stay outside."


    Surprise shed on Leo''s face as he frowned a bit and soon raised his cold voice.


    "Old man, it seems you still didn''t understand the position you are in."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles shook his head and said in an indifferent voice.


    "If you are that much afraid toe and talk to a 75-year-old man, then you can scram. As for Noel, I can rescue him on my own."


    Leo''s face went cold as ice as he heard those words and soon stepped forward while ordering hisckeys.


    "Wait here and stop anyone who wants to enter inside. In the meantime, I will teach some manners to this foolish old man."


    Once Leo said those words, he walked into the two-storied house and soon entered the reception hall.


    Meanwhile, Charles closed the steel door, locked it from the inside, and moved to the reception hall with a gloomy expression on his face. He then went near the Chesterfield Sofa, sat on it with the support of his ck cane, and fixed his gaze on Leo, who was already seated on the opposite Settee Sofa.

 Chapter 103: Important Information

    <h4>Chapter 103: Important Information</h4>


    Charles stared at Leo in silence and soon started to ponder.


    ''Why did he kidnap Noel?'' He was still confused by Leo''s action. In truth, he already nned to visit him in a day or two and steal his memory using the ''talking'' method.


    ''Moreover, I actually thought of letting him live after stealing the selective information and stay hidden for the next few months. I know that killing him without any reason will cause unnecessary suspicions. There is also a possibility that Leo''s supportive nobles might take it to the extreme and asks for the Tower Mages'' help to find the real culprit. I may have some ability to fool normal Mystics, but I''m not sure about those Mages from the Tower of Elements. Thankfully, this fool did a great job and came here to give his life and memories.''


    "Why did you kidnap Noel?" Charles asked in a puzzled tone.


    At that moment, Leo curled his lips upward and asked with a wicked grin on his face.


    "Do you know the real identity of Rhea, old man?"


    Upon hearing those words, Charles instantly understood the other party''s intention.


    ''He is here to ckmail me.''


    As Charles had expected, Leo ced his hand on the sofa''s arm and said in a cold tone.


    "She is the second princess of Iron Kingdom. Two years ago, Aurora and that Blood Priest kidnapped her from the Royal Pce, erased most of her memories, and turned her into a puppet ve. I got this information from one of my snitches, who is working in the Sweet Vige as a clerk, and earned some money by ckmailing them." He purposefully paused for a second to see the change in Charles''s facial expression and continued with a grin.


    "But the amount they gave to me was too little, and I always felt dejected whenever I thought of that transaction. I know that Rhea''s worth is way more than a few hundred gold coins, so I racked my brains to think of a n to get more money using her intel. To my surprise, you actually killed those two mystics and took her as your disciple. Now, what would happen if I told the Royal Family that you are the one who kidnapped her and manipted her memories to turn her into your ve?"


    Upon hearing Leo''s words, Charles wore a shocked expression and soon asked in an anxious tone.


    "What do you want?"


    A mischievous smile appeared on Leo''s face as he leaned his back against the settee sofa and said.


    "Simple. I want 10,000 gold coins before dawn. I also heard that mages are always wealthy individuals, so it shouldn''t be a problem for you to arrange this much amount, right?"


    Upon hearing those words, Charles became dumbfounded!


    ''This guy is too daring.'' He let out a deep sigh and said with a nod.


    "I will give you more than 10,000 gold coins."


    Saying so, Charles stood up from the seat and curled his lips upward. At the exact moment, Leo saw that the old man''s wrinkled face started to turn into a smooth one and got stunned inside!


    ''What-" He tried to shout in surprise, but soon widened his eyes as he noticed that his whole body was starting to turn stiff!


    He tried his best to move his muscles, but it was futile!


    He couldn''t even able to blink his eyes!


    ''What the f*ck is happening?'' He became utterly horrified by the sudden change and soon saw a deep-blue-haired kid, around 19 years old, appeared in front of his eyes.


    Before he could think further, he felt another type of invisible hand gripped his throat and started to pull him up towards the deep-blue-haired kid!


    In the meantime, Charles clenched his fist tighter and punched him in the face. After that, he grabbed his hair and mmed his head on the concrete floor.


    ''Kid, my skill''s effect will be over in a second.'' When the Holem''s Crown finished its words in Charles''s mind, Leo suddenly regained control over his body.


    Unfortunately, Charles didn''t give him any time and directly mmed his head on the concrete floor!


    If Leo was against an ordinary Rank-2 Mystic, he might have stood a chance. But Charles was a totally abnormal one and also had Expert level body strength.


    In less than ten seconds, Charlespletely ruined Leo''s face and made him lose consciousness.


    Charles knew nothing about Leo''s ss, so only after losing his consciousness did he loosen his guard!


    After that, he cast [Fire Seed] spell on Leo and tied his body using a tight rope.


    At that moment, the guards from the outside also heard themotion and started banging the door while asking anxiously.


    "Boss, are you okay?"


    A mischievous smile appeared on Charles''s face as he cleared his throat, attuned his voice into Leo''s one using the voice-changing artifact, and spoke with a grin.


    "I''m alright." He paused for a moment as he obtained the precise information about one of the guards'' names and added loudly.


    "It looks like I need some time to make this old man submit to mepletely. Den, go and bring that chubby kid. For the next two hours, don''t disturb me, morons."


    "Yes, boss." One of the guards responded, and soon Charles heard running footsteps.


    ''Hehe, this voice-changing artifact sure is useful. Although it fooled Leo''sckeys now, I can''t dy more than 2 hours. They might get suspicious if I take too much time.'' Charles instantly changed his appearance into an old man''s one and started controlling the [Fire Seed] spell to burn more memories.


    Memories about thieves'' secrets, Slum''s Borough gang leaders'' secret treasures or weapons, their skill information started appearing one by one in the depth of Charles''s Inner-world.


    As he was absorbing the memories, he soon heard footsteps from above and soon saw Rhea was running down the stairs with a panicking face.


    In the mid-way, she halted her footsteps and soon froze as she saw the unconscious Leo.


    Meanwhile, Charles ced his finger over his lips and signaled her to go upstairs.


    Widening her eyes, Rhea instantly wiped her tears, turned around, and moved upward.


    ''She must have heard my fake voice and got panicked.'' Charles wasn''t angered by her decision toe downstairs. If he were in her position, he would have done the same thing.


    Shaking his head, he turned his attention on the unconscious Leo and sat on the floor in a cross-legged position.


    Although Leo tried to regain consciousness from time to time, Charles smacked his head all the time and silently absorbed his memories.


    After 15 minutes, Charles suddenly gained information about a Fire Field''s heart''s location in the Tower-


    ''1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ¡­Damn it, I almost screwed up.'' He instantly counted numbers to distract his thought and soon moved his consciousness into the Inner World.


    In a second, his original young form hovered in the air, and soon he moved attention towards the new information.


    ''Fire Fiend''s heart- It is mostly used as a sacrifice to please the will of Fire Elemental ne. There are always tens of hearts stored in Layer 5, Secret Chamber number 356 in the Tower of Elements.'' A smile crept on Charles''s face as he finally found the information he needed most. His illusionary jade eyes wandered the gloomy forest and soon found the newborn clone ''Him'' in the farther corner of the inner world.


    Charles instantly waved his hand, shrunken the memory about the ''Fire Fiend''s heart'', and turned it into a red pebble-like structure. After that, his figure disappeared from there and soon reappeared in the farthest area.


    At this moment, the clone ''Him'' was watching a memory of his real parents near a volcanic mountain. The clone ''Him'' stood at the edge of the volcano mountain and watched the moment when an assassin was entering their house.


    Suddenly, the nearby rock shook for a moment and soon turned into a figure simr to the clone''s appearance!


    "Charles." The clone ''Him'' turned his face towards Charles and said in an expressionless tone.


    Charles could feel that his new consciousness was actually trying to greet him and smiled.


    "You are improving-" He stopped for a moment and soon added.


    "Absorb this stone into your body, and don''t let the memory escape from this Inner world."


    After that, Charles concentrated his attention on the [me Body] spell model in the sky and soon left the Inner world.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in the reception hall and soon wore a confused look on his face.


    ''Why did I enter the Inner World? Wait¡­ I gave something important to my clone, but I couldn''t recall what it is¡­'' In an instant, Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''Did I receive some important information about the Tower of Elements and gave it to my clone to bypass the power of ''Fate''?''


    ''It appears so.'' He nodded his head in understanding and then continued to focus his attention on absorbing the memories from Leo''s Inner world.

 Chapter 104: A Blood Droplet

    <h4>Chapter 104: A Blood Droplet</h4>


    One hour passed in the blink of an eye.


    Charles sat in the same cross-legged position while digesting pieces of information like nobles'' treasure locations, knights'' secret skills, merchants'' weaknesses, churches'' secret organizations'' locations, and so on. He even received information about the Moon Kingdom Queen''s secret love affair and became stunned!


    ''This guy sure knows a lot.'' He let out a deep sigh and soon frowned as he received another piece of information about a Series artifact hidden in the Tower of Elements. Thankfully, he wasn''t interested in that artifact, so he directly skimmed through it.


    ''As long as I didn''t put my eyes on stealing that artifact, it won''t cause any variation in the ''Fate.'' Still, I need to ask my incarnation to guard these types of memories.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon received another piece of information.


    But unlike the previous ones, this information was a dangerous one!


    Charles didn''t dare to think for a second before closing his eyes and entering the Inner World.


    On the edge of a volcanic mountain, his figure suddenly appeared beside the clone ''Him.''


    Soon, Charles opened his illusionary jade eyes and focused his attention on the new information.


    ''Blood of a Divine¡­ It''s about the blood of a Divine! F*ck, this guy is crazy!'' Charles wore an rmed look on his face and soon calmed his mind. After that, he focused his attention on the new information and started to read.


    ''There is a droplet of Ancient Light God''s blood hidden museum of the Seventh Layer. During thest nar war, the first King of Moon Kingdom found his way into a fallen divine kingdom and got his hand on this ''drop'' of Divine''s blood.''


    ''In the old tales, these types of divine blood droplets were used to enchant one''s strength at arge margin by consuming it directly. But the person will receive side effects like abnormal mutations in their bodies and souls. There is also a possibility that the person''s body might get destroyed by the divine power.''


    ''But if somehow the person seeded in digesting the blood droplet, he might enter a deep state of enlightenment andprehend the power hidden in the droplet. There is a possibility that his body might enchant to arge margin and would reach the level of Legendaries!''


    ''When the first king of the Moon Kingdom got his hand on the blood droplet, he didn''t consume it directly in fear of consequences and started to study it in secret.''


    ''But Amber Church and Moon Church somehow grasped this secret and asked him to hand over the droplet of blood. Due to the pressure from both sides, the first king made a secret deal with the two churches and then ced it at the museum center in the Tower of Elements. No one knew what they discussed in secret, but those two churches didn''t force the first king to hand over the droplet after that. To this day, except for some high-ss nobles, Tower Masters, and the Royal Family members, none knew about this secret.''


    ''Leo learned this information when working as a servant in Duke Arina''s household around 20 years ago. This information is one of his deepest secrets¡­ Wow, this guy sure has the full qualification to be an information broker.'' Charles raised his eyebrows and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Does that mean the ''Destiny Lady'' is already aware of Leo''s knowledge about the blood droplet? No, it shouldn''t be possible. The ''Fate'' power works solely based on one''s strength, thinking, and information. If a guy knew certain information about a material, he even had enough strength to obtain it, but he didn''t think it is worthy enough to steal the material, then there won''t be any variation in the ''Fate.'' So, to make a variation in the ''Fate,'' these three requirements are needed. What I''m doing now is just hiding the information and bypassing the power of ''Fate.'' But I need to be extra careful, though. Even the slightest anomaly might attract the Destiny Lady.''


    Charles nodded his head, turned this memory into a pebble-like stone, and gave it to the clone ''Him,'' who was still standing next to him.


    Then, he rubbed his chin and started to ponder deeply.


    ''This information is a priceless treasure. But this is also a ticking time bomb. Should I try to steal this blood droplet? Even if I did steal it, how can I use this? Wait¡­ Maybe I can strengthen my fire affinity! Yes, if I sacrifice this treasure to the ''Will'' of the Fire Elemental ne, I might be able to strengthen my affinity to the ''Genius'' level!''


    ''In the past month, I met many obstacles whenprehending the [Incinerate] spell model and still haven''t fullyprehended it yet. If this continues, it might take more than a year for me to be an Ember Wizard.''


    ''Although Game-System is helping me by creating spell models for me, it still has its own limitations. Moreover, there is already a powerful enemy is after my head. If I didn''t find a way to enchant my affinity, I might get stuck in Rank-3 for years toprehend the spell models. There is also a promise I made with Bishop Reynolds to return the Holem''s Crown to Life Church¡­''


    ''Nah, even if I didn''t rank up in due time, I''m not nning on handing it over to them at all. To getplete ownership of the Holem''s Crown, I lost many things, so there is no way in hell that I would hand over this artifact to them. They might send multiple legendary powerhouses after me. But so what? Humph, in the worst-case scenario, I will just destroy it with a thought. Yes, this Holem''s Crown knew too many secrets about me¡­''


    ''Haa, now I have to steal two treasures from the Tower of Elements instead of one. Stealing the ''Fire Fiend''s Heart'' is also not a simple matter. I need to make a perfect n and steal them in one go.''


    Nodding his head, Charles directly collected all the secret information about the Tower of Elements, turned them into pebble-like stones, and gave it to the Clone ''Him.''


    After that, Charles stared at the [me Body] spell model and left the Inner World.


    A momentter, Charles opened his eyes in the reception hall and soon heard a muffling noise.


    At that moment, he also heard shouts and banging sounds from the outside and sighed.


    ''Looks like I need to end this now.'' He knew when to stop, so he instantly stood up, took out the [Ghost Dagger] from his space ring, and soon arrived beside the ring Leo.


    After that, Charles gripped the hilt tighter and shed it towards his neck at full force. Due to his extraordinary strength, the dagger cleaved the smooth skin and instantly separated the head from the body!


    [Target Eliminated! 1,707 Exp points Obtained!]


    Curling his lips upward, he went near the head, grabbed Leo''s hair using his left hand, and picked up the wide-eyed Leo''s head.


    At that moment, the headless body started to twitch uncontrobly and sprayed blood on the tiled floor!


    "Tsk, it''s time to finish this farce," Charles muttered as he picked up the ck cane using his right hand and went towards the steel door. He then hid the bloody head behind his back, kicked the door harder to make others stop knocking, unlocked it from inside using [Magician''s Hand] skill, and opened it with a screeching noise.


    At that moment, five muscr men had already drawn their weapons and were pointing them towards him with anxious expressions on their faces.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s gaze swept past those muscr men and soonnded on the chubby-faced kid, who stood ten meters away from them, with tears on his face.


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he moved his left hand from his back, showed the wide-eyed Leo''s head towards those muscr men, and threw it towards them.


    Upon seeing the wide-eyed Leo''s head, all of their expression froze, and soon their whole bodies trembled. They knew how powerful their leader was and became utterly shocked!


    "Take this guy''s body from the reception hall, clean the house neatly, and then scram," Charles said in a cold voice and then gestured Noel toe towards him.

 Chapter 105: Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 105: Investigation</h4>


    At that moment, Noel also regained some courage upon seeing his teacher''s face and soon ran towards him. Although one of theckeys tried to move his sword towards the running Noel, Charles instantly used his [Magician''s Hand] skill and gripped his neck with invisible strings.


    "Don''t think I wouldn''t kill you now," Charles said as he dismissed the skill and then looked at Noel. The right half of his face was swollen, and a thin white cloth was wrapped around his left hand to stop the blood.


    ''They seem to have put some ointment on the wound.'' As Noel arrived in front of him, Charles patted on his shoulder and spoke.


    "Come on. I will heal your hand."


    Saying so, he turned around, returned to the reception hall, and added in a loud voice.


    "You cane down now."


    Within seconds, running footsteps were heard from the second floor, and soon a ck-haired girl in a button-down white shirt and cardigan with navy blue pants stepped down with hurried footsteps through the curved stairs.


    Once she reached the floor, she instantly ran towards them, and soon her eyes zeroed on Noel''s wounded hand.


    "Give that severed finger,ss." Without minding the headless corpse, Charles said as he went near the chesterfield sofa, and sat on it.


    Covering her nose, Rhea took out the finger from her small leather pouch and gave it to Charles in trembling hands.


    "Good." Nodding, Charles removed the wrapped white cloth on Noel''s hand and soon furrowed his brows as he saw burn marks.


    ''They used the cauterization method to stop the bleeding.'' He waved his right hand, conjured a greenish-blue me on his palm, and applied it on the wound.


    At the same moment, he took the severed finger and attached it to Noel''s wounded hand.


    A momentter, the blood-drained finger started to get revitalized by the mystical greenish-blue me, and soon tissues and blood vessels started to grow.


    Charles then focused his full attention on the me and patiently reattached those severed blood vessels and tissues using his thoughts.


    After ten minutes, he retrieved his hand and nodded.


    "It''s good now."


    Then, he asked them to go upstairs and patiently waited for the five muscr men to move Leo''s headless corpse away.


    With a gloomy look on their faces, they walked in, stored Leo''s body in a void pouch, and started cleaning the house in helplessness.


    On the other hand, Charles leaned his back against the sofa and patiently waited for thempletely clean the blood. Once they have done their job, he quickly shooed them away and stood at the entrance.


    After an hour, a group of guards in silver armor came to his house and inquired about Leo''s death. Charles told them that Leo kidnapped his disciple and threatened him to give money. He also conjured a ball of me and indirectly showed the Head Guard that he was an Ember Wizard!


    Upon seeing the dancing me, those guards instantly understood that Leo had provoked someone he shouldn''t have and silently went back on their way.


    But Charles knew this was just the beginning of the investigation.


    ''Mr. Rh, I want you to erase the past event.'' Charles spoke in his mind and went back to the reception hall.


    ''How did you know that I can erase the past?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in a shocked tone.


    ''Humph, do you think I wouldn''t know about the time when you erased my battle against Addie Baker? I know that you erased that incident from the ''past'' to gain more information about Edith''s fake identity. Unfortunately, your action gave me a clue that you possess the ability to see past incidents and erase them. If not you, then who has the ability to keep things hidden from a Rank-4 Historian ss Mystic?'' Charles mocked inwardly.


    ''Alright, I will erase this in a moment.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in obedience. A momentter, an invisible ripple went through the surroundings, and soon Charles saw the past event like the holographic video!


    After that, another ripple came from the ck cane and soon broke those videos into pieces.


    "Done." An old voice came out from the ck cane.


    Charles wore a pleased smile as he nodded his head and patiently waited for the next investigation squad.


    As he had expected, a team of five members in ck robes came to his house and did another investigation. Charles instantly knew that they belong to the Moon Church''s secret organization, Undying Moons, and silently observed their movements once they entered his house.


    Unlike the previous time, a Rank-3 [Seeker] stepped forward, used his [Wonder See] skill, and searched for clues like an expert.


    Unfortunately, he only saw an empty reception room in the vision and got confused. After some time, he finally realized that this old man already erased the past ''Time'' and became startled. But he didn''t even say a word about it and brought his otherpanions out of the house with a helpless look on his face.


    He knew that even if they report it to the organization higher-ups, no one will take action against this old man!


    ''This man is a powerful mystic! Moreover, it was the information broker''s fault to go and threaten a monster.'' He sighed in sympathy and then exined the situation to hispanions in detail.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and started to ponder about his next n.


    ''No, I need to reseal the Traveler Tree''s Twin Leaf first and think about how to extract the coordinates.'' While he was in muse, Rhea and Noel came from the second floor and soon stood beside him in silence.


    After some time, Charles stood up from the chesterfield sofa, informed the kids that he would be in the underground basement for the next few hours, and went towards the metal shutter door on the other side of the reception hall.


    He then opened the door with much difficulty, walked in, and then shut it from the inside.


    At that moment, darkness enveloped the area andpletely blinded his sight as he cast his gaze on the front.


    In the darkroom, Charles curled his dry lips, conjured a ball of orange fire, and illuminated the room.


    Stone stairs appeared in front of his sight and went down to the underground basement. With a calm look on his face, he lit the fire torches ced on the walls. Then, he took a step forward and went downstairs with loud footsteps.


    Soon, he arrived at the vast empty underground hall and lit the fire torches, ced all over the corners. After that, Charles went towards the center of the hall and took out the sliced wooden trunk from his space ring.


    ''Hmm, the spell hasn''t ended yet.'' Charles nodded his head and soon asked.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you tell me about the method to extract the coordinates of the Fire Elemental ne from this Traveler Tree''s Twin-leaf?''


    ''Hmm, that''s very simple.'' The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a moment and added in a calm voice.


    ''You have to kill the real owner of this leaf and be its owner.'' Confusion appeared on Charles''s face as he raised his eyebrows for a moment and frowned.


    ''How can I find the real owner?''


    ''You don''t have to find him. He will send one of hisckeys from the other side to learn more about the current situation of this leaf. You see, the Traveler Tree''s leaves are Twins and they always choose one person as their owner. I think a Night Goblin obtained the other leaf by some dumb luck and became the real owner of these twin leaves. If you want to obtain the coordinates of the Fire Elemental ne, then you have to go to the other side and assassinate him. After that, you can put a drop of your blood on the ownerless leaf and be its owner.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a serious tone.

 Chapter 106: Fire Elemental Plane

    <h4>Chapter 106: Fire Elemental ne</h4>


    ''Assassination, is it?'' A smile crept on Charles''s face as he thought of a daring n.


    In an instant, he released the space seal and waited for the other party to send a scout.


    Precisely forty-five minutester, the unique emerald-gem-like leaf began to shine, and soon a humanoid figure appeared in the center of the underground basement!


    But unlike the other Night Goblins, the goblin that appeared was more ferocious and gave off the feeling of superiority!


    It was around 2 meters tall, with shade skin, a huge belly, and two red horns on the sides of the forehead. The moment itnded on the floor, it took off the red-painted metal scythe from its back, gripped it tighter, and swiftly shed it towards all the surroundings!


    Fortunately, Charles had already perceived the danger and backed away.


    ''Oh, they sent a very powerful one this time.'' He was indeed startled by the other party''s swift decision.


    ''Mr. Rh, seal the leaf.'' He took out the Starfall Codex magic book from his space ring, flipped it to the 12th page, and ordered.


    At the exact moment, he cast [Fire Seed] spell on the creature and checked its status.


    ''Oh? It has War Guard ss andbat-rted skills.'' The corner of his lips curled upward as he crouched down a little and dashed towards it at a fast speed. Although the other party sent a powerful brute goblin to tackle him, Charles wasn''t afraid of a mere goblin.


    A cruel smirk appeared on the ugly Night Goblin''s face as it twisted the scythe and raised it.


    When it was about to sh it towards the enemy, suddenly it stopped its hand.


    No, it forgot how to sh the scythe!


    Without missing such good opportunity, Charles appeared right beside the shade-skin goblin, gripped his dagger hilt tighter, and smacked it on its nape with a full force!


    Due to the sudden attack, the creature stumbled forward, regained its sense a little, and tried to move its hand again. Meanwhile, Charles raised his hand again and smacked the hilt on the creature''s nape.


    At that moment, the monstrous Night Goblin''s eyes turned darker and darker, and soon it fell on the floor, leaving a thudding sound behind.


    In two seconds, he defeated the monstrous goblin!


    Meanwhile, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and started binding it with a robe. After that, he controlled the [Fire Seed] spell and started burning its memories.


    ''Lava Sea¡­ Twilight Land¡­ Miners'' Den¡­ Volcanoes¡­ Magma Fiend¡­Crimson Birds¡­ves¡­Language of Scars¡­ Night Shaman Lexer¡­ Secret reciting method to pass through the Traveler Tree''s Leaf¡­'' Pieces of information about the Fire Elemental ne and other things appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''So, the real owner is a ve goblin, huh. He found the other leaf when he was mining and became its owner. At first, he didn''t tell anyone and explored the Dreamworld on his own. But somehow, his secret got exposed and he was brought to his n head. After some trials and errors, the Night Goblin Leader found out the secrets of Dreamworld and even thought of snatching the leaf from the ve goblin. But he feared that the strange leaf might disappear permanently if he kills the ve goblin and thought of using him as a tool. Under the order of the Rank-3 Goblin Leader, this ve goblin helped the other Night Goblins to explore the Dreamworld and eventually became a freed goblin.''


    After skimming through the information, Charles swiftly killed the muscr goblin creature, gained 650 Exp points, and soon frowned.


    ''Did the goblins not know anything about mind-rted abilities? If they knew, they wouldn''t have sent a brute goblin, right?''


    Shaking his head, Charles discussed his problem with the Holem''s Crown and asked a question.


    ''Mr. Rh, what would happen if I use the special chanting method to go to the other side?'' He felt that there must be some restrictions in inteary space travel and became more cautious.


    ''You will face nar restrictions in a minute or two and will feel difort and pain. You might also face difficulty when casting spells. No, you haven''t created the elemental heart, so I think you wouldn''t be able to cast your magic spell at all.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a serious tone.


    ''One or two minutes¡­ If I still couldn''t kill the owner at that particr time, I might get locked in that ne forever. Moreover, I would be in enemy''s den.'' Charles instantly dismissed that reckless idea from his mind.


    But at that moment, the Holem''s Crown made a coughing noise and revealed one of its secrets to him.


    Charles patiently listened to its words for the next two minutes and soon grew confident.


    ''Hehe, it seems I have to go alone this time.'' He nodded his head, ced the ck cane on the ground, changed his appearance into his young self, and started to recite the secret incantation.


    ¡­


    Moris Fire Elemental ne, Twilight Land.


    In this Moris Fire Elemental ne, many powerful races like Magma Fiends, Lava Giants, Magmins, Ember Gnomes, Crimson Birds, and Red Lizards stood on the top food chain. They ruled the different parts of the world by dividing the territories.


    In suchnd, there was one ce that had constantly been bathed by blood and fire. Large-scale battles and invasions were alwaysmon in thisnd. Some call it Death Zone, while others say it was a Forbidden Land. But the creatures who live in thisnd gave thisnd a unique name, Twilight Land. Thisnd was so beautiful yet so sad.


    At the edge of the Twilightnd was filled with tall volcanoes and beyond that was a red ocean filled with purevas!


    Between the volcanic mountains and the ocean ofvas, there stood a city.


    It''s called Miners'' Den. It was a ce filled with inferior races and ves.


    Volcanic ashes constantly spew out from the nearby volcanic mountains'' mouths, rose to the sky, and soon descended to the area where the small city was located.


    In this Miners'' Den, Night Goblins, Lava Orcs, and Red Humans were thergest group and had some strong backgroundspared to other races. The people in this city mainly spent their life in the mines and lived their everyday lives. Yes, most of them were ves of a particr Magma Fiend!


    Sixty years ago, a Rank-1 Magma Fiend was exiled from its homnd called Fiery Desert and was sent here to repent its mistake of being born with three eyes. This Twilight Land epted this young Fiend named Garath and gave him a new future. There was also a rumor spreading all over the ce that this young Fiend was the Twilight Land''s blessed child!


    Due to the blessing of thend, he rose from a Rank-1 Fire Imp to a Rank-4 Ember Shadow in just 50 years. In those years, Garath fought many battles, killed thousands of Lava Orcs, and even gained the title of Elemental Demon!


    He was the ruler of this Miners'' Den City!


    In the small city, there stood a small mansion in the northern part. Unlike other hut-like houses and stone mansions, this mansion was entirely built by moltenva.


    It belongs to one of Garath''s subordinates called Maris.


    In the isted secret chamber deep under theva mansion, tens of goblins in different armors stood there silently and stared at a single emerald gem-like leaf attached to a small gate. Although the bright fire stones illuminated the chamber, the secret chamber still looked gloomier due to the darkness.


    "Why there hasn''t been any response from the other side?" A one-meter-tall Night Goblin in a ck robe-like dress stood twenty meters away from the small gate and asked in an impatient tone.


    It had crimson eyes, short ears, red-lined skin, and appeared very old. Although it was the shortest among all the goblins in the yard, no one dared to look into its eyes. It was Maris''s most trusted ve, Lexer!


    After a short silence, a tall ck-armored goblin spoke in an anxious tone.


    "Did something happen to Brother Gield?"


    "He has been on the other side for more than two hours. It looks like we need to wait for Lord Maris''s further orders. As long as I''m the owner of this leaf, no one can enter from the other side." The short goblin named Lexer said in a confident tone.


    At the exact moment, Lexer suddenly saw that the green leaf started to shine in dim light and curled its ck lips into a wicked grin.

 Chapter 107: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 107: Escape</h4>


    "Gield is back." The ck-robed Night Goblin Lexer spoke in a loud tone and patiently waited for the other party to appear.


    In the meantime, Charles saw a myriad of star clusters and soon found himself standing in some secret chamber, surrounded by tens of goblins. Unlike other times, he had long activated his [Conceal] skill and went on a full assassin mode.


    At that moment, Lexer raised its sharp eyebrows in puzzlement and soon squinted its crimson eyes.


    "Something feels off¡­ I clearly sensed someone transported through the Twin leaves." It muttered in a confused tone and soon noticed that a strange ck shadow was moving towards him at a fast speed.


    Its pupil shrunk in shock as it instantly gripped the wooden staff and waved it.


    Tens of fireballs conjured from the tip of the wooden staff and moved towards the humanoid shadow at a fast speed.


    Upon seeing the tens of fireballs, Charles cursed inwardly and rolled towards the right side. Loud explosive sounds echoed as those crimson fireballs collided on the nearby walls and illuminated the whole hall in bright light, blinding everyone in return.


    Meanwhile, Charles pulled out the Ember Pistol from his space ring and stealthily slid it towards the robed goblin.


    Due to the dim darkness, nobody noticed his stealth action and concentrated on attacking him. The armored goblins also unsheathed their weapons and dashed towards him at a fast speed.


    ''My spell models are in an unstable state due to the news, and I''m also starting to have a headache.'' He wore a grim look and soon saw an armored goblin already appeared in front of him while aiming its short sword at Charles.


    But as it was about to sh the sword towards his neck, it suddenly noticed that an olive-skin human was smiling back at him.


    Upon seeing the strange smile, fury appeared on its face, and it gripped the sword tighter¡­


    No! The goblin suddenly noticed that there was no weapon in its hand at all!


    Charles curled his lips upward, held the Ghost Dagger in his right hand, and stabbed it towards the goblin''s chest. At the exact moment, the goblin''s short sword also mysterious appeared in his other hand and moved towards the defenseless goblin''s neck at a fast speed.


    In a second, the ugly goblin''s head flew up towards the ceiling and crashed on it, leaving a headless body to dance in the gloomy hall!


    Charles instantly moved towards the right side to evade another fireball from the goblin shaman and killed another goblin.


    ''I need to kill the goblin shaman.'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he reduced the distance between him and the goblin shaman.


    At that moment, a small me came out from the wooden staff and soon formed into a terrifying fireball which was around a one-meter radius!


    Charles''s heart sank as he witnessed the scene!


    ''Even my Crimson Robe spell would be damaged if it faced it head-on.'' Although he felt the dense explosive power hidden in the abnormal fireball, Charles wasn''t afraid at all. Whenever someone uses their trump card, they would focus on the enemy and their trump card.


    ''This is what I want.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    At the same time, Charles used the [Magician''s Hand] skill on the Ember Pistol, manipted it to face the tip of the muzzle at an angle of 120¡ã, and squeezed the trigger.


    BANG!


    A loud explosive sound echoed in the gloomy dark chamber, and the next moment, the goblin shaman''s head exploded!


    Using the invisible string, Charles pulled the Ember Pistol towards his direction and then dashed towards the green leaf at an unimaginable speed!


    Meanwhile, the terrifying fireball turned unstable due to the sudden loss of the connection with the owner and soon began to expand in size!


    It devoured the nearby goblins and also released a sharp wave of dense red me in every direction.


    Thankfully, Charles''s [Prevision] skill triggered on its own, so he instantly evaded the wave by ducking his body, opened his palm, and swiftly gripped the Ember Pistol that flew from behind.


    Meanwhile, the sharp wave moved in every direction and killed most of the armored goblins in seconds!


    ''F*ck! This fireball is going to explode in a few seconds.'' Charles once again rose up and sprinted towards the metal gate where the green-gem-like leaf was embedded.


    In three seconds, he arrived in front of it, sliced his finger using the dagger, and put a drop of his blood on the gem-like leaf!


    In an instant, Charles felt a connection towards the leaf on the other side and got ted. Not only that, but he also received two coordinates in his mind.


    ''One is the coordinate of this Fire Elemental ne, and the other one is the Edhen ne''s coordinate.''


    With a thought, he erased the previous long chanting method, made a new short one in English, and started to chant.


    By the time he finished reciting the short chant, the terrifying fireball had exploded on its own and devoured everything, including his body.


    Charles felt a sudden intense burning pain and grew pale.


    The next instant, his figure began to distort and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    Edhen World, Moon Kingdom, Chester City.


    In the underground basement of 11C Orchard Street, the green gem-like leaf on the sliced wooden trunk suddenly started to shine, and soon a human figure appeared in the hall.


    Charles gasped for breathing and soon felt a burning sensation all over his body. Although he managed to escape, he was still affected by the explosion, causing his skin to turn redder.


    Gritting his teeth, he ced his hand over his chest and cast his [Soul Heal] spell.


    A greenish-blue me came out of his hand andpletely enveloped his body.


    Then, the me started to soothe his skin and soon begun to heal the superficial burns slowly.


    A few minutester, Charles sat up on the concrete floor and curled his lips upward.


    ''I finally got my hands on the coordinates of a Fire ne.'' He nced at the missionpletion notification of the hidden quest and nodded his head.


    ''It appears the one who created this system wants me to choose this ne, but I still have no idea about his exact motive. Thankfully, he or the system in my Inner World didn''t pull me into any unnecessary trouble yet. No, the system is helping me to grow stronger in many ways. Still, I need to take some precaution measures after bing an Ember Wizard.'' Charles took the ck cane, stood up with some difficulty, and changed himself into an old form.


    ''How many seconds have passed?'' He asked in curious.


    ''30 seconds.'' A swift reply came from the Holem''s Crown, causing Charles to arch his eyebrows upward.


    ''I think I stayed in the Fire ne for more than 50 seconds.''


    ''That''s not a surprising thing. Variations in the time flow are normal between nes.'' The Holem''s Crown responded casually.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded, stored the Twin Leaf into his space ring, and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''I didn''t rely on the Holem''s Crown''s help to return from the Fire Elemental ne. Then, I also gained full control over the Traveler Tree''s Twin Leaves. But if I go to the other side again, I might get bombarded by formidable spell and killed in seconds.'' A frown appeared on his face. At that moment, he also felt a strange intuition from the depth of his mind that he needed to rely on this Fire Elemental ne in the future and got perplexed.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you give me some exnation about this Fire Elemental ne? Why do Fire mages seek to enter the Fire nes even at the cost of signing the ve-like contracts with churches and Royal families?'' He directly asked. Although resources hidden in the Fire Elemental ne might be a good excuse for Fire Mages to swarm into the Fire ne, Charles didn''t believe it at all. He felt there must be another reason for it.

 Chapter 108: Steal

    <h4>Chapter 108: Steal</h4>


    The Holem''s Crown didn''t take too much time to organize its thought and spoke.


    ''If you want to Rank up further, you need to understand the secrets of Fire andprehend thempletely. Before exining more aboutprehension, I will tell more about the different types of Fire in this universe.


    Fire can be divided into seven types. The first one is the Law Fire. This type of Fire symbolizes Protection and Law, and most of these Fire Elemental nes are filled with the power of Law Fire.


    The second one is Hell-Fire. As the name suggests, this Fire appears only in the Hell ne and is filled withplete wickedness and evil. It can even turn a pure angel into a wicked being. So, it would be best if you stay away from it at all costs.


    The third one is False Fire. Unlike the other two, this Fire can manipte other basic elements and make you cast other elemental magic. If youprehend this Firepletely, you can indeed manipte all other elements to some extent. Your movement spell is due to the presence of this Fire. But as the name suggests, this Fire is just a false one, and it has its own limitations.


    The fourth one is Chaos me, and this Fire was originated from the Abyss ne. It has the power of destruction and Chaos, soprehending this Fire should be very helpful when constructing an attack spell model.


    The fifth one is Soul Fire. This Fire originates from the Underworld and can heal, and at the same time, destroy souls. Your healing spell has a minute amount of this Soul Fire, so you should be very careful when using this spell. It is a double-edged sword.


    The sixth one is Mind Fire. It is one of the mysterious fires, and even I knew nothing about it. Some say that this Fire originated from the strange Dreamworld, while others say that this Fire is born from the False Fire, but there is no actual proof of its origin¡­ Wait, I have always felt something was off about your mind-rted skill¡­ Could it be that you also constructed this mind fire spell?'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly stopped its talking and asked in suspicious.


    ''Yes.'' Charles smiled wryly. He knew that he couldn''t hide this secret for too long from the old man, so he quietly nodded his head in approval.


    ''Oh? It looks like the secret artifact is helping you construct different types of fire spell models. Anyway, let''s get to the topic.


    Thest one is called Rebirth me. Except for its name, I knew nothing about this Fire.''


    The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a moment and soon continued.


    ''Most of the Fire Mages in the Edhen chooses to walk on the path of Law Fire. So, this Fire Elemental ne is a treasure for them. If theyprehend the Law Fire spell models in a Fire Elemental ne, they will have an easier timepleting them.''


    Upon hearing the lengthy exnation, Charles frowned for a moment and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''These seven fires¡­ Why do I feel that my every spell model has some connection with each type of these fires?'' A chill went up to his spine.


    ''It is not an impossible thing. But there is still one thing I couldn''t understand. It''s about the me Body spell model¡­ Unlike other spells, I chose to construct this spell only after hearing advice from Bishop Reynolds. Something feels off¡­ Could it be that he is also a pawn of the system''s real owner?'' He shuddered at the thought.


    ''No, I might be overthinking.'' He closed his eyes to organize his thoughts for a moment and soon heaved a heavy sigh.


    ''It doesn''t matter whether the system manipted my mind to choose these spell models or not. I need to increase my Rank and then find a way to take full control over the system. Only then I would feel safe.'' Charles silently went near the corner of the underground hall, sat in a cross-legged position, and soon entered his Inner world to make a detailed n.


    ¡­


    After another two hours of nning, Charles left the inner world and soon opened his eyes in confusion.


    At that moment, he couldn''t even remember anything about the n at all!


    ''No, I have some memories to achieve something, but I couldn''t remember my real goal. Strange¡­ My first job is to steal the famous Rainbow Crown from the Duke Milton''s Mansion and expose myself as a Fire Magician? Wouldn''t that make the Tower Mages suspicious of me?'' He pondered for a moment and chose to believe in his n.


    ''There must be a reason for this strange mission. But the unluckiness effect is still there for another 30 days. I have to dy my n. Although I learned that requirements are needed for the unluckiness to take effect on me, I don''t want to take a risk.'' Charles nodded his head and soon stood up.


    In the past few days, he activated his [Prevision] skills a few times and learned that his anomaly skill could nullify the unluckiness for a day or two. Although it wasn''t able topletely nullify it, Charles felt that this was much better than the past month''s unluckiness effect.


    ''But frequently using this skill would also change variations in my fate and might catch big shot''s attention.'' He was always warier of the Destiny Lady, so he only used this prevision skill for small dangers. If he had used this skill to avoid any unexpected danger, it might have attracted Destiny Lady''s attention. Thankfully, there was no dangerous situation that appeared to him yet.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he left the underground basement hall and soon met Titus and Jessie in the reception hall.


    "How is the mission?" Charles halted his footsteps and asked in an old man''s voice.


    "Teacher." Both stood up from the sofa in unison and greeted him. After that, Jessie took the initiative and responded.


    "I memorized a total of 150 houses'' exaction location, numbers, and even learned some house owner''s name, Teacher."


    "Hmm, continue your mission during daytime." Charles nodded his head, shifted his gaze towards Titus, and asked.


    "Did Noel and Rhea go to market?"


    "Yes, Teacher," Titus replied in a solemn tone.


    "Good. Come on; I will teach about the true arts of disguise." Saying so, Charles stepped towards the stairs and went upstairs.


    Till evening, he taught him the basics of disguise and tricks and then went to the yard to teach him about dagger arts. Thankfully, Noel and Rhea brought tens of wooden daggers and short swords, making his job easier.


    Charles then made Noel and Titus to battle against each other and pointed out their mistakes one by one.


    Time passed slowly, and soon it was around 7 P.M.


    ''It''s time.'' Charles stood up from his wooden chair and spoke.


    "Continue your practice till 10. After that, you three can go to sleep." He suddenly paused for a moment as he pointed his finger at Titus and said.


    "Practice those disguise skills and stealth skills in the yard. I wille around midnight and check your progression."


    Saying so, he turned around, returned to the second floor, and soon went to the study toprehend the [Incinerate] spell model.

 Chapter 109: Summoning Ritual Expert

    <h4>Chapter 109: Summoning Ritual Expert</h4>


    The next day, Charles woke up early, took a long bath in hot water, and soon walked out of the bedroom after changing his cloth into a formal ck one. Then, he went downstairs and soon smiled as he saw Titus and Jessie were cooking earnestly.


    ''Not bad. Hmm? Titus still hasn''t gone to sleep yet. I need to give him an exact schedule for sleeping and training, otherwise; things will go in an unpredictable way for him.'' Charles sat on the Chesterfield Sofa and waited for them to arrange breakfast in the dining hall.


    They finished their cooking in less than 30 minutes and invited him and the other two kids to the dining hall. Once everyone was seated in their respective seats, Jessie took the lead and served the food. Although she knew nothing about noble etiquette and all, she tried her best and did her work seriously like a true maid.


    Nodding his head, Charles took the fork and had small pieces ofmb chop, a few sticks of bread, and drank the thick vegetable soup. After that, he ced the napkin to the left side of the te, then stood up from his seat, and left the dining hall.


    Then, he checked the timer and soon went to the Tower of Elements. Unlike Rhea, he needed to be in the thirdyer before 8 A.M. to meet the head of the Ritual Chambers department.


    He didn''t stop anywhere and soon reached the thirdyer. Thankfully, professor Robert was in his office room, so he instantly got the appointment.


    Charles entered the room and soon saw a deep-blue-haired man in histe forties seated on the office chair and seemed to be in the middle of ying with a pencil. He wore a red robe, had a slightly wrinkled rough face, thin mustache, monolid blue eyes, and pale skin.


    Noticing his arrival, he raised his head and greeted him.


    "Wee to the department of Ritual Chambers, Mr. Oswald."


    Charles walked in with slow footsteps, nodded his head at Robert, and soon arrived in front of the wooden table.


    "Please have a seat, Mr. Oswald." Robert smiled slightly and gestured him to sit on the wooden chair.


    Meanwhile, Charles pulled the chair, held the ck cane''s handle to support his body, and sat down with some difficulty.


    "What are your qualifications for this job, sir?" Robert turned his face serious and went straight to the point.


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he raised his left hand, ced it on the wooden table, and spoke in a serious tone.


    "I''m specialized in summoning ritual ceremonies."


    His simple words made Robert''s expression freeze in shock for a moment. Unlike other ritual methods, the summoning ritual method was apletely different and abnormal one.


    During the Arcane Era, Mages used this type of ritual method specifically to summon creatures from a particr ne with the help of coordinates and study them before making a nar invasion. But this one contains great risk.


    A few thousand years ago, a group of low-rank arcane mages tried to summon a low-level creature from a Hell ne but ended up summoning a Devil Lord!


    That was a Demi-God-level Existence!


    Thankfully, the First Era Arcane Mages at that time were powerful enough to face such a monster and were powerful enough to seal it in a Time crystal. If not, the whole Arcane Empire might have destroyed by the devil.


    After that incident, nobody dares to take this summoning ritual method lightly and used it in extreme caution.


    So when Robert heard his answer, he was indeed shocked inside.


    "I''m well experienced in this field, so you don''t have to worry," Charles added with a grin.


    A forced smile appeared on Robert''s face as he didn''t dare to take the risk, so he instantly thought of sending this old man to the teaching section.


    "Mr. Oswald, would you mind if I ask you to pass down your knowledge to our department students? You know, this summoning ritual method is a very dangerous path and we currently have no expert in that field. So, it would be very helpful if a master like you could pass some knowledge to our students."


    ''And, we might also observe your knowledge in this field.'' Robert added inwardly.


    Charles thought for a moment and soon agreed.


    In truth, he actually feared that Robert would ask him to do a small summoning ritual ceremony as a sample and always sat there in anxiety.


    ''Fortunately, he didn''t. Otherwise, things would have gone in an unpredictable direction due to my strange unluckiness.'' He muttered to himself and soon waited for him to give the ss schedule.


    Robert didn''t take too much time, though. After some checking, he wrote down his lecture timing on a white paper and passed it to him.


    ''Monday- 1.00 P.M to 3 P.M., ssroom no- 304


    Wednesday- 8 A.M to 11 A.M, ssroom no- 218


    Sunday- 9 A.M to 1 P.M., ssroom no- 311.''


    Charles nced at the paper and soon nodded.


    "I will take my leave then." He stood up with the support of the ck cane, said in a solemn tone, and soon walked out of the room.


    Meanwhile, Robert sat on the wooden chair silently and soon raised his eyebrows.


    "I should have asked him to do a sample ritual ceremony. I heard that most of these ritual masters are very lucky and even able to summon some precious elemental creatures from other nes. If he really is a master in that field¡­" His voice trailed off as he soon felt a vibration from his pant pocket.


    He frowned a bit, took out a small silver ring, and soon touched the red crystal on it.


    "I''ll be there in a minute, Teacher," He spoke in a hurry, stood up from his seat, and then walked out of his room.


    ¡­


    Tower of Elements, 8th Layer,


    A ck-haired woman in herte 20s stood on the balcony and stared at therge city with a frown. She wore a jade robe, had scarlet eyes, an oval face, and a small nose.


    "Something is wrong¡­ Why did I felt a sudden premonition a while ago?" Tilting her head, she asked herself, closed her eyes for a moment, and soon noticed that change already disappeared from her mind.


    ''Did someone change their own fate?'' She raised her eyebrows in confusion and soon cast that thought away from her mind.


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Charles walked out of the Tower of Elements and soon returned to 11C Orchard Street.


    After that, he went to his study room and started his concentration onprehending the [Incinerate] spell model.


    One month passed in a blink of an eye.


    During the time, Charles acted cautiously and concentrated his full attention on imparting assassin knowledge to Titus, and at the same time,pletelyprehended the [Incinerate] spell model.


    Moreover, he didn''t forget his job in the magic tower and started teaching basics about summoning rituals under the Holem''s Crown''s guidance. To his surprise, the Holem''s Crown knowledge about the summoning ritual ceremony surpassed all the ritual masters and caused a greatmotion in the Ritual Chambers Department!


    By doing this job, Charles also made some progression in the ritual study!


    Not only him, but Rhea also made a significant progression in her personal mission by constructing her first water spell model in 24 days and gave him a huge surprise.


    In the meantime, Jessie hadpletely graspedplete information about the houses and streets of Mystics'' Borough and already moved to Nobles'' Borough.


    ''Only Noel is showing no progression in his personal mission. Although he already started training his body and sword skills and even participated in a few tests to be an official Tower Guard, his strength is still far from enough. Hmm, I need to give him a slight push.'' Sighing deeply, Charles leaned his back against the wooden chair, took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, and soon opened the outer case to check the time.


    ''It''s time,'' He stood up from his seat, took a hooded ck jacket from his space ring, and stealthily walked out of his study room.


    After that, he cast [Conceal] skill on himself, asked the Holem''s Crown to change its form into a bracelet, and wore it.


    Then, he wore a hooded jacket, went near the balcony, and silently climbed down towards the backside of the house. Once hended on the ground, he covered his head with the ck hood and started moving towards the Orchard Street Junction.

 Chapter 110: The Power of Knowledge

    <h4>Chapter 110: The Power of Knowledge</h4>


    Two hourster, Charles, in his original appearance, entered the Nobles'' Borough in the dark red night and went to a particr four-storied mansion. Although he was new to this ce, he didn''t face any difficulty in finding Duke Milton''s mansion at all.


    ''Leo''s memories are useful in many ways.'' He muttered inwardly, cast [Conceal] spell on himself, and soon appeared near the two-meter tallpound wall.


    ''Let the game begin.'' The corner of his lips curled upward as he ced his hand on the rough wall and jumped towards the other side.


    Like a feather, his body nimbly flew upward and soonnded on the other side.


    He slowly stepped on the grassy yard, went towards the right side of the mansion building, and started climbing up using the iron pipe. Once he reached the second floor, he silently crept towards the balcony on his right side and quietlynded on the smooth velvet mat-covered floor.


    At that moment, crimson mes suddenly conjured from his forehead and soon formed into a mask-like appearance!


    After ncing around for a second, Charles went towards the ss door, unlocked it using his [Magician''s Hand] skill, and entered the master bedroom.


    The main focal point in this room was the bed. That canopy frame was absolutely stunning and definitely one of the staple designs of the Second Arcane Era. Each one of the poles features that fancy curved design and scrollwork on the footboard. The rest of the furniture throughout the room was that chunky gold-colored style that even King Balder would probably love and appreciate.


    Although the room appeared bright due to multiple candles in every corner of the room, there was no one in it, making Charles breathe out a sigh of relief.


    He then went near a naked woman''s painting on the wall and pressed his finger on her right melon area.


    With a rattling sound, the wall suddenly moved on its own and soon revealed a dark underground passage.


    In the meantime, Charles waved his hand, conjured two balls of fire above his palm, and made it hover in mid-air.


    Then, he entered deep into the passage with quiet footsteps and soon found himself standing in front of a room filled with countless gold coins, artifacts, and tens of wooden treasure chests!


    ''There are quite a number of rm-type artifacts installed in every corner.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a serious tone. Although it couldn''t understand his intention, it didn''t try to probe him at all.


    ''Thisd sure is scheming something big. Hmm, he must have entered the Inner world and made a detailed n inside.'' The Holem''s Crown thought inwardly.


    On the other hand, Charles coldly snorted, raised his hand, and activated his [Magician''s Hand] skill.


    The next instant, a fist-sized rainbow-gem embedded cor crown rose from the mountain of gold and soon flew towards his direction.


    Upon seeing the crown, even the Holem''s Crown couldn''t keep itself calm and eximed in his mind.


    ''This is Rainbow Heart! Lad, this gem''s worth should be more than Fifty thousand gold coins!''


    ''So what? Do you think I could steal this casually and sell it in another ce without being exposed? There are countless divination spells out there that could track down its location in a week or two. Not only that, the Mages must have additional methods to track down a thief.'' Charles said in disdain.


    ''Then, could you please enlighten this old man about your current action?'' This time, the Holem''s Crown asked in a sarcastic tone, causing Charles''s lips to twitch.


    ''Mr. Rh, turn this crown into a gold coin. Don''t try to lie to me. I already read about the [Mimic] skill in detail, and I knew that you could turn any metal into any shape. I also have some doubt that this mimic skill must be the reason for you to evade all other church diviners'' eyes.'' He watched the hovering crown coldly and spoke in his mind.


    ''You sure know a lot about me. But this skill''s actual name is Sorcerer''s Mimic, and it indeed can evade diviners'' search.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in helplessness and soon changed the crown into a gold coin.


    Meanwhile, Charles caught the gold coin, stored it in his space ring, and spoke with a smirk.


    "The name is Ghost, Good Luck."


    Saying so, he turned around, returned to the master bedroom through the gloomy passage, and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    Two hourster, Charles stealthily entered 11C Orchard Street, climbed up to the second floor with the support of an iron pipe, and soon walked into the right side bedroom.


    He then sat on the soft bed in a cross-legged position, closed his eyes, changed his appearance into an old man''s one, and soon entered the Inner world.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, he opened his eyes and soon frowned.


    ''My next job is to visit the Tower Museum on December 6th and memorize all the materials'' locations in section 49? Not only that, but I also have to go to Slum Borough and steal Golden Eye''s precious dagger? Why the hell do I need to steal his weapon?'' He waspletely confused by his n.


    At that moment, a quote appeared in his mind.


    ''To fool others, first, you must fool yourself.''


    ''Hmm, visit the museum, huh. I heard that the tower museum opens to outsiders only once a month. Moreover, there is also an entrance fee of 10 gold coins to move to the seventhyer.'' He wore a troubled expression on his face.


    ''Looks like I need to take Jessie with me.'' He nodded his head, stood up from the bed, ordered the Holem''s Crown to change it into a ck cane, gripped the handle with his callus hand, and walked out of the bedroom.


    After that, Charles went downstairs and soon heard a sword-ttering noise from outside.


    ''Titus?'' He raised his eyebrows, went near the steel gate, and smiled as he saw two shadows parried in the yard, leaving multiple fire sparks behind from time to time.


    Within a second, he identified that the other shadow was Noel and nodded in appreciation. He then turned his gaze towards the right side and soon saw Jessie was staring intensely at the three red moons while leaning her back against the porch pir.


    At that moment, her face showed different kinds of emotions like confusion, hesitation, helplessness, and unwillingness.


    Charles''s eyes flickered as he instantly noticed that something was wrong with her and became serious. He walked towards her with hurried footsteps, appeared beside her, and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    ''Red Moons are known for inducing one''s deepest emotions.'' At that moment, the Holem''s Crown''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''Inducing emotions?'' Charles asked as he blocked her sight with both his hands and soon made her return to her usual self.


    ''Yes, this has something to do with the God of Anos.'' The Holem''s Crown added.


    ''Moon God?''


    Charles furrowed his brows and then turned his attention towards Jessie.


    "Teacher," In the meantime, Jessie woke up from the strange state and soon said in a startled tone, causing Titus and Noel to stop their movements.


    "Do you feel something different in your mind?" Charles stared deep into her emerald-green eyes and asked.


    A hesitant look appeared on Jessie''s face, and she soon nodded her head.


    "What is it?" He asked.


    "I feel confusion, Teacher. Unlike others'' ss, I can tell that my ss is not suitable for battle. What can my [Learner] ss skills do? Would I be able to help others during dangerous situations? Or, would I be a burden to them? What exactly would this ss do other than gathering information?"


    ''This girl¡­'' Charles stared at her innocent face for a second and soon sighed.


    "Yes, your ss is not suitable for battle. But that doesn''t mean your ss is useless." His words caused Jessie to tilt her head in confusion.


    On the other hand, Charles let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "You are a [Learner] ss Mystic. Your strength is the knowledge itself. With enough knowledge, you can make countless ns and can even predict your opponents'' futures like a God. If you use the [Learner] ss skills properly, you can toy with your enemies using the power of knowledge and make them submit to you. Don''t get drowned by these useless thoughts and emotions,ss. You have the power to learn faster than others, so use it properly and increase your knowledge and wisdom. One day, you might even surpass me."


    His words caused Jessie to open her mouth subconsciously. She hurriedly closed her mouth and soon nodded her head in enlightenment.


    The more she thought about his words, the more she became serious.


    "I''m deeply sorry to doubt your decision, Teacher." She instantly bowed her head and soon ran into the house with hurried footsteps.


    ''You sure do have the ability to spout believable nonsense and even change one''s mind in a minute.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a shocked tone and soon added,


    ''But your words are not wrong. Every ss is unique in its own way after all.''

 Chapter 111: Teachers Duty

    <h4>Chapter 111: Teacher''s Duty</h4>


    ''Who cares about the [Learner] ss? The only reason I chose that ss for Jessie is to learn more about the skills, Mr. Rh. Saron White is a [Learner] ss Mystic and also a member of Wisdom Church. She hid too well and even fooled me. If I want to deal with her in the future, I need to learn more about this ss; otherwise, I might get myself into deep trouble.'' Charles said in a deep tone.


    Although Eve''s death didn''t affect him much, he was still disturbed a little and already started to n on dealing with the group in the future.


    While he was in muse, Titus and Noel appeared in front of him and bowed their heads in greeting.


    In the meantime, Charles cast his [Inspect] skill on Titus and soon astounded.


    ''His [Stealth] and the [Uncanny Dodge] skills are already improved a lot. The only thing that hasn''t improved a bit is his [Snatch] skill¡­'' Charles''s brows arched upward before forming into a knot.


    "From tomorrow onwards, you have to steal ten silver coins daily frommoners." He stared at Titus for a moment and said in a t tone.


    "Steal?" A surprise expression appeared on Titus''s face and soon turned his face serious.


    ''As I expected, if I want to improve myself, I need to be a real thief.'' He clenched his tiny fist and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "I will not disappoint you, Teacher."


    "Good. You can go back and practice on your own for a while." Charles paused for a moment and soon said as he focused his eyes on Noel.


    "In the meantime, I will have a little chat with Noel."


    Titus nodded his head and soon went to the yard to practice on his own.


    Meanwhile, Charles cast his [Inspect] skill on Noel and soon furrowed.


    ''Sword Aura, sh, and Thrust¡­ Aren''t these skills look normal? Hmm, I know too little about the [de Wielder] ss.'' He pondered for a moment and soon asked.


    "Can you use the [Sword Aura] skill?"


    A look of astonishment appeared on Noel''s chubby face as he nodded his head, gripped the short wooden sword, and activated his skill.


    A momentter, a thinyer of white light appeared around the edges of the wooden sword and soon formed into a sharp line!


    "Use this aura to cut a tree branch." Charles pointed his finger towards the small neem tree on his left side and said.


    Nodding his head, Noel went near the neem tree, tilted his sword, aimed it at the side branch, and shed.


    A thinyer of cut appeared on the tree branch, but that''s it!


    "Again, use your [sh] skill this time," Charles added.


    Meanwhile, Noel turned his face serious, activated the [sh] skill, and once again shed his aura-coated sword at the tree branch.


    At that moment, Charles saw Noel''s hand moved faster, and soon the sword entered deep into the branch wood. Still, the sword stopped in the mid-way, causing Noel to sigh in disappointment.


    "Did you understand why you haven''t improved yet? Simply parrying with someone won''t make you improve your skill,d. You need to focus on those skills and hone them separately." Noticing his disappointing look, Charles said in a calm voice and soon started to think.


    ''This still isn''t enough.'' He instantly searched Leo''s memories and soon found a solution.


    "Tomorrow, go the second street in Slum Borough and search for a man named Larry. Once you appear in front of him, show him some of your sword movements and skills. He will definitely show you a path. If you are lucky, he might take you as his student and teach you how to improve these skills further."


    Upon hearing his words, Noel became dumbfounded for a moment and soon nodded in puzzlement.


    "You can go back and practice with Titus." Charles waved his hand and shooed him away.


    After that, he returned to the reception hall and soon noticed Rhea was studying alone in the dining hall.


    ''All of them are working hard.'' He nodded his head and soon returned to the second floor.


    ¡­


    The following day, Nobles'' Borough, Duke Milton''s mansion.


    A group of three Mystics in ck robes stood in front of the naked woman''s portrait in the master bedroom. One was a whirly blonde-haired female with deep blue eyes, while the others were a brown-haired man and a short blonde-haired man with round ck eyes. All three of them appeared around 30 to 40 years old and had native fair skin tone.


    Behind them stood an obese man in histe 50s, and he wore a silk linen ck jacket with breeches. His eyes were swollen due to theck of sleep, and gritting teeth noise could be heard from time to time. He had a chubby nose, a rough face, and looked around 175 cm high.


    He was none other than the master of the mansion, Duke Minton!


    At that moment, the whirly blonde-haired woman ced her finger on the portrait woman''s right side melon area and soon said with a frown.


    "Someone must have ced a metal rod on the other side. Otherwise, the door wouldn''t have stuck like this."


    "Other side? Are you saying that the darned thief is still inside, Julia?" Duke Milton''s voice turned cold as freezing ice.


    ''Then, why hadn''t the rm artifacts activated yet?'' He was still puzzled by this. If someone touched any of the artifacts or gold coins, the rm would activate on its own and alert everyone in the mansion!


    ''But none heard an rm sound for the past 12 hours.'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    Yesterday evening, Duke Milton went to attend a banquet at one of his faction member''s mansions. Due to some important meeting after the banquet, he came back around midnight.


    During regr days, he would usually go to the master bedroom sooner and do a routine checking.


    Yes, whenever he walks into the master bedroom, he had a habit of entering the secret room and checking if everything was in the right ce.


    But when he tried to open the secret door yesterday, he found out something was wrong with the door!


    Not only he couldn''t open the door, but he also heard metal nging noises whenever he tries to open it!


    In few seconds, he got anxious, tried various methods, and even sought help from his trusted servants. Some tried to use force, while others used their skills.


    Unfortunately, all of their attempts went futile.


    Some servants even proposed an idea to break the wallpletely, but Duke knew it was not easy.


    Unlike other wooden doors, this door was unique and had some secret explosives hidden in it.


    If some use more force to know or break the secret door, theplex mechanism hidden in the door would activate on its own and would explode!


    With no other choice, Duke Milton made a decision and sent a letter to the Undying Moons organization''s help. They were the ones who supplied this door to him, so he instantly thought of relying on their help.


    Thankfully, the organization epted his request due to his high position in the kingdom and sent an elite team to help him.


    They were the ck-robed Mystics who were standing in front of him!


    Shaking his head, Duke took a deep breath and tried his best to calm down his emotions.


    "Yes, My Lord. If not, how could the thief lock the door from outside?" At that moment, the blonde-haired woman named Julia answered his earlier question.


    ''Yes.''


    A look of realization appeared on Milton''s face as he nodded his head and ced his hand on the hilt to draw his sword at any moment.

 Chapter 112: The Mysterious Thief

    <h4>Chapter 112: The Mysterious Thief</h4>


    "Jeff, it''s your turn." Without minding Duke Milton''s solemn look, Julia took a step back and said to the brown-haired man.


    In the meantime, the brown-haired man named Jeff took out few artifacts from his space ring and started to unlock the door using different methods.


    "You are right. The thief indeed ced a metal rod on the other side to make the door stuck." After a minute of long silence, Jeff said with a nod.


    Then, he used different methods and finally unlocked the door after fifteen minutes of a long battle.


    The door soon made a clicking sound, causing others to curl their lips subconsciously.


    Simultaneously, they heard another metal nging sound from the other side and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Before others could say another word, Duke Milton took out a silvermp from his void pouch and lit it with a match stick. Then, he pushed Jeff away, kicked the door with a bang, and bargained into the secret room like a mad man.


    Although Jeff got angry at the Duke''s rude action, he didn''t show it on his face at all. He had long known that this Duke Milton was a greedy old man and understood his current emotions.


    Patting the dust off from the ck robe, Jeff straightened his back and heaved a heavy sigh.


    "Darned thief, where are you?" Soon, they heard a raging voice echoed from inside.


    "The thief is not inside?" Julia said in a shocked tone, and soon the Mystic trio entered the gloomy passage.


    In a few seconds, they reached the other end of the stair and soon widened their eyes in shock.


    Because what they saw was not some treasure chests, but a small mountain of gold coins!


    "I have never seen this much gold in my life," Jeff muttered loudly and soon frowned.


    "There really is no thief here¡­ Could it be that the door stuck on its own?"


    "No. Why would Lord Duke ce an iron rod on the other side of the door?" The blonde-haired man refuted in a cold tone.


    At that moment, Duke Milton searched if there was an artifact missing and soon sharpened his gaze towards the top of the mountain of gold coins.


    There, he saw an empty space instead of a crown!


    "The Crown is missing." His voice turned rough and solemn.


    "Crown? You mean the Rainbow Crown?" Julia''s expression also turned dead serious as she heard his words and asked.


    Although it was just a gem-embedded costly crown, she knew that a unique crown had a long history with the third King of the Moon Kingdom, and itter became an important treasure to the Duke''s Household!


    Not only that, this crown was the symbol of Milton Household!


    "Mr. Brooks, I need your help." Duke Milton turned his gaze towards the blonde-haired man and turned his tone into a polite one.


    The blonde-haired man named Brooks furrowed his brows a bit as he heard those words and soon shook his head.


    "I''m just a Rank-3 Mystic, Lord Milton. Although I can see the glimpse of the past, I can''t pinpoint the exact time."


    "I''m paying 10,000 gold coins." Duke Milton raised his hands and spoke.


    In a second, the corner of Brooks'' lips curled upward and soon formed into a grin.


    "Deal."


    Julia and Jeff weren''t surprised at all. They knew that their team leader was a Rank-3 [Seeker] ss Mystic and was always confident about finding the thief''s true identity.


    ''This Duke really knows how to tempt our team leader.'' Julia chuckled inwardly.


    In the meantime, Brooks let out a deep sigh and squatted down.


    He first took out a small chalk piece from his space ring and started to draw a unique ritual circle. After that, he took out some materials like ghost weeds, Dream nt seeds, and unique purple gems and then ced them in different corners of the small ritual circle.


    Then, he took a small silver knife from his space ring, made a small wound on his finger, and let the blood droplets fall on the corners of the ritual circle.


    Following that, he took twelve candles from his space ring, ced them on the twelve corners, and started lighting them one by one.


    Once he finished arranging everything for the ritual ceremony, he took a deep breath and started to chant an incantation in a foreignnguage.


    In the meantime, Jeff, Julia, and Duke Milton took few steps away from the small ritual circle and patiently waited for him to finish the recitation.


    His voice echoed in the gloomy treasure room and caused the candle fires to turn into human-shaped ones. They danced under the rhythm of his beautiful voice and soon started to shine even brighter!


    In few seconds, Brook ended the chanting and then pped his hand together.


    A sudden window ttering noise came from the upstairs!


    Then, an invisible force appeared in the secret treasure room, causing themplight to dim a little!


    At that moment, Duke''s footsteps turned abnormal, and soon he fell on the mountain of gold coins with a thud.


    A secondter, others in the secret treasure room suddenly noticed that the whole surrounding started to freeze and soon broke into multiple ss pieces!


    Then, only ckness remained everywhere!


    "What happened?" Jeff asked in an anxious tone and soon squinted his eyes as he saw the light from the underground secret room''s passage entrance.


    In a second, the trio saw a humanoid figure in a ck hooded jacket open the secret treasure room''s door!


    The figure then casually waved its hand, conjured two fireballs, made it hover in mid-air, and started walking inside.


    But what made Jeff and others stiffen up was that its face was covered entirely in strange crimson fire and appeared eerier!


    "What is this creature?" Jeff took a step back subconsciously and asked in anxiety.


    Although he heard of the Fire Mages, who could manipte mes to some extent, he had never seen anyone like this!


    Meanwhile, the fire-masked figure appeared in front of the mountain of gold coins, scanned the area for a second, and soon raised its hand.


    A secondter, they saw that the rainbow-gem embedded crown, which was ced at the top of the mountain, suddenly rose in the air and soon moved towards the crimson fire-masked figure!


    Then, it stopped in front of the mysterious figure and changed into a gold coin!


    "This is absurd! How can he turn thisrge crown into a freaking small gold coin?" Jeff couldn''t evenprehend what the hell was happening and asked in a baffled tone.


    "It must be a Mimic skill." In the meantime, Julia said in a solemn tone and focused her attention on the mysterious figure.


    "Who is this guy?" She stared at him for a moment and asked in interest.


    At that moment, the mysterious guy suddenly caught the gold coin, stored it in his space ring, and turned his gaze towards them.


    No, they saw his gaze zeroed on Julia!


    Upon seeing the strange scene, everyone''s heart began to thump harder!


    Then, they heard an eerie monotonic voice.


    "The name is Ghost, Good Luck."


    For a moment, everyone felt eerie chills appeared in their hearts!


    Meanwhile, the mysterious figure turned around and soon disappeared into the gloomy passage!

 Chapter 113: Strange Red Gem

    <h4>Chapter 113: Strange Red Gem</h4>


    "What the f*ck did I witness just now?" Even Brooks got stunned for a second and muttered in a shocked tone. After a second, he waved his hand, broke the past vision illusion, and soon returned to the current time.


    "That guy is not normal at all." Jeff wiped the sweat on his forehead and said in a nervous tone.


    "Let''s get the hell out of here." Julia also nodded her head in agreement and said. Then, they hurriedly woke up the Duke, told him about the past incident, and soon walked out of the secret treasure room!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, in the old man''s appearance, Charles walked out of 11C Orchard Street and went to the Mystic Borough. He walked past many robed mages, security guards and soon arrived in front of the entrance gate of the Tower of Elements.


    He then walked on the smooth stairs with the support of the ck cane, went to the secondyer, and arrived in front of room number 218. After that, he raised the cane, opened the entrance door using the heel area, and walked in.


    At that moment, the ssroom suddenly turned eerie quiet, followed by whispers.


    Without minding the students'' whispers, Charles walked inside, took out a ck-covered book from his space ring, ced it on the ssroom table, and sat on thedder-back chair, ced behind it.


    Then, his gaze shifted towards the students, who were sitting in their respective seats, and spoke.


    "Today, we are going to talk about the Material Summoning ritual." He paused for a moment and soon frowned as he saw a single seat was empty.


    "Where is Joseph?" His tone turned solemn.


    A silence appeared in the lecture hall, followed by a young female voice.


    "He didn''te to the Tower for the past three days, Teacher."


    "Oh, when he returns to the Tower, tell him to go and meet Professor Robert," Charles responded coldly, opened the book, and started to speak.


    "Let''se to the topic. Unlike the soul summoning ritual method, this Material summoning ritual method is a different one and is much safer. During the First Arcane Era, this Material Summoning ritual method has been used constantly during nar wars to probe the other party''s strength and was given great importance to this method." He paused for a moment and soon asked,


    "Does anyone still remember what are the materials used to create a normal summoning ritual circle?"


    At this moment, he focused his attention on a familiar ck-haired girl and said,


    "Rhea, tell me the names of those materials."


    "Yes, Teacher." She hurriedly stood up from her seat, straightened her back, and started to exin.


    "Twelve blue honey droplets- It can cause the ritual circle to stabilize when summoning a foreign material or being. Twelve mutated Astral Hawks'' eyes- These Hawks'' eyes have some kind of element that could widen the connection with the space element. A unique exchange material- This is to bait the will of the element¡­"


    Charles listened to her exnation for a whole two minutes and soon said with a nod.


    "Impressive."


    He then turned his gaze towards a male student and asked another question about their previous ss lesson.


    Hours went by as he asked questions, then exined the procedure to do the material Summoning Ritual ceremony and soon ended the ss around 11.A.M.


    Then, he stood up, went near Rhea''s seat, and gave the ck cane to her.


    "Keep this cane with you for a while,ss. I wille here and take it once I return from the exhibition."


    "Yes, Teacher." Rhea instantly took the cane from his hand, ced it near her chair, and nodded her head.


    In the meantime, Charles smiled lightly, turned around, and started to walk towards the front table with unsteady footsteps.


    Once he arrived in front of it, he stored the ck-covered book into his space ring, walked out of the ssroom, and soon smiled as he saw Jessie, who was waiting for him at the entrance.


    Noticing his unsteady footsteps, she hurriedly ran towards him and then grabbed his callus hand to support his walking.


    "Where is your cane, Teacher?" She asked in a confused tone.


    "My cane is made of a special metal and outsiders aren''t allowed to take their artifacts and unique metals during the exhibition." He paused for a moment and soon asked with a smile.


    "Shall we go now?"


    A look of realization appeared on Jessie''s face as she nodded her head, causing the ponytail to dance in the air.


    Today morning, Charles specifically asked her to apany him to the Tower Museum and even gave her a small mission to memorize every material in the museum. Not only that, but he also told her to picture the exact size of those materials to increase her thinking capacity!


    Charles and Jessie moved on the lone corridor while talking about various subjects and continued to move upwards towards the seventhyer.


    After an hour of the long walk, both finally arrived at the tightly securedyer and soon shifted their gaze towards therge museum hall entrance.


    Unlike the otheryers, Charles saw tens of silver-armored tower guards at both sides of the entrance and appeared well-equipped.


    ''All of them are 3rd Rank Mystics.'' He also saw question marks in their statuses and started to slow down his footsteps.


    "Go and buy two entrance tickets for us. Also, get an artifact storage box." He said in a low voice.


    Nodding her head, Jessie first went near the ticket counter on their right side, brought two entrance tickets from the receptionist. Then, she went near a nearby counter and soon returned to Charles''s side with a head-sized box in her hand.


    This box was actually a small dimensional box to store materials and even space rings and void pouches!


    Charles first removed his space ring and ced it inside the box. In the meantime, Jessie also took out her void pouch from her leather bag and put it inside. After that, she took the head-sized metal box, gave it to the receptionist at the other counter, and returned with a white token.


    "Your mission starts now," Charles said and took a step forward towards the museum entrance.


    Once they stepped into the hall, Charles sensed multiple invisible waves scanned them from different directions!


    ''They sure are careful.''


    He simply relied on Jessie''s support and started walking into the grand hall, filled with different kinds of artifacts, weapons, crystals, armors, and dresses.


    There were more than fifty sections in this museum, and each area holds countless rare treasures and relics of ancient times!


    Charles first scanned the surroundings and saw only a few peoples roaming here and there inside the museum.


    He then zeroed his gaze in a particr direction and started walking deep into the museum hall.


    ''Section-49 should be in that direction.''


    Although it was just oneyer, the hall was separated into tens of small sections, making it harder for them to locate their destination.


    Along the way, Charles stopped at many ces and read the descriptions about the materials'' origins in interest.


    In the meantime, Jessie used her extraordinary memory skill and started to memorize everything in the depths of her mind.


    After two hours of roaming in the seventh Layer, Charles and Jessie finally entered section no. 49 and started their mission.


    First, Charles went near a long sword sealed up in a crystalline box, then memorized the name, picture, and description in his mind and started to walk towards the next crystalline box.


    The material sealed in the next crystal was a red-gem-embedded pendant and appeared very beautiful.


    "Oh? Is it a fire-type artifact?" Charles muttered slowly and started to read the description below the crystalline box.


    ''Helen''s Wrath- This pendant is an Extraordinary Artifact and has some mysterious abilities to manipte the atmosphere. A few hundred years ago, this pendant was excavated from the Mahill Archaeological Excavation ground and waster brought by the First King of Moon Kingdom during an auction.''


    ''Oh? This artifact looks good.'' He nodded his head and soon shifted his gaze towards the other crystalline box. They checked every box and soon appeared in front of a strange ss cube.


    Inside, they saw another small ss cube and soon zeroed their gazes on the material stored inside it.


    It was a tiny pebble-like red gem, hovered in mid-air, and appeared to be not affected by the gravity at all!


    ''What gem is this?'' Charles''s amber eyes shone in interest as he moved his gaze and started to read the description.


    ''Avarin Gem- It is a rare type of gem only found in very few chaos nes and has the power to create burning sensations in one''s mind.


    Caution: Staring at it for too long can cause dizziness.''


    Charles took a deep look at the description, then turned his gaze towards the red gem, stared at it continuously for more than ten seconds, and started to move.


    But soon, he saw Jessie''s legs started to move inconsistently, and she began to fell!

 Chapter 114: Problems

    <h4>Chapter 114: Problems</h4>


    On the other hand, Charles caught Jessie before her body hit the floor in reflex and ced it on the concrete floor.


    ''Did she already get affect by the red gem?'' A frown appeared on his face as he scanned the surroundings and soon saw a pottery jug was ced at the entrance of section 49.


    Let out a relieved sigh, Charles stood with much difficulty, went near the entrance, and soon returned with the jug in his right hand.


    Then, he tilted the jug, poured some water in his hand, and sprinkled it on her face.


    Jessie''s face started to show some movement in seconds, and soon she opened her emerald-green eyes.


    "Teacher!" She then sat up with a confused expression, touched her face, and soon looked around in anxiety.


    "This must be due to the strange red-gem." Charles paused for a moment and soon added,


    "Let''s go."


    In the meantime, Jessie nodded her head, stood up from the floor, and both started to move towards the next crystalline box.


    For the next two hours, they spend their time in section 49 and finally moved to the other one.


    They spend another three hours in the museum and then returned to the firstyer. When they walked out of the Tower, it was already around 7.30 P.M. With no other choice, they rented a horse-drawn carriage and soon returned to 11C Orchard Street.


    After that, Charles took his ck cane from Rhea and soon turned his gaze towards Noel, who seemed to be eagerly waiting for him.


    "Did you receive Larry''s guidance?" Charles asked in interest as he appeared near the sofa in the reception hall.


    "Yes, Teacher. That beggar asked me to stay and train with him for the next six months." Noel responded in an ufortable tone.


    ''Heh, as expected of themander of Moon Kingdom.'' The corner of Charles''s lips twitched.


    From Leo''s memories, he had learned that Larry was a formermander of Moon Kingdom, and his mission was to pick talented kids from the Slum Borough and nurture them for the Kingdom''s army squad. Charles had already expected that the other party must have a skill or artifact to see one''s affinity strength and thought of using him for Noel''s growth.


    ''Oh armymander, you thought it would be very easy to snatch my treasure from me? You are too naive.'' He simply grinned inside and spoke.


    "No. Slum Street is dangerous during nighttime. Before dusk, you have to return to our house." Charles said in a firm tone.


    Without waiting for Noel''s reply, he gripped the ck cane''s handle tightly, moved towards the stairs, and went to the second floor.


    Then, he arrived in front of the wooden door, unlocked it using a small iron key, and entered the bedroom. Following that, he went near the soft cotton bed, sat on it in a cross-legged position, and closed his amber eyes.


    ¡­


    The next second, Charles opened his illusionary jade eyes in the inner world and soon noticed that he was standing in front of a gloomyke. The surroundings were shrouded entirely in dense trees and shrubs and appeared very darker. Although the seven spell models illuminated the inner world, the surrounding areas still looked gloomier.


    He also saw his incarnation stood on the left side, and he appeared to be enjoying the beauty of nature.


    ''Hmm, he is progressing at a fast speed. In a few months, he might start thinking on his own.'' Charles nodded and soon received information about his original n from the incarnation.


    ''Hmm? Avarin Gem? It looks like they put a fake description to fool others.'' His face turned solemn.


    ''The biggest problem now is how to steal the Ancient Light God''s blood droplet from the well-secured ce.'' He suddenly thought of the moment when the real Jimmy got himself killed by some mysterious swapping skill and got an idea.


    ''If I get an artifact simr to that, I could create a fake gem, and swap it with the original through the artifact¡­ No, that''s where the main obstacle is. The security inside is very tighter and there is also the strange scanning mechanism at the entrance to detect special metals and artifacts¡­''


    A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''Next is about the Fire Fiend''s heart. The sacrificial material is ced in the fifthyer and I heard that ce is guarded by a Rank-3 Spatial Mage. Stealing it without alerting others is an impossible task. I might get caught by the Tower Masters if I made a slight error.''


    He started to think about various ns in the inner world and soon made a reckless n.


    ''But to get this done sessfully, I need to create a ''Miracle.'' But stealing one''s luck will also cause variation in fate and might expose my real identity. Although I''m not sure how Red Prince found the location of the Holem''s Crown, I can''t act carelessly. It looks like I have to solely rely on my own abilities. Hehe, how can there be a free lunch? If I want to gain something in this world, I need to be prepared to pay the price.'' He let out a bitterugh, hid the most important details in his incarnation, and left the inner world through the [me Body] spell model.


    ¡­


    A momentter, Charles opened his eyes in his bedroom, stood up from the soft bed, took out a ck hooded jacket, and wore it.


    Then, he appeared in front of the wooden door and asked.


    ''Mr. Rh, do you know any swapping skill or spell? I''m talking about the one that killed Jimmy.''


    ''It''s a Rank-1 Divine spell called Fate Swap. Why are you asking about this now?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in a confused tone.


    On the other hand, Charles wore a troubled look and asked.


    ''Can I get a Fate Swap ability artifact in the ck market?''


    Upon hearing his words, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a whole five seconds and soon said with a sigh.


    ''These types of divine spell artifacts are very rare to find in the ck market. Even if you find one, they wouldn''t sell it to outsiders.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly paused for a moment and soon added in a solemn tone.


    ''But I do have a method to create a one-time use artifact. Do you want to hear it?''


    Charles narrowed his eyes for a second and nodded his head.


    ''It''s called Spell Matrix or Magic Array circle method. During the old times, Rune Masters used this method to inscribe a spell model in empty scrolls, coins, or other materials and created one-time spell artifacts. Although it is a money-consuming process, it is safer than other methods.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles suddenly recalled when the Historian Max used some scrolls to restrict Eddie Nightwind and widened his eyes.


    ''Spell Matrix method, is it? What are the materials needed to create this one-time artifact?'' Charles asked in interest.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown thought for a moment and spoke.


    ''I already know the Fate Swap spell model, so you don''t have to search for it in the ck market. All you only need to buy is a few spell scrolls¡­ No, you should buy some metal tes instead. Once you inscribe the Spell Matrix method on a te, I can convert it into other material through Sorcerer''s Mimic skill.''


    The corner of his lips twitched as he felt that the Holem''s Crown had already seen through his n.


    Letting out a heavy sigh, he nodded his head, ordered the Holem''s Crown to change itself into a red-gem embedded bracelet, and walked towards the balcony. Then, he climbed down from the second floor and stealthily left 11C Orchard Street.


    Following that, he entered the main street, went towards a particr direction, and soon reached the Slum Borough.


    He then found a narrow dark alley, changed his appearance into his original young one, and started reading the information about his target.


    ''Golden-Eye¡­ He is the gang leader of Grove Street and also a subordinate of the Slum Lord, Tyler.''


    Nodding his head, he covered his head using the hood, lowered his head, and started walking towards Grove Street.

 Chapter 115: Lydia

    <h4>Chapter 115: Lydia</h4>


    When Charles was about to enter the Groove Street Junction, he suddenly saw a human figure walking from the opposite side.


    Unknowingly, he felt an uneasy feeling in his heart.


    ''Premonition? Who is this person?'' His jade eyes squinted sharper as he focused on the other party''s face and soon froze.


    Even in the darkness, he clearly saw the person''s appearance due to the [Dark Eyes] skill.


    The human figure was a blonde-haired man in histe 20s and wore a grey robe. He had short, whirly hair, fair skin, monolid hazel eyes, and a heart-shaped face.


    ''He looks familiar.'' He slow downed his footsteps as the blonde-haired man walked past him, and soon a frown appeared on his face.


    ''Did I mistake him for someone else?'' The frown on his forehead deepened as he made a swift decision and cast [Inspect] kill on him.


    ¡­


    [Inspect Failure!]


    ¡­


    ''He is not normal!'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face, and soon he recalled the moment when he cast [Inspect] skill on a blue-robed guest in the Tower of Elements.


    ''He is the same guy!'' Charles''s eyes shed in surprise.


    Before he could organize his thoughts, the blonde-haired man went in a different direction and soon disappeared from his eyes.


    ''Damn it, I should have put my skill points to this [Inspect] skill.'' He thought inwardly and soon checked the Exp points.


    ''Oh? There is still 2783 Exp remaining. Hmm, Is it due to killing the goblin shaman in Fire Elemental ne?'' He thought for a moment and soon nodded his head in enlightenment.


    Then, he directly poured 1708 Exp into the sub-ss icon.


    ¡­


    [1708 Exp has been deduced for leveling up!]


    [You are now a Level-4 Disguiser!]


    [1 Free Attribute point Rewarded!]


    [20 Skill points Rewarded!]


    ¡­


    He stared at the screen for a moment and put one free attribute point to the constitution. Then, he put 35 skill points to [Inspect] skill.


    A momentter, a change appeared in front of his eyes!


    ¡­


    [Inspect] skill reached its peak level and has been upgraded to [Cryptic Analysis]!


    [Host''s eyes are undergoing a mutation process!]


    [¡­]


    ¡­


    ''Argh.'' Charles suddenly felt a severe itching sensation from the depth of his eyes and almost cursed out loud.


    The itching sensation was so deep which caused him to stumble for a second.


    Gritting his teeth, he stealthily cast [Conceal] skill on himself, went near the street side, and patiently waited for the itching sensation to go down.


    Two minutester, another notification popped up in front of his eyes.


    ¡­


    [Mutationpleted!]


    ¡­


    ''Finally!'' He breathed out a sigh of relief as he noticed that strange itching sensation also started to disappear and checked his status.


    ¡­


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Inflected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Human/???


    Rank: 2 (Umon)


    Main ss: Level 5 Fire Weaver (0/3,844)


    Sub-ss: Level 4 Disguiser (0/2536)


    Title: Serial Killer (- 20 Percent favorability of Riverdale Citizens)


    Health Points: 211/211


    Exp: 1075 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 17


    Dexterity- 18


    Constitution- 17


    Wisdom-30


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 43


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Red Wings (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Incinerate (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Completed)


    me Body (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Crimson Robe (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Fire Seed (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Soul Heal (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Crimson Steps (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Magician''s Hand- 53


    Disguise- 100


    Prevision- 57


    Unique skills:


    Cryptic Analysis- 100


    Conceal- 52


    Dark Vision- 46


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 35]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm, I need to upgrade the subss skills on my own.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon checked the new [Cryptic Analysis] skill.


    Unlike the previous [Inspect] skill, this one would help him observe others'' strength, true facial reactions, and even see through others'' disguises to some level!


    Not only that, it could even help him decipher any unknown codes or newnguages quickly.


    ''Can I able to use this skill toprehend the spell models?'' A thought whirled in his mind.


    ''It might be possible.'' He nodded his head.


    At that moment, he heard the Holem''s Crown''s voice in his head.


    ''What happened to your eyes? Why did it look like someone threw chill power in it?''


    ''Nothing.'' Charles''s lips twitched as he shook his head and soon asked.


    ''Did you sense something odd about the person who just walked past me?''


    ''Y-You mean the blonde-haired one? Other than his delicious abnormal luck power, he is normal in every way.'' The Holem''s Crown''s words caused Charles to raise his eyebrows in surprise.


    ''Delicious abnormal luck power?¡­ Wait. Mr. Rh, did you just steal his luck?'' He asked with a re.


    ''Don''t worry. I just steal his abnormal luck. Although he would rarely face some unluckiness effect, it won''t make him suspicious that someone stole his luck. He would only think that his luck power was used for something else.'' The Holem''s Crown said casually.


    A helpless smile appeared on Charles''s face as he shook his head and soon started to move towards the area where Golden-Eye was staying.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, the blonde-haired man went to the nearby street and entered deep into a narrow alley. Then, he made a few turns and soon arrived in front of a small single-storied brick house.


    After that, he took out a rusty iron key from his pocket, put it in the keyhole, moved it towards the right side, and opened the lock with a click.


    A secondter, he ced his hand on the wooden panel door, pushed it open, and entered inside.


    Once he walked in, he turned around, locked it from the inside, and spoke in a female voice.


    "Zerath."


    A momentter, the magicmps lit from every corner of the darkroom and soon revealed a small room with a kitchen on the right side and a bedroom on the left.


    "Haa, acting as a male is so hard." The blonde-haired man spoke as he arrived in front of a mirror, ced his hand on his chick, and soon pulled his skin.


    The next instant, a human-masked skin came out of his face!


    The blonde-haired man''s face appeared prettier in a second, and his chest area began to bulge!


    Then, he ced his hand over his head, gripped the short blonde hair, and quietly took out the wig. He then took ab from the nearby shelf and startedbing the long curly blonde hair.


    In mere seconds, hepletely turned into a female!


    Afterbing her hair, the blonde-haired woman entered the bedroom, took out a wooden suitcase, and opened it with a click.


    A momentter, she took out a small cubic metal box from the suitcase, ced it at the center of the room, and drew a circle around it.


    Then, she also wrote unique characters all around the circle using chalk and started to chant in a strangenguage.


    Once she finished the short chanting, she took a step forward and clicked the red-colored button in the cubic metal box.


    She then went near the bed, sat on it, and patiently waited.


    ¡­


    A few momentster, a monotonous voice came out from the cubic-metal box.


    "It''s been a while, Lydia White."


    "Greeting, Your Highness." Lydia instantly stood up from the bed and soon said with a bitter smile on her face.


    "I still hadn''t found a clue about the guy named ''Charles'' in this kingdom."


    "There is nothing strange about it. The Series-A artifact is with him, so the possibility of him revealing his real identity is very slim. He is also good at disguising, Lydia. So, you have to be careful." The monotonic voice paused for a moment and soon added.


    "He is definitely lurking in the Herald Kingdom, or the Moon Kingdom, or the Ember Kingdom. So, we must find him and kill him before he grows into a dangerous enemy. Otherwise, your elder sister will be the first one to die in his hand. Keep the Destiny Coin with you all the time. It has the power to create a fixed coincidence. So if Charles is nearby, he will definitely appear in front of you one way or another."


    A solemn look appeared on Lydia''s face as she nodded her head and asked in a deep tone.


    "Did you find some clues about the whereabouts of the other person, Your Highness?"


    "Oswald Raven? I''m going to meet him in a week or two. Is there anything else?" The monotonous voice asked.


    In the meantime, Lydia wore a thoughtful look and soon asked.


    "How is Saron, Your Highness? Where is she now?"


    "She is in a very safe ce." The voice responded in a deep tone and went silent along with a click sound.


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Lydia''s face as he sat on the bed, took out a crystalline red coin from her pocket, and stared at it with a yful smile on her face.


    "Where are you hiding, Charles?" She flipped the coin in between her fingers and soon tossed it upward.


    The coin flew up at a fast speed and then stuck in between the crack on the ceiling!


    "Damn it!" She ced her hands on her head and soon stood up on the bed to get the coin.

 Chapter 116: Urgency

    <h4>Chapter 116: Urgency</h4>


    As Lydia was about to pick the coin, Lydia suddenly saw a crimson face from the opposite building through the opened window and soon squinted her eyes.


    ''Crimson mask?'' It was the first time she had seen someone using fire magic to cover one''s face and steal! No, she saw that the person was not stealing but seemed to be doing something bad to the house owner!


    At that moment, a thought appeared in her mind.


    ''Could it be ''him''?'' She recalled the information she got from the Red Prince and soon shook her head.


    ''Although ''Charles'' has some extraordinary luck, he is still a Rank-2 Fire Weaver from the information. There is no way a Rank-2 member could control fire element like this.'' She instantly dismissed that thought and soon turned her gaze towards the Destiny Coin. In the Slum Borough, these types of crimes were alwaysmon. So, she didn''t put much thought into the crime and directly pulled the coin from the cracked ceiling with her tiny fingers.


    Crack!


    As the coin separated from the ceiling, the crack also expanded, causing her face to turn pale!


    Thankfully, the crack soon stopped.


    ''I need to change my house.'' She wore a grim look and soon went near the opened window to close it.


    ¡­


    At the opposite two-storied house,


    In his crimson masked appearance, Charles arrived in front of the wooden bed and soon zeroed his gaze on the sleeping middle-aged man. His short brown hair appeared messy and had a rough face.


    Charles first took out a small vial from his space ring, opened its cap with his finger, and threw it towards the middle-aged man.


    But it didn''t fell on the middle-aged man, though. Instead, it floated in the air and soon appeared above the sleeping man''s face!


    It was the effect of the [Magician''s Hand] skill!


    Once the vial appeared above the middle-aged man''s nose, a strange purple smoke came out of the vial and soon entered his nostril. Within seconds, the sleeping man started to twitch and soon went silent.


    Charles knew that the Golden-Eye always ced his precious dagger in his void pouch from Leo''s memories. But to get the dagger from his void pouch was not an easy matter. First, the void pouch was imprinted with his soul mark. To bypass this mark without alerting the other party, he needed to be an expert in that field. Charles clearly knew about his own skills, so he thought of another method.


    That was to make the other party unconscious and then steal it without any worry.


    Charles silently went near the sleeping middle-aged man, took the void pouch from his waist area, and soon put his hand into it.


    After a few seconds, he finally caught a dagger, pulled it out from the void pouch, and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    It was a silver dagger with a jade hilt!


    ''Sess!'' The corner of his lips curled upward as he stored it in his space ring and took a step back.


    Then, Charles silently waved his hand as he extinguished the candlelight that was ced on the nearby table, and soon walked out of the bedroom.


    In a few seconds, he walked out of the two-storied building and soon went towards the direction where the Slum Borough''s main road was located.


    ¡­


    An hourter, Charles stealthily returned to 11C Orchard Street and entered his bedroom.


    ''Although I manage to pull this off smoothly, I''m feeling uneasy inside.'' A frown appeared on his old-looking wrinkled face as he sat on the soft bed and closed his amber eyes.


    A momentter, his consciousness entered deep into the dark space and soon appeared in the Inner world.


    He then opened his illusionary eyes and soon noticed that he was still standing in front of the small gloomyke.


    At that moment, the hidden memories, including his n to get God''s Blood, also appeared in his mind.


    ''A familiar face? Who is that blonde-haired man?'' He furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion. The suspicion was not because of meeting the familiar-looking man, but due to the coincidence!


    He was well aware of Red Prince''s methods and soon grew serious.


    ''Am I thinking too much?'' He thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''I need to be extra careful. Unlike Riverdale City, this Chester City was a veryrge one with more than millions of residences. This is possibly the power of Fate!'' A grim look appeared on her face.


    ''Next, who is the culprit? Is it Red Prince? Or, Destiny Lady?'' He thought for a moment and soon frowned.


    ''He appeared somewhat familiar yet at the same time unfamiliar.'' At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of the ''Mark of Imagination.''


    ''Could it be the Red Prince already found out about my location? Impossible! I didn''t leave a clue.'' He got confused inside.


    ''This Red Prince¡­ I still underestimated him. Do I have to give up my previous ns? No¡­ Something is wrong. If he really did found out my location, he would have killed me already. Then, who is this familiar face?'' He suddenly recalled the blonde-haired man''s face and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''His face somewhat resembles more like Saron''s one!'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face.


    ''Heh, so that''s why I felt the familiarity, huh. Is he Saron''s younger brother? Aren''t they afraid that I would found the familiarity in his face?'' He suddenly froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Could it be that they have very few numbers in their organization? It is entirely possible. Moreover, they seemed to have put more trust in the ''Mark of Imagination'' ability.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding.


    ''Does that mean the other party has a way to find me using the power of coincidence?'' A troubled expression appeared on his face. At first, Charles deduced that it would take six months for the Red Prince to deduce his exact location.


    ''But to think that he would find my location in mere two months, he is indeed a worthy opponent.'' Although the situation looks grim, Charles wasn''t anxious at all.


    ''This city is not Riverdale. Even Red Prince personallyes here, he would not act rashly.'' Charles knew that the Destiny Lady was watching the city from the Tower of Elements and grew confident.


    ''Although the other party has been searching for me all this time, my disguise had already fooled him. But what would happen when I appear too frequently? That blonde-haired man would definitely get suspicious of my identity! In this city, I currently have only two identities. One is the Crimson Mask thief while the other one is Oswald Raven. Wait¡­ There is one more w here. My current name might also give some clue to the enemy.'' His face turned gloomy.


    ''What should I do now?'' He subconsciously thought of his subss.


    ''Disguise skill! Yes, the upgraded version of my [Disguise] skill might give me a good surprise. Not only that, but the [Prevision] skill''s corresponding skill will also give me a huge boost during battles.'' At that moment, Charles suddenly felt that his main ss and his sub-ss appeared to be a perfectbination.


    ''This [Trickster] ss series has one big weakness, and that is the attack power. In the meantime, the Fire Mage ss series also have weaknesses like it doesn''t have any prediction spells, disguising spells, and so on. But whenbing these two sses, the result would be extraordinary. Even though I''m just a Rank-2 Mystic, I still got many benefits from these two sses.'' He nodded his head and soon made up his mind.


    ''I need to Rank-Up my sub-ss! But to rank up, I need thousands of Exp. Where can I get this much exp in a short time? Killing thieves from the Slum Borough? That would be a stupid idea.'' Charles knew that killing too many thieves and criminals would definitely attract the Nobles'' and Mages'' attention, so he instantly dismissed the idea.


    Then, he thought of the Fire Elemental ne.


    After he became the Traveler Tree''s Twin Leaves owner, Charles had always kept his eye on the other side and knew that the goblins hadn''t sealed the other leaf using space spells!


    ''That means they must have ced a big trap for me to jump in.'' He instantly saw through their n.


    ''Moreover, there is a nar restriction. Once I set my foot on the Fire Elemental ne, I would feel dizzy, and I would also lose the ability to cast magic spells. In a minute, I will also face a severe nar restriction and might be pushed into a very dangerous situation. The enemy must have known about these effects, so they must have made some n to trap me. But there is one thing I can still rely on. It''s the strength of artifacts. Yes, artifacts won''t be restricted by the ne and I have extraordinary artifacts like the Holem''s Crown, Ember Pistol, and Starfall Codex Magic Book. With these artifacts, I can sessfully take back the other leaf and escape from there using the Holem''s Crown''s travel spell! Then, I can choose a safe location to ce the Twin Leaf and then execute my n.'' A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''It is a dangerous gamble. But it is better than being killed by the Red Prince.'' After creating a detailed n, Charles instantly closed his illusionary eyes and left the inner world.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in his bedroom, stood up from the bed, and soon walked out of the bedroom. Then, he went downstairs and soon turned his gaze towards the entrance to the underground basement.

 Chapter 117: Vision

    <h4>Chapter 117: Vision</h4>


    A few minutester,


    Charles stood at the center of the illuminated underground hall and was staring deeply at the gem-like leaf that was ced in his palm. Unlike before, he had long changed his appearance into a young one and wore a red gem-embedded bracelet in his hand.


    He then went towards the left side, made a small marking, and attached the leaf to the concrete wall.


    Then, he took out the Starfall Codex magic book from his space ring and started flipping the pages.


    ''Even if you cast supportive spells or defensive spells on you beforehand, it will vanish when you arrive at the other side,d.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    ''I know.'' Charles nodded his head and soon stopped at page 16.


    Then, he took a deep breath and started to chant in the Runal Language. His cold voice echoed in the bright underground basement, and soon the candles began to flicker in every corner of the room.


    He continued to chant as his eyes started to turn white and finally ended the chant.


    "Seer''s Vision." He spat out those two words in Runal Language and soon saw that the whole surroundings started to distort before forming a different scene.


    Charles instantly looked around and noticed that he was in an open area!


    No, he was in an open garden with only a few red-leaf nts.


    The bright red sky illuminated the whole ce in dazzling red light and gave an eerie feeling to his heart.


    Soon, he frowned as he heard war cries from all directions and soon widened his eyes.


    Because what he saw was not a group of people, but an army!


    They appeared to have surrounded him from the very beginning.


    Soon, he focused his attention on his own figure and soon noticed that the future ''Him'' was also staring at the army with dumbfounded eyes.


    At that moment, a horn sound resounded, followed by rains of arrows and weapons poured down from all directions!


    Countless silver-armored Night goblins, red-skinned humans, and even some strange humanoid creatures with different types of horns were sprinting towards his direction while holding various weapons!


    But what attracted Charles''s attention were not the different race peoples, but a unique 3-meter tall humanoid being.


    Lava-like droplets dripped down from its red body skin, and smokes were constantly spewing out from its nostrils. The tall being''s face appeared neither like the wicked-mouth goblins nor link ugly pig-headed Orcs. It had a face simr to humans, but at the same time, its nose was slightly longer.


    It only wore a small undergarment made of some skin and held arge War Scythe!


    ''It''s the Magma Fiend!'' That was the first thought that appeared in his mind!


    At that moment, the Magma Fiend squatted down a little and leaped towards the future ''Him'' at a first speed.


    Before Charles could see the conclusion, the surrounding trembled for a moment and soon broken into multiple pieces like broken sses!


    A momentter, his consciousness had already returned to the underground, and he wore a grim look on his face.


    ''The enemy appeared to be well prepared. Could they also have someone with prediction-like abilities?''


    ''It seems so.'' Charles took a deep breath to calm his mind and took out the Ember Pistol from his space ring.


    Then, he muttered the short recite and disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    Moris Fire Elemental ne, Twilight Land, Miners'' Den.


    Unlike other days, hundreds of well-equipped Night Goblins, Rock Golems, Lava Orcs, Red Humans stood in the Vermillion Garden. They were staring warily at a particr metal door, ced at the center of the garden.


    "Are you sure about your prophecy, Dawn Child?" A three-meter tall, muscr Magma Fiend named Garath asked the small red-skin human kid, who stood next to him, in a rough voice.


    "Yes. The Strange Human will definitely invade our home and would cause great chaos." A pleasant girlish voice came out from the kid''s mouth as it nodded its tiny head and said. Although this girl appeared weak and fragile, she was a 200-year-old being.


    Not only that, but she also could read the stars and predict the future through prophecies!


    "Humph, he is nothing but a puny weakling in front of me, I." Garath got annoyed by the girl''s words and said in an annoyed tone. Although he was a Rank-4 being, he knew his strength was nothing in front of this girl''s power.


    In truth, she was the main reason for his rapid grown in the Twilight Land.


    As he was about to ask her about the enemy''s arrival, he suddenly saw that green-gem-like leaf on the metal gate started to shine in dim green light!


    Garath''s crimson eyes shone in excitement as he gripped the War Scythe and inhaled. Thick air filled with fire-elemental power entered his nostril and soon came out in the form of smoke.


    At that moment, space started to twist in front of the metal gate and soon formed into a blurry shadow. A momentter, everyone saw a deep-blue-haired creature with two legs, and two hands appeared in front of them. It held an eerie ck-covered book in its right hand and a weird metal scrap in its left hand.


    "Except for his skin tone, his appearance looks the same as us," I said in a solemn tone.


    In the meantime, Garath let out a cold snort and raised his War Scythe.


    "Move." He spat out a single word and leaped towards the enemy.


    Although he was a brave warrior, he was still fearful of this unknown creature, so he instantly thought of capturing it alive while it was in the weakened state.


    In the meantime, Charles took a moment to snap out from the dizziness and soon moved his hand towards the Twin Leaf.


    To his astonishment, he saw some invisibleyer appeared out of nowhere and blocked his hand from moving near it!


    ''As I thought, they are indeed well-prepared.'' He let out a deep sigh and spoke in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, It''s your turn.'' Charles said as he opened the Starfall Codex magic book, flipped the page at an unimaginable speed, and soon stopped at page no.17.


    At the exact moment, he raised his other hand, turned the Ember Pistol''s hammer, aimed it at the three-meter-tall creature''s right eye, and squeezed the trigger.


    Bang!


    "Dodge!" I''s shout echoed in the battlefield as the crimson bullet came out from the pistol''s muzzle, tore through the air, and appeared in front of Garath''s right eye in a blink!


    At that moment, Garath''s crimson pupil shrunk into a minute dot!


    He instantly knew that it was impossible to dodge this attack and ducked his head.


    A momentter, a bang sound resounded in the garden as the bulletnded on his forehead!


    The next instant, a sharp pain appeared on his forehead as he stumbled backward and soon stopped with wide eyes. Blood dripped down from his forehead and soon painted his face in scarlet color.


    For a second, the whole battlefield froze in shock and disbelief!

 Chapter 118: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 118: Escape</h4>


    ''My Ember Pistol is insufficient to give a heavy wound to a Rank-4 Existence.'' Charles shook his head and concentrated his attention on the enemy.


    A while ago, he aimed at Garath''s eye to give him some fatal injury, but the red-human girl foiled his n.


    ''Still, it is quite effective.'' Charles curled his lips upward and once again aimed his hand towards the opposite side. Nobody moved a muscle for a whole three seconds. Even Garath wore a cautious look on his face and made a swift decision.


    Garath raised the War Scythe, aimed it at Charles, and threw it at all full force.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s [Prevision] skill triggered on its own and showed Garath''s next move.


    With a terrifying speed, the War Scythe tore through the air and moved towards Charles.


    But to others'' astonishment, Charles casually took a step towards the right side and evaded the War Scythe.


    The War Scythe swept past his shoulder and collided against the invisible space lock spell!


    Even Charles stumbled due to the shockwave and stood unsteadily.


    Although he looked calm on the outside, he started to get anxious.


    As he was about to urge the Holem''s Crown, he heard an old man''s voice in his head.


    "Spatial cut."


    It was a Rank-3 spatial elemental spell!


    In a moment, the invisible lock suddenly started to break, causing the War Scythe tond on the metal door.


    "Sess." He shouted in joy as he moved his hand and instantly took the other Twin Leaf from the metal gate.


    Then, Charles nced at the red-gem embedded bracelet and soon focused his gaze in a particr direction.


    From the scout goblin''s memories, he learned that it was the safest direction and instantly ordered in his mind!


    ''Go in that direction.''


    In the meantime, the Holem''s Crown instantly obeyed his words and spoke.


    "Travel Leap!"


    In a second, his figure turned blurry and soon disappeared from the garden!


    ¡­


    Savage Forest, Twilightnd.


    In the dense forest, filled with unique red-leaf trees and shrubs, Charles suddenly teleported in front of a tall tree and looked around the surrounding tree in cautiousness. Unlike Edhen, the ground appeared hard and rocky.


    Once Charles noticed that he was in a safer ce, he instantly looked up at the sky and soon widened his eyes in astonishment.


    ''There really are two suns.'' Although he learned basic information about this Moris Fire Elemental ne from the goblin scout''s memories, still he got baffled upon seeing two suns in the red sky.


    ''Which way is safer?'' He furrowed his brows and soon chose to walk in a random direction.


    But as he took the fifth step, he felt an invisible pressure appeared all over his body!


    ''It''s the nar Restriction.'' He instantly realized the situation and checked his body and mind.


    ''Hmm, my spell models are acting very abnormally.'' A frown appeared on his oval face.


    ''It would take at least a day for the spell models to stabilize,d. After that, you will be able to cast Rank-1 spells.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in his mind.


    ''What about the Rank-2 spells? Can I able to use them too?'' He asked in eagerness.


    ''Unfortunately, you won''t be able to cast Rank-2 spells for more than a month. If you want the break these shackles sooner, there are two ways. The first one is to create an elemental heart. But in this current situation, it is almost an impossible task for you. The second one is familiarizing your body and soul with the current atmosphere and breaks the restriction sooner. It is the most effective method.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s expression turned solemn.


    ''What Ick now is time.'' He shook his head and continued to walk deep into the forest. He saw many rocky ins,va pools, and evenrge volcanic mountain range from the left side and got overwhelmed.


    ''Thisnd ispletely bathed in fire andvas.'' He muttered inwardly and soon felt a dangerous premonition from the depths of his heart!


    He didn''t hesitate for a moment before he ran towards the right side and hid under arge broken tree trunk.


    At that moment, his body shuddered all of a sudden.


    No, he felt apletely different invisible pressure assaulted from above!


    Then, he felt that the hot wind began to assault from above and even broke some trees!


    With an rmed look on his face, Charles looked above and soon widened his eyes in horror.


    ''Dragon! It''s a freaking Red Dragon!'' His body trembled as he fixed his gaze on the monstrous lizard-like bird that was flying up in the sky. It flew in circles while blocking the two suns and soon caused the whole surroundings to shroud in darkness and shadow.


    In that second, Charles felt another kind of power affecting his body.


    This power not only made his heart beat faster, but it also subconsciously influenced his mind to lower his head!


    ''That''s the power of the Domination,d. Only ''Rulers'' can get this mystic power.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    Nodding his head, Charles lowered his head and waited for the monstrous Red Dragon to go away.


    Thankfully, the Red Dragon only circled in the sky two more times and soon flew in a different direction.


    Meanwhile, Charles waspletely soaked in sweats.


    He silently stayed in the area for a few more minutes and soon started to search for a suitable ce to ce the Twin Leaf.


    After a few moments of roaming, Charles finally found a small cave near avake and walked in.


    ''Although I managed to snatch this Twin Leaf from the enemies, this ce is still not safer. Dangers are lurking everywhere in thisnd.'' He subconsciously thought of the Red Dragon and got chills all over his body.


    ''I need to grow stronger.'' He muttered to himself and started walking deep into the cave.


    In a few seconds, he arrived at the cavern''s edge and ced the gem-like leaf on the cave wall.


    Then, he sat on the ground in a cross-legged position and started to take a deep breath.


    At that moment, he suddenly felt a warm feeling appeared in the depth of his soul.


    ''These fire elemental energies are entering my inner-world.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and then continued to familiarize himself with the surrounding elements.


    Hours passed by as the brightness started to fade a little and soon turned to dim darkness.


    On the other hand, Charlespletely immersed himself with the surroundings and soon started to perceive the fire-elemental energies!


    ''I sessfully broke through the first restriction!'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face as he conjured a small ball of fire and soon smiled.


    ''I can cast my Rank-1 spells now. Moreover, I don''t need to take some time to refill the spell models in this fire-elemental ne.''


    As he was about to continue his words, he felt a sudden tremor from below.


    ''Earthquake?'' His expression changed in a serious one.


    In a moment, he heard a water sshing noise, followed by a deep roar!


    ''Something ising towards the cave entrance!''


    Charles instantly stood up from the ground and moved towards the entrance cautiously.

 Chapter 119: Drake

    <h4>Chapter 119: Drake</h4>


    In a few seconds, Charles arrived near the entrance, and soon his pupil shrank as he saw a five-meter long frilled red lizard!


    Even in the dim darkness, the surrounding appeared brighter due to the presence of Lava Lake and exposed the lizard''s location to him.


    The lizard''s body was covered entirely in small shell-like skin and appeared enormous. Not only that, its tail itself appeared very sharp as a de and was moving on its own like a poisonous snake!


    Upon seeing the strange lizard creature, Charles used [Cryptic Analysis] skill and soon got some information about the lizard creature.


    ''Heh, it''s a Rank-3 Frilled Drake, huh. This indeed looks like a scary thing.''


    He also saw Drake''s innate bloodline spells like [Lava Spit], [Speedy Movement], [Red Armor], and became solemn.


    ''This thing is a very dangerous one.'' He quietly observed the lizard, which was quietly walking back and forth near the shore of the Lava Lake for a moment, and stealthily took out the Starfall Codex magic book.


    ''Should I attack?'' He hesitated.


    ''This lizard is not a normal monster. Moreover, my body is also in a weak state.'' Charles knew that a single mistake might lead to a severe consequence.


    ''But If I back off now, that blonde-haired man might find out my true identity and inform the Red Prince.'' He thought for a moment and chose to kill this creature.


    But he didn''t act rashly, though. Instead, he hid his presence using the [Conceal] spell and stayed near the cave wall-like a statue. He watched how the Drake catches a fish-like creature from the Lava Lake using its tail and waited for an opportunity.


    In the meantime, Drake continued to catchva creatures from time to time and started eating.


    ''These Lava creatures'' skin seemed to be hard as a rock. If not, how could they survive in the liquidva? Even with my Expert level body, I''m feeling difficulty in staying here. The hot atmosphere is both good and bad for me. The good thing is that this hot atmosphere actually strengthens my connection with the spell models. If I try toprehend the spell models in this Fire Elemental ne, I might only take 4 to 6 months.''


    ''But the bad thing is actually rted to my body. Unlike these creatures, my body is a slightly mutated human one and I''m notpletely resistant to fire. So if I stay here for too long, my body might get mutated on its own due to the heat and radiation. Although this is a magical world, I''m not sure that staying here is safer or not. With my current understanding, I can only stay here for two more days. Any more than that, it might not be a good thing for my body.'' Charles let out a deep sigh and soon noticed that the Drake started toy down on the rocky shore.


    The Drake ced its rough red-skinned head on its left front leg and started to sleep in a minute.


    Upon seeing the opportunity, Charles silently opened the Starfall Codex and started flipping the page.


    Soon, he stopped at page no. 9 and started to chant in a low voice.


    A few secondster, an illusionary eye appeared on his forehead, and soon a bolt of purple lightning came out from it.


    It was a Rank-3 Bloodline Spell, Eye of Destruction!


    The thin bolt of purple lightning flew towards the sleeping Drake andnded on its forehead area in a blink.


    The next second, the purple bolt of lightning spread towards its body and paralyzed the Drake on the spot!


    Charles instantly raised his hand, pointed his finger at Drake, and started casting [Incinerate] spell!


    But unlike before, rays of crimson fire flew out from Charles''s forefinger continuously andnded on its face one by one.


    No, those crimson rays preciselynded on its right side closed eye!


    If Charles had faced this Drake in Edhen, he wouldn''t have made such a decision to kill it.


    But it waspletely different here. In this Moris Fire Elemental ne, he wouldn''t need to wait for the cooldown to cast Rank-1 spells because this whole world was filled with fire-elemental energies!


    In seconds, tens of crimson rays flew from Charles andpletely burned Drake''s right eye!


    But there was no happiness on Charles''s face, though.


    ''It is no use. My Rank-1 attack spell is not enough to give a fatal wound. Moreover, this creature''s skin is too tough.'' Charles also noticed that the Drake was starting to regain control over its body and grew solemn.


    He instantly used his [Magician Hand''s] skill to flip the Starfall Codex book page and soon stopped at page no.10.


    ''Mr. Rh, I need your help now.'' Charles spoke inwardly, took two steps forward towards the half-paralyzed Drake, and continued to attack it with his Rank-1 spells.


    In the meantime, the whole Drake''s body shook due to the pain!


    It tried its best to open its mouth, but those crimson rays entered deep into the burned right eye and started damaging further.


    On the other hand, Charles heard an old voice in his head and got more confident about killing Drake.


    With an icy look on his face, he moved his forefinger towards the left eye and continued to cast the Rank-1 [Incinerate] spells.


    By the time the Drake got released from the paralysis effect, it had long turned into a blind creature!


    At that moment, the Drake raised its bloody head and gave a deep roar towards the sky!


    It then turned its lizard head sharply towards Charles and took a step forward.


    A momentter, Drake''s whole body began to shine in bright yellow light and it sprinted madly towards him at an unimaginable speed!


    ''It must be the [Speedy] bloodline spell!'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    Upon watching the speed, Charles''s heart skipped a beat!


    ''It can sense my presence?'' He instantly went on an alert mode, cast Rank-1 [Fire Wings] spell on himself, and flew up towards the sky.


    At the same time, Drake suddenly stopped its movement and raised its head towards the sky.


    No, it raised his head towards the direction where Charles was hovering and opened its mouth.


    For a moment, Charles''s felt a chill in his heart!


    ''This creature can even locate me when I''m flying?'' He waspletely stunned.


    Meanwhile, a tick ball of crimsonva came out from its mouth and moved towards Charles quickly!


    ''F*ck, I can''t dodge in time!'' Hispletion went pale as he tried his best to p the crimson wings.


    At that moment, Charles heard the Holem''s Crown''s voice.


    "Wind de."


    In an instant, a sharp invisible de appeared in front of his hand and moved towards the uing fireball.


    It soon split the Lava ball into two andnded on Drake''s wide-opened mouth.


    A miserable shriek echoed in the shore of the Lava Lake!


    Scarlet blood oozed out from Drake''s mouth and painted the brown rocky shore.


    Meanwhile, the splitva balls alsonded on Charles''s fire wings and made holes on both sides of his wings!


    ''I need tond now.'' Charles''s face went grim as he pped the torn wings to move closer towards the ground and soon fell on the ground.


    Thankfully, he didn''t get any injury, so he instantly stood up and took out the Ember Pistol from his space ring.


    Then, he turned the hammer, aimed the pistol at the bloodied Drake''s wide-opened mouth, and squeezed the trigger.

 Chapter 120: Mischievous Man

    <h4>Chapter 120: Mischievous Man</h4>


    BANG!


    A loud sound echoed in the shore, followed by a thud.


    Then, the five-meter-long Drake finally fell!


    [Target Eliminated! 3,103 Exp points obtained!]


    Charles became stunned by therge amount of Exp for a second and soon groaned.


    In a second, waves of pain assaulted his body and mind.


    ''My left knee and right toes are injured.'' He panted heavily and then thought of casting a Rank-1 Fire-type Healing spell.


    But the next instant, his expression changed into a gloomy one as he heard multiple roars from the nearby red forests.


    ''More Drakes seems to being here. It must be due to this Creature''s earlier warning cry.'' He nodded thoughtfully.


    Then, he went near the fallen Drake corpse and tried to store it inside his space ring.


    Thankfully, the space inside the ring wasrge enough to store more than one Drake, so the corpse instantly disappeared from there.


    After looking around the surrounding for a second, Charles turned around and went into the dark cave in unsteady footsteps.


    In few seconds, he arrived at the edge of the cave wall and recited a short chant.


    Two secondster, his figure turned blurry and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    C Orchard Street, South Borough, Chester City, Moon Kingdom.


    In the gloomy underground hall, the gem-like leaf attached to the concrete wall suddenly started to shine, and soon Charles appeared from it.


    Once he noticed that he returned to Edhen, he conjured two balls of me and made them hover in the air.


    After that, he looked below and soon saw blood was gushing out from his left feet. The big toe was wholly bent in a weird angle and was half torn.


    ''I actuallynded on a sharp stone.'' He squatted down to take a deep look at the wounds on his left feet and soon cast his [Soul Heal] fire spell.


    Greenish-purple me came out of his palm, enveloped his left feet, and started to heal the wounds at a fast speed.


    He then ced his hand on the right knee and healed it.


    A few minutester, he removed his half-burned leather shoes and dresses and wore a neat nightgown.


    After that, Charles opened the game interface and focused his attention on the Exp bar.


    ''Hmm, I currently have 4178 Exp points.'' He thought for a moment and hurriedly poured 2,536 Exp to the Sub-ss option.


    ¡­


    [2,536 Exp has been deduced for leveling up!]


    [You are now a Level-5 Disguiser!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 Skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''Good.'' He nodded his head with a pleasant smile and put one skill point to Strength attribute.


    Then, he checked his skill points and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''I have only 63 skills points. This is not enough to raise my sub-ss skills.''


    He nced at the subss skill section and rubbed his chin.


    ''I need a total of 90 skill points to raise the [Prevision] and [Magician''s Hand] skills to the peak level.''


    After pondering for a while, he made a decision and chose to raise the [Prevision] skill first.


    In a blink, the remaining skill points went to 20!


    ''I should practice my [Magician''s Hand] and raise it to maximum.''


    He nodded his head and then thought ofying lowkey till he Rank-Up the [Disguiser] ss.


    While he was in muse, he changed his appearance into an old man''s one and ordered the Holem''s Crown to change its form into a ck cane.


    Following that, Charles gripped the ck cane''s handle, walked out of the underground basement, and soon noticed that only a few hours had passed in Edhen.


    ''It''s still dark outside.'' He silently went to the second floor and walked into the bedroom.


    ¡­


    Three weeks passed in a blink of an eye.


    December 28, Second Arcane Era, Year 6396.


    In the underground basement hall, Charles sat on the cold concrete floor, held a sharp needle in his hand, and was inscribing runal words on a circr metal te.


    On the other hand, he also used his [Magician''s Hand] skill constantly and manipted the inscribed metal tes to hover in the air.


    In the past three weeks, he went to the Moris Fire Elemental ne five times and earned 10,400 Exp points by killing three Frilled Drakes and two Lava Fiends near the Lava Lake.


    Not only that, but he also raised his [Magician''s Hand] skill to 79 points and was waiting for thest skill point.


    As for why he was inscribing runal characters on weird metal tes? It was the Holem''s Crown''s suggestion.


    A few days ago, he asked the artifact to teach him how to create a one-time Spell Matrix or Magic Array circle method. To his astonishment, the artifact suddenly took over the role of a teacher and started teaching him about how to creating a Spell Matrix. At first, he thought it would be an easy task for him.


    But now, Charles realized how difficult it would be to create an artifact using the ancient method.


    While he was in muse, he suddenly made a slight error when inscribing and instantly threw the disk towards the opposite side.


    The metal disk flew towards the wall at a fast speed and started to tremble.


    Simultaneously, the runal inscriptions on the metal te started to shine, and soon the metal disk disappeared from there!


    A secondter, it appeared right beside him and detonated!


    But there was no sound came from the explosion at all!


    Thankfully, Charles had long predicted the sudden ident due to my [Prevision] skill and backed away with the help of [Crimson Steps] spell.


    He then stared at the exploded area, used his [Magician''s Hand] skill, and tried his best to stop the broken metal scraps from spreading in all directions.


    Soon, the fire disappeared from the hall, leaving only a dense smoke behind.


    Letting out a heavy sigh, he moved towards the wooden table, took a metal te ced on it, and went back to the center to continue his inscription.


    But soon, he stopped his footsteps and then curled his lips upward as he saw a change in the Game Interface.


    ''My [Magician''s Hand] skill rose by two points!'' He blinked his eyes in surprise.


    Without any hesitation, he put all the remaining 20 skill points into the [Magician''s Hand] skill and raised it to the maximum level!


    ¡­


    [Magician''s Hand skill has reached its peak level!]


    [Requirement has been met for [Disguiser] ss advancement!]


    [You can Rank-Up by consuming the [Mischievous Man] ss gem or by spending Experience points!]


    [Experience points required for Ranking-Up the [Disguiser] ss: 10,600 Exp]


    ¡­


    ''Oh? [Mischievous Man], is it? This ss title looks good. Hmm, I have a total of 12,042 Exp points.'' He thought for a moment and put 10,600 Exp points to Rank up the Sub ss.


    Once he spent the exp, an electric shock went inside his mind and paralyzed him on the spot!


    A momentter, he felt a sharp pain assaulted all over his body, causing him to groan in pain.


    The pain continued to increase for a while, and soon Charles''s felt an itching sensation. After that, a strange stick green liquid started to ooze out from all over his body through sweat pores and soaked him.


    ''What the hell is happening to my body?'' He got shocked for a moment and soon checked the interface.


    ¡­


    [Host has chosen the 2nd method for Rank-Up!]


    [6,756 Exp points have been deduced for the [Mischievous Man] ss gem.]


    [3844 Exp points have been deduced for Rank-Up!]


    [Mischievous Man Cass obtained!]


    [Host''s body is undergoing a mutation change!]


    [¡­]


    [Mutation Completed!]


    [Host''s Race has been changed from ''Human'' to ''Half-Shifter'']


    [You are now a Level-1 Mischievous Man!]


    [1 free attributes point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [Skills Upgraded!]


    [''Prevision'' skill has been upgraded to ''Vision'']


    [''Disguise'' skill has been upgraded to ''Face-Change'']


    [''Magician''s Hand'' skills has been upgraded to ''Hand of Mystery'']


    ¡­


    Charles''s eyes widened as he saw the racial change notification and soon squinted his eyes as he also sensed another change in his Inner World.


    Without any dy, he sat on the ground in a cross-legged position and soon entered the Inner World.


    A momentter, he found himself standing in front of the mysterious cubic box, which was covered inyers of runal words.


    In second, countless information about the [Mischievous Man] ss skills came out from the red-cubical box one by one and assimted into Charles''s illusionary form!

 Chapter 121: Half-Shifter

    <h4>Chapter 121: Half-Shifter</h4>


    ''[Vision]¡­ It''s an upgraded version of prevision skill and can allow me to see the most possible future in the next ten seconds. The next one is [Face-Change]. As the name implies, this skill can allow me to change my face into any other person. But to do that, I need to perfectly copy the target''s image in my mind. Otherwise, there would be many defectives appear when activating the skill.''


    ''Then, thest one is [Hand of Mystery]. Hand of Mystery has many functions like it can allow the user to move materials from afar through the same invisible string, and then make things invisible. Not only that, it can even bypass the space and allows the user to take things from another side¡­ Wait. Isn''t this skill looks almost simr to Fate Swap spell?'' Charles''s illusionary jade eyes widened as he read the information.


    ''It seems I don''t need to learn the Spell Matrix¡­ No, I think this Fate Swap spell matrix can help me in the future. There are two materials I want to steal in the Tower of Elements. But stealing two materials at the same time would be an impossible task for me. But if I use the kids'' help, I might achieve my goal without any difficulties.'' He nodded thoughtfully.


    After giving onest look at the mysterious game system cube, Charles turned his attention to one of the seven red stars and soon left the Inner World.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in the underground basement and soon groaned.


    The foul smell assaulted his nostril as he covered his nose and soon squinted his eyes as he saw his own hands.


    Unlike before, ayer of green sticky substances covered his skin and appeared slimy.


    ''What is this? Is it due to the mutation that happened in my body?'' He instantly checked his body and noticed that he could change his facial structure, shapes, skin tone, and even his voice.


    ''Except for gender, I can change myself into any man.'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face.


    ''Next is about my race. Half-Shifter¡­ Is it simr to the shape-shifter race from the fiction world? Possible. Moreover, the Trickster ss series appeared to have some rtion to bloodlines and its abilities.''


    ''Hmm, this is also a good thing, anyway.'' He paused for a moment and soon shifted his attention to his current problem.


    ''Let''s think about how to deal with the blonde-haired man. First, he must have some artifact to create a coincidence, and this coincidence artifact ability appears to be only working on me. In the past two weeks, I already met him five times in the Tower of Elements. If not for my quick action, he might have already found out about me.''


    ''But I also learned something in return. That is, this coincidence ability only works when I got closer to the other party. Moreover, there also appear to have some restrictions ced on this artifact. From my earlier calction, I can assume that this artifact must have a cooldown of four days. Hmm, I''m in the dark, while the enemy is in the open. I can use this as an advantage andpletely counter this coincidence ability.'' He made a small n and then stood up from the ground.


    Then, he left the underground basement and directly went to the second floor.


    Then, he opened the bedroom door, went to the attached bathroom, and took a long bath to clean the sticky substance.


    After that, he walked out of the bathroom and then changed his cloth into a ck formal one.


    ''Hmm, I''m nning to teach more about the drawbacks of the Summoning Ritual ceremony in today''s lecture.'' He went near the bed, took the ck covered book ced on it, and stored it inside his space ring.


    ''After the lecture, my mission is to go to the fifthyer and get an appointment to meet professor Warren. He is the one who has full control over all ritual materials and sacrificial materials.''


    While thinking deeply, he went downstairs through the spiral staircase and met his disciples in the reception hall.


    Like him, they also worked hard during the past three weeks and improved their abilities to an unimaginable level. Although Charles helped them from time to time and gave many pointers, they did their work perfectly and showed their worth to him.


    ''The one who surpassed everyone is Noel. Not only did he improve his sword skills to peak levels, but he also became an apprentice Tower Guard with the help of the formermander''s rmendation letter. Rhea also constructed her second spell while surpassing other students and already began toprehend them. As for Titus and Jessie, both arepletely focusing their attention on their personal missions and are progressing at a fast speed. If my calction is right, all four of them might reach their peak level in two months. Then, it is up to their ability to buy their own ss gems.'' An amusing smile appeared on his face as he saw them working hard to do their daily work.


    ''I already told them to not rely on my help to get the Rank-2 ss gems. Let''s see how these kids going to earn money and rank up without my help.'' He chuckled inwardly and went to the dining hall.


    At that moment, Jessie and Rhea already ced the dishes on the dining table and waited for his arrival.


    With the ck cane''s support, Charles arrived right beside the guest seat, pulled it a little, and sat on it before cing the napkin on hisp.


    In the meantime, Rhea took the initiative and started to serve food for everyone.


    Once shepleted serving others, she went to her seat and put a scoop of stewed mutton, a grilled steak, mashed potatoes, and wheat bread.


    Then, she also took arge jar and poured a cup of lemonade.


    After that, she sat on her own seat, pped her hand together, and thanked the Moon God for the food.


    Meanwhile, others also followed her action and then started to eat slowly.


    Once the breakfast was over, Charles bade farewell to the kids and left 11C Orchard Street.


    Then, he entered the Tower of Elements, went to the thirdyer, and soon arrived in front of Room number 311 around 8.30 A.M.


    He walked into therge hall, went near thedderback chair that was ced behind the work table, and sat on it. After that, he opened the book about summoning ritual methods and started to go through today''s topic.


    Soon, students with different colored robes entered the hall one by one and sat on their own chairs.


    On the other hand, Charles closed the book around 9 A.M, went near the ckboard while taking out a chalk piece, and wrote the title of today''s topic.


    "Drawbacks of Summoning Ritual Ceremony."


    He then turned around, cleared his throat, and started his lecture in an old voice. First, he talked about the major mistakes one would make during the ritual creation. Then, he gave a detailed exnation about the bacsh of ritual failure.


    Following that, he also exined various types of failure and effects that were caused due to one''s luck.


    "Summoning Ritual Ceremony consumes many space elemental stones, precious materials, and also sacrificial materials. It is basically like a gamble. If you managed to summon a hybrid and powerful elemental creature using these precious materials, you will be the winner. If you then use the Envement Trinket on it and subdue the elemental creature, you would also get a trustworthy ally. Most of the nonbat mages, necromancers, and other nonbat mystics use this method to increase their strength and would go on missions to gather materials, artifacts from ruins, and so on." Charles paused for a moment and soon added.


    "But if you end up summoning a small imp using these precious materials, then all you can do is me on your own luck."


    His words caused the whole hall to turn dead silent.


    Soon, some robed students raised their hands and asked different kinds of questions.


    In the meantime, Charles listened to their questions one by one and gave correct answers.


    The lecture continued for hours, while he exined every drawback in a very detailed manner and ended the lecture around 1 P.M.


    Following that, he cleaned the board using a chalkboard eraser and walked out of the lecture hall.


    ''Hmm, I need to get the appointment letter.'' He thought to himself and soon went to the second floor to get an appointment letter to meet Professor Warren.


    A few minutester, he went to the Ritual Chamber''s reception room and got a sealed letter.


    Then, he walked out of the room and started walking towards the fifth floor.


    Fifteen minutester, Charles finally reached the fifth floor and soon went towards the right-side corridor. Although many wooden panel doors appeared on both sides, he didn''t stop anywhere and continued to walk.


    After another five minutes of walking, he finally appeared in front of arge metal gate at the end of the corridor, raised his ck cane, and knocked on the door using it.


    A few secondster, he heard a nging sound from the other side and smiled.

 Chapter 122: Selling the Loot

    <h4>Chapter 122: Selling the Loot</h4>


    The metal gate opened with a screeching noise, and soon a ck-haired man in histe forties appeared in front of Charles''s eyes. He had monolid blue eyes, a round face, and looked around 180 cm tall, and wore a white-lined red robe.


    "Greeting, Professor Warren," Charles said with a smile.


    "You are?" The ck-haired man raised his eyebrows in curiosity.


    "I''m Oswald, the newly appointed Summoning Ritual Teacher," Charles responded.


    Upon hearing his words, a look of understanding appeared on Warren''s face as he took a step back and invited him in.


    Then, he turned around, walked into the storage hall, and asked.


    "What are the materials you needed for the summoning ritual, Professor Oswald?"


    In the meantime, Charles followed his footsteps and started to speak.


    "I''m nning on summoning a fire-elemental creature from a Fire-Elemental ne. I have coordinates of a Fire Elemental ne, but I don''t have sufficient ritual materials and sacrificial material to summon the ne''s will." He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "I need twelve Fire Stones, twelve Red Fruits, and twelve types of Fire-Elemental herbs."


    "You don''t need the blood of a Fire-Elemental Creature?" Warren asked in a surprised tone.


    A hesitant look appeared on Charles''s face as he pondered for a moment and soon spoke after heaving a long sigh.


    "Three weeks ago, I used my own materials and did a sample summoning in my home''s underground basement. Unfortunately, an ident urred during the ritual ceremony and the fire elemental creature died before the ritual could end. But luckily, the corpse didn''t get destroyed. So, I extracted a few bottles of blood from it."


    A look of helplessness appeared on Charles''s face as he said those words.


    In the meantime, Warren suddenly halted his footsteps and soon turned around in surprise and shock.


    "You have the elemental creature''s body, Professor Oswald?"


    Although Warren knew that Charles was a summoning ritual expert, he didn''t put him in high regard. Moreover, he always thought that this old man was simply bluffing.


    In the past two hundred years, no summoning ritual expert appeared in the Tower of Elements.


    So, when Warren heard that Charles almost seeded in summoning a fire-elemental creature, he got shocked and suspicious.


    Soon, he thought that this old man might be a real expert and became serious.


    Unlike other materials, elemental creatures'' corpses were valuable in any Magic Tower. Although the Tower of Elements owns a separate pocket dimension, it originally belongs to an earth mage.


    The resources hidden in the pocket dimension were also limited, and most of them were rted to earth magic. So, when he heard Charles''s words, he instantly thought of buying the elemental creature''s corpse.


    Without any dy, he took a step forward and asked in excitement.


    "Can you sell that corpse to the Tower, Mr. Oswald?"


    ''He took the bait.''


    A cold light shed in Charles''s eyes as he turned his face into a solemn one and spoke with a nod.


    "If the price is good, I''m willing to sell it."


    Then, he touched the space ring and took out the fire-elemental creature''s corpse with his thought.


    A momentter, the five-meter-tall Drake''s corpse fell on the concrete floor with a loud thud.


    But unlike before, the whole corpse was sealed in an ice cube and appeared fresh as new.


    It was due to a Rank-3 spell from the Starfall Codex Magic book!


    Although Charles killed more than five fire-elemental creatures, he didn''t take the other corpses at all. He knew his own limit. If he got greedier and tried to sell other materials on the ck market or to the Magic Tower, everyone would get suspicious of him.


    Summoning one Fire-Elemental creature from a fire-elemental ne would be a rare thing. So, what would happen if Charles sold five corpses? Everyone, including Tower Masters, would feel suspicious and might try to search him forcefully. That would be the worst oue for him!


    Meanwhile, Warren widened his eyes in shock and soon started to inspect the corpse using different artifacts. Once he was done inspecting, Warren ced his hands on his hip and spoke.


    "Although it is a Rank-3 Drake, youpletely ruined its head, Mr. Oswald. Moreover, you also ced this corpse in the ice cube for more than three weeks, so its true worth had already diminished by 20 percent. If you didn''t sell it in a few days, the corpse might get polluted due to ice elemental energy."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles coldly snorted and spoke.


    "It''s not a normal ice spell, Professor Warren. I used [Zero Seal] spell."


    This time, a look of astonishment appeared on Warren''s face.


    "Sorry for not noticing that." He rubbed his chin to hide his embarrassment. Without waiting for Charles to ask anything further, Warren spoke in a hurry.


    "Then, along with the ritual materials, I will give you 5,000 Moon Gold coins, Mr. Oswald,"


    Hearing his words, Charles became stupefied.


    ''He is buying the corpse for five thousand gold coins?'' In truth, he expected that the corpse would sell for around 1,000 to 2,000 gold coins.


    ''What do you know? That''s a Rank-3 creature,d. Even its blood can be useful for refining artifacts, and potions. Not only that, the fire creature has a Rank-3 fire-elemental crystal hidden in its heart. That single crystal is more than enough for you to get 1000 Moon Gold coins.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in a cold tone.


    ''Why haven''t you told me about this before?'' A trace of annoyance could be seen in Charles''s face.


    ''You never asked me,d.'' Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown evaded his question and went silent.


    Shaking his head, Charles took a deep breath and spoke to Warren.


    "I want to exchange this corpse for a Fire Fiend''s heart."


    "Impossible." Upon hearing his request, Warren instantly shook his head and spoke in a firm tone.


    "Fire Fiend is a pure-blooded chaos elemental creature and its heart''s value is more than 10,000 gold coins, Mr. Oswald. Moreover, we are forbidden to sell the Fire Fiends'' hearts to roaming mages like you."


    ''As I expected, these guys are indeed troublesome to deal with.'' Charles shook his head in disappointment and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Then, along with 5,000 Moon Gold coins, I want two badges of ritual materials."


    On the other hand, Warren pondered for a moment and finally nodded his head.


    "Deal."


    Hiding his excitement, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and spoke.


    "I will get the ritual materials now. As for the gold coins, I will send my disciple to get it from you."


    Nodding his head, Warren waved his hand and brought him deep into the hall.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked around in curious and soon saw different types of unique elemental creatures'' corpses, organs, various types of blood, unique elemental crystals, and even herbs appeared in crystal boxes.


    He also saw the Fire Fiends'' hearts stored in crystalline sses and sighed in helplessness.


    ''The churches and royalties are really restricting mages in many other ways.'' He soon shifted his attention to Warren and followed after him silently.


    A few minutester, Charles got the materials and walked out of the storage hall with a pleasant smile on his face.


    He then started walking on the empty corridor and soon halted his footsteps as he felt a sudden heartache!


    At that moment, he also felt a strange eerie feeling from his right side.


    ''What is it?'' Charles turned his head to the right side with an rmed face and soon squinted his eyes as he saw another metal gate. But what shocked him was not the tall double gate but the symbol engraved on therge gate.


    One door had a symbol of Eye engraved in it, while the other door had a portrait of a lean woman with a crown on her head and a ck snake around her neck.


    ''Goddess of Wealth, Zephine. Amber Church''s room? '' A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he stared at the gate for two seconds, then turned his head and resumed his walk.


    Charles then silently left the Tower of Elements and returned to 11C Orchard Street around 3 P.M.


    Then, he went to the second floor and stayed in his bedroom for the next few hours.


    The evening sun descended to the west around 6.30 P.M, followed by dim darkness. Within 30 minutes, the whole city turned darker.


    "It''s time," Charles spoke in a rough voice as he sat up from the bed and touched his face.


    Simultaneously, he pictured a person''s face in his mind.


    The next instant, his wrinkled skin started to diminish and formed into a slightly wrinkled one.


    Then, his skin tone also turned into a pale one, and his face also turned a rough-looking one. Not only that, but a thin mustache also appeared on his face.


    ''Next is my hair color and eye color.'' Charles thought inwardly and soon changed his face using the [Face-Change] skill.


    The next instant, his white hair turned into a deep-blue one, and then his amber eyes also changed into a blue one.


    In a few seconds, his face changed into apletely different person!


    Moreover, his current appearance was none other than the Ritual Chamber department head, Professor Robert''s appearance!


    ¡­

 Chapter 123: Framing Others

    <h4>Chapter 123: Framing Others</h4>


    In Professor Robert''s appearance, Charles stealthily walked out of 11C Orchard Street while covering his head with a ck hood and went to the South Borough''s Main Street.


    Following that, he made a few turns and soon entered the Slum Borough.


    His next destination was Groove Street!


    That''s where he ''coincidentally'' met the blonde-haired man!


    Within a few minutes, Charles soon arrived at the ce where he saw the blonde-haired man a day ago and noticed that the street was bustling with life.


    Many roadside stalls were still open, and the shopkeepers were selling packed foods, fruits, and dresses while shouting here and there.


    Charles even saw some customers arguing with shopkeepers over the price and felt amused.


    He watched their arguments in a daze and soon bumped into a grey-robed man.


    He had short whirly blonde hair, fair skin, monolid hazel eyes, and a heart-shaped face!


    Charles''s heart skipped a beat for a moment!


    ''He came so soon?'' He hurriedly gave an apology and started walking in the opposite direction while averting his gaze.


    In the meantime, in male appearance, Lydia flipped the ''Destiny Coin'' continuously and searched the surrounding areas like a hawk. She only nced at the red-robed old man in confusion and then turned her attention to the surroundings.


    ''Where are you, Charles?'' Her eyes darted towards the nearby fruit shops, then towards the food stalls, and soon moved towards the passers-by. She continued to walk on the street and soon stopped at the street junction.


    ''It seems this ''Charles'' really hid very well. Hmm, His Highness also told me that he is good at disguising.'' She felt a headache as she realized how tricky this guy was.


    ''It has been two months since I came to this City. But I haven''t found a single clue about the target.'' She heaved a heavy sigh and soon frowned.


    ''Should I ask those lunatics'' help?'' She thought of the Divine Order members hiding in the Chester City and soon shook her head.


    ''No, those guys are not trustworthy.''


    After thinking for a moment, she soon turned around and returned to her home.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles made a few turns and soon went towards Mystics'' Borough while leaving a few trails. Once he entered Mystics'' Borough, he directly went to Hope Street andpletely erased his trails.


    ''Hehe, poor professor, please take the position of the sacrificial pawn.'' Charles muttered to himself as he stared at a particr three-storied house for a second and soon went in a different direction in his concealed form.


    Following that, he made another few turns and left the Mystics'' Borough.


    Then, he directly went to Nobles'' Borough and went to Cedar Street in his original appearance.


    ''Hmm, my today''s target is Baron Greyson''s wife. But unlikest time, I have to shave her head and make her bald.'' Even Charles felt sorry for this unknown Baron''s wife.


    ''But to create a strong enmity between two nobles, I need to do this job.'' He said to himself.


    A few months, a big quarrel happened between Viscount Austin''s daughter and Baron Greyson''s wife when they were in a banquet. At first, the argument was mainly about who had more beautiful jewels and dresses.


    Then it came to their personal beauty.


    Unfortunate for Viscount''s daughter Caroline, Baron''s wife Maria was a renowned beauty in the whole nobles'' circle, so most of the nobledies sided with Maria and agreed that she was prettier than Caroline.


    Angered by the sudden turn of events, Austin''s daughter Caroline made a challenge in front of everyone that she would take something precious from Baron''s wife Maria one day.


    After that incident, both noble houses'' rtionship became distant, and various odd rumors started to appear about Caroline''s challenge.


    ''Hehe, who cares about her challenge? As long as I fuel the enmity, both houses will start fighting in secret.'' He let out a chuckle and started walking towards 56D Cedar Street.


    That''s where Baron Greyson''s mansion was located.


    Once he arrived beside thepound wall, he ced his hand on the wall and skilfully jumped to the other side.


    Then, he hid his body in thepound wall''s shadow and waited patiently.


    Three hourster, he saw themplights began to vanish one by one in the mansion and started to move towards the mansion.


    Although a few guards stood outside at the entrance, he didn''t face any difficulty at all.


    He leisurely walked past those guards in his concealed form, entered the red-carpeted reception hall, and went to the second floor through the bifurcated stairs.


    He then moved to the right side corridor and soon appeared in front of the master bedroom.


    In a few seconds, he stealthily unlocked the door and soon saw a couple was sleeping nakedly in a four-poster bed.


    One was a curly blonde-haired woman in herte twenties, while the other was a fat brown-haired man in histe fifties. Charles''s gaze soon moved towards her plump buttocks and then towards her medium-sized round melons.


    ''She is indeed beautiful. No, beautiful should be an understatement.'' Envy appeared on his face.


    It was understandable. Even in his previous life, he never touched a girl and died a virgin.


    But when seeing a 60-year-old man sleeping with a gorgeous woman, Charles felt shame and embarrassment.


    But that envy emotion appeared only for a moment and soon disappeared from his heart.


    ''I should focus on my job. Humph, how could this mere beauty obstruct my path to be an omnipotent one? In twenty years, wrinkles started to appear on her body and she will turn into an old woman.'' He snorted inwardly.


    Then, he took out a potion vial, opened the tap, and tossed it towards them.


    The vial flew towards their heads at a fast speed and soon stopped in mid-air.


    In a second, a purplish smoke came out from the vial and soon entered their nostrils.


    Charles soon heard snorting sounds from the couple and grinned.


    ''Time to act.'' He went near the bed, took out a small de from his space ring, start shaving Maria''s head.


    Ten minutester, he finished his work and soon shifted his gaze towards the fat naked man.


    A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he zeroed his attention on his straight brown hair.


    Twenty minutester, Charles stealthily walked out of the bedroom, leaving a bald head naked couple inside.


    He then stealthily went to the first floor and soon walked out of the mansion. After that, he once again made a detour and went back to 11C Orchard Street.


    ¡­


    The next morning.


    A man''s raging voice and a woman''s screech echoed in Baron''s mansion!


    In an hour, rumors about Baron Greyson and his wife losing their hair started to spread like wildfire.


    No one knew who did such a cruel thing to Baron and his wife, but all of the nobles turned their attention towards Viscount Austin''s daughter!


    Even Viscount began to suspect his daughter!


    But even if his daughter had done such a shameful act, Viscount would never agree to it openly.


    With no other choice, he made a statement iming that he or his daughter were framed and told Baron not to suspect them.


    His rash announcement instead brought more suspicions from all other sides!


    Nobles,moners, even mages began to feel suspicious about his announcement!


    Viscount Austin''s household reputation went down in one statement, and he and his daughter became despicable and a petty person in everyone''s eyes!


    On the other hand, Baron and his beautiful bald wife became aughing stock in the nobles'' circle!


    ¡­


    Unaware of themotion happening in Nobles'' Borough, Charles went to the underground basement hall and started his work to create a Fate Swap spell matrix.


    To his surprise, he managed to create the first Fate Swap spell Matrix by the end of the day and got relieved.


    After that, he started to act on his own n.


    First, he went to Groove Street and soon found out more secrets about Lydia.


    Then, he made a detailed n and acted ordingly.


    Once in a week, Charles changed his appearance into Professor Robert''s one and started to appear in front of Lydia ''coincidentally.''


    At first, Lydia got confused.


    Because Charles''s and Professor Robert''s appearances, skin tone, body size were theplete opposite, so she thought that it might really be a coincidence.


    But as time passes, she also began to suspect Professor Robert''s identity!


    On February 20th, she contacted the Red Prince and made a detailed report about her discovery. She told him that Charles might have killed Professor Robert in secret and took his identity!


    On the other hand, Charles spent most of his time stealing different artifacts from nobles, merchants, gang leaders and turned the important item into gold coins!


    By the end of February, Charles finally finished his ''stealing'' task and stole a total of 150 precious materials from different persons. Among the materials, there were even two extraordinary artifacts and five precious materials!


    All these artifacts were very precious to their owners and held some great history.


    Not only that, but he also did some scheming and created conflicts between few more noble houses!


    Although Charles mange to finish his task, he also started to feel uneasy these days.

 Chapter 124: Progression

    <h4>Chapter 124: Progression</h4>


    March 4th, Second Arcane Era, Year 6397.


    It was evening, around 7.P.M.


    In his formal ck suit, Charles sat in the reception hall and appeared to be in deep thoughts.


    ''My ''Ghost'' nickname started to spread among the masses like wildfire. No, it changed to ''Crimson Ghost'' now. Nobles, gang leaders, and mages also started their search to find more clues about me. Not only that, but most of the nobles even started to invite some high-rank mages and mystics to search for their lost artifacts.'' He ced his hand on the Chesterfield Sofa''s arm and then looked at a blood droplet-like gem-embedded silver ring.


    A frown appeared on his wrinkled old-looking face.


    If someone looks closely at the blood droplet-like gem, they will find countless runal characters inscribed on the gem''s surface. Not only the gem, but even the silver ring had some minute runal magic circles appeared all over the ce.


    The blood-droplet-like gem was the Fate Swap Spell Matrix!


    As for the silver ring? It was a supportive spell matrix, which Charles created to conceal the magic aura.


    After sessfully inscribing the array circle on the metal disk, he inscribed a Fate Swap spell model inside the circle and created the Fate Swap Spell Matrix.


    Following that, he ordered the Holem''s Crown to change the metal disk into a simple blood droplet-like gem. Then, he brought a non-decorated silver ring from a fancy shop, inscribed a few runal characters on it, and then attached the gem in the silver ring.


    After staring at the red gem for a second, he let out a deep sigh and then turned his gaze towards the front.


    In the meantime, Jessie, Rhea, Titus, and Noel stood in lines with a solemn expression on their faces.


    Without minding their gazes, Charles leaned his back against the Chesterfield Sofa, ced his right hand on his chin, zeroed his gaze on the ck-haired girl, and spoke in a cold tone.


    "You failed your personal mission, Rhea."


    Upon hearing his sharp dagger-like words, Rhea''s body trembled on its own.


    Although she tried to maintain her calm self, tears started to appear from her eyes like an opened dam.


    On the other hand, Charles quietly turned his gaze towards Titus and sighed in disappointment.


    "You too,d. Your snatch skill hadn''t improved a bit."


    Titus lowered his head in embarrassment.


    ''I''m not qualified to be his disciple.'' An aching feeling appeared in the depth of his heart. He suddenly felt that he was going to lose something and sobbed in his mind.


    Although Titus promised his teacher that he would steal money frommoners to improve his skill, he hadn''t stolen a single coin at all.


    After he received the personal mission, he went to the Slum Borough in excitement and nned various methods to steal money.


    But when he tried to activate the [Snatch] skill, he suddenly felt a pang of strange guilt.


    He felt that it was wrong to steal money from others!


    The righteous self took over his weak-willed one and stopped him from progressing further.


    ''Teacher Oswald gave me many opportunities and even trained me personally. But I failed like a pathetic idiot.'' His eyes started to turn watery as he thought of his foolish actions.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his face towards Noel and spoke with a light smile on his face.


    "Congrattions,d. You did a good job."


    "Thank you, Teacher." Noel''s eyes shone in excitement, but he soon calmed his mind and nodded his head.


    Noel trained under a mysterious beggar during the past few months, progressed at a great margin, and officially became a Tower Guard!


    Not only that, but he even participated in a few fightingpetitions and won multiple rewards like medals, gold coins, etc.,


    Even Charles got astounded by his rapid progression.


    "This is your reward, Noel." Saying so, Charles casually took the silver ring in his hand and tossed it to Noel.


    On the other hand, Noel widened his eyes and soon caught the silver ring in shock.


    "This is my gift to you. Wear it all the time." Charles added.


    Noel nodded his head and bowed his head in respect.


    "Thank you, Teacher! I will never lose it." He stated proudly, then straightened his back like a true soldier and wore the silver ring in his left hand.


    "Good." Charles smiled lightly and finally turned his gaze towards Jessie.


    "How is your progression?" He asked.


    "I already memorized all the house names, and their locations in the Chester City, Teacher." A confident look appeared on her pretty face.


    "Oh? Then, it''s good." Charles nodded his head as he gripped the ck cane''s handle and spoke in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, change your form into a red-gem embedded bracelet.''


    A strange silence appeared in his head.


    ''Are you sure about your n?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in a solemn tone.


    ''Yes.'' Charles nodded his head and patiently waited for the Holem''s Crown''s response.


    A secondter, the ck cane suddenly rose in the air and soon transformed into a small red-gem embedded bracelet.


    In the meantime, all four of them stared at the newly transformed bracelet with dumbfounded eyes and soon turned their gaze towards Charles.


    Curiousness and puzzlement appeared in their faces.


    At that moment, Charles casually caught the bracelet and soon tossed it towards Jessie.


    "Wear it," He ordered.


    Although Jessie got dazed for a moment, she quickly snapped out of it and caught the bracelet with her tiny hands.


    Then, she nodded her head and wore it on her left hand.


    Meanwhile, Charles thought for a moment and spoke.


    "This bracelet is not a gift,ss. This artifact has some protective spells, so whenever you are in danger, it will activate on its own and protect you."


    "Protect me?" Jessie tilted her head in confusion and soon asked in suspicion.


    "Are we going to do some dangerous mission, Teacher?"


    "Hoho, you are indeed a sharp kid." Charlesughed out loud and nodded his head in agreement.


    Then, he touched his space ring and took out a bunch of 150 sealed letters.


    Noticing the confusion on the kids'' faces, Charles smiled lightly and spoke.


    "Titus, this mission is especially for you to improve your [Snatch] skill. If you seed in this mission, you will have the qualification to be my disciple. Now, there are 150 letters in my hand and each letter has a different house address. Your mission is to ce these letters in the right houses." He suddenly paused for a moment and then added with a smile,


    "But there is one condition, though. Your action must be well hidden and no one can find out that you are the one who ced the letter in their house. You have to put these letters stealthily ande back to our house before 12 Noon. And, your mission will start tomorrow at 9 A.M,"


    Upon hearing about the new mission, hope emerged on Titus''s face.


    Soon, he nodded his head and took the package of letters from Charles''s hand.


    Then, he checked the address one by one and got puzzled


    "But I don''t know any of these house addresses, Teacher." He said in a nervous tone.


    At that moment, a look of realization appeared on Jessie''s face.


    "Do I have to apany him, Teacher?" She took the initiative and asked.


    "Yes." Charles''s smiled widened.


    ''Could it be-? Did our teacher n this all along? Or, did he already predict that Titus will fail in his personal mission?'' Absurd thoughts appeared in Jessie''s mind!


    In a second, she quickly organized her thoughts, took the bunch of sealed letters from Titus''s hand, and stored them in her void pouch.

 Chapter 125: Questions

    <h4>Chapter 125: Questions</h4>


    At that moment, Charles turned his gaze towards Rhea and asked.


    "Do you know why you failed to construct your third spell model?"


    Hearing his question, Rhea thought for a moment and soon shook her head.


    "Youck wisdom power,ss. You need to improve your wisdom before you start constructing your next spell model." Charles said in a calm tone.


    "Wisdom power?" Rhea raised her head and asked in anticipation.


    "How should I increase it, Teacher?"


    ''How would I know?'' He refuted inwardly, but on the surface, he maintained a calm face and looked up at the ceiling to think for a suitable answer. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and spoke.


    "Wisdom power is nothing but a power of one''s soul. When we gain new knowledge about something, it will enter deep into our soul and strengthen it. So, what you have to do now is to learn new things, gain enlightenment, and improve your wisdom."


    "Do I have to go and read books from Tower Library?" Rhea asked.


    In the meantime, Charles frowned for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "That will only give you a shallow knowledge. Why not try experiencing new things? For example, you can go to the Tower museum tomorrow and study the origin of those old artifacts, ancient dresses, and other things. When we went to the museumst time, Jessie benefitted from a strange gem and even raised her wisdom to arge level."


    Upon hearing his words, even Jessie got startled a bit and asked in a dumbfounded tone.


    "When did that happen, Teacher?"


    At that moment, the corner of Charles''s lips curled upward and formed into a smile.


    "Don''t you remember the moment when you suddenly lose consciousness for staring at a strange gem for few seconds?" He asked in a sly tone.


    "Are you talking about the Avarin gem in section 49, Teacher?" Surprise shed on Jessie''s face as she asked that question.


    ''Now I think about it, I indeed finished my mission earlier than others.'' An understanding expression appeared on her face.


    In the meantime, Rhea instantly engraved Jessie''s earlier words and thought of checking it out.


    Before she could ask more about the strange gem, Charles waved his hand and spoke.


    "If you are nning to check on the Avarin gem, take Noel with you. That strange gem has some mystic power to make one unconscious. Noel is already a Tower Guard, so you don''t need to go through the scanning procedures." He suddenly paused for a moment as he thought of something and soon added.


    "I have something important to discuss with you all tomorrow. So, all of you muste back to our house before 12.00 Noon."


    "Yes, Teacher!" All of them nodded their head in unison.


    ''I hope everything will go ording to my n.'' He thought in his mind and soon furrowed his brows.


    "Jessie, did you get the money from the ritual storage hall?" He asked in a solemn tone.


    "Yes, Professor Warren already gave me the full amount, Teacher," Jessie replied with a nod.


    ''That''s good.'' Charles stood up from the sofa and spoke.


    "Go and take a rest. Titus, you too take some rest."


    All of them nodded their heads and soon started discussing among themselves.


    In the meantime, Charles took out an ordinary brown handle cane from his space ring and started walking towards the spiral stairs.


    In a minute, he went to the second floor and soon walked into his bedroom.


    Then, he went near the bedroom and nced at his game interface.


    ''I still have one unused Attribute point. Where should I spend it? My Wisdom is already on par with Rank-3 Mages. The same goes for Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. But I have a vague feeling that raising my Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution up to 20 would give some big surprise¡­'' His eyes glinted.


    ''But raising my wisdom power will lessen the burden when gathering the fire elements from the atmosphere. Wait¡­ From now onwards, I should put my sub-ss free attributes to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution while the Main ss free attributes to Wisdom.'' He paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''That will directly cripple my body strength. Sub-ss only gives one fire attribute per level-up. Meanwhile, Main ss gives one extra wisdom point and two free attribute points. Moreover, I observed these mages during the past few months and confirmed that most of the Rank-3 Mages have wisdom power from 20 to 29. It means my wisdom power has already surpassed the Rank-3 Mages!''


    ''But here is the big problem lies. To be a Rank-2 Mage, one''s wisdom power seemed to be above 15. And to be a Rank-3 Mage, I think 20 wisdom power should be enough. But that changes when ites to Rank-4 Mage. If my guess is not wrong, one''s wisdom power must be above 30. It''s double the amount of wisdom power! Then, what about Rank-5? Do I have to raise it to 40? 45? Or 50?''


    ''Looks like I also need to gather more information about how normal mages increase their attributes. Hmm, Mr. Rh was an ancient mage once; I think he should know many things about this.''


    He thought for a moment and soon chose to add it to the Strength attribute.


    After that, he changed his cloth into a red-robed one and used [Face Change] skill.


    In a few seconds, his appearancepletely changed into Professor Robert''s one.


    ''It''s time to go to Lydia''s house and ce this letter on her bed.'' A calm smile appeared on his face as he went to the bedroom balcony and skilfully climbed down from the second floor.


    After that, Charles silently walked out of Orchard Street, and roamed in the streets, and finally crossed the Groove Street junction.


    During the past three months, Charles visited this street dozens of times and already knew all information about Lydia. Moreover, he even managed to see ''status'' with the help of [Cryptic Analysis] skill and learned that she was also a Dual-ss Mystic!


    ''She is a Rank-3 Mystic and her main ss is Rank-3 [Spatial Mage]. But what surprised me most is her unique sub-ss Rank-3 [Swindler]. From Mr. Rh, I learned that this ss is a [Deceiver] series ss and has a skill rted to the power of Fate. Although it won''t be as much powerful as [Astrologer] ss skills, it would indeed alert them about the uing danger.''


    ''But to fool the Fate, I already sealed my memories about what I wrote in this letter. Everything is going ording to the n. But I have a vague feeling that many variations started to appear from now on.'' He suddenly halted his thought and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Interesting, it means someone already started to pay attention to my actions. Lydia? Nah, she isn''t bright as her sister. Then, is it Red Prince? Did he alreadye to Chester City? Impossible. A few days ago, I spied when Lydia contacted the Red Prince and learned that Oswald Raven and the Lightning Mage are chasing after him. He will onlye here after Lydia confirms Professor Robert''s real identity. Then, it means someone else is started paying attention to my actions.'' A cold glint appeared in Charles''s eyes.


    ''I need to be extra careful.''


    While he was in muse, Charles entered Groove Street and started walking towards Lydia''s house.

 Chapter 126: Real Identity

    <h4>Chapter 126: Real Identity</h4>


    A few minutester, Charles stood in front of an old house and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''She is not here.'' He took out a nk white card from his space ring and casually threw it towards the sky.


    The card tore through the air and soon reached more than fifty meters high. A momentter, the card changed its direction, started falling in a curved angle, and soon entered the house bedroom through the opened window!


    Then, it made a circle in the bedroom and directlynded at the center of the soft bed.


    Meanwhile, Charles took a deep look at the house and then started to walk towards the Groove Street Junction while covering his head with a hood.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, a young blonde-haired man entered Hope Street and started walking towards the end of the street. He appeared around 20 years old and wore a grey robe. He had short, whirly hair and a heart-shaped face.


    The young man was none other than Lydia in her disguised form!


    She moved with steady footsteps and soon appeared in front of a three-stored house.


    The architecture designed the three levels of the house in a perfect shape. The yard surrounding the building appeared neat and full of greenery. Lydia soon appeared next to thepound gate entrance and stared at the building for three seconds,


    The outer building appeared shiny and neat. Polished wood floors and a graceful banister that curved up toward a soaring second-floor gallery. At level 2, there were two bedrooms with a view and looked bright and airy. And atst, at the 3rd level was a rooftop, followed by a patio.


    Velvet drapes framed the windows; the inner curtains remained drawn, allowing the street light to enter while rendering the heart-stopping view over the city a blur.


    Furrowing her round brows, Lydia unlocked the metal gate and started walking towards the house on the concrete path. But whenever she took a step, her body would suddenly disappear for a moment and reappear 10 feet in the front!


    In two seconds, she appeared in front of the building entrance door and pulled the thread hung on his left side.


    A momentter, a bell sound rang from inside, followed by fast footsteps.


    Then, the wooden entrance door opened with a creaking noise and revealed a deep blue-haired man in histe forties.


    The blue-haired man wore a grey nightgown, had a slightly wrinkled rough face, thin mustache, monolid blue eyes, and pale skin.


    He was none other than Professor Robert!


    Upon seeing the blonde-haired young man, a smile appeared on Robert''s rough face.


    "How did you find my house, Pierce?" He asked in surprise.


    In the meantime, Lydia curled her lips upward and responded in a male voice.


    "Miss. Reba told me about your house address, Professor. I heard from her that you got sick and didn''te to the tower for the past two days, so I just thought of checking up on you."


    Hearing those words, Robert let out a chuckle, opened the wooden doorpletely, and invited her in.


    "Come in,"


    Then, he turned around and started walking to the reception hall.


    In the meantime, Lydia nodded her head, followed after him with fast footsteps, and soon both appeared in the reception hall.


    Small with clean white walls, two sofas at the center, a desk with a nk blotter on the corner, and a coffee table in-between the sofas.


    "Please take a seat," Robert gestured her to sit on the camelback sofa and then asked.


    "Would you like to drink something?"


    "Soft drinks, please."


    Saying so, Lydia satfortably on the sofa and let out a rxing breath.


    On the other hand, Robert went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of champagne and two empty sses. Then, he ced them on the coffee table, poured the champagne in two of those sses, and gave one to Lydia.


    Meanwhile, she took the ss from Robert''s hand, leaned her back against the sofa, and took a sip.


    At that moment, Robert also sat on the opposite sofa and asked with a frown on his face.


    "Why did youe here?"


    Upon hearing his question, Lydia didn''t reply, though. Instead, she moved the ss towards her mouth, took arge sip, gulped it down, and spoke while cing the ss on the table.


    "Before I tell you the answer, could you please give me answers to some of my questions?"


    For a second, confusion appeared on Robert''s face.


    Soon, he didn''t put much thought into it and spoke while waving his hand.


    "Go on."


    Nodding her head, Lydia took out a small trinket from her void pouch and asked with a mysterious smile on her face.


    "Do you know Eve Nightwind, Professor Robert?"


    But to her surprise, she only saw confusion and puzzlement on Robert''s face!


    ''Why is he acting so calm? Did he already learn about me?'' She raised her eyebrows and soon changed the question.


    "Then, do you know anyone named Charles Nightwind?"


    "I don''t know any of them." Robert shook his head and soon asked in concern.


    "Are they your family members? Are you searching for them?"


    The next instant, the smile on Lydia''s face disappeared!


    ''Why is he reacting like he really didn''t know anything about them?'' An uneasy feeling appeared on her face.


    Soon, she shook her head and took out a blue crystal ball from her void pouch.


    ''Hehe, you can fool me, but you can''t fool this artifact, Charles. ''His Highness'' personally created this artifact and it has the ability to distinguish your real identity by analyzing your unique soul power. As long as you appear in a 100-meter radius, this crystal ball will directly shine in red color.'' A twisted smile crept on her face as she ced it on the wooden table and waited.


    But to her astonishment, the crystal ball didn''t produce any light at all!


    She sat there dumbly for a whole ten seconds and soon squinted her eyes.


    ''Sh*t, I forgot to activate it.'' She ced her hand on her forehead and hurriedly activated it with the other hand.


    The next instant, the crystal made a dim red glow and soon started to shine in a bright red color!


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles finally reached 78 Hope Street and stared at the three-storied building with a smile.


    Then, he took out another nk card and was about to throw it inside but stopped.


    At that moment, he heard an arrogant young man''sughter from inside.


    "Haha, you can''t fool me now, Charles."


    A momentter, a sudden ripple appeared in the surrounding, formed into arge cubic structure, andpletely sealed the area around a 100-meter radius!


    ''Space Lock.'' A shock appeared on Charles''s face.


    Before he could think further, his eyes turnedpletely white, and soon tens of images appeared in front of his eyes!


    ''Future Vision!'' Charles instantly skimmed through those images in a second and squatted down as he understood his current situation.


    A momentter, an invisible de-like spatial shockwave appeared from inside and cleaved the whole building, thepound wall, the surrounding trees, and the nearby streetmps into two!


    If he were one stepte, his body would have sliced into two!


    The shockwave even went to the nearby buildings and cut them like butter.


    Charles didn''t even dare to dy any longer as he dismissed his [Face Change] skill and returned to his original appearance.


    Following that, a small ball of fire came out of his forehead and soon formed into a crimson mask!


    Then, he rolled down from where he squatted before and evaded the falling streetmp posts and thepound wall.


    Rumble! Creak! ng!


    Continuous creaking and rumbling noises echoed all over the area, and soon the half sliced three-storied building flipped on the other side, revealing three humanoid figures.


    Robert''s face appearedpletely pale, and he was staring furiously at the blonde-haired man.


    On the other hand, Lydia licked her lips and stared at the third figure with a surprised expression on her face.


    The humanoid figure wore a pitch-ck cloak and held arge ck scythe in its hand. But what made Lydia''s eyes squint sharper was the bony hands and skeleton face.


    "Necromancer?" She muttered out loud as she tilted her head in puzzlement.


    Soon, the smile on her face widened as she took a step back and spoke in a female voice.


    "You are indeed a tricky opponent, Charles. If not for the crystal orb, I would still be in confusion."


    "Who are you?" An icy voice emerged out from Robert''s mouth as he stared at her with daggering eyes and took out a long ck sword from his space ring. Then, he waved his hand and chanted in ahernguage.


    Whenever he finishes a verse, a mysterious magic circle would appear on the broken floor, and humanoid skeletons would crawl out from it!


    Upon seeing his action, Lydia''s mind went nk for a moment!


    ''Wait¡­ How the hell is he summoning skeletons from Underworld? His Highness said that Charles is a Fire Mage ss Mystic, right? Then, what is happening in front of me? Wait¡­ Could it be he is also a dual-ss Mystic like me?'' An understanding expression appeared on her face.


    "Interesting. It seems you hid this other ss even from His Highness." A sinister smile appeared on her face as she snapped her finger and then disappeared!


    The next instant, she directly appeared behind Robert, ced her hand on his back, and muttered in a chilling tone.


    "Fate Change."

 Chapter 127: A Troublesome Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 127: A Troublesome Enemy</h4>


    Upon hearing those words, Robert suddenly felt an uneasy feeling.


    "What did you do?" He asked in an anxious tone.


    "Are you an idiot? Why would I tell about my spell effect to the enemy?" Lydia said in disdain.


    Before Robert could ask further, Lydia smiled widely and spoke in a cold voice.


    "Space Bind."


    In a second, the space bend at a weird angle, formed into invisible chains, and started restricting his movement.


    But Robert didn''t get anxious, though. Instead, he let out a deep sigh and started tough.


    But thatughter gave a chill to both Lydia and Charles.


    It was a burst ofughter, filled with pure evil and wickedness!


    Robert''s face suddenly started to even paler and appeared more like a dead body''s one!


    ''He must be one of those four chaotic churches'' members!'' Charles''s face turned cold as he hid his body behind the debris and started to think.


    ''What is the name of the chaotic church organization that specialized in necromancy? Hmm, I think it''s called Grim Verdicts. They are specialized in soul capturing, curses, and undead summoning. I also read in a book that they have some rtion with the Destiny Conquerors, but it hasn''t been confirmed.'' Charles recalled the information about the Grim Verdicts and soon turned his gaze towards the battle.


    "Kill her." At that moment, a bone-chilling voice emerged from Robert''s face as he turned around and smiled wickedly.


    Simultaneously, the ck-hooded skeleton suddenly raised its scythe and shed it towards Lydia''s head at a fast speed.


    ''Danger!''


    Lydia hurriedly cast her teleportation spell on herself with an rmed look on her face as she disappeared from there and soon appeared twenty feet away from Robert.


    In the meantime, the scythe''s tip made a whooshing noise, split the space itself, and soon appeared behind Lydia.


    Before she could understand the situation, a sharp pain appeared behind her back, followed by a flesh-ripping sound!


    sh!


    The scythe made a clean horizontal cut above her waist. Although it was just a superficial cut, that wound was more than enough for the scythe to corrode her flesh!


    "Argh." She let out a muffling noise and then stared fiercely at Robert.


    "Very good, Charles." She said in an icy tone, raised her hand, pointed her forefinger at the ck-cloaked skeleton, and then cast her attack spell.


    This time, the space around her began to bend before forming into an invisible knife and soon moved towards the cloaked skeleton''s skull.


    In a blink, the invisible knife''s tip appeared in front of the skeleton''s forehead area and directly collided with it!


    A momentter, only the headless skeleton stood beside Robert and started to trip.


    Then, the headless skeleton fell on the ground and disappeared from there.


    But there was no happiness on Lydia''s face at all.


    ''I''m starting to feel numbness from my backside.'' She touched her back in a hurry and felt no sensation at all.


    Not only that, but some ck energy also entered her bloodstream through the wound and started to weaken her movement!


    ''How did he be a Rank-3 ck Wizard in such a short amount of time? Moreover, where is the Series-A Artifact? Why isn''t he using his fire magic?'' Questions whirled in her mind.


    Soon, Lydia dismissed those thoughts as she saw more skeletons started to pop out from the surrounding debris like worms and were gathering around Robert.


    ''This is troublesome.'' A grim look appeared on her face as she took out a small white pebble from her personal storage space and was about to throw it at Robert but stopped!


    No, she suddenly forgot how to throw the pebble!


    At that moment, a purplish fire appeared inside her Inner World and started to devour her current thought!


    On the other hand, Robert also noticed the sudden anomaly and acted.


    First, he took out a grey-colored gem embedded bone staff from his space ring and pointed it towards Lydia.


    A momentter, a bang sound echoed as a ck ray of light came out from the bony staff and directly appeared in front of Lydia''s forehead.


    But before the ck ray pierces through her head, she regained her sense and moved her left-hand''s forefinger in a hurry.


    The next instant, the space in front of her forehead began to bend in a curve-like angle and deflected the ck ray towards the nearby debris!


    It was also the ce where Charles was currently hiding!


    ''F*ck!'' He cursed at his damned luck and instantly rolled away from there.


    At that moment, Robert and Lydia froze for a second and turned their heads towards the crimson-masked figure in confusion and puzzlement.


    ''Who is this guy? Why is he hiding here?'' Lydia frowned a bit and soon noticed that her thinking ability started to degrade.


    At that moment, a thought appeared in her mind.


    ''Could it be him? Is he the real Charles?''


    But before she could think further, another purple me appeared in her Inner World and erased her current thinking!


    In the meantime, Charles stood up from the ground, raised his hand, and cast [Incinerate] spell on Lydia.


    In a moment, a crimson ray appeared from Charles''s forefinger and moved towards her chest at a fast speed.


    At that exact moment, Lydia regained her thinking ability and used her spatial spell to deflect the attack!


    Due to her interference, Charles''s [Incinerate] spell suddenly made a U-turn and flew towards Robert!


    Seeing this, both Charles and Robert became dumbfounded!


    Thankfully, Robert''s skeletons appeared in front of him and blocked the fire spell.


    Once the incinerate spell disintegrated the skeletons, silence appeared in the area!


    "She is using Space Deflection spell." Charles hurriedly warned Robert and then stared at Lydia warily.


    ''She is so strong. When I cast my [Fire Seed] spell on her, she managed to erase it from her Inner World. How did she do that?'' He got confused.


    ''Did she already enter her Inner World?'' He soon nodded his head as he thought of such a possibility.


    ''No wonder my mind spell didn''t work on her. No, my [Burning Thought] spell is still working properly. Yes, when I cast the [Burning Thought] spell, it directly entered her mind and burned her current thought. But when I cast the [Fire Seed] spell on her, it did burn her current thought. But the [Fire Seed] spell suddenly disappeared.'' A solemn look appeared on Charles''s face as he fell into deep thoughts.


    On the other hand, Robert controlled his undead skeletons and let them move near her.


    At that moment, Lydia suddenly turned her gaze towards Charles and soon squinted her eyes.


    She suddenly felt that this guy might be the real Charles!


    ''Moreover, that purple fire attacked my Inner World is not a normal one.'' She instantly made up her mind and turned her full attention towards Charles.


    Upon noticing her gaze, an ominous feeling appeared in his heart.


    Without any hesitation, Charles activated his [Vision] skill and saw the future images of the next ten seconds.


    Within a second, hepletely grasped the future and directly took out the arcane card from his space ring.


    ''If I didn''t act now, I will die!'' Determination appeared on his face. At that moment, he also dismissed his crimson mask and stared at her coldly.


    "You are the real Charles!" Lydia''s voice turned eerie as she stared at in intensely and disappeared from there.


    The next second, she directly appeared in front of him, raised her hand, and was about to cast her spatial spell.


    But to her astonishment, hundreds of strong vines popped out from the ground andpletely bound her body!


    At that moment, Charles had already pulled out his Ember Pistol, turned the hammer, and squeezed the trigger.


    BANG!


    A crimson bullet appeared from the muzzle and instantly destroyed her head like a watermelon.


    "What a terrifying enemy," Charles muttered in a grave tone and soon froze.


    At that moment, an unimaginable miracle appeared in front of his eyes!


    He saw Lydia''s left hand suddenly rose upward and gave him a thumbs-up!


    ''What the hell-? Why did the vision skill show me different images?'' His whole body stiffened upon watching this strange creepy scene.


    ''No, I think I missed something important. If I''m not wrong, those future vision images mighte from the same timeline. Wait¡­ Could it be I changed the timeline when I killed her using the Ember Pistol and created a new future in a short amount of time?''


    Charles got goosebumps as he thought of such a possibility!


    While he was in muse, he heard another gun sound from his right side!


    With a wary look on his face, Charles turned his head and soon widened his eyes.


    Shock appeared on his face!


    Because what he saw was not a living Robert, but his headless corpse.


    The headless Robert made an awkward dance and then fell on the ground with a loud thud!


    A chill crept up to his spine as he took two more steps backward and turned his gaze towards the headless Lydia.


    At that moment, the whole surroundings went silent.


    The next instant, Lydia''s sttered brain matters, bones, flesh, blood, eyes, teeth, ripped tongue started to move back from the debris and soon attached above her headless body!


    Then, new flesh began to grow and soon formed into a familiar feminine face.


    She opened her hazel eyes and soon looked at Charles with a twisted smile on her face.


    "Nice to meet you, Charles," She said in a cold tone and touched those green vines.


    At that moment, those green vines started to move on their own and started slithering towards Charles at an unimaginable speed!


    ''I lost control of those vines!'' Charles turned his face solemn, cast the [Crimson Steps] spell on himself, and backed away.

 Chapter 128: Probing

    <h4>Chapter 128: Probing</h4>


    Lydia''s face turned colder as she took a step forward and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, she appeared in front of Charles and was about to cast her spell but stopped.


    At that crucial moment, she suddenly forgot which spell to use!


    On the other hand, a smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    Instantly, he took a step forward, gripped her neck, and mmed her head on the nearby debris.


    If it were before, she would have resisted at a faster pace. But when Charles killed her earlier using the Ember Pistol, she also received a huge bacsh. Moreover, the wound on her back also started to act and started restricting her movement and thinking.


    Before Lydia could wake up from the sudden daze, Charles first cast [Fire Seed] spell on her to probe further.


    At that moment, he sensed another foreign energy was trying to suppress his [Fire Seed] spell from her Inner World!


    ''As I thought, she is also affected by the Red Prince''s purple fire. If I''m not wrong, this must be some kind of precaution spell to block others from learning information from her.''


    ''Humph, but can this me do two works at the same time?'' He coldly snorted as he cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on Lydia at the same time and asked.


    "What is Red Prince''s real identity?"


    At that moment, a piece of information about Red Prince appeared in his mind.


    ''Oh? He is actually a top member of a mysterious powerful organization and is backed by Lawful Church members, huh.'' A frown appeared on his oval face.


    ''It seems this Red Prince is also nning something big.''


    Shaking his head, Charles then cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell once again and asked another question.


    "What is his rtionship with the devils?"


    A momentter, another piece of information appeared in his mind.


    ''Hmm? He is a former devil and knew much information about the Hell ne. Other than this, she is also clueless about his origin, huh.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon asked another question while casting the mind spell.


    "What is the name of this Mysterious Organization?"


    ''Edhen''s Children?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    ''Why would a devil get interested in joining an organization that seems to have a connection with this world? Hmm, Edhen''s Children organization''s name really appears more like a Lawful one.'' He thought for a moment and soon asked another question.


    "Who is the leader of this Edhen''s Children Organization?"


    ''Hmm? She knew nothing much about that organization, or about its location, huh.'' He nodded his head and soon frowned as he sensed that the mysterious purple me was starting to break his [Fire Seed] spell in her Inner World!


    Charles instantly cast another [Burning Thoughts] spell and asked.


    "What is Red Prince''s true goal?"


    As Charles asked that question, he threw her on the broken debris and backed away at a fast speed.


    Simultaneously, he received another piece of information in his mind.


    ''His goal is to help the organization toplete the Project Destiny and snatch the-?''


    Before Charles could obtain the valuable information, the mysterious purple me finally broke his [Fire Seed] spell and interrupted his [Burning Thoughts] spell!


    Simultaneously, Charles saw that Lydia''s whole body suddenly started to burn in a purplish me!


    Within seconds, the fire got fiercer and finallypletely burned the whole body, leaving nothing behind!


    ''From the looks of it, this purple me also has some rtion with the mind fire. But whenparing with my own mind spell, this one is very destructive and powerful.'' Charles nodded his head with a thoughtful look on his face and soon went near Robert''s headless corpse.


    Then, he picked up his space ring from his hand, erased the broken soul mark, and reced it with his own.


    Following that, he conjured a ball of me and burned the corpse and other blood marks.


    At that moment, the space-lock spell also broken downpletely, and soon the surroundings citizens, Royal Guards, and even mages started toe towards the broken house from all directions!


    A secondter, a mischievous smile crept on Charles''s face as he touched his face and started changing his face into Professor Robert''s one!


    Due to the less light from the nearby streetmps, he got an opportunity and hurriedly changed his look.


    ''Next is the acting part.'' He muttered inwardly, took out a small red capsule from his space ring, and ced it in the corner of his mouth. Then, he adjusted his dress and appeared more like an injured man.


    By the time the Royal Guards and Mages appeared in front of the broken house, hepletely turned into a new person and stared at the sky with a vacant expression on his face.


    "Professor Robert, are you alright?" A tall, muscr guard in silver armor asked in a shocked tone as he nced at the surrounding debris.


    His silver hair flow like a waterfall and almost reached his shoulders and looked beautiful even in the dim street lights. His face was as rough, and he had sharp yellow eyes. He stood in front of the group of guards and appeared domineering.


    "Guardian''s Light." He then said in a cold tone. Soon, a cloud of yellow light appeared from his palm and flew towards the sky.


    After that, the cloud started to expand and illuminated the whole area in yellowish sunlight!


    The next instant, everyone became serious as they saw the destruction of the house and soon turned their gaze towards the lone figure.


    The silver-armor guard could tell that the enemy was a formidable one with a simple look and became pensive.


    Although he was a Rank-3 [Guardian] ss Mystic, he knew that even he wouldn''t hold off for more than 10 seconds against this type of enemy.


    "Are you alright, Professor Robert?" Upon getting no response from the other party, he got worried inside and asked again in a concerned tone.


    At that moment, Charles nodded his head, turned around, and showed his face to the surrounding people.


    They saw anger, helplessness, and disappointment on the ck-suited man''s face. Without minding their gazes, Charles nced at the surrounding area and asked in concern.


    "Is everyone alright? Did this unnecessary fight cause any damage to the neighbors?"


    Upon hearing his concerning voice, all the citizens, mages, and even Guards got moved.


    "Nobody got injured in this fight, Professor." The silver-armored guard answered and soon asked.


    "If you don''t mind, can you please tell us who the culprit behind this incident is?"


    Upon hearing the question, a weak smile appeared on Charles''s rough face as he waved his hand and said.


    "Don''t worry about the culprit. I already killed him." He paused for a moment and added while coughing.


    "''Cough'' he seems to be after my teacher''s inheritance. Thankfully, I found out his scheme while we were talking and managed to kill him after a short battle."


    At that moment, a trail of blood appeared from the corner of his mouth.


    Soon, Charles ced his hand over his chest, coughed violently, and started to vomit a mouthful of blood!


    Upon seeing this, the silver-armored guard and others became anxious and hurriedly helped him.


    On the other hand, Charles took a napkin from his space ring, wiped the blood on his mouth, and started to speak while moving towards the street road.


    "Take care of this matter and report this matter to the security department. Meanwhile, I will go to my other house in Second Street and heal my internal injuries. I will pay a visit to the Security Department tomorrow evening and exin the situation in more detail."


    Saying so, Charles excluded the crowd, appeared in Hope Street, and soon went in the Second Street direction.

 Chapter 129: Red Prince

    <h4>Chapter 129: Red Prince</h4>


    The Herath Kingdom,


    In the unknown forest region.


    Two figures hovered in the sky and were staring at each other with cold looks on their faces.


    One was a long, wavy blonde-haired old man in histe forties, while the other was a ck-haired woman.


    The blonde-haired man''s hair appeared messier, and the two bat-like wings on his back were covered with wounds and dusk. He wore a blue robe, a long green pendant around his neck, and two tinum earrings.


    On the other hand, the ck-haired woman appeared normal, wore a ck robe, and her whole body was covered with lightning arcs. She had silvery eyes, average height, and a few wrinkles on her round face.


    "You are nowhere to go, hideous Devil. Surrender now!" She spoke in a sharp tone.


    At the exact moment, a golden light came from their left side at a fast speed like a shooting star.


    Upon seeing this, the blonde-haired man''s pupil contracted!


    In two seconds, the golden light appeared in front of them and turned into a white-haired old man with golden wings on his back. He had amber eyes, thin eyebrows, and a wrinkled oval face, and he wore a slight long blue surcoat.


    "Oswald Raven." The blonde-haired man''s face turned gloomy. He saw pure hatred in the old man''s eyes and sighed deeply.


    In the meantime, Oswald took a deep look at Rachel, nodded his head, and then locked his gaze on the bat-winged blonde-haired man.


    "Do you have anyst words, Red Prince?" He asked in a cold tone.


    Almost at the same time, Red Prince suddenly felt that his connection with Lydia got severed and became stunned.


    Although he suspected that Charles might have gone to Chester City, he wasn''t entirely sure of his whereabouts at all.


    ''But Lydia''s earlier report and her sudden death indicate that the possibility of Charles hiding in the city is high. There is also another possibility. Did she get caught by the Tower Mages? No, I only gave an order to find whether that professor was a real one or fake. Moreover, I have no idea about Charles''s other ss. Could it be he really has an ability simr to shape-shifters?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    The reason Red Prince sent his subordinates alone to different cities was also a part of his n to lure Charles and the Holem''s Crown out from the shadows.


    He instantly closed his left oceanic eye and checked the unique purple marks in the depths of his mind.


    A secondter, he opened his left eye and muttered in a grave tone.


    "She really is dead."


    Once he confirmed that Lydia was dead, he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.


    A secondter, he waved his hand, and soon his figure turned blurry all of a sudden!


    "He is trying to escape," Rachel shouted as she raised her hand, conjured a lightning sword, and dashed towards him like a bullet!


    Oswald Raven also pointed his finger at Red Prince and cast a [Wind de] spell.


    But a momentter, both of them squinted their eyes in shock as they saw another person reced Red Prince''s position!


    The one who reced Red Prince''s ce was a fifteen-year-old girl in a blue-colored gown.


    Before the girl could understand the situation, Rachel''s sharp lightning sword and Oswald''s [Wind de] spell appeared in front of her body.


    "Oh, no!" Both cried out in shock and tried their best to halt their actions, but it was toote.


    In a blink, the lightning sword pierced through the blonde-haired girl''s chest while the [Wind de] spell decapitated her head from her body!


    A momentter, blood sprayed from the sliced neck, and soon the body fell.


    Upon seeing the falling headless corpse, both of their faces turned unsightly.


    Soon, they shook their heads and went towards the direction where Herath Kingdom''s capital city was located.


    ¡­


    At the exact moment, Red Prince suddenly appeared in the outskirts of the Arc Kingdom''s Royal City and stood on the grassy in with a solemn look on his face.


    He then took out the ancient-looking book from his space ring, flipped the pages, and soon began to make a deduction using the strings of Fate.


    Two minutester, he closed the book and nodded his head in understanding.


    "Hmm, this is not a trap set up by the Destiny Lady. From the gathered information, the probability of Charles hiding in Chester City is increased to more than 70 percent." A cold light appeared in his eyes.


    "I finally found you, Charles." He curled his lips upward and then stored the mysterious ancient-looking ck covered book in his space ring.


    "I need to finish him faster. Otherwise, the Holem''s Crown might create some ancient formation to trap me."


    Letting out a deep sigh, Red Prince opened his batwings wider and shot up towards the dark sky like a bullet.


    He then made a circle in the sky and flew towards the Moon Kingdom at a fast speed.


    He only stopped two times along the way to take some rest and soon saw Chester City around 6 A.M.


    He silentlynded on the outskirt of Chester City and went to the entrance gate. If it were any other city, he would have directly used his [Fate Shift] skill and entered inside stealthily.


    But he didn''t dare to take risks.


    He waited in the queue for half an hour before entering the city. Then, he started gathering information from others and began to walk towards Hope Street.


    By the time he found Professor Robert''s broken building, it was already 8.00 A.M!


    He stared at the debris with a solemn look for a moment and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Hmm? Why do I sense Death energy in the surroundings?'' He asked himself in confusion and turned his gaze towards the two silver armored guards, who stood in front of the broken house.


    He first went near them and asked in a confused tone.


    "What happened here?"


    In the meantime, one of the silver armored guards gave him a suspicious look and then spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Yesterday night, a reckless roaming mage tried to kill Professor Robert to snatch his teacher''s inheritance, but ended up dead."


    Upon hearing those words, Red Prince''s oceanic eyes shined.


    "Can I take a look at the battlefield?" He asked.


    Although those two guards felt confused by his request, they didn''t put much thought and let him in.


    On the other hand, Red Prince walked past those guards, stepped on the brokenpound wall, tree stems, andmp posts, and soon arrived at the grassy yard.


    He touched the left side tinum earring and muttered under his breath.


    ''Reveal.''


    A momentter, the surroundings started to freeze up, broke into millions of pieces, and revealed another scene. In a second, Red Prince found himself standing in the dark, gloomy yard.


    He soon saw a blonde-haired man in histe twenties opened thepound gate, used [Blink] spell, and appeared in front of the wooden gate.


    "Lydia." Red Prince instantly identified her.


    Within seconds, he also saw the deep-blue hared man in histe forties and squinted his eyes.


    "He is not Charles."


    He followed after Lydia in confusion, walked into the reception hall, and patiently listened to their conversation.


    But as Lydia took out the crystal ball and activated it, even Red Prince got stunned and then stared at Robert in confusion and puzzlement.


    Before he could wake up from the confusion, he saw Lydia suddenly attacked Robert and demolished the house using her spatial magic spells.


    But as the fight progress, Red Prince soon learned that Lydia got tricked by the real Charles and nodded his head in understanding.


    He then saw how Charles used his Ember Pistol to blow Lydia''s head, how the [Fate Change] spell took effect and killed Robert, and even watched Lydia''s head grow back usual.


    At that moment, the whole surrounding suddenly started to freeze.


    A frown appeared on Red Prince''s face as he saw that the past vision started to shake and soon broke into many pieces.


    A momentter, his left side tinum earring made a cracking noise and soon fell on the ground!


    But he didn''t even nce at the broken earring, though. Instead, he wore a confused look on his face and soon creased his eyebrows.


    ''Hmm? Professor Robert already died in the vision¡­ Does that mean Charles is using his identity now?'' A look of understanding expression appeared on his face.

 Chapter 130: Jessies Guess

    <h4>Chapter 130: Jessie''s Guess</h4>


    After standing there for a moment, Red Prince went near the two guards and asked.


    "Do you guys know where Professor Robert went?"


    Both silver-armored guards nced at each other as they heard his question and soon nodded their heads.


    "He should be in his other house. It''s in Second Street and the house number is 13S." One of the guards responded.


    "Why are you searching for him?" In the meantime, the other guard gave him a suspicious look.


    "I''m an old friend of Professor Robert." Red Prince replied in a vague tone and started walking towards the right side.


    In the meantime, the guard didn''t find anything odd as he nodded his head and added.


    "If he isn''t in the Second Street, go to the Tower of Element and ask the Tower Guards."


    "Thank you." Red Prince halted his footsteps for a moment, nodded his head, and started walking towards 13S Second Street.


    After twenty minutes of walking, he reached Second Street and soon went near a single storied house.


    But as he walked closer, he also noticed that the door was locked from outside and stopped his footsteps.


    ''He is not here.'' Red Prince''s face hardened.


    ''Does that mean Charles already went to the Tower of Elements? What is his n?'' A solemn look appeared on his face.


    After thinking for a moment, he took out the ck-covered book from his space ring and started deducing the exact location of Charles.


    Three secondster, a cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    ''He really is in the Tower.''


    But Red Prince knew that if he directly barged into the Tower, he would face the wrath of Destiny Lady. So, he first took out amunication ring from his space ring and contacted the branch head of the Divine Order in Chester City.


    In few seconds, a young woman''s voice came from the other side.


    "Greeting, Your Highness. How may I help you?"


    "Daisy, I need you to gather all the members in few hours and create a bigmotion in the city." Red Prince said in a deep tone.


    Meanwhile, Daisy got startled from the other side and then asked in a cautious tone.


    "What sort ofmotion, Your Highness?"


    Upon hearing her question, the corner of his lips suddenly rose upward and formed into a grin.


    "I want you guys to do the Divine Cleansing in this city. It is for the sake of achieving the true Destiny."


    The other party went silent for a whole three seconds.


    Then, she let out a deep sigh and responded.


    "This servant will not disappoint you, Your Highness."


    "Good." Red Prince nodded his head, directly unlocked thepound gate, and started walking in.


    ¡­


    C Orchard Street, South Borough.


    It was around 8.30.


    Jessie and other kids walked out from the dining hall and entered the reception hall. Jessie wore a ck and white pinafore dress, while Rhea wore a sleeveless white shirt and tight ck pants.


    On the other hand, Titus wore a normal linen shirt and pants and held a small dagger in his waist. The only one who stood unique was Noel. He wore a red-lined white uniform-like shirt and pants and ck leather shoes and appeared more like a true guard.


    "Did you see our teacherst night, Titus?" Jessie picked up her two-strap sandals from the shoe rack as she asked the question and wore it.


    In the meantime, Titus shook his head and responded.


    "No. Our teacher told me to sleep earlier, so I also went to sleep around midnight."


    "He might be in the underground basement." Noel suddenly thought of a possibility and said.


    "Haa, I wonder when your brain will start to work like normal kids." Rhea heaved a deep sigh and asked in a sharp tone.


    "Do you think we would forget to check the underground basement before concluding? Look over there, the basement is locked from outside."


    Upon hearing her harsh scolding, Noel scratched his head awkwardly and then muttered.


    "Our teacher must have gone to attend his personal matter. Before he returns, we should focus on our current mission and return to our house before 12 noon."


    "Noel is right." Jessie also nodded her head and added.


    "Let''s go, Titus. We don''t have enough time."


    In the meantime, Rhea also nodded her head and dragged Noel out of the house while speaking.


    "We also have to go to the Museum and check if the gem can increase my wisdom."


    She suddenly paused for a moment and soon added.


    "Good luck, guys."


    On the other hand, Jessie locked the house with an iron key and nodded her head.


    Then, four of them walked out of thepound gate, and soon Jessie and Titus went in the opposite direction.


    While walking on the dirt road, Jessie first took out a dozen letters from her space ring and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Our destination is Slum Borough."


    "Slum Borough?" Titus ced his hand on the dagger hilt and asked in vignce.


    "Yes. I already checked all the letters and ced them in order wise. First, we will finish our work in the Slum Borough, then to South Borough, and then to the Nobles'' Borough." Jessie said in a calm tone.


    "What about Mystics'' Borough?" Titus asked with a frown.


    "No. There is not a single letter for the Mystics'' Borough residence." Jessie spoke in a confused tone and soon turned her gaze towards the red-gem embedded bracelet in her waist.


    At that moment, Titus moved closer towards Jessie and asked in a suppressing voice.


    "Sister, do you have any clue about the content of these letters?"


    A grim look appeared on Jessie''s face as she shook her head and spoke in a grave tone.


    "I too have no idea. But it might contain some dangerous information."


    Titus''s body shook as he heard those words.


    Both went silent as they moved towards Slum Borough with a gloomy expression on their faces.


    As they reached the Slum Borough''s junction, Jessie suddenly looked up at the sky and spoke in a deep tone.


    "Does it matter to us, Titus? All we had to do isplete our mission and move on under our teacher''s guidance. Although we are now living without any worry about money, can we go on like this forever? We need toplete our personal mission and find a way to be a Rank-2 Mystic soon. Then, we have to find a good job like Noel and take good care of our Teacher during his final days."


    "Final days? Do you mean our teacher is going to die soon?" Titus''s eyes widened.


    "Humph, do you have some problem with your eyes? Our Teacher looks like a 70-year-old man and even using the cane to walk. He is an old man, Titus. Although I heard that mages live longer than normal humans, they are not immortals. If my guess is not wrong, he might have taken us as his disciples to pass his inheritance for the future generation." Jessie said in a soft tone.


    "So, that''s why he took us as his disciple, huh." Titus nodded his head in understanding and soon noticed that they had already entered Groove Street.


    In an instant, Jessie took out a red-sealed letter from her hand, gave it to Titus, and said.


    "ce this letter in house No. 75D."

 Chapter 131: Magic Letter

    <h4>Chapter 131: Magic Letter</h4>


    Nodding his head, Titus caught the letter from Jessie''s hand and started walking towards the house entrance casually.


    As he was about to walk past a two-storied house''s entrance, he suddenly raised his hand and threw the sealed letter towards the door at a fast speed.


    Meanwhile, the letter flew towards the wooden door and soon stuck on the gate between the door and floor.


    On the other hand, Titus turned around, started walking towards Jessie hurriedly, and soon both entered the narrow alley.


    Within a minute, they arrived in front of another two-storied house and saw a bald man at the entrance. He looked around 50-years-old, had a rough face, and leaned his back at the house wall.


    "I will distract his attention," Jessie said as she stealthily gave another letter to Titus and started walking towards the rough-looking man.


    "Uncle, do you know where the Wheat Inn is?"


    In the meantime, the rough-looking man gave her a curious look and responded with a nod.


    "You are searching for it in the wrong street,ss. The Wheat Inn is on Harpy Street and it is three streets away from here."


    Jessie wore an embarrassing look on her face and nodded her head.


    Titus also stealthily threw the letter towards the entrance, and both went towards their next destination.


    On the other hand, the bald man stood at the entrance for another five minutes and turned around to go back inside the house.


    At that moment, he saw a red-sealed letter and soon squinted his eyes.


    He clearly remembered that no letter was at the entrance when he walked out of his house and became serious.


    Suddenly, he thought of the girl who asked him about the right address of Wheat Inn and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.


    Shaking his head, he went near the wooden door and picked up the letter.


    The next instant, his ck eyes widened as he saw strange engravings on the red seal.


    "Is it a magic letter?" He asked out loud in shock.


    The bald man knew that only mages used these types of letters and became stunned inside.


    He then tried to open it, but he couldn''t!


    At first, the bald man thought of using a scissor to cut the cover, but soon he dismissed that idea.


    Then, he turned his attention towards the outer cover and soon read the address and the caution line.


    "The letter will open itself at 12.30 P.M?" He stared at the letter for a while and went inside his house.


    In the meantime, Titus and Jessie continued their work and finally managed toplete their work in Slum Borough around 10. A.M.


    "Let''s go to the South Borough," Jessie said as she took the lead, and both walked out of the Slum Borough.


    ¡­


    Tower of Elements, Seventh Layer.


    After walking on the stairs for a long time, Rhea and Noel finally reached the seventhyer and went to the nearby counter to buy entrance tickets.


    Then, Rhea went to the nearby counter, brought a Dimension Box, ced her silver ring in it, and gave it back to the receptionist.


    After that, both went towards the heavily guarded Museum entrance and walked in.


    "Where do you want to go?" Noel gave his short-sword to the nearby guard and asked Rhea.


    In the meantime, she thought for a moment and soon looked around the grand hall filled with different types of antiques. After a while, she noticed that section 30 to section 50 were on their right side and started walking in that direction.


    Both silently moved towards the right side direction and watched different artifacts, dresses, weapons, crystals, and ornaments in curious. After some time, Noel got bored and started to yawn from time to time.


    On the other hand, Rhea began to read the descriptions carefully and started memorizing the contents. She continued to move deep into the museum hall while dragging Noel and soon reached section no.49 around 11.15 A.M.


    "This is it," Noel suddenly spoke in excitement.


    "Wait. Our teacher warned us that the Avarin gem has some mystic power to make one unconscious. So, we have to be very careful."


    Saying so, Rhea first went near the pottery jug, took a silver cup on it, and took a cup of water from the jug. Then, she gave the silver cup to Noel and spoke.


    "If I lose my consciousness, wake me up using this water."


    Once she said those words, she stepped forward and went towards the nearby sealed ss box.


    After standing there for a moment, she moved towards the following box and started reading the description and the artifact''s history. On the other hand, Noel gripped the silver cut in his right hand and followed after her footsteps.


    Five minutester, they finally stopped in front of a strange ss cube.


    "Avarin Gem." An excitement appeared on Rhea''s face as she stared at the hovering red gem for a second and soon turned her gaze towards the description area.


    While she was reading, she suddenly noticed Noel started to fall backward while waving his hand pathetically.


    At that moment, the water in the silver cup sshed on her face, and then the cup fell.


    A secondter, Noel also fell on the floor with a loud thud!


    "This idiot." Rhea cursed in a loud tone as she picked the silver cup, checked if he was injured or not, and then started running towards the pottery jar.


    Meanwhile, the red-gem embedded ring in Noel''s right hand started to shine!


    Simultaneously, a small waved of invisible energy came out from the silver ring and scanned the surroundings.


    After that, the ''Fate Swap'' spell matrix engraved on the red gem activated on its own.


    A secondter, the red Avarin gem inside the cubic ss suddenly turned transparent and then returned to normal!


    The silver ring also stopped shining and returned to normal.


    A few secondster, Rhea returned with a cup of water and sshed on his face while scolding angrily.


    Rubbing his eyes, Noel opened his deep-set brown eyes and sat up.


    "What happened?" He asked in a confused tone.


    Upon hearing his question, the corner of Rhea''s lips twitched uncontrobly.


    She took a deep breath to calm her mind and spoke while turning her attention towards the red gem.


    "Go and take a look at the red sword."


    Without minding Noel''s question look, she stared at the gem for more than 20 seconds and soon got confused.


    ''Why am I not feeling dizzy?''


    ''Wait¡­ Did the mystic power go to Noel and increased his wisdom?'' An absurd thought appeared in her mind.


    She then subconsciously nced at Noel and smiled bitterly.


    ''It looks like today is not my lucky day.'' She shook her head and started walking towards Noel.


    "Did you seed?" He asked as he patted the dusk on his back.


    Shaking her head, Rhea gave a deep look at Noel''s face and spoke.


    "Let''s go back. It''s already 11.30."


    "What about your personal mission?" Noel got surprised by her words and asked in a hurry.


    "Screw it." She said in a sharp tone, grabbed his cor, and dragged him out of section no.49.


    Then, they didn''t stop anywhere and started walking out of the museum hall.


    After that, they took their belongings from the Dimension Box while Noel took his short sword from the Tower Guard and went downstairs from the seventh floor.

 Chapter 132: An Omen

    <h4>Chapter 132: An Omen</h4>


    At that moment, Jessie and Titus alsopleted their work in South Borough and already entered Nobles'' Borough.


    "How many letters are still there?" Titus asked in a tired tone.


    "We are almost done. There are only 40 more letters." Jessie said and started walking towards arge mansion.


    Once she arrived in front of the three-storied mansion, she gave him a sealed letter and continued.


    "That''s the Duke Milton''s mansion. The guards will get suspicious if you went near the entrance, so just throw it in the yard. Those guards or the servants will definitely find it in the next few minutes."


    Nodding his head, Titus stealthily went near thepound gate, threw the letter towards the green yard, and then joined Jessie.


    After that, the duo stealthily went towards Baron Greyson''s mansion area.


    Time flew by, and soon they arrived in front of a lone two-storied mansion at the farther corner of Elm Street.


    "This is the final one." Jessie gave the letter and took out a small pocket watch from her void pouch.


    In the meantime, Titus caught the letter, went near the mansion, and threw it in the yard.


    "What are you doing,d?"


    At that moment, he heard a cold voice from behind.


    With an rmed look, Titus turned around and soon squinted his eyes as he saw a tall, muscr man, who was about 190 cm tall, stood behind Jessie.


    "You haven''t answered my question,d." The muscr man said and ced his hand on Jessie''s shoulder.


    In the meantime, Jessie''s body quivered in fear.


    ''We are doomed.'' That thought appeared in her mind.


    ''Why are you anxious over a simple thing,ss?'' Another old man''s voice echoed in her head.


    "Who is it?" She shouted in an rmed tone while startling the muscr man and escaped from his grasp.


    ''Don''t shout. I''m Oswald''s Cane and I''m here to help you.'' The red-gem embedded bracelet let out a dim light and responded.


    Shock appeared on Jessie''s face as she nced at her bracelet and then at the muscr man.


    In the meantime, the muscr man unsheathed his broadsword from his shoulder and curled his lips upward.


    "I''m this mansion''s head guard,ss. Now, tell me what are you doing here?" His cold voice made Jessie and Titus tremble unconsciously.


    At that moment, Jessie heard the same old man''s voice in her head.


    ''Hoho, let me take care of this.''


    As the old man''s voice ended, an invisible power spread out from her bracelet and freezes the muscr man''s body on the spot!


    The next instant, the tall figure dropped his broadsword.


    Not only that, but he also started to pant heavily and soon fell backward!


    Upon seeing this, Jessie and Titus went dumbfounded.


    ''Get out from here.'' Soon, Jessie heard a strange old man''s voice in her head and snapped out from the daze.


    Without any hesitation, she grabbed Titus''s hand and hurriedly ran away from there.


    Both soon left the Nobles'' Borough and soon went to 11C Orchard Street.


    By the time they reached their home, it was already around 12.15 P.M.


    "We are back." Titus almost shouted as he saw the house and soon dashed inside.


    In the meantime, Jessie slows down her footsteps, turned her gaze towards the red-gem embedded bracelet, and asked in her mind.


    ''What is your name, Mister?''


    ''Call me Rh. But don''t tell your friends about me.'' The Holem''s Crown said in her mind.


    At first, she hesitated and soon nodded her head.


    ''Hoho, you really are a good child.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then added.


    ''Okay. Your second mission starts now.''


    ''Second mission?'' Jessie stopped her footsteps and soon raised her eyebrows.


    ''Yes, you guys should pack your belongings and meet your teacher outside Chester City before 1.00 P.M.''


    Upon hearing those words, Jessie frowned and then shook her head.


    ''Our teacher told us toe here before 12.30. Then, he said that he is going to tell something important.''


    ''Don''t you understand why he gave me to you?'' The Holem''s Crown asked with a chuckle and then continued.


    ''He already left the city and is waiting for you guys in New Town.''


    Jessie''s mind became chaos for a moment.


    ''Why would our teacher leave us here? Why did he give those strange missions?'' Confusion appeared in her eyes.


    But soon, she made up her mind and nodded her head.


    ''I believe in your words. Although I don''t understand our teacher''s action, I''m 100 % sure that he won''t give his artifact to me without any reason.''


    Even the Holem''s Crown became stunned for a moment and soon spoke.


    ''You sure are quick at making decisions. Now, tell your friends to pack up their belongings. We must leave this city before 1.00 P.M.''


    Jessie felt the urgency in the old man''s tone and hurriedly walked into their house.


    Inside, she saw Noel and Rhea sat on the cold floor while Titus was in the middle of asking questions about their today''s mission.


    Once Jessie walked inside the reception hall, she turned her face solemnly and spoke in a hurried tone.


    "I just now got a call from Teacher. He told us to pack our belongings and go to the nearby town."


    "What?!" Both Rhea and Noel stood up in surprise. In the meantime, Titus wore a startled look on his face and asked in puzzlement.


    "How did he contact you?"


    A smile appeared on Jessie''s face as she raised her hand and pointed her finger towards the red-gem embedded bracelet.


    The next instant, everyone nodded their heads and started packing their belongings.


    Within five minutes, they stored their luggage in Jessie''s void pouch and walked out of the two-storied house.


    They then gave onest look at the building and started walking out of thepound gate.


    "I wonder how Blood Priest and others are doing in Sweet Vige," Noel said in a worried tone.


    "Don''t worry, Noel. We will return to the vige one day." Jessie paused for a moment and then continued with a serious expression on her face.


    "But now is not the time. Let''s go, we need to hurry, otherwise; we might meet bandits on the way."


    Meanwhile, other kids nodded their heads and followed after her.


    ¡­


    Tower of Elements, Eighth Layer,


    A ck-haired woman in herte twenties sat in her private hall and was in the middle of deciphering a secret letter. She wore a jade robe, had scarlet eyes, an oval face, thin eyebrows, and a small nose.


    She was none other than the Rank-4 [Fate Warden] ss Mystic, Destiny Lady!


    While she was calcting in her mind, a sharp wind entered the hall through the small gap of the tower wall and caused the crystal chandelier to shake a little.


    At that moment, a small thumb-sized crystal broke away from the chandelier and directly fell on the ss table.


    Then, the crystal collided with the ss table with a nging sound, leaving multiple cracks on the table.


    The cracks soon expanded all over the table and broke down with a bang!


    Seeing such a strange scene, Destiny Lady paused in surprise, closed the secret paper, and squinted her eyes.


    "An omen?" A frown appeared on her forehead.


    She then hurriedly took out her pocket watch from her space ring, flipped open the outer case.


    "12.29." Her heart began to beat faster all of a sudden.


    She instantly stood up from her seat and started walking towards the balcony on the opposite side. Within seconds, she arrived at the edge of the balcony and stared at the bustling city in confusion.


    But a secondter, shock and rage appeared on her face.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady noticed tens of thousands of fate strings severed all of a sudden and became enraged.


    "No, someone is plotting something big!" She hurriedly took out themunication ring and called all the department heads to gather in the Main Hall.


    A few secondster, she stored themunication ring in her space ring and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 133: Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 133: Chaos</h4>


    Mystics'' Borough, Second Street, House no.13S.


    A blonde-haired man suddenly walked out from the single storied house and soon looked at the surroundings.


    "Someone is manipting the Fate!" A surprised expression appeared on his face.


    Soon, he squinted his eyes as he turned his gaze towards the Tower of Elements and took out hismunication ring.


    He then made a call through the ring and spoke.


    "Daisy, you don''t need to create a distraction. It''s already happening."


    As he said those words, he stored themunication ring and then started walking towards the Tower of Elements.


    ¡­


    Nobles'' Borough, Duke Milton''s mansion.


    It was around 12.30 P.M.


    Duke Milton sat in the reception hall and was listening to his granddaughter''s imaginary story about a fantasy smile creature and its adventures.


    At that moment, he suddenly saw the red-sealed letter starting to shine brightly and squinted his eyes.


    A while ago, one of his servants picked up this letter in the yard and gave it to him. At first, Duke thought it must be just some regr fund request letter.


    But when he saw the magic letter engraved seal on it, he knew it was not something he should casually throw in the dustbin. So, he kept it on the coffee table to wait for the correct time.


    Once he saw the bright light, he ced her 6-year-old granddaughter on the nearby couch and picked up the letter.


    He then opened the seal in a hurry and started to read.


    "Hello, Mr. Milton,


    You can call me ''Ghost.'' I wrote this letter to tell you something important about the missing ''Rainbow Crown.'' Yes, you got that right. It''s the same Crown I stole from your secret treasure room. In truth, I''m just a contracted thief and was forced to steal the Crown. If I want to steal something, I would have stolen your gold coins and other treasures in the secret room. But due to some contract, I could only steal the ''Crown'' and give it to my employer.


    Thankfully, I found a way to nullify the contract and then thought of revealing all these secrets to all the victims. That''s why I''m writing this letter to you. Do you want to know the identity of my employer? Hehe, he is none other than your political rival, Duke of Scarlet Hill, Cooper Branson. If you don''t believe my words, you can go to Duke Cooper''s mansion and search for the Crown in his master bedroom. I heard that he ced it opposite of his bed and wouldugh at the Crown mockingly whenever he goes to sleep.


    Good Luck."


    Once he finished reading the letter, Duke Milton''s face turned cold as ice.


    He instantly stood up from his seat and thundered.


    "Jepson, gather all the guards. We are going to have a long talk with that Scarlet f*cker."


    In a second, the stationed guards, servants, and even his daughters and sons-inw went deadly pale!


    They had never seen Duke got angry like this and hurriedly went in different directions.


    Within five minutes, a total of 500 well-trained guards stood at the mansion''s entrance and was ready to go out for a battle!


    ¡­


    Slum Borough, Groove Street, House no.75D.


    Inside the two-storied house, a short brown-haired man in histe 50s sat in the bedroom and was reading at the seal-opened letter with a stern look on his face.


    Once he read the whole content, he tore the letter and bellowed in anger.


    "Parker! You dare to steal this Golden Eye''s precious dagger?" He instantly stood up from the bed and soon walked out of the two-storied house. At that moment, tens of ruffian-looking men stood at the entrance and appeared to be waiting for his orders.


    "Sharpen your weapons, my dear brothers. We are going to war." Golden-Eye said in a bone-chilling voice and unsheathed his short sword.


    ¡­


    Baron Greyson''s Mansion.


    "Viscount Austin! I knew it was you who shaved my head." A bald old man seethed in anger.


    ¡­


    Like Duke Milton, Golden-Eye, and Baron Greyson, many other gang leaders, Nobles, Merchants, and even some big shop owners suddenly walked out of their houses with weapons and started moving to their rival''s house.


    Deep hatred was seen in all of their eyes!


    ¡­


    A few minutester,


    Duke Milton barged into Duke Cooper''s mansion and directly went to Cooper''s master''s bedroom.


    Although multiple guards blocked their path, they were simply outnumbered by Duke Milton''s personal guards.


    He soon reached the master bedroom on the second floor and walked in.


    After that, he turned his gaze towards the front rack and furrowed his brows.


    He didn''t saw any crown at all!


    As he was about to turn around, he noticed that a gold coin ced on the rack suddenly started to vibrate.


    Soon, the gold coin expanded in size and formed into a Crown!


    "Our Rainbow Crown really is here!" A cold smile appeared on his face.


    "This time, you crossed the bottom line, Cooper." He said in a sharp tone and took the Crown from the rack.


    At the exact moment, Duke Cooper also gathered his troop and started resisting Duke Milton''s elite guards.


    Soon, it turned into a chaotic battle!


    In few seconds, an unfortunate servant died in the hands of Duke Milton''s guards.


    The guards'' action provoked Duke Cooper!


    Without any hesitation, he ordered his guards to kill all of Duke Milton''s elite guards.


    A bloodbath started in the three-storied mansion!


    At the exact moment, Baron Greyson also entered Viscount Austin''s mansion and started his massacre.


    Gang Leader Golden-Eyes invaded Gang Leader Parker''s territory and started to fight.


    Simr things started to happen all over the city.


    Arguments turned into fights, and then the fights turned into massacres!


    Chaos started to descend in many parts of the city!


    ¡­


    Ritual Chamber Department, Third Layer, Tower of Elements,


    Inside an office room, a deep-blue-haired man in histe forties sat on a wooden chair and was staring at the silver pocket watch ced on the wooden table.


    He wore a red robe, had a slightly wrinkled face, thin mustache, monolid blue eyes, and pale skin.


    He was none other than Charles, in Professor Robert''s appearance!


    "12.45." Charles suddenly stood up from his seat, took the silver pocket watch, and started walking out of the office room.


    Then, he walked on the crowded corridor and soon started moving upstairs.


    On the way, he saw many robed mages, Tower Guards, and other mystics were running on the corridors in anxiety and panic.


    He didn''t even stop for a moment, though. With a calm look on his face, Charles stepped on therge steps and started walking upstairs.


    In three minutes, he reached the fifthyer and started walking towards the right-side corridor.


    After five minutes of walking, he finally appeared in front of arge metal gate at the end of the corridor, raised his hand, and knocked on the door.


    A nging sound came from the other side within a minute, followed by a metal gate screeching noise.


    Soon, a ck-haired man appeared in front of Charles''s eyes. He had blue eyes, a round face, and looked around 180 cm tall, and wore a white-lined red robe.


    "Professor Robert?" The ck-haired man stared at Charles in surprise.


    "I came here to get some ritual materials, Professor Warren," Charles said with a smile.


    ¡­

 Chapter 134: Destiny Lady

    <h4>Chapter 134: Destiny Lady</h4>


    "Ritual materials?" Professor Warren raised his brows as he invited him in, and turned around.


    "What are the materials you need, Department Head?" He asked.


    In the meantime, Charles pushed the door opened and spoke as he stepped in.


    "I need a few drops of Twinkle Frog''s saliva, rib bone of a smander, 4 grams of Nether essence, seven types of undead bones, and a Demi-Lich''s nail."


    "Are you nning to do a summoning ritual?" Warren asked as he started to walk into the hall.


    At that moment, Charles took three steps forward and suddenly moved his right hand towards Warren''s neck.


    Simultaneously, a sharp well-concealed dagger appeared in his hand.


    "Wha-?"


    Before Warren could understand the situation, Charles pressed the dagger against his neck and slit his throat.


    A neat cut appeared on his throat!


    In the meantime, Professor Warren becamepletely terrified inside as he gripped his own neck in shock and felt suffocated!


    He tried to say something while stumbling forward but couldn''t!


    He gasped for breath and soon knelt on the ground.


    Blood gushed out from his neck and painted the white floor in seconds.


    In seconds, he couldn''t maintain his bnce and fell on the floor.


    Warren stared at Chares with hate and anger while his body started to twitch uncontrobly.


    In few seconds, his body stopped twitching and went motionless!


    [Target Eliminated! 1,410 Exp points obtained!]


    Meanwhile, Charles took a detour and started walking deep into the hall. After few seconds, he soon appeared in front of a separate section and saw few scarlet-colored hearts were sealed in some preservative bottles.


    ''This should be my target.'' Nodding his head, Charles took a few preserved hearts and stored them inside his space ring.


    After that, he scanned the surroundings and soon shook his head.


    ''I don''t have enough time to steal all these materials. I should follow my n.'' Suppressing his greed, Charles turned around and started walking towards Warren''s body.


    Then, he squatted down a little, picked his space ring, and started walking towards the metal gate.


    After that, he opened it with both hands and walked out of the storage hall.


    Charles nodded his head, took a few steps forward, and soon stopped as he suddenly felt an eerie gaze from his right side.


    It was the same eerie gaze he felt when he came herest time!


    A mischievous smile appeared on Charles''s face as he turned his gaze towards the eye-symbol engraved door and started walking towards it.


    ''That eerie gaze is giving me an ufortable feeling.'' He stopped in front of the locked gate and soon cast his [Hand of Mystery] skill.


    A momentter, invisible strings came out from his hand and started moving deep into the metal gate.


    Within ten seconds, a click sound echoed in the hall.


    The next instant, the metal door opened on its own with a loud screech.


    Inside, Charles saw a giant mountain of gold coins and got stunned inside.


    ''I did expect that some gold coins would be stored inside but this is way beyond my imagination. There must be more than a million gold coins stored in this hall!'' He inhaled deeply and then started walking towards the mountain of gold coins.


    Following that, he ced his hand on those gold coins and activated his [Hand of Mystery] skill.


    At that moment, he also thought of stealing those coins for his own purpose.


    In a blink, tens of invisible webs came out from his hand and started spreading all over the gold mountain like a web.


    Whenever those invisible strings touch the gold coins, the coins, along with the nearby gold coins, also began to vibrate for a second and turned into ashes!


    ''As I expected, this Amber Curse can indeed influence the reality through one''s thought.''


    Charles focused his full attention on the skill for the next five minutes and finally withdrew his hand.


    Unlike before, the mountain of gold coins was nowhere to be seen!


    Instead, there were only gray ashes remained on the floor!


    "Hmm, it''s time for the finale." Charles turned around, took out the Starfall Codex Magic Book, and started to flip the pages.


    Soon, Charles stopped at the final page and started to chant in Runal Language.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, a blonde-haired man arrived in front of the Tower of Elements and started walking into it.


    He was none other than Red Prince!


    He soon reached the firstyer and saw hundreds of mages were roaming here and there.


    "This hall looks a mess." He muttered slowly and then took out the ck-covered book from his space ring.


    After that, he closed his eyes for a second and then opened them.


    A rare smile appeared on his face.


    "I got you now, Charles." Red Prince held the book in his right hand and started walking towards the left side corridor.


    He walked past many ssrooms, halls and soon appeared in front of the straight staircase. He then took a step forward and started moving upstairs.


    Three minutester, he finally reached the fifth floor and started walking towards the right-side corridor.


    After another minute of walking, he arrived in front of the eye-symbol engraved door and soon furrowed his brows.


    He didn''t barge into the hall, though. Instead, he once again opened the ck-covered book and closed his eyes for a moment.


    Then, he opened his eyes, let out a deep sigh, and opened the iron door.


    After that, he walked inside and soon got confused as he saw only grey ashes spread all over therge hall!


    ''Where is he?'' He started walking towards the center of the hall, squatted down, and touched the ashes in puzzlement.


    ''Why there are so many ashes inside?'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and was about to open the ck-covered book to check for variations but stopped.


    At that moment, he sensed a presence at the entrance and turned around in surprise.


    He soon saw a deep-blue-haired man standing in front of the metal gate and grinned.


    "We finally met, Charles." A cold voice came out from Red Prince''s mouth.


    In the meantime, Charles curled his lips upward, used the [Hand of Mystery] skill, locked the metal door from inside, and focused his attention on the unique contract mark in his Inner World.


    ''Release the final mimic, Mr. Rh.'' He spoke in his mind.


    ¡­


    At the exact moment,


    Seventh Layer, Museum Hall, Section 49.


    The red gem, hidden in the cubic ss, suddenly started to vibrate and soon turned into a disk-shaped metal te.


    A momentter, multiple rm bells started to ring everywhere!


    ¡­


    Outside the Tower of Elements,


    A ck-haired woman in herte twenties stood at the entrance of Mystics'' Borough and was sending out multiple orders to mages, Tower Guards, and the elite Royal Guards.


    She was one of the four Tower Masters, Destiny Lady!


    Her raging scarlet eyes scanned the Fate strings from time to time like a machine and began to search for the origin of these variations.


    As she was about to give anothermand to the nearby mage, her eyes widened all of a sudden!


    She instantly turned around and stared at the eighth floor in shock.


    ''Someone stole the Divine Blood droplet!'' She instantly realized that this wholemotion was a distraction and gritted her teeth in anger.


    "Fate Swift." She spoke in a sharp voice and then disappeared from there.


    A momentter, she appeared in front of the cubic ss, ced in Section 49, Museum Hall.


    Her long ck hair fluttered on its own as she focused her gaze on the disk, ced inside the cubic ss, and soon squinted her eyes.


    She soon read the few words written on the metal disk.


    "If you want the Divine Blood,e to Zephine''s locker in Fifth Layer.


    -By Red Prince."


    "HEATHEN!" The surrounding artifacts and the nearby areas suddenly started to freeze as she shouted in a cold voice.


    She instantly linked her mind with the Tower Spirit and gave out an order in a chilling tone.


    "Gen, Lock the whole Tower. Nobody should go out or get in for the next few hours. No, use the Rank-5 Dimension Lock spell and seal the Tower."


    Saying so, she punched the cubic ss, took the metal disk, and muttered in a cold tone.


    "Fate Swift."

 Chapter 135: Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 135: Exposed</h4>


    A momentter, Destiny Lady appeared right next to Charles and then looked around in confusion.


    "Ashes¡­ Amber Curse?" Her eyes soon widened in surprise.


    She turned her gaze towards the blonde-haired man and soon furrowed her brows.


    "You are Red Prince?" She asked.


    In the meantime, Red Prince got utterly stunned by her arrival and narrowed his eyes.


    ''Why is she here?''


    At that moment, he also turned his gaze towards the nearby ashes and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Something is not right! Why there are so many ashes here?¡­ Wait¡­ Could it be the cause of Amber Curse?'' He clearly remembered that Charles was affected by the Wealth Curse and soon began to think.


    ''He first killed Lydia¡­ Then, he turned his appearance into the Professor''s one and hid in the Tower of Elements¡­ Then there is the bigmotion that almost caused countless variations in Fate¡­ Even when I checked my Destiny Guide, I saw no variations in the Fate at all. So, I didn''t put much thought into the outsidemotion and thought it was a perfect opportunity to sneak inside the tower and kill Charles¡­ This situation¡­ Is he the one who nned all this? Where is the Holem''s Crown? Did he lure me here on purpose?''


    A cold glint appeared in Red Prince''s eyes as he thought of such possibility.


    ''I really did underestimate Eve''s son.'' He let out a deep sigh and muttered.


    "Fate Swift."


    A secondter, his face turned serious as he felt that his fate skill was not activating at all!


    ''Someone locked the space?'' He soon moved his gaze towards the ck-haired woman.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady turned her gaze towards Charles and soon furrowed her brows.


    "Robert? What are you doing here?" She asked.


    Upon hearing her question, Charles changed his face into an anxious one, pointed his forefinger at Red Prince, and spoke in trembling tone.


    "He¡­ He killed Professor Warren!"


    "What did you say?!" A freeze aura came out from Destiny Lady''s body, and soon icyyers started to form on the concrete floor.


    Charles wiped the sweats on his forehead and continued in the same trembling voice.


    "I-I came to the fifthyer to look for ritual materials, Tower Master. But when I entered the Storage Hall, I saw P-Professor Warren''s corpse on the floor. Someone slit his throat and killed him."


    Saying so, Charles turned his gaze towards Red Prince and continued.


    "I hurriedly walked out of the Storage Hall in fear and then thought of informing others. But when I walk past the Amber Hall, I heard footsteps from inside. With some courage, I walked into this hall and saw this man turning all those gold coins to ashes. Then, you appeared, Tower Master."


    The corner of Red Prince''s lips twitched as he saw Charles''s acting. If not for him being the victim, even he would have believed his words.


    In the meantime, Destiny Lady nodded her head and started walking towards Red Prince.


    Whenever she took a step forward, countless icy spikes would pop out from the ground and spread towards the surroundings continuously.


    "It looks like talking won''t solve the problem." Red Prince muttered in a grave tone, conjured a ball of ck fire, and turned it into a long sharp sword. The sword appeared eerie and gave off a feeling of wickedness.


    Charles''s eyes squinted as he saw the ck me.


    ''This should be the Hell Fire.'' He nodded thoughtfully, straightened his back, and got ready for the battle.


    On the other hand, a think crystal-like de appeared in Destiny Lady''s hand as she tilted her hand and threw it towards Red Prince.


    With a whooshing sound, the de tore through the air and moved forward at a fast speed.


    Watching this, Red Prince suddenly curled his lips upward and spoke in an unknownnguage.


    The next instant, Destiny Lady felt her vision blurred all of a sudden!


    Before she could think further, she found herself standing at the center of the hall!


    Not only that, but she also saw her own ice deing towards her throat at a fast speed!


    At that moment, she realized that the other party was also the [Fate Warden] ss and turned serious.


    The next second, countless fate strings appeared in her mind and soon formed into hundreds of visions.


    "Hmm? Your target is Robert?" She tilted her head in confusion and waved her hand.


    A momentter,yers of crystalline Ice shields appeared in front of her and blocked the ice de.


    She then tapped her foot on the floor and disappeared from there. The next instant, her figure suddenly appeared in front of Charles while showing her back to him.


    But unlike before, she held a strange eye-like thing in her hand and spoke in a calm tone.


    "Let the ''Blood'' decides your Fate."


    The next moment, Charles and Red Prince saw cracks appear all over the floor and soon began to change into red sandy soil.


    At that moment, they heard a rippling water sound from their right side and turned their heads in unison.


    There, they saw an eerie river filled with a reddish liquid.


    "Blood River!" A grim look appeared on Red Prince''s face as he took a step back and looked around.


    The surrounding had already turned into apletely different scene filled with barrennds, strange blood rivers, ponds, and creepy leafless trees. Not only that, but they also heard cawing noises from the sky and widened their eyes in shock.


    Up in the dark sky, they saw thousands of ravens and crows were circling in the sky and appeared to be watching their prey.


    A chill went up to Charles''s spine as he felt countless eerie gazes from all directions!


    ''An Illusion?''


    At that moment, Red Prince frowned a bit and was about to inhale the air but froze.


    ''There is no air here!'' He felt suffocated all of a sudden.


    His eyes soon turned redder, and he started to feel heavy in his chest area.


    ''Did someone pull us into their own Domain?'' His pupil contracted as he thought of a possibility.


    ''This looks more like a Blood Domain¡­ No, it''s not a real domain. A Pseudo-Domain?'' He began to think faster in his mind.


    Meanwhile, Charles also began to sweat all over.


    ''This is not in my n.'' He took a breath and soon noticed strangeness.


    ''I can breathe normally?'' He blinked his eyes in surprise.


    ''Could it be because of the [Sun re] spell?''


    He nodded inwardly and then started to act like he was also having a hard time breathing.


    Simultaneously, he showed nervousness on his face and then looked at the ck-haired woman in wariness.


    She was the only one who stood on the reddishnd with a calm expression on her face!


    No, she even inhales and exhales from time to time and appeared rxed in the filthy atmosphere!


    Upon noticing Charles''s gaze, she turned her head towards his direction and let out a chuckle.


    "Do you think you could fool me with your pathetic acting, Imposter? Now, die."


    Saying so, she conjured a reddish ice de and swiftly threw it in his direction.

 Chapter 136: Blood Domain

    <h4>Chapter 136: Blood Domain</h4>


    In a blink, the de tore through the air and appeared in front of Charles''s face.


    As it was about to touch his forehead, a yellowish transparent shield suddenly appeared in front of his forehead and broke the ice de into multiple pieces!


    Even Destiny Lady got stunned for a moment before realizing that the other party had already cast a defensive spell on himself.


    At that moment, Charles took two steps back and spoke in a hurry.


    "I surrender, My Lady. Although my defensive spell can block your normal attacks, I won''t be able to block them for too long." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "I actually came to this Tower to help you kill this Devil."


    "Devil? What do you mean?" Destiny Lady suddenly halted her footsteps and zeroed her focus on Red Prince. In Churches'' eyes, Devil and otherworldly creatures were taboo life forms and were needed to be eradicated from this world.


    So, when she heard his words, she instantly turned solemn.


    Charles also looked at Red Prince with a cold look on his face and started to speak with a righteous tone.


    "He is an avatar of some high-ranked Devil from the Hell ne and sneaked into the Tower of Elements to achieve something big, My Lady. If not, why would a Rank-4 member create suchrgemotion outside the city and lure you out of the Tower?"


    Destiny Lady went silent as she heard those words from Charles''s mouth.


    She soon shook her head and asked in a sharp tone.


    "If he came here to achieve something big, what are you after then?"


    An awkward smile appeared on Charles''s face as he rubbed his chin and spoke without any fear.


    "I came here to steal something, My Lady. But now, I''m regretting my earlier action."


    Before she could further question him, Charles pointed his finger at Red Prince and added.


    "He already started to chant."


    At that moment, Destiny Lady gave him one fierce re and soon turned her gaze towards Red Prince.


    Like Charles had told her, Red Prince had already taken out some a heart-like organ, ced it on his left hand, and started to chant in an unknownnguage.


    Meanwhile, his Destiny Guide book had already opened and was hovering in front of him!


    Suddenly, he gripped the ck me sword tighter with his other hand, tilted it in a weird angle, and threw it towards the sky!


    It flew towards the dark sky at a fast speed and soon disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    Seeing his strange action, Charles ced his hands on his hip and spoke like an expert in that field.


    "Yes, I heard this type of ng before. It''s definitely a Devil''s Tongue."


    "Could you please shut your mouth for a while?" Destiny Lady said in a sharp voice and then turned her gaze towards Red Prince.


    She soon saw a 5 meter tall illusionary humanoid figure starting to take form behind him!


    ''This chatterbox seems to have known more about this blonde.'' Destiny Lady thought inwardly and then waved her hands.


    The blood river suddenly started to stop flowing a momentter, and soon a giant snake came out from it.


    Unlike an ordinary snake, this one was made entirely of blood and appeared sinister and eerie.


    It was twenty metersrge and could swallow two humans in one go!


    Under Destiny Lady''s order, it slithered in the air and moved towards Red Prince quickly.


    On the other hand, Red Prince took few steps backward while chanting and nodded his head.


    At the exact time, the tall illusionary devil form finally took shape and stepped forward.


    This illusionary Devil had two goat-like horns, a reddish face, a sharp ckish tail, and a giant-like body.


    The strange creature suddenly crouched down a bit and leaped towards the sky all of a sudden.


    Simultaneously, two illusionary ck wings appeared on its back, pped twice, and made the Devil propel faster.


    The Devil shot up towards the blood snake like an arrow!


    At the exact moment, arge 3-meter long ck sword fell from the sky and appeared right beside the illusionary Devil.


    With a smirk on its face, the Devil suddenly stretched out its right hand, grabbed the sword hilt with its w-like hand, and shed it towards the blood snake.


    The ck sword made a screeching noise and cleaved the snake into multiple pieces!


    But a momentter, the sliced pieces started to gather together and formed into a newly formed snake.


    But unlike the previous one, this one appeared pitch ck!


    With its creepy ck eyes, the snake turned its gaze towards Charles and made a loud hiss.


    "It seems he already snatched your pet, My Lady," Charlesmented while taking another two steps.


    Before Destiny Lady could say another word, Red Prince suddenly stopped his chanting, turned his gaze towards her, and spoke with an eerie smile on his face.


    "Breaking a fully formed domain is an impossible task for me, mortal. But this one is nothing in front of me."


    Once he said those his words, he opened his arms wider andughed wickedly.


    At that moment, two pitch-ck wings appeared behind his back and started pping on their own.


    Within two seconds, he flew up and looked down at them with a creepy smile on his face.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady let out a deep sigh and rose towards the sky.


    "It seems that Chatterbox''s words are not wrong. Hmm, you are indeed a Devil and also seemed to be a noble one." She suddenly paused in mid-air and continued with a mischievous smile on her face.


    "But this is not the Hell ne, moron. You are in our domain."


    Once she finished those words, tens of giant blood snakes started to slither out from the rivers and started moving towards the sky!


    Not only the snakes but the ravens and crows also started to descend and started circling Destiny Lady!


    Upon witnessing this scene, Charles subconsciously thought of his favorite anime character.


    He then frowned a moment and soon felt a change in his vision.


    No, he saw tens of future images and soon looked up at the sky. Soon, his gaze zeroed on the Devil''s incarnation.


    "It seems Red Prince wants to kill me using this Devil''s incarnation." Charles suddenly opened the Starfall Codex book, flipped it to the 19th page, and started chanting in a Runal Language.


    At that moment, the mighty 5-meter tall Devil''s incarnation descended from the sky and appeared in front of Charles.


    "Puny mortal," It let out a wickedugh, raised its long ck me sword, and mmed on towards his head!


    But to its astonishment, a transparentter of me appeared above his head andpletely blocked it!


    Upon witnessing such a scene, the smile on the wicked being''s face suddenly disappeared.


    Instead, a serious expression appeared!


    But it didn''t give up, though. The Devil once again raised its me sword and started attacking him.


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady crossed her arms and looked at her opponent with cold eyes.


    At that moment, those blood snakes, ravens, and crows attacked the Red Prince from every angle.


    But whenever a creature gets close to him, some ck me would appear out of nowhere and kill it on the spot.


    Red Prince held a ck-covered book in his hand and seemed to be calcting something.


    Watching his indifferent actions, Destiny Lady frowned deeply.


    ''He doesn''t even consider me as his opponent.'' A cold glint appeared in her eyes.


    Without even waiting for a second, she zeroed her gaze on his body and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Blood Shackle."


    For the first time, Red Prince showed a shocked expression on his face.


    ''She stopped my body''s blood cirction!'' His mind went nk for a moment, and soon he fell from the sky!

 Chapter 137: A Smile of Ridicule

    <h4>Chapter 137: A Smile of Ridicule</h4>


    Charles suddenly felt that his body blood pressure was starting to slow down!


    Although Destiny Lady''s strange skill wasn''t as effective as on Red Prince''s body, it still caused Charles to breathe harder.


    Next, his limbs also started to go numb.


    ''Damn it, do I have to use myst card now?'' He thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''I can manage.''


    He then focused his attention on the Starfall Codex Magic Book and continued to chant in Runal Language.


    At the exact moment, he also took out the Ember Pistol from his space ring, aimed it towards the Red Prince, turned the hammer, and squeezed the trigger.


    The Devil''s Incarnation also noticed his action and tried its best to block the crimson bullet, but it couldn''t!


    The crimson bullet tore through the air and almost appeared in front of Red Prince''s face.


    At that moment, Red Prince''s falling body also reached the ground. His head was only a few feet away from crashing on the ground!


    As the bullet was about tond on his right side cheek, he suddenly twisted his lips and spat out two words.


    "Fate Change."


    In an instant, his body suddenly stopped falling and suspended in the air!


    The crimson bullet directlynded on his face, tore through his cheek, and was about to explode but stopped.


    No, a pitch-ck me suddenly came out of his cheek and devoured the crimson bullet in a blink.


    Only a few droplets of blood fell from his cheek!


    In the meantime, Destiny Lady''s body went stiff all of a sudden.


    Her scarlet eyes widened as she understood that the enemy had used [Fate Change] skill and directed it on her own body!


    "Disperse." She shouted in a hurry.


    After that, she took out a white amulet from her space ring, ced it over her chest, and exhaled.


    The next instant, arcs of electric sparks came out from the amulet and spread all over her body for a second before disappearing!


    Then, her body''s blood cirction began to stabilize and returned to normal in seconds.


    On the other hand, Red Prince let out a loud grunt and started pping his ck wings once again.


    "You are seeking death." He spoke as he looked at Charles for a moment and spat a mouthful of blood.


    Reddish ck liquid came out from his mouth and fell like raindrops.


    Unknown to Red Prince and Destiny Lady, a single drop of blood didn''t fall on the ground. Instead, it started flying towards Charles at a fast speed!


    It was due to Charles''s [Hand of Mystery] skill!


    In three seconds, the blood droplet suddenly appeared in front of the Starfall Codex Magic Book.


    ''Hmm, my next job is to put the blood on this 19th page right corner and let it absorb into the book.'' Charles controlled the blood droplet and let it slowlynd on the page.


    If someone looks closely at the spell page, they would see that even the spell name was covered in white paint.


    Charles was following his n all this time, and even he knew nothing about this spell name or the spell''s effect.


    When Charles made the n, hepletely sealed his memory about this spell inside his Incarnation and hid it in his Inner-World.


    As the blood droplet touched the page, the ck-covered book suddenly turned eerier, and it even started to emit dim red light!


    "What are you doing, mortal?" Devil''s Incarnation also got started for a moment as it noticed the strangeness and asked in puzzlement.


    Soon, it let out a chuckle and added while mming its ck sword against the [Sun''s re] spell.


    "Futile. You are nothing but a pawn, Charles. Give up and die."


    In the meantime, ck fires appeared from Red Prince''s body, soon fell on the ground, and then started moving towards the blood river quickly.


    Red Prince''s face was also covered in sweats and appeared paler.


    ''I''m holding my breath for more than a minute and I''m already starting to feel dizzy. I won''t be able to stay here for more than 30 seconds.'' He thought inwardly and continued to hold his breath.


    Anyone could tell that he was severely wounded inside and was in a dangerous situation.


    Destiny Lady didn''t even nce at Red Prince''s body condition and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Let''s see who is seeing death here."


    Once she finished those words, she conjured an ice arrow, aimed it towards the blood river, and released it.


    Before the ck fire could touch the blood river, the crystalline ice arrow entered the river andpletely froze it!


    "Your ck fire can indeed pollute the blood river. But can it do the same to ice? Moreover, you thought of absorbing the life energy in the river to regain some strength, right? Too bad, I already saw through your n." A mocking grin appeared on her face.


    Simultaneously, her scarlet eyes started to flicker.


    A momentter, the whole frozen blood river started to tremble.


    Then, the ice river started to mold and soon formed into a monstrous red crystalline snake!


    It was a hundred timesrger than those previous snakes!


    It had gem-like ck eyes, its icy reddish scales were sharp as knives, and its two poisonous fangs appeared pitch ckish color!


    The crystalline snake raised its head and started slithering towards Devil''s Incarnation at a fast speed.


    Each of its movements caused the nearby area to vibrate.


    Within two seconds, it arrived in front of the Devil''s Incarnation, opened its wide mouth, and swallowed it directly.


    Although the Devil''s Incarnation used its ck de to resist, the crystalline snake''s fangs directly tore through the Incarnation and soon broke it into multiple pieces.


    The snake then looked at Charles for a moment, then slithered towards the sky, and soon appeared beside Destiny Lady.


    Like a real Goddess of Snake, Destiny Ladynded on the crystalline snake''s head and stood on it.


    Although she noticed that Charles was doing something sneakily, she didn''t put much thought into it and focused her full attention on Red Prince.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince blinked his eyes as he saw the crystalline snake and then looked around in confusion and puzzlement.


    "This is not a Pseudo Doman¡­ This¡­ Is it a Pocket Dimension?" He asked while raising his brows.


    An amusing smile appeared on Destiny Lady''s face as she shook her head and chuckled.


    "You are only Half-Correct, Devil. This world is a Pocket Dimension but it also has the power of Pseudo Domain."


    "Wait¡­ Did you guys use a Series Artifact to strengthen this Pocket Dimension and turn it into a Fake ne? Hmm, that exins why you control the world like your own Inner-World. So, the one who maniptes the blood abilities is not you, but the Series Artifact, huh." Red Prince wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and cheek and nodded his head in understanding.


    "Impressive. But why are you still showing a calm expression on your face?" This time, Destiny Lady showed a confused expression.


    At that moment, she suddenly felt a sharp headache from the depth of her head.


    Confusion and puzzlement appeared on her face, and soon she felt her heart began to beat faster.


    ''It''s a premonition.'' She also felt her own Fate Strings began to waver a bit.


    She hurriedly took out a scroll from her space ring and asked in an anxious tone.


    "Who are you?"


    Upon hearing those words, the corner of Red Prince''s lips suddenly curled upward and formed into a grin.


    He then bowed his head and spoke with a polite smile on his face.


    "I''m the former Devil Lord of Fate and Destiny."


    Once he finished those words, Destiny Lady suddenly felt a chill crept up to her spine!


    Simultaneously, a dense amount of chaotic ck energy started to gather around Red Prince''s body.


    "Devil Lord of Fate and Destiny¡­ Red Prince¡­ Goat Horns¡­ Wait¡­ Are you the Red Devil? Oh, Holy God of Blood! You must be the terrifying abomination who once invaded our with an army of 10 million devils!"


    Her eyes widened in shock and terror!


    She clearly knew about the history of nar wars and got panicked inside.


    Upon seeing her panicking expression, a pleased smile appeared on Red Prince''s face.


    But a secondter, that smile disappeared.


    With an rmed look on their faces, both Red Prince and Destiny Lady turned their heads towards Charles in unison.


    Meanwhile, Charles held an eerie book in his hand, ended his chant, and then started to smile.


    It was a smile of ridicule!


    Simultaneously, the Incarnation inside his Inner World released some specific memory about the spell, its effects, and a few bits of his original n!


    "Charles! No!"


    Red Prince suddenly felt a new type of change in his own Fate and bellowed in anger and hate.


    For the first time, he felt a strong sense of danger!


    At that moment, Destiny Lady also understood that Charles was the one who created the wholemotion to distract her and became stunned!


    Soon, rage appeared in her scarlet eyes.


    Before they could say another word, Charles lifted his hand, pointed his finger at Red Prince, and spoke.


    "Life Curse."


    A momentter, Red Prince suddenly felt his mortal human body started to weaken.

 Chapter 138: Charless Plan

    <h4>Chapter 138: Charles''s n</h4>


    "Curse Magic?" Destiny Lady turned her gaze towards Charles and squinted her eyes.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s face appeared pale, and he looked like he had aged a little in those few seconds.


    His face seemed to be rougher, and he even had a ck beard now.


    He now looked like 50 to 55-years-old Professor Robert!


    ''I lost 10 years of my lifespan.'' He muttered inwardly.


    But there was a satisfactory smile on his face. He finally achieved his goal.


    Soon, he coughed a little and then turned his gaze towards the Starfall Codex Magic Book.


    In the meantime, the neenth page started to burn fiercely in white me and soon disappeared from there!


    ''Although I can''t use this spell anymore, this is totally worth it.'' He let out a heavy sigh.


    When Charles made his n in the Inner World, he first thought about his future.


    Although he had the system to help him grow faster, he knew that there was a limitation to its abilities.


    Moreover, Charles only had ''High'' level Fire affinity!


    So, he instantly thought of stealing the Ancient Light God''s blood droplet to increase his affinity.


    But that was actually one of his missions, though.


    Charles clearly remembered his weakness and already aware that a terrifying Devil called ''Red Prince'' was searching for him everywhere.


    Although he could fool a normal mage by manipting his thoughts with the power of the Inner World, he wasn''t so sure about his abilities to trick someone like Red Prince.


    Moreover, Red Prince was a being who tricked the Eternal River of Life and reincarnated in this Edhen for whatever reason.


    He must have lived more than thousands of years.


    Would thousands of years old Devile to this World without any backup ns? No.


    Charles knew that Red Prince might have already prepared multiple ns for his future advancement!


    What would happen when he advances to a Rank-5 Existence? He would have an easier time finding Charles and might kill him before he bes a Rank-4 Mage!


    Think about the hidden threat; Charles first thought of creating some big obstacle and dys Red Prince''s future advancement.


    At that moment, he recalled the Starfall Codex Magic Book''s 19th-page curse spell and began to ponder.


    Unlike other spells, this one was a unique Rank-5 Life Curse Spell!


    Moreover, it was a one-time spell with some restrictions.


    To cast the curse spell, he needed a drop of opponent''s blood and also had to spend ten years of his lifespan!


    Charles almost dropped the idea as he saw the one-time spell''s restrictions.


    But when he encountered Lydia ''coincidentally,'' he gained some confidence.


    He then asked the Holem''s Crown''s other abilities and created a backup n if there was a failure.


    Thankfully, Charles somehow managed to seed in his n.


    ''Hmm, next is about my escape. It seems I have to wait for some time.'' Nodding his head, Charles found a safe area to stand and waited.


    At that moment, Red Prince''s face went pale as a white sheet.


    He felt some invisible mark appeared in the depths of his soul and was started sucking his life force!


    "Charles! You-"


    Before he could say another word, Destiny Lady regained her sense and attacked him with ice spears.


    Countless red spears rained down from the dark sky and fell on Red Prince.


    "I will deal with youter." He suddenly spoke in a hateful tone and then turned his gaze towards Destiny Lady.


    At this moment, her ck hair fluttered continuously, and she looked more like an Ice Goddess.


    Up against countless ice spears, Red Prince hurriedly released ck balls of mes and made them hover above his head like a dark, eerie cloud.


    Although those mes managed to burn the icy spears, some managed to escape from those clouds and caused multiple injuries all over his bodies.


    In seconds, Red Prince started to cough violently and then spoke in a bone-chilling voice.


    "In the name of Ror''giren Buzrol, I hereby summon the ''Will'' of First Hell!"


    The next instant, a crack appeared behind him and soon started to expand.


    In a second, the whole pocket dimension began to shake fiercely, causing earthquakes everywhere!


    "Oh? Are you nning to use the Hell ne''s ''Will'' to break this pocket dimension and escape? Naive! Hehe, do you really think I will let you seed?" Destiny Lady instantly saw through his n and smiled.


    But her current smile appeared wicked and eerie!


    Charles suddenly recalled Rh''s warning about the Hell-Fire.


    ''He said that it could even affect one''s mind and turn them into a wicked being.'' He subconsciously turned his gaze towards the surroundings and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ''The [Sun''s re] spell is really useful against these ck mes.''


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady first flew up and let the crystalline blood snake attack Red Prince.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince conjured a terrifying ball of ck me with a radius of 20 diameters and threw it towards the snake.


    Both sides started to battle continuously.


    In mere ten seconds, the ice particles and eerie ck mes were the only ones that covered the nearby areas.


    Stones and sand sttered everywhere and turned the battlefield gloomy.


    Not only that, but some chaotic ck energies also started creeping into the pocket dimension through the crack and started polluting the atmosphere.


    Up against Red Prince''s terrifying ck fire, the monstrous crystalline blood snake stood no chance and was already on the brink of breaking down into ice crystals.


    Charles stared at the crack that appeared behind Red Prince and soon noticed that it had long started spreading to the nearby surroundings. Spatial gaps began to appear in all corners of the pocket dimension.


    ''If Destiny Lady didn''t pull Red Prince out of this pocket dimension, it will crumble in minutes. She has two options now. One is to let Red Prince out of the pocket dimension, but the chance of him escaping from the Tower of Elements is very high. If she did that, it would definitely ruin her reputation, and she might face some difficulty. Moreover, I already stole the Divine''s ''Blood Droplet, so she will definitely face problems soon.''


    ''The second one is to sacrifice this whole pocket dimension and kill Red Prince along with it. Of course, Red Prince might have other trump cards in his sleeves and he might escape through the crack to the Hell ne. Either way, she will be the loser in this battle.'' Charles calmly analyzed the situation and waited for Destiny Lady''s decision.


    Like him, Destiny Lady also realized her situation and fell into deep thoughts.


    Finally, a deep sigh came out of her mouth.


    But she didn''t choose any of those two options, though.


    "Red Prince, you forgot one thing." She smiled all of a sudden.


    That smile gave a bad feeling to both Charles and Red Prince.


    "I''m not alone." She stated with a confident smile on her face.


    The next instant, another three figures appeared in the sky!


    They were the other three Tower Masters!


    All three of them showed confusion at first, and soon they turned their gaze towards Red Prince.


    One was a long, curly blonde-haired woman around 30 years old, while the other two were 60 to 70-year-old men.


    The blonde-haired woman appeared more like a terrifying sun while the other two seemed calm as an ocean.


    The blonde-haired woman had the same scarlet eyes as Destiny Lady and appeared simr facial appearance.


    Meanwhile, both men had deep-blue eyes and appeared around 170 to 180 high. One guy was a ck-haired man, while the other was a white-haired one.


    They appeared more like pr opposites.


    The white-haired man had a long beard and mustache and looked at the surroundings with a tired expression on his face.


    On the other hand, the ck-haired man showed an exciting smile on his face and appeared to be waiting for a battle.


    His face was clean shaved and appeared somewhat wrinkled.


    All three of them wore jade robes and gave off different kinds of auras.


    ''Tower Masters!'' Charles squinted his eyes as he evaded the thick red crystal and then frowned.


    On the other hand, Red Prince''s face turned icy cold.


    He didn''t waste a second before he raised his hand and spoke in an eerie voice.


    "In the name of Ror''giren Buzrol, I hereby summon the ''Will'' of Second Hell!"


    Upon hearing his words, Destiny Lady''s face went deathly pale!


    "F*ck!" She cursed out loud.


    She knew that if another ''Will'' of Hell ne were summoned into this pocket dimension, there would be no hope to save this pocket dimension at all.


    Although the possibility of Red Prince bluffing was high, she didn''t dare to take risks.


    ''It is not worth to sacrifice this dimension to kill some otherworldly creature.'' She nodded inwardly and pulled everyone from the pocket dimension.


    A momentter, Red Prince, Charles, Destiny Lady, and other three Tower masters appeared in arge hall.

 Chapter 139: Bounty

    <h4>Chapter 139: Bounty</h4>


    Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and soon noticed all of them were standing very closer to each other!


    Before he could think, a fierce yellowish me sword appeared in front of his face.


    But at the exact moment, a yellowish transparentyer appeared out of nowhere and blocked the sword.


    Unlike before, now a crack appeared on the yellowishyer!


    ''She is the Tower Master Harley. As expected of a Rank-4 Fire Mage, she can indeed break this spell.''


    Charles took a step back without any dy, cast [Crimson Steps] spell, and backed away.


    Meanwhile, Harley became surprised for a moment and soon turned her attention to Red Prince.


    At that moment, Red Prince also disappeared from there and reappeared 20 feet away from where he stood before.


    He then ced his hand on his chest and inhaled deeply.


    ''I''m at my limit.'' He then coughed twice, took out a green-colored potion vial from his space ring, and drank it.


    "Surrender now, Devil." Harley pointed her sword at Red Prince and said in a cold tone.


    At that moment, the other two tower master also locked their gaze on him and got ready for another battle.


    Only Destiny Lady stood in silence for a moment and soon turned her head towards Charles.


    "You too, Imposter. Dismiss your shield spell and hand over the things you stole from this Tower. We will let you live." She said with a solemn expression on her face.


    "Hoho, you guys are indeed powerful. But to catch me, you need more help."


    Saying so, Charles took out a white card from his space ring and threw it upward.


    "The name is ''Ghost'', Good Luck." He added with a mischievous smile on his face.


    Simultaneously, he focused his attention on the unique mark in the depth of his mind and spoke inwardly.


    ''Mr. Rh, activate the ''Mark of Destination'' forbidden spell now.''


    A secondter, a strange star tattoo appeared on Charles''s wrist area and started to shine.


    The next instant, he disappeared from the hall!


    Neither spatial fluctuation nor any abnormality appeared around Charles before he disappeared from the grand hall.


    It was actually a forbidden Rank-6 spell mark created by the Holem''s Crown toplete his grand scheme of Fake Reincarnation! [Ref. Chapter 54.]


    The artifact spent more than five years creating this spell mark.


    Even if Charles locked in another dimension, the Holem''s Crown could twist the void and pull him away from there while not leaking the spatial fluctuations.


    It was an advanced version of the ''Travel Leap'' spell!


    During the Unexplored Forest incident, Charles used the ''Contract of Imagination'' to trick the artifact andpletely ruined its n. He even enved it using the system''s power and made use of the artifact.


    When he asked about the artifact''s other abilities a few weeks ago, it told him about this strange mark.


    Upon hearing this mark''s effect, he instantly thought of putting it to good use.


    The reason he dared to take such a risk and created multiple ns was mainly because of this strange star mark!


    But when Destiny Lady pulled him and Red Prince into a strange dimension, he got worried inside.


    Although the Holem''s Crown told him that it could even pull him away from another dimension, he didn''t dare to take a risk and waited.


    He waited for her to pull him out from the Blood Pocket Dimension and finally used the chance to escape!


    "What happened?" Destiny Lady dumbly stared at the empty space for a whole two seconds and asked in shock.


    Everyone, including Red Prince, became stunned by the sudden escape and soon nced at each other.


    "Dimension Lock spell is still active, right?" At that moment, the ck-haired man asked with a frown.


    Destiny Lady closed her eyes for a moment and soon spoke while opening her eyes.


    "It is still active." Her eyes showed a confused look.


    "I should also take my leave, then." Red Prince suddenly interjected their conversation and added.


    "Break."


    A momentter, the whole Tower shook for a second and soon returned to normal.


    But unlike before, the Dimension Lock covering the Tower suddenly started to break and soon disappeared.


    Before others could act, Red Prince let out another loud cough and spoke.


    "Fate Shift."


    He also disappeared from there the next moment, leaving the Tower Masters alone in the grand hall.


    At that moment, the card that Charles threw towards the ceiling suddenly started to fall and soon appeared in front of Destiny Lady''s face.


    She swiftly caught the card and started to read the content written on the card.


    "Thanks for the Divine''s Blood Droplet, my darling. -By your secret lover."


    "I''m gonna kill this bastard!" A raging voice came out from her mouth.


    In the meantime, Harley couldn''t hold back herughter andughed out loud.


    "Hahaha, you finally got a secret lover, Natalia."


    "This is not funny, sis." Destiny Lady suppressed her anger and added.


    "We need to find a way and search for his real identity, sister. Why did Amber Church put a curse on him?" She suddenly paused for a moment, closed her eyes, and soon recalled their previous battle.


    "I think that Devil called him using a name¡­ What is it? Ah, yes. It''s Charles." She opened her eyes wide and soon linked her mind with the Tower Spirit.


    Then, she organized her thoughts and spoke.


    ''Gen, search for the people who were cursed by the Amber Church in the nearby kingdoms. After that, see if there is someone named ''Charles'' in that list.''


    ''Yes, Master.'' A monotonous voice echoed in her head.


    In two seconds, a piece of information appeared in her mind.


    "Charles Nightwind, huh." She muttered the name and soon started reading all the information about him.


    "He went to Unexplored Forest and disappeared seven months ago? Then, who is this Devil?" Although she got the basic information about Charles, she still felt clueless about him.


    She soon turned her gaze towards the other Tower Master and asked.


    "How much bounty should we put on his head now?"


    Upon hearing those words, all of them nced at each other and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    A few secondster, Harleybed her curly blonde hair and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Put an amount of 50,000 Moon gold coins on Charles''s head. As for the Devil named ''Red Prince'', send a detailed report to the Sacred Assembly and let the Churches take care of this otherworldly creature. From the looks of it, the Red Devil somehow lost his throne and only posses a small amount of power in the First Layer of Hell."


    "Yes, sister." Destiny Lady nodded her head while the other two men quietly shrugged their shoulders.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, a group of four kids, who were around 13 to 15 years old, walked on a dirt path and seemed to be looking around the surroundings cautiously from time to time.


    They were Jessie, Titus, Rhea, and Noel!


    After they left Chester City, they asked the guards about the right direction to New Town and started their journey.


    It''s been already five hours since they started their journey, but they still couldn''t see a building.


    "It''s already 6 P.M. If we didn''t reach the town before nightfall, we might get into deep trouble-." Jessie suddenly paused as she felt that someone was standing behind her.


    As she was about to turn around, she suddenly felt that her whole body started to freeze for a moment.


    She couldn''t blink her eyes, nor could she make a sound!


    Not only her, but other kids also felt the same feeling and got terrified inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles stood behind her, activated his [Disguise] skill, and changed his appearance into a white-haired old man''s one.


    ''Mr. Rh, you can dismiss the skill now.'' Charles said in his mind.


    A momentter, Jessie and others noticed that they had regained their ability to move.


    On the other hand, Charles shifted his attention towards the Game-Interface and soon raised his eyebrows as he saw a notification.


    [Host obtained a new title called ''Chaos Maker''!]


    [Chaos Maker: You created great chaos in the Moon Kingdom and caused countless losses to Amber Church, Moon Church, and the Royal Family of Moon. This ''Chaos Maker'' title is given to those who walk on the path of destruction and will present you with a slight boost whenprehending any chaos-type skills or magic spells.]


    [Your [Incinerate] spell attack has been raised by 5%!]


    The corner of his lips started to twitch as he saw the list of notifications.


    "You guys did a great job," Charles said in an old man''s voice.

 Chapter 140: Ritual

    <h4>Chapter 140: Ritual</h4>


    "Teacher!" All four of them turned around in unison and shouted in excitement.


    "Did I scare you guys?" Charles let out a chuckle and asked in amusement.


    Meanwhile, Jessie and the other kids made a forced smile and shook their heads.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown in Jessie''s hand flew out on its own and soon formed into a ck cane.


    Charles swiftly caught the cane, gripped the handle, and stood with its support.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Noel as he raised his hand, pointed his finger at the red-gem embedded ring, and spoke.


    "Noel, give that ring. I will do some alteration and add a protect spell matrix in it." He paused for a moment as he saw envious gazes from the other three kids and added.


    "You three would also get something forpleting your personal missions."


    Upon hearing those words, Noel hurriedly took the ring from his finger and passed it to Charles.


    After taking the ring, Charles silently stored it in his space ring and then looked at the surroundings.


    They were currently standing near a small rocky hill, and the surrounding areas were filled with cactus nts, yellow alpine alyssums, bur oak, neem tree, blue fescue, and rocky cresses.


    ''This kingdom really is a dry area.'' He thought.


    Then, he turned his attention towards the western sky and furrowed his brows.


    ''It''s gettingte.''


    He raised his hand, rubbed his chin, and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "We should find a safe ce near this hill and camp here. Traveling during night time is not safer."


    "I also thought of the same, Teacher." Jessie tersely acknowledged and started talking out few long swords from her void pouch.


    "We will gather woods for campfire from the nearby areas." She added.


    "That would be helpful," Charles responded with a pleased smile and soon turned his gaze towards the left side.


    Unlike other areas, that ce appeared clean, as if someone had already removed the weeds and nts.


    "Let''s camp there," Charles said.


    "Teacher, that ce is so close to this dirt road." She hesitated for a moment and soon continued.


    "Some merchant caverns mighte during nighttime and disturb our sleep."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "We are not here to enjoy our sleep,ss. In truth, this ce is most suitable for camping. If we came in some deep areas, we might let our guard down, go into a deep sleep, and get ambushed by bandits or thievester. But if we choose this ce, we will always be half-sleep and would wake up even if we hear a slight noise. During camping outside, one must always be in vignce."


    An awkward smile appeared on Jessie''s face as she realized her mistake and nodded.


    "I learned something new today." She muttered.


    On the other hand, Charles also nodded his head and spoke with a solemn look on his face.


    "You guys go and prepare the campfire. I have some work to do, and I might take two to three hours to return."


    Without waiting for their reply, Charles turned his head towards the small rocky hill and started to walk.


    He crossed many cactus nts and soon arrived near the rocky hill.


    After that, he started climbing on the small hill, reached the t summit, and stopped in front of arge t rock that could almost cover 4 to 5 in diameter.


    Although there were up and down in the rock, Charles didn''t put much thought into it and started his work.


    He first took out a golden-covered book and held it in his hand.


    Then, he went towards the nearby round rock, ced the ck cane beside it, and started walking towards the t rock.


    ''First I have to draw the ritual circle.'' He muttered inwardly, took out a white chalk piece, and started drawing a ritual circle.


    ''After I left the Tower of Elements, my heart is beating abnormally. This is definitely a premonition.'' Charles''s eyes constantly flickered as he entirely focused his attention on drawing the ritual circle.


    If it were a few months ago, he wouldn''t have put much thought into this uneasy feeling. But after he learns more about the Trickster ss, he clearly knew that it was rted to his future.


    His mind started to think at a fast speed as he sensed the urgency.


    ''Someone is targeting me. And, it is definitely those Tower Masters. They might have done countless research about this blood droplet and might be using some method to track the location of the Ancient Light God''s blood droplet.''


    Charles didn''t dare to dy any longer and continued to draw the ritual circle.


    After 10 minutes, he finally finished drawing theplicated ritual circle and tossed the chalk towards his left side.


    He then took out twelve Fire Stones from his space ring and ced them on the ritual circle''s twelve corners.


    After that, he took out twelve Red Fruits and twelve different types of fire-elemental herbs and followed the same procedure.


    Once he ced them in the right ces, he took out twelve candles from his space ring, put them beside the ritual materials, and lit them one by one.


    Following that, Charles took out a red vial, opened it lightly, and let a single drop of a red liquid drop on the burning fire of the candle.


    Once the red droplet touched the fire, the fire turned dense red and started to burn fiercely!


    He went near the next candle without any dy and poured another droplet of red liquid into the fire.


    He patiently did this procedure and soon poured the 12th droplet on the 12th candle.


    After that, he went towards the center of the ritual circle, opened the golden covered book, and started reciting the ritual song.


    The song was filled with different kinds of emotions.


    It ignited some fire in all the nearby living creatures'' hearts!


    The first verse made the creatures feel the deep anger in their hearts.


    The second verse made the creatures feel joy.


    The third verse made the creatures feel sad!


    In seconds, Charles''s melodic voice started to echo in all directions, causing the nearby birds and animals to howl, chirp, and sing in unison!


    The ritual continued for the next five minutes and then ended along with a loud hum!


    At that moment, those red fires in the candles started to spread towards him from all directions and started enveloping him.


    Soon, twelve rings of fire appeared from his head to toe!


    The next moment, Charles saw an unbound invisible power tore through space and descended on the ritual circle.


    He felt a strong impulse to kneel, but he resisted with all his might.


    Soon, a dense reddish firended in front of him and formed into a shape of a humanoid figure.


    Then, the humanoid figure spoke in a strangenguage, but Charles clearly understood its meaning.


    "Sacrifice."


    That was the thought that came to his mind.


    Charles took out the Fire Fiend''s heart without any dy, tossed it towards the reddish humanoid form, bowed his head, and spoke.


    "I request the ''Will'' of Moris Elemental ne to bestow me an elemental imprint."


    Once he finished his words, the humanoid reddish figure moved its right hand and sent out a small red thread towards him.


    Before Charles could blink, he felt arge fire-imprint appeared in the depth of his Inner World!


    It appeared more like arge magic circle!


    In an instant, a dense amount of fire elemental energies wereing through the elemental imprint, entering the Inner World, and caused major changes!

 Chapter 141: Genius Level Affinity

    <h4>Chapter 141: Genius Level Affinity</h4>


    Before the ''Will'' could withdraw from Edhen, Charles suddenly took out the red-droplet embedded ring.


    Upon sensing the power hidden in the Blood Droplet, the reddish humanoid figure suddenly stopped its movement and focused its attention on the blood droplet.


    ''The ne''s ''Will'' really seem to have emotions.'' Charles raised his hand and tossed it towards the reddish humanoid figure.


    Once the ringnded on the humanoid figure, a bright light appeared!


    It was so dazzling that it caused Charles to shut his eyes voluntarily!


    After two seconds, the brightness started to diminish and soon absorbed into the reddish humanoid figure.


    "State your request, mortal." The ''Will'' of Fire Elemental ne asked in a strange tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "I want you to increase my Fire Affinity."


    "Request epted." The same strange voice came from the reddish humanoid figure.


    A momentter, it raised its hand, created a drop of yellowish liquid, and sent it towards his chest.


    The yellowish ball flew slowly and soonnded on Charles''s body.


    The next instant, a yellowish fire started to spread and covered his whole body!


    Simultaneously, he felt a sharp pain from the depths of his mind as he shut his eyes in pain.


    Like a stabbing needle, the pain continued to remain for the next few seconds and then disappeared.


    When he opened his eyes, there was no humanoid figure remain on the ritual circle.


    At that moment, he suddenly felt a strange sensation and felt like he was reborn as new!


    ''Even though my body is bathing in fire, I didn''t even feel any pain at all. No, I''m feeling veryfortable.''


    Simultaneously, he also felt some deep understanding of the yellowish fire.


    While he was in muse, Charles suddenly saw a few notifications in front of his eyes and soon widened his eyes.


    [Host''s mind is currently entering into an enlightened state!]


    [Host''s [me Body] spell model is being upgraded]


    [Please standby¡­]


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the twelve fire rings started to circle and soon entered his body.


    In a second, those twelve circles entered his mind and soon appeared in front of the [me Body] spell model.


    Charles hurriedly sat on the t rock, closed his eyes, and soon entered the Inner World.


    In a second, Charles appeared in front of the [me Body] spell model and soon widened his illusionary eyes.


    At that moment, multiple fire threads starteding out from those twelve fire circles and entered the spell model one by one.


    This process continued for the next five minutes, and soon those twelve circles got wholly absorbed into the spell model.


    A momentter, the spell model shone in bright light and appearedrger than the previous one.


    It looked like a web-like hexagonal-shaped red crystal!


    When Charles thought that the whole process was over, suddenly a long red lightning-like streak came out from the spell model and directly entered his body!


    Confusion appeared on Charles''s face and soon turned into a shock.


    At that moment, he felt that his whole body was electrocuted all of a sudden!


    Then, the streak of red lightning turned into minute lines and entered every part of his body.


    After that, those lines turned invisible and then disappeared!


    Charles instantly looked below and checked what the changes that appeared in the depths of his Inner World were.


    Unlike before, the whole world was now filled with dense elemental energy.


    Those energies even affected some of his illusions and turned most of the illusionary ces into fire-rted ones.


    ''No, those memories are still in my mind. The only change is that my whole Inner World seemed to be merging into one single world. Is it due to my Fire Mage ss?'' He pondered.


    Charles soon withdrew his consciousness and opened his eyes.


    Soon, he grinned as he saw a notification.


    [Rank-1 me Body spell model has been upgraded to Rank-2 Elemental Body spell model!]


    He stood up from the t rock and opened his arms wider.


    ''Let''s see how much fire I can control without casting the spells.'' He nodded thoughtfully and conjured a ball of fire.


    It soon erged into a 1-meter radius, then to a 5-meter radius, and soon formed into a 10-meter radius in size.


    With a simple thought, that giant fireball started to change shape and form arge bird-like structure!


    ''This¡­'' He stared at the terrifying bird with a wide gaped mouth and soon waved his hand.


    The monstrous bird started to shrink in size a momentter and condensed into a dark reddish spear.


    ''I can''t control this condensed me spear for a long time. Hmm, this spear seems to hold equal power as the ones Destiny Lady released during the battle. But unlike her, I can hardly produce one from my Inner World. If my guess is right, this spear might have the power to destroy any Rank-3 defensive spell.'' His amber eyes shone in excitement as he studied the spear.


    ''But there is also a drawback, though. When using this type of raw elemental power to create a spear, it is taking too much energy and draining my mental power. If I use this twice, I won''t be able to cast spell models at all.'' Charles thought inwardly and started walking towards the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Can you check my current affinity level?'' He asked in excitement as he arrived in front of the circr rock and took the cane.


    ''Okay, I will check now.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in his mind and soon went silent.


    After a whole minute of long silence, the Holem''s Crown let out a sigh and spoke in his mind.


    ''Excellent, you have ''Genius'' level Fire Affinity now.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles subconsciously smiled.


    ''There are still two more levels, Prodigy and Divine. If I want to increase my affinity again, I think I need more than a drop of God''s blood. Well, this is not something I should worry about it now.'' He muttered inwardly and then turned his gaze towards the ritual area.


    Letting out a heavy sigh, he spent some time cleaning the ritual circle and started climbing down from the small rocky hill.


    By the time he reached the campsite, the sky had long turned dark.


    As he went near the campfire, he saw that the kids sat near the campfire and were in the middle of discussing something.


    But once they noticed his arrival, they stood up in a hurry and nced at each other.


    Before Charles could ask about their sneaky behavior, Jessie took out a grey fur rabbit from her void pouch and gave it to Charles.


    "Titus killed it a while ago and we thought of grilling this rabbit for dinner, Teacher. But we didn''t know how to skin and clean."


    Furrowing his brows, Charles took the rabbit from her hand, checked the neck region, and nodded.


    After that, he took out a sharp silver knife, a can of water, and some other materials from his space ring.


    Then, he made a swift cut and removed the fur and skin. After that, he used the knife to make a perfect incision and started removing the waste materials like intestines, galldder, pancreas, etc.


    After that, he washed the meat with water thrice and started cutting it into small pieces.


    On the other hand, the kids watched his action with wide eyes and even started asking questions about skinning.


    While answering their questions, Charles started to think deeply about his next goal.


    ''What is my next goal? I already increased my affinity level, so I can rx a bit and started to focus on increase my strength. I currently have 2852 Exp points, so my next job is to find a safe ce and farm Exp from the Fire Elemental ne. Then, I will focus onprehending the spell models and Rank Up.''


    ''My next question is about the game system. When I nned such a grand scheme, it didn''t give any new quest and remained dead. Why is that? Does it only send out quest missions when my life is truly in danger?'' A frown appeared on his face as he took out a separate te and ced four legs on it.


    ''It seems so. During thest mission, I haveplete control over the whole situation. Although Destiny Lady pulled us into a strange Blood Pocket Dimension and caused some change in my n, I still had the [Mark of Destination] spell mark as a backup.'' He nodded his head in enlightenment.


    ''Now is about my current situation. Staying here in this Moon Kingdom is not an option. Although the Tower Masters still didn''t found any clues about how I stole the Divine''s Blood droplet, it won''t long before they find out the truth. Once they invite a [Historian] ss Mystic and check the past, they will definitely find some odd about Rhea and Noel. After that, they will also get suspicious about our disappearance and would start arge-scale search.'' Charles''s gaze soon moved towards Rhea.


    ''Should I go to the Iron Kingdom? Yeah, that seems to be the best choice for me.'' He nodded inwardly and gave the rabbit meat to Jessie.

 Chapter 142: A New Quest

    <h4>Chapter 142: A New Quest</h4>


    Once Charles gave the cleaned rabbit meat, he took out a mat from his space ring, ced it on the ground, and sat on it in a cross-legged position.


    Then, he patiently waited for the kids to finish their cooking.


    Thirty minutester, Jessie appeared in front of him and gave him arge te of grilled rabbit meat.


    Although they didn''t put any seasoning, Charles didn''t mind it and started eating slowly.


    While eating, he suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "Rhea, what do you think about the Iron Kingdom?"


    His question caused Rhea to freeze in shock for a moment. She hurriedly took a bite of the grilled steak and spoke in confusion.


    "My memory is vivid, Teacher. Although I don''t recall my parents'' or my siblings'' names or their faces, I still remember some images of ces and their voices. I sometimes dreamed about them in the past and even had dinners with them once, but when I woke up, that dream disappeared from my memory. It''s like a fog. I always told these things to our Blood Priest, and he even went on his own few times to search for clues." She paused for a moment and soon added with a bitter smile on her face.


    "But even he couldn''t find the ces from my vivid memories."


    Charles went silent as he heard those words and soon asked with a strange smile on his face.


    "Do you believe in Fate,ss?"


    A surprised expression appeared on Rhea''s face as she pondered for a whole ten seconds and soon shook her head.


    "I don''t know, Teacher. But if there is really something like Fate in this world, then why did it make me lose most of my memories? Who controls this Fate? God? If so, then who is the one who controls the Fate among the thirteen Lawful Gods?" Her questions surprised everyone.


    "Aren''t you a firm believer of Moon God?" Charles raised his brows and asked in surprise.


    "That was a few months ago. When Jessie almost got killed by the security guard, no God came to help us. Instead, it was you who helped us, Teacher." Rhea said in a solemn tone.


    But there were confusion, anxiety, and anger appeared in her eyes.


    "What if my arrival was decided by the Fate?" Charles stared deep into her eyes and asked.


    For a moment, her whole body stiffened up.


    She soon regained her calm and asked with a surprised look on her face.


    "Are you saying that our meeting was predestined, Teacher?"


    Hearing her words, Charles wore a troubled look, gazed at the eerie dark red sky, and spoke with a profound look on his face.


    "I''m nothing but an old man,ss. How would I know about those unfathomable things? But thinking about our meeting, I would say it might be a predestined one. I have a feeling that you are bound to achieve great things in the future." He suddenly paused for a moment and then added.


    "I forgot to tell you about our next destination. It is the Iron Kingdom."


    "Are we going to search for my parents, Teacher?" Rhea''s face brightened all of a sudden.


    "That''s your quest. I''m on a quest to search for my grandchild." Charles took a deep breath and said with a sigh.


    This time, Jessie, Noel, and Titus also stopped eating and started listening to their conversation.


    "Grandchild? What is his name? Why are you searching for him?" Rhea also got curious and asked in interest.


    "His name is Charles. He did something terrible and is currently wanted by many people. But he is a good child in heart. I''m on a quest to search for him and bring him back to my home." Charles paused for a moment and soon added while shaking his head.


    "Let''s not talk about him. I''m starting to have a headache whenever I think of his past actions."


    Meanwhile, all of them nodded their heads and started eating their food in silence.


    Once everyone had their dinner, Charles told the kids to rest and checked the game interface.


    ''Except for the corresponding spell of Crimson Steps spell, I have already constructed all other spell models.'' He nodded inwardly and turned his attention to the attribute point.


    ''I still haven''t spent thest free attribute point.'' He narrowed his eyes as he put the free attribute point to the constitution attribute and started to check his body status.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Affected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Half-Shifter


    Main ss: Level 5 Fire Weaver (0/3,844) [Rank-2]


    Sub-ss: Level 1 Mischievous Man (0/5767) [Rank-3]


    Title: Chaos Maker


    Health Points: 231/231


    Exp: 2852 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 18


    Dexterity- 18


    Constitution- 18


    Wisdom-30


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 21


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Red Wings (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Incinerate (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Completed) [5% Extra boost due to the presence of Chaos power in this spell model.]


    Elemental Body (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Crimson Robe (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Fire Seed (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Soul Heal (Rank-2 spell- Iplete)


    Crimson Steps (Rank-1 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Mystery- 102


    Face-Change- 110


    Vision- 102


    Unique skills:


    Cryptic Analysis- 102


    Conceal- 52


    Dark Vision- 46


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 36


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]


    ''Good.'' He smiled lightly, closed the game interface, and stood on guard for the whole night.


    Although some caravan passed along with some guards or adventurers, nobodyes to their campsite to look for trouble.


    Soon, the darkness started to fade away and soon reced with dawn light.


    Once he saw the light, he woke them up and told them to get ready. When the sun was about to ascend, the group packed their belongings and started their journey.


    They first went to New Town and brought a carriage and two horses for 35 gold coins. Thankfully, Noel had some knowledge of driving carriages, so he took the driving job and started tying the horses to the carriage tug.


    The horse-drawn carriage was a four-wheeled vehicle with leather suspension and created specifically for long travel.


    Once they hopped on the carriage, Noel took a long whip, whipped the horses, and drove the carriage out of the New Town.


    After that, the carriage started moving towards the direction where the Iron Kingdom was located!


    They continued their journey while stopping at many ces to rest and feed the horses and finally reached the Border City of Moon Kingdom on March 13.


    After that, they crossed the border by paying some gold coins to the guards and soon entered the territory of the Iron Kingdom.


    Unlike the Moon Kingdom, the Iron Kingdom appeared greener and was filled with farnds and woods.


    Once they entered the territory of Iron Kingdom, Charles chose a suitable town called Helm Ville to settle.


    Unlike other cities, this town was an isted one and was ruled by a Baron named Dormer.


    He was a lowkey Baron, who doesn''t connect with other noble circles, and ruled this small town for more than 20 years.


    It was a town with only a poption of 20 thousand.


    Charles sat behind the driver seat and watched the nearby trees and shrubs as the carriage arrived in front of a tall wooden gate.


    Unlike Riverdale City and Chester City, there were no tall walls around this town at all.


    Instead, a two-meter-tall wooden wall was the only thing that encircled the town.


    "What would these people do if the Moon Kingdom tries to invade all of a sudden?" Titus asked while raising his brows.


    At that moment, the wooden entrance gate opened with a screeching noise, and soon two armored leather men appeared from the other side.


    One was a lean man in histe twenties, while the other was a bald man in histe thirties. Both wore old linen clothes and appeared paler. Their eyes were red and swollen for whatever reasons, and a few footmarks could be seen on their dresses.


    At that moment, Charles''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    A quest notification popped up in front of his eyes!


    ¡­


    [Main Quest: Save the Iron Kingdom from its doom!]


    [Quest Description: A mysterious force is manipting behind the scene and is trying to induce fear and panic among the citizens. Save the kingdom and give the kingdom''s authority to the rightful owner.]


    [Mission Deadline: 5 Years 3 Months 12 Days.]


    [Mission Reward: 75,000 Exp Points, and Goddess ******''s gift!]


    [Mandatory Quest]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm? Save the kingdom? A vague description with no clue behind it and a Mysterious force, huh. Moreover, this is a Compulsory Quest?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon turned his attention to the reward section.

 Chapter 143: Helm Ville

    <h4>Chapter 143: Helm Ville</h4>


    ''75,000 Exp is not a small amount. Not only that, the other reward is something more than extraordinary.''


    ''This mission is definitely a dangerous one. But, there is still more than 5 years toplete it, so I can take it slowly.'' He silently put the mission on hold and turned his attention to the guards.


    The bald man asked a few questions about their visit and soon let them in.


    Noel whipped the horses and soon drove the carriage into the town.


    Meanwhile, Charles and the kids looked at the surroundings and nced at the unique cottages, huts, and tiny houses in interest.


    At the house entrances, red human face masks were hung and gave off an eerie feeling. Not only those, Charles and the kids even saw few pumpkins hung in front of the houses!


    "Helm Ville¡­ This town appears very unique." Charles muttered slowly and soon turned his attention to a lone tall building at the town center.


    No, it was a stone temple!


    Charles stared at the temple''s peak, then towards the dome, and soon focused his attention on the tower.


    Multiple human sculptures were carved on the tower and appeared very beautiful.


    "Strange¡­ Why there is a temple in this town? Moreover, why there are no Churches in this town?" His eyes scanned the surrounding areas, and soon he asked in surprise.


    At that moment, Jessie pushed the brown curtain and spoke with a thoughtful look on her face.


    "I once heard that the Kingdom of Iron still worships their ancestors as Gods. Although there are some churches in few cities, there are no believers at all. So, it''s not a strange thing for Churches to not present in such remote Town, Teacher."


    "That''s surprising. Then, what about those peoples?" Charles nodded his head and turned his gaze towards a group of 10 people who sat under the shadow of arge tree.


    Three luxuriously dressed men sat on metal chairs, while other men, who wore old linen clothes, sat on the ground while massaging the luxuriously dressed men''s hands and legs.


    "The well-dressed men belong to Ruler caste, while the remaining members belong to Subordinate caste, Teacher." This time, it was Rhea who spoke those words from inside.


    "Oh? Can you exin more about this caste thing?" Charles turned his head around and asked at her in surprise.


    In the meantime, Rhea wore a solemn look and started to speak.


    "During the past two years, I do gather some information about the Iron Kingdom and knew about this caste system. This system started a few millenniums ago and is still followed by the people of the Iron Kingdom. Most of themoners, slum people should belong to this Subordinate Caste while the Mystics, Nobles, and other high-ss peoples should belong to the Ruler Caste. A subordinate caste man must obey the Ruler caste ones'' words and also have to follow certain types of strict rules."


    "A Subordinate Caste man should never sit when a Ruler Caste people are standing. Even if the Ruler Caste people are sitting in a chair, the subordinate caste man should sit on the ground. Otherwise, thetter will face deadly consequences."


    "Consequences?" Noel suddenly interjected their conversation as he parked the carriage near an inn and jumped down from his seat.


    "Yes, there are consequences like isting the other party from the rest of the people, stripping his right to buy necessaries in the market, and so on. He will basically have to move out of the town and live in the wild. Although there are no terrifying monsters in the nearby woods, it''s still dangerous outside for a powerless mortal." Rhea paused for a moment and then added in a solemn tone.


    "This is just an iceberg. There are more things a subordinate caste man has to follow like he can''t walk into Ruler Caste man''s house, bow their heads whenever the other party walks past him and so on."


    "Isn''t it basically pure discrimination? Why aren''t the churches interfering in this matter?" Noel showed a dissatisfying expression on his face.


    "Humph, what can they do? ughter all the Ruler Caste people? Almost one-third of the citizens belong to Ruler Caste. If they did something like that, it will only induce fear in the citizens'' minds. No, it might cause other kingdoms to wary of the churches'' influences. In truth, the former King of Iron Kingdom implemented so many interesting ideas to reduce the discriminations and gave equal rights to the subordinate caste people. But still, he couldn''t achieve his goal before he was assassinated two years ago. You can''t change the peoples'' mindset in few years, Noel. You have to do it step by step."


    Charles also listened to her words and soon climbed down from the carriage.


    After that, he stood with the support of a ck cane and asked Jessie toe out from the carriage. Then, he asked her to follow after him and started walking into the Inn, leaving Noel and Rhea to argue about the strange caste system.


    Once he walked in, Charles saw the Inn owner in the reception hall, who was in the middle ofbing her dark blue hair.


    The Inn owner was ady in her thirties and had ck eyes, a round face, and a lean body.


    "Can we get any house for rent in this town, child?" He went near her and asked in a calm voice.


    Upon hearing his old voice, the woman stopped her hand, turned her gaze towards Charles, and asked in a strange ng.


    "Foreigner? It looks like you guys just arrived here. For how long do you guys n to stay here in this town?"


    Although it was still a Laka Language, he needed some time to understand the words from her mouth.


    "Six months," Charles responded after a short pause.


    The woman nodded her head and spoke.


    "You can go to Strangers Street and look for a man named Finn. He will show you the best house in that street." She suddenly paused for a moment and then asked.


    "Are you guys Mystics?"


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows and then nodded his head.


    "Then, you will have an easier time getting houses. But be careful during the nighttime, though. There is a rumor going all over the kingdom that ghosts are appearing at many ces and kidnapping peoples randomly. There are also a lot of murders happening these days, so many foreigners are returning to their own kingdoms."


    ''And, here I got some strangepulsory mission to save this kingdom.'' Charles let out a bitterugh and nodded his head.


    Then, he turned around and started walking out of the Inn while Jessie followed after him slowly.


    Soon, they went near the carriage and noticed that Rhea and Noel were still arguing about the caste system.


    "You guys can argue about that topicter." Charles went near Noel, ced his hand on his shoulder, and added.


    "Let''s go. We have to find a good house before the dusk appears."


    At that moment, a loud nging sound echoed from their right side, followed by the loud cry of a woman.


    "Your Highness!"

 Chapter 144: Memories

    <h4>Chapter 144: Memories</h4>


    Charles and the kids turned around in unison and soon saw a ck-haired woman, who was around 25-years-old, dropped a new iron table from her hand and was staring at them with a shocked expression on her face.


    No, her gaze was locked entirely on Rhea''s face!


    She had round brown eyes, an oval face, and her hair appeared messier. She wore ragged clothes, revealing legs, arms, and some part of her chest region, and seemed pale as a ghost.


    At that moment, Rhea suddenly spoke.


    "I forgot to mention that very still hadn''t been abolished in this kingdom. Only nobles and royalties own ves, and had full authority over their lives-"


    Before she could say another word, a slightly obese man appeared behind the ck-haired woman and kicked her in the back.


    He wore a golden-lined silk gown and looked around 40 to 45 years old.


    Due to the powerful kick, the ck-haired woman stumbled forward and soon fell in front of the kids.


    Even though her master had kicked her, her gaze was still locked on Rhea''s face, and soon she revealed a happy smile on her face!


    "I''m d you are still alive, Your Highness!"


    Saying so, she closed her eyes and then fell unconscious.


    ''So clich¨¦. As I thought, there seems to be some connection with my mission, fate, and this strange incident.'' Charles frowned in suspicion.


    ''If I''m not wrong, Blood Priest and Aurora should be the ones whoe along with these kids and caused some changes in the Iron Kingdom. But my appearance interfered with fate and caused a great variation. When I found out about Rhea''s original identity, I always thought something went wrong¡­''


    ''No, it''s not that something went wrong, but I unknowingly influenced their fate and created some alteration. Still, fate seems to have some mysterious power to pull them back to the original timeline. If not, I wouldn''t have thought ofing to this kingdom. Then, there is the system''s mission.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''Nope. I will only involve myself in this sh*t after Ranking Up.'' As the thought whirled his mind, Charles raised his hand and cast a ''Fire Seed'' spell on the obese man.


    "What did you hear from her just now?" He asked in a cold tone.


    As the obese man was about to respond, but he suddenly forgot the answer!


    Charles didn''t even give him any time and asked further.


    "Who is she?"


    At that moment, countless memories about the ck-haired woman appeared in the obese man''s mind.


    But the next instant, the purplish seed-like fire began to expand and devoured all those memories in a blink.


    ''Her name is Ashley¡­ He brought her from a ve trader one year ago for 21 gold coins¡­He took a liking to her body in the beginning and continued to have sex all day¡­Sex¡­Sex¡­ It then turned into violent sex¡­ He continued to torture her sexually and even beat her up¡­ Ashley became weak due to insufficient strength and couldn''t satisfy his sexual desire after a few months¡­ She then became his tool forbor work¡­'' A heavy sigh leaked out from Charles''s mouth as he read those memories.


    ''What a f*cked up magic world.'' He shook his head, gripped the ck cane, and squatted down with its support.


    After that, he ced his callus hand over her back and cast his [Soul Heal] spell on her.


    A bluish-green me conjured in front of his hand and soon covered her body.


    Then, the fire started to burn fiercer and started healing her body from inside.


    Upon witnessing the magical scene, the obese man''s expression froze.


    "Mage!" His body shuddered in fear.


    Although he was a Rank-1 Mystic, he could feel that the opposite party was a high-ranked one and got scared.


    Without any dy, he bowed his head towards Charles in respect, turned around, and ran away from there!


    Even the Ruler caste men, who sat under the tree, stood up in a hurry and showed their respect as they saw the bluish-green me.


    On the other hand, Charles stood up and waited for Ashley to wake up.


    Two minutester, a groan leaked out of her mouth, and soon she sat up with a confused look on her face.


    Soon, she shifted her gaze towards Rhea and started to let out a smile.


    That smile was filled with grief, helplessness, and joy.


    "O the Spirit of the Sky! Her Highness is still alive. It is not a dream!" She looked up at the reddish sky and muttered loudly, causing the nearby people to nce at each other in confusion.


    She soon regained her senses and looked around while shivering uncontrobly.


    At that moment, Rhea ced her hand on Ashley''s shoulder and said in a soothing voice.


    "You can rest assured, My Lady. He won''t trouble you anymore."


    "Y-Your Highness! You don''t recognize me?" Ashley''s face suddenly turned stiff.


    Before Rhea could give a response, Charles waved his hand and spoke.


    "Get in the carriage. We will talk more about itter." He paused for a moment and then added while pointing his finger at Ashley.


    "You too, woman. It''s an order."


    Upon hearing those cold words, Ashley went dumbfounded for a moment and nodded her head hurriedly.


    Although she didn''t understand her current situation, she didn''t dare to say anything and stood up with some difficulty.


    After that, she covered her exposed right breast with her ragged clothing, followed after others, and soon entered the wooden horse-drawn carriage.


    Noel also climbed towards the driver seat, sat on it, and drove the carriage to Strangers Street.


    Once they reached their destination, they asked a random man about Finn and soon found his right house.


    Then, Charles and Jessie walked out of the carriage, went to his house, and asked him about renting houses.


    Finn was a 25-year old young man and had an average height.


    After hearing their requests, he directly told about a few renting houses and even exined everything about the houses in detail.


    "We will choose the house in Bark Street." Charles didn''t take much time to choose and spoke.


    "45 Gold Coins for six months, My Lord," Finn said in an anxious tone.


    Meanwhile, Jessie took out a bag of gold coins from her void and gave him the right amount before getting the house key.


    ¡­


    Thirty minutester, a horse-drawn carriage entered Barn Street and soon stopped in front of a single-storied brick house with multiple rooms, arge garden, and a separate, underground basement.


    "Noel, tie the horses in front of the house after parking the carriage in the yard. From now on, you are responsible for maintaining these horses." Charles said as he walked out from the carriage.


    "Yes, Teacher," Noel grumbled in a low voice.


    "Don''t get discouraged,d. If not for these two guys'' help, we would be still in the Moon Kingdom. Feed them regrly." Charles added as he arrived in front of the wooden fence and opened the wooden gate.


    "What should I feed, Teacher?"


    Charles furrowed his brows as he stepped on the dirt path and spoke.


    "You can ask about that to the ck-haired womanter. She must have some experience in this field."


    Meanwhile, Ashley, Rhea, and the other two kids walked out of the carriage and soon appeared behind Charles and Noel.


    "Why did you call me as ''Your Highness'', My Lady?" Rhea gave her a suspicious look at Ashley and asked with a solemn look on her face.


    Ashley''s expression went daze for a moment, and soon she asked.


    "Y-Your Highness, did you really not remember anything about your past?"


    "I do recall some memories. But all of them are vague." Rhea responded with a bitter smile.


    While speaking, the group walked forward and soon arrived in front of the house entrance.


    Jessie took out the iron key, unlocked the wooden door, and walked into the single-storied brick house.


    Soon, the group entered the main hall and ced their luggage on the chairs.


    Before Charles could allocate the suitable rooms, Rhea turned her gaze towards Ashley and asked.


    "Who are my parents?"


    "They are thete King and Queen of the Iron Kingdom, Your Highness."


    "Anne¡­" Rhea suddenly muttered a word and soon got confused.


    "That''s Her Majesty''s name, Your Highness. Her full name is Anne Bonere." Ashley said in a solemn tone.


    The room returned to a pin-drop silence!


    Rhea instantly gripped her head and started to cry due to pain. She felt that she had heard those names countless times before and got confused.


    The next instant, a sharp pain appeared from the depth of her mind, followed by her loud screech!


    Like a broken dam, the previously sealed memories suddenly broke away from the shackles and appeared in front of her eyes one by one.


    Her whole body trembled all of a sudden!


    "Mom¡­Dad¡­" She wore a shocked expression as she skimmed through those new memories and soon spoke with a disbelief look on her face.


    "Blood Priest is the one who kidnapped me? Why did he do that? Moreover, that assassination incident¡­ Did my mom and dad get killed that night?" Shocking information appeared in front of her mind one by one.


    She stood there with a dubious look on her face for a whole minute and soon regained her calm.


    "Why did blood priest kidnap me and brought me to the Moon Kingdom? What is his aim?"

 Chapter 145: True Monarch

    <h4>Chapter 145: True Monarch</h4>


    "Impossible! Our Blood Priest is not a bad person." Noel shook his head and refused to believe her words.


    "If he really is the one who kidnapped you, why would he do something like that? We all know that he is a firm believer of Moon and never even told any lies to us, right?" Even Jessie became shocked inside and asked in a grave tone.


    "Sister, do you still remember what Blood Priest told us about our parents?" Suddenly, Titus ced his hands on the chair for support and asked in a grave tone.


    "He said that our parents died during a beast tide when I was five," Jessie responded with a confused look on her face.


    "If so, why can''t you recall our parents'' faces? Even when you asked about it to Blood Priest, he always changed the topic." Titus said in a deep voice.


    "What about me then?" Noel suddenly paused for a moment and continued with a sharp tone.


    "I still have the memory of my parents, though."


    Charles suddenly went near the woodendder-back hair, sat on it, and asked.


    "How did your parents die?"


    His question surprised everyone. Nobody thought that their Teacher would show interest in the sudden kidnapping case.


    Meanwhile, Noel crossed his arm together and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "They were died due to an unknown disease, Teacher. It happened four years ago."


    "When did Blood Priest picked you up?" Charles raised his brows and further questioned him.


    "Two weeks after their death. At that time, other vigers got scared of the unknown disease and thought that the disease might get transmitted to them through me. So, they threatened me to leave the vige. If Blood Priest didn''te that time to rescue me, I would have long died by their hands."


    "Don''t you find anything odd about his arrival now?" This time, it was Rhea who asked the question.


    "What''s so odd about it?" Noel wore a nk look on his face and soon narrowed his eyes.


    "Are you saying that Blood Priest was the cause of my parents'' death?"


    "It is possible,d. Think about it. If it was before, I would have thought of his arrival as a coincidental one. But after hearing Rhea''s earlier words, I''m inclining to believe that he might have some hidden motive." Charles said in a deep tone, causing the room to turn dead silent.


    Nobody spoke a word for another five minutes and stood there with solemn expressions on their faces.


    After ncing at the kids'' faces for some time, Charles tapped the floor using the ck cane and spoke.


    "It doesn''t matter if he is a good guy or a bad guy. What you have to do now is to think about your own future." Charles suddenly turned his gaze towards Ashley and asked.


    "Who are you? Tell me more about you."


    "I''m one of the Queen''s personal maids, My Lord. I-" Suddenly, she froze for a moment and soon noticed that she unknowingly forgot what to say next.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly stood up, nodded his head, and spoke.


    "I believe you. From now onwards, you are responsible for cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes." He paused for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards Jessie and the other kids.


    "You guys should utilize the free time and train your skills. We will be staying here in this town for more than six months, so don''t waste this good opportunity."


    Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards the nearby empty room.


    Within a minute, he arrived in front of a wooden door, ced his hand on the handle, turned it to the left, and opened the door.


    After that, he walked into the small empty room and then looked around.


    ''Hmm, the owner seems to have cleaned the rooms regrly. But why didn''t he put a single cot in this room.'' He grumbled as he took out a mat from his space ring and ced it on the floor. After that, he also took out a pillow, a quilt, and a bed seat from his ring and arranged them in order.


    ''I should take some rest before going to explore the Fire Elemental ne.'' He nodded inwardly, went near the wooden door, and locked the door from inside.


    Then, hey on the mat and started to take some rest.


    ¡­


    In the Main Hall, Jessie and other kids also regained their calm and started to ponder with deep looks on their faces.


    The truth about Blood Priest caused their faces to turn gloomier.


    "What should we do now? Can we even trust our Teacher now?" Rhea asked with a frown on her face.


    "I trust himpletely, Rhea. If not for his help, I might not be still talking with you guys now." Jessie straightened her back and said in a firm tone.


    "I too agree with my sister. Our Teacher doesn''t need our help at all. In a sense, we are just a burden to him." Titus also nodded in agreement.


    "That''s why I''m feeling a little suspicious about him," Rhea said with aplicated look on her face.


    At this moment, Ashley nced at the other kids, then towards Rhea, and spoke in a low voice.


    "Your Highness, it might be an opportunity for you to regain your honor. From your earlier words, I can tell that your Teacher seems to be a powerful mage. Why not make an agreement with him and ask him to help you ascend to the throne?"


    "Ascend to the throne?" Jessie and Titus asked in a bbergasted tone.


    "Yes, youngdy. Rhea Bonere is a Second Princess and also a rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom. Before I tell you about other things, I will give you guys some exnation about Royal lineages and some of the rules to be a monarch. Ourte King Edgar had three wives, one was the Queen, and the other two were consorts. And, he had a total of four daughters and three sons."


    "Among these kids, there was one girl who shined in talent and caring. Her name was Mia and she was the first child of our Queen Anna. She was well-versed in swordsmanship, and fire magic. She was an exact copy of our King in many aspects, so every citizen, mostly the Subordinate Caste members, loved her most. At that time, everyone believed that she would be the next monarch of this Iron Kingdom."


    "Unlike other kingdoms, to be a true Ruler of this Iron Kingdom, one needs to get the approval of four ancestral spirits. It was an ancient tradition. Three years ago, the first princess Mia went toplete some personal mission and unexpectedly met one of the ancestral spirits in the woods. Not only that, she even got approval from that spirit and started searching for other spirits. In six months, she gained the approval of other three spirits in secrecy and returned to the Castle as a True Monarch."


    "But the tworge nobles'' factions opposed it firmly and did not acknowledge a girl as their ruler. Even the Royal faction got sided with those nobles and refused to listen to King''s and Queen''s words. Yes, they directly opposed the King''s words! Not only them, but even the mages of Iron Kingdom also turned their back against their own King and did not respond to his call. This incident shook the whole kingdom." Ashley suddenly paused for a moment to take a deep breath.


    "What happened next?" Noel sat on thedder-back chair and asked in an excited tone.


    Meanwhile, Ashley nodded her head and started talking with a solemn look on her face.


    "Everyone soon realized that the Ruler Caste members'' opposition was not due to a girl bing a monarch, but due to King Edger''s previous rules. If First Princess became their next monarch, they knew that she would also suppress them like her father and might give more freedom to the Subordinate caste members. So, they revolted directly and even invited a few Churches to be the middlemen."


    "In the end, King and Queen were betrayed by their own subordinates. Two years ago, hundreds of masked figures entered the Royal Castle and started a massacre. Princess Mia, Our King Edger, and Queen Anna died on that night. As for the other two consorts'' children, there was not even a single scratch appeared on their bodies at all."


    "Why didn''t they kill me?" Rhea suddenly interjected.


    "That''s because someone kidnapped you even before the assassination, Your Highness. I heard that Nobles and the Royal faction members even used some divinations to search for your location, but they found no clue at all." Ashley said with a solemn tone.


    ''Blood Priest¡­ Did he save me? No, he might be ordered by someone else! Then, who is the real culprit behind my kidnapping?'' He tilted her head in confusion.


    ''Fate!''


    At that moment, a single word appeared in her mind, causing her to shudder all of a sudden.


    ''Could it be Teacher''s words are true?'' An absurd thought appeared in her mind!


    Soon, she took a long breath to calm her mind and asked with a serious look on her face.


    "This kingdom is already in the hands of Ruler caste members. Do you think they would let me live once they found out that I''m still alive?"

 Chapter 146: Churches scheme

    <h4>Chapter 146: Churches'' scheme</h4>


    For the first time, a smile appeared on Ashley''s face.


    "That''s where thing became interesting, Your Highness. After the assassination incident, a few Churches like Wisdom Church, Storm Church, Amber Church, Day and Night Church, and Truth Church took that as an opportunity to interfere and med the nobles and the royal factions for their cowardly act."


    "Not only that, but they even told them that if they do something like that again, the Churches will interfere more fiercely and might do arge scale inquisition on the Nobles and Royal faction members. After that, Churches also made a big announcement saying that they are going to select one person as the rightful King from all the remaining children of King Edgar." She deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "They said that only those who firstplete the mission issued by the Churches will get the right to be the next monarch."


    "What mission?" Rhea asked with a frown. From Ashley''s earlier words, she clearly understood that the Churches had already started to infiltrate into their Kingdom and got extremely displeased.


    ''They want to make a puppet ruler.'' Her eyes turned extremely colder.


    "It was a mission to find out the root cause of unusual kidnappings, ghost appearances, and killings, Your Highness," Ashley said.


    Meanwhile, Noel peeked at her half-exposed breast for a moment and soon asked while averting his gaze in embarrassment.


    "H-How did you end up like this, My Lady?"


    Silence appeared in the room.


    After five seconds, Ashley made a light cough and broke the silence with a solemn look on her face.


    "After that incident, the Queen''s personal attendants, the King''s trusted aides, and the royal servants were captured by the Nobles and other royal faction numbers and were sold as ves to the ve traders. I was one among the unfortunate ves and waster sold to this fat man."


    "What about soldiers and Royal Guards?" This time, Rhea asked in a hurry.


    "They are Mystics, Your Highness. So, of course, the Royal Faction and Nobles won''t sell them as ves, because it will definitely damage their reputation." Ashley calmly exined.


    "Does that mean our personal guards are still alive and well? Will they help me if I went to ask for their help?" Rhea muttered with a deep look on her face.


    "They might have already joined the opposite factions. Although they were your personal guards, they only worked for money. It''s better not to approach them now." Jessie interjected their conversation and said in a firm tone.


    Meanwhile, Rhea nodded her head and agreed.


    On the other hand, Titus picked up his small leather bag from the nearby chair and spoke.


    "Let''s do as our teacher said. We need to increase our personal strength and also improve our skills. We should utilize this time properly."


    Saying so, he turned around and went towards the front corridor. This single-storied brick house had more than seven empty rooms. He soon chose the best room near the main hall, opened the door, and walked in.


    Jessie and others also stopped their discussion and thought of focusing on increasing their own strength.


    They soon chose the suitable rooms while giving Ashley some good clothes and took some rest.


    Meanwhile, Ashley went to the bathroom and took a long bath. After that, she walked out while wearing Jessie''s loose gown and went to take some in one of the vacant rooms.


    The next day, she woke up early, borrowed some gold coins from Jessie, went to the nearby local shops, and started to buy necessary cooking utensils, vegetables, food materials like rice, wheat flour, etc., cleaning mob, and washing soap bars.


    Not only that, but she also got some money for her own usage from Jessie and brought a few sets of new clothes.


    Although her body was weak, she didn''t face any problem doing regr housing works at all. So, she arranged the utensils and started to cook on the second day.


    As for the kids, they also woke up earlier and started focusing on their training.


    ¡­


    Around 11 A.M.


    Charles slowly opened his eyes in his room and let out a loud yawn. During the past few days, he didn''t take any good rest at all. So, he slept for more than 14 hours!


    Blinking twice, he sat up, took out the silver pocket watch from his space ring, and checked the time. After that, he walked out of his room and went to the bathroom on the further corner of the building.


    A few minutester, he walked out of it in his normal linen cloth and went to the main hall. On the way, he also noticed that those kids were doing their training diligently and felt relieved.


    Once he reached the main hall, he met Ashley, told her to bring him some food, and sat in front of the wooden table.


    In two minutes, Ashley returned from the kitchen with a te of mashed potatoes, a te of fried salmon fillet with sliced lemons, and a cup of boiled vegetable soup and ced them on the wooden table.


    After that, she went back to the kitchen, returned with a ss of red wine, utensils, and napkin, and ced them near his te.


    Nodding his head, Charles picked the fork and started to eat before taking a sip of red wine.


    After a few minutes, he finished the breakfast and washed his hand with the bowl of water, which Ashley ced on the tableter.


    Then, he turned around and started walking towards the front corridor. He walked past many rooms, reached the backyard, and soon zeroed his focus on a small room on the opposite side.


    He soon arrived in front of it, opened the metal door and soon saw a staircase went downstairs.


    Conjuring a ball of fire, he took a step forward, appeared near the staircase, and started to walk downstairs.


    Within few seconds, he reached the floor, nced around, and soon furrowed his brows as he saw broken woods and stone bs all over the ce.


    A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth as he stored them inside his space ring one by one and throw them out in the yard.


    After that, he asked the kids'' help and started cleaning the basement for the next few hours.


    Once the job was over, he sent off those kids and remained alone in the underground hall.


    Before sending them away, he also told them that he would be in closed-door training and might onlye out once a week. Although they became puzzled by his words, they didn''t ask anything and moved out of the underground basement in a hurry.


    Charles first took out a few fire torches from the nearby shelf and ced them in the room''s corners before lighting them.


    After that, he took out a green gem-like leaf, made a small mark on the wall, and ced it on the spot.


    Then, he focused his attention on the link and made a short chant in English.


    A momentter, his figure turned blurry and disappeared from there!


    ¡­

 Chapter 147: Small Test

    <h4>Chapter 147: Small Test</h4>


    Savage Forest, Twilight Land, Moris Fire Elemental ne.


    In a small cave near theva pool, a gem-like leaf attached to the cave wall suddenly started to let out dim green light.


    A momentter, a human figure suddenly appeared in front of the leaf!


    Charles opened his amber eyes and nced at the surrounding in vignce.


    Once he noticed that no one was inside the cave, he let out a sigh of relief and shifted his attention to his own body and soul.


    At that moment, dense fire-elemental energies started to surround his body like a hurricane and seemed to be analyzing his body.


    Simultaneously, he suddenly noticed that his [Elemental Body] spell activated on its own.


    A secondter, his whole body started to bath in a yellowish fire. It was not a fire filled with pure destruction, but a fire filled with warmth!


    This strange yellowish fire did not even burn his clothes!


    At that moment, he felt a sense of belonging.


    He felt that this world was weing its new child''s arrival!


    ''This¡­ Could it be due to my [Elemental Body] spell model?'' His eyes flickered in a yellowish fire.


    Charles stood there solemnly for a while and soon noticed that no nar restrictions appeared on his body.


    Instead, he felt morefortable!


    ''I can cast my Rank-2 spells continuously now.'' The corner of his lips curled upward and formed into a pleased smile.


    In a blink, the fire disappeared, and he returned to his usual old man appearance.


    Letting out a chuckle, he then touched his face and cast [Face-Change] skill on himself.


    A momentter, his face turned into his original young one with deep-blue hair. His wrinkled skin also started to face and was reced by a smooth one.


    But unlike before, his face appeared slightly older, and he seemed more like a matured one.


    ''Hmm, I''m now looking like a 25-year-old young adult.'' He muttered inwardly and started walking towards the cave''s exit.


    Simultaneously, he gripped the ck cane and ordered.


    ''Mr. Rh, change into a bracelet form.''


    Without any refusal, the Holem''s Crown suddenly hovered in the air, started to change its shape, and soon formed into a red-gem embedded bracelet.


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his hand, caught the bracelet, and wore it swiftly. After that, hebed his hand using his hand and continued to walk.


    In a few seconds, he walked out of the cave and nced around the surroundings.


    It was already dusk, and thevake glowed in reddish color.


    It was really a beautiful scenario to do a photoshoot!


    Hot winds blew past his body as he stepped on the hardened rock-like shore and went in a different direction as if they were afraid of being pursued.


    While he was in muse, he heard a sshing sound from the right side and shifted his attention towards thevake.


    In the meantime, two reddish eyes peeked at him from theva and soon started swimming in his direction at a fast speed.


    In seconds, the creature appeared near the shore and soon walked out from the reddishke. Lava droplets dripped from its shell-like skin and fell on the hardened rock shore.


    Its neck was longer, had sharp knife-like teeth, and had the head of a lizard.


    But unlike the Frilled Drake, this creature appeared a little bit taller and bigger!


    It was a Variant Drake!


    ''This one is a Rank-3 creature with its peak strength.'' Upon seeing the creature, he frowned a bit, raised his right hand, and pointed his forefinger towards it.


    A momentter, a dense crimson fire ray came out from his hand andnded on its forehead in a second!


    Enraged by the sudden attack, the variant Drake let out a roar and opened his mouth wide.


    At that moment, the whole creature started to shine in a reddish light!


    A secondter, it spits out a reddish ray ofva in his direction.


    "Interesting." A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he cast [Crimson Steps] spell, moved towards his right side, and calmly evaded theva ray.


    At the exact moment, he once again pointed his finger at that creature and cast his [Incinerate] spell.


    But this time, the crimson ray directlynded on its right eye and injured it!


    Blood gushed out from its right eye, and it howled in anger.


    Simultaneously, the variant Drake moved. Like a bolt of lightning, it ran towards his direction at a fast speed and was just 10 feet away from him.


    Meanwhile, two crimson wings suddenly appeared behind Charles''s back and pped all of a sudden.


    Before the variant Drake could reach him, Charles flew upward and coldly looked at the Drake from the sky.


    ''I can barely match against a Peak Rank-3 creature. But my spells are not strong enough to kill it.'' He narrowed his eyes in annoyance.


    ''My main advantages against this Drake are [Vision] skill to read its next action, [Cryptic Analysis] skill to learn more information about the creature, human''s scheming mind, and my artifacts. As for my [Incinerate] skill? It is barely harming this creature.'' He let out a disappointing sigh and snapped his finger.


    A momentter, a terrifying ball of fire appeared above his head and started to erge like a balloon.


    In a blink, the fireball almost covered the sky and appeared more like a sun!


    Upon seeing such an enormous fireball, the Drake suddenly shuddered.


    It was the creature''s instinct response!


    Unfortunately, the variant Drake wasn''t an intelligent creature and only took two steps backward in vignce.


    At that moment, a surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    He was not surprised by Drake''s movement, but by the size of fireball!


    ''This¡­ It''s double the size as before! Could it be? Am I also drawing the fire-elemental energy from the atmosphere?'' He instantly stopped pouring raw fire into the fireball and startedpressing it into a shape of an arrow.


    At that moment, he saw that the surrounding fire elements were also pouring into the fire-arrow!


    ''Why? Is it due to my Inner-World? Or, is it due to my abnormal wisdom power?'' He squinted his eyes sharper.


    In a second, a reddish arrow hovered in front of him.


    The next moment, the arrow moved towards the variant Drake at an unpredictable speed!


    At that moment, the Drake suddenly forgot how to evade!


    Before the Drake could snap out from the spell effect, the reddish arrow appeared in front of its forehead, pierced through it, and exploded from inside!


    The next instant, only the headless body, stood on the hardened shore.


    A momentter, the monstrous body fell with a loud thud!


    [Target Eliminated! 5,605 Exp obtained!]


    Charles sucked in a cold breath and soon noticed that a tired feeling appeared all of a sudden.


    He was fatigued mentally!


    ''This raw power is way above Rank-3!'' He slowly pped the crimson wings and soonnded on the ground.


    After that, he appeared in front of the headless Drake and furrowed his brows.


    ''This method is not good. If I had poured a little more fire elemental power into the fireball, I might have received some bacsh. Moreover, this method is sucking up all the fire energy from both Inner-World and the outer surroundings.''


    ''When I tested this in the Moon Kingdom, I didn''t feel anything odd and thought that raw power could rival a normal Rank-3 spell. But in this fire elemental ne, I clearly felt the difference. This power is definitely a peak level Rank-3 spell power or above! Hmm, I should refrain from using this one and started concentrating on killing normal Rank-2 and Rank-3 creatures.'' He nodded thoughtfully, turned around, and started walking towards the cave entrance.


    Then, he moved arge rock to block the entrance and entered inside through a small gap.


    After that, he walked deep into the cave and soon found afortable ce to sit.


    Following that, he sat in a cross-legged position and entered his Inner World.


    In a second, he found himself standing in front of a volcanic mountain. He soon saw that the whole world was shining in a bright red color!


    He even saw manyvakes and even a river!


    ''There are no memory illusions now.'' He frowned a bit and soon noticed that each drop of liquid, rocks and even the air contains some of his memory!


    He could tell that if he wants to change the topography of this Inner World, he could really change it with simple thoughts!


    ''This is what it feels like to be omnipotent, huh. But this is nothing but an illusion.'' He let out a bitterugh and then focused his attention on the Cubic Game-System.


    In a blink, he disappeared and reappeared in front of the cube-like object.


    Like thest time, countless runal letters hovered around it, and there was also the invisible power keeps obstructing him from moving near to it.


    ''I''m too weak.'' He shook his head and then disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he appeared above in the sky and was staring at the seven reddish stars.


    No, it was the seven spell models!


    He then focused his attention on the game interface and smiled lightly.


    ''I currently have 8,457 Exp points.'' He thought inwardly and nced at the spellbook option.


    Soon, he started to read the corresponding spells of [Crimson Steps] spell.


    [me Jump (3,430), Fire sh (2,950), False Blink (4,590), Crimson Speed (3,100), etc.,]


    ''False Blink¡­ A maniptive type of fire called False Fire that could help user to manipte different kinds of elements.'' He suddenly recalled Rh''s words and chose to construct the [False Blink] spell.

 Chapter 148: Comprehension

    <h4>Chapter 148: Comprehension</h4>


    Once Charles spent the Exp points, the whole Inner World began to shake.


    In an instant, Charles knew that the change was happening in the direction where the System Cube was located and got confused.


    A secondter, his illusionary jade eyes widened all of a sudden.


    Because what he appeared from that direction were not few runal words, but a dense amount of runal words!


    Like a tornado, those runal words appeared next to him in seconds, encircled the [Crimson Step] spell model, and soon entered inside.


    ''This change is definitely due to the change in my affinity.'' Charles hovered in the sky and patiently watched the construction process.


    Unlike thest times, the System took only a few minutes to construct the spell model!


    ''3 minutes 40 seconds¡­ Not bad.'' He nodded pleasantly and soon withdrew his consciousness from the Inner World.


    After that, he nced at the entrance and spoke.


    "Mr. Rh, if some creature tries to enter the cave, woke me up."


    "Oh? Did you already construct thest spell model?" The Holem''s Crown asked in a surprised tone.


    "Yes. The artifact took a total of 3 minutes and 40 seconds to construct a Rank-2 spell." Charles didn''t hide anything and spoke truthfully.


    "3 minutes 40 seconds¡­ Only divine level affinity holder could construct at this speed." The Holem''s Crown spoke in a stunned tone.


    "Yes. If the artifact could also help meprehend those spell models at such speed¡­" His young, energetic voice trailed off and soon disappeared in the gloomy cave.


    "Don''t be too greedy,d. Start your work, I will do the guarding." The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone and flew out of his hand. After that, it rose in the air and started to float.


    ''He is right. I should startprehending the spell models in this Fire ne. I have a vague feeling that I might receive some unexpected rewards if I chose toprehend the spell models here.'' He nodded thoughtfully and took some rest.


    An hourter, he woke up as he sat in a cross-legged position, straightened his back, and then closed his eyes.


    In a second, he entered the Inner World and found himself hovering in front of the spell models.


    ''I should start with [Fire Seed] spell model.'' He moved towards a particr spell model and started to understand the meaning hidden in those runal words.


    Unlike before, he also used the [Cryptic Analysis] skill regrly and started to study.


    Seconds turned minutes, minutes turned hours, and soon one day passed in a blink of an eye.


    But Charles didn''t even stop for a second and continued toprehend the Fire Seed spell model.


    After some time, he suddenly grasped some deep meaning hidden in the spell model and entered into an enlightened state!


    Hisprehension percentage started to rise at an unimaginable speed!


    Within two minutes, theprehension point rose from 65% to 90%!


    It didn''t stop, though. By the end of the third minute after entering the enlightened state, Charlespletelyprehended the [Fire Seed] spell model!


    He soon opened his eyes with a shocked look.


    ''This¡­ Is this the advantage of having Genius-level affinity?'' He became speechless.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he shook his head and silently left the Inner World.


    For the next few days, he mainly focused his attention onprehending the other spell models.


    But asionally, he would go to Edhen to have some delicious food and then return to Fire Elemental ne in a hurry.


    He would also go out of the cave to kill some Drakes and already earned around 12,500 Exp points!


    Today was the twelfth day in the Fire Elemental ne.


    But in Edhen''s time, only eight days had passed.


    Currently, Charles was hovered in front of a reddish hexagonal spell model and was staring at it deeply.


    He wasprehended thest [False Blink] spell model in the Inner World!


    During the past two weeks, heprehended the other spell models and made many breakthroughs. Not only that, but he also entered an enlightenment state thrice and received some big boost whenprehension.


    But what shocked him was not the big boost but theprehension percentage.


    When heprehended the [Soul Heal] spell model a few days ago, he suddenly gained enlightenment and started toprehend at a fast speed.


    But in mid-way, he perceived some deep knowledge from the runal words and went further into an enlightened state!


    After ncing at the knowledge, he found out that information was rted to the Rank-3 spell model and got shocked inside!


    With that thought in his mind, he continued to grasp the secrets of [Soul Heal] for 30 long minutes.


    By the time he woke up from the strange enlightened state, he had sensed a significant change inprehension percentage!


    It rose from 78% to 210%!


    He even saw many strange bluish-green fire lines started to appear one by one in the spell model!


    He also discovered that he could use this me to purify his soul from curses!


    Heter learned from Rh that he could erase the [Amber Curse] mark from his soul one day!


    But Charles was well aware of his capabilities and knew that it would take years or even decades to achieve that level in Soul Fireprehension.


    ''But this is good news.'' He thought.


    Casting those unnecessary thoughts away, Charles focused his attention on the spell model and continued toprehend.


    Unlike other spells, this one took him more than three days to reach 96% ofprehension.


    ''I also didn''t receive any enlightenment.'' He let out a disappointing sigh and continued.


    As he was about to concentrate, his [Cryptic Analysis] skill trigged on its own and gave him a revtion.


    ''False Fire not only can manipte space element, but also manipte other elements like water, wind, earth, light, darkness, and time. For the past three days, what Iprehended was not rted to the space element, but the process of manipting the space element. But this Fire has a huge drawback. Unlike other spells, I need to spend twice the amount of wisdom power aka the soul power to cast this spell.'' A look of realization appeared on his face.


    ''Hmm, if I want to fullyprehend the real False Fire, I need to focus onprehending the whole division, not just a single element. But I don''t have any information about this strange Fire. Unless I gained some enlightenment, I won''t gain much information about this False Fire at all.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon focused on the spell model.


    Two hourster, he finallypleted theprehension and left the Inner World.


    He then opened his eyes and looked around the gloomy cave. Soon, he zeroed his gaze on the hovering bracelet and asked.


    "Did something happen?"


    "Yes, a group of Lava Orcs appeared on the opposite side of the Lava Lake and seemed to be building tents. They are civilized ones." The Holem''s Crown said solemnly.


    ''Civilized ones¡­ Are they from Miners'' Den?'' Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and started walking towards the entrance.

 Chapter 149: Kill

    <h4>Chapter 149: Kill</h4>


    Once Charles reached the entrance, he concealed himself in the wall''s shadow and then looked at the opposite side of theke.


    A total of seven red-skinned Orcs in metal armors stood on the opposite shore of the Lava Lake and seemed to be in the middle of building a tent.


    The Orcs appeared to be around 3 to 4 meters tall, withrge bodies and pig-like faces. They also held different types of weapons like broadswords, axes, and spears in their hands.


    Because of the long-distance, Charles found it hard to gather more information about them.


    ''Hmm, this should be a scout team.'' He stared at them for a moment, caught the hovering red bracelet, and wore it in his hand.


    ''It''s time to earn some Exp.'' He muttered inwardly and touched his face.


    The next instant, his face changed into a little older one. Then, his skin color started to change and soon turned into a reddish color!


    In a second, he changed himself into a Red Human of the Fire Elemental ne!


    After that, he went back to the cave and took the green leaf from the cave wall.


    Then, he once again walked out of the cave, cast the [Red Wings] spell on himself, and pped the reddish wings forcefully.


    In a second, his figure shot up towards the sky and soon moved towards the Orcs at a fast speed!


    At that moment, the Red Orcs were in the middle of discussing their search mission. Three Orcs were muscr and tall, while another three were smaller and appeared fatter.


    Then, thest one was smaller than the rest of the Orcs and appeared only around 2.5 meters tall.


    But none of the Orcs dared to look into this one''s eyes!


    His skin was a little bit darker, and he had strange horns on his forehead.


    With a single nce, anyone could tell that this one was a variant one!


    The short Orc took out a scroll from his leather bag and opened it to read.


    After a few nces, his brows furrowed and formed into a knot.


    "Something is wrong about this ce. The map clearly shows that there is a Drake settlement near thiske. Be careful during the watch." He spoke in a Scarnguage, anguage unique to the Twilight Land.


    "Aye Boss," All the Orcs responded in unison.


    At that moment, one of the fat Orcs noticed that a strange crimson bird wasing from the other side of theke and soon froze.


    "Boss, we gotpany." He instantly unsheathed his broadsword from his back and pointed it towards another side of theke.


    Other Orcs also unsheathed their weapons and soon squinted their eyes.


    "That is not a bird¡­ He is a Red human!" A cold look appeared on the variant Orc''s face as he took a small dagger from his waist and hurled it towards the Red human.


    With a swoosh noise, the metal dagger tore through the air at full force and was just one foot away from Charles''s chest!


    Upon noticing the dagger''s arrival, Charles''s lips curled upward and formed into a smile.


    Simultaneously, a crimson robe enveloped him from head to toe and blocked the sharp dagger!


    A nging sound echoed in the air as he pped his wings twice and soon descended on the shore.


    Meanwhile, the variant Orc grabbed the long sword from his waist and sprinted towards Charles!


    ''Damn it, he is a Red shaman! If we give time for him to cast spells, we will be forced into a passive position. I need to get closer and kill him before he could finish chanting his next spell.'' Such a thought ran through his head.


    In a moment, he made a swift decision and moved even faster towards the Red Human.


    Meanwhile, Charles nced at the enemy Orc and noticed that the opposite party was a Rank-3 Mystic.


    Although he didn''t have enough time to see the opponent''s status, he noticed that the other party was a warrior-rted ss.


    In five seconds, the variant Orc already crossed more than 50 meters and shortened the distance between him and Charles!


    While the Orc was running, the long sword in his hand started to emit a reddish light!


    ''It''s a sword aura.'' A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''But how is he using a sword aura skill?'' He got confused for a second.


    Shaking his head, he took a step back, raised his hand, and pointed his finger at the variant Orc.


    A momentter, a crimson ray came out from his forefinger and moved towards the Orc quickly.


    But as the ray appeared in front of the enemy, the variant Orc moved his aura-coated sword and directly split the ray into two!


    It was really an astonishing feat for a variant Orc to split a fast ray of fire in a mere second!


    In truth, he had long prepared for this attack spell!


    "Too bad, you are not my match." Charles suddenly spoke in a Scar tongue and cast [Fire Seed] spell on the variant Orc.


    A momentter, the variant Orc suddenly forgot how to run and stumbled forward pathetically.


    Most of the Orcs were dumb ones. Even though this was a variant one, this short Orc didn''t have any defensive measures to resist his mind fire spell at all!


    Before he could realize what had happened, he was alreadyid under Charles''s feet!


    Meanwhile, Charles casually raised his right leg, ced it on Orc''s back, and smiled.


    The next moment, the variant Orc''s vision turned dark!


    On the other hand, the other fat and muscr Orcs got stupefied. They couldn''t understand why their boss suddenly lost his footing and fell pathetically!


    No one did expect that their team leader would be defeated in mere seconds!


    Before they could think of escaping, tens of crimson rays appeared in front of them.


    All those Orcs tried their best to evade, but none of his attacks got missed the targets.


    Each of Charles''s spell attacks did some damage to those Orcs.


    Wounds and burn marks appeared all on the Orcs'' bodies.


    But there was no happiness on Charles''s face at all.


    ''Their bodies are resistant to fire, so the damage done by my [Incinerate] spell had diminished significantly.'' He scanned them for a second and instantly learned about the reason.


    But he didn''t stop bombarding them with his incinerate spell, though.


    Although the Orcs got panicked at first, they also regained their senses as they found out that his attack spell was not that scary and dashed towards him like berserker beasts.


    Charles even saw some fireyers appeared around their red skins and further reduced the damage done by his [Incinerate] spell!


    "Oh, it seems you guys are not some weaklings, not bad." Hemented casually and took the long sword from the unconscious variant Orc''s hand.


    With a single look, he knew that it was a rare sword with a sword aura skill!


    ''So, that''s why he managed to use a sword skill earlier, huh.'' An understanding expression appeared on his face.


    Then, he ced the sword tip on the variant Orc''s nape.


    A vicious smile bloomed on his red face.


    At that moment, the other Orcs slowed down their footsteps and looked at each other in anxiety and worry.


    But they didn''t halt their footsteps, though. Instead, they exchanged their ideas through their eyes and started walking towards Charles slowly.


    If you took a closer look at them, you would find that they were using some secret signal method tomunicate with each other!


    Unfortunately, they met a sly human this time.


    Before they could make a n, Charles gripped the sword tighter as he activated the sword skill, raised it over his head, and shed at the unconscious Orc''s nape.


    As the sword flew towards the Orc''s nape, a reddish glow started to form on the edges.


    The next second, a flesh-tearing sound echoed on the shore, followed by a blood sshing noise.


    Scarlet blood gushed out from the decapitated head and body and painted the hardened shore.


    Meanwhile, Orc''s head rolled on the concrete-like shore before falling into thevake and then started to boil!


    [Target Eliminated! 4,506 Exp obtained!]


    A smile crept on Charles''s face.


    "Boss!" "I will kill you!"


    Noticing his creepy smile, all of the Orcs got furious and ran towards him while roaring.


    They were surely enraged!


    Within seconds, they already arrived near Charles and were about to raise their weapons to attack.


    At that moment, they felt that their grip loosened all of a sudden.


    Before they could understand the situation, they found out that their weapons had disappeared mysteriously!


    With bbergasted looks on their faces, all of them subconsciously tried their best to stop their footsteps.


    Some showed confusion, while others showed fear.


    But Charles didn''t give them a single moment to think, though.


    At the exact moment, some invisible power appeared out of nowhere and froze their bodies all of a sudden.


    It was the Holem''s Crown''s body freezing skill!


    Shock and terror appeared on the Orcs'' faces!


    They finally felt fear towards the mysterious unknown power!


    To their horror, Charles suddenly started to smile, giving a creepy chill to their spine.


    A momentter, he disappeared from their visions.


    It was the [False Blink] spell!


    The next instant, he appeared behind the farthest fat Orc, shed the long sword at the Orc''s neck, and decapitated it instantly.


    [Target Eliminated! 2,300 Exp obtained!]

 Chapter 150: Ember Wizard

    <h4>Chapter 150: Ember Wizard</h4>


    Charles clearly knew the time limit of this freezing skill and acted swiftly.


    He moved his aura-coated sword and decapitated another three Orcs'' heads in the next two seconds!


    ¡­


    [Target Eliminated! 1,950 Exp points obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 2,040 Exp points obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 2,650 Exp points obtained!]


    ¡­


    Out of seven Orcs, only two remained alive when the freezing skill effect was gone!


    "I thought Orcs are tough creatures." A cold voice echoed in the remaining Orcs'' ears, causing them to tremble uncontrobly.


    They were truly scared out of their wits!


    One fat Orc couldn''t control his urinary dder, and he peed on the spot!


    Before he could wake up from the shock, Charles appeared beside him and plunged the sword into his neck.


    [Target Eliminated! 1,800 Exp points obtained!]


    Meanwhile, thest Orc turned around and stared at him with trembling hands.


    Anger, hate, and helplessness appeared on his ugly face.


    ''I have to avenge them.'' The fat Orc thought.


    But he didn''t dare to move!


    "Good boy." Charles was pleased by the Orc''s reaction and cast [Fire Seed] spell on it.


    The next instant, the Orc suddenly noticed that its own memories were begun to fade away one by one!


    "W-What are you?!" He stared at Charles with wide eyes.


    "Does it matter?" Charles shrugged his shoulder and waved his hand.


    The next instant, seven weapons suddenly appeared in front of the Orc and started to hover in the air. Soon, they began to encircle him and attacked him on their own from all directions.


    In seconds, deep cuts appeared all over the Orc''s body.


    One broadsword severed his right leg tendons, while another Axe cut the left side tendon.


    Meanwhile, other weapons hovered and started attacking his back and chest.


    Each of those attacks appeared precise and powerful.


    The Orc felt that he was facing seven Red Humans!


    Within seconds, he lost too much blood and fell on his knees.


    In the meantime, Charles focused his attention on the [Fire Seed] spell and started burning his memories.


    Although the Orc wailed from time to time, Charles didn''t even show any sympathy at all.


    For the next two hours, he stood in front of the Orc and started reading his memory one by one.


    ''Derrin¡­A war soldier¡­ search mission to find the Invader¡­ His other mission is to search for the Homnd of Orcs¡­ His memory has nothing important¡­Hmm, an Alchemist Shaman?'' Suddenly a piece of memory caught Charles''s attention.


    ''There is a famous Rank-3 Alchemist Shaman who came to the Twilight Land a few months ago and seemed to be nning on Joining under Magma Fiend of Miners'' Den Town¡­ There is a rumor spreading that his potions could increase one''s body strengths permanently! Many Rank-4 members and Rank-3 members from Twilight Lands eagerly want to exchange precious materials with him to get a potion bottle.'' Charles''s eyes squinted sharper.


    ''Potions¡­ I also heard that City Of Miracles had many legendary Alchemists and some could even turn a mortal into a Rank-4 level strength Mystic through potions¡­ But those potions are not some vegetables. Each potion costs countless gold coins¡­ From the looks of it, this world also has some Alchemists.'' He nodded thoughtfully and patiently read other information.


    Unfortunately, most of the information was of less to no value to him. Once hepletely erased his memories, he raised his new sword and swiftly decapitated him.


    [Target Eliminated! 1,300 Exp points obtained!]


    ''Why this Orc gives less Exp whenparing it with other ones? Could it be Exp point would reduce whenever I absorb the target''s memories?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    After that, Charles dragged those Orcs'' bodies one by one and pushed them into thevake before taking the weapons. Then, he went near the tent, dismantled them, and then stored them in his space ring.


    Following that, he nced at the surrounding areas and then erased his foot trails.


    ''Hmm, the only thing that leaves a clue is these blood trails.'' He furrowed his brows for a second and soon shook his head.


    ''It seems I need to find another suitable hideout.''


    Letting out a deep sigh, he cast [Red Wings] spell on himself and flew towards the opposite shore of Lava Lake. Then, he dismissed his wing spell and started walking deep into the dense red trees.


    Although he encountered a few wild creatures simr to wolves and deer, they didn''t pose any threat to him at all.


    After a few hours of roaming in the forest, he soon found a suitable ce beside a waterfall.


    Yes, it wasn''t avafall but a real waterfall!


    It was the first time Charles had seen pure water in the Fire Elemental ne and was surprised inside.


    Although the whole river was boiling due to the heat of the Fire ne, the water quantity didn''t get reduced at all.


    ''Yes, this is a suitable ce for me.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon found an underground cave just behind the falling waters.


    The next second, he went near the cave while conjuring a ball of me and entered inside.


    At that moment, a dark shadow suddenly leaped towards him from inside.


    It was a panther-like animal!


    But unlike the panther from Earth, its skin appeared dark reddish, around one meter tall, and had crimson eyes.


    ''It''s a Rank-1 creature.'' Charles took a step back and directly killed it with his attack spell.


    Then, he removed the stones in the dark underground cave and started cutting the strange Fire ne weeds, vines, and nts. He spent another hour making the ce clean and then closed the entrance with a sizeable rock.


    After that, he returned to the area, took out two fire torches, which he took from the underground basement, and ced them on the cave walls.


    He then lit the torches, went to the cave''s center, and sat on a t rock.


    ''I haven''t seen the Rank Up quest yet.'' He ced his hand on his forehead, opened the game interface, and focused his attention on the quest icon. Although he saw a few notifications before he met the Orcs, he didn''t have any time to check at all.


    [Main ss Rank-up Quest: Enter the Inner World.


    Description: Search for more clues about souls and find a way to enter your Inner World.


    Rewards: 1.400 Exp points.


    Quest Mission: Achieved!]


    ''So, this is an extra reward without doing anything, huh.'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon shifted his attention towards the other notification.


    [Host has met the requirement to Rank Up!]


    [There are two methods avable for Host to Rank Up!


    . Host can consume an ''Ember Wizard'' ss Gem and Rank Up by normal method. Sess Rate: 85%


    . Host can use Experience points to Rank up the Main ss now.


    Exp needed for Rank Up: 16,244 (3844 for Rank Up+ 12,400 for ''Ember Wizard'' ss Gem.)


    Sess Rate: 89%.]


    ''Oh? Comparing to my previous Rank up, the sess rate has been reduced by one percent.'' He furrowed his brows and then checked the total amount of Exp from the status bar.


    The next instant, he went dumbfounded.


    '' Wow, I currently have 34,313 Exp points. Well, I earned more than 15,000 Exp from those Orcs. So, it''s not a surprising thing.'' He nodded inwardly and poured 16,244 Exp points into the main ss tab.


    ¡­


    [Host has chosen the 2nd method for Rank Up!]


    [12,400 Exp has been deduced for ''Ember Wizard'' ss Gem!]


    [3,844 Exp has been deduced for Rank-Up process!]


    [Ember Wizard ss Obtained!]


    [Ranking Up¡­]


    ¡­


    A momentter, a sharp pain appeared from the depths of his mind, followed by countless needle stabbing pains!


    Charles suddenly sensed that those pains were caused due to the forceful breaking of an invisibleyer.


    It was ayer that obstructed him from Rank-Up!


    At that moment, his face also started to distort in pain.


    His memories began to resurface one by one and soon disappeared into the depths of his mind.


    They then started to turn gloomy and began to change into wicked ones!


    With a simple nce, Charles knew that some foreign power was trying to alter his memories!


    Fortunately, he already created an Incarnation, and it hurriedly started to work.


    Whenever something variable appears in his memories, his ''Clone'' would fly over and erase the memory from his Inner World.


    Meanwhile, Charles sat with a paled expression for another two minutes and then opened his eyes.


    "It''s finally over." He spoke with a joyful expression on his face.


    ''But I didn''t expect it would be hard to Rank Up.'' He let out a deep sigh and nced at the notification.


    ¡­


    [You are now a Level-1 Ember Wizard!]


    [2 free attribute points rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom point obtained!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­

 Chapter 151: Emotions and Spell Models

    <h4>Chapter 151: Emotions and Spell Models</h4>


    Charles didn''t think for a moment before he put those two free attributes points into wisdom. Then, he nced at the remaining Exp points.


    ''There are still 18,069 Exp points left.'' Charles furrowed his brows and shifted his attention towards the spellbook option.


    Soon, he zeroed his attention on the [Incinerate] spell model and started to read the corresponding spell models.


    [Chaos Bane (11,460), Wielder''s Wrath (10,405), Needle of Ember (14,530), Chaos Ignition (13,506), Demon''s re (12,440), Finger of Evil (13,705), Chaos Eruption (14,130), etc.,]


    ''Wow, there are so many destruction-type spells.'' He muttered inwardly and read the descriptions quietly.


    After a few minutes, he zeroed his gaze on the [Needle of Ember] and then started to read.


    [Needle of Ember- A needle will form when casting this spell and would move under the caster''s Will. Not only that, but the caster can also control this needle with his thoughts and make it explode at any time. If the explosion erupts inside a person''s body, chaos energy hidden in the Needle of Ember will enter their blood and soul and corrupt them from inside. This spell can even kill a Rank-3 Mystic in 30 seconds. Moreover, this Needle of Ember can also break any Rank-3 shield spells and could be useful for assassinations!]


    Once he read the description, he didn''t think for a moment before he chose to construct it.


    ,530 Exp points disappeared in a blink.


    Charles didn''t put much thought into it as he closed his eyes and entered the Inner World.


    ''Hmm, a few memories are gone¡­ They are all my previous life ones.'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    Although he managed to control the situation using his ''Clone,'' he still felt lost inside.


    ''That foreign power seems to havee from the ss gem. When I consumed the ss gem, it released some type of unique foreign energy and tried to break the shackle. At that same time, it also affected my mind and started to corrupt the memories.''


    ''But why didn''t I get affected by this foreign force when ranking up my sub-ss? Moreover, I didn''t even felt anything ufortable when I advanced from Rank-1 to Rank-2.'' His eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    At that moment, there suddenly thought of his Inner World.


    ''Could it be that it managed to enter my Inner World is mainly because of me? I did enter my Inner World earlier than other mystics, right? Possible. But that still doesn''t exin why I felt no change when I ranked up the Mischievous ss Mystic¡­ Maybe it had something to do with one''s action? For example, I''m constantly using disguise skills and acting more like a full-time disguiser. On the other hand, I barely use the Fire Magic spells. And, these spell models seem to have some connection with one''s emotions.'' Charles suddenly halted his thoughts and soon flew up towards seven spell models.


    Within five seconds, he arrived in front of the spell models and soon zeroed his gaze on a specific left corner spell model.


    Currently, hundreds of runal letters wereing out from below and assimting into the hexagonal spell model!


    ''This spell model has chaos element¡­'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon noticed a change in his own emotions.


    ''Anger? Wrath?'' He started at the spell model for a moment and got puzzled.


    ''Why are these spell models inducing my emotions?'' He frowned a bit and soon recalled a line from Fire Mage Helen''s book.


    ''When Helen exined about the spell models, he did mention that he gain enlightenment by staring at a me and created his first spell model. At that moment, he wanted to be free like a dancing fire¡­ He wanted freedom¡­ He wanted to be a free man. So, that caused him to create a ''Fire Wings'' spell model.'' A look of understanding appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Hmm, Chaos represents destruction and evil¡­ So, this spell model represents my anger, wrath, and cold attitude.'' Even he was surprised by the strange linking.


    While the system was constructing the [Needle of Ember] spell model, he turned his attention towards the [Red Wings] spell model and began to feel his deep emotion.


    A momentter, confusion appeared on his face.


    ''Wickedness? Why?''


    ''No, it''s not a strange thing. I assassinated countless people using many wicked acts and even got addicted to killing. But after avenging my parents, I somehow regained my rationality and sealed that emotion deep in my heart. After that, I never involved myself in killing and escaped from the assassination organization¡­''


    ''But when I was transmigrated into this world, I had no other choice but to kill others to survive. Till now, I didn''t felt any pleasure in killing others. But that doesn''t mean those emotions had disappeared from me¡­ This wing spell is a disguise of Wickedness. My sealed dark emotions had already invaded into this one and seemed to be rooted firmly.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    At that moment, he subconsciously thought of Hell-Fire.


    ''It''s a fire that is purely filled with Evilness and Wickedness. Rh also told me earlier to stay away from it at all cost.'' A wry smile appeared on his face.


    ''It seems I need to pay extra attention to my actions and keep in check. Otherwise, I might once again walk into the path of darkness.'' He took a note in his mind and then flew to the [Fire Seed] spell model.


    ''It indicates calm andposed emotions.'' He wasn''t surprised by this one at all.


    Nodding his head, he turned his gaze towards the [Soul Heal] and soon frowned.


    ''Love and Care? No, this spell is in very imperfect condition. I only cared for a few people, so these two emotions are barely showing in this spell model. Is it the cause of the abnormality during rank-up? Does that mean I have to love someone or show caring emotions on someone to make this spell model stabilize?'' He narrowed his eyes in confusion.


    ''No, I have to do it to stabilize the spell model. Hmm, this one doesn''t suit me at all. It''s like forced onto me.'' He shook his head helplessly.


    ''It seems I need to show some care and love to others. Otherwise, I might turn into some monster when ranking up.'' He suddenly halted his thought and soon recalled his mandatory quest.


    ''Save the Iron Kingdom from its doom¡­ Did the system want me to do some good deeds so that I could stabilize the spell model?'' He got baffled for a second as he came to a strange conclusion.


    Shaking his head, he once again turned his gaze and moved towards the next spell model.


    It was the False Blink spell model.


    ''It''s cunning and cautiousness? Hmm, this one suits the maniption spell.'' He nodded his head and then turned his gaze towards the sixth spell, Crimson Robe.


    ''It''s righteousness. Why the hell is this emotion in this ce? No, it''s not righteousness, but protecting others. It''s Lawful. Hmm, I did protect the former boss while putting my life on the line many times, so there is nothing strange about it appearing here. Humph, this one can be easily manipted. If I lie to myself and thought that particr actions arewful ones, I can indirectly influence my deep emotions and stabilize the spell model.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the right side corner and stared at the [Elemental Body] spell model in deep thoughts.


    ''There is no emotion in it¡­ This spell gives me a new feeling¡­Newborn?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    ''Newborn? What does it represent? Wait¡­ It''s the Rebirth me!'' His illusionary eyes widened.


    ''But what does it represent? Reborn? Is it indicating my rebirth? Past and present?'' Although he couldn''t understand anything about this strange spell model, he could feel that this spell model was the most stable one among the seven spell models!


    ''This is a huge discovery. I need to put more thought into these spell models before ranking up.'' Charles nodded his head and soon turned his attention towards the [Needle of Ember] spell model.


    Then, he went near it and started to wait for the construction toplete.


    Two hourster, the spell model appearedrger than other spell models and shone in bright red light.


    ''It''s 2 hours and 12 minutes, not bad.'' He nodded his head and withdrew his consciousness from the Inner World.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes and started to think.


    ''Hmm, I have to farm more Exp points and construct all other Rank-3 spell models before focusing on the mandatory mission. Moreover, I also need to save some Exp for leveling up both sses.''


    While he was in muse, he took out arge scroll from his space ring and ced it on hisp.


    It was a map of Savage Forest, which he picked up near the tent earlier.


    ''There are two settlements located near this waterfall. One is a group of Ember Golems, while the other one is Crimson Birds.'' From the Orc''s memories, he could tell that both were dangerous races and were hard to kill.


    ''Which one should I pick up?'' He thought for a moment and finally zeroed his gaze on a volcanic mountain.


    That''s where the settlement of Ember Golems was located!


    He didn''t waste a moment before he took out the long sword from his space ring, ced it on his waist, and started walking towards the underground cave''s exit.

 Chapter 152: Needle of Ember

    <h4>Chapter 152: Needle of Ember</h4>


    Once Charles walked out of the underground cave, he went away from the waterfall and cast his gaze on a single volcanic mountain.


    It was a conical-shaped mountain, andvas and ashes were constantly spewing out from the summit.


    He stared at the volcano for a moment before entering the dense woods and advanced in the direction of the volcanic mountain.


    While walking, he encountered many wild creatures like fire wolves, Red Smanders, etc., but he chose to avoid them. Mostly, he would go in a different direction, made a few detours from time to time, and focused his attention mainly on removing his foot trails. Although the chance of Miners'' Den scouts finding his secret location was close to zero, he didn''t dare to leave any clues at all.


    That underground cave''s location must not be exposed to others.


    Nodding his head, he checked the surroundings constantly and reached the volcanic mountain''s base after an hour of travel.


    Then, Charles nced at the base areas and noticed that vine-like nts, weeds, and ck ssy and aphanitic rocks were the only ones that appeared in the mountain base.


    He soon turned his gaze towards the mountain''s shoulder and saw redvas were covering them.


    ''Where is the Ember Golems'' settlement?'' He furrowed his brows and soon turned his gaze towards the left side of the mountain.


    There, he saw arge number of sliced rocks arranged in orders and became suspicious.


    Without any hesitation, he took a step forward and went in that direction.


    Once he reached there, he searched the surrounding areas and soon found some foot trails.


    It looked more like a smaller version of an elephant''s footprints!


    Those trails soon led him into arge rocky hole.


    No, it was an underground tunnel!


    As he arrived near the underground tunnel, he suddenly heard loud footsteps from the tunnel.


    Without any dy, Charles went near a sizeable rock, hid behind it, and then waited. After a few minutes of waiting, a total of five 2 meter tall humanoid creatures walked out of the dark rocky tunnel. They appeared to be made of moltenva and were yellowish in color.


    Except for the face-like structures, and humanoid shapes, their bodies appeared to be made of purevas!


    But what made him more surprised was the metal armor around their bodies.


    ''Those armors and their weapons are forged by cksmith experts. These creatures are not dumb ones.'' His face turned serious as he carefully started studying their movements.


    He also noticed some core-like thing on their chests and became more curious about their origin.


    Then, he focused his attention on a particr short Golem and cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on it.


    The next instant, a row of information about Ember Golem appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''Rank-2 Carrier Golem¡­ It also has some powerful innate spells like Elemental Shield, Fire Breath, Unyielding Fire, High Regeneration¡­ An evolved Golem, is it?''


    ''How these creatures are born?'' He thought for a moment and soon cast [Fire Seed] spell on the same Golem.


    At that moment, the particr Golem suddenly halted its footsteps and stood in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s expression froze.


    The reason for that was that the information he received from the Carrier Golem was not simple at all!


    ''An underground giant settlement¡­ Wait¡­ More than 30,000 Golems are staying in the underground? A uniquenguage¡­ They are worshiping a statue of a horned woman called Mother Goddess¡­ Moreover, three Rank-4 Ember Golems are the one who controls this strange religion and is gathering more golems from the nearby settlements for some reason!'' Charles instantly knew that something suspicious was going in this Golem settlement.


    ''Should I search for other settlement? Nah¡­ This one is the right choice to earn Exp points in bulk amount.'' He muttered inwardly and get ready to attack.


    In the meantime, other golems also stopped their footsteps and looked at the particr Golem in confusion.


    Soon, they made some rattling noises.


    But Charles understood that they were asking what had happened to the short Golem.


    Taking the opportunity, he shifted his attention to the spell model and cast the [Needle of Ember] spell.


    A momentter, a thin reddish needle appeared in front of him.


    It hovered in the air and already formed a deep link with his mind.


    Under Charles''s will, it suddenly moved towards the confused Golem and appeared in front of its head the next second.


    Then, the needle directly pierced into theva-like head and appeared on the other side!


    In an instant, the short Golem fell on its knees!


    ''Interesting.''


    Charles''s lips started to curl up and formed into a smile.


    ''Explode.'' He then muttered inwardly.


    A momentter, the needle suddenly started to shake fiercely, followed by a cracking noise.


    Before the other golems could understand the situation, a cloud of dense reddish me came out from the broken needle and began to expand like a wildfire.


    Whenever the reddish me touches something, it began to seep into the object and corrode at a visible rate. The ground, rock, Golems'' armors, and the nearby weeds also started to get affected by the strange red me.


    The five Golems soon noticed that their yellowish me bodies also started to turn red and began to panic.


    Simultaneously, the Chaos reddish me also seeped deep into their bodies and started to corrupt their souls!


    All of a sudden, an unknown pain assaulted those five golems'' minds!


    They couldn''t endure the pain and started to fell on their knees.


    Then, their bodies also started to bulge abnormally and exploded one by one.


    Chaos me swept the nearby areas and even turned the nearby rocks into powders!


    By the time the chaotic fire disappeared from there, a small crater had appeared in the area.


    ''This spell really is terrifying.'' Charles muttered with a dumbfounded look on his face and then nced at the notification.


    ¡­


    [Target Eliminated! 860 Exp points obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 1,230 Exp points obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 910 Exp points obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 740 Exp points obtained!]


    [Target Eliminated! 1,050 Exp points obtained!]


    ¡­


    ''Good.''


    Nodding his head, Charles stayed behind the rock and waited for the search team toe.


    Soon, eleven armored Golems came out of the small tunnel and then turned their gaze towards therge crater.


    ''Hmm, there are two Rank-3 Golems and nine Rank-2 Golems. Killing all of them is not possible.''


    Furrowing his brows, Charles once again cast the [Needle of Ember] spell, moved it near them, and made it explode.


    Explosive sounds echoed one by one, causing the nearby ground to vibrate continuously!


    Only two Rank-3 Ember Golems resisted the Chaos fire for more than 30 seconds before they started to stagger.


    But their bodies didn''t explode like other golems, though. Although the chaos me seeped into their bodies, they still maintained their rationality and hurriedly ran back to the underground tunnel.


    "They ran so quickly." Charles let out a disappointing sigh as he came from the hiding area and soon smiled.


    ''There are 4,790 Exp from the Carrier golems and 8,200 Exp from the second massacre. It''s not a bad ce to earn exp.'' He took one deep look at the dark tunnel and return to the underground cave near the waterfall.


    After that, he isted himself from the outside world and started toprehend the [Needle of Ember] Spell model.


    It took only 40 days for him toprehend the spell modelpletely!


    ''I actually thought that it would take more than 2 months toprehend a Rank-3 spell model.'' He muttered to himself as he opened his jade eyes and then nced around the slightly illuminated rocky underground cave.


    ''Hmm, more than 25 days have passed in Edhen''s time. I should go back now and check if everything is alright.'' He nodded as he took out the Twin Leaf, ced it on the rocky wall, and then recited a short chant.


    A secondter, his figure turned blurry and soon disappeared from there!

 Chapter 153: Deal

    <h4>Chapter 153: Deal</h4>


    Strangers Street, Helm Ville, Iron Kingdom.


    A green gem leaf suddenly let out a dim light in an underground basement and illuminated the basement.


    The next instant, a shadowy figure appeared in front of it and blocked the green light.


    The shadowy figure was none other than Charles!


    Turning around, Charles quickly conjured a ball of me and made it hover in the air to illuminate the room. Then, he went to the nearby fire torch, adds some mustard oil into it, and lit it.


    After that, he touched his face and changed himself into an old-looking one.


    In seconds, he changed his appearance and turned into Oswald Raven.


    Following that, he ordered the Holem''s Crown to turn it into a ck cane and started walking towards the staircase.


    Two minutester, Charles walked out of the small room while holding a ck cane for support and looked up at the dark sky.


    He then turned his gaze towards the surroundings and soon frowned.


    "I don''t know what time it is now." Saying so, he continued to walk and soon arrived in front of the backyard entrance.


    He then used his [Hand of Mystery] skill to open the door from inside and stepped in.


    A momentter, he sawmp lights were still lit in the main hall and showed a trace of a smile.


    ''The kids haven''t slept yet.'' Muttering inwardly, he started walking towards the main hall and soon slowed down his footsteps.


    He noticed that all of them were in the middle of discussing something serious!


    Rhea sat on a wooden chair at the center, while Jessie and Titus sat on an old sofa. From the looks of it, Rhea and Jessie seemed to have some fierce argument.


    Meanwhile, Noel stood near the wall as he leaned his back against it and listened to their argument with a carefree expression on his face.


    "The Churches'' announcement can''t be a fake one. I need to go to Royal city before the end of July and have to show my face and tell them that I''m still alive. Otherwise, Churches will officially dere me as dead and I won''t be able to be a monarch at all."


    A restless young voice echoed in the main hall.


    "But think logically, Rhea. What will happen if they found out you are still alive before you prove to them that you are the real Rhea Bonere? They will kill you no matter what. We can''t trust anyone." A harsh voice came from Jessie''s mouth as she firmly shook her head and opposed her decision.


    As Rhea was about to say something, she suddenly heard footsteps from her back and hurriedly stood up. Then, she turned around and soon saw a shadow figure was walking towards them from the other side of the corridor.


    "Teacher!" Her eyes widened as she saw Charles and greeted him with a bow.


    At that moment, Noel also noticed his arrival, so he straightened his back and bowed at him in respect.


    Meanwhile, Jessie and Titus also stood up from their seat and bowed their heads.


    "Raise your heads." He spoke as he arrived beside Rhea, sat on the wooden chair, and asked while stroking his chin.


    "What are you guys discussing?"


    "It''s about this¡­" Rhea started to exin how her family was assassinated after Blood Priest abducted her, then about her sister''s achievements and other frictions between Ruler Caste people and Subordinate Caste people.


    "So, the Churches suddenly decided to dere you as dead, huh." A frown was clearly visible on Charles''s wrinkled forehead.


    ''Something is not right. Did they found out her identity already? Is it some kind of tracking spell?'' At that moment, he suddenly thought of the fate-rted spells.


    ''Information¡­ Blood Priest must have sealed her memory to evade the divination spells. But when Rhea regained her memories 25 days ago, the Churches or her enemies must have perceived some change in the trajectory of Fate and found out that Rhea is still alive and is hiding in the kingdom. Although they don''t know her exact location, it won''t long before they found some trails about her.'' A helpless expression appeared on his face.


    "When are they going to make an official announcement about your death?"


    "It''s on August 1st, Teacher." This time, it was Jessie who replied to his question.


    Charles tapped the cane''s heel on the floor twice and asked with a frown.


    "What day is today?"


    "It''s April 9th, Teacher." Jessie gave an instant reply.


    Charles nodded his head as he leaned his back against the chair''sdder and closed his eyes.


    After a whole minute of silence, he opened his amber eyes, nced at Rhea, and posed a question.


    "Are you sure about your decision?"


    "Decision?" Rhea tilted her head in confusion and showed a puzzlement look on her face.


    Charles let out a disappointing sigh and spoke.


    "It''s about bing a Monarch of this Kingdom,ss."


    Before she could reply, Charles crossed his legs together and spoke in a stern tone.


    "It''s not some normal job. Before making a decision, you need to first understand how much strength you possess." He suddenly paused for a moment and then started to ask multiple questions


    "What is your current strength? Who are your allies? How many army soldiers are under your control? How many personal knights and mages do you possess? Are there any nobles backing you up? How many gold coins do you possess to feed your army soldiers? Then, who is your enemy? Do they have powerful Mages or Mystics under their control? How many of them are there? Are you willing to sacrifice 100 soldiers to save 10,000 citizens?"


    Upon hearing those series of questions, Rhea went dumbfounded. Soon, her face went pale as a white sheet.


    "You think your half-siblings will give up on the throne just because you appear in front of them? Naive. You will die before you reach the Royal City." Charles said in a harsh tone, causing her body to quiver all of a sudden.


    Soon, realization dawn on her face as she recalled her Teacher''s series of questions.


    ''I have no strength, no soldiers, no mages, and not even a single noble''s support. I also knew nothing about my real enemy¡­ They openly assassinated my father, my mother, and my sister. If so, won''t they also squash me like an ant?''


    Frustration, anger, and helplessness appeared on her face.


    She then clenched her fist, appeared in front of Charles, and knelt on the floor.


    "Please help this poor kingdom and themoner citizens, Teacher. If other Ruler Caste members became a monarch, this kingdom will be doomed." Her head touched the floor as she pleaded with a helpless tone.


    Crystals of teardrops fell from her eyes and soon sshed on the concrete floor.


    Ashley hurriedly ran out from the kitchen and shouted in a panicking tone upon seeing Rhea''s sudden action.


    "Your Highness, Rulers should never kneel!"


    But Rhea didn''t raise her head at all. She never cared about those traditions.


    ''I want to fulfill my father''s and big sis''s wish. I want to abolish very and end the discrimination once and for all.''


    A firm resolution appeared in her mind.


    This resolution didn''t appear in her mind so suddenly, though.


    During the past twenty-five days, she went out and watched all types of discrimination happening in the town. She watched all those discriminations and felt guilty.


    At that moment, she finally understood why even mages didn''t support her father''s and her sister''s decision.


    ''My father wants to go against the tradition and change everything. That definitely won''t be a good thing for Mages too. So, they betrayed their own King.'' She knew that she had no chance of winning, but she persisted.


    In the meantime, Charles looked at her for whole ten seconds and finally asked.


    "If I help you be a Monarch of Iron Kingdom, what can you give me in return?"


    His question surprised everyone in the room.


    Rhea, too, surprised by his words as she raised her head and asked in confusion.


    "What can I give you in return?"


    Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "It''s called an equal exchange,ss. If you want to achieve something, you have to give up on something."


    "But I don''t have anything right now." A troubled look appeared on her pale face.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "Once you be a Monarch, you will own this whole kingdom. So, what can you give me in return? I''m warning you. Once you agree to this deal, you can''t back down."


    The room fell into dead silence for a whole minute.


    After racking her brain, Rhea stood up from the kneeling position and gave a suggestion.


    "If I be a Monarch, I will reward you with a title of Duke and arge territory, Teacher. Is that enough?"


    "Who wants yournd and noble title?" Charles snorted coldly and shook his head.


    In the meantime, Rhea nced at Jessie and others and started to get anxious.


    ''I''m sure our Teacher has already fixed his eyes on something. But what does he want?''


    Finally, she gave up on thinking and asked directly.


    "What do you want, Teacher?"


    A smile appeared on his face.


    "You can''t figure out my intention, huh. Hmm, I want a Magic Tower. If you promise me that you will build a fiveyer magic tower for me, I will help you be the Queen of Iron Kingdom."


    He said with a firm tone.

 Chapter 154: A Powerful Teacher

    <h4>Chapter 154: A Powerful Teacher</h4>


    Upon hearing those words, Rhea went silent for a whole minute. After that, she took a deep breath and spoke with a solemn look on her face.


    "Mages from the Iron Tower definitely won''t agree to this request, Teacher. They will make trouble using various means and might try to kill you."


    "It seems you still don''t understand why I want to build a separate Magic Tower,ss." Charles let out a deep sigh and then continued.


    "Let me ask you some questions, so answer properly. First, who are all eligible to join as a member of the Iron Tower?"


    Although Rhea got confused by his question, she didn''t put much thought into it and answered truthfully.


    "Merchants, Nobles, members of noble Mystic families, Royalties, Mages and meritedmoner."


    "Then, what would a Subordinate Caste member have to do to be a meritedmoner?"


    "To be a meritedmoner, a subordinate caste member need to get a sealed letter from a noble and also had to pay an amount of 50 gold coins as an advance payment." Rhea thought for a moment before she gave a reply.


    "Let me ask you another question. How many gold coins do you guys possess when you walk into Chester City?" Charles asked.


    This time, Rhea nced at Jessie and soon spoke.


    "At that time, we had a total of 15 gold coins, Teacher. Jessie and Titus had long started to save money by doing odd jobs in the Sweet vige."


    "15 gold coins¡­ Then, do you know how many gold coins amoner family had to pay fornd and house taxes to the nobles?" Charles suddenly curled his lips upward and asked.


    An awkward silence appeared in the main hall.


    Upon noticing the silence, Charles let out a deep sigh, nced at Ashley, and ordered.


    "Tell us the correct answer."


    "Yes, My Lord." Ashley instantly bowed her head and spoke.


    "Land tax is based on how many acres a farmer possesses, My Lord. An averagemoner possesses 3 to 5 acres ofnd and the tax for thend may range from 15 gold coins to 20 gold coins." She stopped for a moment to take a deep breath and then added.


    "As for house tax, it varies from territory to territory. For example, a rural Baron mostly put a tax of 5 to 10 gold coins while a Duke might ce a high amount of taxes onmoners."


    "Why is a high-rank noble putting a high amount of taxes?" Charles suddenly interjected.


    "Most of the Dukes and high-rank nobles'' territories have goodnds for agriculture and also good water supplies. The roads in their territories will always be cleaner, and security will be even tighter than normal nobles'' territories." Ashley gave a proper answer.


    "Hmm, that means an averagemoner had to pay an amount of 20 to 25 gold coins per year to a noble household. Let''s take a farmer''s family as an example. If my guess is not wrong, they barely earn 30 to 40 gold coins per year in farming. No, if a strong wind appears during the production periods, they would end up losing everything. Moreover, natural disasters like cyclones, heavy rains, strange pests, other nt diseases also would affect their life¡­"


    "More or less, they will barely earn to pay for taxes. Even if they had some extra money, they would spend it on their daily necessaries like buying clothing, utensils, etc., This goes for other job members too. Now, tell me, where will these subordinate caste members get 50 plus gold coins to pay to be a meritedmoner?" Charles stared at Rhea for a moment and sighed once again.


    "Who is the Tower Master of Iron Tower?" He asked.


    "He is a Rank-5 Arch-Mage Marcus, Teacher. He is also the ancestor of Griffin Noble Household and always stays in the magic tower. No one, including my father, had seen him upfront during the past two centuries. But he participated during thest nar war and protected the Iron Kingdom along with the Fourth King of Iron Kingdom." Rhea responded in a nervous tone.


    "A Rank-5 Arch-Mage, huh. Do you know anything about his ss?" Charles wore a troubled expression on his face and asked.


    A bitter smile appeared on Rhea''s face as she shook her head and spoke.


    "No, Teacher. There is no record about his battles or his ss details in the royal library."


    On the other hand, Charles touched his chin and then started to speak with a serious look on his face.


    "You don''t have to worry about him. As long as I refrain from killing a Rank-4 Mage of the Iron Tower, he won''te out and look for trouble."


    ''Damn it, you really think so highly of yourself,d. I''m warning you, Rank-4 Mystics are not chickens. They can kill you in ten seconds.'' An old man''s shouting voice suddenly echoed in Charles''s head as he said those words.


    Meanwhile, a drastic change appeared on the kids'' and Ashley''s faces!


    Before they could wake up from the shock, Charles stood up from his seat and spoke.


    "I will give you one main reason for building this separate Magic Tower. As long as one possesses a good affinity, anyone can join my magic tower. Be it amoner, a ve, a noble, or a merchant, anyone can be a member and would get many opportunities to be a high-rank Mystic or a mage. After my death, you guys will inherit this tower and be the Tower Masters of this magic tower." Charles paused for a moment and then added.


    "I will also add another person to get equal ess like you guys."


    "Are you talking about your grandson, Teacher?" Jessie took a deep breath to calm down and asked.


    "Yes, I might die before I see him. But one day if hees to this magic tower, the tower spirit will recognize him as a Tower Master and give the equal authority as you guys. Don''t worry. He won''t cause any trouble."


    Saying so, Charles turned around and continued to speak while walking towards the corridor.


    "There is a small change in our n, kids. We will start our journey to the Royal Capital on July 20th, so train harder and be prepared for any unexpected idents. Unless if it is an urgent matter, don''t disturb me."


    His old voice trailed off as he walked into the shadow, and soon he disappeared from their visions.


    Meanwhile, the kids still stood with dumbfounded looks on their faces.


    Finally, Noel couldn''t keep his face calm and muttered with a smile.


    "Our teacher is very powerful."


    At this moment, Jessie let out a deep sigh and damped the mood.


    "My guess is spot on. Our Teacher is dying."


    "Dying!?" Both Rhea and Noel got stupefied by her words and stared at her in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Jessie nced at Titus for a moment and then started to speak about her own thoughts. She first told them about his short lifespan and then about his final inheritance. Then, she changed the topic and began to talk about the magic tower.


    "Our Teacher is not like those nobles and greedy mages, Rhea. He wants to build a magic tower so that it can protect us when we are in danger. Take your parents as an example, if they had some control over the Iron Tower, they wouldn''t have got themselves assassinated by a bunch of assassins."


    "Although Iron Tower is in the Iron Kingdom, even the Monarch had no authority over it. Mages are the real owners. To their eyes, the Monarch of the Iron Kingdom is nothing but a mere puppet. But that will change once you built a new magic tower for our Teacher. He is powerful and smart and must have many backup ns to make us stronger. He definitely won''t allow you to be a puppet ruler."


    The more Rhea listened, her faces turned into a shock and then into disbelief. The same goes for Noel too.


    He was beyond shocked by Jessie''s words.


    Finally, Rhea took a deep breath and nodded her head in understanding.


    "He is doing so much for us¡­" She muttered in a low voice, went near the sofa, and slumped on it.


    No one knew what she was currently thinking.

 Chapter 155: Continuous Level Up

    <h4>Chapter 155: Continuous Level Up</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to the underground basement and silently left the Edhen through the Twin Leaf.


    Soon, he reappeared in the Fire Elemental ne and looked around the dimly illuminated cave.


    Then, he changed his appearance into his original one and then started to ponder.


    ''I currently have 3 months and eleven days in Edhen time, which means I have more than 6 months to level up here.'' He started to think.


    ''Before the start of the journey to Royal City, I must construct all the spell models and level up both sses to Lv-5. Then, I also have to increase my wisdom power to the level of a Rank-4 Mage. Only then I could fool the Tower mages. As forprehending the spell models, I will do it slowly after returning to Edhen.'' He nodded thoughtfully and nced at his exp bar.


    ''Hmm, I currently have 16,529 Exp points. It should be enough to construct another corresponding spell model.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    He hurriedly shifted his attention to the spellbook option and focused on the [Fire Seed] spells.


    [Mind Explosion (17,590 Exp), Fire Invade (14,506 Exp), Fire Thread (16,405), Knowledge Absorption (15,905 Exp), Fire Seed (16,100 Exp), etc.,]


    ''Mind Explosion¡­ This spell can cause heavy damage to the opponent''s mind upon casting. But I won''t be able to gain any information at all¡­ The next one is Fire Invade¡­ This spell will let my consciousness enter the opponent''s mind and battle against him internally¡­ Nope, this one is too dangerous. Hmm, the next one is Fire Thread¡­ This spell will form into a weave-like thread in the opponent''s mind and alter their thinking¡­ More like mind control¡­ Nope.''


    ''Then, Fire Seed¡­ It''s the same as before but it can burn their memories 4 times faster. The next one is the Knowledge Absorption spell. Unlike Fire Seed, this fire spell will only burn the opponent''s very important knowledge like the opponent''sprehension knowledge, and let the user visualize their experiences for a short moment!''


    ''It''s more like gaining random knowledge. There is also a chance of increasing one''s wisdom if the knowledge or experience is very valuable. But there is a side effect in this spell, though¡­ The user can use this spell on an opponent only once per day. Moreover, the user can only extract one type of knowledge from the opponent''s mind at a time.'' Charles suddenly paused for a moment.


    ''This spell is too tempting. Although I can gain the opponent''s memories in the form of information using the Fire Seed spell, most of them are not useful at all. In the future, I will face mages who already entered their Inner World. At that time, I will definitely face difficulty in using the Fire Seed-like spell. The opponent might just use his incarnation to find the anomaly in his mind and destroy the [Fire Seed] spell before it could gather important information. But this Knowledge Absorption spell ispletely different. Once I cast this spell on the opponent, I will definitely steal any one of his important secret knowledge.'' His jade eyes shone in excitement.


    He instantly poured 15,905 Exp points into the spell name and entered the Inner World.


    Two and a half an hourter, he opened his eyes in the maternal world and soon smiled.


    ''This spell is a real deal.''


    He curled his lips upward and soon thought of an idea. He then subconsciously turned his gaze towards the hovering red-gem embedded bracelet and smiled widely.


    Noticing his strange gaze, the Holem''s Crown suddenly felt a strong forewarning from the depths of its mind and froze on the spot.


    "What are you trying to do,d?" An old man''s voice came as it hurriedly flew two feet away from him.


    "Nothing." Charles instantly dismissed that thought of using the spell on the artifact and shook his head.


    ''This artifact is a stubborn one. If I try something like this, it might self-destruct on its own. Moreover, I can''t use this spell carelessly.''


    Clicking his tongue, he stood up from the stone b and walked out of the cave to farm experience.


    He first went to Ember Golem settlement and soon noticed more than 30 golems on patrol at the entrance.


    Noticing that the other party was already on guard, he let out a disappointing sigh and turned his attention towards the small-sized settlements.


    Without any hesitation, he went towards a nearby Smander settlement and started to hunt sneakily.


    Then, he went to the nearby Lava Fiends settlement and continued his action.


    Most of the time, he would only choose lone Rank-3 creatures as his targets and hunted them one by one like a sneaky assassin.


    Three months passed in a blink in the Fire Elemental ne.


    During the time, Charles raided ten small-sized settlements like Wild Goblin settlement, Smander Settlement, Ember Golems settlement from time to time and earned a total amount of 82,400 Exp points!


    Even he got stunned by the amount of Exp he got from killing.


    Although he had the upper hand most of the time, he was also forced to the brink of his death once.


    A week ago, he went out to hunt a group of Fire Foxes but ended up meeting a bunch of strange Crimson Birds.


    They turned vicious when they noticed his presence and started to attack him ruthlessly using their ws and their strange feathers. Not only that, but they also used some sound spells and disrupted his thinking process from time to time!


    If not for the Holem''s Crown''s travel leap skill and the Ember Pistol''s upgraded bullet attack, he would have died there!


    Although the attack power behind the Ember Pistol''s bullet wasn''t a Rank-4 one, it still killed three Rank-3 Crimson Birds in one go, causing the Crimson Birds to stop for a moment.


    He used that opportunity and escaped from there!


    Casting the brutal memory away from his head, Charles stood on the river shore and looked at the falling waterfall.


    Currently, it was already dusk, and the surrounding areas had already turned redder.


    ''I should level up my both sses and pay a visit to Edhen before resuming my hunt.'' He thought inwardly and started walking towards the hidden underground cave.


    During the past three months, he returned to Edhen a few times and brought rations and dried meats and bread from the shops from time to time.


    Not only that, but he also started to pay more attention to the kids'' safety.


    ''They are also ready to rank up.''


    Charles entered the underground cave with a smile on his face and then sat on the stone b.


    After that, he opened the interface and poured 5,767 Exp to the main ss tab.


    ¡­


    [5,767 Exp has been deduced for leveling up!]


    [You be a Level 2 Ember Wizard!]


    [2 Free Attributes Rewarded!]


    [+1 wisdom obtained!]


    [10 skill points obtained!]


    ¡­


    Charles didn''t even talk a look at the notification before he pours 8,650 Exp points into the main ss tab.


    After that, he once again poured 12,975 Exp points and finally 19,463 Exp points.


    In few seconds, he became a Level-5 Ember Wizard!


    ''I currently have 8 free attributes and 71 skill points. As for Exp points, I still have 36169 Exp points remaining.'' He thought for a moment and chose to level up the Mischievous Man ss to Level-4.


    He once again poured a total of 27,392 Exp points on the sub-ss tab and started leveling up his sub-ss.


    After that, he opened the status bar and checked the wisdom tab.


    ''Currently, my wisdom attribute already reached 37, but it isn''t enough for me. Hmm, I now have 11 free attribute points and 131 skill points.'' He thought for a moment and put three free attribute points to the wisdom attribute.


    A momentter, a change appeared in his Inner World.


    He felt that his whole Inner World and the dark space, which linked his body to the Inner World, also started to expand.


    ''Hmm, I can perceive the surroundings at a molecr level and my six senses also heightened to another level¡­ But there is no big change in my Inner World¡­ It means I need to raise it to 50 points to reach the level of Rank-4 Mage. But if I spend all my free skill points on increasing wisdom, what about my personal body strength?'' He contemted for a moment before sharpening his gaze on the game interface and directly sent all the points into wisdom attribute.


    In a blink, it rose from 40 to 48!


    Charles''s vision turned blurry for a moment before turning into a sharper one.


    His thinking process also increased to an unimaginable level!


    Not only that, but he also felt that he could even move objects using the wisdom power!


    ''I can clearly sense the gap between a Rank-3 and Rank-4. If I use my wisdom power, I can harm mortals'' minds and make them unconscious. And if I inject a few fire element energies into the wisdom power, I can even force a Rank-1 Mystic to his knee.''


    A surprised expression appeared on his face.


    ''This is indeed a big gap between two ranks.'' He nodded thoughtfully and then checked his body status.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Affected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Half-Shifter


    Main ss: Level 5 Ember Wizard (0/29,194) [Rank-3]


    Sub-ss: Level 4 Mischievous Man (0/19,463) [Rank-3]


    Title: Chaos Maker


    Health Points: 301/301


    Exp: 8,777 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 18


    Dexterity- 18


    Constitution- 18


    Wisdom-48


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 131


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Red Wings (Rank-2 spell- Completed)


    Needle of Ember (Rank-3 spell- Completed) - [5% Extra boost due to the presence of Chaos power in this spell model.]


    Elemental Body (Rank-2 spell- Completed)


    Crimson Robe (Upgraded version) (Rank-2 spell- Completed)


    Knowledge Absorber (Rank-3 spell- Iplete)


    Soul Heal (Rank-2 spell- Completed)


    False Blink (Rank-2 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Mystery- 111


    Face Change- 120


    Vision- 102


    Unique skills:


    Cryptic Analysis- 107


    Conceal- 54


    Dark Vision- 47


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 37


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]

 Chapter 156: Variation

    <h4>Chapter 156: Variation</h4>


    ''My next job is to earn more Exp points and upgrade the spell models.'' At that moment, Charles''s heart palpitated all of a sudden!


    Simultaneously, a small tremor appeared from the ground, causing the hill to shake a little.


    The shaking soon caused the sharp stone, attached to the cave''s ceiling, to fall directly towards Charles''s head!


    As the stone was about to pierce his head, he suddenly raised his hand and caught the stone swiftly.


    ''An omen? No, it seems to be indicating that my life is in danger.'' Before he could think further, he sensed that the ground was still vibrating.


    ''Something is approaching.'' Charles''s face turned dead serious as he cast [False Blink] spell and reappeared near the cave wall.


    Then, he hurriedly picked up the Twin Leaf, stored in his space ring, and then once again cast [False Blink] spell.


    A momentter, he appeared near the sealed entrance, moved the rock, and then walked out from the underground hall.


    It was only a few minutes before he walked into the underground cave, but the surroundings had already turned a little darker.


    At that moment, the ground vibration started to go fiercer and fiercer and soon turned into a mini earthquake.


    ROARRRR!


    A sudden thundering noise echoed above his head, causing his face to pale in fright.


    He clearly remembered the familiar feeling and hurriedly used the [False Blink] spell five times.


    In two seconds, he appeared in the nearby woods, turned around with a solemn look on his face, and started to walk backward with careful footsteps.


    Meanwhile, a 20 to 25-meter tall humongous bird with a lizard-like face descended from the sky andnded on the hill with its monstrous body. Its body was asrge as arge three-stored building and appeared thirty to thirty-five meter long.


    Its scales were pure reddish and were sharper as daggers. Two tough legs, reddish wings that were almost as long as its body, and a long sharp tail.


    It was the same freaking Red Dragon that Charles saw when he entered this Savage Forest!


    The monstrous Red Dragon pped its wings twice while sending shockwaves in every direction and let out another thundering roar.


    The whole hill started to shook for a moment before returning to normal.


    On the other hand, the Red Dragon moved its head towards the river, opened its mouth, and started to drink water!


    Once it finished drinking the hot water, it made a satisfying burp with a lump of fire and then released its ruler power.


    The power of dominance came from its body like a ripple and tore the nearby rocks, nts, and even trees'' branches.


    At the exact moment, Charles felt the same suffocated feeling from the Red Dragon.


    But unlike before, he felt that he could resist the invisible power with his wisdom power!


    ''This creature must be above Rank-5.''


    He was damn sure of it!


    Before he could process his thoughts, the monstrous Dragon squinted its yellowish eyes all of a sudden and turned its head towards the forest.


    No, the Dragon''s gaze peered into the leaves and tree trunks and soonnded on Charles, who was hiding behind a tree trunk.


    Upon sensing the Dragon''s gaze, his body started to quiver involuntarily.


    ''F*ck, I''m exposed!'' He cursed at his damned luck and began to think at a fast speed.


    ''This Dragon has already locked its eyes on me, so there is no way it can let me escape¡­ I also used the Holem''s Crown''s ''Travel Leap'' spell once, so it''s an out of option¡­ My next option is the Twin Leaf. If I can use the Twin Leaf to escape¡­Nah, I should use that as ast choice. If the Twin Leaf ends up in the Dragon''s hand, it might found out the coordinates of Edhen. I also knew nothing much about the Dragon and its intelligence¡­'' While he was in muse, the Red Dragon suddenly made a loud snort, turned his head towards the dim ck sky, and pped its red wings.


    The next instant, it directly flew up towards the sky, causing another round of shockwaves, and disappeared from his vision!


    ''What is this all about?'' Even Charles got stunned for a moment, and soon realization dawn on him.


    ''It doesn''t consider me as a threat at all¡­ No, it''s simrly like when I look at the ants. If I saw a red ant among the ck ant group, I might take one curious look at the anomaly and then resume walking on my one¡­ Just now, this Dragon also gave a simr response¡­'' He was a bit speechless when he thought of such a possibility.


    ''But my heart is still beating faster¡­'' His expression went stiff for a moment.


    The next instant, his expression turned solemn.


    ''Something is still not right¡­ It''s not that my life is in danger, but the kids!'' He instantly cast [False Blink] multiple times and appeared in front of the underground cave.


    Although the Dragon stood on therge hill, its weight wasn''t enough to copse this underground cave at all.


    He carefully walked inside and soon saw many broken rocks were scattered all over the ce.


    But he didn''t put much thought into it before he went deeper into the cave and soon ced the gem-like leaf on the wall.


    Then, he made a short chant and disappeared from the Fire Elemental ne.


    ¡­


    Strangers Street, Helm Ville, Iron Kingdom, Edhen World.


    The gloomy underground basement suddenly turned bright due to the dim green light.


    The next instant, Charles appeared in the basement, conjured a ball of fire, and made it float in the air.


    At the exact moment, he suddenly felt a chill sensation from the surrounding air!


    He quickly changed his appearance into an old man''s one, took a ck frock coat, and wore it over his linen shirt.


    Then, he tapped the red-gem bracelet and ordered the Holem''s Crown to change it into a ck cane.


    Following that, he turned around before gripping the ck cane''s handle and started walking towards the staircase.


    Within a few seconds, he appeared in the outside yard and then frowned.


    The sky appeared abnormally darker with no red moons, giving him an uneasy feeling.


    Not only that, but the temperature also started to rise at a fast speed.


    ''Something is definitely not right.'' His wrinkled face turned colder as he started walking towards the backyard entrance and soon paused for a moment.


    ''Wait¡­ When my heart started to beat abnormally faster to give me a warning, the Red Dragon suddenly appeared and fooled me into thinking that I''m the one who was in danger¡­ The perfect timing to fool my thinking¡­ Was it a coincidence? Or, someone used the power of Fate?'' He subconsciously thought of the Royal Family members and Iron Tower Mages.


    ''They must have already found out that Rhea has a powerful backer to change the fate of this kingdom¡­ So, they made their first move?'' He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and soon shook his head.


    ''No, even Red Prince took six months to find my exact location¡­ So, the chance of the current Royal Family members or the Tower Mages finding out about Rhea''s exact location is close to zero. That leaves with one other option and that is¡­ There is someone else creating this anomaly.''


    While thinking, he appeared in front of the backyard entrance gate, opened it with a click, and started to walk on the gloomy dark corridor.


    Soon, he saw that the main hall was still illuminated in the bright yellowmplight!


    Charles walked on the concrete floor while making light noises and soon reached the main hall.


    But the next second, his face froze as he focused his gaze at the center of the hall.


    There, he saw a ck-haired woman''s body was floating in a horizontal position and appeared motionless!

 Chapter 157: Ghost

    <h4>Chapter 157: Ghost</h4>


    Charles''s eyes flickered in the yellowishmplight as he saw the hovering ck-haired woman.


    The next instant, themp on his right side table started to shimmer and soon went off with a poof!


    "Come¡­y with me¡­" A young child''s voice suddenly echoed in his ears.


    A momentter, a chilling wind blew past his neck, caused Charles to frown deeply.


    ''A ghost?'' He raised his eyebrows and conjured a ball of me.


    "Turn off the light, mom. I''m going to sleep." The same child''s voice echoed in his ears.


    "Who is it?" Charles asked in a cold tone and then started walking towards the hovering Ashley.


    On the other hand, drops of blood fell from her face and sshed on the concrete floor.


    As he was about to grab Ashley''s hand, her body suddenly jerked up like she was being electrocuted.


    Simultaneously, some invisible power moved her body upward and directly mmed her face onto the ceiling.


    A painful groan leaked out of Ashley''s mouth.


    At the exact moment, Charles suddenly felt a faint presence from behind his back and furrowed his brows.


    "You want to y hide and seek?" He let out a cold snort and suddenly released his wisdom power everywhere.


    Then, he used [Hand of Mystery] skill and pulled Ashley from the air towards his direction.


    ''Hmm, an invisible consciousness is hiding in this house and seemed to be moving from one ce to another.'' Charles analyzed the situation and then stared at Ashley.


    Her face was filled with knife cuts, and a strange triangle mark also appeared on her forehead.


    It was a triangle colored yellow on top, red at bottom-right, and blue at bottom-left.


    Although this was the first time Charles had seen the symbol, he clearly recalled studying about them somewhere.


    ''Wait, I read about such a symbol in the wisdom library. Yellow represents Birth¡­ Red represents Death¡­ and blue represents Life. A single member from this organization could cause a kingdom to tremble in fear¡­ The Destiny Conquerors¡­'' Charles''s face turned abnormally cold.


    ''This is troublesome.'' He conjured a bluish-green me on his palm and threw it on Ashley''s body.


    A momentter, her whole body started to burn fiercely, and soon the me started to heal her at a fast speed.


    On the other hand, Charles ced her on the cold floor and turned his gaze towards the kitchen.


    At the entrance door, a small white humanoid form started to take shape.


    It looked more like a humanoid ethereal form.


    ''That''s a person''s soul. But something is wrong about this one.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly spoke in his mind.


    ''Something is wrong?'' Charles tilted his head in confusion and soon noticed that foggy ethereal form had long vanished from there!


    ''Yes. After death, one''s soul usually enters the Eternal River of Life and would wait for their reincarnation cycle. But some anomaly cases appear from time to time. If some died of unwillingness or pure hatred and vengeance, their soul would refuse to go to the Eternal River of Life for soul cleansing and stay here in the ethereal form or astral form.''


    ''After some time, these souls would gain some terrifying mystic abilities and would influence the physical world. If they hate someone, they would follow after them and create countless problems for their enemy. These beings are always a troublesome bunch to deal with. This small soul shoulde under this category.'' The Holem''s Crown replied patiently.


    ''But why did ite here?'' Charles felt more confused by the soul''s appearance and soon asked another question.


    ''Is there a way to capture it?''


    ''Yes, if you are a necromancer, you can enve it and seal them in a skeleton to awaken a bone puppet.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then added.


    ''Another method is to create a ritual circle and seal it.''


    Charles shook his head and soon turned his gaze towards Ashley.


    He then took out a leather water pouch from his space ring, opened the tap, and poured it on her face.


    Meanwhile, Ashley let out a painful groan and then started to cough before opening her eyes.


    The next instant, her whole body started to quiver all of a sudden.


    Soon, she noticed Charles''s presence and spoke in a hurried tone.


    "Please save the kids, My Lord. A few skeletons walked into this house and kidnapped them when we were asleep. I tried my best to stop them, but this ghost-"


    At that moment, she suddenly stopped her talking, curled her lips upward, and stood up with a strange smile on her face.


    Her head then twisted in a weird angle, and she spoke in a childish voice.


    "You are a bad man."


    Once she finished her words, she tried to break her neck, but Charles waved his hand and threw a ball of blue me on her body.


    Simultaneously, he used his wisdom power andpletely focused on her body.


    In a split second, he noticed that a white humanoid form started to take shape in front of her body.


    No, he saw that the foggy humanoid figure was currently struggling with all its might!


    ''As I had thought, this soul fire really does work against souls. Is this some kind of purifying fire?'' Charles thought inwardly and continued to toss another two balls of bluish-green me on Ashley''s body.


    Within two seconds, the foggy form started to turn into an illusionary blonde-haired boy child''s appearance!


    He appeared around 8 to 10 years old and was currently hovering in front of Ashley.


    But what shocked Charles was not his clear human appearance but a strange ck chain on his chest.


    One end was attached to his heart region, while the other end appeared to be moving into the void from his right side.


    ''Someone is using a death chain to stop the soul from entering the Eternal River of Life.'' The Holem''s Crown gave him an exnation.


    ''Is he a necromancer from the Destiny Conquerors?'' Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and went near the soul. Then, he conjured another ball of me, reshaped it into a sharp de-like appearance, and shed it towards the death chain.


    A nging sound echoed in the hall, followed by a loud metal breaking noise.


    A momentter, the ck chain broke into two!


    Charles soon saw that blonde-haired kid started to turn transparent and then disappeared from his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Ashley once again fell on the ground and became unconscious.


    Shaking his head, Charles walked out of the house and soon frowned.


    The only howling wings and the window shuttering noises echoed from all over the ce, giving an eerie feeling to him.


    ''It''s a mere trick to cause fear.'' A cold snort appeared out of his mouth.


    The next instant, two reddish fire wings appeared behind his back and started to p.


    Then, Charles''s figure shot up towards the dark sky and soon reached 100 meters high.


    He looked at the street roads from the sky one by one and soon zeroed his gaze towards the western side of the gate.


    At that moment, he heard metal nging noises from that direction!


    Without any dy, Charles pped his wings and shot towards the western gate like a bullet.


    Meanwhile, a total of 14 bone skeletons in different attires surrounded a group of four kids and was pointing their weapons at them threateningly.


    Some skeletons held long swords, while the rest held spears and daggers.


    Each of those skeletons appeared around 140 to 160 cm tall and looked more like trained soldiers!


    On the other hand, Noel pierced his short sword into a kneeling skeleton''s skull and directly decapitated its skull from its body.


    Then, he nced at the surroundings and let out a deep sigh.


    After these skeletons kidnapped Noel and others, they tied their hands and brought them to this western gate.


    After that, these skeletons ced them on the ground and then waited at the entrance for someone.


    Thankfully, Titus woke up earlier than others, untied the ropes before the skeletons'' could notice, and freed everyone. Then, he also snatched Jessie''s void pouch stealthily and gave their weapons back.


    By the time the skeletons realized that something was amiss, Rhea used her magic spell, bombarded them with ice spears, and killed six of them in one go.


    ''Haa, if we had ranked up to Rank-2 Mystics, we wouldn''t be ended up in this state.''


    Shaking his head, Noel nced at Titus and Jessie and became gloomy.


    "You two are heavily injured." He muttered while gripping the short sword and gritted his teeth in frustration.


    Meanwhile, Jessie and Titus held the daggers in their hands and watched the skeletons in vignce.


    Sword cuts appeared on many parts of their bodies, and blood drops were constantly falling on the ground.


    Behind them was Rhea, who stood with a pale face.


    Currently, she held a small wooden staff in her hand and was panting heavily.


    Water droplets were constantly flowing out from her hands and soon formed into a transparent sphere, enveloping Noel, Jessie, and Titus.


    It was a [Water Shield] spell!


    "When will our Teachere?" Noel spat out a mouthful of blood and asked.


    A bitter smile appeared on Jessie''s face.


    "I have no idea-" At that moment, she abruptly stopped speaking and then looked up at the sky.


    From the eastern direction, she noticed that a red bird was moving towards their direction faster!


    She instantly widened her eyes and cried out in surprise.


    "Teacher!"

 Chapter 158: Clone

    <h4>Chapter 158: Clone</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles pped his red wings to slow down the momentum and soonnded in front of them.


    Then, he waved his hand, conjured tens of fireballs, and threw it towards those skeletons.


    Within seconds, the balls of firended on the skeletons and burned them before they could even run.


    After that, he went near the water shield, break it with his hand, and cast [Soul Heal] spell on all the kids.


    "Are you guys alright?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, all of them nced at each other and nodded their heads. Then, Jessie suddenly thought of something and spoke.


    "There are still more skeletons in the Town, Teacher. They seem to be kidnapping the kids who are only around 10 to 15 years old."


    At that moment, Titus also sheathed his dagger and spoke.


    "These skeletons also seem to be following someone''s order. If my guess is not wrong, that person might be controlling these skeletons from afar."


    At this moment, Noel coughed violently and squatted down, causing others to stop their talking.


    "He is just tired." Charles took a deep look at his condition and then looked around.


    ''Hmm, it seems someone doesn''t want me to increase my current strength. If it is a normal circumstance, I will leave this town and takes these kids to the Royal Capital for safety. But I feel ufortable about that idea¡­ Although it was just my guess, I can''t act carelessly.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon began to ponder about his current problem.


    ''Currently, I need someone strong enough to protect these kids while I go to the Fire ne to earn more Exp. Holem''s Crown? Nah, the artifact''s identity must be kept as a secret from others. Should I strengthen these kids'' survivability by giving them some of my low-rank artifacts? Hmm, that''s a good idea, but activating the artifacts requires wisdom power. Only Rhea and Jessie are eligible to use them now.'' Charles rubbed his temple in headache and soon made up his mind.


    "Let''s go back to the house. After some rest, we will go to Duke Conor''s Eastford City and buy ss Gems at the ck market. It would only take one day travel by carriage anyway."


    Upon hearing his words, everyone''s face brightened. Noel also stood up and nodded his head in agreement.


    "Teacher, I haven''t reached my peak stage yet." Only Rhea showed a little disappointment on her face and spoke.


    "How many spell models have you constructed till now?" Charles nced at her and questioned.


    In the meantime, Rhea lowered her in distress and said in a low voice.


    "Only four spell models, Teacher."


    Nodding his head, Charles turned around and spoke.


    "Don''t put too much thought into it. In truth, your achievement should already be considered a genius-level one. Unlike other ss Mystics, Mages need to rely on themselves, so it will take time for us to Rank-Up."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and started to walk in the eastern direction.


    On the other hand, the kids nodded their heads and followed after him with fast footsteps.


    On the way, Charles and others didn''t meet any skeletons and returned to the house in Strangers Street.


    Meanwhile, Ashley had already woken up and was shivering in the corner of the main hall.


    Due to the ghost''s appearance, she waspletely scared out of her wits.


    If not for Rhea''s and other kids'' return, she would have stayed there like a statue.


    Once the kids saw her appearance, they went near her and asked about what had happened in concern.


    After a short narration from Ashley, all the kids went pale in fright and horror!


    To them, an undead skeleton was nothing but a strange magical being. But the ghost was apletely different matter.


    The knowledge about a ghost was always a mystery, even for mages and Mystics.


    Even Charles faced some trouble upon encountering such a sneaky being. If not for his [Soul Heal] spell, even he would have thought of giving up on fighting it!


    ''Hmm, the ghost''s known abilities are invisibility, it can move objects like telekinesis and cause the surrounding temperature to drop to some degree. It might also have abnormal wisdom power. Then, it can possess other person and might turn an ally into an enemy.'' Charles shook his head and sat on the old sofa.


    Meanwhile, the kids exchanged their first fighting experience with Ashley to make her morefortable and then went to their own room.


    Ashley also finally let go of the fear in her heart and started walking towards the nearby room to rest.


    One of the main reasons for her courage was the presence of a mage in the house. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have stepped out of the main hall at all.


    On the other hand, Charles thought of the earlier soul form and asked the Holem''s Crown in interest.


    ''Can I able to see my own soul form?''


    ''Unless you rank up to a Legendary Mage, it''s almost impossible.'' The Holem''s Crown gave an instant reply.


    ''You mean Rank-6 Mage?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and probed.


    ''Yes. We just call the Rank-6 as Legendary Mages. Now, let''se to the current topic. Why you want to see your soul form?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in suspicion.


    Meanwhile, Charles didn''t put much thought into it and spoke truthfully.


    ''I have a vague feeling that I might need to know more about my soul for the future advancement.''


    ''It''s the Trickster ss''s prediction ability, isn''t it? Hmm, it might have something to do with your sub-ss. I heard that High-Rank Trickster ss Mystics could create clones from their body parts, so it might be rted to this one.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly revealed a shocking truth, causing Charles to widen his eyes!


    ''Clones?'' He suddenly got intrigued.


    ''Yes, I don''t know at which rank you can create clones from your body parts, but it should be around Rank-5 to Rank-7. But it consumes one''s lifespan. If you use the Trickster ss skill to create a clone, you will lose one-tenth of your lifespan.'' The Holem''s Crown''s following words caused Charles''s excitement to go down in an instant.


    After a long silence, Charles let out a wry smile and spoke.


    ''It''s a double-edged sword skill, is it?''


    ''It is. But that''s why this skill is feared even by the Gods,d.'' Without waiting for Charles to ask more questions, the Holem''s Crown made a fake cough and continued in an exciting tone.


    ''The Trickster ss''s clone ability is simr to Gods'' unique ability.''


    ''Are you talking about the Gods'' Avatar-making ability?'' Charles suddenly interjected.


    ''Yes. What would happen if you could create tens of you to fight against a God in the future? Although the clones would only exert 60 percent of your original strength, it was still a shocking one. You would be equally matched against a God¡­ No, you would even overwhelm a God in fighting! If you use this ability properly, you could even fight equally against a God''s multiple Avatars and might even kill them. No, you might even have a chance to kill a God''s main body. Have you ever heard of a mage killing a God? Never! Only some Warlocks could achieve such feat.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly got excited.


    No, craziness appeared in its tone.


    ''It seems this artifact really has some deep grudge against the Gods.'' That was the first thought that came to Charles''s mind.

 Chapter 159: A Guest

    <h4>Chapter 159: A Guest</h4>


    ''Now that I think about it, what is the average lifespan of a Rank-1 Mage?'' Charles asked in curious.


    ''You don''t know?'' The Holem''s Crown got surprised for a moment and then exined patiently.


    ''If you had chosen to walk on the path of ancients, you might have gained double lifespan. Unfortunately, you are not that lucky. Hmm, an average lifespan of a Rank-1 ss Mage should be around 140 to 165 years. Meanwhile, an average lifespan of a Rank-1 ancient mage should be around 180 years to 220 years¡­''


    ''I will give more detail about the ss Mage''s average lifespan now. Rank-2 mage''s lifespan should be around 250 years to 300 years. Then, Rank-3 Mage''s lifespan should be around 600 to 750 years. But if you stayed in the Rank-1 for too long and Rank-Up only after 100 years, your lifespan would be reduced to a great margin and you would only get around 60 to 70 years of extra lifespan. So, the faster you rank up, the more lifespan you would get during the next Rank.''


    Charles nodded his head in understanding and then asked.


    ''What about Rank-4 and Rank5?''


    ''Rank-4 Mage should get around 1,200 years to 1,600 years. Then, the Rank-5 Mage should get around 3,000 years to 4,500 years. As for Rank-6, it should be around 10,000 years of lifespan. After that, your soul will mutate and be more solid. That will boost one''s lifespan to a maximum level. To put it more simply, an average Rank-7 Mage would get a lifespan of 200,000 years. Those who achieved this stage would be called Demigods. This title should be the same for Bloodline Warlocks, Divines, and Ancient Mages.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s vision about the mages broadened.


    ''This¡­'' Charles took a long breath to calm his mind and then asked another question as he thought of the ghost.


    ''What is that ck chain which attached to the soul''s chest region?''


    ''Are you asking about the Death Chain? It should be a necromancer''s doing. He must be trying to study the souls to gain some enlightenment about Death.'' The Holem''s Crown responded calmly.


    ''Enlightenment, huh. Now that I think about it, I do read some information in the Wisdom library that necromancers live longer than mages. Is it true?'' He asked.


    ''Ugh, yes¡­ Those undead monsters are not to be messed with. They are like cockroaches. As for their abnormal lifespan, it''s due to them abandoning their humanity and turns themselves into skeletons. Till Rank-3, they would just age normally like ss Mages and would retain their human physical appearances. But once they Rank Up to a Death Mage, they would abandon half of their humanity and turn into a Demi-Lich. In return, they will get more than 50 thousand years of lifespan¡­''


    ''But they would also receive a bacsh, though. The Demi-Liches'' bones are filled with death energy, and this energy is very harmful to any normal life forms. When the necromancers start abandoning their humanity, the ''Will'' of the world would also reject them and might put some severe restrictions. During the next ranking, they wouldpletely turn into Liches and be expelled from any life ne. They would be considered as the nemesis of life forms. So, their only option would be entering the undead ne or the Underworld. It''s a ne which even the Titans feared of.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    ''It seems the universe is so vast. Titans, huh.'' Charles nodded his head and then closed his eyes to take some rest.


    A few hourster, he woke up due to the kids'' noise and opened his amber eyes.


    Soon, Jessie, Rhea, Noel, and Titus walked out from their rooms one by one and appeared in front of him.


    "Did you guys inform about our departure to the servant?" Charles gripped the cane, stood up with its support, and asked.


    "Yes, Teacher," Jessie nodded her head in affirmation.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his gaze towards Noel and furrowed his brows.


    "You still look tired."


    "I''ll be fine, teacher. Moreover, Titus also learned to drive the carriage, so I will be alright." Noel made his face look like a refreshed one and answered in an energetic tone.


    ''This kid¡­'' Charles took one deep look at Noel before turning around and started to walk out of the house.


    Although the darkness was still shrouding the surroundings, the dawn light already appeared in the east, giving a new feeling to everyone''s mind.


    Then, Noel and Titus went to bring the horses from the left side yard and soon hitched the horses to the carriage.


    After that, Titus picked a long whip from the nearby tree and climbed up towards the driver''s seat.


    On the other hand, Noel, Charles, and the two girls went near the carriage and entered.


    Soon, Titus whipped the horses twice, drove the carriage out of their house, then out of Strangers Street, and silently left the Helm Ville.


    Under Charles''s guidance, Titus drove the carriage into gloomy woond and moved towards Duke Conor''s territory.


    Although some bandits and thieves blocked their way, they didn''t pose any threat to the group at all.


    In few hours, the horse-drawn carriage exited the woods and entered Duke''s territory. They saw farnds, viges, and even a few towns along the way, but the carriage didn''t stop anywhere.


    By the end of the day, the group finally saw a fortified city in the middle of a lush grassy in. The defensive wall was more than five-meter tall, and soldiers stood on the top with different weapons in their hands.


    Eastford City was a city that famous for merchandise and trade. Not only that, but this city was also renowned for its unique Dream Wine that was produced using rare purple grapes.


    It was a city with a poption of five hundred thousand people!


    Charles and the kids also saw a very small queue at the entrance and quietly joined in.


    After some time, Noel finally got the approval to enter the city and led the carriage inside.


    At the same time, one guard checked the timer, took out a white horn, and blew it with full force.


    Errnnnn!


    In a minute, a few silver-armored soldiers blocked the few citizens from entering the city and shut the four-meter-tall metal door with full force.


    Meanwhile, the city also turned a little dimmer, and soon streetmps began to light one by one.


    The main street was wide and narrow. The people in the city mostly wore luxurious silk clothes, and the men put traditional chaperone hats over their heads.


    As the carriage drove inside, some cries echoed from the nearby houses from time to time, and the passerby citizens even avoided looking at the carriage.


    No, they were avoiding all the foreigners!


    On the other hand, the soldiers also appeared all over the city and patrolled everywhere like watchdogs. They even stopped the suspicious individuals from time to time and inquired about their identities!


    Charles also opened the curtain and noticed anxiety in their eyes.


    Not only that, but he also sensed a strange rotten flesh smell in the air and furrowed his brows.


    ''It seems safety is not guaranteed in this city. Even the soldiers are showing anxiety towards something.'' He made a guess and soon asked Titus to stop near a fruit shop.


    After that, Charles walked out from the carriage and asked the shopkeeper about the location of the Shade Merchant Company.


    Then, the carriage didn''t stop anywhere and directly went to Market Street.


    Along the way, Charles''s group even saw some wounded soldiers with bandages and became more curious about the reason behind this.


    While Charles was in muse, Noel already reached the destination, parked the carriage near a three-storied building, and informed everyone about their arrival.


    Nodding his head, Charles walked out of the carriage, told the kids to stay in it, and brought Jessie into the Shade Merchant Company to purchase ss Gems.


    Although Churches don''t have much influence in the Iron Kingdom, that doesn''t mean they had left with no option at all.


    In truth, the Churches had long infiltrated deep into the kingdom''s economy in the form ofpanies and already monopolized many things.


    Once Charles and Jessie went inside the three-storied building, they soon met the shop manager and brought four Rank-2 ss Gems at the cost of 2,900 Moon gold coins!


    Although buying the ss Gems in ck markets was costlier, Charles didn''t put much thought into it.


    After that, he and Jessie walked out of the shop and entered the carriage. Then, Charles asked Noel to drive the carriage towards North Street.


    ''The bank manager gave me a hint that nighttime is dangerous for foreigners¡­ But going out of the city during the night also is not possible¡­''


    While he was thinking, Noel pulled the ropes and drove the carriage towards North Street.


    A few minutester, they found an excellent Inn called Horned Deer''s Inn and booked three rooms.


    After settling in his room, Charles opened the window curtain and narrowed his eyes.


    ''Someone seems to be attacking this city during night time¡­ From the information I gathered from passerby and the shopkeeper, murders are happening from time to time and there are also many kidnapping incidents in the past six months¡­ I also heard simr words from an inndy in Helm Ville¡­ Is an organization behind this incident? Necromancer? Or, is it another party?'' He had long sensed the impending danger and got curious about the enemy''s real identity.


    ¡­


    At that moment, a curly ck-haired woman in a grey robe walked into the Horned Deer''s Inn, appeared in front of the reception desk, and adjusted her round eyesses.


    She had a slightly wrinkled round face, grey eyes, fleshy nose, and held a strange silver pocket watch in her hand.


    In the meantime, the receptionistdy stared at the guest for a moment and soon bowed her head.


    "How many days do you want to stay here, ma''am?" She asked politely.


    "Give me one VIP room for a week." The ck-haired woman spoke.


    Meanwhile, the receptionistdy calcted the amount in her mind and answered.


    "That would be 15 gold coins."


    Upon hearing the cost, the ck-haired woman let out a fake cough and soon took out a bunch of gold coins from her void pouch. Then, she counted the right amount and gave it to the receptionist.


    "Your room number is 302 and it is on the third floor, ma''am." The receptionist responded calmly before giving a metal key to the ck-haired woman.


    On the other hand, the ck-haired woman caught the key from the receptionist''s hand, turned around, and started walking towards the wooden stairs.


    As she was about to take the first step, the receptionist suddenly realized that she had forgotten to ask the guest''s name and asked in an anxious tone.


    "Excuse me, ma''am. Could you please tell me your name?"


    Upon hearing the receptionistdy''s anxious voice, the ck-haired woman suddenly paused for a moment, raised her hand, tapped it on her forehead, and spoke.


    "Emilia. My name is Emilia Wilson."


    Saying so, she moved her hand, adjusted her robe, and started to go upstairs.

 Chapter 160: Anger

    <h4>Chapter 160: Anger</h4>


    In the meantime, Charles already closed the curtains, appeared near the wooden bed, and sat on it.


    Within few seconds, he heard knocking sounds from the outside.


    "Come in." He spoke in a solemn tone and waited.


    On the other hand, the wooden door opened with a creaking noise, and soon Jessie and other kids walked in.


    A few secondster, they appeared in front of Charles and stood there in silence.


    Meanwhile, Charles first took out three gems from his space ring and gave them to Jessie, Noel, and Titus.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Jessie and spoke.


    "Jessie, go on."


    Nodding her head, Jessie opened her mouth, ced the white-colored gem on her tongue, and closed her mouth before swallowing it.


    A momentter, a sharp pain came from the depth of her mind, followed by countless pieces of information about the corresponding ss of Learner.


    Simultaneously, a change appeared in the depths of her Inner World.


    Her memories started to replicate one by one, and the replicated memories formed into humanoid form. If Charles were in her Inner World, he would have entirely stupefied by now.


    It was the process of forming an incarnation!


    Soon, the humanoid form formed into an illusionary version of Jessie and instantly linked to the outer body!


    At that moment, Jessie opened her eyes and muttered to herself in shock.


    ''Reader ss¡­ Fast Reader¡­ Two Consciousnesses¡­ The upgraded version of Insight¡­ I can now think about two different things at the same time.'' Her eyes shone in excitement.


    She now totally believed her Teacher''s earlier words about knowledge.


    ''My strength is knowledge¡­ But I also need to pay some attention to increase my body strength. Should I start saving some money and buy abat-rted ss in the future? Yes, that seems to be a good idea.'' She nodded inwardly and spoke.


    "I Ranked up, Teacher."


    "Good." Charles nodded his head and turned his gaze towards Titus.


    Titus also followed his sister''s action and swallowed a ck gem. But unlike her, he didn''t felt any pain at all!


    Instead, he felt extremelyfortable.


    After two seconds, he opened his eyes wide and nodded his head.


    ''Shadow Grasp, Conceal, and Dark Sense.'' A smile crept on Titus''s face as he recalled the newly upgraded skills.


    Meanwhile, Noel impatiently held the gem in his hand and waited for Charles to approve.


    Noticing his gaze, Charles let out a chuckle and nodded.


    The next instant, Noel ced the gem in his mouth and swallowed it. After that, he closed his eyes and started to feel a sight breaking in the depths of his mind.


    At that moment, he perceived some unknown power about the sword from his mind and unsheathed his sword.


    Then, he put more concentration on the short sword and activated the [Aura] skill.


    A sunshine aura started to envelop the sword and soon sharpened towards both edges. Then, the sunshine began to turn darker and darker and turned into a blood-red!


    ''This kid is genius. He already mastered the advanced-sword aura.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly paused for a moment and soon spoke in a surprised tone.


    ''He is gaining enlightenment.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles also got surprised for a moment and monitored the kid''s movement carefully.


    Other kids also noticed Noel''s strange behavior and started to back away.


    A few secondster, Noel finally couldn''t maintain the sword aura and retracted it.


    A proud smile appeared on his face.


    "I-" As he was about to say something, but suddenly stopped.


    At that moment, Charles also stood up from the wooden bed, went near the window, opened the curtains, and looked in the direction of the defensive wall.


    The North Street was rtively closer to the City wall, so he got a clear vision of what was happening on the wall.


    At that moment, he saw tens of ck shadows moved on the defensive wall and started attacking the soldiers ruthlessly.


    Soon, he heard a single shrilling cry, followed by multiple cries!


    The kids'' bodies also tensed up as they heard such cries. They could tell that those cries contain fear and panic!


    "It seems this is going to be a long night." Charles let out a deep sigh and was about to turn around but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, a crystal-winged figure descended from the third floor and soonnded on the yard below them.


    Although the ck-haired woman was showing her back to him, Charles could tell her identity instantly!


    ''Emilia Wilson¡­ Why is she here?'' He got confused for a moment and soon recalled Rhea''s coincidental meeting with Ashley.


    ''Someone is pulling strings in the shadows. Is it another [Astrologer] ss bastard? Damn it.'' An angry expression appeared on his face.


    ''Is he a member of the Destiny Conquerors? Although I don''t know about the opposite party''s aim, I can tell that they want to restrict my growth.'' His eyes turned abnormally cold as he peered at Emilia for a moment and then turned around.


    Then, he went near the right side wall, took out a gem-like leaf, and ced it on the wall.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the kids and said.


    "I''m going to take you guys to a secret ce. Repeat after me."


    He paused for a moment and chanted a verse in English.


    Meanwhile, the kids nodded their heads in nervousness and started to repeat the words one by one.


    Still, Noel and Titus made a mistake while chanting and stopped. Charles didn''t get mad at them, though. He knew that repeating the foreignnguage words was difficult, so he patiently repeated the recite and waited for them to say correctly.


    One minuteter, the kids finally heard thest verse from their Teacher and soon saw him disappeared from their visions!


    Thankfully, they didn''t get panic and repeated thest verse.


    They noticed that their whole surroundings started to distort a secondter and soon felt a suction force pulled them inside!


    At that moment, they saw clusters of stars around them and soon found themselves transported into a gloomy dark cave.


    "Where are we?" Noel was to first one to wake up from the shock and asked in a rough voice.


    No, he felt it hard to breathe!


    ''I feel like I''m breathing the air near a dense fire.'' He thought.


    At that moment, other kids also felt difort when breathing the hot air and showed uneasy expressions on their faces.


    "You will get used to it in five minutes." An old man''s voice echoed in the dark cave.


    At that moment, Charles also lit the fire torches and added in a cold tone.


    "This is a very dangerous ce, so don''t try to go outside." He paused for a moment, went near the entrance, and sealed the small gap with another rock.


    He only left a small gap for some air!


    Then, he turned around and ordered.


    "Hold your hands and stand together."


    Although the kids felt puzzled by his words, they hurriedly held their hands together and obeyed.


    Meanwhile, Charles took out the Starfall Codex Magic Book from his space ring, flipped it to thest page, and started to chant.


    After two minutes of long chanting, he closed the book and muttered.


    "Sun''s re."


    A momentter, a yellowish transparent shield appeared around the kids and turned invisible!


    Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "This spell will be active for the next 24 hours, and it focuses mainly on protecting Jessie. So, stay close to her at all costs. As long as you stay inside the cave, you will be safer for one day. Until Ie back, don''t do anything foolish and try to go outside, got it?"


    "Yes, Teacher." All of them replied in unison.


    After giving onest warning, Charles recited the short chant and disappeared from there!


    A momentter, he reappeared in the Edhen, took the gem-like leaf from the concrete wall, and stored it in his space ring.


    Then, he turned around, went near the window, and looked at the hooded humans, who had long started creating chaos everywhere.


    ''I''m pissed now.''


    A bone-chilling aura suddenly enveloped him.


    Simultaneously, two eerie ck wings popped up behind his back and turned into red color!

 Chapter 161: Team Leader

    <h4>Chapter 161: Team Leader</h4>


    At the exact moment, a crimson ball of fire came out of Charles''s forehead area and formed into a mask-like appearance.


    Then, his wrinkled skin also started to shrink and appeared more like a smooth one.


    "Change into a bracelet," Charles ordered the Holem''s Crown and then zeroed his gaze on Emilia.


    [Analyzing the target¡­]


    [Host''s wisdom is higher than the target¡­]


    [Analysis Completed]


    ¡­


    [Name: Emilia Wilson


    Race: Human


    ss: Lv 1 Mesmerist (Rank 3)


    Sub-ss: None


    Health Points: 148/148


    Attributes:


    Strength- 18


    Dexterity- 19


    Constitution- 17


    Wisdom- 21


    Charisma- 13


    ss skills/ spells: Mind Reading, Truth Finder, Control Words, Mind-Control, Fool''s Hand.


    Unique Skills: Medusa''s Eyes.]


    ''She ranked up!'' Charles was amazed. He was well aware that she had reached a bottleneck for the past ten years and hadn''t improved a single bit!


    But here she was.


    ''Could it be because of my influence with the Fate?'' A frown appeared on his face as he caught the bracelet and wore it.


    At that moment, Emilia calmly stood at the entrance and seemed to be waiting for the killers.


    Charles pondered for a moment and soon sighed.


    In truth, he didn''t want to meet her here at all.


    But he wants to know why she was here.


    He had a vague feeling that her presence here might have rted to these strange coincidences!


    Letting out a deep sigh, he kicked the ss window with full force and jumped down while pping the wings twice.


    The next instant, his body descended with a whooshing noise and soon appeared behind Emilia.


    At that moment, Emilia also turned around, zeroed her gaze towards the crimson masked figure, and frowned.


    "Who are you?" She waved her hand, causing a strange invisible ripple to appear in the surrounding air, and asked coldly.


    "It''s been a while, Team Leader." His original, young and energetic voice came out behind the crimson mask.


    The next moment, Emilia''s body trembled for a moment, and soon she blurted out in shock.


    "Charles?"


    On the other hand, Charles touched his crimson mask and made it dissolve into the air.


    In a second, Emilia saw a matured version of Charles appeared in front of her eyes.


    His oval face appeared rougher, and his dark-blue hair remained longer than usual. Although his height remained the same, his body got some muscles, and he seemed more like a young adult than a kid.


    Upon seeing his appearance, her expression turned gloomy.


    "How did you lose your lifespan in such a short time?" She sized his up and down and asked.


    At that moment, a smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "It''s the price I paid to injure Red Prince''s and stall his growth." He responded with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "So, it really was you who caused such big ruckus in Chester City." Emilia got stunned for a moment before realizing that Charles did indeed caused a greatmotion before he joined the Withering Shadows department.


    Before he could give an affirmative nod, she waved her hand, arrived in front of him, and patted on his shoulder.


    "I''m sorry for your loss, Charles. If I hadn''t overestimated my abilities, we might have saved your mother."


    Her tone was filled with helplessness and guilt.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles wore a bitter smile and shook his head.


    "Red Prince is far stronger than we thought he would be, Team Leader. You already helped me a lot during that incident."


    Meanwhile, Emilia retracted her hands and nodded her head.


    "How is Andrew?" At that moment, Charles noticed that she came alone to this city and asked in puzzlement.


    "He is in the Royal Capital of Iron now." She suddenly paused for a moment and soon added.


    "Don''t go to the Moon Kingdom for the time being. The mages already put a bounty of 50,000 gold coins on your head and are searching for you everywhere."


    "Only 50,000 gold coins?" Charles tilted his head in puzzlement.


    He knew that the Tower Masters must have already learned about his [Amber Curse] and thought that they would dispatch a squad of Rank-3 mages after his head.


    ''Not only did I turn millions of gold coins into ashes, but I also caused great chaos and lured a devil into their home. If I were in their shoes, I would have put a bounty of more than one hundred thousand gold coins.''


    While he was in muse, Emilia shook her head and spoke in a grave tone.


    "That''s because it''s just a formality. I heard a rumor that Destiny Lady already left the Tower of Elements and seemed to be searching for you. It won''t be long before she catches up to you."


    "She is personallying for my head?" Charles subconsciously thought of thest message he gave to her and chuckled inwardly.


    Then, he looked at the surroundings and soon asked.


    "Do you know something about this abnormal coincidence, Team Leader?"


    Emilia''s expression froze for a moment before she shook her head and said in a grave tone.


    "Don''t try to search for answers about these strange coincidences. The more you try to learn about it, the more you will face problems. Stay out of this one."


    ''Stay out of this one¡­ It seems she knew more about this coincidence but unwilling to tell about it¡­'' Charles went silent for a moment and nodded his head.


    In truth, he was also nning to go somewhere safer and stay out of trouble for the time being anyway.


    ''I will face it when the timees.'' He thought inwardly and spoke.


    "Then, I will be on my way, Team Leader."


    On the other hand, Emilia wore a surprised expression on her face and asked.


    "You are leaving so soon? Aren''t you here to help me?"


    "I think you don''t need anyone''s help at all." Charles shook his head and soon noticed a group of seven hooded figures was running towards them from the main street road.


    In seconds, they arrived near the Inn''s entrance and stopped as they saw two winged humans!


    At that moment, Emilia curled her lips upward, raised her hand, pointed her finger towards a random guy, and spoke.


    "Kill yourself."


    The next instant, the ck-hooded man instantly unsheathed his short sword and directly plunged it into his heart!


    A momentter, the hood on his head was removed on its own and revealed a silver-haired man in histe twenties.


    His face was filled with shock and panic!


    He let out a grunting sound while touching the plunged sword and soon copsed on the ground.


    His body then twitched for a few seconds and went motionless.


    "Impressive." That was the only word that came out of Charles''s mouth as he saw her fighting style.


    "Do you want toe back to the organization now?" Emilia wore an amused expression on her face and asked.


    "Nope. I want to be a free bird." Saying so, Charles cast [False Blink] spell and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he appeared in front of another hooded man, gripped his neck, and cast [Fire Seed] spell on him.


    "I will take him." He spoke calmly and pped his red wings forcefully.


    Before Emilia could answer, he shot up towards the sky and attracted everyone''s attention.


    At that moment, the [Fire Seed] inside the hooded man''s Inner World devoured a bunch of memories and sent pieces of information into his mind.


    "Divine Order member?" Charles became stunned.


    Simultaneously, the chain quest notification popped up in front of his eyes and reminded him about the double exp.


    ''These guys are sent here by the Divine Order Organization to create panic and fear among the citizens¡­ One of their main hideouts is located deep in the Curse Woods¡­ A total of eleven official Divine order members hiding there, and each of their strength should be above Rank-3. This information is from this guy''s perspective¡­ Not only that, but he also heard that there seem to be more than six simr main hideouts in this kingdom. All of them also appear to be focusing on creating mass panic¡­'' As he skimmed through the information, Charles suddenly made a U-turn in the sky and flew towards a particr direction.


    That''s where the Curse Woods was located!


    Charles rose above 500 meters high and looked at the chaotic city from the sky. Then, he pped his wings and soon crossed the defensive wall. After that, he maintained the altitude and continued to fly.


    After an hour of travel, Charles saw trees appeared from time to time and soon turned into dense woods.


    Charles then suddenly pped the wings towards the front to maintain bnce and rose towards the sky.


    Unlike before, he continued to rise higher and higher and soon reached the height of 2,000 meters high!


    Although he felt a slight pressure to breathe, he didn''t put much thought into it and zeroed his gaze below.


    pping his red wings continuously, Charles scanned for anything anomaly in the woods and soon noticed a small outpost near a tall mountain range.


    That mountain range was a border region between the Iron Kingdom and the Herald Kingdom!


    Nodding his head, Charles nced at the shivering hooded man''s face and tossed him aside.


    The next instant, he opened his red wings wide, focused his gaze on the particr outpost, and flew towards the area like a bullet.


    The reddish feathers tore through the air while causing whooshing sounds and released sparks continuously as he moved.

 Chapter 162: Wise Sight

    <h4>Chapter 162: Wise Sight</h4>


    Divine Order Organization''s hideout, Curse Woods.


    Two men in ck outfits stood inside the wooden outpost and constantly observed the woods to see anything abnormal. They also covered their faces in ck masks and appeared vignt even though it was a safer location. A goat skull''s symbol tattoed with ancient runal words appeared on their wrists.


    The ancient runal words read, "Death is Permanent." To the Divine Order members, achieving immortality was considered a crime against nature.


    Anyone who chose to increase their lifespan by choosing Mystic sses was considered heathens in these organization members'' eyes.


    Because of that, there were only [Shadow Killer] ss mystics appear in this organization.


    The [Shadow Killer] Mystics had a very short lifespan simr to that of ordinary mortals!


    Even so, they were considered monsters because of their abnormal ranking up by killing others.


    The more they kill, the faster they rank up!


    As the two outpost guards were in the middle of discussing something, they suddenly saw a reddish fire from the sky.


    "It''sing from the first moon." One guard stared at the red fire and soon shouted.


    "Bird? Sound the rm!"


    At that moment, the other guard took out a long blowing horn from the nearby shelf and started blowing it with full force!


    Errnnnnn!


    In a few seconds, a single shadowy figure flew from the opposite direction, appeared a few meters above the outpost, and looked up at the sky!


    That figure was a blue-robed man in histe twenties and had curly long blonde hair.


    He had a pale face, unshaven chin, and elongated eyebrows. He also wore ck armor, which seemed to be created two silvery wings for flying.


    "Not a bird; it''s an intruder. You guys go back to the hideout and inform our ''Lord'' about the intruder''s arrival. Tell him that I need some backup sooner."


    Saying so, he opened his arms outward and flew up once again.


    Upon hearing the blonde-haired man''s words, both guards breathed out a sigh of relief, nodded their heads, and climbed down from the wooden outpost.


    Then, they turned around and started running deep into the direction of the mountain range.


    On the other hand, the blonde-haired man pped the silvery wings using his thought from time to time to maintain bnce and soon appeared 200 meters above the ground.


    In a few seconds, the reddish bird descended from the sky faster and faster and soon opened its wings wide.


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haired man finally got an opportunity, saw the intruder''s appearance, and became stunned.


    The intruder wore a crimson fire mask, had deep-blue hair, and appeared to be a young adult.


    "Who are you?" The blonde-haired man stared at the masked figure for a second and asked in a vignt expression on his face.


    At that moment, the crimson mask on the intruder''s face suddenly made a smirking expression.


    "Ghost." A single word came out from the intruder.


    Then, the intruder raised his hand, conjured tens of crimson rays, and attacked the blonde-haired man!


    "You-" The blonde-haired man got stunned for a moment before he waved his hand and locked his gaze on the intruder.


    Simultaneously, his eyes turned silver and appeared sacred.


    His eyes seemed to have a simr function like [Analysis] and constantly moved to and forth while helping him evade those crimson rays.


    Not only that, but a monstrous six-legged spider''s phantom appeared behind him and separated into ten ck shadows.


    Each shadow started to turn more real before resembling more like the blonde-haired man and held different kinds of weapons in their hands.


    The blonde-haired man also mingled among those shadows and became the eleventh one.


    At that moment, Charles also nced at the opponent''s status and became surprised for a second.


    ''Phantom Stringer ss, huh. Hmm, his ss skills are [Shadow Teleport], [Shadow Puppet], and [Phantom''s Rage]¡­A unique [Wise Sight] skill¡­ I should take this fight more seriously.''


    While he was in muse, one of the ten shadows suddenly started to chant in a weirdnguage.


    Narrowing his eyes, Charles cast the [Needle of Ember] spell and then made it move towards the chanting blonde-haired man.


    But to his surprise, the needle directly passed through the man and appeared on the other side!


    ''These are illusions¡­ No, these shadows seemed to be made of pure dark essence and appeared more like liquid.'' Charles made a swift analysis and started controlling the Needle of Ember with his thoughts.


    Like a sharp ray, the needle flew towards another blonde-haired man, pierced into his head, and appeared on the other side.


    But the result was the same, which caused Charles to click his tongue in annoyance.


    On the other hand, the other blonde-haired men started flying towards Charles while holding different weapons.


    Each of them attacked him with perfect coordination, leaving no room for ws!


    But he did found a single w during the battle, though.


    Whenever Charles tried to kill a particr blonde-haired man using the Needle of Ember spell, other men acted aggressively and blocked the needle.


    At that moment, Charles''s [Cryptic Analysis] skill also identified him as the real one.


    Grasping the opportunity, Charles took out the long sword from his space ring, cast [Fast Blink] spell, and directly appeared behind the particr blonde-haired man!


    But as he was about to sh the sword at the opponent''s neck, the blonde-haired man suddenly let out a cold snort and disappeared!


    It was as if he had already expected such an oue!


    A momentter, the blonde-haired man appeared twenty meters away from Charles, turned his silvery gaze towards him, and conjured a sword entirely made of shadow.


    But as the blonde-haired man was about to dash towards Charles, he suddenly forgot how to move!


    No, he also forgot how to control the other shadow puppets!


    At that moment, Charles cast [False Blink] spell and once again appeared behind the blonde-haired man.


    Then, he suddenly thought of something and cast [Knowledge Absorber] spell on the opponent.


    The next second, an arc of purplish me appeared inside the blonde-haired man''s Inner World and released an invisible ripple in every direction.


    Unlike Charles''s one, the opponent''s Inner World was filled with eerie ck clouds and appeared more like a vast night sky.


    The purplish fire arc slithered in the cloudy Inner World and suddenly found a unique golden cloud deep in arge ck cloud.


    Without any dy, the purplish fire dashed towards the cloud like a bolt of lightning and directly burned it before disappearing!


    ''Information about Wise Eye skill?'' Charles was taken aback and soon received countless pieces of information about this strange [Wise Sight] skill!


    Simultaneously, he noticed a few notifications popped up in front of his eyes and got even more stunned.


    ¡­


    [Wise Sight skill obtained!]


    [Due to some simrity between Wise Sight skill and Cryptic Analysis skill, this new skill is currently merged into the Cryptic Analysis skill!]


    [Cryptic Analysis skill''s proficiency has been increased from 107 to 180!]


    [+1 Wisdom Obtained!]


    ¡­


    ''What the hell? This spell even increased the unique skill''s level?'' Charles was utterly dazed for a moment.


    Soon, he regained his calm and nced at the confused blonde-haired man.


    Then, he raised his long sword, aimed at his heart area, and thrust it from the backside.


    Before the blonde-haired man could shout in pain, he retracted his long sword and neatly beheaded him!


    The headless figure danced in the air as the artifact loses its function and soon fell from the sky.


    Simultaneously, other blonde-haired men also suddenly turned into ck-colored liquid-like things and then disappeared from there.


    ''He is indeed a powerful Rank-3 Mystic. Unfortunately, he didn''t have any skill or artifacts against mind-rted attacks.'' Charles nodded his head and then nced at the notification.


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host will get double Exp! 7,744 Exp obtained!]


    ¡­


    ''Wow! So much Exp.'' Charles smiled lightly and then nced at the game interface.


    ''8,920 Exp, and 7,744 Exp points, I currently have a total of 16,664 Exp points.'' He muttered inwardly, pped his red wings, and flew towards the mountain range.

 Chapter 163: Forewarning

    <h4>Chapter 163: Forewarning</h4>


    Charles flew across the dense woods and saw two guards were running towards a concealed tunnel with a panic-stricken expression on their faces.


    They were the two guards whom the blonde-haired man told them to go and ask for backup.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t even reach the hideout''s entrance before they saw one of their vice-leaders got defeated by a crimson masked man!


    They ran towards the entrance with full speed and soon got overjoyed as they saw a group of iron-armored guards at the entrance.


    At that moment, the other guards also noticed their presence and unsheathed their swords in a hurry.


    "What happened?" Among the group, one tall, muscr man stepped forward and asked in a cold tone.


    "Intruder-" One of the two guards was about to exin, but a ray of crimson light suddenly descended from the sky and incinerated him in an instant!


    Before the other guards try to understand the situation, tens of crimson rays flew from the sky and bombarded them continuously.


    They werepletely caught off guard and stared dumbly at the terrifying rays before they got killed.


    After a few seconds, Charles circled the entrance for a moment and soonnded on the ground. Then, he dismissed his wing spell and nced at the notification icon.


    ''I got only 600 Exp points from killing these guys.'' He let out a disappointing sigh and soon zeroed his gaze at the entrance.


    At that moment, two ck-robed figures dashed out from the underground tunnel and blocked him from entering.


    "Oh? Two Rank-3 members?" A smirk appeared under Charles''s masked face as he cast [Needle of Ember] spell and controlled it to move towards them at a fast speed.


    Simultaneously, he conjured tens of crimson rays and started attacking them.


    At that moment, the two ck-robed Mystics also used their [Shadow Puppet] skill and created tens of shadows to confront him.


    In the dark, a total of twenty-two figures dashed in different directions while holding various weapons and then started moving towards him like skilled assassins.


    Meanwhile, their eyes were abnormally bloodshot, and they looked more maniacal as time passes.


    ''Is this some kind of side effect when using this shadow skill? But why did the blonde-haired man didn''t face any obstacle?'' Charles furrowed his brows and then started to search the original body using [Cryptic Analysis] skill.


    He would have faced some difficulty if he were up against a Rank-3 mage or a Rank-3 double-ss mystic.


    Unfortunately, the enemies were just single-ss mystics, and they even appeared weaker than normal ones!


    Charles continued to back away while evading the attacks from all those robed humans and soon zeroed his gaze on a particr one.


    Then next instant, he cast [False Blink] spell and appeared right behind the particr ck-robed hooded man.


    He then raised his hand, pointed his finger at his nape, and cast another [Needle of Ember] on him.


    A momentter, the needle directly entered deep into the opponent''s neck and then disappeared!


    On the other hand, Charles cast [False Blink] spell and once again reappeared ten meters away from there.


    Then, he curled his lips upward and spoke.


    "Explode."


    The next instant, the needle inside the ck-robed man suddenly started to vibrate, broke into two, and then released a dense reddish me.


    The dense, chaotic fire enveloped the ck-robed man in a blink and started invading his mind and body.


    But the reddish fire didn''t stop there, though. It soon started to burn the robed man''s body fiercely and even moved to the nearby shadow puppets!


    After ten seconds, the burning ck-robed man couldn''t suppress the me from invading his mind and let out a painful cry.


    Then, his body turned abnormally dark red and also started to bulge like a balloon.


    The next second, he exploded!


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host will receive double Exp! 6,830 Exp rewarded!]


    At this moment, Charles used this opportunity and finally found out the location of another Rank-3 ck-robed man among the crowd of shadows.


    He found out about the opponent''s location mainly due to the death of the other guy.


    Although these guys seemed psychopaths, Charles could tell that they were somewhat attached to the other organization members.


    While the other ck-robed man was shocked by his friend''s death, he suddenly felt an itching sensation from his back.


    At that moment, the other [Needle of Ember] finally found the right opportunity and entered inside his body!


    The next instant, he felt that some evil force was invading his whole body and mind.


    He tried to maintain his rationality for the next few seconds, but soon his mind went into chaos.


    His body also started to bulge abnormally and then exploded!


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host will receive double Exp! 6,400 Exp rewarded!]


    Charles soon saw the disappearing shadows and then breathed out a sigh of relief.


    The only regret was he didn''t have enough time to use the [Knowledge Absorber] spell on the two Rank-3 mystics.


    ''If it was one against one, I would have an easier time restraining the opponent. But against two, I still need to act carefully.'' He nodded thoughtfully and then nced at Exp bar.


    ''30,494 Exp points¡­ These Divine Order members are my precious Exp¡­'' Strange greed appeared in his mind.


    Shaking his head, Charles instantly poured 19,463 Exp points into the sub-ss section.


    ¡­


    [19,463 Exp has been deduced for leveling up!]


    [You became a Level-5 Mischievous Man!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''Good.'' Charles smiled lightly and was about to put the free attribute into wisdom but stopped.


    At that moment, he felt a vague forewarning appeared in the depths of his mind.


    ''Does it have something to do with my Inner World? My current wisdom attribute has already reached 49 points¡­ Once I add this free attribute, my mind will enter the realm of Rank-4 Mystics¡­'' He abruptly stopped his footsteps and then cast [Red Wings] spell on himself.


    Although the Divine Order members'' Exp was delicious, he knew when to stop.


    Without any hesitation, he pped his wings forcefully and shot up in the sky.


    He then made a U-turn and moved towards a random direction, leaving red sparks everywhere.


    He then flew in multiple turns to avoid being tracked down by the Divine Order members and finally choose a ce near the Helm Ville tond.


    Following that, he removed the crimson mask, changed his appearance into an old man''s one, and started walking into the woods.

 Chapter 164: Realm of Rank-4

    <h4>Chapter 164: Realm of Rank-4</h4>


    In a few minutes, Charles appeared near a dirt passage, took out the Twin Leaf from his space ring, attached it to a random tree trunk, and recited the secret chant.


    A few secondster, the Twin Leaf let out a dim light and sucked Charles into it!


    Same as before, he saw a myriad of stars around him and soon noticed another suction forceing from another direction.


    The next instant, Charles appeared inside a dark underground cave and startled the kids, who were in the middle of hearing Jessie''s folk tale.


    He then nced at the surroundings and breathed out a sigh of relief as he noticed that nothing abnormal had happened.


    "Let''s go back, kids. Everything is fine now." He spoke in a calm tone and then gestured everyone to chant.


    But this time, they didn''t make any mistake and did the ritual on a first try.


    Within a few seconds, Charles and the kids left the Fire Elemental ne and returned to Edhen!


    The kids opened their eyes and soon noticed they returned to apletely different location!


    "Where are we, Teacher?" Jessie shifted her gaze towards the nearby dirt passage and asked in confusion.


    Even though it was a night, she didn''t face any difficulty seeing the surroundings at all.


    After her rank up, her perception had reached an abnormal level!


    On the other hand, Charles smiled lightly and answered.


    "We are in the RedStar Woods. It''s the woond next to Helm Ville."


    Meanwhile, the kids nced at each other and nodded their heads.


    At that moment, Jessie suddenly thought of something and asked in confusion.


    "What about our Carriage and horses?"


    "It''s still in the Inn. Forget about it, we will buy another one when we go to the Royal Capital." Charles waved his hand and started walking towards the Helm Ville direction.


    Although the kids felt somewhat sad, they didn''t dare toin and followed after him.


    After an hour of walking, they saw the outskirts of Helm Vi and soon appeared in front of the western entrance gate.


    Unlike before, the entrance was guarded by more than five guards, and everyone stood with tense expressions on their faces.


    It was the effect of the necromancer''s raid.


    Upon seeing their arrival, they soon opened the gate and let them in without anyint. Some had seen the kids'' battle the previous day and knew that one shouldn''t take this group''s strength lightly.


    In truth, if not for the kids'' killing most of the skeletons, other kids in the town would have been abducted that night.


    Not only that, but the casualties would have gone past more than 20!


    Meanwhile, Charles and the kids returned to Strangers Street and soon reached the single stored house.


    After that, they walked into the main hall and soon saw Ashley standing in the corner of the room while holding a broomstick in her hand.


    Currently, her legs and hands were trembling in fear!


    Upon seeing the kids, she let out an embarrassing smile, hid her fear, and weed them respectfully.


    On the other hand, Charles told the kids to rest and returned to the underground basement.


    He first lit the hall with fire torches, ced the Twin Leaf on a concrete wall, and then concentrated his full attention on it.


    He soon perceived a strange link with his mind, erased the secret chant from the Twin Leaf, and reced it with a new one!


    Although he could erase the kids'' memories about this leaf, he felt it was unnecessary.


    After that, Charles sat on the cold floor in a cross-legged position and opened the game interface.


    He then thought for a moment and finally put the single free attribute into wisdom.


    A momentter, an explosion appeared inside his head!


    Simultaneously, the Inner World began to erge quickly and appeared ten timesrger than before!


    It even started to interfere with the reality itself!


    He sensed that the air inside the underground basement started to turn hot and even fires andvas started to appear randomly from time to time!


    Not only that, but Charles also felt a drastic change in his perception.


    At this moment, his wisdom power spread out from his body and swept the whole town like a scanning wave!


    Everyone, including the kids, felt some invisible power scanned their bodies!


    Some felt confused, some felt anxiety, and some felt fear, and so on.


    Meanwhile, Charles felt a qualitative change in his mind.


    His thinking became two times faster than before, and he even got some answers to the previous strange incidents.


    He opened his amber eyes in the underground basement and then started to frown.


    ''There are some strange links between these strange coincidences, strange kidnappings, and the murders¡­ Wait¡­ I have heard something simr about these three¡­'' He abruptly froze for a while and soon remembered the incident when he joined the Aces Team and took the official first mission.


    ''Yes, now I clearly remembered now.'' He hurriedly closed his eyes and soon opened his eyes in the Inner World.


    He soon reappeared in front of a strangeva pond and showed his face towards theva pool.


    At that moment, he also saw his ''clone'' on the opposite side and noticed that it was meditating.


    Charles didn''t disturb the clone before closing his eyes and concentrated his attention on the surroundings.


    The next instant, a ball ofva appeared on his illusionary palm.


    This ball ofva contains the entire memory of his first mission!


    He quietly waved his hand and soon saw a virtual screen appeared in front of his eyes.


    In the virtual screen, he saw the past ''Charles'' entered the Withering Shadows department, and his former team member Andrew asked him to give a party.


    As Luke exins the disappearance of three [Historian] ss mystics and the suspected individuals'' identities, Charles skipped their earlier conversation. Finally, he stopped at the moment when Emilia tilted her head and spoke about their job.


    "Our first job is to find Jeffery Dahmer and ask him some questions about this strange antique." Her voice was calm and cold.


    In the meantime, Andrew ced his hand on his chin and started speaking with a dead-serious tone,


    "It''s the Goddess Rodia''s Cursed Gem. In January 7024, a beautiful but spooky gem mounted on a ring in the form of a snake was donated to the Explorers'' Association by Richard Arc''s daughter. Along with it was a letter exining the Gem''s strange and rming tale.


    This spooky purple Gem was looted from Goddess Rodia''s ancient temple during 6450 S.A.E and subsequently brought to the Arc Kingdom, given to Richard Arc as a gift. It then allegedly wreaked havoc for decades. When Richard passed the purple Gem on to various friends, they reportedly experienced abnormalities, including a trail of kidnappings, coincidences, and murders.


    When the gemstone returned to him, Richard wrote a letter and sealed it in the Royal family''s hidden chamber. It remained there for centuries, and now it showed its appearance again."


    When Andrew finished his words, Charles''s expression turned stiff in the Inner World.

 Chapter 165: Doubts

    <h4>Chapter 165: Doubts</h4>


    ''This is not a mere coincidence, right?'' Charles frowned for a moment and soon thought of the Life Church''s main mission to the Unexplored Forest.


    ''They said that they were after the Divinity of Morality¡­ At that time, I was the one who found the divinity inside the Winged-Devil statue. No, I broke the Winged-Devil state and found the divinity on another wooden statue¡­ It was a female statue¡­ That woman in the statue had long straight hair, a round face, a slim, curvy body, and appeared very sacred¡­That was surely a Goddess''s statue¡­'' Charles''s lips trembled for a moment, and soon he came to a strange conclusion.


    ''Could it be Goddess Rodia''s statue? That is highly possible. Rodia is a low-key Goddess who controls Day and Light domains. She always stays neutral and rarely shows her grace to the believers. Wait¡­ The system''s mission reward¡­ The Goddess''s gift¡­'' He felt like he had already walked into arge pit.


    ''Team Leader Emilia also said that the more I learn about the reason behind these strange coincidences, the more I will face problems¡­ But when did I attract this artifact''s or Goddess''s attention? Is she also the culprit behind my transmigration?'' Questions whirled in his mind.


    Soon, he calmed down a bit and started to think from Life Church''s perspective.


    ''Andrew seems to have a ''Fate'' or ''Time'' rted prophecy skill, and it also seems to be work randomly. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have chosen to say such important information at that moment¡­ After hearing his strange prophecy, Emilia must have searched for the clues behind the strange prophecy and somehow learned about the presence of divinity in the Unexplored Forest¡­''


    ''But why would a Goddess put her divinity in such a dangerous abandoned city? Isn''t she afraid of being taken away by some Devil or a Demon? What is her aim? Wait¡­ What if the Goddess nned the whole plot?'' At that moment, he suddenly thought of another mysterious individual''s identity.


    ''Historian Max Fireborn¡­ He is also irregr, and he was the one who made some noise and created an opportunity for me to wake up from the illusion¡­ He was also involved in the Red Prince''s scheme and helped me indirectly¡­ His appearance at that time was also too much of a coincidence.'' The strange temple also appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''The Temple of Goddess Rodia¡­ Historian Max¡­ Andrew¡­ I have a vague feeling that these three have some connection.'' Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and continued to think.


    ''The Goddess might be pulling strings behind from the shadows¡­ But why does she need to act sneakily? She is a Goddess, right?'' He shook his head and soon thought of his fateful encounter with Rhea and the other kids.


    ''I did suspect that something was off at that time. But I didn''t pay much attention to it. Wait¡­ There is another possibility! What if this whole incident was the cursed artifact''s doing? What if the artifact already locked its gaze on me when Andrew spoke the prophecy? It is possible¡­ Hmm, this artifact or the one behind these strange incidents seems to have some big n for Rhea. Is she going to be a sacrificial pawn? Or, is she going to be a Destined One?'' Charles contemted for a moment and soon sighed.


    ''Thankfully, I increased my wisdom and sensed the danger earlier. Otherwise, I would have ended up in a bitter position. Haa, if it is not for the mandatory mission, I would have already given up on it.'' He wore a bitter smile and thought of his current strength.


    ''After my pseudo rank up, I can indeed kill multiple Rank-3 Mystics at a time¡­ No, I can even manage to stall against a Rank-4 Mystics for some seconds. If I receive some help from the Holem''s Crown, I could even stall against a normal Rank-4 Mystic for a minute or two! And if I construct all the Rank-3 spell models, my strength will rise exponentially.'' Charles nodded inwardly and soon thought about his current problem.


    ''Destiny Lady¡­ She will surely go to Eastford City once she learns about the appearance of a Fire Mage and would be suspicious of my identity. I also left Chester City during the Chaos incident. She might be looking for us to confirm. Unfortunately, searching about our whereabouts in this chaotic kingdom is more like searching for a needle in a haystack.''


    ''But¡­ What if she managed toe to this town using the power of Fate? She is Destiny Lady, after all. Hmm, this is not entirely impossible.'' Charles started to analyze for some time and soon frowned.


    ''No, I left many clues behind¡­ She can indeed track our location with the help of information¡­ If my guess is not wrong, she might be already on her way to this town.'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and silently left the Inner World.


    Then, he stood up from the concrete floor and stealthily left the underground basement.


    He then went to the town''s western entrance and erased their return from the guards'' memories.


    After that, he returned to his house, told the kids to go to the underground basement, and sat on the old sofa.


    Then, Charles turned his gaze towards the confused Ashley and spoke.


    "Give me something to drink."


    In the meantime, Ashley wore a startled look and asked in a nervous tone.


    "Would you like lemon tea, My Lord?"


    Charles thought for a moment and nodded his head.


    "Make it two." He added.


    Upon hearing his strange request, Ashley got even more confused, but she didn''t dare to ask further and hurriedly went inside the kitchen.


    A few minutester, she returned with two sses of lemon tea and ced them on the coffee table.


    On the other hand, Charles raised his hand, pointed his finger towards the nearby Lawson armchair, and ordered.


    "ce that chair in front of the table."


    Ashley hurriedly went near the chair as she heard his words and did as he told.


    Then, she took a few steps backward, appeared near the kitchen entrance, and stood there like a statue.


    Not even her breathing sound was heard in the main hall!


    After some time, Charles leaned his back against the sofa, closed his eyes, and muttered.


    "You can go to the underground basement and stay with the kids now."


    Her expression brightened as she heard his mutter.


    She nodded her head, turned around, and hurriedly walked into the corridor.


    On the other hand, Charles gripped the ck cane''s handle and waited.


    The room remained silent for the next two hours.


    Then, a fly suddenly appeared on the table, sat on the ss, and started tasting the lemon tea.


    It then flew from there while making a buzzing noise and soonnded on Charles''s shoulder.


    It then pped its tiny wings, flew towards his face, and soonnded above Charles''s right eyelid.


    Simultaneously, a sharp, tiny needle appeared out of nowhere andnded on its forelegs!


    The fly then strangely gripped the needle using its forelegs, tried its best to move it up while pping its wings, and then pointed the needle''s sharp point at Charles''s eyelid.


    At that moment, a frown appeared on Charles''s forehead.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." He suddenly spoke.


    The next instant, the fly dropped the needle, flew away from his eyelid, and soon returned to the table.


    Once again, it went near the ss, tasted the citrusy lemon tea, and soon moved to the opposite Lawson Chair.


    After that, it satfortably on the table and started rubbing its foreleg.


    Finally, Charles opened his amber eyes, zeroed his gaze on the strange tiny fly, and curled his lips upward.


    "I didn''t ce any trap here. So, you cane now."


    The fly strangely tilted its head as it heard his voice and then nodded its head.


    A momentter, its body turned blurry and was reced then with the figure of a ck-haireddy.

 Chapter 166: Deceive

    <h4>Chapter 166: Deceive</h4>


    Her eyes were scarlet. They were set in a fair face, oval, like a teardrop. Her slight smile could stop a man''s heart.


    She appeared around 25 to 28 years old and wore a ck-draped blouse, a paneled long white skirt, and ck loafer shoes.


    Currently, she leaned her back against the Lawson Chair, crossed her legs together, and was staring at the old man with a calm look on her face.


    After a few seconds of silence, she let out a cold snort and asked with a smile.


    "Do you have anyst wish?"


    Her long ck hair fluttered all of a sudden as she asked the question, causing the nearbymplight to dim from time to time.


    Outside was still dark and appeared slightly eerier due to the red moons, giving a strange ghostly feeling to the main hall!


    At that moment, Charles suddenly straightened his back, extended his right hand towards the table, and took the tea ss.


    He then moved it towards his mouth, took a small sip of lemon tea, and asked in confusion.


    "Who are you, child? Are you from Royal Faction? Or, are you lost?"


    As Destiny Lady heard those words, the room temperature suddenly became frosty.


    "Don''t y dumb, Charles. I know you are good at disguising."


    Her voice was extremely sharp, like daggers.


    "Why would I need to y dumb? In this world, strength is what matters most." Once he said those words, Charles casually released his wisdom power.


    The next instant, fire sparks, andva liquids appeared all over the main hall and caused the dropped room temperature to rise!


    For the first time, Destiny Lady''s face turned serious.


    No, there was also a trace of confusion appeared on her face.


    "You are not Charles?" She stared at him with a skeptical look on her face.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke calmly.


    "Yes. But I do have some ties with Charles, though." He paused for a moment and then added with a proud look on his face.


    "He is my grandson."


    "Grandson¡­ But why did you suddenly left Chester City after the Chaos Incident?" She still maintained her wary look and probed further.


    "Like you, I''m also chasing after him. Unfortunately, he had grown too fast and escaped right under my nose twice." Charles shamelessly lied to her.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady fell into deep thoughts.


    In fact, she had almost believed his lies.


    After all, the [Trickster] ss was a unique one, and most of the Mystics in this world knew nothing about its skills.


    Moreover, his Rank-4 wisdom power made her hesitate.


    Improving one''s wisdom was always challenging for any Mages, and she knew that Charles was just a Rank-2 Mage three months ago.


    So, she firmly believed that the person in front of her was apletely different person!


    After a long minute of silence, she used her divination spell and soon frowned.


    ''I have insufficient information to a divination.''


    After some thought, she heaved a heavy sigh and spoke in a cold tone.


    "If you meet him in the future, you must capture him and hand him over to the Moon Kingdom. If not, the Tower Masters wille for your whole Nightwind Family."


    At this moment, Charles suddenly squinted his eyes and snorted coldly.


    ''Mr. Rh, it''s your job now.'' He said in his mind.


    A secondter, Destiny Lady felt another kind of power appeared in the room!


    It was so dark, silent, and eerie, which caused her scalp to go numb for a moment!


    Simultaneously, the surroundings began to distort and caused ''past'' scenes to appear in the form of ''Illusions.''


    With a single nce, Destiny Lady noticed that the surrounding air contains the power of ''Time.''


    She instantly released her full power and stood up with an rmed look on her face.


    ''It''s the power of psed Time!''


    "Who are you?" She asked in a tense voice.


    Although she got some information about Charles''s real identity, she still didn''t know that Charles had a Series-A artifact.


    Not only that, but only a few people knew about the Holem''s Crown''s history.


    So, when another power mingled in the surrounding atmosphere, she subconsciously believed that it was the old man''s doing.


    At that moment, Charles''s lips curled up and formed into a smile.


    "I have many names. But for now, you can call me Oswald." He suddenly paused for a moment, asked the Holem''s Crown to retract its wisdom power in his mind, and added.


    "Please sit down."


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady used her fate strings to find some clue about the man''s identity, but all of her efforts went futile.


    ''He is shrouded in mystery¡­ I need more information.'' She calmed down a bit and sat on the Lawson armchair.


    Then, she wore a pensive look on her face and spoke.


    "But the mistake is from your side, Mr. Oswald. Your grandson not only lured a devil into our Tower, but he also caused massive chaos which resulted in the death of two Barons."


    "That¡­ I deeply apologize for his mistakes." Charles lowered his head a little and said in a regretful tone.


    "Your apology won''t bring back the dead ones, Mr. Oswald." Destiny Lady snorted inwardly and said in an offended tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and soon realized that the other party was expecting somepensation for the loss.


    ''What a sly woman. Once she learned that the other party was a Rank-4 Mystic, she instantly changed her tactic.'' He was momentarily speechless.


    "What do you want?" He showed an annoying look on his face and asked.


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady quietly waved her hand and spoke calmly.


    "If I caught him before you, you mustn''t interfere and let me take him as a prisoner of Moon Kingdom."


    An angry expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    His wrinkled face distorted suddenly and suddenly turned into ruthless and cold!


    "Impossible. I already lost my daughter to some strange devil, so don''t even think of capturing him. If you want toy your hands on my grandson, you have to kill me first."


    Saying so, he once again exhibits the full power of wisdom.


    Destiny Lady also released her might, causing the table, windows, even doors to freeze in ice.


    "Do you think you can scare me just because you mastered the psed Time?" She asked coldly.


    At that moment, Charles also ordered the Holem''s Crown''s to release its power and spoke in an icy tone.


    "You are indeed powerful, child. But if anything happens to my grandson, I will personally go to the Moon Kingdom and ughter all the citizens. I don''t want to offend you, but that doesn''t mean I''m afraid of a fight."


    The main hall waspletely enveloped in illusions, fireballs,vas, and ice spikes in two seconds.


    Even Charles began to face some mental pressure after some time. But he also knew that he should never show any weakness to the enemy.


    At that moment, an idea appeared in his mind.


    The next second, he suddenly raised his hand, curled his lips upward, and asked a strange question.


    "What if I give you something else aspensation?"


    Destiny Lady paused for a moment and soon stared at him for an exnation.


    "Have you heard of Series Artifacts, young child?" Charles asked with a serious look on his face.


    "I''m not an ignorant mortal, Mister."


    Her tone turned even colder. But she retracted her wisdom power from the surroundings.


    Charles also nodded his head in appreciation and continued while retracting the wisdom power.


    "A mysterious Series Artifact is hiding in this Kingdom, child. If you promise that you won''t go after my grandson from now on, I will give you some information about it. Do you want to hear? Or do you want to fight?" A sly grin appeared on his wrinkled old face.


    "Series Artifact¡­" Destiny muttered for a moment and soon shook her head.


    "Humph, capturing a Series Artifact is not a small matter, old man. Hmm-" She suddenly paused as she sensed some drastic change in her Fate and turned pale.


    ''What the hell-? I don''t even know of its name¡­ But why is there a drastic change in my Fate?''


    Her whole body tensed up all of a sudden.


    On the other hand, Charles''s heart sank.


    ''It seems my current power is not enough toplete this mandatory mission.'' He wore a grim look and hurriedly added.


    "That''s because this Series Artifact has the power to change one''s Fate."


    Upon hearing his words, Destiny Lady froze for a moment and soon nodded her head in understanding.


    "This exins my current condition. Tell me more about this artifact, mister. This artifact¡­" She paused for a moment and thought inwardly.


    ''If I get my hands on it, I might be able to find some clue about the [Fate Arbiter] ss Gem.''

 Chapter 167: Constructing Spell Models

    <h4>Chapter 167: Constructing Spell Models</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles got relieved inside and started to speak.


    "This artifact is Goddess Rodia''s Cursed Gem. The purple gem was looted from one of her ancient Temples and waster brought to the Arc Kingdom. Its known abilities are that it can create bizarre kidnappings, murders, and coincidences. It is already affecting the whole kingdom of Iron¡­"


    Destiny Lady patiently listened to his every word, and soon her expression turned gloomy.


    She indeed encountered some strange coincidences during the past few days and got unknown anxiety.


    ''This artifact is a dangerous one.'' That was the first thought that came to her mind.


    But she never thought of giving up.


    ''No matter what, I must obtain this artifact.'' She muttered inwardly with firm resolution and soon spoke.


    "When the right timees, you have to help me obtain this artifact, mister."


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a bitterugh and nodded.


    "I will promise you with that."


    After obtaining such priceless information, Destiny Lady didn''t stay in the main hall for more than a few seconds and disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Charles used his wisdom power to scan everywhere and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "She indeed left the town."


    ''You should be very careful when she is around,d. She is not some normal woman.'' The Holem''s Crown gave him a warning.


    "You are right." Charles tersely acknowledged its words.


    ''I should focus on farming more Exp points and construct the remaining spell models.'' He stood up from the sofa and started walking towards the underground basement.


    After that, he told the kids and Ashley to return to the house and silently left Edhen.


    ¡­


    A momentter, Charles returned to the underground cave in the Fire Elemental ne and started his mission.


    Unlike before, he didn''t use the sneaky method. Instead, he chose a small Red Lizard settlement and directly attacked them with full force.


    On the first day, he killed seven Rank-3 Lizards and earned a total amount of 18,000 Exp points!


    For the next ten days, he used most of his time attacking multiple small settlements and earned a total of 94,000 Exp points!


    It was more than enough for him to upgrade all of his spell models!


    After that, Charles returned to Edhen and took a long rest. He then freshened himself up and spent some time with the kids.


    Mostly, he used his personal knowledge and cleared some of their doubts about their sses and skills.


    Following that, he returned to the underground basement around 8 P.M and chose afortable ce to sit.


    He then closed his eyes, entered the Inner World, flew towards the dark sky, and soon appeared in front of the seven spell models.


    After looking at the spell models briefly, he opened his game interface and zeroed his gaze on the spellbook option.


    ''I should first upgrade the [Crimson Robe] spell.'' He nodded thoughtfully.


    A momentter, a list of spell model names appeared in front of his eyes.


    But among them, one spell instantly caught his attention.


    [Sun''s Shell-


    It''s a rare spell that could block multiple Rank-3 spells at once. This Sun''s Shell spell could even stop mind spell attacks and has the power of ''Lawful Fire'' hidden in it! Not only that, but this spell could also protect the user from any curse magic spells.


    Cost: 18,300 Exp points!]


    ''Although the description is vague, I can finally found some clue about this Lawful Fire. With this spell''s help, I can easily counter the Hell Fire now.'' He curled his lips upward and chose to construct it.


    The next instant, many runal words came from the Inner World and encircled the previous [Crimson Robe] spell model.


    It took more than three hours to construct the Rank-3 [Sun''s Shell] spell model!


    Once the construction process was over, Charles focused his attention on the new [Sun''s Shell] spell model and soon noticed some changes in it.


    ''My emotions are appearing denser and clearer in Rank-3 spell models¡­ Sun''s Shell spell model has Kindness, Friendship, and Loyalty¡­ But somehow, I feel no repulsion. It was as if this spell model had already met its requirement¡­'' His eyes widened all of a sudden.


    ''So, that''s it. With my previous life experience, I already met its requirement¡­ But I''m not sure if I face some obstacles in the future.'' Charles nodded his head and then turned his attention towards the next one.


    It was the [Soul Heal] spell model!


    Like before, he searched for a suitable spell and soon found an upgraded version of the [Soul Heal] spell model at the cost of 15,740 Exp points.


    Charles didn''t think for a moment before he spent the right amount of Exp points and constructed the Rank-3 [Soul Heal] spell model.


    Once the construction was over, Charles looked at the spell model and noticed something abnormal in this particr one!


    ''This spell model has Love and Care emotions¡­ But unlike other ones, this one hasn''t met the requirement¡­ No, this feels so empty.'' His expression turned gloomy.


    ''If I didn''t solve this problem, it will surely cause a variance during the next rank up and might turn me into a Distorted Shadow.''


    He was damn sure of it.


    ''This spell model is in a most unstable condition.'' He nodded his head and then turned his gaze towards the next spell model.


    It was the False Blink spell model!


    Charles didn''t even nce at other options as he clicked the [me Teleport] spell and decided to construct it at the cost of 16,500 Exp points.


    After the construction process was done, he found no changes in the spell model and then moved to the next one.


    ''Red Wings¡­'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''It''s a wicked spell. And, it is also good at hiding the evil emotions.'' Sighing deeply, Charles opened the spellbook and nced at the spell model lists.


    ''Devil''s Wings, Fallen Angel''s Wings, Evil Wings, Curse Wings, Wings of Hatred¡­ What the hell is wrong with the spell models? All of them are pure evil¡­'' His expression turned pensive for a moment.


    ''But I have to choose any one of these spell models.'' He thought for a moment and chose to construct the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell model.


    Among the other spells, he felt that this spell model was the one that had something less evil.


    ''Even though it is a wicked one, it is still angel''s wings after all. So, it shouldn''t be that much of an evil¡­'' He muttered inwardly and started to read the description.


    ''Hmm, these wings'' feathers have the scent of Hell me, so the user can use these feathers to affect enemies'' deep emotions. Not only that, but the feather can also be useful to curse others'' bodies. If the user couldbine this feather with Mind Fire, he can directly invade one''s Inner World and turn them into a pure wicked being¡­ This spell is indeed a wicked one.''


    He hesitated for a moment and chose to construct it.


    It cost him a total of 20,400 Exp points!


    Although it was slightly higher than all other spell models, he felt it was worth it.


    Unlike other spells, it took more than five hours for the system to construct the spell models.


    Not only that, but the spell model itself suddenly started to change color and looked ckish red in color!


    Charles turned his gaze towards the eerie spell model and finally noticed the emotions hidden in it.


    ''Envy, Greed, Hatred, and Pleasure¡­ So, these are my deep evil emotions, huh.'' He smiled wryly and flew towards the final spell model.


    It was the [Elemental Body] spell model!


    Charles soon arrived in front of the spell model and checked the spellbook.


    To his astonishment, he only saw one spell model name in the corresponding spell list!


    [Fire Born (22,100 Exp)]

 Chapter 168: Destiny

    <h4>Chapter 168: Destiny</h4>


    ''There is not even a description about this spell?'' He frowned for a moment and selected the only option.


    A momentter, countless runal words flew from the System Cube and started constructing the spell model.


    Four hourster, a brand new spell model appeared in front of him.


    It was a few timesrger than the previous one and looked yellowish-white in color.


    ''This spell model shows curiosity, craziness, and unpredictability.'' Charles got stunned for a moment and soon noticed that his connection between the Inner World and his body had increased to two folds!


    He closed his eyes and realized that he could borrow power from his Inner World at arge amount.


    ''If I face a normal Rank-4 Mystic, I could stall against him for more than five minutes. If I receive some help from the Holem''s Crown, I might even battle against him equally. But if I face a mage ss mystic or a duel ss mystic, I might not stand against them for more than 30 seconds. No, I might be forced to a corner in a minute. If my luck is bad, I might end up dead in their hands.'' Charles still felt that there was a considerable gap between the two Ranks and shook his head.


    '' Hmm, there are still 12,141 Exp points remaining. I should now focus onprehending the spell models and Rank-up the Sub-ss before the end of this Mandatory Mission. I have a vague feeling this mission is more dangerous than any other missions.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon turned his attention towards his Sub-ss section.


    ''I also need to practice these skills from time to time and increase the skill levels through training. I should save these free skill points and only uses them when I face some obstruction during the training.'' While thinking deeply, Charles returned to the ground and silently left the Inner World.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in the underground basement, picked the ck cane, and stood up.


    "It''s time to go to the Royal Capital of Iron Kingdom." A smile appeared on his face.


    In his actual n, their journey should start after 50 days. But Charles had already constructed all his spell models and even increased his wisdom to a considerable level. As long as he didn''t face a Rank-4 Mage or a dual-ss Mystic, he wouldn''t be forced into a bad situation.


    ''Moreover, the Churches seemed to be already warned the Nobles and Royal Faction members not to involve Rank-4 Mystics in the fight.'' He gripped the cane''s handle, went near the staircase, and soon walked out of the underground basement.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown suddenly said something in his mind.


    ''Lad, why not allow thatss to walk on her own?''


    He abruptly halted his footsteps and furrowed his brows.


    ''What do you mean?''


    ''You see, the Fate always acts mysteriously. The more you interfere with her Fate, the more variations will appear in her future. It may turn into a fortunate one or an unfortunate one. If my guess is not wrong, the Series Artifact might have chosen her as the future Queen of Iron Kingdom. If so, there is a high chance she might receive benefits from the artifact on her own.''


    ''But if you interfere with her Fate, it will not only anger the artifact; thess might even die an unfortunate death in the future. One more thing, you are still not strong enough to face a Series artifact,d. The reasons you manage to obtain me are due to countless schemes and luck, remember that.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a cold tone.


    On the other hand, Charles frowned a bit and said in a mysterious tone.


    ''But you are still wrong about one thing, Mr. Rh. What if I''m also a pawn in the other party''s n?''


    ''Hmm? Are you saying that your meeting with Rhea was a nned one?'' Even the Holem''s Crown became surprised for a moment.


    ''Wait¡­ It is possible. Then-'' The Holem''s Crown abruptly paused for a moment and then added in a serious tone.


    ''Rhea might be the artifact''s target instead.''


    ''Artifact''s target?'' Charles asked in a surprised tone.


    ''Yes. Before I tell you about my theory, I will give you a short exnation of how Fate works. Every person''s Fate is interlinked with multiple persons'' Fate. So, when you change one''s fate, it will cause a butterfly effect. But changing one''s Fate is not an easy matter for a normal person.''


    ''No, even the Series artifacts, High-Rank [Astrologer] ss Mystics can''t do it. Anyone who was born in this world is already linked to the Fate of this world. So, even if they try to alter it, they might found it impossible to do. They will face unpredictable obstacles. Like I told you before, Fate always acts mysteriously.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then added after a short deliberation.


    ''I have a vague feeling that the assassination incident that happened two years ago might be not a simple one,d. Someone might have seen Rhea''s future using Rodia''s Gem and tried to kill her along with her whole family members before she could be a real threat.''


    ''But the Blood Priest kidnapped her just before the kidnapping incident¡­ Isn''t this too much of a coincidence? Do you think an artifact that could even manipte a Rank-4 Mystic can make such a silly mistake? If my guess is not wrong, something else must have interfered with the artifact''s power and helped Rhea to escape.''


    ''Something else? Are you saying there is something else more powerful than Rodia''s Gem lurking in this kingdom?'' Charles''s whole body stiffened up.


    ''No. It is lurking in the whole world and controlling everything in the shadows. It is the ''Will'' of this Edhen. And, it''s not controlling everyone''s Fate, but Destiny. It''s a power that could even decide a God''s life and death.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a calm tone.


    ''Destiny¡­'' Charles felt like a tiny ant.


    ''Yes. The ''Will'' of the world already chose Rhea as the sessor of the Iron Kingdom. But someone didn''t want that to happen, so they must have searched for a variable.'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly paused.


    At that moment, Charles also suddenly got enlightened.


    ''Irregr! They need an Irregr to alter her Fate, so they choose me.'' A cold light flickered in his eyes.


    ''Yes, Irregrs rarely appear in this world. So, your arrival at this timing somehow attracted this someone.'' The Holem''s Crown didn''t continue.


    But Charles already knew the answer.


    ''They want me to change her fate, so they could kill herter without facing any difficulty.''


    ''Yes, so whatever you are going to do, you must n carefully and never show any w. Moreover, you need to be careful of Rank-3 mages.'' The Holem''s Crown added.


    ''Mages¡­ They are always a troublesome bunch.'' He frowned for a moment and soon spoke coldly.


    ''Mr. Rh, try to steal all of my opponent''s luck from now on. If possible, steal away their lifetime luck.''


    ''Steal the opponents'' entire lifetime lucks? Isn''t that going a little overboard? Won''t that alert the opposite party?'' The Holem''s Crown still had some morals when ites to stealing one''s luck, so it began to hesitate.


    ''Humph, so what? They all are going to die anyway.'' Charles snorted coldly. Then, he suddenly thought of something and soon frowned.


    ''Your ''Miracle'' ability can change one''s fate, right? No, wait¡­ Can it change one''s Destiny?'' His eyes suddenly widened.


    ''Hoho, you finally realized? Yes, my ''Miracle'' ability indeed can change one''s Destiny. But to achieve that, I need hundreds of thousands of peoples'' lifetime luck power in return. It means this ability will change hundreds of thousands of peoples'' Fate and cause great chaos. No, great chaos should be an understatement.''


    ''From now on, steal all the opponents'' luck and save them to change one''s Destiny then.'' Charles said calmly and started walking towards the backyard entrance.

 Chapter 169: Departure

    <h4>Chapter 169: Departure</h4>


    June 11th Morning, Strangers Street, Helm Ville.


    It was around 10. A.M.


    A group of four kids, an old man, and one skinny adult woman stood at the entrance of a single-storied house. All of them appeared to be well-dressed and seemed to be waiting for someone.


    A few minutester, a four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage came from the opposite direction and soon stopped in front of the opened fence gate. The carriage appeared rather polished in brown paint, while the horses looked healthy and appeared white.


    As the wheels made a screeching noise, a 25 year old young came jumped down from the driver seat and bowed his head towards Charles and the kids.


    He was the renting house agent, Finn.


    Yesterday, Charles personally went to his house and asked him to arrange a good carriage at the cost of 50 gold coins.


    Thankfully, there was an unused carriage in the small town, so Finn went to the owner''s house and brought it immediately.


    After greeting Charles and the kids, Finn took out a small leather pouch and searched to give the remaining amount.


    Amused by his actions, Charles waved his hand and said.


    "Keep the money."


    "Teacher-" Jessie was about to retort but soon swallowed her words and sighed helplessly.


    She knew that her teacher was a kind man, so she gave up on arguing about wasting money.


    But she already swore in her mind that she would never let her teacher do the financial work!


    ''If he gives all his savings to others like charity, we might end up with nothing one day.'' She grumbled inwardly, used her hand to adjust her whirly blonde hair, and went towards the wooden door.


    She wore a in sleeveless brown shirt, ck pants, and regr leather shoes and appeared more like a young girl from the rural town.


    Meanwhile, chubby-faced Noel took the long whip from Finn''s hand and started climbing towards the driver''s seat.


    Then, Charles, Titus, Rhea, and Ashley followed after Jessie, entered the carriage, and satfortably on the seats.


    Once Noel confirmed that everything was set, he whipped the horses and turned the carriage towards the main street.


    After that, the four-wheeled carriage soon left the Helm Ville through the western gate and started moving into the Redstar woods.


    As the carriage started moving deep, Rhea opened the red curtain on her left side and nced at the beautiful trees and nts with her marble-like ck eyes.


    After ncing at the scenario for some time, she closed the curtain, turned her gaze towards Charles, and asked.


    "Teacher, you are a Fire Mage, right?"


    At that moment, Charles sat on the opposite seat with closed eyes and was in the middle of deep thoughts.


    He quickly opened his amber eyes and nodded.


    "I''m a Rank-4 ze Sorcerer."


    "Rank-4?!" Jessie, Titus, and Rhea became stunned for a moment.


    Soon, they recalled their teacher''s might and nodded their heads in understanding.


    On the other hand, Charles smiled mysteriously and spoke.


    "But you guys should aim higher. Everyone has their own goal, so don''t sacrifice your goal for others."


    "I want to be the wealthiest person in the world." Suddenly, Jessie raised her hand and said with a smile.


    "Rob the bank." Both Rhea and Titus said at the same time.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s lips began to twitch as he saw an excited expression on Rhea''s face.


    ''You are going to be a ruler¡­ Haa, did they get affected by my habit?'' He shook his head and spoke.


    "It will be a tough path,ss. Your opponent is not a Mystic, but a Goddess."


    Upon hearing those words, Jessie''s smile stiffened.


    She quickly pinched her chin and corrected.


    "I want to be a rich person in this world."


    Meanwhile, Titus fell into deep thoughts and shook his head.


    "I don''t have any goal. As long as I protect my sister and my friends, I''ll be happy."


    At that moment, Rhea suddenly removed the curtain, stuck her head out, and asked in a loud voice.


    "What is your goal, Noel?"


    Upon hearing Rhea''s words, Noel''s face suddenly turned red for some odd reasons. He hurriedly shook his head and stuttered.


    "I-I will tell you when the right timees."


    "Right time?" Rhea red at his back in dissatisfaction and soon retracted her head into the carriage. Then, she turned her gaze towards Ashley and asked in curiosity.


    "What is your goal, Miss Ashley?"


    "My goal is to protect you, Your Highness." Ashley adjusted her long white gown and responded instantly.


    She had long turned into Rhea''s maid and even acted like one.


    The only thing that she didn''t have was a maid outfit!


    "That''s your duty. I''m talking about your goal." Rhea grumbled inwardly, then shifted her gaze towards Charles and asked another question.


    "Teacher, can I choose [Astrologer] ss as my second ss?"


    A startled expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Why do you want to be an Astrologer?" He stared at her in curious.


    "I want to be like Destiny Lady. I heard that she is a water mage and also has the power to change one''s fate. If I be someone like her, I don''t need to worry about my fate, right?" Her eyes shone in resolution.


    "You seem so talkative today," Charlesmented in the same old man''s voice and added.


    "If that is what you want, go and choose that path. But you must be always careful of ''Irregrs.''"


    "Irregrs?" This time, Jessie tilted her head in confusion and looked at him for answers.


    "You will learn about them when the timees." He suddenly paused for a moment and then added.


    "Enemy ising towards us. I will be back in a few minutes. Rhea, their target might be you, so be careful of the surroundings."


    Before Jessie and others could understand his words, his figure turned into a crimson me and then disappeared from the seat!


    A momentter, a humanoid me suddenly appeared 500 meters above in the sky before forming into the appearance of an old man.


    After that, Charles shifted his attention to the spell models and cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] on himself.


    The next instant, two eerie ckish-red wings appeared behind his back, opened wider, and started pping from time to time.


    Simultaneously, his eyes turned pitch ck.


    ''My evil character is reappearing.'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    "Mr. Rh, turn into a bracelet." He ordered.


    An instantter, the ck cane let out a vibrating noise and soon transformed into a red-gem embedded bracelet.


    Charles swiftly caught the bracelet, wore it in his hand, and used his wisdom power to scan the surroundings.


    ''Oh? Three consciousnesses areing from the south¡­ All of them seemed to be powerful.''


    "This fight is going to be a tough one,d." The Holem''s Crown said in a calm tone.


    "Hmm? Rank-3 Mage? They really did send three Rank-3 Mages!" But Charles wasn''t anxious at all.


    Honestly, he was excited to kill the same ranked mages.


    ''Don''t help me unless I''m forced into a bitter position.'' He muttered inwardly, took out the Starfall Codex magic book, and opened it.


    He then flipped the pages before stopping it on page no.12 and started to chant calmly.


    Soon, he saw three figures flying in his direction at full speed.


    Within a few seconds, they arrived in front of him and sized him up and down calmly.


    One was a silver-haired woman in a red robe, while the other two were men in grey robes.


    The man in the lead appeared around 60 to 70 years old, had grey hair, a long beard, ck eyes, thin eyebrows, and two transparent wings appeared behind him.


    The next one was a ck-haired man, around 30 years old. He had a pale face, deep-set brown eyes, and simr two transparent wings behind his back.


    Thest one was the silver-haired woman, who had silvery eyes, an oval face, and looked younger than the ck-haired man.


    At that moment, Charles also finished the chanting silently, closed the book, and stored it in his space ring.


    But his gaze was glued on the crimson wings that appeared behind the silver-haired woman.


    ''Fire Mage.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    "Are you guys from Nobles'' Faction? Or the Royal Faction?" His eerie old voice echoed in the sky.


    At that moment, a disdainful expression appeared on the silver-haired woman''s face.


    But before she could say something, Charles used [Cryptic Analysis] skill and spoke with a sly grin.


    "Daisy Elliott¡­ 230 years old¡­ Rank-3 Ember Wizard¡­Constructed four Rank-3 spell models¡­ Heh, you are also a Rank-2 Nature''s Child, huh."

 Chapter 170: Mischievous

    <h4>Chapter 170: Mischievous</h4>


    "YOU-" The silver-haired woman''s eyes went wide-eyed!


    Her real identity was exposed in an instant!


    At that moment, the grey-haired man and the ck-haired man suddenly backed away, distanced themselves from Daisy, and stared at her in confusion and shock.


    After two seconds of a short silence, the grey-haired old man let out a deep sigh and spoke in a deep voice.


    "So, you are from Elliott family, huh. No wonder we couldn''t find any information about your background."


    On the other hand, the ck-haired man''s eyes turned bloodshot, and his breath became rougher.


    "Why?" That was all he could squeeze out from his mouth.


    Meanwhile, Daisy was utterly stupefied by the sudden change of events and stood with an awkward expression on her face.


    Even Charles got stunned for a moment and soon understood something.


    ''She seemed to be a spy sent by the other faction.''


    Then, he looked at Daisy and cast [Knowledge Absorber] skill on her.


    A momentter, one of her deepest secret knowledge appeared in his mind.


    ''Daisy is an illegitimate child of current Head of Elliott mage family¡­ She was sent to Royal Faction to learn more about the assassination incident¡­ Elliott family head is suspecting that second consort Felicity and her family is the main culprit behind that incident¡­''


    While Charles nced at the new information, the grey-haired man suddenly raised his hands and pped his hands together.


    His eyes showed coldness and brutality.


    A secondter, the sky turned dimmer, eerie ck clouds started to gather about their heads and started to rain in the next two seconds.


    ''It must be the ck Rain spell.'' Charles had long seen the spell model''s name in the old man''s status, but he couldn''t see any description on it.


    Before the ck droplets could touch his body, he pped his wings twice, cast [Sun''s Shell] spell on himself, and flew up towards the sky.


    Whenever the ck liquid touches his body, a sunshineyer would appear andpletely blocks the liquid!


    No, his defensive spellpletely evaporated the ck droplets!


    Simultaneously, Charles used his [Hand of Mystery] skill on Daisy and smiled.


    But his smile appeared more like a wicked one!


    Meanwhile, Daisy felt that the cold winds touched her soft skin and got confused.


    At that moment, a look of realization dawn on her oval face.


    Without even knowing her, someone stole her clothes mysteriously!


    Not even her inners were left behind!


    A momentter, a woman''s scream echoed in the sky!


    Even though she was more than 200 years old, she was still a woman after all.


    She was hovered in the air naked while her curved melons started bouncing up and down like rabbits.


    With a panicking face, she tried her best to cover the private parts with her hand, but her hand wasn''trge enough.


    To her worst luck, the ck rain fell on her body, turned into creepy snakes, and started slithering towards her private parts!


    A furious expression appeared on her face.


    "F*cking pervert!" She red at the grey-haired old man and was about to cast her Fire shield spell, but her face stiffened.


    At that moment, the gray-haired old man also felt some chilling sensation appeared all over his body and went pale.


    In a second, he understood that his clothes also went missing!


    But his pale expression wasn''t due to that, though.


    His manhood appeared hard as a rock and was currently stood at the angle of 130¡ã!


    "Horny bastard!" Daisy wentpletely berserk as she saw the old man''s thing and instantly went on an attacking mode.


    Tens of me spears, fireballs, and fire arrows came out of her hand and flew in his direction.


    Not only that, but she also muttered some strange words and opened her arms wide.


    The next instant, greenish leaves, and vines appeared all over her body andpletely enveloped her.


    That was just the beginning.


    Thousands ofrge birds suddenly flew from the woods and started encircling her like she was their mother!


    It was one of her subss skills [Nature''s Call]!


    There were sparrows, flinches, tit birds, ravens, parrots, crows, hummingbirds, and even some bats that appeared among the group.


    All those birds then moved in front of her and started to transform.


    A small sparrow suddenly began to bulge in size and transformed into thrice the size as before!


    It was the [Nature''s Transformation] skill!


    Within seconds, her surroundings turned into a crowdie one!


    Daisy finally regained her calm and stared vigntly at the grey-haired old man and the ck-haired man.


    On the other hand, Charles hovered above their heads with a mischievous smile on his face and cast [Vision] skill.


    The next instant, his eyes turnedpletely white for a moment and soon returned to normal.


    But tens of future images appeared in front of his eyes one by one.


    ''The old man knows a mind-rted spell and could even stop me from thinking for a second. The second one is that he can fake his own death. Not only that, but he also has some defensive artifact to block my Needle of Ember spell.'' He organized his thoughts, plucked a ck feather from his wings, and then disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he appeared behind the naked grey-haired old man and cast [Burning Thoughts] on him.


    Simultaneously, he released his Rank-4 wisdom power, used the Holem''s Crown''s [Body Freeze] skill on the grey-haired man, and immobilized him.


    Then, he threw the reddish-ck feather towards his back.


    In a blink, the eerie reddish-ck feather turned illusionary, appeared behind his back, and disappeared into the old man''s body.


    But it was just a start, though.


    The next instant, countless eerie ck marks started to appear all over his body and soon started sucking his life force!


    By the time the grey-haired old man woke up from the confused state, he felt exhausted and weak.


    In such a small amount of time, he already lost more than one year of his lifespan!


    ''Danger!'' The grey-haired old man instantly received some forewarning and bit his tongue.


    At the exact moment, he saw a reddish needle appeared in front of his forehead, and it was about to pierce through his head.


    But he didn''t get anxious, though. Instead, he let out a cold snort and activated his defensive artifact.


    A transparent shield appeared out of nowhere and blocked the Ember Needle.


    This artifact could even block a Rank-4 spell, so the Ember Needle spell''s effect went ineffective in a moment.


    ''That was close.'' The grey-haired old man was about to breathe out a sigh of relief but suddenly froze.


    Only then did he sense that someone was standing behind him!


    "You should be more careful in your next life." A cold, eerie voice appeared in his ears.


    At the exact time, a sharp pain appeared from his heart.


    Then, a pure wicked power starting to invade his body!

 Chapter 171: Prophecy

    <h4>Chapter 171: Prophecy</h4>


    On the other hand, Charles cast [Knowledge Absorber] skill on the grey-haired man but was disappointed.


    ''It''s a secret knowledge about the location of Rank-4 wind spell model¡­'' He shook his head and cast [Burning Thoughts] again.


    Then, he directly took out the new long sword from his space ring and shed it towards his neck.


    But before his sword could reach his neck, the old man''s head and body exploded all of a sudden.


    After that, the reddish flesh, blood, bones, and brain matters directly fell from the sky and sshed on the tree leaves and the ground.


    ''He self-detonated?''


    Charles clicked his tongue and turned his gaze towards the stupefied ck-haired man.


    An unknown fear rose from the depths of the ck-haired man''s heart.


    The battle between Charles and the grey-haired old man took only three seconds!


    Before the ck-haired man could snap out from the daze, Charles had already killed the grey-haired man.


    Daisy''s expression also turned unsightly as she witnessed such a battle.


    Not only that, but she also sensed some invisible power that scanned her body earlier and got anxious inside.


    ''Rank-4 Mystic!'' That was the only thought that appeared in both of their minds.


    They knew that the grey-haired old man was a peak-level Rank-3 Expert.


    But he couldn''t even fight stall this old man for three seconds!


    "Who are you?" While asking, Daisy hurriedly took out a trinket from her space ring and started to chant in a hurried tone.


    The ck-haired man also took out some simr trinket and started to chant.


    He didn''t even dare to ask questions and entirely focused his attention on escaping.


    A smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Go and tell your superiors to make a weing ceremony for Rhea Bonere." He suddenly paused for a moment and added with a sigh.


    "But on second thought, I will tell them myself."


    At that moment, Daisy and the ck-haired man already finished their short chant and activated the trinket.


    But nothing happened at all!


    ''Space is locked!'' Panicking expressions appeared on their faces.


    Upon noticing the grave situation, the ck-haired man hurriedly moved his right hand towards his pocket and was about to take something.


    But suddenly, he forgot how to move his fingers!


    Before he could wake up from the strange confusion, a sharp pain appeared from his neck.


    A momentter, he felt that his head began to spin.


    In a blink, his head was cleaved entirely off from his body.


    [Target Eliminated! 3,640 Exp obtained!]


    Nodding his head, Charles pushed the headless body and turned her attention towards Daisy.


    "I surrender, My Lord." Witnessing such a scene, she got terrified inside and raised her hands in a hurry.


    At that moment, the birds also started to shrink back to their original size and soon descended to the forest.


    Charles stared at her coldly for a second and asked.


    "Why should I need a weakling like you?"


    Her pretty face turned red because of the anger and humiliation.


    But she swallowed the humiliation and spoke in a hurried tone.


    "I know about the secret of Ancient Tower."


    ''Ancient Tower? What is it?'' Charles stared at her for a moment and soon nodded.


    As Daisy was about to tell little more about the Ancient Tower, she suddenly forgot about it!


    ''He stole my memory.'' That thought crossed her mind.


    "Well, I can''t simply believe your words, can I?" Charles let out a chuckle and added.


    "Follow me."


    Saying so, he pped his reddish-ck wings and then zeroed his gaze towards the woods.


    No, he focused his gaze on a particr ce where the grey-haired man''s exploded body parts fell.


    ''All that left now is to kill the crippled man.'' He muttered inwardly.


    At that moment, the blood droplets, bones, brain matters, and fleshes were nowhere to be seen.


    ''But I can sense a powerful consciousness inside the bush.'' Charles curled his lips upward,pped his reddish-ck wings, andnded near the green bush.


    Daisy alsonded beside him using her crimson wings and looked at the bush in confusion.


    No, she soon saw a mutated rat hiding near a grey nt stem, holding a space ring in its forelimbs.


    Currently, the grey-haired old man, who took over a mutated rat''s body, got frightened inside.


    Well, if not for Charles''s Rank-4 wisdom power and his [Cryptic Analysis] skill, even he wouldn''t have found something amiss about this old man''s death!


    ''As expected of someone who lived more than 400 years, he is indeed a worthy opponent. His Soul Possession skill is not bad at all.'' He conjured a ball of me and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Mr. Sneaky Rat, pleasee out. Or else, I will not hesitate to kill you."


    "W-Wait. I-I wille now." A stuttering old man''s voice came out from the bush, and soon the mutated rat crawled out from it.


    Upon seeing such a strange scene, Daisy''s mind went nk for a moment.


    On the other hand, Charles silently used his [Hand of Mystery] skill and picked up the bloody mutated rat.


    "How long can you possess this rat?" He asked.


    "No more than 24 hours." A weak voice came out from the rat''s mouth.


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head and then crushed the rat into a meat paste!


    It couldn''t even have any time to utter a cry!


    "He died just like that." Charles let out an evilugh and nced at the notification.


    [Target Eliminated! 5,350 Exp rewarded!]


    "You killed¡­" Daisy was about to correct him but soon swallowed her words.


    Meanwhile, Charles walked towards the nearby tree, leaned his back against the tree trunk, and asked.


    "What is this Ancient Tower? Is it a Magic Tower?" His eyes shone in curiosity.


    "It''s the legacy of the First King, My Lord." A short, humble reply came out of Daisy''s mouth.


    "You mean the First King Ledger Bonere?" Charles narrowed his eyes.


    "Yes, My Lord. No one knew what this Tower is, but this has some connection with the Bonere Family and the four legendary spirits. There is a mythical tale passing down from generation to generation saying that whoever bes the rightful Ruler of the Iron Kingdom will get the opportunity to obtain this Legacy. But till this day, none of the previous rulers seeded in obtaining this Legacy." Daisy exined calmly.


    "None seeded? Then, why are you mentioning this now?" An irritated expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    Daisy''s face flustered as she saw his expression, but soon she regained herposure and spoke.


    "But there is another talk going around in the Nobles'' Circle, My Lord." She suddenly paused for a moment and then spoke in a suppressing voice.


    "Nine months ago, the high priests of the four Temples received a prophecy from the legendary spirits. Let me tell you the prophetic lines and then you can decide for yourself." She took a deep breath and then spoke.


    "Born in the Iron, but will rise in the Moon.


    She has three hearts, but only two hands.


    When she returns, her arrival will shake the home.


    Chaos will descend, so do the opportunities.


    She will rise, to be a true Monarch,


    Whenever she takes a step, citizens would kneel.


    Not out of respect, but out of hunger and fear of death.


    She will extend her hand, to save the kingdom from its doom.


    Tell her to beware, beware of a Divine.


    That one will stick to her, to steal her life.


    Save her, she will save you.


    Let her rest for a while, along with her hearts.


    When the hearts grow, she will lose one.


    But if Fate allows, the lost heart will find me.


    And, I will give the Legacy to it.


    Wait for the Destined Day."

 Chapter 172: Mage Path Information

    <h4>Chapter 172: Mage Path Information</h4>


    ''Beware of a Divine¡­ Kingdom''s doom¡­ Legacy¡­'' Charles frowned a bit and soon nodded his head.


    "I will keep it in my mind."


    ''But I can''tpletely trust this prophecy. I''m an Irregr and I think I already changed the original future of this kingdom.''


    After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and asked her about mage-rted information.


    That was what he needed most in this current situation.


    "Did you already enter the Inner World?"


    "No. Only Rank-4 Mages will be able to enter the Inner World, My Lord." Daisy shook her head and responded.


    But she clearly showed a confused expression on her face.


    ''Hmm? But why did I enter the Inner World earlier than others? It''s not only due to increasing my wisdom to Rank-3 level¡­ Is it due to the System? Now that I think about it, I did enter the Inner World when I was in the middle of the contract process. At that time, the ''Time'' itself was frozen by some mysterious force and only my thinking process remained normally¡­''


    ''I think it really has something to do with the System. The system cube seemed to have the power to nullify the ''Time Stop'' effect and allows the user to think normally. The System also constantly linking my consciousness with my Inner World¡­ In a sense, it acted as a bridge and caused the dark space to appear at an early stage¡­''


    ''So, when I suddenly increased my wisdom to 30 points, the dark space expanded on its own and allowed me to finally enter the Inner World. Although these were just my own guesses, I''m sure this was what happened during that time.'' Charles pondered for a moment and then asked his next question.


    "How do a ss mage increase his wisdom power? Potions? Or some other method?"


    A dumbfounded look appeared on Daisy''s face as she heard that question.


    ''Wisdom Power? Is he talking about soul power?''


    She soon cleared her throat and spoke with an awkward smile on her face.


    "In this era, Mages call this power as Soul power, My Lord. We mostly increase our soul power with the help of potions and rituals. As long as we sign an agreement with Churches, Magic Towers, or any organizations, we can purchase ritual materials, and potions using contribution points." She suddenly paused for a moment and asked hesitantly.


    "Are you an Ancient Mage, My Lord?"


    "Yes," Charles lied without even blinking.


    A look of understanding appeared on Daisy''s face.


    "I heard that Ancient Mages use some spirit technique to increase their soul power. Is that true, My Lord?"


    Although Charles got startled inside, he didn''t show it on his face and agreed with a nod.


    "But my disciples are currently walking on the ss-Gem path. So, I need to learn something about this one."


    Without even waiting for her to say another word, he rubbed his wrinkled chin and asked another question.


    "What about body strength? How do you guys increase them?"


    In truth, he was more curious about how the mages increase their strength in this world.


    "Unlike other ss Mystics, we don''t have much time to do training. So, we mostly use potions to increase one''s strength like the Ancient Mages, My Lord." Daisy answered politely.


    "Potions? How many types of potions are there in this world?" Charles asked further.


    "There are many unique potions, My Lord. I once heard from my father that the higher the rank, the harder it will be to get one''s hand on these potion recipes. And, all these potions recipes are in the hands of Mage families, Magic Towers, Churches Royal Families, andrge organizations." At that moment, a trace of anger and hate appeared on her face.


    "Potions¡­ Are they any Alchemist in the Iron Tower?" He asked further.


    "Yes, My Lord. If you have a potion recipe, you can give them some money as payment and ask them to brew potions for you. But you have to be very careful and should never show the full recipe to them. Although I don''t know if it can increase ancient mage''s body strength, I think it is worth a try." Daisy patiently exined and then took out a grey robe from her space ring.


    Then, she silently wore it over her nature dress made of leaves and dismissed her Nature''s Child ss skill.


    At that moment, Charles averted his gaze and soon frowned.


    ''Potion recipes, huh. I need to get my hands on these and check if the potions can increase my body strength. Although the System is helping me giving free attribute points, I''m sure those free attributes won''t be enough in the future.'' He nodded inwardly and then asked another question.


    "What are the requirements a Rank-3 mage needs to meet to Rank up?"


    A surprised expression appeared on her face.


    But soon, she returned to normal and spoke with a thoughtful look on her face.


    "A Mage''s body strength should be above Extraordinary Level. Otherwise, there is a big chance of failure during the Rank-Up. Then, his soul power should also need to be above Sunset level, My Lord." She suddenly paused for a moment as if she recalled something and continued with a serious look on her face.


    "This is only for mages. For normal ss Mystics, the requirements might be different and most of us still know nothing about this."


    "That''s why you haven''t Ranked-up the Nature''s Child ss, huh." Charles looked at her pretty face and then nodded his head in enlightenment.


    "Yes, My Lord." Daisy smiled bitterly.


    Meanwhile, Charles checked the grey-haired old man''s ring and soon began to think.


    ''So, they are using a different level system to distinguish the Wisdom power level, huh. Sunset level¡­'' He suddenly halted his thinking and soon asked.


    ''Do you know anything about this power system, Mr. Rh?''


    ''You mean the Wisdom power level? Yes, I did hear about this strange leveling system from Eddie a few times. The first level is Dawn. If an apprentice mage wants to construct Rank-1 spell models, his wisdom power must be above this level. The second one should be Sunrise level, the third one is Midday and the fourth one is Sunset.''


    ''Dawn¡­ Sunrise¡­ Midday¡­Sunset¡­ Dusk¡­ Night¡­ Midnight¡­ Am I right?'' Charles was stunned by their ranking. But soon, he felt that it was easier to remember than some strange names.


    ''Yes. Potions'' names would also appear simr to this ranking system. So, you will have an easier time when searching for potion recipes in the future.'' The Holem''s Crown gave an affirmative answer.


    After that, Charles once again turned his attention towards Daisy and asked.


    "How do you guys know when one''s soul power reaches Sunset Level?"


    "We can check our soul power using Soul Checker artifact in the Iron Tower. Although checking once will cost around 100 gold coins, it''s an affordable price for mages." Daisy responded calmly.


    But the more she heard his question, the more anxious she became.


    ''This man knew nothing about the ss-Path¡­ But he has some strange abilities to read memories and only knew about ancient methods¡­ He is definitely an old monster who woke up from the slumber!'' She had heard some terrifying legends about Ancient Mages and got nervous inside.


    In her mind, the Ancient Mages were evil, wicked beings and would go any length to achieve their goal!


    ''The Royal Faction knew nothing about this monster. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have sent us here to probe his real strength. With him helping Rhea, there is no chance of sess for the Royal Faction¡­ Unless that man appears¡­'' She thought to herself.

 Chapter 173: A Young Girl

    <h4>Chapter 173: A Young Girl</h4>


    While she was in muse, Charles suddenly straightened his back and spoke with a calm look on his face.


    "Go back to your family and tell everyone about Rhea''s arrival."


    A startled expression appeared on Daisy''s face.


    ''Why is he letting me go without making any precautions?'' The anxiety in her heart grew.


    "Hoho, don''t try to think of anything funny. I already ced a mark in your Inner World and I can wipe out your whole memory in a few minutes. Unless you Rank-up and enter the Inner World, you won''t be able to even find it." Noticing her anxiety, he let out a chuckle and gave a sharp reply.


    ''He really is an old monster!'' Her body quivered all of a sudden.


    "Go back and tell your family about this incident. If you n on revealing anything about me, the mark inside your soul will act up and started to devour your memory. So, be careful."


    Nodding her head, Daisy regained her calm and bowed her head.


    Then, she turned around, cast her wing spell, and flew towards the direction where she came from.


    Meanwhile, Charles wore an amusing smile on his face and turned into a me before disappearing.


    He appeared in front of the four-wheeled carriage a momentter, startling the two white horses, and tapped the red-gem embedded bracelet.


    The next instant, the bracelet shone in a dim eerie red light and turned into a ck cane.


    Charles swiftly caught the cane, gripped the hand with his right hand, and started walking towards the carriage.


    ''Why didn''t you kill her?'' An old man''s voice echoed in Charles''s head.


    ''I have a big n. Once she returns to her family, her father will definitely use some unique method to search if everything is alright about his daughter. Once he finds out some odd energy is hiding in her Inner World, he would try his best to remove it.'' Charles suddenly paused for a moment as he appeared near the carriage door, opened it, and continued while entering.


    ''That is what I want. During the past few months, I learned a few things about my spell models. All these seven spell models are unique and rted to seven different fires. But when I checked information about this world''s fire mages, I learned that they mostly gaining enlightenment from the Lawful Fire. In truth, over 95 percent of their spell models are created from the Lawful Fire. The remaining five percent belongs to Chaos Fire. There is no news about the other fires at all. Although some basic spells appeared from time to time, there seemed to be no high-level spells about these other fires.'' Saying so, he satfortably on his seat and told Noel to drive the carriage.


    ''You want to scare them?'' At that moment, the Holem''s Crown finally realized his n.


    ''Scaring them is almost impossible because there is a Rank-5 Existence backing them. But I want to make others believe that I''m not a normal Rank-4 Mage, but an Ancient Mage with a mysterious past. Once they try to search for my true Identity using divination, they will definitely face an obstacle. Not only that, but they will also find out that my fate is constantly changing-''


    At this moment, the Holem''s Crown suddenly interrupted his talking.


    ''They will also think of you as an Irregr. After that, they will hesitate to send mages after us. If your n goes sessful, we don''t need to be afraid of the Nobles and the Royal Factions anymore.''


    ''Yes.'' Charles nodded inwardly and turned his gaze towards the hesitant-looking Rhea.


    "Did something happen?" He asked.


    "Yes, Teacher." Rhea nodded her head and added while pointing her finger at her ring.


    "After you left, this ring suddenly started to vibrate and shone in a bright blue light."


    Saying so, she took the ring from her hand and passed it to him.


    Meanwhile, Charles took it from her hand and soon frowned.


    ''Something is odd about this ring¡­'' He instantly cast the [Cryptic Analysis] skill and soon turned serious.


    [Item: Ring of Frost


    Rank: Rare (????)


    Effect: This ring has a spell called ''Ice Land'' engraved in it. When activating, this spell would send out ice elemental energy and freeze the surroundings.


    Caution: To activate this ring, the user must have a minimum of 15 Wisdom Points.


    Cooldown: 2/Week.]


    ''Why there is a question mark near the Rank option?'' Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and soon scanned it with his wisdom power.


    But to his shock, he couldn''t find anything odd at all!


    ''Is it due to the ancient spirits?'' He returned the ring to Rhea and cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on her.


    ''Hmm, her wisdom power has already reached 15. Did her increased wisdom trigger some mechanism inside this ring? Is this the power of a Destined One?'' Charles suddenly thought of something and asked in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you check her luck?''


    ''I already checked their luck when they meet you in Chester City. There was nothing abnormal about her.'' An instant answer came from the Holem''s Crown.


    ''No. Check her luck now.'' Charles shook his head and said.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown let out a dim light to show its dissatisfaction and scanned her.


    A few secondster, a surprised old man''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''Oh? Her luck is triple the amount of a normal person''s luck!''


    ''As I thought, something is influencing her fate.'' He squinted his eyes.


    "Keep this ring with you all the time and tell me if something odd happens."


    Saying so, he closed his amber eyes and started to take some rest.


    Meanwhile, Noel drove the carriage continuously and crossed the Redstar woods around the evening. Then, Titus took over Noel''s job and started to drive.


    ¡­


    June 18th Evening, Ash Region, Territory of Forge, Iron Kingdom.


    It was around 6.30 P.M.


    A lone four-wheeled carriage drove past farms and viges and soon entered dense woods. It was the woond that separates Duke Peres''s territory and Margrave Favian''s territory.


    Noel sat on the driver''s seat and wore a nk expression on his face.


    At first, he actually thought long-distance traveling would be fun. But now, he knew that it was indeed a very boring one.


    ''My butt is burning like hell.'' He groaned in displeasure and soon saw the surrounding tall trees began to shroud the way, making the dirt path gloomier.


    ''I hope nothing weird happens this time.'' He warily looked at the side bushes and soon made a clicking noise.


    The next second, the white horse in his right side let out an indignant snort and sped up a little. On the other hand, the left side horse didn''t even wave its tail.


    ''This bastard surely looks down on me these days.'' He was about to whip the horse but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, he saw an 18-year old young girl stood 100 meters away from the carriage and was blocking the way.


    Her wavy deep-blue hair was fluttering due to the chilling wing and blocked half of her face. She wore an old linen white gown, wooden slippers and held a luggage bag in her right hand.


    Due to the presence of tree shadows, Noel couldn''t see her face clearly and guessed that she must be slightly older than Jessie.


    Noticing her presence, both white horses slowed down their footsteps and made a neigh noise in unison.


    A momentter, the carriage also slowed down and soon stopped, leaving a screeching noise behind.


    Meanwhile, the young girl used the other hand to move her fluttering hair and started walking towards the carriage.


    In ten seconds, she arrived beside Noel''s right side and showed a nervous look on her oval face.


    "Can you take me to the town?" She asked with a smile.


    Her voice sounded more like a melodic song in Noel''s ear.


    "Y-Yes." He subconsciously nodded his head but soon froze.


    At that moment, Rhea stuck her head out and shouted.


    "What happened?"


    A wry smile appeared on Noel''s face as he pointed his finger at the young girl and spoke.


    "She is asking for a lift."


    Upon hearing his words, Rhea showed a confused face.


    She soon turned her face into an angry one and raged.


    "Are you ying a prank on me now?"


    "What?!" Noel''s mind went nk for a moment.


    Before he could think further, Rhea pointed her finger at the deep blue-haired girl and said.


    "Did you start to have hallucinations?" She paused for a moment and then added in a sharp tone.


    "There is no one here!"


    At that moment, Noel suddenly heard the same melodic voice from the blue-haired girl''s mouth.


    "Can you take me to the town?"


    His body shuddered involuntarily!

 Chapter 174: Innate Abilities

    <h4>Chapter 174: Innate Abilities</h4>


    Simultaneously, Noel''s hand began to tremble, and his throat went dry all of a sudden.


    At that moment, a cold voice came out of the carriage.


    "Noel, bring her in. Titus, go and drive the carriage."


    Upon hearing those words, Rhea''s body suddenly went stiff.


    ''Does that mean there really is a ghost here?'' She hurriedly jumped down from the carriage and stared vigntly at the empty area.


    At this moment, Ashley, Titus, and Jessie also walked out of the carriage and stared at the empty area in vignce and confusion.


    Meanwhile, Noel made a forced smile and climbed down from the driver''s seat.


    "T-This way," He stuttered and led the deep-blue-haired girl towards the carriage door.


    On the other hand, the young girl nodded her head and followed after him.


    Even after seeing others'' panicking reactions, Noel felt that this girl appeared very real to his eyes.


    Within a few seconds, he arrived near the entrance, gave the whip towards Titus, and opened the red curtain for her.


    Meanwhile, the young girl gave him a slight bow, stepped inside, and sat in front of Charles.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Noel also entered the carriage and sat beside the young girl.


    Only then did Charles opened his amber eyes and looked at the empty seat.


    But unlike others, he felt a presence of consciousness.


    ''A Ghost?'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    In the meantime, Ashley had already taken few more steps and backed away.


    Her face was pale as a white sheet, her hands and legs were trembling, and cold sweats appeared all over her face.


    She still hadn''t woken up from the previous trauma!


    Jessie and Rhea weren''t far from better, though.


    Those two also showed panicking expressions and held their hands tightly.


    Only Titus showedposed expression as he went towards the front, climbed up to the driver''s seat, and sat on it.


    Due to the eerie silence, his heart began to pound louder, causing him to grip the whip handle tightly.


    Inside the carriage, Charles quietly used his wisdom power to scan the girl''s consciousness and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''She disappeared? Where did she go?'' He instantly used his wisdom power to scan the surroundings but soon furrowed his brows.


    At that moment, Noel also noticed that the young girl''s figure turned transparent and widened his eyes.


    Before he could open his mouth, Charles looked at Rhea and others and ordered.


    "Get in, kids."


    His voice contained a trace of urgency.


    Although Rhea and others were reluctant initially, they hid their fear and entered the carriage one by one.


    Then, they sat next to Charles and stared at the empty seat in anxiety and worry.


    "Rest assure. She has long left."


    Saying so, Charles let out a heavy sigh and then asked in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, did you have any idea about that ghost?''


    ''Yes, her soul is pure and there is no hatred at all. But someone seemed to have done some experiment on her before her death and caused her soul to stop from entering the Eternal River of Life.'' The Holem''s Crown said solemnly.


    ''Is it the Necromancer? From his earlier actions, he is most likely the culprit behind these strange ghost incidents. And, I can tell that he also has some connection with the one who is manipting fate. If not, he couldn''t have shown his presence when the Dragon appeared in the Fire Elemental ne and distracted my thinking.'' Charles pondered for a second and lit themp inside the carriage.


    After that, he told Titus to start driving the carriage and took out the Starfall Codex book.


    He then flipped the pages, stopped at the 16th page, and started to chant.


    It was the incantation of Rank-3 [Seer''s Vision] spell.


    Last time, he used this spell before entering the Fire Elemental ne and learned that he could see a random vision.


    Like thest time, his vision turned blurry all of a sudden, and soon he found himself standing in front of an old abandoned mansion.


    In the dark, eerie night, the three-storied stone mansion appeared empty and gloomy. Even the mansion building window sses seemed to be broken.


    Charles looked around and saw a waterless fountain, a weeds-filled courtyard, and the brokenpound walls in the sides.


    While searching for clues about the strange ce, he heard a door opening noise from behind and turned around.


    There, he saw a group of four kids and an old man opened the metal gate and started walking in his direction.


    Before he could think further, his vision turned blurry, and soon his consciousness returned to the current time.


    ''So, I can see one random future through this spell, huh. But this one is very vague¡­'' Charles blinked his eyes and soon recalled the Holem''s Crown words about strange divination.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you tell me more about the divination using constetions?''


    ''Oh? You are finally willing to learn the Star Constetion method? Excellent!'' The Holem''s Crown''s excited voice echoed inside his head.


    ''Star-Constetion method¡­ Tell me more about it.''


    ''It''s basically about predicting the future using ancient forms. Eons ago, Ancient Mages create these forms to understand more about the secret behind the ''Time'' power. It might be tough for normal mages to understand the ''Time'' power, but you have an innate affinity to the ''Time'' element.'' The Holem''s Crown answered calmly.


    ''Innate affinity?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    ''Yes. Don''t you find a little off about the Trickster ss skills? You have seven spell models inside your Inner World, but what about the sub-ss skills and unique skills?'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly posed a question.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s eyes shed in surprise.


    ''Now that I think about it, I indeed feel no skill-rted stars in my Inner World. Although I have all information in the Inner World, the sub-ss skills'' core knowledge is nowhere to be seen¡­ Why is that?'' A line appeared between his brows, and soon his amber eyes widened.


    ''Those skills already merged inside my body¡­ Am I right?''


    ''Yes. Like the Warlocks, your Trickster ss strengthens your body and turns the skills into innate abilities.'' The Holem''s Crown gave an affirmative answer.


    ''So, that''s it.'' A look of understanding expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Which form is suitable for me to understand the secrets of ''Time'' power?'' The corner of his lips suddenly curled upward.


    ''There are many forms to study Past Time, Future Time, and the Present Time. But each has some restrictions. Hmm, you have Future Time skill, so I think the Twelve Rings Form will be suitable for you.'' A calm old man''s voice echoed in his head.


    Simultaneously, Charles perceived a cloud of energy came out from the ck cane.


    ''ept it.'' The Holem''s Crown added.


    Nodding his head, Charles used his wisdom power and directly epted the information cloud.


    A momentter, pieces of information entered his Inner World.


    ''Twelve Rings Form¡­ Using this form, I can find the correct ''Space-Time'' stars in the constetions and startprehending the secrets of the future ''Time'' power. But there are some restrictions to use this form, though. If I want to learn about the future location of an object, I need some basic information about the object like its unique name, appearance, weight, etc. And if I want to see a person''s future, I need their true name, along with their surname, their date of birth, elemental affinities with levels, and the ce of birth. Most importantly, I can use this method only during the nighttime.'' His mouth twitched.

 Chapter 175: Delay

    <h4>Chapter 175: Dy</h4>


    ''There are too many restrictions to use this form. The first thing I need to learn about is the number of constetions visible in the night sky. Then, I need to search for the exact Space-Time stars among the constetions and then make a perfect map. After that, I also have to study them separately and thenpare with one another to see the most possible future.''


    While he was in muse, he suddenly straightened his back and opened the curtain.


    Simultaneously, Titus shouted in a nervous tone.


    "Teacher!"


    "Bring her to the carriage," Charles said with a serious look on his face.


    At that moment, all of the kids'' faces and Ashley''s faces went pale.


    In a few seconds, Titus arrived near the curtain and gestured the invisible person to enter.


    But unlike others, Noel also saw her appearance clearly and shuddered.


    It was the same deep-blue-haired girl from before!


    Once the young girl entered the carriage, she sat on the empty seat and nodded at Noel.


    At that moment, Charles gestured Titus to continue his work and closed the red curtain.


    After that, he turned his gaze towards the empty seat, then towards Noel, and spoke.


    "Talk to her. Ask her name, age, or anything."


    Noel nodded his head with a stiff smile on his face and asked while looking at the young girl.


    "H-How may I address you?"


    A surprise shed on her face.


    "I''m Chloe." Her sweet melodic voice echoed in Noel''s ears.


    Upon hearing her reply, Noel got some courage and was about to spoke, but suddenly stopped.


    At that moment, he saw her figure turned foggy all of a sudden and soon disappeared in front of his eyes.


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth as he saw that scene.


    ''I have a bad feeling about this.'' He muttered inwardly and leaned his back against the leather seat.


    Half an hourter, Titus''s anxious voice came out from the driver''s seat once again.


    "It''s here, Teacher!"


    "I''m starting to get chilly here," Rhea said with an anxious tone and hugged her knees.


    Meanwhile, others also felt a sudden drop in temperature.


    Without any dy, Charles opened the curtain and told Titus to bring her in.


    A few secondster, Titus led the same young girl towards the entrance door, opened the red curtain, and gestured to go in.


    But this time, the young girl disappeared just after she sat down on the empty seat!


    "It''s not even giving us some time to ask questions," Jessie said in a gloomy voice.


    ''Something is not right.'' Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and once again gestured Titus to continue driving.


    Then, he opened the red curtain and peered into the dark trees and bushes.


    One hourter, Titus shouted from the driver''s seat and told them about the young girl''s arrival.


    His tone was filled with anxiety and fear!


    Meanwhile, Charles finally retracted his gaze from the gloomy dark trees and muttered.


    "We are going in a loop."


    "Loop?" Jessie tilted her head in confusion.


    "Space seemed to be bending weirdly, causing our carriage to go on the same path. Unless we find out the origin of the bending space, we will be circling inside this forest forever." Charles exined calmly.


    In the meantime, the Holem''s Crown also started to speak in his mind.


    ''It''s not a normal one,d.''


    ''I know.'' Charles let out a chuckle and told Titus to proceed.


    Like before, Titus brought the white-dressed young girl and gestured her to get in.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly conjured ten balls of greenish-blue mes, weaved into a spider, and threw it on the invisible young girl.


    A momentter, weaved spider directly enveloped her and imprisoned it!


    The next second, everyone saw the young girl''s appearance clearly.


    Even though she was imprisoned, she showed a polite smile on her face and walked into the carriage.


    Soon, she sat on the opposite seat and maintained her calm look.


    "Who are you?" This time, Charles asked her directly.


    "I''m Chloe." An instant response came out from her mouth, followed by a puzzled look.


    Then, she tilted her head for a moment and soon furrowed her brows.


    At the exact moment, her soft skin suddenly started to turn rougher and soon changed into a wrinkled one.


    Then, her eyes darted around suddenly and disappeared, leaving two hollow spaces behind!


    ck blood also started gushing out of the sockets, mouth, and nostrils and draped the white dress in dark color.


    A chill went up to everyone''s spine!


    Her appearance suddenly turned into a creepy woman from a horror movie!


    A secondter, a rotten smell assaulted everyone''s nose.


    Following that, an eerie ck chain turned visible from her chest and seemed to be connected to some void.


    The only one who showed calm expression was Charles.


    Upon seeing the ck chain, he curled his lips upward and smiled.


    "I''m waiting for this."


    Saying so, he conjured another ball of greenish-blue fire, shaped it into a sharp de, and swung it towards the ck chain!


    A nging noise echoed inside the carriage, followed by a creaking noise.


    A momentter, Charles''s greenish-blue me sword cut the chain into two!


    "Next is healing." Charles stood up, touched the zombie-like woman''s chest, and cast his [Soul Heal] spell continuously.


    Balls of greenish-blue mes came out from his palm and started spreading all over her rotten body.


    As the greenish-blue me enveloped the woman, her rotten skin, withered hair, and dress started to evaporate, leaving only a humanoid foggy thing behind.


    The fog soon turned to reshape and showed an illusionary figure of the young girl''s appearance!


    "Can you talk now?" Charles nodded his head and asked while checking the soul''s condition.


    ''I can only hold this soul for more than thirty seconds.''


    "Yes." The deep-blue-haired young girl nodded.


    "Did you get abducted by skeletons and turned into a ghost by Necromancer?" He asked in curious.


    At that moment, the illusionary young girl shuddered for a moment and soon said in a trembling voice.


    "T-They are after spirits."


    "Ancient Spirits?" A surprise shed on Rhea''s face.


    "Yes." The deep-blue-haired girl nodded her head and added.


    "Then, they are scared of you."


    "Who are ''They''?" This time, it was Jessie who asked that question.


    "They?" The illusionary young girl strangely tilted her head and continued with a stiff smile.


    "They are ''Children.'' They are nning to dy-." At that moment, the illusionary form suddenly started to distort and then disappeared from there, leaving the greenish-blue to fell on the seat!


    "They are nning to dy our journey." Charles finished the soul''sst sentence and turned his gaze towards the outside.


    ''Something is wrong,d. Are they nning to dy us using this space loop? No¡­We are missing something¡­ Wait a sec¡­ I think this surrounding forest might be a part of the pocket dimension! Unlike normal nes, the time flow would always vary to an unimaginable level in these pocket dimensions¡­ One year outside might be one day in this space or vice versa¡­What if they used the pocket dimension to dy our arrival to Royal Capital?'' The Holem''s Crown asked.


    Upon hearing those absurd words, Charles''s mind went nk for a moment.


    ''Is that even possible?'' A shocked expression appeared on his face.


    ''Why not? I owned a total of seventeen pocket dimensions when I was an ancient mage and used such tricks to fool many mages. In Edhen, each magic tower has two or three pocket dimensions, so the possibility of the Iron Tower mages using such method to dy us is very high.''


    ''There is such a thing?'' Charles went speechless for a second.


    Shaking his head, he hurriedly took out a gem-shaped leaf from his space ring and attached it to the wooden door.


    At the same time, he let out a deep sigh and spoke to Titus.


    "Untie the horses and shoo them into the woods,d."


    "Are we going to the gloomy cave again, Teacher?" Jessie instantly sensed something was off and asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled lightly and nodded.


    "Get ready."


    Saying so, he once again erased the chant from the Twin Leaf and reced it with the old one.


    On the other hand, Titus hurriedly ran towards the front area, untied the two horses, and shooed them into the woods.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, Charles was the only one who stood near the empty carriage and held a red gem-embedded bracelet in his hand.


    A momentter, two reddish-ck eerie wings appeared behind him and pped all of a sudden.


    Then, his figure shot up towards the sky and flew in the northern direction.


    As he flew, he nced at the surroundings and soon frowned as he saw no anomaly in the surroundings.


    "Strange¡­ We are not in a pocket dimension¡­" The Holem''s Crown also spoke in confusion.


    "But we can''t act carelessly," Charles said gravely and pped his wings faster.


    Like a hawk, he rose once again and flew towards the direction of Royal City.


    For the next seven hours, Charles flew continuously and finally saw a fortified city with a single tower at the northern edge.


    As he moved closer, the darkness started to fade and revealed a brilliant orange light from the eastern sky.


    "The city of Iron." A smile crept on Charles''s face.


    He then circled the sky for a moment and soon chose an isted ce near the woods tond.

 Chapter 176: Cautious

    <h4>Chapter 176: Cautious</h4>


    Once Charlesnded on the ground, he went near a tall tree, ced the gem-like leaf on the trunk region, and entered the Fire-Elemental ne.


    After that, he brought them to Edhen and soon zeroed his gaze on Ashley.


    ''Although she is just a harmless woman, I can make any careless mistake. Moreover, the prophecy¡­'' He muttered inwardly and asked while pointing his finger at the Twin Leaf.


    "Do you remember what this leaf can do?"


    As Ashley was about to reply, she suddenly forgot about the Twin Leaf and then its uses!


    Only the vague memory of them staying in an underground cave remained in her mind!


    But Charles didn''t stop there, though.


    He pondered for a moment and cast [Knowledge Absorber] spell on her in case of precaution.


    A momentter, a piece of important information appeared in Charles''s mind, causing his eyes to widen slightly.


    ''Ruler''s Ring?'' He subconsciously turned his gaze towards Rhea''s hand.


    ''So, she knew about the ring but chose to hide the information due to fear, huh. Hmm, this ring can help the Bonere family member to contact one of the Ancient spirits¡­ There are a total of four rings, but three of them were already snatched by the assassins¡­ If Rhea wants to be a true monarch, she needs to collect all these four rings, get approval from the ancient spirits and merge them into a single ring. This merged ring will be called Ruler''s Ring¡­ But this time, Churches interfered, incited the nobles to oppose the King and destroyed the ancient tradition.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding, took the Twin Leaf from the tree trunk, stored it in his space ring, and turned his gaze towards Jessie.


    "I have something to talk to you privately. Follow me." Saying so, he turned around and started walking away from there.


    Meanwhile, Jessie nced at Rhea and others and soon followed after him silently.


    On the other hand, Rhea, Titus, and Noel looked confused and nced at each other.


    "It might be something rted to her ss skill." Rhea thought for a moment and finally spoke.


    Meanwhile, Charles arrived 50 meters away from the kids, turned around, and asked.


    "Do you have two consciousnesses, right?"


    His question startled Jessie greatly. Soon, she realized that his Teacher was not a normal mystic and nodded her head.


    "Good. Store all information about this green leaf and the chanting method in your second consciousness." Charles said with a calm look on her face.


    Although Jessie got stunned by his words a little, she hurriedly nodded her head and transferred the information about that chanting method and the Twin Leaf to her other consciousness.


    Unlike Charles''s half-baked incarnation, her second consciousness was an exact copy of her original one.


    So, it didn''t take her ten seconds to finish the process!


    "It''s over, Teacher." She said with a nod.


    "Good. Now, switch to the second consciousness and let me talk to it for a few minutes." Charles didn''t exin anything to her and said with a serious look on his face.


    If it were Rhea or Noel, they would have questioned him about his strange actions.


    But Jessie was a sharp girl. She instantly knew that their Teacher was nning to erase some of their memories and nodded her head in approval.


    ''Teacher wants to ce my second consciousness as a trump card for us. As long as this information didn''t get exposed, I will switch to second consciousness during a dangerous time and bring others to the underground cave for hiding. There are many Mystics with mind-reading skills out there and the possibilities of our mind getting probed by these Mystics are very high.'' Thinking inwardly, she directly linked her to the other consciousness and switched it to the other one.


    Simultaneously, her original consciousness entered her Inner World and soon looked around.


    But unlike Charles''s Inner World, the surroundings appearedpletely dark and gloomy.


    Her illusionary form stood there motionlessly and waited.


    Meanwhile, her second consciousness took over her body, and she bowed her head towards Charles.


    "You are second consciousness, right? If something out of ordinary happens during the next four years, your job is to use this leaf and bring the kids to the underground cave. But, you should never bring Ashley or other humans to another side, got it?"


    Saying so, he took out the Twin Leaf and showed it to her.


    Without waiting for her to reply, he ced his hand on his chin and spoke.


    "In the future, I might be forced into a situation and have to leave you guys toplete the main mission. At that time, many Mages and Mystics will use different skills to read your memories and some might try to kill you. Use this leaf when the situation turned into a precarious state and escape." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "As long as you guys stay in that ce for the next few days, I wille and rescue you. Don''t worry about the hot atmosphere, I will find a solution for it before going toplete the mission."


    "What if the enemy uses the Historian ss skill, Teacher? I heard from Mr. Rh that there is a skill that could even let a Mystic to see through one''s past." Jessie''s question caused his lips to twitch uncontrobly.


    ''Did you have to brag about your skills to this kid?'' He red at the Holem''s Crown and then frowned.


    ''This is indeed a big problem¡­ Wait¡­ What if I follow the system''s method and let Jessie enter the Inner World at an earlier stage like me?'' He organized his thoughts for a moment and soon spoke.


    "Then, you have another mission now. That is to contact your original consciousness whenever she is free and talk to her frequently. The more you contact her, the bridge that is linked between the Inner World and the body will expand to an unimaginable level. After that, tell the original Jessie to improve her wisdom using potions and let her enter the Inner World at an earlier stage. Once she did that, you can directly transfer information to others using your thoughts. Then, you guys can chant the verse in your minds and move to another side."


    "Yes, Teacher." Jessie tersely acknowledged his words.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded with a smile and waved his hand.


    "That''s all for now. You can go back and let the real consciousnesse out."


    Nodding her head, Jessie closed her eyes for two seconds and then opened her emerald-green eyes.


    "I''m ready, Teacher."


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled lightly and said.


    "Try to think more about the green leaf, chanting method, and the underground cave."


    Before Jessie could respond, he cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on her constantly and started erasing her memories.


    It took a total of five minutes for Charles to erase everything about the Twin Leaf.


    After that, he also erased memories about the Holem''s Crown from the original consciousness.


    Then, he told Jessie to go back and inform Rhea toe.


    For the next 30 minutes, Charles used his [Burning Thoughts] spell more than 100 times on the kids and erased most of their memories about the Twin Leaf.


    ''You are overly cautious,d.'' The Holem''s Crownmented.


    ''It''s better to be careful against these Mages and Mystics. And, there is also some prophecy about the stalking Divine. If I want to fool such being, I need to be overly cautious.'' He said in a cold tone and led all of them out of the woods.


    ¡­


    Ten minutester, six people came out from the Barren Woods and started moving towards the City of Iron.


    In his same old man''s appearance, Charles took the lead and started walking on the grassy in while others followed after him closely.


    Ashley was the one who camest while nervously ncing at the familiar trees and weeds.


    During the past few months, she had encountered many strange things and already became numb to any surprise.


    There was one thing she was sure of.


    The mage who walked in the front was an unfathomable, powerful, and mysterious man!


    ''He can even make others'' forget some things.'' An unknown fear arose in her heart.


    Other than Charles, everyone wore a ck hood over their heads andpletely hid their identities.


    That was an order from Charles.


    The group soon found a dirt passage and noticed a white curtained carriage was moving towards the direction of the Royal City.


    Noticing their sudden arrival, the coachman also slowed down the carriage and raised his thin eyebrows.


    His hair was dark as a shadow of twilight, a rough face, a lean body, and appeared around 30-years-old.


    Currently, Charles wore a simple grey gown and held a ck cane in his hand.


    Meanwhile, the kids and Ashley were in hooded clothes and appeared very suspicious.


    "Do you need something, old man?" His deep-set grey eyes showed a hint of wariness.


    ''Hmm, he looks somewhat familiar. Where have I seen him before?'' Charles stared at the man for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards the carriage.


    At that moment, the white curtain suddenly opened and revealed a 50-year-old woman.


    She had curly ck hair, a wrinkled round face, and grey eyes. She wore a blue robe dress and held a silver pocket watch in her hand.


    Upon seeing her face, Charles''s expression slightly changed.


    ''Emilia Wilson¡­ What a ''Coincidence''.'' The corner of his lips twitched.


    He soon returned to his calm self and asked while looking at the deep blue-haired man.


    "What day is today? Can you tell me the exact date, young man?"


    Although the coachman got puzzled by his words, he didn''t put much thought into it and gave a short response.


    "Today is July 15th."


    "Oh!" Charles nodded his head and waved his hand to continue their journey.


    ''So, that space loop indeed had some power to manipte time. Was it the Ghost''s ability? Possible.'' He was slightly shocked inside.


    ''If I hadn''t purified the soul, things would have gone worse.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    After thinking for a moment, Charles shook his head and led the kids to the City of Iron.

 Chapter 177: Intimidation

    <h4>Chapter 177: Intimidation</h4>


    One hourter, Charles and the group finally reached the city gate and soon saw two queues at the entrance.


    The citizens who stood in the right-side queue were mostly peddlers and low-ssmoners, while the remaining ones who stood on the left side were robed mages, luxuriously dressed merchants, and nobles.


    Charles thought for a moment and soon chose the right-side queue. After lining up, he nced at the hundreds of peoples and then focused his attention on the outer wall.


    It was a 6-meter tall outer wall, built-in iron, and appeared majestic. Charles''s gaze then swept past the tall wall and soonnded on the Iron Tower.


    ''A Rank-5 Existence, huh¡­'' He sighed inwardly and moved along with the queue.


    After another hour of waiting, Jessie paid the entrance fees to everyone and stepped into the City of Iron.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and other kids also followed behind her closely and looked at the city''s interior in curious.


    As Charles stepped in, the corner of his lips suddenly curled upward.


    ''Mr. Rh, shall we start?'' He asked in his mind.


    ''Haha, let''s scare these puny mages. It''s been a long time since I released my full power.'' An instant response came out from the ck cane.


    Letting out a chuckle, Charles tapped the cane, asked the Holem''s Crown to transform into a bracelet, and wore it.


    "Enjoy the show, kids." Hemented casually and looked up at the clear blue sky.


    The next second, two eerie reddish-ck wings appeared behind him and pped all of a sudden.


    His figure soared up in the sky in a blink and frightened all the nearby citizens, soldiers, peddlers, shopkeepers, and even some robed mages.


    "Who dares to use their magic openly?" A raging voice echoed from the city wall, and soon a group of blue-robed mages cast different wings spells on themselves and flew up towards the sky.


    They were the elite mages who were responsible for maintaining order and peace.


    The one who was in the lead wore a unique silk-lined blue robe and appeared taller than an average man. He had curly long scarlet hair, square face and held a ck-covered book in his hand.


    Upon seeing his appearance, almost all the citizens and mages breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "Wizard Hudson is here!" Some citizens even started to shout out his name excitingly.


    He was a Rank-3 Storm Wizard with considerable experience in fighting!


    These kinds of wild mages'' rude behaviors were quitemon in thisrge city, so the citizens quickly calmed down and looked up at the sky to watch the show.


    On the other hand, tens of silver-armored soldiers walked out from the city wall and urged the citizens to hide somewhere.


    They knew that fights against Mages would always cause damage to the surroundings, so they urged everyone.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked down at the blue-robed mages from the sky and smiled.


    "I dare!" The next instant, his voice, infused with wisdom power, echoed in every citizen''s ears.


    It was so strong that it caused the nearby citizens to faint on the spot!


    The next moment, an invisible ripple went through the surroundings and covered themoner''s street!


    It was the might of his full wisdom power!


    Simultaneously, fire sparks started to appear around Charles and soon formed into eerie reddish fireballs.


    Upon witnessing such magic, the flying mages, including Wizard Hudson, pped their wings to stop the moment and turned pale.


    ''Rank-4 Mage!'' That thought appeared in everyone''s mind!


    Before Hudson could take the initiative to ask the identity of the mysterious mage, another kind of invisible ripple came out from him and went in every direction!


    But unlike the previous one, this one contains a trace of pure evil and wickedness!


    At that moment, Charles''s surroundings also started to distort and showed different kinds of illusionary scenes.


    Some illusions showed vast peaceful skies, while the remaining illusions showed the appearance of creepy creatures.


    Illusions of Ancient demons, horned Devils, different kinds of monsters, and battle scenes appeared in the sky one by one.


    This time, every mages'' face went pale as a white sheet!


    ''Rank-4 Dual Mage!'' They were utterly terrified.


    At that moment, the new type of wickedly wisdom power mingled with Charles''s one and started to expand.


    It went to Nobles'' District, Slum District, and soon reached the 1,000 meters tall Iron Tower!


    In two seconds, the invisible power covered the whole City of Iron and caused every Rank-3 to turn their gaze towards the western sky.


    Shock, terror, fear, and anxiety appeared on each of those mages'' faces!


    Five Rank-4 Mages in the Iron Tower and the other three ordinary Rank-4 Mystics in the Nobles'' District also turned their gazes towards the western sky and showed gloomy looks on their faces.


    They knew it was the Ancient Mages whom they provoked earlier and started to get anxious.


    ¡­


    Nobles'' District, Emerald Street.


    A ck-haired woman, who appeared around 25 to 28 years old, stood inside an artifact shop and was in the middle of searching an ornamental stone for her private usage.


    She wore a red robe and appeared more like an apprentice fire mage than an official mage.


    She was none other than the Destiny Lady!


    As she was about to take a sapphire-like gem from a metal box, she heard an old man''s voice in her ears.


    ''I dare!''


    Surprise shed on her face.


    She felt that this voice was so familiar, yet at the same time unfamiliar!


    A momentter, she felt an eerie invisible ripple came from the western direction and widened her scarlet eyes.


    The next second, a freezing aura oozed out from her body and caused the nearby ornamental stones to break into powders!


    But she didn''t mind at all.


    Currently, her surprised face had already turned into a shocked one!


    She instantly closed the metal box, walked out of the shop, and looked up at the western sky.


    At that moment, the whole western sky was filled with vast numbers of creepy illusions, giving a feeling of terror to every citizen''s heart.


    Normal Mages and Mystics shivered in fear and terror!


    Unknown to Destiny Lady, few drops of cold sweats started to appear on her forehead!


    During the past few days, she indeed gathered some information from time to time and found out about a strange rumor.


    It was the appearance of an Ancient Mage, who just woke up from slumber!


    ''But to think that fragile-looking old man is the rumored Ancient Mage.''


    "He is much stronger than I thought!" She muttered in a grave tone and sighed.


    ''It''s better to maintain a friendly rtionship with him.'' A bitter smile appeared on her face.


    A momentter, her body turned blurry and soon disappeared from there.


    The next instant, she appeared 200 meters away from Charles, bent her waist a bit, and greeted him.


    "Destiny Lady of the Tower of Elements greets the Ancient Mage Oswald." Her loud voice echoed in the sky.

 Chapter 178: Warning

    <h4>Chapter 178: Warning</h4>


    As Destiny Lady spoke those words, two crystalline ice wings appeared on her back and started pping on their own.


    On the other hand, Charles and the Holem''s Crown got greatly startled by her appearance.


    ''Did I go overboard?'' The Holem''s Crown''s voice echoed in Charles''s head.


    ''What do you mean?'' Charles''s expression went stiff.


    ''Well, instead of releasing normal Mage''s wisdom power, I actually released the wisdom power of Rank-4 Ancient Mage¡­ In a sense, that amount is three times greater than an average Rank-4 Mystic. Although the Rank-4 Existence won''t get alerted by such measly power, that won''t be true for Rank-4 Mystics.''


    ''You truly did that on purpose, didn''t you?'' He red at the red gem-embedded bracelet and sighed inwardly.


    As Charles was about to respond to Destiny Lady''s greeting, he suddenly noticed that three figures were flying towards his direction from the northern direction.


    Two robed figures came from the Iron Tower direction, while the remaining one came from the Nobles District direction.


    Within a few seconds, all three of them appeared beside Destiny Lady and stared at Charles with solemn looks on their faces.


    One was a 60-year-old man, while the other two were 30 to 35 years old looking women.


    ''All three of them seemed to be from different factions¡­ Hmm, the opposite party didn''t send powerful Rank-4 mages to greet me¡­ Instead, they only sent their weaker ones and still seemed to be testing my temperament. As expected of the scheming old monsters, they are clearly looking down on me despite knowing that I''m an Ancient Mage¡­ If they found out I''m just a Rank-3 Mage¡­!'' Just thinking about it gave him chills.


    But what made him regain his calm was the expression on the Rank-4 mages'' faces.


    Charles could feel that the two females were actually showing nervousness and was pleased inside.


    ''This mission is going to be my biggest scheme. I need to calm down and act more like a real expert.'' The corner of his lips curled upward as he crossed his hand together and snorted coldly.


    At the exact moment, rays of dark energy spread out from the red-gem embedded bracelet and started circling his body like snakes!


    Upon seeing another kind of power, a blonde-haired female Rank-4 Mage''s face went stiff!


    She even took out amunication ring from her space ring and thought of contacting other mages!


    ''Could you please stop provoking these guys?'' Charles almost shouted out loud.


    He now clearly knew that this scheming artifact was enjoying the show!


    He also saw more than ten mages in silk-lined blue robes came from different directions and soon arrived behind the three Rank-4 Mages.


    They were sent by different noble houses and Mage houses to back the Rank-4 Mages!


    ''Rank-3 Mages¡­''


    Charles nced at the robed mages and shook his head.


    "Truly a bunch of clowns." His tone was quite arrogant.


    Saying so, he waved his hand and dismissed his wisdom power.


    It was to show the other party that he wasn''t here to start a useless fight.


    At the exact time, the Holem''s Crown also dismissed its own power andpletely concealed its psed Time power.


    Only then did everyone loosen their guards.


    Meanwhile, Charles nced at others one by one and soon zeroed his gaze on the Rank-4 old man.


    He was almost sixty. His hair was long and tangled and greasy and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines. It was all ck, no grey; so were his long, mixed-up whiskers. There wasn''t any color in his face, where his face showed; it was white, not like another man''s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body''s flesh crawl - a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white. As for his clothes - just a brown robe, that was all.


    But he gave off a strong, threatening aura!


    "Your name?" Charles sized the man up and down and asked.


    "Larry Foster." A short reply came from the old man''s mouth.


    "I heard that you guys failed to protect your own King. Is it true?" He looked into Larry''s eyes and asked.


    "Yes, we are ashamed of it." Larry also stared back at Charles and responded with a smile.


    There was no guilt on his face at all!


    No, it was the opposite. Larry was actually showing a pleased expression!


    "You better watch your mouth,d. I''m 30,000 years older than you." A sharp look appeared on Charles''s face as let out another cold snort and descended using his reddish-ck wings.


    At that moment, the reddish-ck wings suddenly turned into pure ck ones for a moment, and gave off a bone-chilling aura!


    Although it appeared just for a moment, it made the Rank-4 Mages and the other Rank-3 Mages squint their eyes.


    Just as Charles reached the ground, he suddenly opened the wings wide andnded on the empty street road.


    After that, he dismissed the wings and started walking towards the dumbfounded kids.


    But whenever he took a step, mes would appear around his feet, bend the space itself, and shorten the distance to a great margin.


    This time, the Rank-4 Mages'' faces, including the Destiny Lady''s face, began to change drastically.


    The Mages were utterly clueless about this old man''s unique spells and got shocked inside.


    The Ancient Mage in front of them appeared powerful, terrifying, and Mysterious!


    Within two seconds, Charles appeared in front of Rhea and removed her ck-hooded clock.


    A pale-faced young girl appeared in everyone''s visions.


    Her long ck hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, with a few blue peekaboo strands. She wore a royal blue empire waist silk gown and leather shoes.


    Almost every citizen identified her in two seconds!


    She was the second princess of Iron Kingdom, Rhea Bonere!


    "Your Highness!" Shocked and surprised voices echoed from every part of the main street.


    Before they could shout out another word, Charles turned his gaze towards the squad of security guards and spoke.


    "Go and inform the Churches that the second princess of Iron Kingdom has returned."


    His cold voice reverberated through the surroundings like divine words.


    "Y-Yes, My Lord." The nearby soldiers nodded their heads and hurriedly moved towards the direction of City Square.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned around, nced at the mages and the citizens, and gave a warning.


    "Rhea Bonere is my student. So, if anyone holds an ill intention against her, try to forget about it. If not, prepare for the consequences."


    Saying so, he zeroed his gaze on Larry and smiled.


    But his smile appeared more like a ruthless one.


    "Even if you are a Rank-4 Mage, I will not hesitate to kill you." He added.


    Upon hearing his words, the whole surroundings went dead silent.


    On the other hand, Charles retracted his gaze, took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, casually opened the outer case, and checked the time.


    ''10.35 A.M.'' He nodded inwardly before storing it in his pocket, took out the spare cane from his space ring, and gripped the handle.


    After that, he thought for a moment and spoke.


    "Let''s go and pay a visit to the Day and Night Church."


    Saying so, he started to walk on the wide street road.


    Meanwhile, the kids and Ashley snapped out from the daze and followed after him hurriedly.


    ''Why are you going there? What if Goddess Rodia was the one who is responsible for all the schemes?'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly got confused by his action and asked.


    ''That''s very unlikely. Even if she is the one, it doesn''t matter.'' Charles smiled mysteriously and asked in his mind.


    ''What would happen if we suddenly pay a visit to the Day and Night Church?''


    The Holem''s Crown took some moment to think and then responded.


    ''Other Churches, Kingdom Nobles, Royal Faction members, and Tower Mages would think that you have some ties with the Day and Night Church.''


    ''No. They might think that Rhea''s sudden disappearance before the Royal Assassination Incident might be Day and Night Church''s scheme. If we just add some fuel to the fire, friction will happen between the Churches and the Iron Kingdom''s Ruler Caste members.''


    ''In truth, the Ruler Caste Members are already showing dissatisfaction towards the Churches. The main reason for that was due to Royal Family''s assassination incident. Now, Rhea''s coincidental arrival at this exact time will cause suspicions. All the Mages, Nobles, and even other Churches will think that Day and Night Church yed a double game.'' He suddenly paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    ''Even if the Church members tell others that they were innocents, no one would believe them. Then, the Day and Night Church have no choice, but to back us if they want to get a hold of this kingdom. It will turn into a gamble for them.''


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown suddenly realized his n and continued.


    ''They will also act as a shield for us and distract everyone''s attention. No, the Day and Night Church will be the Ruler Caste Members'' main enemy!''


    ''Yes.'' Charles suddenly felt a little proud of this old scheming artifact.

 Chapter 179: Love

    <h4>Chapter 179: Love</h4>


    As they started walking, Destiny Lady also descended from the sky andnded in front of them.


    Meanwhile,moners, a group of leather armored soldiers, and even Storm Wizard Hudson and his mage squad started to follow Charles''s group.


    "What do you want?" Without minding the stalking group, Charles sized her up and down and asked.


    "Mr. Oswald, I came here to give a proposal." Destiny Lady adjusted her red robe and spoke calmly.


    "Proposal?"


    "Yes, I heard a piece of news that Churches forbids any Rank-4 or Rank-5 mage from participating in the sessor mission." Destiny Lady said.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled lightly and continued to walk.


    He had long known about this news, but he didn''t put much thought into it.


    In truth, he was nning to finish this mission using Charles''s identity.


    "How are you going to let Rheaplete the mission?" Destiny Lady wore a startled look as she took a step back and asked before tagging along.


    "Why should I tell you?" Charles didn''t even look at her face and retorted.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady was at a loss for words.


    Only then did she realize that she was now acting more like a kid.


    She soon regained her calm look and spoke.


    "I can help you-"


    Before she could finish her sentence, Charles suddenly paused for a moment and cut her off.


    "I don''t need your help,ss."


    An awkward smile appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    At that moment, Charles turned his head and stared at her with a deep look on his face.


    "You are still after Charles, aren''t you?" His tone turned cold as ice.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady''s heart sank.


    Although she was good at predicting others'' fate, she was a terrible actor.


    Charles saw through her inner thoughts within a few seconds!


    Before he could say another word, Destiny Lady raised her hands and spoke with a serious look on her face.


    "I need your grandson''s help, Mr. Oswald."


    This time, it was Charles''s turn to be surprised.


    "Why do you need Charles''s help?" He couldn''t hide his curiousness and asked.


    "I''m searching for a certain individual for the past five decades, Mr. Oswald. But whenever I try to search for that person, the fate strings would severe on their own andpletely disrupt my divination-" She suddenly paused for a moment as she noticed that the old man was actually frowning.


    Before she could continue, Charles raised his hand, touched his chin, and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "Not only that ''person'' hid the information from his Inner World, but he also erased his presence from the world, huh¡­ No, he most likely manipted the fate strings and acted more like an invisible man¡­ Hmm, that means the person is higher level than you¡­ Most likely a [Deceitful Man] ss Mystic."


    Once he finished his words, Destiny Lady''s face was filled with shock and confusion.


    "How did you know that person is a male?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    A mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    "Your age must be above 100, but you acted like a young girl when you talk about this person. In truth, you actually rxed your guard more than three times and didn''t even hide your emotions. Whenever you talk about him, your heart also started to beat abnormally faster. This happens when you talk about a person you love most." He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "It''s not your parents or your siblings¡­ The possibility of this person being your friend is also very slim¡­ That left with one choice and that is your lover. Is it one-sided love? That is also possible. Then, loving the same gender is a taboo in this religious world, so that person is not ''She''."


    Charles responded calmly.


    At this moment, Destiny Lady was genuinely amazed by his analysis and tersely acknowledged his words.


    "Yes, he is indeed a [Deceitful Man] ss Mystic when he left. But a change urred a few days ago. When I was doing normal divination, I saw that person¡­ In that vision, I saw him shivering all over and he was staring at the dark sky filled with monstrous clouds and lightning. He sat on a small boat and appeared lean and weak. H-He is clearly dying. There were many wounds on his body and his brown hair appeared messier¡­" As she exined more about the vision, her voice turned softer and emotional.


    At that moment, Charles felt that his head started to ache.


    By the time she thoroughly described that vision, he heaved a deep sigh and asked.


    "You deeply love him, aren''t you?"


    Destiny Lady''s body trembled all over.


    She slowed down her footsteps for a moment and soon nodded her head.


    "Yes. Before he left, he told me to forget about him if he didn''t return after a decade. But I couldn''t." Aplicated expression appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles frowned a bit and asked.


    "What this has gotten to do with my grandson?"


    Destiny Lady shook her head and spoke vaguely.


    "I have no idea about it, Mister. But by the end of the vision, the surroundings turned blurry and showed your grandson''s appearance to me."


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown spoke in Charles''s mind.


    ''A dying soul''sst wish, huh. Even I encountered such vision through a dream when I lost my wife. Tell her to face the reality and move on.'' Its tone contains a trace of sadness, pity, and grief.


    ''But why did I show up in her vision?'' Charles still felt something was off about it.


    ''How would I know? Wait¡­ Maybe her future is with you?'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly said something absurd, causing his lips to twitch.


    ''Impossible. I don''t have any ce for love in my heart.'' Charles instantly refused to believe such nonsense.


    ''No,d. You told me something about Love and Care emotions in one spell model, right? Why not love her and gain those emotions?'' The Holem''s Crown persisted.


    ''Love¡­ That would turn into my weakness.'' Charles shook his head inwardly and continued to walk.


    But the Holem''s Crown''s following words caused Charles to stop his footsteps.


    ''You don''t have to love her,d. Create a second consciousness, put some love and care emotions into it and change that consciousness into a unique ''Charles.'' Then, let it switch position with your original consciousness and let it interact with Destiny Lady for some time. If this method didn''t work, you can just think of this incident as a simple y. But if this method seeded, not only your sess rate to Rank-up your main ss would increase, but your incarnation would also achieve some breakthrough and might lead a normal life.''


    Those words echoed more like a devil''s tempting words in Charles''s ears.


    ''But¡­ Isn''t it more like betraying my own self?'' He felt somewhat affected by it.


    ''It''s not betrayal, but giving a true life to your incarnation.'' The artifact gave a better excuse.


    ''I will think about it.'' Charles said.

 Chapter 180: Goddess of Day and Night

    <h4>Chapter 180: Goddess of Day and Night</h4>


    After pondering for a moment, Charles nced at Destiny Lady and sighed.


    "Face the reality and move on, child. If my guess is not wrong, that vision might be hisst moment. If you really want to meet my grandson, go to the Life Church and search for a woman named Emilia. She might know something about his whereabouts."


    "Emilia¡­" A frown appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    Nodding her head, she slowed down her footsteps and soon mingled with the crowd that followed them behind.


    After that, her figure turned blurry for a moment and disappeared!


    ''She really is emotionally unstable.''


    Shaking his head, Charles turned his gaze towards Ashley and asked.


    "Do you know the correct path to Day and Night Church?"


    "Y-Yes, My Lord. I will lead the way." Ashley said in a hurry and took the lead.


    They walked past many food stalls, shops and soon reached the market street road.


    At this moment, Ashley suddenly stopped near a street junction and entered the right-side path.


    "It''s a shortcut route to the Day and Night Church, My Lord." She exined.


    On the other hand, Charles and the kids nodded their heads and followed after her.


    But what made the kids frown was the group that was still following after them!


    "Why are they following us?" Rhea couldn''t help but ask in annoyance.


    "They are here to check whether you are a true descendant or a fake one." Charles looked at the market street stalls and then added.


    "Rhea, walk ahead of us. You are the main character."


    A wry smile appeared on her pretty face. But she didn''t refute her Teacher''s words and took the lead.


    At that moment, vegetable stall owners, customers, and even older people, who sat outside their houses, stood up and greeted Rhea in respect. Some bowed their heads, some waved their hands, and some people even knelt on the ground.


    More and more citizens started to tag along with the group.


    Their march appeared more like a protest rally!


    In few minutes, the rally of 100 people turned into 1000, then 2000 and so on.


    Minute by minute, citizens, mostlymoners, and slum people, came from different street alleys and joined the rally in joy and excitement.


    The news of the second princess''s return also spread to every corner of the city like wildfire!


    From a mere Baron to Duke, all the nobles got startled by her arrival. Then, like timid rats, they rushed out of the Nobles'' District to show their respect.


    At that moment, the strange prophecy also appeared in their minds.


    Mages may think of Rhea as an insignificant character, but it couldn''t be true for Iron Kingdom Nobles.


    Her arrival at this timing changed everyone''s minds.


    Not only that, but Rhea also brought an ancient mage, which caused panic to the Late King''s second consort and her children!


    They felt anxious, nervous, and even fear!


    What if the Princesspletes the mission and bes a True Monarch?


    That would be disastrous for every Ruler Caste Members!


    No matter what, they must show their respect to the descendant of the Late King.


    Otherwise, everyone would think of them as traitors!


    With their personal guards, a total of 36 Nobles walked out of the Nobles'' District one by one and soon went towards the City Square.


    But before they could even reach City Square, they heard another piece of news!


    Second Princess was heading to Day and Night Church!


    Shock and disbelief appeared on everyone''s face and soon turned into a rage!


    The Churches tricked them!


    At that moment, members of other Churches also received that news and got stunned.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and others walked past many streets and soon reached Midnight Street.


    They then made a left turn and soon saw a dome-shaped building at the farthest corner of the street road.


    Unlike other buildings, this dome-shaped building seemed to be in the middle of the construction process and appeared somewhat isted. Behind the down were two square towers which were almost as tall as 20 meters.


    Half of the dome, right side tower, and the building were painted in white, while the other side resembled ck.


    Above the dome was a sizeable coin-like circle, half of it being a sun and the other half being a moon.


    It was a symbol representing Day and Night!


    As they went near, Charles and others saw a slightly obese man in his fifties standing at the entrance. He wore a white rochet, covering it were ck-colored cassock and ck tippet.


    He also wore a white beret over his head and held a satin brass crozier in his right hand.


    His long silver hair fell over his shoulder, and he wore an unpleasant look on his face. His emerald eyes were constantly flickering side to sides.


    ''Nystagmus? Is he suffering from alcohol poisoning? Or is it a gic condition?'' Charles frowned as he saw the Bishop''s condition.


    Only when Rhea and others appeared in front of him did he returned to his normal state.


    He soon bowed his head towards Rhea and greeted her.


    "Bishop Myles of Day and Night Church greets the true sessor of the Iron Kingdom, Rhea Bonere."


    His words not only surprised the surrounding citizens but also surprised Charles.


    ''Oh? Why he is acting calmly? Hmm? He reeks of alcohol¡­ Wait¡­ His earlier abnormal eye movement¡­ Bishop Reynolds also has some weird habit of doing drugs¡­ This guy seemed to be addicted to alcoholism¡­ Is this some kind of side-effect for Fake Origin ss members?'' He thought for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards Bishop.


    At that moment, Rhea also greeted him in return and then turned her gaze towards his direction.


    On the other hand, Charles smiled lightly and asked.


    "Shall we talk inside?"


    "Come in." Bishop Myles nodded his head and led the way.


    Meanwhile, Charles and others nodded their heads and walked in.


    They walked into the building through arge, low porch by the wooden doorway.


    Inside, the arches rose into dim darkness, and between them were a few reticted windows, which stood out white due to the ring sunlight.


    The windows were of rich ss in the chancel, which showed in bright light and caused the brown oak of the choir pews to appear more radiant.


    Charles and others walked on the aisle and soon appeared in front of the elevated altar.


    Candles were lit in all the corners of the altar and appeared sacred.


    At the center of the altar, there stood a 2-meter tall female statue in a luxurious gown. The dress was made up of azure duchess satin and embroidered with floral emblems representing fine mithril and golden thread. In addition, she wore a beautiful silver crown on her head and looked more dazzling.


    The woman in the statue had long straight hair, a round face, a slim, curvy body, and appeared to be carved in white crystal.


    She stood with closed eyes and held a tiny baby in her hand.


    ''Goddess of Day and Night, Rodia.'' Charles gripped the spare cane in his right hand and looked up at the statue.


    At that moment, he noticed that the surrounding candles started to flicker abnormally.


    Then, strange invisible energy came out from the statue and caused everything to freeze.


    The candle fires stopped flickering.


    No, the whole surroundings suddenly went silent!


    It was an eerie silence which caused his body to tremble-


    No, Charles noticed that he couldn''t move a muscle at all!


    But his consciousness wasn''t affected by it!


    ''Wait¡­ Could it be? Is it the same ''Time-Stop'' ability I felt during the contract process?'' His mind raced.


    Before he could think further, he felt a pulling sensation from somewhere!


    It was so strong that it caused him unable to resist!


    The next instant, he noticed that the surroundings started to break like ss and was soon covered in darkness!


    "Find it¡­ Sooner¡­" A short, monotonous voice echoed from all directions, causing his consciousness to shudder involuntarily.


    Before he could think further, the surroundings started to break once again and were reced by the familiar scene.


    A secondter, the strange time-freezing ability also got nullified, causing Charles to take a deep breath.

 Chapter 181: Three Culprits

    <h4>Chapter 181: Three Culprits</h4>


    ''That was f*cking scary¡­ She forcefully pulled my consciousness into a separate space!'' Charles''s heart thumped harder.


    But in the next second, he returned to his former state, sped his hand together, and started to think.


    ''Find it sooner, huh. Hmm?'' He suddenly paused for a moment and furrowed his brows.


    ''This Goddess appears to know more about me¡­ Did she foresee my arrival?''


    Charles knew that no external force had influenced his previous action and was sure that his arrival here was a pure coincidence.


    ''Coincidence¡­ Wait¡­ Was it the artifact''s doing?'' His face hardened.


    ''I couldn''t rule out such possibility. Troublesome¡­'' Although Charles didn''t know much about this artifact, he was sure that it must be a creation of this Goddess.


    ''My current problem is to find the artifact¡­ But even this almighty Goddess seemed to be clueless about it. What can I do? No, I think I''m missing some key information¡­ Why didn''t the Goddess act personally?'' He quickly nced at the red gem-embedded bracelet and asked.


    ''Mr. Rh, can a God descend to Edhen whenever he wants?''


    ''Your question itself is aplicated one,d. When a God ascends to the throne, his main body will directly enter his Divine Kingdom and he would rarely show up in person. To a God, his main body is the core part. As long as he hid in his Divine Kingdom, no one can kill him.''


    ''Well, if a higher Rank God attacks him, he and his Divine Kingdom will be squashed to a pulp, though. Now, if a God descends to Edhen without minding these consequences, he will face severe attacks from the ''Will'' of this world. So, the Divines mostly send their avatars and incarnations for their personal matters.'' The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a moment and then continued.


    ''But due to the nar Alliance, all the Lawful Gods signed an agreement not to send the avatars and Incarnations to Edhen. Haa, if an army of Demons invades this ne, these Gods would definitely send their incarnations, subordinate Angels, and their avatars to death¡­ I wonder if I can snatch an avatar''s body to do a false reincarnation during that situation¡­''


    Charles rolled his eyes and then thought.


    ''It seems this Goddess is nning to push the troublesome work on to me. Hmm, I''m currently more interested in the Goddess''s Gift.''


    ''Mr. Rh, what do you know about this Goddess?''


    ''You mean Rodia? Hmm, she is a neutral Goddess and has ties with many foreign Neutral Faction Gods. Now that I think about it, she also has some rtion with Royal Elven Family and their Guardian Goddess Nyara of Easica ne.''


    ''Goddess Nyara? Who is she?'' Charles''s interest piqued.


    ''She is Goddess of Tricks¡­ Oops, don''t try to think of that name again. She mighte here.'' The Holem''s Crown''s tone instantly changed into a scared one.


    ''You''re scared of her?'' Even Charles got stunned inside.


    ''Scared? I''m not scared of her strength, but I''m scared of her tricks. She is literally a crazy Goddess who would do anything for fun. Her pranks even fooled the almighty Destiny Goddess once. Let''s not talk about her.'' The Holem''s Crown stopped speaking.


    On the other hand, Charles focused his attention on his current situation.


    ''From her earlier actions, I can tell that Goddess Rodia doesn''t hold any ill intentions towards me. Otherwise, she could have squashed my consciousness to death earlier¡­ Or she might also have some ulterior motives? Anyway, she currently needs my help and I also need her backing. As long as she didn''t interfere with my n, I will go on my own.'' He nodded inwardly and ended the prayer.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Bishop Myles and spoke.


    "What are you guys going to offer?"


    "Our Goddess''s protection, Mr. Oswald. As long as Her Highness stays in the Day and Night Church, no one can harm her."


    "Who needs that? If she stays here, then who is going toplete the personal mission?" A cold reply came from Charles''s mouth.


    "It''s true that Rank-4 and above Rank mages are forbidden to participate in this sessor Mission, Mr. Oswald. But you can simply hire some powerful Mystics andplete the mission. As long as you bring the three culprits'' heads, churches will dere Rhea as the winner of thispetition."


    "Three culprits? Why haven''t we heard of this?" Charles stared at the Bishop in surprise.


    A wry smile appeared on Bishop Myles''s face as he ced his hand on his chin and spoke.


    "After the assassination incident, Truth Church Cardinal used one of his ss skills and found out that there are three peoples who were behind that incident."


    Saying so, Bishop Myles took out three scrolls from his space ring and passed them to him.


    At that moment, Charles took a random scroll, opened it using the other hand, and looked into it.


    Inside, he saw a colored photo of a man in his thirties. The face of that man was ageless, neither old nor young, though it was written the memory of many things both d and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadow of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars.


    He wore a brown cape over his head and appeared emotionless.


    "We know nothing about his real name, but he currently goes by the nickname ''Omen''. We are suspecting that he has some ties with the Divine Order organization, but we don''t have enough proof." Bishop Myles exined calmly.


    Meanwhile, Charles passed the scroll to Jessie and opened the next one.


    It was the image of a girl child, who appeared to be about four years old. She wore a ck aba, and the hood was thrown back, revealing her pretty face. Her eyes were Fremen blue, staring out of a soft, round face. She appearedpletely unafraid, and there was a look to her stare that made Charles uneasy for no apparent reason.


    Before he could ask for an exnation, Bishop Myles let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "We call her ''Ivy'' for now. As for her whereabouts and background, we are still searching."


    ''A child, huh.'' Charles nodded inwardly, gave the second scroll to Jessie, turned his attention towards the final scroll, and opened it.


    The next instant, his eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    Because what appeared in the scroll was not a human but a damned human skeleton!


    It simply covered itself with a blue hooded cloak, and its eye sockets were shining in fierce red color!


    "This guy is suspected to be a Demi-Lich, a Rank-4 [Death Mage] ss Mystic. But from the gathered information, we learned that he is a former member of Destiny Conquerors Organization and also an injured one." Bishop said.

 Chapter 182: Childs Voice

    <h4>Chapter 182: Child''s Voice</h4>


    "This looks more like a nned mission. Could it be the Churches used some underhand methods to create aplicated mission?" Charles couldn''t help butment as he learned more information.


    Meanwhile, a forced smile appeared on Bishop Myles'' face.


    "No. Both Divine Orders and Destiny Conquerors organizations are filled with unruly members. How could we have ties with them?" He firmly denied it.


    Although those words didn''t wholly convince Charles, he didn''t put much thought into it and asked.


    "What are your conditions?"


    A smile appeared on Bishop Myles''s face.


    He didn''t reply, though. Instead, he went near the first pew on his left side, sat on the second seat, and then spoke.


    "Our Church Pope wants to establish an Archdiocese in this Kingdom, Mr. Oswald."


    "Why not ask us to hand over the Kingdom''s authority?" Charles red at the Bishop and shook his head.


    Archdioceses were the main branches of the Holy See. If Charles allows them to build an Archdiocese here, they would turn citizens into their believers within the next ten years and gainplete control over the kingdom.


    That would do no good for both Rhea and him.


    "We will allow Day and Night Church to build Church in important cities and towns." Charles deliberated for a moment and then added in a cold tone.


    "If you guys want anything more than this, ask the Pope to scram."


    Upon hearing his unkind words, Bishop''s face also turned solemn.


    "This is not the First Arcane Era, Mr. Oswald. Even if you are an Ancient Mage, you have to abide by rules of Divines." Bishop Myles stared into Charles''s eyes and raised his voice.


    But there was a trace of nervousness that appeared in his voice.


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth.


    "I''m not a normal Ancient Mage,d. If I want to make her the Queen of Iron Kingdom, I will do it with or without your help. No one can stop me."


    Saying so, he went near the Bishop and sat next to him.


    "I will give you ten minutes to decide." He added.


    Meanwhile, cold sweats started to drip from Bishop Myles''s forehead.


    He hurriedly stood up, went in front of the altar, and knelt on the ground.


    Then, he closed his eyes and started to chant an incantation.


    This chant was to do a long-distancemunication ritual!


    A few minutester, he opened his eyes, stood up from the ground, and stared at the statue with wide eyes.


    "Why did ''His Holiness'' agree without any refusal?" His loud voice echoed in the hall.


    Upon hearing his words, Rhea and the other kids nced at each other and wore confused looks on their faces.


    "It''s decided then." Charles gripped the spare cane''s handle and stood up from the front pew.


    "Let''s go. We have a long day ahead." Saying so, he turned around and started walking on the smooth aisle.


    On the other hand, the kids and Ashley bowed their heads to Bishop Myles and followed after Charles''s footsteps.


    They soon walked out of the Day and Night Church and started their rally towards the City Square.


    ¡­


    City Square,


    It was around 11.15 A.M.


    A few clerks, priests, and bishops with different attires stood solemnly and were waiting for Rhea''s arrival.


    In front of them was arge wooden table and on it were different types of artifacts ced in order.


    A few meters away from them were hundreds of luxurious dressed men and women, stood with an anxious look on their faces.


    Most women wore vintage dresses and top-notched jewelry pieces like diamond-embedded nes, bracelets, and rings.


    Meanwhile, men mostly wore frock coats, hats and appeared neat. There were also young men, young women, and robed men who appeared among the group, and they showed curious expressions on their faces.


    The only one who stood out most was the mages from different households. They wore in robes, held books or wands, and appeared more like schrs.


    Behind the group were thousands of silver and leather armored soldiers stood in lines.


    They were the personal bodyguards of the nobles.


    At that moment, a luxurious golden curtained carriage came from the opposite dirt road and soon stopped in front of the table, where different kinds of artifacts were ced.


    Then, a young hand removed the golden curtain from inside, and soon a young teen walked out from it.


    He appeared around 17-years old and wore a ck trench coat, leather boots, and was around 170 cm high.


    He had short ck hair, an oval face, and unique silver eyes.


    After that, a female figure walked out of the carriage and stood beside him.


    The woman wore a blue shirtwaist dress and appeared to be around 35-years old. She had a hawk nose, silver eyes, long blonde hair, and a round face.


    Upon noticing their arrival, all the noblemen, noblewomen, robed Mages, youngdies, and even religious priests bowed their heads and greeted them.


    Some nobles even showed fawning smiles on their faces and walked towards them to talk.


    Unfortunately, a loudmotion from the right side street road and caused them to stop their footsteps.


    No, all of their faces turned into anxious ones!


    Then, they turned their gazes towards the right side and noticed that sound wasing from a medium-sized street road.


    Within few seconds, cheering noises, shouts, and slogans came from the street road and caused the nobles'' faces to turn gloomy.


    The second princess had arrived!


    In a few seconds, a young ck-haired girl appeared in their sights.


    She wore a royal blue empire waist silk gown and held an aura of elegance and noble.


    Her each step appeared short but faster.


    Next to her was a white-haired old man with a ck cane in his hand, and he appeared more like a dying old man.


    But no one dared to even look into his eyes!


    The nobles and mages knew this man was the root cause of their current situation and turned grim.


    Behind the duo were thousands ofmoners, slum people, shop owners, peddlers, and even some guards.


    It appeared more like a rally of rebellion!


    Within a minute, they walked out of the dirt road and reached the city square''s entrance.


    At that moment, a loud female voice came from the front.


    "Rhea of the House Stonere, Inheritor of First King Ledger Bonere''s Legacy, Second Princess of the Iron Kingdom, First Disciple of the Ancient Mage Oswald, and the Rightful Heir of the Iron Kingdom has returned!"


    As the voice ended, loud horns sound resounded from all corners of the City Square!


    Following the horn sounds were loud cheers of all the citizens.


    Rhea nced at Jessie with wide eyes, then at Noel and Titus, and finally sharpened her gaze towards the front.


    Her eyes scanned the well-dressed noblemen, noblewomen, youngdies, and young masters and soon zeroed on a 17-years old young man in the ck trench coat and a 35-year old looking woman.


    ''Felicity Bonere¡­ Vance Bonere!''


    Aplicated expression appeared on her face as she clenched her fists and took a step forward.


    It was her first step on bing a True Monarch of the Iron Kingdom!


    Whenever she took a step, noble households would walk towards her one by one and bow their heads.


    Meanwhile, their soldiers would lower their weapons and kneel.


    Within a minute, she arrived in front of the duo, halted her footsteps, and stared at Felicity and Vance emotionlessly.


    Upon noticing her arrival, the ck-haired young man sized her up and down and curled his lips upward.


    "Wee home, my little sister!" Vance greeted her with a smile.


    But his smile appeared more like a devious one!


    Not only that, but his silver eyes also started to turn abnormally ck and appeared eerier.


    Simultaneously, Rhea''s heart suddenly started to race faster.


    No!


    Something invisible gripped her heart and caused her heartbeat to faster!


    It was so sharp that it caused deep pain within her heart and mind.


    Each of her heartbeats resounded more like an explosion!


    She tried to open her mouth but couldn''t!


    It was as if something terrifying entered her mind and stopped her body movements!


    ''TEACHER!'' She screamed in her mind with all her might!


    Simultaneously, Charles also heard her mental scream and got stunned.


    The next instant, a terrifying aura erupted from his body.


    No, it came from his red gem-embedded bracelet!


    It was so strong that it caused the nobles,moners, even Rank-2 mages to kneel on the spot.


    Some weak-willedmoners and noble youngdies fainted on the spot!


    On the other hand, Vance''s and Felicity''s legs began to tremble uncontrobly!


    Meanwhile, Charles''s eyes turned cold and ruthless as he stared at the trembling figures.


    "You brought this upon yourself,d." An eerie voice came out of his mouth, causing Vance and Felicity to shudder in fear.


    Panic surfaced on their faces!


    Charles raised his hand and was about to cast [Needle of Ember] spell but stopped.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on them and furrowed his brows.


    ''Something is not right.''


    The next instant, he nced around and soon sharpened his gaze towards the golden curtained carriage.


    "Come out."


    As his voice ended, a giggle came out from it.


    "Find me."


    It was a young girl child''s voice!

 Chapter 182: Witch Class

    <h4>Chapter 182: Witch ss</h4>


    Charles''s wisdom power swept through the carriage and scanned everywhere.


    ''There is no consciousness left inside the carriage¡­'' A troubled expression appeared on his face.


    ''It looks like an assassination attempt¡­ The young child''s voice¡­ Could it be Ivy, the 4-year old child? Is she wants to frame us?'' He hurriedly retracted his wisdom power and also told the Holem''s Crown to do the same.


    Then, he looked around and soon noticed that almost a hundred people fainted on the spot!


    ''What a mess.'' He couldn''t help but grumble.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he nced at Jessie and others and ordered.


    "Go and check if everyone is alright."


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Rhea and noticed that she was panting heavily.


    "Are you alright,ss?" He asked.


    "Y-Yes, Teacher." A stuttering reply came out from her mouth as she straightened her back and started walking towards the table.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding mages, Nobles, and the soldiers started to take few steps backward.


    At that moment, they also got confused by Charles''s earlier outburst and soon turned their gaze towards Felicity and Vance.


    On the other hand, the mother and son due werepletely scared out of their wits!


    They didn''t dare to stay there any longer and hurriedly entered the golden curtained carriage.


    Before long, the coachman whipped the horse and drove it out of the City Square.


    In the meantime, Rhea arrived in front of the table and let the priests and Bishops check her identity.


    The different Church members first took some blood samples from her hand and used artifacts to check her identity.


    Then, some people asked questions about Rhea''s past and checked whether she was telling the truth or not.


    By the time the fainted citizens woke up, the priests and Bishops alsopleted the identity checking process.


    After that, they announced to everyone that she was a true descendant of the Bonere family.


    Citizens had long expected such an oue, so they quietly congratted Rhea and began to disperse one by one.


    If it were before the assassination, they would have thrown a small party.


    But after Charles''s angry outburst, evenmoners got scared and moved away nervously.


    Upon watching such a scene, a bitter smile appeared on Rhea''s face.


    A moment ago, she was almost got assassinated, but none knew what had happened!


    No, many of them thought that the Ancient Mage had gone mad!


    At that moment, only a few nobles like Duke Reece, Count Darius, Viscount Johan, and Baron Edison came to meet her and exchanged a few words.


    Even they also showed forceful smiles and soon walked away along with their guards and mages.


    After that, Charles''s group stayed in the City Square for the next few minutes and noticed that even the church members packed their things and left.


    "In the end, everyone just came here to watch the show as entertainment." A trace of disappointment appeared on Jessie''s face.


    "They came here to do the formality, Jessie. If I have money and strength, they would have stayed a bit longer. But I have none at this moment. Worry not. As long as our Teacher is with us, we will be the final winner." Rhea nced at the blonde-haired girl and said with a reassuring smile.


    "What are we going to do now, Teacher?" Titus nced around in wariness and asked.


    He and others had already learned about the silent assassination from Rhea and felt terrified inside.


    They currently felt very weak!


    "We have more than four years toplete this mission. First, we will rent a small mansion andy low for the next three years. At the same time, you guys should focus on increase your strength and be Rank-3 Mystics." Charles said with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "Rank-3 Mystics in three years?" Noel''s eyes went wide in shock.


    Charles smiled slightly and nodded.


    "Although it would be a very challenging task for Rhea, it wouldn''t be a hard job for you guys."


    "But I want to select abat-rted ss and make up for my weakness first, Teacher," Jessie said in hesitation.


    "I want to be an Astrologer as well." Rhea also nodded her head in approval.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles got stunned for a moment and furrowed his brows.


    ''She wants to choose abat-rted ss, huh¡­ She has two consciousnesses, so her progression will be double fold in the future¡­It is indeed a good idea. Hmm, which ss should be good for her, Mr. Rh?'' He asked inwardly.


    ''She only has ''High'' Knowledge affinity, and all other affinities are below ''low'' level affinities. Hmm, she can choose an Outer-ss Gem and strengthen the corresponding affinity through the sacrificial ritual. Knight, Shooter, Warrior, Mad Killer, Killer, and Soldier would be her best choices.''


    ''Nope¡­ Increasing her affinity will take time.'' Charles frowned.


    ''Wait¡­ There is one ss which can be very suitable for her. But it''s a little evil one, though.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke in a solemn tone.


    ''Evil one?'' His brows knitted.


    ''Yes, it''s called ''Witch'' ss. It is almost like a shaman ss, but this Witch ss mostly involves fatal curses. Not only that, but her physical body strength would also increase to an abnormal level. If she chooses this ss and Rank-up to its peak level, she might even cause the Bloodline Warlocks to run. No, the whole world would be scared of her curses.'' An excitement. No, craziness could be seen in its tone.


    ''You really love to cause destruction, aren''t you?'' Charles couldn''t help butment.


    ''Humph, you are the one to talk.'' The Holem''s Crown refuted.


    On the other hand, Charles became somewhat intrigued by this ''Witch'' ss.


    ''Where can we get this ss gem? Churches definitely won''t allow such ss Gem to appear in this market, right?'' He was damn sure of it.


    ''Search for it in the Fire-Elemental ne,d. You should stop focusing on the small forest and explore the Fire ne. Also, why are you not paying any attention to the Twin Leaf''s origin? I thought you would go to the Miners'' Den and search for more clues about where Night Goblins found the Twin Leaf?''


    ''No, I''m not strong enough yet. Moreover, there is some big scheme behind these Twin Leaves. Otherwise, how could it appear in the Dream World?'' Charles shook his head and soon focused his attention on Jessie.


    "How many gold coins do we have,ss?" He asked.


    Upon hearing his question, Jessie turned her attention towards her void pouch and checked.


    "There are only 1,750 gold coins remaining, Teacher." She responded after a short deliberation.


    "I think it is more than enough to rent an old mansion for four years." Charles nodded thoughtfully.


    "Why shouldn''t we go to the Royal Castle and stay there, Teacher? That''s my home, anyway." Rhea stared at him in confusion.


    "Royal Castle is not a good option, Rhea. There must be tens of Rank-3 mages monitoring the castle all the time, and we can''t rx out the guard for a single moment." This time, it was Jessie who answered her question.

 Chapter 184: Next Plan

    <h4>Chapter 184: Next n</h4>


    In the meantime, Charles turned his gaze towards Titus and Noel and ordered.


    "Go and buy a suitable carriage for us."


    Jessie took out a leather bag from her void pouch and gave 50 gold coins to them as he said those words.


    Meanwhile, Titus and Noel took the coins from her and went towards the market street.


    On the other hand, Jessie touched the void pouch and muttered with a pensive look on her face.


    "We need to find a suitable job to make arge sum of money."


    "Yes. Should we do some part-time job?" Rhea also started to frown.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles got stunned.


    "Y-Your Highness, I will help with that. Meanwhile, you guys should focus on improving your strength." This time, Ashley added in a nervous tone.


    Only then did Rhea and Jessie realize that another person was tagging along with them.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of an idea.


    "Money is not a problem. I will give you a few Rank-3 elemental creatures'' carcasses from time to time. You guys can put them in an auction house and solve the money problem."


    ''Rank-3 Elemental Creatures'' carcasses? Did our Teacher have a pocket dimension?'' A thought appeared in Rhea''s mind.


    "Won''t it cause suspicions from other mages, Teacher? Everyone will suspect that you have a pocket dimension." She said in a worried tone.


    "Don''t forget my identity,ss. I''m an Ancient Mage, and I do have a Fire-elemental pocket dimension." Charles let out a chuckle and continued.


    "Once you guys save enough money, buy oneplete affinity checker from the auction. Then, focus on checking kids'' affinities in Commoners'' District and slum District. As long as the kids have ''High'' level affinities, recruit them under Rhea''s name."


    "Give them some promises like good sry, permanent job, bonuses, and so on. Once you guys give some extra benefits, their parents will be willing to let them work under Rhea. Then, buy a bulk amount of contract scrolls from Day and Night Church and make a long-term agreement with those kids. Make it up to 50 years."


    "But what can those kids do? They can''t even save themselves." Rhea wore a confused look and muttered.


    "No, we are recruiting the kids to turn them into Mystics. These kids will be your future personal guards and mages." Charles responded calmly.


    At that moment, a look of realization dawn on Rhea''s face.


    ''Personal soldiers and mages¡­'' She finally got some hope.


    "But where can we get a bulk amount of ss-Gems, Teacher?" Jessie''s expression turned solemn.


    Although they can buy ss-Gems in the ck market, they can''t buy them in bulk.


    They need a Church''s help!


    "Day and Night Church¡­ Will they help us?" She clearly remembered that their Teacher used a forceful method earlier to make them submit and felt troubled.


    "If they didn''t help, what''s the point of our earlier agreement? Tell them that we won''t allow them to build a single church in the future." Charles replied coldly.


    "Threaten won''t work on the Church, Teacher." However, Jessie still felt that her Teacher was too daring.


    "We are not threatening them,ss. We are just following the agreement." Charles smiled mysteriously and turned his gaze towards a four-wheeled carriage that was moving in their direction.


    "Let''s go."


    Within a few seconds, the four-wheeled carriage arrived in front of them and turned around.


    Then, the horses made a neigh noise in unison and stopped.


    On the other hand, Charles and others entered the carriage and satfortably on their seats.


    "Set out." He ced the cane below the seat, slightly opened the curtain, and spoke towards Noel, who sat on the driver''s seat.


    The next instant, Noel whipped the horses and drove the carriage out of City Square.


    Around 1.30 P.M, they went to an Estate Agency called Gold Invest Agency in Merchants'' District and rented an old mansion at the cost of 1,500 gold coins.


    Thankfully, thepany''s officials didn''t decline Moon Kingdom''s currency and epted it before getting multiple signs from Charles.


    The housing process took more than 2 hours toplete!


    By the time they walked out of the Estate Agency building, it was already 3.40 P.M.


    After that, they went to a mid-sized hotel and had lunch over there.


    Then, the group went to the nearby shops and purchased few necessary things like cooking utensils, cereals, pulses, vegetables, cooking oils, etc.


    By the time they returned to the newly brought old mansion, it was already dark.


    ¡­


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District.


    Noel parked the carriage next to thepound gate and told others about their arrival.


    One by one, Charles and others walked out of the carriage and stared at the eerie, gloomy three-storied mansion building.


    It looked more like an abandoned mansion.


    Not even a single torchlight was lit inside!


    But what surprised Charles was a familiar feeling.


    It was as if he had already visited this mansion!


    ''No, this mansion¡­ I saw it in the earlier vision!'' He was stunned for a moment before came to a realization.


    ''In the vision, I only saw a glimpse of it. Hmm, this mansion needsplete reparation.'' He opened thepound gate and walked on the dirt path.


    Meanwhile, the kids and Ashley silently followed after him and nced at the weed-filled front yard and fountain.


    Then, they soon turned their gazes towards the three-storied house and frowned.


    Even though it was dark, they still managed to see the broken windows and front doors and got confused.


    "Did the agency scam us?" Rhea asked in a dissatisfied tone.


    "Nope. Renting a house is always costlier in big cities,ss. This mansion is the cheapest we can get in Nobles'' District. Even though it is an old mansion, its worth should be more than 15,000 gold coins. Hmm, repairing these broken windows and doors won''t cost us too much. So, don''t put too much thought into it." Charles rubbed his chin and continued to walk.


    On the other hand, Noel, Jessie, and Titus started discussing their next n.


    While chatting, they soon arrived in front of the entrance door, unlocked it using arge silver key, and pushed it open.


    A loud screeching noise echoed, followed by a gust of dusty air.


    The next instant, the dust particles entered everyone''s nostrils, causing them to sneeze involuntarily.


    Even Charles felt affected by the dust and sneezed twice before regaining his sense.


    Covering his nose using a handkerchief, he took a step forward and spoke.


    "Choose your favorite room and rest." He stopped for a moment and then added.


    "Before going to sleep, clean the room with a broomstick. We will hire some servants and carpenter to fix the house tomorrow."


    Saying so, Charles walked into the building and soon reached the main hall.


    Unlike the entrance hall, which was illuminated by the outside reddish moonlight, the main hall appeared utterly ck.


    Upon noticing such eerie ck, kids and Ashley felt like they were about to step into a dark abyss!


    As Charles ced his foot on the floor, multiple candle lights shone from different directions and illuminated the main hall in dim yellow light!


    The next instant, the chandelier hung up in the ceiling, also illuminated the hall in yellowish light, and gave off a feeling of warmth to the new guests.


    Charles and the kids were surprised for a moment before resuming their walk on the polished floor.


    Furniture like sofas, luxurious chairs, tables, and even metal stools appeared in the center of the main hall and was neatly arranged.


    Charles''s gaze swept past the furniture and soonnded on the bifurcated stairs, covered in the red carpet.


    He looked at the second floor for a moment and soon turned his gaze towards the right side.


    The main hall''s right side was the kitchen, dining hall, pantry, buttery, andrder.


    To the main hall''s left side were multiple private rooms for guests, along with attached bathrooms.


    The second floor was filled with cabs, boudoirs, chapel, oratories, storage house, bedrooms, and game room.


    On the third floor, there was arge banquet hall for gatherings and a private meeting hall.


    After looking around for a moment, the kids and Ashley moved to the left side and chose suitable guest rooms to take some rest, leaving Charles alone in the main hall.


    He first went near the chesterfield sofa and sat on it.


    ''Mr. Rh, don''t you feel something off about this sessor mission?'' He asked.


    ''What do you mean? Are you saying Churches arrange this mission?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in confusion.


    ''Not the Churches, but someone else. I have a vague feeling that this mission might be a trap¡­'' Charles wore a trouble expression and soon sighed.


    ''Ick information about our enemy. That assassination earlier is a provocation. That young child''s voice from before¡­ Something feels off. This mission might not be a simple one.''


    ''What is your n?'' The Holem''s Crown asked.


    ''I''m nning toprehend all the spell models in the next three years. But, at the same time, I will also try my best and dy this mission.'' Charles spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    ''Dy this mission? Don''t you want to make Rhea as Queen of Iron Kingdom?'' The Holem''s Crown was entirely puzzled by his reply.


    ''That''s why I want to dy it. I want to confirm something.'' A cold look appeared on his face.


    ''Confirm something?'' The artifact asked.


    He nodded his head but didn''t answer.


    Instead, he leaned his back against the sofa and closed his eyes.

 Chapter 185: Star Constellations Book

    <h4>Chapter 185: Star Constetions Book</h4>


    The following day, Charles woke up earlier and asked the kids and Ashley to gather in the main hall.


    It was around 11.A.M,


    Charles sat on the same chesterfield sofa and held a brown-covered book in his hand.


    Meanwhile, Rhea, Ashley, and others stood in front of him and waited for his further orders.


    Early morning, Charles went to Day and Night Church and asked Bishop to sell the ss-Gems in bulk.


    Although Bishop Myles was reluctant at first, he soon agreed to his request under some conditions.


    The main condition was that the Day and Night Church would only give them a limited amount of ss-Gems per year.


    As long as Rhea agrees to let them build Churches in the Iron Kingdom, they would give 200 Rank-1 ss Gems, 40 Rank-2 ss Gems, 10 Rank-3 ss Gems, and one Rank-4 ss Gem per year.


    In those ss Gems, most of them would be Soldier ss, Bowman ss, Knight ss, and Thief ss, while the remaining one would be Mage ss Gems.


    When Charles asked him about other ss gems, Bishop Myles told him that it would be very hard to get those ss Gems.


    Bishop also listed out few more conditions and even exined the pros and cons to him.


    After thinking for some time, Charles agreed to Bishop''s conditions and requested him to get a Star-Constetions book from the Magic Tower.


    That was the brown-covered book he held in his hand now!


    cing the book in front of the table, he nced at the kids and soon focused his attention on the female servant.


    "Ashley." He said.


    "Y-Yes, My Lord." A stuttering reply came out of her mouth.


    Currently, she wore a decent maid outfit and appeared healthier than before. Her past skinny body was now reced with some flesh and appeared shaper. Her long hair wafted around her like ck smoke, its tendrils curling and moving of their own volition.


    "Hire oneundry maid, one housemaid, one gardener, one butler, two housekeepers, two chefs, two footmen, and ten Rank-2 Mystic Guards within a week. From now on, you are responsible for managing all the house works." His cold voice echoed inside the main hall.


    "Yes, My Lord." Ashley nodded her head.


    At that moment, Jessie narrowed her emerald green eyes and wore a confused look.


    Noticing her confusion, Charles let out a chuckle and added.


    "Maintaining such arge mansion is not an easy matter,ss. Don''t worry about it. I will personally check their identities in case if there is a spy among the group."


    Only then did Jessie''s face turned into a rxed one.


    After that, Charles turned his gaze towards Noel and others and spoke.


    "You guys are responsible for hiring few carpenters andplete the repairing work within the next few days. After that, all of you should focus on improving your strength and let these servants do the chore works."


    "What about recruiting the kids, Teacher?" Rhea asked.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles ced his hand on his chin and spoke thoughtfully.


    "You can do it during the weekend days. Bishop said that he would send the ss-Gems within a week. You guys start recruiting after getting those ss-Gems."


    "Yes, Teacher." All of them nodded their heads in unison.


    A pleased smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face as he stood up and nodded.


    "Good. From today onwards, I''m going to stay on the third floor and nning to do a close door meditation. Unless if it is an urgent matter, do not disturb me. Also, warn the servants too."


    Saying so, he took the book, held the cane in his hand, and started walking towards the bifurcated stairs.


    ¡­


    Under Charles''s order, the kids focused their attention on repairing, painting, cleaning, and reorganizing things in the mansion during the next few days.


    On the other hand, Ashley went to the Commoners'' District and hired the servants and guards.


    Meanwhile, Charles entered the third floor and startedprehending the spell models.


    In a blink, one week passed away.


    During the past seven days, the reparation work was already over, and the mansion appeared almost good as new.


    Ashley also became a head maid after hiring new servants and guards and managing all the household works.


    As for Jessie and other kids? They moved to the second floor and started improving their ss skills.


    As usual, Charles woke up early in the morning, took a long bath, changed his cloth into a casual one, and went downstairs to have breakfast.


    After that, he gave a sealed Rank-3 Fire Lizard carcass to Jessie and returned to his room on the third floor.


    Then, he entered his Inner World and started toprehend the [Fallen Angel''s wings] spell.


    From his calction, he knew thatprehending the remaining spell models could take more than two years!


    Although he could enter the Fire Elemental ne to reduce the timing, he didn''t dare to leave the mansion.


    He felt that someone might assassinate or even kidnap these kids if he suddenly disappears from their perception!


    Six hours passed in a blink.


    Once it was dawn, he opened his amber eyes, stood up from the bed, and stepped out of his room.


    Then, he strolled on the illuminated corridor, went towards the circr stairs at the end of the corridor, and moved to the mansion roof terrace.


    A sofa, table, and few chairs were ced at the center of the roof, while the surroundings were upied with ornamental nts and vines.


    Charles nced around for a moment before he went near the Lawson sofa and sat on it.


    Then, he took out a brown-covered book and opened it.


    This book contains basic information about the sr system and constetions.


    After reading for some time, he took out a golden quill, ink bottle and ced them on the table.


    Then, he took out another golden-covered notebook and opened it.


    Unlike the other one, this book was filled with nk papers.


    He first picked the golden quill, dipped it in the ink bottle, and wrote in Runal Language.


    In the first few pages, he wrote descriptions, ancient weird symbols, and their meanings.


    Simultaneously, Holem''s Crown also exined the meanings behind those symbols and their usages from time to time.


    Then, he wrote the sr system name and the order of thes.


    ''Myxend Sr Family¡­Sun¡­ Main Star of Life¡­ Ditune¡­ of Lava and Fire¡­Thoria¡­ of Heat and Light¡­ Drypso¡­ of Storm and Wind¡­Edhen¡­ of Nature and Life¡­ Hacadus¡­ of Earth and Metal¡­Rezore¡­ of Water and Ice¡­Okoth¡­ of Shadow and Night¡­ Xone¡­ of Illusion, Darkness, and Space¡­Etune¡­ of Love, Joy, and Hope¡­ Adrillon¡­ of Luck, Fate, and Destiny¡­''


    ''Pseudos¡­Vivara¡­ First Moon of Corruption and Chaos¡­ Talis¡­ Second Moon of Blood and Madness¡­ White Moon¡­ Third Moon of Chaos¡­''


    A frown appeared on his face.


    ''There is no ''Time'' domain in any of theses.'' He said in a solemn tone.


    However, the Holem''s Crown seemed to have already expected such an oue and said.


    ''It is a normal thing.''


    ''Why is that?'' Charles raised his brows and asked.


    s with ''Time'' domain are very rare in any gxy,d¡­ The same goes for Luck, Fate, and Destiny¡­ But to think this puny star cluster has such rare treasure¡­''


    ''Star cluster¡­ Gxy¡­ Are ancient mages advanced to the level of space travel?'' Charles felt like he had indeed underestimated the magic civilization.

 Chapter 186: Searching for Time in the Sky

    <h4>Chapter 186: Searching for ''Time'' in the Sky</h4>


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, the Holem''s Crown spoke in disapproval.


    ''Space Travel? No, we would never dare to travel in space,d. There are many dangers out there like World Eaters, Terrifying Void Lifeforms, Space Walkers, and also natural disasters. If we want to travel to a, we mostly use different kinds of forms and directly find the. As long as it is visible up in the sky, we can find it quickly and go there using the coordinates. If not, we will use Explored Map and find it. As for space travel, only gods would send their avatars to search for divinities.''


    ''Didn''t you roam in the void before ''Coincidentally'' meeting Eddie?'' Charles gave a skeptical look at the bracelet.


    ''Haha, I was lucky at that time¡­'' The Holem''s Crown''s voice trailed off as it said those words and soon went silent.


    ''It sure is hiding something.'' Although Charles was eager to know more about its secrets, he didn''t dare to use any forceful actions.


    ''This guy is not some ordinary foe.''


    He thought to himself and recalled the moment before the contract process.


    ''When the mysterious ne''s ''Will'' descended toplete the contract process, it used the power of ''Time'' and froze everything¡­ It definitely has some link with my Game System and its original owner¡­ Does that mean my ''Backer'' is powerful enough to control a ''Time'' domain?'' A chill crept up to his spine.


    He soon calmed his mind and asked his doubt.


    ''Mr. Rh, do alls have their own ''Will''?''


    ''No. This has something to do with World Trees. Only thoses with World Trees have their own ''Will,''d. The World Tree, Eternal River of Life, Blood River, Dream World, and few other mysterious things are somewhat interlinked with one another.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    ''Interesting.'' Charles nodded inwardly and asked another strange question.


    ''Can Gods have the power to subdue a ne''s will and take full control over it?''


    ''¡­¡­''


    The Holem''s Crown''s mind went nk for a moment.


    It suddenly realized that its current owner was an abnormal one with crazy thoughts and went silent.


    After a long time, it finally managed to calm down and said in a deep tone.


    ''A ne''s ''Will'' is not some cat or dog,d. Let me tell you about a tragic story of my World''s Ancient Gods. Eons ago, a group of Easica World''s ancient High-Gods and a few other foreign High-Gods found some secrets about a ne and tried to invade it. It''s a Low-ne called ''Itera."


    ''It was the only that holds the domain of ''Time'' and ''Space'' in our sr system. No, it was the only young ''Time'' domain in the whole gxy. At that time, a total of seventeen High-Gods went to attack it with their avatars, incarnations, and their main bodies. That was the first, and thest time a group of Gods dared to attack a ''Will'' formed ne.''


    ''Do you know what happened after that? That ne''s Will named ''Itera'' went berserk and fought back all of them singlehandedly! She even locked the surrounding space, resisted them, and even killed a High-God''s main body in less than two minutes. After that, Gods also went fought against her and caused destruction all over the ne.''


    ''In the next twenty hours of battle, the Gods caused the to change its trajectory and almost destroyed it. Only its core part remained during the end of the battle. But before the Gods could finish off the and get their reward, Itera used her ''Time'' power to full extend and started her massacre. In her final moment, she killed all those High-Gods'' incarnations, avatars, and Main bodies and even erased their souls from the existence itself!''


    ''Only one Ancient God managed to escape from there and he was still hiding in his fallen Divine Kingdom. That massacre still rooted in everyone''s mind.'' There was a trace of awe and respect that appeared in the Holem''s Crown''s voice.


    On the other hand, Charles felt suffocated. Not because of the story, but because of the person behind the Game System.


    He soon thought of a possibility and asked with a trace of nervousness.


    ''Can you tell me the name of the escaped ''Ancient God''?''


    The Holem''s Crown didn''t find anything odd about his behavior and answered truthfully.


    ''His name is ''Udnir.'' He is a mysterious God of Time, Space, and Shadow. Don''t try to think of him frequently. Even though he is fallen from the throne, I heard that he is a very terrifying person¡­ Sh*t¡­I think I already mentioned his name before¡­'' The Holem''s Crown suddenly cursed in shock.


    ''You already mentioned his name?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon noticed that he indeed heard of this name before.


    ''Wait¡­ You mentioned ''His'' name when we were traveling to the City Ruins in the Unexplored Forest! I think it was due to the ''Mark of Imagination." Charles instantly guessed.


    At the exact moment, he also engraved the mysterious Time God''s name in the deepest part of his Inner World.


    ''Yes. We should avoid mentioning his name from now on.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a nervous tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and thought to himself.


    ''I finally got some big clue¡­ This mysterious ''Time'' God might be the real culprit.''


    He let out a deep sigh and turned his attention towards the book.


    ''Next is about constetions. I want to find all the ''Time'' stars in the 94 constetions using the Twelve Rings form and make a Twelve Rings Book. Once Iplete that, I don''t need to be afraid of these Destiny-rted skills and prophecies.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    He was always wary of those invisible maniptive and foreseeing powers!


    Without wasting any time, he once again dipped the quill into the ink bottle, moved his hand towards the book, and started to write the Twelve Rings form.


    After that, he looked up at the dim red sky and soon zeroed his gaze on a single star constetion.


    A total of 13 stars that formed a pattern of a cat appeared in the sky.


    At that moment, Charles''s eyes began to shine, and his lips began to move.


    He began to chant in an ancient runalnguage.


    First, he focused on the tail area and soon locked his gaze on a single bright star.


    Then, he chanted in an ethereal tone for the next ten minutes and finally ended it.


    A momentter, he noticed that the star turned blurry for a moment and soon returned to normal.


    "The star turned blurry¡­ It''s a failure." He muttered with a frown.


    Then, he turned his attention to the next star and once again continued to chant.


    Seconds turned minutes, minutes turned hours, and soon it was already 5 A.M!


    He ended the final chanting and sighed in disappointment.


    "It seems I need to put some extra time in this." He couldn''t help but show a wry smile on his face.


    Although he tried his best and used the form on 27 stars, he still didn''t find a single ''Time'' star at all!


    ''There are still 92 constetions remain in the sky.'' He pressed his lips together and closed the book.


    Then, he stored all other things in his space ring and went back to the third floor.

 Chapter 187: Fooling

    <h4>Chapter 187: Fooling</h4>


    Charles returned to his small room on the third floor and started to take a rest.


    After sleeping for a few hours, he woke up from the loud banging noise and sat up.


    "Who is it?" He asked while yawning.


    "It''s Jessie, Teacher. A few Life Church members came here a while ago and said that they want to meet you," She suddenly paused for a moment and added.


    "Destiny Lady of the Tower of Elements also came, Teacher."


    ''Oh? They took longer than I expected.'' He nodded thoughtfully and touched his red gem-embedded bracelet.


    ''Mr. Rh, change into a ck cane. If Lady Emilia is among the group, she would definitely identify you.''


    Saying so, he stood up from the cotton bed and spoke.


    "Tell them to wait in the main hall. I wille in a few minutes."


    Then, he took a white towel from the wardrobe and started walking towards the bathroom.


    A few minutester, Charles walked out of the bathroom, went near the wardrobe, and wore a neat white shirt, ck pants, and a red tie before putting a formal frock coat over the white shirt.


    Then, he went near the shoe rack, took a pair of ck leather shoes, and wore it.


    Following that, he took the ck cane from the bed, gripped the handle, and started walking towards the wooden door.


    Then, he walked on the left side corridor, appeared near a spiral staircase, and went downstairs.


    After a few minutes, he appeared near the red-carpeted bifurcated staircase and started stepping down.


    Each of his steps was so smooth due to the presence of the carpet and made no sound.


    cing his left hand on the railing, he stepped downward and soon saw a group of four people seated in the main hall.


    They appeared to be in the middle of chattering.


    Among the four people, three were familiar faces!


    ''Andrew¡­Emilia¡­ And, Destiny Lady.'' He soon zeroed his gaze on Andrew and cast [Cryptic Analysis] on him.


    ''Oh? His sub-ss is Rank-2 [Traveler]? A Dreamer ss Mystic? Hmm, let''s see what his sub-ss skills are¡­ Dream Invade¡­ Night Prophet¡­ and Imaginary Grip¡­ Eh? Imaginary Grip? Wait¡­ it must be the one that caused Rhea''s heart to beat faster earlier¡­ So, that young child is a Dreamer ss Mystic, huh.'' A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    He and soon turned his gaze towards thest person.


    He was a man in his thirties and had short blonde hair, oceanic eyes, and looked slimmer.


    As Charles focused his gaze on him, he also used [Cryptic Analysis] skill and confirmed his identity.


    ''He is a new member, huh.''


    At that moment, a maid walked towards them with a te full of wine sses and gave each one.


    As Emilia picked the ss, she instantly saw a white-haired old man, who was walking from the bifurcated staircase, and got surprised for a moment.


    "Greetings, Mr. Oswald." She stood up from her seat and greeted him politely.


    Unlike others, she showed a calm andposed expression on her face.


    There was also a trace of confidence in her eyes, which caused Charles''s pupil to shrink slightly.


    Meanwhile, Andrew, Destiny Lady, and the blonde-haired man also stood up from their seats and greeted him.


    "It seems you guys have some doubt," Charles said in an old man''s voice and sat on the sofa, ced on the opposite side.


    At that moment, Emilia adjusted her curly ck hair and spoke.


    "Yes, Mr. Oswald. We want to know if Charles is currently under your protection."


    This time, Destiny Lady also straightened her back, turned her face solemn, and nodded her head.


    A bitter smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "No, he is not. I''m not sure about his whereabouts either. If I had known, I wouldn''t have sent her to you." He paused for a moment and soon frowned.


    "Wait for a moment. I will check if I get some clue about his current whereabouts."


    Without waiting for others'' reply, he raised his hand, closed his amber eyes, made a few strange hand gestures, and spoke in a deep tone.


    "Strange¡­ He seems to be searching for someone¡­ No, he is hiding from someone¡­ Hunger¡­ Pain¡­ Hurt¡­ Like a wolf, he is licking his wound and waiting¡­ Waiting to release his wrath¡­ As I expected, he is in a bad condition."


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth as he leaned his back against the sofa and smiled.


    It was not a pleasant one but filled with bitterness, pain, anger, and helplessness.


    "Why aren''t you searching for him, Mr. Oswald?" This time, Andrew stared into his eyes and asked.


    At that moment, Charles''s smile vanished in an instant and was reced with a serious one.


    "Tell me, young man. What would you do if someone killed your mother and even started chasing after you to eliminate the root of the problem?"


    Andrew got startled a bit, but soon he turned his face into a normal one and spoke.


    "I willy low for some time and wait for opportunity."


    "Correct. Then, would you ept if some powerful expert lends you a hand to kill the enemy in your stead?"


    "N-No. Although it is a smart choice, I would feel empty. Only when I feel no chance of willing, I would rely on the outsider''s help." Andrew said in an embarrassing tone.


    At that moment, a proud smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face.


    "That''s right. Real men should never rely on outsider''s help when ites to personal things. I hate that devil to the core, but I won''t go after him and hinder Charles''s n. This is his fight." He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "If my prediction is not wrong, Charles will definitely appear in this very city after some time and cause another grand chaos. Go and wait for that day."


    "Could you please tell us the exact time?" This time, Destiny Lady was the one who asked the question.


    "Aren''t you an Astrologer ss Mystic?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    A forced smile appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    Earlier, she didn''t have enough information, so all her predictions ended up as failures.


    She felt like she was searching for a ghost in this kingdom!


    ''I think it might work now. As long as Charles''s original goal is rted to this, I might grasp find the exact Fate String and predict his arrival.'' She muttered inwardly and closed her scarlet eyes.


    A momentter, hundreds of red strings appeared in her mind and started to spread everywhere like a spider!


    At that moment, she started applying the gathered information and began searching for the correct Fate String.


    A few secondster, she soon noticed an odd-looking string and directly grasped it.


    The next instant, she saw an appearance of a crimson masked person.


    ''Charles Nightwind! He really is going to appear.'' A look of awe and wonder appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    Without wasting any time, she focused her attention on the time of this Fate String and soon muttered out loud.


    "August 30th, Year 6400, 11.P.M, Royal Castle."


    ''Stop ying with these kids,d. Even I''m feeling sorry for this poor girl. A Rank-4 Fate Warden is being yed to be a fool by a Rank-3 Mischievous Man¡­ She really is not suitable for this maniptive ss.'' The Holem''s Crown muttered with a sigh.


    Meanwhile, Charles also quickly marked the exact date and nodded his head.


    After that, Emilia and others exchanged few words with Charles and left silently.


    Once he saw then walked out of the building, he breathed out a sigh of relief and stood up.


    ''I need to be extra careful of Emilia. She is a crafty one and might have already found out that I''m a fake Oswald.'' His face turned gloomy.


    ''You didn''t leave any clues behind, right?'' The Holem''s Crown was surprised.


    ''No, I did leave some clues. Still, those clues were not enough to make her suspicious of my identity.'' He paused for a second, took a deep breath, and then continued.


    ''But there was a trace of confidence that appeared in her eyes. This means she knew that I''m a fake one, but wasn''t sure I''m another person, or Charles himself¡­ Where did I leave such a big mistake¡­'' He frowned for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''What if she met the real Oswald Raven? No, Hearth Kingdom is far away from the Arc Kingdom¡­ The possibility of her going to search for Eve''s father is very slim¡­ Wait¡­ There is another person who would have gone after Oswald¡­ Red Prince! After he found out about Oswald''s appearance in Riverdale City, he must have gone there to search for me¡­''


    ''Does that mean he already killed him? No, from Eve''s memory, that old man is not a simple man. If so, Red Prince should have injured before he came to the Tower of Elements, right? Why did he appear uninjured? How did Emilia know that the real Oswald is in the Hearth Kingdom?'' At that moment, the ck-haired Lightning Mage''s face appeared in his mind.


    ''So, that exins a lot. That woman must have chased after Red Prince and met Oswald Raven.'' A look of understanding appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Hmm, Emilia Wilson¡­ She is a troublesome woman, indeed.'' He let out a deep sigh and started walking towards the red-carpeted stairs.


    ''Are you going to kill her?'' The Holem''s Crown couldn''t help but ask.

 Chapter 188: Six Months

    <h4>Chapter 188: Six Months</h4>


    ''Nah. Probably, she must be thinking of me as ''You,'' Mr. Rh. Life Church must be suspecting that ''You'' somehow possessed Charles using the ''False Reincarnation'' and is using him as a stepping stone to rise¡­''


    ''That ''Past Time'' visions during our grand entrance might have confirmed their suspicion. Let them think that as a truth. When the right timees, Life Church might sneak into this mansion and try to capture me¡­ Hehe, I''m waiting for that day.'' Charles curled his lips upward and continued to walk.


    ''Aren''t you afraid of getting caught?'' The Holem''s Crown felt something was off.


    ''Caught? Nah, I''m going to use them as stepping stones and reveal my real identity as ''Rh'' to the world.'' A mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    ''You really are suitable for this Trickster ss.'' Even the Holem''s Crown would have believed his lie if it didn''t know about the system artifact.


    ''But I warn you,d. Those Church members are not to be underestimated.''


    The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    ''I know.'' Charles nodded his head and soon reached the second floor.


    As he went towards the spiral staircase, he suddenly saw Jessie and Rhea were walking in his direction and paused.


    Within a minute, both arrived in front of him and bowed their heads.


    Meanwhile, Charles waved his head, then shifted his attention towards Jessie and asked.


    "Did you sell the Fire Lizard''s carcass in the auction?"


    "Yes, Teacher. It sold for 6,400 gold coins." She deliberated for a moment and continued with a hint of nervousness.


    "But when we return from the auction, a few Fire Mages warned us not to sell the Elemental Creatures'' carcasses in the auction."


    ''Oh?'' A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    Then, he nodded his head thoughtfully and spoke.


    "Hmm, then tell the auction house owner that we are going to put different kinds of Rank-3 Fire Elemental Creature''s carcass for auctioneering every week."


    Upon hearing his words, Rhea''s expression turned ugly.


    "I feel that provoking the Fire Mages is not a good idea, Teacher."


    "Are you afraid? If you back down, they will think of you as an easy target and try to suppress you. Don''t mind them. Sell the carcass regrly and try to save the money as much as possible." Charles rubbed his chin and spoke.


    Meanwhile, Jessie blinked her emerald green eyes as she heard thest sentence and went wide-eyed.


    "You want something from the auction, Teacher?" She asked with keen interest.


    A smile bloomed on Charles''s face.


    He nodded his head and spoke with a hint of excitement on his face.


    "Yes. If a potion with the name ''Midday'' appears in the auction hall, I want you to buy it. But I warn you, it would be more costly than you even dream of. So, don''t hesitate during the time and buy it at all cost."


    Upon hearing his voice, both Jessie and Rhea subconsciously raised their hands and covered their mouths.


    "Teacher, you are acting more like an impatient kid now." Jessie smiled widely and spoke.


    "Hoho, I''m just 30,000 years old,ss. Whenparing to the Gods and Titans, I''m still an energetic little kid." He let out a loudugh and then asked.


    "Did someone with ''Elliott'' surnamee here?"


    "No, Teacher." Both of them shook their heads.


    "Hmm, if such persones, tell him to not worry about the curse. Also, tell him to send a few Rank-2 guards here to guard our mansion. Don''t worry; he will definitely obey Rhea''s order."


    Saying so, he walked past the kids and started moving towards the spiral staircase direction.


    Then, he soon went to the third floor and entered his private room.


    Following that, he changed his clothes into a casual one and startedprehending the spell models until 8.P.M.


    He then went to the mansion roof terrace during the nighttime and started searching for a ''Time'' star.


    Days turned weeks, weeks turned months, and soon six months disappeared in a blink!


    During the past six months, heprehended [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell model and already in the middle ofprehending the [False Blink] spell model.


    Although hisprehension progression became slower, his searching progress went smoothly!


    In truth, he analyzed a total of 1,472 stars, aka 92 constetions, and found thirteen ''Time'' Stars!


    Two wererger ones, five were medium-sized ones, and the remaining seven were smaller ones!


    It was a dark-red night.


    Currently, Charles sat on the Lawson Sofa on the mansion roof terrace, held the golden-covered book in his hand, and was looking at theplicated Twelve Rings form.


    Within theplicated form, a total of twelve ring-like spaces appeared and gave off a sense of unknown.


    Among the twelve rings, eleven rings were filled with thousands of minute strange symbols and letters and seemed very mysterious.


    ''This is it. Put a drop of your blood on the twelfth ring, focus on the Pheoqu-5 Star and start the usual chant.''


    Under the Holem''s Crown''s guidance, Charles first made a small cut on his finger and let a blood drop fell on one particr nk space.


    Then, he looked up at the eerie ckish-red sky and soon focused on an exceptionally bright star in the Vra constetion.


    After that, he took a deep breath and started to chant.


    His ethereal voice echoed on the rooftop, giving the mansion guards and servants an unknown fright and dread.


    Ten minutester, Charles recited the final rite and ended the chanting.


    But he didn''t retract his gaze from the brightest star, though. Instead, he put more focus on it and waited.


    Two secondster, he suddenly noticed that the bright star appeared abnormally closer!


    ''Sess!'' The corner of his mouth turned up.


    He had sacrificed most of his sleeping time during the past six months and finally managed toplete the form!


    Suddenly, countless mysterious letters and symbols started to form on the seventh circle and were soon engraved in it!


    The next second, all those twelve mysterious letters filled within the rings started to shine in a dazzling light and began to connect one by one.


    Then, those connected lights soonbined into a single ray of light and directly entered Charles''s forehead!


    Simultaneously, he noticed that a small invisible mark appeared near the spell models in the Inner World!


    ¡­


    [+1 Wisdom obtained!]


    [+1 Wisdom obtained!]


    [Vision skill''s proficiency has been increased from 105 to 200!]


    ¡­


    ''What the h*ck? My wisdom attribute increased by two points? Moreover, ''Vision skill also upgraded into its max level?''


    He hurriedly looked at the game interface and checked the progression of his sub-ss skills.


    ''Hand of Mystery¡­ 132 points¡­ Face Change¡­ 145 points¡­ If I use the free skill points, I can Rank-Up my Sub ss!'' His eyes lit up.


    He didn''t hesitate for a moment before pouring 68 skill points to [Hand of Mystery] skill and 55 skill points to [Face Change] skill and increased them to their peak level!


    ¡­


    [Requirement has met for Mischievous Man ss advancement!]


    [You can Rank Up by consuming Shape-shifter ss Gem or by spending Experience points!]


    [Experience Points required for ranking up the Shape-shifter ss: 85,000 Exp points!]


    [Sess rate: 50%]


    ¡­

 Chapter 189: Divine

    <h4>Chapter 189: Divine</h4>


    ''Shape-shifter, huh¡­ Not a bad ss. Hmm, I currently have 92,390 Exp points. With this amount, I can Rank up.'' Charles nodded his head.


    During the past sixth months, he went to the Fire ne once a week and hunted a total of twenty-eight Rank-3 Fire Elemental Creatures!


    The carcasses were then sold to the auction house and turned into money by Jessie!


    ''I wonder how many gold coins did she posses now.'' He shook his head and zeroed his attention towards thest notification.


    ''Why the sess rate is only 50%?'' He felt troubled a little.


    ''Does that mean there is a high chance I might fail?''


    Narrowing his eyes, he quietly dismissed the notification and turned his attention to the golden-covered book.


    A few basic information about its usage appeared in his mind.


    ''This book¡­ Is this an artifact?'' He was surprised for a moment.


    ''Hoho, let me name this book. Book of Unseen¡­Nah, Book of Secrets? Yes, this name looks good.'' At that moment, the Holem''s Crown began to speak excitingly.


    Ignoring its exciting words, Charles nced at the new information and soon asked.


    ''How should I use it?¡­ Wait¡­ I know.'' He hurriedly shifted his attention to the Twelve Rings form page and noticed that the whole page had already turned into a nk one!


    But Charles knew that this page was not a simple one!


    With that thought in his mind, he took the golden quill, dipped the brush into the ink bottle, and started writing his name and surname. Then, he wrote the date of birth, elemental affinities, their levels, and ce of birth.


    Once hepleted the basic process, he recited another short chant in runalnguage and thought of ranking up the Sub ss.


    No, he thought of ranking up with a 50% percent chance of sess!


    At that moment, the whole page began to move like a water wave and absorbed those ck letters!


    "Reveal." His cold voice echoed in the dark-red night while his eyes turned abnormally white.


    Simultaneously, his consciousness received vague feelings and emotions about his future self.


    No, he received some information about the urate future!


    Then, his hand moved on its own and started to write on the mysterious empty page.


    A few secondster, Charles snapped out from the strange state and looked at the mysterious page.


    "Sub ss¡­ Rank-Up¡­ Unknown anomaly¡­ Failure¡­ Distorted Shadow¡­ Death¡­"


    ''As I thought¡­ This I can''t blindly trust the system.'' A heavy sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    ''Then, what is the reason for the failure? In the vision, my future self felt that he regretted his decision to rank up earlier¡­ Why? Wait¡­ Is it has something to do with body strength?''


    Charles''s eyes widened!


    ''Insufficient Body strength? I only have Expert Level body strength now¡­ Does that mean I need to increase my body strength to an Extraordinary Level before the advancement?'' He pressed his lips together and soon frowned.


    ''This is indeed troublesome. Hmm, I need to buy three types of potions and increase my body to an Extraordinary Level. But in the past six months, there was not even a single potion that appeared in the auction. Even if a potion appears in the future, countless mages would fight for it. A single potion might cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Not only that, but the opposite factions might try their best to raise the bid.'' Hisplexion turned gloomy all of a sudden.


    ''If I had known this-'' He abruptly stopped thinking and shook his head.


    All his previous decisions were right in one way or another.


    If he hadn''t increased his wisdom at that time, he might have already died in the hands of Destiny Lady!


    ''I don''t think your whole body attributes need to reach an Extraordinary Level to Rank Up the sub-ss.''


    Suddenly, the Holem''s Crown interrupted his thinking.


    ''Oh? Care to exin a little?'' His eyebrows rose upward.


    ''Lad, your ''Trickster'' ss series mostly involves deceiving and tricking others. To deceive and trick others, what does one need most? Let''s take a normal street trickster as an example. What would he mostly rely on to trick others? Reflex and speed-''


    Before the Holem''s Crown could finish its words, Charles opened his mouth and spoke.


    ''It''s dexterity. My dexterity should be above Extraordinary Level!'' A look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''Then, I think I should focus on getting dexterity-rted ''Midday'' potion.'' He nodded inwardly and once again shifted his attention to the Book of Secrets.


    As he had expected, the Twelve Rings form page had already returned to a nk one and appeared good as new!


    Nodding his head, he once again took the golden quill, dipped it into the ink bottle, and started writing basic information about him.


    Then, he recited a short chant and began to think about where he would see the ''dexterity Potion.''


    Same as before, his eyes turned abnormally white, and his hand began to move independently.


    A few minutester, he opened his eyes and looked at the page.


    "Inborn Midday Potion¡­ Crescent Crew Auction House¡­ Jessie failed¡­"


    ''Hmm? Failed to get the potion? Why? She must have more than one hundred thousand gold coins, right? I already told her to get it at all cost¡­ The Royal faction and Noble Faction members must have interfered¡­ Still, they would never spend too much money just to get a ''Midday'' potion¡­ Wait¡­ What if someone else interfered? Like the Mages from the Tower of Iron?''


    He still remembered Jessie''s words about the mages.


    ''It seems I need to personally go and rattle them a bit.'' He nodded inwardly and once again turned his gaze towards the nk page.


    ''Next is about the mission to make the second consciousness to ''Love'' Destiny Lady and get the ''Love and ''Care'' emotions.'' He moved his hand and started to write.


    One minuteter, Charles returned to his normal state and looked at the mysterious page.


    "Love will seed¡­ But a Pain will appear¡­ In the end, Love and Pain will upy my soul¡­ Beware of the Divine¡­"


    Charles''s expression turned stiff as he read thest few words!


    ''Beware of the Divine¡­ Why does it appear here? Is it also a plot created by the Divine?'' A chill crept up to his spines.


    ''Divine¡­ Divine¡­ Why would a Divine want to create a ''Love'' for me? To further increase my progression? Does the Divine want me to Rank-Up sooner? Moreover, what does this ''Pain'' indicate? Will Destiny Lady die in the end? Finally, who is this scary stalking Divine? Rodia? Or other Goddess?'' Questions whirled in his mind.


    ''It seems I need to be very careful. Should I abandon the ''Love'' idea? Nah, it will not only dy my advancement, but it will also alert this stalking Divine.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    After some time, he closed the golden-covered book, stored it in his space ring, and stood up from the Lawson Sofa. Then, he took the ck cane and went downstairs to meet the kids.


    ''Hmm, they should be sleeping now.'' He hesitated for a moment before he chose to go to the second floor and wake them up.


    A few minutester, Charles once again returned to the mansion''s rooftop, took out the golden-covered book, and started writing Rhea''s personal information on the mysterious page.


    Then, he recited the short incantation and entered a strange mode.


    A few secondster, he opened his amber eyes and soon squinted as he saw the content.


    "You will win¡­ The kids will win¡­ Rhea will be a Queen¡­ Beware of the Divine¡­"


    "F*cking Divine again¡­" He cursed loudly and clenched his fist tighter.


    ''I changed my mind.'' He muttered in a grave tone.


    ''Oh? Are you going to give up?'' The Holem''s Crown asked in a carefree attitude.


    ''Give up? If there was such an option, I would have given up long ago. Sadly, this is not for me to decide.'' A bitter smile appeared on his face.


    He had a vague feeling that even if he Ranks up and bes a Rank-4 ze Sorcerer, he would be toyed by this stalking ''Divine'' in the end!

 Chapter 190: Modifying the Clone

    <h4>Chapter 190: Modifying the Clone</h4>


    ''This Divine''s main target is definitely not me. It must be Rhea or the Legacy. Hmm, I will do as the Divine wants.'' A cold smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''You are crazy! You are nning to trick a Divine, aren''t you?'' The Holem''s Crown instantly saw through his inner thoughts and shouted in his mind.


    ''Hehe, why are you panicking? This world''s ''Will'' will definitely retaliate if this Divine dares to send his/her main body and cause trouble. No, this Divine can''t even send an incarnation and avatar due to the nar alliance. So, this sneaky Divine must be using some possession method to upy a mortal''s body and plotting something big. A Divine''s consciousness in the mortal body¡­ If I didn''t even defeat this one, how would I rise to be an omnipotent one day?'' A chuckle escaped out of his mouth.


    ''But Divine is still a ''Divine,''d. You are not strong enough.'' The Holem''s Crown warned in an anxious tone.


    ''Yes, I''m indeed weak. But do I even have a choice now? Although I can escape to the Fire Elemental ne, I want to keep that as ast option.'' He sighed heavily and asked.


    ''Mr. Rh, can I able to create an artificial clone using my blood? Is there any method?''


    ''¡­¡­''


    A silence answered.


    ''You indeed are a strange human.'' The Holem''s Crown couldn''t help but mutter.


    Then, it went silent for two more seconds and spoke.


    ''Indeed. There are several methods out there to create one''s clone self,d. But all of them ended as failures. You can clone yourself, and even put your consciousness into it. But the clone won''t be able to sustain its life for any more than ten days. Moreover, this clone''s strength will be turned into a ssless mortal. Unless you create an artificial soul for the clone, it will die eventually.''


    ''It''s alright. Give me one suitable method.'' Charles didn''t put much thought into it and ordered.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown let out a helpless sigh and sent a collection of information to his mind.


    If it were another Ancient Mage, he would have difficulty recalling tens of thousands of years old memories.


    Fortunately, the Holem''s Crown had [Historian] ss''s [Recall] skill.


    On the other hand, Charles received a bunch of information and started skimming through it.


    After a whole minute of silence, he turned his gaze towards the ck cane and smiled wryly.


    ''This method is too costly and tooplicated¡­''


    ''Why are youining? You have so many advantages. During my childhood days, I have done many chore works and even worked as a beggar for three years. I rose step by step, and reached the realm of Legendaries at the age of 3,000! But here, you already startedining only after working for six months. Humph, if you want to achieve something, you have to be patient.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a displeased tone.


    ''Stop acting like you are my Teacher.'' Charles red at the ck cane.


    ''Humph, even if you didn''t admit it, I already became your Teacher.''


    Ignoring the artifact''s nonsense, he leaned his back against the sofa and entered the Inner World.


    A momentter, his consciousness form appeared in front of argeva pool, and he looked around.


    Charles saw that the whole surroundings had started to change into a fire ne. He even saw many volcanic mountain ranges,vakes, pools, and even onerge sea appeared far away.


    He turned his gaze towards the right side and saw his half-finished ''Incarnation.''


    Currently, it was standing a few hundred meters away from him and waving its hand in his direction.


    ''This consciousness has already started acting more like a normal human.'' He also waved his hand and turned into mes before teleporting.


    A momentter, a humanoid me appeared in front of the Clone'' Him'' and formed into an illusionary appearance of a blue-haired young man.


    Then, Charles turned his illusionary self into a white-haired old man''s one and smiled at the clone.


    Although both were his own consciousness, Charles could feel that the other party was already evolving into a unique one.


    Nodding inwardly, he looked at the clone ''Charles'' and asked.


    "What is your name?"


    At that moment, confusion dawn on the clone''s face.


    The clone then tilted its head, pointed its illusionary hand at its head, and spoke in confusion.


    "Charles? No, I''m not Charles¡­ Maybe a remnant memory? Yes, I''m a memory with no name."


    A surprise shed on Charles''s face.


    Then, he stared deeply into the clone''s eyes and asked like a devil.


    "Do you want to be a real ''Charles''?"


    At that moment, hesitation, unwillingness, anxiety, and confusion appeared on its face.


    The clone stared at Charles for a few seconds and shook its head.


    "I''m nothing but a part of ''You.'' If I separated from this Inner World, my consciousness will die in a month or two."


    ''This consciousness¡­'' He was stunned inside.


    ''Hehe, I can already see through its inner emotions. Hmm, after reading many of my memories, this ''guy'' already started to gain emotions. Heh, this consciousness wants me to create a clone body for itself, huh¡­ With a living body, it wants to live more like a normal human¡­ As expected of a crafty fellow¡­'' He turned his face into a solemn one and nodded.


    "I will give you a body when I advance into Rank-5 and let you enjoy on your own. As long as ''I'' be an omnipotent being, you can continue enjoying that life forever."


    Meanwhile, the Clone ''Him'' pondered for a moment and nodded its head.


    "Good. From now on, you are the real Charles and I''m Oswald Raven. Now, there is something I want you to do using my real body. Can you do it?" He asked.


    Although the ''Clone'' didn''t understand his words, it didn''t put much thought into it and nodded.


    "Excellent. Before I give you this mission, I will turn you into aplete ''consciousness.''"


    Saying so, Charles appeared in front of his illusionary ''Clone'' form and started analyzing all the memories.


    ''Hmm, cold, calctive, and calm emotions arecking.'' He closed his eyes for a moment and opened his hand.


    At that moment, tens of stones, pebbles, liquidvas came out from different directions and started turning into simple red clouds.


    Without wasting any time, Charles directly sent the memories into his ''Clone'' self and started to act.


    He sent countless memories into the illusionary form for the next few hours and modified his ''Consciousness'' into a unique Charles.


    Once he turns this ''Consciousness'' into a smart one, he looked up at the ''Soul Heal'' spell model and turned into a me before teleporting.


    A momentter, he appeared in front of the ''Soul Heal'' spell model and started extracting a bit of ''Love'' and ''Care'' emotions from it.


    Those emotions appeared more like a ball of bluish-green me!


    He once again turned into a me before teleporting and reappeared in front of the clone ''Him.''


    Then, he closed his eyes and started extracting all his memories about Destiny Lady from the Inner World.


    Then, he replicated those memories and made ''Destiny Lady'' look unique and attractive in the newly modified memories.


    ''No, just attractive won''t be enough to induce this consciousness''s inner emotions. I need to add something else.'' He frowned for a moment and soon blinked his eyes.


    ''Destiny Lady is definitely searching for ''Charles.'' Why not modify those memories and made it look like she is using an excuse to get close to Charles?¡­ Nah, my ''clone'' is not a dumb idiot¡­ I shouldn''t make it looks like a forced one¡­ Wait. What if I tell Destiny Lady that ''Charles'' has a crush on her? If I give her some hint that he has some feelings for her, she would definitely use it as an opportunity and gets close to him¡­''


    ''Yes, I also made a prank on her at the end of the Chester City incident¡­ That will definitely dismiss her suspicion. She wants to find some clues about her missing lover. To achieve her goal, she would go on any length.'' He nodded his head and only made a few modifications in those memories.


    After that, he fused them with the ''Love'' and ''Care'' emotion mes and directly pushed them into the clone''s chest!


    The next instant, the clone knelt on the ground and gripped its head.


    Countless information about Destiny Lady, their previous interactions, her worried reactions, cold attitude, and the blood dimension battle incidents started to appear one by one in the clone''s mind.


    Although the clone felt something odd about the new memories, it didn''t put much thought and absorbed itpletely.


    A few secondster, the clone ''Charles'' stood up and nodded its head.


    "Good. Familiarise yourself with these new memories and wait."


    Saying so, Charles turned into a me and left the Inner World!


    A momentter, he opened his amber eyes and noticed that it was already morning.


    "I should go and get some rest." He muttered inwardly, gripped the ck cane, and stood up from the Lawson Sofa.

 Chapter 191: Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 191: Coincidence</h4>


    A few minutester, Charles entered his private room on the third floor and went near the red-curtained window.


    Once he arrived in front of it, he opened the curtain and looked outside.


    In the front yard, hundreds of kids stood there while doing different kinds of exercise and training.


    They were all newly recruited kids from slums andmoners'' districts!


    Currently, the yard had turned into a training ground!


    Although Charles told Rhea to recruit more than 200 kids, she and others only found 94 kids with ''High'' elemental affinity in the whole Slums and Commoners'' District.


    While the kids were in training, a few elite guards took the teaching role and pointed out the kids'' mistakes.


    Those guards were personally sent here by the Elliott Mage family to guard the mansion!


    ''Hmm, there are 30 Soldiers, 20 Bowman, 20 Knight, 10 Mages, and 14 Thieves. Not a bad start.'' A pleased smile appeared on his face.


    He then released his wisdom power, scanned the whole mansion, and soon zeroed his gaze towards Rhea''s room.


    During the past six months, she constructed her remaining spell models and had already be a Rank-2 [Ice Magus]!


    Not only that, but she also chose [Astrologer] ss as her Sub-ss and was progressing steadily.


    ''She is indeed a rare gem.'' He nodded his head and soon turned his attention towards Noel''s room.


    ''As expected of a genius, he might be a Rank-3 [Blood Swordsman] before the end of next year¡­'' He was stunned by the speed of Noel''s progression.


    Charles then retracted his gaze, focused his attention on Titus, and checked his status.


    ''Hmm, he is advancing at an average speed. If he goes by this speed, others would definitely surpass him¡­'' He frowned a bit and soon turned his attention towards Jessie''s room.


    ''Where is she?''


    He searched the whole mansion but found no presence of her!


    The next instant, ayer of me wrapped his body and teleported him from there!


    A momentter, a ball of fire appeared in front of Titus and soon transformed into a white-haired old man!


    At this moment, Titus was in the middle of practicing his dagger skill but got stumped by his teacher''s arrival!


    "Teacher!" He hurriedly sheathed his dagger and bowed his head.


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "Where is your sister?"


    "She went to the auction house," Titus replied in an instant.


    ''Oh? Inborn Midday potion¡­ Is it today?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and soon covered his body in a meyer before disappearing.


    A momentter, he appeared in the sky, cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] on himself, and started pping those wings.


    After that, he turned his gaze towards the Merchants'' District and soon focused his attention on a three-storied tall building.


    The next instant, he used [me Teleportation], disappeared from the sky, and reappeared above a three-storied building in Merchants'' District.


    Charles pped his reddish-ck wings twice, descended onto the rooftop, and soonnded.


    Then, he dismissed the wings and looked at the street from above.


    The next instant, he once again cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, disappeared from there, and reappeared on the street road while frightening the tens of passersby.


    Without minding their scared behavior, he started walking towards the nearby food stall owner and asked.


    "Youngd, do you know the location of the Crescent Crew Auction House?"


    Upon hearing his cold words, the food stall owner, who looked around 30-years old man, nodded his head and pointed his finger towards a tall building located at the end of the street road.


    Meanwhile, Charles thanked the stall owner and gripped the ck cane''s handle.


    The next second, ayer of crimson me enveloped his body before he got teleported!


    A secondter, Charles suddenly appeared in front of the three-storied tall building and startled the two gatekeepers.


    But as they saw his appearance, both of them froze for a moment and soon bowed their heads.


    Meanwhile, Charles simply waved his hand and stared at the entrance.


    No, his gaze glued on the symbol of the auction house.


    ''An eye symbol? Heh, this auction house belongs to the Amber Church, huh.'' He nodded inwardly and then gazed at the nearby ck-haired gatekeeper.


    "How much time has passed since the auction began?" He asked in a calm voice.


    The ck-haired gatekeeper made a forced smile as he heard those words and responded in a nervous tone.


    "It has been already 30 minutes, My Lord."


    ''30 minutes?''


    Charles furrowed his brows and started walking into the building.


    Although another gatekeeper tried to block him, the ck-haired man instantly shook his head and warned him not to act.


    Meanwhile, Charles entered the reception hall, saw a few young girls sat in the corner of the hall and appeared to be in the middle of eating.


    All of them wore unique red suits and appeared professional.


    Noticing his arrival, one blonde-haired girl stood up from her seat, ced the fork and knife beside the te, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and walked towards his direction.


    In seconds, she arrived in front of him and greeted him with a bow.


    Before she could speak, Charles stared into her scarlet eyes and asked in an impatient tone.


    "Can I participate in the auction now?"


    Upon hearing his words, the blonde-haired girl froze for a moment and soon shook her head.


    "Even if you are a VIP cardholder, we won''t let anyone in now, Mister. These are auction rules."


    "Is that so?" A cold look appeared on Charles''s face.


    He then waved his hand, conjured a ball of me, and smirked.


    "Ask your manager toe and meet me."


    It was an order!


    On the other hand, the blonde-haired girl got stunned for a moment and soon nodded her head.


    ''A Rank-3 Mage? Humph, even if you are an Ember Wizard, you have to abide by the rules here.'' She muttered inwardly before turning around and hurriedly went towards the right side office room.


    A few momentster, she returned with a slim woman in a red peplum dress.


    That woman had long silvery hair, a pear-shaped body, a pale face, oceanic eyes, a hawk nose, and appeared around 25-years old.


    Upon seeing her appearance, Charles''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    ''Be Collins¡­ What a coincidence¡­'' The corner of his lips twitched.


    ''Why would the Amber Bank manager of Riverdale City appear here?'' He suddenly paused and soon narrowed his eyes.


    ''Collins family¡­ That dumb assassin, who revealed himself to the enemy during Eve''s death and got imprisoned by a space cube, also said that he is from the Collins family¡­ Is she the one who sent him to protect Eve? Why?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    On the other hand, Be Collins arrived in front of him, made a forced smile, and bowed her head.


    "Be Collins of Crescent Crew auction house greets Ancient Mage Oswald."


    "You are Be Collins?" Charles suddenly released his wisdom power and stared at her deadly.


    The next instant, Be''s whole body started to quiver by the might of his wisdom power!


    "Y-Yes." She spoke in a nervous tone and soon added while giving him a golden card.


    "Please don''t get angry. Y-You are qualified to join the auction, My Lord."


    ''Wow, is this the power of the ''Ancient Mage'' title?'' He blinked his eyes twice and soon asked.


    "Do you still remember Charles Nightwind?"


    For a moment, a shock appeared on her face.


    She soon regained herposure and nodded her head.


    "He is my grandson¡­ Now, do you understand why I''m furious at you?" He asked in a cold voice.


    Confusion, shock, anxiety, and fear appeared on Be''s face.


    "I-Is it due to A-Amber Curse?" She asked in a stutter.


    Before Charles could nod, she bent her waist and confessed.


    "I only forced him to sign a few documents and forbid him from opening ounts in Riverdale Amber Bank, My Lord. But someone from the Amber Church took the document and used that as an excuse to ce an Amber Curse on him."


    "Someone else?" His forehead furrowed.


    Meanwhile, Be nodded her head and responded.


    "Y-Yes, My Lord. That ''Someone'' is the one who demoted me for trying to save Charles''s mother and transferred me to this remote kingdom."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s wrinkled face hardened.


    ''Someone¡­ Does Amber Church have involvement in Eve''s death? Is this person ackey of Red Prince? Or, someone else?'' He pressed his lips together and asked.


    "Do you have any clue about who this ''Someone'' is?"


    "No, My Lord-" She suddenly paused for a moment and added.


    "I have slight suspicion on Archbishop Royce, My Lord. When I was working in Riverdale Bank, he is the one who ordered me to use the contract paper to restrict Charles."


    ''Archbishop Royce¡­ An Amber Church member, huh.'' He frowned for a moment and then asked.


    "Where is he working now?"


    "He is currently in this kingdom. Moreover, I heard that he has some ties with Felicity Bonere and her father Duke Foster." Be said in a suppressing tone.


    ''What a ''coincidence.'' It seems I need to purify this Archbishop''s corrupted mind¡­'' He sighed inwardly and started to walk towards the right-side corridor.


    Meanwhile, Be Collins nced at the blonde-haired girl and gestured her to show him the way.


    Noticing her gaze, the blonde-haired girl nodded her head, took the lead, and spoke in a nervous tone.


    "P-Please follow me, My Lord."


    Meanwhile, Charles curled his lips upward and nodded.

 Chapter 192: Auction

    <h4>Chapter 192: Auction</h4>


    Hall No.5, Second Floor, Crescent Crew Auction House, Brian Street, Merchant District.


    Inside the hall, hundreds of people, including Mages, Nobles, merchants, and even some well-dressed adventurers, sat on their allocated seats and patiently listened to the auctioneer''s words.


    Meanwhile, a 30-year blonde-haired woman stood on the stage while holding a dagger in her right hand and spoke in a calm tone.


    But due to some enchanting sound artifact, it echoed in every corner of the hall.


    "There is also a rumor that this ''ze Dagger'' could even prate a Rank-4 Defensive spell and its sharpness couldn''t be matched with normal rare Rank weapons. So, this weapon has the qualification to be on par with Extraordinary Rank-4 artifacts! It''s a rare high-quality piece among the Rare-Rank daggers." The auctioneer paused for a moment and then added with a sweet smile on her face.


    "The starting price is 1,000 Gold coins, and the least bidding increment is fifty gold coins-"


    Before she could finish her words, someone raised their paddle and shouted.


    "2,500 Gold coins."


    "3,000."


    "4,000."


    ¡­


    Within a few seconds, multiple Mages raised their paddles one by one and started their bidding.


    But once the amount crossed around 10,000 gold coins, most Mages and nobles shook their heads and gave up.


    After a few rounds of bidding, a wealthy and influential noble brought it at the cost of 13,600 gold coins!


    After that, he went near the stage, paid the right amount of gold on the spot, and got the dagger from the auctioneerdy''s hand.


    At that moment, the tightly shut metal door made a creaking noise and opened.


    Soon, a blonde-haired girl in her red suit walked in and attracted everyone''s attention.


    "Why are you here, Mira?" The auctioneerdy got surprised by her arrival and asked.


    On the other hand, a bitter smile appeared on Mira''s face as she stepped to her right side and bowed her head towards the door.


    "Pleasee in, My Lord." She said.


    Everyone, including the Rank-3 Mages, and Nobles got surprised upon seeing her action and shifted their gaze towards the entrance.


    Under everyone''s curious gazes, a white-haired old man in his ck suit walked inside and showed his cold appearance to others.


    The next instant, everyone widened their eyes and stood up from their seats with tense looks on their faces.


    They had clearly remembered this old monster''s disy a few months ago and got anxious about his arrival.


    On the other hand, Charles''s gaze swept past all those nobles and soonnded on a small blonde-haired girl in her long ck gown. She sat on the farthest seat and appeared more like a timid rabbit behind a few red-robed mages.


    At that moment, Jessie also saw her Teacher''s arrival and tried her best to see him.


    Shaking his head, Charles nced at the auctioneerdy and spoke.


    "Continue your work. I came here to check if my disciple is alright."


    Saying so, he started walking on the aisle and soon appeared in front of Jessie.


    Thankfully, thest row had a few empty seats.


    So, a red-robed mage, who sat beside Jessie, voluntarily stood up and gave up his seat to Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles took his seat and satfortably on the seat.


    "Why are you here, Teacher?" Jessie nced around warily and asked in an anxious tone.


    She knew very well that her Teacher''s every action has deep meanings!


    ''Is there going to be some kind of riot?'' Her heart began to race faster, and cold sweats started to appear on her forehead.


    On the other hand, Charles smiled lightly and spoke.


    "Don''t mind me. Focus on the auction."


    A forced smile appeared on Jessie''s face.


    Now, she was damn sure that something was about to happen here!


    Unaware of her inner thoughts, Charles nced at the surrounding mages and nobles and soon focused his gaze on the elevated stage.


    At that moment, the blonde-haired auctioneerdy apologized to all the guests and took out a wooden box from the nearby table.


    She then opened it carefully and took out a wooden flute from it. After that, she held it in with both hands, ced her mouth on the lip te, and started to blow.


    A momentter, a strange melody started to resound in the hall.


    It was so intense which even caused Charles''s emotions to fluctuate!


    In a blink, anger and hate appeared in his eyes!


    But those dark emotions suddenly turned smooth and soon disappeared from his eyes.


    ''What a great artifact.'' Charles stared at the flute for a moment but shook his head.


    ''It can indeed affect my consciousness to some extent. But as long as I have good control over my Inner World, I can easily counter this ability.'' He muttered inwardly.


    Although the auctioneerdy blew it just for two seconds, it still affected everyone to a great extent!


    Noticing that she had attracted everyone''s attention, the auctioneerdy gave another apologetic bow and spoke.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, we call this ''flute'' as ''Whisper of Emotions.'' As you have seen, this flute has a strange ability which could even affect a Rank-4 mage¡­" She suddenly paused for a moment as she saw everyone suddenly turned their heads and looked at Charles with curious expressions on their faces.


    To their disappointment, no one could see any change in his mood!


    An awkward silence appeared in the hall.


    The auctioneerdy clicked her tongue and spoke with a forced smile on her face.


    "I said that it could work on a Rank-4 Mage. But I never said that it could work on an Ancient Mage. Anyway, this artifact also has a long history and there is also a rumor spreading around that it was actually created by a Rank-5 [Poetaster]¡­"


    The auctioneerdy started to exin more about the flute and tried her best to promote it.


    Unfortunately, Charles''s sudden arrival ruined all of her ns.


    Among the hundreds of people, only ten people showed interest in the flute.


    After a short round of bidding, it was brought by a wealthy merchant for 18,000 gold coins.


    After that, the auctioneerdy auctioned few more items like a Rare Sword, a Tricolor flower, a rare mutated four-hand human ve, Rank-3 [Guardian] ss gem, etc., and sold them at high prices.


    The Rank-3 [Guardian] ss gem even sold for 54,600 gold coins!


    Two hours passed in a blink!


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, our next item is a bit special and rarely appears even in the auction." While speaking, she went near the wooden table, took out a small metal box, opened it with a click, and showed the content to everyone.


    "This one is called ''Inborn Midday Potion'', brewed by a Rank-4 [Mystic Brewer] Stephen. It''s a Dexterity Potion."


    Once she finished her words, the whole hall turned into an uproar!


    She silently closed the metal box, elegantly ced it on the wooden table, and started to speak with a smile.


    "The starting price is 16,000 Gold coins, and the least bidding increment is 200 gold coins. Let the bidding start."

 Chapter 193: Bidding

    <h4>Chapter 193: Bidding</h4>


    "17.500."


    "18.500."


    "20.000."


    "23.000."


    ¡­


    The bidding started to rise steadily as the auctioneerdy ended her speech.


    Upon watching such a scene, Charles suddenly felt something was amiss.


    ''Why do I feel like we would lose in the bedding?'' A strange premonition appeared in his mind.


    "Jessie, who informed you about today''s auction? Who said that someone is going to ce the ''Midday'' potion for auctioneering?"


    During normal days, she would alwayse to attend the auction with Rhea or Titus.


    But today, she came here alone while informing others about her departure in a hurry, which gave Charles a bad feeling.


    Meanwhile, Jessie didn''t put much thought into it and spoke in a calm tone.


    "Actually, this ''Midday'' potion is supposed to auction three weekster, Teacher. But the auction manager suddenly changed the program and chose to put seven more items in today''s auction. Thankfully, she sends someone to inform me, otherwise; I would have missed such a great opportunity." She said with a regretting tone before raising her paddle and added.


    "45,000 Gold coins."


    Her voice instantly attracted everyone''s attention!


    Almost everyone turned their heads in unison and looked into her emerald-green eyes.


    On the other hand, Charles wore a troubled look and hurriedly took out the Book of Secrets, a golden quill, and ink bottle.


    Then, he opened the golden-covered book, flipped it to the mysterious nk page, and opened the ink bottle using another hand.


    Although nearby mages got startled by his strange actions, they didn''t put much thought into it and retracted their gazes.


    Meanwhile, Charles picked the golden quill, dipped it in ink, and wrote Jessie''s basic information.


    "Jessie Jones¡­ Date of birth 14.05.6382, Second Arcane Era,¡­ Elemental affinity ''High'' in Knowledge, ce of Birth¡­ Sweet Vige¡­"


    As he finished writing, he muttered the short chanting and soon entered a strange state.


    A few secondster, he snapped out of the strange state and looked at the newly mysterious page.


    "A young masterys his eyes on it¡­ He will buy it¡­ No matter what¡­ Jessie will fail."


    Those words appeared on the paper, and soon they started to distort before disappearing.


    ''A pampered fool, huh.'' He narrowed his eyes and soon heard Jessie''s words.


    "90,500 Gold coins."


    Other than Jessie, there were only two people who fought for this potion at that moment.


    One was a 30-years old looking woman in a ck hood, while the other was a ck-haired young man in his twenties.


    The ck-haired young man appeared a little fat, round face, pale skin, and wore a red silk waistcoat. His eyes showed cold, calctive, and cautiousness.


    ''He is not a pampered fool¡­'' A troubled expression appeared on his face.


    Meanwhile, that ck-haired young man raised his bidding paddle and spoke with a calm look on his face.


    "94,000 Gold coins."


    Charles''s eyes squinted as he heard those words.


    "Who is he?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, Jessie also wore a grim look and grumbled in dissatisfaction.


    "He is Duke Foster''s grandson son, Samson. He rarely visits the auction and always stays in the mansion while training. He is a Psychologist ss mystic, has a very stubborn character, and hard to handle. If heys his eyes on something, he would even spend millions of gold coins to buy it. I couldn''t even understand why that family would send such a character for an auction."


    ''Duke Foster¡­ Second consort Felicity Bonere''s father¡­ It seems I made the right choice.'' He nodded his head and spoke.


    "Try your best."


    Saying so, he leaned his back a little and closed his eyes.


    But if someone looks closely at his fingers, they would notice that his fingers were moving on their own like as if they were weaving something!


    On the other hand, Jessie once again raised her paddle and spoke in a cold tone.


    "100,000."


    She currently had 187,000 gold coins in her void pouch. But she didn''t think such a single potion would almost cost half of their savings.


    ''No. He hasn''t given up on the potion.'' She started to get anxious inside.


    ''Would Teacher get angry if I didn''t buy the potion? Would he kill him out of anger?'' She clearly knew of her Teacher''s temperament and sighed heavily.


    She felt like someone ced heavy boulders on her shoulders.


    Before she could think further, Samson raised his paddle and increased the bid.


    "120,000."


    A nk look appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, another hooded woman let out a disappointing sigh and shook her head.


    She gave up on spending more money on this dexterity potion.


    Noticing her face, the auctioneerdy nodded her head and spoke.


    "120,000 gold coins once¡­ Going twice¡­ 120,000 gold coins, if there-"


    Before she could finish her words, Jessie snapped out from the daze, picked the paddle, and raised it above her head.


    "130,000 Gold coins." Her cold voice echoed in the auction hall.


    Meanwhile, a change appeared on Samson''s face. He turned his face into a cold one, turned around, and stared into her eyes.


    His eyes were yellowish and appeared more like a poisonous snake''s eyes!


    An unknown fear gripped Jessie''s heart!


    As Samson was about cast a unique skill on her, his body suddenly turned stiff.


    No, he felt suffocated all of a sudden!


    ''Sh*t! That ancient mage is here.'' He cursed inwardly, turned around, and shouted in a hurry.


    "150,000 Gold coins."


    Simultaneously, he shifted his gaze turned towards the metal box, and grinned.


    ''An Ancient Mageys his eyes on it, huh. So what? I will get it no matter what.'' An icy look appeared on his face.


    While he was in muse, something extraordinary happened inside the metal box.


    A strange invisible ring passed through the metal box like an illusionary wire and encircled a small green vial ced in it.


    The next instant, the whole vial turned illusionary and went invisible!


    Two secondster, Charles opened his eyes, stretched his hands above his head, and stealthily caught something invisible.


    After that, he retracted his hands and crossed his arm together.


    Meanwhile, Jessie gritted her teeth, raised her bid paddle once again, and spoke.


    "180,000 Gold coins."


    It was her final bid.


    Unfortunately, the ck-haired man didn''t even turn around, raised the bidding paddle, and spoke.


    "200,000."


    As she heard those words, Jessie lost all her will to even look into her Teacher''s eyes.


    ''I lost.'' A bitter smile appeared on her face.


    Although she expected such an oue, she still felt hurt inside.


    She remained silent for another three seconds, and soon everyone turned around.


    But as they look at her watery eyes, they knew that the bidding was already over.


    Some were disappointed, while others felt amused.


    On the other hand, the auctioneerdy cleared her throat and spoke in a professional tone.


    "200,000 gold coins once¡­ 200,000 gold coins going twice,¡­200,000 gold coins going thrice¡­ Sold! Congrattions, Mr. Samson. You have won the ''Inborn Dexterity Potion'' for 200,000 gold coins!"


    Saying so, she went near the wooden table, picked up the metal box, and went near the stage end.


    At that moment, the ck-haired Samson also stood up from his seat, went towards the front stage, and took the metal box from her.


    After that, he turned around and started walking towards his seat while opening the metal box.


    Two secondster, the metal box opened with a clicking noise and soon revealed its content.


    No, it was nothing but an empty box!

 Chapter 194: Forewarning

    <h4>Chapter 194: Forewarning</h4>


    Samson''s face turned gloomier as he saw the empty metal box.


    He then turned around and showed it to the auctioneerdy.


    "There is nothing inside." His voice turned abnormally colder.


    On the other hand, the auctioneerdy''s face went pale.


    "H-How could that be? I just checked it a while ago, right?" She muttered in a shocked tone.


    "Someone stole the potion right under our watchful eyes," Samson said in an icy tone and turned his head towards the backside seat.


    His gaze soonnded on the white-haired old man!


    "He is the culprit." He didn''t show any fear and directly used Charles.


    The next instant, the whole hall went abrupt silence.


    No one dared to even look into Samson''s eyes.


    No, some even turned their heads away as if they hadn''t heard his earlier words!


    All of them knew the temperament of this old man and shook their heads at Samson''s reckless behavior.


    They felt that it was unnecessary to provoke a powerful man for a single potion.


    Some Rank-2 mages even cursed inwardly and wiped the cold sweats on their foreheads.


    Meanwhile, the auctioneerdy hurriedly stepped down from the stage, ran down the aisle, and spoke in an anxious tone.


    "Mr. Samson, using others without any valid evidence is not a noble thing. Remember, you are using the Ancient Mage."


    Her tone contains a hint of anger.


    In truth, even she felt that the Ancient Mage might be the one who stole the vial.


    ''But¡­ An almighty Ancient Mage like himself would do such petty trick?'' Such a thought appeared in her mind.


    She felt that some third party might have done that deliberately.


    On the other hand, Samson''s face turned red.


    He turned his head, look into the blonde-haired woman''s face, and spoke in a cold voice.


    "Foreigner, you don''t have the right to teach me what is noble, what is not. This is the Iron Kingdom, and we are the Rulers."


    As he said those words, the whole hall suddenly turned gloomier.


    While talking, Samson indirectly pulled all the nobles to his side and tactically defended himself.


    At that moment, a few other high-ss nobles let out a helpless sigh and nodded their heads in agreement.


    Only the red-robed mages and a few blue-robed mages remained seated calmly.


    But there was a hint of arrogance, pride, and loftiness that could be seen on their faces.


    On the other hand, the blonde-haired auctioneerdy made a forced smile and shook her head.


    She knew that the nobles of this kingdom were too arrogant and proud people and sighed inwardly.


    ''These morons really look down on this Ancient Mage.'' She started to feel pity.


    Meanwhile, Samson turned around, started walking towards Charles, full of killing intent.


    "Mr. Oswald, I need an exnation." He spoke in an icy tone.


    An amusing smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face as he heard the kid''s words.


    "You need an exnation, right?" He asked while gripping the ck cane''s handle and stood up from his seat.


    "Yes, I want to know why you used a petty method to steal the ''Midday'' potion." Samson stared into Charles''s eyes and spoke maliciously.


    ''Is he acting? Or, is he really using me?''


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth.


    He then turned his gaze towards the blonde-haired receptiondy and ordered while pointing his finger at Samson.


    "Search his clothes."


    "Y-You! You dare to search me?" A furious expression appeared on Samson''s face.


    "Why not? Who are you? A Rank-4 Mage? Or, a Rank-5? If not, why are you not kneeling in front of me? Moreover, what right do you have to use me?" As he spoke, Charles''s body suddenly enveloped in ayer of me and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, a humanoid me appeared in front of Samson''s eyes and soon formed into an appearance of a white-haired old man.


    "Kneel," Charles said coldly, gripped the ck cane, and tapped the heel on the concrete floor.


    The next instant, an invisible pressure appeared in the hall and pushed Samson''s body towards the floor!


    Before Samson could think further, his legs turned sluggish, causing him to kneel!


    Nodding his head, Charles turned towards the stupefied blonde-haireddy and frowned.


    "Why are you standing there? You haven''t searched him yet."


    He pointed his finger at the furiously looking Samson.


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haireddy snapped out from the daze, went near the kneeling Samson, and checked his pockets one by one.


    When she put her hand into his pant pocket, her brown eyes widened all of a sudden.


    After that, she hurriedly took out her hand and showed her finding to others.


    A greenish liquid vial appeared on her delicate palm.


    At that moment, Charles moved his hand, took the green vial from the auctioneer, and stored it in his space ring.


    Then, he looked down at the kneeling Samson and spoke with an understanding look on his face.


    "So your aim is not the vial, but my disciple, huh. I should have expected this petty trick from the Foster family."


    Saying so, he raised his right leg and kicked him on the chest.


    Upon seeing his action, every noble''s and even mages'' faces turned gloomier.


    They hurriedly stood up and stared at him with full of killing intent.


    Not only did this Ancient Mage force a Ruler ss member to kneel, but he also kicked him on the chest!


    Humiliating!


    His action truly infuriated everyone!


    "Mr. Oswald, you are humiliating a Ruler ss Member." A grey-haired old man in his seventies walked out from his seat and said in a cold tone.


    A few blue-robed mages, red-robed mages, and even a few nobles walked out and stared at him in anger and hate.


    Meanwhile, Charles gave one deep look at the old man and released his full wisdom power.


    "Be d that I didn''t kill him on the spot."


    Saying so, he turned around, nced at Jessie, and added.


    "Let''s go."


    But at that exact moment, a strong premonition appeared from the depths of his mind.


    ''Warning about the uing danger? This is a trap?'' His eyebrows furrowed.


    Simultaneously, he cast [me Teleportation] and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he appeared behind Jessie and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    The next instant, both of their bodies enveloped in mes and disappeared from there.


    Within a second, they arrived at the auction house reception hall and startled the red-suited young girls.


    No, a few young girls even shouted in fright and hurriedly covered their mouths.


    Without minding their behavior, Charles fastened his footsteps towards the ss window, opened the saffron-colored curtain, and peeked outside.


    ''There is nothing abnormal¡­'' A deep line appeared between his brows.


    ''But why the premonition is growing stronger?'' His heart raced faster like an engine.


    ''Is it due to my earlier actions? Did I spoil Divine''s original n? But that stalking Divine wants me to grow stronger, right? Wait¡­ What if it is the opposite? If so, why is this ''Divine'' helping me to get the ''Love'' emotion? No, I''m missing some key information.'' His mind went chaos for a moment.


    ''Lad, what happened?'' The Holem''s Crown also noticed the anxiety in Charles''s heart and asked.


    ''I don''t know. But I think I need to rank up now.''


    As he spoke in his mind, he started walking towards the right side office room and soon appeared in front of it.


    At that moment, Be also opened the wooden door and looked outside.


    "I want this room for a while. Wait outside." He interrupted her before she could even speak and looked at Jessie.


    Noticing his gaze, she instantly took out a dagger from her void pouch and gripped it tighter.


    "I will do the guarding, Teacher."


    Although she didn''t know what her Teacher was nning, she knew that he needs her help to watch the door!


    Meanwhile, Be wore a dazed look on her face and subconsciously nodded her head.

 Chapter 195: Shape-shifter

    <h4>Chapter 195: Shape-shifter</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles entered the office room, closed the door, locked it from inside, and took out the green vial.


    After that, he opened the vial cap and gulped it down in one go.


    A momentter, a sharp pain appeared from the depths of his mind, causing him to grit his teeth subconsciously.


    Then, some mysterious power appeared from his stomach and started spreading towards all parts of his body!


    Simultaneously, Charles saw a change in his game interface and made a forced smile.


    ¡­


    [You consumed a bottle of Inborn Midday Potion!]


    [2 points have been added to your Dexterity attribute!]


    [0.5 points have been added to your Strength attribute!]


    [0.4 points have been added to your Constitution attribute!]


    ¡­


    ''Oh? It can even increase my other attributes? But why is it only 0.5 points?'' He was stunned for a moment and soon noticed a change in his hand movements.


    But he didn''t try testing his Hand of Mystery skill.


    ''I need to act faster.'' He muttered inwardly and nced at the Sub-ss Rank-up quest icon.


    ''Sess rate has been increased from 50% to 80%!'' He took a deep breath, focused his attention on the Sub-ss section, and poured 85,000 Exp points into it.


    ''Mr. Rh, protect me for a while. If someone dares to spy on us, use your power to distort the surroundings.''


    Saying so, he sat on the floor, gripped his fist, and soon groaned in pain.


    At that moment, he felt that countless sharp needles were piercing through his whole body!


    Moreover, a strange itchy feeling appeared all over his body, causing him to scratch his face and chest.


    ''F*ck! This is insane.'' He cursed inwardly and soon noticed some transparent slimy liquids starting oozing out of his body pores.


    Like a snake shedding its skin, Charles''s body skin also began to peel off along with the slimy liquids!


    This process continued for the next 30 seconds and soon returned to normal.


    Then, pieces of information about sub-ss skills appeared and soon engraved in the depths of his Inner World.


    ''It''s over!''


    He didn''t even wait for a moment before he cast the [Elemental Body] spell on himself and bathed his body in a crimson me.


    Two secondster, a wrinkled naked old man''s figure appeared in the room.


    Charles hurriedly stood up from the ground, took out a spare cloth from his space ring, and wore it.


    Simultaneously, he opened the game interface and nced at the notifications.


    ¡­


    [Host has chosen the 2nd method for Rank-up!]


    [55,806 Exp has been deduced for the [Shape-Shifter] ss-Gem!]


    [29,194 Exp has been deduced for Rank-up!]


    [Shape-Shifter ss obtained!]


    [Host''s body is undergoing a mutation change!]


    [¡­]


    [Mutation Completed!]


    [Host''s Race has been changed from ''Half-Shifter'' to ''Shape-Shifter'']


    [You are now a true Shape-Shifter!]


    [1 Attribute points rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [Skills Upgraded!]


    [''Vision'' skill has been upgraded to ''Foresight'']


    [''Face Change'' skill has been upgraded to ''Shape-Shifting'']


    [''Hand of Mystery'' skill has been upgraded to ''Sleight of Mystery Hand'']


    ¡­


    ''Foresight¡­ This skill can let me see the uing danger in the form of vision. As long as the danger is within the next 10 minutes, this [Foresight] skill can perceive it and would give me some clues in the form of an image. Comparing to ''Vision'' skill, this one can warn me before even the danger arrives. Wait¡­ So my previous forewarning might be rted to this skill¡­''


    ''Even though I hadn''t ranked up at that time, I used the [Book of Secrets] multiple times and already gained some understanding of Future Time. It''s is indeed a good skill¡­ But there is also a great weakness like once I activate this skill; it will enter into one-hour cooldown stage¡­''


    ''And, if I want to get another foresight vision, I have to wait. There is also another problem with the ''Future Time'' skills. As long as I change the Future, it will cause a great change in ''Fate'' and create countless variations. It will definitely attract Astrologer ss Mystics.'' He paused for a moment and shifted his gaze towards the [Shape-shifting] skill.


    ''If I want topletely shape-shift into another person, I need a blood drop of the target and inject it into my bloodstream. Then, I will get data about the opposite party''s body structure. But there is also a side effect in this skill like a limited number of shape-shifting¡­''


    ''With my current power, I can only shape-shift into five different people. Any more than that, my body will not be able to handle it. Moreover, I can only shape-shift into human-like creatures¡­ Tsk, I actually wanted to turn myself into a Dragon and give everyone a little scare¡­'' He clicked his tongue and soon changed his gaze towards [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill.


    ''Unlike before, I can easily let the invisible strings pass through Space, entangle the enemy''s body, make them immobile, and even steal any random things from their space ring while bypassing their spiritual imprint¡­ Moreover, I can release more than a hundred invisible strings at a time¡­'' He was indeed surprised a little.


    After that, he looked at the [Cryptic Analysis] skill and noticed it had already increased from 180 to 189 points.


    ''I currently have 28 free skill points.'' He thought for a moment and chose to upgrade his unique skill using 11 skill points.


    A momentter, a sharp pain appeared from both his mind and his eyes!


    Like pricking needles, some invisible power started stabbing his eyes from inside!!


    Cursing loudly, Charles gritted his teeth, gripped his head, and tried his best not to rub the eyes.


    Like before, the painful sensation remained for another 20 seconds before it returned to normal!


    But unlike before, a few minute stars appeared within his amber eyes and gave off a sense of mysteriousness.


    Charles blinked his eyes and soon nced at the earlier notifications.


    ¡­


    [Cryptic Analysis skill has reached its peak level!]


    [Upgrade is Possible!]


    [Upgrading¡­]


    [¡­]


    [Host''s eyes are undergoing a mutation process!]


    [¡­]


    [Wisdom Sight skill obtained!]


    ¡­


    ''Wisdom Sight¡­ Not a bad skill.'' He nodded inwardly and soon nced at the ck cane.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown suddenly felt that some invisible power was looking at its weakest area!


    Without hesitation, the Holem''s Crown used its own power and created a defensive line!


    "Lad, what happened to your eyes?" It asked in an anxious tone.


    Earlier, it sensed the power of pure wisdom from Charles''s eyes and got shocked a little.


    One could hide from ''Fate'' and ''Time'' powers, but ''Wisdom'' power was an exception.


    It was a unique power and always has a way to see through one''s weakness!


    If given enough time, even Gods would feel anxious during battles!


    At that moment, Charles saw apletely new world.


    Whenever he looks at something, he would be able to find its weakest spot in a second!


    ''This skill is the best. No wonder that the ''True Lords'' organization assassinated Charles''s father. So, they didn''t fear [Inspect] skill, but they feared this upgraded version [Wisdom Sight] skill.'' A look of understanding appeared on his face.

 Chapter 196: Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 196: Preparation</h4>


    ''Now, let''s move on to the current problem.'' Charles stood up, took the ck cane, and started walking towards the wooden door.


    Within a few seconds, he opened the door with a click and walked outside.


    At that moment, hundreds of nobles and mages stood in the reception hall and were furiously shouting at Be!


    Once they noticed his presence, all of them turned their gazes towards his direction and looked at him angrily.


    They were certainly infuriated by his earlier action and came here for answers.


    ''Talking won''t do.'' He muttered.


    A momentter, hundreds of invisible strings came out from Charles''s right hand, spread out in an instant, and started entangling their necks one by one.


    "If you want to live, get the hell out of here." Charles''s voice turned abnormally cold, causing everyone to stiffen up.


    Without waiting for their reply, he closed his eyes, dismissed his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, and focused on the [Foresight] skill.


    At that moment, a few images appeared in his mind.


    In those images, he saw three people stood outside this auction building!


    One was a ck-robed man with a red-lined white mask on his face.


    The next one was a silver-haired woman in a red frock coat. She had a square face, sky-blue eyes, and a bulging chest.


    Thest one was a white-haired old man in histe eighties.


    His face was filled with wrinkles, and he had pupil-less white eyes, a pale face, and wore a in white robe.


    But there was one thing that caught Charles''s attention most.


    It was the goat skull symbol engraved on their dresses.


    ''Divine Order members!'' He instantly identified their origin and frowned.


    ''Why would theye for me? Is it the stalking Divine''s doing?¡­ The ''Divine'' didn''t want me to be a Rank-4 Mystic?'' Such thought crossed his mind.


    But soon, he shook his head.


    ''There are three persons in the vision, and all of them seemed to be Rank-4 Mystics. Can I able to battle against them? If I couldn''t, wouldn''t all my ns go down?¡­ Wait¡­ The ''Divine'' knew about my disguise long ago, but it seemed to have no n on killing me. If it wants me dead, it could have sent these guys to the mansion two days ago¡­''


    ''Then, why is it sending three Rank-4 Mystics? Or, is it changed my mind after my sudden Rank-up? Or, did the ''Divine'' want to injure me and suppress my growth? Or, is a third party behind this scheme?'' Questions whirled in his mind.


    ''They will be here within 8 minutes.'' A deep frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''I don''t care about others'' schemes. I will go all out and take everyone by surprise.'' A cold expression appeared on his face.


    He then turned his gaze towards Jessie and spoke in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, enchant her luck to the maximum.''


    ''Are you sure? If I did that, she would be unlucky for the next two months.'' An old man''s voice echoed in Charles''s head.


    ''It''s better than dying now, right? I can''t protect her while battling Rank-4 Mystics¡­ If Divine Order members are making their move on me, they will also target these kids¡­ The other three are in a safer ce, but she is not.'' He responded while taking out the Starfall Codex Magic Book.


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown let out a deep sigh, used its ''Luck'' skill, and enchanted her luck.


    Meanwhile, Charles flipped the pages and finally stopped at thest page.


    Then, he let out a deep sigh and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Things are going to get messy here,ss. Go to our mansion and protect Rhea. Someone might target her using this chaos."


    Upon hearing those words, Jessie''s emerald-green eyes widened, and soon she nodded her head.


    She then went to the office room, locked it from inside, removed her long ck gown, and changed her cloth into a normal ck shirt and pants.


    Then, she also took out a brown leather jacket and wore it over her shirt.


    Following that, she stored her clothes in her void pouch and walked out of the room.


    At that moment, she saw that her Teacher was chanting in weirdnguage and went more serious.


    ''It seems I need to go faster.'' She held her dagger with that thought in her mind and ran towards the entrance in a hurry.


    On the other hand, the nobles, Mages, and Merchants also started walking out of the building one by one and left the auction house.


    By the time Charles ended the chanting, only Be, Mira, the auctioneerdy, and few other red-suited young girls stood in the reception hall.


    A thinyer of sunshineyer enveloped Charles''s body and soon disappeared.


    It was Rank-4 Sun''s re spell from the 19th page!


    He soon nced at Be and others and furrowed his brows.


    "Why are you still here?"


    Upon hearing his words, Be pointed her fingers at the office room and spoke.


    "We can hide in the underground basement, My Lord."


    "Oh?" Charles nodded his head and started walking towards the entrance.


    At that moment, Be gestured other attentions to go inside the office room and started following after Charles.


    "You want to watch the battle? You might die." Charles continued to walk towards the entrance door and warned her.


    "I''m a Rank-3 [Spatial Mage] and also have a unique danger sensing skill, My Lord. As long as I sense any danger, I will escape." Be said with a smile and took out a short sword from her space ring.


    Meanwhile, Charles opened the entrance door, walked out of the building, and soon appeared at the building entrance.


    Due to his early warning, even those two gatekeepers got scared and had long left their guarding job.


    Only a chained dog sat in the corner while growling at him.


    Shaking his head, Charles opened the Starfall Codex book, flipped the pages, and soon stopped it at the 18th page.


    Unlike other ones, no spell incantation appeared on this page.


    Instead, only a few weird red magic circles and runal words appeared on it.


    ''It''s a one-time Incarnation summoning ritual circle.'' The Holem''s Crown answered in his head.


    ''Is it the ''Incarnation'' of the one who created this magic book?'' Charles couldn''t help but show a wary look at the weird magic circle page.


    ''I think so. But your soul power iscking. Once you use this summoning circle, you might die.'' The Holem''s Crown gave a warning.


    ''It''s useless then.'' Charles shook his head in disappointment before storing the magic book and tapped the ck cane''s heel on the concrete floor.


    The next instant, the ck cane began to shrink quickly and soon transformed into a reddish gem-embedded bracelet.


    Meanwhile, he swiftly caught the bracelet, wore it in his hand, and cast a [Needle of Ember] spell.


    A small reddish needle-like me appeared in front of him.


    Then, he cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, moved tens of invisible strings towards the needle, and made the [Needle of Ember] spell into an invisible one!


    ''This method consumes too much mental energy, and I can''t manage to move the invisible Needle spell at its peak speed¡­ But it is perfect for an assassination.'' He nodded inwardly and then took out the Ember Pistol from his space ring.


    Then, he used another invisible string, made the pistol invisible, and hid it next to him.


    Once everything was over, he let out a deep sigh and looked up at the gloomy dark sky.


    Even though it was still morning, dark clouds shrouded the blue sky and gave off the feeling of unease.

 Chapter 197: Change of Plans

    <h4>Chapter 197: Change of ns</h4>


    On the other hand, Be stared at his sides in confusion, took a few steps backward, and stood next to the wooden door.


    ''He can even make a spell disappear?¡­ Is it Invisibility?'' She was stunned inside.


    On the other hand, Charles furrowed his brows and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    ''They should have entered the city.'' He thought to himself.


    A secondter, he turned his head towards the eastern city wall, which appeared close to the auction hall, and narrowed his eyes.


    At that moment, he sensed twenty masked figures appeared on the city wall and seemed to be jumped down towards the city.


    They were currently moving towards the Nobles'' District.


    ''They are also targeting Rhea?'' His brows drew together.


    He also noticed many people suddenly appeared inside the city and started causing chaos everywhere. Although most of them were only Rank-1 and Rank-2, Charles knew that they could indeed distract all the city guards and mages for some time.


    ''It''s like the enemy made an urgent n¡­ As long as one or two Rank-4 Mages intervene, I can win this battle.'' He thought inwardly.


    At that exact moment, he felt multiple wisdom powers scanned him from Iron Tower and Nobles'' District!


    ''Hmm? The Rank-4 Mages and other Mystics want to watch the battle instead of protecting the citizens? So, they also knew about this trap?'' A grim look appeared on his wrinkled face.


    ''Who is the real maniptor? Is it Divine? Or another party? If so, where are they hiding now?¡­ No, wait¡­ The Inborn Midday Potion appeared in the auction only after I made a prophecy about it¡­ Be Collins is the one who changed the date¡­''


    He abruptly froze for a second and asked with a frown.


    "Why did you change the auction schedule?"


    Upon hearing his words, Be got startled for a moment and responded without putting much thought into it.


    "Early morning, Potion Master Stephen contacted me and urged me to put the potion in morning auction. It seems he urgently needs some money and asked me personally. If it were others, I wouldn''t have agreed to that request, My Lord. But he is the only potion master in this city and also a Rank-4 [Mystic Brewer]. So, I have no choice but to agree to his request while only informing a few important customers."


    As Charles heard her words, the frown on his face deepened.


    ''Potion Master Stephen¡­ But why did Samsone to the auction¡­ Not only that, but he alsoid his eyes on the potion, fought for it, and even won the auction. No one should have known that I''m in dire need of that ''Midday'' potion except for the ''Divine''¡­ But he seemed to have aware of it¡­ He also acted like a reckless fool and showed full killing intent¡­''


    ''What''s more interesting is Samson''s background. He is a grandson of Duke Foster and also a close rtive of Felicity Bonere¡­ Why would this family send him to attend the auction on this exact date? Do they have some link with the ''Divine''? It might be possible¡­ Then, there is also Be''s appearance in this auction house¡­ Coincidences¡­What if these are the schemes of Rodia''s Gem? Or, is the stalking ''Divine'' currently in possession of the ''Rodia''s Gem''? Why did Goddess Rodia ask me to find it sooner?'' Countless questions whirled in his mind.


    But he didn''t have enough time to think further as he saw three figures walked out from the nearby alley.


    ''They are here.'' He took out a long sword from his space ring and asked in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, can you cast the [Erase Existence] spell once?''


    ''Impossible. My dark star hasn''t recovered from the previous bacsh. If you give me some precious materials, I might restore them shortly.'' The Holem''s Crown responded in an instant.


    On the other hand, Charles zeroed his gaze on the three figures and nodded his head.


    One was a ck-robed man with a red-lined white mask on his face.


    The next one was a silver-haired woman in a red frock coat and appeared around 30 to 35 years.


    She had a square face, sky-blue eyes, and a bulging chest.


    Thest one was a white-haired old man in histe eighties.


    His face was filled with wrinkles, and he had pupil-less white eyes, a pale face, and wore a in white robe.


    They were the same people from his earlier Vision!


    ''ck-robed man is a Rank-4 [Phantom Devil] and a normal one¡­ The silver-haired woman is a Rank-4 [Curse Mage], and she is at her peak level¡­ Then, the white-haired old man is a Rank-4 [Mad Man] and a Rank-3 [Whisperer of the Sea]¡­ A Dual ss Mystic. I''m no match against three people!'' While analyzing them, Charles also cast [Vision] skill and soon turned serious.


    He first zeroed his gaze on the ck-robed man and cast [Knowledge Absorber] spell.


    ''They are from Divine Orders and came here to kill me under the order of their ''Lord.'' They even prepared a curse spell¡­ Change of ns.''


    He hurriedly cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] on himself and pped his reddish-ck wings twice.


    The next instant, he flew up towards the sky, turned his gaze towards a particr street road, and saw twenty masked men in ck dresses sprinting towards the Nobles'' District.


    ''I need to take care of them first.''


    He then turned his gaze towards another direction and saw Jessie was running towards the Nobles'' District from Merchants Street''s main road.


    She was currently entering a small alley and seemed to be talking a short-cut route!


    ''Mr. Rh, tell her to follow the survival n.'' He spoke in his mind before pping his wings forcefully and shot towards the white-masked figures.


    Meanwhile, the ck-robed man, the silver-haired woman, and the white-haired old man be utterly stunned for a moment and soon widened their eyes.


    "Why is he running away?" The silver-haired woman in a red suit spoke in a dazed tone.


    That was not supposed to happen! From the information they got from their ''Lord,'' they would have an easy time killing the target!


    "He is not running away, Vivian. He seemed to be going after ourckeys." The white-haired old man spoke.


    "What should we do now? Shall we go after the kids, Mr. Eric?" The ck-robed man asked in a cold voice.


    At that moment, he suddenly noticed that he had forgotten their original task!


    "No. Our job is to let Vivian put the curse on him and kill him quickly. As long as weplete this mission, our Lord will be pleased." This time, it was the white-haired old man named Eric who spoke those words.


    "Yeah," The ck-robed man widened his yellowish eyes and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    In the meantime, Vivian pped her hands together and said a few words in weird ng.


    A momentter, crystal-like wings appeared behind all three of them and pped on their own.


    In a second, they also flew up in the sky and soon moved towards the direction where Charles had gone.


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Jessie ran towards Nobles'' District through a short-cut alley road and soon froze.


    ''Follow the survival n.'' An old man''s voice echoed in her head.


    But she felt that the voice appeared so familiar but unfamiliar.


    ''Who is it?'' She wore a startled look and asked in her mind.


    She also didn''t remember any survival n and got puzzled by the old man''s voice.


    But before she could ask further, a ck-dressed figure in a white mask jumped down from the nearby building rooftop and blocked her path.


    The path was only two meters wide, which gave no room for her even to escape!


    The opponent appeared to be around 180 cm tall, with a muscr body, and held a long sword in his hand.


    ''Oh, Lord of the Moon!'' She prayed silently and gripped the dagger in her right hand.


    At the same time, she stealthily took out a small purple vial from her void pouch, opened the tap, closed the vial''s tip using her finger, and asked.


    "Who are you?" Her eyes showed a hint of fear and anxiety.


    Even her legs started to tremble on their own!

 Chapter 198: Jessies resolve

    <h4>Chapter 198: Jessie''s resolve</h4>


    At that moment, another voice echoed in Jessie''s head.


    ''You need to calm down. He seemed to be holding back his strength¡­ Rush towards him madly and throw the vial when you reach 1.5 meters away from him.''


    It was her second consciousness!


    Under her second consciousness''s instruction, Jessie sprinted towards the masked man and shouted.


    "Die!"


    Upon seeing her reckless move, an amusement smile appeared under the muscr man''s mask.


    ''Unfortunately, I''m not allowed to kill her.'' He let out a sigh and thought of knocking her out.


    "Kid, surrender yourself. I know that you are a Rank-2 [Reader] with nobat ss." He paused for a second and added with a big grin under his mask.


    "You will stand no chance against me."


    On the other hand, Jessie rushed towards him madly while showing a panicking expression and soon stopped as she arrived 1.5 meters away from the masked man.


    At the exact moment, she turned her face into a serious one, moved her other hand, and threw the purple vial towards his face.


    Upon seeing Jessie''s abrupt action, the muscr man got stunned.


    ''What is she throwing?'' Although potions were helpful in battles, he didn''t think a small kid like her would get her hands on some poisonous vial.


    ''But I can''t act carelessly.''


    With that thought in his mind, he regained his calm and moved his sword to block the purple vial.


    As his sword collided against the vial, the ss vial broke into pieces and released a purple-colored pungent gas.


    The smell was so strong that it almost caused the muscr man to cover his nose involuntarily.


    The gas then erged like a cloud and started enveloping his body.


    ''F*ck! This isn''t some normal potion.'' He cursed inwardly and waved his sword to dismiss the purple smoke.


    "Rule no.1. Never underestimate your enemy." At that time, he heard a childish provocative voice from the front.


    "ursed brat-" As he was about to shout but stopped as he noticed that the blonde-haired girl was holding a matchstick and matchbox in her hands.


    But what infuriated him more was the smile that stered on her face.


    She was clearly looking down on him!


    ''She is not a normal runt.''


    "What are you doing?" The muscr man got a great sense of danger and moved his sword.


    On the other hand, Jessie lit the matchstick, threw it in his direction, and backed away hurriedly.


    Each of her steps appeared elegant and perfect as if she had another pair of eyes behind her back!


    In the meantime, the muscr man abandoned his long sword and leaped towards the right side to evade the match stick.


    Unfortunately, the match stick made contact with the purple gas as he took two steps and ignited.


    A momentter, the whole cloud of purple gas suddenlybusted andpletely enveloped the muscr man.


    The fire which enveloped him suddenly changed into thick red color and started burning his skin!


    A painful scream echoed in the lone gloomy alley!


    On the other hand, Jessie halted her footsteps as she appeared 7 meters away from her enemy and spoke.


    "Rule no, 2: Never look down on money."


    The muscr man had no time to hear her nonsense!


    He hurriedly removed his cloth and rolled on the ground to extinguish the fire while moaning loudly.


    One second, two seconds, three seconds¡­


    The fire began to burn fiercely, causing severe burns to appear on his skin!


    The fire remained around his body for 15 continuous seconds!


    By the time the fire disappeared from her eyes, she had noticed that a charred figure was lying on the dirt road and appeared to be breathing heavily.


    There was not a single cloth that appeared on his body.


    The burn extended through everyyer of his skin, and his whole body appeared charred!


    Only his face remained unaffected due to the white metal mask!


    Upon witnessing such a scene, even Jessie became shocked and started to get worried.


    Although she had seen murders, she hadn''t killed a person in her life.


    It was the first time she had even hurt someone!


    "P-Please, I b-beg you¡­H-Help me!" A painful moan appeared out of the charred man''s mouth.


    His tone was filled with pain, regret, and anguish.


    Jessie''s body quivered all over!


    "I-" She was about to reply but soon stopped.


    At that moment, her younger brother''s face appeared in her mind.


    When their Teacher asked Titus to steal money, he became hesitant and didn''t do it.


    Because of that, he failed in his personal mission.


    He was too softheaded and wouldn''t dare to hurt a soul.


    She also knew of his character!


    The same goes for Rhea and Noel!


    Never mind killing, both would never even try to hurt a soul.


    But she had seen many cruel things during the past six months.


    Unlike others, she roamed themoners'' District, Slum District, and Merchants'' District and had seen brutal murders in many areas while she was doing her personal mission.


    ''If Teacher hadn''t picked us up, I might have long dead and others would have be beggars¡­ What if our Teacher disappears one day? Would these Nobles let us live peacefully? Even if Rhea became a Queen, she wouldn''t punish others and might forgive them.'' At that moment, a firm resolution appeared in her mind.


    To protect her loved ones, she decided to abandon her soft side!


    She gripped her dagger and started walking towards the white-masked man.


    Once she appeared next to him, she squatted down, pointed the dagger tip at his throat, and removed the white mask.


    The next instant, her emerald-green eyes widened.


    The man''s face appeared around 40 years old and had a square face, thick eyebrows, pale skin, and deep-blue eyes.


    "Damian Fox, 41-years old, Leader of ck Stone thief gang¡­ You have three wives, five children, and have some connection with Baron Spencer¡­" Jessie spoke in a monotonous tone.


    As Damian heard those words, his deep-blue eyes squinted in shock!


    "H-How?" He breathed raucously and asked.


    "I indeed have nobat ss, Mister. But I have the power of knowledge and I knew each and every citizen''s name and their backgrounds." Jessie paused for a moment and added in a cold tone.


    "I also knew each and everyone''s weakness."


    As he heard those words, a bitter smile emerged on Damian''s face.


    He knew that she was threatening him using his family members!


    "W-What do y-you want to k-know?" He asked in a stuttering tone.


    "Who sent you?" Jessie maintained her stern look and probed.


    On the other hand, Damian blinked his eyes and spoke in a weak voice.


    "W-We are working for a c-certain organization called Divine Order. T-Today, they asked us to c-capture you and the other three kids."


    "Aren''t you guys afraid of our Teacher''s wrath?" Anger red up on Jessie''s face as she heard those words.


    Once again, Titus''s face appeared in front of her eyes.


    At that moment, Damian let out a sigh and responded.


    "N-No. T-Their main t-target might be y-your Teacher. H-He is an ancient mage and might have i-immensurable wealth. I-I h-heard that the h-higher o-officials already s-sent 3 R-Rank 4 M-Mystics to k-kill him."


    As he spoke, his body began to shake uncontrobly, and his breath grew rougher!


    He was dying!


    "S-Save m-me." He squeezed out those words and stared at her with a pleading look.


    On the other hand, Jessie bit her lips, nodded her head before raised her right hand, and directly stabbed the dagger into his chest.


    At that moment, her emerald-green eyes abnormally turned into scarlet ones!


    "A-Argh!" A shrilling voice came out from Damian''s voice as his body shook violently.


    His eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at her with full of shock and disbelief.


    On the other hand, Jessie pulled out the dagger with trembling hands and stabbed it into his heart again!


    Damian''s body shook a few times and went motionless.


    At that moment, Jessie''s hands and face were drenched entirely in Damian''s blood!


    Even after his body went motionless, Jessie stabbed him multiple times and regained her sense only after 10 seconds.


    "R-Rule No.3: N-Never trust your e-enemy." She said in a trembling voice.


    Tears appeared in her eyes and soon covered her bloody cheeks.

 Chapter 199: Spirit Hex

    <h4>Chapter 199: Spirit Hex</h4>


    ''Hurry up. We don''t have much time.'' Jessie''s second consciousness said.


    ''Yes.''


    When Jessie was about to stand up, she suddenly noticed some red stone on Damian''s chest and became stunned.


    She hurriedly picked up the reddish gem and soon widened her eyes.


    "It''s a ss Gem!" A shocked expression appeared on her face.


    ''H-How?''


    She had heard of these types of miracle phenomena but never believed it.


    ''So, one can really obtain a ss-Gem though killing? No, it''s not a miracle¡­ I might have met some requirements and obtained this ss Gem¡­''


    ''Although Teacher said that he would get me a unique ss-Gem, I can''t dy any longer. Moreover, I need to hurry up and save others.'' She took out a leather pouch from her void pouch, cleaned the red gem with pure water, and directly swallowed it.


    An electric shock went through her own body a momentter, and soon pieces of information about the new red ss-Gem appeared in her mind.


    ''Blood Maniptor ss Gem¡­ Blood Shackle¡­ Blood Curse¡­ Blood Maniption¡­''


    She muttered inwardly, ced her hand on Damian''s chest, and spoke in a trembling voice.


    "Blood Maniption."


    The next instant, red droplets appeared out of his chest one by one and soon formed into a fist-sized reddish ball.


    "This looks so evil¡­ Evil ss?" She couldn''t help but show a terrified look on her face.


    ''Nothing is evil. As long as we refrain from hurting innocent people, we are not evil.'' Her second consciousness responded instantly.


    Whenparing to her original consciousness, her second consciousness appeared very calm.


    One of the main reasons was that her second consciousness saw everything from the third person''s perspective and didn''t get affected by any guilty emotions!


    Jessie froze for a moment before nodding her head, controlled the blood, and made it into a shape of a sharp knife.


    ''As long as this blood knife is within a 20-meter radius, I can control it and move it with simple thoughts.'' She stood up in anxiety and started running towards Nobles'' District.


    ¡­


    Down Street, Merchants District.


    Currently, a total of 24 white-masked figures in different outfits stood on the wide street road and was staring at a line of reddish fire that appeared on the road.


    On the other side, a white-haired old man in a ck suit stood on the dirt path and looked at three Rank-4 enemies, who were flying towards his direction from the opposite street.


    ''Mr. Rh, enchant my luck to the maximum. It will increase my survival chance.'' Charles muttered with a grim look on his face.


    ''Are you sure? The unluckiness effect might get severe,d. Even the Legend Eddie Nightwind died because of a severe unluckiness.''


    The Holem''s Crown warned him.


    ''Do it. As long as I use the Book of Secrets, I can perceive the dangers and made preparations in advance.'' He muttered inwardly and plucked ckish feathers from his [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown stole his next two months'' luck and started the enchantment.


    By the time the artifact finished its job, Charles had plucked a total of 20 ck feathers and dismissed the wing spell.


    At that moment, the three Rank-4 Mysticsnded in front of the 24 member assassin group and turned their gazes towards Charles.


    They were Vivian, Eric, and the ck-robed man.


    Charles instantly zeroed his gaze on the white-haired old man named Eric and cast [Fire Seed] spell.


    ''Oh? He hadn''t entered the Inner World? Yes, his other ss [Whisper of the Sea] is only Rank-3¡­'' Charles nodded inwardly and started gathering more information.


    ''ck-robed man''s name is Theo, and he is a member of Divine Order, while Eric and Vivian are not! They only had some connection with the Divine Order organization. So, they are outsiders?''


    ''This Divine Order organization might not be a simple one. 24 Rank-3 [Phantom Stringer] ss Mystics¡­ 3 Rank-4 Mystics with different ss¡­ Even if I go all out, I would be troubled battling against these many people¡­'' At that moment, another type of information appeared in his mind.


    ''Hmm? They also seemed to have prepared a curse card spell called ''Spirit Hex'' to injure my soul and this card is currently with Vivian¡­ Let''s see I can sow malice seeds in their minds.'' While thinking, he curled his lips upward, zeroed his gaze on Vivian, and said with a smile.


    "You have done a good job luring them here, Vivian."


    Upon hearing his words, the old man named Eric and the ck-robed Theo suddenly took side steps and distanced themselves from her!


    It was their instinct response!


    In truth, Theo was the only core member of the Divine Order organization.


    On the other hand, Vivian and Eric belong to another powerful organization and rarely work with Divine Order.


    They were more like part-time allies!


    As long as the Divine Order organization pays them a good reward, they would do any work.


    But they would never ce their lives on the line toplete the job.


    In the meantime, Vivian''s face turned icy cold as she took a step forward and asked.


    "How did you know my name?"


    On the other hand, Charles took a step back and shook his head.


    "There is no need for you to act. You already told me about the ''Spirit Hex'' curse-"


    Before he could finish his words, all three of their eyes went wide!


    "H-How did you know about ''Spirit Hex''?" Vivian wore a confused look on her face.


    Among the three, only the white-haired old man named Eric knew about this secret and felt suspicious.


    She instantly gave a wary look at the white-haired old man and got ready for any unexpected attacks.


    On the other hand, Eric and Theo also looked at Vivian and showed wary looks.


    Using the opportunity, Charles cast [Fire Seed] on Vivian and probed her Inner World.


    In her cloudy Inner World, a reddish seed appeared in the sea of purplish clouds and began to burn a nearby cloud.


    At that moment, Vivian''s incarnation also noticed an anomaly in her Inner World, teleported in front of it, and directly squashed the [Fire Seed] spell.


    She had already entered her Inner World!


    As her incarnation was about to warn her original consciousness, another ray of fire appeared beside it and targeted her important memory.


    Before the incarnation could even act, that ray of fire directly burned a unique white cloud and disappeared from there!


    Simultaneously, Vivian felt a slight pain in her mind and noticed that she had forgotten something important!


    Meanwhile, a list of information appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''Spirit Hex spell card¡­ A rare soul curse spell card created by a Destiny Conqueror member named Reid¡­ To ce this curse on the opponent, one needs to be within 20 meters of range and also have to recite a unique chant to activate¡­ This is a one-time spell card and the chanting recites are¡­ When the ice melts, a Destiny string would break¡­ Our Lady would reappear, in the form of a mortal¡­ She will reform the melted ice, save the Destiny¡­''


    ''Oh? It seems the Destiny Conqueror organization really has some ties with Divine Order¡­'' He curled his lips upward and smiled at Vivian.


    At that moment, Vivian wore a shocked look and warned everyone.


    "Be careful! He can steal our important memories."


    Her words caused Eric''s and Theo''s bodies to tense up.

 Chapter 200: Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 200: Weakness</h4>


    On the other hand, Charles wore a mocking smile and retorted.


    "I''m a Fire Mage, not a Telepathist."


    At the exact moment, his gaze locked onto Theo''s face and released a mysterious power towards his Inner World!


    Meanwhile, the minute stars in Charles''s eyes also erged all of a sudden.


    His [Wisdom Sight] skill activated on its own!


    The next instant, he found a weakness in his perception!


    No, Theo''s perception was almost non-existed!


    ''His wisdom power is very low! He hasn''t reached 50 points yet. It''s his weakness!''


    Without any hesitation, Charles cast [Fire Seed] spell on him and stealthily disrupting his thinking.


    While he was attacking Theo''s mind, Eric made a swift decision and rushed towards him at an astonishing speed!


    At the same time, Vivian also took out an eerie ck card from her space ring and started to chant.


    It was the [Spirit Hex] curse activation incantation!


    Even though Charles burned her important memory, she had long replicated the chanting method and stored it in her incarnation!


    As long as she finishes the incantation, she can activate the card and put the soul curse on this Ancient Mage!


    But before she could recite the first verse, she heard a metal clicking noise.


    The next instant, the space behind Theo''s head began to distort and revealed a metallic artifact, causing Vivian and Eric to pause for a moment.


    BANG!


    From the void, a crimson bullet came out from it!


    The bullet was so fast that it appeared in front of Theo''s nape in an instant!


    Before everyone could understand the situation, the crimson bullet entered his nape, tore through the vertebra, entered deep into his neck, and appeared in front of his throat, leaving a bloody hole behind!


    But that was just a start, though.


    A momentter, an invisible needle entered the hole and turned visible.


    At that moment, everyone saw a reddish crimson light appeared from the bloody hole!


    It was the Rank-3 [Needle of Ember] spell!


    Charles''s lips curled up as he raised his long sword and spat out a word.


    "Bang."


    The next instant, his body suddenly turned into a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    Simultaneously, the [Needle of Ember] spell broke apart and released a pure reddish me.


    It was a pure chaotic me!


    The next moment, the reddish chaos me entered Theo''s body andpletely corrupted him from inside.


    His skin turned ckish red, and his eyes and hair also began to turn darker.


    Following that, Theo''s body began to erge like a balloon and exploded while releasing chaotic reddish me in every direction!


    The explosion released a terrifying shockwave and caused Vivian and Eric to back away in a hurry.


    A small crater appeared on the dirt road!


    Shock and rm appeared on their faces.


    Even the Iron Tower Mages and other Mystics, who were observing the battle through their wisdom power, got utterly stunned!


    A Rank-4 Mystic died in a few seconds!


    No one could even understand how the Ancient Mage managed to kill him!


    At that moment, Charles suddenly appeared among the 24 masked assassins, released his full wisdom power, and threw the ck feathers in all directions.


    The Holem''s Crown also activated its freezing skill and froze the nearby assassins!


    A smirk appeared on his face as he gripped the long sword and made a whirling stance.


    A thin reddish aura enveloped his long sword as it cut through the air and appeared on the nearby assassin''s neck in a short amount of time.


    Before the other party could understand the situation, his long sword cleaved through his neck and moved towards the next assassin!


    Charles''s hand movements appeared blurring as his body whirled multiple times in two seconds and decapitated eight assassins!


    By the time he stopped his movement, assassins'' heads had flown up in the sky while spraying scarlet blood andnded on the dirt road one by one!


    All of them were Rank-3 Phantom Stringer ss Mystics!


    But they died before they could even think!


    But what made others feel terrified was that the Ancient Mage hadn''t cast a single Rank-4 spell!


    He stood among the dancing bodies and nced at the notification with a satisfied smile on his face.


    ¡­


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host would get double Exp! 59,070 Exp rewarded!]


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host would get double Exp! 6,670 Exp rewarded!]


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host would get double Exp! 5,670 Exp rewarded!]


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s special identity, the Host would get double Exp! 7,370 Exp rewarded!].¡­


    ¡­


    At that moment, the white-haired Eric released his wisdom power, turned around, and stared at Charles with a stern look on his face.


    Vivian also stopped reciting the chant, turned around, and gawked at the old man in amazement and shock.


    "Swordsmanship, teleportation and memory stealing¡­ As expected, this Ancient Mage really is from the Era of Past Time." She said with an admiration look on her face.


    But she didn''t lose her calm, though.


    She silently raised her right hand, conjured an eerie ck spear, and sent it towards Charles.


    It was a spell called the curse of Corrosion!


    As the spear was about to collide on Charles''s body, a thin yellowishyer appeared around his body and blocked it.


    The next instant, a loud bang echoed in the area, followed by screams!


    It was the screams of the nearby assassins!


    At that moment, the whole area was covered by this dense ck smoke and affected the masked assassins'' bodies.


    Thankfully, Rank-4 [Sun''s re] spellpletely blocked the smoke and nullified the corrosive smokes.


    Noticing that her curse spell was not effective on the Ancient Mage, Vivian let out a disappointing sigh and began to chant.


    Her voice also turned hoarse and appeared eerier!


    On the other hand, Eric also noticed the seriousness and let out a deep sigh.


    But that deep sigh caused Charles''s heart to elerate all of a sudden!


    The next instant, a ckish humanoid figure entered Charles''s Inner World, formed into a figure of an illusionary white-haired old man, and looked around.


    It was Eric''s [Mad Man] ss skill, Consciousness Invade!


    "Hmm? Why there are volcanic mountains andva pools? Is this the Inner World of an Ancient Mage?" He muttered in a shocked tone and took out an eerie greenish-blue gem from his pocket.


    In the meantime, Charles and his ''Clone'' also sensed a foreign presence in the Inner World and became stunned.


    ''Switch your consciousness with-'' As Charles was about to ask for his ''Clone'' help, he suddenly noticed a change in the game interface and stopped.


    ¡­


    [Warning! Warning! Warning!]


    [A foreign consciousness is detected in Host''s Inner World!]


    [Safety protocol has been activated!]


    [Eliminating the foreign consciousness from the Host''s Inner World¡­]


    [Elimination Completed!]


    ¡­


    In the meantime, an invisible ripple appeared from the deep volcanic world, formed into a sharp wave, and silently erased Eric''s illusionary consciousness!


    Only a greenish-blue gem floated in the air for a moment and fell into ava pool.


    ''What the f*ck? The system can even eliminate a foreign consciousness?''


    Charles went daze for a moment in the real world and soon saw a twisted look on Eric''s face.


    No, he saw confusion, panic, and terror on the old man''s face.


    With a single look, he knew that the old man had received a severe bacsh and acted.


    He cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, disappeared from there, and reappeared behind him.


    Simultaneously, he used [Sleight of Mystery Hand] andpletely bound his body with hundreds of invisible strings.


    "You choose the wrong opponent." An icy voice came from Charles''s mouth as he raised his sword and was about to sh but stopped.


    No, a thought appeared in his mind!


    ''Why can''t I use [Fire Seed] spell to get more information from him?''


    At the same time, he sensed something was wrong with his thinking and shouted in his mind.


    ''Switch with me.''


    The next instant, his ''Clone'' consciousness took control over his body and moved his hand.


    The reddish aura-coated long sword moved again and soon appeared near Eric''s neck.


    A momentter, his head was decapitated and rolled on the ground!

 Chapter 201: A Foreign Consciousness

    <h4>Chapter 201: A Foreign Consciousness</h4>


    A frown appeared on Charles''s face as he decapitated Eric.


    ''Why didn''t I receive any Exp? His consciousness is already destroyed by the system, right? Did he already linked his consciousness to the Inner World and created a second consciousness? No, his Inner ss is still at Rank-3, so that possibility is very slim. Moreover, I already cut his head off.'' He raised his eyebrows and soon sensed a dangerous premonition.


    At that moment, tens of futuristic images appeared in front of his eyes!


    Then, his whole body turned into a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared ten meters away from the headless body and turned his gaze towards Vivian.


    On the other hand, Vivian also finished herst recite with a gloomy face and was about to activate the eerie ck card but froze.


    She suddenly noticed that the curse card in her hand was missing!


    "Are you perhaps looking for this?" An old man''s voice echoed in the lone street.


    After the appearance of Charles and other Mystics, most of the citizens had run away while others hid in their houses.


    Some citizens even left their houses and went to the nearby streets, leaving the road empty.


    Vivian''s gaze shifted towards Charles and soonnded on the ck card in his right hand.


    Meanwhile, he stood therezily and was watching her with an emotionless expression on his face.


    The calmness within his eyes terrified her.


    ''H-How did he steal it? I didn''t realize when he stole the card.'' A shock appeared on her face.


    ''It seems I need to rely on my own strength to kill him.'' She soon calmed her mind and showed an agitated look on her face.


    Then, she went near Eric''s head, took it with her hand, and ced it on the headless body''s chest area.


    She then had loosened her guard and looked at the old man''s wide eyes in shock.


    Her eyes showed grief, anger, and helplessness.


    One second, two seconds, three seconds¡­


    No attack came after her!


    At that moment, she suddenly raised her hand, looked at Charles, and showed a surprised expression on her face.


    "Why aren''t you attacking me?"


    "Your acting is terrible,ss." Charles spat out those words and soon turned his gaze towards the direction where tens of assassinsid on the ground.


    All of their bodies had already turned grey, and they were moaning painfully.


    "Thanks for crippling them." He said calmly and waved his hand.


    The next second, their bodies turned into eerie ck color and soon started burning in ck mes!


    When he killed the eight assassins, he also threw twenty feathers and stealthily attached them to their bodies!


    Shrill cries echoed in the Down Street road for the next few seconds and soon went silent.


    In the meantime, Charles nced at the notifications and soon widened his eyes.


    ''A total of 208,206 Exp points¡­'' He took a deep breath, zeroed his gaze towards Eric''s headless corpse, and asked in a cold tone.


    "His original consciousness is already erased¡­ Who took over his soul now?"


    Just as he finished his words, a deep sigh came from the headless body.


    But that sigh caused Charles''s body to stiffen up a little.


    ''I smell a measly amount of strange yet familiar power in his body¡­ Be careful,d.''


    The next instant, the headless body, shook for a moment, moved its hand, and soon gripped the head.


    Then, the hand directly took the head, moved it towards the bloody neck, and reattached it with the body!


    The next instant, a mysterious greenish-blue light enveloped his body and soon turned into an uninjured Eric.


    He calmly sat up and stood up from the dirt road.


    ''What the hell is he?'' Charles asked in a surprised tone and soon checked his status.


    But unlike before, most of his status showed question marks!


    ''Did someone possess his body? Is it the Divine?'' He couldn''t help but show a wary look at the mysterious Eric.


    ''Impossible. Even it is a Divine''s memory fragment; Eric''s body isn''t strong enough to withstand the power of the Divine energy.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then added in a deep tone.


    ''But it is possible for a Demi-God''s memory fragment or a Legendary Rank Mystic''s consciousness or someone who is specialized in controlling souls to possess one''s soul.''


    At that moment, a word appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''Necromancer!''


    Noticing the anxiousness, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and spoke.


    ''Don''t worry; the enemy won''t be able to control Eric''s soul for a long period. The person in front of you is nothing but another consciousness in Eric''s body. It can only invade your Inner World to battle, but your secret artifact seemed to be powerful enough to eliminate any foreign consciousness. Other than Eric''s ss spells and ss skills, it won''t be able to cast other strange spells.''


    ''That''s good. So, this battle ends as a draw, huh.'' He breathed out a sigh of relief.


    On the other hand, Eric opened his deep-blue eyes and stared at him in interest.


    "How did you erase Eric''s consciousness?" A pleasant female voice came out of his mouth.


    It contains curiousness, interest, and calmness.


    ''A female?''


    Charles frowned a bit and shook his head.


    ''The more I talk, the more she will learn about me.''


    But nobody initiated an attack.


    They were clearly cautious of each other!


    At that moment, he also noticed that Eric''s body began to age at a fast speed and came to an understanding.


    ''This ''Female'' seemed to be a stalling me here¡­''


    After a few seconds, Charles released his wisdom power and soon perceived Jessie''s presence and other kids'' presence.


    ''Hmm, the luck enchantment seemed to be working on Jessie¡­ She is already moving towards the Nobles'' District¡­ Rhea and others are facing against Rank-2 Mystics in the mansion along with Elliott mage family guards.'' He used his wisdom power to the surroundings and soon turned serious.


    ''There is another group of Rank-3 Mystics going towards Mansion from Commoners'' District¡­ They will reach there in 10 minutes.''


    Although he could sense their presence, he didn''t have a way to hear or see their actions.


    At that moment, Eric smiled lightly and spoke in the same female voice.


    "Although these puppets failed to kill you, that doesn''t mean others will fail too. As long as I hold you here, they will face no problem."


    Saying so, he took out a broad sword from his space ring and get ready to block him.


    At that moment, Vivian also took a step forward and stood beside ''Eric.''


    Charles felt a deep headache as he saw them.


    ''So, Vivian knew the identity of this Female Consciousness from the very beginning, huh¡­ Eric hasn''t cast his single [Whisper of the Sea] ss spell, but I don''t need to afraid of his Rank-3 spells. But the main problem is this silver-haired Vivian and the consciousness inside Eric''s body¡­ Unlike others, Vivian has [Extraordinary] body strength and already constructed three Rank-4 Spell models¡­''


    ''Shadow Snakes, Illusion Curse, and Chain of Chaos¡­ The reason she hadn''t cast them must be because of the damage that would cause to the surroundings¡­She is afraid of Tower Mages'' retaliation¡­ Then, the female powerhouse''s consciousness is also a big problem. If I try to move to Nobles'' District, both will definitely retaliate with full force and would suppress me.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''I can''t use the same trick¡­ Moreover, I can only cast the [Vision] spell after five minutes.'' He let out a deep sigh and soon turned his gaze towards the eerie ck card.


    ''Spirit Hex curse¡­ One time usage and I already know the chanting method¡­ But they definitely won''t allow me to recite a word. Even if I use it, the possibility of it working on the foreign consciousness is very slim. I can only try and put this curse on Vivian.'' He thought inwardly and then turned his gaze towards the game interface.

 Chapter 202: Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 202: Waiting</h4>


    ''With my current Exp points, I can level up my sub-ss thrice and increase my body strength to an Extraordinary Level. Maybe I can use that opportunity and catch them off guard.'' Charles thought for a moment and poured 208,006 Exp points into the sub-ss tab.


    ¡­


    [43,971 Exp points have been deduced!]


    [You are now a Level-2 Shape-shifter!]


    [1 Free Attribute points rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [65,686 Exp points have been deduced!]


    [You are now a Level-3 Shape-shifter!]


    [1 Free Attribute points rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [98,527 Exp points have been deduced!]


    [You are now a Level-4 Shape-shifter!]


    [1 Free Attribute points rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''I finally have 4 free attribute points.'' He thought to himself and directly put 2 points to the Strength attribute and another 2 points to the Constitution attribute.


    The next instant, a mystical power entered every part of his body and strengthened it.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly felt that his body strength suddenly raised two folds and reached an abnormal level!


    Vivian and ''Eric'' also noticed something odd was happening inside his body and frowned.


    But before they could initiate an attack, Charles returned to his usual self and stood there in silence while observing Jessie and other kids'' movements through his wisdom power.


    ''I need to think of a n and catch them off guard. Haa, all I can do now is wait and attack when the opportunity arises.'' He thought.


    Like a peace treaty, both sides stood in silence and observed each other.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Jessie controlled her inner emotions and ran towards the Nobles'' District while listening to her second consciousness''s description about the [Blood Shackle] skill and [Blood Curse] skill.


    ''With the [Blood Shackle] skill, you can stop the enemy body''s blood cirction for more than 15 seconds¡­ Isn''t this skill more like an artificial heart attack? But the range is too small¡­ To activate this skill, the enemy must be within a 3-meter radius and it can even work on Rank-2 Mystics. Only those who strengthened their body to Expert Level could escape with mild heart attack¡­''


    As Jessie heard those words, her mind went ck for a moment.


    Before she could say something, her second consciousness started reading the [Blood Curse] skill description.


    ''To use this skill, you need a drop of your opponent''s blood. Once you get your hands on it, you can use this Blood Curse skill on the blood droplet and make him your servant. He will enter into a long-term bewitchment state and would feelfortable when talking to you¡­''


    ''If you interact with the opponent for a long time, he might turn into a ve. The main disadvantage is you can use this spell only on same Rank people¡­ What the hell is this skill?'' Even her second consciousness got stupefied.


    At that moment, Jessie noticed that she had already entered the Nobles'' District and moved to Rodsley Street through another shortcut route.


    In two minutes, she reached the street and sprinted towards their mansion.


    Within a minute, she appeared near the three-storied mansion and soon breathed out a sigh of relief as she saw only seventeen masked figures were battling against the elite guards of the Elliott Mage family and her friends.


    Currently, Rhea used her Ice spells and was facing off against three masked figures.


    Meanwhile, Noel and Titus stood beside her and appeared to be exhausted.


    Jessie even saw a few bruises appeared on their hands and faces and heaved a heavy sigh.


    ''There Is no Rank-3 Mystics¡­ It means the Teacher must be holding them back now. You need to hurry up and let them to Teacher''s room.'' Her second consciousness warned in her mind.


    Although Jessie was puzzled a little, she chose to trust her second consciousness''s words and nodded her head.


    She then opened thepound gate and started running towards Rhea and others.


    She saw a few heavily injured kids to her right side and noticed that they were currently wailing in pain.


    Anger appeared on her face.


    At that moment, two masked men also noticed her arrival and moved towards her at a fast speed.


    Just as they were about to arrive near her, they suddenly felt dizzy and got shocked.


    The blood cirction towards their brain stopped!


    They tried their best to focus but felt something was affecting their concentration.


    In the next few seconds, they dropped their weapons before losing their footings andnded pathetically on the greenish yard.


    They soon went unconscious!


    Simultaneously, Jessie steeled her heart, controlled the blood knife, and shed at their feet.


    Multiple shes appeared in seconds andpletely severed the tendons!


    Not only the elite guards but even Rhea, Titus, and Noel, were also got shocked.


    She defeated two Rank-2 Mystics in a few seconds!


    Although Rhea and others had enough strength to defeat these masked guys, they didn''t dare to attack recklessly in fear of killing them.


    They were holding back!


    As Jessie walked forward, they noticed a change in her eye color and felt amiss.


    On the other hand, Jessie focused her gaze on other masked men and rushed towards them.


    Whenever she appeared closer towards them, they would clutch their heads in the next few seconds and fell!


    Using such an opportunity, the elite guards made a swift decision and knocked them out one by one.


    Upon noticing the abrupt change, almost all the remaining masked men made a swift decision and chose to give up on this mission.


    In truth, the ones who appeared here were not true Divine Order members but part-time workers.


    Most of them were thieves, rowdy gang members, and some corrupted soldiers.


    If not for the urgent order from a higher-up, the organization wouldn''t have made such a reckless decision to send out to their deaths!


    When the masked men saw the situation turned unfavorable, they didn''t hesitate and chose to back away.


    Meanwhile, Jessie breathed out a sigh of relief and turned her gaze towards the guards.


    "Take the injured kids to Day and Night Church and ask Bishop Myles to heal them. As long as you mention Rhea''s name, he will do it willingly."


    Saying so, she turned her gaze towards Rhea and others and added.


    "Follow me."


    In the meantime, Rhea and others nced at each other and nodded their heads.


    Although they felt somewhat different about Jessie, they didn''t put much thought into it and followed after her.


    ''My Fate Intuition skill also is telling me to get away from here. If we stay here any longer, we might face some serious problem.'' Rhea''s heart began to beat faster.


    After she became an Astrologer, she could indeed sense the impending danger and felt anxious inside.


    Under Jessie''s lead, they soon ran towards the mansion building entrance and saw Ashley was standing there with a worried expression on her face.


    Once she saw Rhea''s arrival, she hurriedly walked near her, gave a white towel to remove the dust on her head, and spoke in an anxious tone.


    "Your Highness, please go and hide in the underground basement for a while. As long as Mage Oswald returns, you will be safer."


    On the other hand, Jessie continued to walk, entered the main hall, and spoke while shaking her head.


    "Miss. Ashley, please take the servants and find a better ce to hide for some time. We will be staying in our Teacher''s room for a while."


    Saying so, she walked past the sofas and soon started climbing on the bifurcated stairs.


    "O-Okay." With a puzzled look, Ashley nodded her head and hurriedly ran towards the kitchen.


    On the other hand, Titus frowned for a moment and asked in confusion.


    "What happened to your eyes, sis? Moreover, why did the masked men fell unconscious whenever you appear near them?"


    Jessie paused for a moment, nced at him, and said.


    "Teacher is holding off the enemies now. Don''t ask stupid questions and follow me."


    Her tone was like a sharp needle.

 Chapter 203: You Lost

    <h4>Chapter 203: You Lost</h4>


    Although Jessie could have exined it smoother, she didn''t felt it was the right time to talk about the details.


    ''Time is tickling. We need to hurry.'' Her second consciousness also urged her.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and others'' instantly turned serious as they heard Jessie''s shout and silently followed after her.


    The group soon appeared on the second floor, ran towards the left side corridor, and reached the spiral staircase within a minute.


    Once again, they climbed up, went to the third floor, and arrived in front of a peacock-carved wooden door.


    At that moment, Jessie''s second consciousness spoke in her mind.


    ''Switch with me.''


    ¡­


    Down Street, Merchants District.


    Charles stood on the road and stared at ''Eric'' and Vivian while stealthily observing what was happening in the mansion.


    Once he noticed Jessie and other kids entered his room, his expression turned into a confused one.


    He then stared at ''Eric'' and noticed no change on his face at all!


    ''Hmm? It seems this female consciousness doesn''t have any tie with the stalking'' Divine.'' If she really has some ties with ''Divine,'' she would have already received news about a big variation in their n¡­ The chance of her being Necromancer is very high as they are the only people who are specialized in souls.'' His eyebrows furrowed.


    ''But why did this Necromancer want to kill me? Under whose order did shee after me?¡­ Wait¡­ First, I sensed abnormal coincidences¡­ Then, the Divine Order members, who mostly involve themselves in ''murders''¡­ And there is the suspected ''Necromancer''s consciousness''¡­ This Necromancer has a habit of ''kidnapping'' the children from all over the kingdom¡­ It''s Rodia''s Gem''s work! No, this female consciousness might be the current owner of the Rodia''s Gem!'' His amber eyes widened.


    ''But why did she want me dead? Something is definitely wrong with this incident¡­ No, they also want to kidnap the children. More precisely, they want to kidnap Rhea! The Necromancer also has a strange habit of kidnapping children who were around 13 to 18 years of age¡­ During the first ghost incident in Helm Ville, the skeletons entered our house and tried to kidnap these kids¡­''


    ''But at that time, I didn''t put much thought into it. Then, the strange ghost that appeared on our way also used some ''time-dtion method and tried to dy our journey¡­ Now, this ''female consciousness'' and Divine Order members want to kidnap Rhea and others again¡­ They don''t want Rhea to be the Queen of Iron? Or, are they nning something else?'' He frowned for a moment and soon raised his brows.


    ''Wait¡­This ''woman consciousness'' is not as powerful enough to sense the trajectory of Fate. She might be merely a puppet of Rodia''s Gem or the current owner of the Rodia''s Gem.'' While thinking so, he curled his lips upward, looked at ''Eric,'' and spoke.


    "You lost."


    At that moment, a drastic change appeared on Vivian''s face.


    "Where are the kids?" She asked in a shocked tone.


    ¡­


    A few moments ago,


    Jessie widened her scarlet eyes as she heard her second consciousness''s words and nodded her head.


    A secondter, her second consciousness took control over her body, went towards the side window, took a small key from the window gap, and returned towards the door.


    Then, she inserted it into the keyhole, turned it towards the right side, and unlocked the door.


    "How did you know the location of the Teacher''s room key?" Confusion appeared on everyone''s face as Titus asked the question.


    Jessie''s second consciousness was about to reply but paused.


    At that moment, everyone heard a loudmotion from outside and went pale.


    "Hurry up!" Her voice turned abnormally colder.


    Saying so, she opened the door, gestured everyone to go inside, and locked it from inside.


    After that, she touched the doorknob, pushed it a little, and spoke.


    "Zeth."


    The next instant, a yellowish sunshine aura enveloped the door and soon covered the room!


    Multiple magic traps activated in an instant!


    Without minding the yellowishyer, she appeared in front of a strange green tree painting on the right side wall and spoke.


    "I''m going to do a small chanting in a uniquenguage. All of you should repeat after me, got it?"


    Currently, she acted more like their Teacher!


    Without waiting for their response, she cleared her throat and started chanting the first verse in English.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and others followed her words and recited after her.


    Thirty secondster, their bodies suddenly turned blurry and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    "Where are the kids?" Vivian''s cold voice echoed in the street.


    At that moment, a smirk appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face as he raised his hand and opened his mouth.


    "I got you, now."


    Simultaneously, Eric heard an old man''s voice from behind and widened his eyes.


    ''He is behind me the whole time!'' A shock appeared on his face.


    At that moment, a thin Ember Needle appeared behind him and directly entered his body.


    A secondter, a ripple appeared around the surroundings, and soon Charles''s whole body began to break like crystalline sses!


    No, not only his body, but the whole surroundings began to break like sses!


    Only then did the female consciousness in Eric''s body and Vivian realize that they were an illusion the whole time!


    No, even the Rank-4 Tower Mages and other Mystics also didn''t notice that they observed the illusion the whole time!


    It was the Holem''s Crown''s [psed Time] ability to create realistic ''past'' illusions!


    A few minutes ago, Charles used his [Wisdom Sight] skill and found out that the female consciousness could not release her ''wisdom power'' using Eric''s soul and perceive the surroundings.


    The one who was constantly observing the surroundings was Vivian!


    The earlier peace treaty gave Charles and the Holem''s Crown an excellent opportunity to develop a perfect n to fool the female consciousness in Eric''s body.


    If she was in her real body, they might have faced some difficulty when fooling her.


    Fortunately, she only used some forbidden soul method to possess Eric''s soul and maintained it to remain in the body temporarily.


    The reason Charles didn''t receive Exp after killing Eric was mainly due to this!


    At this moment, everyone felt that this wrinkled old manpletely outsmarted them!


    The next instant, the [Needle of Ember] inside Eric''s body began to crack and released chaotic me all over his body.


    Within a moment, his body turned abnormally darker and began to bulge like a balloon.


    "I''ming for you,ss," Charles said in a cold tone and soon enveloped in crimson me.


    A momentter, he disappeared from there and reappeared 30 meters away from the bulging Eric.


    "Escape, Vivian!" An anxious woman''s sound came out of Eric''s mouth before he went silent.


    The Necromancer woman''s consciousness finally left Eric''s body!


    Vivian cast a fly spell while nodding her head, pped the crystalline wings, and flew up towards the sky like a bird!


    On the other hand, Eric''s body couldn''t hold on any longer and finally exploded!


    ¡­


    [Target Eliminated! Due to Target''s Special identity, the Host will receive double Exp! 77,450 Exp rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''That''s a lot of Exp.'' Charles nodded inwardly and soon turned his gaze towards Vivian.


    At that moment, she had long left the Merchants'' District and was flying towards the city wall hurriedly.


    ''Haa, I''m exhausted.'' An old man''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''Me too,'' A deep sigh came out of Charles''s mouth as he nced at the red gem-embedded bracelet and nodded his head.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the tall Iron Tower in the northern direction and shook his head.


    "Those Mages are truly a bunch of clowns."


    His voice echoed everywhere as his body soon bathed in crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in his mansion''s reception hall, nced around, and soon zeroed his gaze at the entrance.


    In the meantime, a total of 10 masked assassins walked into the reception hall and soon froze as they saw a white-haired old man.

 Chapter 204: Strange Gem

    <h4>Chapter 204: Strange Gem</h4>


    A few minutester, a group of 10 masked assassins knelt in the reception hall and were trembling all over.


    "Remove your masks." Charles stood in front of them and ordered coldly.


    Like timid rats, all of them nodded their heads stiffly and removed the masks.


    Meanwhile, Charles stared at them for a while and cast [Knowledge Absorber] spell on them.


    After a few seconds, a look of disappointment appeared on his face.


    ''These guys knew nothing about the organization''s exact location or any other information about it. Hmm, it seems someone altered their memories before they came here.'' His brows furrowed.


    At that moment, a few elite guards of Elliott''s family entered the reception hall and became stunned at the scene in front of them.


    On the other hand, Charles noticed multiple injuries on their bodies and heaved a heavy sigh.


    "Come in." He ordered.


    Meanwhile, the guards hurriedly ran towards him and bowed their heads.


    "What are your orders, My Lord?" A brown-haired man in his sliver armor raised his head, looked at Charles with awe and respect, and asked.


    "Tie them up and bring these guys to the yard. I will execute them personally."


    Saying so, Charles conjured greenish-blue fireballs and tossed at all those guards.


    Upon noticing the mysterious fireballs, all of them shrunk back in fear and anxiety, and some even shouted in shock.


    But soon, they rxed when they noticed that those fireballs were healing their injuries!


    In a few seconds, all the injuries on their bodies began to heal and soon disappeared from their eyes.


    Before they could wake up from the shock, Charles waved his hand and asked.


    "Are there any casualties on our side?"


    At that moment, the brown-haired elite guard hurriedly shook his head and responded politely.


    "Due to Miss. Jessie''s arrival, we manage to fend off the first group of assassins, My Lord." He paused for a moment and soon added with a hesitant look on his face.


    "But there are quite a few kids who got injured during the previous fight and are currently being taken to Day and Night Church."


    As he heard those words, Charles raised his eyebrows and spoke in a calm tone.


    "Hmm? Send someone and tell them toe back with the injured kids. The Day and Night Church Bishop might not have enough healing potions with him. I will heal them."


    "Yes, My Lord." The brown-haired man widened his close-set auburn eyes and nodded his head.


    Then, he turned to his right side and gestured a leather armored guard to go first.


    Then, he gave a few orders to other elite guards and took out tens of iron handcuffs from his void pouch before passing it to them.


    Under his order, all the soldiers cuffed the assassins'' hands and brought them out of the mansion building one by one.


    Charles also followed after them and soon reached the greenish yard.


    At that moment, the other soldier also returned with many injured kids and a few soldiers and led them in his direction.


    Charles first healed the kids'' injuries for the next few minutes and told them to get inside the building.


    Then, he ordered the guards to move the assassins to a non-grassy ce, executed them one by one, and earned a total of 63,500 Exp points.


    Although he could have sent them to the security department and told them to do it officially, he didn''t think that was necessary.


    From their earlier actions, all of them came here intending to kidnap Rhea and others!


    It was truly a daring action!


    Whoever behind this action must face the consequences!


    ''But I''m not strong enough. If not for being a ''lucky one,'' I might have defeated by three weak Rank-4 Mystics and died a while ago.'' He felt a strong sense of urgency in his heart.


    ''I need toprehend the remaining spell models during the next three years, and then focus my attention onpleting the ''Soul Heal'' spell model. Then, I also need to farm Exp constantly in the Fire ne and save them as a backup.'' He thought inwardly and told the guards to take care of everything.


    Then, his whole body bathed in crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared in his room on the third floor, did a short chanting, and went to the Fire Elemental ne.


    Two minutester, he returned with kids, erased their memories about the fire-elemental ne, and told them to take care of everything.


    Then, he went towards the cotton bed, sat on it while closing his eyes, and entered the Inner World.


    A momentter, a 70-year-old man in a ck suit appeared in front of theva pool and saw ''clone Charles'' was standing next to him while holding a strange ''greenish-blue gem'' on his illusionary palm!


    The reason Charles send his disciples out of his room was mainly to check this strange gem!


    He used his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, picked the gem from his hand, and ced it on his palm.


    Then, he tried to use [Cryptic Analysis] skill on it, but failed miserably!


    "Did Eric''s consciousness leave anything else?" He asked with a grim look.


    "No. The system sent out a fierce invisible ripple wave and erased everything other than this gem." The ''clone Charles'' replied in an instant.


    ''Why didn''t the system cube remove this gem from my Inner World?'' A frown appeared on his illusionary wrinkled forehead.


    ''Did it not consider it as a threat? Why did Eric invade my Inner World with this strange gem?'' He felt confused for a moment and tried to take this gem out of his Inner World.


    But to his shock, he couldn''t!


    ''This is indeed a big problem¡­ Wait¡­ Eric invaded my Inner World when Vivian tries to use the Spirit Hex curse¡­ Could there be some link between the two? But why didn''t I receive any information about it when I stole Vivian''s memory?'' He frowned.


    ''This thing might be a dangerous gem¡­ Eric might have thought of using this gem to harm my Inner World, but the system interfered and ruined his n¡­ But man, who would have thought the power of ''Luck'' could y such a crucial role at that moment. If he hadn''t invaded my Inner World, I might have forced into a corner position¡­'' He let out a deep sigh and tossed it back to ''clone Charles.''


    "Keep it near the system cube and tell me if any anomaly urs." He said in a calm tone, looked up at the sky, and focused his attention on the spell models.


    At that moment, a thought crossed his mind.


    "Charles, can you fly?" He asked his ''clone.''


    "Yes," An instant response came out of his clone.


    "Follow me." Saying so, he waved his hand and flew towards the sky.


    Meanwhile, ''clone Charles'' also cast [Red Wings] spell and followed after him.


    Within a few minutes, both appeared in front of the seven spell models, and soon Charles spoke.


    "Try to focus on the [Soul Heal] spell model and try toprehend it."


    Upon hearing his words, ''clone Charles'' nodded his head, appeared near the greenish-blue spell model, and focused his full attention on it with his deep-blue eyes.


    A few minutester, a rare smile appeared on his face.


    "I canprehend them." He said with a surprised look on his face.


    ''That''s good.'' Charles nodded his head while raising his hand, pointed his finger at the [Sun''s Shell] spell model, and spoke.


    "Try that one."


    On the other hand, the ''clone Charles'' nodded his head, moved next to the spell model, and started toprehend.


    But after a few seconds, confusion appeared on his face.


    "Something is wrong. I couldn''tprehend this spell model."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head in understanding and spoke.


    "This might have something to do with the strange ''Soul Fire'' which I gave you in the form of ''Love'' and ''Care'' emotions. Although you could use other fire spells, the effects might not be as good as this one. You might only exhibit 70% of the spell power. Hmm, concentrate on this ''Soul Heal'' spell model andprehend itpletely. We will talk about this issueter." Saying so, he turned into pure crimson fire and left the Inner World.

 Chapter 205: A Small Advice

    <h4>Chapter 205: A Small Advice</h4>


    Charles opened his amber eyes in his room and took out the Books of Secrets and ''Spirit Hex'' curse card.


    Then, he cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on the curse card and soon narrowed his eyes.


    ''What are you doing,d?'' The Holem''s Crown couldn''t help but ask when it noticed his strange actions.


    ''I''m trying to get more information about the card to do a divination.'' Charles replied with a frown.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and spoke.


    ''You forgot one thing. This constetion book works based on the user''s understanding of Future Time.''


    Upon hearing the artifact''s words, a look of realization dawn on Charles''s face.


    ''You mean I can do divination without much information about this card?'' He asked in surprise.


    ''No no. You are not thinking in the right way. Why do you want to search for more information about this curse card? It''s to find more about the one who creates it, right?'' The Holem''s Crown asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles wore a confused look and nodded.


    ''You grasped the secrets of ''Future'' Time after bing a Rank-4 Shape-Shifter, not the ''Past'' Time,d. If you want to learn about the origin, you need to look backward. Not the front.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a serious tone.


    At that moment, Charles got dumbfounded for a moment and soon face-palmed.


    ''Right. So, it''s basically impossible to find more clues-.'' He abruptly paused for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Mr. Rh, you can find some clues, right?''


    ''We just now used the ''Past'' illusion to trick everyone. You need to wait for the one-month cool down to end. Moreover, it''s not an urgent thing, right? Focus on increasing your strength.'' The Holem''s Crown ended the conversation.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a deep sigh and nodded his head.


    Then, he went to the shower, took a long bath, and walked out in a casual dress.


    After that, he took the ck cane, went downstairs, and noticed that a few well-dressed men in robes and formal dresses sat on the sofa and seemed to be in the middle of questioning his disciples.


    Meanwhile, Rhea wore a pensive look and answered with an anxious expression on her face.


    While walking on the bifurcated stairs, Charles overheard a few sentences and easily figured out that they were warning Rhea and others for killing the assassins without official permission from Royal Family and Iron Tower!


    "This kingdom really needs arge-scale purge." An old man''s voice suddenly echoed in the reception hall!


    The one who spoke the sentence was not Charles but the Holem''s Crown!


    It perfectly mimicked his old voice and spoke out loud, causing the whole group of nobles and mages to stiffen up!


    Charles slowly walked down on the red-carpeted steps and soon reached the reception hall.


    He then nced at the mages and Nobles and spoke in a cold tone.


    "If I see someone bullying my disciples again, I will not hesitate to kill all the Ruler Caste Members in this city. Got it?"


    The mages and Nobles'' faces went pale as a white sheet!


    In truth, they came here to probe if they could get some clues about the mastermind behind the assassination.


    But when they noticed that Rhea and the other kids were in charge of official matters, they began to show their arrogant attitude and even tried to me Rhea and others!


    Unfortunately, they stepped not on a dog''s tail but a dragon''s tail!


    "If you are that much scared of me, why you guys even bothering here and started showing your arrogance? Scram, idiots."


    Without minding their terrified looks, he spoke coldly, went near the empty sofa, and sat on it.


    At that moment, the Nobles and Mages already stood up from their seats and started backing away.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s gaze swept past Rhea''s sofa and soonnded on Jessie, Noel, and Titus, who stood behind her.


    A frown appeared on his face.


    "Why are you guys standing behind her like servants? Even if she bes a Queen, you must never be her subordinate. The same goes for you,ss. You should never look at them as your subordinates. All of you are my disciples and should give equal respect to each other. If you do something like this, it''s like shaming my dignity." He spoke in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and others went stiff for a moment and soon nodded their heads.


    "Good." Charles nodded his head, turned his gaze towards Jessie, and signaled her toe near.


    ''Hmm? Her eye color has changed. Is it due to the Blood Maniption ss? Will it push her to walk on the path of evil?'' He felt worried a little.


    He had long faced the temptation of wickedness and knew it might one day take root in her heart!


    ''One''s inner emotions are really hard to predict and these emotions seemed to have some connection with some of these mysterious magic sses. She already tasted the first blood¡­ I hope she won''t walk on the same path as my past self.''


    On the other hand, Jessie wore a confused look and soon appeared in front of him.


    "How many Sunrise potions did you buy during these past six months?" He asked a strange question.


    From his understanding of Jessie, he knew that she must have brought all kinds of low-level potions for four of them.


    As he had expected, she took out a total of 34 potion vials with different colors from her void pouch and ced them on the nearby empty sofa.


    ''All of them are Sunrise potions¡­ Did she buy them from the auction in a bulk?'' He got surprised a little.


    Unlike the Midday potions, although Dawn potions and Sunrise potions were expensive, it wasn''t hard to buy.


    Rank-2 and Rank-3 Alchemists were the ones who brew these potions, and the effect could only work on Rank-2. So, most noble families buy them in bulk amounts.


    ''Hmm, her body strength hasn''t reached Expert Level¡­ But I don''t think it will be a problem for her now. Next is her ''Wisdom'' power¡­ Wait¡­ 17 points? How did she increase it in a short amount of time? Did the information learning personal mission really helping her?'' He couldn''t help but praise her diligence.


    ''Her new Blood Maniption ss also seems to have somehow increased her wisdom.''


    Charles nodded his head in understanding and ordered.


    "Drink the soul-rted Sunrise Potions."


    "Teacher?" A startled expression appeared on Jessie''s face.


    "Drink it." He said again.


    Nodding her head, Jessie picked up a purple bottle from the empty sofa and started drinking it.


    At that moment, Charles used [Cryptic Analysis] and noticed the change in her status.


    ''17.5 ¡­ 18¡­ 18.2¡­ 18.6!''


    As she gulped the whole potion, Jessie closed her scarlet eyes and frowned.


    "I see arge space in my head, Teacher-" She paused for a moment and soon opened her eyes wide.


    "I can sense my other consciousness¡­ It''s somewhere in the dark space!" A hint of excitement appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head in understanding and ordered.


    "Drink other potions too."


    Unlike before, Jessie didn''t show a confused look, took out another vial, and drank it.


    By the time she drank the fourth potion, Charles had noticed that she already reached a bottleneck!


    The wisdom power stopped rising after reaching 19.9 points!


    He hurriedly stopped her, took out two crescent-shaped earrings from his spatial ring, and gave it to her.


    "Whenever you feel an abnormal thirst for blood, go to Moon Church and pray for God Anos''s help. These earrings are actually ritual materials for contacting the Moon God. I heard that he owns the domain of ''Blood'' and might show his grace upon you." He suddenly paused for a moment and soon added.


    "But if you didn''t receive his help,e and look for me."


    "Yes, Teacher." A reverence look appeared on Jessie''s face.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and turned his gaze towards Titus.

 Chapter 206: Progression

    <h4>Chapter 206: Progression</h4>


    Currently, Titus wore an ordinary ck shirt and pants, and his straight brown hair almost reached the end of his neck.


    During the past six months, he hadn''t grown a single bit and appeared the same as before.


    He was just 152 cm high.


    On the other hand, Noel had reduced his weight a little and had grown taller than everyone.


    Charles stared at Titus for a few seconds and sighed.


    ''His progression has slowed down¡­ Did I make a mistake? Is he really not suitable to be an assassin?'' He felt troubled.


    ''This kid is a pure-hearted soul¡­ All I can do now is help his body reach an Expert Level Strength using potions and give him some guidance.'' He thought inwardly and took a few potions from the sofa.


    He then gestured Titus toe near and gave them to him.


    "Drink these potions."


    Meanwhile, Titus silently took the potions and started drinking them.


    There was no hesitation on his face.


    No, faint happiness could be seen in his deep-set brown eyes.


    After a few moments, Charles noticed that Titus''s body attributes also stopped increasing after reaching 14.9 points!


    ''He is also facing a bottleneck¡­ It seems they need to break these bottlenecks without relying on outsiders'' help.'' He nodded thoughtfully, took out a skin-colored dagger, and gave it to him.


    "Keep this dagger as a gift,d. Although it is just an umon artifact, its sharpness could be on par with rare swords." He paused for a moment, also took out a pupil-less eye from his space ring, and gave it to him.


    "This artifact is called ''Eye of Shadow.'' With this artifact, you can put a shadow mark on your opponent and spy on them from afar. Unless the target went 5 km away from the user, the shadow mark won''t disappear for the next three days. You can only use this ability twice a week, so use it properly."


    "Yes, Teacher." A short reply came out from Titus''s mouth.


    Simultaneously, he clenched his fist and began to think about how to increase his skill.


    Charles was also well aware of his inner thoughts and let out a deep sigh.


    "Move your things to the third floor and train there from now on. I will also help you increase your skills during the free time and help you rank up to Rank-3 [Rogue]."


    ''That''s all I can do to increase your strength. After that, it''s all in your hands.'' He muttered inwardly.


    ''Moreover, these artifacts are already of no use to me. It''s better giving it to these kids.''


    Although other kids felt that their Teacher was always giving special attention to Titus, nobody felt depressed.


    In fact, everyone felt d.


    On the other hand, Charles''s gaze sharpened towards Noel and soon checked his status.


    ''His body strength had already reached the 14. Is this the difference between ''Genius'' and above-average persons?'' His eyes widened.


    He only gave him a few tips about how to improve his sword skills and then spoke.


    "Although you managed to achieve this far with your innate talent, things will get difficult after Rank-3. So, be prepared." He paused for a moment, took out a blue-gem embedded, gave it to Noel, and started to exin.


    "This is called ''Coin of Helper.'' If you end up in a life-threatening situation during battle, use this coin and chant say the word ''%@%I(#.'' It''s an activation word to summon an undead helper. I''m warning you. Use it only when the situation gets more serious."


    Meanwhile, Noel widened his eyes for a moment before taking the coin and nodded.


    "Once you be a Rank-3 [Blood Swordsman], I will give you a Rare Sword."


    Saying so, he turned his gaze and looked at Rhea.


    ''This girl needs a better teacher. Destiny Lady should be a suitable choice¡­ But I heard that she already returned to the Moon Kingdom. Hmm, she will definitelye when ''Charles'' shows his appearance after three years¡­ I can use this opportunity and let them have a fortunate meeting.'' A mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    In his eyes, ''Love'' was nothing but a weakness.


    Unfortunately, he truly needed that ''Love'' emotion to fulfill the rank-up requirement.


    Shaking his head, he took out a in gold coin called Watcher''s Coin from his space ring and gave it to Rhea before exining.


    Then, he gave a few instructions to those kids and told Jessie to stay in the mansion for the next two months.


    After that, he stood up from the sofa and started walking towards the third floor.


    ¡­


    Endless Sea.


    A small wooden boat floated in the sea of water, and on it was a young man in his 30s. Heid on the boat motionlessly and appeared very thin. His skin was skinny, he wore a torn brown cloth, and multiple wounds appeared all over his body.


    He had long, messy brown hair, an oval face, and thin eyebrows.


    At that moment, his eyelids started to twitch as he tried his best and opened his eyes.


    Two crystalline oceanic eyes embedded in the two sockets and appeared more like crystals!


    He looked at the few seagulls which were circling above in the blue sky and opened his mouth.


    "Wait for me, Natalia." His voice appeared too weak.


    He stayed in the same state for a few seconds before closing his eyes.


    At that moment, a well-dressed sailor in a round ship noticed the group of seagulls circling in the sky and alerted everyone.


    Within a few moments, they turned the ship in that direction and sailed towards it.


    ¡­


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District, City of Iron.


    The old mansion appeared gloomy during the next few days, and only a few kids came for training.


    Some servants and guards even quit their jobs out of fear!


    Meanwhile, Charles spent most of his timeprehending the spell models and started showing attention to the unluckiness.


    He constantly used ''Book of Secrets'' and checked Jessie''s future from time to time.


    Whenever he senses life-threatening dangers, he would directly use the ''Vision'' spell and alter it.


    Like this, two months went smoothly.


    During the two months, Rhea also used her authority as the princess of Iron Kingdom and got her hands on the Ice elemental ne coordinates and sacrificial materials from Iron Tower.


    Although they ignored her at first, when Charles showed his presence, they directly agreed.


    Under his guidance, she made the sacrificial ritual and sessfully created her Ice elemental heart!


    Then, she also secluded herself in her room and focused her full attention on improving her strength.


    Meanwhile, Charles made a detailed n and showed his full attention to three things.


    The first one was that he put full effect toprehend the Rank-3 spell models.


    He never ckened off and worked diligently.


    The second thing was farming Exp points. Once in a week, he stealthily left Edhen world and hunted different Rank-3 creatures for selling them in the auction hall while farming Exp points.


    But he never dared to hunt Rank-4 creatures in fear of Rank-4 spells!


    The third thing he put more important was an artificial cloning method.


    Charles knew that once hepletelyprehends the spell models, he needs to disguise himself as real ''Charles'' and start his official mission.


    But if he didn''t make a detailed n before reappearing, many would suspect him and assume him as the Ancient Mage.


    The main reason for that was that both would use simr fire spells!


    Upon noticing such an obvious w, he thought of creating a clone body for the Holem''s Crown and let it stay in the mansion as Oswald Ravel for some time!


    Once he let everyone believe that Charles and Oswald were two different people, things would go smoother for his n.


    Days passed like river water as hepletely immersed himself in his work, and soon three years went by.


    During these three years, Charles only showed his appearance during his disciples'' Rank-up.


    The first one who ranked up to Rank-3 Mystic was not Noel but Jessie.


    She became a Rank-3 [True Wiser] two years ago and also gained another consciousness.


    She currently has three perfect consciousnesses!


    Not only that, but she also ranked up her sub-ss and became a Rank-2 [Blood Sucker] while upgrading her previous ss skills.


    Even Charles became stunned by her progression!


    After three years, she grew up and became a beautiful adult girl.


    The following person who ranked up was undoubtedly Noel.


    He became a Rank-3 [Blood Swordsman] one and a half years ago and gained three sword skills like advanced aura, one sh, and force thrust.


    Although these skills'' names weren''t that great, each of his skills could even give a fatal wound to Expert body strength mystic!


    He turned into a muscr man and appeared around 180 cm tall!


    The third person who ranked up to Rank-3 Mystic was Rhea.


    Like Jessie, she also grown into a gorgeousdy, constructed all of her spell models, and became a Rank-3 [Crystal Wizard] 6 months ago!


    Moreover, she also ranked up her [Astrologer] ss and became a Rank-2 [Prognosticator].


    Titus was thest to Rank-up. Under Charles''s guidance, he improved his [Assassin] ss skills up to 50 points and met the requirement two months ago.


    If they were in the Moon Kingdom, they wouldn''t have gotten the opportunity to get Rank-3 ss Gems.


    Thankfully, the agreement with Day and Night Church made their job easier.


    Within a week, Titus became a Rank-3 [Rogue] ss Mystic and finally became an expert.


    Although he became an expert, he appeared still shorter than others and appeared only around 165 cm tall.


    This poor kid was still the shortest among the group!


    In just three years, all of them became much stronger and appeared more matured.


    As long as they didn''t meet any Rank-4 Mystic in battle, they would be fine even when facing a group of Rank-3 Mystics.


    During these times, Rhea and others also took more children under their wings with Ashley''s help and created a private army of Mystics.


    Currently, a total of 645 Mystics were working under Rhea''s orders!


    Among them, 15 were Rank-3 Mystics, 82 were Rank-2 Mystics, and the remaining were still Rank-1 Mystics!


    Such sudden rise of the new faction shocked Nobles and Mages.


    Moreover, some noble families like Elliott''s family also made some agreement with Rhea and became her backers.


    She finally got qualified to be a Ruler!

 Chapter 207: Ivy

    <h4>Chapter 207: Ivy</h4>


    August 30th, Year 6400, Second Arcane Era.


    It was around 8 P.M.


    Charles stood in an underground basement hall and stared at arge cubical ss tank filled with strange bluish liquid.


    The ss tank was actually an artificial womb filled with unique life nutrients and organic catalysts.


    Inside the ssy tank, a white-haired human was floating in the bluish liquid. His face was wrinkled, and he appeared to be around 70-years-old. His eyes were shut entirely and remained motionless like a corpse.


    But what made it unique about this body was strange reddish circles appeared all around it!


    There were thousands of runal magic circles inscribed all over the clone''s skin and appeared very mysterious.


    Not only on the clone''s body, but the ss artificial womb tank, the concrete floor, the surrounding walls, and even the entrance gate were inscribed with unique runal letters.


    The whole underground basement appeared more like a mysterious altar room!


    To create this clone, Charles had spent more than 200,000 gold coins and brought many rare elemental liquids, potions, ritual materials, and so on!


    He and the Holem''s Crown spent hundreds of nights in the basement and finally managed to create an upgraded version of the clone!


    Not only would this clone have equal strength as Charles, but it would also live for more than three months!


    It was a massive breakthrough in the realm of cloning.


    The main reason for an extension of the clone''s lifespan was theirparison with Charles''s modern knowledge.


    After countless nights of research, the Holem''s Crown made some alterations in the form and created an upgraded version of the artificial womb.


    Charles nced at the artificial clone for a moment and soon took out an eerie ckish card from his space ring.


    It was Spirit Hex Curse card.


    During the past three years, he deliberately chose to ignore it and didn''t check the origin of this card.


    No, he feared that simply checking this card''s origin might cause great consequences.


    A single leak of information could alter a change in fate and even alert the enemy!


    "Mr. Rh, let''s check it." He said in a cold tone and nced at the red gem-embedded bracelet on his wrist.


    Meanwhile, a heavy old man''s sigh leaked out of the bracelet, and soon the Holem''s Crown cast its [psed Time] skill, causing the surroundings started to freeze.


    The next instant, the whole mysterious underground hall trembled for a moment and broke into millions of sses.


    A momentter, Charles noticed that he was standing in front of arge gloomy throne made of bones!


    ''Throne Hall?''


    But what made him widen his eyes was that a total of twelve eerie ck cards were ced on the crest rail area and appeared spooky.


    He soon withdrew his gaze from the bone throne and looked around the surroundings.


    Multiple pirs appeared in the throne hall, and the hall looked very majestic.


    He even saw a few luxurious chairs ced on the sides and became very curious about the origin of this ce.


    At that moment, he noticed a ck-robed humanoid shadow passed through his body from behind and started walking towards the Bone Throne.


    Like a majestic emperor, the humanoid shadow stepped on the dais, appeared in front of the bone throne, turned around, and sat on it.


    The next instant, Charles''s eyes widened as he saw the shadowy figure''s face was not a human''s one but a skeleton skull!


    Its eye sockets glowed in reddish color and resembled chaotic.


    At that moment, he noticed that the time seemed to be moved faster than normal and got startled.


    Meanwhile, many blurry humans and skeletons appeared in front of the raised tform, bowed their heads towards the robed skeleton, and left after exchanging few words.


    After some time, a small 4-years old girl child in a ck abaya dress appeared in front of the dais, stepped up towards the throne, and soon arrived in front of the ck-robed skeleton.


    Simultaneously, Charles noticed that the speeding time also slowed down and returned to normal.


    "This loyal one greets Lord Reid." A childish voice echoed in the throne hall as she bowed her head and greeted the skeleton, causing Charles''s eyebrows to rise.


    He had clearly remembered that childish voice!


    ''Ivy¡­'' That word came to his mind.


    Meanwhile, the skeleton nodded his skull, took out an eerie ck card, and gave it to her.


    Then, he also took out a reddish-blue gem from its robe and passed it to Ivy.


    After that, he didn''t say anything and waved its bone hand.


    A momentter, Charles noticed that the ''past'' illusion began to break and soon returned to the underground basement hall.


    ''The skeleton gave her a reddish-blue gem¡­ But the one that appeared in my Inner World is a greenish-blue gem. Something is not right.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    ''It seems I need to look for Ivy first.''


    Letting out a deep sigh, he removed the bracelet from his hand, tossed it towards the cubical ss tank, and made it hover in front of the ss.


    "Are you ready, Mr. Rh?" Charles asked.


    "Yes." The Holem''s Crown responded in excitement.


    Although the clone body would only be alive for 90 to 100 days, it was more than enough to let everyone know that Charles and Oswald were two different people.


    Moreover, the Holem''s Crown was very eager to feel the sense of taste!


    Possession of one''s body and acquiring an independent body werepletely different things.


    When possessing someone''s body, it could only control another person''s body by suppressing their soul.


    But with this clone from the artificial womb, it could feel the body sensation and even smell and taste.


    "Let''s begin then." Saying so, Charles first took out the ''Books of Secrets'' and checked if everything would be alright or not.


    Once he confirmed that there would be no anomaly, he took another book, flipped it open, and started to chant an incantation.


    Whenever he ends a recite, the nearby magic circles would glow one by one and then broke into pieces.


    A few mystical energies would rise from the broken magic circles, move towards the ss cube, and soon submerge into the white-haired old man''s body.


    The chanting continued for another few minutes.


    Charles patiently recited every word and finally ended it.


    Just as hepleted the chanting, the magic circles in the whole hall began to shine in bright red color and broke into millions of pure energies.


    Then, all those mystical reddish energies moved towards the artificial womb and soon submerged into the white-haired old man''s body.


    Simultaneously, the Holem''s Crown also turned into a streak of reddish light, pierced into the artificial womb, and directly entered into the white-haired old man''s body.


    In the meantime, Charles calmly stood opposite to the artificial womb and waited.


    One minute, two minutes¡­


    After ten minutes, the old man''s eyelids started to twitch!


    The next instant, he opened his amber eyes and curled his lips upward.

 Chapter 208: Oswald

    <h4>Chapter 208: Oswald</h4>


    The white-haired old man slips through the liquid, raised his hand, and touched the ss.


    A momentter, cracks started to appear all over the ss cube and were soon destroyed with a bang.


    Then, the naked white-haired old man fell out of the broken womb and stood up with staggering footsteps.


    As he was about to fall, Charles used [Sleight of Mystery Hand] and helped him stand up.


    "How did you feel now?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, the white-haired old man touched his body skin and nodded.


    "Alive."


    A satisfied smile crept on his face.


    On the other hand, Charles heaved a deep sigh and spoke.


    "This is just a temporary measure. If you want to use fake reincarnation on a clone, you need the approval of the ''Will'' of the world. Otherwise, this clone will be considered as an Abomination."


    Meanwhile, the white-haired old man also nodded his head and let out a deep sigh.


    ''Integrating one''s true soul into an artificial body is not an easy matter.''


    Muttering inwardly, he suddenly raised his hands, crossed his arms together, and smiled.


    "Call me grandpa from now on."


    The corner of Charles''s lips twitched as he heard those words.


    "Oswald." He corrected him.


    He raised his hand, touched his face, and began to change his appearance.


    In a few seconds, the wrinkled old man suddenly turned into a young man with deep-blue hair. His facial skin appeared a little rougher while showing a little maturity on his face and his eye color also changed into a deep-blue one.


    It contains the power of wisdom!


    Then, Charles took out a space ring and gave it to Oswald.


    At that moment, Oswald took the ring and spoke.


    "Be careful."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head before enveloping his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there!


    Only the Holem''s Crown stood in the underground hall and let out another deep sigh.


    Then, ''Oswald'' took out a white shirt, ck pants, and a frock coat from the space ring and wore it slowly.


    After that, he moved towards the staircase on the left side and left the underground basement.


    Two minutester, he entered the reception hall from the right-side corridor while holding a ck cane and soon saw two servants in the reception hall.


    "Bring me something delicious." He ordered in a cold tone as he went near the sofa, sat on it, and crossed his legs together.


    ¡­


    Vale Street, Slum District, City of Iron.


    In a small gloomy hut, a crimson humanoid me appeared suddenly and soon formed into an appearance of a blue-haired young man.


    Charles nced at the surrounding mud wall and soon released a bit of his wisdom power to scan the surrounding areas.


    After noticing that no one was nearby, he breathed out a sigh of relief and opened the game interface.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Affected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Shape-Shifter


    Main ss: Level 5 Ember Wizard (0/29,194) [Rank-3]


    Sub-ss: Level 4 Shape-shifter (0/147,794) [Rank-4]


    Title: Chaos Maker


    Health Points: 561/561


    Exp: 1,065,456 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 20.5


    Dexterity- 20


    Constitution- 20.4


    Wisdom-52


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 77


    AP (Attribute points): 0


    ss spells:


    Fallen Angel''s Wings (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Needle of Ember (Rank-3 spell- Completed) - [5% Extra boost due to the presence of Chaos power in this spell model.]


    Fire Born (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sun''s Shell (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Knowledge Absorber (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Soul Heal (Rank-3 spell- Iplete)


    me Teleportation (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Sleight of Mystery Hand- 252


    Shape-shifting- 234


    Foresight- 311


    Unique skills:


    Wisdom Sight- 217


    Conceal- 55


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 43


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]


    ''I have more than one million Exp¡­ With this, I will have an easier time constructing spell models after ranking up.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    During the past three years, he almost caused genocide in Savage Forest and caused numerous changes. Although he onlyid his eyes on Rank-3 creatures, it still affected the whole forest.


    Shaking his head, he nced at all the skills and spells and zeroed his gaze on the elemental affinity row.


    ''My Darkness affinity is only Average. Although I currently don''t need the affinity help, I will definitely need it in the future. Shape-shifting needs darkness affinity¡­ Foresight skill needs ''Time'' affinity¡­ Then, there is the Sleight of Mystery Hand¡­ Maybe, it''s a ''Trickery'' affinity? Yeah, I also heard that there is some deep connection with divinities and affinities¡­''


    ''Finally, there is the [Wisdom Sight] skill¡­ ''Wisdom'' affinity¡­ Although I can improve these skills with the help of the system now, I will definitely face hardship in the future.'' He furrowed his brows and then shifted his attention towards the Quest Icon.


    ¡­


    [Main ss Rank-Up Quest: Emotion.


    Description: Emotions are the basic foundation of all spell models. Your ''Soul Heal'' spell modelcks particr emotions. Find those inner emotions within your heart andplete the mission before Ranking up.


    Rewards: 45,000 Exp points.


    Time Limit: None.]


    ¡­


    ''Love and Care Emotions, huh¡­ It truly is a troublesome task.''


    Dismissing the game interface, he took amp from his space ring, lightened it, and ced it on the ground.


    After that, he sat on the stone b, ced at the center of the hut, and closed his eyes.


    A momentter, his consciousness traveled through the dark space and entered his Inner World.


    Soon, he appeared in front of ava pool and nced at the ''clone Charles'', who was currently standing beside him.


    "You can go and take over my body. As long as you are not forced into a life and death situation, I won''t help you." He paused for a moment and then warned.


    "Be careful of Rank-4 Mages and Mystics. You are still not strong enough to face them."


    Meanwhile, his second consciousness nodded his head and disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Charles stood with an emotionless look on his face and muttered inwardly.


    ''First mission is to search for Ivy¡­ If I didn''t find out the origin of this gem, I won''t be able to stay calm.'' He nced at the greenish-blue gem, appeared on the reddish rocky shore, and frowned.


    ''Although my second consciousness is strong in my main body and could use all my skills, it is still inexperienced¡­ Let''s see if it can really surpass my expectation.''


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles opened his deep-blue eyes and stood up from the stone b.


    He then took out a hooded-ck clock from his space ring and wore it.


    After that, he took out a silver pocket watch, flipped open the outer panel, and looked at the time.


    "9.30. There are still 1.30 hours remaining. Should I go and take a walk around the Slum District?" His eyes shone in excitement.


    He didn''t waste for a moment before he shifted his gaze towards the wooden door, went near it, and unlocked it before walking out.


    ¡­

 Chapter 209: Royal Castle

    <h4>Chapter 209: Royal Castle</h4>


    The ''clone Charles'' walked out of the small hut and roamed in Vale Street for the next few minutes.


    A few days ago, Jessie visited the rental agency under Charles''s order and brought a total of 4 houses in four Districts.


    That small hut was one among the four houses.


    ''I need toplete the main mission within three months.'' A frown appeared on Charles''s face as he nced at the slum street alleys.


    He then took a shortcut route and soon reached Slum District''s main road. After that, he made a few turns and started walking towards Nobles'' District.


    While walking, he also used the newly gotten knowledge from Charles and started to think.


    ''My first target is Ivy, a mysterious child¡­ From the previous encounter, I can guess that she must be a [Dreamer] ss Mystic or [Blood Maniptor] ss Mystic. As for her current strength, I have no clue about it.'' He paused for a moment and started to think about Dreamer ss skills.


    ''The first one should be an advanced version of Dream Invade skill¡­ Dream Invade¡­ Can it forcefully pull my consciousness into a dream world?'' He has also seen the real Charles ''Dreamworld'' memories and grew anxious.


    ''Then, the second skill must be prophecy-rted one¡­ Can she foresee my arrival?'' He wasn''t sure of it.


    ''The final one is the advanced version of Imaginary Grip skill¡­ This skill can able to harm an opponent''s body parts by interfering with one''s imagination¡­ But if she is a [Blood Maniptor] ss Mystic, things will get more difficult.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    But he wasn''t scared of these abilities at all.


    ''Although these skills are powerful, they also have some restrictions. As long as I didn''t enter the effective range, I will be fine.'' A confident smile appeared on his face.


    ''Next is about her ties with the royal faction. If not for her, how could she appear in second consort Felicity''s carriage during Rhea''s approval ceremony? If my guess is not wrong, she and others might be anticipating my arrival.''


    While he was in deep thoughts, he noticed that he had already reached the city square and started walking towards Nobles'' District.


    A few minutester, a ck hooded figure stealthily entered the Nobles'' District and soon walked towards the Royal Pce.


    Charles walked past many mansions, streets, and alleys, entered Royal Street, and soon frowned.


    Unlike other streets, this one was tightly packed with silver armored soldiers and appeared heavily guarded!


    Not only guards, but he even saw a few groups of mages roamed here and there!


    Charles''s gaze swept past the nearby buildings and soonnded on arge crystal-like pce.


    A three-storied tall building stood there with a majestic appearance.


    Even in the dark red night, it shone in white color and appeared sacred!


    Charles cast [conceal] skill on himself while blending his body with darkness and moved towards the pce building.


    Within a few minutes, he arrived near a three-meter tallpound gate, climbed up, and soon reached the outer court.


    Then, he hid beside a garden bush and observed the surroundings.


    To his left side were stables and carriage houses appeared, while to his right side were filled with ornamental nts, trees, and even a few stone statues.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that those statues were the previous rulers'' ones!


    Charles also saw a few guards roamed here and there in the dark and felt troubled.


    After some thought, he made up his mind and moved towards the building.


    If it were before, he would have faced some difficulties and might have already noticed by guards.


    But after his body broke through the realm of Extraordinary, he moved in the dark like a shadow and appeared in front of a bluish fountain in five seconds.


    Then, he silently moved towards his right side and started circling the building.


    A few minutester, Charles reached the backyard garden, nced around, and soon froze as he saw a 4-year young child at the garden center.


    She was currently sitting on a decorated wooden chair, looked at the surrounding trees, and appeared daydreaming.


    Her eyes were Fremen blue, staring out of a soft, round face. She had deep-brown hair and wore a simple white gown.


    There was also a strange feeling that caused Charles''s heart to race all of a sudden!


    ''Ivy!'' Single word echoed in his head.


    As he was about to check the surroundings, she suddenly turned her gaze towards his direction, raised her right hand, and waved her hand at him with an innocent smile on her face!


    ''She is dangerous!'' Such thought appeared in the clone Charles''s consciousness.


    In the Inner World, the real Charles watched everything through an illusionary projection and facepalmed.


    "He didn''t even use his Shape-Shifter skill¡­ This clone isn''t cautious at all." He couldn''t help but mutter in dissatisfaction.


    But in a sense, this was what he wanted to happen!


    ''Let''s see what this girl child can do. I have a vague feeling this child is not a normal one¡­ No, I should say that this child might not be a true child at all.'' He stood in front of theva pool and patiently watched the projection.


    In the meantime, the clone Charles cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Not even question marks appeared?'' He stood in the grassy garden and released a bit of his wisdom power towards the surroundings.


    A momentter, the whole surroundings shook for a moment and soon broke like sses.


    Meanwhile, the 4-year-old child in her white dress also started to break and soon disappeared!


    ''Illusion? No, is this the power of the dream?'' A look of astonishment appeared on his face.


    ''If not for my wisdom power, I might have fallen into a trap.''


    Before he could look around, an eerie giggle came from behind, causing Charles''s scalp to tingle!


    "Find me."


    It was the same young child''s voice.


    Charles hid his anxiousness, nced around, and soon sharpened his gaze towards a particr tree trunk.


    A tiny pale hand appeared behind it.


    Then, the young girl child stuck out her head from the trunk''s back and revealed a pretty smile on her face.


    A momentter, a dangerous premonition appeared in his mind, followed by tens of futuristic images!


    The next second, a drastic change appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''I''m standing on a Nightmare Creature!'' He was utterly shocked.


    Like a wave, the garden began to move like a wave of seawater and soon began to change color.


    Simultaneously, Charles cast his Rank-2 [Red Wings], pped it forcefully, and shot towards the sky while attracting countless guards and mages.


    But he didn''t even nce at them and solely focused his gaze on the garden.


    At that moment, the hundred-meter radius garden suddenly began to distort while changing into an eerie-ck color and soon formed into an appearance of a ck Dragon!


    The ck Dragon opened its terrifying sharp ck wings and then looked up at the reddish winged human.


    It stood above the grassy yard, eyes engulfed in an eerie ck glow. It slid its wings along the destroyed treeline, pleased with the destruction it had wrought forth.


    The creature stood around 15 to 18 meters tall while dominating the white majestic pce building and let out a snort.


    But the mere snort scared the crap out of all the nearby soldiers, servants, and mages!


    At that moment, an unknown fear appeared in everyone''s heart.


    ''This was my idea!'' The real Charles almost shouted in the Inner World.

 Chapter 210: A New Feeling

    <h4>Chapter 210: A ''New'' Feeling</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles pped the red wings and cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on the ck Dragon.


    In a blink, a row of information appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''A Rank-4 Nightmare Dragon?'' He was surprised for a moment.


    At that moment, the ck Dragon revealed its sharp teeth like a growling animal, opened its wings, pped it, and jumped towards the sky.


    ''Where are the Rank-4 mages?'' He cast his gaze towards the shouting soldiers and mages and soon noticed a difference.


    All the soldiers and mages only kept running here and there, but none came near the backyard!


    ''Did I unknowingly enter into a Dream?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    Without wasting any time, he moved upward while pping his wings, sharpened his gaze towards the ck Dragon, and cast [Wisdom Sight] skill.


    At that moment, the ck Dragon let out a deafening roar and moved in his direction with its monstrous body.


    Just as it was about to breathe ck me at the red fly, it suddenly lost its thinking ability!


    On the other hand, Charles silently analyzed the surroundings as he pped his red wings and directly flew towards the ck Dragon.


    Once he flew near the lizard''s head, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared in the backyard garden.


    Then, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at a particr broken tree trunk, and cast [Needle of Ember] spell.


    From the [Wisdom Sight] skill, he could tell that that''s where the weakness of this dream lies!


    Like a bullet, a small reddish needle flew towards the tree trunk and exploded before enveloping the whole surrounding in a reddish fire.


    The next instant, a ripple appeared in the surroundings, and soon the whole surroundings began to break like sses.


    ''I didn''t even notice when I enter the Dreamworld.'' Charles muttered inwardly and soon noticed that he was standing on the grassynd.


    But what shocked him was that he noticed the four-year-old child still sat on the wooden chair and was waving her hand in his direction!


    ''I entered the Dreamworld from the very start¡­ She is toying with me.'' He stared at her for a moment and soon let out a deep sigh.


    He also noticed that there was no ck Dragon appeared in the sky and got anxious.


    Unknowingly, he also raised his hand before waving it and started walking towards her!


    ''This moron¡­'' The real Charles couldn''t help but sigh in the Inner World.


    If he were in his clone''s position, he would have used [me Teleportation] and escaped from there.


    He could tell that Ivy was not a Rank-3 [Dream Walker] but an above Rank Mystic!


    ''Possibly a Rank-4 or even Rank-5¡­ Wait¡­ Is she manipting my clone''s thoughts using the power of ''Imagination''?'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    But he didn''t act and waited to gather more information about this child.


    As long as he took control over his body, he could easily clear the ''Imagination'' effect and escape.


    Moreover, he was also waiting for his new ''ally'' to appear!


    On the other hand, the clone Charles soon appeared in front of Ivy and sat on the opposite chair.


    Then, he looked at the small child and asked while furrowing his brows.


    "What is the greenish-blue gem in my Inner World?"


    A giggle came out of the small child''s mouth as she made a mischievous smile and spoke in a childish voice.


    "That''s my gift. It will help you." She suddenly paused for a moment, raised her hand, wiped the drooling saliva on her mouth, and added.


    "She is here."


    The next instant, her tiny figure turned blurry and soon disappeared from there!


    ''Gift? Moreover, she is helping me?'' Confusion appeared on the real Charles''s face.


    But the next instant, his eyes deep-blue widened.


    ''So, that''s it.'' A look of realization appeared on his face.


    At that moment, the clone Charles also woke up from the effect of ''Imagination'' and soon looked up at the sky.


    A slender woman in herte twenties suddenly appeared in the sky with two crystalline blue wings behind her back.


    She hovered in the dark sky like an ice queen, and her long dazzling ck hair fell in waves to her shoulder.


    Her scarlet eyes searched the mansion from above and soon zeroed towards the backyard garden.


    Currently, she wore a ck sheath dress, and her oval face looked brighter than the moon.


    Upon seeing her beautiful face, Charles''s heart suddenly started to thump.


    Inadvertently, he recalled the memory of Destiny Lady when she was battling against Red Prince and got stunned by his strange thinking.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady pped her crystalline ice wings and soon descended towards the backyard garden.


    Within a few seconds, shended at the center of the grassy garden and shifted her gaze towards him.


    "It''s been a while, Charles." An icy yet silvery voice came out of her mouth, causing him to be agitated lightly!


    Charles soon regained his calm and nodded his head.


    Simultaneously, a crimson ball of me appeared out of his forehead and covered his face like a mask.


    "Let''s meet at the City Square."


    Saying so, he engulfed his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    Although Destiny Lady''s arrival gave him a shock, he didn''t get anxious and made a swift decision to change the location.


    "What a rude kid." She couldn''t help butment as she saw Charles''s disappearing figure.


    She then nced around the surroundings and noticed multiple robed mages moving towards the backyard.


    "Two Rank-4 Mages and seven Rank-3 Mages¡­ The current royal faction members seemed to have already gained the approval of the Iron Tower." She nodded thoughtfully and tapped her left foot on the smooth grass.


    "Fate Shift." At the same time, she spoke in a cold tone.


    A secondter, her figure vanished from the garden and reappeared in the darkness-engulfed city square.


    As she reached the city square, she nced around and soon zeroed his gaze towards the right side.


    At that moment, a crimson-masked figure stood 20 meters away from her and seemed to be watching her with wariness.


    "What do you want?" A cold voice came out of Charles''s mouth as he took out a long sword from his space ring and locked her gaze on her pretty face.


    Even though the surrounding was wrapped entirely in darkness, he saw her appearance acutely and widened his eyes.


    At that moment, he unknowingly got enchanted by her beauty and felt unsettled.


    It was a new feeling, which gave him a great sense of pressure and warmth!


    Even though the crimson mask hid Charles''s face, Destiny Lady saw through his inner emotions and felt amused.


    She let out a chuckle and spoke with a smile.


    "I actually need your help to find a person."


    "Find a person?" Charles hurriedly changed his tone into a serious one and raised his eyebrows under the crimson mask.


    A deep sigh leaked out of Destiny Lady''s mouth.


    "Yes, this person has gone to Endless Sea and went missing for more than a few decades. I tried many methods, but none seed." She suddenly paused for a moment and then added with a serious look on her face.


    "Three years ago, I received an unexpected fate vision and learned some information. Moreover, I saw you helping me find that person at the end of that vision." She shamelessly altered some information to make him believe her words entirely.


    On the other hand, Charles got startled by her words and soon spoke in denial.


    "I currently have another mission to do, My Lady." He suddenly recalled the earlier battle and soon got an idea.


    But soon, he shook his head and added.


    "I will think about it once Iplete the current mission."


    Saying so, he engulfed in a crimson me and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 211: A Small Talk

    <h4>Chapter 211: A Small Talk</h4>


    "Hmm? Another mission, huh." Destiny Lady frowned for a moment and soon disappeared from there.


    A momentter, she appeared in front of the old mansion gate and startled the silver-armored guards.


    "Who are you?" A ck-haired man asked before raising his spear and pointed it towards the ck-haired woman.


    A chuckle escaped from Destiny Lady''s mouth as she tapped her left foot and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, she appeared in the mansion building''s reception hall and turned her gaze towards the white-haired old man, who was in the middle of drinking wine.


    Even after she appeared in the hall, he only raised his eyebrows a little, moved the wine ss towards his mouth, and took a sip.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady bent her waist a bit and greeted him with an excited tone.


    "Destiny Lady greets Ancient Mage Oswald."


    At that moment, Oswald halted his movement, ced the ss on the table, and spoke in a disappointed tone.


    "Youngsters these days are so impatient." Hemented casually, pointed his finger at the opposite sofa, and added.


    "Sit down."


    His voice contains a trace of arrogance.


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady let out a wry smile as she nodded her head, went near the sofa, and sat down.


    "Did you meet him?" Oswald asked as if he was already aware of Charles''s arrival.


    On the other hand, a look of astonishment appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    She had been observing the whole Nobles'' District for the past one hour through the wisdom power and knew that this old man hadn''t left this ce at all!


    Not only that, but she also noticed that this old man had never used his wisdom power to scan the Nobles'' District!


    ''How did he know?'' She couldn''t help but look into the old man''s amber eyes.


    "Hoho, you are too early to learn about the true might of all the mysterious powers." Oswald let out a chuckle and added with a profound look on his face.


    "Law, Chaos, Nether, Soul, Dream, Time, Space, Destiny, Luck and so on¡­ These are just the primary forces. The more you peek into any of these realms, the more you feel how tiny you are."


    Meanwhile, a reverence look appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    Without minding her, Oswald sized her up and down and nodded his head in understanding.


    "So, you want me to persuade Charles to help you sooner, huh."


    Upon hearing his words, shock appeared on her face.


    Soon, she regained her calm and nodded her head in agreement.


    "Charles seemed to be concentrating his attention on another mission, My Lord. He said that he will think about my request afterpleting that one."


    "Hmm? Another Mission?" Oswald frowned for a moment and soon asked.


    "Was he alone when you met him in the Royal Pce?"


    Although Destiny Lady got puzzled by his question, she didn''t put much thought into it and nodded her head.


    A troubled expression appeared on Oswald''s face as he saw her nod.


    He then raised his right hand, ced it on his forehead, and rubbed it in frustration.


    "I already told him to gather some helpers before starting the mission, but to think that he would go on his own¡­"


    Upon seeing his troubled face, Destiny Lady narrowed her eyes and soon thought of a possibility.


    ''Could it be Charles is trying to do the ''Sessor'' mission on his own?'' She recalled his previous action and nodded her head in understanding.


    Three years ago, she also heard about that mission issued by the Churches and felt pity towards this kingdom.


    ''One way or another, this kingdom will be swallowed by any one of these Churches, anyway.'' She heaved a deep sigh and asked.


    "Is he going toplete the Sessor Mission on his own, My Lord?"


    "Yes. A few months ago, I sent him a secret letter and asked him to help my first disciple to ascend the throne. But to think that kid is acting so daringly." Oswald couldn''t help but sigh at his grandson''s recklessness.


    In the meantime, Destiny Lady furrowed her brows and felt something was off.


    "I heard that this Sessor Mission is only for Rank-3 Mystics?" She asked in puzzlement.


    "Laughable. Do you think mere Rank-3 Mystics are enough to eliminate the chaos in this kingdom? Don''t you see what happened when Charles faced the small child? He was yed by that small girl. The Churches or the ones who made this mission truly didn''t want anyone to seed. As long as no one seeds in this mission, the Churches will directly interfere and select one puppet ruler."


    "In total, there are only four people who choose topete in this sessor mission. Other than Rhea, two are the second consort''s children, and the final one is the third consort''s son. Unfortunately, the third consort is just amoner woman with no real background. Only a few nobles are supporting her son." Oswald said in disdain.


    "You mean this mission is very hard toplete?"


    For the first time, her scarlet eyes shone in excitement.


    "Yes. Churches also made another rule and forbid the sessors'' backers from participating. We are only allowed to invite some powerful expert from outside and let them finish this mission." Oswald paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "Who would be willing to take this dangerous mission? Even I have no choice but to ask my grandson''s help in this matter." A wry smile appeared on his wrinkled face.


    Meanwhile, an understanding expression appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    At that moment, Oswald wore a hesitant look on his face and soon shook his head.


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady clearly understood what he was about to ask and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Charles took the mission alone¡­ Although he seemed to have grown stronger than before, he is still a Rank-3 Mystic after all¡­ The possibility of him getting injured or even dying is very high.'' She instantly closed her eyes and started to check his fate strings.


    She then used her wisdom power, touched the fate strings, and soon frowned while opening her scarlet eyes.


    ''His fate is constantly changing?''


    She furrowed her brows and began to ponder.


    ''Should I help himplete this mission sooner? As long as I help him, he might ept my request, right?''


    Meanwhile, Oswald stared at her with an amusing smile on his face and said with augh.


    "I can clearly hear your inner thoughts,ss. But he won''t be fooled by your silly trick."


    As Destiny Lady heard those words, her face suddenly turned scarlet in embarrassment.


    She quickly hid her emotion and asked him directly.


    "What do I have to do to get his help?"


    A sly smile crept on Oswald''s face as he sized her up and down and chuckled.


    "No man can resist a girl''s beauty,ss. Just use that trick." He deliberated for a moment and soon added with anotherugh.


    "That fool will definitely help you."


    Destiny Lady''s face went gloomy all of a sudden as she heard the Ancient Mage''s idea.


    Although many women use the art of bewitchment to achieve their purpose, she wasn''t that kind of evil woman!


    Moreover, she was already in love with a person!


    How could she do such an evil thing to a small kid?


    Although Charles had already crossed 20 years old, he was still a kid in her eyes!


    Upon seeing her gloomy expression, Oswald also turned his face serious and asked in a calm tone.


    "Although it is a bad idea, do you have any other option? Let me ask you one thing. Who is important in your life? Your lover? Or, a random stranger?"


    As she heard Oswald''s words, her face turned pale in an instant.


    ''Joel? Or Charles? Of course, it''s Joel!'' Her body trembled all of a sudden.


    ''Do I have to break a kid''s heart?'' A pained expression appeared on her face.

 Chapter 212: A Memory

    <h4>Chapter 212: A Memory</h4>


    Destiny Lady raised her head, stared into the old man''s eyes, and asked in a deep tone.


    "Why are you trying to harm your own grandson?"


    She felt that this old man was up to something and felt unsettled.


    Meanwhile, Oswald let out a bitterugh and shook his head.


    "Don''t look at me like I''m his mortal enemy,ss. In truth, Charles is growing at an incredible speed and might rank up to a ze Sorcerer in the next few months. In a sense, he is a true genius. But as long as someone shows goodwill, he will get tricked and might be yed by some women experts. Currently, he is blinded by pure revenge and can be easily manipted by anyone. So, I thought why not I use this chance and teach him a lesson?"


    "You don''t understand the pain of losing someone, My Lord." A trace of disappointment and anger appeared on her face.


    As she was about to say something, she suddenly noticed a change in the surroundings.


    At that moment, she saw an illusionary screen appeared in front of her face.


    No, it was an illusionary image!


    In that image, she saw a handsome blonde-haired man knelt on the ground and held a silver-haired woman in his arms with a pained expression on his face.


    His face, dragon crest blue gown, and hands werepletely covered in blood, and even the luxurious golden crown on his head was covered in mud and blood.


    The woman in his arms appeared to be the same age as Destiny Lady and had an oval face, had blue eyes, pointy ears.


    She wore a red floral gown, a gem-embedded ne, and had a delicate figure.


    Upon seeing her face, Destiny Lady''s face changed drastically.


    ''Elf?'' A shock appeared on her face.


    What made her eyes widen her eyes was that a spear tore through her heart region andpletely pinned her to the ground.


    It was a scene of tragedy!


    Before Destiny Lady could utter a word, Oswald let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "She was my wife. Her name was Zera, also a moon elf. In my 30,000 years of life, she was the only person I loved and adored to the very end. But she died because of this love. I wasn''t powerful enough to protect her. To this day, I''m mourning in my heart. But what can I do? Her soul entered the Eternal River of Life before I could save her and all of her memories werepletely erased before sent it to the cycle of reincarnation. The reason I walked out of my homeworld is mainly to see the origin of this universe, find that damned Creator, force him to find her soul and put her memories into it."


    His tone was filled with unwillingness, pain, anger, and hate!


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady heaved a deep sigh and shook her head.


    "Even if you are Charles''s grandfather, you are in no position to interfere with his personal emotions." She paused for a moment and added while standing up.


    "I will try my best to help himplete this mission. Whether he helps me or not, it''s all up to him." Saying so, she tapped her left foot and disappeared from there.


    Just as she disappeared from Oswald''s sight, the corner of his lips suddenly rose.


    "She took the bait." He muttered with a grin.


    In truth, Charles and the Holem''s Crown didn''t have any n on doing such a tricky method at all.


    They only want to create a situation where both could interact for some time.


    As long as the clone Charles spends some time with her, it would be more than enough.


    It would be more than enough for him to get enough ''Love'' emotion and Rank-Up!


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles soon returned to Nobles'' District and entered Dean Street while covering his head with a ck hood.


    He nced at the surroundings warily and soon zeroed his gaze on the lone mansion house.


    It was a small three-storied mansion shrouded with darkness and giant trees. Whispers could be heard from another side of the entrance gate as Charles walked past the iron gate and moved towards thepounded gate.


    But he didn''t sneak in, though. Instead, he nced around the surrounding buildings and then towards both ends of the street road.


    Although a few guards roamed in the street road here and there, the security wasn''t too tight, making his job easier.


    ''Baron Spenser¡­ Jessie said that he had some connection with the Divine Order member.'' He muttered to himself as he ced his hand on the concrete wall and jumped to the other side.


    Even though he properly controlled his strength, he still couldn''tnd without making noise and alerted the guards.


    "Who is it?" A rough voice came from the right side.


    ''I''m still another consciousness after all. I still need some time to adapt to this body.'' A frown appeared on his face as he hid his body beside a tree trunk and looked up at the dark sky.


    Due to the dense clouds, the surroundings appeared darker than before and gave an eerie feeling to his heart.


    ''It''s a perfect moment for the reappearance of the Crimson Ghost.''


    He didn''t think for a moment before he raised his head and looked at the right side and saw a group of silver armored guards was moving in his direction.


    ''A total of seven guards¡­ Hmm, their strength should be only Rank-2.'' A small ball of crimson fire appeared from his forehead and soon formed into a mask-like appearance.


    Simultaneously, the corner of his lips lifted upward as he recalled the memories of Charles''s action in Chester City and formed into a yful smile.


    The next instant, he took out the long sword and sprinted towards the guards.


    Due to the sudden appearance of crimson light, the seven guards shocked for a moment and soon unsheathed their weapons before moving in that direction.


    Just when the head guard was about to shout, an unimaginable scene appeared in front of them!


    A crimson fire masked suddenly moved towards them at a fast speed!


    No, it was not a mere mask but a human!


    Charles''s movement was so fast that before they could even think, he appeared in front of them like a ghost, cast [Burning Thoughts] constantly, and knocked them out one by one!


    They didn''t even stand a chance against his Extraordinary Level body strength!


    Meanwhile, Charles cast onest nce at the guards, stepped on the concrete path, and started walking towards the three-storied building.


    Upon arriving in front of the closed steel door, he raised his hand, used [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, and smoothly opened it.


    Then, he walked into the dim reception hall and started walking to the second floor through the bifurcated staircase.


    After that, he moved towards the left side corridor, walked past many rooms, and soon appeared in front of a lion-carved wooden door.

 Chapter 213: Baron Spencer

    <h4>Chapter 213: Baron Spencer</h4>


    Charles once again used the [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, unlocked the wooden door, and opened it.


    Just as he was about to step in, a slight prickling sensation appeared in the depth of his heart.


    In the dark, his gaze swept past the ne mirror and soonnded on the Murphy bed.


    The next instant, Charles''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    There was no one in the bed!


    He took a step forward in confusion, walked towards the center, and nced around the wide room.


    At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the whole room appeared abnormal!


    It was as if someyer already enveloped the surroundings.


    ''Oh? Spencer already knew of my arrival?'' He was indeed surprised inside.


    He didn''t hesitate for a moment as he let out a chuckle and released his wisdom power to the surroundings with precise control.


    The next instant, the whole room shook as if a tsunami wave had hit it and soon revealed a separate mirror-likeyer.


    Charles coldly snorted upon noticing the illusion and increased a bit of his wisdom power towards the surrounding.


    The mirror-likeyer began to crack a momentter and crumbled into pieces while revealing three figures in return.


    One was a 55-year old looking man in a nightgown, while the other two were two women.


    Both women appeared elegant, wore ck robes, and also had a strange tattoo on their wrists.


    ''ves!'' That was the first thought that appeared in Charles''s mind.


    One was a blonde-haired woman with a slim body, while the other was a silver-haired one with a plump body.


    Meanwhile, Baron Spencer was short and stout, had short ck hair, a rough face, and wore a stern expression on his face.


    "Kill him." Baron roared in anxiety as he noticed that the other party had already broken the illusion.


    Just as he finished his words, the blonde-haired woman took a step forward and waved her hand.


    The next instant, Charles noticed that woman''s figure suddenly turned blurry and turned invisible.


    Unlike before, even his wisdom power couldn''t perceive her existence!


    Simultaneously, the silver-haired woman curled her lips upward and made a unique whistle.


    A momentter, a low rhythm echoed in the hall and caused a fluctuation to appear in Charles''s Inner World!


    The rhythm appeared calm and chaotic at the same time, causing him to groan in pain.


    Even the real Charles became stunned for a moment.


    ''T-This¡­ Her whistle is affecting my Inner emotions! No, it''s seemed to be harming my soul form. Is she a Rank-3 [Bard] ss Mystic?'' A ruthless gleam appeared in his eyes.


    ''Kill her first.'' He issued an order.


    If she were a different ss Mystic, he wouldn''t have interfered. But this unique [Bard] ss startled him a little.


    ''I still haven''t made contact with my soul form and it''s one of my weaknesses. I need to do some research.'' He thought inwardly.


    On the other hand, the clone Charles calmly nodded his head and cast [Burning Thoughts] on her.


    Simultaneously, he cast [False Blink], disappeared from there, and reappeared behind that silver-haired woman.


    Upon noticing his disappearance, the silver-haired woman hurriedly took out a short sword from her void pouch, held it in her hand, and ruthlessly shed it towards her back.


    Just as the sword was about tond on the crimson-masked Charles, a thinyer of sunshineyer enveloped his body and blocked it!


    A nging sound reverberated in the master room!


    At that moment, Charles then raised his hand, ced his finger on her nape, and was about to cast [Needle of Ember] spell but stopped.


    A surge of emotion appeared from the depth of his consciousness and caused him to hesitate.


    He heaved a deep sigh as he sensed an unusual emotion and shook his head.


    He then made a hand movement and knocked her unconscious.


    At this time, Baron Spencer already raised his hand as he focused his gaze on an eerie ck ring, pointed his forefinger at Charles, and opened his mouth.


    But no words came out!


    He suddenly forgot how to speak!


    Not only that, but he also suddenly noticed that the eerie ck ring was also starting to disappear!


    By the time he woke up from the dazed state, shock and disbelief appeared on his face.


    ''W-What was that?'' He was utterly stupefied.


    On the other hand, Charles used his [Sleight of Mystery Hand], moved the invisible strings to every direction, and found the blonde-haired woman''s location.


    A momentter, he once again cast [False Blink], disappeared from there and reappeared near the Murphy bed.


    In the meantime, the blonde-haired woman also cast [Mermaid''s Gaze] skill on Charles and curled her lips upward.


    Unlike the other illusion, this [Mermaid''s Gaze] could allow her to bewitch the opponent and make them fall in love with her in an instant!


    But before her skill could take effect on the opponent, she suddenly received an obstruction!


    In an instant, she realized that her skill''s effect became nullified and went wide-eyed!


    ''His soul power had already reached an abnormal level!'' Her body stiffened.


    She knew what that represents.


    ''He is a Rank-4 Existence!'' Horror appeared on her beautiful face.


    On the other hand, Charles let out a chuckle and nodded his head.


    Like before, he casually raised his hand, knocked her unconscious, and caught her before she could fall with both his arms.


    Like a gentleman, he nced at her pretty face, went near the bed, and ced her on it.


    He then turned around and zeroed his gaze on the short man.


    "W-Who are you?" A trembling voice came out of Baron''s mouth as he noticed Charles''s gaze.


    His two ves had the strength of Rank-3 Mystic, but they were toyed by this crimson masked figure!


    ''This guy is definitely a Rank-4 Existence!'' A chill crept into his heart.


    "Baron Spencer of Fierce Hills, do you have anyst words?" Charles''s cold voice echoed in the room like a divine sentence.


    Meanwhile, Baron Spencer''s body shuddered involuntarily.


    But soon, he returned to his calm state and asked with a wary expression on his face.


    "What do you mean by that, Mister Mage?" His tone contained a trace of fear and anxiety.


    While asking, he stealthily slips his hand into his pant pocket and quickly caught a small gem.


    Just as he was about to break that gem, Charles suddenly took a step forward and asked.


    "Are you a member of Divine Order Organization?"


    For a second, Baron Spencer''s body shook!


    Multiple thoughts about his connection with Divine Order appeared in his mind, but soon all of them began to fade like a mist!


    As Charles skimmed through the newly gained information, the corner of his lips curled upward.


    "Oh? You only have a connection with an official member of the Divine Order Organization, huh. Still, it''s an unforgivable sin."


    Saying so, Charles arrived in front of him, gripped his neck, asked few more questions, and started burning his memories about Divine Order.


    Meanwhile, a reddish seed appeared within Baron Spencer''s Inner World and started burning his memory clouds.


    Twenty minutester, Charles finally released his grip and made him fall.


    But unlike the previous times, Charles only burned the selected memories about Divine Order Organization and then fell into deep thoughts.


    Among all the memories he extracted from Baron Spencer, a piece of information caught his attention.


    ''Elder¡­ A mysterious man who called himself ''Elder'' is the one who was behind the previous attack¡­ He was the one who gave orders to all the divine order members and also has some connection with ve Master Neil. Hmm, if I want to find ''Omen,'' then this ''Elder'' is the only clue.'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon turned his gaze towards the confused Baron.


    ''I already erased Baron''s memories about Divine Order Organization¡­ But there are still quite a few men have some tie with this organization.'' He furrowed his brows.


    ''Now, what should I do with him?'' A headache appeared in his mind.


    ''Should I kill him? No, killing won''t solve the problem. I need to approach a soft way.'' He thought to himself.


    ''First, I will check if there are some pieces of evidence in his house and send them to¡­'' He abruptly froze.


    ''Wait¡­ Where should I send them? To Royal Faction? Or, to Nobles'' Faction? Or to the Iron Tower?'' He thought for a moment and soon chose to give them to Rhea.


    Although he doesn''t have any right to punish this Baron, Rhea shouldn''t have a problem when she ascends to the throne.


    ''As long as she bes the Queen of Iron Kingdom, she can use her authority and revoke Baron''s title. Not only that, but she can also use her power and execute him to give everyone a warning.'' He muttered inwardly and started searching for clues in the mansion.


    After a few minutes, he found many of Baron''s illegal transactions with Turtle ve House and neighboring Kingdom''s noble, trading receipts of ck gems, and so on.


    Once Charles collected the sufficient clues, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 214: Suspicious

    <h4>Chapter 214: Suspicious</h4>


    Vale Street, Slum District,


    A humanoid me suddenly appeared in a small hut and soon formed into an appearance of a human.


    It was none other than Charles.


    Once he arrived at the old hut, he nced around and started to think about his next move.


    ''ve Master Neil¡­ Turtle ve House¡­ Louse Street, Slum District¡­ Shall I go and check it now?''


    He began to hesitate.


    Just as he was about to move towards the wooden gate, he received a message from the real Charles.


    Charles went near the stone b while furrowing his brows, sat on it, and soon entered the Inner World.


    The next instant, he found himself standing in front of thevake and nced towards his left side.


    Meanwhile, the real Charles stared at him for a moment and shook his head. Currently, he appeared in Oswald''s appearance and wore a long ck robe.


    In truth, Charles was utterly disappointed by the clone''s earlier performance.


    ''This clone made many mistakes like not having full control over my body, using a crimson mask in the yard, directly entering the house without checking the surroundings, hesitate to even kill the enemy¡­ Last but not least, he even kept Baron alive while erasing some of his memories about Divine Order Organization¡­ If someone from that organization contacted Baron Spencer in the future, they will learn that some of their memories were erased. Not only that, but they will also learn that this crimson masked figure have some link with the Ancient Mage¡­''


    ''Then, there is one person who will be suspicious of my identity. It''s the Destiny Lady. In her mind, Charles is a scheming, vicious young man who would do anything to achieve his goal¡­ But this clone did theplete opposite.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    Although he added the essence of the ''Soul Heal'' spell model to induce ''Love'' and ''Care'' emotions, he didn''t expect that it would backfire to this extent.


    ''Hmm, if it goes at this rate, this clone will leave too many loopholes and might end up failing this mission.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''But if I made the clone a little bit colder, the possibility of ''him'' falling in love with Destiny Lady will also be slim.'' He pondered for a moment and chose to add some of his cold personality.


    Sighing inwardly, he looked at the ''clone Charles'' and asked.


    "Charles, do you know what the mistakes you make during thest mission are?"


    Confusion appeared on the clone''s face.


    "Haa, let me give you some lesson." Charles heaved a heavy sigh and started to exin.


    Meanwhile, the clone Charles stood with a serious expression on his face and patiently listened to his every word.


    On the other hand, Charles also added some of his previous life''s dark memories and began to modify the clone again.


    In his perception, this clone was too soft-hearted.


    For another three hours, he upgraded the clone and then gave him some pointers.


    "There are few things you need to remember when doing this mission. First, you must see the big picture. For example, if youplete the mission, millions of subordinate caste members will break away from the discrimination and live a good life in the future. They don''t have to stand up whenever when some Ruler Caste member walks past them. They will also don''t have to stand outside the temple even to see their favorite deity¡­"


    "Second, I''m not asking you to kill innocents. But you must never hesitate when ites to killing your enemy who holds the intent to kill you. Whether the enemy is a ve or a woman, do not hesitate. A single mistake could lead to life-threatening situations."


    "Thest one, our aim is not to capture the series artifact, but to eliminate the chaos and kill the three culprits." Charles let out a deep sigh as he ended the lengthy speech and waved his hand.


    Meanwhile, the clone Charles patiently listened to his words and then left the Inner World.


    Upon seeing the disappearing illusionary consciousness, a smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    He then took out the greenish-blue gem from his pocket and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''There are a few things I still haven''t understood. What is that 4-year old child nning? Why did she put this gem in my Inner World? Hmm, wait a sec. During thest attack, there are a few coincidences appeared¡­ Not only that but there are also the Divine Order members who tried to kidnap my disciples¡­ Finally, killings¡­ I killed many members¡­ In a sense, that whole incident might have some connection with Rodia''s Gem! Hmm? What if this 4-year-old girl child might have some connection with this series artifact?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    He suddenly froze for a moment and soon recalled the moment when he first met this child.


    It was during Rhea''s identity confirmation ceremony!


    ''At that time, she tried to harm Rhea¡­ No, this child is a very powerful Mystic¡­ If she really wanted to kill Rhea, she could have done it before I could even notice¡­ No, she could have used her dream power on me and might have harmed me¡­ But she didn''t! Did she use her upgraded [Imaginary Grasp] skill on Rhea for fun? To prank us? Impossible¡­ She is not an idiot. There must be some reason behind her actions¡­ At that time, she even fooled my wisdom power-'' He suddenly halted his thinking and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Yes, she even fooled my perception and appeared inside the carriage before I could even notice¡­ When I used my wisdom power to scan the surroundings before, I didn''t notice any presence inside the carriage¡­ Dream Travel? No, when someone tries to travel from Dreamworld to the physical world with their physical body, some spatial fluctuation would appear. Even if I didn''t notice an anomaly, the Holem''s Crown would have noticed it¡­ Then, how did she appear inside the carriage? Moreover, she said something when I shouted at her, right? What was that? Hmm? Yes, she wants me to find her¡­'' Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon recalled Goddess Rodia''s words.


    ''Find it sooner¡­ Could it be?'' At that time, the image of Goddess Rodia''s statue appeared in his mind.


    In that statue, she held a child in her hand!


    ''Was that a coincidence?''


    He also recalled the system''s reward.


    ''A ''Gift'' from Goddess XXXX¡­ Ivy also said earlier that this greenish-blue gem is her'' Gift.'' Child¡­ Gift¡­ There seemed to be a big message hidden in her words¡­ If Rodia''s Gem is Ivy, why did she create a sudden n to put this gem in my Inner World? To harm my Inner World? Wait¡­ Why the Game System didn''t erase this gem when it erased Eric''s consciousness? Is Ivy trying to help me?'' He was stunned for a moment.


    ''There are still many things I couldn''t understand¡­ But one thing is sure. The Goddess seemed to have already aware of this stalking Divine''s scheme. She also wanted me toplete this mission sooner¡­ But I''m the one who dyed it-'' He blinked his eyes in surprise and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''At that time, I actually felt that dying this mission was necessary. Even when the Holem''s Crown asked me why I dy it, I didn''t give him a proper answer. No, I still have the same feeling¡­ I will seed, but I will also fail¡­ Is this stalking Goddess manipting my feelings? No, I''m in my Inner World now. It means this feeling ising from my [Foresight] skill.'' Charles stood there with a dazed expression on his face and soon sighed.


    "I''m still too weak." He couldn''t help but show a bitter smile.

 Chapter 215: Ally

    <h4>Chapter 215: Ally</h4>


    In the meantime, the clone Charles opened his eyes, conjured a ball of me, and made it float in mid-air.


    Then, he took out a book, quill, and an ink bottle from his space ring and ced them on the ground.


    He began to mimic the real Charles''s method!


    ''Previously, I acted without even making any n and ended up revealing too much information about me¡­ If the real ''me'' didn''t warn me, I might have made too many mistakes and alerted the enemy¡­ No, the enemy might have already alerted by my earlier actions.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    He took the quill, dipped it into the ck ink bottle before opening the notebook, and started to write.


    ''I have to find more information about this mysterious ''Elder.'' Then, I will try and look for his whereabouts. As long as I capture him, I will have some lead about where to find ''Omen.'' But if I didn''t¡­'' He raised his eyebrows as he stopped the quill pen and soon smiled.


    ''If I didn''t get any information about this mysterious ''Elder,'' I have to change my target¡­ Foster Family¡­ They must have some tie with the Divine Order members¡­''


    ''Rank-4 [Mystic Brewer] Stephen¡­ He definitely knew someone from Divine Order¡­ He is the one who urged Be to auction his potion urgently¡­''


    ''I also need to search for any clue about Vivian, a Destiny Conquerors Organization member. I have a vague feeling that this Vivian¡­ No, the other foreign consciousness who possessed Eric''s body might have some connection with the mysterious ck-robed skeleton from the ''past'' vision. He is the one who gave a red gem and Spirit Hex card to Ivy¡­ That skeleton definitely has some ill intention against me¡­''


    As he started to write more on the notebook, he became more confident inpleting this mission.


    A few minutester, he closed the notebook, stored it in his space ring, and soon turned his gaze towards the door.


    At that moment, he perceived someone was walking towards his hut from the right side alley and furrowed his brows.


    Within a few seconds, the person appeared in front of the hut''s wooden door and knocked twice.


    "Who is it?" Charles stood up from the stone b and asked.


    Simultaneously, he used [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill and opened the door.


    The next instant, he saw a slender woman in herte twenties stood at the entrance and was staring back at him with her scarlet eyes.


    ''Destiny Lady!''


    Upon seeing her dazzling face, Charles''s heart thumped widely. She had wless, white skin glowing healthy pink and rich, delicate lips. She was charming, with a seductive and morous look. Her chest area was bulging in her ck sheath dress and appeared captivating.


    Charles''s eyes wandered as he stared at her curved body for a moment and soon felt the same strange feeling from his heart.


    Thump! Thump! Thumb!


    Even his breath became abnormal!


    ''What is happening to me? Is she using some bewitching skill? Moreover, how did she find out my location?'' He started at her warily and soon got ready to battle at any moment.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady curled her lips upward and spoke with an amusing smile on her face.


    "Lord Oswald asked me to help youplete the ''Sessor'' mission."


    How could she be unaware of his strange behavior?


    But she didn''t try to tease him, though. Instead, she maintained her cold expression and waited for his response.


    Meanwhile, Charles calmed his inner emotions and furrowed his brows.


    ''The Holem''s Crown did? I did hear that some help would arrive from the ''real me''¡­ But I didn''t expect it to be her.''


    Then, he straightened his back and nodded his head.


    "Please,e in." His voice was a little bit softer than usual, which surprised Destiny Lady a little.


    She blinked her scarlet eyes twice, walked into the small hut, and nced around in dim yellow light.


    One stone b, one mud pot at the corner for storing water, and two dusty wooden chairs were ced in the small hut.


    She even saw a few holes on the top and became stunned.


    "Why do you choose this hut?" She couldn''t hide her curiosity and asked.


    After returning from the old mansion, she had been tailing him using her ''fate mark'' spell and even observed his weird action in Baron Spencer''s mansion.


    ''Why is he acting abnormally? Charles wouldn''t act like this unless he was up to something¡­ Something big¡­'' Her eyes shed.


    On the other hand, Charles went near the two dusty chairs, took out an old cloth from his space ring, wiped the dust, and started to speak.


    "There is nothing special about this hut, My Lady. I want to keep a low profile for a while."


    While speaking, he took the best chair among the two, ced it at the center, and added.


    "Please have a seat, My Lady."


    Although he acted politely, wariness and slight nervousness could be seen on his face.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady nodded her head, went near the wooden chair, and sat on it before speaking.


    "Just call me Natalia." She paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    "I''m not after you now, so you don''t need to worry about it."


    On the other hand, Charles wore a forced smile, ced the other chair on the opposite, and sat down.


    "Okay," Charles then nodded his head and asked.


    "What do you know about Divine Order Organization?"


    In such a short time, he controlled his emotions and became clearheaded!


    Meanwhile, Natalia was a little surprised by his calm attitude and nodded her head in approval.


    ''This kid truly is a strange one. Even my beautiful appearance couldn''t distract his thinking. In just a few seconds, he returned to his calm self and acting like a mature guy.'' Thinking inwardly, she stared at his handsome oval face for a second and spoke.


    "They are not killing maniacs as the Churches say, Charles. If you look carefully, each of their actions caused some drastic change in the fates of this world¡­ No, their actions even caused some change in the Destiny itself." She suddenly paused for a moment and asked.


    "Do you understand what I mean?"


    At that moment, confusion appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Are they nning to change the Iron Kingdom''s Destiny? Wait¡­ They want to create an unknown Destiny, right¡­ But which one is the true Destiny?"


    Charles''s question made Natalia raise her eyebrows a little.


    She soon closed her scarlet eyes and responded.


    "That''s not hard to answer, Charles. Let''s take Rhea as an example. By the words of prophecy, she was supposed to go through hundreds of trials, save citizens from hunger and fear, receive the blessing of four ancestral spirits, and be the Queen of Iron. No, I''m not certain about the final part¡­"


    "But everything changed when Ancient Mage took her as his disciple. Her fate is constantly influenced by Ancient Mage''s actions and moving in an unknown direction. To this day, she didn''t lend a hand to save the kingdom''s citizens, and all of them are still hiding in fear. Kidnappings, killings are constantly happening everywhere. Not only that, but the Ruler Caste members are also putting so much pressure on themoners. Now, this itself is proof that the true Destiny is changing."


    As the real Charles heard her words from the Inner World, his pupil shrank.


    ''Am I the one who is changing the true Destiny? Not the Divine? Wait¡­ the ''Divine'' is after her life¡­ But it needs some outsider to cause a variation in the Destiny itself¡­ Otherwise, it might fail to achieve its goal¡­ But my goal is also to make her the Queen of Iron Kingdom, right?¡­ ''


    ''Is it why the other party tried to kill me when I brought the Midday potion and be a Rank-4 Shape-shifter? The divine seemed to have tried to use me and created a big variation¡­ but when it noticed that I''m already aware of its existence and also trying to rank up, it chooses to eliminate me¡­''


    ''Thankfully, the Rodia''s Gem or Ivy seemed to have expected its earlier n and created ''coincidences'' to warn me¡­ If the ''coincidences'' didn''t happen in the auction house, I wouldn''t have tried to steal the potion¡­ And, I might still be a Rank-3 Mystic¡­ Divine is afraid of my growth.'' A cold expression appeared on his face.

 Chapter 216: Law Power

    <h4>Chapter 216: Law Power</h4>


    Meanwhile, the clone Charles nodded his head in understanding and started to talk about his n.


    Although he was wary of her at first, he soon lowered his guard as he received the real Charles''s approval.


    Both discussed the n for some time and soon decided to check Turtle ve House.


    "This ''Elder'' might be a high-rank member of the Divine Order organization," Natalia said as she stood up from her seat and added.


    "There is a high possibility that he might be a Rank-4 Mystic."


    ''Rank-4 Mystic¡­'' Charles''s face turned gloomy as he heard those words.


    ''As long as he isn''t a Rank-4 Mage or Dual ss Mystic, I won''t have much problem.'' He nodded inwardly and stood up from his seat before speaking.


    "Let''s pay a visit to Turtle ve House and see if we can get some useful information about this Elder."


    Just as he was about to walk towards the door, Natalia suddenly raised her hand and furrowed her brows.


    "Something is wrong." She said as she moved towards the wooden door, unlocked it from inside, and walked outside.


    On the other hand, Charles also followed after her and soon sensed a strange ripple in the air.


    At the same time, an uneasy feeling appeared in his heart.


    Before he could understand the situation, a dense fire-elemental fluctuation appeared from the Nobles'' District direction, causing him to squint his eyes!


    It was so strong that it almost caused the surrounding temperature to rise!


    BANG!


    The next moment, a terrifying explosive sound resounded from the Nobles'' District and caused the nearby houses'' ss windows to shatter!


    Charles and Natalia also covered their ears in instinct and felt a sharp pain in their heads.


    "What the hell was that?" He asked in a startled tone and soon saw a gigantic mushroom-like red cloud appeared in the Nobles'' District direction.


    At that moment, Natalia released her full wisdom power and soon widened her eyes.


    "Baron Spencer''s mansion is no more." Her voice turned colder.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles was stunned for a moment and soon turned into a serious one.


    ''If I had killed the Baron earlier, his ves and the guards might have survived.'' A bitter smile appeared on his face.


    He now understood why the real Charles told him about not leaving any loopholes behind.


    ''But do they have to eradicate the whole mansion?'' He suddenly recalled those pieces of evidence in secret lockers and sighed.


    ''They must have used the alchemic bomb. I heard those are very expensive items and rarely sold in the market. But to think the enemy is in the possession of such thing. I need to be extra careful.''


    "Should we continue our n?" He asked with hesitation.


    A chuckle escaped from Natalia''s delicate mouth as she heard his words.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? It''s just an Alchemic Bomb. Although it could do heavy damage to a normal building, it isn''t all that powerful. As long as you cast your Rank-3 defensive spell, you can survive without receiving severe damage. Moreover, you can also use the strange fire teleportation method, right?" She asked casually.


    Meanwhile, Charles pondered for a moment and nodded.


    "Let''s go and check the Turtle ve House then."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and started walking towards the nearby dark alley.


    Meanwhile, Natalia adjusted her dress and followed after him with light footsteps.


    After a few minutes of walking, both entered Louse Street through a shortcut path and soon found the Turtle ve House in the corner of the street road.


    It appeared more like a mansion building than a house, covering almost 1000 sq meters.


    Unlike small huts and brick houses, Turtle ve House was a three-storied building with hundreds of rooms.


    It was a prison house for ves!


    Soon, Charles and Natalia arrived in front of thepound gate and attracted all the guards'' attention.


    "Oh? There are more than 30 guards with Rank-2 strength and 4 guards with Rank-3 strength. This ve House''s real owner is definitely not a normal person." Natalia said while cing her hand on the metal gate and released the ice elemental energy.


    The whole metal gate began to freeze the gate while covering it in an iceyer and soon broke them into pieces!


    Simultaneously, she waved her hand, conjured tens of icicles, and sends them towards all those guards.


    On the other hand, Charles also raised his hand and cast [Needle of Ember] spell four times.


    Although he still felt somewhat unwilling to kill the guards, he steeled his heart and sent those needles in the guards'' direction.


    Like a sharp bullet, each of his Ember needles moved orderly, appeared near the Rank-3 Mystics, and entered their bodies.


    Then, all four of the needles cracked on their own and enveloped the guards in reddish me.


    A momentter, screams and shrieks echoed in the yard.


    After that, all four Rank-3 Mystics'' skin color started to turn grey, and soon their bodies began to bulge.


    At that moment, Natalia''s icicles alsonded on the group and stabbed their bodies.


    The next instant, four explosive sounds echoed there as the chaotic reddish me enveloped the nearby mystics, trees, and ornamental nts and started burning everything!


    Even Natalia became stunned by the power hidden in those Ember Needles!


    "This spell is very destructive. If not careful enough, it could even kill a Rank-4 Mystic." She said in a surprised tone and then continued with a frown.


    "But against aw-infused spell, this will stand no chance."


    Saying so, she took a step forward and started walking towards the mansion building.


    At that moment, waves of dense ice elemental energies appeared from her foot, crept towards the burning trees and Rank-2 Mystics like a wild storm, and enveloped everything in icy crystallineyers.


    Even the Ember Needle''s chaos red mes got extinguished in seconds!


    ''S-She extinguished the chaos mes in mere seconds? Is it the real power of Rank-4 Spell?'' Charles was utterly shocked.


    "When you be a Rank-4 Mage, you will sense the true essence of ''Law'' power. The further youprehend the meaning behind the ''Law'' power, the more powerful your spell model would be." Natalia paused for a moment as she noticed the confusion on his face and added with a chuckle.


    "It seems your grandfather didn''t give you any exnation about this ''Law'' power. Usually, when you construct your first spell model after advancing, you will be able toy out a foundation spell model. For example, it''s like constructing a building. The ''enlightenment'' will only help youy a corresponding foundation spell model. After that, you have to rely on the elemental ne''s imprint and began to strengthen it byprehending thew power¡­"


    "You might have advanced to a Rank-3 Mystic with the help of potions and artifacts in a short amount of time. But once you enter the realm of Rank-4, you will realize how long it will take for a mage to rank up further. For example, a ''Good'' level affinity mage will take more than 5 years topletelyprehend a single spell model. Meanwhile, a ''Genius'' level affinity mage will take only 2 years topletelyprehend the spell model¡­"


    "That is only if you advanced without facing any bottlenecks. Even though I''m a ''Good'' level affinity holder, I''ve been stuck in this rank for more than 40 years." While talking, Natalia walked past the fountain and soon appeared in front of the entrance gate.


    At that moment, more guards came from both sides of the buildings and blocked their paths.


    Unfortunately, all of them got frozen before they could even think and turned into ice sculptures!


    Meanwhile, Charles was genuinely shaken by the power hidden in those Rank-4 spells and felt truly d.


    If he had encountered a Rank-4 Mage during thest incident, he might have died!


    Although Vivian was a Rank-4 Curse Mage, she only cast one spell on him, and that one was just a Rank-3 spell!


    During the previous battle, she only tried her best to put the Spirit Hex curse on him; otherwise, they might have seeded in killing him.


    He was indeed ''lucky'' back then!


    Shaking his head, Charles silently cast crimson ray spells on those frozen guards and followed after her.

 Chapter 217: Slave Master Neil

    <h4>Chapter 217: ve Master Neil</h4>


    Charles and Natalia entered the gloomy building and soon reached the reception room.


    The building walls were painted in white color, attached with multiplemp lights, and illuminated the interior in dim yellow light.


    Just as they stepped into the reception room, tens of servants ran from the left side corridor while holding different weapons and soon entered the reception hall.


    Most of their hairs and dresses appeared messy, and they seemed to have just woken up.


    Charles even saw a few guards among the crowd and got ready to cast spells on them.


    But before he could raise his hand, the guards suddenly dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.


    Not only them, but even the servants did the same.


    At that moment, everyone looked outside through the opened door, saw frozen humans, and got frightened.


    Without minding their fearful expressions, Natalia conjured an ice sword from her hand, pointed the tip at the nearby female servant''s throat, and asked.


    "Where is your master?"


    "H-He must be in the basement, M-My Lady." The female servant replied in a trembling voice and soon pointed her finger towards the right-side corridor.


    "Bring us to the basement," Natalia ordered.


    Although the servants and guards were unwilling, no one dared to refute her words.


    When they realized that both intruders were powerful Mystics, all of them shut their mouths tightly and nodded their heads in approval.


    After that, the female servant took the lead and brought them towards the right-side corridor.


    It was the area where prison cells were located.


    Once they walked into the corridor, Charles turned his gaze towards his right side and stared at the first prison cell.


    The prison cell was barely six feet by four. The walls were the same thick grey stone as the dwellings of the region, but instead of a wide window with a flower box, there was a mean barred opening with thick metal bars and no ss. The bed was a nk of wood on legs. There was no mattress, no cushioning, and only one thin nket.


    The prison cell was pierced with the painful moans of a tortured inmate.


    The prisoner was a small girl who was around 14 years old and appeared very lean. But what made Charles squint his eyes were multiple needle wounds on her wrist area.


    Noticing his gaze, one of the servants cleared her throat and gave a short exnation.


    "S-She is a dept ve, My Lord. A-After her family failed to pay the money, our Master took her from her family and put her for sale. She can do all kinds of chore works, and h-her worth is only 14 gold coins-"


    Before she could finish her words, Charles raised his hand, conjured a greenish-blue me, and tossed it into the prison cell.


    Even Natalia got startled by his strange action and soon widened her eyes.


    "Is that a healing spell?" Her eyebrows arched upward.


    She had indeed heard of such fire from one of her disciples in Chester City.


    At that time, she didn''t pay much attention to it and thought that her disciples were mistaken.


    Meanwhile, Charles curled his lips upward and spoke with a pleased smile on his face.


    "It''s called soul fire and I''m actually specialized in this healing spell."


    Saying so, he conjured multiple balls of greenish-blue me and tossed them into the nearby prison cells.


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady nced at the leading female servant and asked.


    "How to remove the ve marks on their wrists?"


    Although only a few strange characters appeared in the tattoos, Natalia felt some mysterious power hidden in them.


    It appeared simr to the power of ''Law,'' but yet different at the same time.


    Meanwhile, Charles also felt a little familiar energy when looking at those strange characters and became stunned.


    "This¡­ It''s the power of Chaos." His deep-blue eyes widened.


    "Chaos?" Natalia also recalled her battle against Red Prince and soon frowned.


    "I didn''t feel any simr power in that devil, though." She spoke in confusion.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles shook his head, tossed another two balls of greenish-blue me into the nearby prison cell, and spoke with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "Red Prince used the power of Hell me. It''s the power of Wicked."


    As Natalia heard his words, she felt surprised for the first time.


    Although she heard about Chaos power, she hadn''t seen it upfront and got shocked a little.


    ''But Charles''s needle spell appeared to have some simr power from those mysterious characters.'' She thought inwardly.


    On the other hand, the female servant wore a bitter smile and responded to Natalia''s earlier question.


    "Only Master Neil knew of such matters, My Lady."


    Natalia narrowed her eyes and soon nodded.


    While speaking, they walked past tens of prison cells and soon arrived at the end of the corridor.


    Their gaze soonnded on a metal shutter door.


    Two servants instantly moved forward and opened the shutter in a hurry.


    A secondter, an acidic and putrid smell came from the other side and caused everyone, including Charles and Natalia, to cover their noses.


    Charles also sensed a familiar blood smell from inside and furrowed his brows.


    Before he could walk in, a loud, shrieking sound of a young boy came from inside and caused the servants'' expressions into a frightened one.


    Charles and Natalia nced at each other and soon stepped in.


    At the same time, Charles also conjured a crimson ball and made it float in the air to illuminate the underground passage.


    They stepped down on the rocky stairs and went downwards.


    Meanwhile, the servants and guards remained outside and didn''t even dare to get close to the shutter.


    "They truly are scared of their master," Charlesmented casually and soon zeroed his gaze on the lone gloomy passage.


    No, he focused his gaze towards the end of the passage and soon saw dim reddish light.


    The next instant, they heard a burst of strange eerieughter from the other side and hastened their footsteps.


    Along the way, they saw hundreds of ss cubes ced on the sides of the passage and got shocked inside.


    What appeared in those ss cubes were not some water, but different kinds of organs!


    They appeared to be preserved in some strange liquids.


    Charles even saw tens of bottles of reddish liquid and became confused.


    ''Human blood and organs? Why do they need this?''


    While pondering, they reached the end of the passage and soon turned their gaze towards the front.


    A fat man in histe 50s stood at the center of the underground chamber and was currently facing the naked young boy, who hung 2 feet away from him.


    The young boy appeared around 15-18 years old, metallic chains which bound his hands were attached to the ceiling, and his legs were cuffed.


    The fat man even put some cloth on the young boy''s mouth and showed his back to Charles and Natalia.


    The fat man wore a in white robe, had long ck hair, held a syringe-like material, and was in the middle of extracting the young boy''s blood!


    Charles''s gaze wandered towards the sides, and soon he noticed that there were more than ten humans chained in the underground hall.


    But unlike this young man, all of them appeared motionless and looked lifeless.


    Their eyes appeared to be dug out from the eye sockets, and their chest and stomach were torn open!


    Charles also saw tens of ss cubes with blood and different organs in the left side corner and became suspicious.


    ''But why does this guy need others'' blood and organs? Moreover, the ss cubes are not well sealed. This guy''s action is pure evil.''


    Just as he was about to walk inside, the ve Master Neil suddenly stopped his movement and turned around with a creepy smile on his face.


    "Well, well, well, I didn''t expect someone would dare to intrude into my personal basement." His voice contained a trace of wickedness.


    His face was round like a balloon, his teeth appeared yellowish, and he had almond ck eyes.

 Chapter 218: Demonic Church

    <h4>Chapter 218: Demonic Church</h4>


    As Natalia heard his words, she suddenly raised her hand, conjured a small crystalline knife, and sends it towards Neil.


    At that moment, Neil''s lips twisted into a creepy smile, and he let out a creakyugh.


    The next instant, his olive skin began to turn eerie ckish, and his normal ck eyes began to turn bloodshot. Not only that, but his body size also began to erge into a two-meter taller one!


    There were traces of pure wickedness, and madness appeared on his face.


    Charles even saw two bloody strange horns on his forehead and soon cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on him.


    At that time, Neil moved his muscr w-like hand and directly blocked the ice knife.


    "He is a Rank-3 [Demonized Man] ss Mystic. His physical strength also reached an Extraordinary Level." As Charles saw the information, he turned his gaze towards Natalia and warned her.


    "Oh? A Demonic Church member? Why is he colluding with the Divine Order organization?" Natalia furrowed her brows and soon took a step forward.


    The next instant, the whole underground hall turned colder.


    Even Charles felt a suffocative feeling and got startled a little.


    The next instant, Natalia''s body disappeared from his right side and appeared in front of demonized Neil.


    Then, she ced her hand on Neil''s eerie ck skin and muttered.


    "Ice Seal."


    Before Neil could even think, a cube of crystalline ice began to form around his body andpletely covered him!


    In a blink, Neil''s body was sealed entirely inside an ice cube!


    "You can extract his memories now," Natalia said with a confident smile on her face.


    Meanwhile, Charles became stunned for a moment and asked in a surprised tone.


    "How did you know about that spell?"


    "I heard that your grandfather possesses a mind-reading skill. So, I guessed." An amusing smile appeared on her delicate face as she turned around and gestured him to do his work.


    He stared at her for a moment and heaved a deep sigh.


    ''I should talk less from now on.'' He muttered inwardly and cast [False Blink] spell.


    The next instant, he disappeared from there and soon reappeared beside Natalia.


    Then, he zeroed his gaze on the sealed Neil and cast [Knowledge Absorber] spell on him.


    A momentter, an important piece of information appeared in his mind.


    Unfortunately, it was information about a strange blood sacrificial ritual method, which made him frown slightly.


    Charles then cast Rank-2 [Fire Seed] spell on the enemy with no other choice and started erasing his memories.


    Simultaneously, he turned his gaze towards Natalia and spoke.


    "It might take more than ten minutes to get all the important memories, Miss. Natalia." He paused for a moment and asked.


    "Can you make a small hole towards his ears? If he didn''t hear my questions, it will take more than two hours to replicate all the information."


    He didn''t dare to tell her that he was actually erasing his memories.


    On the other hand, Natalia blinked her eyes twice and nodded her head.


    Then, she closed her scarlet eyes for a moment and started manipting the ice cube.


    Within two seconds, a finger-sized hole appeared on both sides of the cube and directly linked to Neil''s ears.


    "Good," Charles said as he zeroed his gaze on Neil''s bloodshot eyes and started asking questions.


    "Who is this mysterious Elder?"


    "What is his current location?"


    "Can you tell me about his physical appearance?"


    "What is your link with Demonic Church?"


    "What is your link with Divine Order?"


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At that moment, the real Charles received pieces of information about Elder in the Inner World.


    ''Elder, his original name is unknown and he has some tie with Amber Church. He is the one who controls all outer members of the Divine Order organization in the City of Iron and most probably has some high position in the organization. He is a man in his thirties, and his face always appears ageless, neither old nor young¡­ His face also appears d and sorrowful¡­ Even Neil feels something''s off about him. His hair is dark, and his eyes were grey¡­ This mysterious guy always wore a brown cap over his head and emotionless¡­'' The real Charles froze for a moment and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Where did I hear about this familiar physical appearance before? Wait¡­ It''s the image of three culprits¡­ The first one is Ivy¡­ The second one is the skeleton. Then, the third culprit is Omen. He is a guy with an emotionless face.'' At that moment, an illusionary portrait appeared in front of him.


    As Charles watched that image, he was 90 percent sure that this mysterious ''Elder'' guy was ''Omen''!


    ''I didn''t expect such good news.'' He muttered inwardly and soon turned his gaze towards the following information.


    ''Elder rarelyes to the city and always stays in the farmhouse near the ck Pond vige¡­''


    ''Next is about Neil''s link with Demonic Church¡­ He is actually a High Priest of the Demonic Church and is responsible for sending human sacrifices, organs, blood, and even souls to their main branch. He worships a strange horned creature called ''Narmir.'' The believers call this creature as Demon God of Chaos, Corruption, and Pleasure¡­''


    ''Neil has been secretly doing this job for more than two decades and has some ties with two high-ss nobles and multiple low-ss nobles like Baron Spencer. One is Duke Foster and the other one is Margrave Byron Griffon¡­ What is more surprising thing is that some of the nobles are actually believers of Demonic Church.''


    ''He has no deep connection with Divine Order and only does some small works using his link with Nobles'' circles¡­''


    ''Neil also knows a bit of abyssal tongue? What is that? Demon Language?'' Charles got surprised for a moment and soon began to extract more information about this strangenguage.


    ¡­


    Ten minutester, Charles finally erased the [Fire Seed] from Neil''s Inner World and ryed Elder''s current location and physical features to Natalia.


    As she heard his words, she became stunned inside.


    "Even a Rank-4 [Mind Maniptor] would lose to you in terms of extracting information from the enemy." She paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "But why are you asking questions from time to time?"


    Meanwhile, Charles made a wry smile and responded.


    "It''s actually a trick to extract information quickly, Miss. Natalia." He deliberated for a moment and soon asked.


    "Can I kill him?"


    On the other hand, Natalia didn''t put too much thought into his question and waved her hand.


    "Go on."


    Nodding his head, Charles cast the [Needle of Ember] spell and controlled it to move towards Neil''s ear through the small hole.


    Once the needle entered Neil''s right side ear, he took two steps backward and broke it.


    A secondter, the needle broke into two and released a dense, chaotic fire into the demonized Neil''s body!


    As real Charles watched his clone''s action, he was stupefied for a moment and soon facepalmed.


    ''My second consciousness still has ws. He sometimes acts before thinking about the consequences. The enemy is a Demonized man, a kind of chaos creature and also worships chaos power. Wouldn''t sending the ''Needle of Ember'' spell into his body like giving him an energy potion?'' He couldn''t help but sigh in disappointment.


    ''I wonder when I able to create a perfect consciousness like Jessie.'' He let out a bitterugh and shook his head.


    Meanwhile, the clone Charles noticed that the crystalline ice cube was starting to shake and soon realized his mistake.


    He then hurriedly ced his finger towards the hole and began to send greenish-blue me into it!


    The greenish-blue me soon entered the demonized man''s body and began to purify the evilness and chaos.


    As he poured more fire into the ice cube, a strange reaction started to ur.


    Chaos and soul power began to collide against each other and soon started to retaliate fiercely.


    Both fires began to collide and began to destroy Neil''s body from inside!


    A few secondster, a bang sound echoed inside the cube, and soon everything went silent.


    "You truly are reckless sometimes," Natalia red at Charles for a moment and turned around before walking towards the exit.


    At that moment, the corner of her lips rose upward and formed into an amusing smile.

 Chapter 219: Divination

    <h4>Chapter 219: Divination</h4>


    [Target Eliminated! 3,505 Exp obtained!]


    Meanwhile, a wry smile appeared on Charles''s face as he dismissed the notification and went near the chained young boy.


    Then, he broke the chains and cuffs using his fire spell and released him.


    Following that, he tossed a ball greenish-blue me on the young boy and turned his gaze towards the ice cube.


    At that moment, Neil''s body was destroyed from inside and looked horrifying.


    Charles searched the body, and soon his gazended on a particr area.


    A golden ring appeared inside the sealed ice crystal.


    ''Space ring.'' A smile appeared on his face as he cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill and moved his fingers.


    Two secondster, he made a strange hand gesture, caught something invisible in the air, turned around, and followed after Natalia''s footsteps.


    Although Natalia felt something was off about his action, she didn''t put much thought into it and went upstairs.


    A few secondster, both walked out of the underground basement and met the servants and guards.


    Natalia turned her gaze towards the three guards and ordered.


    "Go and bring the young kid from the underground basement."


    "Yes, My Lady." All three of the guards nodded their heads and hurriedly went downstairs while covering their noses.


    On the other hand, Natalia turned her gaze towards the servants and issued another order.


    "Release all the ves from the prison cells and bring them to the courtyard. You guys have 15 minutes."


    Before the servants could respond, she released her full wisdom power and scanned the whole mansion.


    After finding no more enemies in the mansion, she breathed out a sigh of relief and started walking in the corridor.


    Meanwhile, Charles silently walked beside her and started to think deeply about his earlier actions.


    ''I indeed acted rashly earlier. I need to be more careful and not be a burden to her.'' While thinking, he subconsciously nced at her charming face for a moment and shifted his gaze towards the front in a hurry.


    At that moment, his heart also once again started to beat faster.


    Noticing his weird action, Natalia couldn''t help but ask in a teasing tone.


    "What''s on my face?"


    As he heard those words, he almost got flustered for a moment before he let out a fake cough and shook his head.


    "Nothing." He responded with a stiff tone and soon noticed that both had already entered the reception room.


    "What''s our next n?" Natalia was amused by his action and asked.


    In the meantime, Charles thought for a moment and spoke.


    "It''s better to go and look for the ''Elder'' before he learns about this incident. As long as we capture him, half of our mission will be over."


    Hearing his words, Natalia ced her soft hand on her chin and shook her head.


    "There is a big difference in capturing and killing, Charles. Killing an enemy is way easier than capturing." She paused for a moment and soon added.


    "It''s better to do some preparation before going after him."


    "Preparation?" Charles tilted his head in confusion and soon widened his eyes.


    "Are you going to do a divination?" He asked in a surprised tone.


    Meanwhile, Natalia wore a serious look on her face and spoke with a nod.


    "Yes, I want to check whether we would seed the mission on not."


    Saying so, she went near a sofa ced at the center of the reception hall, sat on it, and closed her eyes.


    Meanwhile, Charles also moved towards the opposite Lawson sofa and sat down.


    Then, he also took out a golden quill, inkbottle, and the Book of Secrets and then ced them on the table.


    After that, he opened the ink bottle, dipped the quill into it, and shifted his attention to the golden-covered book.


    He first used his other hand to flip the pages and soon stopped it on an empty page.


    He then moved his right hand and started writing his personal information on the mysterious empty page.


    Once hepleted the process, Charles''s eyes turned abnormally white, and he entered into a strange state.


    Even Natalia opened her eyes as she sensed something abnormal about him and soon focused her gaze on the empty paper.


    At that moment, she saw that ck letters started to distort and soon absorbed into the nk paper!


    The next instant, she noticed the mysterious page began to move like a sea wave and created strange characters.


    But unlike the previous ones, she couldn''t even tell what those strange characters were and became confused.


    On the other hand, Charles returned to his usual state, nced at the paper, and started to mutter.


    "Bread Maker''s Farm House¡­Near the ck Pond¡­ You will find Omen¡­ The mission will be sessful¡­"


    "You can read the strange characters? Whatnguage is this?" Natalia asked in a surprised tone.


    As Charles heard her words, his deep-blue eyes widened.


    "Isn''t this Blen tongue?" He couldn''t help but show a puzzled look on his face.


    "Blen tongue? Although I''m from the Moon Kingdom, that doesn''t mean I''m an ignorant mage. This strangenguage isn''t from this world." She stared at him in curiosity and confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s mind went nk for a moment.


    ''But it really is in Blen tongue, though. Wait¡­ Could it be? The words can change to one''s imagination?'' He thought for a moment and chose to ask the Holem''s Crownter.


    Then, he hurriedly closed the book, stared into her eyes, and probed.


    "What did you see in your divination?"


    Upon hearing his question, Natalia curled her lips upward and spoke with a proud look on her face.


    "Although there will be some dangers in this mission, we will capture this Elder."


    ''That''s good.'' Charles nodded his head and stored the book, quill, and inkbottle into his space ring.


    Then, he took out a strange red-gem embedded ring and checked it.


    He took this ring from Baron Spencer!


    ''Chaos Ring¡­ A rare-rank artifact with a unique chaos spell called ''Insanity mind'' engraved in it. It''s a rank-3 spell with a cooldown of seven days. This insanity mind spell can affect one''s thinking and let them make wrong decisions at a critical moment¡­'' Charles stared at the ring for a moment and wore it in his hand.


    Then, he took a golden ring from his space ring and marked it with his spiritual imprint.


    After that, he linked it with his mind and checked the content.


    ''Wow¡­ Lots of gold coins¡­ Sh*t! All of them are turning into ashes.'' His face turned unsightly for a moment before returning to normal.


    ''Hmm, there are ss cubes with preserved human organs, blood, and a mysterious blue bead¡­ Wait¡­ This must be the item he used to store human souls after killing¡­'' He nodded thoughtfully and began to check the other contents.


    Unfortunately, other than an abyssalnguage book and an old paper filled with mysterious patterns and characters, he found nothing special in the ring.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he stored the ring back into his space ring and stood up.


    Meanwhile, Natalia also stood up from her seat, and both started walking towards the outside yard.


    At that moment, a total of hundred ves, twenty servants, and seventeen guards stood at the center of the frozen yard and stared at them in anxiety and fear.


    As Charles walked towards them, Natalia suddenly pulled his sleeve and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Heal the injured ones. I will do the instruction."


    Saying so, she started walking towards the servants and started giving few instructions to the female servants and the guards.


    Meanwhile, Charles checked the ves one by one and cast his healing spell constantly.


    By the time he finished healing all the ves, Natalia had done her work and started walking in his direction.


    "What instruction did you give them?" He stared into her fierce red eyes and asked in curiosity.


    "I just told them to go to your grandfather''s mansion and seek his help. I also gave them a noble seal in case if some security guards block them." Natalia responded in a casual tone.


    "Noble seal? Whose?" Charles''s eyebrows arched upward.


    Upon hearing his words, Natalia smiled mysteriously and started to walk outside.


    "It''s a Baron''s seal and it also contains my ''Incarnation'' imprint." Her voice echoed in the gloomy night as she walked on the concrete path and went towards the street.


    Once she appeared on the street road, she halted her footsteps and asked.


    "Do you know where this ck Pond vige is located?"


    Upon hearing her words, Charles nodded his head and responded.


    "It''s 4 km away from the Eastern Gate."


    "Oh? It''s not far from the city then." Natalia nodded her head, tapped her left foot on the ground, and soon turned blurry.


    "Don''t fall behind."


    Before Charles could even blink, she muttered a few words and disappeared.


    He soon shook his head, cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped himself in a crimson me, and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­

 Chapter 220: Elder

    <h4>Chapter 220: Elder</h4>


    In the pitch-ck night, City of Iron, Eastern Gate.


    Two leather-armored guards sat near the city gate entrance and appeared to be in the middle of discussing something serious.


    "I''m telling you, Lark. Giselle is not a good woman. There are many bad rumors about her." A silver-haired guard said while massaging his temple.


    Meanwhile, the other ck-haired guard coldly snorted and refused to believe his words.


    "You are just jealous of our rtionship. Two days ago, she even gave me a knitted cap as a present and told me that you tried to flirt with her."


    "T-That b*tch! I would never flirt with a woman like her." The silver-haired guard cursed her out loud.


    "Don''t insult my woman, Ray!" The ck-haired man suddenly clenched his fist and roared.


    Just when they were about to start a fight, the silver-haired man named Ray suddenly stood up and stared at the opposite side with wide eyes.


    At that moment, a ck-haired woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and nced around warily. She wore a ck sheath dress and looked gorgeous even in the dim touch lights.


    Before Ray could snap out from the shock, he saw a humanoid me suddenly appear near her and soon formed into a young man, who looked around 20 to 23 years old. His face showed a little bit of maturity; he had deep-blue hair and an oval face and wore a ck hooded dress.


    Charles first looked at three different dirt paths separated in front of them and turned his gaze towards the silver-haired guard.


    "Do you know which route do we have to take to go to ck Pond Vige?"


    Ray froze for a moment and soon pointed his finger at his right side path.


    "If you follow this path, you will be able to reach the vige in an hour or two, My Lord." He said in a nervous tone.


    Nodding his head, Charles nced at Natalia and asked.


    "Shall we go-?"


    Before he could finish the sentence, two crystalline ice wings appeared behind Natalia''s back, pped on their own, and made her float in the air.


    Charles raised his eyebrows, cast [Red Wings] spell, and flew upward.


    Then, both pped their wings and followed the right side path while maintaining some distance from the ground.


    They flew past farmhouses from time to time and soon saw an isted vige at the end of the path.


    "We should go by walk. Your fire wings are too eye-catching." Natalia said as she slows down her momentum, pped the thin icy wings twice, and descended.


    Charles also nodded his head in approval and followed after her.


    Once theynded, both dismissed their wings spells and started walking towards the ck Pond vige.


    Within a few minutes, they reached the vige entrance, asked the guards, and also learned the exact location of Bread Maker''s farmhouse.


    Then, they didn''t wait any longer and started walking towards the farmhouse, which was located a little farther away from the vige.


    Charles and Natalia silently walked on the ridge near the paddy field and soon saw a lone house in the middle of a maize farm.


    Even though it was dark, they manage to see the surroundings clearly due to the rise of two red moons from the east and stealthily walk towards the house.


    While walking, they also noticed a small pond near the farmhouse and confirmed their target''s house.


    The farmhouse was just a cottage-style house with fences surrounding it.


    Charles even saw some goats inside the fence and became surprised inside.


    "Who would think that this harmless farmer is actually a terrifying schemer?" Natalia couldn''t help but praise his hiding skill.


    If not for his [Fire Seed] spell and divination method, they wouldn''t have found any clues about him at all!


    Charles also nodded his head in approval as they reached the front yard and moved towards the entrance.


    At that moment, the wooden gate opened with a creaking noise, and soon a ck-haired man walked out from it.


    He covered half of his face with a red scarf, wore a cotton duck coat, leather pants, brown boots, and a straw hat.


    He appeared around 180 cm high, broad shoulder, and his eyes were grey.


    Because of the red scarf, Charles couldn''t confirm whether the farmer was their target or not.


    "Is he the one?" He couldn''t help but cast inspect skill on him.


    On the other hand, Natalia also frowned and released her wisdom power towards his direction.


    The next instant, both of their face turned ugly.


    ''My cryptic analysis skill is not working¡­ His wisdom power is above mine.'' Charles instantly halted his footsteps, took out the Starfall Codex book, and held it in his hand.


    Simultaneously, Natalia also halted her movement and stared at him with a wary expression on her face.


    Meanwhile, the ck-haired man stepped down from the entrance, stared at them for a moment, and took out a strange bluish gem from his pocket.


    "You guys sure arete." He spoke in a hoarse voice, which caused Charles and Natalia to shudder a little.


    But to their shock, neither of them felt any forewarning from their ss skills and became stunned inside.


    At that moment, the real Charles''s eyebrows suddenly raised upward in the Inner World.


    Even he didn''t think that their future predicting skills would be nullified by the enemy and was startled a little.


    ''But I heard from Rh that Book of Secrets could even work against legendary mages, right?'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon widened his eyes as he thought of a possibility.


    ''Rh once said that there are few existences out there that could nullify the effects of Time, Fate, and Luck powers¡­ Taboo Existences, Divines, Warlocks, and few Ancient Mages¡­ Divine¡­ The stalking Divine finally revealed its presence!'' The corner of his lips suddenly rose.


    ''Let''s see what this guy is nning now.'' He nodded his head and soon disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he appeared in the depths of the Inner World and soon saw a strange crystalline mark in the sky.


    It was the mark that helped him to enve the Holem''s Crown!


    At the same time, the clone Charles and Natalia felt a terrifying oppressive powering from the ck-haired young man named Elder and backed away hurriedly.


    "We aren''t his match," Natalia said in a grave tone and was about to cast her [Fate Swift] skill but soon froze.


    Charles''s expression also turned into a shocked one as he cast [me Teleportation] spell, but couldn''t see any changes at all!


    At that moment, both of them heard a strange ss breaking sound from the front and felt a unique power encircling them.


    Charles stared at the broken blue gem with wary eyes and realized that they fell for the enemy''s trap!


    "Don''t be anxious. I''m just used the Divine Tear and locked the surrounding space. We can y here without any disturbance now." Elder''s voice turned eerie as he tossed the broken gem and opened his arms wide.

 Chapter 221: Sinful Demon

    <h4>Chapter 221: Sinful Demon</h4>


    Charles felt a terrifying power from the ck-haired man called ''Elder'' and got startled inside.


    ''His wisdom power has already reached an abnormal level.'' He also saw multiple ck clouds, illusionary distorted faces, and even some chains appeared near him and furrowed his brows.


    ''What are these?''


    "T-This is the manifestation of one''s Domain. He is a peak level Rank-4 Mystic." Natalia made a swift decision as she spoke and took a step forward.


    Meanwhile, Elder suddenly let out a creakyugh and spoke a few words in weirdnguage.


    But Charles felt something familiar about thenguage and soon widened his deep-blue eyes.


    "Abyssal Tongue-?"


    Before he could finish his words, Elder''s body began to erge while tearing his dresses. His skin also turned darker and rougher, and two reddish horns appeared on his forehead.


    Within a second, he turned into a 3-meter tall, monstrous humanoid creature!


    His face appeared more like a wicked being''s one.


    His nose, ears, and jaw areas turned sharper, and his face itself turned into a square shape.


    Even two eerie reddish scythes appeared in his muscr hands, and he looked more like an actual demon from books!


    "He is a Rank-4 [Sinful Demon] ss Mystic. Be careful of his curse attack." A cold voice came out of Natalia''s mouth.


    The next instant, she disappeared from there and reappeared behind the Elder.


    Simultaneously, she raised her hand, touched his back, and whispered.


    "Fate Change."


    "Sneaky rat-"


    Before Elder could move his reddish scythe, she silently tapped her foot and disappeared from there once again.


    A momentter, she reappeared beside Charles and stared at the monstrous Elder with wide eyes.


    "My fate skill isn''t working on him." Her voice contains a trace of anxiousness.


    Just when Charles was about to reply, a fierce ripple appeared in the surroundings.


    The next moment, a terrifying pressure descended on the battlefield and pushed Natalia''s and Charles''s body towards backward!


    The distorted creepy creatures'' faces and ck smoke began to appear all over the surroundings and started corrupting the maize farm, thend, and the house.


    "You think you two will stand a chance against me?" A bone-chilling voice came out from Elder''s mouth as he revealed his ck lips and walked towards their direction.


    "Let''s see about that."


    Saying so, Natalia gritted her teeth and waved her hand.


    In a blink, the whole surroundings air began to turn colder, and soon iceyers began to form everywhere.


    The corrupting grasses, maize nts, yard wines, and even the house got covered in a thin iceyer.


    At the same time, hundreds of ice spears suddenly popped out from the grounds and moved towards Elder at a fast speed.


    Each spear had the power of ''Law'' infused in them and was equal to Rank-4 spells!


    But before they could reach his monstrous body, an eerie ck smoke came out from the surroundings and enveloped Elder''s body.


    The next instant, the hundreds of spears pass through his body as if the whole body was made of gases!


    The ice spears didn''t give him any wound at all!


    "Petty tricks."


    Natalia didn''t back down as she snorted coldly and then cast [Ice Cube] spell.


    But even the powerful Cube couldn''t stop the demonized Elder.


    He broke her spell using his scythes before it couldpletely seal his body!


    While Natalia was battling, Charles used his [Wisdom Sight] skill on the enemy and searched for his weakness.


    A few secondster, his eyes flickered all of a sudden.


    "Attack him with a powerful spell when I give you the signal." Saying so, he cast [Fire Seed] spell on the enemy and began to interrupt by erasing his memory.


    But before the spell could even disrupt his thought, some chaotic power came from Elder''s Inner World and silently erased his [Fire Seed] spell!


    ''Sh*t! It must be his second consciousness. I can only halt his movement for 0.5 seconds.'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face.


    Just when he was about to tell Natalia to begin her attack, Elder opened his mouth and let out a screeching noise all of a sudden.


    The next instant, Charles''s mind went chaos for a moment!


    His thinking ability went into disarray.


    He tried his best to think of his following action but he couldn''t!


    It was as if something invisible suddenly blocked him from thinking!


    At that moment, Natalia also stopped sending Ice des at the enemy and wore a confused look.


    She, too, got affected by a strange skill!


    It was a [Sinful Demon] ss skill, Chaotic Screech!


    It was a skill that could disrupt one''s thinking for a certain amount of time and led their mind to a state of chaos.


    ''Is it affecting my second consciousness?'' The real Charles frowned for a moment, linked himself with the dark space, and cast [Soul Heal] spell on Natalia.


    Simultaneously, he cast the same spell on his second consciousness and soon returned to the Inner World!


    The clone Charles and Natalia woke up from the strange state the next second and got startled.


    Although Natalia had simr second consciousness inside her Inner World, it was not good as Charles''s clone.


    No, it could only do some minor works and was still in imperfect condition!


    Both felt chill in their hearts!


    But before they could even take a breath, Elder suddenly appeared in front of them and shed his scythes at them with both hands!


    Upon noticing the terrifying scythe, Charles''s expression went stiff.


    ''F*ck!'' He cursed in his mind, and cast Rank-3 [Fire Born] spell.


    A momentter, his body enveloped in a crimson me and soon transformed into a pure humanoid me!


    On the other hand, Natalia tapped her foot in a hurry and disappeared from there.


    Still, the scythe''s tip appeared next to her right arm and gave a sharp cut on her smooth skin!


    Meanwhile, the other reddish scythe tore through the air, directly entered Charles''s right chest area, and soon appeared on the other side.


    But to Elder''s astonishment, not a single change appeared on Charles''s me body at all!


    Even Charles became stunned for a moment before he took a step back and disappeared.


    A momentter, he reappeared twenty meters away from the monstrous figure, stood beside Natalia, and stared at Elder warily.


    The mes on his body also began to diminish and soon disappeared from there, leaving a human body behind.


    Cold sweats dripped down on his forehead as he recalled thest moments and got frightened a little.


    Meanwhile, Natalia ced her other hand on the wounded area, stared at Elder, and asked in a gloomy voice.


    "Charles, can you able to stop his thinking ability for two seconds?"


    Hearing her words, Charles nced at Natalia and soon froze as he saw arge cut on her right arm!


    Blood droplets drenched her arm, moved towards her forearm, and were constantly dripping down from her hand!


    But she remained motionless like an ice queen and didn''t even take her eye off from Elder.


    Upon seeing her wounded condition, an unknown aching feeling appeared in Charles''s heart.


    "You should never let your guard down during the battle." Noticing his gaze, Natalia couldn''t help but scold him a little.


    But she soon realized that this kid was just a 20 years old boy and sighed helplessly.


    Charles instantly woke up from the shock as he heard her words, ced his hand on the wounded area, and cast [Soul Heal] spell.


    "It won''t work. His red scythe is infused with thick ''Chaos'' power. Your healing spell isn''t strong enough to purify the chaos essences."


    Saying so, Natalia raised her other hand and pointed it at her wounded area.


    Only then did Charles notice that strange energy remains on the sliced flesh area.


    A concerned expression appeared on his face as he stared at her cold face for a moment and soon turned his attention towards Elder.


    Anger, pain, and helplessness appeared in his heart.


    Those weird emotions caused his heart to palpitate faster!


    "Don''t worry about it. We should focus on killing him." Unaware of the changes in Charles''s heart, Natalia raised her hand, ced it on the wounded area, and froze that part with an iceyer.

 Chapter 222: Protect

    <h4>Chapter 222: Protect</h4>


    Then, Natalia took a deep breath, conjured a long sharp sword filled with purewful ice power, and disappeared from there.


    But unlike before, Charles sensed a strange yet eerie, chilling power that came out from the sword.


    ''I need to distract him for two seconds and create an opportunity.'' He steeled his heart and muttered to himself.


    While he was in muse, Natalia reappeared in front of Elder and thrust the ice sword towards his heart.


    At the exact moment, Charles locked his gaze on Elder and cast [Burning Thoughts], [Fire Seed], and [Knowledge Absorber] spells at the same time.


    Not only that, but he also touched the red-gem embedded ck ring and curled his lips upward as he waited for an opportunity to cast [Insanity Mind] spell.


    Just when Natalia''s sword was about to pass through the eerie ck smoke, Elder suddenly forgot how to control the ck smoke!


    No, he even forgot how to hold grip the weapons and dropped both scythes!


    In a blink, the chaotic ck smoke became illusionary and gave Natalia a perfect opportunity.


    Curling her lips upward, she concentrated her fullwful power towards the tip of the sword and lunged forward!


    The next second, a flesh-stabbing sound echoed in the gloomy night as the sharp icy sword pierced through Elder''s chest, tore through his heart, and appeared on the other side.


    Then, the icy sword trembled for a moment and exploded while sendingw-infused ice elemental energy deep into his body parts!


    By the time Elder regained his sense, he felt a sharp pain in his chest!


    No, he felt that some icy energy started to invade his body.


    Although Elder was wounded, he didn''t even make a painful noise and sharpened his gaze towards the young ck-haired woman, who stood in front of him.


    Comparing to his body size, she appeared very tiny!


    ''She destroyed my first heart.''


    A ruthless expression appeared on his face as he gripped the scythe handles-


    His grey eyes widened all of a sudden.


    He suddenly noticed that there was no weapon appeared in his hands at all!


    ''It''s the Memory erasing spell.'' Elder subconsciously shifted his gaze towards Charles, red at him, and soon retracted his gaze.


    On the other hand, Natalia stood there with a cold face and was about to cast [Fate Shift] skill!


    But she cast [Fate Vision] skill instead!


    It was another [Sinful Demon] ss skill, Chaotic Thinking!


    It was a spell that could cause the opponent to make mistakes.


    The next instant, her face turned gloomy.


    "You are dead." Saying so, Elder raised his right hand and moved it towards her head.


    Upon noticing the monstrous hands, Natalia frowned a little, retracted her hand, and muttered.


    "Crystal Shield."


    Just as she finished her words, two rectangr ice blocks appeared beside her left side and blocked Elder''s fist.


    Simultaneously, she took a step forward, raised her delicate, smooth hand, ced it on Elder''s left-side chest, and spoke casually.


    "Icy Grasp."


    For a moment, shock and rm appeared on Elder''s face as he realized what she was doing and instantly cast his sub-ss skill.


    The next instant, his body turned into a dark shadow, disappeared from there, and soon reappeared twenty meters away from her!


    On the other hand, the corner of Natalia''s lips rose upward.


    "So, you are a Dual-ss Mystic, huh. Phantom Devil?" She tilted her head with a cold smile on her face.


    Although she appeared calm and rxed outside, her heart began to beat faster.


    ''He has a connection with both Divine Order and Demonic Church! Moreover, he hasn''t revealed his sub-ss skills other than Shadow Teleportation.'' Her thoughts raced.


    Meanwhile, Elder stared at her for a moment and sighed.


    "It seems I underestimated your strength." He paused for a moment before he raised his hand, pointed it towards Charles, and curled his eerie ck lips upward.


    "Shadow Possession."


    As he spoke, a bolt of dark ray came out from his finger, moved towards Charles, and soon appeared in front of his forehead.


    Then, the ray entered his head, seeped into his dark space, and soon invaded his Inner World.


    Once it arrived in the Inner World, the dark ray turned into an eerie reddish-ck cloud and soon formed into a ck humanoid figure.


    This skill was simr to [Consciousness Invade], but an inferior one.


    Unlike the other one, Elder''s shadow consciousness could only leave afterpletely takingplete control of the other person.


    Moreover, the shadow consciousness''s connection would also cut off once it enters one''s Inner World.


    If not for the shadow seed in Elder''s mind, he wouldn''t even know that his consciousness was still alive or not.


    At that moment, the humanoid shadow soon looked around theva-filled world and got utterly stunned.


    "He already entered the Inner-World?" It couldn''t help but mutter out loud in shock.


    Then, it hurriedlynded on the ground and thought of looking for the Soul Core.


    But just when itnded on the ground, a white-haired old man appeared in front of it, raised his hand, andpletely grasped its neck area!


    "W-What?" It couldn''t even understand where this mysterious white-haired man came from and shouted.


    "You are a mere shadow of a consciousness, but you have some nerve to walk into my domain." An old man''s voice echoed in the Inner World.


    The next instant, the whole surroundings ignited suddenly and turned into a reddish me while burning the shadow in a second.


    Meanwhile, Elder retracted his gaze from Charles, then stared viciously at Natalia for a second and let out a wickedugh.


    "What are you going to do now? I will turn him into my puppet within a few seconds-"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, his grey eyes widened!


    In a moment, he noticed that the shadow seed in his mind suddenly got broken into pieces!


    ''My shadow consciousness died?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    He soon turned his vicious face into a grave one and sighed.


    "Chaos Chains." His voice turned sinister.


    The next instant, tens of eerie reddish-ck chains popped up from the ground and moved towards Charles and Natalia quickly.


    On the other hand, Natalia dismissed her shield spell, tapped her foot on the ground, disappeared from there, and soon appeared next to Charles.


    At that moment, Charles also cast [Sun''s Shell] spell on himself and spoke.


    "I have a way to make him insane for a short moment. Use that opportunity and destroy his other heart." His eyes turned resolute.


    A surprise shed on Natalia''s face for the first time.


    But soon, she frowned while casting a crystalline ice shield to cover them and asked.


    "What if he has three hearts? I heard that Phantom Devils are hard to kill."


    She couldn''t help but show concern on her face.


    Meanwhile, Charles also frowned for a moment and asked.


    "Why not take his head instead?"


    "Nope. Devils can grow multiple heads as long as they have given enough time." Natalia shook her head.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly turned his gaze towards Elder and raised his eyebrows.


    "As long as you decapitate his head, I can destroy his other heart." A confident smile appeared on his oval face, which even surprised Natalia for a moment.


    She soon returned to her cold self, thought for a moment, and nodded.


    ''I refused to die here. Wait for me, Joel. I''ming for you.'' A firm resolution appeared in her scarlet eyes as she nced at Charles and spoke.


    "I''m going to use a powerful spell to decapitate his head. Once I cast that spell, I might lose consciousness and enter into aa stage for some time." She paused for a moment and added with a smile.


    "Protect me."


    Although she had another trump card that could save her life in an unconscious state, she didn''t dare to bet her life on it.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s heart thumped faster than ever like a machine!

 Chapter 223: Rank-5 Spell

    <h4>Chapter 223: Rank-5 Spell</h4>


    Before Charles could open his mouth, Natalia dismissed the crystalline shield spell, took a step forward while raising her hands, cast [Icy Touch] spell on those chaos chains, and started freezing them one by one.


    Whenever she took a step forward, those chaos chains would freeze in ice, fell on the ground, and soon broke into pieces.


    Upon seeing her daring action, the demonized Elder''s face turned grim.


    He knew that this woman was nning something and became more cautious.


    First, he controlled the remaining Chaos Chains, used them to pick the two scythes, and pulled them towards his direction.


    Once he gripped the two scythes, he took a deep breath and roared!


    A ck-reddish ball of fire spewed out from his mouth and flew towards Natalia at a fast speed.


    It was just a half-meter radius and gave her an uneasy feeling.


    She felt that if she got hit by that me, the consequence would be more severe!


    As the fireball approached her, Natalia slowed down her footsteps and decided to cast her shield spell.


    At the exact moment, Charles received a piece of information from the real Charles and shouted in a hurry.


    "Leave the fireball to me."


    Although Natalia got started a little, she hurriedly cast [Fate Shift] spell and disappeared from there.


    Then, she reappeared two meters away from where she stood before and once again started to walk towards the demonized Elder.


    At that moment, Charles cast [Fire Born] spell, turned into a pure yellowish fire being, and stared at the uing ball of fire.


    The reddish-ck chaos fireball appeared in front of him in a second and was about to crash.


    But just when the fireball was about to collide on his body, Charles suddenly released reddish chaos me from both his hands, weaved it into a-like shape, andpletely enveloped it.


    At the same time, a pulling suction force appeared from the depths of his soul and directly pulled the chaotic fireball into Charles''s body!


    In the Inner World, the real Charles stared at the sky and soon saw a tiny reddish spark flew from the dark space.


    Within a second, the tiny fire spark disappeared from there and soon appeared in front of Charles.


    "An impure chaos fire¡­ As I thought, this is a Rank-4 Fire Ball with ''Chaos'' essence hidden in it." He wore a surprised look and directly moved the reddish-ck fireball to a safe ce for further study.


    Earlier, when Elder used his scythe to sh Charles''s [Fire Born] spell body, he wasn''t anxious at all.


    He vaguely perceived that chaos power-infused scythe wouldn''t have any effect on him.


    Unlike the clone Charles, he didn''t have any difficulty seeing the future visions.


    Indeed, the stalking ''Divine'' or the one who lured them to this farmhouse have the power topletely block ''Fate''''Time'' and ''Luck'' powers.


    But that was in the outside world.


    In the Inner World, Charles was a God-like existence, and he could indeed see future visions and even receive forewarnings about the dangers.


    If Natalia''s second consciousness was in a perfect state, it might have long sensed the difference.


    Unfortunately, her second consciousness hadn''t noticed it yet.


    Meanwhile, Elder gotpletely startled by Charles''s action and soon widened his eyes!


    ''That kid indeed has many secrets.'' He instantly made up his mind and thought of eliminating this minor threat.


    Just as he was about to activate [Shadow Teleportation] skill, he heard a low female mutter from the front.


    "It seems I have to go all out from here."


    "Frozen Land." Natalia''s voice turned colder as she cast her next spell.


    The next instant, the chilling breeze came from every direction and even caused the nearby ck Pond to freeze.


    Flower-like snow also began to fell from the sky and began to cover the ground, maize nt leaves, housetop, and even the nearby weeds.


    That was just the start, though.


    Before Elder could understand the situation, the half-frozen pond let out a tremor noise, and soon the remaining water began to rise towards the sky.


    No, even the broken Ices began to rise, merge with the long waterline, and soon began to blend into a long snake-like water body.


    At that moment, the flower-like snows also blew towards the long water snake, merged with it, and began to freeze like crystalline ice!


    Within two seconds, a 40 meter long monstrous snake-like ice appeared in the sky and soon flew towards Elder in a slithering manner!


    "F*ck!"


    Upon seeing such a giant snake, Elder couldn''t help but curse out loud.


    He didn''t dare to dy any longer and got ready to face Natalia and the strange crystalline snake.


    As for killing Charles, he truly felt helpless about it.


    On the other hand, Charles stared coldly at Elder, raised his hand, and cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill.


    A momentter, hundreds of invisible strings came out from his hand and slithered towards Elder like venomous snakes.


    But he didn''t end it there, though. He also took out Ember Pistol from his space ring, covered it with an invisible string, and made it move in another direction.


    Then, he stored the Starfall Codex book in his space ring and took out a long sword.


    After that, he maintained enough distance and waited for Natalia''s signal.


    At that moment, Elder wentplete berserk as he roared from time to time and used hundreds of Chaos Chains to stop the flying ice snake.


    Meanwhile, Natalia had long started chanting in weird ng and stood 20 meters away from Elder.


    From time to time, Elder tried to use [Chaotic Thinking] skill to interrupt her chanting, but all of his attempts went futile.


    For the first time, he felt threatened by this strange ck-haired young woman!


    Within a few seconds, Nataliapleted her incantation, raised her hand, and pointed her forefinger at the demonized Elder.


    A momentter, a terrifying amount of ice-elemental energy began to move towards her forefinger from every direction and condensed into a minute needle.


    It was so small that even Charles couldn''t manage to see it.


    Meanwhile, Elder also turned his gaze towards Natalia, squinted his grey eyes, and shouted in disbelief.


    "A Rank-5 Spell?!"


    He couldn''t hide his shock at all!


    Upon realizing the situation, he instantly turned around and was about to screech to interrupt her.


    But Charles cast [Burning Thoughts] and [Fire Seed] on Elder and stopped his thinking ability for a moment.


    It was more than enough for Natalia to release her Rank-5 spell!


    A minute ice needle locked onto Elder''s head and moved with a whoosh sound while freezing everything on its way!


    By the time Elder woke up from the dazed state, the thin ice needle had already appeared in front of his forehead!


    At that moment, he felt that even the ''Time'' seemed to have frozen!


    No, he realized that his thoughts were processing at an unimaginable speed!


    Anger, helplessness, hate, and all other emotions appeared in his mind one by one.


    Moreover, another memory shed in his mind.


    ''Kill the ck-haired woman.''


    It was more like a divine word that echoed in his head!


    Simultaneously, he noticed that he could even move his hand slowly and got delighted.


    Elder moved his right hand and hurled the reddish scythe towards Natalia as the ice needle entered his forehead.


    Simultaneously, he nced at Charles, cast [Chaotic Thinking] skill on him, and stopped him from interrupting his action!


    By the time the ''Ice Needle'' entered Elder''s forehead, the reddish-ck scythe had already moved towards Natalia like a boomerang and soon appeared near her neck.


    The next second, the sharp scythe directly sliced the fleshy neck and decapitated her!


    Meanwhile, Charles''s mind also got affected by [Chaotic Thinking], and he couldn''t cast [Insanity Mind] skill on Elder!

 Chapter 224: Revive

    <h4>Chapter 224: Revive</h4>


    On the other hand, the ice needle entered deep into Elder''s forehead, exploded with a bang, and destroyed his head!


    Upon seeing such a scene, Charles''s mind went nk.


    His eyes became unfocused as he tried his best to shout, but no voice came out.


    Without minding the falling demonized Elder, he dropped the sword, sprinted towards Natalia''s dancing body, caught her flying head using his invisible strings, and soon arrived in front of her.


    He then hugged her headless body and knelt on the ground along with it.


    His legs and hands started to tremble uncontrobly!


    At that moment, blood sprayed from her cleaved neck, spattered on his face and dress, andpletely soaked him in red color.


    Natalia''s body also continued to twitch non-stop!


    "H-He-!" Charles tried to shout, but still, no words came out of his mouth.


    Unknown to him, droplets of tears also began to pour out of his eyes like a broken dam and drenched his cheeks.


    Pain, anger, and hatred appeared in the depths of his mind.


    His heart began to race and his mind also be muddle.


    "I-I need to save her!" He spoke loudly.


    But no idea came to his mind!


    Like a broken doll, he knelt on the ground with a pained expression on his face.


    He felt as if he had lost something precious!


    Suddenly, he thought of something, hurriedly linked his mind towards his Inner World, and shouted with all his might.


    "Help!"


    In the Inner World, Charles let out a deep sigh and shook his head.


    "No." His voice appeared emotionless.


    On the other hand, the clone Charles gritted his teeth and howled in anger and sorrow.


    He was angry at himself!


    Like a wounded lone wolf, he looked up at the red sky and wailed!


    One second¡­ Two seconds¡­ Three seconds¡­


    His wail continued to resound in the eerie dark-red sky.


    On the thirteenth second, Natalia''s headless body suddenly shook violently, causing him to halt his action.


    Then, a mysterious red petal came out from her chest area, floated about her chest, and shone in bright red light.


    The next instant, her severed head moved on its own, appeared near her body, and directly attached to the cleaved area.


    Simultaneously, mysterious reddish light poured into her neck, head, and chest areas and began to attach her head to the body!


    Not only that, but the reddish light even moved to the wound on her right arm and started healing it at a fast speed!


    This process continued for another few seconds, and soon everything returned to normal.


    In just a few seconds, Natalia got healed entirely and returned to her previous uninjured state!


    She was resurrected from death!


    Her soft bodyid in his arm with eyes closed, and she seemed to be in a deep sleep.


    In the meantime, Charles stared at the mystical scene with a dumbfounded face and soon let out a joyous shout.


    He hastily picked her hand, checked her pulse, and soon widened his eyes.


    "S-She is alive!" His voice appeared hoarse.


    Shock and disbelief appeared on his face.


    He couldn''t even understand what the hell just happened and soon noticed that the strange red petal had already entered her body.


    Shaking his head, he turned his gaze towards Natalia''s face and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    But at that moment, he felt a strange feeling appeared in his heart.


    Even just staring at her face gave him an uncontroble joy.


    He was happy that she was still alive.


    "I almost lost myself-" He abruptly froze for a moment and soon noticed his strange behavior.


    ''Why did I cry for someone whom I met only a few hours ago?'' He felt confused.


    But Charles knew that she already became an important person in his heart!


    He didn''t know why, but he already started to like her!


    At this moment, the real Charles stared at the sky and saw that the [Soul Heal] spell model was letting out a dazzling greenish-blue light!


    Love!


    He finally managed to get the emotion of ''Love'' through his clone!


    He hurriedly opened the game interface and checked his status.


    ''Soul Heal spell model- Completed.'' The corner of his lips curled upward.


    ''Okay. It''s time to finish off the demonized Elder.'' He directly linked his mind with the dark space and spoke.


    "Charles, switch with me for a while."


    Although the clone Charles was a little sad, he didn''t say anything and entered the Inner World.


    Meanwhile, Charles left the Inner World, opened his deep-blue eyes, and used the invisible strings to cover Natalia''s body.


    Then, he stood up from the kneeling position, controlled the invisible strings, and moved Natalia towards the farthest area.


    Her body flew up fast with a swoosh sound, breaking the frozen maize nts, and soonnded 300 meters away from where he stood.


    Then, he released the invisible strings, turned around, and stared at the monstrous kneeling demonized Elder.


    A small ckish round thing was currently growing out of the frozen neck and appeared to be reforming into a humanoid head.


    Charles raised his hand, controlled a particr invisible string, and moved his fingers.


    A momentter, a bang sound echoed in the gloomy red night.


    Simultaneously, the space behind Elder''s body began to distort, and soon a crimson bullet flew out from it!


    It moved towards the ckish-round thing quickly, entered into it, and exploded while releasing crimson me.


    But Charles wasn''t happy at all.


    ''This guy''s heart hasn''t been destroyed yet.'' He frowned for a moment, walked towards his right side, and picked up his long sword.


    He then cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in front of the kneeling Elder''s body and ced his right hand over the injured chest area.


    Then, he cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand], controlled all the invisible strings, and let them enter his body.


    Hundreds of invisible strings entered Elder''s body and soon found two hearts like organs!


    "This world is full of surprises." He couldn''t help butment.


    Then, he focused on those two hearts, enveloped them with multiple invisible strings, and then turned his head towards the headless area.


    No, another ckish-round thing spouted out from the neck region and grew bigger as the seconds passed.


    But Charles wasn''t anxious at all.


    He first opened the game interface and saw a notification appeared in front of his eyes.


    ¡­


    [Host has met the requirement to Rank Up!]


    [There are two methods avable for Host to Rank Up!


    . Host can consume a ''ze Sorcerer'' ss Gem and Rank Up by normal method. Sess Rate: 80%


    . Host can use Experience points to Rank up the Main ss now.


    Exp needed for Rank-up: 169,594 Exp (29,194 Exp for Rank Up+ 140,400 Exp for ''ze Sorcerer'' ss Gem.)


    Sess Rate: 90%.]


    ¡­


    Charles didn''t hesitate for a moment as he chose the second option and poured 169,594 Exp points into the Main ss section.


    ¡­


    [Host has chosen the 2nd method for Rank Up!]


    [140,400 Exp has been deduced for ''ze Sorcerer'' ss Gem!]


    [29,194 Exp has been deduced for Rank-Up process!]


    [ze Sorcerer ss Obtained!]


    [Ranking Up¡­]


    ¡­


    But unlike before, only a sharp pain appeared in the depths of his mind, and soon the invisible shackle that obstructed him from Ranking-up broke.


    The next instant, Charles felt that his sense heightened to another level.


    Not only that, but he also realized that his control over his Inner World had reached an unimaginable level!


    ''I think I can move the system cube now.'' A sh of surprise appeared on his face as he nced at the notification.


    ¡­


    [You are now a Level-1 ze Sorcerer!]


    [2 free attribute points rewarded!]


    [+1 Wisdom point obtained!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''I finally became a Rank-4 Mage.'' He smiled lightly and turned his gaze towards Elder.


    Currently, the ckish round thing had already formed into a humanoid head and soon reappeared as Elder''s demonized head.


    Same wicked, ckish face and grey eyes appeared in front of Charles.


    "Hello, Elder," Charles said with an evil smirk, manipted the invisible strings, and squeezed his two hearts.


    A painful howl came out of Elder''s deformed face!

 Chapter 225: Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 225: Scheme</h4>


    After two seconds, the demonized Elder''s distorted face returned to normal, and he stared at Charles with a confused expression on his face.


    He felt that the person in front of him hadpletely changed into a different person!


    Before he could even say a word, Charles cast [Fire Seed] spell on him and soon became surprised.


    Even after burning a few memories, he noticed that his spell was still in Elder''s Inner World!


    ''Why isn''t he using his second consciousness to erase the fire seed?'' Again, doubt appeared in his mind.


    ''Could it be Natalia''s spell not only destroyed his head but also erased his main consciousness?'' His forehead furrowed.


    Although Charles couldn''t understand the situation, he could vaguely tell that Elder''s Inner World was already weakened!


    "This is interesting. I actually thought of asking questions to get information, but you became so unlucky today." His voice turned eerier as he controlled the [Fire Seed] spell and started devouring his memories.


    ''Edward Fletcher¡­ 32-years old¡­ Official member of Divine Order and also has a connection with a higher official of a Lawful Church¡­ Other than the higher official''s blurry image, there seems to be no information about him. That''s how Elder got his hand on the Rank-4 Blood-Fiend Demon bloodline serum and became a Warlock¡­ Warlock?'' Charles''s furrowed his brows.


    ''So, that''s why he was able to cast multiple chaotic spells, huh.'' A look of understanding expression appeared on his face.


    ''Sinful Demon ss actuallyes under the Blood-Fiend Demon''s bloodline, but there is a big difference¡­Warlocks will not face shackles for every rank and would only stop ranking up when they reach the threshold of the bloodline essence they injected into their body. If a human injected a Rank-4 bloodline essence into his body, he won''t face any problem until he reaches Rank-4. After that, he has to find more bloodline essence to rank up further. But this ss-gem path ispletely different. He doesn''t need to find the bloodline ''essence.'' Instead, he has to find the corresponding ss gems to rank up further. Hmm, these ss gems seem to have some essence of ''bloodline'' hidden in them.''


    ''Yes, my Trickster ss also appears like a ''bloodline'' rted one. It already caused my body to mutate to a certain extent andpletely changed my race¡­'' He nodded thoughtfully and continued to extract more information about Elder.


    He also read memories about his involvement during the previous kidnapping incident and soon frowned.


    At that moment, his [Fire Seed] spell burned a particr memory and sent a piece of information to his Inner World.


    No, it''s not a piece of information, but a simple sentence in a strangenguage.


    Although he couldn''t understand the meaning behind the sentence, he vaguely felt it was directed towards him!


    As his [Fire Seed] continued to erase Elder''s memories, he also received simr strange memories and became confused.


    ''Why there are strange sentences hidden in Elder''s Inner World in the form of memories? Have his memories been already tampered with? From the earlier information, I can vaguely tell that some parts of his memories are not matching up¡­ This guy might not be the real Elder¡­ No, to put it more precisely, this guy might not be the ''Omen.'' I need more information.'' He massaged his temple for a moment and was about to read another memory but froze.


    At that moment, he received another simr sentence in his mind.


    But unlike the other ones, this one was in Blen Tongue!


    Just as he nced at the sentence, an eerie female voice echoed in his head!


    ''Good Luck, mortal.''


    Charles''s lips trembled all of a sudden!


    ''T-This voice¡­ It''s a trap!''


    Before he could even think of erasing the link with [Fire Seed] spell, a drastic change happened in Elder''s Inner World.


    Countless memory clouds merged into an invisible mark, directly entered his [Fire Seed] spell, and disappeared!


    Charles''s pupil constricted.


    ''My [Fire Seed] was already vanquished¡­ But why couldn''t I sense anything abnormal in my body or Inner World? Damn it, I shouldn''t have left the Inner World.'' He hurriedly moved his invisible strings, crushed Elder''s two hearts, and killed him on the spot.


    [Target Eliminated! Due to the target''s special identity, the host will get double Exp! 203,617 Exp points rewarded!]


    Charles got utterly stunned for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''Although I got so many Exp points, I actually lost against this stalking Divine or, should I say stalking Goddess. If I hadn''t left the Inner World, I would have perceived the danger and vanquished my [Fire Seed] spell earlier.'' He couldn''t help but let out a bitter smile.


    ''When the clone read ve Master''s memories, I felt something was off about this mission and thought of it as a trap set by the ''Divine.'' As I had guessed, Elder did indeed made a trap by blocking the space and tried his best to kill Natalia and my clone. But what was the reason for his action? There seemed to be none! It was as if he waspletely manipted by another person.''


    ''No, I also felt something was off when his main consciousness was destroyed¡­''


    ''At that time, he just woke up from my clone''s spells but acted swiftly. He didn''t even try to dodge the ''Ice Needle'' spell. Instead, he hurled the scythe towards Natalia and also cast [Chaotic Thinking] skill on my clone¡­ How did he be so clear-headed during the final moment of his death? He could have reced his second consciousness and hid in the Inner World. But he didn''t. He seemed to be firm on killing her at that time. Did something happen during the short amount of time? Did he receive some external help? It is possible.'' He suddenly recalled the incident when he used the System''s [Time Stop] ability to flip the Red Prince''s scheme.


    ''A few moments ago, I also have an opportunity to save Natalia, but when I realized that the Divine was behind this plot, I restrained myself and waited.''


    ''In the end, Natalia was indeed decapitated by the scythe and caused my clone to lose his calm. Then, she was resurrected by a strange reddish petal ''Divinity,'' and this caused my clone to feel more emotional. Finally, ''Love'' appeared in my Inner World.''


    ''At that time, I felt that the Divine''s n was just to help me get the ''Love'' emotion for my clone. That''s why I let down my guard, and choose to finish off the Elder by myself¡­ But who would have that this sneaky Divine''s main aim was not to create a ''Love'' emotion for me, but to put some invisible curse on me? The ''Divine'' seemed to have long predicted that I would show myself personally to read Elder''s memory. This¡­ This Divine ced the real trap in Elder''s Inner World!'' He shuddered a little.


    ''Why did the strange female''s voice wish me ''Good Luck''? Did this ''Divine'' ce some terrifying curse on me?'' He hurriedly opened the game interface and checked the status.


    To his shock, no abnormality appeared in the status bar, which caused him even more anxious.


    ''The ''Divine'' definitely did something to my body or soul.''


    His expression turned into a grave one.


    ''I don''t know who you are, where you are; but, I will make you regret your action.'' A cold look appeared on his face.


    He hurriedly stood up from the ground and soon noticed that the surrounding sky was breaking like ss.


    Shaking his head, he went near Elder''s withered human body and looked at his face.


    Simultaneously, he took out a portrait from his space ring,pared the facial features with Elder''s one, and soon sighed in disappointment.


    "He is indeed a different person."


    Then, he first checked his body and found a silver space ring.


    Then, he also took the red scythes, went to his broken house, picked a few books that appeared to be ''Midday'' potion recipes, and stored everything in his space ring.


    After that, he conjured a ball of me, tossed it on Elder''s body, and enveloped his body in a crimson me.


    A momentter, he reappeared next to Natalia, picked her up, ced her on his shoulder, and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 226: Jessie

    <h4>Chapter 226: Jessie</h4>


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District.


    It was around 2.A.M.


    In the mansion terrace, a whirly blonde-haired girl, who appeared to be around 18-years-old, stood at the edge and stared at the mansion garden with unfocused scarlet eyes. She wore a long ck nightgown, two unique earrings, and held a ck-covered book in her hand.


    She was none other than Jessie!


    Unlike before, she had grown into an ice beauty and had a cold aura around her.


    Her eyes wandered around the garden for a while and soon moved towards the three scarlet moons that hung up in the northern sky.


    Just as her gaze fixed on those moons, an uncontroble thirst for blood appeared in her mind.


    ''Damn it, it''s acting again.'' She bit her lips and sighed deeply, causing her bulging chest to bounce a little.


    She then hurriedly averted her gaze and felt vexed inside.


    After bing a Rank-2 [Blood Sucker] ss Mystic, shepletely refrained from hurting others and remained neutral.


    Moreover, the earrings she received from her Teacher truly helped her control the uncontroble thirst for blood.


    ''But how long are we going to dy our advancement?'' A cold voice echoed in her head.


    It was her second consciousness!


    Unlike her, her second consciousness was a cold-hearted one.


    ''Humph, don''t listen to her words. Although our advancement couldn''t be dyed, walking on the dark path is not the only option.'' Another voice echoed in her head, which contains a trace of calmness.


    It was her third consciousness!


    ''But why not killing wild animals to vent our thirst?'' Her second consciousness didn''t agree to the third''s words and retorted.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore an annoying expression on her face, then shook her head and said in her mind.


    ''I already choose to sacrifice my soft self, so killing is not my biggest concern. Actually, I''m nning on creating a secret organization to do all kinds of shady works. Our job is to hide in the shadows and eliminate all kinds of future threats.''


    ''Organization? An assassin organization? But all the assassin ss kids are under Titus''s control, though.'' Her second consciousness said in a solemn tone.


    ''No, we can''t rely on those kids. To do these kinds of dirty works, we need to subjugate the criminals. So I''m nning on using [Blood Curse] skill from now on.'' Her scarlet eyes shone in a firm resolution.


    ''Y-You are nning to walk in the dark path?'' Her third consciousness stuttered.


    ''Without darkness, there is no light. And, I''m not the one who would do these kinds of works. Moreover, I heard from my Teacher that letting my second consciousness to the dirty work will make me less guilty.'' She responded with a smile.


    Meanwhile, the second consciousness went silent for a whole three seconds and asked in a nervous tone.


    ''You are nning to use me to do the dirty works, aren''t you?''


    ''Among three of us, you are the one with cold-heart. This job really suits you.'' Jessie couldn''t help but smile as she said those words.


    Just as her second consciousness was about to retort, Jessie abruptly turned her head towards the garden and squinted her eyes.


    At that moment, a crimson humanoid figure appeared, threw a human in the grassy yard, and soon disappeared from there!


    "What the hell was that?" Jessie couldn''t hide her shock and swiftly touched her silver bracelet in her right hand while storing her book in the space ring.


    The next instant, two illusionary wings appeared behind her back and spread outwards.


    The bracelet was one of the umon artifacts which she brought using her savings.


    Using her thoughts, she pped the illusionary wings and jumped forward from the terrace.


    Like an eagle, she flew across the front yard garden in a circle and soon appeared near the ground.


    Just when she was about to crash, she pped the illusionary wings to slow down the momentum andnded casually.


    Then, she dismissed her wings, walked towards the fallen human with quick steps, and arrived near it.


    Soon, she saw a ck sheath-dressed human and became surprised.


    ''A woman?''


    She hurriedly squatted down, flipped her body, and soon froze as she saw the woman''s face.


    "Destiny Lady?" She blurted out in surprise.


    At that moment, the nearby silver-armored guards and even a few servants from the mansion building ran in her direction and already started making amotion.


    Jessie checked Natalia''s pulse without minding their shouts and soon breathed out a sigh of relief as she noticed that the Destiny Lady was still alive.


    "Bring her inside,ss." An old man''s shout echoed from the entrance, causing her to turn around subconsciously.


    She soon saw her Teacher, Oswald, at the entrance door of the mansion building and nodded her head.


    Then, she picked her up with both hands and started walking towards the three-storied building.


    As she arrived near the porch, a ck-haired teenage girl appeared beside Oswald with a half-sleepy face and stared at Jessie in confusion.


    Her long hairs were untied and almost covered her back in a wavy manner. Her face appeared pale white, and she wore a white pleated bodice nightdress.


    "Who is this?" A pleasant voice came out from her mouth as she saw the blood-stained sheath dress.


    "It''s Destiny Lady. A while ago, a strange humanoid fire suddenly appeared in the garden and dropped her there." Jessie said in a grave tone.


    A sh of surprise appeared on Rhea''s face and soon turned into a serious one.


    With quiet footsteps, she walked past Oswald, appeared near Jessie, and helped her carry the Destiny Lady.


    Meanwhile, Oswald wore a confused look for a second and soon grumbled.


    "I need to teach that brat about how to treat a woman. Even if he didn''t want to waste his time, at least, he should have given the unconsciousdy to the guards."


    Upon hearing his words, Jessie''s eyes widened for a second, and soon she asked.


    "T-That crimson human is your grandson?"


    Meanwhile, Oswald sighed with a nod, turned around, and started walking as he spoke.


    "Bring her in. It seems she drained her mental energy and entered into aa stage." He suddenly paused for a moment as he saw another woman walking towards their direction from the left side dining hall.


    She had ck hair, deep-blue eyes, and appeared around 30 years old. Her body appeared a little round, and she wore a regr nightgown.


    Oswald then gestured for her toe and spoke.


    "Ashley, take good care of her. She is my guest."


    On the other hand, Ashley hurriedly ran near them, took Natalia from Jessie''s hand, and started walking towards the right-side corridor.


    Meanwhile, Rhea got startled for a moment and soon ran after Ashley while shouting.


    "Wait, I will take care of her."


    "You can''t, Your Highness. This job is for servants." Ashley wore a helpless expression on her face and spoke with a sigh.


    "But I have long wanted to talk to her in person." Rhea made another excuse and got close to Ashley.


    "You can talk to her after she wakes up from thea, Your Highness." Ashley didn''t understand why Rhea was acting strangely and felt confused.


    "This woman is her idol. That''s why she is acting strangely." Jessie also appeared near them and joined the conversation.


    Oswald stared at them in amusement for a while, gripped the ck cane, and started walking towards the left side corridor.


    He walked past the dining hall, kitchen, storeroom, armory and soon appeared in front of a metallic shutter door.


    Then, he bent down with some difficulty while taking out a metal key, put it in the keyhole, and unlocked the door.


    After that, he pulled the shutter upward and started walking into the dark underground basement through the staircase.


    Just as he walked in, the metallic shutter closed on its own and shone in bright yellow color.


    Then, Oswald stepped down on therge stairs and soon entered the underground basement.


    His gaze swept past the table, broken artificial womb, and soonnded on a deep-blue-haired human.


    He wore a ck cloak over his dress, and his eyes appeared cold as ice.

 Chapter 227: An Absurd Idea

    <h4>Chapter 227: An Absurd Idea</h4>


    Upon seeing Charles, Oswald''s eyes widened.


    "You ranked up?"


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded and soon spoke with a sigh.


    "I indeed ranked up. But I also encountered something terrifying and lost."


    "What happened? What did you encounter?" Oswald walked in front of Charles and asked with a serious look on his face.


    It had only been a few hours before Charles went out to do the mission. But he already returned with aa-stated Destiny Lady, which caused Oswald to be stunned inside.


    Upon hearing Oswald''s words, Charles walked towards the nearbydderback chair, sat on it, and shifted his gaze towards the underground entrance.


    "I already locked the underground basement. Not even God can spy on us," The white-haired old man said in a proud tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and spoke.


    "I encountered the ''Divine,'' and I lost."


    "Divine? Howe you are still alive?" Oswald stared at him with a confused face.


    "No, it''s not like that." Charles took a deep breath and began to exin what had happened during the past few hours.


    When Oswald heard about the strange female voice, he squinted his eyes and then checked him using his wisdom power.


    "Hmm? I didn''t see any curse in your body or your soul." Puzzlement appeared on Oswald''s face.


    ''No curse? Then, what was that?'' Charles thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''First, I need to construct Rank-4 Spell models and increase my strength.'' He muttered inwardly and shifted his attention to the Inner World.


    ''With my current wisdom power, I can only construct two spell models. Any more than that, I might face failure during the construction process.'' He halted his thinking for a moment, stared at the white-haired old man, and asked.


    "How did the ancient mages improve their wisdom power?"


    Meanwhile, Oswald didn''t put much thought into it and responded casually.


    "Mostly, we use spirit technique and potions to increase our wisdom power. But there are some forbidden methods and artifacts that could help the mages extract a small amount of soul essence from one''s soul. If the mages use those methods and absorb the soul essence, they could indeed increase their wisdom power at an unimaginable speed." He deliberated for a moment and added.


    "Your secret artifact mighte under this section."


    "But it''s not helping me increase my wisdom power at a greater margin now," Charles said with a helpless look on his face.


    From his understanding, Charles knew that his wisdom power needed to reach 100 points for the next rank up. It was just one of the restrictions, though.


    ''I also need to increase my other attributes to the next level. Then, there is theprehension process and sub-ss skills improvement. Thankfully, I got all the emotions now.''


    While he was in muse, Oswald also went silent for the next few seconds and finally spoke.


    "I can give you the ''spirit'' technique. It simply allows you to absorb the soul essence from the surroundings and helps you increase your wisdom power. But if you follow this method, it might take more than two decades for you to reach peak Rank-4 stage."


    "2 decades?" Charles froze for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "I don''t have enough time." He paused for a moment and asked.


    "What about potion recipes?"


    "I have plenty of them, but potioneering is not an easy matter. Even the Ancient Mage Alchemists face difficulties when concocting the potions. If you give the full recipe of a potion to the current [Alchemist] ss Mystics, they won''t seed at all. During ancient times, even a Rank-3 Alchemist Mage could concoct a Sunset potion (Rank-4). But now? A Rank-4 Alchemist is struggling very hard to concoct a Midday potion (Rank-3)." Oswald said in disdain.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "What about you?"


    "No. I was a Runic Master back then, and I didn''t have enough patience and money to walk on the Alchemist pathway. Wait. You can go to the City of Miracles and ask for a High-rank Alchemist''s help in exchange for potion recipes. I also heard that the mages in that city are well versed in nar invasion and explore ancient ruins, pocket dimensions, and even dangerous dungeons to search for potions and materials. Why not try that?"


    Charles fell into deep thoughts as he heard the Holem''s Crown''s words.


    ''I have three options now. The first one is kidnapping a potion master and forces him to brew potions for me. Nope, it''s a suicidal idea. What if he put some poisons in the potion when concocting and tries to kill me?''


    ''The second option is learning to concoct the potion myself. From Rh''s earlier words, ancient mages seemed to have used their knowledge and patience to concoct the potion using the recipes. From the looks of it, one needs to think at a fast speed when concocting the potion. But I''m damn sure that it might take more than a decade for me to concoct a [Sunset] potion sessfully.''


    ''The final option is to go to the City of Miracles and look for a high-level Alchemist and asks his help¡­ But if I give an ancient potion recipe to such an Alchemist, the other party might use some underhand methods to plot against me. He might try to capture me and extract my memories to get the full recipe for himself.'' The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became.


    Upon noticing his facial expression, Oswald let out a deep sigh and was about to say something, but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, an absurd idea popped up in his head.


    "I have an idea. But this one is risky. As long as you seed, your wisdom power would rose to an unimaginable level. But if you fail, there is a high chance that you might die." Oswald said in a severe tone.


    ''I have a bad feeling about this.'' Charles stared into the old man''s amber eyes for a moment and furrowed his brows.


    "What is it?"


    At that moment, Oswald''s lips suddenly started to go upward and formed into a grin.


    "There is a taboo method that ancient mages use to strengthen their wisdom power. They would steal divine trinket or ''Divinity'' from God''s avatar or incarnation, steal the divine power using artifacts, and uses the ''divine power'' to enchant their wisdom. Yes, divine power, soul power, wisdom power, and spiritual power. In a sense, all these powers are the same. Take out the ''Divinity Extractor'' gem-" Before he could finish the sentence, Charles''s eyes lit up as he raised his hand and gestured Oswald to stop his talking.


    ''I indeed picked up a strange azure gem called [Divinity Extractor] when fighting against Red Prince''sckeys.'' His eyes shed as he shifted his gaze towards the space ring and hurriedly checked the contents. [Ref. Chapter 73.]


    Within two seconds, he took out a thumb-sized azure gem and ced it on his palm.


    Meanwhile, Oswald nodded his head with a pleased smile and spoke.


    "The will of a ''Devil'' is still residing in this gem. Erase it."


    Without any refusal, Charles used his wisdom power, broke the chaotic imprint with full force.


    A momentter, a shrill voice came out from the gem and soon died down.


    "What are we going to do with this gem?" Charles couldn''t hide his curiousness as he nced at the old man and asked in a hurry.


    Meanwhile, Oswald crossed his arms together and said calmly.


    "First, I will modify this gem a bit and change it into extracting divine power instead of divinity. Then, we are going to capture the stalking ''Divine'' and steal her divine power."


    Charles''s mind went nk for a moment.


    "F*ck, you are insane! She is a ''Goddess,'' not some random sheep." He couldn''t help but shout as he heard Oswald''s words.


    On the other hand, Oswald shook his head and spoke.


    "No. You clearly didn''t understand the current situation of this world. After the nar Alliance, all the Gods agreed not to interfere with mortals'' business. Not only that, but they also formed an agreement not to send avatars or incarnations to the world to help mortals. But howe this stalking ''Divine'' is acting here? There is only one possible answer, and that is: She is using one of her ''consciousnesses'' to possess a mortal body and scheming something big. Unlike humans, Gods could even create hundreds of separate perfect consciousnesses. The one that is targeting you might be a perfect consciousness of a Divine. So, our target is not the all mighty ''Divine'' but this perfect crafty consciousness."


    Charles''s expression turned ugly as he heard those words.


    "A while ago, I was outsmarted by the Divine''s consciousness and even received some invisible curse as a reward. We know nothing about this consciousness. The enemy is hiding in the darkness while we are in the open." Charles felt that it was an impossible task to capture a Divine.


    "Even if it is just consciousness, it has the ability even to control a peak level Rank-4 Existence. What is terrifying me most is that Fake Elder died without even knowing that he was manipted all the time. Haa, I now understand why you got captured by some ''Divine'' and turned into an artifact. Your ns are always suicidal." Charles said in a cold tone.

 Chapter 228: Rank-4 Spell Model

    <h4>Chapter 228: Rank-4 Spell Model</h4>


    "Yes, capturing a Divine''s consciousness is not an easy matter,d. But it''s not impossible. And, I have a n." Oswald said with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "But we don''t know where this ''consciousness'' is hiding. More than one million people are living in this city. Finding the ''Divine'' among these people is more like searching for a needle in the haystack." Charles''s face turned serious.


    He was still searching for ''Omen'' and the skeleton and couldn''t even find any lead till now.


    Meanwhile, Oswald shook his head and continued.


    "But we have some clues. First, this ''Divine'' seems to be after Rhea''s life. But why would an almighty divine want her life? Is her soul something special? I don''t think so-"


    "The ''Divine'' might be after the first king''s legacy." Charles interrupted his talking.


    "That''s what I thought too. In the prophecy, the first king said that a ''Divine'' would stay near her all the time and try to steal her life. But there are different meanings hidden in this line. For example, steal her life have two meanings. One is stealing her soul by killing her and the other one ispletely take control of Rhea''s soul and body, impersonate as her, be a monarch and steal her future life." Oswald suddenly paused for a moment and then continued.


    "But I still don''t understand why she is helping you to create ''Love'' emotion for you. Maybe she is nning something big for you too? I''m not sure about that. Now, you should continue your mission and prepare for the life and death ordeal during Rhea''s coronation ceremony. The Divine will definitely show up and take action during that moment. That''s when we will use this gem andpletely capture that consciousness. But we must do it before the consciousness sends information regarding our aim to her real body. This Divine''s consciousness''s death must be very mysterious even for the stalking Goddess." The more Oswald talked about it, the more excited he became.


    Meanwhile, Charles also nodded his head and agreed.


    As long as the n was perfect, he would never hesitate to co-operate with Oswald.


    Then, he suddenly thought of something and asked with a frown.


    "What do you want in return, Mr. Rh? I know that you would never help me without expecting anything in return."


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald almost choked for a moment andughed.


    "Hehe, you noticed, huh. Right, I want you to bring me to a certain ce after this mission." His voice contains a trace of excitement.


    "Where is it?" Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion and asked.


    At that moment, Oswald''s smile widened.


    "Your home. I want to go to the Nightwind Family and take something from the Dreand Pocket Dimension. That''s where Eddie hid a ''Darkness'' elemental stone. As long as we get that, mybat ability would rise. I might be able to restore [Erase Existence] spell model."


    Meanwhile, Charles fell into deep thoughts for a while and then nodded.


    "Good. Let''se to the topic." Oswald instantly changed into a professional mode and began to speak about their work.


    They discussed for more than an hour and made a detailed n to capture the Divine''s consciousness.


    After the discussion, Oswald didn''t stay in the underground basement and left silently.


    Meanwhile, Charles chose afortable ce to sit and entered the Inner World.


    A momentter, he appeared beside clone Charles, changed his appearance into a white-haired old man, looked at thevake, and sighed.


    "You used me." A cold voice came from his right side, causing him to furrow his brows.


    "I did." Charles agreed with a nod and then added with a bitter smile.


    "But to ignite the soul heal spell model, I have no choice."


    He felt the betrayal emotion of his own self and sighed heavily.


    Although the clone Charles got angry at him, he also understood the seriousness and heaved a heavy sigh.


    He then looked at theva liquid, which contains the memory of the previous encounter, and asked.


    "What about our agreement? Will you let me spend some time with Miss. Natalia?"


    ''Hmm, a tough question. If I agree to his request, it will be like walking straight into a trap. But if I didn''t, things won''t go smoother. For example, both the clone and I feel betrayed by our own selves. If this continues, we won''t love and ept ourselves for who we are. We won''t have selfpassion or self-forgiveness. Although I can simply erase him, this betrayal mark won''t disappear from me for the rest of my life.'' Charles thought for a moment and responded.


    "Be it. You can spend some time with her whenever I''m free. For example, you can take 2 hours of my time."


    A smile bloomed on the clone Charles''s face as he heard those words.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head, looked up at the dark sky, and spoke.


    "I''m going to construct a Rank-4 spell model now. Bring that chaos fireball to the sky."


    Saying so, he cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell, pped the wings twice, and shot up towards the sky.


    On the other hand, the clone Charles also cast [Red Wings] spell and flew towards the system cube to get the ''Chaos'' fireball.


    A few secondster, he carried a-covered chaotic ball of reddish-ck me from the opposite side and flew up towards the sky.


    He soon appeared in the dark sky and moved towards a particr reddish spell model.


    Meanwhile, Charles already appeared in front of the [Needle of Ember] spell model and opened the game interface.


    ''Currently, I have a total of 1,156,529 Exp points.'' He took a deep look at the exp bar and shifted his gaze towards the spell model option.


    Then, he focused his gaze on the [Needle of Ember] spell and soon saw a list of corresponding spells appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Fire Whip (146,500 Exp), Chaos Lighting (124,200 Exp), Fire''s Wrath (150,100 Exp), zing Sun (164,350 Exp), Finger of Destruction (174,600 Exp), Chaos Eruption (180,200 Exp)¡­]


    ''Chaos Lighting¡­ Fire Wrath¡­ zing Sun¡­ Finger of Destruction¡­'' Charles stared at the list for a while and soon made up his mind.


    At that moment, he also saw his clone also appeared beside him and stood in silence.


    Charles nodded at him and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "I have a vague feeling that I might enter into an enlightenment state once I start the spell model construction process. After cing this ''chaos fireball'' in front of me, stay away from here. Otherwise, you might get affected by the chaos fire."


    Saying so, he focused his gaze on the [Finger of Destruction] spell model and spent 174,600 Exp points.


    A momentter, a loud tremor came from where the game cube was located and followed by countless runal characters.


    Like a flock of reddish bees, all those runal characters appeared in front of the [Needle of Ember] spell model one by one and began to arrange above the previous one.


    Upon seeing this, the clone Charles hurriedly ced the chaotic fireball in front of the real Charles and hastily backed away.


    Meanwhile, Charles focused his gaze on the newly arranged characters and started toprehend.


    He also used [Cryptic Analysis] skill constantly and soon entered a strange dazed state.


    At that moment, he suddenly grasped a streak of chaos essence and soon turned his attention towards the sealed chaotic fireball on his right side.


    In the chaotic fireball, he saw hundreds of simr streaks of chaotic essence and became stunned for a moment.


    The next instant, he ultimately entered the enlightened state and began toprehend the streaks of chaotic essences.


    Within a few seconds, one reddish-ck streak came out from the chaos fireball, moved towards his newly constructing [Finger of Destruction] spell model, encircled the hexagonal spell model, and then fused with it!


    Ten secondster, another streak of chaotic fire essence came out and moved towards the spell model.


    While Charles was in his enlightened state, his eyes constantly flickered like a machine, and he began toprehend the chaotic fireball.


    One minute¡­ Two minutes¡­Five minutes¡­ Ten minutes¡­


    He stayed in the same position for the next thirty minutes and almostprehended the chaotic fireball!


    Unlike before, only a few steaks of chaotic fire essences circling inside the fireball!


    After few seconds, he finishedprehending the chaotic fireball and soon returned to his normal state.


    But he didn''t stop for a moment and choose to focus his attention on the newly constructing spell model.


    Then, he stayed in the same position and continued hisprehension.


    Seconds turned minutes, minutes turned hours, and soon one day passed!


    But the construction process continued, and the runal characters constantly flew from the System Cube like a never-ending stream.


    Precisely 49 hourster, a brand new reddish hexagonal-shaped spell model appeared in front of him.


    It was five-meter taller and appeared more like a real star!


    A smile crept on Charles''s face as he saw the hexagonal spell model.


    His smile was not due to thepletion of the construction but due to theprehension!


    ''I alreadyprehended 53% of the spell model! Moreover, this spell got strengthened by the chaotic fire essences and could produce more than 150% damage than normal attack spells!''

 Chapter 229: Present Time

    <h4>Chapter 229: Present Time</h4>


    Charles then retracted his gaze from the spell model and opened the game interface.


    ''Hmm, which spell model should I construct next? Mind-rted? Defensive? Healing? Or supportive?'' He massaged his temple for a moment and chose to construct the defensive spell model.


    He hurriedly opened the spellbook option and focused his gaze on the [Sun''s Shell] spell model.


    The next instant, multiple corresponding spells appeared in front of his eyes.


    But among them, one spell model named [Sun''s Guard] caught his attention.


    ''It has simr effect as the Starfall Codex book''s [Sun''s re] spell.'' He also checked other spells, but none caught his attention.


    After thinking for a moment, he spent 195,400 Exp points and chose to construct the [Sun''s Guard] spell model!


    Unlike thest time, he didn''t enter into an enlightenment state and used his cryptic analytic skill toprehend while the spell model was in the construction process.


    Same as before, the [Sun''s Guard] spell model construction process took more than 48 hours!


    Once he finished constructing the spell model, a burst of dazzling sunshine came out from the 5-meter tall hexagonal spell model and illuminated the whole Inner World.


    Charles gazed at the newly constructed spell model and soon shook his head.


    ''This spellcks anyw essence. If my guess is not wrong, it could barely stop a normal Rank-4 attack spells. If the opponent usesw-infused Rank-4 spell, the defensive shield might crumble after a second or two. Comparing with the Finger of Destruction spell model, this one is nothing. This is the difference betweenprehended and nonprehended spell model, huh.'' He let out a deep sigh and checked the total amount of Exp he had.


    ''786,529 Exp¡­ It''s more than enough to rank-up my both sses. But should I spend the free attribute points?'' Charles furrowed his brows for a moment and shook his head.


    ''No. if the artifact''s n bes sessful, my wisdom power will get arge boost. Then, therees the physical attributes. If I want to increase them to next stage, I have to rely on potions. But from the Holem''s Crown''s earlier words, even the Rank-4 Alchemist seems to have no ability to concoct the Sunset potions (Rank-4). Even if they concoct a potion, they will never put them in the auction. So, spending the free attributes on the wisdom attribute might not be a wise choice. Instead, I should save them and use it when I face obstacle to raise the attributes.''


    He let out a deep sigh and spent 355,800 Exp on the main ss.


    ¡­


    [You became an Lv-2 ze Sorcerer!]


    [2 free attribute points rewarded!]


    [+1 wisdom point rewarded!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [You became an Lv-3 ze Sorcerer!]


    [2 free attribute points rewarded!]


    [+1 wisdom point rewarded!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [You became an Lv-4 ze Sorcerer!]


    [2 free attribute points rewarded!]


    [+1 wisdom point rewarded!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [You became an Lv-5 ze Sorcerer!]


    [2 free attribute points rewarded!]


    [+1 wisdom point rewarded!]


    [10 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''Hmm, I currently have 10 free attributes points and 127 free skills points.'' He pondered for a moment and chose to level up the sub-ss too.


    He focused his attention on the sub-ss section and poured 147,794 Exp points into it.


    ¡­


    [You became an Lv-5 Shape-Shifter]


    [1 free attributes point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    ''Good.'' He nodded his head and checked the status.


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal (Affected by Amber''s Curse)


    Race: Shape-Shifter


    Main ss: Level 5 ze Sorcerer (0/221,690) [Rank-4]


    Sub-ss: Level 5 Shape-shifter (0/221,690) [Rank-4]


    Title: Chaos Maker


    Health Points: 631/631


    Exp: 282,935 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 20.5


    Dexterity- 20


    Constitution- 20.4


    Wisdom-57


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 147


    AP (Attribute points): 11


    ss spells:


    Fallen Angel''s Wings (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Finger of Destruction (Rank-4 spell- Iplete) [5% Extra boost due to the presence of Chaos power in this spell model.]


    Fire Born (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sun''s Guard (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    Knowledge Absorber (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Soul Heal (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    me Teleportation (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Sleight of Mystery Hand- 253


    Shape-shifting- 234


    Foresight- 315


    Unique skills:


    Wisdom Sight- 220


    Conceal- 56


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 44


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]


    ''I spent almost all the exp points, but only gained 11 attribute points and 60 skill points. Well, the system is just an artifact after all.'' He let out a deep sigh, closed the game interface, and flew towards his Inner World.


    Within a few seconds, he reached the ground, flew past volcanic mountains,va pools, and strange fire forests, and soon arrived in front of the System Cube, which appeared around a 3x3 meter cube.


    Charles nced at the mysterious red cube for a second and shifted his gaze towards the longitudinal andtitudinal lines of runal letters encircling the cube.


    Then, he tried to get near it but soon felt the same invisible force obstructing him from nearing the cube.


    But unlike before, Charles felt something was off about it.


    After thinking for a moment, he used his wisdom power and began to study the invisible force.


    After two hours of deep analysis, Charles squinted his eyes all of a sudden.


    ''T-This¡­ It''s not some invisible energy is obstructing me, but this particr space seemed to be frozen in time¡­'' He got dumbfounded for a moment.


    "This is the power of Present Time." He couldn''t help but feel excited inside.


    ''Am I able to master it?'' A thought whirled in his mind.


    ''I have to try at least.'' He instantly made up his mind and sat on the cross-legged position near the cube.


    He used his wisdom power and [wisdom sight] skill for the next ten hours and tried his best to grasp the mysterious present-time ability.


    Just when he was about to stop his analysis, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation.


    At that moment, a sh of inspiration appeared in his mind.


    ''My [Fire Born] spell¡­ It actually originates from the Rebirth me¡­ A mysterious fire which abilities are unknown even to Mr. Rh¡­ But when the demonized Elder used his chaos scythe to attack me, not a single scratch appeared on my body¡­ Why? It''s not a chaos me¡­ Wait¡­ Rebirth¡­ Born as new¡­ I think it might be a ''Time'' rted spell.'' As the thought appeared in his mind, he instantly cast [Fire Born] spell on himself and soon felt that his thought processing ability began to elerate.


    Simultaneously, he felt that he could think faster than before and analyze the surroundings very carefully!


    A momentter, a blue notification popped up in front of his eyes, causing him to be stunned inside.


    [Seer ss unique skill obtained!


    elerate Thoughts: An ability which allows user to think 1.5 times faster than before!


    Caution: Using this skill continuously will drain one''s mental energy.]


    ''This is indeed a big surprise.'' Charles stared at the notification for a moment and then furrowed his brows.


    ''elerate Thoughts¡­ If I continue to study the present ''Time'' power, I can indeed improve this skill at a fast speed¡­ elerate Thoughts is just a basic skill. As long as I grasp more secrets, I can even slow down the surrounding movements and act much faster¡­ This must be how the Divines grasped ''Time Stop'' ability.'' His eyes shed.


    ''Wait¡­ I''m in my Inner World and I''m almost omnipotent like the Divines, right?'' He stood up, raised both of his hands, and tried to stop the surrounding movements.


    But soon, a frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''It''s not working.'' He maintained the same posture, used his full wisdom power, and tried to slow down the surrounding movements instead ofpletely stopping them.


    Suddenly, he saw that everything around him began to slow down.


    No, he noticed that he could only slow down the ''Time'' around a 1-meter radius!


    Still, this caused him to be amazed inside.

 Chapter 230: Edith

    <h4>Chapter 230: Edith</h4>


    Without any hesitation, Charles took a step forward and moved.


    For the next few seconds, he studied the new ability and soon came to an understanding.


    ''This ability is draining my mental energy continuously¡­ The reason I didn''t face much obstacle is definitely due to the Inner World. This world is created by my imagination and my control over this world is very high. But in the maternal world, I''m just a foreigner. Unless Ipletely grasp the secrets of ''Time,'' I won''t able to use this ability at all. Well, as long as I have enough time, I have a big advantage to learn the secrets of the Present Time.'' Charles nodded inwardly and focused his attention on the original mission.


    ''Hmm, my next target is to capture the Amber Church''s Archbishop Royce. He is the one who put ''Amber Curse'' on me and also manipted Be Collins to appear here. Not only that, but he seemed to have some ties with Red Prince. Wait¡­ In Elder''s memories, I heard that ''Elder'' also had some ties with a higher official of awful Church¡­ If not for this higher official, he wouldn''t have got his hands on a Demon''s bloodline and became a Warlock. Could these two really be the same person?'' He was shocked by his own thought.


    ''Troublesome¡­ But I can''t rule out the possibility¡­ If both of them are the same person, then I will be in deep sh*t¡­ Amber Church¡­ The eerie woman''s voice¡­ Is she Goddess of Wealth, Zephine?'' Charles''s face turned stiff all of a sudden.


    ''I will find out the truth once I capture this Archbishop. But he must be a Rank-4 Mystic and killing or capturing him alive without alerting other Rank-4 Mystics is almost impossible. So I need to gather more information about him.'' He muttered inwardly and silently left the Inner World.


    The next instant, he opened his eyes in the physical world, looked at his right side and saw a white-haired old man was seated on thedder back chair.


    "You have been staying in the same position for the past 5 days." Oswald said in a cold tone.


    "My body had long reached the realm of Extraordinary. So I won''t die because of few days of hunger." He replied casually and stood up from the concrete floor.


    Meanwhile, Oswald let out a helpless sigh and asked.


    "What''s your next n?"


    "Archbishop Royce." Charles suddenly paused and hurriedly took out a notebook, golden quill, and half-finished ink bottle.


    Then, went near the wooden table, ced them on it and started to write something in the notebook.


    As Oswald looked at the page, his amber eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    "Demonic Church believers? Moreover, all of them are nobles?" Even he was startled inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and started to speak.


    "Yes, this kingdom is already gued by these cult members. More than 34 noble houses are filled with believers of Demonic Church. They also have some ties with disappearance of young kids. I want you to give an important mission to Jessie. Tell her to make every one of these nobles as her ves within 3 months. Hmm, also tell her to not leave any clues behind."


    "If the Churches finds out-"


    Before Oswald could finish his words, Charles raised his hand, rubbed his chin and spoke.


    "Don''t worry about them. We are not ving innocent peoples anyway. Those nobles are evil cult members and have done countless crimes." He deliberated for a moment and soon added with a smile.


    "Send a letter to Bishop Myles and tell him about the situation. Also, ask him to give us a permission letter to do a ''cleansing'' in the name of Goddess Rodia."


    "Cleansing¡­ What are you nning?" Oswald stared at him for a moment before sighed.


    "I''m just trying toplete the main mission." On the other hand, Charles said with a mysterious smile on his face and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    The next instant, his whole body, enveloped in a crimson me and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    Hignder Street, Commoners'' District, City of Iron.


    It was around 4 P.M.


    There stood a single stored brick house in the right side corner of the street road and appeared isted from the rest of the buildings. Due to the poor maintenance, the outer walls were filled with ck marks and looked gloomier.


    The old building was encircled in a one-meter tall wooden fence, and multiple vine nts and weeds filled the outer yard.


    At that moment, a humanoid me appeared suddenly in the reception room and soon formed into the figure of a 23-year old looking young man.


    First, Charles nced around the surroundings and soon rxed as he noticed that no one was nearby.


    ''Okay. It''s time for acting.'' He curled his lips upward, raised his right hand and touched his face.


    The next instant, his olive skin became darker and darker and soon formed into a tan-colored one!


    Simultaneously, his slightly rough facial skin also began to turn shinier and smoother, like a young woman''s face.


    ''Next is hair-color.'' He muttered inwardly and concentrated his attention on his hair.


    A momentter, his slightly long deep-blue hair grew steadily and only stopped when it reached the waist area. Then, the hair color also started to turn darker and formed into a pitch-ck in color!


    ''Hmm, next step is medium-sized breasts and body shape.'' Charles closed his eyes and began to concentrate on how to change his body.


    Once he changed his body into a female one, he took out a set of female cloth from his space ring and wore it.


    After that, he entered his Inner World, sealed almost all of the important memories about ''Divine'' ''Archbishop Royce'' and ''Rodia''s gem'' in his clone''s consciousness and told him to keep them hidden.


    After that, he left the Inner World and began to do some facial makeup.


    ¡­


    A few minutester, a long ck-haired woman in herte twenties walked out of the old brick house and nced around the surroundings. Her oval face shone in evening sunlight and appeared beautiful.


    She had deep-blue eyes, an apple-shaped body, tan skin, and looked around 176 cm high.


    She wore a double-breasted trench coat, tight ck leather pants, and ck boots.


    This was Charles''s female identity, Edith Oliver!


    ''Wow, this feels so real.'' Charles touched the soft chest area and became speechless for a moment.


    But soon, he dismissed the cursed thought and started walking out of the house.


    ''Hmm, my original n appeared very vague¡­ If I want to fool the¡­ Tsk, I sealed my memories, huh.'' He clicked his tongue and began to read his current mission.


    ''First, I have to go to 67 Grove Street in Merchants'' District, capture a man named Casey and absorbs his memories before killing him. Then, I have to take a drop of his blood, inject it into my vein and transform into him using the shape-shift skill. After that, I have to enter my ''Inner World'' and learn about the next n¡­''

 Chapter 231: Riddle

    <h4>Chapter 231: Riddle</h4>


    Charles, in female appearance, walked past many houses and alleys and entered the Merchants'' District. Then, he appeared in Grove Street and started walking towards a two-storied house.


    At that same time, he began to recall personal information about Casey.


    ''Casey is a 35-year old man with average height and weight. He has short ck-hair, rough face, brown eyes, and elongated eyebrows. To outsiders, he is a butler of Griffin Household. But in truth, he has some big ties with few big shots like Larry Foster, Archbishop Royce, Laney Griffin, etc. From Jessie''s observation, he seems to have some mysterious background¡­''


    Charles had 100% trust in her information-gathering abilities!


    ''But something feels off about this guy. Hmm, I wouldn''t be surprised if he turned out to be a dual-ss Rank-3 Mystic. As long as he isn''t a Rank-4 Mystic, I can capture him, and rece his position. For now, I should use [Cryptic Analysis] skill and learn more about him. Then, I also have to check how many guards are staying in this house and their strength. There is a high chance that another Rank-3 Mystic protecting him in the shadows.''


    While he was in muse, Charles suddenly saw a long silver-haired woman in a ck frock coat walked out of the two-storied house and became stupefied.


    Although she covered half of her face with a brown scarf, Charles still identified her instantly.


    She had a square face, sky-blue eyes, and a bulging chest. She appeared around 30 to 35 years old, and her face seemed a little pale.


    ''Vivian!'' His ck eyes shed in surprise and shock.


    ''Why is she here?''


    She was the only person who managed to escape during the previous kidnapping incident!


    ''No, the woman''s consciousness also managed to escape when I destroyed Eric''s body. But I didn''t expect that I would meet her here.'' Noticing his gaze, Vivian also turned her gaze towards his direction and soon squinted her eyes.


    ''Who is she? Why does her face look familiar?'' Vivian furrowed her brows.


    Then, she raised her hand, adjusted her brown scarf, and started walking in the opposite direction.


    At that moment, Charles fell into a deep contemtion.


    ''Should I follow my original n? Or, should I go after her?'' A frown appeared on his smooth forehead area.


    ''From the looks of it, this butler might not be a normal man¡­ He has some deep ties with powerful people like Vivian, Archbishop and Rank-4 Mage, so there is a high possibility that he might also be a Rank-4 Mystic in disguise! Even if he is a Rank-3 Mystic, he might be in possession of some powerful artifacts. Damn, I thought Rank-4 Mystics are rare.'' A forced smile appeared on his face.


    He then sharpened his gaze towards the direction where Vivian was walking and narrowed his eyes.


    ''If I manage to capture her, I might get some useful information about this butler, and also the one skeleton. Moreover, I knew about her curse magic spells.'' He didn''t think for a moment as he adjusted his coat and started walking in the same direction.


    But he didn''t hide his motive at all!


    Instead, he deliberately acted like he was following after her!


    At that moment, Vivian also felt that someone was following her and started to frown.


    ''Who is it? Is that the ck-haired woman? Who is she? Why do I feel like I have met her before?'' Multiple thoughts whirled in her mind.


    But there was one thing she was sure of.


    ''She seems to have found out my identity! Wait¡­ She also saw me walking out from Casey''s house. Sh*t! Casey''s identity mustn''t be exposed.'' Her heart thumped harder.


    While walking, she used her wisdom power and started to analyze her.


    ''Hmm? Her stealth skill is terrible and looks like a beginner. Hmm, her body strength appears to have only reached Expert Stage¡­ she must be a Rank-3 Mystic.'' Such thought appeared in her mind.


    ''I have to kill her before she tells others.'' A cold glint appeared in her eyes.


    Without any dy, Vivian moved towards the main street and started walking towards the Eastern gate.


    She was nning to lure this woman out of the city and kill her swiftly!


    While walking, she also took out a strange ck ring and informed her teacher about the situation if anything goes wrong.


    On the other hand, Charles was pleased by her response.


    He continued to follow after her and soon saw her exited through the eastern gate.


    At that moment, Vivian moved towards the left side dirt path and continued to walk while walking past many pedestrians.


    She also constantly used her wisdom power on Charles and monitored his location.


    After a few minutes of walking, she took a right turn and entered the nearby woond filled with dense trees, vines, and shrubs.


    Once she walked in, she deliberately left her foot trails and began to search for an open area for battle.


    She also took out a palm-sized disc from her space ring and curled her lips upward.


    It was filled with countless weird engravings and appeared to be made of iron.


    "Riddle of Nightmares."


    This disc was an extraordinary artifact which she brought from her teacher.


    Even her teacher felt unsafe when using this artifact.


    The only reason that her teacher gave this artifact to Vivian was due to theirst encounter with Ancient Mage!


    That was the first time even her teacher got outsmarted by someone and decided to enchant Vivian''s personal strength.


    Shaking her head, she moved her fingers and pressed at the center.


    The next instant, an invisible ripple came out from the disc and began to alter the surroundings.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly felt that the whole forest began to turn denser and eerier and got startled.


    ''Something is wrong.'' He furrowed his brows and soon saw Vivian''s footsteps began to disappear.


    Simultaneously, the sky also turned darker and gave him a sense of uneasiness!


    Not only that, but he also saw creepy ck vines and nts popped out from the ground and went on an alert mode.


    Just when he was about to take a step forward, an eerie woman''s voice echoed behind his ears.


    "Small doors¡­"


    ''Small doors?'' Charles turned around in shock and soon noticed no one was behind him!


    ''Whose voice was that?''


    Just as he was about to say something, he once again heard the eerie woman''s voice from the surrounding trees.


    "The doors that do not make any sound even when you close and open one million times - What are they?"


    ''A Riddle?'' Charles''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    ''I have a bad feeling about it.'' Although he was shocked by the sudden eerie woman''s words, he didn''t lose his calm and pondered.


    ''Is this some kind of dream ability? It looks like there is only one way to find out.'' Nodding his head, Charles started to recall her earlier words.


    ''Small doors that do not make any sound even when you close and open one million times, huh¡­'' He raised his hand, rubbed his chin, and then blinked his eyes.


    The next instant, a smile crept on his face.


    "Eyelids." His icy voice echoed in the gloomy forest.


    At that moment, his [Vision] skill triggered on its own and sent tens of futuristic images to his mind.


    The next instant, the whole surroundings began to shimmer a little and broke away like an illusion.


    The creepy ck vines and nts faded away and were soon reced with the normal ground.


    The sky also appeared brighter and still illuminated the dense woods.


    But Charles had no time to look around at all.


    A chilling sensation appeared behind his nape and caused his heart to thump all of a sudden.


    "Don''t move."


    Simultaneously, a cold female voice echoed behind his ears, causing his lips to curl upward.


    ''Vivian!''

 Chapter 232: Soul Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 232: Soul Secrets</h4>


    "Turn around," Vivian said in a cold tone while pointing her finger at his head.


    On the other hand, Charles returned to his calm state, turned around, and stared into her eyes.


    The next instant, his ck eyes glinted all of a sudden.


    When Vivian was about to open her mouth, she suddenly forgets what she was about to say!


    Simultaneously, her second consciousness noticed a strange fire in her Inner World, appeared beside it, and erased it in an instant.


    But that was more than enough for Charles to cast [False Blink] spell!


    He enveloped his body in a crimson me, disappeared from there, and reappeared a few meters away from where he stood before.


    In the meantime, Vivian also returned to her previous state and became icy cold!


    "You!" She didn''t hesitate for a moment before she pointed her finger in his direction and cast her first spell.


    ''Truth Curse.''


    "Reveal your name."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles subconsciously opened his mouth and spoke in a female voice.


    "John Browning."


    The next instant, shock appeared on his face.


    ''She can manipte my consciousness to speak the truth?''


    Meanwhile, Vivian got stupefied and soon widened her eyes.


    But before she could even open her mouth, Charles suddenly raised his hand, pointed his finger at her, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell!


    At that moment, he had single thought run through his mind.


    ''She has to die.''


    A momentter, a dense reddish-ck fire condensed at the tip of his finger, formed into a thumb-sized bullet, and shot forth towards Vivian!


    Meanwhile, Vivian''s instinct began to scream wildly!


    ''This woman''s spell is way too dangerous.'' She didn''t dare to hesitate and touched her silver bracelet.


    In a blink, an invisibleyer came out from her bracelet and formed into a force field.


    It was a one-time artifact with a Rank-4 spell inscribed in it!


    Her Teacher spent more than a month creating this artifact!


    Although Vivian felt pained inside, she knew that there was no choice now.


    ''I need to survive.'' She muttered to herself and also cast her defensive spell.


    "Cursed Shield."


    A one-meter tall blood-coated metallic shield appeared in front of her andnded on the ground with a thud.


    Meanwhile, the condensed reddish bullet tore through the air in a blink and collided with the invisibleyer.


    For a second, two powerful forces shed against each other and released powerful ripples.


    But suddenly, the condensed fire bullet exploded with a powerful bang, enveloped the surrounding trees, nts, and vines in reddish fire, and forcefully pushed the invisibleyer in the other direction.


    In a blink, the reddish fire enveloped everything around 50 meters radius area and let out terrifying shockwaves in every direction.


    Even Charles''s body was enveloped in the reddish chaos me!


    Thankfully, he had already expected such an oue, cast [Fire Born] spell on himself, and started moving backward.


    Although the fire couldn''t pose a serious threat to his body, he didn''t dare to take any risk!


    On the other hand, Vivian saw that the illusionaryyer began to crack everywhere and went pale in fright.


    Before she could even think, a powerful force pushed her backward.


    She tried her best and resisted, but a finger-like reddish bullet tore through the invisibleyer and collided against her bloody cursed shield.


    The next instant, her body flew backward like a bullet due to the powerful impact and collided against the tree branches and stems.


    In two seconds, her body tore through the forest, and soon her back collided on arge tree trunk!


    At that moment, the reddish bullet also broke her curse shield and pierced through her right side shoulder.


    Vivian felt that her whole body was invaded by something very evil!


    Letting out a painful moan, she spat out a mouthful of blood andnded on the ground in a kneeling position.


    "W-What kind of spell is this?" Panic surfaced on her face.


    Meanwhile, Charles stared at therge crater and soon nced around.


    The whole surrounding trees became charred, and the reddish fire was spreading in different directions like wildfire!


    ''This spell even broke the Rank-4 defensive shield-like paper¡­ Is this due to me enchanting with Elder''s Chaos fireball? Or, is it something to do with the spell model?'' He furrowed his brows in suspicion.


    But he was sure of one thing.


    ''If Ipletelyprehend this spell model, no Rank-4 defensive spell could block this spell!'' He couldn''t help but excited inside.


    Shaking his head, he used his wisdom power, scanned the surroundings, and soon widened his eyes.


    ''She is still alive?''


    He instantly cast [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared in front of Vivian.


    Upon seeing his arrival, her whole body trembled uncontrobly.


    She raised both of her hands above her head and shouted with all her might.


    "I surrender!"


    ''Humph, trying to stall time?'' He felt amused inside.


    ''Switch with me, Charles.'' He suddenly muttered inwardly and entered his Inner World.


    A momentter, the clone Charles took over his body and stared at Vivian.


    Just when he was about to use his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] spell on her, his vision turned blurry all of a sudden and went dark!


    "Blind Curse." A cold female voice appeared from the front.


    Vivian then stood up with all her might, silently cast her ''Illusionary Curse'' on Charles, and raised her hand.


    Then, she was about to use her next spell but soon froze.


    At that moment, Charles blinked his eyes and stared at her coldly.


    At that moment, he once again switched his ce with his second consciousness andpletely broke her previous spells!


    Without any dy, he cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on her and continued to erase her current thoughts.


    He then raised his hand, pointed her finger at her forehead, and cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand].


    The next instant, multiple invisible strings enveloped her body and bound her to the nearby trunk.


    By the time Vivian managed to rethink, she had found herself tied to the tree trunk.


    Anger and hate appeared in her eyes.


    "M-My teacher won''t forgive you." She let out an angry growl and muttered.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly moved his hand, took the strange metallic disc, and asked.


    "Who is your Teacher? Who is she working for?"


    While asking, he also cast [Burning Thoughts], [Fire Seed], and [Knowledge Absorber] spells on her and soon wore a surprised look on his face.


    ''Louise¡­ She is the first disciple of a Rank-5 [Sorcerer of the Dead] ss Mystic named Reid¡­ Although Vivian hasn''t seen him upfront, she heard it from Louise that he already entered the realm of Immortal and became a pure Lich!''


    ''The skeleton!'' Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''A Rank-5 Existence? Isn''t this mission a suicidal one? The Churches doesn''t want other candidates to be the next monarch? Or, they still know nothing about this skeleton''s real strength?'' He was deeply startled inside.


    At that moment, Vivian realized what was happening and quivered.


    ''He is casting multiple memory spells to steal my memories¡­ Oh, no! I need to escape and inform others.''


    While she was thinking, Charles already stared into her eyes, cast [Fire Seed] and [Burning Thoughts] spell, and asked another question.


    "Why did you guys try to ce the greenish-blue gem in my Inner World?"


    ''Hmm? She knew nothing about the greenish-blue gem?'' He frowned for a moment and asked another question while following the same procedure.


    "Why are you guys kidnapping children from all over the kingdom?"


    ''Soul Secrets¡­ It was a secretive mission issued by Lord Reid¡­ Vivian, her Teacher Louise, and 5 other Rank-4 Mystics have been involved in this kidnapping mission during the past few years and doing this openly. From Vivian''s observation, they had already kidnapped more than 57,000 children from all over the kingdom and sent them to Whisper Valley. That''s where the base of their secret is located¡­ But during the past few years, no children came out from the Whisper Valley. She is 100% sure that all of them are dead.''


    "What is Lord Reid''s motive? Why did he ask them to kidnap children?"


    ''She doesn''t know much about it¡­ But she once heard from her Teacher Louise that Lord Reid is doing secretive research that involves children''s souls¡­ This research also has something to do with the four ancestral spirits hiding in this Iron kingdom¡­ Vivian vaguely suspects that Lord Reid is trying to capture those ancestral spirits and achieve something big¡­''


    "Why the Lawful Churches didn''t stop you guys?"


    ''Their Lord Reid seemed to have formed a secretive agreement with Amber Church higher-ups¡­ Other than this, Vivian knew nothing about it¡­''


    "Who is Casey?"


    ''He is the one who is responsible for all official matters. He is a Rank-4 [Blood Duke] and has a mysterious background. He came under Reid''s only a few years ago and became his trustworthy servant¡­''


    "Do you know anything about Archbishop Royce?"


    ''He is a corrupted official and turned blind eye to all the current kidnapping and killing incidents. Vivian''s suspicion rose on Amber Church after seeing his previous actions¡­''


    Just as Charles was about to ask another question, a vague premonition appeared from the depth of his heart, causing him to halt his action.


    ''Hmm? It seems her Teacher is already on her way.'' His expression changed.

 Chapter 233: A Little Help

    <h4>Chapter 233: A Little Help</h4>


    ''What''s my next move? Fighting against a bunch of Rank-4 Mystics is not an option. This mission itself a suicidal one. It was as if I got scammed by the system¡­ No, it''s the Goddess¡­ Did she put such low reward to lure me into this mess?'' Charles couldn''t help but show dissatisfaction on his feminine-looking face.


    ''Time is running out. I have to decide my next action.'' He suddenly paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "What is your Teacher''s weakness?"


    ''Louise has three disciples but among them, Vivian is her favorite one. She always gives importance to Vivian and even gave an extraordinary artifact for her safety¡­ Vivian is her weakness. Wait¡­ Something is wrong. Extraordinary artifact is very rare and even Rank-4 Mages would fight for it¡­ Why did she give it to her disciple?''


    As he received more information about Louise, his expression suddenly turned into a confused one.


    ''Now that I think about it, Louise indeed used her consciousness to appear in Eric''s body during the previous kidnapping incident and helped her escape¡­ And, I''m pretty sure she used an upgraded version of the ''consciousness Invade'' skill on Eric''s Inner World and took full control over his body¡­ And, that must be her original consciousness. Would a Teacher willing to save his disciple while cing his life on the line? Yes, some would. But not to this extend¡­''


    ''Moreover, Louise is not some naive person. There is something special about this woman. There another possibility. Vivian might not be Louise''s disciple, but her own daughter¡­ When my luck did be so good to grasp such a key figure? If I use my ck fire and ce it in her body, I might be able to ckmail Louise and achieve many things-'' As that thought surfaced in his mind, he suddenly froze.


    ''No, it may not my luck. There might be something else manipting behind the scenes¡­ Coincidence¡­ My earlier encounter with Vivian¡­ Was it an arranged one?'' He was stunned inside.


    ''But I also sealed my memories, right? Is it due to me targeting Casey? Did that cause a deep variation in fate? Now that I think about it, that guy is indeed an important figure. Casey himself is a Rank-4 Blood Duke and he must have one or two helpers behind him. Isn''t my earlier action a little suicidal? Although I wouldn''t have tried to sneak into the mansion without checking Casey''s status, things wouldn''t have gone smoothly¡­ Someone appeared to have sensed the change in Casey''s fate and used Vivian to lure me here.''


    ''After sealing my memories about important figures, I neglected that others might also sense changes in the Fate¡­''


    He once again looked at Vivian and asked to confirm his thoughts.


    "Why did you suddenly walk out of Casey''s house?"


    This time, he didn''t use any spell at all.


    At that moment, Vivian''s eyes widened.


    "How did you know?" She blurted out in surprise and soon responded with a severe look on her face.


    "An important member of our organization contacted me through themunication ring and asked me to return to get out of the city."


    ''An Important member¡­''


    As Charles heard her words, a look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''This whole encounter is a plot created by someone!''


    "You finally figured it out?" A girl child''s voice suddenly echoed from the surroundings, causing him to widen his eyes.


    A momentter, a small hand appeared from the other side of the tree trunk, followed by a tiny child''s head.


    She wore a ck gown, along with a hood, and stared at him with an innocent smile on her face.


    Upon seeing her, Charles furrowed his brows.


    ''Who is she? Wait¡­ I must have sealed my memories about her¡­'' As he realized the problem, he hurriedly asked his clone to release all memories about a girl-child and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Ivy!''


    "You create this coincidental situation to talk to me?"


    Meanwhile, Ivy toddled towards Vivian, ced her hand on her forehead, and spoke while shaking her head.


    "No, I came here to help you a little." She suddenly paused for a moment and added in a calm tone.


    "If possible, help me find out about her origin."


    On the other hand, Charles became surprised for a moment and soon asked.


    "Are you talking about the Divine-?"


    Before he could even finish his question, Ivy extracted a small rob-like white cloud and tossed it in his direction.


    Then, she replied with the same innocent smile and disappeared from there!


    ''What is she scheming?'' Charles thought for a moment and decided to check the orb.


    He first focused his attention on the small white orb and soon blinked his eyes in surprise.


    ''Soul Orb? It''s an orb used to capture one''s soul and also helps the user to cast the captured soul''s magic spells¡­ But the user can only cast spells up to Rank-3 and that too have some restrictions like once per day.''


    At that moment, he also received another piece of information!


    ''She sealed her main consciousness? H-How?¡­ Wait¡­ In two seconds, Ivy invaded Vivian''s mind and sealed her main consciousnesses in her own Inner World?'' Charles felt his scalp tingle.


    ''How powerful is this girl child?'' He couldn''t help but show a wary look on his face.


    ''Although I don''t quite understand the situation, she seems to be helping me. But I can''t let my guard down. This child¡­ No, this series artifact is too powerful.'' Cold sweats appeared on his forehead.


    He then hurriedly turned his gaze towards Vivian and curled his lips upward.


    After that, he took her silver ring, tuned his voice into Vivian''s one, and activated it.


    At the same time, he started breathing heavily and got ready to show his acting skill.


    Within two seconds, an anxious female voice came from the other side.


    "Vivian, did you encounter any problem?"


    "Y-Yes, Teacher. That ck-haired woman is a Rank-4 Mage. If not for the Riddles of Nightmare, I might have ended up died a few minutes ago- F*ck! She ising towards my direction." Charlespletely mimicked her voice and spoke in Vivian''s panicking voice.


    "What?! I''ll be there in a few minutes, wait for my arrival." Louise said in a hurried tone.


    At that moment, Charles also heard a rippling sound from the other side!


    ''She is on her way.''


    "Few minutes?! I will be dead before youe here! I-I''m going back to the city, Teacher. Once I reach a safe ce, I will contact you again." Without waiting for Louise''s reply, he cut off the connection, took off a bracelet from her hand, and wore it.


    Then, he made a small cut on Vivian''s wrist and let her blood drop on the ground.


    After that, he cast the ''illusionary wings'' spell on himself, grabbed Vivian in his hand, and flew into the forest while crashing against tree branches from time to time.


    At that moment, Vivian''s blood droplets continuously fell on the tree branches, leaves, and ground and left many clues.


    Once he reached a particr ce, he stopped there for a moment, let the blood drop for few more seconds, and flew towards the sky.


    Once he appeared above the trees, he cast [me Teleportation] spell and enveloped both of their bodies in crimson me.


    A momentter, both of them disappeared from there and soon reappeared near the tall city wall.


    Charles hurriedly looked around and soon breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw no one appeared in the surrounding areas.


    Then, he once again cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there along with Vivian!

 Chapter 234: Demi-Lich

    <h4>Chapter 234: Demi-Lich</h4>


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District.


    At the underground basement hall, Old Mansion.


    A white-haired old man sat on thedder back chair and was looking at an opened notebook.


    He wore a simple ck robe and appeared to be around 70-years old.


    "Hmm, Charles is thinking of enving all the corrupted nobles, huh. I wonder if Jessie would agree to this suggestion." Oswald couldn''t help but chuckle as he thought of the smartss among the four disciples.


    At that moment, he subconsciously thought of his disciples and felt a bitter feeling.


    ''Tsk, only 97 years to regain my freedom. But will he really release me?'' He felt a deep headache as he thought of Charles''s character.


    ''From my observation, as long as I didn''t obstruct his path, he won''t go back on his words. But there is another thing I need to think about¡­ It''s his character. Yeah, he sometimes acts unpredictably and he might change his mind at any time.''


    He thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''I will think about itter.''


    As he was about to stand up, he suddenly felt a spatial fluctuation from his right side and soon squinted his eyes.


    The next instant, crimson me appeared a few meters away from where he sat and formed into two human figures.


    One was a ck-haired woman, while the other one was an unconscious silver-haired woman.


    The ck-haired youngdy held a silver-haired woman in her hands and was staring at him with a smile.


    Oswald stared at her with a dazed face for a whole three seconds and finally snapped out of it.


    He soon shifted his attention to the silver-haired woman and opened his mouth subconsciously.


    "I remember her¡­ Vivian, is it? How did you kidnap her? Didn''t you say that you were going to do a reconnaissance mission?" He stared at the disguised Charles in surprise and shock.


    ''He left the mansion only two hours ago, but¡­ What did he encounter during such short amount?'' He couldn''t understand the situation.


    Meanwhile, Charles dropped Vivian on the floor and squatted down. Then, he took out a vintage medicine syringe-like instrument from his space ring and moved his hand towards her hand.


    After that, he skillfully ced the syringe at an intravenous injection angle and extracted a few droplets of blood from her blood vessel.


    He then conjured a greenish-blue me and healed the wounds on her wrist before started exining.


    "I encountered her when I went to Casey''s mansion¡­"


    He told him about Ivy''s scheme and also tossed the soul orb towards him.


    On the other hand, Oswald caught the orb and soon frowned.


    "Even if you sealed your memories, you shouldn''t have made the noticeable mistakes during thest mission. For example, you wouldn''t have gone after Vivian without further preparation. Instead, you should have chosen to wait for another opportunity."


    At that moment, Charles widened his eyes and soon blurted out.


    "Imagination!" He clearly remembered this maniptive power and got stunned for a moment.


    ''That artifact''s dream abilities are sure is troublesome.'' He couldn''t help but show a bitter look on his face.


    Then, he shook his head and asked.


    "What about this orb? Is it okay to use?"


    Meanwhile, Oswald checked the soul orb for a while, nodded his head, and returned it to Charles.


    "There is nothing wrong with it."


    On the other hand, Charles swiftly caught the orb, shifted his attention to the strange syringe, and directly injected a small amount of blood into his vein.


    The next instant, he felt sharp pain appeared from all over his body, followed by a clear image of Vivian!


    No, a unique form of imprint appeared in his mind.


    After that, he received important information about her exact body size, shape, weight, height, etc.


    He even received information about her birthmarks and soon noticed that he could change his appearance by activating the strange imprint.


    Charles then ced his hand over Vivian''s chest and cast [Fire Seed] spell on her.


    Because her consciousnesses were in a sealed state, he faced no restriction at all!


    A momentter, his spell began to burn her memories and started sending information into his Inner World.


    ''She is 364 years olddy. Hmm, it will take more than a day topletely burn all of her memories.'' He nodded thoughtfully and focused his full attention on the spell.


    At that moment, Oswald stood up from his seat, went near him, and asked.


    "Are you going after the skeleton first?"


    "From Vivian''s memories, I can confirm that skeleton is a Rank-5 Mystic. Going up against such a powerful figure is a suicidal idea. I don''t want to die." Charles firmly shook his head.


    At that moment, Oswald suddenly paused for a moment and spoke with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "I think Vivian, her teacher, and all of them are currently scammed by this skeleton."


    Charles''s eyebrows rose as he heard those words from Oswald.


    Upon noticing his gaze, the white-haired old man rubbed his callus hand and asked.


    "Do you still remember what I told you about the necromancer ss mystics?"


    "Come to the point." Charles wore an annoying look and red at him.


    Without minding his re, Oswald made an amusing smile and answered.


    "Unlike other Mystics, necromancers face severe restriction from the ''Will'' of the world. If he really is a Rank-5 [Sorcerer of the Dead], then he must have long abandoned the humanity and entered the realm of immortal."


    "Immortal? You mean he became a pure ''Lich''?" Charles instantly grasped the point and widened his eyes.


    "Yes, a pure Lich. But bing an undead Lich is not an easy matter. If someone dares to turn himself into a pure Lich in Edhen, he has to face the wrath of the ''Will'' of this ne. He will be forced to move away from this ne."


    "Does that mean he is still a Rank-4 Mystic?" A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Yes. He is not a pure Lich but a Demi-Lich. Unlike Lich, who formed a true phctery, Demi-Lich is not all-powerful. As long as you destroy the fake phctery in his body, you canpletely kill him."


    Meanwhile, Charles wore a troubled look and asked with a frown.


    "What is phctery?"


    "It can be anything. It may in the form of a crown, a small bone fragment, a small dagger, or anything. But Demi-Lich would always ce this important material close to him. As long as you destroy that phctery, you will have an easier time defeating this Demi-Lich." Oswald responded calmly.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    At that moment, he received a few pieces of information and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Lord Reid is a member of the Destiny Conquerors organization¡­ But, Vivian or others haven''t received any help from the organization during the past few years¡­ In a sense, these members are acting privately under Reid''s order¡­''


    ''As for their ties with Divine Order organization, it''s more like an alliance, huh¡­ Hmm, I will use Vivian''s identity to infiltrate into this small unnamed organization and wait for the opportunity. With this urate level of shape-shifting skill, Vivian''s lifelong memories, and the soul orb abilities, I can indeed fool everyone. Although Louise might suspect that something is odd about me, I can convince her. After that, I will stay hidden in their hideout for a month or two while gathering information and form a n to eliminate the whole unnamed organization.''


    ''Hmm, my next worry is about Divine Order¡­ I need to find another perfect target¡­ Casey is out of the option. Hmm, I should search for a member and kidnap him swiftly. Moreover, the target must be a Fire Mage ss Mystic; otherwise, I might screw up. Even if he/she is a Rank-3, there won''t be much of a problem.'' He felt an excited little inside.


    ''Hehe, I want to screw up everyone''s n. Nobles, mages, evil cult members, churches¡­ Humph, I will show what a shape-shifter can do within the next three months.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.

 Chapter 235: New Job

    <h4>Chapter 235: New Job</h4>


    Cedar Woods, near the Royal city of Iron.


    Currently, a curly blonde-haired woman in herte 60s stood in front of arger crater and was looking at the surrounding charred trees and nts. She had round amber eyes, a slightly wrinkled oval face, wore a ck robe, ck boots, and covered her neck with a red scarf.


    She was none other than Vivian''s Teacher, Louise!


    After ncing around, Louise zeroed her gaze on a particr area where the broken trees and branches were appeared and took a step forward.


    After a few seconds of walking, she arrived in front of arge tree trunk and frowned as she saw footprints.


    Then, she looked around and soon started walking in a particr direction.


    While walking, she also noticed blood traces and furrowed her brows.


    "She flew away from here?" She tilted her head in confusion and resumed her search.


    After finding no more clues in the woods, she walked out of the woods and started walking towards the direction of the City of Iron.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles stayed in the underground basement and continued to erase Vivian''s memories.


    Oswald watched his action for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and moved towards the wooden table. Then, he took out a ck cane from his separate space ring, took the notebook from the wooden table, and went towards the underground basement''s exit.


    After a minute of walking, he walked out of the underground hall and moved to the reception.


    Soon, he appeared near the chesterfield sofa and sat on it.


    At that moment, a ck-haired woman in a maid outfit appeared near the ss table and ced a te full of sliced fruits.


    On the other hand, Oswald casually picked up a slice of an apple, turned his gaze towards the nearby maid, and ordered before taking a bite.


    "Go and tell Jessie and Titus toe here."


    "Yes, My Lord." The maid responded hurriedly, turned around, and dashed towards the bifurcated staircase.


    After some time, she returned with Jessie and a brown-haired young man.


    Although Titus gained some muscles in the past three years, he still appeared shorter and was around 170 cm high. His straight hair was cut neat and shortly, and even a beard appeared on his chin area.


    He wore an ordinary ck shirt, pants, and boots and held a sheathed dagger in his hand.


    It was a rare artifact which Jessie spent 54,500 gold coins to purchase in the auction for him!


    On the other hand, Jessie braided her long blonde hair and wore a long ck gown.


    Once they appeared in front of Oswald, both bent their waist a bit and bowed their heads in unison.


    "Greetings, Teacher." Their loud voice echoed in therge hall.


    On the other hand, Oswald leaned his back against the sofa, took out a ck-covered notebook, and ced it beside the fruit te.


    "Take a look at it,ss." He said while shifting his gaze towards Jessie.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a startled look and immediately picked up the notebook.


    Then, she opened the book, flipped the pages while reading the contents, and soon turned serious.


    "T-There are s-so many evil cult worshipers among the nobles!" She couldn''t hide her shock at all.


    The next instant, she realized why her Teacher asked them toe and widened her scarlet eyes.


    "Won''t it cause a ruckus if I use ''ve'' spell on them, Teacher?" She couldn''t help but feel anxious inside.


    Upon seeing her face, Oswald waved his hand and spoke.


    "Don''t worry about it. From now on, both of your jobs are to find a way to takeplete control over these nobles. You have three months toplete this mission."


    "ve spell¡­ I will not disappoint you, Teacher." Titus also realized his Teacher''s n and agreed.


    If the nobles were innocent, he would have firmly refused it.


    But once he learned that they hadmitted many crimes, he agreed without any hesitation.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a troubled look on her face and soon asked.


    "Teacher, what should I do about my regr job? I have to attend tomorrow''s VIP meeting and also have to give the materials to Lady Collins. There is also an appointment with Life Church members."


    "Hmm? An appointment with Life Church? What is that for?" Her words caused Oswald to raise his eyebrows a little.


    "I heard that Archbishop Abel is nning to visit this city tomorrow. I''m nning on asking him to check Lady Destiny''s health condition. Rhea has been torturing us during the past two days." A wry smile appeared on her face.


    As Oswald heard those words, he fell into a daze for some time and soon shook his head.


    "Ask someone else to go and invite him to our mansion. You should focus onpleting this mission." He paused for a moment and added in a firm tone.


    "This is 100 times more important than other missions."


    Meanwhile, Jessie also sensed the seriousness in his tone and hurriedly nodded her head.


    "You can go back and start your work." Oswald casually picked up a piece of sliced strawberry and ced it in his mouth.


    A juicy, sweet with a slightly sour taste entered his mouth, causing his wrinkled face to pucker up a little.


    On the other hand, Jessie nodded her head, took out a silver pocket watch from her space ring, flipped open the outer face, and nced at it.


    ''7.30 P.M.''


    Then, she wore a dazed look and started to ponder about her next n.


    ''I also need to deliver the materials to the auction house by tomorrow morning and ask Lady Collins about the next auction schedule¡­ Then, there is the Day and Night Church''s matter. Father Myles said that the fourth batch of ss gems would arrive within the next few days. I need to send someone¡­ The person must be good at negotiations.'' Her gaze wandered in the hall and soon zeroed on the kitchen room.


    At that moment, a woman''s scolding voice came from inside and caused her scarlet eyes to widen.


    ''How did I forget her? Yes, I will ask Miss Ashley''s help.''


    She adjusted her dress and started walking towards the kitchen room.


    "Titus, go and wait for me in the dining hall."


    Without waiting for Titus''s reply, she appeared near the kitchen room door and walked in.


    As she entered the room, a spicy aroma entered her nose, causing her to gulp her saliva subconsciously.


    Meanwhile, Ashley also noticed her arrival and hurriedly gave a bow.


    "Young Miss, what do you want?" She asked while taking a jar of cooking oil and poured some into the empty iron pan.


    As the oil started to heat up, she hurriedly ced the jar on the shelf, took the te filled with sliced onions, and put them in the iron pan.


    Then, she nced at the nearby young maid, gestured her to do the frying, and started walking towards Jessie.


    On the other hand, Jessie leaned her back on the concrete wall, took out a separate space ring, passed it to Ashley, and started to speak.


    "Miss Ashley, can you go to the Crescent Crew Auction House tomorrow and pass this space ring to the manager? I have another work to attend."


    Upon hearing her words, Ashley thought for a moment and nodded her head.


    "That''s it?" She asked.


    "No. You also have to go to a few ces and finish some work for me¡­" As Jessie started to speak, Ashley listened to her words attentively and soon turned serious.


    One by one, Jessie continued to take out some materials, and documents passed them to Ashley and exined her other works.


    By the time Jessie finished talking, drops of sweats had appeared on Head Maid''s forehead.


    "D-Don''t worry, Young Miss. I-I will take care of your work." She stuttered.


    On the other hand, Jessie became overjoyed by her words and gave her a tight hug before running out of the kitchen room.


    "Did she just push all her monthly work on to me?" She couldn''t help but show a wry smile on her face.


    ''Well, it can''t be helped.'' Shaking her head, she wore the new silver ring in her left hand and started walking towards the magic stove.


    At that moment, she sniffed her nose, hurriedly ran towards the pan, and soon widened her round brown eyes.


    "IDIOT! Why are you keep frying the onion? Are you nning to make onion chips?" Her sharp voice echoed in the kitchen room, causing the nearby maids to shrink their necks.


    ¡­


    C Amber House, Emerald Street, Nobles'' District,


    In the reception hall of a two-storied building, a 40-years old man with an average look sat on a luxurious couch and was in the middle of reading a book.


    He had hooded jade eyes, thin eyebrows, short auburn hair, and a square face. He wore a white-lined rochet, covering it was red-colored cassock and ck tippet.


    As he finished reading thest paragraph, he casually flipped the page and was about to read but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, his jade eyes began to turn into apletely white one, and soon he entered into a dazed state!


    He stayed in the same state for a whole minute and soon returned to normal.


    The next instant, he stood up from the couch and wore a confused look on his face.


    "Crescent Crew¡­"


    ¡­


    It was around 11 P.M.


    Charles finally stopped erasing Vivian''s memories and contacted Louise.


    "V-Vivian? Are you okay?" An anxious female voice came from the other side.


    Like before, he changed his voice into Vivian''s one and spoke with a tired expression.


    "I-I''m okay, Teacher. But that woman put some strange curse on me and restricted me from using Rank-4 spells." Charles paused for a moment while letting out a teeth-gritting sound and soon added in an anxious voice.


    "I will contact you once Ipletely healed myself¡­ Don''t look for me."


    "Where are you staying-?"


    Before Louise could finish her sentence, Charles cut off the connection and became gloomy.


    "The more I talk to her, the more I make mistakes¡­ I need to speed up." He took a deep breath and once again cast [Fire Seed] spell on Vivian.


    He didn''t waste for a moment and continued to burn her memories.


    Time flew by, and soon it was already morning.


    It was around 8 A.M.


    At this moment, Ashley walked out of the kitchen room while sending out multiple orders to the servants and soon moved towards her room.


    Then, she took a long bath, changed her cloth into a formal one, and startedbing her hair.


    After that, she wore a pair of leather shoes, walked out of her room, and moved outside.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired man parked a four-wheeled carriage at the mansion building''s entrance and seemed to be waiting for her arrival.


    Once she walked out of the house, she hurriedly opened the carriage door, entered inside, and sat on the leather seat.


    Then, she closed the red curtains and spoke.


    "Let''s go." Her voice contains a trace of tiredness.


    The next instant, the coachman whipped the horses and started driving towards the exit.


    The carriage soon moved out of the mansion, entered the Rodsley street road, and directly drove towards Merchants'' District.


    A few minutester, the four-wheeled carriage entered Auction Street and soon stopped in front of a three-storied building.


    "We reached the auction house, Head Maid." The coachman spoke in a loud voice.


    Ashley removed the red curtain as she heard coachman''s voice, walked out of the carriage, and looked at the eye-symbol engraved entrance door.


    She stared at the tall building for a moment, took few steps forward, showed a VIP card towards the nearby silver-armored guard, and soon moved in front of the wooden door.


    Then, she gripped the handle, turned it towards the left side, and pushed opened the door before walking in.


    She saw many red-suited young girls, a few luxurious clothed nobles, and even two golden-armored men in the reception hall and became surprised a little.


    ''Holy Knights?'' She furrowed her brows and soon started walking towards the manager''s room.


    Once she arrived in front of it, she knocked it twice and spoke in a loud voice.


    "Hello Manager, Young Miss Jessie asked me to hand over a few things to you."


    Her pleasant voice instantly attracted everyone''s attention. But soon, they turned their heads and started doing their works.


    A momentter, loud footsteps came from the other side, and soon the wooden door opened with a clicking sound.


    The one who opened the door was a slim woman in a long ck suit. She had long silvery hair, a pear-shaped body, and oceanic eyes.


    "You are?" Be sized her up and down and asked in an eerie monotonic voice.


    Ashley got started a little but soon replied with a solemn look on her face.


    "I''m Ashley, My Lady."


    Meanwhile, Be stiffly nodded her head and invited her in.


    With a nod, Ashley walked in and soon saw a simple room with a few chairs and a desk ced at the center.


    The next instant, her face froze as she saw a staircase appeared on the opposite side.


    ''Staircase to the underground basement?'' She furrowed her brows.


    At that moment, Be strangely turned her head and spoke in the same monotonous eerie voice.


    "Please follow after me to the underground basement, ma''am. A guest of our Crescent Crew Auction house wants to meet you."


    Goosebumps appeared all over her body as she cast a wary look at Be and agreed with a half-hesitant nod.


    Then, both of them moved forward, stepped on the rocky staircase, and went downstairs.


    Within a few seconds, a bright underground hall appeared in front of their eyes.


    Just as Ashley stepped on thest step, her gaze swept past the concrete pirs and soonnded on the person, who leaned his back against a sturdy pir.


    He was a 40-years old looking man and had hooded jade eyes, auburn hair, and appeared average in every aspect. He wore a white-lined rochet, covering it was red-colored cassock and ck tippet.


    Upon seeing his face, Ashley''s heart started to beat faster.


    At that moment, the auburn-haired man also turned his head and stared into her brown eyes for three continuous seconds.


    Simultaneously, Be started staggering and fell with a loud thud, causing Ashley to widen her eyes.


    Just as she was about to help her, the auburn-haired man suddenly straightened his back, took a step forward, knelt on the ground, and bowed his head.


    "This loyal servant greets the Divine One." His voice appeared ethereal and sacred.

 Chapter 236: Mortals Mistakes

    <h4>Chapter 236: Mortal''s Mistakes</h4>


    Upon hearing the auburn-haired man''s words, Ashley got stupefied for a moment and was about to respond but suddenly froze.


    No, something appeared in the deepest part of her Inner World and reced original consciousness instantly.


    The next instant, her brownish eyes turned eerie ck and appeared more like a void.


    She then looked around for a moment and spoke in an eerie female voice.


    "You almost screwed up my n, mortal." Her voice contains a trace of anger, which caused a heavy invisible ripple to appear in the underground hall.


    As the auburn-haired man heard her words, he went stiff for a moment and kowtowed.


    "Please forgive this mortal''s mistakes, Divine One." His body quivered uncontrobly.


    At that moment, a trace of confusion also appeared in his voice.


    On the other hand, Ashley raised her hand, created a golden throne out of nothing, and sat on it.


    Then, she zeroed her gaze on the kneeling figure and snorted.


    "Archbishop Royce¡­ You still didn''t realize how you made the mistakes, do you?"


    As he heard her cold voice, Archbishop didn''t dare to raise his head and stayed silent.


    "First, you create an unnecessary variation during our stay in Helm Ville and even send a necromancer to check Charles''s prediction ability. I know you weren''t aware of my identity but you should have known that I would be staying next to them. Not only you caused a ruckus, but you also manipted the power of fate, bypassed the ne barrier, and used a roaming dragon to stop him from returning. I know you actually thought of checking the limit of his future prediction ability. Unfortunately, your action almost caused me to lose this body and ruined my whole n." Her voice was sharp and eerie, which caused Archbishop''s face to turn pale in fright.


    Before he could even respond, she crossed her legs together and continued.


    "Second, you exposed your identity and gave a chance for someone to warn him through coincidences. Emilia Wilson''s appearance at Eastford City alerted him greatly, caused him to increase his wisdom power using secret artifact and break through the realm of Rank-4."


    "Third, just as we departed from Helm Ville, you once again used your authority and sent a bunch of Rank-3 clowns to check his battle abilities. At that moment, he sensed something was amiss and even started suspecting my identity. Moreover, the female mage Daisy also told him about Ledger''s prophecy and legacy and alerted him greatly."


    "Fourth, you then used another ghost to probe him further but-" She suddenly stopped for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and added.


    "But, he used that chance and probed me! Thankfully, I had no n on acting against Rhea; otherwise, even I would have fallen for his scheme. If I hadn''t released some information about Legacy ring, he wouldn''t have let his guard down."


    "Still, he got alerted by all these incidents and created an ancient book with the Holem''s Crown''s help. To my shock, that damned book helped him to perceive the dangers and warned him about me!" A bone-chilling aura enveloped the whole underground hall.


    Soon, she calmed down a bit and continued.


    "Thest mistake, you also perceived another variation in fate, made a sudden n and tried to harm his Inner World. Unfortunately, that mysterious ''helper'' of Charles also saw through your n and created coincidences to warn him about the danger." She then subconsciously nced at Be and frowned.


    "Why did you transfer her to this auction house?"


    Meanwhile, Archbishop raised his head a little, looked at her feet, and answered with a helpless look on his face.


    "Collins family head was the one who asked me to transfer her here, Divine One."


    At that moment, the frown on Ashley''s forehead deepened.


    "Investigate and find out that if he has some tie with Day and Night Church. Rodia seemed to have sensed something. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have tried to use the present time and gave a warning to Charles. I have a vague feeling that she might have guessed our n."


    A deep sigh leaked out of her mouth.


    "Although he escaped like a slippery eel, I already put something in his soul and made some n of this hidden threat. When the timees, even his soul won''t survive." A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she said those words.


    Then, she thought of something and asked.


    "Did Reid find out any clue about how to control the ancestral spirits? If not for this irregr Charles, Rhea would have already gained approval from all the spirits one way or another and our n could''ve gone smoother." Anger appeared in her tone as she thought about her original n.


    Because of Charles''s appearance, she made many alterations and had long messed up her n.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Royce shook his head and responded.


    "He still hasn''t done his research yet."


    Ashley furrowed her brows and soon nodded her head.


    "Hmm, wait for a while then. Once he had done the research, send the decoys and make Charlesplete the mission. I will also give some hints about the ancestral spirits to Rhea and let her go out to search for those souls. Also, try to make a sacrifice and ask for the prediction-rted sses'' names from my main body. When my original consciousness created the current ''me,'' she didn''t add all information about otherworldly sses and their names. We need to gather some information about his other ss."


    Archbishop Royce tersely acknowledged his words and spoke.


    "We also need to learn more about his fire-rted spells, All-Mighty One. Each of his spells appeared unique in its own way."


    Meanwhile, Ashley nodded her head and asked another question.


    "Indeed. What about Project Destiny? When is my main body nning to start the project?"


    Archbishop finally managed to raise his head and responded with a solemn look on his face.


    "I don''t have much information about this project. After all, I''m just a pawn in Divine''s game." He paused for a moment as he smiled awkwardly and then added.


    "But I do hear that Edhen''s Children members are already beginning to infiltrate deep into all the 23 kingdoms and the four Empires. Our only problem is the City of Miracles and this kingdom. Changing this kingdom''s Destiny and taking control of the Destiny Tower is not much of a problem for you, All-Mighty One. But controlling the City of Miracles ispletely another matter. After all, three Demi-God level experts are hiding in those three legendary towers."


    As Ashley heard those words, she furrowed her brows and soon shook her head.


    "No, the four Empires, the other top organizations will also be a big problem for us. Each Empire has tens of legendary mages and one Demi-God. Then, there is this Sun God and his ''stepmother'' Rodia¡­ These two also need to be taken care of; otherwise, they will be turned into a big obstacle for our grand project."

 Chapter 237: Soul Essences

    <h4>Chapter 237: Soul Essences</h4>


    As Archbishop Royce heard Ashley''s words, his body went stiff.


    ''Taking care of Sun God? And, the mysterious Day and Night Goddess? I''m not even worthy of facing a Rank-5 Mystic.'' He couldn''t help but feel how puny he was.


    Meanwhile, Ashley stood up from her throne and added.


    "I will be going back to her Inner World, alter some of Ashley''s memories, and remain hidden till the coronation ceremony. Otherwise, Rodia or some other Gods might find out some traces of mine. Be careful of Charles, though. He is an unpredictable irregr, after all."


    Saying so, she waved her hand, erased the throne from existence, and closed her eyes.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Royce stood up from the kneeling position and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    The next second, the real Ashley opened her eyes, woke up from the unconscious state, and soon stared at the Archbishop.


    At that moment, she suddenly remembered that the auction manager fell unconscious all of a sudden and hurriedly turned around.


    Then, she squatted down and checked her pulses.


    "She must have overworked." Archbishop started walking towards Be and spoke in a casual tone.


    Unknowingly, Ashley also believed that was possible, took out a leather water pouch, and sshed it on her face.


    A groan leaked out of Be''s mouth as she opened her eyes and soon felt dizzy.


    At that moment, she vaguely remembered that she invited this ck-haireddy to the underground basement for some odd reasons and felt confused.


    "This is what happens when you skip your breakfast. You are not in your home, Be. You should take care of your health." Archbishop spoke in a scolding tone, which made Be feel ashamed all of a sudden.


    At that moment, she tried to recall her memories about why she skipped her breakfast but only saw vague images.


    ''Hmm¡­ I think I came here in a hurry and actually forgot to eat¡­ My earlier half-dizzy state must be due to that.'' She hurriedly stood up and responded politely.


    "I will not skip my breakfast, Your Eminence."


    "Good. Haa, I actually came here to give you some task." He deliberated for a moment before shaking his head and added.


    "I wille back tomorrow and talk about it in detail."


    Saying so, he gave a light pat on Be''s shoulder and started moving upstairs.


    Meanwhile, Ashley helped Be, took out some fruits from her space ring, and gave them to her.


    After that, she gave Jessie''s space ring to Be and asked about the following auction schedule.


    After staying in the underground hall for a while, she bade farewell to the auction manager and moved upstairs.


    Then, she walked out of the manager''s office, entered the reception hall, and soon exited the auction house.


    Following that, she moved towards the four-wheeled carriage and entered inside.


    She then satfortably on the leather seat and spoke to the coachman.


    "Go to the Life Church."


    At that moment, a ''random'' thought appeared in her head.


    ''Ruler''s Ring¡­ Should I tell Her Highness about that ring''s use? Will she hate me for hiding it from her?'' She felt conflicted inside.


    After thinking for a moment, she shook her head and chose to wait for the good opportunity.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles sat in the gloomy underground basement and continued to read Vivian''s memories.


    Hours went by as he started reading her memories one by one, and soon it was already noon.


    Louise contacted him more than three times during the past few hours, but Charles didn''t pick up the call.


    ''I will tell her that I fell unconscious due to the severe blood loss.'' He nodded inwardly and then turned his gaze towards the notification bar.


    ¡­


    [+2 Wisdom Obtained!]


    ¡­


    This notification appeared when he absorbed her most precious memory of Vivian.


    It was actually a memory of her lifelong research about souls.


    ''Is that what it''s called soul essence?'' He furrowed his brows in suspicion.


    ''In the information, it is stated that every living creature would release soul essences from time to time. Whenever someone feels emotionally happy, their soul would release a small amount of pure essence into the atmosphere. Two types of soul essences appear all over the ne¡­''


    ''One is positive soul essence while the other one is negative soul essence¡­ Whenever someone gets uncontroble joy, gratitude, peacefulness, interest, hope, pride, inspiration, love, awe, and other positive emotions, they would release a speck of positive soul essence.''


    ''The same goes for negative soul essences. But they would release negative soul essences only when they get affected by intense negative emotions like fear, anger, disgust, sadness, rage, loneliness, hate, and so on¡­''


    ''There is also a connection with the Divines. For example, Gods'' desire to gather mortal souls is mainly to mass-produce these soul essences in the name of faith and protection. They stimte the believers'' inner emotions, brainwash them, and make them enter into a state of uncontroble happiness¡­''


    As he nced at the new information, he was indeed surprised a little.


    ''Emotions, huh. As I thought, this whole universe seems to have some connection with one''s inner emotions.'' He pondered for a moment and soon decided to continue his work.


    By the time hepletely erased her memories, it was already 2.P.M.


    At that moment, Charles noticed that Vivian''s soul had wholly turned into a brand new one!


    ''If not for the spell models reside in her Inner World, she would be considered as a newborn-''


    Charles''s current ck eyes widened as he recalled something.


    ''When a person''s soul enters the Eternal River of Life, his soul will undergo a cleansing process. All of his memories would be wiped out, leaving nothing behind¡­ The soul will turn into a newborn¡­ Then, there is this purple me¡­ No, it should be called Mind Fire. Red Prince is also well proficient in controlling this mind fire¡­ He is someone who tricked the Eternal River of Life and reincarnated here in this world¡­''


    ''Could it be? Is there some link between these two? What if the thing that is erasing these souls'' memories is this Mind Fire? Now that I think about it, why does this Eternal River of Life erasing one''s memories before sending the souls to the Cycle of Reincarnation? What is the purpose of doing this?''


    ''No¡­ Something is not right. When I cast this ''Mind Fire'', it erases one''s memory and sends them to my inner world in the form of information. T-This. What if there is some powerful existence using this ''Eternal River of Life'' to erase souls'' memories and gathering information and studying everything like an experiment?''


    As he thought of such a possibility, a chill went down to his spine!


    ''Are we nurtured as some kinds of livestock?'' He couldn''t help but show a nervous look on his face.


    ''I can''t rule out this possibility.'' He took a deep breath to calm down his heart and soon took out the soul orb from his space ring.

 Chapter 238: Shape-Shift

    <h4>Chapter 238: Shape-Shift</h4>


    Charles ced the soul orb on Vivian''s forehead area and activated it using his wisdom power.


    The next instant, the soul orb sends out a dazzling white light and directly pulled an illusionary humanoid fog from Vivian''s body.


    A momentter, the small grey orb began to glow in greenish color for a moment and returned to normal.


    At that moment, the connection between Vivian''s soul and her body has beenpletely cut off!


    ''It''s over.'' Charles picked up the orb, removed her dress and artifacts, and then stored her naked body in a separate space ring.


    After that, he linked his mind with the new identity imprint and then looked at his own female-looking body.


    He was still in Edith''s appearance.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Charles touched his smooth face and started changing his appearance into Vivian''s one.


    A few secondster, he changed his appearance into a silver-haired woman and also changed his dress as Vivian''s one.


    He then stood at the center of the underground basement hall and appeared to be in deep thoughts.


    ''Vivian likes to use a peculiar body spray called Bronze Lady¡­ I should apply a faint amount of this perfume on my body.'' He nodded inwardly, took out a ss bottle filled with strange liquid, and started applying lightly.


    ''Next part is about a severe burn wound¡­ Although it will be painful, I think I can manage it for the next few days.'' Muttering inwardly, Charles conjured a giant ball of crimson me,pressed it into a sharp sword-like fire, and used his wisdom power to control.


    Under his control, the long crimson sword moved towards the front, then turned around while pointing the tip at Charles''s abdomen and suddenly flew towards him!


    ''The hardest thing is not harming others, but harming one''s self.'' Gritting his teeth, he controlled the me sword and let it stab into his abdomen!


    Even though his body was fused with fire elements, the me sword didn''t face any resistance, directly pierced into the non-vital area, and soon appeared on his backside.


    A flesh-burning smell appeared in the hall as he dismissed the me sword and gashed his teeth in pain.


    Tears also appeared from his eyes, but he endured the pain, closed his eyes, and concentrated his full attention on his body.


    At that moment, drops of red blood fell from his abdomen while painting his dress and the concrete floor.


    ''I need to stop the blood.'' Charles raised his hand, conjured a ball of Rank-1 [Blue Cure] spell, and applied it on the wounded area.


    Unlike Rank-2 or Rank-3 [Soul Heal] spell, this one wasn''t powerful enough to cure deep wounds.


    But this me was more than enough to block the broken blood vessels and heal the superficial areas.


    Within a few minutes, the wounds started to turn dry, and the blood flow also stopped around the wounded area.


    Then, he hurriedly took out an ointment cup from Vivian''s space ring and began to apply it to the wounded area.


    ''But the internal injuries will turn into a severe problem if left untreated. I only have two days. Any more than that, I have to secretly use the [Soul Heal] spell and cure it¡­ But that will cause some suspicion.'' He didn''t dare to dy any longer as he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    A momentter, he reappeared in a small hut and checked the surroundings using wisdom power.


    ''Everything is going well. When the dusk arrives, I will walk out of this house stealthily and leave some trails for Louise to find me.'' He thought as he sat on the stone b and patiently waited for the dusk.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Oswald sat in the main hall and was in the middle of writing mystical runal characters in the air.


    Whenever he writes a character, that single character would move towards the nearby silver dagger and merge into the sharp edge.


    He was currently in the process of creating an artifact!


    He was sealed in the crown during all this time and didn''t have a physical body to create any artifacts.


    Even when he used his possession method, he didn''t have much control over the foreign body.


    But this old body waspletely different!


    ''I can indeed create an artifact. If I could sessfully create an Extraordinary Dagger, Charles really might help me get a physical body. He needs my knowledge and experience while I need his help to create a real body. It''s a win-win situation.'' He couldn''t help but show a slight grin on his face.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired young man came from the second floor through the bifurcated staircase and soon reached the main hall.


    He had a muscr body, brown eyes with thick eyshes, dark eyebrows, glowing skin, broad shoulders, and a smooth face. His blonde hair was neatlybed, and the callous in his palms appeared rougher like stones.


    He wore an old linen shirt and pants, appeared to be around 18 years old, and held a sheathed long sword in his right hand.


    He was none other than Noel!


    Once he noticed Oswald''s presence in the reception hall, he hurriedly walked near him and greeted him.


    "Good Evening, Teacher."


    On the other hand, Oswald didn''t even look at him and continued writing the strange characters in the thin air.


    Just when Noel was about to turn around, Oswald stopped his hand movement and nced at him.


    "How is your training?"


    "It''s going good, Teacher," Noel responded with a grin, hurriedly went towards the nearby sofa, and sat on it.


    Then, he leaned his body against Oswald''s sofa and asked in a low voice.


    "Teacher, should I also choose to be a Dual ss Mystic?"


    "Oh? What changed your mind?" Oswald couldn''t help but show a curious nced at him.


    Meanwhile, Noel hesitated for a moment before he let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Titus also said that he wants to be a Dual-ss Mystic to increase his chance of survival during battles."


    A sh of surprise appeared on Oswald''s face.


    But soon, he shook his head and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "He is not like you, Noel. Titus''s shadow affinity is not that high and his growth came to halt because of his soft character. It would take more than a few decades for him to be a Rank-4 [Shadow Walker]. That''s why he must have thought of choosing a sub-ss to make up for his weakness." Oswald suddenly paused for a moment and asked.


    "Which ss is he going to choose?"


    Noel frowned for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "I don''t know. But Jessie firmly told him not to another ss."


    As Oswald heard those words, he couldn''t help but smile.


    "Don''t worry about him. Although his talent isn''t like others, he is a hardworkingd. He might surpass everyone one day." He deliberated for a moment and soon added.


    "If you really want to choose a second ss, choose it after you be a Rank-4 [Master Swordsman]."


    At that moment, he suddenly sensed a few presences walking from the entrance door and turned around his head.


    The first one who appeared in his sight was a woman with curly ck hair, a slightly wrinkled face, and grey eyes.


    Behind her was a 30-year old looking bald man with an average look and a long brown-haired old man in a blue surcoat.


    The brown-haired old man appeared to be around 60 to 70 years old and gave off a threatening aura around him!


    ''Emilia Wilson¡­ That young baldy is Andrew Harris¡­ And, the brown-haired old man is Archbishop Abel from Life Church¡­'' Oswald''s expression turned grim.

 Chapter 239: Sun God

    <h4>Chapter 239: Sun God</h4>


    Emilia and others stepped on the tiled floor, started walking in, and soon appeared at the center of the main hall.


    "Greetings, Mr. Oswald," Emilia gave a light bow and greeted him with a smile.


    At that moment, Archbishop Abel and Andrew bent their waist a bit, greeted him, and looked around the hall in silence.


    Although they were suspicious of his identity, none dare to take this old man lightly.


    On the other hand, Oswald nodded his head and spoke in a calm voice.


    "Have a seat."


    Emilia and others nodded their heads and sat on the opposite chesterfield sofa.


    At that moment, a ck-haired maid came from the kitchen with a te full of sweats and ced it on the coffee table.


    It was etiquette to serve sweet items for the guests in the Iron Kingdom.


    As the maid walks away, Emilia extended her hand, picked up a round-shaped white cake, and moved it to her mouth.


    A pure sweetness entered her mouth, causing her eyes to widen a bit.


    "You guys added ice nectar in this sweet?" She couldn''t help but show an astonished look on her face.


    Ice nectars were an expensive sweet item in the whole World and would rarely appear in the auction!


    "Jessie must have brought it using her connection with the bank manager." Oswald made a proud-looking face and soon turned his face serious.


    "May I know the reason for your sudden visit?" He asked while zeroing his gaze on Archbishop Abel.


    "I came here to check on Destiny Lady''s health condition." He paused for a moment before ncing at his younger sister and added with a smile.


    "She and her teammate came to look for the second Princess Rhea Bonere."


    "May I know the reasons?" Oswald''s gaze shifted towards Emilia.


    At that moment, Emilia hesitated for a moment and then asked.


    "Have you heard of an artifact called ''Ruler''s Ring''?"


    ''Ruler''s Ring? Yeah, I did hear something about it from Charles.'' He frowned a bit and soon shook his head.


    "No. This is the first time I''m hearing about such a thing."


    Upon hearing his words, Emilia furrowed her brows and started to exin.


    "A few days ago, I looked into Iron Kingdom''s Royal family history and learned that this Ruler''s Ring has some connection with the ancient spirits and the legacy left behind by the First King of Iron. To be a true monarch, the sessor must gather four elemental rings, made contact with the corresponding ancient spirit, and then gain the approval of all four ancient spirits. As long as the sessor gains the approval of these four spirits, these four elemental rings will merge and form into a unique ring. They call this ring ''Ruler''s Ring''." She suddenly paused for a moment to take a deep breath and then continued with a solemn look on her face.


    "From the records, I can vaguely guess that this merged ''Ruler''s Ring'' seems to have the coordinates of the First King''s legacy. As long as Rhea gets her hands on these four elemental rings, her personal strength might also increase and her chance to be the next monarch will also rise."


    ''Oh? How did she know so much about this ring? Interesting¡­'' Oswald stared at her for a moment and soon asked.


    "What''s your motive? You wouldn''t give me this important information for free, right?"


    As if she was waiting for his question, she crossed her legs together and started to speak.


    "Five years ago, the assassins who killed Rhea''s family also took the rings from the first princess and ''escaped'' before the reinforcement arrives. But we all know that the ones who assassinated the royal family are not outsiders, but their own subordinates. This includes the second consort and third consort, their family members, and nobles. If my guess is not wrong, these rings must be with one of the other three candidates. We will help your disciple ascend to the throne, while you have to promise us that you will return to the Life Church once the promising date is over. There are only 6 more years after all."


    "If Ancient Mages refuses, we will not hesitate to use force," Andrew added with a confident look on his face.


    A frown appeared on Oswald''s forehead.


    ''So, they already confirmed that I''m the Holem''s Crown, huh.'' But he wasn''t anxious at all.


    He leaned his back against the sofa, stretched his hand before cing them on the arms, and curled his lips upward.


    "You guys still don''t know about my grandson''s current strength, do you?" His question startled them greatly.


    Before Emilia and others could respond, Oswald let out a mockingugh and added.


    "He is a Rank-4 ze Sorcerer now."


    As Emilia heard those words, her whole body went stiff.


    "Impossible!" Both Emilia and Archbishop Abel shouted in shock and disbelief.


    "Wherever you believe it, or not, the truth is right in front of you. He took less than 4 years to advance from Rank-1 to Rank-4 Mage. A peerless genius. No, I would call him a prodigy. Now, do you guys really think he won''t surpass your expectations?"


    In truth, Oswald knew that Charles would need more than a decade for his next advancement.


    ''Even if he doesn''t rank up in the due time, he will never give up on me.''


    At that moment, Archbishop suddenly closed his eyes and began to chant in an ancientnguage.


    Oswald, too, noticed his action and smiled.


    He knew what this Archbishop was doing and snickered inwardly.


    ''Trying to find the reason for his terrifying advancement? Steel your heart then.''


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Abel continued to chant for a whole minute and suddenly stood up from his seat.


    "Irregr!" His eyes widened in shock.


    "Right. Unlike this crippled one man, thatd is a real monster in human''s skin. Do you guys dare to use force on him now?" Oswald smirked.


    As they heard his words, Emilia''s and Archbishop Abel''s expressions turned ugly.


    Irregr!


    Although the Life Church and all other Churches act high and mighty, they were not invincible in Edhen World.


    Even Rh wasn''t considered a fully-fledged irregr.


    He still hadn''t touched the realm of the present time to change his future constantly!


    But Charles was different.


    He had the system cube!


    It could change his fate constantly and also help him control his fate!


    As long as he didn''t encounter any terrifying existences like ''Divine,'' he would grow at a fast pace without any hindrance.


    His actions would always cause a drastic change to the whole World.


    At that moment, a terrifying legend about another individual appeared in their minds.


    ''Sun God!''


    Till now, no one knew where he came from.


    But less than two years, he became a Rank-6 Existence and entered the realm of Legendaries.


    Then, he spent another two years in Edhen World and became a Demi-God!


    After that, he participated in the main nar battle and killed countless legendary and Demi-God Demons.


    But too many Demons walked out from the Abyss and caused a ughter.


    There were even quite a few Demon Gods who participated in that battle.


    Then, a miracle happened.


    Sun God suddenly gained some deep enlightenment in the middle of the fight and ascended.


    He ascended to Godhood just like that!


    Like an actual Sun, he stood in front of the main portal and started burned the Demi-God level demons like ants.


    Even the Demon Gods felt puny in front of such a neer.


    A legendary battle took ce.


    Sun God killed four foreign Demon Gods in that battle and also gained the title of Godyer!


    He then gained the approval of Edhen''s Will and became its protector during the end of thest nar invasion!


    Not only that, but he also created the nar alliance and forced every Lawful God to abide by the rules.


    Although Charles''s achievement wasn''t that great, they didn''t dare to make a bet on such a possibility.


    As the thoughts whirled in Archbishop Abel''s mind, he sat down with a disbelieving look on his face and finally spoke.


    "We won''t pursue this matter any longer."


    There was a trace of fear and anxiety that appeared in his tone.

 Chapter 239: The Ring of Frost

    <h4>Chapter 239: The Ring of Frost</h4>


    "That''s more like it," Oswald said with a grin and then added while standing up with the support of the ck cane.


    "As long as you guys don''t cross his path, he won''t care about your church."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and started walking towards the bifurcated staircase.


    At that moment, Noel also stood up from his seat and nced at the guest for a moment before following after him.


    Although he couldn''t understand why they threatened his Teacher, he was sure of one thing.


    ''Life Church seems to have some connection with our Teacher''s family. But why did they get frightened just by mentioning the name ''Irregr''? Wait¡­ I think I heard of this term before¡­ Yes, our Teacher once warned us to be wary of ''Irregrs.'' It seems his grandson is a powerful person.'' He thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, Emilia and the other two also stood up from their seats and moved towards the staircase.


    They stepped on the red-carpeted steps and soon went to the second floor.


    Then, they moved towards the right side corridor, walked past many rooms, and soon stopped in front of room no. 213.


    After that, Oswald took the lead as he raised his hand and knocked on the door twice.


    Within a few seconds, running footsteps came from the other side, and soon the wooden door opened.


    A ck-haired young teen appeared in front of their eyes.


    She had glittering ck eyes, pale white skin, a curvy body, and appeared to be around 178 cm high, and she wore a ck gown.


    Upon seeing Oswald and others, Rhea hurriedly took a step back and invited them in.


    It was a medium-sized room with two beds ced at the center, while the table, wardrobe, and cabin on the other side of the entrance.


    Oswald''s gaze swept past the flower-decorated walls and soonnded on the ck-haireddy, who was sleeping soundlessly on the first bed.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Archbishop Abel and spoke with a smile.


    "It''s your turn."


    Nodding his head, Archbishop Abel walked towards the white bed, appeared near Destiny Lady, and ced his hand on her forehead area.


    Then, he took a deep breath and checked her condition using his wisdom power for the next few seconds.


    "Her mental energy ispletely exhausted and even her soul''s connection with her body got weakened." He deliberated for a moment and added.


    "I need few more minutes to check her body condition."


    "No rush." Oswald waved his wrinkled hand and soon turned his gaze towards Rhea.


    "Give me your frost ring,ss." He ordered.


    On the other hand, Rhea got startled a bit and nodded her head.


    Then, she took off the blue-gem embedded ring from her hand and passed it towards her Teacher.


    After that, her gaze wandered towards the new guests and soonnded on Noel.


    ''Who are they?'' She used the questioning hand gesture and asked him.


    Meanwhile, Noel awkwardly smiled slightly and tried to use hand gestures to ry something but soon failed.


    Upon noticing his terrible acting, she gave him a fierce re and shifted her attention towards her Teacher.


    At that moment, Oswald checked it for a moment and then passed it to Emilia before adding.


    "I believe this is one of the four elemental rings."


    A surprise shed on Emilia''s face as she caught the ring and then took out an old book from her space ring.


    Then, she flipped the pages, soon stopped at a specific page, and began topare the ring with an image on the paper.


    A few secondster, she nodded her head in understanding and gave it to Rhea.


    "Wear it and then recite after me."


    Without waiting for Rhea to respond, Emilia flipped the pages once again and stopped after a few seconds.


    Then, she took a deep breath and started to recite a chant in a strangenguage.


    On the other hand, Rhea also wore the ring in a hurry and repeated after her.


    Both continued to chant for a whole minute and finally stopped.


    A strange silence appeared in the room.


    No, Oswald noticed that Rhea''s eyes suddenly turned pure white!


    He instantly released his wisdom power, checked her condition, and soon raised his eyebrows.


    ''Her consciousness is pulled into the frost ring?'' He nodded his head in understanding and soon curled his lips upward.


    The next instant, he separated a small part of his consciousness and sent it towards the Ring of Frost.


    Meanwhile, Rhea suddenly found herself standing in a strange forest filled with snow, ice, and frozen trees and became confused.


    ''Where am I?'' She looked around in curious and was about to shout but soon froze.


    At that moment, she realized that something was odd about her.


    ''Why do I feel like I''m floating in the air?''


    She looked at her hands and feet in a hurry and noticed that her whole body appeared illusionary!


    ''W-What happened to me?'' An unknown fear appeared in her heart.


    At that moment, a grumpy old man''s voice echoed in her head.


    ''A new sessor? Hmm? Only a High-Level affinity? Scam away from here,ss. You are not qualified to be the next monarch.''


    The old man''s voice was sharp as a knife, which caused her face to turn ugly.


    ''It must be rted to my ring!'' A look of understanding expression appeared on her face.


    Before she could say something, a strange power came out from her body and soon formed into a body of an illusionary old man.


    His hair appeared white as snow, and he seemed to be around 60-70 years old.


    He wore a grey robe, held a ck cane, and appeared ancient.


    Upon seeing her Teacher''s arrival, Rhea''s eyes widened.


    "Teacher!" She shouted in a hurry.


    "Did you see any odd creature here?" Oswald asked while searching the surrounding.


    "Who are you calling an odd creature?" The same grumpy old man''s voice echoed.


    But unlike before, this voice came from the surrounding trees and bushes.


    "It must be the ancient spirit." Oswald raised his hand, touched his chin, and spoke with a profound look on his face.


    "You are the descendant of the First King and you have the full authority here. Stay here for a while and try to subjugate this spirit."


    Saying so, he let out a deep sigh and disappeared from there.


    ''Subjugate the spirit?'' Rhea nced at the ce where her Teacher was before and soon noticed a movement in the woods.


    She hurriedly raised her hand and cast Rank-2 [Ice Layer] spell on herself.


    A secondter, a protectiveyer of ssy ice appeared out of nowhere and covered her body like a force field.


    Just as the iceyer covered her surroundings, a white-furred wolf leaped from the nearby frosty bush and collided against the Iceyer.


    Unlike ordinary wolves, this one had a strange horn made of crystalline ice and appeared around 2 meters tall!


    ''Sh*t! Its horn already tore through the Ice Layer? No, this spell won''t be able to hold on for a long time!'' Rhea''s face turnedpletely white.


    But she didn''t get panic, though. Instead, she raised her hand, pointed her finger towards the hole, and released a piece of thin needle-like ice.


    It was her Rank-2 attack spell, Ice Needle!


    The Ice Needle moved through the small hole, suddenly took a turn, and directly pierced through the wolf''s neck region.


    A momentter, an intense ice elemental energy released from the needle andpletely froze the wolf!


    At that moment, the same grumpy old man''s voice echoed in her head.


    "You are good. But can you fight against ten wolves?"


    A momentter, howling sounds echoed from the surrounding leafless trees!


    ''No good! I need to run.'' She didn''t hesitate for a moment before she turned around and started to run in the opposite direction.


    The trial of Frost Spirit began!


    ¡­

 Chapter 240: Baron Colton

    <h4>Chapter 240: Baron Colton</h4>


    Meanwhile, Oswald stared at Rhea for a moment and soon spoke to Noel.


    "It will take some time for her to wake up. Bring her to the other bed and let her finish the trial."


    "Yes, Teacher," Noel hurriedly nodded his head, went near her, and took her on his shoulder.


    Then, he walked towards the other bed and ced her on it.


    In the meantime, Oswald shifted his gaze towards Emilia and spoke calmly.


    "If you guys promise us to help her ascend to the throne, your Life Church might gain the foothold in this kingdom like the Day and Night Church. After all, this kingdom only believes in ancestral spirit, so it will be easy for you guys to turn the citizens into your believers."


    "I don''t think that would be easy, My Lord. Their old tradition is deep-rooted in every citizen''s heart. It will take more than 30 years topletely erase the four spirit temples from this kingdom." Andrew responded while shaking his head.


    While they were discussing, Archbishop also finished examining Destiny Lady''s body condition and turned around.


    "It will take more than two weeks for her to wake up." He suddenly paused for a moment as if recalled something and soon continued.


    "It''s better to inform her condition to the Tower of Elements. Her elder sister must be worrying about her."


    "I will send a letter to her." Oswald nodded his head and asked more questions about the other three elemental rings.


    Meanwhile, Emilia exined to him one by one and finally spoke.


    "We wille back once we got enough information about the remaining three rings, My Lord. After that, we will think of a n to snatch them back from that sessor candidate."


    Saying so, she turned around and started walking out of the room.


    Andrew and Archbishop Abel also followed after her and soon left the room.


    In the meantime, Oswald''s expression turned grim.


    ''Something is wrong about their arrival. Why are they showing interest in Rhea all of a sudden? Moreover, this traditional method has no value at this moment, right? I have to keep an eye on them.'' He let out a deep sigh and started walking towards Rhea''s bed.


    At that moment, Noel already put Rhea on the soft bed and seemed to be in the middle of deep thoughts.


    No, he was staring at Rhea''s face with concern and worry.


    "Where are the other two?" Oswald asked as he appeared beside him and startled him greatly.


    "T-They said they are going to do their personal mission, Teacher." Noel woke up from the dazed state and responded in a stutter.


    "Good." Oswald nodded thoughtfully and added.


    "You should go and tell Ashley to take care of these two."


    Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards the exit.


    ¡­


    End Street, Nobles District.


    A four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage drove past mansion buildings and houses and soon stopped at the end of the street road.


    Then, a blonde-haired youngdy and a brown-haired young man walked out from it.


    They were Jessie and Titus!


    "34A, Baron Colton''s mansion, End Street¡­" Muttering slowly, Jessie nced around and soon zeroed her gaze on a particr three-storied mansion.


    "Shall we go, sister?" Titus asked as he took a step forward on the dirt road and appeared beside Jessie.


    At that moment, hepared his shoulder height with Jessie and sighed in disappointment.


    "Where is the blood vial?" Jessie asked with a frown.


    As if he was expecting her question, he took out a reddish vial from his pant pocket and passed it to her.


    Under Jessie''s order, Titus sneaked into all the listed nobles'' houses yesterday night and collected their blood stealthily.


    If he was just a Rank-2 [Assassin], he could have faced some problem.


    But after his Rank-up, he almost became invincible during the nighttime andpleted his task without any problem!


    Meanwhile, Jessie caught the vial, opened it using her fingers, poured the blood droplets on her palm, and activated her [Blood Curse] skill.


    A momentter, her hand glowed in mysterious reddish light andpletely absorbed the blood droplets!


    "It''s done."


    Saying so, Jessie adjusted her empire waist dress and started walking towards the entrance gate.


    Just as they went near thepound gate, two guards moved their spears and blocked their path.


    But after Titus showed Rhea''s royal seal, the guards didn''t dare to ask any questions and let them in.


    The brother and sister duo walked on the concrete pathway, crossed the fountain, and appeared in front of the three-storied building.


    At that moment, a ck-haired man in histe forties stopped them at the entrance and spoke coldly.


    "Commoners and foreigners are not allowed to walk in with shoes on. Remove them and ced them at the entrance."


    Although he was just a steward of this small mansion, he didn''t even show any courtesy.


    Upon hearing his words, both Jessie and Titus got furious.


    Thankfully, both of them restrained their emotions and did as he told them.


    Upon seeing their reactions, the steward was extremely pleased.


    Then, he didn''t say anything and started walking in while Jessie and Titus followed after him.


    As they reached the reception hall, Jessie took the opportunity and asked in a polite tone.


    "We are here to meet Lord Baron, Mr. Steward. Is he home now?"


    The steward gave her a deadly stared and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Lord Baron only talks to people with noble blood, young girl. Even if you are an attendant of the fake princess, you don''t have any qualification to meet-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Titus unsheathed his dagger and ced it on his neck.


    "One more disrespectful word, I will not hesitate to cut your hand." An icy voice came out of his mouth.


    "And, we are not Rhea''s attendant. We are Ancient Mage Oswald''s disciples." Jessie added.


    "Y-Yes, Young Lady." The ck-haired steward got frightened by the brown-haired young man''s movement and got stunned.


    Even though he was a Rank-2 Mystic, he couldn''t follow the young man''s hand movement at all!


    ''This guy is a Rank-3 Mystic!'' He was shocked inside.


    "We came here to talk with Baron Colton, not to start a fight." Jessie went near the settee sofa, sat on it, and then added with a smile.


    "We will wait here."


    "Y-Yes," The steward wore a frightened look and hurriedly moved towards the right side corridor.


    After some time, he returned with a fat man in histe fifties. Baron Colton had raven ck hair, azure blue eyes, and wore a luxurious gown.


    He first nced at Titus and soon moved his gaze towards Jessie.


    Unknowing to him, a strange familiarity appeared in his mind.


    "May I know your name, Young Lady?" He then went near her and asked in a polite tone.


    His politeness surprised the steward!


    On the other hand, Jessie stood up from her seat, bent her waist a bit, gave him a slight bow, and responded with a smile.


    "I''m Jessie and this is my younger brother Titus, My Lord."


    "Jessie¡­ I don''t know why, but I feel like I have met you somewhere." Baron said with a confused look before moving towards the opposite sofa and sat on it.

 Chapter 241: Blood Curse

    <h4>Chapter 241: Blood Curse</h4>


    Meanwhile, Jessie widened her scarlet eyes in surprise and soon tilted her head.


    "That shouldn''t be possible, Lord Baron. Maybe you saw us during Rhea''s sessor ceremony?" She asked.


    "That must be it." Baron nodded his head in enlightenment and turned his gaze towards the steward.


    "Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Moreover, why there was no sweets served for my guests?" His voice turned abnormally colder, which caused the steward''s face to go pale.


    "I will bring the sweets myself, My Lord." He replied in a hurry and walked out of the reception hall.


    On the other hand, Baron turned his head towards Jessie and spoke with an apologetic expression on his face.


    "Sorry for my servant''s rude action, Jessie. I will teach him a good lessonter."


    In the meantime, Jessie made a forced smile and responded while waving her hand.


    "Don''t be too harsh on him." She deliberated for a moment and soon went to the main topic.


    "Uncle Colton, can you show us around? Other than our old mansion, we never went to any noble''s house in fear of unexpected assassination. I''m quite curious about how a normal nobleman''s house would look like."


    Upon hearing her words, Baron suddenlyughed out loud and spoke with a nod.


    "Haha, this is the first time someone asked me to be a tour guide. Come on, I will show you around."


    Saying so, he stood up from his seat and walked towards the exit.


    Jessie and Titus nced at each other, nodded their heads, and stood up from their seats.


    At that moment, Baron didn''t feel anything odd about Jessie''s addressing tone and acted as if everything was normal!


    As he walked out of the reception hall, he nced at Titus, patted on his shoulder, and continued to speak.


    "Why are you so silent,d? If you keep your mouth shut all the time, no girl will like you."


    Titus''s lips twitched as he heard those words.


    Thankfully, Jessie diverted Baron by asking about architecture and moved deep into the mansion.


    Baron Colton led to the mansion garden, then towards the second floor, and started discussing politics, governing, nobles'' etiquette, and traditions.


    Jessie also asked multiple questions which she had prepared earlier and even got information about Baron''s personal life.


    They chatted like they were long-lost friends!


    By the time Jessie and Titus walked out of the mansion, it was already 8 P.M.


    At that moment, Baron Colton stood at the entrance gate and was waving his hands at them like an overprotective father.


    His face showed concern and worry!


    Upon seeing such a scene, a chill went up to Titus''s spine!


    "Y-Your skill is a very scary one, sister." He couldn''t help shudder when he thought of thest few hours.


    Even Jessie wore a disbelieving look on her face and nodded her head in approval.


    "We have toe here often to make this rtionship permanent." As she spoke, she noticed that they already appeared near the four-wheeled carriage and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "Let go." She said while moving the golden curtain and entered.


    Titus also followed her actions and soon ordered the coachman to start the carriage.


    ¡­


    Hunt Street, Slum District.


    A curly blonde-haireddy in herst 60s strolled on the street road and seemed to be searching for someone.


    At that moment, an anxious expression appeared on her face.


    She was none other than Vivian''s Teacher, Louise.


    For the past few hours, she had been roaming in the Slum District and asking everyone about her disciple.


    Unfortunately, she didn''t find a single clue about Vivian!


    As usual, she once again moved towards the roadside, woke up a blonde-haired beggar, and took out a unique magicmp from her space ring.


    Then, she took out a portrait of Vivian, showed it to him.


    "Have you seen this person?" She asked in a tired tone.


    Meanwhile, the beggar man let out a loud yawn and soon squinted his eyes.


    "T-This¡­ Y-Yes, I saw her around 2 hours ago at Vale Street. It is two blocks away from here. At that time, she appeared very pale and walked like a drunken woman." He suddenly paused for a moment as if he recalled terrifying and added in a trembling voice.


    "Noticing her strange action, a thug tried to assault her, but he became blind. Not only that, but he also died of a heart attack a few minutester."


    "Really? Did you really see her?" A surprise shed on Louise''s face as she grabbed the man''s cor and asked.


    "Y-Yeah, I can show you the way." He paused for a moment and said with a forced smile on his face.


    "But it will cost you 2 gold coins."


    Louise didn''t say anything as she took a bunch of gold coins from her space ring and stuffed them in his pocket.


    "Show me the way." She urged.


    On the other hand, the blonde-haired man hurriedly took those coins, ced them in his separate handbag, and started walking towards the nearby street alley.


    Both walked on the gloomy passage and soon reached the next street. The blonde-haired man took the lead and continued to walk deep into the dark street.


    After arriving at the end of the street, he raised his hand, pointed it towards the nearby alley, and spoke.


    "After making the thug blind, she walked into this alley in an unsteady manner."


    Meanwhile, Louise widened her eyes for a moment and closed her eyes.


    The next instant, an invisible ripple went in every direction andpletely covered the whole Vale Street.


    At that moment, she saw every slum people''s movement and soon zeroed her focus on a lone hut at the end of the alley.


    Inside the small hut, she found a barely breathing woman lying on the stone b, and she appeared to be in an unconscious state!


    "Vivian!" She shouted in joy and then waved her hand.


    The next instant, a think arc of invisible de appeared from her right hand and directly decapitated the blonde-haired man''s head.


    The beggar died without even knowing the reason for his death!


    On the other hand, she took a step forward and started moving deep into the alley.


    A few minutester, she appeared in front of a lone hut and opened the wooden door using her [Windy Hand] spell.


    The next instant, a loud gasp came out from her mouth as she saw ''Vivian'' in a wounded state and ran towards her in a hurry.


    Then, she squatted beside her, checked her pulse, and soon went solemn.


    ''She seems to have lost too much blood. She needs to be treated immediately.'' Muttering inwardly, she picked her up using both hands and walked out of the hut.


    "Zephyr''s Wings."


    Two transparent wings appeared behind her as she said those words and pped on their own.


    Louise shot up towards the eerie dark sky a momentter and flew towards the eastern direction at a terrifying speed!


    ¡­

 Chapter 242: Whisper Valley

    <h4>Chapter 242: Whisper Valley</h4>


    Within seconds, Louise flew past the city wall, reached the outskirts, and moved towards the southern direction.


    At that moment, ''Vivian'' opened her eyes slowly and soon widened her eyes in surprise.


    "T-Teacher?! How did you find me? Wait! Put me down. Enemy ced some mark on me to track down my location." An anxious voice came out of her mouth.


    At that moment, Vivian suddenly suspended in the air and hurriedly descended towards the ground.


    "Whom did you encounter?" Louise asked in a startled tone.


    Upon hearing her voice, Charles made a fearful expression on his face and answered in a female voice.


    "She appears more like a foreigner with ck hair. And, she used fire magic." Her voice contains a trace of anxiousness.


    "Fire Magic?" Louise''s eyes widened for a moment before she asked.


    "Did she have deep-set jade eyes and tan skin? Did she appear around 25 years old?"


    Meanwhile, Charles was deeply startled by her words and asked in a shocked tone.


    "H-How did you know?"


    In truth, he was indeed shocked inside.


    On the other hand, Louise calmly stepped on the grassy ground, looked at the surroundings trees for a moment, and then asked a strange question.


    "Do you know anything about the mysterious person named Charles?"


    "''Cough'' Y-You mean the Ancient Mage Oswald''s grandson? I did hear some rumors about him. Wait¡­ Casey also said something about him like that kid killed some a higher-up of the Divine Order." Charles said in a confused tone.


    "Oh? Even I didn''t hear about it." A surprised expression appeared on her face as she ced ''Vivian'' on the ground, flipped her body, and made her back facing upward.


    "Anyway, this Charles seems to be good at disguising and this ck-haired woman is one of his disguises. A few days ago, a new helper came from somewhere and he is the one who gave such important information to us." She said with a serious look on her face.


    In the meantime, Charles let out a painful grunt and asked.


    "A new helper? What''s his name? Is he from our main organization? Destiny Conquerors?"


    There was a hint of excitement that appeared in his feminine tone.


    On the other hand, Louise let out a disappointing sigh and shook her head.


    "No. It seems he is a servant of our Lord Reid''s friend and even our Lord doesn''t know about his real name. But he introduced himself as ''The Sea''. I don''t even know why he chose thatme name as his nickname."


    As Charles''s heard those words, his whole body stiffened up for a moment.


    ''The Sea¡­ Sea¡­ Where have I heard that strange nickname? Wait¡­ It''s the fake Arbiter of Storm, Willy Pickton''s nickname! During the final battle, he made some strange gestures and escape using some teleportation-like skill¡­ But how did he appear here? Something is not right¡­ He is a servant of Lord Reid''s friend? That skeleton has some connection with Red Prince?'' Multiple questions whirled in his head. [Ref. Chap. 74.]


    ''Now that I think about it, this ''Divine'' also seems to have some connection with Red Prince¡­ Yeah, the amber Church''s Archbishop used some curse magic spell on me to restrict my growth¡­ Then, there is the clue about Rodia''s Gem¡­ And, there is one more important clue¡­ Both of them are good at manipting one''s Fate¡­ It seems the ''Divine'' and ''Red Prince'' really has some deep connection.'' As he thought of these two, he couldn''t help but show a nervous smile.


    On the other hand, Louise used her bare hands, moved his shirt upward, and let out a loud gasp.


    Even in the gloomy night, she saw multiple eerie ck marks on her back and got stunned for a moment.


    "No good¡­ These are not ck marks¡­ These are the strange ck mes! Vivian, do you still remember the moment when our assassins died of strange ck mes during the previous kidnapping incident?"


    "Y-Yes, Teacher," Charles responded in a tired tone.


    "It''s the same thing," Louise said as she pulled down her shirt, flipped her body, and once again carried her with both hands.


    "Hold on to me tightly." Saying so, she cast [Zephyr''s Wings] spell and flew upward.


    She continued to fly in the southern direction for the next two hours and soon reached a lownd between two Rocky Mountains.


    It was the main entrance to their base!


    Whisper Valley!


    She then made a circle in the sky, moved towards the right side mountain, and descended.


    Within seconds, shended on the mountain base, dispelled the wing spell, and started walking towards a particr underground cave.


    On the other hand, the silver-haired woman in Louise''s hands already entered into an ''unconscious'' state and seemed to have no movement.


    During this time, Charles did not attempt to probe the surroundings and acted as if he was really in an unconscious state.


    Once Louise appeared near the cavern entrance, she used her wisdom power, checked for any life signs, and walked in.


    She then recited a short chanting as she walked towards the end of the cavern, cut her finger using her wind magic, put a drop of blood on the floor, and then spoke a strange word.


    "Riege."


    The next instant, the space around her began to distort and soon sucked both of them into the void!


    The surroundings started to change a momentter, and soon Louise found herself standing in front of a 700 to 800-meter tall ck tower!


    Surrounding the tower was filled with tens of huts, small tens, and even a few houses.


    Charles slightly opened his eyes and soon saw Louise was running towards the tower entrance while carrying him like a princess.


    At that moment, he also saw hundreds of ck-cloaked men stood at the entrance and seemed to be listening to a certain blue-robed woman''s order.


    Charles slowly shut his eyes while letting out a painful moan and started to think.


    ''This ck tower is their main base and there are more than ten secondary entrances to this tower from all over the kingdom. If I''m not wrong, more than 40 Rank-3 Mystics are working for this skeleton Reid and constantly supplying children here from each part of the kingdom. I need to find out Reid''s true goal for gathering children. If this is an Elemental Tower, I wouldn''t have dared to sneak in. But, this tower didn''t have any tower spirit and is an empty shell. As long as I gather enough information, I can screw up this whole damn thing.''


    On the other hand, two ck-masked guards stopped Louise at the entrance and asked her to drop blood on a crystalline box.


    Then, they also asked her to put a drop of Vivian''s blood and checked both of their identities.


    When they checked Vivian''s identity using his blood, Charles was also prepared for the worst possibility.


    Thankfully, his [Shape-shifting] skill did a good job replicating Vivian''s DNA or some magicalpound to identify someone and saved him from trouble.


    Once the primary checking was over, Louise stepped in, moved towards the staircase, and started walking upstairs.

 Chapter 244: Sunset Potion of Vitality

    <h4>Chapter 244: Sunset Potion of Vitality</h4>


    At that moment, tens of young men and women also noticed Louise''s presence and ran towards her.


    "Teacher, what happened to Miss. Vivian?" A slim woman around 30-years old in a blue robe appeared behind Louise and asked in an anxious tone.


    "Go and inform Lady Marissa to meet me at Layer 4. Tell her it''s an urgent matter." Saying so, Louise waved her hand and continued to walk.


    A few minutester, she reachedyer 4, walked past many halls like necromancyboratories, prison cages, and portrait gallery room, a wunderkammer filled with skulls, bones, and weird kinds of stuff, and soon appeared in front of a metal door.


    She then recited an incantation, opened the door using [Windy Hand] spell, and walked in.


    ''This must be Vivian''s personal experimental room for curse magic and dark arts experimentation.'' Charles muttered inwardly and patiently waited.


    Unlike other rooms, Vivian''s room was inscribed in a strangenguage and was upied with tables, alembics, retorts, strange and rare ingredients in vials and jars.


    On the other hand, Louise moved deep into therge hall-like room and soon stopped in front of a soft bed.


    After that, she ced ''Vivian'' on the soft bed and removed her coat and shirt.


    "Are you still awake, Vivian?" She asked in a concerned tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a small groan, opened his eyes a little, and nodded his head.


    At that moment, a look of hesitation appeared on Louise''s face.


    After some internal struggle, she let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Good. Turn around a bit and drink this potion."


    While speaking, she took out a blue vial from her space ring, opened the cap, and moved the vial towards her mouth.


    Although Charles was confused a little, he didn''t say anything and opened his mouth.


    At the same time, he also cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill on the vial and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Sunset Potion of vitality?'' He was stunned inside.


    ''T-This¡­ This potion could increase a Rank-4 Mage''s Constitution at a great level! She is even willing to give such precious treasure to save her disciple?'' He calmed down his heart and drank the potion.


    Simultaneously, a bunch of notifications appeared in front of his eyes.


    ¡­


    [You consumed a Sunset Potion of Vitality!]


    [3 points have been added to your Constitution!]


    [0.2 points have been added to your Strength!]


    [0.4 points have been added to your Dexterity!]


    ¡­


    A drastic change appeared in his body, causing his muscle to strengthen.


    He felt that his internal wounds also began to heal at a fast speed!


    Still, the ck marks on his backside remained, which caused Louise''s expression to go pale.


    "Don''t worry about those ck marks, Vivian. I think Lady Marissa must have a way to dispel them permanently,"


    She consoled her in an anxious tone and soon turned around.


    At that moment, an emerald green-robed woman in her thirties entered the experimentalboratory and soon waved her hand towards Louise.


    She had long red hair, copper eyes with sweeping eyshes, trim eyebrows, ivory skin, a big chest, and an oblong face.


    She stepped on the smooth floor, appeared near the bed, and asked in a soft voice.


    "Why did you call me all of a sudden?"


    Although she appeared so much younger than Louise, Charles knew of this woman''s actual age.


    ''If I''m not wrong, this woman actually walks on the path of Warlocks and her actual age is more than 1,000 years. Her bloodlines spells are unknown to anyone in this tower and have some mysterious background. During the past few years, she hadn''t revealed her power and always remained in this tower. Among the six Rank-4 Mystics, Louise and Marissa are at peak level.''


    While he was in muse, Marissa appeared beside Louise and soon frowned as she saw the ck marks.


    "Hmm? I feel a faint smell of Hell me in these marks¡­ It''s really surprising to see such a thing here." She muttered inwardly, touched those marks with her fingers, and hurriedly took out a knife from her space ring.


    Then, she skillfully made a few cuts on Charles''s back, took a piece of ck marked flesh, and stored it in a separate ss tube.


    "I need a few hours to study this curse mark. As long as I find a way to nullify the infection, I will have an easier time creating an antidote. After all, this me is not the real Hell me anyway." She said casually and then added.


    "Till then, stay here in this room and do not touch anything, girl. This ck mark might transmit to others via air or physical contact. Louise, you too iste yourself in your room for the next few hours."


    Saying so, she turned around and started walking towards the exit.


    "I told you, right?" Louise caressed Vivian''s head with a forced smile on her face and soon added.


    "I will go and wait in my own room. You also get some rest before Lady Marissa return from herboratory."


    Then, she covered Charles''s body with arge quilt and started walking towards the exit.


    As Charles saw her disappearing from his sight, he breathed out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.


    A momentter, he entered the Inner World and asked the clone Charles took over his body.


    After that, he reappeared in front of the System Cube and started practicing the present ''Time'' ability.


    ¡­


    Inside the Ring of Frost,


    Rhea stood on the in ground filled with rocks and snow and looked at the dead snow wolves under her feet.


    Meanwhile, a total of hundreds of mutated snow wolves encircled her from every direction and were growling at her angrily.


    But there was no panic expression on her face at all!


    Rhea calmly held a crystalline ice sword in her right hand and suddenly thrust it forward.


    Hundreds of ice spikes came out from the snowy ground a momentter and pierced into the surrounding wolves.


    But she didn''t end there, though. She pulled her sword and thrust it forward again.


    Wailing cries of wolves echoed in the snowy in as she knelt on the ground and asked in a cold tone.


    "Did I pass the exam?"


    Just as she finished her words, a white owl flew from the sky and soonnded on her shoulder.


    "You passed the test." A cold old man''s voice came out of the owl''s mouth, causing Rhea''s lips to twitch.


    Rhea hurriedly changed her face into a serious one and asked.


    "What''s next? How many days have passed in the outside world?"


    "Not even a day has passed. But you already spend more than two weeks inside this pocket dimension." The owl responded in the same old man''s voice.


    Meanwhile, Rhea let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.


    Unlike outside, there was no sun, nor did any moons appear in the sky.


    It appeared dark as void, but the stars remained.


    She then looked around and saw only a few snowy mountains, forests, and snowy in areas everywhere.


    "Can I go now?" She asked.


    "Yes, you can. But before you go, you should spend some time and increase your water affinity." The owl pecked on her shoulder and said.


    For a moment, a strange silence appeared.


    The next instant, Rhea widened her eyes in surprise and red at the damned owl.


    "Why didn''t you say it earlier?" She was dissatisfied by this bird''s behavior and got furious a little.


    "I forgot." The owl responded casually and then added.


    "If you use your thought, you cane and go wherever you want. As for how to increase your affinity, kill 5,000 wolves and then look for me."


    Saying so, the owl suddenly turned into pure snow and fell.


    A momentter, Rhea heard howling sounds from the opposite forest and went pale.


    ''I will go back to the mansion and clear this mission slowly.'' Muttering inwardly, she closed her eyes and soon felt a pulling sensation from somewhere.


    She opened her eyes in the darkroom a momentter and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ¡­

 Chapter 245: Weaknesses

    <h4>Chapter 245: Weaknesses</h4>


    ck Tower,


    It was around 4 A.M.


    Marissa once again returned to Vivian''s room and gave a potion for Charles to drink.


    To his surprise, he noticed that the ck marks began to fade a little. After giving some advice, Marissa took a few drops of blood from his body and left in a hurry.


    For the next few days, she did many experiments using his flesh and blood and finally managed to concoct a potion that couldpletely erase the marks on his back using potions!


    Although Charles was the one who deliberately created those marks to improve his disguise further, he didn''t expect that there would be a powerful alchemist hidden in the enemy side to erase such marks.


    Two weeks passed in a blink of an eye.


    During the two weeks, Charles spent most of his time in his Inner World and focused his full attention on the ''Present Time.''


    His new [elerate Thoughts] improved a lot by the end of the second week.


    If he activates this skill in the outside world, he could think three times faster than normal for 15 seconds.


    Unfortunately, this skill also had a cool-down of 20 minutes.


    Otherwise, he could continuously use this skill, observe the enemy''s moves clearly and even kill a Peak Level Rank-4 Existence without any difficulty!


    Still, his other skills like [Wisdom Sight] and [Foresight] skills could make up for this weakness.


    Currently, Charles sat on the soft bed and was in the middle of checking his body condition.


    After fourteen days of treatment, his female-looking body waspletely healed.


    Not even a single ck mark appeared on his back!


    ''Marissa said that I could walk out of my room from today onwards¡­ But Louise told me to refrain from going back to the City for the reconnaissance mission. But it is impossible to stay here like Marissa due to the strange set of rules created by the Demi-Lich. Each official member must return to the positioned area and continue their work. Or, they have to do other missions¡­''


    ''Vivian''s job is to get the enved children from Divine Order members and bring them to Low Woods. That''s where one of the secret teleportation circles to this ck Tower was located. Although I''m ready to go out, Louise won''t agree for now.'' He couldn''t help but shake his head a little as he thought of that overprotective Teacher of Vivian.


    ''No, she acts more like an overprotective mother.'' Charles let out a chuckle and entered his Inner World.


    At that moment, the clone Charles stood near theva pool and was holding an illusionary ck book.


    Noticing his arrival, he nodded his head, gave the illusionary book to Charles, and disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Charles caught the book, flipped it open, and started to read.


    ¡­


    "Marissa- Character weaknesses


    Weakness no.1: She has a fear of snakes.


    Weakness no.2: Perfectionist


    Weakness no.3: Strict


    Weakness no.4: Likes to take risks


    Weakness no.5: Takes things personally


    Weakness no.6: Works too much


    Weakness no 7: There is a wound on her left side shoulder, possibly an incurable disease.


    Weakness no 8: Her seventh disciple. She stays in his room all the time, and there is also a strange rumor about their rtionship.


    Weakness no 9:¡­


    .


    ss: Unknown


    Skills and spells: Unknown


    ¡­


    Charles nced at the page for a moment and soon flipped it to the next page.


    ¡­


    Louise: Character''s weaknesses


    Weakness no.1: Emotionally attached to Vivian.


    Weakness no.2: Trusts her disciples blindly.


    Weakness no.3: Easily gets bored.


    Weakness no.4: Being straightforward.


    Weakness no.5:¡­


    ss and skill details:


    Main-ss: Rank-4 Curse Mage- Skills- Dark Space, Soul Curse, Curse of Corrosion, Chain of Chaos, Soul Possession.


    Sub ss: Rank-4 Master Sailor- Zepher''s Wings, Control Weather, Wind Scythe, Hand of Invisible, Wind Form, and Wind Barrier.


    Unique skill: Unholy Hand


    ¡­


    ''For me, killing Louise is not a big problem. Next is Marissa¡­ Although it will be tricky to handle her, I can seed if I made a perfect n. But the main problem is the big boss¡­ The hidden undead skeleton¡­ I heard that he always stays in the underground level-0 and is very difficult to even see him. Only Louise, Marissa, Ivy, and two others can meet him whenever they want.''


    ''As for other Rank-3 and a few Rank-4 members like Vivian? I don''t think I can handle all of them at once. Hmm, I have to start this assassination before the Divine could perceive the changes in others'' Fate.''


    During all this time, he had been hiding his true goal in this Inner World and evading the Divine''s eyes.


    ''But once I made a move on any one of these Rank-4 members, that sneaky Divine will notice the anomaly and screw up my n. My actual goal is not only to make Rhea be the Queen but also to capture the ''Divine'' itself. But before capturing, I need to cripple this Divine''s personal strength.'' Charles knew that he was taking a big risk here.


    ''But as long as I manage to achieve all these, I''ll be the winner.''


    While thinking, he flew towards the System Cube and startedprehending the present Time.


    ''Hmm, I can maintain the ''Decelerate Time'' for one minute in my Inner World. But there is still a long way for me to replicate the ''Time Stop'' ability here.''


    Charles continued to train for the next few hours and finally left his Inner World.


    He then opened his eyes, stood up from the bed, and wore an ordinary ck gown.


    Then, he also applied some makeup, applied the Bronze Lady perfume, and walked out of the hall-like room.


    After that, he casually moved to each floor, talked to Vivian''s friends and other disciples, and even gave a warning about being careful of the terrifying ck-haired woman.


    Around 6 P.M, he returned to the hall-like room and soon saw Louise, who sat on the bed with a serious look on her face.


    ''This is not how a 500+ years old woman should act¡­ Wait. Perhaps, she noticed something odd about me and is acting now? No way. There has to be other reason for her strange behavior¡­''


    While thinking, he went near her and asked with a serious look on his face.


    "What happened, Teacher?" His feminine voice contains a trace of worry and anxiety.


    Meanwhile, Louise let out a deep sigh and shook her head.


    "As per the rules, you have toplete a mission within 30 days. And, I asked Cedric and got a mission for you. Unlike the other mission, this one is very safe." Saying so, she took out a ck scroll and gave it to him.


    "Safe one?" Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion, opened the scroll, and checked the content about this mission.


    ''Then, why are you showing such a serious face?''


    "Yes, you have to go to Rich Woods and bring the gathered rats from Divine Order''s hideout."


    ''Rats¡­ Is she talking about Children?'' His expression turned serious.


    "You have to be real quick. Teacher Reid seems to have gotten a breakthrough in his research and is in dire need of experimental subjects. As long as you bring these rats, you might get a chance to meet him in person." Louise said in a serious tone and stood up from the bed. Then, she stepped on the concrete floor, moved towards the exit, and soon stopped before turning around.


    "Be careful of any anomalies. If you feel meet some unexpected idents, you can withdraw from there. I will exin to my Teacher."


    Saying so, she walked out of the room and disappeared from his vision.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a deep sigh, raised his smooth hand, and rubbed his chin.


    ''I should use this opportunity to go back to the mansion and check if everything is going smoothly.''


    Then, he moved towards the nearby room and started packing his things.


    Once he was done, he walked out of Vivian''s room and soon moved out of the ck tower.


    Then, he nced at the mountain-like surroundings and got curious about the actual location of this hideout.


    ''Although the main entrance to this tower is in Whisper Valley, I can tell that this ce is somewhere else.'' Shaking his head, he walked past the huts, tents, and houses, arrived in front of a strange ck pir, and recited a chant in ''Nether''nguage.


    The next instant, he felt that the whole surroundings began to distort and soon sucked him into the void.


    A momentter, Charles noticed that he already appeared in a gloomy underground cavern and heaved a sigh of relief.


    After ncing around for a moment, he walked out of the cavern and soon furrowed his brows as he saw the dusk light from the western direction.


    Without any dy, he tapped the new bracelet on his right hand and activated the wing spell.


    The next instant, two illusionary wings appeared behind his and pped on their own.


    In a blink, Charles shot towards the sky and soon moved towards the northern direction.


    ¡­

 Chapter 246: Night Blade

    <h4>Chapter 246: Night de</h4>


    After flying for a while, Charles suddenly stopped in the air, released his full wisdom power, and checked the surroundings before casting [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A few momentster, he appeared in the middle of the woods and turned his gaze towards arge crater.


    It was the ce where he defeated Vivian!


    He then nced around for a moment, raised his hand, and touched his face.


    The next moment, his feminine-looking face began to change and soon turned into his original appearance.


    After that, he once again cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped himself in crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    A few secondster, he reappeared in the familiar underground basement hall and looked around.


    At that moment, an old man''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''I''ll be there in a minute.''


    Upon hearing those words, he subconsciously nodded his head, walked towards the nearbydder back chair, and sat on it.


    Then, he crossed his legs together and waited patiently.


    A minuteter, the iron shutter opened from the other side end, and soon a white-haired old man stepped down from upstairs.


    Within seconds, he reached the underground basement floor and walked towards Charles with the help of his ck cane.


    Charles nced at the grey-robed old man and smiled.


    "You seem to be aged a lot in the few days." He couldn''t help butment as he saw the tired look on his face.


    Meanwhile, Oswald let out a cold snort, tapped his space ring, took out a sheathed golden hilted dagger, and showed it to him.


    "What is it?" Charles''s interest piqued as he saw the dagger.


    On the other hand, Oswald walked towards the opposite chair, sat on it, and then started to speak.


    "This dagger is made of an umon element called ''Night Stone'' and then forged by some normal cksmith in this city-"


    "An umon artifact?" Charles already checked it with his [Cryptic Analysis] skill and frowned.


    As Oswald heard his words, he let out a mockingugh, unsheathed the ckish dagger, and tapped the golden hilt twice.


    A momentter, strange reddish characters appeared all over the dagger edges and soon merged in it.


    Simultaneously, Oswald made a strange hand movement and shed at the thin air.


    The next instant, a strange ripple came out from the dagger and caused the surrounding elements to act fiercely.


    Upon seeing such a strange scene, Charles narrowed his eyes in suspicion and checked the surroundings with wisdom power.


    But before his wisdom power could reach the dagger, sharp knife-like energy came out from it and sliced at a particr area!


    At that moment, Charles noticed a bluish crack appeared near the dagger and soon squinted his eyes.


    "I-It sliced the space itself?" His scalp tingled as he stared at the small dagger in horror!


    Upon hearing his shocking words, a proud smile bloomed on Oswald''s wrinkled face.


    "Don''t forget that I''m an ancient mage who specialized in creating runic weapons,d. Check your strange skill on this weapon now." He said with a grin.


    On the other hand, Charles calmed down a bit and used the [Cryptic Analysis] skill.


    ¡­


    [Night de]


    Quality:?????


    Effect: ??????


    ¡­


    "What the hell did you create?" Charles stared at the bunch of question marks for a moment and red at the old man.


    With a single look, he could tell that even his [Cryptic Analysis] skill couldn''t distinguish the real strength of this weapon and became startled inside.


    ''Did he create some ancient forbidden weapon?'' He couldn''t help but show a wary look at the old man.


    Meanwhile, Oswald snorted coldly and spoke.


    "If we measure by my old world''s standard, this dagger woulde under the pseudo-legendary weapon level. For example, this dagger is powerful enough to pierce through a Rank-5 defensive spell like a paper. It''s a well-crafted treasure for an assassin."


    As he said those words, he gave a meaningful look at him and smiled.


    ''This old man¡­ He knew that I''m good at assassination so he actually created a perfect dagger to bait me, huh.'' Charles hesitated for a moment before he let out a deep sigh and asked.


    "What do you want in exchange for this dagger?"


    "Don''t be annoyed,d. Actually, I''ve created this dagger to show my goodwill." He purposefully paused for a moment as he observed Charles''s facial expression and added.


    "I want you to keep two promises. First, you have to let me live after 96 years of the agreement. Second, I want you to help me perfect this cloning form and increase the lifespan of the cloning method. In exchange, I will use my free time and create below legendary grade artifacts for you and your disciples."


    "What is this pseudo-legendary and legendary level artifact? Are they above extraordinary level artifacts?" Charles didn''t agree to his request directly and asked questions.


    "Nah. You can call this an upgraded version of Extraordinary Artifacts. In this world, weapons are distinguished based on the type of metals used to forge, and their durability. There are no mystical weapons made of magic in this world. Although the [Rune Smith] ss mystics are trying to recreate the ancient weapons, they are nowhere near the ancient mages. This Rune Weapones under the ancient weapon category. Although it was just an umon artifact a while ago, it already turned into a pure destructive weapon."


    "Those rune letters are actually filled with pure space w'' power. So, when I shed the dagger earlier, the sharp edge produced a power equal to Rank-5 attack spell for a minute second and cut the space itself. But there is one side effect in this dagger, though. You need to infuse this weapon with your wisdom power whenever you using it and it will drain your mental power at a fast rate. With my calction, you can maintain this sh ability for only five seconds. After that, you won''t even able to cast Rank-4 spells."


    As Charles heard a detailed exnation, he didn''t hesitate for a moment as he took the dagger from Oswald''s hand and nodded his head.


    ''This dagger increased my chance of sess to 60%!'' He was pleased by this crafty old man''s gift.


    While he was in muse, Oswald crossed his arms together and spoke.


    "Rhea gained the approval of the ice spirit and also increased her water affinity to a genius level."


    Charles''s face turned stiff as he heard those words.


    "Genius level? How?" His deep-blue eyes widened in shock.


    "It''s a long story." Oswald took a deep breath and started to exin everything about what had happened while he was away.


    As Charles heard about Emilia and her teammates'' arrival and their timing offer to help Rhea ascend to the throne, he couldn''t help but show a suspicious look.


    "Their timing is too perfect¡­ Emilia knew long about your identity, but she chose to show up at this moment¡­ By helping Rhea ascend to the throne, she and her teammates would get nothing at all¡­ Although Life Church gets a portion of believers, it''s not worth risking their life. Moreover, with how powerful the Wilson is, Emilia doesn''t even need toe here at all¡­ Why would they chase after a random series artifact without even knowing anything? Would a single prophecy really worth sacrificing their lives?" Charles felt that he was missing some key information.


    At that moment, Oswald also fell silent for a moment and asked.


    "Could it be their memories are tampered with?"


    "It is possible¡­ But something must have happened two weeks ago¡­ Do they want to make Rhea the next queen sooner? Or, is there something else?" At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of the strange elemental rings.


    "Did the ''Divine'' wants Rhea to collect all the elemental rings and merge them into a Ruler''s Ring before she ascends to the throne?" He frowned.


    ''But where is this Divine hiding? In Emilia''s soul? Or, Andrew''s soul? Or Be Collins''s soul?'' Questions whirled in his head.


    After thinking for a moment, he made up his mind and spoke.


    "Mr. Rh, I need you to do few things for me in secret. If you want money for these things, ask Jessie''s help." He deliberated for a moment and continued to speak about his n.

 Chapter 247: Burning Consciousness

    <h4>Chapter 247: Burning Consciousness</h4>


    As Charles ended his talking, Oswald suddenly thought of something else and asked.


    "What do you think about ''Ivy''? Why aren''t you asking that artifact''s help?"


    "It''s not that I''m not asking her help, I''m just that I''m still wary of her dream-rted abilities. Although she is an ally, I can''t blindly trust her, can I? But there are few things she knew more about me than the Divine. For example, she seems to have long aware of my shape-shifting skill. She is also a Goddess Rodia''s creation¡­ I have a vague feeling that this Ivy girl might know about my'' secret artifact'' and its creator." Charles said in a grave tone.


    "Isn''t this more than enough to trust her?" Oswald said with a frown.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "My secret artifact''s ''Creator'' definitely wants me to find him for some odd reasons. That''s why he manipted the space-time, ced one Twin Leaf in the Dreamworld, and linked me with the fire-elemental ne. He seemed to have prepared everything long ago. But why is he using a tricky measure to contact me? Is he wary of his enemies? Possible¡­"


    "Otherwise, he could have directly contacted me using various means. I think he wants to conceal the fact that I''m his pawn from others. That must be the reason why he is using this neutral Goddess Rodia as a middleman." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath and continued.


    "When we visited the Day and Night Church, Goddess Rodia used her ''Time-Stop'' ability and ryed a message to me. She said ''Find it¡­ sooner.'' The meanings behind those words are ''Find her ''Gem'' sooner.'' But how could she know that my main consciousness won''t be affected by this ''Time-Stop'' ability?-"


    "Your main consciousness won''t be affected by the ''Time-Stop'' ability?" Oswald stared at him in shock.


    Meanwhile, Charles clicked his tongue as he realized a slip of the tongue and sighed.


    "It''s due to the secret artifact. Anyway, this Goddess seems to have aware of the ''artifact'' hidden in my Inner World. Then, my other question is, why does she want me to find ''Ivy'' sooner? Don''t you find something odd about this? From my understanding, Ivy also seems to be aware of my secret artifact, sub-ss skills, and so on. She even helped me in many ways."


    "For example, she gave me the soul orb to improve my current disguise as Vivian, and also reced the red gem with a bluish-green one when Eric tried to infiltrate into my Inner World¡­ I think Goddess Rodia deliberately sent ''Ivy'' to Edhen and seemed to be plotting something while also helping me in the sides."


    "Wow¡­ So, what''s their aim?" Oswald was indeed stunned by his hypothesis and asked.


    "The first possibility is the hiding ''Divine.'' Ivy also told me to find out the origin of this ''Divine.'' Do they want to stop the Divine''s scheme? Only they know the answer. The second possibility is the legacy. What if this ''Divine'' is the ''Rodia'' herself? She might be trying to fool all other Gods¡­"


    "No, that still doesn''t exin why she has a connection with Red Prince and Amber Church¡­ But, we can''t rule out this possibility. The third possibility is ''me.'' Is she trying to help me save this kingdom as the mission says? For what purpose? Is she a righteous Goddess?" Charles shook his head as he thought of their goal.


    "There are too many possibilities," Oswald said with a gloomy look on his face.


    A silence appeared in the hall.


    "You also feel the frustration, right? I feel like we are being toyed with by these higher beings. They just tossed some clues and make us find out the real truth. Although I''m controlling my own fate now, I still feel helpless." Charles clenched his fist for a moment and finally heaved a heavy sigh.


    At that moment, the whole underground hall turned gloomier.


    Anger appeared on Charles''s face, causing two eerie ck wings to materialize for a split second before disappearing.


    "I want to do something unpredictable and make everyone realize I''m not to be messed with." A bone-chilling aura appeared around him.


    Meanwhile, Oswald got stunned by his words and soon frowned.


    "Unpredictable?"


    An uneasy feeling appeared in his heart.


    "Yes," Charles nodded his head but didn''t exin anything in detail in fear of alerting the Divine.


    "You are not even powerful enough to hunt a peak level Rank-4 existence on your own,d. I hope you won''t do something reckless." Oswald wore a confused look on his face.


    "Yes, I''m not strong enough. But we are." Charles paused for a moment and soon furrowed his brows.


    "Is Destiny Lady awake?" He asked.


    "Yes, she woke up two days ago and is still staying in the mansion. She also asked me about your whereabouts, but I told her that it would take one or two weeks for you to return." Oswald didn''t find anything odd about his question and responded solemnly.


    Upon hearing those words, a smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''I have 5 days toplete Louise''s new mission. Hmm, thanks to my [me Teleportation] spell, I saved more than 12 hrs of flying journey¡­ I have to act quicker.'' He muttered inwardly.


    "Mr. Rh, I''m going to construct the next spell model. Meanwhile, you go and tell Destiny Lady to take care of the kids for the next two weeks." He said.


    "But your soul power isn''t strong enough to construct the next spell model." Oswald pointed it out.


    On the other hand, Charles smiled mysteriously and waved his hand.


    Without waiting for Oswald to ask more questions, he sat on the concrete floor in a cross-legged position and entered his Inner World.


    A momentter, he found himself standing in front of ava pool and looked around.


    Then, he flew up towards the dark sky and soon appeared in front of the seven spell models.


    After that, he opened the game interface, poured all eleven free attribute points into wisdom power, and raised it to 70!


    Although he nned to use these free attribute points to increase his body strength, his current situation forced him to use them now.


    Once again, his Inner World trembled for a moment and started to expand a little.


    At that moment, he also perceived two clear forewarnings about his future.


    ''I may be safer till Rhea''s coronation ceremony. But I will face two threats shortly. The first one is not much of a problem¡­ That should be my battle against the ''Divine.'' But the second one is unavoidable. I will definitely die. Unlike the previous warning, this one seems clear¡­ Exactly 3 years from now on, my soul will start to wither. My death will be inevitable if I didn''t Rank up further.'' His expression turned grim.


    ''It seems I made the right choice to increase my wisdom power.'' He nodded his illusionary head and soon focused his attention on the [Knowledge Absorber] spell model.


    ¡­


    [Mind Burst (189,000 Exp), Burning Consciousness (210,400 Exp), Purple Web (200,490 Exp), Knowledge Burner (184,500 Exp), Thought Disrupter (192,000 Exp), Purple Eye (199,999 Exp), etc¡­,]


    ¡­


    Charles checked the spells one by one and soon zeroed his focus on the [Burning Consciousness].


    ''Burning Consciousness?'' He furrowed his brows and then read the description.


    ''Hmm? This spell model won''t burn the opponent''s consciousness¡­ Instead, it creates a replica of the user''s consciousness using purple fire, sent it to the opponent''s Inner World, and lets this consciousness fight against the opponent''s consciousnesses¡­''


    ''This ''Burning Consciousness'' can also use fire seed, knowledge absorber, and burning thoughts spells constantly and erase opponent''s memories¡­ But there is a long cool-down of 1 week for this spell to replicate the user''s original consciousness. There is another name for this spell: Nemesis of the Mind¡­''


    Charles didn''t hesitate for a moment as he focused his gaze on the spell name and spent 210,400 Exp points.

 Chapter 248: Act

    <h4>Chapter 248: Act</h4>


    The next instant, a rumbling sound came from the Inner World, followed by countless runal characters moving towards the purple spell model like butterflies.


    Soon, they encircled the [Knowledge Absorber] spell model and started the construction process.


    On the other hand, Charles silently hovered in front of the spell model and started toprehend.


    Two days passed in a blink.


    By the end of the second day, a purplish light shone in the dark sky!


    At that moment, Charles also opened his eyes and focused his attention on the newly created spell model.


    ''There is already a replica of my consciousness formed inside the spell model.'' He nodded with a pleased smile and silently left the Inner World.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes, stood up from the floor, and soon noticed Oswald was already seated on the nearby chair.


    Upon seeing him opening his eyes, Oswald rubbed his wrinkled chin and spoke.


    "I already told that girl to take care of the kids. What''s your next n?"


    He stared at Charles in curious.


    Meanwhile, Charles shrugged his shoulder and ordered.


    "Come out of the clone body. We are going to do something big."


    He didn''t dare to dy any longer.


    "But we created this clone using countless gold coins," Oswald said in an unwilling tone.


    The main reason for that was because he finally got a chance to taste the real food! How could he give up such a precious body so easily?


    "It''s not that hard to create the clone anyway. Come on." Charles urged.


    Just as he finished his words, Oswald''s body suddenly turned sluggish, and soon a reddish crown came out from the body.


    The next instant, it turned into a bracelet, moved towards Charles, and hovered in the air.


    On the other hand, Charles caught the bracelet, wore it in his hand, and began to shape-shift.


    A few secondster, he changed his appearance into Vivian, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and enveloped his body in a crimson me before disappearing.


    ¡­


    Rich Woods, somewhere in Duke Piers'' territory,


    A humanoid crimson me suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the blue sky and soon formed into a figure of a 30-35 years old looking silver-haired woman.


    She had a square face, sky-blue eyes, and a pale face and wore a ck frock coat.


    The next instant, two ss-like wings appeared behind her back and pped on their own.


    In Vivian''s appearance, Charles scanned the surroundings for a moment and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Then, he took out a silver ring from his space ring, nced at the red-gem embedded bracelet, and spoke.


    "It''s time for acting, Mr. Rh."


    Saying so, he activated themunication ring, tuned his voice into Vivian''s one, and let out a painful moan.


    Simultaneously, he conjured multiple fireballs and threw them in different directions.


    At that moment, an anxious voice came from another side.


    "W-What happened, Vivian?"


    It was Louise!


    "T-Teacher, it''s the ck-haired woman and the Ancient Mage! Both are chasing after me!" While shouting, Charles controlled the crystalline wings, pped them forcefully, and shot downward towards the woods while shrieking in pain!


    Within seconds, Charles crashed onto the ground and coughed loudly in a feminine voice.


    Before Louise could even respond from another side, an old man''s voice echoed.


    "Hohoho, you really are a bad child, aren''t you? Let me give you a little punishment."


    As the voice ended, Vivian''s screaming voice resounded in the forest.


    "N-NO! STOP IT! Arrgggg!"


    Meanwhile, Louise couldn''t hold back her anger and shouted from the other side.


    "WHO ARE YOU?! If youy a finger on my disciple, I will-"


    "You will? What? If you that much care for your disciple, you shouldn''t have let her leave from your hideout." The Holem''s Crown said in a cold tone.


    At that moment, Vivian''s scream also diminished a little and turned into a panting sound.


    "P-Please don''t kill my disciple!" Finally, Louise said in an anxious tone.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown let out a chuckle and spoke casually.


    "It depends on how you respond to my request." He paused for a moment as he noticed the other party''s silence and added.


    "I won''t demand like bringing your boss''s head or something. What I want is nothing but a few potions. Yeah, I read some of your disciple memory a while ago and learned that your friend is a powerful alchemist. Bring her here. I want to do some transaction with her." He ordered.


    On the other hand, Vivian let out a groaning sound and started to cough violently.


    "H-How can I trust you that you won''t kill my disciple?" Louise asked while gashing her teeth from the other side.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown let out a mockingugh and spoke in the same old man''s voice.


    "Your disciple''s life is not even worthy of my hair,ss. The only reason I''m even keeping her alive is to get some potions from a friend of yours. As long as you bring your friend named Marissa, we can do this transaction peacefully."


    Upon hearing his words, Louise went silent for two seconds and asked.


    "Where do you want to meet us?"


    "Come to the Rich Woods and look for arge forest fire."


    Just as the Holem''s Crown finished its words, Charles gripped the silver ring, broke the strange blue crystal on the crown area, and cut off the connection.


    "Do you really think she wille?" The Holem''s Crown couldn''t help but ask.


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if she brought two more Rank-4 Mystics to rescue ''Vivian.'' Hehe, she might be throwing a tantrum in the ck Tower by now." Charles shook his head, took out a silver pocket watch from his pocket, flipped the outer case, and checked the timer.


    "It''s 11.A.M."


    He casually closed the outer case, stored the pocket watch in his space ring, moved towards the non-burning area.


    Then, he sat under a tree shadow and waited patiently.


    One minute, two minutes, three minutes, and soon fifteen minutes passed quietly.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown couldn''t understand what he was thinking and asked in confusion.


    "Are you going to battle against those two peak-level Rank-4 Mystics here?"


    "Hmm? What do you think?" A strange smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    Simultaneously, he took out the pocket watch and once again checked the timer.


    "If my guess is not wrong, Louise and Marissa would have left the ck Tower."


    As he finished his words, he stood up from the ground, stretched his hands and legs, cast the [me Teleportation] spell, and enveloped his body in crimson me before disappearing!


    ¡­


    A few secondster, a long silver-haired woman appeared a few kilometers away from the Whisper''s Valley and looked in the direction where the secret underground cave was located.


    It was none other than Charles in his disguised form.


    He then waited patiently for a few more minutes and began to get close to the cave.


    Then, he entered the underground cave, did the usualher chanting, made a small cut, put a drop of blood on the floor, and disappeared from there!

 Chapter 249: Assassination

    <h4>Chapter 249: Assassination</h4>


    A momentter, Charles appeared in front of the ck Tower and soon frowned as he sensed multiple gazes from every direction.


    At that moment, a blue-robed woman hurriedly ran towards him and asked in surprise.


    "H-How are you here, Miss. Vivian?"


    Charles raised his eyebrows and asked in Vivian''s voice.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Just a while ago, Teacher Louise said that you were kidnapped by someone and brought Teacher Marissa, and Teacher Cedric to rescue you." The blue-robed woman said in a confused tone while the surrounding robed students and others nodded in unison.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s eyes went wide.


    "Oh no! I indeed encountered the Ancient Mage, but I manage to escape before he could attack me. Still, he managed to steal mymunication ring using some strange skill¡­ Did he mimic my voice and fooled my Teacher?"


    His expression went pale as he said those words.


    "Teacher Louise and others might be in danger!" The blue-robed woman also said in a shocked tone and hurriedly took out a silver ring.


    But before she could contact them, Charles cast [Burning Thoughts] on her and then said.


    "Don''t worry about them. All of them are powerful Rank-4 Mystics, so they will be alright. No, they might use this chance to kill that Ancient Mage." He suddenly paused for a moment and added.


    "But it''s better to ask Lord Reid''s suggestion."


    Without waiting for the blue-robed woman''s reply, Charles adjusted his ck coat and walked towards the entrance.


    As usual, the masked guards checked her identity using her blood and soon let her in.


    Just as he entered the tower, tens of robed men and women came in her direction and tried to ask what had happened.


    Unfortunately, Charles ignored them and started walking towards the right-side corridor.


    His every step appeared faster and faster, and soon he reached the end of the corridor.


    A metal door appeared in front of his eyes.


    But two 2 meter tall humanoid skeletons in ck outfits stood in front of the door and blocked the entrance usingrge spears.


    Blue fires constantly flickered in their eyes sockets, and their skulls looked yellowish-white in color.


    ''Undead Knight, Rank-4, Skills- Loyal beyond death, Spear Mastery, Eternal Knighthood, Brave Heart¡­ But skeletons don''t have a heart¡­'' Charles didn''t halt his footsteps even after seeing them gripping their spears and soon appeared in front of them.


    "You are not allowed toe here, Human." A cold female voice came out from the right side skeleton, causing the corner of his lips to twitch.


    But he quietly touched his space ring, took out an eerie ck bone piece, and showed it to the skeleton.


    It was a special token Louise gave it to Vivian long ago!


    Using this token, Vivian could indeed go and meet Lord Reid once under special circumstances.


    Only Vivian, Cedric, Marissa''s seventh disciple named Benjamin, and two others have this unique token!


    Upon seeing this, both undead knights retracted their spears, unlocked the metal door, and let him pass.


    Meanwhile, Charles gave them a polite bow and soon stepped into the gloomy staircase.


    He went downstairs and reached the underground floor in a minute.


    Then, two gloomy paths appeared in front of his eyes.


    Thankfully, Louise indeed said quite a few things about the underground floor, which made his job easier.


    ''I think the right side path is the Throne Hall, while the left side path is the experimental hall.'' Nodding inwardly, Charles chose the right side path and started walking towards Throne Hall''s direction.


    ''Lad, do you really have confidence in killing this skeleton?'' The Holem''s Crown couldn''t help but ask as it saw him nearing towards the Throne Hall.


    ''It''s called Assassination.'' Charles corrected him and soon arrived in front of a three-meter tall metal door.


    Same as before, two two-meter tall Undead Knights stood at the entrance and blocked the way using their weapons.


    But unlike before, these Rank-4 Undead Knights were using powerful scythes!


    Before they could ask a question, Charles took out the unique token and showed it to them.


    The next instant, both skeletons nced at each other, pushed open the metallic door, and gestured him to go inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s gaze swept past the carpeted path, pirs, luxurious chairs, dais, and soonnded on arge gloomy throne made of bones!


    But what made him widen his eyes was that he saw a ck-robed skeleton sat on the creepy bone throne and seemed to be in the middle of reading a book.


    Its chaotic red eyes flickered from time to time, causing strange ripples to form in the Throne Hall!


    ''Demi-Lich Reid.'' Charles instantly retracted his gaze and started walking on the grey-carpeted floor.


    Just as he entered the Throne Hall, the two Undead Knights once again pulled the door and shut it from outside.


    Meanwhile, Charles held his head low, walked silently, and soon appeared in front of the dais.


    On the other hand, Demi-Lich Reid didn''t even nce at the neer and entirely focused his attention on reading the book.


    ''It seems I need to do something to get his attention.''


    Muttering inwardly, he knelt on the ground and spoke in a trembling female voice.


    "Something terrible happened, My Lord." His voice contains a trace of anxiety and fear.


    As his voice ended, the skeleton suddenly turned his skull, looked at Charles with his eerie red fires, and asked.


    "What happened?"


    Reid''s voice appeared eerie and cold.


    Meanwhile, Charles touched his space ring, raised his head, stared into those chaotic red eyes, and spoke with the same fearful voice.


    "An unknown person infiltrated the ck Tower, My Lord!"


    "Infiltrated?" The whole throne hall suddenly started to tremble.


    The next instant, countless ghostly figures began to materialize all over the ce and let out terrifying screeches!


    Moreover, a boundless invisible pressure descended on his body and even suppressed his soul!


    Due to another domineering power, Charles subconsciously lowered his head and felt shocked inside.


    ''As I thought, his spirit power already reached the realm of pseudo-legendaries. Better give up and retreat,d.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    Meanwhile, the boundless invisible pressure remained in the hall for the next few seconds and soon disappeared.


    Then, the Demi-Lich Reid stared deadly at the kneeling female figure and asked.


    "What are your excuses?" An icy tone echoed in Charles''s ears.


    On the other hand, Charles took out a palm-sized disc from his space ring, raised his head, curled his lips upwards, and spoke.


    "Good luck answering my first riddle, My Lord."


    Saying so, he moved his hand, pressed the center area, and activated the ''Riddles of Nightmares'' artifact.


    Before the Demi-Lich could understand the situation, he felt that the whole surroundings began to distort for a moment and soon returned to normal.


    But unlike before, Reid couldn''t find the female at all!


    "She pulled me into the dream world!" His soul fires flickered in anger.


    Just as he was about to release his wisdom power, an eerie female voice echoed in his head.


    "I can be long or I can be short. I can be grown, and I can be bought. I can be painted or left bare. I can be round, or square¡­What am I?"


    ''Riddle?'' At that moment, he recalled that his disciple Louise mentioned something about riddle artifact and turned serious.


    ''I need to answer, otherwise; I will face a nightmare creature¡­'' He didn''t hesitate for a moment and began to think at a fast speed.


    Meanwhile, Charles stood up with a serious look on his face and activated [elerate Thoughts] skill.


    The next instant, he noticed that everything around him began to slow down at a fast speed.


    ''This artifact can separate his main consciousness from his soul for only 15 seconds. I need to act faster.''


    "Even if you sealed my main consciousness, I''m more than enough to kill you now." A sinister voice came out from the skeleton''s mouth.


    It was Demi-Lich''s second consciousness!


    Hearing the voice, the corner of Charles''s lips suddenly rose upward.


    Without wasting a moment, he first cast [me Consciousness] spell on the skeleton and took out a golden-hilted dagger from his space ring.


    "Hehe,e and show me what you are capable of, skeleton." He let out a mockingugh and released his full wisdom power.


    Simultaneously, a purple me appeared deep in Demi-Lich''s Inner World and soon formed into an appearance of Charles.


    Unlike his original look, his skin, his hair, and even his dress appeared purplish.


    It was the newly created replica of his main consciousness!


    The replica ''Charles'' nced around and soon noticed that he was standing in the middle of barrennd.


    The sand, rocks, and even the strange clouds in the sky appeared ck.


    He didn''t even dare to dy any longer and waved his hands.


    Tens of purple lightning arcs came out from his hand and flew in different directions.


    All those purple lightning were Rank-3 [Knowledge Absorber] spells!


    Each of the strange lightning arcs started searching for Demi-Lich''s precious memory!

 Chapter 250: Nemesis of the Inner World

    <h4>Chapter 250: Nemesis of the Inner World</h4>


    As the ''purple Charles'' continued to cast tens of [Knowledge Absorber] spells, countless bony hands suddenly crawled out from the dark sand!


    Within a second, hundreds of skeletons appeared in front of him!


    Among them, there was even a simr ck-robed skeleton that appeared at the center.


    It was Reid''s third consciousness!


    Behind that consciousness, another ck-robed skeleton figure appeared.


    Fourth!


    At that time, the purple Charles''s lips started to go upward and soon formed into a wicked smile.


    Before the two consciousness skeletons could even understand the situation, he cast hundreds [Fire Seed] spells and tossed at them like seeds.


    No, a sea of purple me appeared in front of them and started devouring the skeletons!


    Even those two ck-robed consciousnesses stood no chance against those eerie purple mes!


    If Reid''s main consciousness was here, he could have battled against Charles''s consciousness and killed it within a few seconds.


    Unfortunately, Reid''s main consciousness was currently stuck in the Dream World!


    Charles didn''t even show any hesitation and used his full power to summon [Fire Seed] and [Knowledge Absorber] spell continuously.


    Within two seconds, the whole surroundings bathed in the sea of purple fire!


    Only the two ck-robed skeletons manage to escape from the me and tried to summon undead skeletons.


    But those small skeletons were some part of Reid''s memories, so all of them turned into ashes when they met the strange purple mes.


    On the other hand, those purple lightning-like fire arcs flew in every direction, found the precious memories, burned them, and sent the information to Charles''s Inner World!


    Like Charles read the description, this spell turned into a nemesis of Reid''s Inner World!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles unsheathed the golden hilted dagger, gripped it in his right hand, stepped on the dais, and moved towards the throne quickly.


    As he moved, he perceived everything in slow motion!


    At the same time, he cast [Vision] skill and received tens of future images.


    ''Once I step near the throne, Reid will use a Rank-4 [Death de] spell, but I will block it using [Sun''s Guard] spell. After that, he will stand up from his throne and move¡­ His movement speed will be way above normal and it will catch me off guard¡­''


    ''He will punch me in the stomach, grip my head and m me on the dais. After that, he will summon a foggy ghost and let it touch me. That ghost has the power to increase my age at an unimaginable speed and I will lose more than 5 years before casting [me Teleportation] spell¡­ Then, I will try to steal his ck bracelet in his right hand¡­? ck Bracelet? Why? Could it be?'' His eyes widened.


    ''But when I''m about to seed, his main consciousness will return from the Dream World and stop me from stealing it. Then, he will summon tens of ghosts with different unique abilities, and force me to use the Holem''s Crown''s Travel Leap spell¡­''


    It only took less than one second for him to read all those images!


    ''Damn, this skeleton is not an average foe.''


    But he wasn''t anxious at all.


    ''He has many trump cards, so do I.''


    Charles curled his lips upward, raised his left hand, pointed his finger at the skeleton, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell!


    Simultaneously, he cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill and let it crept towards Demi-Lich''s right hand.


    At that moment, a reddish ray of chaotic fire came out from his hand, condensed into a thin bullet, and moved towards the skeleton''s head at a fast speed.


    "Humph." Reid snorted coldly and closed the ck book.


    An invisible ck ripple came out from his chest area a momentter andpletely enveloped him like a force field.


    The next second, Charles''s [Finger of Destruction] spell and the force-field collide against each other.


    A banging sound echoed in the Throne Hall as his chaos bullet made the whole invisible force-field crack before disappearing.


    At that moment, Charles arrived in front of the force field, raised his dagger, and infused his wisdom power into it.


    A sharp, threatening aura appeared around the edges as he shed it and tore the force-field like paper.


    ''Crimson Steps.'' He spoke coldly.


    His movement speed elerated all of a sudden while leaving behind sparks in all directions!


    Charles arrived in front of the seated ck-robed skeleton in a blink and was about to stab at Reid''s chest but stopped.


    At that moment, Reid stood up from the throne at a fast speed, clenched his bony hand, and punched towards his chest.


    Each of his movements appeared blurry!


    Charles only saw afterimages before he felt a dangerous premonition from his head.


    ''His body also entered the Realm of Pseudo-Legendary!'' The Holem''s Crown''s voice also echoed in his head.


    Charles calmly watched the uing bone hand and cast [Fire Born] spell on himself.


    As the bony hand reached his frock coat, his whole body suddenly turned into a pure humanoid fire!


    At that point, Reid''s bony hand tore through the reddish fire body and appeared on the other side.


    Meanwhile, Charles continued to move his hand, stabbed deep into the chest area while slicing the sternum, and pushed it upward.


    Simultaneously, the Holem''s Crown used the body freezing spell and stopped the skeleton''s movement!


    Like slicing the butter, Charles''s sharp dagger cut the sternum, appeared near the mandible.


    Charles didn''t stop his hand movement as he continued to move the dagger upward and cleaved the skull into two!


    But his expression turned grim as he saw that cleaved bones had already begun to attach on their own.


    Although the process appeared slower, Charles could tell that this skeleton would return to his former self in a day or two!


    "I''m Undead for a reason, mortal." A sinister voice echoed in the hall as Reid retracted his bony hand from the me body.


    Simultaneously, a total of five ghostly figures appeared behind Charles!


    They all moved their foggy hands and tried to grab his me body.


    ''I lost in terms of physical strength.''


    Letting out a deep sigh, Charles returned to his human self and was about to cast [me Teleportation] spell but frowned.


    The next instant, He felt a tearing sensation from his soul and got startled!


    ''A soul attack?'' His heart sank.


    Thankfully, the Holem''s Crown used his wisdom power and covered his body and soul, causing the ghosts'' foggy hands to stop two inches away from his body.


    Not only that, but his wisdom power also nullified the soul attack!


    ''Thanks, old man.'' Charles said in a deep tone and soon shifted his gaze towards the


    "You are just hard to kill, skeleton." He said coldly, cast [me Teleportation] on himself, enveloped his body a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    The next second, he appeared 10 meters away from the throne and stared at the skeleton with a deep look on his face.


    Meanwhile, Reed''s main consciousness also returned from the Dream World and soon got stupefied.


    His whole Inner World was burning in the purple me sea!


    Moreover, the upper half of his skeletal body was alsopletely sliced into two like a cheesecake!


    "W-What the hell are you?" Reid stared at the female-looking figure and asked in horror.


    Upon hearing his words, Charles suddenly raised his left hand, touched his left cheek, and smiled.


    A momentter, a small ball of crimson me came out from his forehead, spread towards his face, and soon formed into an eerie crimson mask.


    "The name is Ghost." He paused for a moment, turned around, and added.


    "Good Luck."


    Saying so, he tapped the red-gem embedded ring, ordered the Holem''s Crown to cast the [Travel Leap] spell, and disappeared.


    Upon hearing those words, Reid suddenly felt that something had gone wrong and looked at his right hand.


    The next instant, his mind went nk!


    "My Phctery!" He shouted in rage, shock, and disbelief!


    Within a second, fear and anxiety gripped his mind.


    The main reason for that was the Phctery was a vessel for his soul!


    In a sense, he lost his soul!


    ''No¡­ As long as I''m connected to my Inner World, I will be able to track down this thief and get it back.'' His chaotic soul fire started to flicker madly.

 Chapter 251: Skeletons Fear

    <h4>Chapter 251: Skeleton''s Fear</h4>


    Front yard, Royal Pce, Nobles'' District.


    A 4-years old girl held three wooden toys in her hands and ran on the grassy yard while letting out a giggle sound.


    She had deep-brown hair, ck eyes, a soft round face, and she wore a simple white gown.


    Meanwhile, a young ck-haired male child chased after her while shouting.


    No, his movement appeared more like a toddler''s walking!


    "Those are mine." Surprisingly, his voice seemed clear as ice.


    On the other hand, the girl child continuouslyughed while holding those toys like a treasure and moved in a zigzag manner.


    She then ran towards the nearby ornamental nt, sneaked behind a silver armored soldier, and giggled while covering her mouth.


    Meanwhile, the soldier stared at her in amusement and soon shook his head.


    "Mama, Ivy stole my toys again." Before he could say a word, the male kid cried from afar.


    "You should stop bullying your younger brother,ss." The soldier couldn''t help but mutter as he heard the young child''s cry.


    "He deserves it for stealing my candy." Ivy pouted in displeasure and was about to stand up but suddenly froze.


    The next instant, her eyes turned Fremen blue, and she appearedpletely different from before.


    She first stared at the silver armored soldier and spoke.


    "You didn''t see anything."


    Saying so, she stood up, raised her hand, snapped her fingers, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, she appeared in the outskirt of the city and frowned.


    "Reid''s Fate changed? How?" Confusion appeared in her voice.


    Then, she waved her hand, cast [Dream Walk] skill, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, she reappeared in the same outskirt area and looked at the eerie ck sky.


    Then, she rose towards the sky, took a step forward.


    But the next second, she disappeared from there and reappeared in Whisper''s Valley!


    After that, she made strange hand gestures, once again took a step in the air, disappeared from there, and reappeared in an underground throne hall.


    Unlike before, the underground throne hall appeared empty and gloomy.


    "No¡­ Someone came here a while ago." She muttered and soon closed her eyes.


    "Hmm? Reid came here? Did Charles use the Riddle of Nightmare on him? Why? What is he scheming? First of all, how did he cause a big variation in Reid''s fate?" She got startled.


    "Something seems wrong¡­ He is not acting ording to what mother predicted." A frown appeared on the pretty girl''s forehead.


    She then looked around for a moment before she shook her head in disappointment and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Rodsley District, Nobles'' District.


    In the old mansion, Ashley was in the middle of doing her usual cooking work.


    At that moment, her body suddenly jerked up, went stiff for a moment, and soon returned to normal.


    She wore a confused look as she felt something was odd about her action but soon shook her head and continued to work.


    In her Inner World, a strange crystalline white pce stood at the center and seemed to be there for ages.


    But unlike the real pce, this one appeared ghostly.


    No, there was a mysteriousdy seated in the throne hall!


    In the throne hall, a wiry auburn-haired woman in herte twenties sat on the silver throne and stared at a strange 2-meter tall mirror.


    She had close-set azure eyes, faint eyebrows, silken Ivory skin, elongated face, and an aquiline nose.


    Currently, the tall mirror was hovering in front of her and was showing a video of Charles''s previous battle!


    She calmly stared at the mirror for few more seconds and shook her head.


    "A dying soul''s desperate struggle, huh."


    She waved her hand, moved the mirror from there, leaned her back on the silver throne, and closed her eyes.


    ¡­


    In unknown farnd,


    A silver-haired female figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the paddy field and looked around in cautiousness.


    She was none other than Charles in his disguised form.


    "Where are we?" He released his wisdom power, checked the surroundings, and asked.


    "We should have arrived somewhere near the City of Iron." The Holem''s Crown stopped for a moment and then asked.


    "Did you get the Phctery?"


    At that moment, a hint of excitement appeared in its tone.


    "What do you think?" Charles smiled mysteriously and soon took out a ck-colored bracket from his pocket.


    "Sneaky brat, I knew you will not back away without getting his phctery. Shall we do the sacrifice now?" The Holem''s Crown asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles flipped the ck bracelet for a moment and soon furrowed his brows.


    "His soul is hidden in this Phctery, right? Can we able to iste his main consciousness from interfering? I want topletely absorb all of his memories and see if I can gain some wisdom power or some soul-rted information."


    His question startled the Holem''s Crown greatly.


    It went silently for two continuous seconds and spoke.


    "It''s not an impossible thing. As long as we create a soul barrier, you can indeed cut the connection to his main consciousness. But his other consciousnesses will be in his Inner World and would try their best to stop you." The Holem''s Crown deliberated for a moment and asked.


    "What about your replica consciousness? Is it still sending any information?"


    "After Reid''s main consciousness returned from the Dream World, he used his full power and erased the purple consciousness. Moreover, his second consciousness also returned to his Inner World and trying its best to remove the purple me. But there are still few [Knowledge Absorber] spells roaming in his Inner World, and seems to be searching for precious memories." Just as he finished his words, Charles''s expression stiffened.


    At that moment, he received a broken piece of information.


    ''Reid is working for a powerful secretive organization called Edhen''s Children? Their main goal is Project Destiny?'' He was stunned for a moment.


    ''Edhen''s Children¡­ Project Destiny¡­ I think I heard about this somewhere before¡­'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''I remember now¡­ When I tried to read Lydia''s memory, I received the same information¡­ Heh, the Red Prince, this Reid guy, and the Divine seem to be working for the same organization. Does that mean this ''Divine'' is some big shot in this organization?'' He narrowed his eyes and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''If I want to use the purple consciousness, I need to wait for more than 7 days¡­ But that Demi-Lich will find out my current location sooner¡­ Moreover, creating a barrier will take some time. It seems I have to give up on this Phctery.'' He couldn''t help but sigh.


    At that moment, he suddenly thought of an idea and smiled.


    ''Can I go to the Fire Elemental ne and do my work there? There is no way Reid''s main consciousness would find the coordinates of the Fire Elemental ne, right?'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    "It''s time."


    Saying so, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped himself in crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A few secondster, Charles appeared in the underground basement, changed his appearance to a white-haired old man, and teleported to his room on the third floor.


    Then, he appeared in front of a strange tree portrait, took an unusual emerald leaf, and returned to the underground basement.


    After that, he ced the Twin Leaf on the nearby wall, recited a short chant, and disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    ck Tower.


    In the underground Throne Hall.


    A total of 4 Undead Knights, Louise, Marissa, and two other humans, stood in front of the bone throne and appeared solemn.


    Meanwhile, a half-cleaved broken skeleton sat on the throne and excluded a threatening aura around the surroundings.


    "Louise, what do you think about your daughter''s action?" Reid asked.


    "I-It must be an Imposter, My Lord." Louise''s whole body shivered.


    "I know that. Your daughter would never even think of betraying you." A heavy sigh came out of his broken skull.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards an obese man and stared at him in silence.


    The obese man looked around 35 years old, had ck hair, wide-set hazel eyes, an oblong face, arge belly, and appeared more like a merchant.


    He wore a regr brown shirt, leather pants and appeared around 182 cm high.


    "Willy Pickton¡­ The former Eighty Seventh Arbiter of Storm Church¡­ What do you know about this ''Ghost'' guy?" Reid asked.


    Meanwhile, Willy raised his head, stared into the skeleton''s chaotic red fire, and spoke.


    "His name is Charles Nightwind, My Lord. Three years ago, His Highness killed his mother to achieve something, but we, his loyal servants, failed to kill this rat. Due to some misshapes, Charles managed to escape from us. He is a very crafty kid and also has a Series Artifact under his sleeve. In less than five years, he had grown from a Rank-1 mage to a Rank-4 Mage and is currently working under this mysterious Ancient Mage." He paused for a moment and added in a gloomy voice.


    "He is also an Irregr."


    A silence appeared in the hall.


    ''Irregr¡­ But why did our ''Destined One'' ordered me to ce the ''mysterious curse'' on the Ancient Mage instead of him?'' Reid felt puzzled inside.


    Just as he was about to discuss their next n, his reddish soul fire started to flicker intensively.


    He instantly stood up from the throne and noticed that his connection with the Inner World was weakening!


    ''Oh no! He is taking my Phctery to somewhere else! Pocket Dimension? Or, another ne?''


    If he had a human face, others'' would have noticed the shock on his face!


    After a few seconds of silence, Reid calmed down a bit, waved his hand, and spoke.


    "You guys go and search for his current whereabouts."


    Although Louise and others were confused, they didn''t dare to disobey his order and left one by one.


    Once everyone was out, Reid silently sat on the throne and got anxious inside.


    ''I can''t even track my Phctery now. If someone finds out that my Phctery is missing, I will be doomed. My bone regeneration power also started to slow down.''


    Fear appeared in Reid''s mind!


    ¡­

 Chapter 252: Reids Research

    <h4>Chapter 252: Reid''s Research</h4>


    Fire Elemental ne,


    Charles appeared in the familiar underground cave and scanned the surroundings.


    After confirming that no creatures were nearby, he breathed out a sigh of relief and sat on a stone b.


    "Tell me how to create this soul barrier, Mr. Rh." He asked.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown let out a dim red light and started to exin.


    "It''s pretty simple. All you have to do is create a magic array circle on a nk scroll, inscribe the soul barrier spell model in the form of runic words, and activate the spell. Once you activate this spell, it will cover the surrounding areas for more than 10 days. No soul attacks or consciousnesses would be able to enter this barrier. Humph, even we couldn''t go out of this soul barrier spell for the next ten days. Okay, let''s start now."


    As the Holem''s Crown started to send the information about this spell model, Charles also took out a nk scroll, ink bottle, and quill from his space ring and began to inscribe.


    During the next few days, they didn''t waste a single second and entirely focused their attention on creating this spell scroll.


    By the end of the eighth day, Charles finally created this unique Rank-4 spell scroll and ced it on his hand.


    "Go on." The Holem''s Crown spoke calmly.


    On the other hand, Charles took a deep breath and nodded his head before opening it.


    Then, he used his wisdom power and activated it by tearing it a little.


    An invisible ripple came out from the scroll a momentter and soon enveloped his surroundings like a force field.


    Although it appeared invisible, Charles felt a vague barrier-like power emerged around him.


    He tried to use his wisdom power to probe the surroundings, but even his wisdom power couldn''t pass through the Soul Barrier spell!


    "This barrier is not a normal mage like you could break,d. Even if the opponent''s consciousness is a Rank-5, he would take a day or two to break this spell. Unfortunate for the skeleton, we are in the Fire Elemental ne and he could only weep in anger and hate now." The Holem''s Crown said in a pleased tone.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head, took out the ck-colored bracelet from his pocket, and cast the Rank-4 [me Consciousness] spell.


    A momentter, a purple fire appeared in Reid''s Inner World and formed into the appearance of purple skin Charles.


    At that moment, Reid''s second consciousness appeared few meters away from him, held two scythes in his bony hand, and stared at him coldly.


    "You are making a terrible mistake, mortal." A sinister aura came out from the skeleton as it opened the mandible and spoke in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a chuckle, raised both of his hands, and spread out.


    The next second, countless purple fire seeds, tens of purple lightning-like fire arcs flew in every direction!


    Upon seeing his bold action, the skeleton moved its two scythes and started shing in his direction at a fast speed.


    But just as the skeleton took few steps forward, two [Knowledge Absorber] purple fire arcs made a U-turn, moved towards those two scythes, and enveloped them in purple mes!


    "Oh? Those scythes are your important memories?" A surprise shed on purple Charles''s face.


    Meanwhile, the skeleton was shocked by the purple me and backed away in a hurry.


    Unfortunately, more and more purple mes came out from Charles''s hands and flew in every direction.


    An invasion of the Inner World began!


    ¡­


    ck Tower.


    In the underground Throne Hall.


    A broken skeleton sat on the bone throne and seemed to be in deep thoughts.


    Suddenly, Reid sensed that the connection with his soul was shattered by some invisible power and stood up in shock.


    "What the hell is he nning? Did he seal my Phctery?" He couldn''t help but shout in a raging voice.


    Even though he was more than 1,000 years old, he still couldn''t control his anger.


    But he could do nothing but wait for his disciples to find that damned Charles!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles sat on the stone b, closed his eyes, entered his Inner World, and soon appeared in front of a reddishva pool.


    He then focused his gaze on the new information and started to skim through it.


    At first, he only saw Reid''s everyday life moments.


    But Charles soon realized that these were precious information for Reid.


    ''It seems it will take some time.''


    He didn''t stop anywhere and continued to nce at the newly transmitted information.


    Ten seconds, twenty seconds¡­


    On the 24th second, Charles started to receive information about Reid''s research on souls.


    Like a broken dam, information about souls started to appear one by one.


    ''Necromancer ss and skill information¡­ I don''t need them for now¡­ Hmm? Research papers? He isted his research memories and ced them in order? Wow, he really is a helpful guy.'' A smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    Then, he obtained the information about those research papers and started to read.


    ''Soul research paper no.1¡­ What is a soul? Why is it so hard to control one''s soul? Can we able to seal it? Yes, we, necromancers, can seal it using soul bind skills. But can we able to control it?¡­


    ''Research paper no.2: I made a breakthrough in controlling one''s soul. To control one''s soul, we must kill them. Otherwise, it will be challenging¡­''


    ''Research paper no.3: No, I''m missing some critical information. Why can''t I control the dead one''s soul? What is this invisible power that is obstructing me from capturing the dead body''s soul?¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 10: Another failure. Although I failed to identify the mysterious obstructing power, I can vaguely tell that this is the Will of this world! Finding this information is a huge leap in my research¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 68: A failure. It seems older people''s souls are very hard to control. I need to look for the younger one''s soul. Thankfully, I got some enlightenment when creating the spell model and gained a unique skill: Soul Eye. I hope it will help me broaden my research on souls¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 99: Sess! I managed to evade the World Will''s perception and enved a young girl''s soul! No, it should be called her main consciousness. Hoho, she also disyed an ability to elerate the Time! Because of her, I lost more than 20 years. In a blink, I just skipped 20 years. What a terrifying ability. Could it be other souls also have some simr skills? Hmm, I will call this soul using her original name¡­ Chloe, is it? Unfortunately, I don''t have enough test subjects. Tsk, I already got a warning from my teacher. He said that he would revoke my identity as a Destiny Conquerors member if I continue to go after young children¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 135: I ran away from the organization and started researching on my own. Although I bribed the storm Church members, things won''t go smoothly from now on.''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 256: Today, I encountered a strange woman. She imed herself as Destined One and intimidated me with future prediction abilities. She gave me an offer, though. It was an offer to further improve my research in a faraway kingdom called the Iron Kingdom. She said that there are no churches there to stop me from researching children''s souls. But I know there is no free lunch in this world. She surely wants something from me¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 305: After a long time, the Destined One showed herself and ordered me to research the ancient spirits. Thisdy also gave me some clues, such as the ancient spirits are controlled souls, have some connection with Destiny Tower, etc. She said that the first king used some forbidden techniques to control the four souls and made four elemental spirits! Then, she also invited me to be an outer member of a mysterious organization called Edhen''s Children¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 389: I got a massive breakthrough in controlling one''s soul. To control one''s soul, you need to enter their Inner World and find their soul core. But before that, you need to erase their main consciousness; otherwise, you will face total retaliation. Then, there is another big question. What''s the point of controlling an empty soul with no consciousness? What if the other party has no second consciousness? Even if they have a second consciousness, it will not be a perfect one. No, it also won''t have any control over Inner World. In a sense, this soul will turn into a crippled one with no one to control. I need more information about soul¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 456: A new member appeared. She is a mysterious 4year old child with dream abilities. She voluntarily joined my small organization and even swore to protect me. But I have a vague feeling that she is up to something¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 524: Many things are happening. I got two more disciples, and I also created a ck Tower in a strange valley. Moreover, we are nning to assassinate the Iron Kingdom''s ruler under the Destined One''s order, and I''m also starting to work with an Amber Church Archbishop. Damn, this mysteriousdy is not simple¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 599: Things are going smoothly. I''m getting too many research materials now and even made multiple breakthroughs in thest two years. Haha, this kingdom is heaven for a broken necromancer like me. Hmm, it''s been two years since the mysteriousdy appeared in front of me. What is she up to now? That Amber Church Archbishop is also starting to boss around. But why did he want to use myckeys to kidnap some kids from a border town?¡­''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 678: It''s been 560 years since I started researching souls, but I''m still not able topletely control a soul. A few days ago, I suddenly received another ''order'' from the ''Destined One.'' She told me to ce a mysterious curse on a newly appeared Ancient Mage. Yeah, I do hear some things about this mage. Who is he? Why is she wants to ce a curse on him? From my understanding, I can vaguely tell that this curse could affect one''s soul deeply. Even a Demi-God level existence could find it hard to remove this one if I''m not wrong. When did he offend this terrifying woman? It''s a pity that I''m not powerful enough to enve an ancient mage.''


    ¡­


    ''Research paper no. 711: Those morons failed to ce the curse¡­ Louise''s disciple almost got killed by the ancient mage. But who would have expected that ancient mage to be powerful enough to toy around 3 Rank-4 Mystics? No, I should have expected such an oue. Tsk, that mysteriousdy will get angry¡­''


    ¡­


    As Charles read thest few memories, his expression froze.


    ''Curse¡­ I''m 90% sure that this ''Destined One'' or the ''Divine'' ced a terrifying curse on my soul.''

 Chapter 253: Arcane Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 253: Arcane Eyes</h4>


    ''What a mess. I want nothing but a peaceful Tower to stay, but the f*cking ''Divines'' are toying with me as if they are inplete control of my life. Moreover, Destiny Tower, is it? Is this the legacy tower? What it has to do with me?'' Charles gritted his teeth in anger.


    ''I''ve been too good for the past three years. What worries me more is this mysterious curse¡­ Do I''ve no choice but to seek the System Creator''s help? But I don''t want to.'' Anger rushed into his head.


    He hates it when someone forces him to do something which he hated most.


    ''3 years¡­''


    He took a deep breath to calm his mind and then shifted his attention to the game interface.


    ¡­


    [+5 Wisdom]


    ¡­


    ''5 Wisdom points from his precious emotions of pleasure, love, and care¡­ Not a bad skeleton.'' He let out a chuckle and continued to read all information about his research and other things.


    After an hour, he suddenly received another notification and became surprised a little.


    ¡­


    [Soul Eye skill obtained!]


    [Due to simrity between Wisdom Sight skill and Soul Eye skill, this new skill is currently merged into the Wisdom Sight skill!]


    [Wisdom Sight skill''s proficiency has been increased from 220 to 385!]


    ¡­


    Just as the notification showed up, countless pieces of information about the ''Soul Eye'' skill appeared in front of him.


    Simultaneously, Charles felt an itching sensation in his eyes.


    Even though he was in his Inner World, he still felt the weird sensation.


    Itsted for a whole minute and soon returned to normal.


    Charles also breathed out a sigh of relief and soon shifted his gaze towards the interface.


    ''I currently have 147 free skill points¡­ Should I upgrade this Wisdom Sight skill?'' He thought for a moment and put 15 skill points into the [Wisdom Sight] skill.


    Simultaneously, he saw arge white streak of light came from the Game System''s direction, flew towards the dark sky, and soon disappeared from his sight.


    A momentter, a sharp pain appeared in both of his eyes!


    If he weren''t in his Inner World, he would be rubbing his eyes right now!


    ''Sh*t! It''s a hundred times more itchy and painful than thest time.'' He gritted his teeth and waited patiently.


    The pain and itching sensation continued for the next few minutes, causing him to almost shout in anger and pain.


    A few minutester, he returned to his usual self and soon nced at the notification.


    ¡­


    [Wisdom Sight skill has reached its peak!]


    [Upgrade is possible!]


    [Upgrading!]


    [¡­]


    [Host''s Eyes are undergoing a mutation process!]


    [¡­]


    [Arcane Eyes skill obtained!]


    ¡­


    ''Arcane Eyes?'' He stared at the notifications in surprise and soon shifted his attention to the description.


    ''I will have an easier time finding opponent''s weakness than the previous Wisdom Sight skill¡­ For example, the [Wisdom Sight] skill will take 60 seconds to find the opponent''s weakness. Meanwhile, this skill will only take 10 to 20 seconds. And, I can now see through illusions, invisible objects, invisible creatures, invisible spells, Fate strings, and so on. Not only that, but I can also see a glimpse of the opponent''s soul form! But there is a limit to this skill, though. For example, if the opponent''s wisdom power is higher than mine, the chance of this skill working on them is low. The same goes for invisibility, illusions, fate strings, and so on¡­''


    ''This skill is not bad at all¡­'' He nodded thoughtfully and soon noticed that his [me Consciousness] had already killed Reid''s second, third and fourth consciousness!


    Not only that, but his purple consciousness also ravaged the whole Inner World.


    ''I should create a separate section and ce this soul-rted knowledge somewhere. Then, there is this Soul Core. I should find my soul core and ce it somewhere deep in my Inner World. Although I''m a powerful God-like existence in my Inner world, I''m still not an omnipotent being here.'' He nodded his head, closed his illusionary eyes, and searched for his soul core.


    After an hour of searching, he found a strange crystalline orb in the deepest part of his Inner World and felt relieved.


    ''It''s already in a much safer ce. If this soul core were in the System Cube, I would have gone mad right now.'' A wry smile appeared on his face.


    Shaking his head, he left his Inner World, opened his deep-blue eyes, and shifted his gaze towards the ck bracelet.


    "I want to break this Phctery and kill him." He asked in a serious tone.


    Although he had stolen Reid''s Phctery, he still wasn''t powerful enough to defeat him in a directbat.


    Currently, Reid''s main consciousness was simr to the fake Eddie Nightwind!


    ''But as long as he gets his hands on this Phctery, he will regain most of his power. Although I erased his lifelong memory, his main consciousness has most of them like my own. Once he enters his Inner World, he could indeed replicate them and reconstruct his Inner World.'' He felt a sense of urgency.


    "I can erase his soul." The Holem''s Crown stated proudly.


    Meanwhile, Charles widened his eyes a bit, nced at the artifact, and asked.


    "What do you mean? Didn''t you say that your ''Dark Star'' is already on the verge of breaking down?"


    "The reason I always refrain myself from using this ''Dark Star'' spell is mainly because of the restrictions. To activate this [Erase Existence] spell on the enemy, I need to be within a 1-meter radius. Moreover, I need more than 5 seconds to activate this spell. If the opponent moved out of the range during this time, my spell would be interrupted, and I will face a severe bacsh. But if I get the ''Darkness'' elemental crystal, I could restore my Dark Star to arge margin and help you frequently. For example, the effective range of this spell will increase to the 5-meter radius, and activation time will also reduce to 1 second." The Holem''s Crown spoke like a devil.


    It was trying to tempt him!


    Charles knew of this artifact''s scheme too.


    ''But this spell is indeed powerful.'' He couldn''t help but show some hesitation.


    Currently, he had very few trump cards.


    His Ember Pistol, Starfall Codex Books, and other low-Rank artifacts were of no use to him now!


    ''Even the System is not helping me like before. On the other hand, my spells and skills are started showing their might. Hmm, my current trump cards are the Game System, the Holem''s Crown, Riddle of Nightmares, and the Pseudo-Legendary Dagger. But once I advance to Rank-5, even these artifacts won''t help me much.'' He thought for a few seconds and sighed heavily.


    He then nced at the red-gem-embedded bracelet and asked in suspicion.


    "Wait¡­ What if the Divine wants us to erase Reid''s soul?"


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment and spoke in disapproval.


    "It''s impossible for this ''Divine'' to know about my ''Dark Star'' spell,d. After I came to this Edhen ne, I used this spell only once. Moreover, I used this spell on the fake Eddie Nightwind while he was in the Dream Domain."


    Upon hearing its words, Charles wore a thoughtful look on his face and nodded.


    "Okay. Let''s do it."


    "Hoho, I''m waiting for this." The Holem''s Crown let out a creakyugh, removed itself from his hand, and activated the ''Dark Star'' spell.


    One second¡­ Two seconds¡­ Three seconds¡­


    On the fifth second, the Holem''s Crown suddenly let out a dazzling red light and spoke.


    "Erase Existence!"


    In the next instance, a fierce invisible power entered the ck bracelet and silently erased Reid''s soul!

 Chapter 254: Shock

    <h4>Chapter 254: Shock</h4>


    The ck Tower.


    In the underground Throne Hall,


    Reid sat on the bone throne and was in the middle of thinking about his following n. After Charles stole his Phctery, he always stayed in the Throne Hall and waited for his disciples to find Charles.


    He was even afraid of his disciples'' betrayal!


    He didn''t even dare to meet his disciples during the past few days and was hiding in the Throne Hall like a rat!


    While he was in muse, Reid suddenly noticed that he actually forgot what he was thinking earlier.


    ''What did I forgot? Hmm? Who am I? What am I doing here? Wait¡­ I''m feeling sleepy¡­'' Before he could understand what was happening, a strange invisible power erased his memories, Will, and even his soul from its existence!


    Reid, the first pawn of the ''Divine,'' died without knowing how!


    ¡­


    Backyard garden, Royal Pce, Nobles District,


    A young four-year-old girl child sat on a small chair and was in the middle of drinking a ss of milk.


    Just when she was about to take another sip, her deep-brown eyes suddenly turned into mysterious-looking Fermen blue.


    She stopped talking the sip, stood up from the small wooden chair, and looked in the southern direction.


    Her Fermen blue eyes peered through the walls, buildings, and trees and soon locked on to the Whispers Valley.


    At that moment, she used her dream power and activated her [Dream Prophet] skill.


    The next second, her face froze.


    "Reid''s soul shattered? But how?" A shock appeared on her face.


    ¡­


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District.


    In the old mansion,


    A ck-haired woman just finished her usual work and entered her bedroom. She looked around 30-35 years old and had an average height, trimmed eyebrows, and a slender body.


    She was none other than Ashley.


    She wore a long nightgown and appeared more like an average woman in every aspect.


    Just as she locked the door from inside, her body suddenly jerked up, went stiff once again.


    "Damn this stiffness. I''m not even 35 years old yet." She muttered in a displeased tone.


    Meanwhile,


    In her Inner World, the mysteriousdy, who was seated on the silver throne, suddenly stood up and looked up at the white crystalline ceiling.


    Instead of amusement and craftiness, a shock appeared on her face and soon turned into disbelief.


    "He erased Reid''s soul? Did the Intellectual Artifact have some powerful skill?" Her sharp voice echoed in the gloomy crystalline Throne Hall, causing the ssy windows to shatter all of a sudden.


    ¡­


    C Amber House, Emerald Street, Nobles'' District,


    In the reception hall of a two-storied building, a 40-years-old man with an average look sat on a luxurious sofa and was in the middle of talking through amunication ring.


    He was none other than Archbishop Royce!


    Just when he was about to say something, his eyelids started to twitch all of a sudden.


    The next instant, he received a piece of information in his mind.


    ''Reid is dead. His soul shattered.''


    Upon seeing the information, his expression turned ugly.


    He hurriedly snapped out from the dazed state and spoke to the other person.


    "Casey, be careful of the surroundings." His voice contains a trace of anxiety and fear.


    Archbishop Royce knew how strong Reid was and felt fear towards Charles!


    Although Divine didn''t mention who killed Reid, he knew that Charles was the only one who could achieve such a feat!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles stood up from the stone b before wearing the red-gem embedded bracelet and turned his attention to the invisible soul barrier spell.


    ''I can see a bluish-greenyer covering us¡­ Can I able to break this spell?'' His deep-blue eyes shone in bright color.


    He then took a step forward, moved towards the barrier, and activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    "Oh? You are nning to use your strange eye skill?" The Holem''s Crown also noticed his action and asked.


    On the other hand, Charles continuously used his skill and started searching for a weakness.


    One second¡­ Two seconds¡­ Three seconds¡­


    After 2 minutes, Charles finally noticed a weakened area in the barrier and touched it with his finger.


    A slight crack appeared on the barrier but soon repaired on its own!


    ''So, I can''t break them one by one, huh.'' He nodded thoughtfully and marked the weakened area.


    After a few minutes, he found another three weakened areas and got delighted inside.


    He continued to crack the barrier for the next 2 hours and soon turned serious.


    In those two hours, he found a total of 63 weakened areas and tried multiple methods to break them.


    Unfortunately, the soul barrier didn''t even flinch a bit!


    ''Troublesome.'' His expression turned gloomy.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown patiently watched his action and was deeply stunned.


    Rh was a Rune Master in his prime and knew how hard it would be to crack a spell.


    But even he was stunned inside.


    ''Thisd''s ''eye'' skill has improved greatly.'' He couldn''t help but feel proud a little inside.


    ''I''m feeling like watching my grandson growing into a powerful man.''


    Unaware of the artifact''s inner thoughts, Charles continued to use his [Arcane Eyes] skill and started cracking the spell.


    Time passed slowly, and soon it was the fifth hour.


    During the past four hours, Charles found more than 184 weak points in the spells and used different methods to break the spell.


    Unfortunately, he still didn''t seed.


    "Hmm, infuse your wisdom power with those invisible strings and try to break it." The Holem''s Crown suddenly spoke, causing him to pause in surprise for a moment.


    He hurriedly nodded his head, infused his wisdom power with all those invisible strings, and let them move towards all 184 weak points.


    As those invisible touched the soul barrier, countless cracks appeared all over the area!


    "Cast your low-rank chaos spell." The Holem''s Crown added.


    With a nod, Charles raised his forefinger and cast [Incinerate] spell!


    The next instant, a dense reddish ray came out from his finger, moved towards the barrier quickly, and directly tore through it.


    Then, the whole barrier shook for a moment and started to break like sses!


    "Sess!" A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    Then, he walked towards the stone wall, focused his attention on the gem-like leaf, and chanted in English.


    A few secondster, his figure turned blurry all of a sudden and disappeared from the Fire Elemental ne.


    ¡­


    A momentter, Charles appeared in the underground hall, cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, and enveloped his body in a crimson me before disappearing.


    The next instant, he reappeared in a small hut in the Slum District, used his wisdom power to search the surroundings, and then started changing his appearance into his original self.


    After that, he removed his formal dress and started wearing a narrowed-sleeved brown linen shirt, same-colored pants, and shoes without heels.


    Then, he took out a t ck cap, put it over his head, went near the wooden door, and opened it with a click before walking out.


    Only then did he notice that the whole surroundings appeared darker.


    He hurriedly took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, opened the outer case, and stared into it.


    At that moment, the needles inside the watch began to move in circles for a few moments and soon stopped.


    "8.40 P.M, huh." He furrowed his brows for a moment, closed the outer case, and stored it in his space ring


    After that, he entered the right side dark alley, made a few turns, entered the Commoners'' District, and started walking towards Red Street.


    After a few minutes of walking, he reached 45A Red Street and stared at the two-storied building with a mysterious smile on his face.


    Unlike other ones, the whole street was bustling with full of life.


    Men''s and women''s giggling noise, pleasure moaning sounds, and painful screams came from every direction.


    Charles adjusted his hat, went near the entrance gate, and pushed open the door.


    Just as he walked in, two pretty girls in transparent white gowns walked towards him with seductive smiles on their faces.


    Both had wavy ck hair, bluish eyes and were around 18 to 20 years old.


    Within seconds, they arrived next to him, leaned their bodies against his own, and started to undress.


    On the other hand, Charles wore an amusing smile on his face, turned his head towards the right side girl, and whispered towards her ears.


    "Bring me to your boss ''Benjamin,'' Miss. Molly."


    Once she heard his words, the ck-haired girl''s body stiffened.


    "H-How did you know my name?" She couldn''t help but stutter as she tried to back away.


    But before she could take a step back, Charles swiftly moved his hand, ced something on her throat.


    The next instant, she felt a warm liquid dripped down from her throat and went pale.


    ''It''s my blood!'' A thought appeared in her mind.


    On the other hand, the other girl tried to open her mouth in shock, but soon noticed something invisible power gripped her throat!


    Before she could think further, Charles slightly moved his other hand, knocked her unconscious, ced her on the ground, and signaled her to walk.


    "Act normally. I will let you live." He added as he retracted his other hand from her throat and adjusted his shirt.


    On the other hand, Molly nodded her head stiffly, made a forced smile, and brought him towards the narrow corridor.

 Chapter 225: Marissa (18+)

    <h4>Chapter 225: Marissa (18+)</h4>


    Both walked on the lone corridor while walking past multiple rooms and soon stopped in front of an isted room.


    Once they appeared in front of a red-painted wooden door, Molly raised her hand, ced it on the door, and was about to knock but suddenly froze.


    "Come in." A cold male''s voice interrupted her action, followed by a girl''s moan.


    Molly ced her hand on the handle with a stiff nod, turned it to the right side, and pushed the door open.


    At the end of the room, a blonde-haired many on a luxurious bed along with two naked girls and was in the middle of having sex.


    The blonde-haired man appeared around 30 to 35 years old, had a clean shaved face, sliver gray eyes, arched eyebrows, fair skin, and square jaw.


    Even after Charles walked inside, he didn''t even nce at him and let out soft moaning sounds from time to time.


    At that moment, one girl sat on between his legs, held his manhood with her hands, and caressed it like a precious treasure.


    No, she started blowing it with her mouth.


    Meanwhile, the other girl crawled upward, spread her slender legs out, and ced her honey pot on the blonde-haired man''s mouth.


    The blonde-haired man''s lips touched her inner lips the next moment, causing the girl to let out a pleasuring moan.


    Upon witnessing the trio''s action, Charles''s lips twitched.


    He didn''t say a word as he took a few steps forward, appeared beside his head, took out the Riddle of Nightmares disk, and activated it.


    "What are you-?"


    Before Benjamin could ask the purpose of the guest''s action, his excited body went limp!


    The two aroused girls also noticed the strangeness and soon snapped out from their excited state.


    "Get out," Charles spoke coldly and cast [Fire Seed] on Benjamin.


    The next instant, the purple seed appeared in a world filled with simple white clouds.


    "He hasn''t even entered his Inner World?" He spoke in surprise and started burning his memories.


    Within seconds, Benjamin''s secrets with Marissa appeared in Charles''s mind.


    "Hmm? After she took him as her seventh disciple, he became her sex partner, huh? No, she seems to be madly in love with this guy. That woman sure is a weird one." He wasn''t surprised by this news at all.


    He had indeed felt that their rtionship was a little bit abnormal.


    "Is this something to do with her bloodline?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown, which had already mimicked its appearance into a silver ring, let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "She must be Subus or Medusa''s bloodline¡­ No, maybe a Snake Demon''s Bloodline?"


    "Can you tell me more about these bloodlines and their abilities?"


    "Subus¡­ These Warlocks mostly specialized mind-rted spells, shape change, suck one''s life forces, pass through physical objects like ghosts, and they also can enter Dream World. Moreover, these Warlocks could induce one''s lust and charm others. Then, they also have unique bloodline traits like they used to involve in demon rituals and so on¡­"


    "Next one is Medusa. These bloodline Warlocks also specialized in mind-rted abilities and illusions. For example, Medusa''s bloodline mostly has Petrifying Gaze, strange snake hairs, and they love to dominate others in every aspect and addicted to sex all the time. Then, they have eternal youth-like bodies and always love to live in seclusion. Most women love to walk on Medusa''s bloodline path because of this eternal youth-like ability. Even a dying olddy looks younger."


    "As for Snake Demon¡­ They are purely wicked and always try to create chaos. As for their abilities, they excel in closebat, sword fights, poison experts, and could summon countless snakes from Abyss¡­"


    As Charles heard those descriptions, he suddenly felt a simrity between Marissa''s behavior and Medusa Bloodline Warlock''s traits.


    ''She always looks younger; she dominates others, addicted to sex and also used to stay in the Tower all the time. But there is one thing that doesn''t add up. Her fear towards snakes¡­ Could it be she doesn''t fear snakes but purposely choose to stay away from them? Can making contact with a snake cause some bloodline changes?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''I will see for myselfter.'' He muttered inwardly and began to read other information.


    "Hmm, after Vivian''s assassination incident, the whole ck Tower guards tightened the security and even put different secret password methods to distinguish between enemy and an ally¡­ Meanwhile, Louise, Marissa, and other disciples ordered their students and are currently searching for my whereabouts all over the kingdom. They even sent a few spies to look for me in the old mansion¡­" Charles continued to read his memories for few more minutes and finally stopped after 30 minutes.


    Simultaneously, he noticed that Benjamin''s consciousness still hadn''t returned from the Dream World and was surprised a little.


    ''Is he that bad at math puzzles? Or, is he killed by some nightmare creature?'' He raised his eyebrows, took out a syringe, and started taking a few drops of blood from his body.


    Then, he injected it in his vein and began to shape-shift.


    A few minutester, another Benjamin appeared in the room!


    After shape-shifting, Charles silently broke the real Benjamin''s neck, captured his soul in the soul orb while releasing Vivian''s one, and stored the dead body in his space ring.


    ''I also need to dispose of both of their dead bodies somewhere.'' He muttered inwardly and started wearing Benjamin''s formal clothes.


    After that, he released his wisdom power and noticed that Molly and other girls had long escaped from the building.


    "It''s time for the final." He muttered in Benjamin''s voice, cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, and enveloped his body in a crimson me before disappearing.


    ¡­


    Whisper Valley,


    A few minutester, a short blonde-haired man with silver-grey eyes appeared inside a gloomy underground cave and started chanting in a Nether Language.


    Just as Charles finished the final rite, he took out the sharp dagger, made a small cut on his hand, and let a drop of blood fell on the ground.


    Then, a tremendous suction force appeared out of nowhere and pulled him into the void.


    The next second, he found himself standing in front of the ck Tower.


    He saw multiple ck-cloaked men stood at the entrance and was constantly checking everyone''s identity.


    Charles adjusted his overcoat and started walking towards the entrance.


    As he walked near them, one of the ck-clocked men noticed his identity and shouted.


    "My Lord, you are back!"


    "Edwin! Did something happen when I was away?" Charles turned his face serious and asked.


    Simultaneously, information about Edwin appeared in his mind.


    ''Edwin¡­ He is one of Benjamin''s servants, a Rank-2 Mystic with considerable battle experience. Three years ago, he killed a Nobleman''s illegitimate children, turned into a fugitive, and chose to be a bandit. He roamed in the kingdom while looting merchants'' caverns and learned about this secretive organization¡­ A few monthster, he became an official member using various ties, entered ck Tower, and became Benjamin''s servant.''


    Meanwhile, Edwin hurriedly ran towards him and spoke with a polite smile on his face.


    "We are constantly checking everyone''s identity, but nothing abnormal happened, My Lord." He paused for a moment and soon invited towards the right side.


    "Pleasee this way, My Lord. You don''t need to go through these tests."


    Meanwhile, Charles waved his hand and spoke calmly.


    "No need to skip the test. Do the formalities."


    An awkward smile appeared on Edwin''s face as he hurriedly nodded his head and stood beside him.


    Soon, it was Charles''s turn.


    Unlike Vivian, Benjamin had a good reputation among all those security guards.


    Upon seeing his appearance, almost everyone wore fawning smiles on their faces and greeted him.


    Then, they asked him to ce a drop of blood on the crystalline box, searched his body, and then asked questions.


    "In what city were you born?"


    "What is the name of your hometown?"


    "Who is your first Teacher?"


    "What is your surname?"


    ¡­


    They asked more than 15 questions!


    Meanwhile, Charles answered every one of those questions patiently and proved to them that he was indeed a real one.


    At that moment, one guard took out another scroll and spoke.


    "Sir Benjamin, please use your ''Soul Knife'' skill."


    The corner of Charles''s lips rose upward as he raised his hand, controlled the soul orb, and cast the Rank-1 [Soul Knife] spell.


    In truth, Benjamin was a dual ss Mystic!


    He was a Rank-3 [Criminal] and Rank-3 [ck Wizard]!


    If they had asked him to cast any Criminal ss skills, he would have faced difficulties.


    Thankfully, they didn''t!


    The main reason for that was because most of the [Criminal] ss skills were body-rted ones, and many could mimic those skills!


    An eerie grey-colored knife conjured in front of his palm and soon flew towards the nearby wall.


    "It''s done, My Lord." The guard nodded his head in approval and gestured him to walk in.


    Charles sighed inwardly and entered the ck Tower.


    At that moment, Edwin also followed after him and started badmouthing about the guard''s rude action.


    "Damn Hector¡­ Not only he asked more than 15 questions, he even asked Lord Benjamin to cast a spell. Even if he is a servant of Lord Cedric, his actions are impolite, My Lord."


    "Don''t put too much thought into it." Charles let out a chuckle and soon asked.


    "Did Teacher Marissae back from her search mission?"


    A strange blush crept on Edwin''s face as he nodded his head and answered.


    "Yes, My Lord. She came to the entrance a few times during the past few hours and seemed to be eagerly waiting for your return."


    Although Vivian''s assassination attempt caused the security to tighten, Marissa and others weren''t concerned about this.


    Only Louise was searching for her disciple all over the areas!


    On the other hand, Marissa was a strange woman filled with a pure desire for sex!


    So, her behavior was within everyone''s expectations.


    While moving upstairs, Charles asked few more questions and learned that nothing important happened in the Tower.


    ''But why didn''t they notice Reid''s death? Could it be that he secluded himself in fear of betrayal?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    They soon reached the third floor, walked past many rooms, and soon reached a particr door.


    At that moment, Edwin slowed down his footsteps and bowed his head at him.


    "I''ll take my leave, My Lord."


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head in understanding, moved towards the flower-carved door, opened it, and walked in.


    It was arge room with clean white walls, a twin bed, a desk with a nk blotter on it, sliding closets opposite the bed, and a thin red carpet.


    Once he walked in, a strange sweet aroma entered his nose, causing his heart to thump harder.


    His eyes wandered all over the ce and soonnded on the beautiful woman on the bed.


    Currently, she was lying on the twin bed, ced her hand in between her legs, and seemed to be in the middle of self-pleasure.


    She was in her thirties, had long red hair that flow around her smooth ivory skin and melons, copper eyes with sweeping eyshes, and an oblong face.


    She wore a transparent silk robe that barely covered her tworge melons and appeared very elegant and alluring.


    At that moment, Charles''s eyes remained fixed entirely on her lower body.


    An uncontroble lust welled up in his heart!


    Marissa turned her head upon seeing his appearance, curled her lips upwards, and made a mischievous smile on her face.


    "Come closer, my sweetheart!" An enchanting female''s voice filled with desire and lust echoed in his ears.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s face appeared red as he removed his overcoat and started unbuttoning his shirt.


    Simultaneously, he fastened his footsteps, removed his shirts, pants, and underwear, and climbed on the soft bed.


    He then crept towards Marissa''s curved body, spread her legs out, and touched her bud with his right hand.


    Then, he moved his manhood and started plunging it into her.


    In seconds, a loud moaning sound of a woman echoed in the room.


    Marissa felt that her disciple became more experienced than before and moved her hip to and forth!


    "Faster! Faster!" She shouted and started enjoying the intensity like regr days.


    They continuously had sex for the next few minutes and finally climaxed.


    Even after climaxing, Charles didn''t get tired a bit and started moving towards her face.


    At the same time, he caressed her melon with both hands and entwined her body like a snake.


    "Do you like it, My Lady?" He hugged her tightly, moved his lips towards her pink ears, and asked.


    "Once more," She said in a rousing voice and sealed her lips on Charles''s one.


    An uncontroble satisfaction appeared in Marissa''s mind as she yed with his lips and started hugging him tightly.


    Her bloodline trait acted on its own and induced her lust to an unimaginable level.


    At that moment, she wanted one thing.


    Happiness!


    Both of their lips danced like twin snakes!


    Irresistible lust took over Marissa''s mind.


    She had always been like this when having sex with her disciple!


    Just when she was about to part away from Benjamin''s lips, she suddenly felt a suffocative feeling.


    Only then did she realize that her disciple was hugging her very tightly and still seemed to be in deep enjoyment!


    But it was nothing but a small thing for her.


    At that moment, her disciple''s manhood touched her bud.


    She got stimted once again!


    But before she could even snap out from the aroused feeling, a sharp pain appeared on her neck!

 Chapter 256: Her Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 256: Her Weakness</h4>


    "What-?"


    Marissa tried to use her defensive spell, but Charles suddenly exerted his full strength, tightened her neck.


    At that moment, he moved behind her body and pressed his other hand towards her neck.


    Although an invisibleyer appeared around her neck area, the sharp dagger shone in red light, tore through her defensive spell and started slicing her neck.


    Simultaneously, Charles activated the [elerate Thoughts] and [Arcane Eyes] skills, analyzed her every action, and soon noticed that she was trying to transform.


    Unfortunately for her, he cast [Burning Thoughts] spell and [Fire Seed] spell on her and prevented her from thinking.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s dagger entered deep into her skin and sliced her throat.


    Reddish blood gushed out from the sliced area and sprayed on the white bed sheet.


    In an instant, her bloodline spell called [Crystal Mind] activated on its own and nullified Charles''s spells!


    The next second, Shock and disbelief appeared on Marissa''s face.


    At that moment, she saw Charles was looking at her face from the corner of her eyes and went pale.


    His eyes were cold and motionless as if he was looking at a corpse!


    An uncontroble rage appeared in her mind.


    ''I need to kill him.''


    Although Charles sliced her throat in half, she didn''t lose her calm and tried to look into Charles''s eyes to cast her innate skill [Medusa''s Gaze]!


    She was taking a big risk here!


    If she had used the opportunity to cast [Illusionary Shock] spell, she could have escaped his grasp.


    But she didn''t take that opportunity at all.


    Instead, she became firm on killing the assassin!


    During the past few years, she never went out of this ck Tower and never revealed her power to outsiders!


    No one in this Tower knew about her bloodline abilities!


    As long as she seeds in using this skill on this enemy, she could turn the table and make him pay 100 fold!


    Unfortunately, Charles came prepared and never looked into her eyes.


    Instead, he lowered his gaze andpletely fixed his gaze on her wounded neck.


    Charles knew that this woman would take risks to kill him, so he used that weakness against her!


    Simultaneously, he moved his dagger and started stabbing her fleshy chest continuously!


    By the time Marissa realized that she had fallen into his trap, her whole body was drenched in reddish blood.


    "Eternal Life." She shouted with all her might.


    The next instant, her whole body started to transform.


    Her lower half changed into a snake-like body while her upper body remained as before.


    But the wounds on her neck and chest started to heal slowly!


    Meanwhile, her red hair started to turn into some creepy ck ones and appeared more like snakes.


    No, tens of snakes appeared on her head and continuously hissed at Charles.


    Some even slithered towards his hand and face and bit him non-stop.


    ''No! Something is wrong with her body¡­ Even her body flesh appears smoother and softer. Is this some special trait of being a Warlock? Tsk, I will focus on her weakness then.'' Charles''s face turned colder.


    Without any hesitation, he pulled the dagger and directly stabbed it into her left side shoulder!


    From his earlier observation, he learned that her left-side shoulder area was her main weakness!


    A crystal-breaking sound echoed, followed by her loud gasp.


    The next instant, Marissa''s whole body went limp.


    ¡­


    [Target Eliminated! 323,500 Exp obtained!]


    ¡­


    ''Her consciousness is destroyed¡­ Warlocks mostly rely on their body strengths and abilities. It''s simr to your Trickster ss.'' The Holem''s Crown responded calmly.


    ''That crystal is something like the core of her main consciousness?'' Charles asked.


    He clearly remembered that no second consciousness appeared earlier in Marissa''s Inner World to stop his Mind Fire spells from erasing her memories.


    ''Unlike Mages, some Warlocks'' souls would merge with their bodies,d. That''s why her defensive spell activated on its own and erased your mind fire spells. If you had faced her head-on, you would have learned how terrifying a Warlock''s spells could be.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and added.


    ''You are always scheming against your enemies, using their weaknesses and not fighting fairly at all.''


    "So what? Don''t say that I''m not fighting fairly, old man. It''s called tacticalbat. That''s why I''m still alive, while they are all dead."


    Saying so, Charles decapitated her head and stored it in a separate space ring.


    ''Assassination seeded.'' He couldn''t help but show a pleasing smile.


    If it was on Earth, he could have killed the target in a single attack.


    Unfortunately, there were too many strange abilities in this world that could save the target''s life from near-death situations.


    ''Moreover, she had too many opportunities to warn others, but her reckless character is the one that caused her demise.'' He shook his head, started searching for her space ring and soon found it in the table drawer.


    He then erased her soul imprint, marked it with his own and started checking the contents.


    ''Tens of Midday potions, one constitution type sunset potion, potion recipes, the pitiful disappearing gold coins, alchemic materials, herbs, and even an extraordinary artifact called ''Stone of Fear.'' But I think she must have one more extraordinary artifact¡­'' He thought for a moment and soon sighed.


    ''I should finish my job and leave before others could notice the anomaly.''


    Nodding inwardly, he took out Benjamin''s and Vivian''s bodies and ced them on the floor.


    Due to no presence of air, both of their bodies appeared fresh as new.


    No, only Vivian''s body showed a slight dposition, and that''s it.


    Without wasting any time, he took out a long sword, shed at Vivian''s neck area and decapitated her head.


    Then, he stored her head in the separate space ring and turned his gaze towards Benjamin''s body.


    ''Tsk, I''ve no interest in Rank-3 Mystic''s head.'' He shook his head and started walking towards the bathroom.


    He then took a short bath to remove the bloodstains, changed his cloth into a new one and walked out of the bathroom.


    Then, he checked if everything was okay, walked out of the room, locked it from the outside and started moving downstairs.


    ''There must be one or two Rank-4 Mystics staying in this Tower. Fortunately, no one is using their wisdom power to scan the surroundings in fear of disturbing Reid. It''s a good thing for me, anyway.'' He nodded as he walked on the lone hallway and soon reached the staircase.


    He didn''t dare to dy any longer and started walking downstairs.


    Although a few robed Mystics cast their gazes at him when he reached the ground floor, none showed any suspicious nce.


    Instead, their eyes were filled with jealously and envy!


    Without minding their gazes, Charles took a step forward and started walking towards the right-side corridor.


    He walked on the smooth floor for a while and soon appeared at the end of the corridor.


    Same as before, a metal door appeared in front of his eyes, guarded by two Undead Knights.


    But unlike thest time, no blue fires appeared in their sockets, and they seemed more like statues!


    ''Their souls left?'' He cast a curious look at the skeletons.


    ''After Reid''s death, these souls must have gained their freedom and entered the Eternal River of Life for the next reincarnation like normal souls.'' The Holem''s Crown exined patiently.


    Charles nodded his head in understanding, removed those two blocking spears, unlocked the metal door and walked into the gloomy passage.


    He soon appeared in front of the underground Throne Hall, pushed open the other door and entered.


    His gaze moved past the luxurious chairs and pirs and soonnded on the broken humanoid skeleton still seated on the bone throne.


    The corner of Charles''s lips rose upward as he stepped forward and started walking towards the throne.


    He soon arrived in front of the throne, stepped on the dais, and appeared near the humanoid skeleton.


    He then moved his hand, gripped the neck region, broke the vertebra, and silently caught the skull before storing it in the separate space ring.


    Then, he searched the skeleton''s hand, took a ck-colored spatial ring from his left skeletal hand, and checked it.


    Unlike Marissa''s one, he found no extraordinary artifact at all. Instead, soul-rted research notes, soul stones, strange scrolls, and a few weird things appeared in the ring.


    Just when he was about to click his tongue, a sharp wisdom power scanned the whole Tower from outside.


    ''A Rank-4 Mystic? No, it appears powerful than a normal Rank-4 Mystic''s power.'' His face turned solemn.


    ''A peak-level Rank-4 Mystic.'' The Holem''s Crown also analyzed the power behind the earlier scan and said in his mind.


    Before Charles could make an urate guess, a raging female''s voice echoed from outside.


    "Charles! I finally found you!"


    It was Louise''s voice!


    Meanwhile, Charles''s expression changed drastically.


    "Divine must have given her some clue about my location. It''s the worst oue." He couldn''t help but mutter in a grave tone.

 Chapter 257: Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 257: Vampire</h4>


    "What are you going to do now?" The Holem''s Crown asked in curious.


    Upon hearing its words, the corner of Charles''s lips rose upward and formed into a sly smile.


    "You asked me to fight fairly, right? I will do it."


    Saying so, he turned around and touched his face.


    The next instant, his whole face started to change and transformed into Vivian''s one!


    "Y-You-" The Holem''s Crown was beyond speechless by his shamelessness.


    Without waiting for the Holem''s Crown response, Charles cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, a humanoid me appeared at the ck Tower entrance, startling the nearby guards and robed mystics, and soon formed into a figure of a silver-haired woman.


    Charles''s gaze swept past the surroundings Mystics and soonnded on a blonde-haired woman in herte 60s.


    Her amber eyes were bloodshot, and she wrapped her wrinkled face in a red scarf.


    She wore a ck overcoat over her formal dress and held a strange bluish crystal in her hand.


    ''Louise!'' Charles''s eyes flickered.


    Upon seeing Vivian''s appearance, Louise was momentarily stunned for a moment and soon shouted in shock.


    "V-Vivian!"


    Utilizing the opportunity, Charles took out a thumb-sized stone from Marissa''s space ring and activated the [Stone of Fear] ability.


    Unlike the Riddle of Nightmares, this artifact hadn''t any cooldown!


    When activating this stone, the enemy would feel immense fear of losing something precious and always want to protect this ''something'' from any potential dangers!


    At that moment, Louise felt that her emotions were starting to act up.


    ''I don''t want to lose her!'' She dashed towards Charles at a fast speed.


    Meanwhile, Charles was about to cast [Finger of Destruction] spell on Louise, but he suddenly felt a premonition and stopped.


    "Louise, snap out of it. That''s an imposter." A cold male voice came from the sky, causing Louise to stop her footsteps in the midway.


    At that moment, confusion, anxiety, and cautiousness appeared on her face.


    ''Cedric¡­ He is Reid''s third disciple.'' Charles''s lips twitched as he released his wisdom power, stored the ''Stone of Fear'' into his space ring, and turned his gaze towards the sky.


    Cedric was a ck-haired man in his 40s, and his square face appeared slightly wrinkled. His beard was messy, and it was obvious he hadn''t shaved for days. He had strange purple eyes and wore a casual dress.


    Two bat-like wings appeared behind him and were constantly pping on their own, making him look more evil.


    But what caused Charles to raise his eyebrows a little was the sharp nails that appeared in both his hands.


    ''Vampire? It''s rare to see a Vampire in this ne.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a surprised tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles furrowed his brows and soon noticed something odd happening in his body.


    First, his heartbeat suddenly started to slow down, followed by dizziness.


    ''Blood-rted abilities.'' He didn''t think for a second before focusing his gaze on Cedric and cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill.


    Simultaneously, he cast [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself.


    A row of information appeared in his mind.


    ''A Rank-4 Noble Viscount¡­ Innate spells¡­ Bat Form, Finger of Death, Instant Regeneration, Alternate Thoughts, Control Blood, Lightning Reflex, Undead Body¡­ No good, I''m not strong enough to face against these two at a same time.'' Just when he was about to use [me Teleportation] spell, Louise already snapped out from her fear and crushed the crystal in her hand.


    The next instant, a strange ripple came out from her hand and soon enveloped the whole surrounding in bluishyer!


    ''Space Lock!'' His expression turned grim.


    At that moment, he deactivated the [elerate Thoughts] skill.


    ''My mental power is not enough to maintain this skill for too long.''


    Before he could think, his [Prevision] skill triggered on its own and warned him about the approaching danger.


    Without any hesitation, he cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself.


    The next instant, an eerie ck ray came from the sky and collided on the sunshineyer that just enveloped his body!


    It was so strong that it almost caused him to push backward!


    ''Finger of Death spell? Sh*t! My defensive spell won''t be able to stop it!'' He didn''t hesitate for a moment before he cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    In a blink, he reappeared in the sky, cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell on himself, and stared warily at Cedric.


    His heartbeat continued to slow down.


    ''I''ve to find a way and counter this spell.'' He thought.


    But at that moment, his [Sun''s Guard] spell started to shine brightly and broke into pieces!


    Just stopping the [Finger of Death] spell for a second caused the [Sun''s Guard] spell to break into pieces!


    Meanwhile, the ck ray tore through the air and soonnded on an unfortunate robed Mystic.


    The next second, his whole body started to erode and soon disintegrated into dust!


    But Charles didn''t have any luxury to watch the unfortunate guy''s death at all.


    At that point, Louise cast [Zephyr''s Wings], rose in the sky, and suspended in the air.


    Currently, she was hovering on the opposite side and was blocking him from escaping.


    "You are not going anywhere, Charles!" Her voice turned hoarse.


    Her eyes were filled with rage, hate, anger, and a bit of madness!


    Meanwhile, Cedric also red at him from the other side and spoke coldly.


    "You have a skill that could perceive the uing danger, right? When I cast my attack spell earlier, I didn''t make a mistake and even concealed the fluctuation of death energy. It''s a perfect spell to assassinate someone¡­" He stopped talking for a second and soon shook his head.


    He didn''t waste any time, stared deep into Charles''s eyes, and continued.


    "You are our enemy, Charles. Cast your defensive spell."


    At that moment, Charles subconsciously felt that it was unwise to cast a [Sun''s Guard] spell and stopped his action!


    Simultaneously, the clone Charles discovered that a strange power was manipting his thinking in his Inner World and quickly erased it.


    The next instant, Charles snapped out of the strange state and cast the defensive spell.


    A sunshineyer appeared around his body and soon enveloped him.


    Upon seeing his action, astonishment shed on Cedric''s face.


    But soon, he turned his face into a solemn one and spoke.


    "Louise."


    "I''m ready." Louise raised her hand and shed it in Charles''s direction like a sword.


    The next instant, an invisible scythe appeared out of thin air and drifted towards Charles quickly.


    Meanwhile, his [Arcane Eyes] skill activated on its own and exposed the invisible scythe to him!


    He could tell with a single nce that even his [Sun''s Guard] spell wouldn''t stand a chance against it!


    "Charles, you are our enemy. You have to be on guard against us." Cedric spoke again.


    As he ended his speech, Charles was influenced by [Alternate Thoughts] skill once again and dismissed his [Sun''s Guard] spell!


    At that moment, the invisible wind scythe tore through the air and almost arrived in front of him!


    Curling his lips upward, Cedric also fixed his gaze on Charles''s head, raised his hand, and cast [Finger of Death] spell!


    A ck ray of light tore through the air and soon appeared near his forehead!


    But just when the [Wind Scythe] and [Finger of Death] spells were about tond on his body, the corner of Charles''s lips suddenly started to curl upward.


    The next instant, his body was wrapped in reddish me and soon turned into a me being!


    It was his Rank-3 [Fire Born] spell!

 Chapter 258: Forewarning

    <h4>Chapter 258: Forewarning</h4>


    Both [Wind Scythe] spell and [Finger of Death] spell entered Charles''s me body and soon appeared on the other side before disappearing.


    Simultaneously, Charles deactivated the spell and activated [Prevision] skill.


    A momentter, he shifted his attention towards his Inner World and said in a hurry.


    ''Switch ce with me, Charles.''


    By the time the clone Charles took control over his body, Louise had woke up from the shock and shouted.


    "Blind Curse."


    An instantter, the clone Charles''s vision turned blurry and soon went blind!


    But Louise didn''t end it there, though.


    She raised her hand, pointed her finger at Charles, and cast the next spell.


    "Chain of Chaos."


    Five eerie ck chains came out from her body and slithered towards Charles like snakes.


    At that moment, Charles took control over his body, erased the blind curse, pointed his finger at Louise, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    A reddish bullet-like ray came out from his finger and flew towards Louise at a terrifying speed.


    "Louise!" Cedric sensed the dangerous power hidden in that bullet and shouted.


    Meanwhile, a grim look appeared on Louise''s face.


    Without any dy, she cast [Wind Barrier] spell and pped her hands together.


    The next instant, she turned blurry and disappeared from there!


    ''It must be [Wind Form] spell. When she is in Wind Form, she could reduce 50% damage of any attack.''


    Nodding inwardly, Charles cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, disappeared from there, and reappeared 30 meters away from both of them.


    Meanwhile, the reddish bullet collided against the wind barrier spell before sending destructive fire waves in all directions and made a crack on the barrier!


    Then, the ''Chaos Bullet'' tore through the invisible barrier and soonnded on the invisible Louise.


    Even though she was in Wind Form, Charles''s ''Chaos Bullet'' prated deep into her shoulder and appeared on the other side!


    Then, the bullet let out a cracking noise and exploded!


    A loud bang echoed in the sky, followed by a shockwave.


    Rays of reddish fire flew in every direction and started enveloping the surroundings in chaos me!


    Whenever the me touches on something, it spread towards the nearby area like wildfire and eroded it!


    The me enveloped all of the observers who stood at the entrance and even moved into the tower.


    Whenever the me touches someone''s body, it entered deep into them and corrupted their skin and flesh like an infection.


    Their bodies began to bulge within seconds and soon exploded while sending out the flesh, blood, and brain matters in every direction!


    Even Louise wasn''t spared from the explosion.


    But due to her extraordinary physique, she managed to suppress the infection and escaped from the corrosion.


    As the me soothed down, she floated in the air and looked miserable.


    Multiple burn wounds appeared all over her face, body, and hands.


    Not only that, but her left hand was nowhere to be seen!


    Her face appeared pale as a white sheet.


    "He is very strong." She said in a cold tone, ced her other hand over her shoulder, and added.


    "Unholy Hand."


    A momentter, new flesh began to regenerate rapidly and soon formed into a new hand!


    Simultaneously, the other wounds on her face, hands, and body also disappeared in a blink.


    Still, the bullet wound on her shoulder remained.


    Meanwhile, Charles hovered next to the ck Tower and stared at her with a gloomy look on his face.


    ''I have to kill one of them quickly.'' He muttered inwardly and was about to take out the dagger but suddenly froze.


    His heart palpitated all of a sudden.


    It was the forewarning skill!


    The next instant, he saw a vision of an obese man in a red robe.


    The man looked at the sky through the window, held a strange ck scroll in his hand, and seemed to be in the middle of muttering an incantation.


    The obese man looked had ck hair,rge belly and appeared familiar.


    But due to the ck mask, Charles couldn''t distinguish who he was.


    ''An enemy?'' He soon turned his gaze towards the battlefield and noticed that Louise and Cedric were staring at him warily from afar.


    But he wasn''t too much concerned about them now.


    ''An unknown enemy is far more dangerous.'' He muttered inwardly and soon spoke to the Holem''s Crown.


    ''Mr. Rh, look for a suspicious obese guy in a red robe. He has ck hair, arge belly, and wears a ck mask.''


    ''Did you see a future vision? Hmm, don''t worry. I will start my search now.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke in a solemn tone and released its full wisdom power.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    Then, he focused his gaze on Louise and soon saw some spider-like reddish strings appeared above her head.


    No, Charles noticed that some of them were constantly breaking and reconstructing on their own.


    ''Fate Strings¡­ This shows that both of them will be gravely injured in the future, but won''t die¡­ So, this hidden enemy will strike me harder and kill me before I kill these two, huh.'' A look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''It seems I have to rely on the Holem''s Crown''s help now.''


    He nodded inwardly and started focusing on the battlefield.


    For the next few minutes, Charles cast almost one hundred spells and made multiple attempts to kill Louise and Cedric.


    Unfortunately, Louise continued to use her [Unholy Hand] skill and returned to her peak condition even after reaching a near-death situation.


    As for the Vampire Cedric, his regeneration skill shocked Charles.


    Not only that, but his [Finger of Death] spell had almost killed him twice.


    At that moment, Cedric and Louise also felt helpless in their hearts.


    "This guy should be titled as Undead instead." Louise couldn''t help but said in a gloomy voice.


    Meanwhile, Cedric pped his bat wings and spoke with a bitter smile on his face.


    "He has a strange me body spell to nullify any physical attack, a weird healing spell to cure his wounds, the fire teleportation, and the ability to predict our next movements. Then, there is the fire bullet spell that could be on par with my [Finger of Death] spell, shape-changing ability, and a normal defensive shield spell."


    "He still hasn''t cast his Memory stealing ability, yet. I''ve seen that ancient mage using such spell during the auction incident." Louise responded in a grave tone and soon cast [Wind Barrier] spell to block his [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    Meanwhile, Charles started to feel anxious.


    ''Old man, you still didn''t find the suspicious-looking guy?'' He couldn''t help but show a gloomy look on his face.


    ''No,d. I think he hadn''t revealed himself yet.'' The Holem''s Crown responded solemnly.


    Then, another round of battle happened in the sky.


    ¡­


    ck Tower, 4thyer,


    A ck-haired obese man was seated on a wooden chair in the experiment hall and calmly watched the battle through a strange mirror.


    "All of them are already exhausted, Your Highness." He analyzed the battle and said.


    Meanwhile, a strange reddish eyeball floated next to him and appeared eerier.


    It stared at the mirror for the next few seconds, and soon a monotonous voice came out from it.


    "Hmm, something is wrong, Willy¡­ He isn''t using his ''Mind-Fire'' skills and seems to be holding back. Did he sense a variation? Wait¡­ He has a skill that could predict future events¡­ Let''s make a change in our n and kill him for real. Let''s go to the top andy out a small concealing array before taking action. Otherwise, he might find out our location."


    "Yes, Your Highness." Willy tersely acknowledged his words and started storing the mirror into his space ring.


    After that, he stealthily walked out of the experimental hall and started walking upstairs.


    ¡­

 Chapter 259: Systems Help

    <h4>Chapter 259: System''s Help</h4>


    "Old man, did you find him?" Charles asked as he was panting heavily and stared at the two peak-level enemies.


    At that moment, both of thempletely locked their gazes on him and gave no opening for him even to escape!


    "Nope. The enemy seems to have perceived the change in variation." The artifact responded.


    Upon hearing the Holem''s Crown''s words, Charles clicked his tongue and started to think.


    ''Although I manage to counter Cedric''s blood control ability by distancing myself from him, I couldn''tpletely eradicate it. It''s still causing me slight dizziness. Then, there is this forewarning¡­''


    His face went icy cold.


    He could feel that his time was nearing and got anxious a little.


    Just when he was about to make a move, his heartbeat elerated at a faster pace.


    Simultaneously, the strange forewarning echoed in his mind like an rm bell sound.


    On the other hand, Louise and Cedric hovered opposite to him and looked pale.


    Although there weren''t any severe wounds on their bodies, exhaustion could be seen on their faces.


    "If this goes on like this, we won''t be able to seed," Cedric said in a cold voice.


    Louise nodded her head in approval upon hearing his words and was about to respond but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, she received a piece of information through a telepathic link and went wide-eyed.


    She hurriedly nced at Cedric and noticed that he was also showing a surprised expression on his face.


    Then, both nced at each other and nodded their heads in understanding.


    "One more round." The corner of Louise''s lips curled upward as she said those words and waved her hand.


    The next instant, the wind blew through the trees with a powerful force, scattering the dried leaves and banging the tower window doors as if they were its chaotic drumbeat.


    Meanwhile, dark clouds had long gathered up in the sky and looked dominating.


    Thunders and lightning shes appeared from time to time, announcing to everyone that they were nothing but puny life forms!


    "Thest one," Cedric muttered as he looked up at the eerie cloudy sky.


    On the other hand, Charles pped his eerie reddish-ck wings and felt a sharp headache.


    It was the forewarning skill''s reaction to the uing danger!


    His system interface also suddenly turned red and gave out a warning signal!


    At that moment, raindrops fell from the sky one by one.


    ''It seems I''ve to use it now.'' Charles muttered inwardly and activated his Rank-2 [Vision] skill.


    A momentter, tens of futuristic images appeared in front of his eyes one by one.


    Without hesitation, he activated his [elerate Thoughts] skill and nced at the images.


    At that moment, his whole surroundings started to move slower.


    No, the whole surrounding went frozen in time!


    ''System is helping me?'' A surprise shed on his face.


    He also saw a strange countdown appeared in the corner of his eyes.


    ''40 seconds. It''s the almighty plot armor!'' Without wasting any time, Charles shifted his attention towards the futuristic images and started to gather information.


    ''In the next few seconds, Louise and Cedric will attack me at the same time. Five lightning bolts will strike me first and break my [Sun''s Guard] spell. Lightning? It must be Louise''s [Control Weather] spell. At the same time, she will also use her [Curse of Corrosion] spell and [Chain of Chaos] spell and attack¡­''


    ''When I try to teleport, something will obstruct me, giving opportunity for [Chain of Chaos] spell topletely bind me¡­ It must be her [Dark Space] spell. But the [Sun''s Guard] spell will once again appear around me, and block [Curse of Corrosion] spell before disappearing. Unfortunately, I will only notice the [Wind Scythe] spell at thest minute and lose my right arm in return.''


    ''When I try to use [Soul Heal] spell to attach my arm, Cedric will use the [Finger of Death] skill and disintegrate itpletely. Simultaneously, he will say something and stops my movement. Just when I wake up from the strange state, he will take out a strange emerald amulet, smile at him, and then muttered a word.''


    ''The next instant, my whole body will forcefully teleport and soon reappear in the area where he stands before. Is it the [Fate-Shift] spell?'' Charles nodded inwardly and soon saw the final two images.


    He saw a strange crack appeared in the space.


    Then, a monstrous reddish w-like hand came from it, grabbed his body, and pulled him into the void!


    ''What the hell is that?'' Charles stared at the final images for a moment and soon noticed that only 10 seconds were remaining.


    ''Damn it, I still got no clue about the enemy¡­I need to fool the enemy and find out his exact location while battling. Otherwise, the hidden enemy might use another method to kill me.'' He thought inwardly and soon made a simple n.


    When the ''Time Freezing'' effect ended, Charles suddenly extended his hand, released crimson mes, and enveloped the surroundings to obstruct the enemies'' vision.


    Then, he shifted his gaze towards the space ring and took out two scythes!


    There were the two rare artifacts that he got from killing the fake Elder!


    Then, he cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, covered those two scythes with invisible strings, and made them invisible.


    By the time the surrounding mes dispersed, Charles had returned to his previous state and stared at Louise and Cedric with a cold look on his face.


    Although Louise, Cedric, and Willy felt something was off about his sudden action, they didn''t put much thought into it.


    In the meantime, Willy stood on the top floor while holding a strange ck scroll and had long started to chant a weird incantation.


    Due to a strange concealment array applied on the ground, he appeared entirely invisible!


    Without putting much thought into Charles''s earlier action, he focused his attention on the strange scroll and continued to chant.


    Whenever he recited a sentence, strange energy moved out from the ck scroll and flew up towards the sky.


    Meanwhile, Charles got ready for the final battle and spoke in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, I want you to create arge-scale illusion at a particr moment.''


    Saying so, he activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill, [elerate Thoughts] skill, and finally cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself.


    At that moment, Louise also waved her hand and cast her spells.


    First, shes of lightning appeared from the sky,nded above his head, and destroyed his [Sun''s Guard] spell in a second!


    But unlike before, Charles didn''t try to teleport, changed his facial expression into a confused one, and waited.


    In a blink, eerie ck chains appeared from below, slithered towards his legs, and soon bound his body.


    Simultaneously, a ck ray shot out from Louise''s palm and flew towards Charles''s body at a terrifying speed.


    Upon seeing the ray, Charles changed his face into a pale one, cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself.


    A banging sound resounded in the sky as the corrosive raynded on the sunshineyer andpletely disintegrated it before disappearing.


    At that point, Charles suddenly cast [Fire Born] spell on himself and waited for the [Wind Scythe] spell.


    Within a second, an invisible scythe touched his chest area, entered deep into his me body, and soon appeared on the other side.


    A tongue clicking noise came out of Louise''s mouth as she saw his action.


    Meanwhile, Cedric raised his eyebrows and soon frowned.


    Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly forgot what to say!


    Utilizing the opportunity, Charles nced at the silver ring and spoke.


    ''Mr. Rh, do it now.''


    A momentter, a strange invisible ripple appeared in the sky and started reying a scene from one of those previous battles.


    ''Good.'' Charles muttered inwardly and was about to make his move but stopped.


    At that moment, Cedric returned to his normal state!


    ''He nullified them?''


    Charles cast [Burning Thoughts] and [Fire Seed] spells on him again.


    But to his astonishment, he received no information at all!


    Cedric somehow cut the connection with his spells andpletely nullified them!


    At that moment, a strange smile crept on Cedric''s face as he took out a peculiar emerald amulet from his space ring and spoke.


    "Shift."

 Chapter 260: Danger

    <h4>Chapter 260: Danger</h4>


    A silence appeared in the sky as Cedric said that word and soon went wide-eyed.


    At that moment, he suddenly sensed that there was no amulet appeared in his hand!


    Meanwhile, Charles''s curled his lips upward, raised his hand, and showed an emerald amulet towards Cedric.


    "Are you looking for this?" Vivian''s feminine voice came out from his mouth.


    Before Cedric could understand the situation, a spatial crack appeared behind him, followed by a monstrous reddish hand.


    The hand''s movement was so fast that it grabbed Cedric''s body in an instant and started pulling into the void.


    "ARGHH!" A scream came out of Cedric''s mouth as he tried his best to escape from the grasp but couldn''t.


    The hand''s grip was so firm that he couldn''t even move a muscle.


    "Bat form!" He tried to turn himself into a bat and escape, but nothing worked.


    He was horrified!


    "Help!" He hurriedly looked at Louise and shouted.


    But the next instant, a sharp pain appeared on his nape, followed by a flesh-tearing sound.


    A momentter, he noticed that the whole world began to spin.


    It was one of Charles''s invisible scythes!


    His head flew up towards the sky, spraying blood in every direction, and it moved towards Charles quickly.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly pulled his left hand, controlled the other invisible scythe, and shed it at Cedric''s chest area.


    It was one of Cedric''s main weaknesses!


    During the previous battles, Charles analyzed Cedric''s movements and learned a few of his weak spots.


    Among them, this was the area where Cedric always paid close attention to it!


    The next instant, the scythe''s toe tore through the flesh, entered deep into the chest, and soon collided with a crystal.


    A crystal-breaking sound echoed in the sky!


    A momentter, a notification popped up in front of Charles''s eyes.


    [Target Eliminated! 285,200 Exp points obtained!]


    ''Sess.'' The corner of his lips curled upward.


    At that moment, the gigantic hand started pulling Cedric''s dead body into the spatial crack and soon disappeared from his vision!


    Meanwhile, Charles caught Cedric''s head and saw a lifeless look on his face.


    ''If he was a pure-blooded vampire, he would have used the blood form and escaped from the Devil''s hand.'' The Holem''s Crown said regretfully.


    ''Devil''s hand? As I thought, it must be Willy Pickton''s doing.''


    Charles nodded his head in understanding, stored the head in a separate space ring, and noticed that the forewarning remained in his mind.


    Although it was not strong as before, it still caused him a slight headache.


    ''That guy hasn''t given up.'' His eyes turned colder.


    He then turned his gaze towards his right side, stared at the dumbfounded Louise, and ordered the Holem''s Crown to break the past illusion.


    At the same time, he shifted his attention towards the emerald amulet, erased Cedric''s soul imprint, and reced it with his own.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Willy was staring at the sky in confusion and shock.


    The strange vertical pupil eye floated to his right side, looked at the sky, and blinked from time to time.


    "It''s an illusion!" A monotonous voice came out from it.


    "The Holem''s Crown?" Willy widened his eyes in shock and soon nodded.


    "Does that mean Cedric and Louise fail to trap him?" He couldn''t help but show an anxious expression.


    Before the strange eye could respond, both of them saw a ripple in the dark sky.


    The next instant, the past illusion broke like sses and revealed the truth to them.


    Only Charles and Louise remained floating in the air!


    "They failed." Willy''s heart sank.


    Before he could say another word, an eerie monotonous voice came out from the strange eye.


    "Eye of Inferno."


    The next instant, the eye formed into a streak of ck fire and flew towards the sky at a fast speed!


    Meanwhile, an invisible force appeared out of nowhere, encircled Charles''s body, and gripped him tighter.


    At that moment, Charles knew that the enemy was set on killing him and turned dark.


    "Shift." He spoke in a quick tone while locking his gaze on Louise.


    The next instant, his figure turned blurry suddenly and was reced with Louise''s figure!


    Then, the streak of ck me entered Louise''s chest.


    In a blink, her whole body turned eerie ck and exploded with a bang.


    At the same time, the ck streak began to expand and soon formed into a fireball of a 5-meter radius.


    But what horrified Charles was that the me appeared more like an eyeball!


    It had a vertical pupil, a ckish iris, and appeared to be made of pure ck me!


    It floated in the sky and appeared terrifying and eerie.


    It was an eyeball filled with pure wickedness!


    ''I need to escape!'' Such thought crossed Charles''s mind.


    But he knew that the whole space was locked by a strange spatial lock spell and got worried.


    ''Old man, do you know what this thing is?'' He asked.


    ''It looks like an incarnation of an Eye Devil¡­ No, I think it''s an attack spell. A Rank-5 Spell! Teleport to the Underground Hall! Hurry up!'' The Holem''s Crown''s turned severe.


    Charles didn''t dare to dy any longer, cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there!


    A momentter, he reappeared in the underground throne hall, stepped on the dais, and hurriedly sat on the Bone Throne.


    Then, he ced his hand on the bone arm, muttered a word inher tongue, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he found himself standing in a dark metal room!


    It was Reid''s secret hideout!


    He built this house 200 meters under the throne hall in fear of invasion.


    No one, not even his disciples, knew about this!


    ''But I''m still not feeling safer.'' Charles wore a grim look and cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself.


    BANG!


    Simultaneously, a loud explosion came from above, causing him to fell on his knees in an instant.


    At that moment, an indestructible shockwave came from above, broke the metallic wall, even broke his [Sun''s Guard] spell, andnded on his body.


    The next instant, minute cuts started to appear all over his body, causing blood to appear everywhere!


    ''F*CK!'' A severe pain assaulted his mind!


    He tried to shout but soon noticed that he couldn''t even open his mouth!


    Not only his body flesh, but even organs started to rip.


    ''Soul Heal!'' Charles said in his mind andpletely enveloped his body in a greenish-blue me.


    But even his [Soul Heal] spell wasn''t powerful enough to heal all those wounds.


    ''No, this Rank-3 me won''t be enough. I need a Rank-4 healing spell to heal this body at a fast speed. Otherwise, I might really die!''


    His heart sank.


    He then linked his mind with his Inner World and asked his clone to control the body.


    After that, he reappeared in front of the System Cube, used his full wisdom power to create arge fire, and started pulling it towards the [Soul Heal] spell model.

 Chapter 261: Intellectual Artifact

    <h4>Chapter 261: Intellectual Artifact</h4>


    Within a few seconds, Charles reached the dark sky and soon appeared in front of the greenish-blue spell model.


    Just when he was about to open the game interface, the pain within his body began to increase.


    "Cast the [Fire Born] spell and see if it could nullify the strange power." He spoke in a hurried tone.


    Meanwhile, the clone Charles nodded and instantly cast the [Fire Born] spell on his body.


    A red me enveloped his body in an instant, and he looked more like an elemental being made ofve and fire!


    Although the spell managed to reduce his body destruction, Charles wasn''t satisfied by the result.


    ''This strange energy seems to have some mysterious power to bypass the elements and still harming my true body.'' He couldn''t help but show an anxious look on his face.


    After that, he changed his attention towards the System Cube and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Earlier, it gave out a warning and froze the time for me in the outside world. This indicates the ''System'' can think on its own and has some level of intelligence. Or, someone else monitoring from afar and ordered it to use the ''Time Freezing'' effect¡­ But that possibility is very unlikely.''


    He then nced at the game interface, opened the skill book option, and soon shifted his attention towards the [Soul Heal] spell model.


    The next instant, he saw a bunch of spell model names and descriptions.


    He skimmed through those spell models one by one and soon stopped at a particr spell called ''Life of Fire.''


    ''This spell is more like a cheating death spell. As long as my brain and heart are not destroyedpletely, I can use this spell and return to my original appearance. But I or my ''clone'' needs to cast this spell from my Inner World within 30 seconds. Otherwise, the ''dark space'' will crack and the body''s connection with the Inner World will cut off permanently. This Life of Fire spell can also heal minor curses in my soul and also allows me to see my soul form¡­ 193,500 Exp points.'' He thought for a moment and soon chose to construct it.


    The next instant, a strange ripple came out of the System Cube, enveloped the [Soul Heal] spell model and his illusionary consciousness, and froze the surroundings.


    A momentter, countless runal words came out of the system cube and encircled the [Soul Heal] spell model.


    Meanwhile, Charles noticed that the strange invisible energy that blocked him from approaching near the ''System Cube'' disappeared!


    ''The Game System is finally allowing me to get near it?'' He wore a surprised look and moved towards therge cube while avoiding thetitudinal and longitudinal runal lines.


    He soon appeared near the cube and noticed that it was around five cubic meters in size.


    Inside the cube, he saw two red gems and three ck gems.


    ''There are only two [Fire Mage] ss Gems, and three [Trickster] ss Gems remaining, huh.'' He nodded his head thoughtfully, extended his hand, and touched the cube.


    The next moment, he received some information about the System Cube''s functions.


    It was as if that the System was sending the information on its own!


    ''T-This¡­ This cube is indeed an intellectual artifact!'' He widened his illusionary eyes and started reading the information.


    The first one was the ''Time-Freezing'' ability.


    It was not a permanent ability.


    From the information stored within the Cube, Charles learned that this ability wouldn''t stop the ''Time.'' Instead, this ability elerates and decelerates the ''Time.'' Moreover, activating this ability would also consume the ''Time Stone.''


    Unfortunately, there was only one mysterious Rank-6 Elemental ''Time Stone'' stored in the System Cube.


    ''From the System''s observation, I can use this ability only 9 times.''


    If the System uses this ability in the Inner World, it won''t waste too much energy and could keep the ability for four to five days.


    But if the System uses this ability in the outside world, the ''Time Stone'' would be consumed sooner.


    ''That earlier countdown¡­'' A look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''I need to learn more about these elemental stones.'' He nodded thoughtfully and shifted his attention toward other information.


    The second one was about spell models and the construction process. The System Cube would help him construct the spell models up to Legend Rank. After that, he had to rely on himself.


    The same goes for spell models. If he wants to construct the Rank-7 spell models in the future, he had to search for them and construct spell models independently.


    He could also construct them through the enlightenment method.


    The third one was about the protective measures against foreign consciousnesses.


    The System could indeed help him eliminating up to Legend Rank Consciousnesses from invading his Inner World. As for Demi-God and God-level consciousnesses, it could not retaliate at all!


    The fourth one was about ss-Gems.


    Charles nced at those gems one by one and soon learned the names.


    ''Rank-5 [Pyromancer] ¡ú Rank-6 [Fire Mage]¡­ Then, Rank-5 [Cloner] ¡ú Rank-6 [Two-Facer] ¡ú Rank-7 [Faceless One]¡­''


    The final one was about the ''Exp'' and ''Level-Up'' processes.


    ''It''s actually a mechanism that could steal some soul essence from the souls, and return them in the form of attribute points¡­ The reason it could also help him increase his physical attributes is mainly due to the presence of some strange ''blood'' essence.'' He nced at the information and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ''Most of the mysteries about this Game System are already solved. As for how it improved my Arcane Eyes skill, I still have no clue about it. Hmm, the System seems to be unwilling to give more information¡­'' Although he was curious about it, he didn''t put much thought into it and shifted his attention towards the Soul Heal spell model.


    The construction process went smoothly.


    After 40 hours of construction, a brand new spell model appeared in the sky!


    It was a little bit smaller than other Rank-4 spell models and appeared azure-blue.


    At that moment, the System Cube also retracted the ''elerate-Time'' ability and started descending towards the ground.


    But Charles didn''t have any time even to study the System''s movements.


    At that moment, a wave of pain assaulted him from outside!


    "Charles, switch ce with me." He ordered.


    The next instant, he left the Inner World and took control over his body.


    Thankfully, the Holem''s Crown managed to use its wisdom power and reduced the damage done to his space ring, heart, and head.


    Otherwise, he would have long died!


    He hurriedly ced his hand over his chest and cast the [Fire of Life] spell.


    A momentter, a greenish me enveloped his body and healed his severe injuries.


    Within a few seconds, Charles noticed that the pain also disappeared from his body and felt relieved.


    But it was just the start, though.


    While he was in Inner World, only tens of seconds had passed in the outside world.


    So, the strange energy hadn''t disappeared yet and was still ripping his body!


    Just before the invisible energy could cause serious injuries, he once again cast the Rank-4 [Fire of Life] spell on himself.


    His body tissues started to destroy and reconstruct constantly.


    It was more like torture!


    Charles endured the pain and cast the [Fire of Life] spell from time to time.


    The strange energy continued to destroy his body for the next few minutes, cracked the metallic door, and floor and even caused the room to shake.


    If not for the mysterious inscriptions constantly acting on their own and repairing the room walls, the whole room would have long crumbled!


    Fifteen minutester, the strange energy started to diminish and soon disappeared, causing Charles to breathe out a sigh of relief.


    Once again, he cast [Fire of Life] spell and healed his body to its peak state.


    At that moment, his mind was utterly exhausted.


    ''I will rest here for some time and then go and check what happened to the tower.'' He muttered inwardly, burned the blood using his fire magic, and closed his eyes to take some rest.

 Chapter 262: Archbishop Royce

    <h4>Chapter 262: Archbishop Royce</h4>


    One hourter, Charles opened his eyes, stood up from the broken floor, took out a new set of clothes from his space ring, and wore it.


    He also took out a pair of leather shoes and started wearing them. Then, he turned his gaze towards the silver ring and said with a serious look on his face.


    "You can change back to the bracelet form, Mr. Rh."


    Upon hearing his words, the Holem''s Crown didn''t say anything and silently started to transform.


    On the other hand, Charles caught the bracelet, wore it in his hand, and released his wisdom power.


    "I already checked the surroundings. There is not even a single consciousness detected up there." The Holem''s Crown responded.


    At that moment, Charles looked around, stared at the runal words inscribed walls, and asked in curiosity.


    "Is this some ancient mage''s work?"


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment and said in disapproval.


    "No. It should be a normal mage from the City of Miracles."


    Charles nodded his head and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A momentter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he reappeared in the dark sky, cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell, and soon sucked in a cold breath.


    An enormous crater appeared in front of his sight.


    It had a diameter of 500 meters and a depth of 50 meters!


    As for the ck tower, there was none!


    Instead, broken walls, metal doors, and charred bricks were the ones that appeared in his vision.


    Not only that, but he also noticed that the whole surrounding forest area appeared charred.


    Not even a single green tree appeared in his vision.


    ''What a scary spell. That Rank-5 spell seems to have wiped out the whole surroundings.'' Cold sweats dripped down from his forehead.


    ''If not for my quick action and the system''s help, I might not have survived.'' He was indeed shocked by the might of this Rank-5 spell.


    "That secret house is indeed saved your life." The Holem''s Crown suddenly spoke.


    On the other hand, Charles let out a deep sigh and released his full Wisdom Power to check the surroundings.


    A momentter, confusion appeared on his face.


    ''As I thought, this location is not near the Whisper Valley. I should go around and check on my own.'' Nodding inwardly, he pped the reddish-ck wings and flew towards a random direction.


    After flying for a while, he soon saw some green area up ahead and moved faster.


    Then, he flew past a river, crossed a small mountain range, and soon saw a vast forest on the other side.


    Just as he was about to move towards the forest, he suddenly perceived a consciousness from behind.


    He forcefully pped forward to suspend in mid-air and turned around.


    At that moment, a ck crack appeared in the space, and soon a ck-robed young girl child walked out from it.


    A ck hood covered her head. She appeared around 4-years-old and had mysterious-looking Fermen blue eyes.


    Her mere gaze made Charles feel suffocated.


    ''This child''s strength is Rank-6 or above! She is a Series-S artifact.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a shocked tone.


    Meanwhile, she suddenly stretched her right hand, made a crack in the space, took out a small human child''s head from it, and tossed it towards Charles.


    It was none other than her head!


    "It''s a clone. This should be enough to make the Churches believe your words." She suddenly paused for a moment and soon added with a sigh.


    "I didn''t expect you would cause such a mess."


    Her voice was clear as flowing water!


    Before Charles could even open his mouth, she turned around, walked into the opened crack, and soon disappeared from there!


    Charles hovered in the air for a few more seconds and soon sighed.


    ''A Rank-6, huh. Her mere gaze made me feel suffocated for a second. I''m still weak.''


    Shaking his head, he rose higher in the sky, checked the surroundings, and soon saw arge city.


    He pped those reddish-ck wings and shot towards the City of Iron at a quick speed.


    ¡­


    The next day,


    C Amber Street, Emerald Street, Nobles'' District.


    It was around 8.A.M.


    Archbishop Royce seated on a luxurious sofa in the reception hall and was staring nkly at the golden chandelier.


    Currently, anxiety and fear arose in his heart.


    ''Reid, Louise, Cedric, Marissa¡­ All of them are peak Rank-4 powerhouses, but they still died in the hands of Charles¡­ His next target should be Casey, Omen, and Divine Order members¡­ From the Divine One''s earlier words, I can vaguely tell that he is also aware of my schemes¡­ But I''m a Lawful Church member and he wouldn''t dare to think of killing me.'' He thought.


    While he was in muse, one of his loyal male servants carried a cut of ck coffee on a white te and ced it on the table.


    Then, he turned around and started walking back to the kitchen.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop also snapped out of the dazed state, extended his hand, took the coffee cup, and moved it towards his mouth.


    Just when he was about to take a sip, a holy knight walked in with hurried footsteps and spoke.


    "Our carriage is ready to depart, Your Eminence."


    At that moment, the Holy Knight''s eyes appeared abnormally ck.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Royce didn''t find anything odd and responded with a nod.


    "Good. Go and bring Casey here. You have 20 minutes."


    Saying so, he once again moved the coffee cup towards his mouth.


    Thankfully, no one interrupted him this time.


    He blew the foam, took a small sip, and felt a sweet taste with a little bit of bitterness entered his mouth.


    "Hmm, Lady Ka seems to have added something special today." He smiled subconsciously and started to drink the coffee slowly.


    While drinking, he also took out many documents from the nearby seat and started skimming through them.


    Time slowly ticked as he took the final sip, ced the empty cup on the table, and was about to stand up but suddenly staggered.


    His legs, hands, and even his body muscles started to turn stiff!


    ''Paralysis?'' He tried to cast a spell but failed due to some odd reason.


    No, he forgot how to cast a spell!


    He felt a muddled feeling.


    At that moment, the surroundings suddenly started to shimmer and soon broke like sses!


    ''Illusion!'' Archbishop Royce''s heart went chill!


    Soon, he saw a deep-blue-haired young man seated on the opposite seat and trembled.


    The young man appeared around 20 to 25 years old, with straight hair, deep-blue eyes, and he wore a trench coat over his ck dress.


    Archbishop also saw a unique red gem-embedded bracelet on his right hand and confirmed his identity.


    ''Charles Nightwind! Wait¡­ Earlier, the Holy Knight''s interruption must be Divine One''s warning! I failed to notice it!'' His heart sank.


    ''Although he wouldn''t kill me, he would definitely force me to do something else.'' He tried to close his eyelids but couldn''t.


    Meanwhile, Charles coldly stared at Archbishop Royce for three continuous seconds and spoke with a smile.


    "I added a few drops of strong paralysis potion, Your Eminence. It''s Lady Marissa''s creation, so it will be quite effective."


    Saying so, he stood up from his seat, started walking towards the luxurious sofa, and soon arrived in front of Archbishop Royce.


    Then, he bent down a bit, took out a golden-hilted dagger, and ced it on his chest.


    "You don''t have to be wary of me, Your Eminence. I''m a forgiving person." He purposefully paused for a moment and added with the same smile on his face.


    "I came here to ask some questions and clear my doubts. That''s it."

 Chapter 263: Died

    <h4>Chapter 263: Died</h4>


    A silence appeared in the main hall.


    A few secondster, Archbishop Royce felt that he could move his mouth a little and got relieved a little.


    He tried to say something, but Charles raised his hand and asked him a strange question.


    "Do you have any family members, Your Eminence?"


    Although Archbishop was startled by his question, he didn''t put too much thought into it and answered.


    "Y-Yes. M-My father¡­ He is the Cardinal of Amber Church."


    ''Cardinal¡­ A Rank-5 Existence, huh.''


    Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "Can you remove the ''Amber Curse'' from my soul? I''m having a very hard life during these past few years. If not, I will sneak into your Church headquarters one day, and turn all the gold coins into ashes."


    His voice turned serious.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop went silent for a moment and shook his head.


    "You won''t live long to cause such ruckus, Charles."


    The corner of Charles''s lips twitched as he heard those words.


    ''So, he won''t remove the curse, huh.''


    "Confidence¡­ 3 Years, right?"


    He said with a mysterious smile on his face.


    At that moment, Archbishop''s expression froze.


    The next instant, he widened his eyes and blurted out.


    "H-How did you find out?"


    "I know more than that, Your Eminence. When I caused variations in Red Prince''s scheme, your ''Divine'' also sensed the arrival of an Irregr. But this ''Divine'' didn''t act personally, monitored my activities all these times. Upon seeing my abnormal growth, ''it'' ordered you to ce this ''Amber Curse'' to restrict my growth. Unfortunately, I gained ss Gems through other means and made your small n meaningless. Your Divine must be hiding next to me and waiting for an opportunity. But-" Charles paused for a moment and asked with a smile.


    "Your Divine doesn''t want me to die now, right?"


    Archbishop Royce didn''t say anything and remained silent.


    "Silence is a sigh of consent¡­ I take it as ''yes'' then. Hmm, Does the ''Divine'' wants me to change the kingdom''s Destiny? No, the ''Divine'' wants me to change Rhea''s Destiny? Does that mean Rhea isn''t destined to be the Queen?" Charles''s furrowed his brows, recalled the prophecy, and soon shook his head.


    "No, Rhea is destined to be the Queen¡­ But, the Divine wants me to do something else¡­" He frowned.


    At that moment, a strange smile crept on Archbishop''s face.


    "You are thinking too much, Charles." He said.


    His voice appeared ethereal, causing the magicmp lights to flicker intensely.


    Upon seeing such an eerie smile, even Charles got startled inside.


    ''These fanatics are hard to deal with¡­ I don''t even have the confidence to cast ''Fire Seed'' spell on him and gather information¡­'' He was afraid of getting another curse.


    ''Shall I kill him? No, the more I make mistakes; these guys and the ''Divine'' will use that to put pressure on me.'' A frustration appeared on his face.


    After some thought, he took out a purplish potion bottle from his space ring and ced it on the coffee table.


    Then, he looked at Archbishop and spoke.


    "You have two options now, Your Eminence. The first option is getting killed by me. I will use this dagger, slit your throat, decapitate your head and ce it on the City Square. It will be a clean death. The second option is suicide. Write a detailed letter about your crimes against me, remove the Amber Curse, drink this potion, and kill yourself."


    "I have to kill myself? Dream on." A furious expression appeared on Archbishop''s face.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and added.


    "I''m being serious, Your Eminence. Otherwise, I have no choice but to kill you myself. You have done too many sins."


    His voice turned cold as ice.


    "Charles, do you think you will get away after killing me? Amber Church isn''t easy to be bullied. Moreover, I do have some trump cards." Archbishop Royce stared at him coldly and spoke.


    A chuckle came out of Charles''s mouth.


    "You indeed have some trump cards, Your Eminence. But, you are too weak." He paused for a moment and continued.


    "You are still wrong about one thing, though. Actually, I want you to use your full strength and fight me. I want everyone in the city to know that I''m the one who killed you-"


    "What are you plotting?" Archbishop interrupted his talking.


    At that moment, a foreboding sensation appeared in his mind!


    Charles curled his lips upward and spoke with a mischievous smile on his face.


    "What will churches do after learning that I killed an Archbishop of Lawful Church? They will hunt me. But I''m currently a representative of the second princess Rhea Bonere." He purposefully paused and waited.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop''s face turned serious.


    "They will hesitate to take action. Meanwhile, the Noble Faction members, Iron Tower Mages, and Royal Faction members will try their best and put this me on Rhea¡­ Churches will also feel unsafe to hand over the authority to such a person¡­ Moreover, most of the Churches already decided to make ''Vance Bonere'' as the next Monarch¡­" His expression turned grim.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded his head and said.


    "Yes. If this method didn''t work, I will go to Nobles'' houses, decapitate their heads, and put them on the road. Your ''Divine'' wants Rhea to be the next Queen, Your Eminence. But I want nothing but a simple magic tower. If you don''t choose the second option, I will take Rhea away from this kingdom, and ruin your Divine''s n. You know, I''m an Irregr and I love to cause another big variation."


    Archbishop''s expression warped as he heard those words.


    Without waiting for him to answer, Charles stored the golden-hilted dagger into his space ring, turned around, and started walking towards the exit.


    "You have 20 minutes, Your Eminence."


    Saying so, he tapped the red gem-embedded bracelet and disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Archbishop Royce muttered a chant, nullified the paralysis effect, and let out a deep sigh.


    Then, he closed his eyes and tried to contact the ''Divine One.''


    Unfortunately, no response came from the other side!


    ''Divine One didn''t want to talk to me? Wait¡­ The Holem''s Crown must be hiding nearby¡­ That artifact might have some method to track down Divine One''s location!'' His heart chilled.


    ''It seems I have no other choice.'' A forced smile appeared on his face.


    He opened his eyes, took out a golden orb from his space ring, and broke it.


    It was the ''Amber Curse'' orb!


    ''Tsk, you are indeed a good schemer, Charles. Too bad, everything, even my death might be predestined by our almighty Divine Lady.''


    Muttering inwardly, he also took out a scroll, an ordinary quill, ink bottle and ced them on the coffee table.


    After that, he took the quill, dipped it into the ink bottle, opened the scroll, and started to write.


    A few minutester, he finished writing the scroll, took the purple potion bottle, and stood up from his seat.


    Then, he walked towards the bifurcated stairs, stepped on the carpeted stairs, and soon reached the second floor.


    After that, he moved towards the left side corridor, went to his room, and soon arrived in front of an iron door.


    Following that, he took out an iron key from his space ring, put it in the keyhole, unlocked it, and entered.


    He then locked the door from inside and stepped towards his cotton bed.


    He sat on the soft bed, ced the scroll on the wooden table, and shifted his attention towards the potion bottle.


    "I didn''t expect my end would arrive so soon." He heaved a heavy sigh.


    At that moment, his hand started to tremble a little.


    "Wealth shallst forever!" He said in an ethereal voice, opened the potion vial, and directly gulped it down.


    There was no hesitation on his face!


    A few secondster, his vision turned blurry, followed byplete blindness.


    Simultaneously, he also lost the sense of touch, smell, taste, and hearing.


    After some time, his body slumped on the bed.


    His breath grew heavy, and his whole body started to twitch.


    After one minute, his body stopped twitching and went motionless.


    He died.

 Chapter 264: Unseen Legends

    <h4>Chapter 264: Unseen Legends</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles stood near the ss window, stared at the motionless body for a moment, and shook his head.


    "He didn''t even think of escaping." He couldn''t help but show fear towards these types of people.


    "What you expect from a firm believer of a Divine? But this Divine is a very sly one. Not only it tried to warn him, but also hid too well." The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    Charles also nodded his head in approval and sighed heavily.


    A while ago, the Holem''s Crown indeed did use some unique method to track down the Divine''s location using Archbishop''s telepathic frequency.


    Unfortunately, no one received the signal from the other end, causing the artifact''s attempt to futile.


    "Let''s erase the past," Charles said in a cold tone and covered his face in a crimson mask.


    When ites to dealing with Churches, he will try his best to eliminate clues!


    The Holem''s Crown also acknowledged his words and released strange energy in every direction.


    In an instant, the whole mansion was enveloped in strange energy and made a crack in ''Time.''


    The next instant, the past incidents had beenpletely wiped out.


    After confirming that no one was monitoring the house, Charles cast the [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District, City of Iron.


    Charles reappeared in the underground hall and looked around.


    After checking nothing abnormal appeared, he breathed out a sigh of relief and sat on the nearbydder back chair.


    "Your next target is the Divine Orders organization, is it?" The Holem''s Crown asked.


    "No. I''m going to chase after the mysterious ''Omen.'' From Reid''s memories, I indeed learned more about this guy. He has too many fake identities and can also change his appearance. Although the Divine Order is following his orders, this guy is actually from a mysterious organization called ''Unseen Legends''."


    "He is a Trickster ss Mystic? No, it shouldn''t be possible¡­ A Deceiver ss Mystic?" The Holem''s Crown suddenly interjected.


    "It seems so. What is the Rank-4 ss name of Deceiver ss?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown went silent for a moment and spoke.


    "I think it is called [Mind Maniptor]. As for their ss skills, I have no idea about those skills. But they should be simr like your Trickster ss."


    "One fate-rted skill, one face-changing skill, and one mind-maniption skill, am I right?"


    "Well, no. There is also a possibility that this guy might have learned more than 3 skills like Emilia. And, we know nothing about his other ss." The Holem''s Crown said in disapproval.


    Charles furrowed his brows as he heard those words and nodded his head in approval.


    "Yes, even Reid knew nothing about his other ss. This guy always acts in a low-key manner and is specialized in stealth work."


    "What about his fake identities? Do you know any of them?" The Holem''s Crown asked.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles went silent for a moment and nodded.


    "I do know one identity. But saying more about this person will definitely alert him." He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "I''ve got a n to pluck the whole organization in one swoop."


    "Don''t cause too much ruckus." Even the Holem''s Crown started to get anxious when the word ''n'' came out of his mouth.


    Two days ago, Charles sneaked into the ck Tower to assassinate Marissa but actually destroyed the whole tower!


    Although the tower''s destruction was due to Red Prince''s spell, it happened due to his presence in the tower!


    ''If not careful enough, he might destroy this whole kingdom.'' Such a thought ran through the Holem''s Crown''s mind.


    Unaware of the artifact''s thoughts, Charles thought of something and asked.


    "Have you heard about this ''Unseen Legends'' organization?"


    "Yes, it''s an invisible organization with hundred assassins. Assassins mean not [Thief] ss mystics, but real hitmen. Each one has code names and code numbers. The lower the code number, the more powerful the person will be. I once heard from Eddie that this organization''s leader is actually a Demi-God level Expert. So, don''t go around and invite trouble. They will do all kinds of difficult jobs like assassinating the rulers, mass extermination, and even joins wars to kill particrmanders. As long as one pays enough sums, the organization will dispatch a suitable candidate to solve the problem." The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and then added in a solemn tone.


    "Although killing this organization member during his job won''t cause any trouble, you have to watch out for any possible assassination in the future."


    "Got it." Charles nodded his head, touched his face, and started to change his appearance into a white-haired old man''s one.


    "It''s been so long since I changed myself into an Oswald." He said with an old man''s voice and stood up.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown came out of his hand and soon formed into the appearance of a ck cane.


    Charles quietly caught the cane, held it with his hand, and released his wisdom power.


    The next instant, a frown appeared on his face.


    "Two more Rank-4 Experts are staying in this mansion." The Holem''s Crown spoke in a solemn tone.


    "But they seem to be talking casually with my disciples and Natalia¡­ Who are they?" Charles furrowed his brows and started walking towards the underground basement exit.


    Within seconds, he reached the staircase, stepped on the stone steps, and moved upwards.


    He soon reached the exit, opened the metallic shutter, and walked out of the basement.


    Then, he stepped on the tiled floor, started walking towards the reception hall, and soon squinted his eyes.


    On the left side, Natalia sat on the Chesterfield sofa and looked at a document with a serious look on her face.


    Meanwhile, Rhea sat next to her and talked with the person who sat on the opposite sofa.


    Charles''s gaze soon shifted towards the right side.


    There were three people seated on the opposite sofa.


    One was Noel. He sat on the other side and was nodding his head constantly.


    The one who sat in the middle was a white-haired old man with wrinkled hands. He wore a in grey robe and held a brown cane in his hand.


    Because of him facing Noel, Charles couldn''t distinguish his facial appearance.


    Thest person who seated closer towards the bifurcated staircase was a woman in herte thirties.


    She had long ck hair, fair skin, and wore a ck robe.


    As Charles saw her face, his expression froze.


    ''Rachel, the Lightning Mage¡­ She is also the Head Deacon of Life Church. What is she doing here?'' He soon returned to his calm state and started walking towards them.


    At that moment, Natalia, Rhea, Noel, Rachel, and the white-haired old man also sensed his presence and turned their heads in unison.


    The next instant, Charles''s body stiffened as he saw the white-haired old man''s appearance.


    He had the same wrinkled oval face, amber eyes and appeared more like his current self!


    ''The real Oswald Raven is here¡­'' A forced smile appeared on Charles''s face as he saw his ''grandfather.''

 Chapter 265: Dream Descent

    <h4>Chapter 265: Dream Descent</h4>


    Before the other party could say something, Charles changed his face into a serious one, gave one deep look at Oswald, and spoke in the same old man''s voice.


    "You arete."


    He spoke as if everything was under his control!


    At that moment, a frown appeared on Oswald''s face.


    ''His appearance looks simr to mine¡­ Charles? Or, someone else?''


    He stood up from his seat, stared deeply into Charles''s eyes for a second, and asked.


    "Can I talk to you for a minute in private?"


    As if he was expected such a question, Charles nodded his head, turned around, and started walking towards one of the guest rooms.


    Meanwhile, Oswald and Rachel nced at each other and followed after him, leaving Natalia and his disciples in a clueless state.


    Once they walked near the wooden door, Charles unlocked it using his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill and entered.


    On the other hand, Oswald and Rachel also followed his footsteps, entered the room, and locked the door from inside.


    "Who are you?" Oswald asked as he stared at Charles''s back.


    Upon hearing that question, a chuckle came out of Charles''s mouth.


    ''All that left is acting.'' Nodding inwardly, he turned around and sighed.


    "You took more than 3 long years." A trace of disappointment appeared on his face.


    "What do you mean?" The frown on Oswald''s face deepened.


    "You must have met Lady Rachel more than three years ago, Mr. Oswald. But for some odd reasons, you purposefully choose to dy meeting Charles and even stopped searching about your grandson. Didn''t she tell you more about Red Prince''s scheme?" Charles asked while pointing his finger at the Lightning Mage Rachel.


    At that moment, Oswald''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    "You are not Charles?" He asked in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and responded with a smile.


    "I''ve many names and I belong to the Era of Ancients."


    Upon hearing those words, Oswald''s expression turned serious.


    "Era of Ancient¡­ An era before the rise of the First Arcane Era¡­" He stared at his imposter for a moment and asked.


    "What connection do you have with my grandson? Are you the Holem''s Crown?"


    A strange smile appeared on the old man''s wrinkled face.


    "You can call me whatever you want." He said in a mysterious tone.


    He neither denied it nor approved his words.


    "Did you predict our arrival?" This time, it was Rachel who asked this question.


    Earlier, they indeed heard about his mysterious prediction ability from Destiny Lady and had long been suspicious of his identity.


    The real Oswald thought of him as Charles was mainly because of his urate prediction about Charles''s appearance in this city.


    Later, Destiny Lady also confirmed that Charles and Oswald were two different people.


    While the two were staring at him in confusion, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "You are still chasing after Red Prince. The reason you two came here must be to get more information about him, am I right?"


    Rachel''s eyes widened.


    In truth, it wasn''t difficult to guess their motive.


    ''For Oswald, it''s more like revenge. He would go on any length to kill the Red Prince, meanwhile, Rachel is chasing after him to eliminate the shame. But why Oswald didn''t even think of meeting his grandson is still a mystery to me.'' Charles organized his thoughts in a few moments and asked.


    "You don''t love your grandson, do you?"


    A strange silence appeared in the room.


    After a few seconds of silence, Oswald let out a deep sigh and asked.


    "Why do you care?"


    "Charles is more like my first disciple, kiddo. Currently, he is blinded by rage, hatred, and revenge. If you hade here earlier and showed him a little care, things would have gone smoothly." Charles said in regret.


    "Can we meet him?" Oswald raised his eyebrows and asked.


    Charles stared at the old man for a second, shook his head, and then added.


    "I''m not sure if he is willing to meet you guys. But I can give little information about Red Prince."


    "What''s the price?" Rachel asked.


    On the other hand, Charles shifted his gaze towards Oswald and asked.


    "Tell me the reason why you didn''t even try to look for him."


    Upon hearing those words, Oswald took a deep breath and spoke.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to meet him. But I don''t have the courage to face his questions. After Harry Nightwind''s death, I helped my daughter to get away from the Nightwind family and even told her to go far away to live a normal life. After that, I never even tried to contact her in fear of the Nightwind Family finding out about her whereabouts."


    "Unfortunately, all of your attempts went futile, huh." Charles didn''t feel pity or angry towards Oswald.


    He had long learned about Nightwind Family''s real strength and felt that his actions were reasonable.


    "But why are you afraid of Nightwind Family? Are they that strong?" This time, Rachel interjected their conversation and asked.


    A bitter smile appeared on Oswald''s face.


    "That family has one Pseudo Legendary Mystic and seven Rank-4 Mystics. Moreover, they also own a separate Magic Tower in the Ember Kingdom."


    At that moment, Charles suddenly cast [Arcane Eyes] skill, scanned his body, and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''He is still hiding something. His excuse for not searching for his grandson looks good. But there seems to be something more to it. He also has a deep wound in his abdomen region¡­ Hmm, the wound hasn''t healed yet and there is a trace of unique power¡­''


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown also sensed something and spoke.


    ''I feel the power of ''Dream'' over his abdomen area.''


    ''Dream?'' He stared deeply into the area for a few seconds and soon asked out loud.


    "Dream Curse? No, Nightmare Curse?"


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald''s eyes went wide.


    "H-How did you find out?" He asked in shock.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown started to speak in his mind.


    ''Hmm, I feel a little bit familiar with this curse,d. If I''m not wrong, this curse must be caused by an artifact called ''Dream Cube.'' It''s a ''Legendary'' level artifact created by seven ancient mages of City of Miracles and has multiple dream abilities. Eddie Nightwind spends thousands of arcane points to buy this artifact during an auction. The curse that appeared on Oswald''s body must be due to an ability called ''Dream Descent.'' Once you cast this ability on a particr person, his whole family would be affected by this curse and would enter into a deep slumber state¡­ Oswald fears that you might also get affected by this curse. That must be the reason he is not willing to meet you.''


    ''Nightwind family is forcing Oswald to refrain from helping me?'' He suddenly felt a deep loath towards that damned family.


    Not only they killed Eve; they even went to such lengths to stop Oswald from helping him!


    ''Is it Red Prince''s doing?'' He shook his head and spoke.


    "Let''s not talk about this. As for information about Red Prince, I will give you some. First, he is a powerful Devil from Hell ne and most probably from the firstyer. Second, he uses two types of mes. One is the purple me that could allow him to burn and tamper with one''s memories. The other one is hell me and it can turn one''s inner emotions into wicked ones. Third, he is good at using fate power and also a Rank-4 [Fate Warden] ss Mystic. Fourth, he must have some deep ties with Nightwind Family. Fifth, he has a strange book called ''Destiny Guide.'' If I''m not wrong, this one could allow him to bypass high-level Mystics'' senses and helps him find the targets, change their fates, and so on. Sixth, Charles cast a ''Life Curse'' spell on him using his own lifespan and put him in a weakened state. Unfortunately, it won''t be long before Red Prince returns to his peak condition¡­"


    As Charles spoke, both Oswald and Rachel listened to his words attentively and memorized everything in their minds.


    By the time Charles finished his words, both were beyond shocked by the information.


    ''Red Prince is powerful.'' A look of realization appeared on Oswald''s face.

 Chapter 266: Secret

    <h4>Chapter 266: Secret</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles walked past Oswald and Rachel, arrived in front of the wooden door, and spoke.


    "I will give you one piece of free advice. Red Prince is a very dangerous and sly person. Although both of you are powerful Rank-4 Mages, you still aren''t strong enough to face him alone. Why don''t you wait here for a few months and deal with him after Charles finishes this mission? You will also get a few chances to talk to your grandson openly." His words were sincere.


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald went silent for a moment and said with a nod.


    "I will think about it."


    "Make yourself at home." Charles suddenly paused for a moment and then asked.


    "Did you tell them that you are the real Oswald?"


    Upon hearing his words, the corner of Oswald''s lips twitched.


    If he hadn''t heard of this imposer''s legend of toying three Rank-4 Mystics at the same time, he would have strangled him to death.


    Casting those thoughts away from his mind, he let out a fake cough and spoke.


    "You don''t have to worry about that, Mr. Ancient Mage. I used a fake name to do the introduction."


    "Oh! That''s a relief."


    Nodding his head, Charles walked out of the guest room and moved towards the reception hall.


    "This old monster is something else." Oswald couldn''t help but mutter.


    "He is really that strong?" Rachel arrived beside him and asked.


    "I''ve no idea about his battle strength. But he found out the curse''s origin in few seconds. That itself is more than enough." Oswald said in a serious tone.


    While they were discussing, Charles slowly walked towards the center of the reception hall and cast his gaze towards his disciples.


    At that moment, Rhea and Noel stood up from their seats and bowed their heads towards him.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady also stood up from her seat and greeted him with a nod.


    "Mr. Oswald, when can I see Charles?" She asked with a serious look on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles also felt a sudden excitement from his second consciousness and chuckled inwardly.


    ''My clone truly started loving her.''


    Shaking his head, Charles thought for a moment and spoke with a smile.


    "I''m nning on inviting him to the uing banquet. You can have a nice chat with him."


    "Banquet?" Noel''s ears perked up as he heard his words.


    Charles went towards the nearby Lawson sofa, sat on it, and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "I''ll tell more about itter. Go and inform Ashley to make preparation. Let''s make this banquet on September 30th." He deliberated for a moment and asked.


    "Where is Jessie?"


    "She and Titus went to meet Viscount Bentley, Teacher," Noel responded quickly and started walking towards the kitchen to inform Ashley.


    Meanwhile, Rhea and Destiny Lady sat on the chesterfield sofa and continued their discussion about ice magic.


    After few minutes, Destiny Lady finished exining her doubt and shifted to a theory about Arctic Ice.


    At that moment, Rhea suddenly recalled something, turned her attention towards Charles, and asked.


    "Who are all we inviting, Teacher?"


    Just as he was about to respond, he saw Oswald and Rachel came from the guest room and sat on the opposite sofa.


    "We will stay here for a few more weeks," Oswald said in a calm tone and then shifted his gaze towards Noel, who just returned from the kitchen.


    "Do you want to learn the ''Dawn of Darkness'' sword technique, kid? I can use this free time and impart some of those moves to you. As long as you manage to grasp the true sword essence of ''Dawn of Darkness'', you will have an easier time breaking away from any illusion-rted spells and skills." He said with a profound look on his face.


    ''I''m his teacher¡­'' Charles felt awkward as he heard those words.


    ''Humph, you are just a teacher in the name. Except for spouting some nonsense to brainwash Jessie, you did nothing but drag them here and there.'' The Holem''s Crown''s voice echoed in his head, causing his lips to twitch.


    After that, Charles turned his gaze towards Rhea and soon noticed that Destiny Lady started exining the theory about ''Arctic'' power.


    ''Why do I feel like I''m unwanted here?'' While thinking, he zeroed his gaze on Rhea and cast [Cryptic Analysis] skill.


    ''Hmm? Her water affinity already rose from ''High'' to ''Good''¡­'' He nodded inwardly and then checked her spell names.


    ''Ice Touch, Frozen Land, Crystal Shield, Ice Needle, Mist of Illusion and Spring of Life¡­ Thest one is a healing spell?'' He was surprised a little.


    While checking her status, he also started eavesdropping and soon sighed in disappointment.


    ''The information about water magic is no use for me. What I need right now is more information about seven types of mes. As long as I manage to steal any of those seven types of mes, I can pull them into my Inner World through [Fire Born] spell and increase myprehension at an unimaginable speed¡­ Unfortunately, no one will voluntarily cast their spells to let meprehend them.'' He stayed in the reception hall for some time and saw Jessie and Titus entering the house.


    Within a few seconds, they arrived next to Charles''s seat and greeted him.


    "Who are they, Teacher?" Jessie noticed the simrity between Oswald''s and Charles''s facial features and asked in curiosity.


    ''He looks more like Teacher''s younger brother¡­ But Teacher Oswald is an ancient mage, right? Maybe his son? Charles''s father?'' Her imagination power suddenly acted and gave a bunch of possibilities.


    Meanwhile, Charles wore a troubled look and responded with a forced smile.


    "He is a distant rtive of mine."


    Unfortunately, it added fuel to Jessie''s imagination.


    ''Distant rtive? He is truly trying to keep his father-son rtionship a secret! Something must have happened? Otherwise, he wouldn''t hide it from us.'' She thought.


    ''Yes, Teacher didn''t hide anything about his grandson. But he is hiding his rtionship with his son. Something suspicious is going on.'' Her second consciousness suddenly popped up in her head.


    ''From our understanding, our Teacher doesn''t have enough time to live. Maybe, they came here to see him?'' Her third consciousness also joined the conversation and spouted nonsense.


    ''Who is this ck-haired woman? Charles''s mother? Wait¡­ Did theye here to look for their son? Our Teacher did tell us that Charles is currently blinded by revenge, right? They not only came here to see our Teacher, but they also came here to look for their son?'' As she thought of the possibility, Jessie widened her scarlet eyes in surprise.


    Unaware of her inner thoughts, Charles stood up from his seat and spoke.


    "Jessie, follow me. I have something important to discuss." He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards Titus, and added.


    "Titus, go and prepare two rooms for our guests. They will be staying here for the next few weeks."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and started walking towards the underground basement direction.


    Although Jessie got puzzled a little, she didn''t ask any questions and followed after him.


    They soon reached the underground basement entrance, opened the metallic shutter, and went downstairs.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady, the real Oswald, and Rachel used their wisdom power and tried to scan the underground basement hall.


    But just when their wisdom power moved towards the metallic shutter, an invisible force appeared out of nowhere andpletely blocked them from scanning!


    The next instant, all three of them retracted their wisdom power and shook their heads in disappointment.


    Meanwhile, Jessie reached the underground basement hall and soon saw her Teacher lighting the fire torches.


    A momentter, the broken ss container, three wooden chairs, tables, and the strange runal words inscribed floor appeared in front of her sight.


    ''What are these? This room looks more like a ritual chamber.'' Her scarlet eyes darted around.


    At that moment, Charles went near the wooden chair, sat on it, and spoke.


    "Jessie, I want you to prepare a few things for me in secret."

 Chapter 267: Omen

    <h4>Chapter 267: Omen</h4>


    "Please give me the list, Teacher," Jessie responded calmly.


    Nodding his head, Charles took out a scroll from his space ring, passed it to her, and then added.


    "I want these materials before the end of this week. Also, don''t let anyone know that you are the one who is buying these materials."


    "No problem, Teacher. I can ask uncle Colton to help me arrange these things." Jessie said with a smile.


    "Uncle Colton? You mean Baron Colton?" Charles stared at her in surprise.


    ''When did he be your uncle?''


    Meanwhile, Jessie stuck her tongue out and nodded with a hint of embarrassment on her face.


    "Don''t get too attached to those nobles,ss. They are showing care and love to you because of your spell. If not, they might kidnap you and sell you as a ve." Charles said in a cold tone, causing Jessie''s expression to stiffen a little.


    She soon returned to her calm self and spoke.


    "I''m well aware, Teacher. They''ve done many crimes against kingdom citizens and are still colluding with demonic church members."


    "Did you find any clue about the ring leader?" Charles asked.


    "Yes. I heard them calling someone with the title ''Elder'' multiple times. I tried to ask more about this person, but for some odd reason; they couldn''t able to remember this person''s appearance. Moreover, at least one of the noble''s servants tried their best to say interrupt me all the time. I suspect that their memories are tampered with. But there is one unique thing about these nobles." She deliberated for a moment and spoke in a deep tone.


    "All of these nobles are supporters of Vance Bonere and belongs to the current Royal Faction!"


    ''Heh, she is improving.'' He suddenly felt a strange fluctuation around her and widened his eyes.


    "You entered the Inner World?"


    "Yes, Teacher. It happened a few days ago." A proud expression appeared on Jessie''s face.


    ''But she still can''t interfere with others'' fate like you,d. Although she could hide the information from Divines and Fate ss Mystics, it would be impossible for her to hide anything from Edhen. She and her soul belong to this world. Whatever she is doing will be known by the Will of this World. As long as her action doesn''t lead torge-scale destruction, she won''t attract the World Will''s attention. But once the World''s Will finds out that she has an intention to harm the world, not even those almighty Gods could save her.''


    ''Our soul has some connection with the ''Will'' of the World? But we are almighty beings in our Inner World, right?'' A surprise shed on Charles''s face.


    ''Almighty beings, huh. I don''t think so,d. Yes, Time, Fate, Luck, and any other supernatural power have no control over our Inner World¡­ But that doesn''t mean we are omnipotent. Haa, do you know how our souls are created?'' The Holm''s Crown asked.


    ''World''s Will? Or, the Mysterious World tree? Or the Eternal River of Life?'' Charles furrowed his brows, causing Jessie to blink her eyes in confusion.


    ''A tough question. I suspect that this World''s Will is more likely the suspect. Every soul that is born in this world is somehow linked to the World''s Will. But you and I are exceptions. My soul is linked with Easica World, while your soul must be linked with your former world. That''s why we are irregrs in this world. Still, it''s all up to us whether we have the power to changes fates or even Destiny. As long as we didn''t cross the limit, we won''t be pursued by the World''s Will. But if the Edhenlings want to break away from the ''Will'' of this World, they must be powerful enough to fight against it.'' The Holm''s Crown responded.


    ''One must be a God-level Existence, right?'' Charles''s face turned grim.


    ''At least, the person must be a Demi-God level Existence (Rank-7). The reason the ''Divine'' manages to fool your Book of Secrets is due to this reason. The Divine might have severed or stopped the World Will''s link from interfering with the fake Elder''s fate. When you and Destiny Lady used the divination method to find his location, you didn''t find any odd about his fate and fell for Divine''s trap. But using such a method should have attracted other Divines'' attention¡­ Something is fishy about this ''Divine''¡­''


    ''Fishy?'' Charles narrowed his eyes.


    ''Yes, not only did this Divine manage to severe the World Will''s link, but it also manages to fool the otherwful Gods. The real identity of this ''Divine'' is not simple¡­'' The Holm''s Crown said in a severe tone.


    On the other hand, Charles turned his attention towards the confused Jessie and asked.


    "Do you meet anyone who had simr characteristics as Omen during these past few days?"


    "Yes. I actually met quite a few people with simr characteristics during these past few days, Teacher. No, we even argued with two of them. Among those people, I highly suspect Potion Master Stephen, Casey, and Larry Foster has some rtion with Omen."


    ''Potion Master Stephen¡­ He is the one who put his potion during the auction incident and almost ambushed me¡­ Casey¡­ Even I suspect him as the true culprit¡­ But who is this Larry Foster?'' Puzzlement appeared on his face.


    Jessie noticed his puzzled look, took out a portrait from her space ring, and gave it to him.


    It was the image of a 60-years old man. His hair was long, tangled, and greasy. His eyes and long mixed-up whiskers were ck, and he appeared pale as white.


    ''Larry Foster¡­ I remember now. When I made the intimidation entrance, this guy showed up¡­ He also responded arrogantly when I asked him why they failed to protect thete King¡­''


    "Why are you suspecting him?" Charles asked.


    "I did simple research and learned that he is the one who sent Samson Foster to the auction. Moreover, this man''s face slightly resembles more like Omen''s face. You can see the simrity yourself, Teacher."


    Saying so, she took out Omen''s portrait, opened it, and showed it to him.


    The face of Omen''s face was ageless, neither young nor old. His hair was dark as the shadow of twilight, and his eyes were grey.


    ''Hmm? Their facial structures are almost simr, and both look more like distant rtives.''


    While Charles was looking at the portrait, Jessie took out another portrait from her space ring and opened it before showing it to him.


    "This is the portrait of Potion Master Stephen Foster, Teacher. His face also appears a little bit simr to Larry and Omen. If we didn''t look at these portraits deeply andpare the familiarities, we won''t find any difference at all." Her voice contains a trace of nervousness.


    "Are you saying these three are the same person? But Stephen and Larry are from the same family, though. It''s quite normal." Charles''s curiosity rose.


    "I''m not done yet, Teacher. These three are not the only ones with simr facial appearances." Jessie suddenly stopped and took out another bunch of scrolls.


    Some were servants'' portraits, some were maids'' portraits, and two noble women''s portraits were among them!


    "All of them are close aids of these nobles and these guys also look somewhat simr to one another¡­ There are even two concubines among this group." She subconsciously trembled as she recalled something taboo and then continued.


    "But all of them have simr personalities and simr appearances. They are quick to get angered and arrogant."


    "What about their sses? They couldn''t hide their ss skills, right?" Charles posed another question.


    "All of them are mortals," Jessie responded calmly.


    "But Stephen, Larry, and Casey are Rank-4 Mystics, though." Charles suddenly stopped for a moment and soon squinted his eyes.


    "Yes, Teacher. That''s why I''m also confused. Even if one among them is the real Omen, how could no one notice that the other two suddenly turned into mortals? The possibility of them being mortal is almost none. Can this Omen split himself into three? Same like my split consciousness skill?" She tilted her head in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his hand, rubbed his chin, and said.


    "There is only one possibility."


    At that moment, Jessie also turned her face serious, nodded her head, and muttered.


    "He must be a Rank-5 [Shadow Devil] ss¡­ Yes, A Rank-4 [Phantom Devil] has skills like shadow possession, Devil''s shadows, and Devil Form¡­ He might have used the upgraded version of Shadow Possession skill on two people and takes over their bodies¡­ Then, he might have used the upgraded Devil''s Shadows skill and split himself into many simrly appearing humans."


    "But why does Omen look simr to Stephen and Larry?" Charles raised his eyebrows and soon smiled as he thought of a possibility.


    At that moment, Jessie also curled her lips upward and spoke with a smile.


    "Omen might be a member of Foster Family!"

 Chapter 268: Plan

    <h4>Chapter 268: n</h4>


    "Yes. But the question is: who is Omen among the three? Casey? He is the most suspicious one." Charles frowned.


    ''Yes, Casey must have the upgraded version of shadow possession skill called Devil''s Control. A skill that allows him to directly invade one''s Inner World like Shadow consciousness. What if he used those two skills on Larry and Stephen and gainedplete control over their soul core?'' The Holem''s Crown asked.


    ''But I read in one of Reid''s memories that Casey is a Rank-4 [Blood Duke] ss Mystic¡­ Was it fake information? No, he too only heard about it from one of hisckeys¡­'' The frown on his forehead deepened.


    Soon, he shook his head and spoke.


    "Give me more information about these clones. I will take care of them when the right timees."


    "Yes, Teacher." Jessie nodded her head and then took out a small bundle of scrolls from her space ring.


    "I already prepared to give a detailed report about them, Teacher. In these scrolls, I added their name, physical description, age, and their residence numbers. You will have an easy time finding them."


    Upon seeing her action, Charles couldn''t help but smile.


    "Good." He nodded his head, then pondered for a moment and continued.


    "Now, let''se to the current problem. How is your mission going?"


    "Everything is under control, Teacher. All thirty-five of those nobles are currently enved by my spell and are doing their best to show concern and love. But their sudden character change also alerted all of their servants, guards, and their family members." She suddenly paused for a moment as she recalled something and said with a forced smile on her face.


    "Two days ago, Count Herald even took out his precious crown and ced it on my head to see how I look¡­ This incident almost caused others to feel wary of me."


    "Well, every spell and every skill has weaknesses,ss. You should be careful from now on." He let out a chuckle and then added with a serious look.


    "I''m nning to conduct a banquet oning 30th. I want you to invite all the nobles, mages, and also the Church representatives from this kingdom under the order of Rhea Bonere. During the banquet, Rhea will give a speech about her hardship, the kingdom''s current situation, discrimination between ruler caste people and subordinate ss people, and so on. That speech will be quite an emotional one. When she ends the speech, I want all those enved nobles to get emotional and change their faction. I want them toe forward on their own ord, kneel in front of Rhea and swear their loyalty."


    Upon hearing his words, Jessie''s scarlet eyes widened.


    "W-Won''t it causes suspicion, Teacher? What if the other nobles and royal faction members use us?" She asked in a scared tone.


    "That''s why I''m asking you to invite all the nobles, mages, and Churches'' representatives to attend the banquet. No one will get suspicious." Charles said with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Jessie stared at her Teacher for a moment and soon asked with a suspicious look on her face.


    "Teacher, your aim isn''t them¡­ You need their help urgently, right?"


    ''What a smart kid¡­'' Charles let out a deep sigh and nodded.


    "After the banquet, I want each of these nobles to gather their personal troops and do a stealth mission." He said in a grave tone.


    "Stealth Mission?" Confusion appeared on Jessie''s face.


    "Yes, I know the exact location of Divine Order organization''s hideouts. Currently, there are more than 14 small hideouts and 6rger hideouts in this kingdom. I''m giving two days for these nobles to prepare for arge-scale war. On October 2nd, I want these nobles to gather their personal troops, move to their allotted location, invade the enemy''s hideout and destroy them before they could even notice. If I''m not wrong, each Noble has at least 5 Rank-3 Mystics, tens of Rank-2 Mystics, and hundreds of Rank-1 Mystics. As long as these Nobles cooperate with us, we can eliminate this Divine Order organization''s influence in one night." A smile appeared on Charles''s wrinkled face as he said those words.


    Meanwhile, Jessie stared nkly at her Teacher for two continuous seconds and then nodded in enlightenment.


    ''Teacher''s aim is not to control the Nobles, but eliminating the criminal organization!'' Her guilty heart soothed.


    Although she enved the corrupted nobles, she still felt guilty for doing a ving act.


    But when she learned her Teacher''s goal, she felt relieved inside.


    "Good. I will now give you the exact locations of those hideouts. But you must never tell anyone about these hideout locations. No, I want you to hide everything in your Inner World and even erase them memories from your main consciousness. If not, fate-rted Mystics like Rhea and Destiny Lady might find some clues about our n-"


    Before Charles could finish his words, Jessie nodded her head in understanding and responded while clenching her fist.


    "I will do as you say, Teacher."


    There was no hesitation on her pretty face!


    "Excellent. I will give you a detailed n about how to do this mission. You will be themander of this stealth mission, so you should also buy a bulk amount of long-distancemunication and give them to those nobles¡­"


    Charles started teaching how to do a stealth mission.


    After a few minutes of exnation, he recalled something important and added.


    "I want you to get me a few drops of someone''s blood."


    "Who?" Jessie raised her eyebrows and asked.


    Charles smiled mysteriously and whispered a name.


    After that, he told her to hide all information inside her Inner World and sent her out.


    Following that, he opened the game interface and looked at the status.


    ¡­


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Shape-Shifter


    Main ss: Level 5 ze Sorcerer (0/221,690) [Rank-4]


    Sub-ss: Level 5 Shape-shifter (0/221,690) [Rank-4]


    Title: Chaos Maker


    Health Points: 631/631


    Exp: 681,235 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 20.7


    Dexterity- 20.4


    Constitution- 23.4


    Wisdom-75


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 132


    AP (Attribute points): 11


    ss spells:


    Fallen Angel''s Wings (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Finger of Destruction (Rank-4 spell- Iplete) - [5% Extra boost due to the presence of Chaos power in this spell model.]


    Fire Born (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sun''s Guard (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    Burning Consciousness (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    Life of Fire (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    me Teleportation (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Sleight of Mystery Hand- 263


    Shape-shifting- 268


    Foresight- 345


    Unique skills:


    Arcane Eyes- 402


    elerate Thoughts- 65


    Conceal- 57


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 44


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]


    ¡­


    ''Haa, the Amber Curse is finally gone¡­ I didn''t expect that things would go smoothly.''


    Muttering inwardly, Charles shifted his attention towards the broken cloning device and said.


    "Mr. Rh, it''s better to start the process now. We need to finish this before the start of the coronation ceremony. Otherwise, our whole n might fail."


    Saying so, he started walking towards it.

 Chapter 269: Vincent Elliott

    <h4>Chapter 269: Vincent Elliott</h4>


    At this moment, Archbishop Royce''s sudden suicide caught everyone off-guard.


    Be it Casey, Foster Family, Royal faction members, Church representatives, and Nobles'' faction members, everyone was shocked by the news!


    Due to Charles''s name mentioned in the suicidal note, everyone started to feel something was off about Archbishop''s suicide.


    The Amber Church higher-ups even sent a Rank-4 [Quest Finder] ss Mystic and searched for any clue.


    Unfortunately, the mystic''s attempt went futile.


    On the other hand, Ashley ordered all servants to purchase all materials for the banquet and started rearranging everything in the banquet hall.


    For the next few days, the whole mansion appeared alive.


    Meanwhile, Jessie also started her mission.


    First, she discussed with Rhea regarding the uing banquet, prepared one hundred invitation letters, and started inviting Nobles, Royal faction members, mages, and even Churches'' representatives to the uing banquet.


    Then, she also talked privately with those enved nobles and ordered them to change factions during the banquet.


    Although everyone got startled by the banquet invitation, nobody put too much thought into it.


    To others, Rhea''s achievement wasn''t enough to be the Queen of the Iron Kingdom. She had no high-ss noble''s support and only had hundreds of mystics under her control.


    Even if she was a disciple of an Ancient Mage, none thought she would be the sessor.


    As for the sessor mission, almost everyone forgot about it!


    There were a few people who keep eyes on this mission, though.


    One such person was Vincent Elliott, father of Daisy Elliott and the Elliott family''s head.


    He was a man in his sixties, had long grey hair, a rough face, and always had a stern expression on his face.


    In these past three years, he was one among the few who firmly supported Rhea Bonere and also helping her through various means.


    He was not helping her out of pity but due to fear.


    He also wanted to clear the strange curse hidden in his illegitimate daughter''s Inner World and turn her into a noblewoman!


    If another sessor bes the next ruler of this kingdom, it would be almost impossible for Daisy to be ady with official noble status.


    But if Rhea did be the next Queen, the chance of removing her lowborn status was very high!


    Among the four of his children, he loved Daisy most. The main reason for that was because of his love towards herte mother, ia.


    In truth, she was his first love!


    Because of the difference in status, his father didn''t allow him to marry her at all. Instead, he only let her work in the mansion as a servant.


    It was usual for nobles to have sexual rtionships withmoner women. So, his father didn''t put much thought into his rtionship and left him with a simple warning not to have children with lowborn.


    But one yearter, a girl child was born!


    Vincent and ia tried their best to hide this child''s birth, and Vincent even sent both of them to ia''s hometown.


    Unfortunately, someone soon found out about this secret and reported it directly to the Elliott family.


    Upon hearing this news, Vincent''s dad went berserk, moved to ia''s hometown, and executed her on the spot!


    If not for Vincent arriving at the right time to stop him, he would have killed the newborn child!


    From that day onwards, Vincent swore that he would take care of this child and raised her on his own in secret.


    While thinking about those incidents, Vincent couldn''t help but sigh.


    Currently, he sat in his study room and was in the middle of deep thinking about those past incidents.


    Opposite of him was a silver-haired woman in herte twenties, and she wore a grave expression on her face.


    She had silver eyes, a pretty smooth face, trimmed eyebrows, and wore a long blue robe.


    "Is it true? Her Highness sent us an invitation letter to a banquet?" After a long time, he asked.


    "Not only us, father. She is inviting all the nobles, mages, and even the churches'' representatives to the banquet. I have a vague feeling that Rhea seems to be plotting something big." Daisy said with a solemn tone.


    "Hmm, did you find any information about those newly arrived guests?" Vincent tapped his finger on the wooden table and asked.


    "Yes. Richie told me that those newly arrived guests might be Rank-4 Mystics. Whether they are mages or other ss mystics, we have no clue about them. But he mentioned that they are nning to stay in the mansion for the next few weeks." A gloomy look appeared on Daisy''s face as she said those words.


    ''Destiny Lady¡­ Ancient Mage¡­ Then, two new Rank-4 Mystics¡­ Something is not right¡­ Are they nning something big?'' He couldn''t help but show a hesitant look on his face.


    After some thought, he let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Send a hundred men squad and increase the security of old mansion. If Rhea really bes the Queen of Iron Kingdom, we will be the one who benefits most. Also, you should go there and get close with Rhea and the other three kids."


    "But-"


    Before she could speak, Vincent raised his hand and ordered.


    "It''s an order, Daisy. Now, did you find anything about the strange explosion that happened a few days ago?"


    "I have long sent a squad of assassins to scout the southern part of the kingdom, father. If I''m not wrong, their report should arrive in a day or two." Daisy made a forced smile and spoke.


    Just when Vincent was about to ask another question, a knocking sound came from outside.


    "Come in," Vincent said in a calm tone.


    A momentter, a ck-haired young man in his butler''s suit walked in and gave a sealed letter to Vincent.


    "A letter came from the South, My Lord." He said.


    On the other hand, Vincent took the sealed letter and sent him out.


    Then, he took out a silver de from his space ring, opened the seal, and started reading the letter.


    "It''s from the scout team." A surprise shed on his face.


    But the more he read, the more he became serious.


    "One-tenth of the Dreamymaple forest got destroyed in a single night? The strange explosion that urred a few days ago¡­ Is it due to a magic spell?" He couldn''t help but mutter in a shocked tone.


    "Dreamymaple forest? Is the Herath Kingdom behind this incident?" Daisy straightened her back in an instant and asked in anxiety.


    Dreamymaple Forest was located in the southern end of the Iron Kingdom and acted as a border with the Herath Kingdom.


    Due to the long distance, the strange incident that happened on the Dreamymaple Forest hadn''t attracted any noble''s or mage''s attention.


    Shaking his head, Vincent shifted his attention towards the letter and spoke.


    "This isn''t the Herath Kingdom''s scheme. A battle between Legends must be the reason for this incident." His voice contains a trace of fear and anxiousness.


    "L-Legends? Why would Rank-6 Existenceses to our rural kingdom to fight?" Daisy asked.


    At this moment, she suddenly recalled important information about Dreamymaple Forest.


    ''A few months ago, we received a report from one of our men that a strange tower is located deep in this forest¡­ But when we sent more members to confirm this news, we found no clue about it¡­''


    While she was in muse, Vincent continued to read the letter and soon frowned.


    "They also found broken walls, metal doors, and charred bricks? Hmm, something is not right. Send a report to the magic tower and let them take care of these things. I don''t want to offend another expert because of my curiousness."


    Saying so, he folded the letter, ced it on the table, and waved his hand.


    "You can go now."


    Meanwhile, Daisy stood up from her seat while she nodded her head, turned around, and soon walked out of the study.


    Vincent watched his daughter walked out of the study and soon furrowed his brows.


    At that moment, he sensed a strange fluctuation in the surrounding air and gripped the sword hilt on his waist.


    "Who is it?" He asked in a cold tone.


    A momentter, his right-side area began to distort and soon formed into a figure of a blonde-haired young man.


    He had almond blue eyes, a square face, and fair skin and appeared to be around 25-years old.


    He wore a single-breasted ck overcoat and held a book in his hand.


    Upon seeing the young man''s arrival, Vincent''s eyes squinted.


    "Tyler? What are you doing here?" His voice contains a trace of suspicion.


    Meanwhile, Tyler bowed his head towards Vincent and spoke with a hint of anger in his tone.


    "You are giving too much privilege to that lowborn, father."


    "Mind your words, Tyler. He is your elder sister." A heavy sigh leaked out of Vincent''s mouth as he said those words.


    He knew very well that his other children were dissatisfied with him for showing too much care towards a lowborn child.


    ''But they will soon ept her once she bes a noblewoman with Her Highness''s help.''


    Muttering inwardly, he shook his head and added.


    "Go and get ready for the uing banquet."


    Upon hearing Vincent''s words, Tyler gave his father a weird look and sighed in disappointment.


    "Are you talking about that fake princess''s banquet invitation? Father, His Highness Vance is the one who has most of the nobles'' support. Not only that, even Iron Tower and Churches'' representatives are showing their full support to him. Instead of supporting such a man, why are you supporting such worthless fake princess?" He muttered in a dissatisfied tone.


    "Humph, fake princess? Do you even realize what you are saying now? She is the only true sessor of this kingdom, Tyler. Didn''t you hear what Daisy told me earlier? Rhea currently has four Rank-4 Mystics'' support and her faction has also grown powerful enough to dominate others. If the prophecy is right, she will definitely be the ruler of this kingdom!" An excitement appeared on his face.


    Upon seeing his excited face, Tyler''s heart tightened.


    He then stared at the man for a moment and spoke in a cold tone.


    "It''s useless to talk to him now, Sir Larry. Please do your job."


    As Vincent heard those words, his whole body trembled.


    The next instant, a boundless invisible power appeared in the room and seeped into his body!


    Before Vincent could mutter a word, a pale hand appeared behind his neck and grabbed his head.


    A momentter, Vincent''s head exploded like watermelon while spraying blood, flesh, bones, and brain matters in every direction!


    Then, a 60-year old man in a brown robe appeared behind the headless body and turned his gaze towards Tyler.


    His tangled, long ck hair appeared greasy, and his eyes seemed dark as void.


    He was none other than Larry Foster!


    "Elliott family is yours now, kid. Inform everyone that Daisy killed her father and is actually a spy of Rhea." He paused for a moment and then added in a cold tone.


    "Go and chase after her. If an opportunity arises, kill her on the spot. Hehe, Destiny? Prophecy? We have long prepared to face these strange powers." He let out a cold snort and soon disappeared into the darkness.

 Chapter 270: Rescue

    <h4>Chapter 270: Rescue</h4>


    Meanwhile, Daisy walked out of the three-storied house and soon saw a group of well-armored soldierszily standing on the right side grassy garden.


    All of them wore metallic helmets, silver armor and held shields and spears in their hands.


    As they saw Daisy''s arrival, all of them straightened their back, get back in line, and made a salute by thumping their clenched right fist on their chests.


    "Greetings, Captain!"


    Daisy nodded her head and soon turned her gaze towards a particr ck-haired soldier.


    "Nathan, go and tell Captain Lawrence and his team to get ready for their next job. My father told me to increase the security in Highness Rhea''s mansion."


    "Captain Lawrence''s team-"


    Before Nathan could finish his words, a woman''s scream came from the three-storied house, causing him to stop.


    "What happened?" Daisy was about to take a step towards the mansion building but stopped.


    At that moment, she sensed almost a hundred people were running towards the front yard garden from the other side of the building and frowned.


    ''Something is not right.'' She nced at her teammates, raised her hand, and signaled them to get ready for any unexpected situation.


    After she met the ancient mage, she matured a lot and had long expected betrayals within the family.


    No, even her father Vincent told her to be careful of her siblings!


    Just as she suspected, multiple screams came from the building within seconds, causing her face to turn pale.


    "L-Lord Vincent!" "Assassin!" "Someone killed our Lord!" "I just now saw Daisy walking out of our father''s study!" "NOOO!"


    Cries and furious shouts echoed within seconds.


    ''Father!?'' Her eyes widened.


    She was about to turn around but soon saw her subordinates started gripping their weapons and pointing them towards her.


    "C-Captain! Please stay here." Nathan said in a trembling voice.


    At that moment, a young man''s shout also came from the building entrance.


    "You have nowhere to run, Daisy. Surrender yourself!"


    Daisy''s expression hardened.


    "Tyler! Y-You killed our father?" Her eyes turned bloodshot.


    ''I need to escape!'' Countless images of her father appeared in front of her eyes.


    She cast a fire wings spell, pped them forcefully, and shot towards the sky without hesitation.


    On the other hand, Tyler coldly snorted before raising his hand, conjured an icy spear out of thin air, and sent it towards her.


    Like a bullet, the spear tore through the air and directlynded on her back.


    "ARGHH!" Daisy shouted in pain but continued to p her fire wings.


    Within a few seconds, she flew past multiple mansion houses and soon crashed into a random mansion''s garden.


    Then, she hurriedly stood up, staggered for a moment, and fell.


    Her lower half was already drenched in blood, and the ice spear''s tip appeared on her abdomen region.


    She instantly gripped the ice spear''s handle and pulled it out with full force while letting out a painful shout.


    ''I''m gravely injured! I''m also losing too much blood.'' While she was thinking, the mansion guards ran in her direction and soon encircled her.


    "Who are you?" One of the guards asked.


    But she didn''t even have any strength to mutter a word and started to fell backward.


    Her bodynded on the grassy yard.


    Shey on the grass and stared at the clear blue sky with her silvery eyes.


    ''Is this the end?'' A thought appeared in her mind.


    Upon seeing her pathetic state, the guards nced at each other and fell silent.


    Meanwhile, a few servants, well-dressed noblewomen, and a brown-haired young man walked out from the three-storied building and stared at the wounded woman.


    "Miss Daisy?" The brown-haired young man''s eyes widened as he recognized her in an instant.


    The young man appeared around 170cm high, had brown hair, and wore a regr ck shirt and pants.


    He was none other than Titus, who just happened toe to this noble''s household to give the invitation letter!


    With hurried footsteps, he ran towards her, squatted down a little, and checked her condition.


    "Miss Daisy?" He asked.


    Simultaneously, he took out a blue vial from his space ring and poured it into her mouth.


    It was a very costly life potion which his elder sister gave him for safety purposes.


    Although she warned him not to give this to others, he didn''t hesitate for a single moment.


    ''This woman helped us a lot during the past three years. I don''t think sis will get angry at me.'' He thought.


    Meanwhile, Daisy stared at the handsome young man''s face and recognized him quickly.


    Although Titus was a silent person, he was, after all, one of the disciples of the Ancient Mage!


    How could she not recognize him?


    "Y-" She tried to say something but soon stopped.


    She then hesitated for a moment and gulped down the potion.


    The next instant, she felt that her whole body was burning in a me. But she didn''t feel pain, though.


    Instead, she felt a strange warmth feeling!


    ''Healing potion!'' Her eyes widened.


    "It will take more than an hour for you to recover from the wound." Saying so, Titus took her with both of his hands and stood up.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the dumbfounded soldiers and spoke.


    "Please tell Lord Viscount that I''ve something important to take care of."


    Then, he turned around and started walking towards the four-wheeled carriage that parked outside thepound gate.


    At that moment, the coachman also hopped on the driver''s seat and got ready to go.


    Once Titus brought her inside, the coachman whipped the horses and drove the carriage towards Rodsley Street.


    By the time Tyler and his subordinates reached the Viscount''s mansion, the carriage had long left the street!


    Simr incidents started happening to all those nobles who showed support towards Rhea!


    Some nobles got betrayed by their children, while the others lost a limb or two.


    At that moment, everyone realized that this someone was giving them a warning!


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Charles remained in the underground basement and was in the middle of inscribing a runal magic circle.


    It was September 29th evening.


    While he was working, Jessie visited the underground basement and told him about Vincent''s and other nobles'' assassination incidents while giving the important materials.


    "Where is Daisy now?" Charles asked as he checked the contents in the space ring.


    "She is recuperating in the mansion, Teacher. But Elliott family guards had withdrawn from our mansion. Currently, our personal soldiers are the ones who are guarding the mansion." She said in a solemn tone.


    ''Oh? But why did the other party acts now? Hmm? Omen is getting anxious? Moreover, Daisy seems to be quite a lucky one. If Titus didn''t appear in Viscount''s mansion, she would have already been captured and then executed by the Elliott family.''


    Charles furrowed his brows and soon saw a strange golden ticket in Jessie''s hand.


    At that moment, she wore a hesitant look and asked.


    "Teacher, do you want to attend tomorrow''s special auction?"


    "Special auction?" Charles asked in curious.


    "Yes, Teacher. I heard from Lady Be that this auction happens only once every 20 years. Moreover, even Rank-4 mages from other kingdoms woulde to participate in this auction. Quite a few Rank-4 potions are auctioning this time and I''ve already saved more than one million gold coins to get a potion this time." Jessie spoke as she recalled the previous auction incident.


    "Hmm, I have other ns. You go and participate in my stead and try to get a dexterity potion for me." Charles didn''t put much thought into the auction and said.


    "Yes, Teacher." Jessie nodded her head.


    "Lady Natalia, Rhea, Noel, Your son, and your daughter-inw are also nning on joining me, Teacher. So, I will be safer this time."


    She puffed up her chest and spoke with a proud look on her face.


    Meanwhile, a nk look appeared on his face.


    ''My son? Daughter-inw? Wait¡­'' A look of realization appeared on his face.


    Meanwhile, an old man''sughter echoed in his hand.


    ''Hahaha, this girl sure is something. Her imaginations are exceeding our expectations.''


    The corner of Charles''s lips twitched uncontrobly.


    Thankfully, he managed to conceal his facial emotions and soon asked.


    "When will the auction start?"


    "Tomorrow at 7.00 A.M, Teacher. But we are nning to go a little bit early around 5.30 A.M. Otherwise; it will be difficult for us to get seats on the front row." She said.


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Good. You can go back and prepare for tomorrow''s special auction."


    "Yes, Teacher." Jessie nodded her head, turned around, and hurriedly moved out of the underground hall through the stone stairs.


    Meanwhile, Charles changed his appearance into his younger self, wore a hooded ck dress, and took many scrolls from his space ring.


    "I should also give Omen a small warning. Although it is hard to find his original body, I can kill his clones and rattle him a bit."


    He opened a random scroll and started reading the information.


    ¡­


    "Name: Carson, age: 32, physical appearance: hooded grey eyes, Hawk nose, and olive skin, height: 178 to 180, he is working in Viscount Nichs''s mansion as a butler. Servant room no. 24, Viscount Nichs''s mansion house, 23A ck Street."


    "Name: Austin, age: 67, physical appearance: Short ck hair, almond brown eyes, Celestial nose, thick eyebrows, round face, and looked around 175 cm high. He is working as Baron Everett''s personal steward. Servant room no. 45, Grey Mansion, 102C Rodsley Street."¡­


    ¡­


    After memorizing the contents, he stored those scrolls into his space ring and continued inscribing the magic circle while checking the pocket watch from time to time.


    Around 11.30 P.M, Charles stopped his work, stood up from the ground, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, Charles appeared on the outside street road, covered his head with a hood, and started walking towards a particr mansion in Rodsley Street.


    It was Baron Everett''s mansion.

 Chapter 271: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 271: Encounter</h4>


    He arrived next to thepound gate within seconds, jumped to the other side without alerting the guards, and went to the servants'' quarters.


    He soon arrived in front of the wooden door, unlocked it casually using the [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, and entered.


    He then looked at the two corridors for a moment, chose the right side one, and soon arrived in front of a particr wooden door.


    Like before, he used his sub-ss skill, unlocked the door, and entered stealthily.


    Inside, a ck-haired many on a mat and seemed to be in a deep sleep.


    Charles used [Arcane Eyes] skill and looked into his status.


    ''Hmm? Damian Foster? Moreover, his race also changed to a ''Half-Devil''?'' Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''But his physical attributes are simr to that of a normal human.'' He also saw the word ''clone'' next to the health status and concluded.


    ''Except for his name, race, and clone status, everything appears as normal.'' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and tried to cast [Fire Seed] spell on him.


    Unfortunately, Charles''s attempt went futile.


    ''Hmm, it''s understandable.'' He nodded inwardly and tried to cast [Burning Thoughts] spell.


    But even that attempt went futile, causing him to raise his eyebrows in suspicion.


    Unlike [Fire Seed] and other mind-fire spells, [Burning Thoughts] spell acts on one''s consciousness.


    As long as one''s consciousness was within the body, it would directly enter the dark space and burn their current thinking.


    ''But why is it not working? Wait¡­'' He closed his eyes and used his wisdom power to scan the body.


    The next instant, confusion appeared on his face.


    ''There is no consciousness in the body.''


    He thought for a moment before taking out a long sword, unsheathed it, aimed at the clone''s head, and shed it.


    A momentter, a clean-cut appeared on the neck area and cleaved his head from the body!


    ''I wonder if the other clones would go on an alert mode because of this clone''s death¡­ But there is no consciousness in this clone.'' He sheathed the long sword and soon thought of checking it out.


    He didn''t dy any longer before enveloping himself with a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    Then, he again appeared on the street road, moved towards the next target, and soon entered another noble''s servants'' quarters.


    To his astonishment, he noticed that the other clone was also sleeping like nothing abnormal had happened!


    ''I have a guess. These clones might directly lead us to Omen''s main body.'' The Holm''s Crown suddenly spoke.


    ''I''m listening.'' Charles silently stared at the clone''s face and waited for the artifact''s answer.


    ''Let''s take incarnation as an example. Although incarnations can be used to do scouting missions, it consumes too much mental energy for us to create a single one. Even if you create a perfect incarnation, it can only stay in the outside world for a particr amount of time like a month or two. After that, you have to take the incarnation''s consciousness back into your Inner World; otherwise, you will lose it permanently. But unlike the incarnation, this clone won''t disappear after you withdraw your consciousness from it. These clones are created through the user''s blood and have a certain link to the user''s Inner World.''


    ''A separate dark space?'' Charles blinked his eyes in surprise.


    ''Yes, simr to the dark space. Then, there is a big question here. How could a single person create tens of perfect consciousnesses and maintaining them at once? In truth, creating a single clone and maintaining it would increase the mental burden to arge level. This guy is doing something that even a Pseudo-Legend Rank Mystic would find it hard to do¡­''


    ''Is it due to these clones'' strange sleeping state? All of their consciousnesses would move to user''s Inner World during night-time to recharge?'' Charles asked.


    ''Yes. And, there is another thing we need to take note of. To take these consciousnesses back to his Inner World, his main body has to appear nearby. Otherwise, his consciousnesses wouldn''t return to his Inner World at all.'' The Holm''s Crown paused for a moment and then added.


    ''The same goes for cing the consciousness back to the clone body. So, to ce this clone''s consciousness, Omen has to appear here before the dawn.''


    ''Finding him is so simple?'' Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''This guy is good at hiding,d. If not for Jessie''s deep analysis, it would have taken too much time. Although you have strange eyes to check one''s true name, it would be impossible to search for a clue in this city filled with more than half a million of poption.'' The Holm''s Crown responded.


    Meanwhile, Charles silently left the servant''s quarters and moved towards Baron Everett''s mansion.


    After that, he teleported to the mansion building''s terrace and started monitoring the surroundings.


    At that moment, the Holm''s Crown suddenly noticed something was wrong about Charles''s current action and asked in suspicion.


    ''Why are you not hiding your real intention in your Inner World? Won''t it alert the ''Divine''?''


    A strange smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''I want to confirm few things, Mr. Rh. First, does Omen have any fate-rted skills to perceive changes in one''s fate? If he didn''t, the Divine would definitely send some warning as it did to Archbishop Royce, right? Second, what if the ''Divine'' actually wants us to kill him andplete the mission as soon as possible? Don''t you find something was odd about the previous assassinations?''


    ''Odd?'' The Holem''s Crown asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    ''Omen had countless opportunities to assassinate Vincent and other nobles during these past few years. If he had acted, he could have gained full control over the whole kingdom. But he didn''t. Instead, he chose the current moment to assassinate them¡­''


    ''It''s as if he is voluntarilying out from the shadows and showing his neck to us. I''m feeling that everything is going too smoothly. Then, there is Daisy''s lucky encounter with Titus¡­ I also feel something fishy about that encounter¡­ Well, maybe I''m thinking too much, but I don''t want to take a risk.''


    Upon hearing his words, the Holm''s Crown finally understood his intention.


    ''The ''Divine'' want you toplete the mission and move on to the next step? Coronation ceremony?¡­ If so, we must do our best to dy Rhea''s coronation ceremony.''


    ''Yes,'' Charles nodded his head and continued to monitor the surroundings.


    Hours passed, and soon it was 5.20 A.M.


    During the past few hours, he saw many people walked across the path, but none caught his attention.


    Because of his [Arcane Eyes] skill, he didn''t face any difficulty at all.


    At this moment, most servants and guards had woken up from their sleep and were roaming here and there.


    Some went to take a bath in the nearby Well, while the others brushed their teeth using strange sticks.


    While monitoring their actions, Charles suddenly saw a man in his thirties entering the street road through a narrow alley.


    Even though it was still dark outside, he saw his appearance neat and clear due to his [Dark Vision] skill.


    The face of the man appeared ageless, neither old nor young. His hair was dark and long, while his eyes were grey.


    He wore a greyish overcoat, a brown cape and silently walked on the street road.


    ''That''s him! Shall we act?'' The Holm''s Crown asked.


    On the other hand, Charles remained silent and soon shook his head.


    ''That''s what the ''Divine'' wants. Let''s observe him for a while.''


    Saying so, he conjured a small ball of ckish fire, reshaped it into a ck feather, and ced it on his palm.


    Then, he took a deep breath and blew it from the terrace.


    The next instant, the ck feather rose towards the sky, danced in the air, and started flying towards the street road in a zigzag manner.


    Within a few seconds, the ck feather fell behind Damian''s back and soon attached to his overcoat.


    On the other hand, Damian didn''t notice anything and continued to walk on the street road.


    Just as he arrived next to Baron Everett''s mansionpound gate, he stopped his footsteps and turned his gaze towards the servants'' quarters.


    Then, he did a ritual hand sign and soon furrowed his eyebrows.


    ''Why can''t I sense my clone?'' His face turned serious.


    Just when he was about to make another hand sign, one of the mansion gatekeepers noticed his presence and shouted.


    "Who is it? What are you doing here?"


    At that moment, a few more leather-armored guards also stood up from the other side of the mansion and looked in the direction where Damian was standing.


    "Nothing, Mister. Just now, I saw a familiar face inside the mansion house. Maybe I''m thinking too much." Shaking his head, Damian adjusted the brown cape and started walking on the dirt road before the gatekeeper could say another word.


    Although he was confused inside, he didn''t lose his calm and continued to walk in the opposite direction.


    Still, strange anxiety remained in his heart.


    Just when he was about to think of his next move, the nearby mansion''s gate opened all of a sudden, and soon a four-wheeled carriage drove out from it.


    At that moment, a long, whirly blonde-haired young woman casually opened the carriage''s red curtain and peeked outside with her bewitching scarlet eyes.


    A secondter, her gaze met with Damian''s one!

 Chapter 272: Captured

    <h4>Chapter 272: Captured</h4>


    It was as if the time seemed to have frozen at that second.


    The next instant, Jessie widened her eyes in shock and blurted out.


    "Omen!"


    Her voice contained a trace of fear and panic.


    Meanwhile, Damian also widened his eyes and spoke in a hurry.


    "Mind Walk."


    He didn''t hesitate for a moment to invade her mind and erase her memories!


    The next instant, a total of 7 Damian''s consciousnesses entered Jessie''s Inner World and looked around.


    Unlike the ordinary person''s Inner World, her world was filled with blood, corpses, and bones!


    But what made them nce at each other in confusion was their current appearances.


    All of them appeared in their clone forms and looked more like real humans!


    Just as they were touching their body in shock, a woman''s chuckle echoed in their ears.


    A chill ran down everyone''s spine!


    No, they realized that the chuckle came from their right side and turned their heads in that direction.


    A mountain of bones appeared in front of their eyes. And on top of that stood a reddish metallic throne.


    Currently, a whirly blonde-haired young woman in her ck dress sat on the throne and was looking at them from above like a Goddess!


    It was Jessie''s second consciousness!


    Shezily let out a yawn, crossed her legs together, and spoke a word.


    "Kneel."


    The next instant, all of their bodies moved on their own and knelt on the bloody ground!


    An evil smirk appeared on the young woman''s face.


    She calmly stared at them for a moment and added.


    "Explode."


    As if they had heard a divine order from their creator, everyone''s bodies began to bulge and exploded one by one!


    In truth, the one that exploded was not their bodies, but the consciousnesses themselves!


    In the outside world,


    Jessie also didn''t hesitate for a moment as she jumped down from the carriage and cast the [Blood Shackle] skill on Damian!


    Unfortunately, Damian used his wisdom power and nullified her skill in an instant.


    "You are dead." An uncontroble chilling aura oozed out from Damian''s body as he saw her action.


    At that moment, the young coachman also stopped the carriage and jumped down from the driver''s seat.


    He was none other than Noel!


    A momentter, Oswald, the Lightning Mage Rachel, Destiny Lady, Rhea, and even Titus walked out of the carriage and looked at Damian in confusion.


    An eerie silence appeared on the street road.


    Although none of them released their wisdom power, Damian''s instinct started to scream all of a sudden.


    ''Hmm? Who are they?''


    He nced at them warily and soon zeroed his gaze on the ck-haired woman in herte twenties.


    ''Destiny Lady!'' His body tensed up.


    Before Damian could even think, Rachel disappeared from where she stood before and appeared next to Jessie in a sh.


    At that moment, electric sparks appeared all over her body and enveloped her hands like snakes.


    She then looked at Jessie and spoke in a cold tone.


    "He is not your opponent, girl. Go back to the mansion."


    Upon hearing Rachel''s words, Jessie subconsciously nodded her head while taking two steps backward and soon moved towards Rhea and others.


    On the other hand, Oswald removed his ck overcoat, threw it towards Noel, and took out a strange golden pendant from his space ring.


    The next instant, a golden light came out from the pendant, encircled his body, and soon turned into a golden armor!


    Then, he took out a long sword from his space ring, unsheathed it, and asked.


    "Who is he?"


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady stared at Damian for a moment and spoke.


    "Omen-"


    But before she could even say his name, Damian took a step back and transformed.


    "Devil-Form." He muttered


    The next instant, his whole body began to bulge and soon turned into a two-meter tall red-skinned human with a wicked goblin-like face!


    His body expanded continuously and looked more like a true devil.


    Not only that, there were even two horns, a sharp ck tail, and two eerie ckish wings that appeared behind him and gave off an aura of wickedness and evil.


    Upon seeing his figure, all three of them subconsciously thought of a person.


    ''Red Prince!''


    Although their physical appearances werepletely different, they sensed a simr type of aura from him!


    At that moment, all three of them realized that this guy must have some connection with Red Prince!


    "Devil¡­ I finally found a clue about you." A cold glint appeared in Rachel''s eyes.


    "Red Prince¡­" Oswald also gripped his sword tighter and stared at him coldly.


    He hated Red Prince and the Nightwind family for killing his daughter, cing a curse on his family, and even separated him from his grandson!


    Not only that, but this Red Prince was still trying to kill his grandson.


    ''I won''t miss this opportunity.'' His lips started to curl upward.


    Meanwhile, Rachel suddenly turned into a sh of lightning, appeared in front of the transformed Half-Devil, ced her callus hand on Damian''s chest, and spoke.


    "Rage."


    The next moment, tens of bluish lightning arcs appeared out of her hand, entered deep into his body, and electrocuted him!


    On the other hand, Oswald also disappeared from where he stood before and reappeared behind Damian.


    A momentter, a greenish aura enveloped the sword edges as he shed at Damian''s head and decapitated him in an instant.


    Not only that, but he also moved his sword and cut those two devilish ck wings and tails neatly!


    Each of his movements appeared precise and clean!


    Upon seeing their ruthless action, Destiny Lady was stunned for a moment.


    Soon, she woke up from the shock and spoke.


    "If you want to kill him, you have to destroy his hearts."


    Saying so, she also released herwful ice elemental power, cast [Ice Area] spell, and froze his lower body.


    In the meantime, Oswald and Rachel saw another small head started to pop up from the sliced area and widened their eyes.


    "What the hell is this thing?" Rachel asked in a shocked tone and sent another round of lightning arcs to electrocute Damian''s body.


    Damian tried his best to release his wisdom power, strange Chaos Chains, and other skills, but Oswald''s and Rachel''s actions were too swift and deadly.


    They had battled evenly against Red Prince and were peak Rank-4 Existences.


    Destiny Lady was also had considerable experience in battle and was a dual ss Rank-4 Mystic.


    Meanwhile, Damian''s body appeared to be in a weakened state.


    It might have something to do with him sacrificing his strength and created tens of clones and consciousness to achieve his goal.


    Except for Devil Form and Chaos Chain, none of those skills assisted him!


    Upon seeing that enemy was a weak Rank-4 Mystic, Oswald thought of something and spoke.


    "Let''s capture him."


    Destiny Lady and Rachel also nodded their heads in approval and acted.


    Rachel continued to send bluish lightning arcs into Damian''s body while Destiny Lady created ice chains to bind him.


    On the other hand, Oswald analyzed the devil''s body using a strange wind spell, decapitated the growing head constantly, and soon stabbed his sword at his abdomen region.


    The next instant, a shrill cry came out of the devil''s mouth.


    "There seem to be three more hearts hidden in his body. One in the right side chest, while the other two in the left side." Oswald said as he pulled out the greenish aura-coated sword and stabbed it towards Damian''s right side chest.


    Then, he also stabbed another heart and left Damian with only one heart.


    After that, all three of them co-operated and started dragging Damian into the mansion.


    Meanwhile, Charles watched their action from afar and was utterly stupefied.


    ''These guys¡­ They didn''t even give him a single chance to retaliate. Hmm, the Divine sure has more backup ns. As I thought, the ''Divine'' really wants to speed up the coronation ceremony.'' He turned his face into a solemn one and spoke.


    On the other hand, the Holem''s Crown remained silent for a moment and soon spoke.


    ''Something feels off about this guy¡­ Why is he so weak? I thought Omen would at least retaliate and tries to escape¡­ Could it be he used up all his strength to create clones and became weak?''


    Upon hearing the Holem''s Crown''s words, Charles''s expression froze.


    ''The ''Divine'' is not a dumb one to ce its hope on a weak guy¡­ What if this guy is just a decoy to fool us? Although he has some extraordinary abilities to create clones, this guy isn''t qualified to be on par with Skeleton Reid or Ivy¡­ He isn''t even strong as Vivian. There is another possibility. The ''Divine'' might be afraid of me massacring all of itsckeys. So, it made a n and presented this ''Omen'' to us?''


    ''It is possible.'' The Holem''s Crown agreed.


    ''I need to see if this guy is a real ''Omen'' or a fake one.'' Charles spoke in a gloomy tone and started walking towards the mansion while changing his appearance into an old man.

 Chapter 273: Stephen

    <h4>Chapter 273: Stephen</h4>


    Charles went near thepound gate and saw Oswald and others were dragging the chained Damian towards the right side garden.


    At that moment, a few young guards also came from the servants'' quarters and started helping them.


    Charles zeroed his gaze on Damian''s tiny head and cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on him.


    A momentter, a small ball of purple fire appeared in Damian''s Inner World and soon formed into a purple-skinned Charles.


    He stood in a strange swampy forest and looked around the surroundings in curious.


    Damian''s Inner World was an endless bog of vile pollution, decaying bodies, and rotting marsh, repeatedly drenched by rain, sleet, and hail storms.


    While looking around, he suddenly noticed Damian''s five consciousnesses were flying towards his direction from the front and smiled.


    But before they could get close to him, he opened his arms wide and cast hundreds of [Fire Seed] spell, and tens of [Knowledge Absorber] spell!


    If his main consciousness were there, he might have stood a chance against his [Burning Consciousness] spell.


    Unfortunately, his main consciousness was focused entirely on the outside and got caught off guard.


    The whole polluted swampy region got swallowed by the purple me in seconds.


    Within the next few minutes, Charles noticed most of Damian''s important memories appeared vague.


    It was as if someone had already erased his memories and left him with broken memories.


    ''There is no memory of him being a member of the Unseen Legends organization. Many of his memories are unclear¡­This guy is a puppet.'' Charles stared at the struggling Damian from the other side of the mansion and soon furrowed his brows.


    Without any hesitation, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Hignder Street, Commoners'' District, City of Iron.


    A single storied house stood in the right side corner of the street road and appeared isted from the rest of the buildings.


    At that moment, a humanoid ball of purple fire appeared in the reception hall and soon formed into a figure of an old man.


    Charles silently touched his face and changed his appearance into a younger one.


    Then, he walked out of the house, walked on the street road, entered the main street, and soon moved to the Merchants'' District.


    After that, he soon entered Groove Street junction, walked on the dirt road, and soon arrived in front of a two-storied house.


    It was Casey''s house!


    He stared at the gloomy house for a moment, released his wisdom power, and scanned the surrounding area.


    To his shock, not even a single human remained in the house!


    ''Escaped? They have long expected my arrival?'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    Just when he was about to turn around, a passerby man said some news to the nearby person, which caused Charles to freeze for a moment.


    "Did you hear the rumor about Foster Family? A guy from the market told me that Lord Larry was assassinatedst night! But Foster Family hasn''t made any announcement and seemed to be hiding it from the masses. Unfortunately, a few spies from other families released it in the dark. I suspect this must be done by Her Highness Rhea."


    "Yeah, I did hear this news a few minutes ago. Wasn''t it a fake rumor? But why would Her Highness targets Lord Larry?'' The other guy asked.


    "Humph, Lord Larry is the main pir of Foster Family and supports Vance Bonere. But now, he was assassinated in his home. Not even the Duke sensed the presence of this mysterious assassin."


    "You suspect that this mysterious assassin is the Ancient Mage?"


    "Who else? Currently, he is the only one who has the qualification to assassinate a Rank-4 Mystic. Moreover, I heard from a Wizard that no one knew of his full capabilities."


    As Charles heard their conversation, he subconsciously turned around and stared at the two people.


    Both of them wore grey robes and appeared to be around 30 years old.


    ''Mages.'' He raised his eyebrows, turned around, and started walking towards the main road.


    Currently, questions whirled in his head.


    ''Larry Foster died? How? Who killed him? Is this also some kind of scheme of the Divine?'' He felt something was wrong with the situation and thought of checking on Potion Master Stephen.


    ''But the probability of him gone missing or assassinated is very high. If I go to his house now¡­ I might end up being the main suspect.'' He thought for a moment and entered a nearby dark alley.


    Although the dawn light appeared in the sky, the alley road looked empty, making his job easier.


    He hurriedly touched his face, shifted his attention towards the shape-shifter imprints, and activated the skill.


    The next instant, his deep-blue hair started to grow longer and soon turned into a silver one.


    His eyes color also changed from deep-blue into sky blue eyes, and his face changed from oval to square one.


    At that moment, his chest also started bulging and soon formed into two melons.


    A few minutester, a 30 to 35 years old silver-haired woman in her ck frock coat walked out of the alley, took out a red scarf from her space ring, and wore it around her neck.


    ''Everything is good.'' Charles, in Vivian''s appearance, nodded his head and started walking towards the main road.


    After a few minutes of walking, he soon entered the Nobles District and started walking towards Mitre Street.


    That''s where the Potion Master Stephen''s house was located!


    ''135D Mitre Street, huh.'' Nodding inwardly, he reached the main road and continued to walk.


    When he entered Mitre Street, it was already around 6.15 A.M.


    The morning sun peeked from the eastern direction and showed glorious daylight to all living creatures.


    Charles felt a little warmth as he stepped on the well-maintained street road and moved towards the end of the street.


    Soon, he saw a single-storied house on the right side and noticed a name tag at the entrance.


    Although Stephen was a Rank-4 Potion Master, his house appeared more like amoner''s one!


    ''I thought potion masters are rich people.'' He couldn''t help but show a confused look on his face.


    ''Rich? If the word ''rich'' could sell for a gold coin, these maniacs would dly take it and try to sell it to get more potion materials. Concocting a potion is very hard,d.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke coldly in his head.


    Charles nodded his head, zeroed his focus on the single-storied house, and tried to scan it using wisdom power.


    To his shock, an invisible power appeared out of nowhere and blocked his wisdom power!


    ''T-This¡­ Did Stephen ce some magic array to block others from spying on him?'' He asked in confusion.


    ''It appears so. If he didn''t ce such array, many families would have spied on him while he was concocting and stole most of his potion recipes.'' The Holem''s Crown responded.


    Meanwhile, Charles already arrived near the fence, opened the wooden gate, and started walking in.

 Chapter 273: Realm of Sovereign

    <h4>Chapter 273: Realm of Sovereign</h4>


    Charles stepped on the concrete path, walked past many ornamental and strange nts, and soon arrived in front of a wooden door.


    ''Hmm, no forewarnings are appearing in my mind¡­ But I can''t bet my life on this skill.'' He thought inwardly and ordered the Holem''s Crown to get ready to cast the ''Traveler''s Leap'' spell at any moment.


    Then, he raised his hand, sent out a few invisible strings, unlocked the door, and opened it.


    A mixture of herbal, alcoholic, and mixed fruits fragrance entered his nose as he stepped in.


    At that moment, he also noticed that the surrounding walls were inscribed in strange symbols.


    ''Runal words? No¡­ These look simr yet different.'' He nced around the walls for a moment and tried to release his wisdom power but failed.


    ''I have no choice but to search on my own, huh.'' He resumed his walking, went towards the study, then towards the kitchen, and finally checked the bedroom.


    Unfortunately, he saw no presence of Stephen in the hall and got confused.


    ''Is there any underground basement in this house?'' He used his [Arcane Eyes] skill and started searching for any secret passage.


    After a few minutes of search, Charles soon found a secret passage in the storeroom and arrived in front of the wall.


    Unlike normal noble''s secret house, the walls were inscribed in strange engravings and appeared mysterious.


    Charles soon noticed that the secret door was already unlocked and pushed it openpletely.


    After that, he walked on the gloomy staircase and entered the underground basement, illuminated by multiplemps and fire torches.


    He saw tens of test tubes, alembics, retorts, and few candles ced on the wooden tables.


    Charles also saw a few rare nt leaves, flowers, vials with different colored liquids, human organs, and even strange powders in the nearby racks and frowned.


    Then, his gaze swept past the wooden tables with different ss items and soon zeroed on the figure in his white coat.


    ''Stephen.'' Charles''s eyes flickered.


    Currently, he showed his back towards Charles, covered his head with a strange cloth, and seemed to be in the middle of concocting a potion.


    But what made Charles furrow his brows was that he sensed no movements from him at all!


    He was standing there motionlessly as if he was in deep thoughts.


    Charles took a few steps forward, arrived near him, and soon widened his eyes in surprise.


    Because what he saw was not a human but a rocky statue!


    ''He turned into a statue while concocting a potion?'' Charles arrived next to the statue, checked the potion recipe, and frowned.


    At that moment, he also used his wisdom power to check the statue and found no consciousness appeared inside at all.


    ''He was concocting a normal strength potion recipe¡­ Someone entered his room without alerting him and turned him into a statue?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Mr. Rh, use the ''psed Time'' skill.'' He spoke.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown let out a dim light and released an invisible ripple to the surroundings.


    A momentter, the whole surroundings began to distort and soon reced with a scene of Stephen concocting a potion.


    Stephen was a man in his forties, had wide-set emerald eyes, short brown hair, and arge knife scar below his left eye.


    In the vision, he held a test tube, added a few drops of special water into it, and then started shaking it for some time.


    He also constantly checked the timer, took out a small magic burner, and lit it.


    Then, he moved the test tube towards the bluish fire, ced it on the me for a few seconds, and added a crystal-like stone into it.


    After that, he waited for some time, took out a vial filled with ash, and put everything into it.


    He added multiple things into the test tube for the next few minutes and finally sighed as he saw the whole liquid color change to ck.


    "Another failure. I added the ''Arctic Leaf'' 0.35 seconds earlier." He muttered solemnly and ced the test tube on a different desk.


    At that moment, he suddenly stopped his movement, narrowed his eyes, and looked around in curiosity.


    "Did some ant sneak into theboratory?" He asked out loud and shook his head before taking another test tube.


    Like before, he started doing another round of concocting and was about to put a drop of bluish liquid, but suddenly froze.


    No, his body seemed to have gone into a paralyzed state at that moment.


    Within the next two seconds, his whole body changed into dark color and turned into a stone!


    Even Charles and the Holem''s Crown saw no enemy appearing in the past vision!


    It was as if he turned into a statue on his own!


    The next instant, the surroundings shimmered for a moment and returned to the present time.


    ''Something is not right about his death.'' Charles muttered.


    ''But there is no enemy appeared in the past vision.'' The Holem''s Crown said solemnly and soon sighed.


    ''Let''s leave.''


    Charles also nodded his head in approval and turned his gaze towards the statue.


    He then silently took his space ring, erased Stephen''s broken soul imprint, and started checking the content.


    ''Many types of potion recipes, his personal diaries, a few potions, and potion materials¡­ But there is no sunset potion.'' He was disappointed a little.


    After searching for a while, he stealthily walked out of the underground basement, moved towards the reception hall, and opened the wooden gate to walk out.


    ''Hmm? There is no trap at all¡­ I thought at least a bunch of Rank-3 mages would show and order me to surrender.'' A smirk appeared on his feminine-looking face.


    After looking around for a moment, Charles moved towards the fence gate, opened it, and went towards the main street.


    While walking, he suddenly thought of those weird engravings and asked.


    ''Whatnguage is that, Mr. Rh? It appears simr to Runal Language, right?''


    ''That''s the engraving of Eternal Sins¡­ It''s the ancientnguage used in the Elder ne. It''s one of the ten Supreme nes.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    ''Supreme nes? I heard you once said that Dream World is a Supreme ne, right? What are others? Can you borate more about these nes?'' Charles asked as he moved towards Hignder Street.


    ''Hmm, there are four different types of nes in this universe. The first one is Low ne. The fire-elemental ne shoulde under this section. Although there is arge number of creatures and civilized humanoids that appeared in that ne, it isn''t powerful enough to give birth to any Divine Beast. Ah, the Divine Beasts are more like natural protectors of these nes and they are powerful enough to battle any Demi-God level and above existences.''


    ''The second one is Mid ne. These nes are slightlyrger than the fire elemental ne and must have given birth to one or two Divine Beasts. The third one is the High ne. This Edhen World and Easica World woulde under this section. Comparing to Mid nes, these nes are two to three timesrger in size and must have 5 to 10 Divine Beasts. Among those, there might be a Low-God Rank Divine Beast.''


    ''Then, therees the Supreme ne. Currently, there are 10 Supreme nes known to us and each of them is countless timesrger and stronger than High nes. But the universe is still hasn''tpletely explored by us. There might be other Supreme nes out there.'' The Holem''s Crown paused for a moment and continued to speak.


    ''These 10 Supreme nes are Abyss ne, Hell ne, Dream World, Underworld, Elder ne, Astral ne, and four Primary Elemental nes. If you want to explore these Worlds on your own, you must reach the realm of Demi-God. There are many Rank-8, Rank-9 and Rank-10 Experts staying there and are searching for a way to enter the realm of Sovereigns.''


    ''Realm of Sovereigns?'' Charles was stunned by the Holem''s Crown''s words and asked in a surprise.


    ''Hmm? It''s your main goal.'' The Holem''s Crown said mysteriously.


    At that moment, a single word appeared in his mind.


    ''Omnipotence¡­ The realm of Omnipotence! Has anyone reached that realm?'' He asked in excitement.

 Chapter 275: Nervous

    <h4>Chapter 275: Nervous</h4>


    ''Hehe, do you think it is that easy?'' A mocking voice echoed in Charles''s head.


    ''Find a way to survive from this Divine''s schemes and then try to reach the realm of Legendary. As for the omnipotence realm, none reached that realm. Maybe the Creator of the universe reached that Rank. But no one really knows.''


    Upon hearing the artifact''s words, Charles went silent.


    ''I''ll survive.'' That''s all he could say.


    Then, he entered the nearby alley, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and enveloped his body in a crimson me.


    A momentter, he reappeared in the underground basement hall and changed his appearance into an old man.


    After that, he changed his clothes and walked out of the basement while holding a ck cane for support.


    He then released his wisdom power, checked the surroundings, and soon raised his eyebrows.


    ''Hmm, it seems Jessie, and Destiny Lady went to attend the special auction. Oswald and Rachel are the only ones guarding the puppet Damian, while Rhea and the other two are staying in their rooms.''


    He retracted his wisdom power and started walking on the lone corridor.


    At that moment, he heard Ashley''s scolding voice echoed from the kitchen and chuckled.


    Soon, he reached the reception hall, sat on the chesterfield sofa, and saw a ck-haired woman was walking towards him from the kitchen.


    Her long hair wasbed neatly and formed into a bundle, and her brown eyes shone in themplight. She had an oval face, trimmed eyebrows, and looked around 30 to 35 years old.


    She wore an ordinary ck gown and a white apron and looked more like a professional maid.


    "You seem to have aged a lot, Ashley," Charles said with a smile.


    "Unlike Mystics, we, mortals, ages too fast, My Lord," Ashley responded with a forced smile on her face and greeted him.


    Charles smiled instead of responding and asked.


    "How is the preparation for today''s banquet going?"


    "I''m nning to make 75 types of dishes, My Lord. Although it won''t be as grand as Royal Banquets, I will try my best and surprise everyone." A confident look appeared on her face as she said those words.


    Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Tell someone to go and bring Rhea. I''ve something important to talk to her."


    "Yes, My Lord. I will send someone." Ashley said with a nod and hurriedly moved to the kitchen.


    In the meantime, Charleszily leaned his back on the sofa, took out the Books of Secrets, and started doing divination.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Rhea stood in her room and gazed at her reflection with a frown on her forehead.


    Currently, she wore a regr brown gown and looked more like a mature woman.


    Her ck hair appeared a little bit messier and remained ubed.


    Her eyes darted towards her well-grown chest and soon moved towards her right hand.


    Four types of unique rings appeared in her fingers.


    ''The Ruler''s Ring¡­'' She couldn''t help but show a curious look.


    A few days ago, Emilia and her teammates came to the mansion and gave the other three rings to Rhea.


    ''But they didn''t ask anything in return. That''s where the problem lies.'' She couldn''t figure out their motive at all.


    ''Maybe they are afraid of offending our Teacher?'' She thought that was the most eptable answer.


    But what made her feel frustrated was that she couldn''t contact the other spirits at all!


    Shaking those thoughts, she moved towards the wardrobe, opened it, and looked at the new dresses she brought for the banquet.


    ''Which one should I wear for the banquet?'' Just when she was about to take a dress, a knocking sound came from outside.


    "Who is it?" She asked in a soft tone.


    "Lord Mage is waiting for you at the reception hall, Your Highness." A male voice came from outside.


    Meanwhile, a sh of surprise appeared on Rhea''s face.


    Without any hesitation, she closed the wardrobe, adjusted her gown, wore a pair of leather shoes, and walked out of her room.


    Then, she walked on the corridor, stopped in front of the nearby room, knocked it twice, and asked.


    "Noel, are you there?"


    "Yes." A matured male''s voice came from the other side, and soon the door opened with a click.


    A handsome young man in his casual wear opened the door and looked at Rhea in confusion.


    He had blonde hair, a muscr body, and looked taller than Rhea.


    "What happened?" Noel asked.


    Meanwhile, Rhea suddenly extended her hand, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of his room.


    "Come on. We are going to meet our Teacher." She held her grip tighter and started walking on the corridor.


    "W-Wait! Oliver said that Teacher only called you to talk about something important-"


    He suddenly froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    Before he could open his mouth, Rhea closed his room door and spoke.


    "I''m a little bit nervous to talk to our Teacher. Keep mepany."


    A helpless sigh leaked out of Noel''s mouth as he raised his other hand in surrender.


    In truth, he, too, sometimes feels anxious to talk to their teacher. So, he wasn''t surprised by Rhea''s behavior at all.


    "Let go of my hand. I''lle." He said in a solemn tone and started walking beside her.


    Just as they walked past the next room, Noel stopped his footsteps, shifted his attention to the nearby door, and smiled.


    At that moment, Rhea also smiled widely and nodded her head.


    ''It''s always a pleasure to drag your best friend into your own misfortune.'' She couldn''t help but mutter inwardly.


    A few momentster, Rhea and Noel dragged Titus out of his room and started walking downstairs while suppressing theirughter.


    "Did Teacher really ask you guys to bring me?" Upon seeing their sneak behavior, Titus gave them a suspicious look and asked.


    "Yes. Our Teacher said that he has something important to discuss with you." Noel''s words were abnormally serious.


    At that moment, the trio reached the red-carpeted bifurcated staircase and started moving downstairs.


    While stepping downward, all three of them shifted their gazes and looked at the white-haired old man, who was seated on the chesterfield sofa.


    Currently, he held a strange ck-covered book and seemed to be in the middle of writing something.


    Within a few minutes, they reached the ground floor, went towards the center, and soon arrived in front of Charles.


    "Good Morning, Teacher." All of them greeted him in unison.


    Meanwhile, Charles stopped writing, closed the Book of Secrets, nodded his head, and turned his gaze towards Rhea.


    "I want you to do a speech. Can you do it?" He asked.


    "Speech?" Rhea started to get nervous all of a sudden.


    "Yes. Once the banquet starts, I want you to talk about your childhood hardship, memory loss, how you guys met me at Chester City, how we met Ashley at Helm Ville and found out about your past, and so on. Then, talk about why you want to be a Queen of Iron Kingdom, the discrimination between two castes, and also about the current situation of the kingdom." Charles spoke solemnly.

 Chapter 276: Aura of Dominance

    <h4>Chapter 276: Aura of Dominance</h4>


    Rhea thought for a moment and responded in a solemn tone.


    "I will do it, Teacher."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and shifted his gaze towards Titus.


    "Titus, how is Daisy now?"


    His question startled everyone greatly.


    Noel and Rhea subconsciously turned their gaze towards Titus and gave him a suspicious look.


    Meanwhile, Titus was a little flustered a bit and responded after a short pause.


    "She is currently resting in the guest room no.6, Teacher."


    "Good." Charles nodded his head and then stood up.


    "Go and prepare for the uing banquet."


    Saying so, he started walking towards the entrance and soon disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    At that moment, Noel soon snapped out of the daze, nced at Noel, and asked in a suspicious tone.


    "How did you know that Lady Daisy is resting in room no.6?"


    "I went to check on her a while ago." Titus didn''t find anything odd about his question and responded.


    Meanwhile, Rhea also gave a weird look and asked.


    "Are you perhaps into older women?"


    "No!" An instant response came out of Titus''s mouth.


    Soon, he red at both of them and spoke.


    "I saved her life. So, it''s my responsibility to check whether she is okay or not."


    Upon hearing his serious response, Rhea and Noel nced at each other and shook their heads.


    They didn''t believe his words at all.


    Meanwhile, Titus made a cold snort and started walking towards the guest house.


    "Your room is on upstairs." Noel couldn''t help but mutter.


    On the other hand, Rhea punched him in his abdomen and covered his mouth.


    "Let''s go. I need your help to select a suitable dress for the banquet."


    Saying so, she grabbed his hand and started walking towards the staircase.


    "Why me?" Noel grunted in displeasure and followed after her helplessly.


    Meanwhile, Charles went to the guest house and soon found out that Oswald and Rachel had long killed Damian!


    To his astonishment, they indeed extracted much information about Divine Order organization from his mouth!


    After exchanging few words, Charles took Damian''s head, stored it in the separate space ring, and returned to his room on the third floor.


    After that, hey on the cotton bed and closed his eyes to take some rest.


    A few hourster, a loud knocking sound came from outside and woke him up from a deep sleep.


    Soon, a young woman''s voice came from the outside.


    "Teacher, are you there?"


    It was Jessie''s voice.


    He opened his eyeszily, let out a yawn, and asked.


    "Jessie? What happened?"


    "I brought a potion, Teacher." Her voice was loud and clear.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles sat up instantly and opened the door using his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill.


    "Get in." He said.


    Meanwhile, Jessie opened the door, walked in, and soon arrived in front of him.


    Then, she took out a potion vial and gave it to him.


    "It''s the Sunset Dexterity potion, Teacher."


    She responded with a smile.


    "How much did you spend?" He stared at her in curious.


    At that moment, Jessie''s smile stiffened a little.


    "It''s 1.2 million, Teacher. Thankfully, Lady Be lent me 200,000 gold coins and helped me. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have won the bid."


    ''1.2 million¡­'' He sighed deeply and spoke.


    "Go and get ready for the banquet."


    "Yes, Teacher." Jessie nodded her head and hurriedly left.


    Meanwhile, Charles stored the potion vial into his space ring and stood up from the bed.


    Then, he took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring and checked the timer.


    ''It''s 6.10 P.M. I should also go and get ready.'' Nodding inwardly, he moved towards the wardrobe and started selecting a suitable dress for the banquet.


    ¡­


    As time flies, luxurious carriages entered the old mansion''spound one by one and parked near the right side empty yard.


    Then, noblemen, their wives, concubines, young maidens, and young masters walked out from their carriages and looked around in curiousness and confusion.


    Currently, hundreds of young men and women stood outside the building, held different weapons, and stood on guard.


    They were Rhea''s private guards!


    The magicmps covered thepound walls, gardens, and entrances and illuminated the surroundings in different colors of lights.


    Unfortunately, none of the nobles were impressed by this sight.


    Although Ashley and others spend thousands of gold coins decorating the mansion, it wasn''t enough to cover the broken and cracked areas.


    "This broken mansion is the fake princess''s home? No wonder she didn''t hold any banquet in thest three years." A blonde-haired man said in disdain.


    He looked around 25-years old and had a simr facial appearance as Daisy.


    He was none other than Tyler Elliott!


    Unfortunately, none of the surrounding noblesughed.


    If it were a few days ago, they would have mocked Rhea.


    But now, fear and anxiousness appeared in everyone''s heart.


    The main reason for that was the assassination of Larry Foster!


    If he were assassinated a few days ago, they would have thought of that incident as the enemy kingdom''s work.


    But this assassination happened just a day before the start of the banquet.


    No, not even a day had passed!


    Only then did everyone realize that there was a terrifying monster backing this fake princess!


    ''No, she is the real princess.'' All of them subconsciously changed their minds.


    At that moment, a fat man in histe fifties walked out of the nearby carriage and looked around.


    He had raven ck hair, azure blue eyes and wore a luxurious formal gown embroidered with gold and silver.


    He was none other than Baron Colton!


    He took a few steps, nced at the ck-haired Tyler, and spoke.


    "It''s very impolite to talk ill of a Royalty, Mr. Tyler. Please watch your words."


    Saying so, he gestured his wife toe out of the carriage and started walking towards the entrance.


    As time passes, more and more carriages arrived from different streets and parked in the yard.


    Barons, Viscounts, Counts, Marques, and even the Dukes attended this banquet without showing their ego.


    The nobles from different households soon moved towards the entrance and entered the old building.


    At that moment, tens of maids stood at the doorway and weed the guests.


    Except for few arrogant nobles, none spoke ill of Rhea or the Ancient Mage, quietly walked past the reception hall, and stepped on the carpeted bifurcated staircase.


    They soon reached the second floor, went towards the right side corridor under maids'' guidance, and proceeded to the third floor through a spiral staircase.


    Soon, they walked to the left side door and finally entered the banquet hall.


    The hall was spacious and impressive, and the ceilings were filled with carvings of unique birds and pets.


    What made everyone widen their eyes was the vast hall, filled with oaken dining tables and luxurious seats.


    There were more than hundreds of tables arranged in the grand hall!


    Each of the tables had a name card and seemed to be arranged in order-wise.


    Baron Colton''s gaze wandered everywhere and soonnded on the unique ss table ced at the hall''s center.


    Unlike other tables, this one was raised from the rest and looked unique.


    A total of eight throne-like seats were arranged around the unique ssy table and looked majestic.


    Baron soon retracted his gaze, asked the nearby maid''s help, and soon moved towards his family''s allocated table.


    Like him, many nobles with their family members walked into the banquet hall, soon found the allocated table under servants'' help, and sat down silently.


    Minutes passed as more nobles walked in one by one and upied their allocated seats.


    After some time, even a group of Rank-3 mages showed up, moved to the non-allocated tables, and sat down.


    Then, Day and Night Church''s spokesperson and Bishop Myles entered the hall.


    After that, Life Church''s representatives like Abel Wilson, Emilia Wilson, Andrew, and another new member also walked in.


    Except for Amber Church, the remaining Churches like Storm Church, Wisdom Church, and Truth Church representatives entered the banquet hall and moved to their seats.


    Within the next few minutes, the whole hall was filled with whispers and murmurs.


    At that moment, the entrance door suddenly made a slight noise and attracted everyone''s attention.


    Just as everyone was looking at the entry, a youngdy in her bluish empire waist evening gown walked in and gazed at therge banquet hall.


    Her face glowed like the long-lost white moon!


    Her long ck hair waved due to the slight breeze and drew everyone''s attention.


    At that moment, her bluish-gem embedded ring glittered lightly and sent strange energy into Rhea''s body.


    A momentter, Rhea''s soul shook for a moment and released an ethereal power in every direction!


    Unlike the wisdom power, this one appeared wholly different and unique!


    The next instant, everyone felt a suffocating feeling.


    The extraordinary power made them retract their eyes and lower their heads in front of her!


    A pin-drop silence appeared in the hall.


    It was the aura of dominance!


    Only a true Sovereign would receive this unique power!


    A momentter, all the nobles, mages, even the church representatives stood up from their seats and bowed their heads.


    It was not due to fear but due to strange instinct!

 Chapter 277: Speech

    <h4>Chapter 277: Speech</h4>


    Meanwhile, Ashley stood beside the entrance, bowed her head, and announced.


    "Rhea of the House Stonere, Inheritor of the First King Ledger Bonere''s Legacy, the Second Princess of the Iron Kingdom, First Disciple of the Ancient Mage Oswald, and the Rightful Heir of the Iron Kingdom is entering the hall!"


    Her loud voice echoed everywhere!


    Meanwhile, Rhea stared at everyone''s response in surprise, stepped on the carpeted aisle, and walked towards the center table.


    Following her were Jessie, Noel, and Titus in their formal suits.


    When they entered the hall, Ashley also bowed her head towards them and continued to announce.


    "Jessie of Jones Household, Second Disciple of the Ancient Mage Oswald is entering the hall!"


    "Titus of Jones Household, Third Disciple of the Ancient Mage Oswald is entering the hall!"


    "Noel of Torres Household, Fourth Disciple of the Ancient Mage Oswald is entering the hall!"


    As she spoke, all three of them held their heads high and nced at each other.


    Ashley''s announcement surprised everyone.


    Smiling, they stepped on the red-carpeted floor, walked past the nobles'' tables, and soon reached the center table.


    At that moment, four maids appeared near the oaken chairs, pulled the chairs a little, and helped them to sit.


    Only then did nobles, mages, and the Church representatives woke up from the shock and sat down in a hurry.


    But the next moment, Ashley bent her waist again, bowed her head towards the entrance, and announced.


    "Mage Oswald of the Wright Household, the mage from the Era of Ancients is entering the Hall!"


    "Mage Ss is entering the hall."


    "Mage Rachel of the Flores Household, Head Deacon of the Life Church, and holder of the title ''Dragon yer'' is entering the hall!"


    "Mage Natalia of the King Household, One of the four Tower Masters of the Tower of Elements, and holder of the title ''Destiny Lady'' is entering the hall!"


    As Ashley announced, Charles, the real Oswald, the Lightning Mage Rachel, and Destiny Lady in their formal outfits stepped into the banquet hall and moved towards the aisle.


    Meanwhile, the Nobles, Churches'' representatives, and the Mages of Iron Tower got shocked by Ashley''s announcement.


    Except for the mysterious mage named Ss, Destiny Lady and Mage Rachel were not strangers to the nobles and Mages.


    Even Emilia and Abel got startled by Rachel''s arrival and looked at her in curious.


    But, the Truth Church''s representative stood up from his seat suddenly and raised his hand.


    He was a man in his thirties, with amber eyes, blonde hair, and wore a golden-lined white robe.


    "I have few questions to ask, Mr. Oswald. Can I have a minute?" He interrupted in a cold tone.


    Charles halted his footsteps, frowned a bit, and nodded.


    At that moment, he also used [Cryptic Analysis] skill on him and looked at his status.


    ''Hmm? Sawyer, a Rank-4 [Truth Arbiter] ss¡­ He also has some troublesome skill called Judge of the Truth.''


    While he was reading the status, Sawyer snorted coldly and asked.


    "Are you Charles Nightwind?"


    ''Answer carefully,d. This guy''s skills are hard to deal with.'' The Holem''s Crown warned him.


    Meanwhile, the corner of Charles''s lips curled upward.


    "I''m not." He said calmly.


    At that moment, a sh of surprise appeared on Sawyer''s face.


    Soon, he woke up from the shock and asked the second question.


    "Are you the Ancient Mage Oswald?"


    ''What a tricky guy.'' Charles let out a deep sigh and spoke with a profound look on his face.


    "Name is nothing but a set of cloth to me. Yes, Ancient Mage is here-" He paused for a moment and added while clicking his tongue.


    "Oswald is standing right in front of you. Are you satisfied now?"


    An annoyance appeared in his tone.


    Meanwhile, Sawyer''s face turned into a confused one.


    ''His words are real? How?''


    But soon, he snapped out from the shock and asked the following question.


    "Are you really from the Era of Ancients?"


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth.


    ''Mr. Rh, tell him that you are a 30,000 years old soul. I will do the lip movement.'' He said in his mind.


    Within a second, the Holem''s Crown spoke while Charles did the lip movement.


    "I''m indeed a 30,000 years old soul."


    ''W-What? But the Life Church member said that this guy is merely a young man in disguise, right?'' A nk look appeared on Sawyer''s face as he subconsciously turned his gaze towards the new member of the Aces Team.


    Then, he let out a deep sigh and asked.


    "Did you guysplete the sessor mission?"


    For this question, Charles smiled instead of responding and resumed his walking.


    Although Sawyer was furious a little, he held his anger and sat down.


    On the other hand, Charles and others soon appeared near the center table and sat on their seats.


    Charles then nced at Jessie and spoke.


    "Go on."


    Nodding her head, Jessie stood up from her seat and walked away from the oaken chair.


    Then, she looked at the surrounding nobles and mages and spoke with a polite smile on her face.


    "Your Excellencies,


    Nobles Lords, and Wizards,


    We are delighted to have you Nobles Lords and Excellencies as our honorable guests tonight. Although this is your first-time visit to our old mansion, most of us have crossed paths in many ways, and we knew about each other long ago. The reason we arranged this noble banquet is to dispel the misunderstanding in everyone''s mind."


    "First, most of your sons and daughters keep calling Her Highness Rhea a fake princess. But we all knew which one is the real truth. The main reason everyone still couldn''t ept the truth is due to the current Royal Faction members, am I right?" She paused as she let out a chuckle and then continued to speak.


    "That''s why our Teacher told us to conduct a banquet and exin the truth to you guys. You guys keep saying that Her Highness Rhea abandoned the kingdom and ran away to an unknown kingdom. But none of you know the whole truth." She stopped her speech, moved near Rhea, and then helped her walk out of her chair.


    "She will give you a proper exnation about what she encountered during the past few years."


    Saying so, she gave a slight bow towards the hundreds of nobles and took two steps backward.


    Meanwhile, Rhea took a deep breath and spoke.


    "Honorable Guests, I''m not much of a talker like my friend. So, I will go straight to the subject. You guys may not believe my story, but what I''m going to tell you is real." She paused for a moment and started speaking about how Blood Priest kidnapped her, how the Blood Priest manipted her memories, how the Ancient Mage Oswald took them as his disciples and saved them, and so on.


    She didn''t hide a single thing and exined to everyone with precise details.


    She even talked about the discrimination themoners faced at Helm Ville and continued.


    "I lived as amoner girl for more than two years and knew how hard the life of amoner can be. On the day when we entered Chester City, we almost lost Jessie because of our recklessness. If we hadn''t met our Teacher, I might be still manipted by the Blood Priest while others might have ended up as ves or thugs. This is how amoner survives."


    "Every day, they are living in fear. What''s more even funnier is that this is how amoner lives in the Moon Kingdom. Over there, there is no such discrimination like the Iron Kingdom and most Mystics wouldn''t even care about themoners. But here? Commoners are actually treated more like ves! You guys are oppressing them to no end and even killing them as you please." She deliberated for a moment before looked at her Teacher and nodded her head.


    At that moment, Charles stealthy took out a strange stone from his space ring and activated it.


    It was the Stone of Fear!


    An Extraordinary Artifact which he took from Marissa''s space ring!


    The next instant, an invisible force spread into the surrounding areas and started enveloping the whole banquet hall.


    Meanwhile, Rhea continued to speak.


    "One way or another, when this sessor mission ends, the Churches will seep deep into our kingdom and build churches in all the cities, and towns. Moreover, they will also test every kid''s affinities, take the good ones and nurture them like they are doing in other kingdoms. But what would you do when the kids be powerful mystics and seek revenge one day? Although most of the kids wouldn''t choose to walk on the dark path, nothing is certain in this world."


    "What if one day they sneak into your home and kill your kids to seek vengeance? You actually cared nothing about the consequences and acted as you please these days. If you want your family from being wiped out by some random kid, you have only one choice. Support me! I will protect everyone. In my eyes, Nobles are not criminals."


    "You guys are actually blinded by the ancient rules and acting without even realizing which one is wrong or which one is right. I will erase the discrimination, the traditional rules and at the same time, I will also save everyone. Killing and forcing you guys to submit is not my style. I will be your guardian-"


    Before she could end the speech, Baron Colton suddenly stood up from his seat, walked out of the table, appeared in the aisle, and knelt on the carpeted floor!


    At that moment, fear and reverence appeared in his eyes.


    Fear of losing his loved ones.


    Reverence towards her bold speech and character!


    The next instant, the other ''enved'' nobles stood up from their seats one by one, walked out of their chairs, moved towards the aisle, and knelt on the carpeted floor!


    "We''ll support you, Your Highness!" They shouted in unison!


    Upon witnessing such a scene, Rhea got dumbfounded.


    Meanwhile, the remaining nobles also felt awkward at that moment and nced at each other in confusion.


    After some hesitation, one noble voluntarily stood up from his seat and followed the enved nobles.


    A few secondster, more and more nobles stood up, walked out of their seats, and knelt.


    Except for a few high-rank nobles and arrogant nobles, almost every noble in the hall swore their allegiance to Rhea Bonere!


    ''M-My speech actually changed their minds?'' Rhea''s mind went nk.

 Chapter 278: Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 278: Banquet</h4>


    After a long silence, Rhea woke up from the shock and said in a flustered tone.


    "Thank you. Please stand up."


    On the other hand, the Churches'' representatives, the remaining nobles, and Rank-3 Wizards were utterly stunned by this oue!


    The Truth Church representative Sawyer stood up from his seat, stared at the kneeling nobles, and shouted.


    "What is the meaning of this?"


    His voice contains deep anger and hate.


    Except for Life Church members and Day and Night Church representatives, all other churches showed furious expression on their faces.


    Meanwhile, Rhea regained some courage and asked with a frown.


    "Mr. Sawyer, what is wrong with you? Are you trying to threaten them for changing their faction?"


    Sawyer stared at Rhea for a moment and sat on his seat with a helpless look on his face.


    In truth, the Churches'' representatives had already suspected something fishy was going on, but none found any fault in those nobles.


    After that, the nobles stood up from the kneeling position, bowed their heads towards Rhea, and soon returned to their seats.


    Meanwhile, Rhea said a few words while thanking those nobles for supporting her and ended her speech.


    At that moment, Charles stood up from his seat and announced.


    "Let the banquet begin."


    Then, the four maids moved to their ssy table, carried different dishes, and started serving them.


    First, they served the guest of honor, and then served Charles, and so on.


    Like them, each table was allotted with two to three maids, so all of them moved uniformly and did their jobs perfectly.


    Once the maids served the dishes, all of the nobles muttered a ceremonial prayer and turned their attention towards the different types of dishes.


    Steamedmb, braised duck, Cedar nk salmon, glutinous rice stuffed duck, Braised chicken legs with grapes and fennel, quick potato gnhi, Grilled pork spareribs, Marinated Chicken breasts with grilled pineapple relish, Tomato and Roasted garlic pie, Grilled Jerk Tofu, and ntains with mango salsa, stuffed eggnt and zhini in a rich tomato sauce, and so on.


    They ced seventy types of dishes on each table!


    Different types of unique aroma spread in every direction and caused the nobles to nod in satisfaction.


    They skillfully picked up the fork and knife, made precise cuts on the chicken, pork, or other dishes, and started the feast.


    They ate leisurely for the next two hours, chatted with the nearby table nobles from time to time, and even discussed politics, hunting, sports, and magic-rted matters.


    Laughter, chuckles and whispers echoed from every part of the area.


    At the end of the banquet, a melodic tune resounded from the nearby hall.


    It was tradition for the nobles to do a ball dance at the end of the banquet.


    As the music reverberated, the young masters stood up from their seats, held a ss of wine in their hands, and started inviting their partners to dance. They caught their partners'' hands, moved to the ballroom, and began to dance under the rhythmic sound.


    After some time, the nobles, their wives, concubines, and even some Wizards joined the party.


    Meanwhile, Rhea also stood up from her seat while grabbing everyone''s attention and invited Noel!


    Her action surprised not only the nobles but also Charles, Jessie, Destiny Lady, and others.


    Noel also stood up from his seat with a flustered face with no other choice, stepped out of the elevated stage, and followed after her to the ballroom.


    "Are they in a rtionship?" Jessie wore a dubious look and stared at their back in shock and disbelief.


    "Rhea seems to have some feelings for him. But thatd hasn''t realized it yet." Oswald chuckled.


    "I did hear Rhea mentioning his name frequently during our lesson." Destiny Lady also nodded her head in approval.


    While they were discussing, Titus looked around and soon looked in a particr direction.


    During the past two hours, he paid close attention to a table from time to time.


    Unlike the other tables, this one appeared gloomier.


    Only five persons were seated at the table.


    But among the five, four of them showed hostile expression towards a silver-haired young woman.


    She was none other than Daisy!


    This table belongs to Elliott''s family.


    Because of the tradition, Daisy had no choice but to attend this banquet with her family members.


    If this were another noble''s banquet, Tyler and her other siblings would have humiliated her and chased her out of the banquet hall.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t.


    Titus soon retracted his gaze and continued to listen to his Teacher and others'' talking.


    After some time, a few youngdies and young masters also invited Titus and Jessie to dance.


    Because of the tradition, both didn''t reject their invitations and joined the fun.


    If this were before, both would have embarrassed themselves for not knowing how to do a ball dance.


    Thankfully, Ashley paid special attention to these types of things and even taught them how to dance.


    The dance partysted till 10 P.M.


    Then, the nobles bade farewell to Rhea and others and left the old mansion.


    The banquet also ended without any disturbance!


    But the enved Nobles didn''t leave with their family members, though.


    Instead, they moved to the backyard garden and waited.


    A few minutester, Jessie went to the garden, exchanged a few words with the nobles, and gave secret orders and strange wooden boxes to everyone.


    Then, she sent them off and returned to her room to take some rest.


    In the meantime, the nobles silently left the old mansion, returned to their own house, and shifted their attention to the unique wooden box.


    Baron Colton was one among them.


    He entered the master bedroom, lit the tablemp, and opened the wooden box in a hurry.


    To his surprise, he saw a sealed letter, a detailed map, and a strange ck trinket stored in it.


    Upon seeing the ck trinket, he furrowed his brows and muttered in confusion.


    "The teleportation trinket? Why did she give me this?"


    In truth, he was the one who used his influence, brought more than 50 teleportation trinkets from the Iron Tower at the cost of 25,000 gold coins, and gave them to Jessie!


    Although this trinket was a one-time usage item, it was a very costly item.


    ''Why did she give this to me?''


    Shaking his head, he shifted his gaze towards the sealed letter, opened it with a knife, and started reading it.


    "Hello, Uncle Colton. Please quickly return to your Stonewall territory, gather all of your private soldiers and wait for my further orders. I will contact you through themunication ring on October 2nd evening."


    Puzzlement appeared on his face as he read the content.


    ''A secret mission?'' Although he was startled a little, he didn''t dy any longer, walked out of the master bedroom, and went to the reception hall.


    Then, he ordered his guards to get ready for the departure.


    Within two hours, a group of twenty cavalries and two luxurious carriages came out of Baron Colton''s mansion, entered the End Street road, and moved towards the eastern direction.


    Although Jessie told him to use the teleportation trinket, he couldn''t bring himself to use such a costly item now.


    Moreover, his territory was not that far from the City of Iron.


    Like him, some nobles from the nearby territories packed their belongings and moved out of the city through carriages.


    The remaining nobles from the remote areas used those teleportation trinkets and returned to their territories.


    Although the other nobles, mages, and Churches representatives were startled by their actions, most of them thought that those nobles left the City of Iron in fear of assassination!


    In truth, the Royal Faction members indeed thought of sending assassins after those nobles.


    But after recalling the Churches'' warnings, they refrained themselves.


    Meanwhile, those enved Nobles returned to their territories and started gathering their private troops.

 Chapter 279: Wait

    <h4>Chapter 279: Wait</h4>


    On October 2nd, it was around 6 P.M.


    Jessie sat on the soft bed and ced tens of silver rings in front of her.


    Currently, she wore a long sleeve dress and held a unique notebook in her hand.


    ''It''s time.'' Her second consciousness spoke in her head.


    The next second, Jessie took a ring, tapped it with her finger, and soon noticed a strange imprint appeared in her mind.


    Then, she zeroed her focus on the imprint and activated it.


    A few secondster, an illusionary figure of a fat man appeared above the silver ring.


    "Uncle Colton!" She greeted him with a smile.


    "What are your orders, Jessie?" Baron Colton asked.


    Meanwhile, Jessie opened her notebook, flipped to the fifth page, and spoke.


    "Open the map I gave you earlier, Uncle. On the map, you will see some red crosses."


    The Baron did as she told him and nodded his head in approval.


    "Good. Look at the woond areas in your territory and see if there are any red cross marked in there." Jessie asked.


    "There is one in the north-eastern direction," Baron responded.


    "Okay. Bring your soldiers over there and search for a temple ruin near the shores of ck River. Then, please wait for my further orders. If you see any Mystics along the way, kill them on the spot. Do not try to capture them." Jessie''s voice turned abnormally cold.


    "What if the Mystic is an innocent?" Baron asked in confusion.


    "There won''t be any. There is no way an innocent Mystic would be exploring the woods in the dark." Jessie paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "How many soldiers did you manage to gather, uncle?"


    "I''ve gathered around 250 Rank-1 Mystics, 34 Rank-2 Mystics, and 6 Rank-3 Mystics. There are two Rank-3 Mages among the group." Baron spoke in a proud tone.


    Upon hearing his words, Jessie curled her lips upward and smiled.


    "Excellent. You can start your secret mission now."


    Saying so, she cut off themunication connection and shifted his attention towards the next ring.


    Soon, an illusionary figure of a ck-haired man appeared in front of her.


    "Count Jace." She waved her hand in greeting.


    "We are waiting for your orders, My Lady." Count Jace''s tone was polite.


    Jessie nodded her head and spoke.


    "Good. Your job is to bring your private troop to Zarcach Mountain range, cross it before midnight, and enter Duke Gavin''s territory. Then, you will be meeting up with Baron Luka and Viscount Camden. After you meet them, contact me through themunication ring."


    She also warned him to kill any suspicious person on their way and ended hermunication in a hurry.


    For the next 50 minutes, she contacted different enved nobles, gave them multiple orders, and finally manage toplete the first work.


    ''What orders do I have to give them once they reach the destination?'' She asked in curious.


    Although she was the one who hid the important information in her Inner World, she couldn''t help but show a curious look on her face.


    ''It will alert the ''fate'' rted ss members. Wait till dawn.'' Her second consciousness spoke coldly.


    ¡­


    Day Town, Stonewall Territory.


    Baron Colton stood at the Day Town entrance and looked at the dark sky with a solemn look on his face.


    Currently, there were hundreds of silver-armored men, and tens of robed mages stood behind him and were ready to set out any moment.


    Because of Jessie''s warning, Baron Colton told them not to bring any horses and even advised them to wear dark clothes.


    "Where are we going, My Lord? Are we going to subjugate anyrge-scale bandit group?" A bald man arrived beside him and asked in confusion.


    He was themander of his private army!


    Baron Colton nced at the 60 to 70 years old looking man and shook his head.


    "It''s secret. Just follow my orders."


    Saying so, he raised his hand and shouted.


    "Let''s go."


    His voice echoed at the entrance like a rumble of thunder, causing the soldiers to grip their weapons subconsciously.


    Although Baron looks fat and chubby, he was a formermander and participated in many battles.


    Under his lead, Baron''s group marched on the dirt path and soon disappeared from townsfolk''s eyes.


    By the time they entered the nearby woond, the darkness had encircled them from all directions.


    But they didn''t stop anywhere in the woods, lit the fire torches, and started marching towards the northeast direction.


    They continued to walk in the woods for the next few hours and reached the ck River''s shore around 1 A.M.


    Then, Baron opened the map and told his soldiers to start looking for the temple ruin.


    After an hour of search, they finally manage to found an ancient temple ruin near the shore region!


    Meanwhile, Baron Colton contacted Jessie and received another order.


    "Go to the ruined temple and take some rest. The secret mission will start at dawn." Her words were simple.


    ''Secret Mission¡­'' Baron couldn''t help but show a slight hesitation on his face.


    In the end, he subconsciously trusted Jessie''s words and ordered his guards to take some rest.


    ¡­


    Zarcach Mountain Range,


    Count Jace led his private army into the dry valley and marched towards Duke Gavin''s territory. After some time, he met with two other nobles and contacted Jessie.


    "Stay where you are and let your soldiers take some rest. The secret mission will start at dawn. Wait for my next call." Saying so, Jessie cut off themunication and attended another call.


    Like Baron Colton and Count Jace, all the remaining nobles also received simr orders.


    32 Barons, 11 Viscounts, 6 Counts, and three Margraves moved under Jessie''s order to different woonds and waited for her further others.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Jessie sat on her soft bed, opened her notebook, and stared at a particr page.


    "16,786 Mystics are participating in this mission. Among the Mystics, 13,455 are Rank-1, 3,005 are Rank-2, and 450 are Rank-3 Mystics. Whatever we are going to do, this will shake the whole kingdom." She let out a deep sigh and shifted her attention to a particr ring.


    She then stepped out of her bed, walked towards the right side window, moved the golden curtain, and opened the window.


    Fresh air seeped into her room while brush passing her neck and gave a cold feeling to her heart.


    Jessie looked up at the southern sky, locked her gaze on the left side red moon, and muttered.


    "When the dawn arrives, blood will spill¡­ Purge the evil and will give birth to a new life."


    She then retracted her gaze, looked at the mansion''s front yard, and turned around.


    After that, she returned to the bed, sat on it, and waited for the dawn light.

 Chapter 280: Bloodbath

    <h4>Chapter 280: Bloodbath</h4>


    The light of dawn seeped into Jessie''s room as she stared at the dark sky through the opened window.


    Once the light shed on her delicate skin, she rubbed her bleary eyes and walked to the cotton bed.


    ''It''s time.'' Her second consciousness spoke in her head and released all the confidential information about the n.


    The next second, Jessie widened her eyes in surprise.


    She then took out a particr silver ring, activated it, and spoke.


    "Uncle Colton, move towards the eastern direction. After 30 minutes of marching, you will find arge campsite in the woods. Your job is to raid and kill everyone in the camp."


    Meanwhile, Baron Colton got surprised for a moment and responded.


    "I''llplete this job, Jessie."


    "Good."


    Jessie nodded her head, cut off the connection, and shifted her attention towards the next ring.


    At that moment, an illusionary figure of a silver-haired woman appeared in the ring.


    "Good morning, Countess Violet." Jessie greeted her with a smile and then continued.


    "Move to the Dead Swamp region, and you will find a hideout near the lone hill. It''s 3 km away from where you guys are camping now. Go there, raid the secret hideout and kill everyone. Watch out for wooden outposts on your way."


    Saying so, she cut off the connection and turned her gaze towards the next ring.


    For the next few minutes, she activated all othermunication rings and sent out different orders to all the enved nobles.


    Meanwhile, Baron Colton nced at the ruined temple entrance and soon shifted his gaze towards the nervous soldiers.


    He let out a chuckle and then looked in the eastern direction.


    "Soldiers, are you guys ready for a small raid?" He asked.


    His voice contained a trace of excitement.


    At this moment, the bald man took a few steps forward, arrived beside him, and asked.


    "Who are we going to attack, My Lord?"


    Baron Colton smiled mysteriously and shook his head.


    "Don''t ask these types of questions, my dear friend. Like you, I''m also just following orders of someone." He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Everyone should change their clothes into less attractive ones. We are not going to do a frontal attack."


    "Are we going to ambush the enemy camp?" A frown appeared on the bald man''s forehead.


    He knew how hard this mission could turn out if their enemies had anticipated their arrival!


    He went silent a moment and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "There must be more than one outpost in each direction, My Lord."


    "Yes. That''s why I''m going to send you and other Rank-3 Mystics to take care of the outposts." Baron took out a broad sword from his space ring and then added.


    "I''ll take over themand from now on. Just like the old times, we are going to strike them in one go."


    "Yes, My Lord." The bald man nodded his head, brought the remaining Rank-3 Mystics, and advanced deep into the woods.


    They stealthily moved for the next few minutes and soon saw two wooden outposts up ahead.


    The bald guy made a swift n and split up his team into two.


    Then, both teams stealthily advanced towards the two outposts, attached the enemy soldiers using long-ranged spells and skills, and instantly killed them!


    After that, they hid near the outposts and waited for the leading group to arrive.


    Meanwhile, Baron Colton led the personal army men and entered deep into the woods while speaking to his soldiers.


    "This battle is going to be a tricky one. So, do not hold back and kill anyone who appears in front of you. We are not going to take hostages this time."


    "But what if they voluntarily surrender, My Lord?" One of his men asked in confusion.


    "Isn''t that easy for us?" Baron responded with a smile and continued to walk.


    Their team soon met with the bald man and other Rank-3 Mystics and soon saw the enemy corpses.


    "There are strange goat skull tattoos on their wrists, My Lord." The armymander pointed it out.


    ''A goat skull?'' A foreboding sensation appeared in Baron Colton''s mind.


    Soon, he shook his head, took a step forward, and continued to walk.


    Their group moved further into the woods and soon saw arge camp encircled by a wooden fence.


    Because of the dense woods and shrubs encircling the campsite, none of the enemy men noticed their arrival.


    "Our group is too big, My Lord. If we get any closer to the campsite, the enemy will sense our presence." One of the Rank-3 mages whispered to Baron''s ears.


    Meanwhile, Baron also nodded in approval, turned around, looked at his well-equipped soldiers, and spoke lowly.


    "Hyena Formation."


    The next instant, all of his elite soldiers held their spears and shields, moved on their own, and grouped up into eleven men teams.


    A total of 23 teams appeared in front of his eyes.


    Each team had ten ordinary ss Mystics and one or two Mages. Although most of them were Rank-1, Baron Colton felt that each team wasn''t weaker than an average Rank-3 Mystic.


    They had trained for years and were good at co-operating with each other.


    As for the Rank-3 Mages and Mystics, they separated from the group and soon arrived behind Baron.


    Meanwhile, Baron wore a pleased smile on his round face and ordered in a low voice.


    "Team 1 to Team 5 should go to the north side and attack the enemy when I release the signal. Commander Vince will lead this group. Team 6 to Team 10 should go to the south while Team 11 to Team 15 should go to the opposite side." He paused for a moment as he nced at the two ck-cloaked men and added.


    "Jeremiah, and Rhett, you two will lead these two groups. As for the rest of us, we will attack the enemy from here."


    His voice appeared calm.


    Once he finished his words, the separated groups moved in different directions while concealing their presence and soon encircled the campsite from all areas.


    Once they reached their positions, they hid behind the bushes and waited for Baron''s signal.


    Meanwhile, Baron also led the remaining men towards the tall wooden fence, nced at the nearby young woman, and ordered.


    "Release the signal."


    "Yes, My Lord."


    Saying so, the woman raised her hand, pointed her finger towards the sky, and spoke.


    "re."


    A momentter, a crimson fire flew towards the sky and exploded!


    Simultaneously, Baron let out a thundering roar and held his broadsword tighter.


    The next second, a strange force appeared from his body and propelled him towards the wooden fence.


    At that moment, the soldiers also activated their movement skills and sprinted towards the wooden fence.


    Meanwhile, Rank-1 and Rank-2 mages cast their attack magic spells on the wooden fence and destroyed them, giving an opening for the soldiers to break in.


    Within a few seconds, tens of armored soldiers and robed mages entered the campsite from different directions and looked around.


    Tens of ordinary tents made of leather and hemp canvas appeared all over the ce.


    They even saw a fewrge huts at the center of the campsite and got shocked a little.


    "Go to the nearby tent and attack them in groups. If you encounter any Rank-3 Mystic, seek help from the nearby team." Baron said in a cold tone and directly marched towards the center of the campsite.


    On the other hand, the 23 teams of Mystics split up once again and moved in different directions.


    Whenever they encounter enemy soldiers, they didn''t hold back and attacked them with full force.


    The soldiers tore the leather clothes, barged into the tents, and started their massacre.


    If they attacked the campsite during the afternoon or evening, the enemy soldiers would have got some time to at least pick up their weapons.


    Unfortunately, most of the enemy soldiers were in a deep sleep.


    Although a few of them had long awakened, they were easily outnumbered by Baron''s elite soldiers.


    Whenever a group of elite team marched into a tent, screams of men and women resounded in seconds.


    Before the enemy soldiers could wake up from the shock, the elite soldiers made their first move and killed them.


    It was a total massacre!


    Due to the surprise attack, most enemy Mystics was entirely off guard and died in the elite soldiers'' hands.


    Still, quite a few managed to bring out their weapons from their void pouches and retaliated.


    Within a few seconds, the whole campsite turned into a battlefield.


    At that moment, a few Rank-3 enemy Mystics came out from the center of the campsite and tried to help their men.


    Unfortunately, Baron and the other three Rank-3 Mystics anticipated their arrival, intercepted them, and started their battle.


    Raging shouts and screams echoed as their weapons shed against each other.


    As time passes, blood sttered from different parts of the campsite, painting the tent clothes.


    Casualties urred on both sides.


    Although enemy soldiers were less in numbers, they were boosted by unique [Shadow Killer] ss skills and retaliated with full power.


    Some enemy soldiers even disregarded their injuries and rushed towards ordinary soldiers like maniacs.


    A bloodbath urred!

 Chapter 281: Won

    <h4>Chapter 281: Won</h4>


    The campsite was filled up with moans and cries as the sodden earth became oily with blood.


    Men were blubbering and choking. Swords and spears were clinking and shing under the bright sky.


    The ground was lubricated with guts, and a nauseating waft arose from it.


    The sky was still bright as the morning sun shone from the east, but the current campsite looked gloomy as a deadly battlefield.


    Poppy-red blood drizzled from the soldiers'' wounds.


    The enemy men were thrusting and shing their weapons against the elite soldiers'' shields.


    Arrows were zipping and hissing through the air.


    Some of Baron''s men were sobbing and sniveling with fear.


    Swords were ringing against each other.


    Meanwhile, the Shadow Killer ss Mystics went berserk and attacked everyone ruthlessly!


    It was utter chaos!


    The septic smell of death hung over the battlefield.


    It was a battle of head-sping horror. The acrid taste of blood rose in the soldiers'' mouths.


    The battle continued as more and more soldiers died in the hands of the berserk enemy Mystics.


    Still, some brave ones from Baron Colton''s side stood firm and battled the enemy to death.


    Meanwhile, Baron and other Rank-3 Mystics continued to battle against the Rank-3 enemy Mystics and killed them one by one.


    By the time they killed the final Rank-3 Mystic, it was already around 9.A.M!


    But Baron''s losses were too huge.


    Not only he lost more than half of his soldiers, but he also lost his right hand!


    Among the six Rank-3 Mystics, two of them died under enemies'' hands, and the remaining four were seriously injured.


    Severe exhaustion appeared on Baron''s face as he plunged the bloodied broadsword onto the ground and panted heavily.


    He then took out a silver ring, activated it, and then muttered with a smile.


    "We won, Jessie."


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the other Barons, Viscounts, Counts, and Marquises marched to different Divine Order organization hideouts and initiated the attacks.


    Simr battles urred in different parts of the kingdom at the same time.


    Painful cries and moans resounded on those battlefields.


    Countless spells, strange skills, and weapons shed against each other and killed the Mystics one by one.


    Some died honorably by getting stabbed in the chest, while a few unfortunate souls were killed while sleeping.


    Death tolls rose at a drastic rate as the battle continued.


    Headless corpses, injured men, sttered blood, red-painted weapons, nasty urine smells, and decapitated heads were the only things that appeared on those battlefields.


    Some Nobles used ambush tactics like Baron Colton, while others used frontal attacks, but they did their job perfectly andpletely caught the enemy off-guard.


    In the end, all those nobles managed to kill most of the Divine Order members and won the battle!


    But there were some unfortunate nobles among the group, though.


    A few low-level nobles with lesser soldiers didn''t manage to win and even lost their lives in the battle.


    Out of 16,000 plus Mystics, only 7,600 managed to survive.


    But what surprised Jessie was that not a single Rank-4 Mystic appeared on any of those battlefields and lessened her job to a considerable level.


    In truth, she had indeed prepared for any unexpected situations and told her Teacher to assist her.


    Thankfully, nothing serious happened.


    She finally breathed out a sigh of relief, took a unique golden ring, and activated it.


    A few secondster, an illusionary figure of a white-haired old man appeared in front of her eyes.


    "Not even a single Rank-4 Mystic showed up, Teacher. Still, the Nobles lost too many of their elite soldiers." Jessie said in a grim tone.


    "Hmm? None showed up? Did they escape?" Charles furrowed his brows and soon shook his head.


    "It''s actually a good thing. Tell the Nobles to clean up the battlefield after some rest and return to their territory. Meanwhile, you should invite the Churches'' representatives and tell them that we had already wiped out the Divine Order organization from the Iron Kingdom."


    "What about the sessor mission, Teacher? I heard from Bishop Myles that the Churches'' representatives received oracles from their Gods." Jessie said with a frown.


    "Is this rted to the sessor mission? There are more than six months there for the sessor mission to end, right?" Charles also got confused as he heard her words.


    "I''m suspecting that those Churches'' representatives are up to something, Teacher. Maybe Vance Bonerepleted the sessor mission?" Jessie asked with a puzzled look.


    In truth, she felt that possibility was very high.


    At that moment, a thoughtful look appeared on Charles''s illusionary face.


    He then raised his hand, rubbed his chin, and spoke.


    "Nope. But my grandson might havepleted the mission."


    "C-Completed?" Jessie''s eyes widened.


    "Then, does that mean Rhea won?" She asked in a hurry.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "We have to submit the proof. It''s the three culprits'' heads. But I suspect my grandson won''t appear here anytime soon. If the Churches'' representativese here to ask about the sessor mission, tell them that you don''t know."


    Upon hearing his words, Jessie nodded her head in understanding and then asked.


    "What about you, Teacher? What if they ask me about you?"


    "Tell them that I''m not here. For the next three months, I won''t be meeting any of you guys." Charles said in a firm tone.


    Then, he suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "Did you get a few drops of ''her'' blood?"


    Jessie turned her face serious and responded with a nod.


    "Yes, Teacher. I extracted a few drops of blood when she was asleep. I wille to the underground basement hallter and give the blood vial to you."


    "Good. I''ll contact you if I need any more help."


    Saying so, Charles cut off the connection from the other side.


    Meanwhile, Jessie stayed in her room for the next few hours, contacted the nobles constantly, and told them to return to their territories.


    She also told them to conduct funeral ceremonies for all the fallen soldiers and even asked them topensate their families.


    After that, she went downstairs, summoned the Churches'' representatives, and announced their achievement.


    Like Charles had expected, the Churches'' representatives asked questions about Charles, Oswald, and their whereabouts and even ordered her to contact them quickly.


    Unfortunately, Jessie didn''t even put their orders in her mind and told them to return to their churches.


    Meanwhile, the news about the Nobles'' battle against some unknown criminal organization named Divine Order spread like wildfire.


    The death of 8,000 Mystics in a single battle shook the whole kingdom!


    To themoners of Iron Kingdom, the Mystics were powerful Noble beings and could do extraordinary things.


    Even a single Mystic''s death would cause a greatmotion in local towns and viges.


    The death of 8,000 ruler caste members caused greatmotion everywhere!


    They also linked the criminal organization with the previous kidnapping and killing incidents.


    Althoughmoners weren''t aware of any criminal organization, they had indeed felt something was wrong with frequent kidnappings and killings.


    Some people mourned, while the othermoners celebrated the Mystics'' deaths.


    During this time, Nobles and Mages were also deeply startled by this incident and sent scouts to all areas.


    After some investigation, they soon realized that the nobles actually raided the Divine Orders organization''s hideouts and crushed them!


    When things were about to calm down, the Churches suddenly announced to everyone that Rhea''s faction members had already eliminated the threat that looms over the kingdom!


    But what made everyone caught off guard was that the Churches'' representatives even stated that their Gods also sent oracles to them and selected Rhea as the next monarch of Iron Kingdom!

 Chapter 282: Griffon Family

    <h4>Chapter 282: Griffon Family</h4>


    Churches'' sudden announcement caused confusion and puzzlement among the nobles'' circles.


    The current Royal Faction, the remaining nobles, and the Iron Tower mages firmly refused to believe the Churches'' words and send multiple letters to the Churches to reconsider their decision.


    Meanwhile, the Churches'' representatives didn''t even respond to their letters and ordered the Foster Family members and the Royal Faction members to evacuate the Royal Castle!


    Not only that, but they also keep pressuring Jessie and others to conduct the coronation ceremony!


    December 26th, it was around 4.P.M.


    It''s been more than 80 days since the Nobles annihted the Divine Order organization.


    Because of their action, no kidnapping or killing incident urred anywhere in the kingdom at all!


    The whole kingdom went on a silent mode.


    Although the nobles, mages, and Royal Faction members were dissatisfied, none dared to oppose the churches openly.


    Some nobles even chose to change factions.


    Reception Hall, Old Mansion.


    Jessie sat on the chesterfield sofa and looked at two guests seated on the opposite sofa.


    The one seated on the right side was a long brown-haired man in histe fifties, had emerald green eyes, thick eyebrows, olive skin, and a thin mustache on his face.


    He wore a neat golden-lined white robe and a brown cap with a unique symbol engraved on it.


    It was a unique circle symbol with a six-pointed star in it. It looked much like a wheel, representing the great wheel of life.


    The brown-haired man was none other than Abel Wilson, Emilia''s elder brother.


    Next to him was another old man in histe 70s with wrinkled skin. He had silvery hair, strange multi-colored eyes, and wore a luxurious golden robe.


    Although he looked more like a wealthy merchant, he was actually a Rank-4 dual-ss Mystic!


    Whenever Jessie looked into the multi-colored eyes, a strange feeling of uneasiness appeared in her heart.


    It was as if some dangerous monster was hiding in his body and looking through those eyes!


    ''Those eyes are not normal¡­ Moreover, I sense a foul power within this old man''s body¡­'' Jessie frowned.


    ''Destiny Lady and Teacher''s family members are not in the mansion¡­ Did hee here after knowing this news? Is he looking for trouble?'' Her soft hands started to be sweaty.


    Meanwhile, the silver-haired old man crossed his legs together and stared at her coldly.


    There was a trace of arrogance, and pride appeared on his face.


    The old man''s name was Andy Griffon, the current head of the Griffon Noble family!


    "It''s been almost three months since the Churches announced Rhea as the next Monarch of the Iron Kingdom. But why are you dying the coronation ceremony?" He asked with a frown.


    In truth, he didn''t care about this coronation ceremony at all.


    The main reason he came to this old mansion was because of those Churches'' requests.


    During the past three months, the Churches'' representatives asked Jessie and others to conduct Rhea''s coronation ceremony multiple times.


    But to their shock, these four youngsters refused their requests and were so firm about dying the ceremony!


    Their action infuriated everyone from the Churches.


    Although they were the ones who dered her as the next Monarch, they hadn''t gainedplete control over Rhea''s life like Vance Bonere.


    So, they had no choice but to use other external methods like asking the head of the Griffon Family to force these youngsters to submit.


    They want to make a puppet ruler, not a rebellious one!


    A forced smile appeared on Jessie''s face as she heard Andy''s question.


    ''Griffon family¡­ The only family in this kingdom that holds full authority over the Iron Tower¡­ They are descendants of Arch-Mage Marcus Griffon, the sole Rank-5 Existence in this kingdom.''


    She took a deep breath and spoke in a polite tone.


    "Our Teacher hasn''t returned from his mission yet, Lord Andy. When he returns, we will inform everyone about his arrival and then announce the date of the coronation ceremony."


    "We are not going to crown your Teacher, brat." Andy snorted coldly, stared at her for a moment, and continued in a deep tone.


    "We will hold the coronation ceremony on January 4th. Whether your Teacheres back from his mission or not, the coronation ceremony will be held without any dy."


    As he said those words, he turned towards the right side, released his wisdom power, and soon frowned.


    ''A soul array? That Ancient Mage seems to be hiding something in the underground basement. Should I break it?'' A thought appeared in his head.


    Meanwhile, Jessie''s expression turned gloomy.


    ''This man is obviously looking for trouble. Damn it, why did hee at this moment? Those Churches¡­''


    Although she was angry inside, she held her anger and spoke in a cold tone.


    "You can''t order us around like your servants, My Lord. Although you and your Griffon family are powerful, we are not easy to be bullied."


    An amusing smile appeared on the old man Andy''s face.


    "Your Teacher is indeed a powerful Ancient Mage and has the power to toy with multiple Rank-4 Existences. But he is far from the reach of the Rank-5 realm. If my guess is not wrong, your Teacher must have lost most of his soul power due to some reason and is still in recovering state. It would take more than three decades for him to reach the Rank-5 realm. Currently, we are the rulers here."


    Although he spoke, an invisible power suddenly appeared in the room, causing Jessie''s body to go stiff.


    She tried to move her hand but couldn''t!


    At that moment, cracks appeared on the ss table, nearbymp, wooden chairs, and shattered everything!


    Jessie''s face went pale.


    Although it wasn''t powerful enough to crush her body, she still felt crushing pain everywhere.


    ''He is insane.'' She couldn''t help but curse inwardly.


    "Do you agree now?" Andy asked with a stern look.


    On the other hand, Jessie lowered her head in anger, bit her lips, and spoke.


    "We are disciples of Ancient Mage Oswald, Mr. Andy-"


    Before she could finish her words, the invisible power increased twofold, causing her to yelp in pain.


    "It''s Lord Andy." The old man corrected her.


    At that moment, Abel frowned a bit, extended his right hand, and released his wisdom power.


    The next instant, his wisdom powerpletely blocked Andy''s one and protected Jessie!


    Then, Abel turned towards his right side and spoke in a calm tone.


    "Your ancestor is currently not in Edhen to protect you, Mr. Andy. So, don''t go around and antagonize powerful existences. You are nothing powerful enough to face him."


    "Even I''m not powerful enough to face him?" Andy raised his eyebrows in surprise, retracted his wisdom power, and looked into Abel''s eyes.


    Upon noticing his gaze, Abel also retracted his power and shook his head.


    "Humph, I will see about that. January 4th is the final date. If you guys think of dying the ceremony, I will not hesitate to cut your heads before your Teacher arrives."


    Saying so, Andy stood up from his seat and started walking towards the exit.


    Meanwhile, Jessie breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly.


    "Thank you, Your Eminence." She bowed her head a little and thanked him from the bottom of her heart.


    After that, she leaned her back against the sofa and asked.


    "What''s the purpose of your visit, Your Eminence?"


    Instead of responding, Abel took out a golden sealed letter, passed it to Jessie, and spoke.


    "Give this letter to your Teacher when he returns, Young Miss."


    A startled expression appeared on her face.


    "To our Teacher?" She furrowed her brows.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Abel shook his head and spoke with a smile.


    "This letter is for his grandson Charles."


    "Charles¡­" Jessie paused in surprise and soon nodded her head.


    She then stood up from the sofa, went towards Archbishop Abel, and took the letter from his hand.

 Chapter 283: Visit

    <h4>Chapter 283: Visit</h4>


    "Have you seen him upfront, Your Eminence?" Jessie asked while storing the sealed letter into her space ring.


    "You mean Charles? Yeah, he is mysterious and a smart kid." Abel said with a sigh and stood up from his seat.


    "Don''t forget to give the letter." He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "Although I don''t know why the Churches are so firm on conducting the ceremony sooner, it''s better for you guys to co-operate with them."


    Jessie went silent as she heard those words.


    ''Something feels off¡­ Is something big going to happen? Is that why Teacher went away to search for Charles? Why did the Churches forcing us? Wait¡­ What if our Teacher actually wants to dy the coronation ceremony?'' Her face shed in surprise.


    ''It is possible.'' Her second and third consciousnesses also thought the same!


    ''Yes, I almost forgot what Teacher asks me to do.''


    She recalled something and asked.


    "What about Lady Emilia and her friends? Are they still in the city?"


    Her question surprised Abel a bit.


    "Yes, I heard that she went with her teammate to do some mission. They might return within a day or two. What happened?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, Jessie smiled mysteriously and asked another strange question.


    "Your Eminence, have you met thete Archbishop Royce? What do you know about him?"


    Although Abel got startled by her question, he didn''t put much thought into it and responded.


    "I only heard about him once from Emilia. A few years ago, he visited Riverdale City and met with Emilia and her teammates. She said that guy talked nicely to everyone and even gave a few gifts for her teammates."


    Upon hearing those words, Jessie was stunned inside.


    ''Teacher asked me to probe that any of the Life Church member had met with Archbishop Royce in the past¡­ But I didn''t expect its Lady Emilia and her teammates¡­''


    Meanwhile, Archbishop Abel was confused by her question and asked.


    "Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?"


    "It''s nothing, Your Eminence. I heard that Archbishop put a curse on Charles a few years ago and got curious about the reason behind their enmity." Jessie responded calmly and sat on the nearby couch.


    Meanwhile, Archbishop nodded his head and added.


    "I think it''s time for me to leave. See you at the ceremony."


    Then, he moved towards the exit and soon left the reception hall.


    On the other hand, Jessie leaned her back against the sofa and coughed twice.


    "That darned old man¡­"


    ''I''m too weak.'' She gritted her teeth in anger.


    ''Being weak isn''t a sin. But staying weak is one.'' Her second consciousness spoke coldly in her mind.


    ''But that would mean I have to kill others.'' She still remembered the moment when she killed the Divine Order member and felt uneasy.


    ''So what? You already sacrificed your soft side to protect others, right? Although our Teacher is protecting us now, we shouldn''t always rely on him.'' Her second consciousness said.


    ''What are you trying to say?'' Jessie frowned.


    ''Rank up. Find a way to increase our soul power and be a peak Rank-3 [True Wiser] Mystic. We already got the Rank-4 [Knowledge Seeker] ss Gem from Bishop Myles. So, we should focus on improving your strength and rank up.'' Her second consciousness spoke.


    ''But [Reader] ss is not suitable forbat.'' Jessie couldn''t help but sigh.


    ''I don''t think so. Each ss is unique on its own. Currently, we have [Instant Memory] skill, two extra Perfect consciousnesses, and [Brainstorm] skill. With the Brainstorm skill, we are capable of solvingplex problems with simple clues. We are also good at sensing the uing danger through gathered information.''


    ''For example, we feel that something is manipting behind the scenes, right? The Churches'' strange actions, our Teacher''s sudden disappearance, and this old man''s appearance¡­ The opposite party wants us to conduct the ceremony¡­ But somehow, our Teacher must have anticipated this and seems to be making preparations for any unexpected situation. This skill is capable of warning us about future danger! Our Teacher once said that we could toy with our enemies as long as we use this power properly¡­''


    As Jessie heard the second consciousness''s words, a look of realization appeared on her face.


    ''Yes, I should focus on increasing my strength. If I use the [Blood Curse] skill properly, I can create a powerful, shadowy organization and use others'' strength to protect us.'' A firm resolution appeared in her mind.


    At that moment, walking footsteps came from the entrance, causing her to turn around.


    Soon, Jessie saw a slim woman in her red sheath dress was walking towards her from the entrance.


    The woman had long silvery hair, a pear-shaped body, a pale face, oceanic eyes, a hawk nose, and appeared around 25 years old.


    Upon seeing her appearance, a smile appeared on Jessie''s face.


    She hurriedly stood up from the couch and soon groaned as she felt deep pain from all parts of her body.


    Thankfully, she managed to endure the pain and spoke with a forced smile on her face.


    "Greetings, Lady Be."


    "Greetings, Jessie." Be also waved her hand with a smile, arrived near her, and sat on the nearby sofa.


    Then, she looked at Jessie up and down and frowned.


    "Are you injured?" She asked in a concerned tone.


    Meanwhile, Jessie smiled lightly and shook his head.


    "It''s nothing serious."


    Then, she looked into Be''s oceanic eyes and stared at her in confusion.


    Currently, it was already 6 P.M.


    So, her sudden arrival made her feel something was amiss.


    Noticing her gaze, Be let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "I came here to get this month''s materials. It''s the four Elemental creatures'' carcasses."


    Upon hearing her words, Jessie raised her right hand, ced it over her forehead, and sighed.


    "Oops! I actually forgot to send them to the auction. Wait here for a while, Lady Be. I will go and get it in a minute."


    Saying so, she stood up from her seat and started walking towards the bifurcated staircase.


    In truth, Jessie had a total of more than 20 carcasses in her other space rings and void pouches, and she would never forget to send four Rank-3 Elemental Creatures'' carcasses to the auction house.


    ''This is the first time I forgot something important¡­'' She frowned at her unusual behavior and fastened her footsteps.


    While walking, she took out a low-rank healing potion from her space ring, opened the vial, and gulped it down.


    Meanwhile, Be watched Jessie''s figure moving upstairs from the reception hall and looked around casually.


    Two young maids stood on the left side corner of the reception hall and seemed to be chattering about a particr maid.


    Although they were speaking in a low tone, Be heard every word that came out of their mouth.


    She then turned her gaze towards the right side and saw a woman in a ck gown was cleaning the right-side corridor using a broom.


    At that moment, Be''s oceanic eyes turned abnormally ck.


    It was as if someone else possessed her body!


    Exactly two secondster, Ashley walked out of the kitchen, turned her gaze towards those two chattering maids, and scolded.


    "What are you two mumbling over there?! Don''t you have any other work to do? Come here and help me peel off the onions."


    Both of those maids shrink back a little as they heard Ashley''s sudden outburst and hurriedly ran into the kitchen.


    Then, Ashley turned her gaze towards the sweeping female servant and spoke.


    "Laura, can you go and clean the second floor first? There is a guest in the reception hall."


    The female servant stopped sweeping the floor, straightened her back, looked at Ashley, and nodded her head.


    "I''ll go now, ma''am."


    Saying so, the female servant took the broomstick and hurriedly moved towards the second floor through the bifurcated staircase.


    On the other hand, Ashley turned around and started walking into the kitchen.


    A momentter, Be''s lips suddenly go upward.


    She then took out an eerie red card from her space ring and threw it upward.


    The next second, the card flew upward, moved towards the right side corridor, moved towards one of the wooden doors, and slips into a guest room through a small gap!

 Chapter 284: Dreamforce Lair

    <h4>Chapter 284: Dreamforce Lair</h4>


    Two secondster, Be''s strange ck eyes returned to normal.


    ''Hmm? Where did those two maids go?'' She frowned for a second and soon shook her head.


    Then, she quietly stayed in the hall and waited for Jessie.


    A few minutester, Jessie came from upstairs and gave a space ring to Be.


    "I also added extra four carcasses for the next month''s quota, Lady Be." She added.


    "That''s good." Be nodded her head and stood up from her seat.


    "It''s gettingte, Jessie. I''ll be on my way then."


    Saying so, she waved her hand and started walking towards the exit.


    Meanwhile, Jessie slumped on the sofa and looked at the crystal chandelier with a deep look.


    Then, she snapped out of the daze, took out a goldenmunication ring, and contacted her Teacher.


    Unfortunately, no response came from the other side, causing her to frown.


    ''I need to do something. Further dying the coronation ceremony is not an option. Should I seek help from Destiny Lady and others?'' She recalled the moment when they attacked Omen.


    ''All of them seem to be looking for someone¡­ I heard them saying someone''s name¡­''


    ''Red Prince.'' Her third consciousness said in her head.


    ''Yes, is he a clue?'' She furrowed her brows.


    ''What is your n?'' Her second consciousness asked.


    ''What is the reason behind the Churches'' strange actions? Why did our Teacher inform me to ask the Life Church members about Archbishop Royce? Why did Archbishopmit suicide? Wait¡­ Is that even a suicide?'' Jessie frowned.


    ''It''s dangerous to go outside. We have to take care of Rhea and others.'' Her second consciousness spoke.


    ''Yes, we should find a way to increase our mansion security.'' Her third consciousness also added.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Jessie nodded her head and started walking towards the second floor.


    Soon, the darkness enveloped the world.


    It was around 10 P.M.


    A luxurious carriage entered the old mansion and soon stopped in front of the three-storied building.


    Then, a white-haired Oswald, Destiny Lady, and Rachel walked out of it and walked in.


    Soon, they walked past the reception hall and went towards the right-side guest rooms.


    Oswald then took out a metallic key and moved towards a particr wooden door.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady and Rachel walked towards their own allocated room and opened the door using keys.


    As Destiny Lady opened the door, she paused for a second, turned her gaze towards Oswald, and asked.


    "Shall we go and check the Whisper''s Valley tomorrow?"


    Oswald also halted his movement and soon shook his head.


    "That area has some connection with apletely different organization. Maybe we go to the Dreamymaple Forest and look for clues. You did hear about Daisy''s report, right? It must be a Rank-5 spell. Other than that person, no one should be capable of casting such spell in the surrounding kingdoms."


    "What if the one who cast that spell is a mage from the Herath Kingdom?" Destiny Lady asked.


    "Mage Ss actually came from the Herath Kingdom." This time, Rachel responded with a frown.


    All three of them went silent for a moment and decided.


    "Dreamymaple Forest, huh. We should go and explore it tomorrow." Saying so, Destiny Lady entered her room and closed the door from inside.


    Rachel and Oswald also walked into their rooms and switched on themp lights.


    It was arge room with one double bed at the center, a wardrobe on the right side, a table and chairs on the left, and an attached bathroom on the opposite side of the door.


    Oswald first moved to the wardrobe, opened it, and picked up a set of casual clothes.


    Then, he ced the brown cane near the bed, moved towards the bathroom, and took a long bath in hot water.


    A few minutester, he walked out of the bathroom in his casual dress and put the formal cloth into a separate bin.


    After that, he went towards the bed andy on it.


    At that moment, his family members'' faces, his wife''s face, and finally, his daughter''s face appeared in front of his eyes.


    Different types of emotions appeared in his heart.


    ''I need to kill that damned devil.'' He stared at the white ceiling for a while and soon closed his eyes.


    Meanwhile, a ck card, attached to the white ceiling, suddenly separated from the white wall and started to fall.


    The ck card moved inside the room like a kite, encircled the bed, and soonnded on Oswald''s chest.


    The next second, Oswald opened his eyes and frowned as he saw a strange ck card over his chest.


    ''What the-? How did it appear here?'' He sat up in a hurry and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    ''Hmm? No suspicious people?'' He furrowed his brows, shifted his attention towards the ck card, and checked it carefully.


    He soon saw two words written on it in reddish ink.


    ''No¡­ This one looks more like blood.'' He nodded his head in understanding and started to read the content.


    "Dreamforce Lair?"


    Confusion appeared on Oswald''s face.


    ''What does this mean? Someone is giving a clue? Or, is it a trap?''


    At that moment, a knocking sound came from the entrance.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he walked out of bed and started walking towards the wooden door.


    Then, he opened the door and saw Destiny Lady and Rachel were standing outside with puzzlement looks on their faces.


    "What happened, Mr. Ss?" Rachel asked.


    Meanwhile, Oswald turned his face into a solemn one, passed the ck card to Rachel, and added.


    "I found this card in my room. The other party also used the blood to write the content."


    "Blood?" Destiny Lady extended her right hand, touched the ck card, and started to do divination on the spot.


    Countless fate strings appeared in her mind as she started tracking the origin of the ck card.


    But before she could even finish her divination, some strange energy came out from the card andpletely severed the fate strings!


    "What?!" Destiny Lady widened her eyes in shock.


    "What happened?" Both Oswald and Rachel asked her in surprise.


    "Some strange power severed the fate strings. Using divination to track the culprit is not possible now." Destiny Lady said in a gloomy tone.


    Soon, she shifted her attention towards the card and asked.


    "What is written on it?"


    "Dreamforce Lair. Is it a ce? Did you know of such a ce?" Oswald asked.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady''s face turned serious.


    "Wait¡­ Why do I feel this name appears so familiar? I think I heard about this some time ago." She said with a frown.


    At that moment, Rachel also wore a thoughtful look on her face and soon widened her eyes.


    "Wait. We heard about this ce from Omen''s mouth! When he told us about the Divine Order Organization''s hideout names, he also mentioned this ce name. At that time, we didn''t put much attention to that organization and skipped it!" She said in a solemn tone.

 Chapter 285: Suspicious

    <h4>Chapter 285: Suspicious</h4>


    A silence appeared in the corridor.


    "Where is this hideout located?" Oswald asked.


    "It should be somewhere near the Dreamymaple Woods," Rachel responded as she recalled Omen''s words.


    "But who put the card in your room? What is their intention? Is this a trap?" Destiny Lady became hesitant.


    At that moment, a certain battle against a peak level Rank-4 Demonic ss Mystic appeared in her mind.


    ''At that time, I lost my life and revived after changing my Destiny. But I''m not sure if that thing could help me once again.''


    In truth, that was a gift she received from a certain someone.


    It''s called ''Divinity of Destiny.''


    As long as she had that Divinity in her body, she could indeed change her Destiny and evade her death.


    That''s why everyone calls her as ''Destiny Lady.''


    She was the only person in the surrounding kingdoms who changed her Destiny once!


    ''No, I changed my Destiny again. It should be twice now.''


    While she was in muse, Oswald thought for a moment and spoke.


    "Just scouting the surrounding areas won''t cause any harm, right? Even if Red Prince ced an ambush, it must be in Dreamforce Lair. So, we should refrain from going near this hideout. Instead, we should scout the surrounding areas and hire some normal mystics to do the workter."


    "That''s a good idea." Rachel and Destiny Lady also nodded their heads in approval.


    But Oswald suddenly frowned as he recalled something and spoke.


    "What about these kids? What if someone attacks them while we are away? That Ancient Mage isn''t here."


    "What this has something to do with us? We are not here to protect them, right?" Rachel raised her eyebrows.


    "No, that old man asked me to take care of these kids. Moreover, I also need his grandson''s help to find someone. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be staying here." A grim look appeared on her face.


    She then pondered for a moment and added.


    "I will stay here to take care of them. You guys can go and do the scouting."


    After some discussion, Oswald and Rachel decided to check out the hideout tomorrow while Destiny Lady decided to stay in the mansion.


    Then, they went back to their rooms and took some rest.


    ¡­


    Early morning, Oswald and Rachel walked out of the three-storied building, moved to the mansion garden, and cast wing spells on them.


    Then, they both pped their wings and shot forth towards the southern sky.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady stood at the entrance, watched them flying in the sky, and soon frowned.


    ''Something powerful is manipting behind the scenes. I never failed in divination, but this is the second time I faced obstruction.'' A strange, unsettling feeling appeared in her heart.


    "What happened, Lady Natalia?" A soft voice came from behind, causing Destiny Lady to turn around.


    At that moment, she saw a blonde-haired young woman was walking towards her from the reception hall.


    "It''s nothing. They are just going to do some scouting mission." Destiny Lady responded with a smile and soon turned serious as she saw a troubled look on Jessie''s face.


    "Is something on your mind?"


    Meanwhile, Jessie nodded her head and spoke.


    "I feel something wrong about Churches'' forceful method to do the coronation ceremony." She exined about Griffon Family head''s arrival and his threat, then about Archbishop Abel''s advice, her guesses regarding the Churches'' strange behavior, and so on.


    "If my Teacher is here, I wouldn''t have worried about these things. But I need to do something. Otherwise, something bad might happen." She said with a serious look on her face.


    Meanwhile, surprise shed on Destiny Lady''s face.


    ''T-This girl¡­ She already sensed that someone is manipting from behind the scenes?'' At that moment, she suddenly thought of something and soon asked.


    "Who else came to the mansion when we were away?"


    Although Jessie was startled by her question, she didn''t put much thought into it and responded calmly.


    "Only three people came here, Lady Natalia. First, Archbishop Abel came here to give a letter to our Teacher, then Andy Griffon, and then the auction manager Be. Other than these three, no outsiders came here to visit us."


    A frown appeared on Destiny Lady''s forehead.


    Then, she took out the strange ck card and showed it to Jessie.


    "We found this card in Mage Ss''s room."


    Jessie moved her right hand, caught the card, and read the two words written on it.


    "Dreamforce Lair? Isn''t this a mysterious ruin located at the southern border of Iron Kingdom?"


    "You know about this ce?" Destiny Lady asked in a surprised tone.


    "Yes, I read about this in Iron Kingdom''s public Library once. It''s a mysterious ruin located in the Dreamymaple Forest and has some connection with Dream World. Although many mages, hunters, and Historians went to explore in the past, none manage to get past the outer region. They met different kinds of obstacles like abnormal loops, entering their dream before they could even step into the ruin, moving out of their bodies in their soul forms, and some even died while they were walking."


    "There is also a strange rumor about this ce. Quite a few powerful mages explored the ruin long ago and guessed that something terrifying must be hidden deep in the ruined graveyard and responsible for these abnormalities. I also researched this ce and learned that this ruin might be linked with the First Arcane Era. During that time, the five Empires ruled this continent. They were Mn Empire, Arcane Empire, Star Empire, Holy Empire, and the final unknown empire. Among these five, Star Empire was the one that ruled the northern part of this continent. So, other experts are guessing that this ruin might actually be a graveyard of an Emperor who ruled the nearby kingdoms once." Jessie spoke in a solemn tone.


    Upon hearing her detailed exnation, Destiny Lady got dumbfounded.


    "You are so knowledgeable." She couldn''t help but mutter out loud.


    In truth, she indeed read about those empires during her childhood.


    ''But I had long forgotten about most of the parts. This girl sure is something else.'' She muttered inwardly.


    In the meantime, Jessie nced at the southern sky and asked.


    "Are they going to this ruin now?"


    "Nope. They are only going there to scout the surroundings." Destiny Lady answered in a reassuring tone.


    At that moment, confusion appeared on her face.


    She then turned her gaze towards the ck card and asked.


    "Do you have any guess about who put this card in Mage Ss''s room?"


    "Maybe one of the maids?" Jessie wore a troubled look as she felt a strange, unsettling feeling in her heart.


    It was as if something terrifying was watching her from nearby!


    She hurriedly calmed her heart, shifted her gaze towards Destiny Lady, and asked.


    "Lady Natalia, you can see others'' fate strings, right? Why not check if something anomaly happened in our servants'' fate strings?"


    Destiny Lady showed a surprised look and nodded her head in approval.


    Without any hesitation, Jessie walked into the reception hall, turned her gaze towards the Kitchen room, and ordered in a loud voice.


    "Miss Ashley, please stop the cooking work for some time ande to the reception hall with other servants. The same goes for other servants."


    Her loud voice echoed everywhere in the mansion.


    "What happened, Young Miss?" Ashley was the first one who walked out of the kitchen, followed by other female servants.


    Some came from the second floor, while the other came from both sides of corridors.


    A total of 50 servants gathered in the reception hall within the next few minutes!


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady had long started checking the servants'' fate strings one by one.


    But even after checking everyone''s fate strings, she found no anomaly!


    "Something is wrong¡­ If the culprit is not one of the maids, who could it be?" She muttered in a grave tone.


    "What if the culprit is one of the three visitors?" Jessie''s eyebrows rose upward.


    "Possible. Did you notice any abnormal behavior from any of those three guests?" Destiny Lady asked.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a thoughtful look on her face and spoke with a nod.


    "I have slight suspicion on Andy Griffon. He used his soul power and suppressed me. Maybe he did that to sneakily ce the card in Mage Ss''s room?"


    "It is possible." Destiny Lady also found it reasonable.


    But just when Jessie was about to dismiss the female servants, she suddenly recalled Be''s visit.


    ''Lady Be''s arrival at that time¡­ Then, there is also another anomaly that happened to me¡­ During the past three years, I actually forgot to do my job for the first time. What surprised me is that my other two consciousnesses also somehow forget to remind me. Could this have some link with this? Thought maniption?'' A strange suspicion appeared in her heart.


    She then closed her eyes for a second and ordered.


    "Brie¡­ Rose¡­ Laura. You three, stay here for a while. As for others, you guys can go and continue your job now."


    Although the servants were puzzled by Jessie''s orders, none dared to ask any question and moved in different directions.


    Only Destiny Lady, Jessie, the three housekeeping maids, and Ashley stood in the reception hall.


    "Did they steal something from Lady Be?" Ashley stared at them with her daggering eyes and asked.


    Meanwhile, Jessie shook her head and spoke while waving her hand.


    "It''s nothing like that, Miss Ashley. You can go back and do your cooking work now."


    Although Ashley was hesitant, she didn''t say anything and started walking back to the kitchen.


    On the other hand, Jessie stared at the ck-haired girl named Brie and asked.


    "Do you remember the silver-haireddy who came to visit me yesterday?"


    Upon hearing her sudden question, Brie wore a frightened look and nodded her head hurriedly.


    "Y-Yes, My Lady. But we didn''t speak anything ill about here! At that time, we were actually talked about Iris''s secret affair with the coachman Miguel." Panic surfaced on the young girl''s face as she said those words.


    Meanwhile, the other blonde-haired girl named Rose also nodded her head and said the same thing.


    Jessie red at both of them and shook her head.


    "I don''t care about your silly gossips. I actually want to ask something else. It''s about that silver-haireddy. When you guys are gossiping, did she stand up from her seat and went to the right side corridor? Did she make some strange gesture or something?"


    Her question surprised both of them.


    Brie soon regained some courage and answered while shaking her head.


    "After ''Young Lady'' went upstairs, the head maid came out of the kitchen and scolded us for not doing any job. Then, she told us to go and peel the onions in the kitchen. We didn''t see anything."


    "Miss Ashley?" Jessie wore an annoyed look and soon shifted her gaze towards the ck-haired woman.


    Unlike the other young girls, she appeared to be around 25 to 30 years old.


    Noticing her gaze, she also shook her head and spoke in the same nervous voice.


    "H-Head Maid also ordered me to go and sweep the second floor because of the presence of a guest in the reception hall, Young Lady."


    Upon hearing their response, Jessie''s expression went stiff.


    She soon regained her sense and told them to go away.


    "Something is wrong." Both Jessie and Destiny Lady muttered at the same time!

 Chapter 286: Search

    <h4>Chapter 286: Search</h4>


    "Do you know Be''s residential address?" Destiny Lady asked.


    "No. She is staying in the Merchant District and her house should be somewhere near the auction house, Lady Natalia. Shall we go and check now?" Jessie asked in a serious tone.


    Although she was shocked a little, she managed to regain her cool and thought of solving the problem directly.


    If Destiny Lady weren''t here, she wouldn''t have thought of going after Be.


    But Destiny Lady''s presence gave her a little boost.


    In the meantime, Destiny Lady also nodded her head in approval and spoke.


    "Wait for a while. I will go and change my clothes into a formal one."


    On the other hand, Jessie also recalled something and said.


    "Tell Lord Ss and Lady Rachel about our findings and warn them to be careful of any anomalies, Lady Natalia."


    An amusing smile appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    ''She is acting more like a matured woman.'' She let out a chuckle, nodded her head, and started walking towards the guest room area.


    Meanwhile, Jessie first walked out of the mansion building, went towards the left side carriage house, and told the coachman to prepare the carriage.


    After that, she returned to the mansion building, entered the reception hall, and went to the second floor.


    Then, she moved towards her room, changed her clothes into a formal one, wore a brown frock coat, and then walked out of it. After that, she knocked on the nearby doors, warned Rhea and the other two to stay in the mansion, and went downstairs.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady wore a ck double-breasted belt coat and stood in the reception hall like an ice queen.


    Currently, her long ck hair wasbed neatly and made into a bundle.


    As Jessie reached the ground floor, she turned around, nodded her head, and then warned.


    "If a battle urs, you have to get away as far as possible. That woman might be a dangerous one."


    Without even waiting for Jessie''s reply, she stepped forward and started walking towards the exit.


    Meanwhile, Jessie clenched her fist, nodded her head, and followed after her with fast footsteps.


    Within a few seconds, they walked out of the three-storied building and soon saw a four-wheeled carriage parked at the entrance.


    "You always think two steps ahead, huh. A good habit for a [Learner] ss Mystic." Destiny Lady gave a curious look at Jessie and stepped into the carriage.


    Smiling lightly, Jessie also entered the carriage and ordered the coachman to go.


    In a minute, the four-wheeled carriage moved out of the old mansion, entered Rodsley Street, and went towards the Merchants'' District.


    ¡­


    Old Mansion, Kitchen room.


    At that moment, Ashley''s body went stiff for a moment and soon returned to normal.


    If someone looked at her closely, they would have noticed a small wrinkle appeared on her forehead.


    Meanwhile, a drastic change urred in her Inner World.


    Most of the surroundings appeared more like a destednd filled with nothing but sands.


    At the center of her Inner World, a crystalline white pce stood like a moon in the dark sky.


    In the throne hall, a wiry auburn-haired woman in herte twenties sat on the silver throne and looked at the ceiling with a frown on her forehead.


    She had close-set azure eyes, faint eyebrows, silken Ivory skin, elongated face, and an aquiline nose.


    "Jessie¡­ This girl seems a little troublesome. Although she isn''t strong enough to change her fate, her over-thinking mind is a big problem. With a few clues, she already managed to perceive the danger. Hmm, I have other ns for that divinity holder, but not this little pest. Should I eliminate her?" She muttered in the lone hall and nodded.


    She then closed her eyes, made a few strange hand signs, and disappeared!


    ¡­


    Mist City, Duke Foster''s Territory, Iron Kingdom.


    It was around 6.30 A.M.


    A four-wheeled carriage came out of the city and moved in the southern direction at a fast speed.


    The one who drove the carriage was a man in his thirties.


    The face of that man was ageless, neither old nor young, though it was written the memory of many things both d and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadow of twilight.


    His eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars.


    He wore a brown cape over his head and appeared emotionless.


    The coachman drove the carriage while ncing at the surrounding grasnds and soon led it into the deep woods.


    After driving the carriage for some time, he suddenly frowned and took out a strange red crystal from his pocket.


    "The stone is vibrating, My Lady." He spoke in a solemn tone.


    At that moment, the white curtain suddenly opened and revealed a 50-year-old woman.


    She had curly ck hair, a wrinkled round face, and grey eyes. She wore a ck robe and held a unique silver pocket watch in her hand.


    She was none other than Emilia Wilson!


    She looked around the surroundings and ordered.


    "Stop the carriage."


    As the coachman pulled the ropes, the horses let out loud neighs and slowed down.


    The carriage soon stopped in the middle of the woods, giving a peaceful atmosphere to the surroundings.


    Meanwhile, Emilia walked out of the carriage, took the red crystal from the coachman, and nodded.


    "She is nearby." Saying so, she took a few things from her space ring and began to prepare.


    On the other hand, the coachman also jumped down from his driver seat, parked the carriage under arge tree, and tied the horses near to it.


    "What if someone steals it?" Emilia nced at the coachman and asked with a chuckle.


    "It will be our bad luck, My Lady." He responded calmly, took a long overcoat from his space ring, and started walking towards her.


    Both soon nced at each other and went deep into the forest.


    After a few minutes of walking, Emilia suddenly halted her footsteps, closed her eyes for the next few seconds, and opened.


    But unlike before, her grey eyes turned into eerie ck!


    Upon seeing her strange action, the coachman removed his brow cape, knelt on the ground, and bowed his head.


    "Your loyal servant greets the Divine One."


    Emilia nced at the coachman and nodded her head.


    "Stand up, Omen. Unlike the Archbishop, you did your job perfectly." She paused for a moment and soon looked up at the sky with a pleased smile on her face.


    "The child is here." Her voice appearedpletely different from Emilia''s one!


    She then made a mischievous smile on her face and waved her right hand.


    The next instant, a strange windy rippled came out from her hand and moved in all directions!


    A momentter, all those trees, birds, animals, and even some hunters were cut into hundreds of pieces and fell on the ground like small pieces.


    Without minding the sliced leaves and woods falling from above, Emilia took a step in the thin air and started walking towards the sky like she was walking on thend!


    She appeared 100 meters above the ground in a few seconds and looked at the space with a deep look.


    "Come out, little brat." Her voice echoed in the sky like divine words causing the sliced woods and other materials to turn into dust!


    The next instant, a slight crack appeared in the space and soon began to expand.


    Within a few seconds, a one-meter tall spatial crack appeared in the sky.


    Then, a four-year-old girl child walked out from it.


    She had deep-brown hair, Fremen blue eyes, and a soft round face, and she wore a simple white gown.


    She was none other than Ivy!


    "Who are you?" A sharp voice came out of the girl child''s mouth.

 Chapter 287: Trap

    <h4>Chapter 287: Trap</h4>


    Before Emilia could open her mouth, Ivy widened her eyes in surprise and spoke.


    "You are the Divine!"


    Her voice contains a trace of nervousness.


    But soon, she returned to her calm self and sized her up and down.


    "No¡­ Something is not right. You are just a separate consciousness in a mortal body¡­ But even separate consciousnesses would be restricted by the Will of the World if it has some connection with your Divine World¡­" She paused for a moment and soon showed a look of understanding.


    "Now I understand. Your main consciousness must have severed the connection between you and your Divine World and let you out as an individual consciousness¡­" While speaking, Ivy suddenly extended her right hand and muttered.


    "Dream Domain!"


    The next instant, the whole surroundings turned dimmer.


    The blue sky turned reddish-ck color, and the ground appeared gloomier as dark shadows.


    It was an eerie-looking forest!


    Some trees had grown around 100 meters tall and appeared dominating.


    Even arge terrifying winged python circled above in the sky and seemed to be waiting for the action.


    It was more than 50 meters long, had eerie ckish scales, strange small wings, and was slithering in the dark red clouds.


    Countless electric sparks encircled the monstrous python as it moved and let out lightning strikes in all directions from time to time.


    Emilia calmly nced at the python, then towards Ivy, and frowned.


    "Hmm? What are you scheming-"


    Before she could finish her words, a rumbling noise came from all directions!


    Then, tens of ck pirs appeared from the sky like divine pirs andnded on the surrounding forests.


    At that moment, Ivy seemed to have long prepared for her next move and spoke in a childish voice.


    "Nightmare Loop."


    The next second, all those ck pirs exploded with bangs, burst into lights, and spread in every direction!


    In the meantime, a shock appeared on Emilia''s face.


    ''It''s a trap!''


    "Sneaky brat! You dare to trap me here?" Emilia let out a furious shout, waved her hand, and conjured a crystalline sword.


    Then, she made a swift movement, shed at thin air, and cut the space.


    The next moment, the spatial crack began to expand and soon formed into the size of the one-meter tall vortex!


    "I''ll deal with youter." She spoke in an eerie voice, turned into a sh of light, and disappeared into the bluish vortex.


    A momentter, Ivy, the surrounding tall trees, eerie sky, and the strange python started to shimmer a little and broke into countless pieces like ss!


    Meanwhile, Emilia walked out of the vortex on the other side and raised her eyebrows in surprise.


    The sky still appeared eerie ckish red, and the strange winged python also hovered above her head.


    What startled her more was that the same 4-year-old girl child was hovering a few meters away from her.


    She showed the same innocent face and blinked her eyes.


    "Nightmare Loop!" A frown appeared on her forehead.


    Meanwhile, Ivy nodded her head and spoke.


    "Yes. It''s a Rank-7 Demi-God Level Spell. Breaking this Rank-7 spell would take more than a week for any Divine''s consciousnesses. As long as you didn''t seek help from your main body, breaking this in a short time is almost impossible. But if you seek help from your main body, your true identity will be exposed. Either way, it''s my win."


    Saying so, Ivy let out a giggle and added.


    "Reality Death."


    A momentter, an eerie ckish smoke appeared behind her and soon formed into a figure of a three-skulled humanoid skeleton.


    It held a unique ck scythe in its bony hand and shed at her nape.


    Meanwhile, Emilia let out a deep sigh, raised her crystalline sword, and shed at Ivy.


    The next instant, a formidable pressure came from her hand, causing Ivy, the winged python, and the newly appeared skeleton to fall at a terrifying speed.


    Thankfully, Ivy managed to stop the force and showed a surprised expression on her face.


    "Power of Gravity? A Divine specialized in Space and Time powers?"


    Just as she finished her words, a deep cut appeared on her neck.


    Before she could think further, countless cuts appeared all over her body.


    A secondter, her tiny body exploded with a bang, sending blood and flesh in all directions.


    Meanwhile, Emilia casually moved her hand, cut the space using her sword, and created another vortex before turning herself into a steak of light.


    A secondter, she appeared on the other side and soon turned grim.


    Like before, Ivy stood a few meters away from Emilia and was waving her hands with an innocent smile on her face.


    "You are not one of the thirteen Lawful Gods, are you?" She asked.


    Upon hearing those words, an icy look appeared on Emilia''s face.


    This time, she didn''t hold back anything and shed her sword in all directions.


    The next instant, invisible ripples came out of her sword edges and spread in all directions.


    Then, the whole surroundings shimmered for a moment and broke into millions of pieces like small sses!


    But just as Emilia opened her eyes, countless lightning bolts shed from above.


    In this dream illusion, the winged python made its first move and attacked.


    On the other hand, Emilia appeared to have long predicted those attacks.


    She touched the golden bracelet on her right hand, created an invisible force field, and got ready to block the attack.


    Countless arcs of blue and white lightning bolts shed from the sky and continuously collided against the forcefield!


    ''Damn it! This mortal body is weak!'' A grim look appeared on her wrinkled face.


    Just as the lightning attacks ended, the invisible forcefield suddenly let out a creaking sound and broke into pieces.


    Meanwhile, the three-skulled skeleton suddenly arrived behind her and shed its ck scythe at her nape.


    At that moment, Emilia''s eyes flickered all of a sudden.


    It was as if she had entered the state of absolute calmness.


    Before the scythe could touch her nape, she took out a silver pocket watch from her space ring, moved her finger towards the crown area, and pressed it.


    A momentter, the three-skull skeleton''s and its ck scythe''s movement slowed down!


    It was as if the time seemed to have slowed down around her!


    She calmly took a step forward and evaded the scythe.


    At that moment, Ivy''s childish whisper echoed in her right ear.


    "Imaginary Control."


    An invisible hand passed through the air, touched her cloth, entered deep into her chest, and gripped her heart.


    Then, the invisible hand tightened the fist and crushed her heart, causing Emilia''s face to go pale.


    ''Ugh, this child is a troublesome one to capture.'' She spat out a mouthful of blood, ced her hand over her chest, and muttered.


    "Heal."


    In a second, some strange energy came out of her soul andpletely restored her crushed heart!


    "You are forcing my hands, brat." She spoke coldly and attacked the surroundings.


    Meanwhile, Ivy hovered a few meters away from her and blinked her eyes innocently.

 Chapter 288: Other Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 288: Other Suspect</h4>


    In the Dream Domain, Ivy and Emilia used different kinds of strange abilities and started their battle.


    Each of their spells appeared eerie and terrifying!


    Some of Emilia''s attacks even caused the Dream Domain to break.


    Thankfully, Ivy''s [Nightmare Loop] spell restored everything whenever Emilia broke the Dream Domain and didn''t affect the outside atmosphere.


    Meanwhile, the coachman named Omen stared at the empty blue sky and raised his eyebrows.


    "It seems it will take some time for the battle to end." He muttered solemnly and sat on the ground.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile,


    Merchants'' District, City of Iron.


    At that moment, a four-wheeled carriage entered the merchants'' District and soon moved towards the auction house.


    A few minutester, Jessie and Destiny Lady walked out of the carriage and soon stood in front of a three-storied building.


    It was the Crescent Crew Auction House!


    Jessie looked around, soon saw a white-haired gatekeeper, and waved her hand towards him.


    The gatekeeper appeared to be around 50-years-old, had ck eyes, and wore simple leather armor over his regr linen shirt.


    "Do you know where Lady Be is staying, Mr. Neil?" Jessie asked as she went near the building''s entrance.


    Meanwhile, the ck-haired gatekeeper nced at Destiny Lady, sized her up and down, and asked.


    "Why are you looking for Lady Be, Young Miss?"


    At this moment, Destiny Lady released her wisdom power, scanned the whole auction house, and responded.


    "Actually, she left something important in our mansion house when she visited us yesterday. That''s why we came here to give it to her."


    Upon hearing her words, a troubled expression appeared on Neil''s face.


    He then let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Her house is in the next street. But even if you go there, you won''t find her now."


    "She left the city?" Destiny Lady instantly made a possible guess and asked.


    A surprise shed on Neil''s face.


    He nodded his head and responded.


    "Yes. She returned to the auction house yesterday evening and even took thepany''s carriage before going somewhere."


    "Did she say something about where she is going?" Jessie continued to ask.


    Meanwhile, Neil wore a bitter smile and shook his head.


    After asking a few more questions, Destiny Lady and Jessie nced at each other and returned to their carriage in disappointment.


    Jessie stepped into the carriage, sat on the leather seat, and spoke solemnly.


    "We got no clues."


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady also entered the carriage, sat on the opposite seat, and nodded her head.


    "We should focus on something else. Other than Be, whom do you suspect most?"


    Her question startled Jessie greatly.


    She pondered for a moment and answered.


    "Other than Be, it should be the Griffon Family Head Andy¡­ Wait. I have slight suspicion on Archbishop Abel, Lady Natalia."


    "Archbishop Abel? Why are you suspecting him?" Even Destiny Lady didn''t feel anything wrong about Archbishop''s visit and got curious.


    Meanwhile, Jessie nodded her head and spoke.


    "I also don''t have any suspicion on him. But our Teacher seems to have noticed something odd about Life Church members. Three months ago, he told me to ask the Life Church members that if anyone had met Archbishop Royce during thest few years. At first, I didn''t find anything odd about his request. But when I heard Archbishop Abel''s reply, I started to feel something is not right." She paused for a moment, ordered the coachman to go to Life Church, and then continued.


    "First, Emilia Wilson seems to have met Archbishop Royce in the past and even chatted with him once. Second, our Teacher''s grandson was actually a Withering Shadows member. But what''s more surprising thing is that Charles was actually a member of Emilia''s Team!"


    At that moment, Destiny Lady suddenly recalled Archbishop''s suicidal note and frowned.


    "Archbishop Royce also mentioned that he had done something wrong to Charles in the suicidal note, right?"


    On the other hand, Jessie nodded her head and spoke.


    "I did some research about this ''Charles'' during the past three years and learned quite a bit, Lady Natalia. This guy seemed to have met Lady Be in the past and was on odd terms with her."


    At that moment, Destiny Lady raised her eyebrows and asked in surprise.


    "How do you know about that?"


    In truth, even she found out about the ''Amber Curse'' after Charles lured the Red Prince into the Tower of Elements and turned all the gold coins into dust.


    The Tower Spirit even spent some money to get that information from the Amber Church.


    But hearing Jessie mentioning such ssified information made her feel surprised.


    At that moment, Jessie shook her head and responded calmly.


    "Lady Be was the one who told this information to me a few months ago. But there was more secret to this ''Amber Curse.'' In truth, Be also suspected that Archbishop Royce might be the one who put that curse on Charles. Moreover, she told me that he was the one who transferred her to this kingdom. If she is an enemy, she wouldn''t have said those things to me. I feel that something must have happened during these past few months."


    As Destiny Lady heard those words, her expression turned serious.


    "Archbishop Royce¡­ Emilia and her teammates¡­ Abel Wilson¡­ Be¡­ Are you suspecting that these guys'' memories were somehow manipted by something? But Archbishop Royce is dead¡­ Moreover, why would Be ce a ck card into Mage Ss''s room? What is the opposite party''s aim?" She asked in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a thoughtful look on her face and spoke.


    "I think this maniptive force might have not expected that Mage Ss and Mage Rachel woulde here to look for Charles. Their arrival must have caused a disturbance in someone''s n. That''s why this maniptive force is trying to separate them from here."


    Destiny Lady''s face froze for a moment and soon turned into an understanding one.


    "Then, this maniptive force''s aim should be Rhea''s coronation ceremony, right?"


    "I''m also suspecting the same thing, Lady Natalia." Jessie nodded her head and then added.


    "If my guess is not wrong, you might have long been involved in this maniptive force''s scheme."


    As they were discussing, the coachman drove the carriage towards Commoners'' District and stopped in front of the Life Church.


    Both of them ended their discussion and walked out of the carriage to ask about Emilia''s whereabouts.


    Unfortunately, they soon learned that Emilia and her teammates hadn''t returned from their mission and went to the old mansion in disappointment!


    ¡­


    In the meantime,


    Oswald and Rachel continuously flew towards the Iron Kingdom''s southern border and reached the Dreamymaple Forest region around 11.A.M!


    Oswald pped his golden wings, slowed down the momentum, and shifted his attention towards a small town near the forest.


    "That should be Pearlford Town. Let''s go there and gather more information about the Dreamforce Lair before starting the scout mission." Rachel spoke as she also controlled her wing spell and descended from the sky.


    Both of them soon choose a safe location tond and started walking towards Pearlford Town.

 Chapter 289: Sacrifice

    <h4>Chapter 289: Sacrifice</h4>


    Pearlford Town.


    Oswald and Rachel entered the rural town and started gathering information about Dreamforce Lair.


    They asked many local hunters about the ruin for the next two hours and soon realized that ce was dangerous to explore.


    To their surprise, they also learned that a group of [Historian] ss Mystics explored the Dreamforce Lair ruin during the past few years and excavated a dozen of artifacts and precious gems.


    "Is this the right ce?" Rachel asked as they entered a bar.


    Meanwhile, Oswald nodded his head and looked around.


    At that moment, he overheard a talk about a rare artifact and stopped his footsteps.


    "It seems we are in the right ce." He spoke in a calm voice, shifted his gaze towards a group of 3 people, and went towards them.


    Currently, they were seated in front of the wooden square table and seemed to be in the middle of arguing their loots.


    One was a 30-year-old blonde-haired woman, while the other two were men in theirte thirties.


    While they were arguing, the ck-haired woman noticed someone''s gaze from behind and stopped talking.


    She stood up from her seat, turned around, stared at him for a moment, and asked.


    "Who are you?"


    Meanwhile, Oswald arrived near the table, took out a pouch of gold coins, tossed it on the wooden table, and spoke while releasing a bit of his wisdom power.


    "I want you guys to take us near the Dreamforce Lair. There are a total of 250 gold coins in this pouch."


    Upon hearing his words, the ck-haired woman sized him up and down and shook her head.


    "You can go and look for some reckless hunters to do this job, Mr. Mage. Going towards the Dreamforce Lair is akin to ying with fire."


    At that moment, Rachel also took out another pouch and ced it on the table.


    The next second, the ck-haired woman took the pouch, opened it, and nodded her head with a smile.


    "300 gold coins, it''s not a bad job. ying with fire is bad for those immature hunters. For experienced Explorers like us, it is a great pleasure."


    Saying so, she went towards the nearby table, took two chairs from there, and ced them near to their table.


    "Please sit down." She added.


    Oswald and Rachel were surprised by the woman''s words and sat down before introducing themselves with their fake names.


    "I''m Faith. These two are Harris and Jett." She said in a calm tone.


    Then, Faith asked about their purpose, their native, their strength, and so on.


    After some discussion, she nodded her head in understanding and spoke in a firm tone.


    "We will only take you to the ruin''s outer region. But you have to listen to my every word."


    After a few minutes of discussion, a group of five people walked out of the bar, moved towards the Pearlfort town, and soon left the town.


    Just after they left the town, a silver-haired woman walked out of the town and followed them stealthily.


    She was none other than Be Collins!


    ¡­


    Old Mansion, Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District.


    It was around 5 P.M.


    Jessie and Destiny Lady sat in the reception hall and wore a solemn look on their faces.


    "There is still no response." Destiny Lady looked at the ceiling and touched themunication ring in her hand.


    After a few seconds, she shook her head and added.


    "The connection seems to have been blocked by some strange power."


    Jessie wasn''t surprised by her answer at all.


    "They must have entered the ruin without knowing. Is there a way to help them?" She asked.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady shook her head and spoke.


    "They are powerful Rank-4 Mages and must have considerable experience in these types of dangerous situations. As long as they didn''t meet any Rank-5 Existence, they will be alright." She paused for a moment and added.


    "But we should worry about ourselves."


    Jessie widened her eyes for a moment and nodded before standing up from her seat.


    "I''ll pay close attention to our surroundings."


    Saying so, she moved towards the second floor, leaving Destiny Lady in the hall¡­


    The next day, Churches announced the exact date and time of the coronation ceremony to the masses and even dispatched a squad of Royal Knights to guard the old mansion.


    Although hundreds of Knights arrived at the old mansion to protect them, Jessie and others felt no safety at all.


    In truth, Jessie and others sensed that they were under house arrest!


    If not for Destiny Lady''s presence, they might have been scared to walk out of the mansion.


    For the next few days, the old mansion was busting with full of life.


    No, it wasn''t just the old mansion. The whole city was filled with full of life.


    Citizens came from all parts of the kingdom like the rural viges, towns, and other cities to see the coronation ceremony!


    Just after 3 hours of the announcement, Inns and Hotels got reserved!


    Thankfully, quite a few nobles came out voluntarily and made their private properties into amodations!


    Among them, almost all of them were Rhea''s faction members!


    It causedmotion everywhere.


    The Nobles not only arranged food and amodations for citizens, but they also send their Mystics to tighten the security in all streets!


    Then, they also took in-charge of the coronation ceremony rituals and began to proceed.


    Theyid out arge stage at the Royal Pce''s entrance, invited artisans to do the decorative works, arranged workers to clean the street roads, sending invitations to the nearby kingdoms'' monarchs, and so on.


    Meanwhile, the other Nobles, Churches'' representatives, merchants, and even a few mages visited the old mansion multiple times, showed respect to Rhea, and even presented gifts.


    ¡­


    rd January, Year 6401 Second Arcane Era.


    Misty Woods, Duke Foster''s territory, Iron Kingdom.


    It was around 6 A.M,


    Deep in the Misty woods, a thirty-year-old-looking man sat on the ground and stared at the sky in silence.


    He had ck hair, grey eyes, and his face appeared ageless.


    He was none other than Omen!


    It''s been more than six days since Emilia entered Dream World to capture Ivy, but there was no sign of her return!


    ''Did something happen?'' He frowned.


    Just as he was about to retract his gaze, he saw a small spatial crack appeared in the sky and stood up in a hurry.


    Then, the crack began to expand and soon formed into a bluish vortex!


    A momentter, a streak of light came out from it and formed into a figure of an old woman in herte 60s.


    Her face was filled with full of wrinkles and appeared pale.


    She had greyish white hair, ck eyes and wore a torn robe.


    She held a unique silver pocket watch in her hand, looked around the surroundings, and soon zeroed her gaze on Omen.


    Upon seeing her current appearance, Omen''s eyes were filled with shock and disbelief!


    On the other hand, Emilia disappeared from the sky, reappeared in front of him, and asked.


    "How many days have passed?"


    Omen soon woke up from the shock and responded in a hurry.


    "It''s been more than 6 days, Divine One. Tomorrow is the official coronation ceremony. But the Churches might have started the rituals."


    Emilia nodded her head and sighed.


    "That artifact is too crafty. If I didn''t have the ''Star Watch'', I wouldn''t have managed to escape the Nightmare Loop spell in time. Although I didn''t manage to capture it, I cast a chaos spell and banished it into a faraway ne. It would take more than a year for it to return."


    Saying so, she looked at the sky and spoke.


    "Follow the n and take care of ''Jessie'' before the start of the official ceremony. If she survives, she might pose a great threat to our n."


    "Yes, Divine One. Then, what about Charles and the Holem''s Crown?" Omen asked.


    "Don''t worry about them." Emilia smiled lightly, waved her wrinkled hand, and closed her eyes.


    A momentter, she opened her eyes and looked at her own wrinkled hands.


    For a second, her whole body went stiff.


    She hurriedly took out a mirror from her space ring, stared at her wrinkled face, and touched it with her right hand.


    "I-I aged a lot." She muttered in a hoarse voice.


    At that moment, shes of images appeared in her mind one by one and induced her inner emotions!


    ''Why am I following this guy? What happened to Andrew? H-How did I turn into an old woman?'' Her eyes widened.


    Simultaneously, tears started to appear from the corner of her eyes.


    ''Someone is manipting my mind!'' She subconsciously nced at Omen and moved her hand.


    Just as she was about to touch him, Omen took a step backward, stared into her eyes, and spoke.


    "You are a sacrifice, Lady Emilia. You shouldn''t think of retaliating."


    Upon hearing his divine-like words, Emilia instantly stopped thinking and nodded her head with a half-hesitant face.


    "Let''s go back to the capital."


    Saying so, she started walking towards the eastern direction.

 Chapter 290: Found You

    <h4>Chapter 290: Found You</h4>


    th January, Year 6401, Second Arcane Era.


    It was around 4 A.M.


    At this moment, Jessie woke up from her sleep and sat up on her soft bed.


    ''Why am I feeling unsettling inside?'' She let out a small yawn, took out a goldenmunication ring, and contacted Charles.


    To her surprise, an old man''s voice came from the other side.


    "Tell Rhea toe to the underground hall and meet me in secret."


    A surprise shed on Jessie''s face.


    She soon blinked her eyes, woke up from the shock, and responded.


    "I''ll go and tell her in a minute, Teacher."


    "Good." Charles didn''t say anything else and cut off the connection from the other side.


    In the meantime, Jessie stood up from her bed, walked out of her room, and went towards the nearby room.


    Then, she raised her hand and knocked on the wooden door twice.


    A few secondster, Rhea opened the door from another side, stuck her head out, and stared at Jessie in curious.


    "What happened?" She asked.


    On the other hand, Jessie nced around and then spoke in a low voice.


    "Teacher wants you to go to the underground hall and meet him in secret. No one should know about it."


    A startled look appeared on Rhea''s face.


    Although she couldn''t understand why her Teacher wants to meet her at this time, she didn''t put much thought into it and nodded her head.


    "Wait here for a while. I will go and get ready."


    Saying so, she shut the door from inside and began to get ready.


    A few minutester, Rhea walked out of her room, nced at Jessie for a moment, and asked.


    "Are you noting to the underground basement?"


    Her voice contains a trace of surprise and confusion.


    Meanwhile, Jessie shook her head and spoke.


    "Teacher didn''t ask me to apany you. He might have something to say to you in private. Go."


    Rhea widened her eyes for a moment before nodding her head and started running on the corridor.


    Upon seeing her action, a deep sigh came out of Jessie''s mouth.


    ''She doesn''t even realize the seriousness of the situation.'' She muttered inwardly and returned to her room.


    Then, she went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, took a long bath, and wore a formal ck dress.


    After that, she walked out of the bathroom, took out a pocket watch from her space ring, flipped open the outer case, and looked into it.


    ''4.30 A.M. Rhea must have returned from the basement.'' She nodded inwardly, walked out of her room, and knocked on her door twice.


    But even after a whole minute of waiting, no response came from the other side.


    ''She is still in the underground basement?'' She narrowed her eyes and then moved towards Titus''s room.


    Then, she knocked on the door and waited.


    A few secondster, a brown-haired young man opened the door from the other side and stared at Jessie in puzzlement.


    "What happened, sis?"


    "Nothing."


    Jessie shook her head, took out a secret letter from her space ring, and passed it to him.


    "When our Teacheres out of the underground basement, give this letter to him." She said in a calm tone.


    Meanwhile, Titus gave her a deep look and nodded his head.


    "Good." Jessie nodded her head, hesitated for a moment, and then added.


    "Do not let Miss Ashley go near Rhea during the coronation ceremony. Something feels off about her."


    Upon hearing those words, Titus was stunned a little and asked in shock.


    "Why are you suspecting her, sis? She is with us the whole time, right?"


    Meanwhile, Jessie shook her head and spoke in a serious tone.


    "Something doesn''t add up. Listen to my words, Titus. Do not let her go near Rhea during the ceremony. Got it?"


    Titus was shocked by his elder sister''s tone and turned serious.


    "I-I won''t let her go near Rhea." He nodded his head hurriedly.


    "Good. I will go to the terrace and give Destiny Lady somepany." Saying so, Jessie moved towards the end of the corridor and went to the third floor through a spiral staircase.


    Then, she walked past the banquet hall, ballroom, and VIP rooms and soon stepped on the straight staircase.


    Within a few seconds, she reached the building''s terrace, nced at the surroundings filled with ornamental vines and nts, and soon zeroed her gaze on a ck-haired woman, who was currently seated on the Lawson sofa.


    She had scarlet eyes, appeared around 25 years old, and wore a red robe.


    "You woke up early today." A pleasant voice came out of Destiny Lady''s mouth as she crossed her legs together and turned her gaze towards Jessie.


    "I''m feeling unsettled." Jessie didn''t hide anything and exined her strange uneasiness.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady stared at her for three continuous seconds and shook her head.


    "It''s called the fear of unknown." She stood up from her seat, moved towards the edge of the terrace, ced her hand on the iron pipe, and continued.


    "We feel this kind of strangeness when facing unexined things. But this fear gives us strength to move forward and find out the origin of these unexined-" Destiny Lady abruptly paused for a moment and stared at Rodsley Street in confusion.


    No, she was currently focused on a particr tree nted on the street sides.


    "What happened?" Jessie was startled by her action, moved towards the edge of the terrace, and followed after her gaze.


    Although she vaguely saw a humanoid appearance on the road, she couldn''t see the figure''s appearance clearly because of darkness and tree branches blocking her vision.


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady raised her hand, pinched her chin, and shook her head.


    "It must be someone else."


    "Who?" Jessie got more curious and asked.


    At that moment, she saw that humanoid figure walked past the tree branches, moved towards the old mansion''spound gate, and peeked inside.


    "What is he doing? Is he a thief?" Jessie looked at the human figure in suspicion.


    "He is moving again. He is moving towards the mansion entrance." Destiny Lady spoke solemnly.


    Like she had said, the human once again retracted his gaze from the mansion, moved towards the mansion entrance gate, and once again looked inside.


    But unlike before, Jessie and Destiny Lady managed to saw his appearance because of the presence of street light and widened their eyes!


    The face of that man was ageless, neither old nor young, though it was written the memory of many things both d and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadow of twilight.


    His eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars.


    He wore a brown cape over his head and appeared emotionless.


    "Omen!" Both of them muttered in a shocked tone!


    As if he had sensed their gazes, Omen suddenly shifted his gaze towards the three-storied building''s terrace, looked at the direction where they were standing, and curled his lips upward.


    "Found You!" An eerie voice echoed in their ears!

 Chapter 291: Fate Touch

    <h4>Chapter 291: Fate Touch</h4>


    Both Jessie and Destiny Lady froze for a moment and soon widened their eyes.


    "Go back and protect others. I will go after Omen." Destiny Lady said in a grave tone and cast [Crystal Wings] spell on herself.


    "Wait! It might be a trap to lure you out of the mansion, Lady Natalia. Why not just stay here? We have hundreds of elite Royal Guards to protect us, right?"


    Just as Jessie finished her words, Omen let out a chuckle and spoke while infusing his voice with the wisdom power.


    "You shouldn''t cower in fear when seeing an enemy,ss. You have to face them head-on."


    Upon hearing those words, Jessie and Destiny Lady felt that it was right to chase after him!


    Theypletely forgot about their earlier cautiousness!


    Destiny Lady pped her crystalline wings without hesitation, rose in the sky, and flew towards the mansion entrance.


    Meanwhile, Jessie also touched the silver bracelet in her right hand and looked up at the dark sky.


    The next instant, two illusionary wings appeared behind her back and spread outwards.


    Using her thoughts, she pped the illusionary wings and was about to jump forward but stopped.


    At this moment, her second consciousness noticed the anomaly and took control over her body!


    The next instant, Jessie''s main consciousness entered her Inner World and realized that Omen had already tampered with some of her memories!


    ''His skill could only affect me? No the Inner World, or my other consciousnesses?'' She got startled for a moment and spoke.


    "Good timing. Let''s contact our Teacher and inform him about the situation first." Jessie spoke as she erased the modified memories, left the Inner World, and took control of her body.


    Simultaneously, she pped her Illusionary wings and jumped from the terrace.


    At that moment, she also took out a golden ring from her pocket and contacted Charles.


    "What happened,ss?" An old man''s voice came from the other side.


    "Teacher, Omen is still alive." As she flew towards Omen, she exined their current situation shortly.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady alreadynded on the Rodsley Street road and stared at Omen coldly.


    Noticing themotion, a few Royal guards also opened thepound gate in a hurry and stared at both of them in confusion.


    Without minding their arrival, Omen stared deeply at Destiny Lady and spoke.


    "It''s better to battle in a quiet ce, right? Follow me."


    A secondter, he extended his hand and flew upward!


    ''He is not even using any wing spell¡­ But how?'' Shock appeared on Destiny Lady''s face and soon turned into disbelief.


    "Rank-5?" She asked in an rmed tone.


    ''No, it''s impossible. Omen must have strong control over soul power. But he should be at thest stage to breakthrough into the next realm!''


    While she was in muse, Jessie also arrived beside her and spoke.


    "Lady Natalia, please enter your Inner World and see if your memories are tampered with. Also, order your other consciousness to switch positions from time to time even without receiving your orders."


    "He manipted our thoughts?" Destiny Lady wore a doubtful look, nodded her head, and entered her Inner World.


    Then, she hurriedly looked at illusionary herself and noticed that her memories were indeed tampered with!


    ''I need to remove these modified memories soon and take control of my body. Otherwise, my psychopath second consciousness might do something reckless.'' She couldn''t help but get anxious inside.


    In the meantime, her second consciousness took control over her body and looked up at the dark sky in excitement.


    It was as if this consciousness was expecting such opportunity for a long time!


    Unlike Destiny Lady, this second consciousness was a reckless and impatient one.


    At that moment, ''Destiny Lady'' raised her hand, conjured an ice sword filled with purew power, and shifted her gaze towards Jessie.


    It was her most powerful Rank-4 spell, Freezing de!


    Then, she made a sword stance, released her full wisdom power, and thrust it towards Jessie''s head at a terrifying speed!


    Simultaneously,yers of ice crept towards all directions from her feet!


    Upon noticing the sudden change, Jessie was scared out of her wits!


    ''I''m going to die!'' Such a thought appeared in her mind.


    Just when the sharp ice sword was about to touch her overcoat, Destiny Lady curled her lips upward and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Fate Swift."


    A momentter, Jessie''s figure turned blurry and was reced with Omen!


    Before Omen could understand the situation, the purew-infused sword tore through the air and pierced into his neck!


    Although he tried his best to stop the de from moving deeper using his wisdom power, his attempt turned futile!


    Shock and disbelief appeared on Omen''s face.


    Although his skill could manipte others'' thoughts, it wasn''t an omnipotent one.


    If Jessie''s second consciousness hadn''t acted earlier, things would have gone in the wrong direction.


    Unfortunately, it did.


    ''I''ll die here.'' Omen tried to raise his hand but soon noticed thatyers of ice had already started moving towards his body and freezing him!


    Blood gushed out from his torn neck and sshed on the crystalline sword, his dress, and on the dirt road.


    Without any dy, he opened his mouth and spat out two words.


    "Fate Touch."


    Although nothing abnormal happened after he said those words, Destiny Lady didn''t dy for a single moment and attacked him once again.


    She pulled her crystalline sword, shed at his neck, andpletely severed his head!


    At this moment, Jessie also flew from the sky with a dumbfounded look,nded two meters away from the crazy Destiny Lady, and asked in a shocked tone.


    "That''s it?"


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady also took control over her body and stared at the scene in shock.


    ''Not even 3 seconds has passed, but she almost killed Jessie.'' Cold sweat dripped down from her forehead.


    She soon woke up from the shock, stared at the headless corpse, and frowned.


    ''Something feels off.''


    Before she could think further, one of the nearby Royal Guards screamed.


    She turned her gaze towards the particr leather armored guard and widened her eyes.


    At that moment, she saw a piercing sword wound appeared on his neck area!


    Blood gushed out from the wound, drenched his dress and the leather armor.


    A secondter, a sharp ray appeared on his neck area andpletely decapitated his head!


    Simultaneously, Omen''s head rose from the ground, moved on its own, and soon attached to the dancing headless body.


    Then, a bright red light appeared over his neck area andpletely healed his wounds!


    Omen opened his eyes in less than two seconds and stared at Destiny Lady in shock and fear.


    If he had dyed one second, he would''ve died permanently!


    "Do not move!" He said in a cold tone and flew towards the sky at a terrifying speed.


    But before he could fly 100 meters away from the mansion, a humanoid me appeared in front of him and soon formed into the figure of a deep-blue-haired young man.


    A momentte, two crimson wings appeared behind him and pped on their own.


    "Charles." Omen''s expression changed drastically.

 Chapter 292: Chase

    <h4>Chapter 292: Chase</h4>


    "That''s me." Charles grinned as he saw the shocked Omen.


    On the other hand, Omen moved back a little and stared at Charles in wariness.


    ''N-No! D-Divine One said that Charles wouldn''t show up at this moment!'' His mind went chaos for a moment.


    ''Something is not right. I came here to lure the smart girl out of this mansion and eliminate her stealthily¡­ But why did Charles appear here all of a sudden? Is this a trap?'' He abruptly stopped his thinking and muttered.


    "Mind Illusion."


    The next instant, his figure turned blurry and disappeared from everyone''s eyes!


    "Did he teleport?" Jessie widened her eyes in surprise.


    "It appears so. He sure is good at hiding." Destiny Lady dispersed her bloody ice sword and spoke.


    ''Good at hiding¡­'' Jessie turned her gaze towards the nearby broken ice and raised her eyebrows.


    "I have a way to track him down." She said while walking towards the broken ice, which was covered in blood droplets, and took a piece of it.


    Then, she let a single drop of blood fell on her palm and activated her [Blood Curse] skill.


    A momentter, the drop of blood turned into a stream of red light and absorbed into her hand.


    The next second, Jessie felt a faint connection with the owner of this blood droplet!


    She then looked in the northern direction, pointed her finger at the dark sky, and spoke.


    "He is flying that way!"


    Her words shocked both Charles and Destiny Lady.


    In truth, both of them had long used their wisdom power to search the surroundings to find where Omen was hiding.


    Unfortunately, not a single anomaly appeared in the surroundings, which made them puzzled inside!


    If not for Jessie vaguely sensing his presence with the help of blood curse, they wouldn''t even have found a single clue about where he was going!


    Jessie soon pped her transparent wings, flew up in the sky, and took the lead.


    Although it was dangerous to chase after Omen, she felt that it was worth a shot.


    ''Moreover, Destiny Lady and our Teacher''s grandson are here with me. If I''m not wrong, both of them are powerful Mystics and also good at handling these types of enemies.'' She thought to herself.


    On the other hand, a hesitant look appeared on Charles''s face.


    He pondered for a moment, pped his crimson wings, and followed after Jessie.


    Unlike him, Destiny Lady didn''t hesitate to p her crystalline wings and shot towards the northern direction.


    "Where is he going now?" Charles soon flew beside Jessie and asked.


    But before she could answer, Destiny Lady arrived on his right side and spoke with a smile.


    "It seems you have matured a little during these past few months, Charles."


    "It''s been a while, Miss Natalia. I''ve been worried about your health condition during the past few months." Charles spoke with a smile.


    An amused expression appeared on her face.


    She then sized him up and down and asked.


    "Did the old man alsoe back?"


    ''If he is already in the mansion, then we can chase after Omen without any worry.'' She thought.


    As if Charles had read her mind, he nodded his head and answered.


    "Yes. You don''t have to worry about the kids'' safety."


    At this moment, Jessie suddenly stopped in mid-air, looked around the dark sky, and showed a confused look on her face.


    "He seems to havended on the next street¡­ He is going by foot?" She tilted her head in puzzlement.


    She then descended from the sky,nded on the street road, and went towards the right side alley.


    On the other hand, Charles and Destiny Lady alsonded on the ground and followed after her.


    The three of them followed after Omen for the next two hours and finally noticed that the other party was up to something.


    Although they managed to locate him three times during their search, Omen used his illusion-type skill and escaped like a slippery eel.


    Even the morning sun had long ascended from the eastern sky!


    "He seems to be going towards the Slum District direction. If he enters there, it will be even more difficult to find him." Jessie said in a grim tone.


    "No. It will be impossible to capture or kill him while he is hiding in the city," Charles spoke coldly, took out the [Stone of Fear] artifact from his space ring, and activated it.


    Meanwhile, Omen also noticed that he was being followed by Charles and others and started to get anxious.


    Although he was good at manipting others'' minds, he wasn''t strong enough to face Charles head-on.


    ''As long as I move to the nearby woods, I will have a chance to eliminate Jessie.'' He recalled the Divine One''s words and began to think of a n.


    But as time passes, an unknown fear appeared in his mind.


    By the time he arrived near the Slum District, he had made a mistake due to fear, loosened his guard a little, and revealed his location to others!


    At that moment, Charles and the other two instantly attacked him from afar and started cornering him.


    Because of their sudden attacks, Omen had no choice but to fly away from the city while concealing his body in illusion!


    Charles and others continued to chase after the invisible Omen, flew across the Merchants'' District, and finally crossed the city wall.


    They then flew past the city outskirts and moved to the nearby woods.


    ¡­


    The old mansion, Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District.


    It was around 7 A.M.


    At this moment, Rhea walked out of her room in her coronation dress and looked at herself in the outside mirror.


    Her coronation dress was made of white satin and embroidered with gold and silver threads and pastel-colored silks. It was further decorated with seed pearls and crystals, which create a glitteringttice-work effect.


    Currently, her outer appearance looks more like a real Queen!


    Meanwhile, Noel and Titus also walked out of their rooms in their formal dress and stared at Rhea in surprise.


    "How is my dress?" Rhea asked with a smile on her face.


    Unlike before, Noel felt a sense of unfamiliarity as he saw her in that dress.


    Although it was a very weak feeling, he couldn''t help but feel puzzled by it.


    ''Is this due to her going to be the Queen of Iron Kingdom?'' He muttered inwardly.


    Meanwhile, Titus didn''t find anything odd and responded with a nod.


    "It looks good on you."


    Saying so, he moved his gaze towards the nearby door and knocked on it thrice.


    But even after two minutes of waiting, no response came from the other side!


    "She must be still chatting with Lady Natalia on the building''s terrace. Can you go and bring her here, Titus? The coronation ceremony will start at 8 A.M. We have to hurry up." Rhea said in a solemn tone.


    But just as Titus was about to turn around, a servant ran on the corridor and shouted.


    "Your Highness, Ancient Mage is waiting for you at the reception hall!"

 Chapter 293: Welcoming Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 293: Weing Ceremony</h4>


    Rhea and others nced at each other and then nodded their heads.


    Then, Titus ran towards the opposite side to look for Jessie while Rhea and Noel followed after the female servant.


    Because of Rhea''s coronation dress, their walking speed had reduced drastically.


    The trio soon reached the bifurcated staircase, walked on the red-carpeted steps, and arrived at the reception hall.


    Noel soon nced around and soon zeroed his focus at the center of the reception hall.


    Currently, the Holem''s Crown, aka Oswald, sat on the chesterfield sofa and was in the middle of listening to a guard''s exnation.


    As Oswald saw Noel''s and Rhea''s arrival, he gripped the handle of the ck cane, stood up from his seat, nced at the leather armored Royal Guard, and spoke.


    "You can go back and order your soldiers to get ready."


    Saying so, he turned his gaze towards Noel and Rhea and nodded his head.


    At that moment, they also arrived in front of him, bowed their heads, and greeted him in unison.


    "Good morning, Teacher!"


    "Are you guys ready?" Oswald asked.


    "Yes, Teacher. But Titus went to bring Jessie and Lady Natalia, Teacher. They will be here in a few minutes." Noel responded in a hurry.


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald smiled mysteriously and waved his hand.


    At that moment, Ashley also walked out of her room and soon arrived in front of Rhea.


    "You look great in this dress, Your Highness." She said with a smile, then nced around and asked.


    "Where are the others?"


    Just as she finished her words, Titus ran from the second floor and reached the reception hall in seconds.


    He panted heavily and spoke with a serious look on his face.


    "M-My sister and Lady Natalia are not on the building''s terrace."


    "Don''t worry. They went somewhere to finish some personal work." Oswald waved his hand and asked.


    "Shall we go now?"


    Although Titus and others were puzzled by his words, they didn''t say anything and nodded their heads.


    At that moment, Titus suddenly recalled his sister''s words and took out a sealed letter from his space ring.


    Then, he took a few steps forward, arrived beside Oswald, and passed it to him.


    "My sister told me to give this letter to you, Teacher."


    A surprise shed on Oswald''s wrinkled face.


    He then took the letter from Titus''s hand, opened the seal, and unfolded it.


    Soon, he noticed that the whole letter was written in Runal Language and got stunned for a moment.


    "Hello, Mr. Holem''s Crown. Jessie and Destiny Lady''s lives are in my hands. Tell Charles toe alone to the Almar Woods.


    - By Emilia Wilson."


    As he read those words, a mocking smile appeared on Oswald''s face.


    ''Haha, the ''Divine'' should''ve embarrassed by now. Is this how it looks when someone fails to do the kidnapping job?'' He shook his head, stored the letter into his space ring, and said.


    "It''s nothing important. Let''s get going."


    Then, he took a step forward and started walking towards the building''s exit.


    Others also followed after him, left the reception hall, and soon saw a golden chariot parked at the entrance.


    Upon seeing such a luxurious-looking carriage, all of them were stunned for a moment.


    Oswald silently moved towards the carriage entrance, opened the gate, and stepped in.


    Then, Rhea, Titus, Noel, and Ashley also walked in and satfortably on the leather seats.


    Once they walked in, two silver-armored guards walked from the sides and closed the carriage gate.


    After that, the coachman whipped the horses and drove towards the mansion''spound gate.


    Meanwhile, the hundreds of Royal Guards also moved out of the mansion and separated into four groups.


    One group moved in the front of the carriage while the second one followed after it from behind.


    As for the other two groups, they soon appeared on both sides andpletely covered the carriage!


    Meanwhile, Noel and Titus peeked outside through the curtain gap and got shocked by the guards'' performance.


    "Amazing. I wonder if they could listen to Rhea''s orders from now on." Titus muttered in shock.


    "Well, she is going to be the Queen, right? How could they disobey her orders? They will be her subordinates from now on." Noel spoke in a calm tone.


    On the other hand, Rhea remained silent, looked outside at the nearby mansion, and seemed to be in deep thoughts.


    While Noel and Titus continued to chant, the golden chariot moved on Rodsley Street and soon entered the main road.


    At that moment, other nobles'' carriages also came from different streets and followed after their carriage.


    Whistles, cheers, and shouts of citizens echoed from both sides.


    As the golden chariot drove on the main street, some citizens even knelt on the ground and showed respect.


    The chariot soon moved to the City Square, then to the Royal Street, and soon stopped in front of the Royal Pce.


    After that, Rhea, Oswald, and others walked out of the chariot one by one and then looked at the opened metal gate in astonishment.


    Meanwhile, Noel subconsciously turned his gaze towards the right side and soon frowned as he saw arge stageid out a few hundred meters away from the entrance.


    He also saw thousands of citizens standing in front of the stage and became confused when he saw them shouting and screaming in excitement!


    "What are they doing over there?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "They must be watching the ceremony through virtual magic recording screen. There are thousands of citizens who came from different parts of the kingdom to watch this ceremony. But letting them watch the ceremony inside the pce is almost impossible. So, the Artisan ss Mystics used their magical knowledge and created such artifacts. Communication rings, these virtual magic recordings, void pouch, and many othermonly used artifacts are creations of this Artisan ss Mystics." Oswald exined patiently and then shifted his attention towards the front.


    At that moment, tens of Robed Mages, Royal Knights, servants in ck uniform, and even a few priests stood in front of the gate in lines and bowed their heads in respect.


    "Servants of Bonere Family wee the rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom to the Royal Pce!"


    "Royal Knights of Bonere Family wee the rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom to the Royal Pce!"


    "Royal Mages of Bonere Family wees the rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom to the Royal Pce!"


    "Priests of Amber Church wee the rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom to the Royal Pce!"


    "Priests of Day and Night Church wee the rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom to the Royal Pce!"


    One by one, each group took a step forward and weed Rhea.


    They even sprinkled flowers on the path as they walked forward!


    Rhea and others soon entered the courtyard, walked past the garden, magical fountain, and then stopped in front of the white pce''s entrance.


    In the meantime, a ck-haired butler in histe 60s stood at the pce entrance, bowed his head in greeting, and invited them in.

 Chapter 294: Throne Hall

    <h4>Chapter 294: Throne Hall</h4>


    Rhea and others stepped into the Pce through the entrance, walked on the well-carpeted vast corridor, and moved to the Grand Marble Hall.


    As they walked on the corridor, hundreds of servants knelt on both sides and sprinkled flowers on the carpet from time to time.


    They soon entered the Grand Marble Hall and noticed multiple High-ss Nobles, more than 5 Rank-4 Mages, foreign ambassadors, and even a few white-robed Bishops seated on the sofas.


    Upon noticing their arrival, most of them stood up from their seats and greeted Rhea and Oswald with a nod.


    Only Duke Foster, Griffon Family Head Andy, and two more members from Amber Church remained on their seats.


    Rhea calmly nced at them, took the lead, and continued to walk on the carpeted path.


    They soon walked past the Banquet Hall, Ball Room, and Royal Library and finally arrived in front of a locked metallic gate.


    At that moment, the ck-haired butler took out a fist-sized golden key and passed it to Rhea.


    "Although we changed sides due to situation circumstances, we hadn''t allowed any foreigners or other Royal Family members to enter the Throne Hall, Your Highness." The butler said with aplicated look on his face.


    On the other hand, Rhea nodded her head, took the iron key from his hand, and moved it towards the keyhole.


    She then skillfully inserted the key and turned it to the right side.


    A momentter, a metal clicking noise echoed in the corridor, followed by a loud rumbling noise.


    Rhea raised both her hands when the rumbling noise ended, ced them on the gate, and pushed it harder.


    A loud metal screeching noise echoed in the Pce.


    Then, the metallic gate opened and revealed a grand hall to everyone''s sight.


    Pair of magicmps enclosed each of the ten marble columns, illuminated most of the throne hall, and engulfed everything in a flickering radiance.


    An amber rug ran from the throne to the doors and was matched by smaller ones on either side of the hall while rectangr banners with emzoned crowns droop from the walls.


    A tall candle stood between each banner. Some of the candles have been lit and illuminated the artistic depictions of folk heroes and legends below them.


    Amber-colored curtains enclosed huge, stained ss windows depicting important moments of victory. The curtains appeared to be adorned with decorating tips and gold leaves.


    An imposing throne of Iron remained in front of a giant painting of the kingdom and was adjoined by two smaller and less borate seats for the Royal Family members.


    The throne was covered in symbolic emblems, and fixed on each broad foot was a gem-encrusted dragon.


    Many extravagant andfortable alder benches, chairs, and sofas were ced on the aisle of the throne hall, all of which were diagonally facing the throne.


    "Go and sit on the throne,ss." Oswald looked at the grand Throne Hall and spoke.


    Meanwhile, Rhea hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and started walking towards the throne.


    On the other hand, Oswald and others also followed after her in silence.


    While they were walking on the aisle, tens of silver-armored guards entered the throne hall and spread out in different directions.


    Some moved near to the dais, a few moved towards the pirs, and the others stayed near the aisle.


    They all held spears in their hands and appeared imposing.


    Meanwhile, only one guard in his golden armor followed after Oswald and others and soon arrived near the dais in silence.


    Without minding his presence, Oswald nced at Noel, Titus, and Ashley and then spoke.


    "You three should go and seats in the front row. I will take care of the rest."


    Saying so, he followed after her, stepped on the dais, appeared in front of the metallic Iron Throne, and sat on the nearby small seat.


    Meanwhile, Rhea turned around, adjusted her ceremonial dress, sat on the Iron Throne, and looked at the throne hall from above like an overseer.


    Her gaze wandered towards the stiffened guards and soonnded on the golden-armored guard.


    He was a man in his forties, had long grey hair, amber eyes, a bit muscr, and appeared to be around 185 cm high.


    He was much taller than the rest of the guard and looked imposing.


    Upon noticing her gaze, the golden armored guard removed his helmet, lowered his spear, and bowed his head slightly.


    "Kings Guard Captain Eric greets the rightful heir of the Iron Kingdom!" His thundering voice echoed in the hall.


    But there was not even a single trace of anxiousness that appeared on Rhea''s face.


    "Tell your position in the Pce and also your Rank, Mr. Eric." She said in a soft tone.


    Upon hearing her words, Eric frowned a bit and spoke.


    "I''m a Rank-4 [Noble Lord] ss Mystic, Your Highness. As for my position, I''m in charge of Pce''s security."


    His voice contains a trace of pride.


    At that moment, Oswald took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, opened the outer case, and looked into it.


    ''7.40. A.M.'' He muttered inwardly, looked at Eric, and ordered.


    "Go and tell others toe in. We have to start the coronation ceremony before 8 A.M."


    Upon hearing his words, anger shed on Eric''s face.


    "I only take order from the Royal Family member, Mage Oswald." He responded in a cold tone.


    Before Oswald could say another word, Rhea raised her hand and spoke coldly.


    "He will be the Guardian of Bonere Family from now on, Mr. Eric. His words represent my will."


    A shock appeared on Eric''s face.


    Soon, he returned to his normal state and shook his head in disappointment.


    "This isn''t something you could decide on your own, Your Highness. You need to get the approval of Nobles, Iron Tower Mages, and Griffon Family." He paused for a moment and then added calmly.


    "Moreover, you haven''t crowned yet, Your Highness."


    ''He is too arrogant.'' Even Oswald felt that he was showing disrespectful behavior to the future monarch!


    ''Is this because of his personal strength? It seems Rank-4 Mystics aren''t easy to deal with.'' He couldn''t help but show a wry smile on his face.


    On the other hand, Rhea maintained her calm look and gestured him to do his work.


    Without having any other choice, Eric gritted his teeth while turning around, went towards the Throne Hall entrance, and told everyone toe in.


    In the next few seconds, tens of luxurious dressed Nobles robed Mages, ambassadors, and the Churches'' representatives entered the Throne Hall one by one, walked on the aisle, and found a suitable ce to sit.


    Then, a white-robeddy in herte sixties entered the hall, held a golden throne in her hand, and started walking on the aisle.


    She had long, deep-blue hair, oceanic eyes, and a heart-shaped face.


    She was the Head Priestess of Water Elemental Temple!


    After the white-robeddy was another three men in grey robes, they appeared more like priests!


    ''Head Priests of the four ancient temples of Iron Kingdom.'' Oswald stared at their action in curious.


    On the other hand, the white-robed Head Priestess soon arrived in front of the dais, gave the golden crown to the nearby priest, and started to chant.


    Her voice appeared sacred and calm as she recited the verses.


    While chanting, she also took out a water pouch from her space ring, stepped on the dais, arrived in front of Rhea, and used the water to clean her hands and feet.


    After that, she nced at the other priest, ended the chanting, and spoke.


    "Theo, pass me the pot of Life Water."


    Upon hearing her words, a grey-robed priest went on the dais, took out arge sealed mud pot from his space ring, and gave it to her.


    The head priestess caught the mud pot, opened it, and added.


    "Go and ce the candles around the dais."


    Saying so, she moved the pot above Rhea''s head and directly poured the cold water on her head!


    To others'' surprise, not a single drop of water drenched her ceremonial dress and absorbed it directly into her body.


    Simultaneously, the blue-gem embedded ring in her right hand shone brightly and turned into a bluish cloud of smoke.


    Upon seeing such a strange ceremony, low-ss nobles, Churches'' representatives, and even some mages started discussing with others in whispers.


    As if the Head Priestess had heard their thoughts, she cleared her throat and spoke in a calm tone.


    "During the Era of Ancients, Mages believed water as pure and sacred. This pot of water is filled with Life Water from the Water Elemental ne. As long as Her Highness''s body and heart are pure, she will be able to absorb the Life Water into her body. This first rite is also used to check whether some imposter used her blood to change shapes. The First King of Iron Kingdom once mentioned that there exists a race who could achieve such feet. But this Life Water can show us whether the person is an imposter and an original one. Worry not. This is Rhea Bonere''s original body."


    Her words caused everyone in the hall to widen their eyes in shock.

 Chapter 295: Rites

    <h4>Chapter 295: Rites</h4>


    At that moment, the priest named Theo already lit the candles around the dais and spoke.


    "It''s ready, Head Priestess."


    Meanwhile, the Head Priestess nodded her head, chanted another recite for a minute, and then asked.


    "Soul Heart."


    As if Theo had been waiting for her words, he touched his space ring, took out a bluish crystal from it, and passed it to him.


    Meanwhile, the Head Priestess caught the crystal and exined.


    "This Soul Heart is extracted from a Rank-6 undead Lich and has a pure essence of Soul Fire. It''s a type of fire that could be used to heal one''s soul-rted problems and also check abnormalities in one''s soul." Saying so, she ced the crystal on Rhea''s head and crushed the crystal with her bare hands.


    A momentter, a pure bluish me fell on her head and enveloped her body in mere seconds!


    While Rhea''s body was burning in blue light, the Head Priestess nodded her head and continued.


    "This fire can point out if some evil power possessed this body and control it like a puppet. Each of our souls has some unique connection with our real bodies, so it is impossible to fool this Soul Fire. Hmm, this soul is Rhea''s original one, no doubt about it."


    As she ended her talk, the bluish me on Rhea''s body also started to diminish and disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    Meanwhile, Theo took out a strange iron needle and a bottle of an empty vial from his space ring and passed it to the Head Priestess.


    On the other hand, the Head Priestess took the two things and started to exin.


    "First is called ''Needle of Zero Mass.'' It''s a type of needle that could enter deep into one''s Inner World and check whether any foreign power is hiding there and manipting one''s soul core. If such foreign power resides inside one''s soul, it will send a signal to my mind. But sending this Needle of Zero Mass into Rhea''s Inner World will take a few minutes, so everyone has to wait in patience. Second, this empty vial contains a ''Wind'' called Soulless Wind. If I open this vial, it will produce a strange sound, enter into the nearby person''s main consciousness and tell us whether they are manipted by some strange mind spells."


    Saying so, she put the Needle of Zero Mass in Rhea''s hand and started to chant.


    ¡­


    While the ceremony was taking ce in the Royal Pce, Charles and others continued to chase after Omen, flew across the woods, and soon stopped in front of farnd.


    They thennded on the plowed field and looked at the surrounding wheat fields.


    Charles even saw a few scarecrows ced in the sides and frowned.


    "Where is he now?" He asked.


    "He is over there, Mr. Charles," Jessie said in a solemn tone and pointed her finger at the front.


    "Good. You should back away now." Saying so, Destiny Lady took a step forward, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.


    A momentter, hundreds of ice spears appeared in front of her and flew in that direction like raining arrows.


    But to others'' surprise, all those raining spears directlynded on the plowednd and began to dissolute!


    "He is not there?" Both Destiny Lady and Jessie got stunned for a moment and looked at each other in puzzlement.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly extended his hand, cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, and released hundreds of invisible strings in all directions.


    Those invisible strings constantly moved like slithering snakes, and soon one string touched something in the air.


    Charles hurriedly raised his hand, pointed his finger at the particr area, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    A momentter, a reddish bullet came out of his finger and moved towards that ce at a terrifying speed.


    In the meantime, Omen stared warily at Charles and others and soon widened his eyes.


    ''F*ck! Did he find out my location?'' Before he could think further, a reddish bullet tore through the air and almost appeared in front of his chest!


    "Shield!" He screamed in shock and activated his defensive artifact.


    Just as the reddish bullet touched his shirt, a golden light appeared around his body andpletely covered him!


    A loud banging sound echoed in the plowing field as the reddish fire bullet collided with the golden light.


    Then, the bullet cracked into two and exploded all of a sudden while releasing terrifying chaotic shock waves in all directions.


    Although Omen''s shield spell managed to block the bullet, the chaotic explosionpletely caught him off guard!


    The chaotic shockwaves directlynded on his body and threw him backward.


    Like a bullet, his body shock backward while smashing the nearby scarecrow and soonnded on the wheat field.


    Upon seeing this scene, Destiny Lady also raised her hand, created a small shard of ice, and tossed it at Omen!


    As the shard moves, countless ice spikes appeared below it and started spreading in all directions!


    By the time Omen managed to stand up, the Ice shard also arrived in front of his chest and pierced his body.


    The next instant, he turned into an ice sculpture!


    "Let''s finish him off," Charles said coldly, created a sharp me sword, and threw it towards the ice sculpture.


    The sword made a whooshing sound and was about to collide with the ice sculpture but stopped.


    A momentter, the me sword suddenly split into multiple pieces and disappeared from everyone''s eyes!


    If someone looks closely, they would see multiple icy threads appeared in front of the sculpture and seemed to be protecting it from all sides.


    Upon seeing such a strange scene, Charles''s eyebrows rose upward.


    ''Ice Threads? They look familiar.''


    He looked around and soon shifted his attention towards the sky.


    Meanwhile, a gray-haired woman in herte sixties hovered up in the sky and gazed at them with a stern look on her face.


    She had a wrinkled round face, curly hair, and grey eyes and wore an ordinary ck robe with a hood.


    Upon seeing her face, Charles''s eyes widened.


    "Team Leader? What happened to you?" He asked in a shocked tone.


    At that moment, Jessie and Destiny Lady also noticed some familiarity and soon widened their eyes.


    "Lady Emilia?" Jessie stared at the sky in shock and disbelief.


    ''W-What happened to her? How did she be older?'' She couldn''t understand at all!


    Meanwhile, Emilia descended from the sky and soonnded in front of the trio.


    Although she appeared normal, all three of them felt something was amiss.


    While they were in shock, Emilia took out a bluish crystal from her space ring and crushed it in an instant.


    A momentter, an invisibleyer appeared in the sky and covered the sky!


    "Dimensional Lock?" Destiny Lady suddenly felt like she had seen a d¨¦j¨¤ vu!


    Charles was also surprised by her action and furrowed his brows.


    ''Her actions are too strange¡­ What happened to Andrew and the other member? Why is she protecting Omen? Wait¡­ Her memories are being manipted?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    He also noticed that Emilia''s grey eyes appeared unfocused.


    "Her memories might have already been tampered with." Jessie also made an urate guess at that moment and added.


    "It''s better to destroy Omen''s sculpture now. Although his body is sealed in the ice, his consciousness isn''t."


    Upon hearing her words, both Charles and Destiny Lady nodded their heads in approval.


    Then, Charles enveloped his body in a crimson me, disappeared from there, and reappeared in front of the ice sculpture.


    After that, he stared deep into the sculpture''s eyes and started casting [Burning Thoughts] spell.


    Simultaneously, he raised his hand, ced his finger on the forehead area, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell!


    A momentter, a reddish bullet came out of his hand, entered deep into the Ice sculptor, and made arge hole!


    Next, chaotic red mes started spreading from the forehead area, crept all over the area, and soon enveloped the Ice sculpture in a red fire!

 Chapter 296: Divine

    <h4>Chapter 296: Divine</h4>


    In seconds, the whole human ice sculpture was evaporated into thin air!


    Charles then enveloped his body in crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared next to Jessie and looked at the other battle.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady had already released her full wisdom power andpletely suppressed Emilia using pure soul force.


    No, Destiny Lady hadn''t used her skills at all!


    She effortlessly breaks away from her mind-controlling skills like Touch of Idiocy, Control words, and Thoughts Maniption and soon knocked her out.


    If not for Emilia being a family member of the Wilson Family, Destiny Lady might have long killed her!


    "What should we do now?" She stared at Emilia''s wrinkled face for a moment and asked.


    Meanwhile, Jessie looked around in confusion and started to speak.


    "Something is definitely wrong about this chase. First, Omen tried to control our minds and lure us out of the mansion. But we somehow manage to break away from his control, retaliated, and even managed to give a heavy blow. When he tries to get away, Mr. Charles arrived there on time and blocked him. It''s his first obstacle. At that moment, he used some strange skill to hide from you guys and ran away from there."


    "Unfortunately for him, I used his blood and began to track him¡­ It''s his second obstacle. In the end, he came to this unknown farnd and turned it into a sculpture under Lady Natalia''s spell¡­ It''s the third one. Just when we are about to kill him, Lady Emilia showed up in a bizarre state and seems to have locked the space¡­ In the end, he died under Mr. Charles''s hand. But there is definitely some mastermind pulling strings from behind the scenes! If not, why did Omen try his best toe to this ce and get himself killed? He had many other options to escape, but he didn''t. It was as if he came here under someone''s order!"


    At that moment, all of them looked up at the sky and turned serious.


    "It''s the Dimension Lock spell¡­ So, their main aim is to lure and lock us here, huh." A look of understanding appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    "We shouldn''t have chased after Omen!" Anger shed on Jessie''s face.


    ''If Mr. Charles hadn''t shown up, I wouldn''t have chased after Omen. Damn, Rhea and others might be in danger.'' She hurriedly took out hermunication ring and tried to contact her Teacher.


    Unfortunately, no reply came from the other side!


    Her heart started to thump harder all of a sudden.


    ''W-What to do now?'' Her mind went chaos.


    At that moment, a soft hand pressed on her shoulder.


    "Calm down, Jessie. We will think of something else." This time, it was Destiny Lady who arrived next to her and spoke in aforting voice.


    Then, she nced at Charles and furrowed her brows.


    "What''s your n, Charles? I know that breaking this Rank-5 Dimensional Lock Spell is not an easy matter. You must have known something about this strange maniptive force, right? What is the opposite party''s aim?"


    Upon hearing her question, a surprise shed on Charles''s face.


    Still, his gaze remained on the invisible dimensional lock!


    After staring at the lock for a few seconds, he nodded his head in understanding and spoke.


    "This maniptive force is a Divine''s separate consciousness. Well, even I know nothing much about it. But your guess is spot on. The Divine wants us to seal here till the ceremony ends."


    "D-Divine''s Consciousness?" A shock and rm appeared on both of their faces.


    Without minding their shocking looks, Charles took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, flipped open the outer case, and nced into it.


    ''7.56 A.M. Hmm, it''s almost time.'' He nodded inwardly and continued to look for weaknesses in the Dimension Lock spell.


    He had long activated [Arcane eyes] skill during all these times and was waiting to break the spell.


    ''Moreover, Mr. Rh already told me that a [Dimension Lock] spell''s main weakness should always be on the outside. Hmm, where is it?'' His gaze constantly moved as he continued to search.


    In the meantime, Destiny Lady woke up from the shock and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "It seems this matter is more serious than I thought. That exins why we ended up trapped by the mysterious Elder guy." She paused for a moment and asked.


    "So, do you have any n? You grandfather must have some countermeasure against it, right?"


    Upon hearing those words, a smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "He does have a n. But it''s not the right time." Saying so, he remained motionlessly on the plowed field and waited.


    ¡­


    Throne Hall, Royal Castle.


    In the meantime, the ceremonial rite continued to proceed as the Head Priestess ended the chanting and used her thoughts to break an empty vial.


    The next instant, a strange melody came out from the vial, entered deep into Rhea''s main consciousness, and soon disappeared.


    "Excellent! Rhea''s main consciousness is also a real one."


    Just as she finished her words, the final ring in Rhea''s hand also turned into a cloud of white smoke and merged with the other three clouds of smoke.


    Then, a dazzling light appeared from the clouds as they continued to merge and soon formed into an emerald-colored ring.


    Simultaneously, some mystical energy came out from the Ruler''s Ring andpletely enveloped Rhea''s body!


    "Ruler''s Ring!" Head Priestess said with a bright smile on her face.


    Then, she nced at the grey-robed priest named Theo and ordered.


    "Give me the Crown now."


    "Yes," Theo nodded his head, took the golden crown from the other priest''s hand, and passed it to her.


    Meanwhile, Head Priestess caught the throne with both hands, arrived in front of Rhea, and ced it on her head.


    "I, the 9th Head Priestess of Four Elemental Temples, hereby dere Rhea Bonere as the Rightful Ruler of Iron Kingdom!"


    Saying so, she knelt on the ground and bowed her head.


    The next moment, all those Nobles, Mages, the Royal Knights, Ambassadors, and even the Churches'' Representatives stood up from their seats and bowed their heads in unison.


    Even Titus, Noel, and Ashley stood up from their seats and bowed their heads subconsciously.


    Meanwhile, a few nobles and mages even knelt on the floor and bowed like Head Priestess.


    Only the mighty Oswald remained seated next to Rhea''s throne and stared at everyone in amusement.


    ''Hmm, I think it''s time.'' He nodded his head, concentrated his attention on the contract mark, and spoke.


    ''You can begin now.''


    ¡­


    At the exact moment, Charles received information from his Inner World and curled his lips upward.


    Then, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at the sky, and spoke.


    "Hand of Wonders."


    A momentter, a single invisible string came out from his forefinger, moved towards the sky, and then directly tore through the Dimensional Lock spell!


    Wherever the invisible string moves, space began to bend and made way for it!


    Then, the string made a slight turn, moved towards the main weakness, and pierced it.


    The next instant, the whole Dimensional Lock spell shook for a moment and soon crumbled into millions of pieces!


    Upon witnessing such a scene, both Destiny Lady and Jessie went dumbfounded for a moment.


    On the other hand, Charles casually retracted his hand, moved it to Destiny Lady and Jessie, and spoke.


    "Hold on to my hand. I will take you guys directly to the Throne Hall-"


    Before he could even finish his words, a boundless pressure came out of nowhere and mmed them on the ground!


    At that moment, the fallen Emilia began to stand up and released a terrifying power in all directions.


    Then, she opened her eyes and stared at Charles with a cold look on her face.


    "Charles! You are going nowhere." A raging female''s voice came out from Emilia''s mouth, causing all three of them to shudder involuntarily.


    At that moment, Charles raised his head and soon trembled as he saw Emilia''s eerie ck eyes.


    Even though it was just a nce, he felt boundless terror appeared in his head!


    "Divine!" His voice contains a trace of fear.


    On the other hand, Emilia snorted coldly, looked up at the sky, and frowned.


    "You sure do love to mess up my n, huh." She muttered in an unfamiliar female voice and added.


    "But you forgot one thing, Charles. I''m a Divine."


    Then, she raised her hands, gathered some invisible power, and spoke.


    "Dimensional Seal."


    After that, she closed her eyes and fell backward with a thud.


    Simultaneously, the invisible boundless pressure on Charles and others also disappeared from the area.


    "W-What the hell was that?" Destiny Lady raised her head, looked at the newly formed invisible lock in the sky, and asked with a disbelieving look on her face.


    At that moment, Jessie also sat up from the ground and asked.


    "I-Is that the Divine''s consciousness you said earlier, Mr. Charles?"


    Her voice contains shock, fear, and terror!


    Meanwhile, Charles sat up with a solemn look and nodded.


    "She is the Divine."


    Then, he followed Destiny Lady''s gaze and soon went pale.


    "A Rank-6 Dimensional Spell?" He couldn''t hide his shock at all.


    Destiny Lady also went pale and then muttered.


    "The Divine seems to be hell bend on keeping us here."


    ¡­

 Chapter 297: Tricked

    <h4>Chapter 297: Tricked</h4>


    Throne Hall, Royal Pce.


    At that moment, Rhea raised her hand, gestured everyone to stand up from their kneeling position, and sat on the Iron Throne.


    The next moment, all of them stood up, moved towards their seats, and sat down.


    Ashley also followed their actions and sat down next to Noel.


    At that moment, her eyes turned abnormally ck.


    A secondter, she casually touched her space ring, took out a silver pocket watch, and flipped open the outer case.


    Unlike other pocket watches, this one appeared unique and ancient!


    Instead of needles, numbers, and dials, countless star-like dots appeared inside!


    In truth, this was the same pocket watch Emilia forcefully took from Russell!


    Star Watch! (Ref. Ch.31)


    Ashley nced at the crown, moved her finger into the bow, and pressed the crown.


    Strange energy seeped out of the watch and enveloped the whole Royal Pce in an instant.


    Then, everyone''s movement began to slow down a bit by bit and finally halted.


    It was the ''Time Stop'' ability!


    All those who stayed in the Royal Pce werepletely frozen in Time!


    A momentter, an illusionary figure of a woman in herte twenties appeared in front of Ashley.


    She had blonde hair, close-set azure eyes, faint eyebrows, silken ivory skin, elongated face, and an aquiline nose.


    Currently, she wore a long ck gown and appeared to be around 179 cm high.


    She extended her hand with some difficulty, took a step forward, and curled her lips upward.


    At that moment, space and Time began to distort around her body andpletely nullified the ''Time-Stop'' effect around her!


    She then calmly walked on the carpeted floor, stepped on the dais, walked past the Head Priestess, and soon arrived in front of Rhea.


    In truth, she was waiting for the coronation ceremony toplete and nning to take over Rhea''s soul!


    A secondter, she turned into a ray of white light and entered Rhea''s body!


    The ''Divine Lady'' entered a dark space a momentter and soon found herself floating in the air.


    She then looked at the surroundings and soon widened her eyes.


    "Fire?" A shock appeared on her face.


    Yes, instead of normal cloudy areas or Icy ins, the surroundings were filled withva pools, rocks, arge purple sea of mes, and so on!


    Upon seeing such a scene, her pupil shrank abruptly!


    "I''ve been tricked!" A tremendous invisible ripple came out of her body.


    But to her shock, it couldn''t spread to the surroundings at all!


    ''Hmm? Why does this Inner World appear so quiet?'' A frown appeared on her face.


    Only then did she notice that the outside ''Time Stop'' had a simr effect in the Inner World.


    ''No, one''s Inner World shouldn''t be affected by the Star Watch''s Present Time ability¡­ That leaves with only one option¡­ The owner of this Inner World has deep understanding towards the Present Time¡­''


    At that moment, a person''s image appeared in her mind.


    ''Charles!'' Confusion appeared on her face.


    Soon, she closed her eyes, let her divine power seep into the nearby area, and muttered.


    "Hmm, this Time Divine Power doesn''t belong to Charles¡­ Wait¡­ Why do I feel something familiar with this energy?" She froze for a moment and soon widened her eyes.


    "Lord Udnir''s Divine Power? Impossible! He isn''t someone who would seek help from a mortal to achieve his goal¡­ This is the work of someone else¡­ Angel of Time¡­ It must be that darned Royal Elf." Her voice turned abnormally hoarse.


    Her lips trembled all of a sudden as if she recalled something terrible.


    "Angel of Time? That''s interesting."


    Just as she muttered, a cold voice came from the small reddish pebble that floated a few meters away from her.


    A momentter, the pebble expanded suddenly and formed into a figure of a 25-years-old young man.


    He wore a ck overcoat over his formal suit and appeared calm as water.


    Upon seeing his appearance, the frown on her forehead deepened.


    "Howe you are here, Charles? When did you switch ces with Rhea? If you are here, then who is the one I sealed before?¡­ Wait¡­ That''s your clone?"


    A look of realization appeared on Divine Lady''s face.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "When you possessed Emilia to seal me a while ago, Rhea used a Fate spell and switch ces with me. Because of the Holem''s Crown''s Past Illusion ability, we managed to pull this off in three seconds without alerting anyone." He paused for a moment and asked with a smile.


    "Shall we start?"


    Meanwhile, the Divine Lady sized him up and down and asked.


    "You think you can win against me?"


    Simultaneously, she extended her right hand, gripped the thin air, and smiled.


    A secondter, she manipted the surrounding Time Divine Power, elerated the Time, and appeared in front of him in less than a second!


    Charles''s pupil shrank abruptly!


    Before he could even think, she conjured a long ck sword and directly thrust it towards his chest!


    ''What the f*ck? She actually using the artifact''s ''Time Power''!''


    While thinking, he cast [Fire Born] spell and enveloped himself in a me!


    A momentter, the sharp sword went deep into his chest and appeared on the other side.


    Then, his whole body began to erge all of a sudden and exploded!


    The next instant, the System''s Time Stop ability stopped in his Inner World, and everything returned to normal.


    Simultaneously, another pebble rose from the ground and soon formed into a figure of a 25-year-old young man.


    "That was close," Charles muttered in a solemn tone and soon frowned.


    ''This woman is indeed a scary one.'' He stealthily took out a strange azure gem from his pocket, dropped it into the nearbyva sea, and pped his hands.


    A momentter, the wholeva sea turned purplish.


    He then raised his right hand and pointed his finger towards the Divine Lady.


    The next second, the whole Inner World shook violently and released monstrous rays of purplish mes towards her!


    Meanwhile, the Divine Lady hovered up in the sky, casually dodged those purple mes, and furrowed her brows.


    ''What is he up to?''


    "This Mind Fire might pose some problem for me¡­" She muttered in a grim tone.


    But just as those purple rays flew past her, they suddenly stopped in mid-air and transformed into appearances of Charles!


    Hundreds of purple-skinned Charles suddenly appeared in the sky and leaped towards her from different directions.


    Some grabbed her leg, some grabbed her waist, and some grabbed her hair, and so on¡­


    Then, their bodies began to bulge and exploded one by one while releasing tens of thousands of Rank-3 [Knowledge Seeker] spells.


    Even though the Divine Lady was terrifyingly powerful, she still couldn''t dodge all those Rank-3 spells in such a short time!


    More than tens of [Knowledge Seeker] fire spells entered her illusionary body and stole some of her memories!


    Upon seeing some of her memories were disappearing, wrath appeared on her face.


    "You are seeking death!" She shouted furiously and waved her ck sword.


    An invisible force came out of the sword, released in every direction while sending ripples, and destroyed everything in its path.


    Countless minute sword cuts appeared all over the world!


    Rocks crumbled into dust,vas split into multiple cubes before reforming, and even faraway fire forests were annihted!


    What''s more shocking was that even Charles''s illusionary body was split into multiple pieces and fell on the ground.


    If it were in another person''s Inner World, Charles''s main consciousness wouldn''t have a chance to survive.


    Thankfully, he was in his Inner World.


    A few hundred meters away from where stood before, few broken pieces of stone merged into a pebble and soon formed into a figure of a 25 years old young man.


    "So, you can only use your sword abilities now, huh. No, I think you can also manipte Time and Space elements and controls them to some extent, right?" Charles gave her a deep look, conjured a me sword, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared few meters away from Divine Lady and asked with a teasing smile on her face.


    "Are you ready for another round?"


    Simultaneously, he used [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself, pointed the me sword at the sky, and shed it at Divine Lady.


    A secondter, countless reddish chaotic rays of bullets came from all over his Inner World and moved towards her uniformly.


    All of them were Rank-4 [Finger of Destruction] spells!


    When they were about to reach her, some bullets changed their directions a little and collided with nearby bullets.


    In seconds, countless terrifying explosions echoed in the sky and shook the whole Inner World while releasing chaotic me in all directions!


    As for the Divine Lady, she was also absorbed into the chaotic fire!


    But before the chaotic mes could do some damage to her illusionary body, Divine Lady once again shed her sword.


    A momentter, all those chaotic mes were split into countless pieces and started to vanish!


    ''As expected of a Divine, it''s going to be a battle of life and death.'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face.

 Chapter 298: Delaying the Death

    <h4>Chapter 298: Dying the Death</h4>


    "Is that all you got?" A mocking voice echoed in the sky.


    The next instant, the Divine Lady shed her sword and sent countless sword shes in all directions.


    But unlike before, Charles extended his hand, cast [Fire Born] spell on himself, and enveloped his body in a crimson me.


    Whenever those sharp des enter his body, they passed through his body, appeared on the other side, and disappeared.


    For the first time, Divine Lady paused in surprise and asked.


    "That must be the Rebirth me, right? I did some research about it."


    Meanwhile, Charles remained silent for a moment and asked.


    "Why did you send Oswald and Rachel to Dreamforce Lair Ruin?"


    Till now, he couldn''t find the reason behind this action!


    ''With the help of ''Star Watch,'' she doesn''t need to be afraid of being noticed or even stopped by any Rank-4 Mystics¡­''


    A chuckle escaped out of Divine Lady''s mouth.


    "It''s not a big secret. Your grandfather doesn''t have the power to stop me¡­ But Rachel is a special one. She is a Lightning Mage and has the ability to elerate her thoughts at a fast speed. So, the chance of her noticing my presence is very high." Her words made Charles''s eyes widen.


    But before he could ask another question, she disappeared from the sky and arrived in front of Charles.


    But just when she was about to sh her sword at his head, Charles''s figure disappeared and reappeared behind her!


    Simultaneously, something happened inside his illusionary body.


    No, his figure appeared more like a real one.


    What''s more shocking was that his muscles seemed to have hardened more like iron!


    "Let''s start." He said.


    A secondter, the gravity in the whole Inner World suddenly increased tenfold!


    At that moment, the ''Time'' seemed to have slowed down in his Inner World.


    But Charles felt no pressure at all!


    He felt that he could move at a normal human''s speed!


    Without wasting any moment, he raised his hand at a fast speed, aimed the me sword at Divine Lady''s back, and thrust it!


    Even though the Divine Lady managed to evade his attack without batting an eye, shock and rm could be seen on her face.


    She hurriedly distanced herself from Charles and stared at him with wide eyes.


    "Impressive!" She said in a shocked tone.


    On the other hand, Charles wore a pleasing smile on his face, controlled the gravity in his Inner World to normal, and nodded his head in understanding.


    "Gravitational Time Dtion¡­ Well, Einstein''s theory really helped me this time¡­ But why were the people in the outside world didn''t get affected by massive gravity? Is it due to some special energy within the Time Divine Power? It not only slows down or stops the ''Time'' but also nullifies the high gravity effect?"


    Upon hearing his words, the Divine Lady got stupefied for a moment and drew a deep breath.


    "My real body took more than 6,400 years to learn the secrets of ''Time,'' ''Gravity'' and ''Space'' and then grasped the ''Present'' time¡­ But here you are¡­" She gave him a deep look and finally asked.


    "Who taught you that?"


    An awkward silence appeared in the Inner World.


    ''You took 6,400 years to solve this puzzle? Aren''t you a scheming mind?'' Charles smirked inwardly and nodded his head in understanding.


    ''If this is true, then I also have to focus attention on the ''False'' me and find a way to manipte Space and Gravity Magic¡­ As long as I achieve such feet, I can indeed unravel the secrets of this Present Time.'' While muttering inwardly, he continued to attack her with Rank-4 spells.


    Countless Chaotic bullets, Purple Fire rays, and even a few evil-like ck me arrows descended from the sky and poured on the Divine Lady.


    Meanwhile, Divine Lady used her sword and tried her best to block all of those attacks.


    Still, some spellsnded on her and gave her some hard time.


    During these times, Divine Lady also tried to escape from his Inner World multiple times.


    Unfortunately, Charlespletely sealed his dark space and gave no opportunity for her!


    The battle continued for more than 40 hours!


    Fire elemental energy continuously poured into his Inner World through the Elemental Imprint and strengthened his Inner World.


    On the other hand, the Divine Lady seemed to have lost some of her energy and started to show one or two mistakes from time to time!


    In truth, even she was surprised by the continuous drainage of her power.


    After a long fight, both of them backed away and started studying the opponent''s weakness.


    Charles wore a pensive look on his face and looked at her solemnly.


    On the other hand, Divine Lady''s face was filled with anger.


    "You will not get away with this, Charles. Mark my words. You will die a painful death before the end of this decade."


    Her cold voice echoed inside his Inner World like some Divine Order!


    Upon hearing those words, Charles let out a deep sigh and nodded his head in approval.


    "I know more than that, Lady Mysterious. Approximately, I have 6 years to live. Yes, when you enter my Inner World, my Destiny has changed a little."


    Meanwhile, Divine Lady shook her head and corrected him.


    "It''s dyed. Your death is set on, Charles. If you want to change your Destiny, you need to be at least a Rank-6 Mage. But do you really think of yourself as a Sun God? After entering your Inner World, I already learned about your System Artifact and know some things about you. You have nothing noteworthy other than having a ''Genius'' level fire affinity, the System artifact from the Angel of Time, and the Holem''s Crown. But these aren''t even enough to help you Rank Up to Rank-5 Mage in the next fifteen years." She paused for a moment,nded on the sliced volcanic mountain, and then added.


    "Moreover, do you know why we call this change Destiny instead of Fate? Some things are almost impossible to change. Even the artifact''s miracle effect could do nothing if the requirements aren''t met. If you really managed to change your Destiny, you will have my full respect. Then onwards, my true body will consider you as a real enemy. She will be waiting for you at the Elder ne."


    Her words surprised Charles.


    He then stared at her for a moment and nodded his head.


    "I know how hard it is to change one''s Destiny, Lady Mysterious. Even you fear the World Will''s wrath, right?"


    This time, it was Divine Lady''s turn to be surprised.


    Without waiting for her to question him, he let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "When you revealed your intention to eliminate Jessie, I did a few divinations and saw an anomaly in her Fate. At that moment, I felt something was amiss. You should have long known about the Book of Secrets artifact. But you suddenly revealed Jessie''s death. That made me think of something else. It''s the First King''s Prophecy. In the prophecy, he mentioned that Rhea will lose one of her three hearts. But that will happen long after Rhea ascends to the throne¡­"


    "With Mr. Rh''s help, I urately pinpointed her future death andpared it with Rhea''s coronation ceremony date. Thankfully, you created her fake Fate at the coronation time and gave me a big clue. With that clue, I also linked your every action and realized that you''ve been actually holding back. You have the strength to kill me countless times, but you used my power to eliminate all the evil that lurks in the kingdom¡­"


    "At that moment, I realized that you were watching our every movement, feeding us with strength and raising us like chickens. No, I should be an anomaly in your n. That''s why you tried your best to ce the Mysterious Curse on me. But other than that, each of your actions connected with the First King''s prophecy¡­"


    "After some research, I learned that you are still not powerful enough to change one''s Destiny¡­ No, you are afraid of altering the Destiny. At that moment, I know that you are nning to possess Rhea''s soul and get the First King''s Legacy, the Destiny Tower¡­ So, I ranked up my subss, created a clone to fool you, andid a big trap with Rhea''s help¡­ I also sensed that you have some connection with Ashley, Emilia, and Be¡­"


    Upon hearing his words, the Divine Lady showed an impressed look and responded with a nod.


    "It''s not that I''m not capable of changing the Destiny. If I did that, I not only have to face the wrath of the World''s will but also have to face this World''s Gods. We have some big ns for this World, Charles. But changing a single person''s Destiny would result in unpredictable changes."


    "You are not afraid that I would turn into your future obstacle?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, an amusing smile appeared on the Divine Lady''s face.


    "You are not strong enough to ruin our n. Moreover, you should worry about yourself first." She said in a cold tone.


    Charles wasn''t offended by her words. Instead, he nodded his head and spoke.


    "If I''m not wrong, my Destiny must be arranged by the World Will. I heard from Mr. Rh that Irregrs are actually mortal enemies of the World''s Will. Edhen might have thought of me as a future threat and created this obstacle to eliminate me." He paused for a moment and suddenly smiled.


    "But do you really think I would wait for my death?"


    His smile gave the Divine Lady an uneasy feeling!


    Before she could think, Charles increased the gravity in his Inner World tenfold and sprinted towards her.


    Another battle started.


    Sparks, mes, rocks, andvas continued to fly in his Inner World for the next 60 hours.


    Shockwaves spread in every direction from time to time and caused great harm to Charles''s Inner World.


    Although Divine Lady''s strength had diminished to a considerable level at the end of the battle, she still stood against Charles and battled him ruthlessly.


    At the end of the battle, she lost half of her left hand and appeared severely wounded!


    Still, not a single fear or hesitation appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles''s figure appeared the same as before!


    But he waspletely exhausted inside.


    Once again, both backed away from the fight and stared at each other with a heavy atmosphere.


    "It''s your win, Charles." Saying so, the Divine Lady suddenly raised her hand and pointed her forefinger towards the sky.


    "Atvel!" She added.


    A momentter, a bolt of white light came out of her hand and moved towards the sky!


    Upon seeing such a scene, Charles''s eyes widened.


    "You are nning to send information about me to your main body?!" He asked.


    "Humph, you are not even worthy of paying attention. I''m sent the information about Angel of Time''s gift artifact in your Inner World¡­ Hehe, as long as I-"


    Before she could finish her words, Charles suddenly raised his hand, moved his finger, and pulled something towards him!


    A momentter, an azure crystal came out of her chest, disappeared from there, and reappeared in his hand.


    "What the hell was that?" The Divine Lady asked in a shocked tone and soon froze.


    At that moment, the clone Charles appeared in the sky, conjured a terrifying 5-meterrge ball of fire, and destroyed the white ray of light!


    Simultaneously, Charles disappeared from there, reappeared behind the Divine Lady, and pierced her chest with the me sword.


    "I forgot to ask you, Lady Mysterious. But what is your name?" He asked in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, an evil smile appeared on the Divine Lady''s face.


    "Sasha, the Goddess of Destiny."


    Saying so, she detonated!

 Chapter 299: Power Up

    <h4>Chapter 299: Power Up</h4>


    A momentter, an invisible ripple came from the faraway Inner World and absorbed thest fragment of her energy.


    Due to her sudden self-destruction, Charles was also caught off guard and thrown back a little.


    Thankfully, he managed to regain his bnce and then looked at the area where the Divine Lady detonated herself in surprise.


    "She blew herself up to destroy all the information hidden in her consciousness?" A mocking smile appeared on his face.


    In truth, he didn''t care much about the information at all.


    ''My main goal ispletely different anyway. And, I already seeded.''


    He let out a deep sigh and soon froze as he saw the notification.


    [Target Eliminated! 4,564,100 Exp obtained!]


    ''What the hell? 4.5 million Exp?'' He was stunned a little.


    He soon calmed down and nced at the area where Sasha had exploded.


    A two-meterrge crater appeared on the ground!


    Unfortunately, he found nothing in the crater.


    ''Well, I already extracted arge number of her Divine Power anyway.'' He nodded his head and turned his gaze towards his clone.


    ''Here hees.''


    A few minutes ago, he deliberately opened the Dark Space and checked if he could contact his clone.


    To his surprise, he noticed that his clone was already attempting to enter the Dark Space.


    He then asked the clone to sneakily enter the Inner World and hide his presence in the sky.


    ''If the clone hasn''t arrived on time, Sasha would have seeded in sending information about the Angel of Time to her main body. Anyhow, I won the game.'' He couldn''t help but show a pleased smile on his face.


    At that moment, the clone Charles also descended from the sky andnded in front of him.


    "What happened? Aren''t the outside people still under ''Time-Stop'' effect?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, the clone Charles shook his head and responded calmly.


    "No. It''s been more than four days since the ceremony ends. During the coronation, you seem to have nked out after sitting on the throne. Thankfully, Mr. Rh noticed the anomaly earlier and acted as we nned. He created a past illusion and dismissed everyone while saying some excuse. Then, he used the [Travel Leap] spell and teleport you out of the Royal Pce."


    ''Hmm? 4 days? So, that Pocket Watch isn''t powerful enough to stop the ''Time'' around the Throne Hall for a long time, huh.'' He nodded his head in understanding.


    As for Rh''s action, Charles wasn''t surprised at all.


    ''Wait, the Head Priestess might have sensed something¡­ But she isn''t a problem.'' He shook his head and asked.


    "Where is my body now?"


    "Mr. Rh ced you at the underground basement hall." An instant response came out from the clone.


    ''That''s a relief.''


    Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and then shifted his attention towards the azure crystal.


    After that, he used his thoughts, linked the crystal with his mind, and soon felt strange energy seeped into his original consciousness.


    At that moment, the strange energy suddenly absorbed into his Inner World and seemed to have strengthened his soul!


    Simultaneously, he saw many notifications appearing in front of his eyes and widened his eyes in surprise.


    ¡­


    [1 point added to your Wisdom attribute!]


    [2 points added to your Wisdom attribute!]


    [2 points added to your Wisdom attribute!]


    [1 point added to your Wisdom attribute!]


    ¡­


    The notification continued to appear as he absorbed the divine power.


    On the other hand, his Inner World also shook violently and started to expand.


    New Volcanic Mountains, Hills, Lava Lakes, and even a Huge Lava Sea started to appear.


    What was more surprising was that multiple fire-elemental nts also started to pop up everywhere and covered most of the ce!


    Charles had long sensed the anomalies happening in the Inner World, but he didn''t stop.


    Like a hungry wolf, he absorbed the Divine Power madly.


    His wisdom power soon reached 95 and finally stopped at 99!


    At that moment, he suddenly felt that some invisible power blocked him from increasing his Wisdom Power!


    Thankfully, the shackle wasn''t powerful enough to stop the divine power from entering his main consciousness.


    In a few seconds, a crack echoed in his head, followed by a loud bang!


    The banging sound was sorge that it caused countless ripples to appear in his Inner World.


    The next instant, countless fire rays poured out from all seven of his spell models and created seven kinds of Lava Lakes!


    But this was just the start, though.


    His Inner World started expanding at a terrifying speed!


    Within a few seconds, the whole world was expanded triple the size!


    But it didn''t just stop there!


    The expansion continued.


    During this time, the Dark Space also strengthened to an unimaginable level!


    When he broke the invisible shackle, the Dark Space also transformed and formed a separate dimension in his head.


    That Dark Space appeared more like his personal Domain!


    Without minding the changes, Charles concentrated his attention on absorbing the divine power and nced at his status.


    No, currently, his focus waspletely on the Wisdom attribute!


    ''104¡­ 106¡­109¡­114¡­120¡­125¡­131¡­139¡­144¡­149¡­157¡­166¡­''


    After a few minutes, Charles noticed that the Divine Power wasing at a slow speed.


    ''Did I absorb all the Divine Power? No, there is still some stored inside.'' He nodded thoughtfully and continued to absorb.


    After a few minutes, he finally devoured thest strand of divine power and stored the azure crystal in his pocket.


    ''My Wisdom Point has been raised to a terrifying level. 178 Wisdom Points¡­ If I used a normal method, it would take more than 5 decades to reach this stage.'' A grin stered on his face.


    Although his decision to face the Divine''s Consciousness was suicidal, he felt it was worth it!


    ''With my current Wisdom Power, I can take out a portion of my Inner World and let it appear in the Real World¡­ Is this called Domain? No, it should be Pseudo-Domain. Yeah, I can tell that this Dark Space isn''t strong enough to form a perfect Domain.'' He muttered inwardly and then shifted his gaze towards his body status.


    ¡­


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Cloner


    Main ss: Level 5 ze Sorcerer (0/221,690) [Rank-4]


    Sub-ss: Level 1 Cloner (0/332,535) [Rank-5]


    Title: Chaos Maker, Savior.


    Health Points: 731/731


    Exp: 4, 956,600 Exp


    Attributes:


    Strength- 21.0


    Dexterity- 25.0


    Constitution- 25.4


    Wisdom-178


    Charisma- 12


    SP (Skill Points): 27


    AP (Attribute points): 1


    ss spells:


    Fallen Angel''s Wings (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Finger of Destruction (Rank-4 spell- Iplete) [The user will get a 5% Extra boost due to the presence of Chaos power in this spell model.]


    Fire Born (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sun''s Guard (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    Burning Consciousness (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    Life of Fire (Rank-4 spell- Iplete)


    me Teleportation (Rank-3 spell- Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Wonders- 404


    Cloning- 401


    Multi-Foresights - 402


    Unique skills:


    Arcane Eyes- 421


    Conceal- 57


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 50


    Sharpshooting- 44


    elerate Thoughts- 102 (Present Time)


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]


    ¡­

 Chapter 300: Goosebumps

    <h4>Chapter 300: Goosebumps</h4>


    ''I need to concentrate on constructing the remaining spell models,prehending them, and try to Rank-up the Main ss within the time limit.'' Charles muttered inwardly and shifted his attention to the Sub-ss skills.


    ''Cloning skill¡­ Currently, creating two clones is my limit. Thankfully, I can shape-shift into more than 15 people now.'' Although the clone''s strength would be reduced by 30% of his original strength, he felt that was more than enough to face a Peak-Level Mage head-on!


    The next one was Multi-Foresights skill.


    In truth, it was an overpowered skill.


    Not only could this skill allow Charles to see into the distant future, but it could also show him the enemy''s most possible next moves during battle.


    The main reason he managed to stand against the Divine Lady was mainly because of this skill!


    Finally, it was the [Hands of Wonders] skill.


    Once he activates this skill, a strange invisible string woulde out of his hand.


    But unlike other Invisible Strings, this one string could bend the space and move to a faraway ce!


    Its uses were still unknown to Charles!


    While he was checking the status, the clone Charles nced at him and spoke.


    "I''m nning on going to the Endless Sea."


    His words surprised him a little.


    Charles soon turned his face into a solemn one and asked.


    "Did Natalia seek your help to find someone?"


    Upon hearing his words, a sh of surprise appeared on the clone Charles''s face.


    "Yes. And, I''m also nning on adventuring the outside world." He added.


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows and warned him.


    "Once you move away from me, you will be on your own. Not only you won''t be able to enter my Inner World, but you will also face some difficulty in casting Rank-4 spells. So, you have to be very careful."


    "Got it." The clone Charles nodded his head and left the Inner World.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head, flew towards the spell models, and started constructing the remaining spell models.


    The first one was the only corresponding spell of Fire Born spell!


    It''s called ''Heart of Fire.''


    Once he activates this spell, it could envelop his body in a Rebirth Fire and allow him even to resist a Rank-5 attack spell for ten continuous seconds.


    Unfortunately, this spell had a long cool-down time of 7 days!


    ''So, it''s a trump card spell like the [Life of Fire] spell, huh!'' He muttered inwardly and constructed the spell model at the cost of 189,500 Exp points.


    Like thest time, it took more than two days to construct the Rank-4 spell model!


    After the construction process, Charles moved towards the me Teleportation Spell model and chose a corresponding spell called [False Fire Maniption]!


    If he cast this spell, he could conjure a rare ''white'' fire called [False Fire] and could manipte all basic elements to some extent.


    ''If I manage to gain some control over other elements, I can improve my disguise to another level. No one can see through my identity. And, if I manage to grasp the secrets of Space and Time, I can take it to the next level and apply gravity magic to my Domain.'' While thinking, Charles spent 213,240 Exp points and started constructing the spell model.


    He spent another two days constructing the [False Fire Maniption] spell and moved to the final one.


    It was the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell model!


    Charles then nced at the spellbook and soon froze.


    ''Wings spell series has been changed? Bone Devil''s Fire, Wicked Fire touch, Unholy Bolt, Infernal Calling, ck Inferno, Fallen Angel''s Incarnation, Dark Bird¡­''


    As he focused on the ''Fallen Angel''s Incarnation'' spell, he subconsciously thought of Red Prince''s Devil''s Incarnation and furrowed his brows.


    ''Fallen Angel¡­ Something feels off¡­ Is this some scheme of Angel of Time?¡­ Wait¡­ Angel?'' His expression stiffened.


    ''It''s better to avoid this one.''


    Then, he checked the spell description one by one and soon zeroed his gaze on the ''Infernal Calling'' spell.


    Unlike the Fallen Angel''s Incarnation, this spell would allow him to summon a Rank-4 Devil from one of the Seven Hells.


    ''But there is a big problem with both of them. Once I summon the devil or an incarnation, I have to use my strength and make them submit to me¡­ No, I can''t use this spell during battle. It''s better to choose an attack spell. I think ck Inferno or Unholy Ray would be more helpful.'' He nodded his head and chose to construct the ''ck Inferno'' spell at the cost of 255,050 Exp points.


    Unlike the other two spell models, it took more than 50 hours for him to construct this one!


    Once he was done, Charles left the Inner World, opened his eyes, and looked at the ceiling in the Real World.


    He hurriedly sat up and noticed that he was lying on the concrete floor.


    He then nced around and soon realized that he was in the familiar underground basement hall.


    "You are awake!" An old man''s voice came from his right side.


    Charles turned his gaze towards the voice and soon saw a white-haired old man sat on the nearby table.


    Currently, he held a head-sized crystal ball in his hand and seemed to be in the middle of writing runal words in the thin air.


    "How many days have passed?" Charles asked while zeroed his gaze on the crystal ball.


    At the same time, he touched his feminine-looking Rhea''s face and started to shape-shift.


    Meanwhile, Oswald halted his movement, turned his gaze towards Charles, and spoke.


    "11 days. During this time, many things happened. Do you want to hear a summary?"


    Charles was surprised a little and then nodded.


    "First, Rhea used her authority as the Queen and made an official announcement saying that she is going to build a Magic Tower for her Teacher in the Eastern Part of the City. Although Iron Tower Mages and few Mage families firmly opposed her decision, none dared to take action. Second, your clone and Destiny Lady have already left the Kingdom-"


    "To the Endless Sea? I know about that matter." Charles waved his hand and gestured him to move to the following news.


    Meanwhile, Oswald touched his space ring, took out a silver pocket watch, and tossed it to him.


    "I found something odd about Ashley during the coronation ceremony and found this pocket watch in her hand. When I asked more about this watch, she said that she couldn''t remember a thing. Although she didn''t show any other anomaly, I told her to stay in the old mansion for the next few weeks and confiscated this pocket watch. Then, I did some research and learned some big secrets about this one." He deliberated for a moment and then asked with a smile.


    "Do you want to know who created this artifact?"


    Upon hearing his words, Charles furrowed his eyebrows and waited for him to answer.


    Meanwhile, Oswald clicked his tongue and spoke with a hint of excitement on his face.


    "It''s the Angel of Time!"


    A momentter, Charles''s expression went stiffened.


    Goosebumps appeared all over his body!

 Chapter 301: God of Time, Udnir

    <h4>Chapter 301: God of Time, Udnir</h4>


    Oswald also noticed his strange expression, raised his eyebrows in surprise, and asked.


    "What happened?"


    Meanwhile, Charles heaved a deep sigh and spoke in a gloomy tone.


    "This Angel of Time seems to be the one who created my secret artifact."


    "How did you know?" For the first time, Oswald''s expression turned grave.


    "I heard it from the ''Divine.'' When she enters my Inner World, she used some strange method and sensed the ''Time'' Divine Power. At that moment, she mentioned two names. One is the Angel of Time and the other one is someone called Lord Udnir-" At that moment, Charles''s eyes widened.


    The same goes for Oswald!


    Simultaneously, a clear image shed in both of their eyes.


    It was an image of a Throne Hall!


    In the throne hall, a 40-years-old man sat on the golden throne and seemed to be staring at them from a very faraway ce!


    He had wavy blonde hair, a round face, and pure silver eyes. He wore red armor and ced his right hand on the golden throne''s arm.


    There was also a strange pentagram-shaped ne hung around his neck and emitted a bluish-white light!


    Both felt that some terrifying being was trying to see their past, present, and future from a faraway ce!


    Upon noticing the unexpected situation, Oswald instantly released his wisdom power and shouted.


    "Seven-Leaf!"


    It was a unique runic formation that he created in his prime to counter the Divines'' probing eyes!


    The whole underground suddenly enveloped in reddish light and started to block foreign power from entering the underground hall!


    A secondter, that strange eerie image disappeared from their minds!


    Buckets of cold sweats dripped down from their foreheads.


    At that moment, Charles wiped the sweat on his forehead and cursed.


    "Sh*t! It''s Him, right? The only ''Existence'' who dared to attack a ne¡­ It''s the third time we mentioned this guy''s name! Did he just see us? Will hee after us?" Shock appeared on his face.


    Meanwhile, Oswald wore a pensive look, looked around the surrounding walls, and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "The underground basement is enveloped in Seven-Leaf Soul Barrier, so the possibility of a Divine finding out about our talk is very slim. But that guy is a real maniac. It''s better to not talk about him ever again."


    Just when Charles was about to nod, the whole hall trembled all of a sudden!


    The Seven-Leaf runic formation seemed to have been invaded by something terrifying and let out strange creaking noise!


    Within a few seconds, cracks appeared in many parts of the runic formation!


    At that moment, they heard an ancient voice in a breaking tone.


    "Finally¡­"


    "I found a clue."


    "About you,"


    "Abium!"


    Oswald''s face turned purple as he noticed the situation and hurriedly spoke.


    "Golden Ring of Darkness." "Eternal pse."


    His whole body shone in a golden light, and soon countless runal words came out of his body!


    One by one, those words merged with the runic formation and started to reconstruct.


    Even though some strange energy tried to break the runic formation, the runal words from Oswald''s bodypletely overwhelmed the power and nullified them.


    Oswald nced at him in a hurry and spoke.


    "Try to erase his name from your Inner World. This guy can see into your past, present, and countless futures andpletely unravel your secrets. Even keeping secrets in your Inner World won''t be enough to stop him from tracking. Let''s give him apletely different nickname and rece it with his original one."


    Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Let''s call him as ''Madman'' then."


    Then, he entered his Inner World and reced the Udnir''s name in his Inner World.


    After that, he left the Inner World and nced around.


    At that moment, Oswald alsopletely erased the Udnir''s name from his Inner World and grew nervous.


    "T-This ''Madman'' isn''t giving up. It seems you met your backer''s archenemy today." Oswald spoke in a grim tone.


    At that moment, an idea shed in Charles''s mind.


    "I have a n." Without waiting for Oswald to speak, Charles took out a chalk piece from his space ring and started drawing a ritual circle.


    "What the hell are you doing,d?" Oswald red at him and asked.


    "I''m going to do a sacrificial ceremony." Saying so, he continued to draw the circle and soon finished it in a minute.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Oswald and asked.


    "How long can you hold on against the ''Madman''?"


    "3 minutes. Any more than that, I will be forced to use myst resort and reincarnate." Oswald''s voice turned gloomy as he said those words.


    ''This ispletely out of everyone''s expectation.'' Charles nodded gravely, took out many materials from his space ring, and ced them in order.


    Most of those materials were fire herbs and fire elemental creatures'' organs and blood jars!


    Then, he took out a strange human-sized skull from his space ring and ced it at the center of the ritual circle.


    It was a skull of a Rank-6 Fire Elemental Creature!


    They once infiltrated the Ember Golem''s Territory during the past six months and looted this skull from their altar.


    Upon seeing the skull, Oswald''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    "You are nning to summon the Will of Sun God?" He instantly saw through Charles''s n and nodded in approval.


    At that moment, a cold glint appeared in Charles''s eyes as he pped his hand together and started to chant in an ancientnguage.


    Simultaneously, Oswald made an opening in the runic formation and allowed his prayer to move out.


    Although Time God Udnir tried to invade inside through the hole, Oswald managed to block his invasion.


    On the other hand, Charles had long started his chanting.


    "O All-Mighty God, bless me with your Kindness,


    You are the primary force of Light,


    Enlighten me with the power of Law,


    You are the Ruler of Day,


    Guide me with the power of your Dominance,


    You are the protector of Mortals,


    ept my offerings and protect me with your power,


    ¡­


    You are the Judge of Morality,


    Hear my Request!"


    Saying so, Charles ended the chanting and stepped into the ritual circle.


    Almost at the same time, Oswald alsopletely retracted his power and arrived next to Charles.


    A secondter, a boundless power filled with pure radiance entered the underground hall andpletely enveloped them.


    No, they saw a humanoid silhouette made of pure light appeared at the center of the ritual circle!


    The humanoid silhouette looked at them, turned its gaze towards the ceiling, and released a terrifying invisible power.


    A momentter, a sh happened between Sun God''s Will and Udnir''s strange power!


    In the next few seconds, the sunshine radiance grew stronger and started burning the foreign power at full force!


    But just as it was about to evaporate, a crazyugh filled withplete madness and craziness entered everyone''s ears.


    "Kekekeke,"


    "So, you are indeed here!"


    "Abium."


    "The Sun God!"


    A short paused appeared, followed by another sentence in an ancient voice.


    "I''ming for you!"

 Chapter 302: Three Questions

    <h4>Chapter 302: Three Questions</h4>


    A deep sigh came out of the light silhouette.


    Simultaneously, the whole underground shook violently and soon returned to normal.


    The bright radiance inside the underground hall also disappeared and enveloped the surroundings in darkness.


    But just as Charles was about to breathe out a sigh of relief, the whole surroundings began to break like sses.


    The next instant, he found himself standing in a lone space filled with nothing but yellowish sunlight everywhere!


    Not even single darkness appeared around him!


    It was as if he was standing in front of a Sun!


    Simultaneously, he felt that his whole body was frozen in the empty sunlight-filled space.


    ''Time Stop effect, huh!'' He couldn''t help but get nervous inside.


    At that moment, a male voice filled with dominance echoed from all over the surroundings.


    "An unpredictable assassin with a scheming mind¡­ One who holds grudges for a long time and rarely trusts anyone. John Browning, a former assassin of the Ghost Organization and also a holder of the System-45 Artifact." The voice stopped for a moment and added solemnly.


    "Currently, you must have so many questions in your mind. Unfortunately, I don''t have much time. You can ask three questions now."


    Although Charles couldn''t understand the current situation, he didn''t dare to dy any longer and asked his first question using his thoughts.


    "What do you want from me, Divine One?"


    In truth, he was quite wary of this ''Sun God'' from the very beginning.


    A silence appeared from the pure sunlight radiance, followed by a chuckle.


    "It''s not the right time to talk about that yet. When you reach the realm of Legendaries, you cane to Sun Church and look for me. Rest assure. I''m neither your ally nor your enemy. The reason I gave you the System is to help you grow faster. In exchange, you have to help me with something else in the future." The voice paused.


    "Then, you must have already guessed about the System. Yes, you are not the only one with Game System. Like you, there are still 35 participants struggling in 35 different worlds and are searching for answers. Although I totally put 100 participants, only 36 are still alive."


    Charles could feel the disappointment in his tone.


    He then thought of something and asked the second question.


    "What is hidden in Fire Elemental ne, Divine One? Why do you want me to go to that ne?"


    "Hmm? Do you mean the ''Twin Leaves''? You are thinking too much. It''s just a small gift from me. In truth, I gave simr gifts to other participants like World Tree Leaves, Pocket Dimensions, Intellectual artifacts, Divinities and Affinity Improvement, and so on. Comparing to others, your gift is just an average one."


    If it weren''t for the Time Frozen effect, the corner of his lips would be twitching right now!


    He soon thought of the final question and asked.


    "When will ''He'' appear here? Why is ''He'' after you?"


    This time, it was the Sun God''s turn to be surprised.


    "I thought you would ask me about how to change your Destiny."


    Charles used his thoughts and spoke.


    "Even if I asked about it, I know you wouldn''t give me a proper answer, Divine One. If I''m not wrong, you must be restricted by some powerful rules or something, right? That must be the reason you used a roundtable way to gift me the ''Twin Leaf''. The Edhen World''s Will¡­"


    "Did you perhaps sign some agreement with it? Irregrs are the mortal enemy of the World''s Will¡­ But you rose to the realm of Legendaries in 2 years. Even if you have ''Divine'' Level affinity, your growth was too abnormal. You also ascend to Godhood in the middle of battle. You definitely got help from the Edhen World''s Will. But there seems to be some scheme going on between you two." He paused for a moment and then continued solemnly.


    "From your earlier answer, I can tell that you need my help. The job must be in this Edhen ne. From what I heard about you, you are a good person and even saved the Edhen World during the nar war. Still, there are multiple organizations with powerful experts hiding their strengths and seem to be waiting for an opportunity to overthrow the Lawful Gods."


    "Among them, there is one organization that is causing too much damage during the past few years¡­ It''s the Divine Order. No, it''s just a cover-up organization. The real mastermind behind this must be Edhen''s Children. Yes, the System also mentioned in the quest once that the Divine Order organization is causing genocide in the name of Justice and Law. Do you want me to stop this organization? Or, find out the real mastermind behind this organization?"


    Just as he finished his words, a pping sound echoed from the pure radiance.


    Then, the calm male voice came from the surroundings.


    "You are indeed good. Yes, this has something to do with Edhen''s Children organization. They seem to be nning on something called ''Project Destiny.'' Even I knew nothing about it. But all I can tell now is that that won''t do any good to anyone in this world. Even the World''s ''Will'' get threatened by their scheming project. Haa, we are going off-topic. Now, you want to know more about ''Him'', right?" The voice paused for a second and then spoke while letting out a fake cough.


    "In truth, I stole something precious from that guy a long ago. That''s why he is madly chasing after me. As for his earlier words, don''t put too much thought into it. His main body is sealed in a very faraway ce and it would take more than 20,000 years for him to get out. If my guess is not wrong, he would send one or two of his avatars to search for me. Even those avatars would take more than two to three decades to arrive here, so you don''t have to worry too much about him."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles felt relieved inside and nodded his head.


    "That''s it, Divine One."


    Meanwhile, the voice also let out a sigh and retracted the [Time-Stop] effect.


    A momentter, the pure brightness dimmed and soon broke into millions of pieces.


    The next second, Charles opened his eyes and soon got blinded by the darkness.


    Thankfully, Oswald gripped his shoulder and supported him to stand steadily.


    "Did you chat with the Sun God now?" Oswald''s tone appeared a little bit nervous.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and soon returned to his usual self.


    At that moment, Oswald suddenly recalled something and asked.


    "I forgot to ask. Did you find out the real identity of the ''Divine''?"


    Before Charles could open his mouth, he hurriedly raised his hand and activated the ''Seven-Leaf'' formation.


    Then, he also used his wisdom power, repaired the damaged areas, and finally gestured him to speak.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and answered.


    "Sasha, the Goddess of Destiny."


    "F*ck!" Oswald cursed out loud!


    ¡­

 Chapter 303: Mythical Races

    <h4>Chapter 303: Mythical Races</h4>


    "Is she the one you told me about when we entered this City? You said something about Goddess of Trickery fooled some Destiny Goddess, right? Is she the one?" Charles asked in a solemn tone.


    Meanwhile, Oswald moved away from the ritual circle, went near the wooden chair, and sat on it.


    Then, he let out a deep sigh and shook his head.


    "Nope. There are many Divines out there with the same Domain. This Destiny Goddess is an expert from the Elder ne. I heard that she is a Mid-God and controls the domains of Destiny and Sword. Although she won''t evenst a few seconds against the ''Madman,'' she should be powerful enough to give trouble for Sun God."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s eyes squinted.


    "Mid-God¡­ Hmm, how powerful is this Sun God? He must''ve reached the realm of Mid-God, right?"


    "I''m not certain about that. But he is very powerful and mysterious. Something is off about this Angel of Time. Why did he appear here? Why is he hiding from the ''Madman''?" Oswald showed a grim look on his face.


    "He said that he stole something precious from the Madman." Charles deliberated a moment and then exined what Sun God told him in detail.


    "Hmm¡­ Testers, huh. He seems to be testing all the participants. Is he searching for a perfect candidate? It is possible. But your actions must have startled him greatly. Every action of yours ended up resulting in a great mess after all." Oswald suddenly paused for a moment and asked.


    "What is your next action?"


    Upon hearing those words, Charles went silent.


    In truth, he was utterly shocked by the previous incidents.


    After a long silence, he went near Oswald, sat on the opposite chair, tapped his finger on the wooden table, and spoke.


    "I don''t care about Sun God''s schemes or games. But if not for his help, I wouldn''t havee this far. The System helped me in many ways. So, I will help him once and repay the favor."


    Meanwhile, a surprised expression appeared on Oswald''s face.


    "Repay the favor? When did you be a selfless guy?" He couldn''t help but show a curious look.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "Selfless? Nah, I have deep enmity with Red Prince and Destiny Goddess. One way or another, I''m bound to face them head-on one day. Moreover, the Sun God seems to be a polite guy. As long he didn''t cross the line, I will stay neutral and help him a little." He paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    "Before that, I need your help with something else."


    "My help?" Oswald raised his eyebrows in suspicion.


    Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Yes, I want you to take a look at the System-45 artifact and see if you can modify it. You once said that some forbidden artifacts could help one to steal soul essences from souls, right? Can you create and add them to the System? I also want you to add this Seven-Leaf rune array."


    For the first time, Oswald''s expression turned serious.


    "I thought that artifact is your deep secret." He asked in a shocked tone.


    A bitter smile appeared on Charles''s face as he heard those words.


    "I thought that artifact was a powerful one and could help me in many ways. But after seeing Madman''s tiny bit of power, I realized how na?ve I was. That guy could attack us from countless stars away and even hold on against the Sun God''s Will. He can read our past, present, and all possible futures. From the Sun God''s earlier words, I learned that he is actually in a sealed state! Do you know what this means? Even he isn''t invincible. If I want to be an omnipotent being, I''ve to be stronger than that guy! But if I rely on this current System, I won''t even survive from the schemes of Divines." He said in a cold tone.


    "You want to upgrade the System Artifact, huh?" Oswald nodded his head in understanding.


    "Yes. If possible, I also want you to add this Pocket Watch to it. It has the ability to Stop the Time, so why not?" Charles made another request, ced his soul imprint on the pocket watch, and checked the Star Watch''s function in detail.


    ''Hmm, True Vision, and Fog of Time¡­ Fog of Time could help me erase my existence from others¡­ Wait.'' At that moment, he suddenly recalled the potion master Stephen''s death and widened his eyes.


    ''When he was concocting a potion, the array circle activated on its own and warned him about an intruder. At that time, he thought of the intruder as some rat and returned to his work. But within a few minutes, something attacked him and turned him into a stone¡­ So, that''s Emilia''s work, huh!'' He nodded his head in enlightenment.


    ''Moreover, the Foster family seems to have some connection with Elder ne. The Eternal Sinnguage inscriptions on the walls¡­ It seems I need to pay a visitter.'' He thought to himself and shifted his attention towards the Star Watch.


    At that moment, he noticed a row of information appeared in his mind.


    ''Time Stop¡­ Once I activate this skill, I can indeed stop the ''Time'' around 100-meter radius for the next 30 seconds. Everything within the 100-meter radius will be affected by this skill. But there is a long cooldown of 30 days for this skill. Moreover, if I want to move my body, my physical attributes need to be above 50. So, it''s basically useless now, huh.'' He let out a deep sigh and turned his gaze towards Oswald.


    Meanwhile, the white-haired old man stared at the hall''s ceiling and seemed to be in deep thoughts.


    After a short silence, he shifted his gaze towards Charles and asked.


    "Can youmunicate with your System artifact? Does it have self-consciousness? Like the normal Intellectual artifacts?"


    Upon hearing those words, Charles frowned for a moment and nodded.


    "It is possible. When I constructed the ''Life of Fire spell model, it voluntarily came forward and helped me. But I don''t sense any life presence in the Game-System. What happened?"


    Meanwhile, Oswald wore a troubled look and spoke.


    "When you told me about how Sun God presented intellectual artifacts to other participants as gifts, I felt ridiculous. In truth, creating an intellectual artifact is very hard,d. If not, why would a Divine and countless powerful Mystics united together to scheme against me, put me in Eternal Prison for thousands of years, weakened my soul, and then create this Holem''s Crown? In truth, I''m not even a powerful Intellectual artifact." He stopped for a moment and soon frowned.


    "But how did the Sun God create intellectual artifacts in bulk? Don''t you find something is off about it?"


    At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of a possibility and asked.


    "They are not intellectual artifacts?"


    "No, they are intellectual artifacts. But they are iplete artificial. Have you heard of Tower Spirits?" Oswald took out a crystal ball from his space ring and asked.


    Charles frowned for a moment and shook his head.


    As if he had already expected such an answer, Oswald ced the crystal ball on the wooden table and spoke.


    "Tower Spirits are actually artificially created spirits. They have no soul, no emotion, and no consciousness. They are a collection of images, memories, and information. They are iplete life forms and only obey themand of their owner. They don''t distinguish the difference between good and evil."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles subconsciously thought of artificial intelligence.


    On the other hand, Oswald deliberated for a moment and then spoke in an excited voice.


    "But before the Era of Past Time, there lived a few mythical races in my home. They were Primordial Dragons, High Elves, High Humans and Primordial Titans. They were considered masters of all elements and were very smart. They lived there for eons, conquered countless nes, and terrorized the whole universe. Even the Demons and Devils feared them."


    "But one day, all the four Mythical Races suddenly disappeared. No, not only them, but other Mythical Races from other nes also disappeared all of a sudden. But they seem to have anticipated such an oue and made multiple preparations for future generations. The four Mythical Races in Easica ne also did the same. Before they left the, they created 24 Magic Towers and gifted them to their descendants."


    "Unlike the normal Tower Spirits, the Tower Spirits in those Magic Towers have their own emotions, consciousness, and even a soul core. In the whole universe, none managed to create a soul out of nothing. But those maniacs did it. They defied the logic and createdpletely new life forms. Your System might be an imitation of this method!"


    Charles was stunned by the new information.


    "Mythical Races? Wait¡­ Even Gods can''t create new life forms?" He asked in surprise.


    "Gods? Nah. If they are capable of such a feat, why do they need to rely on mortals? They actually steal mortals'' souls in the name of faith and took them to their Divine Kingdom. This has something to do with the World Trees." Oswald said in disdain.


    His earlier excitement also disappeared in an instant.

 Chapter 304: Search

    <h4>Chapter 304: Search</h4>


    "Imitation of the ancient Tower Spirits, huh? Can you upgrade it?" Charles asked.


    "Humph, do you think it''s easy to create an intellectual artifact? Even the prime ''me'' hasn''t even dreamed of creating an Intellectual artifact,d. Your System might be an artifact with ''will'' in it, but it''s still an iplete artifact. Currently, it must have a form of slight consciousness. Yes, its consciousness hasn''t even taken any shape yet. It neither has fear, hate, love, or anything."


    "To make this half-baked intellectual artifact into a true Intellectual artifact, we need countless resources. This is going to be a challenging process,d. For example, this artifact is in the early fetal stage. As long as we wait for 10,000 to 30,000 years, this fetus will grow slowly and be born into a newborn intellectual artifact with unique mystic abilities. Unfortunately, we don''t have that much time." Oswald paused for a moment and then added.


    "So, we will be going to do it forcefully. First, I need to upgrade myself. Otherwise, the chance of failure is very high. Then, we need a safe base. It''s the Magic Tower. Things don''t always go as nned, Charles. Earlier mess is a great example. Some things are very difficult to exin. You must have noticed the strange coincidence, right? You thought summoning the will of ''Sun God'' to deal with the Madman would solve the problem, right? But what happened next not only shocked us, it even shocked the Sun God. Even ''Madman'' seemed surprised by Sun God''s Will''s appearance."


    At that moment, Charles squinted his eyes all of a sudden and raised his eyebrows.


    "The World''s Will? It wanted to involve a powerful third party in the schemes of Divines?" He asked.


    "Who else? This World''s Will seems to be a sly one,d. Anyway, we don''t have to worry about those things for now. Once we built the Magic Tower, I will take care of the Tower Spirit creation and other array creation processes. It would take more than 2 years toplete them. After that, we will focus our full attention on upgrading the System." Oswald said in a solemn tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "How long it will take to upgrade this new System?"


    Upon hearing those words, Oswald leaned on thedder back chair and pondered.


    After thinking for a while, he turned his face solemnly and spoke.


    "25 years. During this time, I need to be in human form. So, you have to help me create a clone body from time to time."


    Although Charles expected that it would take some time to upgrade the System, he didn''t expect it to be this long!


    ''Damn, I have no choice but to think of another way to escape the Destiny.'' He thought to himself and spoke.


    "I will create my second clone and let him apany you."


    "A wise choice." Oswald smiled with a nod and stood up from his seat.


    "I will be going now."


    Saying so, he took a ck cane from his space ring, held it with his hand, and started walking towards the staircase.


    At that moment, Charles recalled something and asked.


    "Do the kids know my clone went with Destiny Lady?"


    Oswald stopped his footsteps and shook his head.


    "They didn''t tell anyone about their departure. Natalia said that she would send a letter to her elder sister and us once they reach the Azure Federation. After that, they might go to the southern end of the Federation, reach the Endless Sea, and set out to search for Natalia''s lover. That girl really is risking her life."


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows and spoke.


    "There are so many mysteries and myths about this Sea. I hope they won''t go deep in the Sea."


    Oswald also nodded his head in approval and continued to walk.


    On the other hand, Charles stayed in the underground hall for a while, changed his cloth into a formal one, and thought of his next n.


    ''My next goal is Red Prince. I will wait for the real Oswald and Rachel to return from Dreamforce Lair and then think of a n to eliminate him thoroughly. Until then, I will use the Books of Secrets and look for clues to evade my death.'' He nodded inwardly and started walking towards the stairs.


    He soon walked out of the underground basement and surprised the nearby servants.


    Without minding their surprised gazes, he walked towards the dining hall and noticed Oswald in the reception hall.


    He currently held a head-sized crystal ball on the table, inscribed the runal characters in the air, and send them into the crystal ball.


    ''He sure is dedicated.'' Charles mused inwardly.


    He then took out a pocket watch from his space ring, flipped open the outer case, and looked into it.


    ''It''s 7.50 P.M.''


    He nodded inwardly and moved to the dining hall located next to the kitchen room.


    But unlike before, the mansion seemed to have lost its vigor.


    After Rhea became the queen, most of the servants and soldiers had moved to the Royal Castle!


    Only a handful of servants, few guards, and his other disciples were staying here.


    If not for the Royal Rules, Rhea mighte back to the mansion during weekends and choose to stay here.


    Unfortunately, she had no choice but to stay there.


    Shaking his head, Charles stepped on the concrete floor and soon arrived in front of the dining hall.


    Just when he was about to enter, a ck-haired woman with a wrinkled face walked out of the kitchen room and stared at him in confusion.


    "You are?" She asked.


    "He is my grandson, Ashley. He''ll be staying here from now on." An old man''s voice came from the reception hall.


    Ashley widened her eyes and hurriedly bowed her head towards Charles.


    "Forgive my earlier rude actions, My Lord."


    Charles waved his hand, entered the dining hall, and spoke.


    "Please get me something to eat."


    "Yes, My Lord," Ashley said in a hurry and went back to the kitchen.


    A few minutester, she and two other maids entered the dining hall and ced different dishes on the table like a roasted chicken, honey roasted fish, stewed mutton, charcoal steak, a ss of champagne, and a te full of sd.


    Charles dismissed the servants, took the knife and fork, cut the roasted chicken, and started eating it slowly.


    ''It''s been a long time since I ate the tasty food.'' He chuckled inwardly and continued to eat.


    After 30 minutes, he walked out of the dining hall and moved towards the bifurcated staircase.


    Within a few seconds, he arrived in front of it, walked on the staircase, and soon reached the second floor.


    Then, he moved to the right side corridor and went to the third floor through the spiral staircase.


    After that, he walked past the banquet hall and ballroom and soon arrived in front of the VIP room section.


    He then used his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, opened the door, and entered his new room.


    There were a total of three VIP rooms on the third floor.


    He chose the one on the right side.


    Then, he went towards the wardrobe, picked up a white towel, a set of casual dresses, and moved towards the bathroom.


    He then took a long bath and walked out of the bathroom in his casual clothes.


    After that, he went near the bed andid on it.


    He ced his head on the soft pillow and tried to get some sleep.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t!


    ''My mind is filled with Divine Lady''s words¡­ Am I feeling afraid?'' He sat up in a hurry and frowned.


    His heart was beating abnormally faster!


    He stayed in the same position for a few minutes and finally sighed.


    After that, he walked out of his room and moved to the building''s terrace through the straight staircase.


    Because of the darkness, the terrace appeared a little gloomier.


    Charles nced at the different ornamental nts and soon moved towards the center.


    Currently, there were sofas, chairs, and a ss table ced over there.


    He soon arrived in front of the Lawson Sofa, sat on it, and took out a golden covered book from his space ring.


    Then, he also took out an ink bottle and a golden quill and ced them on the ss table.


    Then, he opened the Books of Secrets, flipped the pages, and soon stopped at a mysterious nk page.


    Charles casually picked the golden quill, opened the ink bottle, dipped the brush into it, and began to write his name and surname.


    Then, he wrote his date of birth, elemental affinities, their levels, and ce of birth.


    Once hepleted the basic process, he recited a short chant and thought of evading his uing death.


    A momentter, the whole page moved like a water wave and absorbed those words into it.


    "Reveal!" He spoke coldly.


    The next instant, Charles entered into a strange state and felt some deep connection with one of the possible future selves!


    Before he could sense that future self''s deep emotions, the connection suddenly got cut off!


    Charles soon woke up from the strange state and shifted his gaze towards the nk page.


    No!


    At that moment, an image appeared on the mysterious nk page!


    It was an image of a headless body.


    ''That''s me.'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face.

 Chapter 305: Puzzled

    <h4>Chapter 305: Puzzled</h4>


    A momentter, the image of his headless body turned blurry and soon turned nk.


    But Charles didn''t stop there, though.


    He again picked up the quill, dipped the brush into the ink bottle, and started writing.


    A few secondster, he entered the strange state once again.


    Same like before, the connection with his future self got cut off as he tried to peek into that future self!


    Charles then woke up and frowned.


    ''What does this mean? Why did the connection cut off? Something is prohibiting me from seeing the future? Or, my understanding towards Future Time is too low?'' He felt puzzled.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the nk page and soon widened his eyes.


    Unlike before, apletely different image appeared on the mysterious page!


    It was the image of his burning body!


    His face appeared distorted, and his whole body was bathed in reddish-yellow me.


    But what puzzled Charles most was why he didn''t use the ''Heart of Fire'' or ''Life of Fire'' spell!


    ''Something is wrong about that me. Is this how I die in another future timeline?'' His eyebrows rose upward.


    At that moment, the image blurred all of a sudden and then disappeared.


    ''There must be a way.'' He once again picked up the quill pen and continued.


    For the next 10 hours, he used the ''Books of Secrets'' and checked more than 500 of his futures!


    Still, the result didn''t make him happy at all!


    ''I died in all of those visions.'' He muttered in a tired tone and soon noticed that the darkness had already faded from the sky.


    Dawn arrived.


    He let out a deep sigh, stored the ''Books of Secrets'' and other things into his space ring, and thought of going back to his room.


    Just when he was about to stand up from the sofa, a blonde-haired young woman came from downstairs and soon froze.


    Currently, she wore a neat long gown and held a cup of coffee in her hand.


    "Mr. Charles? I thought you and Lady Natalia had gone somewhere. What are you doing here?" Jessie asked in surprise and moved in his direction.


    Charles turned his head and soon greeted her with a smile.


    "Good morning, Jessie. I came here to see my grandfather and I''m nning on staying here for a while."


    "Make yourself at home, Mr. Charles." Saying so, she sat on the nearby sofa, held the coffee cup in her right hand, and asked.


    "Do you want some coffee?"


    Meanwhile, Charles stared at her in amusement, shook his head, and asked.


    "How is Emilia? Did you see her again?"


    From his clone''s memories, Charles learned that his clone used the [Arcane Eyes] and [Hands of Wonders] skills and broke the ''Dimensional Seal'' spell. After that, he, Jessie, and Destiny Lady took Emilia to the Life Church and exined the situation to Abel.


    Emilia also woke up from the unconscious stateter and exined everything about what happened earlier.


    Although most of her memories were vague, that was more than enough for others to realize how terrifying the maniptive enemy was!


    Currently, she was recuperating in the Life Church!


    As Jessie heard his words, her whole body stiffened.


    "N-No, I''m even scared to see her now. Although Teacher told us that he already took care of that terrifying enemy, I''m still getting unknown fear whenever I think about it."


    On the other hand, Charles also turned his face solemnly and asked another question.


    "What about Mage Ss and Lightning Mage Rachel? Did you receive any information about them?"


    At that moment, Jessie held the coffee cup in her hand, blew the form a little, and took a sip before speaking.


    "I requested Rhea to send a squad of Royal Knights to look for them. Unfortunately, things aren''t going as we nned. Although she became the Queen of Iron Kingdom, not even that Kings Guard Captain Eric is listening to her words. The same goes for the other soldiers, Royal Mages, and even some servants. After she signed the document for building a new Magic Tower, the other nobles, mages, and even the Kings Guards are not showing their respect to her. If not for her faction nobles and her personal soldiers, things would have turned a lot messier by now." Her voice contains a trace of anger and helplessness.


    "Why not remove the rebellious mages and Guards from their position? She has full authority, right?" Charles asked in curious.


    Meanwhile, Jessie shook her head and responded in a grave tone.


    "Most of them are Rank-3 Mystics. If she removes them, things might not go in the right direction. Some reckless Mystic might try to assassinate her under nobles'' incitation."


    Charles widened his eyes and spoke.


    "Hmm, this is indeed troublesome. You should discuss this with my grandfather. He might give you a solution."


    Saying so, he stood up from the sofa and started walking towards the staircase.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a disappointing look and ced the cup on the table.


    ''I thought Teacher''s grandson would lend us some help. It seems I was mistaken.'' She muttered inwardly.


    ''That''s why I''m telling you to ask our Teacher''s help. He will solve the problem within a day.'' Her second consciousness spoke coldly.


    ''No, we are relying on our Teacher too much. We''ve to do it on our own.'' Her third consciousness added.


    Jessie also nodded her head in approval and spoke.


    ''I''m going to rank up and be a Rank-4 [Knowledge Seeker] ss Mystic at the end of this week. Then, I will wait for few more days and rank up my sub-ss.''


    ''Rank-3 [Scarlet Knight]¡­ Do you think our mind is strong enough to resist the thirst for killing?'' Even her second consciousness asked in anxiousness.


    In truth, Jessie and other consciousnesses had been suppressed this strange thirst for blood during the past three years and had long realized something was wrong with this ss!


    But Jessie didn''t put much thought into it.


    During the previousrge-scale war, she had acted as amander of the nobles and indirectly killed thousands of people.


    ''Don''t worry about it. We will face it.'' Saying so, she leaned her back on the sofa, turned her gaze towards the east, and looked at the rising sun.


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to his room andy on the soft bed.


    Thankfully, he didn''t feel any mental pressure this time as he closed his eyes and started to snore in a minute.


    He continuously slept for the next 15 hours and finally woke up due to the Church''s bell noise.


    His mind appeared refreshed!


    He then sat on the bed, let out a loud yawn, and entered his Inner World.


    A momentter, he found himself standing at the summit of a strange volcanic mountain and looked around the surroundings in surprise.


    To his shock, his whole world appeared full of vigor.


    Countless illusionary fire elemental trees, nts, and shrubs appeared all over the ce.


    ''My Inner World ispletely changed!'' Charles muttered in shock and soon turned his attention towards sevenrgekes.

 Chapter 306: Wicked Flame Essence

    <h4>Chapter 306: Wicked me Essence</h4>


    Charles then closed his eyes and checked every corner of his Inner World.


    ''Currently, my Inner World is 5 timesrger than before. Moreover, my control over it has also reached another level. Hmm, there is one more important thing. Once I release my full wisdom power and create the Pseudo-Domain in the physical world, I can also move the System Cube! Wait¡­ There is more¡­ I can create one perfect consciousness! Yes. Unlike the clone Charles, this consciousness would be a replication of my own self. Everything will be copied and replicated.'' Charles''s eyes nodded his head and then moved his hand.


    The next instant, countless memories started to appear from all parts of his Inner World in the form of small pebbles tova liquids and gathered above his head!


    No, it almost covered the dark sky and looked monstrous.


    Charles opened his eyes, stared at those memories, and spoke coldly.


    "Replicate!"


    A secondter, all those memories began to split and replicate into two!


    Then, those replicated memories soon separated from the original ones and moved together like a cluster.


    On the other hand, his original memories began to split up, flew in different directions, and scattered all over his Inner World.


    Meanwhile, Charles zeroed his gaze on thebining memories and used his thoughts to move them.


    Those memories soonbined and formed into a massive ball ofva!


    Then, therge mass descended from the sky and hovered in front of Charles.


    "Memories are arranged in a messy order." He nodded his head, ced his hand on theva ball, and closed his eyes.


    The next instant, he scanned every memory at fast speed and started arranging them in order.


    If it were before, he would take more than two months to create this perfect consciousness.


    Thankfully, the wisdom power upgrade gave him a huge boost!


    He worked faster as he separated the ball of memories into multiple sections and started rearranging it one by one.


    Minutes passed, but he didn''t stop.


    For the next 45 hours, he concentrated his full attention andpletely arranged every memory in order.


    Then, he used his wisdom power,bined the sections, and then shaped the memories in the form of a humanoidva body.


    At that moment, his memories started fusing and gave birth to a new will!


    But it was just the start, though.


    The remaining memories also merged with the newly formed will and started to take shape into an illusionary figure of a blue-haired young man!


    The memory merging process took another two hours!


    Then, a brand new consciousness appeared in front of him.


    It hovered in the air with closed eyes and seemed to be checking any anomaly in his newly formed body!


    Noticing Charles''s gaze, the newly born consciousness opened its eyes, looked around for a moment, and frowned.


    "Hmm? This is troublesome. We need to differentiate ourselves. Also, I need to create a new identity for myself."


    The consciousness''s words surprised him.


    Indeed, he had long thought of this problem.


    Before he could open his mouth, the newly formed consciousness touched its illusionary face and started to change shape.


    A few secondster, a 25-years-olddy in her formal dress appeared in front of him.


    She had deep-set jade eyes, long ck hair, an oval face, tan skin, and trimmed thin eyebrows.


    Upon seeing her appearance, the corner of Charles''s lips twitched.


    "Edith Oliver." He muttered in amusement.


    "Yes. This should be enough for now." A clear female voice came out of the newly formed clone''s mouth.


    (Author''s Note: I''ll call her Edith from now on and even shows her as a female. Well, even I don''t know how to differentiate the new clones.)


    ''No, it''s Edith now.'' Charles muttered inwardly, looked up at the sky, and suddenly spoke.


    "I have an idea to speed up the spellprehension process."


    "You want to put a single fire essence in my consciousness and let meprehend that spell model?" Edith also followed his gaze and spoke as if she had already aware of his current thinking.


    At that moment, her eyes zeroed on the Rank-4 [Life of Fire] spell model.


    "The clone Charles alreadypleted 80% of Chaos spell model. If he had chosen to stay here for another three months, we could have saved more time." Edith couldn''t help but sigh.


    But she understood why he followed after Destiny Lady and didn''t me him.


    "Will he be okay? Hmm? What is your n? Wait¡­ Did you not add all your memories into me?" She furrowed her brows and soon nodded her head in approval.


    "That''s for the good. Even if I get a body, my strength won''t be able to match yours. The chances of me dying somewhere far away and give some clues to find more about you are very high."


    Meanwhile, Charles waspletely dazed.


    ''Wow¡­ I don''t even need to exin a thing to her now.''


    While he was in muse, Edith shifted her gaze towards other spell models, zeroed her focus on an eerie ckish one, and spoke.


    "I choose that one. Although the wicked essence will turn me into an evil woman, I''ll be able to handle it."


    "Are you sure about that?" Even Charles felt a little fear towards that spell model.


    "Nope. I''ll definitely do wicked things. But it''ll be better this way. If you got affected by those negative emotions, there is a high chance that you will make mistakes and ends up in a bad situation. This negative emotion will not only obstruct you, but it might even kill you. If I die, you can easily recreate a copy of me. After all, I''m just a cluster of memories. But if you die, we all will be in deep sh*t." Her tone was extremely serious.


    On the other hand, Charles fell into deep thoughts for a moment and then agreed.


    "Let''s go." Saying so, he used his wisdom power and directly flew towards the sky like a certainic character.


    Edith also followed after him, and soon both of them arrived in front of arge eerie-ckish [ck Inferno] spell model.


    Charles then appeared in front of the [ck Inferno] spell model, raised his hands, and extracted the ''True Essence'' of Wicked me.


    The next instant, a dense ball of pure ck me came out of the spell model and soon hovered in front of him.


    It was the true essence of this spell model!


    Within it, Charles sensed some dense wicked emotion.


    It was the pleasure of doing evil things and killing!


    Although some other emotions like envy and greed are there, they appeared very minutely!


    Charles grabbed the ck me, arrived in front of Edith, and ced it over her chest.


    The next instant, the whole ball of me entered her body and started spreading inside.


    A secondter, a strange connection appeared between Edith and the spell model.


    In the meantime, Edith closed her eyes and focused her full attention onpletely assimting the ck fire.


    In a few seconds, she opened her eyes and wore a puzzled look on her face.


    "I didn''t sense any change within me." She spoke in confusion.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles wasn''t surprised at all.


    "This wicked emotion will only act up when you start killing someone. Then, it will take a root in you."


    On the other hand, Edith nodded her head in understanding and soon spoke.


    "There must be some way to suppress these types of wicked emotions¡­ Wait¡­ That Head Priestess might have known a thing or two! Yes, she seems to be specialized in all kinds of things, right?"


    Charles couldn''t help but show a shocked look as he heard those words.


    ''I just now thought of the same thing¡­ Damn, so this is the advantage of perfect consciousness, huh! That means she will also know how to keep her emotions under control from now on. Even if she got affected by the emotions, she will directlye to me and look for a way to tackle it.'' He breathed out a sigh of relief.

 Chapter 307: Cloning

    <h4>Chapter 307: Cloning</h4>


    While he was in muse, Edith arrived next to him and asked.


    "When will I get the clone body?"


    "I''ll create one after leaving the Inner World," Charles responded calmly.


    A smile appeared on Edith''s face.


    "That''s good." She paused for a moment as she recalled something and asked.


    "How are we going to change our Destiny?"


    Her tone was serious.


    Unlike the clone Charles, she knew how grave the situation was and felt some pressure inside.


    On the other hand, Charles felt silent.


    He was still clueless about that problem.


    Although the Book of Secrets artifact could help him see into the far future, he didn''t have enough time to do divinations for days.


    Moreover, there seemed to be something obstructing him from finding out more about the clue.


    ''Thankfully, my work has been reduced to half.'' He muttered inwardly, shifted his attention at Edith, and spoke.


    "Whenever you are free, you can use the Book of Secrets and check for clues about how to evade our death. Although it will be a challenging task, this is worth a shot."


    Meanwhile, Edith furrowed her brows and showed a troubled look on her face.


    "But I need to help Mr. Rh from time to time, right? Moreover, I have toprehend the [ck Inferno] spell model."


    Charles shook his head and responded calmly.


    "You don''t need to spell all of your time on doing this divination work. 10 hours per day is more than enough. If you spend 10 hours a day on the Books of Secrets artifact, you can see more than 500 vision images. I will give you 5 years. You will have a total of 18,250 hours. With such an amount of time, you will be able to see around 1 million vision images. Among those images, a single clue is all I needed. I want a single clue to evade my death."


    "A single clue, huh." Edith blinked her eyes and nodded.


    Meanwhile, Charles enveloped his body in a crimson me and left his Inner World.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes in his room and stood up from the bed.


    Then, he went to the bathroom, took a long bath, changed his cloth into a formal one, and left his room.


    After that, he moved to the reception hall, walked past the kitchen and dining hall, and soon arrived in front of the underground basement''s iron shutter.


    He opened the shutter, walked into the basement through the stairs, and reached the basement hall.


    At that moment, Oswald sat on the wooden chair and seemed to be in the middle of creating the Tower Core.


    Once Charles walked into the hall, he didn''t disturb him and directly moved towards the ssy cloning pod.


    Currently, the cloning pod was filled with blue-colored liquid and appeared mysterious.


    The whole cloning pod was engraved in runal characters!


    Although Charles got the [Cloning] skill after he ranked up, he knew it wasn''t easy to produce a clone.


    Before starting the cloning process, one needed to make preparations and create a suitable environment, nutrition, and few other things.


    When he ranked up to a Rank-5 [Cloner], Charles received some information about performing the cloning process.


    ''First is to prepare a container or pod for clone''s growth. Thankfully, I''m not clueless.'' Charles muttered inwardly, released his wisdom power, and soon floated up in the air.


    He then took out a ss jar filled with ''Life'' water and poured them into the blue liquid.


    After that, he also added a few other liquids into the cloning pod and finally took out an old model syringe.


    He then extracted a few drops of blood from his vein, moved the syringe towards the pot''s lid, and put a single drop of blood into it.


    Simultaneously, he stored the syringe into his space ring and started to chant.


    But unlike the previous times, the words that appeared out of his mouth were unique and ancient.


    Each word seemed to hold some mysterious power, causing the fire torches to flicker intensively!


    At that moment, even Oswald stopped his work and stared at him with a serious look on his face.


    Although more than 12,000 years had passed since the appearance of ss Gem paths, many things remained mysterious!


    One among them was this mysterious cloning method that was unique to Trickster ss Mystics.


    "Is this some primordial time race''s dialect?" He couldn''t help but fantasize about it.


    Meanwhile, something extraordinary happened inside the cloning pot.


    As the single drop of blood entered the bluish liquid, it didn''t disperse!


    Instead, it remained like a crystalline droplet and started to descend.


    At the same time, some invisible power came from Charles''s body and started enveloping the blood droplet.


    Then, it induced something within the blood cells.


    A strange mutation took ce!


    The blood droplet began to shape-change, shone in golden light, and soon formed into a small fetus-like thing!


    At that moment, Oswald suddenly stood up from his chair and stared at the fetus in confusion.


    He felt a strange fluctuation from the fetus and felt a familiarity.


    Soon, his expression changed.


    "It''s the power of ancient race''s bloodline! But which race?" A frown appeared on his face.


    ''Shape-shifters? But I never heard of a shape-shifter having prediction-like abilities¡­ In truth, humans are the ones who are good at prediction-rted things¡­'' He suddenly stopped thinking and recalled a memory.


    ''There is something else I read from a stone te when exploring the Titans'' Golden Ruins. It''s about an ancient legend. In the legend, it says that Humans once had simr traits to shape-shifters. But something happened during the Age of Origin Time.''


    ''The Mythical Races disappeared. After that incident, Humans started to lose their shape-shifting abilities and only retained the prediction ability. After some generations, theypletely turned into normal Humans. They became mortals and were ughtered by magical beasts and other races. When the Humans were about to extinct, an ancient researcher deciphered the High-Elves'' Rune Language and created a unique path. Mage Path.''


    ''That''s when Humans started to rise. They manage to break the shackle of mortals and started evolving. They created potions to break the shackles and even showed interest in different fields to broaden their horizon. Some even managed to awaken their prediction abilities and started grasping their own future.''


    ''That''s how Ancient Mages started to rise. Still, no one understood why the humans lost their bloodline abilities. Could this be rted? Does this [Trickster] Series ss actually have some rtion with Ancient Human bloodline?'' He widened his eyes in disbelief.


    Although there were just his spections, he couldn''t help but get shocked inside.


    At that moment, Charles also ended the mysterious chanting and descended to the floor.


    Then, he activated [Arcane Eyes] and shifted his attention towards his body.


    His vision turned blurry all of a sudden and soon showed a foggy humanoid appearance.


    Yes, his hands, feet, and body appeared more like a fog!


    ''Soul Form.'' Charles nodded inwardly, moved his right hand, and ripped a small amount of the foggy material.


    At that moment, he felt a deep pain appeared from the depth of his soul!


    "Life of Fire!" Charles hurriedly muttered and enveloped his body in bluish me.


    But he didn''t get anxious and turned his gaze towards a small cloud-like thing in his hand.


    It was a fraction of his soul called Soul Shard!


    As long as this Soul Shard was in this clone''s body, the clone wouldn''t face any retaliation from the Will of the World!


    Charles then deactivated the [Arcane Eyes] skill, took a few steps forward, and arrived in front of the ss pod.


    Then, he raised his hand and ced the Soul Shard on the ssy pod.


    Just as the Soul Shard touched the ss, it directly passed into the pod and soon absorbed into the tiny fetus.


    "It''s over." Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and soon noticed a change on his skin.


    He now appeared a bit older than before!


    ''I spent 50 years of lifespan on this clone.'' He smiled bitterly and turned his gaze towards the dumbfounded Oswald.

 Chapter 308: Reward

    <h4>Chapter 308: Reward</h4>


    "Why are you staring at me like you have seen a ghost?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, Oswald woke up from the shock and shook his head.


    "Nothing," He said.


    On the other hand, Charles thought of something and spoke.


    "Stay here for the next few days and take care of this clone, Mr. Rh. It will take more than a day to finish the cloning process. Meanwhile, I will go and get the gift from the Goddess of Day and Night."


    "Gift? Why would she give you a gift? Moreover, do you really think she would talk you a mortal like you?" Oswald said in disdain.


    A mysterious smile appeared on Charles''s face as he heard those words.


    "First, she is the one who pulled me into this mess by creating a mission through the System." He paused for a moment and added.


    "Moreover, I do have some information to exchange."


    "Information?" Oswald stared at him in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and started to walk towards the staircase.


    He soon left the underground basement hall, returned to his room, and changed his clothes into a formal one.


    After that, he cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared on the Midnight Street road while startling a few pedestrians and soon covered his face using his right hand.


    At that moment, the morning sun red at him from the east.


    Currently, it was around 9 A.M.


    Charles moved towards the roadside and then turned his gaze towards the newly built dome-shaped building.


    Behind the building were two square towers, which were almost as tall as 20 meters.


    One appeared eerie ck like the shadow of the Night, while the other one appeared pure white.


    No, even the dome-shaped building appeared unique.


    The right side appeared in white, while the left side of the building appeared ck.


    Above the dome was a sizable coin-like circle, half of it being a sun and the other half of it being a moon.


    It was a symbol representing Day and Night!


    ''Day and Night Church¡­''


    Charles took a step forward and started walking towards the Church building.


    Soon, he reached the Church''s entrance, walked into the building through arge, low porch by the wooden doorway.


    Inside, the arch rose into dim darkness, and between them were a few rectangr windows.


    Charles walked on the aisle and soon arrived in front of an elevated altar.


    At that moment, more than 50 people appeared in the grand hall.


    Nuns were making some preparations around the right side corner while tens of believers sat on the front pews and were in the middle of listening to an obese man''s preaching.


    He wore a white rochet, covering it were ck-colored cassock and ck tippet. He also wore a white beret over his head and held a sacred book in his right hand.


    His long silver hair fell over his shoulder, and he wore a happy look on his face.


    His emerald eyes were shining.


    At that moment, he recited a verse in the sacred book and exined how life and death y a role in daily life.


    "The sun represents the birth of new life. Because of our Divine Lady''s grace, we are born in this beautiful world. We rise, struggle, and work harder to achieve our goals. But as time passes, we also started to age and got tired frequently. We be old. Soon, our bodies will start withering and die during the dusk. Eternal darkness will envelop our soul." He paused for a moment and soon added in a solemn tone.


    "This is the darkness where our souls get corrupted. Once the corruption reaches some level, our soul will be pulled into the Underworld and then tortured for eternity. Even if you are a pure soul, you will lose in front of this eternal darkness and get pulled by the wicked souls."


    At that moment, a young woman raised her hand and asked.


    "Is there a way to save ourselves from the Eternal Darkness?"


    A confident look appeared on Bishop Myles''s face.


    "There is a way, my child. Unlike other Gods, our Divine Lady is generous and always saves those who seek help from her. She controls the domain of Night which itself is a sub-domain of darkness! As long as you start worships her from now on, she will definitely pay attention to your request and save you from the eternal darkness." He said in a calm tone.


    "Do I have to convert my Elements Religion?"


    "No. You don''t have to convert your beliefs, little one. Our Divine Lady doesn''t care about such matters." Bishop Myles''s voice echoed.


    ''This man sure do loves to preach.'' Charles shook his head and turned his gaze towards the front.


    A table was ced at the center of the altar.


    Multiple materials like blood jars, dishes, a goat''s head, human hairs, and a few other things were ced as offerings!


    His gaze swept past those weird offering materials and soonnded at the center.


    There stood a 2-meter tall female statue in a luxurious gown.


    The dress was made of azure duchess satin and embroidered with floral emblems representing mithril and golden thread.


    The woman in the statue wore a beautiful silver crown on her head and looked beautiful.


    The woman statue had long straight hair, a round face, a slim, curvy body, and appeared to be carved in white crystal.


    She stood with closed eyes and held a small girl-child in her arms.


    Charles stared at her for a few seconds and then pped his hand together.


    Just as he was about to chant, the surroundings started to distort and transported him into a different area!


    Charles soon found himself surrounded byplete darkness.


    Although the altar table, the Goddess''s statue was still there, he somehow knew that he was not in the Church now.


    At that moment, the ss jars began to break one by one.


    Then, the blood droplets started to hover up in the air and formed into a reddish blob!


    "Thank you forpleting the quest mission, mortal. Now, what do you want? I''ll grant you a single gift." A pleasant female voice came out of the reddish blob.


    Charles hid his nervousness and asked.


    "Can you raise my elemental affinity to prodigy level, Divine One?"


    "No. Raising one''s elemental affinity level is not an easy thing. Only World''s Will, nature artifacts, and few other existences are capable of such a feat. Ask another request."


    Upon hearing the Goddess''s words, Charles was disappointed inside.


    He soon thought of something else and asked the next request.


    "What about the clues to change my Destiny? Can you help me with that, right?"


    Unfortunately, Goddess declined his request.


    "No. Gods aren''t allowed to involve in mortals'' matters. That''s the agreement we signed during the nar alliance. If I help you change your Destiny, it might cause some deep variation in the timeline. You are on your own."


    ''Tsk, why do you even put the gift as a reward in quest mission?'' He grumbled inwardly.


    As if the Goddess had read his thoughts, she let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "Both of your requests involve the future of the whole, mortal. Although you saved the kingdom from its doom, it isn''t enough for me to give you more benefits. I''m a neutral Goddess and always follow the rules of equivalent exchange."


    A frown appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''This is getting nowhere.''


    Suddenly, an idea shed in his mind.


    "What about giving some clues to increase my Fire Elemental Affinity?" He paused for a moment and then added with a sly smile on his face.


    "In exchange for this request, I will also add some important information about Edhen''s Children Organization."


    "Oh? Important information, is it? I''m listening." For the first time, Charles sensed curiousness in Goddess''s tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled lightly and tossed the bait.


    "I know the Divine''s true identity."


    A silence appeared in the dark domain.


    After a long silence, Goddess Rodia''s voice came from the blob of red blood.


    "How sure are you?"


    Her tone turned deadly serious.


    "I''m 90 percent sure," Charles spoke calmly.


    "Who is it?" Goddess Rodia asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a deep sigh and answered.


    "Sasha, the Goddess of Destiny. She is a foreign Goddess from the Elder ne."


    For the first time, a strange invisible pressure descended onto the dark domain.


    Soon, Goddess Rodia retracted her power and spoke in a surprised tone.


    "This is indeed excellent news. Okay, I''ll give you a clue about how to increase your elemental affinity level. 18 years from now on, go to the City of Miracles and participate in the Golden Century''s nar Invasion mission. The one who contributes most in that invasion will get a chance to increase one of their element affinities level to ''Divine'' level. Only Rank-5 Mages are allowed to participate in that mission."


    ''nar invasion?'' Charles''s eyes widened.


    "Which ne are they going to invade?" He asked in a curious tone.


    "It''s the Abyss."


    Just as she said those words, the whole dark domain breaks into millions of sses!

 Chapter 308: Evil Consciousness

    <h4>Chapter 308: Evil Consciousness</h4>


    Charles soon found himself standing in the Church and furrowed his brows.


    ''Abyss, huh. Hmm, one of my biggest worries is solved.'' He nodded inwardly, turned around, and started walking out of the Church.


    Then, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, returned to his room, and took some rest.


    The next day, Charles went to the underground basement hall and finished the cloning process by linking his Inner World with the clone.


    After that, Edith left his Inner World and directly took control over the clone body!


    Once the cloning process was over, he took out the ''Book of Secrets'' and gave it to her before returning to his room.


    Then, he entered his Inner World and startedprehending the [Finger of Destruction] spell model.


    Four days passed smoothly.


    During this time, Edith used the ''Book of Secrets'' artifact and started searching for clues using divination.


    Not only that, but she also entered his Inner World during her free time andprehended the [ck Inferno] spell model.


    It was early morning.


    Charles sat on his bed in a cross-legged position and was about to enter his Inner World.


    At that moment, an image shed in his mind.


    It was a forewarning vision!


    He saw Jessie sat on a grassy garden and gripped her head with both hands in that vision.


    At that moment, her unique pair of crescent-shaped earrings shone brightly and seemed to be encircling her body in strange reddish smoke.


    Her face appeared a little distorted, but there was something else that attracted Charles''s attention.


    It was her facial expression.


    At that moment, she wore a twisted smile on her face!


    On the other hand, Rhea, Titus, and Noel also stood before her, showing confusion, shock, and panicking expressions.


    Before Charles could blink, the image blurred in an instant and disappeared from his mind.


    "Distorted Shadow? No, this one looks totally different. Did her second consciousness take control over her body? Is it because of her sudden Rank-Up?" He wore a confused look on his face.


    ''Moreover, why did she choose to rank-up now? Her current action is so abnormal.''


    Shaking his head, Charles walked out of his bed and enveloped his body in a crimson me.


    A momentter, he reappeared in the sky and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    ''Hmm, she is in the Royal Pce.''


    He zeroed his focus on the Royal Pce and cast [me Teleportation] spell before disappearing.


    Then, he reappeared above the Royal Pce and looked at the mansion garden from above.


    Same as before, Jessie sat in the grassy garden with her eyes closed and appeared motionless.


    Meanwhile, Rhea, Noel, and Titus sat in front of her and stared at her solemnly.


    Without wasting any time, Charles descended from the sky,nded in front of them, and gave them a little fright.


    "You guys sure are reckless." He said in a cold tone.


    His arrival alerted all three of them!


    Rhea was the first to wake up from the shock as she stood up hurriedly, turned around, and was about to cast an Ice magic spell but stopped!


    At that moment, she forgot how to cast her magic spell!


    Before she could even think, Charles walked past her and soon arrived in front of Jessie.


    ''Let''s see what made her second consciousness take over Jessie.''


    "Did she take any ss Gem?" He asked.


    "W-Who are you? What do you want?" Titus instantly unsheathed his dagger and asked coldly.


    But soon, his expression froze.


    Simultaneously, Noel also widened his eyes and asked.


    "Are you Mr. Charles?"


    "I''ve no time for introductions," Charles said coldly and cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on Jessie.


    A momentter, a small ball of purple me appeared in Jessie''s Inner World and soon formed into a figure of 28 years old young man.


    Unlike his original appearance, this Charles''s skill appeared purplish.


    But what shocked him most was that his current appearance.


    He had a real body in this Inner World!


    Charles then looked at the surrounding areas and soon covered his nose.


    At that moment, the smell of flesh and blood assaulted his nose!


    Simultaneously, his eyes widened in shock.


    Unlike an ordinary mystic''s Inner World, her world was filled with blood, corpses, bones, and skulls.


    Even though the sky appeared darker, some reddish light illuminated the whole Inner World and appeared eerier.


    Meanwhile, Charles wandered his gaze and soon saw three eerie red moons appeared in the sky!


    ''This looks more like the moons from the Edhen World¡­ Why are they appearing here?''


    What''s more shocking was that he even saw a blood river on his right side.


    ''Is this actually Jessie''s Inner World?'' Charles''s gaze swept past the area filled with blood, corpses, and bones and soonnded on a bone throne ced a few hundred meters away from him.


    Currently, it was ced on hundreds of corpses and appeared gloomier.


    ''T-This¡­'' He felt a strange chillness in his heart.


    ''Something is wrong with her Inner World.'' He could tell with a single nce that this had something to do with her Sub-ss.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired young woman in her pitch-ck dress appeared in the sky and stared at him in surprise.


    She was none other than Jessie''s second consciousness!


    "Charles?" Her tone was quite cold.


    Meanwhile, Charles stared at her for a moment and asked.


    "Where is Jessie?"


    Just as Jessie''s second consciousness was about to respond, a breaking voice echoed from far.


    "H-Help¡­ me¡­"


    ''Jessie?'' Charles''s pupil constricted.


    Without any dy, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at the fake Jessie, and cast [Knowledge Seeker] spell.


    Multiple bolts of purple-lightning life fire came out of his fingertip and flew towards her at a fast speed!


    But before those spells could reach her, countless corpses, bones, and skulls rose from the ground andpletely blocked them.


    His purple mes collided with those corpses and bones and disintegrated them.


    But Charles''s face turned grim.


    ''Damn it, purple mes are actually erasing her memories!''


    But there was something else that confused him deeply.


    "How are you controlling Jessie''s Inner World like your own world? Who are you? You are not Jessie''s second consciousness, right?" He stared at her intensely and asked.


    For the first time, a frown appeared on fake Jessie''s face.


    But soon, the frown on her face was reced with yfulness.


    "Hehehe, you are indeed smart. But not smart enough." She paused for a moment and then added with an evil smirk.


    "The main cause of my birth is the Red Moons and the earrings our Teacher gave Jessie as gifts."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s expression froze.


    ''Wait¡­ Red Moons? Does that mean Jessie was long affected by the Red Moons? She stared at Red Moons back in Chester City and showed confusion, helplessness, unwillingness, and hesitation emotions. All of them are negative emotions. That''s when the root of the problem arose? Mr. Rh also told me that these Red Moons are capable of inducing one''s Inner Emotions. But I didn''t take it seriously and thought of it as some normal thing. Well, who wouldn''t stare at the Red Moons frequently in this world?''


    ''Then, during the auction incident, she ''miraculously'' got [Blood Maniptor] ss and became a ''Blood Maniptor'' ss Mystic. At that time, the Holem''s Crown only boosted her own luck, which isn''t enough to cause a ''miracle.'' But she obtained the ss gem. At the same time, she killed the Divine Order member under the guidance of this second consciousness¡­ That''s when I thought of preventing her from walking on the path of darkness and gave those two crescent earrings¡­ But who would''ve thought that those earrings would actually turn her second consciousness into a wicked one.'' He couldn''t help but show a wry smile.


    Although he didn''t understand the reason behind the birth of this evil consciousness, he was sure of one thing.


    ''Even our consciousnesses aren''t trustworthy. They can be easily manipted by different types of negative emotions and outside powers.'' He muttered inwardly and spoke.


    "Haa, I''ll take back those earrings then."


    At that moment, in the physical world.


    Charles moved his hand towards Jessie''s ears and removed those earrings.

 Chapter 310: Realization

    <h4>Chapter 310: Realization</h4>


    At that moment, shock appeared on the fake Jessie''s face.


    "The earrings must be the reason you manage to control this Inner World and suppressed Jessie''s main consciousness, right?" Charles asked in a cold tone.


    Just as he finished his words, the whole Inner World trembled.


    A secondter, a whirly blonde-haired young woman suddenly appeared in the sky and stared at the fake Jessie with a hateful gaze.


    Jessie then waved her hand and attacked her before her second consciousness could wake up from the shock.


    Countless chains made of crystalline blood popped up from the ground, moved towards the sky, and slithered around her legs, hands, and body.


    In less than two seconds, the evil consciousness waspletely imprisoned!


    But at that moment, her second consciousness stealthily erased some important information about how she became corrupted!


    In truth, she had suppressed Jessie and imprisoned her and the third consciousness in the farther end of the Inner World.


    But after Charles took off the earrings, Jessie somehow gainedplete control over her Inner World, escaped from her imprisonment, and ruined her n.


    On the other hand, Jessie looked at her second consciousness and felt deep fear towards it.


    ''That was close.'' Cold sweats appeared on her forehead.


    ''I should erase her now.'' Multiple des and spears made of blood suddenly appeared in the sky and encircled the evil consciousness.


    As she was about to erase the evil consciousness, Charles raised his head, looked at her, and spoke.


    "Do not kill her. Just erase some of her memories. After that, you can modify her and turn into a controble consciousness."


    Although Jessie couldn''t understand his intention, she reluctantly nodded and did as he told her.


    Then, her whole body stiffened.


    Confusion, shock, and panic surfaced on her face!


    "My memories are disappearing¡­ No, something is altering my memories!" She got panicked.


    "I have a guess," Charles spoke as he rose to the sky and asked.


    "Did you consume the [Knowledge Seeker] ss gem?"


    "Yes." An instant response came out of Jessie''s mouth.


    Charles nodded his head in understanding and spoke.


    "Close your eyes and look for the ce where your memories are disappearing."


    To his surprise, she didn''t ask him a single question and did as he told her.


    She soon raised her hand, pointed it in a random direction, and spoke.


    "I sense an anomaly over there."


    Saying so, she grabbed her second consciousness, arrived beside Charles, ced her hand on his shoulder, and teleported.


    A momentter, they appeared at the center of arge crater, filled with blood tails and bones, and looked around.


    Jessie then raised her hand, pointed her finger in a particr direction, and spoke.


    "It''s there. Wait¡­ I forgot something."


    Jessie''s expression turned into a confused one.


    Meanwhile, Charles zeroed his gaze on the particr area and saw a strange cloud-like thing.


    It was an eerie ck smoke!


    The smoke started corrupting the nearby memories, blood trails, corpses, bones, and skulls!


    But what made him feel confused was that the corrupted memories seemed to have been induced by deep emotions all of a sudden!


    But before he could study the strangeness, all those corrupted ck smokes moved towards the original smoke-like energy and absorbed with it!


    Some smokes remained in the same ce and started corrupting the normal blood and corpses.


    ''The invisible dark energy¡­ I felt this same dark feeling when I try to rank up to an Ember Wizard.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    He conjured a ball of purple me, shaped it into a sword, and held it in his hand.


    At that moment, Jessie looked around in confusion and soon said with a hint of fear in her eyes.


    "Oh no! My memories are altering in multiple ces¡­ No, my third consciousness!" She suddenly cried out in shock.


    Upon hearing her words, Charles''s expression turned grave.


    He then raised his hand, aimed at the direction where the eerie ck smoke, and hurled his sword.


    His purple sword moved like a bolt and directly collided with the ck cloud with a whooshing sound!


    The next instant, both his purple me sword and the ck smoke devoured each other and disappeared!


    But what shocked him most was that ck smoke actually stored a tiny bit of wisdom power!


    During the past few years, he had learned that wisdom power was created through one''s deep emotions.


    ''Whenever someone feels intense emotions, they would release a cloud of energy into the atmosphere. Those energies are the main essence of wisdom power. But there are some exceptions. When someone''s life moments became so precious, their memories along with the energy also absorbed into one''s Inner World and stays there for a long time¡­''


    ''That''s how I rarely obtain one or two Wisdom Points when erasing someone''s memories. But this one ispletely different. This dark cloud is actually inducing Jessie''s every memory and turned them into precious life moments. Those precious life moments then started releasing positive and negative emotions. If all these memories turned into wisdom power, it would be enough for more than enough for her to be a peak Rank-4 Mystic¡­'' His expression stiffened all of a sudden.


    ''Wait¡­ Distorted Shadows always have peak level power. If a Rank-2 Mage failed to advance during their rank-up process, he would lose his rationality. He bes a mindless monster. Not only that, but Rank-2 strength will rise to Rank-3 peak level strength!''


    ''What the hell? Did I stumble upon some conspiracy?''


    He instantly turned his gaze towards Jessie and spoke in a hurried tone.


    "Gather all of your normal memories in one ce. Do it quickly."


    Jessie nodded her head as she heard those words, closed her eyes, and started to act.


    Within seconds, countless blood droplets, skulls, bones, and even some fleshes flew from different parts of her Inner World and gathered around her like a hurricane. Within a minute, all of them descended from the sky and were absorbed into the ground.


    Meanwhile, Charles nced at the surroundings and soon saw countless dark smokes were moving in their direction!


    Upon seeing such terrifying eerie smokes, Jessie''s face went pale in fright.


    "What the hell are those?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    On the other hand, Charles''s face turned icy cold.


    "That''s what happens when you Rank Up without knowing the consequences. Although I have the power of Rank-4 Mage, I won''t be able to erase all those smokes without doing considerable damage to your Inner World." He paused for a moment and added.


    "Don''t panic and stay where you are. I will take care of the rest."


    Saying so, he first conjured mes and created arge purple me dome around them!


    It was sorge that it enveloped all of Jessie''s memories inside the dome!


    ''As long as these purple mes didn''t touch her memories, nothing will happen to her.'' Charles nodded his head, moved out of the dome, and raised his hand.


    Then, he conjured fire seeds continuously and sent them towards all parts of her Inner World.


    At that moment, many fire seeds also met with those eerie ck clouds and started colliding with them.


    Within a minute, Jessie''s whole Inner World started burning!


    ¡­


    One hourter, Charles stood in the middle of purple mes and nced around.


    Unlike before, no corpses, blood, skull, or bones appeared in his sight.


    Instead, the whole world waspletely turned into an empty one.


    Barrennd and craters were the only things that appeared all over the ces!


    ''I''m also at my limit.''


    Charles erased those purple mes from all parts of the Inner World and turned his gaze towards the dome-shaped purple fire.


    Then, he used his thoughts and erased the dome.


    Meanwhile, Jessie sat on the ground and wore a pale expression on her face.


    Although she managed to escape from turning into a Distorted Shadow, she received a severe bacsh!


    Once noticing that the dome was disappearing, she stood up with her staggering footsteps and looked around.


    Currently, her whole Inner World appeared more like a dested ce!


    On the other hand, Charles moved towards her and spoke.


    "Don''t worry about the losses. This world is nothing but your own imagination. As long as you put some time, you can create apletely new world."


    Saying so, he started to burn in a purple me and soon disappeared.


    Meanwhile, a bitter smile appeared on Jessie''s face.


    After that, she waved her hand and sent all her memories into different parts of her Inner World.


    She then turned her gaze towards her second consciousness and started to ponder.


    ''Should I erase her and create a consciousness myself? Or should I modify her?'' After thinking for a while, she chose to erase most of this consciousness''s memories and modify them into apletely different one.


    ''As for third consciousness, it''spletely gone. I can only create a clone myself and manage it.'' She let out a deep sigh and started to work.


    ¡­


    In the physical world,


    Charles stood next to Jessie during the past one hour and received information from his burning consciousness from time to time.


    Once he learned that everything was over, he nodded his head and spoke.


    "She is fine now. Tell her to not act rashly again."


    Saying so, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself and disappeared from there, leaving Rhea and others in the royal garden.


    He reappeared in his room a momentter, moved towards his bed, sat on it, and then entered his Inner World.


    The next second, he reappeared in the summit of a volcanic mountain and thought of the earlier battle.


    ''I need to make backup ns in case my consciousnesses turned their back against me. But how did Jessie''s second consciousness manage to suppress Jessie? Is it really due to the earrings I gave her as a present? Or, something else? I''ve to let Mr. Rh take a look into those two earrings.'' He thought to himself.


    At that moment, he suddenly recalled how Red Prince gainedplete control over hisckeys using the purple fire and widened his eyes.


    ''When I choose to construct a spell model next time, I have to choose a spell that could help me control consciousnesses. Although both of my consciousnesses are rational, I can''t sure of anything. Even the smart child Jessie got fooled by her own consciousness.'' He sighed deeply, moved towards the dark sky, and startedprehending the [Finger of Needle] spell model.


    Two months passed in a blink.

 Chapter 311: Perley City

    <h4>Chapter 311: Perley City</h4>


    During the past two months, Charles spent most of his time in his Inner World andprehended 70% of the ''Finger of Destruction'' spell model!


    Meanwhile, Edith also used her free time and continued to check future visions.


    Unfortunately, she hadn''t found a single clue about how to evade Charles''s death.


    It was around 7.A.M.


    Currently, Charles stood in the underground basement hall and was in deep thoughts.


    While he was in muse, a white-haired old man in histe 70s entered the basement, stepped on the concrete floor, and soon arrived in front of him.


    "They still haven''t returned yet." He said in disappointment.


    ''Oswald and Rachel, huh. Did they die in Dreamforce Lair? Or trapped?''


    Charles raised his eyebrows a little and soon spoke.


    "It seems we are on our own." He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Come out of the clone body. It''s better not to dy any longer."


    Upon hearing those words, Oswald''s eyes widened.


    "Are we going now?" He asked in a startled tone.


    He actually thought Charles would take a day or two to make preparations but hadn''t expected him to be in a rush.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Yes. The more we dy, the stronger he will get. We have to kill the Devil before he grows into a great threat."


    "What about the kids? They arepletely suppressed by the Tower mages. If others find out that we are not in the city, things might get worse for Rhea." Oswald said in a solemn tone.


    Charles waved his hand and spoke in a casual tone.


    "Edith will watch over the kids. Although she is just a clone of mine, her strength should be more than enough to take care of the current problems. I also told her to visit the Royal Pce frequently and back the kids."


    Oswald stared at him for a moment and nodded his head.


    A momentter, his old body shook twice and started falling backward.


    Then, a strange red cloud came out of the fallen body, suspended in mid-air and soon formed into an appearance of a reddish crown!


    A secondter, the crown began to reshape and turned into a red-gem embedded bracelet!


    Charles took a step forward, caught the hovering bracelet, and wore it in his right hand.


    At that moment, a metal shuttering noise came from the entrance.


    Within a few seconds, a youngdy in her twenties entered the underground basement hall through the straight staircase and soon froze.


    She had deep-set jade eyes, long ck hair, an oval face, tan skin, and trimmed thin eyebrows.


    Upon seeing Oswald''s body on the floor, she raised her eyebrows and asked.


    "Leaving already?"


    Charles nodded his head and responded.


    "We will be out for a month or two. Till then, take care of everything."


    Saying so, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    A momentter, Charles reappeared in the outskirts of the City of Iron and looked up at the sky.


    The next instant, he released his full wisdom power.


    Invisible ripples appeared in the surroundings as his wisdom power enveloped the royal city in a second and continued to expand like a raging storm.


    Within a few seconds, his wisdom power almost covered one-tenth of the kingdom''s territory!


    But what''s more shocking was that none of the Rank-4 Mages perceived it!


    Charles scanned all those areas for a second and rose upward.


    Unlike before, he didn''t use any wings spell at all!


    His current wisdom power was so strong that it could even moverge rocks and buildings!


    He hovered in the sky while familiarizing himself with the new flying method and shot towards the southwestern direction.


    ¡­


    Two dayster.


    It was around 3 P.M.


    Somewhere in the Ember Kingdom, near Perley City.


    A lone male figure descended from the sky and soonnded in the middle of lustful woods.


    Startled by his sudden arrival, the nearby birds and animals started to make noises.


    The young man nced around before brushing off the specks of dust on his linen shirt and washed his face using a water pouch.


    Once he was done, he looked in a particr direction and started walking towards it.


    Currently, Charles wore regr linen clothes and looked more like amoner young man.


    After walking for a while, he soon found a lone dirt path and started following it.


    As he moved, some pedestrians or caverns appeared in his sight from time to time. Some moved far ahead of him, while others moved in the opposite direction.


    Without minding the passerby pedestrians, Charles continued to walk on the path and soon reached a vigorous grassy in. Different kinds of nts, weeds, and even some beautiful nts appeared on the sides.


    He nced at the surroundings and focused his gaze on the city.


    Perley City was located on the tropical river coast, where the vegetation was lush.


    After walking for a while, Charles reached the entrance gate, guarded by several armored leather guards, and joined the nearby queue.


    Then, he waited for another hour in the queue, paid a few silver coins, and entered inside.


    Just as he walked in, buildings'' architecture, pedestrians'' clothing, and ordinary citizens'' activities caught his attention in a second. With a single look, anyone could tell that people here were fabulously wealthy.


    But what made him raise his eyebrows was that this city was filled with all kinds of Churches'' believers.


    In a few minutes, he already walked past more than five different Churches!


    Holy Knights, priests, clerks, and even mages were quitemon in this city!


    The street roads were clean and neat, even the city''s security was rxed.


    It was as if the people here hadn''t seen any crime for a long time!


    Charles was stunned for a moment and soon looked around to gather some information.


    At that moment, he saw a weathered man with a narrow ribcage was currently polishing a shield in the corner and went towards him.


    Upon sensing his arrival, the pale-skinned wiry human looked at him up and down and greeted him with a slight bow.


    "New to the city? Are you here for information?" He asked as if this was amon thing.


    "Yes, I came here to meet a friend of mine." Charles paused for a moment and asked him a few questions.


    On the other hand, the pale-skinned human gave precise answers and even told him to take shortcut routes.


    "If you take the Illusion Street route, it will only take 15 minutes for you to reach Nobles'' Street by walk. But be careful of the street dogs, young man. Even I got bitten by those damned dogs twice. After that, you can directly go to City Square, move to Nobles'' Street, and look for your friend over there."


    Meanwhile, Charles listened to his every word and then resumed his walking. He walked past many street stalls, inns and reached Illusion Street.


    Just like what the man said, the whole street was filled with barking noises!


    Thankfully, Charles silently released his wisdom power and knocked them unconscious.


    After walking past Illusion Street, he entered a dark alley and moved to Nobles'' Street.


    Although this city''s poption was only around one hundred thousand, it still appeared crowded!


    After another few minutes of walking, he entered Nobles'' Street and moved towards thergest four-storied mansion in the whole street.


    But as he walked near the mansion entrance gate, two muscr guards in their silver armors raised their spears and pointed them in his direction.


    "What are you doing here,moner?" One guard took a step forward and asked in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles stopped his footstep, raised his hand, and smiled.


    At that moment, a transparent me appeared on his hand, manipted the nearby water elements, and created a ball of water!


    The ball then shaped into a knife-life structure and started to freeze!


    Upon witnessing such a scene, both of the guards retracted their weapons and apologized.


    "May I know your name please, master Mage?" One of the muscr guards asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke with a smile on his face.


    "Astinus Croft, I''m a friend of Saron White."

 Chapter 312: Count Isaiah

    <h4>Chapter 312: Count Isaiah</h4>


    Upon hearing those words, the guards nced at each other and opened the metallic gate.


    At that moment, one of the two guards gave his spear to the other one and spoke.


    "Please wait here for a while, Master Mage. I''ll go and ask permission from the family head."


    Saying so, he turned around and started running towards the mansion building.


    A few minutester, the same guard returned from the building and responded.


    "Lord Isaiah is waiting for you at the reception room, Master Mage."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, stepped forward, and started walking on the concrete path.


    He walked past the grassy yard, golden fountain, and a few human statues and soon arrived near the porch area.


    After that, he appeared in front of the locked wooden door, grabbed the doorknob before turning it to the right side, and opened it.


    Then, he stepped into the entrance hallway, walked on the red-carpeted floor, and soon reached the reception room.


    At that moment, Charles''s gaze swept past the ss windows and soonnded on the portrait that hung on the right sidewall.


    The person in the portrait was a whirly-haired young woman.


    She had blonde hair, around 20-years-old, fair skin, monolid hazel eyes, and a heart-shaped face.


    But what surprised Charles was that they put a flower string on the portrait.


    ''Lydia White¡­ Is this a custom to ce flower string on dead people''s portraits?'' He raised his eyebrows a little.


    But soon, he retracted his gaze and turned his attention towards the reception room.


    Currently, a blonde-haired man in histe fifties sat on the couch and seemed to be in the middle of reading a newspaper.


    Yes, there were newspapers in this Magical World!


    The main reason for such creation was the Ember Kingdom''s [Artisan] ss Mystics!


    It''s the only kingdom in the whole continent that gave much importance to the [Artisan] ss Mystics.


    ''If I''m not wrong, the Royal Family of Ember Kingdom has in possession of some ancient mage''s inheritance. Because of that inheritance, the Artisans made a huge breakthrough during the past few centuries and created many new weapons and artifacts. Ember Pistols,mon and umon artifacts we use in daily life are mostly created by these mystics. These newspapers printing machines are also one of their magical creations.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    ''Oh? What type of news do they put in the newspaper? Is it costly?'' Charles gave a curious look at the newspaper and asked.


    ''You''ll find political-rted news, important battles, wars, and other entertainment news. Although the newspapers are a little expensive, nobles and mages would buy them regrly to learn the general situation of the kingdom.''


    Charles listened to the Holem''s Crown''s words and soon moved forward.


    At that moment, the blonde-haired man folded the newspaper, ced it on the table, and turned his gaze towards Charles.


    He had an oblong face, wide-set amber eyes, elongated eyebrows, snub nose, and wore a normal shirt and pants.


    He was Count Isaiah, the current head of the White Household.


    Not only that, but he was also the Lord of this Perley City.


    Isaiah nced at Charles up and down, frowned a bit, and asked.


    "Are you the guest of Saron?"


    On the other hand, Charles smiled as he went near the opposite sofa, sat on it, and spoke.


    "I''m Astinus Croft, a mage from Ashbury City-"


    "If you are looking for Saron, she is not here." Isaiah interrupted him.


    Surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    He soon turned his face solemnly and asked.


    "Where is she now, Lord Isaiah?"


    Upon hearing his question, a gloomy look appeared on his face.


    "Currently, she is staying in the Holly Cottage. After Lydia''s death, she never showed her face in front of me." Saying so, he subconsciously turned his gaze towards the portrait and sighed.


    "She was truly a good girl. If she didn''t follow after ''Him'' like Saron, she would be still alive." His voice contains a trace of anger and helplessness.


    "Him?" Charles wore a curious look and asked.


    "It''s better not talk about him." Isaiah stopped for a moment and asked.


    "Why do you want to see my daughter, Mr. Mage?"


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his face solemnly and answered.


    "I came here to give her something. Can you please send someone to this Holly Cottage and ry a message to her? If she knows that I''m here, she will definitelye."


    Although Isaiah felt a little suspicious of this new guest, he didn''t put much thought into it and turned his gaze towards the living room.


    "Lucien? Come here." He said.


    A brown-haired man walked into the reception room in his butler suit just as he finished his words. He appeared a little older than Isaiah and held a unique golden book in his hand.


    He soon arrived next to Isaiah, bowed his head, and asked.


    "Do you need something, my lord?"


    "Yes. Go to the Holly Cottage and tell Saron that her friend Astinus Croft is here to see her." Isaiah said in a casual tone.


    Upon hearing those words, the butler named Lucien nodded his head and hastily moved towards the exit.


    On the other hand, Charles turned his gaze towards Isaiah and asked.


    "It seems your rtionship with Saron isn''t that good. What happened?"


    "Haa, it''s the same family problems." Isaiah refused to say anything and asked about his personal information.


    "You said you came from Ashbury City, right? How did you be friends with my daughter?"


    "It happened a few years ago." Charles paused for a moment and started spouting random bullsh*ts.


    Ashbury City was located in the western part of the Empire of Rogue Throne.


    Although that city was somewhat famous, most of the Nobles and mages in the northern part of the kingdom didn''t know much about it.


    After some time, Charles also changed the topic and began to ask some questions about Perley City''s unique culture, architecture design, trade, uniquew and order, and so on.


    While they were discussing, a white-haired elderly man walked into the reception room and interrupted them.


    He had a pale-looking wrinkled face, eerie ck eyes, and a unique tattoo on his right wrist.


    Unlike others, he wore a simple grey robe, held a bone staff in his hand, and appeared very simple.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that he was a [Necromancer] ss Mystic!


    Upon seeing his arrival, Isaiah stood up with a stiff expression on his face and greeted him.


    "Good Evening, father,"


    Charles also stood up from his seat and bowed at him in respect.


    On the other hand, the grey-robed elder nodded his head, moved towards the nearby old wooden chair, and sat on it.


    Then, he zeroed his gaze on Charles and furrowed his brows.


    After that, he held the bone staff in his hand, closed his eyes, chanted a few words, and soon spoke.


    "Hmm, you are shrouded in full of mysteries. But I still feel deep anger reside within you¡­ Hmm? You have ill intentions against my family¡­"


    His voice appeared hoarse and eerie.

 Chapter 313: Despair

    <h4>Chapter 313: Despair</h4>


    Upon hearing those words, the corner of Charles''s lips twitched.


    "A wise person once said: There is always be someone better at something than you are¡­ It seems I''ve underestimated the Elder Anthony of White Household." He said in a calm tone and then smiled.


    Meanwhile, Isaiah got stunned for a moment, widened his eyes, and stood up from his seat.


    He then took out a strange crossbow from his space ring, loaded it with a silver bolt, and aimed at Charles''s head.


    "You will die, son." The same eerie voice came out of Elder Antony''s mouth.


    Upon hearing those words, Isaiah''s whole body went stiff.


    Meanwhile, Charles didn''t even look at Isaiah''s face andpletely locked his gaze on Elder.


    At that moment, images of Eve''s final moments shed in front of his eyes.


    Her final words appeared in his head.


    "Take care of yourself, son!"


    Although he never thought of her as his mother, he knew what she had done to save him from Red Prince''s schemes.


    He still felt mad when he thought of her death.


    After a long silence, Charles suddenly leaned his back against the sofa and spoke while pointing his finger at Isaiah.


    "You guys have two choices now. First, I want him to execute his daughter in public and give her head to me as a present."


    His voice contains a trace of coldness and craziness.


    Just as he finished his words, a bone-chilling aura appeared in the room.


    "You got some nerve, kid!" Elder Anthony stared at him with a deep look and spoke coldly.


    Anyone could tell that he was pissed right now!


    On the other hand, Isaiah also got enraged and stared at him like his mortal enemy.


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth.


    He then smiled lightly and said.


    "You got angry just by this? Do you think your daughter is an innocent girl? Saron killed my mother in front of my very own eyes, old man. Do you know how it feels when someone destroys the thing that you value most? I''m not an unreasonable person. Actually, I''m quite a forgiving guy. As long as Isaiah cut Saron''s head and give it to me as a present, I''ll let this off. I''ll not go crazy and kill all people who have ''White'' as their family name. So, what you do say?"


    It was a direct threat!


    But would any father cut his own daughter''s head to save other family members?


    Never!


    Although some might do it, Isaiah wouldn''t.


    Elder Anthony also knew of his decision and stood up from his seat.


    ''This young man is dangerous¡­ He might be a peak Rank-4 Mage! Do I have no choice but to sacrifice myself to stop this crazy guy?''


    Although he understood why this young man was after his granddaughter''s head, he would never allow to his request.


    Elder Anthony let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "It seems I''ve no choice but to stop you here."


    Saying so, he raised his bone staff and pointed its tip at Charles''s head.


    "Revenge is not an option, kid." He added.


    Upon hearing those words, an amusing smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "The ax may forget its action, but the tree always remembers." He paused for a moment and then asked while standing up.


    "You still didn''t know your position, do you?"


    "Know my position?" Elder got startled a bit and stared at him in confusion.


    The next instant, Charles flicked his finger, and the whole surrounding started to change!


    The surrounding walls, sofas, chairs, portraits, and other things in the reception hall began to burn and soon disappeared!


    The next second, Elder Anthony and Isaiah found themselves standing in the middle of and filled with fire,va, and strange red nts.


    Even some gigantic vortices appeared in the dense elemental areas and seemed to be connecting this Pseudo-Domain to the real Fire Elemental ne!


    The surrounding air also appeared very hot, causing a suffocative feeling to both of them.


    But what made them yelp in pain were the hot embers that spread all over the ground!


    Upon seeing this, Elder Anthony''s lips quivered.


    "I-Impossible! H-How? To form a separate Domain, you need to be a Pseudo-Legendary Mage!" He shouted with a disbelieving look on his face.


    At that moment, Charles casually waved his hand and made the whole Fire Domain shake violently.


    The next instant, countless balls of fire, reddish-yellow spears made ofvas, fire arrows, reddish rays, and even a giant meteor suddenly appeared in the sky and started descending!


    Upon witnessing such a scene, despair appeared on Elder Anthony''s face!


    He immediately moved his bone staff, raised it towards the terrifying reddish meteorite, and shouted in theher tongue.


    "Clesior!"


    Just as he said that word, a massive magic circle appeared in front of him.


    Simultaneously, he felt a slight pain appeared all over his body.


    At that moment, a gigantic bony hand crawled out from the magic circle!


    Even Charles got startled by the strange magic circle and furrowed his brows.


    In two seconds, a brand new towering skeleton appeared in front of Charles''s eyes.


    The skeleton''s skull was eerie ck and had reddish soul mes.


    It was more than 15 meters tall, held a bony scythe in its hand, and appeared gigantic.


    "It''s a peak Rank-4 Undead Giant." Elder Anthony said in a trembling tone and waved his hand.


    In truth, he was testing whether he had a chance against a Rank-5 Existence.


    The next instant, the gigantic Undead Giant skeleton squatted suddenly and shot towards the sky!


    A secondter, two bony wings appeared behind the skeleton, pped on their own, and propelled the skeleton towards the meteor.


    "Your Undead Giant is power," Charles suddenly spoke as he nced at Elder.


    "But you need more than a hundred of them to defeat me in my Pseudo-Domain."


    As he finished his words, the reddish meteor, me arrows, me spears, fireballs, and other fire spells started to change color.


    All of the spells suddenly turned into bluish-green color!


    The next instant, the meteor shed with the Undead Giant''s bone scythe.


    Simultaneously, the bluish-green fire spellsnded on Undead Giant''s body and started bathing it in bluish-green me.


    In two seconds, a painful roar echoed in the sky!


    Then, the meteor directly mmed on the Giant''s body and burned it!


    Upon seeing this, Elder''s body trembled.


    He then let go of his bony staff, knelt on the ground filled with embers, and cried.


    "Have mercy on us, Your Excellency."


    Terror and despair filled his eyes.


    "F-Father!" Even Isaiah got shocked by his father''s breakdown and ran towards him.


    At that moment, Charles nodded his head and flicked his finger.


    Then, the whole surroundings shook violently and started to turn illusionary.


    A secondter, all three of them found themselves standing in the reception room!


    But unlike before, Elder knelt a few meters away from Charles while Isaiah was trying his best to make him get up.


    "So, what''s your answer, Mr. Anthony?" Charles looked into Elder''s eyes and asked with an evil grin.

 Chapter 314: Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 314: Punishment</h4>


    Meanwhile, Elder Anthony raised his head, stared into Charles''s eyes, and asked.


    "What is the second choice?"


    A mischievous smile appeared on Charles''s face as he heard that question.


    "The second choice is actually a good one. I''ll not kill your granddaughter." He paused for a moment and then added with an evil smirk,


    "But I''ll erase every memory about Saron from all of your minds. You won''t remember a thing about her. Even if she tries to tell her mother that she is her daughter, her mother will not believe her. Isn''t this choice too good?"


    "You demon!" Isaiah red at him hatefully and shouted.


    On the other hand, Elder Anthony stood up with some difficulty and sighed.


    Just as he was about to answer, walking footsteps came from the entrance hallway.


    Soon, a wiry blonde-haired woman in herte twenties entered the reception room.


    She had monolid hazel eyes, barely visible eyebrows, a duchess nose, fair skin, and an upper lip with sharp philtrum.


    Currently, she wore a long-sleeved shirt and a long ck skirt.


    As she walked in, her gaze moved towards Isaiah and Elder Anthony and soonnded on Charles.


    Unfortunately, she only saw his back and couldn''t identify him.


    Furrowing her brows, she once again turned her gaze towards her grandfather and noticed something was off about him.


    Elder Anthony''s face appeared pale, and there were even sweats appeared on his forehead area.


    Upon noticing Saron''s arrival, he turned around and made a forced smile.


    Isaiah also did the same and stealthily gestured her to back away.


    A frown appeared on Saron''s forehead as she saw their action.


    "What happened, father?" While asking, she fastened her footsteps, soon arrived in front of them, and checked her grandfather''s condition.


    "Well well, isn''t this an emotional reunion?" A familiar male voice echoed in her ears, causing her body to stiffen up.


    Only then did she turned her gaze towards the new guest and soon froze.


    "Charles!" She blurted out in surprise and shock.


    She instantly took out an eerie ck book from her space ring and then waved her hand.


    The next instant, an invisible ripple spread out of her body and enveloped the whole mansion!


    Rank-4 Wisdom Power!


    Even Elder Anthony was shocked by her strength.


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows a little and activated [Arcane Eyes] skill on her.


    ''She indeed became a Rank-4 Mystic. Well, I''ve long expected this oue.'' He muttered inwardly.


    A momentter, a chilling voice echoed in Saron''s ears.


    "It seems I made the right choice toe here."


    Before she could even think, something invisible gripped her neck, raised her upward, and mmed her on the concrete floor!


    The attack was too sudden, which caught herpletely off-guard!


    Elder Anthony soon woke up from the shock and was about to help Saron but stopped.


    At that moment, a boundless invisible pressure appeared in the room.


    It was so strong that it caused his body to stiffen up.


    "Did I give you permission to move?" An icy voice echoed in his ears.


    The next moment, Elder Anthony and Isaiah saw that the whole surroundings started to break like ss!


    Then, they saw that Charles was standing right next to them!


    ''W-When did he appear here? Teleportation? N-No! I felt no spatial fluctuation in the air!'' Shock and rm appeared on Elder''s face.


    Without minding his shocked face, Charles squatted down and stared at Saron with a cold look on his face.


    Currently, her face was dyed in reddish blood, and multiple scratches appeared all over her body.


    Half of her shirt was already torn apart, while the rest was covered in dust.


    Although no severe injury appeared on her body, one could tell that single attack almost terrified her.


    She tried to sit, but Charles casually extended his hand, grabbed her long blonde hair, and started dragging her to the nearby sofa.


    She tried to scream, but no voice came out of her mouth.


    "Eve trusted you." He spoke as he arrived near the sofa, sat on it, and then grabbed her right hand.


    "But you betrayed her."


    Saying so, he used his full strength and broke her hand.


    A shrill cry echoed in the room!


    Upon seeing this, Isaiah tried to shout in anger, but no wordse out.


    It was as if countless invisible threads attached all over his skin and tookplete control of his body!


    He didn''t even have the power blink!


    The same goes for Elder Anthony.


    Under their watch, Charles conjured a ball of ck me and tossed it towards the broken hand.


    In a second, the eerie ck me directly absorbed into her broken hand and started to corrupt from inside!


    On the other hand, Charles released her hand, stared into Saron''s teary eyes, and spoke.


    "This ck fire will suck your life force slowly, and infect your body with some incurable diseases. In six months, your skin will turn ck in color and started to rot. Organs will fail." He paused for a moment and smiled.


    "But I won''t let you die easily, Miss Saron. I wille here again, cure your infection before you die, and then let the condition repeat."


    Despair appeared on Saron''s face.


    "KILL ME!" She screamed.


    Meanwhile, a smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Do you think I''m done with you? This is just the start." Saying so, he stood up from the sofa, moved towards Isaiah, and cast [Fire Seed] spell on him.


    "Who is she?" He asked him while pointing his finger at Saron.


    At that moment, countless memories about his daughter appeared in Isaiah''s mind.


    But a secondter, the [Fire Seed] in his Inner World suddenly expanded and started devouring those memories.


    Charles continued to erase memories in Isaiah''s Inner World for the next few minutes and then spoke.


    "The worst pain isn''t being lonely, Miss Saron. It''s being forgotten by someone you''d never forget."


    "P-Please! Don''t do this!" Saron continued to scream, but Charles didn''t stop at all.


    Hepletely erased Isaiah''s memories about Saron and turned his gaze towards Elder Anthony.


    At that moment, tears flow out of Elder Anthony''s eyes.


    "Please kill her, Your Excellency! T-This punishment is too cruel." He said with a despairing look on his face.


    Upon hearing the old man''s voice, a deep sigh came out of Charles''s mouth.


    "Do you think I feel pleasure by doing this? But revenge shouldn''t end easily, old man. She must face this punishment for the next ten years." His tone was firm.


    Then, he cast [Burning Consciousness] on Elder Anthony and invaded his Inner World.


    Upon noticing a foreign consciousness''s presence in his Inner World, Elder Anthony let out a bitterugh and asked.


    "I''ve one final request."


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "What is it?"


    "When you end the punishment, please erase most of her memories and let her life a new life." Elder Anthony said in a begging tone.


    On the other hand, Charles thought for a moment and nodded.


    "I''ll think about it." Saying so, he asked questions about Saron and started erasing his memories.

 Chapter 315: Evil

    <h4>Chapter 315: Evil</h4>


    Once he was done, Charles picked up the injured Saron, moved to the nearby private room, and locked her in.


    Then, he returned to the reception hall and ordered Elder Anthony to summon other family members.


    Thankfully, Elder Anthony retained all other memories about Charles, which made his job easier.


    Although some of his memories appeared nk, he didn''t ask anything as he recalled the battle in Fire Domain and obeyed.


    Surprisingly, Isaiah also co-operated with Charles and moved towards the second floor to bring his family members.


    A few minutester, he returned with his wife Ariel and his only son Raiden.


    For the next few hours, Charles stayed in the four-storied mansion and erased everyone''s memories about Saron.


    He then went to the neighborhood houses and did his work patiently.


    He erased the memories of servants, maids, horsemen, guards, wisdom church members, and a few nobledies who had close ties with Saron!


    He even went to the registration office and erased some of Saron''s identity records!


    ''Butpleting erasing any information about her in this city is impossible¡­ But it doesn''t matter. All that matters now is whether she takes the bait or not.'' He thought to himself and returned to the mansion building.


    Then, he entered the building, went to the private room, and unlocked it.


    Currently, a young woman sat in the corner of the small room and looked at the ceiling with a nk look on her face.


    Upon noticing his arrival, she turned her gaze and looked at Charles with an emotionless look on her face.


    "D-Did you really erase my family members'' memories?" Her voice appeared hoarse.


    Before he could even nod, tears burst out of her eyes!


    She then knelt on the ground and shouted in a grieving tone.


    "P-Please k-kill me!"


    On the other hand, Charles watched her coldly and shook his head.


    "See you in a few months."


    Saying so, he turned around, walked out of the private room, and returned to the reception room.


    At that moment, Elder Anthony stood up from the chair, bowed his head politely before asking.


    "Is everything over, Your Excellency? Who is she anyway?"


    A serious look appeared on Charles''s face as he heard Elder Anthony''s question.


    "She is a wanted criminal and also specialized in manipting memories. During the past few months, she seemed to be nning to plot something big in this city. Thankfully, I managed to arrive here in time and sealed her powers. Don''t worry; she hasn''t done anything to your family or the citizens, yet." Charles paused for a moment and then added.


    "She is nothing but a crippled woman now. Send her to your family Mining Cave and let her work over there from now on."


    "Why not kill her now, Your Excellency? What if she regains her power?" Elder Anthony asked with a frown.


    "That''s why I''m nning to leave her under your control, Mr. Anthony. If she does something suspicious, arrest her and put her in the dungeon prison cell for a few days. As for killing her, you absolutely can''t do that. This woman has a big background. Even though her family members banished her, killing her will anger them."


    Charles also warned him not to believe any of her words and then left the mansion.


    Then, he moved to the nearby dark alley, cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Saron stayed motionlessly in the private room for the next few hours and sensed pain from all over her body.


    She then searched for her space ring but soon sighed in disappointment.


    ''He even took my space ring. My strength is also declining.''


    At that moment, anger appeared on her face.


    ''I''ll never forgive you, Charles.'' Just as she was about to stand up, some opened the wooden door from the other side.


    She turned her head in a hurry and soon saw her mother, father, grandfather, brother, and a few other rtives were looking at her in curiosity and wariness from outside.


    "M-Mom!" She raised her head and shouted in surprise but soon went pale.


    At that moment, she noticed an invisible power assaulted her.


    It was her grandfather who attacked her with his wisdom power!


    "You are not allowed to talk to anyone from now on." A familiar voice echoed in her ears.


    But she sensed unfriendliness in that voice and trembled uncontrobly.


    ''He indeed did erase everyone''s memories!'' She couldn''t help but look at his family members'' faces.


    Before she could even say another word, Elder Anthony spoke again.


    "Get out of the mansion. A squad of soldiers will escort you to the Simon Woods. You will be working at the Iron Mine from now on."


    Upon hearing those words, Saron lowered her head in grief and nodded.


    Although she could escape now, she didn''t want to.


    ''M-My family¡­'' She subconsciously nced at her younger brother but soon retracted her gaze as she saw him flinch.


    A pain appeared in her heart.


    Even his mother stared at her with cautiousness!


    She felt like someone was piercing her heart with countless needles.


    Without any choice, she lowered her head, walked out of the mansion with a broken hand, and soon saw an old carriage at the entrance.


    At that moment, tens of soldiers stood around it and seemed to be ready for an escort.


    A heavy sigh leaked out of Saron''s mouth as she arrived near the carriage, opened the door, and walked in.


    Meanwhile, the coachman whipped the horses and started driving the carriage.


    The escort group moved out of the mansion, entered Nobles'' Street, and soon disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    At that moment, Saron''s mother felt some pain in her heart.


    It was as if she suddenly lost something precious!


    But that feeling soon washed away as she heard her husband''s earlier words.


    She and others watched the entrance for some time and soon returned to the mansion house.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the escort group left the Perley City, moved to the Simon Woods, and soon reached arge mountain range.


    The carriage then stopped in front of a small vige.


    Saron then walked out of the carriage, nced around, and turned solemn.


    Tens of small leather huts, cottages, and even some brick houses appeared at the other end of the settlement.


    Hundreds of cored ves were moving in and out of the nearby mountain cave while carrying heavy loads of rocks.


    Iron Mine!


    It was a ce filled with war soldiers, thieves, murderers, rapists, and many other criminals.


    As she looked at the vige in contemtion, a leather-armored soldier walked near her, gave her a leather bag full of old clothes, and spoke.


    "From now on, you will be responsible for cleaning the minerals and doing other chore works here. If you have any doubts, you can ask Lady ia."


    Saying so, he led her into the vige and started arranging a small hut for her.


    Although Saron had the power to escape, she didn''t even try.


    She epted the punishment and started doing her work regrly.


    Two weeks passed in a blink.


    Most of the time, she spent her time in therge house and cleaned the newly unearthed gems and minerals.


    As usual, she spent her time in the storage hall till dusk, gave the cleaned gems to the supervisor, and finally left the house.


    As she walked on the dirt road, whistles and vulgar words echoed from all the street corners.


    Without minding their shouts, she walked past multiple houses, huts, and tents and soon arrived in front of a small hut.


    She then shuffled through her pocket, took out an iron key, and opened the wooden door.


    Saron soon entered the room, locked the wooden door from inside, and looked at the darkroom.


    She then moved towards the nearby shelf, took out a matchstick, and lighted the fire torch.


    The next instant, bright yellow light illuminated the small hut!


    Currently, there was only a single stone b, a mud pot, a te, and one leather bag appeared in the small space.


    Saron nced at those things and soon turned her gaze towards the center of the hut.


    A mysterious, eerie circle with strange engravings appeared in her vision!


    Upon seeing this, she subconsciously opened her mouth and muttered.


    "Consciousness Shift."


    The next instant, the corner of her lips curled upward and formed into a wicked smile.


    It was as if she had turned into apletely different woman.


    "It''s a y of Devils." An evil smirk appeared on Saron''s face.


    She then stepped forward, moved towards the mysterious circle''s center, and started to whisper in an ancientnguage.


    "I call upon the Ancient Lord of the Hell,


    In the true name of Zaralloth Uth''tiuth Dorkukas Mangreuth Bronnaxon,


    I seek your help,


    Help your loyal servant to awake,


    Help me rise from the thousand-year-old sleep,


    Break forth from the grave eternally.


    I''ll sacrifice a million souls for you,


    Help me rise again from the river of Blood.


    I''m the Queen of Blood Fiends,


    I''m the pure form of wickedness and evilness.


    I bring forth the ancient evil¡­"


    Her voice turned eerie as she continued to chant in Devil''s tongue.


    The fire torch would flicker whenever she ended her verse and send out mysterious bluish sparks towards the magic circle!


    A pure evil aura filled with wickedness appeared in the small hut!

 Chapter 316: Sarons Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 316: Saron''s Suspicion</h4>


    Saron recited the chant for another few seconds and soon ended.


    Then, an eerie ck smoke appeared in front of Saron and absorbed into her body!


    Then, the ck smoke directly moved towards her right hand and started expelling the ck fire that Charles ced earlier!


    After that, the fire torch dimmed a little and then went out with a poof.


    Without minding the darkness, Saron nced around for a moment and sat on the ground.


    At that moment, two kinds of memories appeared in her mind.


    One was the memory of real Saron White, while the other was the memories of an ancient Devil.


    It all started when she met the Red Prince 23 years ago.


    It was a fateful encounter at the Royal City of Ember.


    During that time, she was a priestess of Wisdom Church and went to the Nightwind family to give a mission letter to Harry Nightwind.


    To her surprise, she met a blonde-haired man in the Nightwind family mansion.


    She felt somehow attracted towards him and then chatted with him.


    But just after a few minutes, she started to feel some reverence appeared in her heart.


    Whenever she tries to see through him, she found herself in front of a bottomless pit.


    The man was so mysterious and yet ordinary at the same time!


    They became friends.


    Under his guidance, she got awakened!


    Then, her previous life memories that hid in the deepest part of her Inner World started to show up in the form of dreams.


    She witnessed countless epic battles that happened near a mysterious long river in the void.


    Blood River!


    It was a single river that connected the sevenyers of Hell ne!


    Then, she learned about her true origin.


    She learned about how she met the Real Red Prince, about how she ended up sealed in the deepest part of the Blood River, and then about their reincarnation n and so on.


    Although the memories were vague and unclear, she firmly believed that those memories were her own!


    From that day onwards, she started following Red Prince!


    Like Martin Nightwind, she also started calling him ''His Highness''!


    Her love for her family members'' and friends'' affection turned into dust as she started following Red Prince''s footsteps.


    The three of them then joined a business organization called ''True Lords'' to achieve their first goal.


    It was to get their hands on a precious material called ''Heart of Fate'' from the Nightwind Family!


    But at that time, Harry Nightwind noticed something was wrong with some of his family members and intervened.


    As she thought about those incidents, she couldn''t help but show a gloomy look on her face.


    ''Many things happened during these years. s, one thing that didn''t change. It''s the Nightwind Family. At least, one person from that family always tries their best to ruin His Highness''s n. Because of that, our n has been dyed multiple times.''


    Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and entered her Inner World.


    A momentter, she appeared in the middle of empty, barrennd and looked around.


    Arge red sun hung up in the sky and illuminated the whole world in reddish-yellow light.


    Saron then looked at the shrouded ck sky and soon curled her lips upward.


    At that moment, more than a million strange ck eyes blinked at her from above!


    Each of those eyes appeared eerie and terrifying, giving her a strange goosebump.


    "All-Seeing Eyes." She muttered.


    It was her Rank-4 [Knowledge Seeker] ss skill!


    The next instant, something extraordinary happened in the physical world.


    More than 100,000 illusionary eyes appeared from her and started to move towards the sky!


    Once they reached a certain distance, each eye moved towards different directions and started monitoring the surroundings.


    Some even moved towards the nearby houses and started monitoring the humans!


    In the next few seconds, those eyes almost covered the Simon Woods and sent countless information to Saron''s Inner World.


    Meanwhile, Saron constantly looked at the new information in her Inner World and then raised her eyebrows.


    "He really isn''t monitoring me?" A slight suspicion appeared on her face.


    In truth, she had long sensed something was off about Charles''s action.


    Earlier, she waspletely caught off guard and got beaten to a pulp.


    Because of that, she couldn''t even distinguish Charles''s real strength.


    By the time she regained her senses, he had used his ck me andpletely infected her body.


    "But the important this is his memory-erasing ability. It''s the Mind Fire¡­ How did heprehend the Mind Fire so quickly? Wait¡­ Could it be? Is he a reincarnated person?" A thought appeared in her mind.


    "Hmm, I must confirm something." She said and waved her hand.


    The next instant, an illusionary image of what happened in the reception room appeared in front of her.


    She then stared at the realistic image and started gathering clues.


    "Hmm, something feels off¡­ When I entered the reception hall, my grandfather and my father tried their best to warn me about something¡­ Wait¡­ Why are their leather shoes burned up? My grandfather is a Rank-4 Necromancer, but even he showed a nervous look on his face¡­" She also monitored their facial expression and soon turned grave.


    "Charles seems to have defeated my grandfather before I walked in¡­ What is the meaning of this? Other than their dresses and shoes, why is everything in the room appeared normal? Moreover, grandfather seems to bepletely controlled by him!"


    At that moment, an absurd thought appeared in her head.


    Rank-5!


    Pseudo-Domain!


    ''T-That''s impossible! Even His Highness didn''t achieve that feat due to his Low level ''Fate'' affinity! That''s why he is trying his best to get the ''Heart of Fate'' from the Nightwind Family¡­ Wait¡­ What if Charles really is a Rank-5 Mystic?''


    She couldn''t help but show a worried expression on her face.


    ''This could be very troublesome. Although ''His Highness'' is secluding somewhere in the Ember Kingdom, he would definitely show up once he learns that Charles is looking for him! Currently, he is in a weakened state and the ''Life Curse'' is still affecting him to some extent. I need to warn him!''


    But she didn''t act rashly.


    ''I currently have no way to contact him and my space ring is also in Charles''s hand. Hmm, I have a vague feeling that this might be a trap.'' She thought to herself.


    For the next five hours, she used one hundred thousand illusionary eyes to search for any anomalies in the surroundings.


    Not only she searched the woods, but she even searched the sky andnd!


    By the time she finished her search, it was around 11. P.M!


    Once she confirmed that Charles wasn''t monitoring him, she left the Inner World and stood up from the ground.


    Then, she dismissed her [All-Seeing Eyes] skill, moved towards the wooden door, and walked out of her room.


    After that, she closed her eyes and muttered.


    "Sage''s Wings."


    A momentter, two illusionary eyes appeared behind her back.


    Although she always refrained from using her [Teacher] ss skills, she didn''t hide it anymore.


    ''It''s better this way. But I must use my [Wise Sight] skill when I get a chance and check his skills and spells. We actuallyck information about him.''


    She muttered inwardly, used her thoughts to p those two wings, and shot towards the sky!


    In a few seconds, she soared up in the sky, circled the settlement, and flew towards the southeastern direction.


    Just as Saron flew away, a 45-years-old middle-aged woman walked out of the nearby hut and looked up at the dark sky.


    She had long blonde hair, a round face, amber eyes, and thick eyebrows.


    Currently, she wore old linen clothes and looked more like a real ve.


    She continued to stare at the sky for a moment and then smiled all of a sudden.


    The next instant, her whole body started to shape-shift and turned into a deep-blue-haired young man''s appearance.


    "She really thought she could fool me using her acting?" Charles said in a cold tone and rose towards the sky.

 Chapter 317: End

    <h4>Chapter 317: End</h4>


    Charles maintained a considerable distance and followed after Saron quietly.


    If he had used any magic spell to fly, she might have sensed the elemental fluctuation and discovered his presence.


    Thankfully, Charles purely used his wisdom power to fly.


    Meanwhile, Saron went on stealth mode and continued to move.


    asionally, she would stop along the way, use her [All-Seeing Eyes] skill, and checked the surroundings.


    She continued to fly for the next 3 hours and soon stopped as she reached a gothic vi.


    The architecture of the exterior facade was exquisite, while the rugged mountains in the background were breathtaking.


    The home''s white exterior was enlivened by a pitched roof with ck shingles and rows of picturesque windows, giving the residence a provincial feel.


    The three-storied building shone in brightly in the eerie night and illuminated the nearby farnds.


    Saron circled the vi for a moment and soon descended towards the park while pping her illusionary wings.


    She soonnded on the grassy yard, dismissed her [Sage''s Wings] skill, and looked around.


    ''Hmm? Where are the guards?'' She raised her eyebrows and shifted her gaze towards the building entrance.


    At that moment, a blue-robed man in histe 40s walked out of the mansion.


    He had wavy blonde hair, deep-set oceanic eyes, and a lean body and appeared to be around 176cms high.


    He also wore a long green pendant around his neck and looked handsome even in his slightly wrinkled face.


    Upon seeing his appearance, Saron nodded her head, stepped forward, and started walking towards him.


    Within a minute, she arrived in front of him, knelt on the ground, and greeted him.


    "Greetings, Your Highness."


    As she greeted him, a hint of a smile appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, the ''Red Prince'' nodded his head and spoke.


    "Stand up." Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt an elemental fluctuation in the sky and stopped!


    Saron also widened her eyes as she stood up in a hurry and looked up at the sky.


    At that moment, a young man in histe twenties appeared in the dark sky and looked at them coldly.


    "C-Charles!" An anxious look appeared on Saron''s face.


    Meanwhile, Charles descended from the sky and soonnded on the grassy yard.


    He then zeroed his gaze on ''Red Prince'' and furrowed his brows.


    ''Hmm? Something feels off about him.'' He then shifted his gaze towards Red Prince''s hands and noticed a big difference.


    Unlike his face, his hands appeared densely wrinkled!


    What''s more shocking was that the skin tone also didn''t match up!


    "You are not the Red Prince¡­ His height should be around 185 cm, but you are just 175 cm." His words surprised both Saron and the ''Red Prince.''


    Without any hesitation, Saron cast [Sage''s Wings] skill, pped it forcefully, and leaped towards him at a fast speed!


    Simultaneously, she took out a long golden spear from her space ring and thrust it towards his head!


    Her speed even surpassed Charles''s own!


    On the other hand, the ''Red Prince'' suddenly raised his hand, touched his facial skin, and directly pulled it out!


    The next second, the outer skin directly peeled off from his face and showed his actual appearance.


    Instead of a man in histe 40s, he appeared more like a man in histe 70s!


    But what surprised Charles was something else.


    It was a familiar face!


    The man had a wrinkled face, deep-blue eyes, a square face, fair skin, and straight eyebrows.


    He was none other than Martin Nightwind!


    "Well, this is indeed a big surprise," Charles spoke out loud and cast Rank-4 [Sun''s Guard] spell.


    At that moment, he also started to think.


    ''How did Martin know about my arrival? I always kept an eye on Saron all this time¡­ Wait.'' At that moment, he recalled Saron''s strange illusionary eyes skill and soon widened his eyes.


    ''So, that''s it. She must''ve used that skill to send some information to Martin.'' A look of understanding appeared on his face.


    While he was in muse, Saron already arrived in front of him and thrust her golden spear towards his shield spell!


    A momentter, a loud bang appeared in the yard, followed by a small crack in [Sun''s Shield] spell!


    After that, a dense amount of dark energy started to gather at the tip of the spearhead.


    Anyone could tell that the next thrust would break his shield spell!


    But just as Saron pulled the spear, she suddenly forgot how to thrust!


    In the meantime, Martin walked into the grassy yard, arrived next to Saron, and spoke.


    "Back off. I need you to use that skill on me."


    Saying so, he grabbed her golden spear, made a battle stance, and muttered.


    "Primal Rage."


    Two illusionary ck w-like devil hands appeared behind Martin and gripped the golden spear.


    Then, Martin gestured Saron to back away and added.


    "Berserk."


    A momentter, a reddish blood aura appeared all over his body andpletely enveloped him!


    His eyes turned bloodshot, and his muscles began to bulge uncontrobly.


    Within seconds, he had already grown twice the size as before!


    On the other hand, Saron nodded her head, moved more than 50 meters away from them, and cast [Consciousness Link] skill.


    The next instant, both of their minds got linked as one!


    Even if Charles cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on Martin now, only one of them would be affected!


    But Saron didn''t end there, though.


    She also cast [Wise Sight] skill on Charles and started to find any ws in his spell!


    Under Saron''s guidance, Martin held the golden spear tightly and thrust forward towards the cracked golden shield.


    Thankfully, Charles had long predicted their action, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he reappeared ten meters away from where he stood before and was about to attack Martin but froze.


    At that moment, Martin seemed to have already noticed his position and sprinted towards him faster.


    "Indominant Might!" "Brutal Hit!" He bellowed.


    The golden spear danced in the air as he arrived in front of Charles in a second and thrust at him continuously.


    Although Charles''s [Sun''s Guard] spell managed to block two blows, it soon let out a creaking noise, exploded with a bang, and turned into pure energies!


    Meanwhile, Martin''s third blow directly tore through the broken particles and almost arrived in front of Charles''s chest!


    Sensing the danger, Charles cast [Burning Consciousness] on Martin and tried to stop his thinking.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t work!


    Although his purple consciousness had long started burning Martin''s memories, his movement remained unchanged.


    For the first time, a surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Fire Born." He spoke in a hurry.


    Just as the golden spear tip touched his chest, Charles''s whole body turned into a pure reddish humanoid me andpletely nullified Martin''s attack.


    But even after Charles turned into a Fire Being, Martin didn''t stop his attack at all.


    Instead, he went fiercer!


    ''Damn, this guy is tough.'' Charles cast [Crimson Steps] spell, backed away calmly, and waved his hand.


    At that moment, the whole surroundings started to move slower.


    It was his [elerate Consciousness] skill.


    Charles then fixed his gaze on Martin and spoke.


    "Pseudo-Domain."


    The surroundings began to turn blurry and were soon reced with ember rocks,va pools, elemental fire nts, and volcanic mountains.


    Before Martin or Saron could even blink, they found themselves standing in apletely different ce!


    Unlike the outside world, the rules in his Pseudo-Domain were simr to that of his Inner World.


    The next second, the gravity inside his Pseudo-Domain increased to five-folds.


    Not only that, but Charles''s movement speed also increased all of a sudden!


    A momentter, an immense pressure appeared all of a sudden and started crushing their bodies.


    Even Martin couldn''t withstand the pressure and knelt on the ember-filled ground!


    A painful groan leaked out of his mouth as he felt the burning sensation from his knees.


    On the other hand, Charles casually extended his hand, conjured a reddish me sword, and moved towards him.


    He then ced the sharp tip on Martin''s throat and asked.


    "Where is he?"


    "''Cough'' Haha, you are toote. I''ve long informed ''His Highness'' about your arrival, Charles." Martin made a mocking grin and said in disdain.


    At that moment, Saron also stood up with great difficulty from afar and spoke.


    "When I cast the [All-Seeing Eyes] skill, I made my Incarnation as an illusionary eye and sent it to ry the news to Martin. You lost."


    Upon hearing those words, the corner of Charles''s lips curled upward.


    "Do you think so?" He smiled mischievously and shed the me sword at Martin''s neck.


    The next instant, a neat cut appeared on his neck region andpletely cleaved his head.


    Then, both his head and body fell.


    Martin''s body started to twitch uncontrobly.


    Simultaneously, scarlet blood sttered everywhere but soon got burned by the embers.


    Meanwhile, Charles walked past the twitching body and soon arrived in front of Saron.


    Upon sensing his cold gaze, Saron gritted her teeth and spoke.


    "Kill me."


    A cold smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Your death shouldn''t be so easy, Saron."


    Saying so, he suddenly extended his right hand, gripped her neck, and threw her into the nearbyva pool!


    A secondter, Saron''s shrill cry echoed in his Pseudo-Domain.


    ¡­

 Chapter 317: Red Prince

    <h4>Chapter 317: Red Prince</h4>


    Charles stood in front of ava pool with his arms crossed and stared at a particr area.


    At that moment, a humanoid figure crawled out of theva pool and tried its best to stand up.


    The sheets of skin sloughed off the body, the ckened chunks of flesh hit the ground and continued to smolder.


    Blood bubbled and steamed as it spills out from the wounds.


    It was a gruesome sight.


    The figure was none other than Saron!


    Her eyes, mouth, nose, and other areas appeared utterly charred.


    Even though she seemed to be on the verge of death, she continued to stand up and utter words in an unknownnguage.


    "You still haven''t given up?" Charles spoke coldly and arrived in front of her.


    Blood continued to spill out of her orifices and painted her charred body in red color.


    Finally, she stopped muttering, turned her face towards Charles, and spoke in a hoarse voice.


    "D-Death is just a temporary for Devils, Charles. I''ll be reborn in the Hell ne and rise again."


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown also let out a dim light and spoke.


    "Finish her off,d. Whether she is a Devil''s reincarnation or a soul with tampered memories, nothing changes. Even if her soul returns to the Hell ne, most of her memories will be wiped out by the Blood River."


    Charles nodded his head, raised his me sword, and shed at her neck.


    The next instant, Saron''s head cleaved off from the body, rolled on the ember-filled ground, and soon fell into theva pool.


    As her mouth let out a shrill scream,va liquid entered inside andpletely burned her head.


    At that moment, her headless body also danced on the ground and fell into the nearby pool before burning.


    A momentter, an illusionary figure of a six-armed humanoid devil appeared above theva pool and soon disappeared into thin air!


    Finally, Saron died!


    Charles then dismissed the Pseudo-Domain and returned to the physical world.


    He then looked at the surroundings vi and frowned.


    ''Don''t worry. My skill won''t fail.'' The Holem''s Crown said in his mind.


    In truth, the Holem''s Crown yed a huge role in this mission!


    An hour ago, it used the ''Miracle'' skill and increased the possibility of ''their'' search to an unimaginable level!


    ''Yes, the requirements are already met. The chance of Red Prince slipping out of our grasp is close to zero!'' Charles muttered inwardly.


    At that moment, the golden ring in his right hand started to glow all of a sudden.


    It was themunication ring!


    Upon seeing this, Charles hurriedly touched it with his hand and linked it with his wisdom power.


    A momentter, a female voice echoed from the other side.


    "Charles, I found him. He is moving towards the Trollmoor Swamp."


    It was Rachel''s voice!


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    A week ago, Rachel and Oswald finally managed to escape from the Dreamforce Lair ruin and returned to the old mansion.


    They then learned about Charles''s departure from Edith and came to the Ember Kingdom in a hurry.


    Once they reached the Ember Kingdom, they contacted him using themunication ring and learned about his n.


    After that, they revised the original n and made some alterations.


    From then onwards, they co-operated with each other and started their search.


    When Martin told Red Prince about Charles''s arrival, the other party hadn''t thought two more enemies were searching for him in the Ember Kingdom and came out of his hiding spot.


    At that time, Rachel and Oswald also arrived near the private vi and started their search.


    "It seems luck is on our side." Charles paused for a moment as he nced at the Holem''s Crown and added.


    "I''ll be on my way then."


    A momentter, he floated up in the sky, turned his gaze towards a particr direction, and released his wisdom power.


    In a second, his wisdom power spread to all directions and almost covered 10 kilometers radius!


    Simultaneously, he sensed two powerful people facing each other in the northern sky and smiled.


    That''s where Trollmoor Swamp was located!


    A secondter, his figure disappeared from where he stood before and reappeared next to a ck-haired woman.


    She had silvery eyes, a slightly wrinkled face, slightly elongated eyebrows, and fair skin.


    She was none other than Rachel.


    Currently, she wore a blue robe and wholly covered herself in bluish lightning.


    The lightning rays circled her body like snakes and released electric sparks constantly.


    Upon noticing his arrival, she nced at him and nodded her head.


    "I hope you won''t slow us down, kid."


    Saying so, she turned her gaze towards the front and looked at the wavy-blonde-haired man.


    He had wide-set oceanic eyes, a slightly wrinkled face, a lean body, and appeared to be around 184cm high.


    He was a man in histe 40s and wore a ck robe, a long emerald-green pendant around his neck, and two unique tinum rings.


    Currently, he held a ck-covered book in his hand and seemed to be in deep thoughts.


    He was none other than Red Prince!


    Upon noticing his gaze, he returned to his normal state, looked into Charles''s eyes, and spoke.


    "It''s been a while."


    His words contain a trace of mockery!


    Without minding his tone, Charles calmly analyzed the surroundings, raised his eyebrows, and asked.


    "Where is he?"


    Rachel also nced around, shook her head, and spoke with a gloomy look on her face.


    "He should be here by now-"


    Before she could finish her words, Red Prince''s expression stiffened.


    It was as if something attacked him from behind and paralyzed him on the spot!


    Simultaneously, the space behind him distorted suddenly and revealed a figure of a white-haired old man.


    He had a wrinkled oval face, amber eyes, thin eyebrows, and wore a long ck surcoat.


    He was none other than Oswald Raven!


    At that moment, Oswald''s right hand suddenly moved at a terrifying speed and directly stabbed into Red Prince''s back!


    Within a second, it tore through his chest and appeared in the front while holding a heart!


    The next second, a strange thump echoed in everyone''s ears!


    "This is for killing my daughter, Mr. Prince." He said in a cold tone and crushed the heart.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince looked at his chest with wide eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood.


    Without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and muttered.


    "Fate Shift."


    The next instant, he disappeared from there, reappeared 30 meters away from where he was hovering before, and ced his hand over his chest area.


    "Fate Heal." He said.


    The next instant, the crushed heart in Oswald''s hand turned into ashes and disappeared.


    Simultaneously, the wound on Red Prince''s chest started to heal at an unimaginable speed and soon disappeared!


    At that moment, Red Prince breathed out a sigh of relief, looked at the three of them, and curled his lips upward.


    "Shall we start?" He said in a smile and opened the ck-covered book.

 Chapter 318: Clash

    <h4>Chapter 318: sh</h4>


    Charles didn''t hesitate for a moment as he raised his hand, pointed his forefinger at the Red Prince, and cast his attack spell.


    The next instant, a condensed red bullet came out of his finger and flew towards Red Prince.


    It was so fast that it arrived in front of him in a blink and soon collided with something invisible.


    At that moment, an illusionaryyer of shield appeared and blocked the bullet.


    The next instant, a loud bang sound echoed in the dark sky, followed by a cracking noise.


    Charles''s attack spell then suddenly broke into two and released chaotic fire streaks.


    Those chaos fires soon collided with one another and started devouring the surrounding air in reddish me.


    In two seconds, the me enveloped the surrounding air and burned everything in its way.


    Thankfully, Oswald and Rachel managed to react in time and backed away.


    Meanwhile, the Red Prince was caught off-guard by the [Finger of Destruction] spell''s effect and enveloped in the red me!


    Although the illusionary shield managed to stop the me for a moment, it soon broke into multiple pieces!


    Without any hesitation, Red Prince opened his mouth and muttered in a hurry.


    "Fate Swift."


    The next instant, he disappeared from there and reappeared a few ten meters away from the red me.


    But just as he was about to attack Charles, Rachel locked her gaze on the Red Prince and took a step forward.


    Even though she was still hovering in the sky, she started to walk as if she was moving on the in ground.


    The first few steps appeared more like a normal human''s walk.


    But during the fifth step, her movement speed suddenly increased to ten folds.


    It was her Rank-4 lightning spell, Lightning Steps!


    Before the Red Prince could pinpoint her exact location, she disappeared from his sight and reappeared above him!


    She then calmly pointed her hand at the Red Prince and muttered.


    "Thunder''s Rage."


    A momentter, a sh of lightning arc came from her palm, stuck his body, and paralyzed him on the spot.


    At that moment, Oswald raised his hand, pointed his finger at Red Prince, and spoke.


    "Soulless de."


    A momentter, an invisible de appeared from his hand, moved towards the Red Prince, and entered into his body!


    But what''s more surprising was that no injury appeared on Red Prince''s body.


    Even he showed a confused look on his face and soon squinted his eyes.


    A secondter, he sensed that the connection between his consciousness and his soul got cut off!


    Shock appeared on his face!


    He tried to open his mouth but couldn''t.


    In the meantime, Charles used this opportunity, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and enveloped his body into a crimson me before disappearing.


    A momentter, he reappeared behind the paralyzed Red Prince, raised his hand, pointed his finger at his nape, and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    The next instant, the reddish bullet came out of his finger and directly entered his nape.


    The chaos bullet then broke into pieces, released the chaotic streaks, and started attacking his body from inside.


    By the time the Red Prince managed to wake up from the paralyzed effect, his whole body got invaded by the chaos me and started destroying from the inside.


    Red Prince''s body skin started to change and ultimately turned into ck color!


    At that moment, his body began to erge like a balloon and soon exploded while sending flesh and blood in all directions!


    A strange silence appeared in the dark sky.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince''s remains, including his flesh, blood, bones, and other matters started burning in eerie ck me and began to fall.


    Upon witnessing Red Prince''s death, Charles, Rachel, and Oswald nced at each other and showed a confused look on their faces.


    "He really died?" Rachel asked with a wary look on her face.


    She thought that this battle would be a life-and-death ordeal for her!


    But to her shock, it ended before they could even get serious!


    "No, he is not someone who could die so easily." Charles shook his head and spoke with a grim look on his face.


    Just as he finished his words, an eerie male''s voice echoed in their minds.


    "Destiny Life- Revive!"


    Simultaneously, a reddish drop of blood appeared at the area where Red Prince stood before and formed into a human shape.


    No, it''s not a human, but a goat-horned humanoid creature!


    It had ckish-red skin, pointy red ears, w-like hands, pupil-less white eyes, and a long ck tail.


    It appeared to be around 2.5 meters tall and had an aura of wickedness!


    What''s more shocking was that even a pair of eerie ck wings made of pure ck me appeared behind it and started pping!


    "Winged Devil," Charles muttered in a grave tone and backed away.


    Oswald and Rachel also distanced themselves from the Red Prince''s Devil form and looked at him warily.


    Meanwhile, the Red Prince nced at his own hands and nodded his goat-horned head.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards Charles and spoke.


    "Thoughts Disarray."


    A momentter, Charles''s mind went chaos!


    He thought of attacking the Red Prince with the [Finger of Destruction] spell but ended up shooting Rachel instead!


    It was as if some strange fire entered his Dark Space and manipted his thinking!


    Thankfully, Rachel also somehow perceived the danger and directly avoided his sudden attack!


    "What are you doing, kid?" She asked him with a re and soon frowned.


    At that moment, Charles''s face turned into a nk one.


    "Memory alteration?" Oswald raised his eyebrows and thought of such a possibility.


    On the other hand, Charles noticed that a strange fire had affected his Dark Space and tried to erase it.


    Just as Charles managed to erase a strange ck me from his Dark Space, Red Prince disappeared from where he hovered before and reappeared in front of Charles.


    Then, he raised his right w-like hand and shed at Charles''s chest.


    The next second, a horizontal cut appeared in his body!


    Before Charles could understand the situation, his upper body and lower body were cut into two!


    Shock appeared on his face.


    Meanwhile, the Red Prince gave him a deep look and shook his head.


    "Disappointing." He muttered in Devil''s Tongue.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly raised his hand, touched his chest area, and spoke.


    "Life of Fire."


    The next second, a bluish-green me suddenly enveloped his body, reattached the two bodies, and healed him in an instant!


    Simultaneously, Charles suddenly moved forward, raised his hand, and smiled.


    "ck Inferno." A cold voice came out of his mouth.


    The next instant, an eerie ck me enveloped the Red Prince''s devil form all of a sudden and started burning him.


    Red Prince also conjured a ball of ck me to erase it but couldn''t.


    The tall devil soon turned into a burning humanoid creature made of ck liquids, flesh, and bones!

 Chapter 320: 8 Seconds

    <h4>Chapter 320: 8 Seconds</h4>


    But just when the ck me was about to burn himpletely, new flesh started to appear out of nowhere and started absorbing those ck mes!


    Within two seconds, a new Red Prince appeared in front of everyone!


    "Is that all?" He looked at Charles and asked with a smile.


    But the mere smile gave him a sinister feeling!


    Before Charles could respond, an invisible ripple came out of Red Prince''s body and spread to the surroundings!


    It was so strong that it caused everyone''s body to freeze for a second.


    ''The power of Dominance¡­'' Charles frowned a bit, enveloped his body in a crimson me, teleported from there, and soon reappeared next to Rachel.


    At that moment, Oswald also arrived next to them, touched his golden bracelet, and chanted a unique verse.


    Once he ended the short verse, the bracelet shone in golden color light andpletely enveloped him.


    A momentter, a golden armor appeared over his chest.


    Not only that, but two unique golden wings sprouted from his back and started pping on their own.


    Nodding his head, Oswald then took out a long sword from his space ring and unsheathed it.


    Simultaneously, a greenish aura came out from the hilt area and started enveloping the sword edges.


    ''Oh? It''s the Master level sword aura. I thought he was bluffing earlier. With this, he can even harm a Pseudo-Legendary Level Mystic. But to do that, he needs to get closer to the enemy, though.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke in his mind.


    "It''s time." Rachel said in a cold tone.


    The next instant, the whole dark sky started to transform into a cloudier one.


    Then, electric sparks appeared in the sky and soon released a sh of blue lightning towards the Red Prince.


    Upon seeing this, Red Prince suddenly looked up at the sky and turned solemn.


    Then, he suddenly stretched his hand, tore the space, and pulled out a ck-covered book from the void.


    After that, he casually opened it and muttered.


    "Nullify."


    At that moment, the blue arc of lightning bolt arrived above his head and was about tond on him.


    But, some invisible power came out of the book andpletely absorbed the lightning!


    Upon seeing this, Rachel frowned a bit and spoke.


    "I''m going all out. 8 seconds."


    An instantter, her silvery eyes glowed.


    At the same time, her whole body started to envelop in a bluish arc of lightning, and she appeared more like a Goddess of Lightning!


    What''s more shocking was that her mind worked twenty times faster than before!


    The next instant, she turned into a streak of lightning and arrived in front of the Red Prince.


    "1"


    Saying so, she extended her right hand, created a sword made of pure lightning arc, and shed at his head.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince squinted his eyes suddenly and saw her every action in slow motion.


    No!


    Even though he managed to elerate his thoughts to multiple folds, all he could see was just her blurry movements!


    Before he could even cast his defensive spell, Rachel used the lightning sword to directly shed at his neck and decapitated him.


    But she didn''t end it there, though.


    "2"


    She aimed her lightning sword at his right hand and directly cut it.


    Then, she extended her hand, grabbed the severed hand along with the ck book, and tossed it towards Charles!


    "3. Seal it, Chares." Her voice traveled through the space at high frequency and echoed in his head.


    On the other hand, Charles''s eyes widened.


    In truth, he used the [elerate Thoughts] skill and was barely following her movements like the Red Prince!


    ''She even noticed this?'' He was shocked inside.


    Then, he opened his palm, cast [Hands of Wonders] skill, and released the single invisible string at a fast speed.


    In truth, this was the only skill that could move ording to his thinking speed.


    Even if he enters the ''Time-Stop'' domain, he could use this skill and do some tricks!


    An invisible string came out of his palm like a bolt, moved towards the severed hand, and soon touched the ck book.


    Then, the string coiled around the book and pulled backward.


    The next instant, the ck book disappeared from there and reappeared in Charles''s hand.


    At that moment, Rachel opened her mouth and added.


    "4"


    Without any hesitation, Charles made a swift decision and tossed it towards his left side.


    Once again, the ck book disappeared from his right hand, started bending the space, traveled through it, and soon appeared in front of Edith, who was currently doing divination in the old mansion!


    His action surprised the Red Prince.


    Even though his head was decapitated, he still saw everything and got shocked.


    But he didn''t have enough time to mourn over his loss, though.


    At that moment, Rachel had long created a golden streak of lightning and released it towards his chest.


    But what made him startled was not the strange color of the lightning but its movement speed.


    Unlike other lightning streaks, this one moved very slowly.


    It moved more like a speed of a fireball!


    ''I can still control my body and dodge this lightning.'' Such thought appeared in Red Prince''s mind.


    But before he could think further, Rachel once again opened her mouth.


    "5"


    The next second, multiple blue lightning arcs came out of Rachel''s hand and moved towards his body quickly.


    In a blink, they attacked his body from different directions and paralyzed him on the spot!


    ''No good!'' Red Prince''s face hardened.


    Meanwhile, the golden streak moved slowly and soonnded on his chest.


    "6," Rachel said.


    Then, the lightning arc directly tore through Red Prince''s chest, entered deep into his body, and exploded.


    The next second, a fist-sized hole appeared around his heart area!


    Upon seeing this, Red Prince hurriedly used his [Instant Regeneration] skill and tried to heal it.


    But to his shock, nothing happened!


    No!


    At that moment, he sensed a strange crack in his Dark Space that connected to his main body''s Inner World!


    "7"


    Rachel''s voice echoed in the sky again.


    No, it appeared more like a demon''s whisper!


    The next instant, she raised her hand, pointed her finger at Red Prince''s forehead, and conjured another golden streak of lightning.


    Upon seeing her action, Red Prince''s mind went chaos.


    He knew what her following action would be.


    Just as he predicted, Rachel moved her other hand, released tens of blue lightning arcs, and attacked his head before paralyzing it!


    Then, the golden arc of lightning bolt moved slowly like a divine bolt and arrived in front of his forehead.


    "8. Do you think I hold this ''Dragon yer'' title just to show off?" A mocking voice echoed in his ears.


    The next instant, the golden lightning directly entered his forehead, created a small explosion, and made a finger-sized hole!


    Shock and rm appeared on Red Prince''s face.


    Reddish blood started to drip down from his forehead and painted his face.


    Meanwhile, Rachel disappeared from where she stood before and reappeared next to Charles.


    "I''ve done my best,d. I''ll be leaving now."


    Saying so, she turned into a streak of lightning and disappeared into the cloudy sky.


    On the other hand, Charles dismissed his [elerate Thoughts] skill and turned his gaze towards the Red Prince.


    In the meantime, Oswald nced around and soon widened his eyes in surprise.


    "She is terrifying." He couldn''t help but mutter in a loud tone.


    Charles also nodded his head in approval and asked.


    "Do you have anything up in your sleeves?"


    Upon hearing his grandson''s words, he subconsciously turned his gaze towards his sword and nodded.


    "If you hold him for two seconds, I can indeed give him a surprise." His voice contained a trace of pride.


    Although Charles wasn''t sure of Oswald''s ability, he vaguely felt that this old man wasn''t an ordinary person.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince used hisst bit of energy and spoke.


    "Destiny Life- All Heal."


    The next second, his head moved on its own, appeared above his body''s neck area, and attached to his body.


    Then, the cleaved wound on his neck also started to heal at a fast speed.


    But not even a hint of happiness appeared on Red Prince''s face.


    Instead, his face was filled with full of confusion and anxiety.


    At that moment, he noticed that the bloody hole on his forehead remained unhealed!


    Not only that, but his heart area also appeared empty!


    At that moment, he was sure of one thing.


    ''I only have 10 minutes to live!'' Although he could indeed save himself from the uing death, he needed to escape from these two.


    Unfortunately, neither Charles nor Oswald would allow him to escape.


    Just as he was contemting about his following action, Charles suddenly took out an eerie ck metal disc from his space ring, locked his gaze on the Red Prince, and smiled.


    The next instant, Red Prince felt that his whole surroundings started to distort and soon found himself standing in the middle of an empty sky!


    Neither Charles nor Oswald appeared in his vision!


    ''Where are they?'' He looked around in confusion and soon noticed the strangeness in the surroundings.


    Instead of a colorful atmosphere, the whole surroundings appeared more like a shade.


    Upon seeing this, a single thought appeared in his mind.


    ''He pulled my consciousness into the Dream World!'' His eyes widened.

 Chapter 321: Devils Hand

    <h4>Chapter 321: Devil''s Hand</h4>


    "Trying to restrict me?" He coldly snorted and closed his eyes.


    The next instant, he found the small link between his main body and his consciousness and disappeared from there.


    He returned to the physical world a momentter and soon saw a sharp greenish-aura-coated de almost appeared in front of his face!


    "Domain of Xedeus." He didn''t dare to take his enemies lightly and spoke in a solemn tone.


    It was his main body''s domain world and also an imitation of Hell''s firstyer!


    Although it would be hard for him to borrow the power of Xedeus Domain as an avatar, it wouldn''t be an impossible task.


    The next instant, the whole surroundings started to change.


    Xedeus Domain was a deste wastnd with rocky terrain, sparse, twisted vegetation, concealed snake pits, caves and warrens, volcanoes, and rivers of magma.


    The sky was starless, full of choking smoke, and glowed in a dark red due to balls of mmable gas that floated about or streaked across the atmosphere, randomly exploding as fireballs.


    At that moment, Oswald''s long sword appeared near his nose area, cleaved Red Prince''s face, and appeared on the other side.


    But to his shock, not a single wound or a cut mark appeared on the Red Prince''s face.


    Simultaneously, Oswald got an unusual feeling in his mind.


    It was as if he was facing something terrifying!


    ''If I back off now, I will die for sure.'' Such thought appeared on his face.


    But he didn''t get anxious, though.


    He closed his eyes, released his wisdom power, and merged his thoughts with the surroundings.


    Then, he gripped the sword hilt, opened his mouth, and chanted.


    A unique soulless voice came out from his mouth and assaulted Red Prince''s mind all of a sudden.


    "Whisper Wind!" An rming look appeared on Red Prince''s face.


    The next instant, he pped his ck wings and moved away from Oswald as if he had met his mortal enemy!


    But before he could move 5 meters away from Oswald, millions of minute cuts appeared all over his body and minced him to a minute level!


    All those sliced flesh, bones, and other body parts started to scatter like a wind!


    Even Charles couldn''t understand how Red Prince got cut into millions of pieces!


    If not for his [Arcane Eyes] skill, he would''ve thought that the Red Prince turned himself into pieces.


    But even such an attack didn''t kill the Red Prince, though.


    Another single drop of blood suddenly appeared 300 meters away from Oswald and started to erge.


    In two seconds, a new Red Prince appeared over there.


    But unlike before, his face appeared pale as a white sheet.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that he was gravely injured inside.


    "I don''t know why you killed my daughter, Red Prince. But you should''ve prepared yourself to face the consequence." Oswald paused for a moment, opened his eyes, and locked his gaze on the Red Prince.


    At that moment, his amber-colored eyes had turned into eerie ck.


    Simultaneously, he took out a ck raven emblem from his space ring and spoke in an ancient tongue.


    "In the name of Oswald Raven, I, now summon the Guardian of the Raven Family, the Soul of Trickster, and the bringer of Omen, Adis."


    Just as he finished his words, an eerie ck smoke came out of the badge and soon formed into an illusionary figure of 3 meters tall ck Raven!


    "Oh? An incarnation of a Magical Beast?" Red Prince raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    At that moment, the raven let out a cawing sound and pped its illusionary wings.


    On the other hand, Oswald raised his hand, pointed his finger at Red Prince, and spoke.


    "Curse of Misfortune."


    An invisible power appeared from the ck raven''s beak and directly attacked Red Prince!


    Upon sensing the invisible attack, Red Prince''s face turned grave.


    ''Curse of Misfortune¡­ Do I''ve to use my trump card now?'' He couldn''t help but showed a hesitant look on his face.


    He knew that once he used the item, he would never receive any help from his main body at all!


    ''I''ll be on my own.'' After contemting for a moment, he let out a deep sigh, raised his hand, and touched the pendant that hung around his neck.


    The next instant, the emerald-greenish pendant suddenly started to shine and turned into a streak of golden light!


    The golden streak then directly moved behind him and made arge crack in the space!


    If he was in Edhen World, the World''s will might''ve sensed something and intervened.


    Thankfully, he was in his Pseudo-Domain!


    A momentter, the spatial crack behind him suddenly started to expand and soon formed into a vortex!


    From it, a gigantic reddish hand came out of it and grabbed Red Prince''s body.


    Although it was just a giant hand, its mere presence in the separate Domain caused Oswald and Charles to shudder involuntarily.


    Uncontroble fear, anxiety, and all other kinds of negative emotions started to show up in their minds!


    Even the Holem''s Crown started to tremble a little.


    ''T-This¡­ I think I know this devil¡­'' The Holem''s Crown finally spoke in Charles''s mind.


    ''You know?'' Charles tried his best to avoid looking at the creepy red hand and asked.


    ''Yes. There is no doubt about it. There should be only one Devil with Gigantic hands in the whole Hell ne. He is the Devil Lord of Fate and Destiny, the current ruler of the 66th Domain of the First Layer, and the rumored incarnation of the first Fallen Angel. Everyone calls him Red Devil, but no one knows his true name.'' The Holem''s Crown said in a grim tone.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles went silent.


    ''It seems killing the Red Prince won''t be an easy job.'' He muttered inwardly.


    Meanwhile, a strange reddish smoke came out from the gigantic hand''s palm, enveloped Red Prince''s body, and wholly absorbed the Misfortune curse.


    Moreover, the wounds that were caused by Rachel''s golden lightning bolts got healed in an instant!


    Before Charles and Oswald could wake up from the shock, the gigantic reddish hand pointed its finger at the ckish-illusionary raven and snapped its fingers!


    A secondter, the illusionary raven suddenly let out a screeching noise and exploded!


    Shock appeared on Oswald''s face.


    On the other hand, the gigantic red hand retracted into the spatial vortex and soon disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    "Do we have a chance to kill him now?" Without minding the shocking look on Oswald''s face, Charles managed to remove those negative emotions from his mind and asked.


    At that moment, hundreds of humanoid creatures started crawled out from the nearby caves, underground hideouts, pits, and so on.


    Although the gigantic hand''s appearancepletely changed the Domain''s function, Red Prince didn''t lose his guard at all.


    Instead, he looked at the two of them with more vignce.

 Chapter 322: Fire Domain

    <h4>Chapter 322: Fire Domain</h4>


    In the meantime, the Holem''s Crown spoke in Charles''s mind.


    ??


    ''Staying in his Domain is dangerous, kid. Only your Fire Domain can negate his Domain.''


    ''But his wisdom power should be above mine, right?'' Charles asked with a frown.


    The reason he didn''t use his Domain was mainly because of receiving a bacsh.


    ''Those who have higher wisdom power could easily dominate other''s Domain and rece it with their own! If such thing happens, the loser will receive a bacsh.''


    When Red Prince attacked Charles''s mind earlier, he sensed that the opponent''s wisdom power was higher than his own!


    ''Although his wisdom power hasn''t crossed 200, it shouldn''t be lesser than 190.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''No. Red Prince''s Domain should be in his weakened state by now. If my guess isn''t wrong, Rachel''s earlier lightning attacks should''ve damaged his Dark Space. Moreover, Red Prince''s earlier action to summon the gigantic hand from the Hell ne must''ve cost some of his wisdom power. Cast your eyes skill and check his wisdom power.'' The Holem''s Crown spoke in a calm tone.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles widened his eyes in surprise.


    At that moment, his eyes turned blurry, and he received a few futuristic images.


    It was a vision about Oswald''s death!


    In that vision, he saw that the Red Prince suddenly teleported right in front of Oswald, touched his chest for a second, and disappeared.


    After that, Oswald''s body started to rot, and soon he turned into ashes!


    ''A curse? He received some help to cast a Mysterious Curse on the enemy from his main body?'' A frown appeared on his face.


    Without any hesitation, Charles took out an emerald green amulet from his space ring, held it in his right hand, and waited for the right time.


    Meanwhile, Oswald also returned to his calm self and gripped his long sword.


    ''Be careful of his ambush, old man. He seems to be nning to ce a mysterious curse on you.'' Charles''s calm voice echoed in his head, causing his amber eyes to widen.


    ''Oh? Then, I''ll conceal myself for some time.'' Saying so, he raised his hand and touched his face.


    The next instant, his whole body started to blur all of a sudden and turned invisible!


    Upon seeing his action, Red Prince let out a chuckle and spoke in a mocking tone.


    "I can still see you, mortal. As long as you are in my Innate Domain, I can see and read all your movements. This Domain specialized in Fate, Destiny, Corruption, and Madness. I even know why you are going into the concealing mode."


    Saying so, he suddenly raised his hand, made a strange hand sign, and smiled.


    The next instant, his whole right hand turned into an eerie pitch ck!


    Then, he took a step forward in the air and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he reappeared on the barrennd and tried to touch something invisible.


    But before he could touch the invisible Oswald, a cold voice echoed in the Domain.


    "Winds of Change."


    As the voice ended, Red Prince suddenly felt that the whole ce began to distort and soon found himself hovering in front of apletely different person.


    But not a single sign of surprise or shock appeared on his face.


    Instead, he calmly looked at Charles as if he had already expected this oue and extended his hand.


    But just as his eerie ck hand was about to touch his chest, a sunshineyer appeared and blocked his hand!


    Still, thatyer broke into pure energy in a second and disappeared.


    "It''s over, Charles." A cold voice came out of Red Prince''s mouth.


    On the other hand, Charles raised his eyebrows, activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill, and looked into his eyes.


    Simultaneously, thousands of invisible strings appeared out of nowhere andpletely bound the Red Prince!


    Red Prince tried to move his hand but couldn''t!


    It was as if some invisible forcepletely took over his body!


    ''What is this trick?'' He widened his eyes in surprise and tried to cast [Fate Swap] skill with Oswald.


    But to his shock, even his Fate skill got nullified by some invisible power!


    ''A power to nullify magic? No¡­ It''s not. But this invisible thing has the power to block all kinds of magic and restrict one''s movement. Even my ck wings are not responding to mymand!'' He was stunned inside.


    Without any hesitation, Red Prince closed his eyes and recited an incantation in his mind.


    A momentter, his whole body started to bulge and exploded before burning in a ck me!


    Simultaneously, another drop of blood suddenly appeared a few hundred meters away from him and started to expand.


    Within two seconds, another Red Prince appeared!


    But Charles noticed a difference in his body status.


    Red Prince appeared weaker than before!


    ''His wisdom has long dropped to 175 points. Moreover, he already seems to have exhausted physically. Is this the price he paid to summon his real body''s hand?'' He furrowed in suspicion.


    Then, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    He then reappeared in front of the Red Prince, opened his mouth, and spoke.


    "Fire Domain."


    The next instant, the whole surroundingsnd started to sh with his Domain!


    After a slight sh, Charles''s Fire Domain reced the barrennds and other areas with fire-rted regions.


    Multipleva pools, volcanic mountains, elemental nts, and scorchednd covered in smoldering embers appeared all over the areas.


    Upon seeing the sudden change, Red Prince''s eyes widened.


    Although he heard that Charles''s wisdom power had already reached the realm of Pseudo-Legendary, he was still surprised deeply.


    No, he was shocked inside.


    ''How did he increase his wisdom power in a short time? Is it due to artifact?'' A suspicion appeared in his mind.


    ''I need to escape!'' Such thought surfaced in his mind.


    All this time, he didn''t even consider these two mortals as his enemies at all!


    But upon seeing Charles''s Fire Domain, his mind started to waver a little.


    ''At least, I need to kill one of them before I break this Domain. Otherwise, both might not let me escape that easily.''


    Muttering inwardly, he locked his gaze on a particr area, curled his lips upward, and spoke.


    "Fate Swap."


    The next instant, Charles''s figure turned blurry all of a sudden and was soon reced with the figure of a white-haired old man.


    Oswald''s eyes widened as he saw the sudden change and tried to back away.


    On the other hand, Red Prince once again raised his ck hand and moved it towards his chest.


    But before he could touch his chest, Oswald''s figure once again turned blurry and was soon reced with Charles''s one.


    At that moment, Charles held a strange silver pocket watch in his hand, moved his finger towards the crown area, and pressed it.


    The next second, the whole Fire Domain got frozen in Time!

 Chapter 323: Sneak Attack

    <h4>Chapter 323: Sneak Attack</h4>


    Simultaneously, a reddishyer of fire appeared over Charles''s body.


    ??


    Although he still couldn''t move his body in the [Time Stop] skill affected Domain, he could at least use two skills at that moment.


    ''Arcane Eyes skill and the Hands of Wonder skill¡­ I''ve to put these two into good use now.''


    First, he cast [Arcane Eyes] skill and stared at Red Prince to grasp any secrets.


    Simultaneously, he released a single invisible string and let it move towards the Red Prince''s right earring.


    ''30 more seconds.''


    That was the maximum time Charles could maintain the ''Time-Stop'' ability.


    The invisible string moved towards Red Prince''s right side ear slowly.


    Meanwhile, Charles also used his Rank-4 Mind Fire spell on the Red Prince and attacked his Inner World.


    Unfortunately, his spell didn''t seed at all.


    ''Is it because Red Prince''s soul isn''t in this body? Or, my spell got erased even before I knew it?''


    While he was in muse, a breaking voice echoed in his head.


    ''Time Decelerate effect¡­ Not a bad artifact.''


    Upon hearing those words, Charles got stunned.


    ''He can also think in Time Stop effect?''


    Charles soon returned to normal and started forming a n.


    In truth, his actual purpose was to use Rachel''s and Oswald''s strength and find out the full extent of the Red Prince''s powers.


    Thankfully, they indeed co-operated with him and forced the Red Prince to the corner.


    ''If I used Fire Domain much earlier, things might''ve gone in apletely different direction.''


    While he was thinking, the invisible string soon touched the Red Prince''s right side earring, entered the hoop, and made a knot.


    Then, the string''s tip changed its direction, moved towards the other side of his ear, and soon touched the Red Prince''s left side earring.


    By the time the invisible ring was attached to both of his earrings, 30 seconds time limit had already passed!


    The next instant, the ''Time Stop'' effect got ended.


    Following that, a strange silence appeared in the Fire Domain.


    Without any hesitation, both Charles and the Red Prince distanced themselves and looked at each other warily.


    Before the Red Prince could take the initiative to attack, Charles suddenly raised his hand, caught something in the air, and retracted it.


    Then, he touched his space ring and stored the ''Star Watch'' into it.


    Meanwhile, Red Prince stared at his action in confusion and shook his head.


    "You''ve indeed grown strong¡­ No, far stronger than what I had imagined, Charles. But killing me with your current strength is still an impossible task."


    Although Charles still hadn''t shown his full strength, Red Prince could vaguely tell that he hadn''t entered the realm of Pseudo-Legendaries.


    ''As long as I have the earrings, I can escape without any problem-'' He suddenly got an uneasy feeling as those thoughts crossed his mind.


    He then subconsciously raised his hand, touched his right ear, and soon widened his eyes!


    "You stole my earrings?" He couldn''t hide his shock at all.


    Meanwhile, a smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Do you really think I don''t know of my own limits?" He let out a chuckle, raised his hand, and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    A chaotic bullet came out of his finger, tore through the air, and almost appeared in front of Red Prince''s forehead.


    But just as the bullet was about tond, Red Prince casually raised his ckish hand and blocked it.


    If it were before, the chaotic bullet would have broken into two and released chaos fire energy before creatingrge-scale destruction.


    But now, the Red Prince''s ckish hand released strange curse energy, corrupted Charles''s [Finger of Destruction] spell, and ultimately disintegrated it!


    "My right hand can release a destructive curse called ''Void Shatter.'' Although I can only use it for the next few minutes, it is more than enough to kill ten of you." A cold voice echoed in the Fire Domain.


    Upon hearing those words, the corner of Charles''s lips twitched.


    ''He really is difficult to kill, huh.'' He muttered with a gloomy look on his face.


    At that moment, Oswald also flew ck towards the sky, arrived beside Charles, and stared at the Red Prince coldly.


    Upon seeing his grandfather''s arrival, Charles let out a deep sigh and shook his head.


    "You are not his match, old man. I''ll take care of him."


    Saying so, he used his thoughts and directly transported him out of his Fire Domain!


    ''Although Oswald seems to have some trump cards, he isn''t strong enough to battle this devil head-on. Moreover, he''ll hinder me from going all out.'' While thinking, he suddenly extended both of his hands, released his full wisdom power, and increased the gravity in his Fire Domain to 5 times!


    For the first time, surprise and shock appeared on Red Prince''s face.


    "Gravity Magic? When did you learn this?" He asked.


    On the other hand, Charles cast [Fire Born] spell first and turned his body into a pure fire-born humanoid creature.


    Then, he cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared behind the Red Prince and was about to cast the [ck Inferno] spell but stopped.


    At that moment, a total of 25 different images appeared in front of his eyes.


    Simultaneously, he also used [elerate Thoughts] skill and started to notice that the whole Domain seemed to have slowed down!


    Along with the high gravity in his Fire Domain, Red Prince''s movement appeared more like sloth''s one!


    But what made him frown was that he couldn''t read his next moment at all!


    ''As expected, he must be using his [Fate Vision] skill to seeing the changes in my fate strings.''


    Without minding his next movement, Charles turned his attention towards the future images and curled his lips upward.


    At that moment, each of those images showed the Red Prince''s next possible actions!


    Instead of attacking, Charles suddenly disappeared from there and reappeared on Red Prince''s right side.


    Almost simultaneously, he turned his gaze towards the Red Prince and cast [Burning Thoughts] on him.


    Unfortunately, that spell got instantly nullified and gave him no opportunity to attack!


    At that moment, Red Prince nced at him with much difficulty, opened his mouth, and spoke.


    "Devour Mind."


    A secondter, a dense ball of purple me appeared in the depths of Charles''s mind!


    ''Mind Fire!'' His expression hardened.


    The purple fire began to shape-shift within a second and soon formed into a giant 3-meter tall worm!


    Upon sensing this, Charles didn''t get anxious, though.


    He calmly linked his mind with the System Cube, moved his attention towards the [Erase Consciousness] ability.


    ''Even though the purple worm is just a spell, it still has a Will in it.'' He calmly analyzed the situation as he backed away from the Red Prince and activated the ability.


    The next instant, an invisible ripple appeared from the System Cube, moved towards the newly formed purple worm, andpletely erased it!


    Before the Red Prince could even perceive the failure of his attack, Charles once again disappeared from he was hovering and reappeared behind him.


    But the next instant, he suddenly sensed that his whole surroundings started to distort.


    Even his ''Future Vision'' skill failed to warn this attack!


    Then, Charles''s body turned blurry suddenly and appeared in front of the Red Prince!


    On the other hand, the Red Prince seemed to have long prepared for this and moved his eerie ck hand.


    Even though Charles was in his ''Fire Born'' spell appearance, his instinct started to scream all of a sudden!


    His face turned pale in an instant.


    Upon seeing his appearance, the Red Prince made a mocking smile and spoke.


    "Farewell."


    The next instant, his eerie ck hand touched Charles''s chest.


    Simultaneously, his whole me body started to turn eerie ck!


    ''Sh*t!''


    Noticing this, Charles backed away in a hurry and shouted.


    "Heart of Fire."


    Just as his words ended, his whole body got enveloped in a strange yellowish-red me and erased the corrosion effect!


    He then raised his hand, red at the Red Prince, moved his fingers like he was manipting something invisible, and pulled it towards him!


    The next instant, a sharp dagger suddenly appeared behind Red Prince, tore through the air, and stabbed into his back!


    It was the same dagger that Rh personally created two months ago!


    But what shocked Red Prince was not the sneak attack, but the thing that entered his bloodstream through the dagger!


    ''Poison? No¡­ It¡­ i-s¡­ af-fe-ti-ng¡­ m-y¡­th-in-ki-ng¡­'' He was horrified.


    Not only that, but the strange poison also paralyzed Red Prince''s body.


    Before he could even think further, Charles cast [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from there, and soon appeared behind the Red Prince.


    Then, he calmly ced his hand on his back and spoke in a cold tone.


    "I know that killing you with my current strength is almost impossible." He deliberated for a moment and then added coldly.


    "But who said I''m the one who is going to kill you?"


    Before the Red Prince could even understand his words, an old man''s voice echoed in his ears.


    "Erase Existence!"


    The next instant, Red Prince''s sluggish thoughts started to disappear one by one.

 Chapter 324: Clue

    <h4>Chapter 324: Clue</h4>


    Within a few seconds, Red Prince''s body started to turn illusionary and soon disappeared.


    ??


    Even his consciousness and the soul shard were also erased.


    "If I had used the [Erase Existence] spell before he activated the strange pendant, my spell would''ve gone ineffective." The Holem''s Crown said in a solemn tone.


    "You mean that his main body can nullify your spell from a faraway ne?" Charles asked in surprise.


    Meanwhile, the Holem''s Crown let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "It is possible. Anyway, our main goal is achieved. Next, we should go to the Ember Kingdom''s capital city and see if we can sneak into Nightwind Family''s tower."


    On the other hand, Charles frowned a bit and shook his head.


    He then descended towards the ground,nded on the ground filled with embers, and asked.


    "Using your miracle skill must have some big side effect, right? You still haven''t told me why the real Eddie met his end."


    The Holem''s Crown went silent as it heard his words.


    "You are indeed sharp as always. Well, I actually don''t n on hiding it from you anyway." It paused for a moment and then continued.


    "Although I''m just borrowing the luck of normal people to create a Miracle, it still can affect the user''s future. No, I should say that it only affects a certain future to a high level. For example, you''ll bump into some small trouble. Then, the trouble will grow as time passes and formed into an unpredictable danger. That danger would be so high that even these scheming Divines will find it hard to escape."


    "Like the time when the real Eddie entered a pocket dimension and finally met the World Eater?" Charles asked.


    "Yes. But you don''t have to worry too much. The Miracle you cast earlier and the Miracle Eddie cast before his death waspletely different. As long as you watch out for any anomalies, you can easily evade this side effect." The Holem''s Crown responded in a reassuring tone.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded his head and started checking his Fire Domain.


    Meanwhile, Oswald pped the golden wings in the Edhen World and looked at the empty sky with a gloomy look on his face.


    Currently, he held his long sword and constantly surveyed the surroundings to see any link to the Fire Domain.


    "That brat¡­ Is he really that strong?" He still found it hard to believe.


    But as he recalled the Red Prince''s earlier words, confusion appeared on his face.


    ''He said that Charles had grown stronger¡­ Far stronger than what even the Devil had imagined¡­'' Although Oswald had only fought with Red Prince twice, he was well aware of how dangerous that man was.


    ''Not only his physical body is strong, but even his ss skills are also far stronger and mysterious.''


    Even if a single drop of his blood remained on the battlefield, the Red Prince would rise again and return to his former state in seconds.


    ''That guy is more like a parasite¡­ His regenerative power, his soul power, his experience in battle, fate rted ability to predict the future, and his strange artifacts, all are very troublesome to deal with. There is also his mind-rted ability to distort one''s thoughts¡­'' While thinking about how terrifying the Red Prince was, he couldn''t help but get anxious inside.


    At that moment, a sh of lightning came from the cloudy sky and soon formed into a figure of a ck-haired old woman.


    "Did you finish him off? Where is Charles?" She asked in confusion.


    Upon seeing her arrival, Oswald wasn''t surprised even a bit and responded while shaking his head.


    "No. Charles is fighting that Devil. He already entered the realm of Pseudo-Legendaries. Get ready to prepare for an ambush."


    "What?! He is fighting the Red Prince? Alone?" Rachel''s eyes widened.


    "As I said, thatd already surpassed us in strength. But if he still got defeated, we''ve no choice but to use ''that'' to give the Red Prince a big surprise." Oswald said as he looked up at the cloudy dark sky and smiled.


    Simultaneously, arcs of lightning started to whirl up everywhere and formed into a gigantic neck of reddish lightning!


    That was Rachel''s real trump card!


    It was a unique spell called ''Lightning Net'' and had the power equal to Rank-5 spell!


    As long as this spellnded on someone, even a pseudo-legendary mage with the physique of ''Semi-Legend'' would find it hard to move!


    ''Although Red Prince has abnormal physique, he still hasn''t reached the realm of Semi-Legend.'' Oswald muttered inwardly.


    On the other hand, Rachel also nodded her head and was about to get ready but suddenly got tensed up.


    "I''m sensing a spatial fluctuation. Someone ising-"


    Before she could finish her words, a spatial crack appeared in front of them and soon started to expand.


    Simultaneously, a deep-blue-haired young man in histe twenties walked out of it.


    Charles looked up at the dark sky, then towards Oswald and Rachel, and finally smiled.


    "He is no more." His voice contains a trace of pride.


    Upon hearing those words, both Oswald and Rachel got dumbfounded.


    A strange silence appeared in the dark sky, followed by a burst of loudughter.


    "Hahaha, here I thought we would face another deadly battle." Rachel said in a loud voice, raised her hand, and dismissed the strange lightning spell.


    On the other hand, Charles turned his gaze towards Oswald and asked.


    "What are you going to do, old man? Are you nning to go to the Nightwind Family and tell them to release the Ravel Family members from the dream curse?"


    "That won''t work. The Nightwind Family has their own magic tower in the capital city and also have some deep ties with the Ember Kingdom''s royalties. Do you think they will listen to a Rank-4 nobody?" Oswald shook his head.


    "I heard that family also have a Rank-5 Powerhouse. If you guys have any n on attacking that family, leave me out of this. Although I killed a Rank-5 Metal Dragon, I''m still not powerful enough to face a Rank-5 Mystic." Rachel suddenly interjected their conversation and spoke.


    Meanwhile, Charles fell into deep contemtion.


    ''If I can infiltrate into the magic tower using my shape-shift ability, I can indeed fool everyone and could get my hands on the Darkness Elemental Crystal¡­'' But a strange uneasiness appeared in his mind.


    ''Hmm, the miracle''s side effect might ce me in more danger.'' After some thoughts, he chose to give up on going after the Nightwind Family.


    "I''ll then go back to the Iron Kingdom and stay there for a while." He paused for a moment, turned his gaze towards Oswald, and continued.


    "You should also do the same, old man. Go back to the family and take care of the family members. As long as you pay some amount to the Dream Church, they might be willing to remove the dream curse."


    Upon hearing those words, a trace of disappointment appeared on Oswald''s face.


    Although he didn''t expect any help from his grandson, he still felt somewhat hurt when he saw the indifferent look on Charles''s face.


    He then let out a deep breath and spoke.


    "I''ve some ties with the Ember Kingdom''s ninth prince, Charles. As long as I use his influence, I might get a chance to meet the Nightwind Family head." He paused for a second, pped the golden wings, and then added.


    "I''ll be going now."


    A secondter, he shot towards the sky, circled for a moment, and soon flew towards the southern direction.


    In the meantime, Rachel shook her head, turned into a sh of lighting, and moved towards the opposite direction.


    Charles hovered in the air for a moment, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    The next morning,


    Rodsley Street, Nobles'' District, City of Iron.


    A deep-blue-haired young man suddenly appeared above the mansion building and descended.


    He soonnded on the three-storied building''s terrace, walked towards the Lawson sofa at the center of the terrace, and sat on it.


    Simultaneously, a humanoid me suddenly appeared next to the sofa and soon formed into a figure of a 25-years-old young woman.


    She had long ck hair, deep-set jade eyes, an oval face, tan skin, and trimmed thin eyebrows.


    Currently, she wore a long ck gown and held a golden-covered book in her hand.


    She took a step forward, turned her gaze towards Charles, and spoke with a solemn look on her face.


    "I got a clue."


    Upon hearing those words, a sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    He soon turned his face solemnly and nodded.


    "Let''s go to the underground basement. It''s not safe to discuss here."


    Saying so, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    Edith also nodded her head and followed after him.


    Both soon appeared in the underground basement hall, conjured a few me balls, and lighted the fire torches.


    Simultaneously, the Holem''s Crown in Charles''s hand was also removed on its own, moved towards the concrete wall, and started strengthening the [Seven Leaf] magic array circle.

 Chapter 325: Azure Federation

    <h4>Chapter 325: Azure Federation</h4>


    Charles turned his gaze towards Edith and asked.


    ??


    "What is the clue?"


    A look of hesitation appeared on Edith''s face as she nced at the Holem''s Crown for a moment and then spoke.


    "When I was doing the divination two days ago, I suddenly entered a unique enlightened state and saw strange ck dots on the ck page."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles''s face suddenly turned serious.


    "Strange ck dots?"


    "Yes, I have got a vague feeling that our future self is also trying to give some clue. Four ck dots appeared on the nk page." Edith replied.


    "Morse Code?" Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    In truth, the Ghost Organization mostly used this method to convey secret messages.


    But he didn''t expect that even his future self would use this method to give him some clues!


    At that moment, the Holem''s Crown suddenly let out a dim red light and spoke.


    "Although I''ve no idea what you guys are talking about, I can tell that your future self seems to be wary of someone. Otherwise, he could''ve used a Runic Language or some othernguage to send the message. But he didn''t. This shows that someone is definitely interfering with your divination."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles and Edith nced at each other and muttered in unison.


    "The World''s Will!"


    "Yes. So, you guys should discuss this matter in your Inner World from now on. Although this ''Seven Leaf'' magic array circle can block the World''s Will senses, it''s better to be extra careful." The Holem''s Crown added.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, sat on the concrete floor, and entered his Inner World.


    Edith also sat down, entered Charles''s Inner World, and soon appeared in front of ava pool.


    She then nced at Charles and soon widened her eyes.


    "You already killed the Red Prince?"


    "Yes, but he was just an avatar," Charles responded solemnly and soon asked.


    "What does ''H'' represent? Is this the only clue?"


    ''H'' was the secret code that his future self send him in the form of the Morse code method.


    "Yes. Currently, I''m trying my best to look into that particr timeline." Edith responded with a nod.


    "Excellent." A pleased smile appeared on Charles''s face. Then, he thought of something and soon spoke.


    "From now on, I''m nning on staying in the Fire Elemental ne and focus my attention onprehending the spell models. If I stay here, I''ll only get 5 to 6 years. But staying in the Fire Elemental ne gives me double the amount of time. As long as I utilize this opportunity, I can indeed reach the realm of Pseudo-Legendaries before my death date."


    ''Escaping my death is almost impossible with my current strength. I need to reach the next Rank and then think about my next n.'' He muttered inwardly.


    At that moment, Edith suddenly recalled something and spoke.


    "Charles, the Griffon family is still forcing Rhea to dy the construction of the new magic tower. If we don''t back her up, things might get more serious." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "Jessie also said that the Kings'' Guards are not even letting them meet Rhea nowadays. She fears that something bad might happen to Rhea if we didn''t take any action."


    Her words surprised Charles.


    He then creased his eyebrows and asked.


    "How is Jessie? Did she recover from the previous incident?"


    "Yes. So, what is your decision? Should I interfere?" Edith asked, making her face solemn.


    "What''s there to ask? Kill the Kings'' Guard captain and let them know who the real boss is. I want you to take full control over the Royal Pce and rece all those rebellious guards and servants with new ones. As for the Griffon Family, do not antagonize them for now." Charles said, waving his hand casually.


    After discussing for a few more minutes, Charles and Edith silently left his Inner World and opened their eyes in the underground basement hall.


    Then, Charles turned his gaze towards the Holem''s Crown and spoke.


    "Take care of everything, Mr. Rh. I''ll be staying in the Fire ne from now on."


    Saying so, he started walking towards the opposite wall and soon arrived in front of a green gem-like leaf.


    Then, he chanted a few words in the Englishnguage and disappeared from the underground basement hall.


    ¡­


    The Edge port, Mist Territory, Azure Federation.


    The Edge port was located in the tropical seacoast, where the vegetation was thick. Most of the port cities were built on the rivers, improving trade connections to the ind towns.


    The Edge Port city was one such ce. A harbor wasid down at the bay, and several custom houses were spread along the quayside. Out in the bay, towers and walls protected the boats from ravages of the sea and directed the river''s flow away from the moorings. The corner towers were also ced in a defensive position against attacks from the ocean.


    It was around 9 A.M.


    Two people entered the city through the northern gate and walked on the main road.


    One was a ck-haired woman in herte twenties, while the other was a deep-blue-haired young man. Currently, both wore formal suits and looked more like professional Mystics of Azure Federation.


    Although their facial appearance didn''t match the ones of locals, they acted as if they had been in this Federation for more than a decade.


    While walking, Destiny Lady nced at the nearby fish stalls and soon turned towards a particr tall towering building.


    No, it looked more like a skyscraper!


    "That''s the Azure Explorers'' Headquarters." She couldn''t help but get anxious inside.


    During the past two months, they flew across many kingdoms and forests, visited different kinds of people, and gathered information about the Azure Explorers'' Organization.


    Unlike the other Explorers'' organization, this one was an Azure Federation''s naval branch!


    This organization''s main aim was to gather more information about the mysteries hidden in the Endless Sea and explore them.


    People from the Azure Federation have been adventuring the Endless Sea during the past few millenniums and trying to reach the other end.


    But none seed.


    Although most of them believe that the Edhen was spherical, more than 1/4th of the humans still believe that the Edhen was tnd.


    But what''s more surprising was that most of them belong to the Azure Federation members!


    So, to prove the truth to the masses, this Federation was constantly sending Mystics and Mages to the Endless Sea and exploring the Endless Sea.


    Unfortunately, they still hadn''t crossed the outer region yet.


    The harsh environment in the deep sea was so high which could even kill a Legend Rank Mystics in minutes, making their every attempt meaningless.


    But there was another strange rumor about this Endless Sea, making every explorer continues their pursuit.


    It was a rumor about a lost continent that existed on the other side. Not only that, but many believed that the Myth Tree was in this Lost Continent!


    It was a mysterious tree that could grant immortality, wealth, and immeasurable knowledge!

 Chapter 326: Identity

    <h4>Chapter 326: Identity</h4>


    "We should get the Explorer''s License first. Then, we will search for more information about your friend." The clone Charles said in a solemn tone and continued to walk towards the skyscraper.


    ??


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady shook her head and rejected that idea.


    "No. Even if we are Rank-4 Mystics, the chance of us officially sailing to the Endless Sea is very slim. The Federation won''t allow any outsider to explore the sea. They''ll give us some patrol-rted jobs instead and restrain us here in this port." She deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Moreover, getting information about the missing person will also be a hard job."


    "Hard? Why?" Confusion appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Of course. Most of the Mystics who went missing in the Endless Sea were not some ordinary foes. The Azure Federation is always strict about keeping the missing person''s details as secrets. Even the higher officers who were working in the tall skyscraper wouldn''t know much information." Destiny Lady responded in a calm tone.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "I''ve got the ability to read memories. As long as we kidnap some high-rank officials, we can get all information about that friend of yours."


    "Naive. Do you really think that it will be easy to escape from the eyes of Pseudo-Legends? Don''t try anything funny, Charles. There are many strange abilities out there that could easily expose your identity. Kidnapping a high-rank official would be equal to pping on the face of the Federation. It''s better to join some pirate groups and started our search slowly."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles froze for a second and soon widened his eyes.


    "Wouldn''t that be dangerous for both of us?" He knew very well how dangerous those pirate groups were and felt troubled.


    If they were in Chester City or Iron City, their strength would be more than enough to scare away the whole kingdom!


    Unfortunately, the Azure Federation''s strength was a whole new level!


    It was one of the four Ruling Empires of this whole continent!


    The Azure Federation had more than 8 Legend Rank Experts (Rank-6) and was also backed by a Mysterious Demi-God!


    Although it was just a baseless rumor, Charles didn''t dare to take them lightly at all.


    The main reason for his wariness was mainly because of the powerhouses hiding in this Port City.


    ''I heard that this city has more than 10 Pseudo-Legendary powerhouses and each of them is in control of separate naval bases. All of them are called as Naval Commanders.'' He couldn''t help but get anxious inside.


    Upon seeing his nervous face, Destiny Lady let out a chuckle and asked.


    "Are you afraid that the Federation might put some bounty on your head?"


    "Wouldn''t they?" Charles stared into her eyes.


    "Once we start working for a certain pirate group, the Federation will definitely take notice and ce some bounty on us. But you don''t have to worry too much about it. As long as you didn''t reveal your full strength during the raids, the Federation wouldn''t think of you as a threat and won''t send some powerful experts to deal with the future trouble." Destiny Lady didn''t hide anything and exined calmly.


    Meanwhile, Charles listened to her words patiently and soon asked.


    "Then, which pirate group are we going to join?"


    "Joining a pirate group isn''t an easy matter. But I do have some n." She paused for a moment and soon took out a pocket watch from her space ring.


    Then, she opened it, nced at the time, and turned towards the nearby alley.


    She then entered the nearby alley, moved towards the Merchants'' District, and searched for something.


    Although Charles couldn''t understand her goals, he didn''t ask any questions and patiently followed after her.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady walked past the Merchants'' Streets and soon entered a street called Runaway Street.


    Just as they stepped on the street road, Charles suddenly felt multiple eyesnded on both of them.


    It was as if hundreds of poisonous snakes stared at him!


    Destiny Lady also noticed his stiff expression and exined to him in a slow voice.


    "This street is filled with full of criminals, so don''t let your guard down. Unlike other streets, this one is very dangerous. One wrong step and you would be captured in seconds and sold to the Federation as ves. First, we should get an official identity. Although we are nning to be pirates, we still need some official identity as a cover-up."


    While they were discussing, Charles and Destiny Lady walked past some bars, houses, gambling areas and soon arrived in front of a two-storied square building.


    "We are going to meet a special person. Even if he acts arrogantly, do try to refute his words." Destiny Lady gave him a warning, arrived at the entrance gate, and pushed it open.


    The next instant, arge hall appeared in front of their eyes.


    At that moment, a total of eight rough-looking men appeared in the lobby, wore unique robes, and almost covered the reception area.


    Currently, they showed their backs towards them andpletely blocked the reception area.


    In a second, Charles activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and studied them silently.


    ''A total of 6 Rank-3 Mystics and two Rank-4 Mystics¡­ This group is not some normal bunch¡­ But why are they showing anxious expression on their faces?'' He frowned.


    Charles''s gaze then swept past those rough-looking men and soonnded on an 18-years-old looking boy.


    His neatlybed blonde hair fell on his shoulders, and he looked slimmer than an average young teen.


    He had amber eyes, a little rough face, and looked very short.


    His height was no more than 160 cm!


    But what shocked him most was not his height but his strength.


    He was just a Rank-3 Mystic!


    "He is the special person. Don''t antagonize him. This kid is a favorite toy of the Patrol Officer Richie and he could pull us into some deep troubles." Destiny Lady added.


    "Who is this Richie?" Charles asked.


    "He is the head of this whole Runaway Street and involves in the job distributing process. All those jobs are mainly rted to smugglings." Destiny Lady''s words were short.


    Meanwhile, the other group finished their registration process and started walking towards the exit.


    "Next." A cold voice came from the reception area.


    Charles and Destiny Lady nced at each other, nodded their heads, and moved towards the counter.


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haired boy looked at them up and down and then zeroed his gaze on Charles.


    After that, he took the nearby wooden quill, dripped the brush into the ink bottle, and moved it towards a brown scroll.


    "Name. I want your true name." He said.


    Charles subconsciously turned his gaze towards Destiny Lady as he heard the boy''s voice and soon spoke.


    "Charles Nightwind."

 Chapter 327: Slap

    <h4>Chapter 327: p</h4>


    "Parents?" The blonde-haired youngster asked.


    ??


    Charles went silent for a moment and soon said with a sigh.


    "Dead."


    "An orphan?" The youngster raised his eyebrows and then continued to ask more questions about Charles''s personal information.


    Once he was done, he ced the scroll in the nearby cabin and asked questions about Destiny Lady''s personal information.


    After some time, he also ced another scroll in the cabin and asked.


    "How are you going to do the payment? Normal gold coins or Azure payment method?" He asked.


    "Azure payment method?" Charles wore a surprised look on his face as he heard the new term and asked.


    Upon hearing his questions, the youngster stared at him like a country bumpkin and shook his head.


    "I''ve no time to give you answers, Filthy Orphan." He said in a cold tone and then turned his attention towards another brown scroll.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady let out a sigh of relief and spoke to Charles in a solemn tone.


    "Don''t speak for a while. I''ll give you an exnationter." Saying so, she took out a few crystalline cards from her space ring and passed them to the youngster.


    "These are the payments, Mr. Beckett."


    Meanwhile, the youngster named Beckett took those cards from her hand and spoke.


    "You cane back tomorrow and get your new identities."


    Upon hearing his words, Destiny Lady nodded and asked a question as she thought of something.


    "Is there any job avable now? We want some high-payment job."


    An irritated expression appeared on Beckett''s face.


    "Get in line. If you want to stay one more day, change your attitude and act like how a runaway fugitive would act." He said in an icy tone.


    Upon hearing those harsh words, even Destiny Lady went gloomy for a moment and sighed helplessly.


    ''Just as I thought, this guy is hard to deal with.''


    Before she could even say another word, Beckett looked at her up and down and then spoke.


    "Lord Richie wille to the Lion Bar once in a week and select candidates for all kinds of odd jobs. If you are lucky, you might get his attention."


    Destiny Lady politely bowed her head, turned around, and started walking towards the exit.


    Charles also didn''t mind the youngster''s tone and followed after the Destiny Lady.


    Within a minute, they left the two-storied building and started walking on the dirt road.


    Meanwhile, Charles silently observed the surroundings and soon asked.


    "Care to tell me more about this Azure payment system?"


    "It''s more like an Arcane Credit system, but the Wealth Church is the one who is managing this. After the end of the first Arcane Era, the Wealth Church imitated the Arcane Credit System and tried to recreate a simr currency for Mages and Mystics. Unfortunately, the four pir Empires opposed this method and refused to follow it. You know, if the Empires allowed such methods, the Wealth Church might have already gainedplete control over the continental Mystics."


    "Fortunately, they didn''t agree to it. With no other choice, the Wealth Church did another change, created a total of four different credit systems like Azure payment method, Rogue Credits, Elemental Crystal Method, and finally the Blood system. For example, Azure payment is a method that could only be used in Azure Federation. The same goes for other systems. This is to maintain the flow of currency betweenmoners and the Mystics."


    "What does this Azure Payment system? Is it something like cards? Merit Points?" Charles asked as he walked beside her.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady nced at the surrounding houses and Inns and continued to exin as she started walking towards a particr Inn.


    "It''s more like a currency. But unlike gold coins, this azure currency is made of a very precious metal called ''Azure Mithril-"


    Before she could finish her sentence, Charles suddenly turned his head and stared at her in surprise.


    "Did you just say Azure Mithril?" He asked.


    "You knew about this metal? But I heard that this is only found in the Endless Sea, though. Anyway, most of the Mages use this Azure Mithril currency to do the transactions. If I''m not wrong, a single Azure Mithril coin would be equal to 50,000 gold coins to 60,000 gold coins. That''s why even Rank-4 mages would find it hard to use this method."


    Although Destiny Lady got surprised by his knowledge, she didn''t ask further and continued to exin.


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to his normal state and started to think.


    ''Azure Mithril¡­ If I''m not wrong, the Mystic Towers from the game are purely made of this mysterious metal and have some deep connection with the World Tree. Although that game might be some kind of imitation of any one of these worlds, I have a vague feeling that this Federation might know some information about the Mystic Towers. I''ve to send this information to the main body quickly.''


    While he was in muse, both of them soon arrived in front of an Inn called Sleeping Bee Inn, opened the wooden door, and walked in.


    After that, they rented two rooms for the next few weeks and moved to a particr table in the reception hall.


    At that moment, more than 20 people were seated at different tables and were minding their own business like ying cards, talking about their jobs, and so on.


    Although some gave them a curious nce, Charles and Destiny Lady didn''t mind them and directly moved towards the table on the other corner.


    Then, they sat opposite each other and ordered some food like grilled pork spareribs, steamedmb, braised duck, and so on.


    Charles also ordered some low-alcohol wine and waited.


    After some time, the waiter returned to their table with multiple dishes and ced them in order.


    Without mind other peoples'' stares, Charles picked up a grilled chicken wing, soaked it in a tomato sauce, and took a bite.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady also started to eat and then asked.


    "Do you think we will get picked up by Richie?"


    "I don''t think so. If my guess is not wrong, they would''ve long selected the candidates. Lion Bar gathering might be just to stop the other refugees from moving out of this street and find other agents. They need the help of outsiders, but they don''t want their pawns to grow stronger." Charles said in a cold tone.


    Although he was just a clone, he had almost all of Charles''s memories and experiences and knew how a corrupted guard would think.


    Upon hearing his words, Destiny Lady turned solemn and asked.


    "Is there any other way to get a job?"


    When he was about to say something, he suddenly saw a short blonde-haired youngster entering the Inn and furrowed.


    Simultaneously, the other Mystics also noticed the youngster''s presence and hurriedly stopped their discussion.


    What''s more even shocking was that a few Rank-3 Mystics even stood up from their seats and silently walked out of the Inn.


    On the other hand, Beckett nced at everyone and soon turned his gaze towards the Inn owner.


    The Inn owner was a deep-blue-haired man in histe 20s and was currently sweating all over his face.


    "S-Sir Beckett! Please take a seat." He hurriedly walked out of the counter, moved towards the nearby table, and invited him to sit.


    On the other hand, Beckett snorted coldly and spoke in a threatening manner.


    "Ro, do you think I don''t know anything about that matter? Even after Richie''s warning, not only did you contact the sheriff, but you even went to the Federation''s main office and made aint about him! Humph, I already told Lord Richie about your schemes. Once hees back from the main office, he will skin you alive."


    Just as the Inn Owner named Ro was about to speak, Charles suddenly stood up from his seat.


    This time, not only the nearby Mystics, even Destiny Lady got startled.


    Without minding their gazes, he took a step forward, walked on the concrete floor, and soon arrived in front of the duo.


    Upon sensing Charles''s cold gaze, Beckett frowned a bit and warned him.


    "Newbie, Stay away from this. Otherwise, you might lose your life tomorrow-"


    p!


    Before he could finish his words, a loud pping sound echoed in the reception hall!


    "One more word, I''ll kill you." Charles gave him another p, grabbed his cor, and directly tossed him out of the building!


    Then, he pushed open the wooden door, locked his gaze on the bloody-faced Beckett, and added.


    "Scram."


    Saying so, he turned around, walked towards the end of the reception hall, arrived next to the wooden table, and sat on his seat.


    He then picked up the half-eaten grilled chicken, took a bite, and said with a smile.


    "Our job is confirmed now."


    On the other hand, the whole reception hall went dead silent!


    Nobody spoke a word for a whole minute!


    The same goes for Destiny Lady.


    Although she did expect that he would do something reckless, she never imagined that he would p such an influential figure!


    "You are crazy!" She spoke in a loud voice.

 Chapter 328: Richie

    <h4>Chapter 328: Richie</h4>


    Charles smiled lightly and continued to eat.


    ??


    "You have some n, right?" Destiny Lady stared at him for a moment and soon sighed.


    Meanwhile, the customers soon woke up from their shock and started leaving the Inn one by one.


    Although a few other customers remained in the hall, none dared to look at their directions.


    On the other hand, Charles and Destiny Lady stayed in the hall for a few more minutes and then stood up from their seats.


    They then moved towards the nearby washbasin, washed their hands, and moved towards the nearby spiral staircase.


    Within a few seconds, they reached the second floor and went to their rooms to take for a whole day.


    They then stayed in the Inn''s reception hall till noon and gathered information about the Patrol Guard of Runaway Street and other influential figures.


    It was around 2 P.M.


    Charles and Destiny Lady finally walked out of the Inn and moved towards the registration building.


    Like before, Beckett was seated at the reception counter and seemed to be doing the registration job.


    Upon sensing their presence, he hurriedly stood up from his seat, walked out of the reception counter, and passed two crystalline cards with a smile on his face.


    Although he showed a smiling face, Destiny Lady knew that this youngster was up to something.


    In truth, she had long expected his reaction as she read his fate strings and felt troubled.


    ''This guy will definitely cause a problem within the next few days.'' She was so sure of it!


    While she was in muse, Beckett raised his hand, awkwardly scratched his head, and spoke.


    "Sorry for my earlier rude actions, Mr. Charles."


    Upon seeing his action, the corner of Destiny Lady''s lips twitched.


    Meanwhile, Charles took those two identity cards from his hand and nodded.


    Although he didn''t receive any forewarning, he had long prepared for any unexpected situation.


    After getting the identity cards, both of them turned around, walked out of the registration building, and soon returned to the Sleeping Bee Inn.


    The days passed as they stayed in the Inn and gathered information about the pirates and official naval forces.


    On the fifth day,


    It was around midnight.


    Charles suddenly woke up from his sleep as he sensed an uneasy feeling and sat up.


    Then, he stepped out of bed, moved towards the wooden window, opened it, and looked outside.


    At that moment, clip-clop sound continued to echo in the dark rainy night.


    Thunders and lightning also shed from time to time and illuminated the street.


    But the clip-clop sound still reached all the residences'' ears.


    It was as if some mystical power enchanted that sound!


    No, that sound became louder and louder!


    Not only that, but a strange, chilling wind came from the Runaway Street junction and directly entered his room.


    Simultaneously, the nearby house windows and Bars'' and Inns'' entrance doors started to tter loudly.


    Meanwhile, a ck destrier picked the way carefully through the dirt path and strolled on the street road like a nightmare horse.


    At that moment, a tall man in histe thirties mounted on the warhorse and looked at the surrounding buildings. He was muscr than an ordinary guard and looked somewhat bulkier.


    From time to time, sharp winds came out of his body and flew in all directions, causing the doors and windows to move violently!


    Simultaneously, shes of lightning appeared in the cloudy sky and lightened the whole city for a blink before disappearing.


    But that was more than enough for anyone to see the clear picture of the tall man.


    That man had almond green eyes, low arch eyebrows, celestial nose, russet brown skin, and wavy ck hair.


    He wore a formal ck dress, leather shoes, and a bowler cap and held a ck umbre in his right hand.


    With a single look, Charles linked the description of this man with the gathered knowledge and soon concluded.


    ''He must be that Patrol Guard Richie.'' He was 90% sure of it.


    As the destrier strolled on the street road, another human covering himself in a ck raincoat came from the opposite path and soon stopped in the middle of the street road.


    Upon noticing the human presence, the tall man picked the ropes tied to the destrier''s head and pulled it.


    The next instant, a loud neigh sound echoed in the dark street.


    Simultaneously, the other human removed the hood of his raincoat and revealed his appearance to the tall man.


    He was a blonde-haired youngster and looked much shorter than an average human.


    "Beckett¡­" A frown appeared on Charles''s face.


    While Charles was observing them, the tall man dismounted from the horse, arrived next to Beckett, gave him the umbre, and asked something.


    On the other hand, Beckett muttered something to Richie in a low voice and soon pointed his finger at the Sleeping Bee Inn where Charles and Destiny Lady were staying.


    Then, Richie tied the destrier to the nearbymp post and started walking towards the Inn.


    Within a minute, he walked into the Inn and soon dragged a deep-blue-haired man from inside.


    He was none other than the Inn Owner, Ro!


    "I heard that you madein about me, Ro. Is it true?" Richie''s tone appeared icy and eerie.


    Meanwhile, Ro shivered all over as he tried his best to get away from Richie''s grip, but his attempt went futile!


    Without giving Ro any time to breathe, Richie punched him in the stomach and tossed him on the muddy road.


    "P-Please! I-I w-won''t do it again, My Lord." Ro hurriedly crawled towards Richie''s legs and cried loudly.


    "It''s toote, Ro. You already caused too much nuisance." This time, Beckett said as he walked across the street road and arrived in front of Ro.


    Drops of water fell at the ends of the umbre and sshed on Ro''s face.


    He then squatted down, took out a dark scroll from his space ring, showed it to Ro, and asked.


    "Is this thein letter you gave it to Sheriff earlier?" His voice contained a trace of mockery.


    On the other hand, Ro''s eyes widened in shock and disbelief.


    At that moment, Richie raised his right leg, ced it on his chest, and pressed it.


    "You think I''m doing this job without any backing? Fool, that sheriff is the one who receives the most shares from the smuggling jobs." He said in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Ro became horrified.


    He continued to beg for mercy, but Richie didn''t listen to his words and directly moved his leg towards the neck area.


    Even though tens of Rank-3 and Rank-4 Mystics watched this scene from different houses and Inns, none dared to walk out and help him!


    On the other hand, Richie exerted the full strength of the Extraordinary Level body and directly broke his neck.


    No, Ro''s head got ripped from the body!


    Then, the headless body continued to twitch for a few more seconds and went motionless.

 Chapter 229: Crazy Man

    <h4>Chapter 329: Crazy Man</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles heard a knocking sound from his room door, used the [Sleight of Mystery Hands] skill, and opened it from inside.


    ??


    Simultaneously, he turned his gaze towards the wooden table, manipted the invisible strings, and switched on themplight.


    On the other hand, a ck-haired woman entered his room and soon turned her gaze towards the opposite side.


    "What are you nning, Charles? I thought you would save that Inn owner and kill that Richie guy." While asking, she stepped on the smooth floor, walked past the table, bed, and chairs, and arrived beside him.


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth as he heard her words and soon shook his head.


    "Nah, killing Richie will not only anger the officials, but it will also obstruct us from getting any jobs. The reason I pped Beckett earlier was to let him know that we are not easy to tame. In his eyes, we are nothing but two ignorant people that came out of nowhere and disturbing his job." He paused for a moment and soon smiled as he saw Beckett was pointing his hand towards their direction.


    "Although Richie didn''t care about us, Beckett would never let us off. In truth, this might be the first time he got pped and humiliated in front of everyone. Hehe, watch the show." Saying so, Charles raised his hand and waved his hand at him with a smirk on his face.


    At that moment, Beckett saw Charles''s face and got furious inside.


    "Who are they?" Richie also noticed Charles''s action and asked in confusion.


    From his knowledge, not a single Rank-4 roaming Mystic would dare to show this kind of attitude in front of him!


    The main reason for that was because he would always send the unruly Mystics to impossible missions and disposes of them off quietly.


    Not only him, but even the other agents who were responsible for giving illegal jobs to outsiders were the same.


    They always maintain the employer and employee status in check.


    Upon hearing Richie''s words, a surge of happiness appeared on Beckett''s face.


    At that moment, multiple fake reasons appeared in his mind.


    After a short pause, he heaved a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Lord Richie, that guy is the one who helped Ro."


    He lied without any hesitation.


    "Oh? Why didn''t you say earlier?"


    Richie raised his eyebrows as he looked up and gestured them toe down.


    Simultaneously, he released his wisdom power andpletely enveloped the building.


    Unlike most of the Mystics, he was a Dual-ss Mystic and had already reached the peak stage.


    He was a Rank-4 [Master Sailor] and a Rank-4 [Noble Lord] Mystic!


    In this whole city, he was considered as an Elite Guard and could even stand beside a Rank-5 Mystic.


    Although he wasn''t strong enough to fight against a Rank-5 powerhouse, he could still use his skills and escape.


    As for ordinary Rank-4 Mystics, he was strong enough to toy with two ordinary Rank-4 Mystics simultaneously.


    While analyzing them, Charles and Destiny Lady silently walked out of the room, moved on the corridor, and soon went downstairs through the spiral staircase.


    They soon exited the Inn, stepped on the muddy road, and arrived in front of Richie and Beckett.


    But not a single hint of fear appeared on both of their faces!


    Their action shocked Richie and other spying Mystics!


    Without minding his shocked face, Charles sized him up and down and asked.


    "What do you want?"


    His tone was neither arrogant nor fearful.


    It was calm and carefree.


    A deep frown appeared on Richie''s face.


    He soon woke up from the shock and spoke in a cold tone.


    "You are not in your hometown,d. If you want to live another day, you''ve to obey certain rules and regtions. Otherwise, you''ll face deadly consequences."


    Just as he spoke, the dark clouds in the sky started to let multiple electric sparks and created a ray of bluish lightning.


    That blue lightning made an arc in the sky and directly fell towards the street!


    No, it precisely moved towards Charles''s head!


    It was so fast that it would be impossible for any ordinary Mystic to perceive such a sneak attack!


    But just as the lightning arc was about tond on Charles''s head, he suddenly curled his lips upward and spoke.


    "Sun''s Guard."


    A secondter, a sunshineyer appeared all over his body andpletely enveloped him.


    Then, the blue ray of lightningnded on his defensive spell and created a loud explosion!


    Shock waves in the form of electric arcs spread in all directions.


    After a short time, the bluish lightning and electric sparks started to disperse and soon disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    But to others'' shock, Charles''s defensive shield didn''t break.


    Instead, only a few cracks appeared on the top area.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Charles dispersed the shield spell and asked in an icy tone.


    At that same time, he released his wisdom power!


    Although he could only release 70% of his original body, it was more than enough to alert a Rank-5 Existence!


    An invisible power assaulted Richie''s mind.


    ''You are courting death!'' Anger appeared on his face.


    Just as he was about to attack Charles, he suddenly forgot what to do next!


    Simultaneously, he saw the deep-blue-haired young man raised his hand all of a sudden and moved towards his face.


    p!


    A loud pping sound echoed in the rainy street.


    After that, Charles turned around and started walking towards the Inn.


    Destiny Lady also followed after him, and soon both of them disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    On the other hand, a reddish hand imprint appeared on Richie''s face!


    "Y-YOU-" He tried to open his mouth, but no words came out.


    Meanwhile, Beckett and all other spying Mystics were utterly stupefied.


    At that moment, a single thought appeared in everyone''s mind.


    ''That guy is totally crazy!''


    Richie also got shocked by his strange suppressive power and grew fearful of the duo.


    ''That bastard is not a normal Rank-4 Mystic! Even I wouldn''t be a match for him. As for that woman¡­'' He abruptly froze.


    Then only did he realize something.


    ''Wait¡­ She hadn''t even lifted a finger during all this time. Is she more powerful than the young man?'' He couldn''t help but shiver a little.


    ''F*ck! Where did they evene from? I need to eliminate them. Otherwise, they might trouble me in the future. In the worst-case scenario, they might even kill me.'' He soon woke up from the shock and spoke in a gloomy voice.


    "Let''s go."


    Saying so, he crossed the street road, arrived near the streetmp, and untied the destrier.


    Then, he took the umbre from Beckett''s hand, mounted it on the warhorse, and started riding it towards the exit.


    As he disappeared into the dark road, tens of Mystics came out of different houses and looked at the Inn.


    Within a few minutes, arge crowd gathered in front of the entrance, and they started discussing in whispers.


    Some Mysticsughed at Richie''s bad luck, while others shifted their attention towards the duo.


    Meanwhile, Charles and Destiny Lady returned to their rooms and went to sleep.


    ¡­


    On the sixth day,


    It was around 8.A.M.


    Charles and Destiny Lady walked out of the Inn in their formal dress and moved towards the end of Runaway Street.


    Their destination was, of course, the Lion Bar!


    That was where Richie would gather all foreign Mystics once a week and select candidates for the illegal jobs.


    Although the clone Charles didn''t like to be a viin, he didn''t put too much thought into it.


    As long as the job didn''t affect ordinary people''s lives, he wouldn''t mind working as a viin for a while.


    Moreover, his feelings towards Destiny Lady also had gotten stronger than before.


    But he still didn''t feel that it was the right time to tell her about his feelings.


    ''I''ll tell her once we manage to find some clue about her friend. After all, we are going to stick together for a while, right?'' He muttered to himself and then continued to observe the surroundings.

 Chapter 330: Gold Demon

    <h4>Chapter 330: Gold Demon</h4>


    ''There are too many Rank-4 Mystics¡­ Hmm, they are also distancing themselves from us.'' Charles nced at them curiously from time to time and soon noticed that they had already arrived in front of a sizeable three-storied house!


    ??


    No, this one appeared more like a mansion!


    After showing their identity cards, they walked on the concrete path and soon arrived in front of the mansion.


    Then, they stepped into the building and saw more than 60 people appeared in the main hall. All of them wore different types of formal outfits and looked more like professionals.


    The hall was spacious and impressive, and the ceiling was filled with carvings of unique fishes and marine life forms.


    More than hundreds of chairs were ced in the main hall, and most mystics were already seated.


    Charles and Destiny Lady moved towards a corner and sat down.


    On the other hand, more mystics came from the entrance, sat on their seats, and waited for Beckett to appear.


    He was the one in charge of giving all kinds of jobs.


    A few minutester, Beckett and an obese man came from the second floor through the split staircase, reached the main hall, and soon arrived in front of the crowd.


    The obese man appeared to be around 50-years old, had brown hair, amber eyes, and had tan skin. He wore a luxurious silk dress and held a small ck box in his hand.


    At that moment, Beckett took out a brown-covered book from his void pouch, flipped open the page, and started to read names.


    "Mateo Lewis, Sebastian Young, Samuel Green, and Grayson Hall¡­ Four of you''ll be going to 56C Lucy Street and meet Sir Axel. He''ll give you more details about the job." He paused for a moment as he flipped the page and continued to shout out another batch of names.


    For the next few minutes, he selected a total of 30 candidates and told them to different kinds of locations to do their job.


    "That''s it for today''s quota. Others can go back and wait for the next quota." Beckett said in a cold tone and waved his hand.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady nced at Charles and spoke in a low voice.


    "It seems your n is not working."


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and stood up from his seat.


    ''I have done everything all I could. Haa, it seems I''m still not good at making ns.'' He muttered inwardly and started to walk towards the exit.


    Destiny Lady also followed after him, and soon both of them reached the exit.


    But just when they were about to walk out, a short figure ran in their direction and soon blocked their path.


    It was none other than Beckett.


    "I have a suitable job for both of you. Do you guys want to take it?" He asked with a stiff smile on his face.


    Upon hearing his words, Charles and Destiny Lady nced at each other and nodded their heads.


    "Tell us more about the job," Charles ordered.


    "Yes, I''ll give you more details. Please follow me."


    Saying so, Beckett brought them back to the main hall and turned his gaze towards the obese man.


    "His name is Weston." He paused for a moment and gestured the other party to go on.


    Meanwhile, Weston nodded his head, opened the small ck box, and showed it to them.


    A thumb-sized bluish crystal appeared inside.


    "Water elemental crystal?" Destiny Lady widened her eyes in surprise and asked.


    "Yes. I heard from Richie that both of you are powerful Mystics." He sized them up and down and added.


    "I want you guys to deliver a batch of this crystal to a customer. Currently, he is staying on an ind called ''Halewick Haven.''"


    "We don''t know how to sail a boat," Charles spoke.


    "You don''t have to worry. I already employed a Barque ship to do that job. All you''ve to do is protect the ship from other pirate ships and deliver the crystals to the customer. As long as you did this job, I''ll give you 3 Azure coins." Weston said in a calm tone.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady furrowed her brows and shook her head.


    "It''s impossible to ce these elemental crystals in a space ring because of the fierce elemental fluctuations. A single crack in the space ring and all those crystals will disappear into the void. So, we''ve no choice but to carry these crystals in open. Unfortunately, carrying them in the open will not only attract the nearby pirate ships'' attention, but it will also attract the patrol ships'' attention. This job''s risk is too high." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "20 Azure coins."


    Upon hearing the amount, Weston''s eyes went bloodshot.


    "T-This is one-twentieth of those elemental crystals value!" He shouted in a raging tone.


    But just as he was about to decline, Beckett grabbed his hand and gestured him to agree.


    With no other choice, Weston nodded his head and agreed.


    "Go to the Exside Piers and look for a ship called ''Gold Demon.'' The Barque ship will depart tomorrow around 7.A.M. Also, don''t bete."


    Saying so, he took out 10 Azure coins and passed them to Destiny Lady.


    "You can get the remaining amount from the customer." He added.


    Upon hearing those words, Destiny Lady and Charles nodded, moved towards the exit, and soon left the mansion.


    Meanwhile, Weston let out a deep sigh, nced at the nearby room, and spoke.


    "I hope your men would do their job properly and confiscate the elemental crystals, Richie."


    The next second, a tall man in histe thirties walked out of the nearby room and smiled at Weston.


    "As long as Sage didn''t find out that you are ying a double-game, everything will be fine. I''ll also return the elemental crystal by the end of this month." Richie said coldly and started walking towards the split staircase, leaving Weston and Beckett in the main hall.


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Charles and Destiny Lady returned to the ownerless Inn and started buying necessary things for the first job.


    The next day, they woke up early morning, left Runaway Street, and soon moved to Exside Piers harbor.


    Unlike before, they wore regr pants and shirts, leather shoes, a bandana to keep the sweats out of their eyes, a red sash that tied around their waist and fell on one side, and knitted caps.


    Both soon reached the other end and became stunned by the beauty of the sea.


    It was an artificial harbor with constructed breakwater and seawalls. Tens of naval ships, cargo ships, boats, and even regr ships appeared in the dock.


    Charles and Destiny Lady entered the harbor through a small path and soon moved towards the nearby shore.


    Currently, most of the non-authorized ships and boats were docked near the shore.


    As they stepped on the sandy shore, waves crashed onto them from time to time and soaked their feet in seawater.


    At that moment, the morning sun also shone brightly from the sky and illuminated their faces.


    Destiny Lady squinted her eyes, followed the crashing waves, stared into the bluish sea, and took a deep breath.


    "Sea¡­ This is the first time I''m seeing such arge water body." She muttered, shockingly.


    But what made her feel more shocked was that a strange familiarity appeared in her mind.


    It was as if this was the ce where she belongs!


    She then causally extended her hands, raised them, and waved.


    The next instant, the crashing waves started to subdue and soon pulled back as if the sea''s anger turned calmer all of a sudden.


    A strange silence appeared on the shore!


    "This is going to be exciting." She said with a smile and turned her gaze towards Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked at the docked ships one by one and soon focused on a particr golden-painted one.


    "Found it. That must be the Gold Demon." He said as he took a step forward and started walking.

 Chapter 331: A Strange Elemental Fluctuation

    <h4>Chapter 331: A Strange Elemental Fluctuation</h4>


    Gold Demon was a sailing ship with three masts, all of them square-rigged.


    ??


    ''A vessel propelled by sails.'' Charles muttered under his breath and continued to walk.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady also nodded her head and followed after him.


    Both walked past many boats and ships and soon arrived near the golden-painted one.


    As they approached, a bald man in histe fifties climbed down from the ship and jumped into the seawater.


    He was more than 7 feet tall, muscr, and looked more like a descendant of some giant.


    "Little runts, are you Richie''sckeys?" He shouted.


    "Nah. I just gave him a good p, so he gave us this job." Charles curled his lips upward and spoke as he entered the sea.


    Destiny Lady also smiled in amusement and followed after him.


    In the meantime, the tall man''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    While he was in shock, both of them arrived near the golden-painted ship and started climbing up with the help of ropes.


    Although they could use wing spells, both of them didn''t want to attract others'' attention.


    The bald man also followed them, ced his muscr hand on Charles''s shoulder as he stepped on the deck, and introduced himself.


    "I''m Liam, the First Mate of this Gold Demon crew and also specialized in closebat." He deliberated for a moment and turned his gaze towards a woman in herte twenties.


    She had long red hair, crimson eyes, a deep scar on her left eye, and a sword in her right hand.


    Currently, she wore a simr outfit to Destiny Lady and looked at them with a cold expression on her face.


    "This is Valerie, our crew''s beautiful captain. As for herbat abilities, I''ve no authority to say anything about it."


    He said with augh and started introducing other crewmates.


    There were 13 members in this crew, and each of them had the strength of Rank-3 Mystics.


    But Charles had long used [Arcane Eyes] skill on Valerie and learned that she was a Rank-4 Mystic!


    Even he felt a little threatened by her.


    Once the introduction was over, Valerie ordered others to return to their work and told Charles and Destiny Lady to stay on the deck area.


    At that moment, some released the ropes while others started lifting the shaft.


    Within a few minutes, the golden-painted ship left the docking area and started moving into the sea.


    From time to time, Valerie gave out orders and soon led the ship in a particr direction.


    Time flew by as they continued to sail without any obstacles. After six hours of journey, they reached a nearby ind called Round Eye and stopped to refill wines and ale.


    After that, they once again started sailing the ship and moved towards the deep sea area.


    The daylight soon dimmed as they reached the navy''s patrol area.


    Meanwhile, Charles and Destiny Lady had long noticed a strange elemental fluctuation from below the deck region and realized that Valerie was still wary of them.


    ''Well, I did expect this.'' Charles muttered under his breath as he stood at the ship''s edge and looked into the sea.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady also stood next to him and cautiously checked the surroundings.


    As the three red moons started to rise, a strange white mist began to cover their surroundings from all directions.


    "Mad Mist is here. We are entering the ''Chaos'' area. Elias, use your skills continuously to see if any ship is moving in our direction." Valerie said as she stood on the ship''s edge and looked around.


    On the other hand, a blonde-haired man in histe 20s nodded his head and started looking at the surrounding areas through a wooden telescope.


    Under his observation, they sailed carefully for the next 30 minutes and soon stopped as they received a hand signal from him.


    "I just now saw a red light in 1''o clock direction." He said in a loud voice.


    Simultaneously, everyone heard horn sounds from different directions.


    "Pirates!" Liam''s expression went ugly as he shouted in shock.


    "Vanquish the fire torches. Elias, go to the top of the mainmast and check how many ships areing our way. Also, see if they belong to anyrge faction pirate groups." Valerie ordered in a cold tone and added.


    "Liam, go and get that thing ready. It''s time to use it now."


    Saying so, she turned her gaze towards Charles and Destiny Lady and frowned.


    "Liam, ask them if they send any information about our location to others." Her voice turned sharper as she unsheathed her long sword.


    Although Liam got stunned by his captain''s sudden order, he didn''t hesitate for a moment and asked the question.


    "No. I didn''t send any information." Charles was the first one to reply. Then, Destiny Lady also shook her head and answered.


    Upon hearing their words, all other crew members let out a sigh of relief and continued to do their work without making much noise.


    On the other hand, Valerie also heaved a heavy sigh and soon squinted her eyes as she recalled something.


    "Wait¡­ Are you guys also sensing the strange elemental fluctuation from below?" She said as she pointed her finger towards the deck.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s eyes widened for a moment.


    "Aren''t they from the water elemental crystals?" He asked in surprise.


    Destiny Lady also raised her eyebrows in confusion and stared at Valerie for answers.


    On the other hand, Valerie went silent for a second and soon shook her head.


    "I also thought of the same at first." She deliberated for a moment as she nced at the surroundings and then added.


    "But this appears to be too much of a coincidence. We''ve been traveling through this mist countless times during the past few years, but we never encountered such a nned ambush. Something must''ve exposed our location. And, I believe that this fluctuation might be the real culprit."


    Saying so, she moved towards the nearby stairs and walked downstairs.


    Charles and Destiny Lady nced at each other and followed after her silently.


    In a few seconds, Valerie arrived near a wooden door, opened it before entering, and took out a sizeable metallic suitcase ced under the bed.


    After that, she ced it on the wooden bed and opened the metallic suitcase with the help of a key.


    A loud clicking sound echoed in the small room, followed by a dazzling blue light.


    It was so intense that it almost blinded everyone''s vision.


    Soon, the light shimmered before vanishing and revealed a head-sized bluish crystal to everyone''s eyes.


    Upon seeing such crystal, Destiny Lady''s whole body trembled.


    Simultaneously, a fierce elemental fluctuation appeared all over the surroundings.


    Without wasting any time, Valerie closed the suitcase and locked it before cing it under the bed.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady also calmed down from the shock and soon blurted out.


    "T-That is not an ordinary water elemental crystal, right? What is it?" Her scarlet eyes were fixed on the metallic suitcase.

 Chapter 332: Search

    <h4>Chapter 332: Search</h4>


    "I don''t know. But there are still two more suitcases with us." Valerie said in a grim tone.


    ??


    "What should we do now?" Charles asked, frowning.


    Just as Destiny was about to open her mouth, Elias''s voice came from above.


    "It''s not pirates! They are from the Rising Serpent Navy!" His voice contained a trace of panic.


    Meanwhile, Charles and Destiny Lady also turned solemn.


    They didn''t waste any time during the past few days and learned a few things about the Azure Federation Naval forces.


    The first was about the Naval Forces.


    Five naval forces were controlling the Endless Sea and its outer areas from different ports.


    They were: Rising Serpent, Red Tuna, Hope, Grey Alliance, and The Legion.


    Each naval force was powerful and could squash any small kingdom in seconds.


    Although all these five naval forces belong to the Azure Federation, each party always works separately and only listens to their Captain''s order.


    For example, this Rising Serpent Naval Force mostly does the patrol works and maintaining thew and order of the sea.


    This naval force had a total of 6 Pseudo-Legendary Mystics, and each of them held the position of amander.


    Eachmander had 5 to 10rge battleships, a separate naval base, and thousands of soldiers.


    As for the strength of this naval force''s leader, no one really knew about it.


    Upon hearing Elias''s words, panic surfaced on all of the crew members.


    Although they hadn''t done anything wrong, they sensed something was wrong with the situation.


    At that moment, Valerie took out the other two suitcases from below and spoke.


    "It''s better to hand these over to the navy. If we do this, they will lessen our punishment for smuggling."


    "No. They are clearly targeting us. Once they find out about this, they will kill us." Charles said with a calm look on his face.


    "You have a n?" Destiny Lady raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled mysteriously, took a step forward, and touched a metallic suitcase.


    The next second, the whole metallic suitcase turned blurry and disappeared!


    Upon seeing this, both Destiny Lady and Valerie widened their eyes in shock.


    It was the power of Domain!


    Only a Rank-5 Mystic could do such things!


    Although the clone Charles could only exert 70% of the main body''s strength, it was more than enough to break the shackle of Rank-4 strength.


    Yes, his current wisdom power had long crossed 100!


    Unfortunately, his wisdom power wasn''t powerful enough to create a separate Fire Domain like the real Charles,


    The main reason for that was the distance between him and the Inner World.


    The domain creation was mainly due to the Inner World.


    Although he had a soul shard that could connect him with the Inner World, it wasn''t powerful enough.


    Unless the Real Charles''s wisdom power enters the realm of Legendary, it would be impossible for him to create a separate Fire Domain!


    But creating a small space filled with fire-elemental power was an easy job for him.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady and Valerie were utterly stunned.


    "You entered the realm of Pseudo-Legends?" Destiny Lady''s eyes were filled with shock.


    ''I''ve been staying with him for the past three months¡­ But I never sensed anything¡­ This kid¡­'' She felt like she was in a dream.


    She had been staying in this Rank-4 realm for four decades, but she still hadn''t touched the bottleneck!


    ''But¡­ In 5 f*cking years, he had already reached the realm of pseudo-legendaries from a mere apprentice mage¡­ He is a real monster in human skin!'' Her mind went nk.


    Embarrassment and shame appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles moved his hand towards the other two suitcases and put them in his separate fire space.


    Then, he noticed their shocked faces and soon gave a short exnation.


    "You are thinking too much. I still haven''t reached the realm of Pseudo-Legendaries. But I''ve abnormal soul power, so it is easy for me to create a small space."


    "How long can you maintain the separate space? What about the elemental fluctuation problem?" Destiny Lady soon woke up from the shock and asked.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles closed his eyes for a moment and started checking.


    After two seconds, he opened his deep-blue eyes and spoke.


    "I can maintain it for 30 minutes. Any more than that, I''ll face mental pressure."


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady and Valerie nodded their heads and started moving upstairs.


    Charles also followed after them and soon reached the deck area.


    At that moment, more than five battleships had already surrounded the Gold Demon ship!


    But what made the trio tense up was that they sensed multiple Rank-4 powerhouses from all those ships.


    Valerie soon woke up from the shock and shouted.


    "I''m the Captain of Gold Demon Merchant Ship crew. Could you please tell me why the Rising Serpent Navy force is blocking our path?"


    At that moment, a lean man in histe thirties flew from the nearby battleship andnded on their ship deck. He wore a white uniform, had wavy blonde hair, and looked around 175 cm high.


    "We received information from someone that you are involving in the smuggling business. Is that true?" He sharpened his gaze towards Valerie and asked.


    Before she could respond, he raised his hand and ordered.


    "Put down your weapons. We''ll search the ship and find out the answers for ourselves."


    On the other hand, Valerie nodded her head, pulled the sword away from her waist, and ced them on the deck.


    Other members also did the same and soon arrived beside Valerie.


    Meanwhile, tens of well-uniformed navy members moved towards the Golden painted ship through ropes and soonnded on the deck.


    Then, they moved towards different areas and started searching stern, berth, orlop, even the bilge.


    After 10 minutes of search, they returned to the deck area in disappointment and reported it to the lean man.


    After hearing their report, the lean man frowned for a moment, apologized to Valerie and other crew members for their actions, and returned to their ships.


    Then, the Rising Serpent battleships moved away from their path and soon disappeared into the Mad Mist.


    "Those guys really are polite," Liam muttered in a shocked tone and soon picked up his weapon.


    Meanwhile, others also nodded their heads and started sailing the ship into the mist.


    At that moment, Destiny Lady nced at Charles and spoke in a gloomy tone.


    "It seems they didn''t block us because of the elemental fluctuation. It must be Richie''s doing."


    On the other hand, Valerie shook her head and added.


    "Without Weston''s approval, Richie would never sell us out. If my guess is not wrong, they would''ve made some agreement with the navy." She paused for a moment and then added in a grim tone.


    "We''ve to be extra careful. They mighte again and search the ship."


    At that moment, Destiny Lady frowned and then proposed an idea.


    "Why not take these three elemental crystals and escape on our own? I can tell that each crystal''s worth should be more than 200 azure coins."


    "No, each crystal''s worth should be higher than 500 azure coins. During my seven years of experience, I haven''t seen an elemental crystal as big as this one. All I saw were only fist-sized and thumb-sized ones." Even Valerie began to show a hesitant look on her face.


    As long as she manages to sell one crystal, she and her crew members could live a luxurious life for the rest of their lifetime!


    Greed appeared in her heart.


    At that moment, Charles shook his head and interjected.


    "It''s too dangerous. We still don''t know the exact worth of these crystals." He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "We are going to Halewick Haven."


    His tone was firm.


    With no other choice, Destiny Lady and Valerie nodded their heads and agreed.


    After another 10 hours of sailing, the Gold Demon ship finally escaped from the Mad Mist and entered the deep sea.


    Then, they continued to sail for two more days and then reached their destination.


    Although they encountered many pirate ships on the way, Charles and Destiny Lady bombarded them with Rank-3 spells and scared them away.


    It was around 5.30 A.M.


    They finally saw arge ind!


    Halewick Haven!


    It was an ind filled with full of greenery and vegetation. The sounds of birds and the sound of the sea waves fell in everyone''s ears as the ship stopped near the ind.


    A cool breeze flew against everyone''s face. Moreover, the scent of the washed-up waves, flowers, fruits, and sand were all mixed into one.


    As Charles opened his eyes, he was amazed by how easily fantasy and reality intertwined at that moment.


    While the western sky was still dark, the dawn on the east was already broken. A bright light on the horizon beneath a dark blue ocean had begun to peek out.


    Within a few minutes, the deep blue sky faded away. The sun took its mighty position at the top of the sky, shining beautifully.


    "The Haven Town is on the other side. We''ll dock the ship in a safe ce and then go and meet Sage."

 Chapter 333: 5 Years

    <h4>Chapter 333: 5 Years</h4>


    Under Valerie''s order, the crew members docked the Gold Demon ship near the shore and lowered the shaft.


    ??


    "Liam, you''ll be in charge of this ship from now on. Wait here for three days. If I didn''te back, go back to Bluebay City and inform my family about the situation."


    Saying so, Valerie brought three metal suitcases from the lower deck and passed them to Charles and Destiny Lady.


    Then, the trio moved towards the deck''s edge and cast fly spells on themselves.


    Charles cast the [Fallen Angel''s wings] spell, Destiny Lady casts [Ice Wings] spell, and Valerie casts a unique spell called [Nature''s Wings].


    After that, they pped their wings, flew past the shore, and soon flew above the woods.


    As they flew over the dense woods, Valerie held the suitcase tightly and turned her gaze towards the other side of the ind.


    From above, the whole ind appeared more like a donut-shaped one.


    Argeke appeared at the center of this ind and was encircled by full of vegetation.


    A few settlements appeared near theke and seemed to be packed with palm tree houses.


    "Weston told me to go the Haven Town on this ind and give these suitcases to a particr person called Sage. He also gave me his house address. Do you guys heard of him?" Valerie asked.


    "But they look more like tribal people," Charles said with a frown.


    But just as Valerie was about to respond, she turned her gaze towards a small mountain range and noticed ck smoke from the other side.


    "The Town must be on the other side."


    Saying so, she pped her wings and flew in that direction.


    Within a few minutes, the trio flew past thergeke, crossed the mountain range, and soon saw a small town surrounded by a 2 to 3 meters tall fence.


    They also saw a few ships and boats docked near the shore and guessed that this must be the Haven Town.


    Unlike the houses in Edge Port city, this town was filled with cottages, ranches, and snout houses.


    If not for few patrol boats docked near the shore region, Charles and others would''ve thought of this as a pirate town.


    As they flew towards the town, they lowered the altitude and soon descended on a grassy area.


    Then, they dismissed their wing spells and chose to walk on foot.


    Fifteen minutester, Charles and others walked out of the woods and moved towards the town''s entrance.


    After that, they showed their identity cards to the patrol security guards and entered inside.


    Valerie then took out a white slip from her pocket and spoke as she nced at the surroundings.


    "55A Main Street."


    They then walked past many houses and soon stopped in front of a one-and-a-half-story house with a symmetrical rectangr floor n and a gable centered over the door.


    "Is this the house?" Charles asked as he walked near the wooden door, knocked it twice, and soon frowned.


    At that moment, he noticed a quote on the door and got confused.


    ''Nature is Gift.''


    "Life Church member?" Charles furrowed his brows.


    He clearly remembered that the Life Believers would only say ''Life is Eternal'' when greeting.


    Noticing his puzzlement, Valerie took a step forward, opened the door, and exined.


    "It is customary to start by saying ''Nature is Gift'' before greeting guests in Azure Federation. The reason is that the Life Church has been treating vegetarians in a good way. Unlike other Churches, Life Church actually encourages everyone to be vegans. The Azure Federation is also the birthce of the Life Church. That''s why most Life Believers in Federation say ''Nature is Gift'' at the beginning and end of the conversation."


    Saying so, she took a step forward and walked in.


    Charles and Destiny Lady also entered inside and soon saw a middle-aged man at the reception counter.


    He had blue eyes, a round face, an average height, and he wore a regr linen dress.


    Upon noticing their arrival, he stood up from his seat and greeted them.


    "Nature is Gift."


    Then, he sped his hands together and asked.


    "Wee customers! What would you like to eat? We''ve all kinds of foods like garlic roasted cauliflower, fried cabbage, butternut squash stew, roasted broli soup, and so on."


    Upon hearing his sudden speech, all three of them got stunned for a moment.


    After a short silence, Charles cleared his throat and asked.


    "Are you Mr. Sage? We came here to deliver something."


    In truth, he used his [Arcane Eyes] skill and noticed that this man was a mortal!


    Meanwhile, the middle-aged man widened his eyes for a second and nodded.


    "Yes, I''m. Did you bring the pumpkins?"


    Upon hearing those words, all three of them were at a loss.


    ''We came to the wrong address.'' That thought appeared in everyone''s mind.


    "Sorry for the intrusion, Mister. I think we came to the wrong address." Destiny Lady said in an apologetic tone and turned around.


    But before she could take another step, the middle-aged man shook his head and spoke.


    "You came to the right address. Three elemental crystals, right? I was expecting your arrival."


    Just as he finished his words, all three of them suddenly noticed that the whole surroundings started to change.


    The concrete floor, walls, and ceiling started to break and were soon reced with nts, vines, trees, and flowers.


    "Domain of Nature!" Valerie said in a shocked tone.


    ''Rank-5!'' Charles and Destiny Lady also got tensed up all of a sudden.


    Before they could cast defensive spells, the surroundings again broke like sses and soon were reced with floors, walls, and ceiling.


    Simultaneously, the metallic suitcases in their hands were also disappeared!


    Without minding their shocked faces, the middle-aged man named Sage took out a leather pouch from his space ring and tossed it to Charles.


    "It''s the remaining payment amount. Come on, let''s have breakfast first." Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards the nearby hall.


    Although Charles and others got shocked a little, they soon regained their cool and followed him into the dining hall.


    Spicy aroma entered their nostrils as they stepped in.


    "Please take a seat," Sage said as he pped his hands.


    Charles and others nced at each other, nodded their heads, moved toward the table, and sat down.


    Meanwhile, three servants entered from the nearby room with different kinds of dishes and started serving them.


    As Charles and others started to eat, Sage also asked some questions about their journey.


    Upon hearing his question, Charles told him about the Rising Serpent Navy force''s inspection and warned him to be careful of Weston.


    "Heh, he is daring to y behind my back, huh." Sage nodded his head and was about to ask another question but stopped.


    "It seems Weston is here to notify me about the situation. You guys stay here and eat. I''ll take care of him."


    Saying so, he walked out of the dining room and moved towards the reception hall.


    At that moment, a 50-years-old man in his luxurious cloth walked into the reception hall and soon ran towards Sage with an anxious look on his face.


    "Sage! We were fooled. All the three Fairy crystals are gone! I shouldn''t have trusted the neers!"


    "Please stand up, Weston. Tell me what happened." Sage furrowed his brows and asked.


    Upon hearing his words, Weston gained some courage and spoke in an angry tone.


    "I entrusted the goods to two mages and a pirate crew. But those damned thieves escaped with those crystals. Once I capture them, I''m going to cut them with my sword-"


    "Who are you going to cut, Mr. Weston?" Charles asked as he walked out of the dining hall.


    Upon seeing his face, Weston''s body stiffened.


    "C-Charles¡­ I d-didn''t know that the naval force would check your ship-"


    Before he could finish his words, Sage raised his hand and waved it.


    Weston''s body was cleaved into two the next instant and fell on the concrete floor with a thud.


    "Caleb, a dead lizard is lying on the floor. Clean it quickly."


    Saying so, he turned his gaze towards Charles, took out arge pouch from his space ring, and tossed it to him.


    "I have a job for you two. It''s about a journey to the Endless Sea''s firstyer. Do you guys want to take it?" He asked with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Charles caught the leather pouch, nced at Destiny Lady, and nodded.


    "We are also nning on going to that mysterious sea."


    ''Although we are in Endless Sea zone, this one shoulde under outer region area. Once we move deeper, the dangers will also rise exponentially.'' He muttered inwardly.


    After that, Charles and Destiny Lady choose to stay in Haven Town for the next few days and familiarized with the new area.


    Meanwhile, Valerie left Haven Town a dayter and went back to Edge Port City with her crewmates.


    Although the next job tempted her, she realized that her crewmates wouldn''t survive a single day in the mysterious sea.


    ¡­


    City of Iron, Iron Kingdom.


    Even though only a few days had passed, a great change happened in the city of Iron.


    The first thing was about theplete control of the Royal Pce.


    After Charles left the Edhen World, Edith moved to the Royal Pce and eliminated all the inside threats like rebelling soldiers, Kings'' Guards, and even the servants.


    Then, she also helped Rhea to gainplete control over the Nobles'' circle.


    Just after she arrived at the Royal Pce, she also assassinated all the rebellion mages and nobles and helped Rhea be the true Queen of the Iron Kingdom.


    Although the Griffon family head still opposed Rhea''s decision to construct a new magic tower, most nobles agreed to it out of fear.


    Then, Rhea ordered her private soldiers to start recruiting construction workers by the end of the first month and eveny the foundation near the eastern city wall.


    Hundreds of construction workers, artisan ss Mystics, and even Earth Mages came from the nearby kingdoms and joined the construction process.


    Meanwhile, Jessie started managing all the financial problems. She used her friendly nobles'' circle and let them invest their money in the Magic Tower''s construction.


    In return, she promised all the investors that they would get ten free seats per year!


    Of course, all the candidates had to sign 20 years contracts, though.


    The tower construction process had officially begun at the end of the second month.


    On the other hand, Jessie also used her free time and started improving her strength.


    After the failure rank-up process, she learned her lesson and started seeking advice from their Teacher, aka the Holem''s Crown, from time to time.


    She then learned more about wisdom power and started searching for Wisdom Potions on her own.


    Not only that, but she also used her [Blood Curse] skill on all the Rank-3 Criminals and Thieves and started created a shadow organization called the Silent Nightmares.


    Although it was just the start, she had already gainedplete control over the Slums District and Commoners District.


    Meanwhile, Noel mostly spent his time in the Royal Pce and continued improving his sword skills.


    But what surprised everyone was that Titus actually started dating Daisy Elliott!


    Although Titus had already grown into a fine young man, everyone still considered him a young kid.


    So, this news indeed shocked others.


    Jessie was the one who got affected by this news most.


    But soon, she realized that her younger brother had already buried his ambitions and started living a normal life.


    If this were Noel, Jessie and Rhea would''ve forced him to concentrate on improving his strength.


    Unfortunately, this was Titus.


    Out of the four disciples, he was a pretty average guy.


    After he ranked up to Rank-3 [Rogue] ss Mystic, his progression came to a halt.


    Jessie and others also knew of this problem, so they chose to stay silent.


    On the other hand, Edith spent most of her time in the old mansion and started finding clues about Charles''s future death.


    As for the Holem''s Crown, he created another clone body with the help of Edith and continued to make a unique Tower Core.


    Time flew by.


    Five years passed in a blink.

 Chapter 334: Heart

    <h4>Chapter 334: Heart</h4>


    nd January, Year 6406, the Second Arcane Era.


    ??


    On this day, the construction process of the Magic Tower was finally over!


    Oswald (The Holem''s Crown) alsopletely created the Tower Core, officially named the Magic Tower, and announced it to the world as the ''Rebirth Tower''!


    Not only that, but he even created a Rank-6 Defensive Spell array on the Tower''s surface and strengthened the Tower''s defense.


    Although five years had passed, nothing changed much except for the appearance of another 800 meters tall Magic Tower.


    It was a cylindrical-shaped magic tower with 5yers!


    The outer surface was pained in golden color and appeared domineering.


    There was even a golden dragon symbol that appeared on the topyer!


    Although Oswald hadn''t activated the Tower Core, all the Rank-4 Mages sensed some strange invisible power encircled the Tower and protecting it!


    They realized that the Rebirth Tower was far advanced and superior to their own Iron Tower with a simple look!


    But what can they do?


    They could only grit their teeth in envy and stay as where they were.


    The second thing was about discrimination. In truth, it hadn''t subdued at all.


    Ruler Caste people always showed superiority and suppressed the subordinates with brute force.


    But Rhea had already taken strict measures to reduce it and even introduced a ''Casteless Society'' scheme.


    Moreover, shepletely abolished very in the Kingdom, removed many customaryws, and even recreated new rules.


    As for her progression in strength, nothing much changed.


    She was still a Rank-3 Mystic.


    The same goes for Noel.


    The only one who progressed a little was Jessie.


    She already ranked up her [Blood Maniptor] ss and became a Rank-3 [Scarlet Knight] Mystic.


    And, her ''Silent Nightmares'' organization had started to take root in all parts of the Kingdom.


    She created branch offices in all the towns and cities of the Iron Kingdom and formed a huge informationwork.


    But there was still something that troubled all three of them.


    It was about Titus''s future.


    They even talked with their Teacher, but nothing worked.


    "It was his decision." That''s what he told them.


    Currently, Titus and Daisy were nning on holding a marriage ceremony through official means by the end of this year.


    Even Jessie gave up on persuading his younger brother and approved their rtionship.


    Other than thisplicated problem, the other three didn''t ck off a bit and focused their full attention on improving their strength.


    But none dared to advance to Rank-4.


    Because they already knew that they hadn''t reached the bottleneck yet!


    Old Mansion, Rodsley Street, Nobles'' Borough.


    It was around 11 P.M.


    At that moment, Edith sat on a Lawson Sofa that was ced on the mansion''s terrace and held a golden-covered book in her hand.


    During the five years, she had seen more than one million future visions and gathered nine mysterious code letters from Charles''s future self!


    ''Not enough clues. One more time.'' She picked the golden quill from the nearby ss table, dipped the brush into the inkbottle, and started writing on the mysterious nk page.


    Once she was done, she recited a short chant and activated the artifact.


    The next instant, her eyes turned white, and she entered a strange half-conscious state.


    Simultaneously, she tried to concentrate on a particr future but sensed a familiar mysterious force was obstructing her from seeing it.


    But before the mysterious force couldpletely block her, an image appeared in front of her eyes.


    Unlike the other times, this one waspletely different.


    It was an image of a Red Human!


    He appeared to be around 10 to 12 years old, had crimson hair, white eyes, reddish skin, an oblong face, and looked very thin.


    The image remained in Edith''s mind for a moment and soon disappeared like a fog.


    ''Red Human¡­ What is his connection with the other clues I gathered during the past few years?'' She furrowed her brows and turned her gaze towards the nk page.


    A strange set of symbols appeared on it.


    ''¡ª ? ? .'' A frown appeared on her forehead.


    If it were before, she would''ve used the ''Morse Code'' method and deciphered it.


    Unfortunately, Charles erased all her memories about the ''Morse Code'' before going to the Fire Elemental ne.


    ''But I think these clues will be enough. If I''m not wrong, we don''t have much time.'' Even she felt a sense of urgency appeared in her mind.


    ''It''s been five years since my main bodye to Edhen. I wonder how he is progressing.'' Although she knew that Charles hadn''t ranked up yet, she still wasn''t sure about his progress in strength.


    She then let out a deep sigh, stored the Books of Secrets, golden quill, and inkbottle into her space ring, and stood up.


    Then, she moved towards the edge of the terrace and looked at the tall Tower on the eastern side.


    ''Rebirth Tower, huh.'' She stared at the golden Tower for a few seconds and soon retracted her gaze.


    Then, she moved towards the straight staircase and went downstairs.


    After a few minutes of walking, she reached the ground floor and arrived at the iron shutter.


    Then, she opened the shutter and walked in.


    "It''s rare to see youing here. Is it time?" An old man''s voice came from the underground basement as she stepped on the stairs.


    "Yes. I''m going to meet him." While speaking, she reached the rough floor and started walking towards the nearby wall.


    At that moment, Oswald sat on the floor in a crossed-legged position and seemed to be meditating.


    Without wasting any time, she arrived in front of the concrete wall, zeroed her focus on the emerald-green leaf, and started to chant in English.


    A few momentster, her figure began to distort and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    Savage Forest, Twilight Land, Fire Elemental ne.


    A human sat inside a dark, gloomy underground cave and seemed to be in a meditative state.


    At that moment, the space behind him started to distort and let out strange elemental fluctuations.


    The next second, a ck-haired woman in herte twenties appeared in the dark cave and looked around.


    "You came earlier than I expected." Charles opened his eyes as he conjured four balls of fire, sent them to different areas, and lit the installed fire torches.


    Then, he stood up from the rocky floor and shifted his attention towards Edith.


    "Did you get the clues?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, Edith nodded, linked her connection with Charles''s Inner World, and sent all the information.


    She also didn''t forget to include the final image of a Red Human kid.


    On the other hand, Charles closed his eyes and started deciphering the Morse Codes.


    ''? ? ? ? ¡ú H, ? ¡ú E, ? ¡ª ¡ú A, ? ¡ª ? ¡ú R, ¡ª ¡ú T¡­ Heart?'' He tilted his head in confusion.


    He then shifted his attention towards the other clues and started deciphering them.


    ''¡ª ? ? ?¡ú B, ? ¡ª ? ? ¡ú L, ? ? ¡ú I, ¡ª ? ¡ú N, ¡ª ? ? ¡ú D¡­ Blind?'' He frowned.

 Chapter 335: Curse

    <h4>Chapter 335: Curse</h4>


    "Heart¡­ Blind¡­ What does this mean?" Charles muttered in confusion and soon shifted his attention towards the Red Human kid.


    ??


    ''A blind Red Human kid is the clue to save ''myself'' from death? Then, what does the Heart represent?'' He frowned for a moment and soon shook his head.


    Although he still had many questions in his mind, he finally got a lead!


    ''A blind Red Human kid¡­ I need to search for him.'' He muttered inwardly and soon shifted his gaze towards Edith.


    "Is there anything important?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, Edith nodded her head and spoke.


    "Titus progression came to halt, so he gave up on training his skills and started moving on to a normal life."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles''s eyes widened.


    "How did he give up so quickly? I thought of him as a strong-willed kid, though." He was indeed shocked inside.


    "Is there any particr reason?" He furrowed his brows.


    Edith thought for a moment and spoke with a nod.


    "I''ve slight suspicion on Daisy Elliott. After he started dating her, his character changed upside down. Even Jessie feels helpless about it."


    "Love, huh?"


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth.


    Then, he remembered his clone and asked.


    "What about him? Did he send any letter?"


    "Yes. There is so much to tell about him and the Destiny Lady. They earned a fortune by smuggling, pirating, and stealing and even created a small navy fleet. Hmm, what''s it called? Yeah, they created a Gold Demon Fleet and are working for a Rank-5 Mystic called Sage. Currently, they are exploring the outeryer of the Endless Sea and seem to be constantly searching for Destiny Lady''s lover." Edith exined calmly.


    "Did they seed?" Charles asked.


    "No. But they seem to have found a clue about him a month ago. If I''m not wrong, they must be nning on moving deep into the Endless Sea." Edith replied, frowning.


    Noticing her frown, Charles curled his lips upward and smiled.


    "You must be wondering why I sent the clone Charles to apany Destiny Lady. Am I right?"


    "Does this have something to do with the mysterious curse?" Edith asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and answered solemnly.


    "Although I killed the Divine''s incarnation, the curse she ced on my soul is still there. I have an uneasy feeling that my future death might''ve something to do with this curse. And, the Destiny Lady might be a trigger for this curse."


    Upon hearing those words, Edith''s face turned grim.


    "Why not kill her?"


    "It''s impossible. As long as she is in Edhen World, it''s impossible to kill her. She is a ''Destiny'' favored child after all." Charles said in a cold tone.


    "Destiny favored? You mean she is favored by the World''s Will?" Edith''s eyes widened.


    "There is also the ''Divinity'' in her body. Killing her won''t solve the problem. It''ll only make things moreplicated and unpredictable. If I want to solve this problem, I''ve to follow the clues." Charles didn''t exin much about this problem and changed the topic.


    "Did he say anything else?"


    Upon hearing his words, she suddenly recalled something, took out an azure coin from her space ring, and gave it to him.


    "It''s Azure Mithril."


    "Azure Mithril?" A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Yes. It''s the Azure Federation currency for mages and Mystics. The presence of Azure Mithril means there are Mystic Towers in this World. Churches and those Four Empires might be in the possession of Mystic Towers and monopolizing the ss gems for themselves." Edith revealed a smile on her face.


    "Hmm, mysteries are starting to unveil one by one." Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "What about the Magic Tower?"


    "It''s ready. All you''ve to do now is return to Edhen and imprint your mark on the Tower Core to activate it." Edith paused for a moment and asked.


    "Are you ready to rank up?"


    Charles shook his head and responded.


    "Nope. I still need a month toprehend the [Heart of Fire] spell model."


    Saying so, he walked towards the nearby rocky wall and started to recite an incantation in English.


    A few secondster, his figure turned blurry and soon disappeared from the underground cave.


    Meanwhile, Edith let out a deep sigh, moved towards the emerald gem-like leaf embedded rocky wall, and started to chant.


    A few secondster, she also turned blurry and disappeared.


    ¡­


    The old mansion, Iron Kingdom, Edhen World,


    Charles and Edith appeared in the underground basement hall and soon turned their gaze towards the meditating Oswald.


    "What are you doing, old man?" Charles asked with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Oswald opened his eyes and stood up with a solemn expression on his face.


    "Let''s go. We need to activate the Tower."


    Saying so, he walked towards the nearby wooden table, took the long surcoat ced on it, and wore it over his white shirt.


    Then, he also took the ck cane from the table, held it in his hand, and started walking towards the basement''s exit.


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head and followed after him.


    The trio soon left the underground basement hall, walked on the corridor, and entered the reception hall.


    "It''s been a while, young master." A wrinkled woman came from the kitchen room and waved her hand at him.


    She had long ck hair with some white ones, deep-blue eyes, and appeared to be around 40 years old.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his gaze towards the middle-aged woman and took a few seconds to recognize her.


    "Lady Ashley? How are you?" He asked while waving his hands in return.


    Although Charles hadn''t interacted much with her, he still felt a little happy when seeing her.


    ''Humans really do age faster¡­'' He muttered to himself and exchanged a few words with her.


    Then, the trio left the reception hall, walked out of the mansion building, and moved towards the nearby garden.


    Even though the sky was filled with darkness, the eastern sky shone in golden light and illuminated the whole city!


    Charles and Edith cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell on themselves and pped the reddish-ck wings before shot towards the sky.


    At that moment, Oswald also touched his silver ring, created illusionary wings through artifact, and started pping them.


    Then, he also rose towards the sky and followed after them.


    The trio flew towards the eastern direction and soon arrived in front of the tall golden Tower!


    Charles then descended towards the ground and noticed that the Tower was built outside of the city wall.


    Moreover, the entrance to the Tower had also appeared on the opposite side of the city!


    Noticing his puzzlement, Oswald let out augh, flew towards the other side of the Rebirth Tower, and spoke.


    "It''s Rhea''s decision. She seems to have some big ns for expanding the Iron City. She said that she is going to ce this Tower as a center or something. Ask her about itter."


    Saying so, he pped those illusionary wings andnded in front of the tall golden gate.

 Chapter 335: Tower Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 335: Tower Spirit</h4>


    Charles and Edith alsonded beside Oswald and stared at the Rebirth Tower''s entrance.


    ??


    Meanwhile, Oswald walked forward, arrived in front of the golden gate, and recited a short chant.


    A few secondster, the 3-meter tall golden gate made a loud nging noise and opened.


    The next instant, a grand hall appeared in front of everyone''s eyes.


    Even though the Tower appeared less than a 200-meter radius, the inside seemed three timesrger!


    "I enchanted the floor and walls with spacews and expanded the space," Oswald said in a proud tone and stepped inside.


    "Why do I feel like you are skipping something?" Charles gave him a skeptical look and walked beside him.


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald''s expression stiffened a little.


    "Hoho, I''ll tell you in a minute." He said with augh and started moving towards the nearby stairs.


    Meanwhile, Edith also looked at the surrounding hall and followed them silently.


    The trio soon arrived near the staircase and moved upstairs.


    While walking, Oswald looked at the straight staircase and spoke.


    "When they finished building this Rebirth Tower, there were only fiveyers. Butter, I made some alterations and split eachyer into five levels. In total, there are twenty-five levels in this Tower. Each level is asrge as the grand hall you saw earlier."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s eyes widened.


    "Wait¡­ Expanding the space to such extend would consume some kind of energy, right?" He asked with a frown.


    Meanwhile, Oswald let out a fake cough and nodded.


    "You are sharp as always. Yes, it consumes space-elemental crystals. But one or two Perfect space elemental crystals should be more than enough for a year. So, you don''t have to worry about it too much."


    On the other hand, Charles raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "What are these elemental crystals?"


    In truth, he had long wanted to ask more about these crystals but actually forgot about it.


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald curled his lips upward and answered.


    "There are four types of elemental crystals out there. They are Common, Perfect, Fairy, and Divine. Before I tell you more about these crystals, I''ll give you some exnation about the crystals'' origins." He deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Do you know about the magical beasts, right? These crystals are like cores of magical beasts. For example, Rank-1 and Rank-2 Magical Beasts havemon elemental crystals in their heart, Rank-3 and Rank-4 Magical Beasts have Perfect elemental crystals, Rank-5 and Rank-6 Magical Crystals have Fairy elemental crystals and Rank-7, and Rank-8 Divine Beasts have Divine Crystals."


    "As for the beasts above Rank-8, I haven''t heard of something in my lifetime. Unlike other Ranked Beasts, Magical Beasts are rare to be found in any ne. Moreover, each Magical Beast would only be specialized in a single element. So, its understanding of that particr element would be very high. To capture or kill a Rank-1 Magical Beast, you need the help of ten Rank-1 Mystics. Even that much strength won''t be enough to kill off such a thing."


    "Oh? If they are so rare, where do we even find them? Dense forest regions?" This time, Edith was the one who asked this question.


    "Correct. But there are only a few dense forests on this continent. Moreover, entering such a forest is dangerous even for Rank-4 Mystics. The Unexplored Forest is the best example. That''s why Mages and other ss Mystics form a group before going deep into these forests. Anyway, I''ll send a squad of Rank-2 or Rank-3 Mystics to the nearby dense forests and let them do the hunting job to getmon elemental crystals."


    While speaking, they continued to walk upward, made a few turns, and finally arrived in front of a metallic door.


    Then, Oswald arrived near the metallic door, ced his hand on it, and recited another chant.


    The next instant, the door opened with a click and revealed arge hall.


    But just as they stepped in, Charles sensed dense elemental energies appeared all over the ce!


    ''Fire, water, air, earth, space, and even other energies are appearing inside¡­'' He frowned for a moment and then looked around.


    Only then did he notice that the walls, floor, and even the ceiling were covered entirely in reddish runic circles!


    "This is the Core Room," Oswald said in a calm tone, raised his hand, and pointed the cane''s heel towards the center of the hall.


    Charles and Edith followed his gaze and soon saw a head-sized reddish crystal hovering in the air!


    "Go on. Put a drop of your blood and then imprint it with your wisdom power." Oswald spoke.


    Charles nodded his head and started walking towards the Tower Core.


    After a minute of walking, he arrived near the Red Core and took a dagger from his space ring.


    Then, he made a small cut on his finger and let a drop of blood fell on the Tower Core.


    As the blood dropletnded on the Core, a dazzling red light appeared from the Core and blinded everyone''s vision!


    Simultaneously, the inscribed magic circles on the surrounding walls, ceiling, and floor also started to shine in a reddish light.


    Charles was stunned by the sudden change!


    But soon, he woke up from the shock, ced his hand on the Red Core, and sent his wisdom power into it.


    Then, he condensed a small amount of his wisdom power and imprinted it on the Tower Core.


    A secondter, a woman''s figure appeared in front of him.


    She appeared illusionary, had long silver hair, blue eyes, an oval face, and looked around 25 to 30 years old.


    Currently, she wore a red floral gown, a gem-embedded ne, and had a delicate figure.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was not her appearance but her elongated ears!


    "Elf?" Charles asked in a shocked tone.


    "To be precise, she is just a Tower Spirit. I tried to create something, but I only managed to seed this much." Oswald said with a bitter smile on his face.


    "You tried to create something?" Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion.


    Meanwhile, Oswald stepped forward, arrived next to the confused tower spirit, and tried to touch its face.


    Unfortunately, his hand passed right through the illusionary figure and appeared on the other side.


    But Oswald didn''t show any confusion, though. Instead, he nced at his palm and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "I created this Tower Spirit using some of the memories of my love. s, it seems I failed this time."


    At that moment, the silver elf tilted her head, pointed her finger towards her chest, and asked in a pleasant female voice.


    "Zera?"


    Upon hearing her words, Oswald''s eyes went wide.


    He stood rooted on the spot for a whole ten seconds and soon burst intoughter!


    "Hahaha, I made it! Finally, I can hear her voice." His voice contained uncontroble joy and excitement.


    After a minute, he soon calmed down and grinned.


    "So, did you seed?" Charles retracted his hand from the Tower Core and asked.


    "Nah, this spirit has no emotions or feelings. It''s nothing but an artificial Tower Spirit. But at least, I manage to create what I wanted." Oswald paused for a moment and ordered.


    "Zera, show us what you can do."


    Meanwhile, Zera nodded her head, raised her illusionary right hand, and waved it.


    The next instant, a blue icon appeared in front of their eyes.


    It appeared more like a game-Interface!


    Charles nced at Edith and soon saw a smug look on her face.


    "Our system is not a secret now, right?" She said.


    At that moment, arge number of icons appeared on the blue screen.


    ''Spell List, Identity Book, Quest Icon, Spell Models, Defense Mechanism, Storage, Artifact Section, Personal Icon¡­''


    While Charles was in looking at the icons, Oswald touched the blue interface and exined.


    "The first one is Spell List. As long as you are in the Tower''s range, you can unlimitedly cast the spells in the Spell List. But you''ve to check about the elemental energies stored in the Tower Core, though."


    At that moment, arge number of spell names appeared in front of Charles''s eyes.


    ''Fire: Spark- Rank-1, Fire Orb- Rank-1, me Eye- Rank-1, Fire Bolt- Rank-2, Fire Ball- Rank-2, me st- Rank-2, etc.,


    Water: Water Ball- Rank-1, Create Mist- Rank-1, Water Whip- Rank-1, Crystal Needle- Rank-2, Ice Coffin- Rank-2, etc.,


    Wind: Air Bullet- Rank-1, Float- Rank-1, Control Wind- Rank-1, Wind de- Rank-2, Wind Cutter- Rank-2, etc.,


    Earth: Rock Shield- Rank-1, Earth Sense- Rank-1, Rock Spear- Rank-1, Create Quake- Rank-2, Land Walk- Rank-2, etc.,


    Space: Blink- Rank-1, Create Space- Rank-1, Spatial Walk- Rank-1, Space Bind- Rank-2, Teleport- Rank-2, Space Lock- Rank-2, etc.,


    Darkness: Dark Bind- Rank-1, Smoke Illusion- Rank-1, Dark Grab- Rank-1, Dark Vanish- Rank-1, Mist of Fear- Rank-2, Shadow Invasion- Rank-2, Dream Invasion- Rank-2, etc.,


    Light: Light Arrow- Rank-1, Blessing of the Light- Rank-1, Eliminate Curse- Rank-1, Heart of Light- Rank-2, Shield of the Sacred Light- Rank-2, Light''s Grace- Rank-2, etc.,''


    Upon seeing the list, Charles was stunned inside.


    He even saw some Rank-5 Spells in the list and got shocked a little.


    "Can I even cast a Rank-5 Spell?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "You can,d. But the consumption of the elemental crystals will be very high. Except for some water elemental ones, we don''t have any elemental crystals now." Oswald responded calmly, minimized the icon, and touched the Identity Book.

 Chapter 337: Other Functions

    <h4>Chapter 337: Other Functions</h4>


    At that moment, many names, their house number, and even their personal information appeared on the blue interface!


    ??


    "In this Icon, you can find all the citizens'' personal information. Well, most of them are due to Jessie''s help, though. And, this Tower Spirit also has a scan function that could help the Tower Masters to scan others'' body status. Although it won''t be as urate as your eye skill, it could at least show one''s body attributes and skill names."


    Then, Oswald minimized the Icon, touched the next one, and exined.


    "The next one is Quest Icon. We are nning on introducing this function to all the students. We will put missions through this Quest Icon and let the kids decide which one to take it. We''ll also divide the missions based on the difficulty and ce them in this Icon. From medicine gathering to killing a criminal organization member, the students would find all kinds of missions here. We are also nning on introducing identity cards and a separate credit system to make things easier."


    "This looks more like RPG-Game now," Charlesmented with a nod and gestured him to move on.


    Oswald smiled lightly and spoke.


    "The next one is spell models. Unlike other icons, only authorized persons could see this one. I added more than 1,000 spell models from Rank-1 to Rank-5. If your disciple''s kids or descendants want to walk on the path of Ancient Mages in the future, they can use this Icon. After all, we still don''t know much about the origin of this ss-Gem pathway. What if one day the Churches stop giving the ss Gems to others? Although walking on the Ancient Mage path is harder, it''s better than nothing, right? I also added some potion recipes, basic techniques, and few others in this."


    Oswald paused for a moment and moved towards the next Icon.


    "The next one is Defense Mechanism. Unfortunately, I still hadn''t created any artificial golems or brought some enved beings for defensive purposes. Currently, I only created a single Rank-6 Spell array to protect this Tower from enemy attacks."


    "Then, it''s the storage option. I created this option to find the items stored in the Tower easily. The next one is the Artifact Section. I''m nning on cing all the artifacts in the 20th Level. Frommon artifacts to extraordinary artifacts, the students can find all kinds of artifacts over there. As long as they have enough credit points, they would be able to buy them."


    "But we don''t have enough artifacts, right?" Charles asked in puzzlement.


    "Did you forget about my identity? I''m a Rune Master!" Oswald red at him and then turned his attention towards the final Icon.


    "This is Personal Icon. You can store some important information in this Icon. With this, you can also give some authority to your disciples and make them as Tower Masters."


    Upon hearing his words, Charles couldn''t help but show an amusing smile on his face.


    "It seems you''ve already got attached to those kids, old man." He grinned.


    Meanwhile, Oswald shook his head and corrected him.


    "I ced some of my wife''s memories in this Tower Spirit,d. As long as this Tower isn''t destroyed, Zena would grow into a unique artificial spirit with emotions. My current aim is to perfect this Tower Core and turn it into an intelligent artifact. If it were before, I wouldn''t have thought of creating her. But after I saw how the ''Mind Fire'' works, I realized that bringing back my wife would be impossible. Even if I find her soul somewhere in the universe, her memories would have long been wiped out by the Eternal River of Life. So, I thought; Why not create a new soul with her memories? Although it won''t be the Zena I knew before, this new person would be better than nothing, right? At least, I won''t die out of loneliness."


    A bitter smile appeared on Oswald''s face as he said those words.


    Charles could feel the pain in his tone.


    He then waved his hand and spoke in an uncaring manner.


    "Do whatever you want." He paused for a moment and changed the topic.


    "What about the soul barrier? Did you create an array to block the Divines and the World Will from spying on us?"


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald shook his head and spoke.


    "It will take two or three months toplete the array work."


    "Would you mind doing that faster? Meanwhile, I''ll go back andplete my final mission." He paused for a second, took out the Ember Pistol from his space ring, gave it to Oswald, and added.


    "If you''ve some extra time, upgrade this pistol and give it to Titus. Currently, he is the weakest one among the four."


    At that moment, Edith raised her eyebrows and asked.


    "Are you going back to the Fire Elemental ne?"


    "Yes. I also have a job for you." Charles nodded his head and continued.


    "I want you to go to a particr area and gather information about someone. There is a high chance that you might get caught during this mission, so be careful."


    Saying so, he exined about that job in detail.


    Then, he cast the [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in crimson fire, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he appeared in the underground basement hall, arrived in front of the wall, and began to chant in English.


    A momentter, his figure turned blurry and soon disappeared!


    ¡­


    Fire Elemental ne.


    Charles reappeared in the underground basement hall and then turned his gaze towards the rocky wall.


    Then, he took the Twin Leaf from the wall and stored it in his space ring.


    After that, he disappeared from there and reappeared out of the underground cave.


    Crimson light came from the opposite sky and illuminated the wholend, nearby fire-elemental nts and trees, and the waterfall!


    Charles closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    After that, he cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell on himself, pped them forcefully, and shot towards the cloudy red sky.


    But just as he moved towards the clouds, a monstrous being suddenly descended from the red clouds andpletely blocked his vision!


    Its body was asrge as a three-storied building and appeared thirty to thirty-five meters long.


    Its reddish scales were sharp as daggers, had two tough legs, reddish wings almost as long as its body, and a long pointy tail.


    It was the same Red Dragon!


    The monstrous creature pped its red wings while sending shockwaves in all directions!


    But Charles also sensed a strange power appeared in those shockwaves!


    Meanwhile, the Red Dragon circled the sky and soon locked its gaze on Charles.


    Simultaneously, an invisible power came from the Dragon''s vertical pupils and entered his body.

 Chapter 338: Red Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 338: Red Dragon</h4>


    The invisible force was so strong that it made him impossible to block!


    ??


    Moreover, he sensed some strange power was trying to enter his Dark Space!


    This Red Dragon was trying to invade his Inner World!


    ''Sh*t!'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face as he took out a ck dagger from his space ring and cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    A momentter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and was about to disappear but suddenly returned to normal!


    A shock appeared on his face.


    ''It managed to disrupt me from manipting the space elements.'' Just as the thought crossed his mind, his eyes turned blurry.


    Simultaneously, a future image appeared in from of his eyes.


    Upon seeing this, he didn''t hesitate for a moment and cast [elerate Thoughts] skill.


    ''It would breathe fire in the next two seconds.''


    Muttering inwardly, he locked his gaze on the Dragon''s eyes and cast [Burning Thoughts] skill!


    Only then did Charles notice that the strange invading power was disappearing from the Dark Space.


    Still, the Dragonpletely nullified his [Burning Thoughts] spell effect in an instant.


    ''This Dragon¡­ It''s not a Rank-6! It''s a Rank-5 Creature.'' He got relieved inside.


    If it were a Rank-6 Creature, Charles knew that he wouldn''t have survived this long.


    He returned to his calm state, cast [Arcane Eyes] skill, and stared at the Red Dragon.


    At that moment, the Red Dragon let out a growl and took a deep breath.


    The next second, it opened its wide mouth and sent a monstrous ball of crimson me from its mouth.


    On the other hand, Charles cast the [Fire Born] spell and enveloped his body in a me.


    The next instant, the monstrous me crashed onto his body and started pushing him!


    Even though his body was in a strange elemental form, he still felt the feeling of being burned alive!


    ''Damn! I''m still not strong enough to face a Dragon''s breath head-on.'' Charles cast the Rank-4 [Sun''s Shield] spell as he let out a deep breath and pped those reddish-ck wings.


    Meanwhile, a sunshineyer appeared around his body andpletely blocked the fire breath from entering his body!


    Still, the mere force of the Fire Breath caused Charles''s body to shot in the opposite direction.


    His body flew in the opposite sky, entered the red clouds, and appeared above it.


    While flying, he pped his wings continuously to slow down the momentum and regained his control.


    At that moment, the Red Dragon also pped itsrge red wings and chased after him with its enormous body.


    Within a few seconds, it entered the red clouds and soon appeared above it.


    On the other hand, Charles hovered in the opposite sky, stared at the Red Dragon, and furrowed his brows.


    He then thought of something and asked in a scarsnguage.


    "Do you understand my words?"


    It was the localnguage of Miner''s Den town.


    Upon hearing his words, the Red Dragon once again opened its w-like mouth and let out a thundering roar!


    Then, a strange silence appeared in the sky.


    ''It seems this Red Dragon''s is a dumb one.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    Just as he was about to attack, a strange voice echoed in Charles''s head.


    ''Who are you calling dumb, invader?''


    Although it spoke in apletely differentnguage, Charles clearly understood the meaning behind those words!


    ''Invader?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and was about to ask the following question but stopped.


    At that moment, he sensed a bad feeling all of a sudden.


    ''This Dragon is firm on killing me.'' Charles''s expression turned grim.


    Without any hesitation, he gripped the dagger and cast [me Blink] spell.


    A secondter, he disappeared from where he stood before and reappeared above the Dragon''s back.


    But just as he was about to stab its body, the whole surroundings started to distort.


    ''Pseudo-Domain? No, it''s manipting the surrounding fire elements.'' His eyes widened.


    Before he could think further, the surrounding red clouds began to ignite in bright orange me.


    Then, all those mespletely encircled the Red Dragon''s body and made a whirlpool-like thing in the sky!


    Not only that, but Charles saw thousands of fireballs suddenly descended from above and almost covered the sky.


    ''Give up, Invader. You are not going anywhere. This fire whirlpool can disrupt the surrounding spatial energy and seal you here. Even creating a pseudo-domain is not possible.'' An eerie voice echoed in his head.


    On the other hand, Charles pped the wings, distanced himself from the Red Dragon, and frowned.


    He felt something was off.


    ''You knew about me long ago¡­ But why did you choose to kill me now? You could''ve attacked me when I was in the underground cave. But you didn''t. Why?'' He asked in confusion.


    Meanwhile, the Red Dragon flew along with the whirlpool, turned its monstrous head towards Charles, and snorted.


    ''Why should I tell you? My job is to clear the evil pest before it turns into a monster and disrupts the peace of this world.'' The Red Dragon said coldly and directly entered the whirlpool before disappearing from Charles''s vision.


    Meanwhile, he looked at the ming sky and sighed.


    ''It seems this Dragon somehow perceived my aim and trying to stop me. The World''s Will? No. If I''m not wrong, this World''s Will isn''t powerful enough to distinguish the difference between good and evil. Moreover, I still feel the sensation of warmth in this world. Tsk, I''ll take care of this Dragonter.'' He touched his space ring, took out a silver pocket, and held it in his right hand.


    Then, he pped the wings and shot towards the fireball raining sky.


    Simultaneously, he raised his hand and started manipting the spatial elements.


    If it were five years ago, he would''ve found it impossible to control other elements.


    But after hepletelyprehended the [False Fire Maniption] Spell, his understanding of other elements had already reached an extraordinary level!


    A strange spatial crack appeared in the sky and soon formed into a 1-meter tall portal!


    Without any hesitation, Charles pped the wings faster, moved towards the portal, and entered!


    A secondter, the portal also started to shrunken and soon disappeared.


    In the meantime, the Red Dragon watched his action from the me whirlpool and became stunned inside.


    Without any hesitation, it released its wisdom power in all directions and searched for him.


    Unfortunately, nothing appeared in its perception!


    ¡­


    Miner''s Den Town,


    At that moment, a strange bluish portal appeared in the sky and caused massive panic among the citizens.


    Night Goblins, Lava Orcs, Red Humans, Fire Imps, and few other races looked up at the bluish portal and gripped their weapons tighter.


    "Tell Lord Garath about the situation!" A ck-armored Night Goblin said to the nearby goblin in a gloomy tone and unsheathed its short sword.


    At that moment, a deep-blue-haired human came out of the bluish portal and looked at the town.


    Then, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 339: Guidance

    <h4>Chapter 339: Guidance</h4>


    Charles reappeared in a narrow alley and nced at the strange houses, tents, and other buildings. Then, he turned his gaze towards the Star Watch in his right hand and clicked the crown area.


    ??


    "Fog of Time." He spoke in a cold tone.


    The next instant, a strange power came out of the pocket watch and spread towards all directions.


    Then, the strange power entered everyone''s Inner World and erased ''his'' presence in this world from everyone''s memories.


    The same goes for the Red Dragon.


    While the Red Dragon was searching for his whereabouts, it suddenly forgot who it was fighting with!


    Instead of Charles''s figure, only an invisible space appeared in its memories!


    The same goes for the Miner''s Den citizens.


    They only remembered the appearance of the bluish portal in the sky, nothing else!


    After some time, they looked at the sky in puzzlement and soon returned to their work.


    ''This should be enough.'' Charles nodded inwardly, took out a hooded robe from his space ring, and wore it. Then, he sheathed the dagger, ced it on his waist, and changed his skin tone.


    In a few seconds, he turned himself into a Red Human.


    ''But there are some facial differences between the real ones and me. I need to find a perfect target and create a new identity.'' He muttered inwardly.


    After that, he stored the Star Watch and started walking randomly.


    At that moment, a strange warmth feeling appeared in his heart. It was as if some invisible power was trying to guide him to a particr ce.


    If he were in Edhen World, he would''ve cast [me Teleportation] spell and get away from this small city in an instant.


    ''Hmm? But I feel no hostility from this strange guiding power. Hmm, let''s see where it is guiding me to.'' He muttered under his breath and moved under its guidance.


    After some twists and turns, the invisible power finally brought him to a strange house.


    No, it looked more like a small hut. Walls were made of some red stones, while long nt leaves covered the top.


    Charles soon arrived in front of a door-like rock and knocked it twice.


    A few secondster, the rocky door opened with a screech, and soon 1-meter tall grey-skinned Goblin peeked out from inside.


    The Night Goblin had long ck hair, pointy scarlet ears, scarlet eyes, and an ugly face with a sharp nose.


    The Night Goblin wore a cloth made of tree fiber designed with red stones.


    There was also a strange red cor that appeared around her neck.


    Noticing his appearance, the Night Goblin suddenly tensed up and asked in a feminine voice.


    "What do you want, Red Human? This area belongs to Lord Mairs."


    Her voice contains a trace of wariness and panic.


    Charles simply cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on her and took a step forward.


    Then, he grabbed her neck, pushed open the rocky door, and dragged her in.


    On the other hand, the Night Goblin tried her best to shout, but no voice came out.


    Panic and fear gripped her heart!


    In the meantime, Charles released his hand, lifted her using his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, and walked inside.


    But to the Night Goblin''s horror, she still couldn''t utter a sound!


    It was as if something invisible was still gripping her neck and obstructing her from making a sound.


    At that moment, she knew that this Red Human was a powerful Warlock!


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his gaze towards the interior and saw sewed fiber clothes, a few pots and cups made of some reddish metal, and arge mat was arranged in order.


    But what made him halt his footstep was that he saw a small Night Goblin sleeping on the mat!


    Bruises and wounds appeared all over the child Goblin''s body. There were even callus marks that appeared on its palms, and it looked battered.


    ''A kid?'' He raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    Then, he moved towards the mat, squatted down, conjured a bluish fire, and tossed on to the Night Goblin''s chest.


    Upon seeing his action, the Night Goblin''s face was filled with terror and panic.


    Tears flew out of those scarlet eyes as she desperately struggled.


    At that moment, the bluish firepletely enveloped the Night Goblin child''s body and bathed it in bluish me.


    But for some odd reasons, the Night Goblin soon noticed that the bluish me was not harming her child at all. Instead, it was healing her child!


    Upon seeing this, the Night Goblin finally calmed down and stared anxiously at the Red Human.


    "What is your name?" Charles asked while releasing the grip on her neck.


    "Q-Qoz, My Lord!" She said in a trembling tone.


    Charles nodded his head, put her on the rocky floor, and closed the door.


    Then, he turned around, pointed his finger at the metallic color, and asked.


    "What is it? ve cor?"


    Qoz froze for a second and soon nodded her head.


    Meanwhile, Charles activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and soon raised his eyebrows.


    Because what he saw in the cor was not some runic letters but strange ckish lines!


    ''No¡­ They are actually ck fire threads!''


    Those me threads seemed to have formed into a gigantic spider-like structure and were deeply connected with Qoz''s neck.


    Charles even saw some ck threads moved into her head and seemed to have connected with her brain!


    ''T-This¡­ Even I couldn''t break this cor. It has a presence of pure wicked me essence. The ve cor''s creator must be a Rank-5 or Rank-6 Existence.'' His face turned gloomy.


    ''If I kill any of these ves, the opposite party might find out about my existence. But I don''t think these ck me threads are strong enough to invade one''s Inner World.''


    Muttering inwardly, Charles zeroed his focus on Qoz''s eyes and cast [Burning Consciousness] spell.


    A momentter, a small ball of purple fire appeared in the depths of her Inner World and soon transformed into a purple Charles.


    Unlike the Mystics'' Inner World, the whole surroundings were filled with red and white clouds.


    Meanwhile, Charles stared at Qoz and spoke with a solemn expression on his face.


    "I''m going to ask some questions. But you don''t have to answer." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "You just think of the answer. I''ll do the rest."


    Upon hearing his words, Qoz nodded her head and waited.


    At that moment, the purple Charles in her Inner World released a memory.


    Simultaneously, Qoz noticed that an image of a strange Red Human kid appeared in her mind.


    He appeared to be around 10 to 12 years old, had crimson hair, white eyes, and an oblong face.


    "Have you seen him?" Charles asked.


    Qoz frowned for a moment and began to recall her memories.


    After thinking for a whole minute, she shook her head.


    ''As I thought, this is going to be a tough journey.'' Charles sighed deeply and asked the following question.


    "What do you know about the ''Dawn Child''?"


    Just as he asked this question, many white clouds started to gather in Qoz''s Inner World.


    Dawn Child was the one who used some prophecy-like skill and predicated his arrival 18 years ago!


    Although Charles had grown into a powerful Mystic, he didn''t dare to take her lightly.


    He first wants to gatherplete knowledge about this world.


    Without any hesitation, the purple Charles waved his hand, conjured a of purple me, andpletely enveloped the group of clouds.


    The next second, Charles received information about the Dawn Child.


    ''Dawn Child¡­ Her real name is I, and she can read other''s futures by staring at the crimson sky. She could control a powerful Rank-4 Magma Fiend. She is the main reason for Garath''s rapid growth in the Twilight Land. Under her guidance, he rose from Rank-1 Imp to a Rank-4 Elemental Demon. There is also a rumor spreading around the city that Garath had already reached the Rank-5 realm. As for this Dawn Child''s real strength, no one really knew. But Qoz once heard from an old Night Goblin that the Dawn Child hasn''t aged a bit during the past 200 years.''


    As Charles scanned the information, his face changed drastically and soon turned grim.


    ''This child seems to be a troublesome one.'' He frowned for a moment and soon chose to give up on gathering more information about her.


    ''Erasing too much of her memories is not a good thing. It might expose my memory-burning ability to the enemy.'' Charles nodded his head and then asked few more questions about Twilight Land and other ces.


    Unfortunately, she knew nothing much about the outside world.


    Charles then asked about him and thenpletely erased all the memories about him.


    After that, he hurriedly knocked her unconscious and moved towards the goblin kid.


    It was a girl child, and her hands appeared thin as fragile sticks.


    But he felt something unique about this child.


    Without any dy, he checked her status and soon widened his eyes.


    Shock and disbelief appeared on his face.


    ''She has ''Prodigy'' level fire elemental affinity? It is second only to the ''Divine'' level! Is the World''s Will seeking my help?'' A frown appeared on his face.


    ''Does that mean this World''s Will is powerful enough to distinguish good and evil? Hmm, it''s better not to y safe.''


    Nodding inwardly, he took out a reddish ring from his space ring and ced it on his palm.


    ''Hmm, I don''t know what will happen after my future'' Death.'' But I have a vague feeling that I might be in a most vulnerable state. It''s better to create an ally in this world.''


    Muttering inwardly, Charles started replicating his important memories in his Inner World,bined them, and soon formed into a minute fragment.


    ''A memory fragment with a part of my will. Even if I die, this fragment will live for more than ten years. It should be enough to let this child grow stronger and help me in many ways.''


    He nodded inwardly, imprinted his memory fragment in the ring, and tossed it towards the goblin child.


    The next second, the ring turned illusionary, moved into the dark space, and soon entered the Goblin child''s Inner World.


    Then, he turned around and walked out of the small hut.

 Chapter 340: Memories

    <h4>Chapter 340: Memories</h4>


    Charles then walked on the street road, made a few turns, and soon moved towards a two-meter tall wall.


    ??


    At that moment, two suns hung up in the sky, illuminated thend in bright yellow light, and increased the surrounding temperature to an abnormal level.


    If not for his body being enchanted by the fire-elemental power, blisters might''ve appeared all over his body.


    Without minding the heat, Charles continued to walk and soon arrived in front of the wall.


    His next destination was to go to a Red Human merchant''s house at the edge of this city and steal his identity.


    From Qoz''s memories, he learned that this guy knew much about the outside world than any other Red Human in this city.


    Moreover, this guy was not a ve!


    He was a perfect target for Charles.


    Although he met many Night Goblins along the way, none attacked him in the open.


    But all of them showed hostile expression towards him!


    ''Red Humans, huh.'' He stared at the rocky wall for a moment and soon acted.


    He squatted a little, jumped up, crossed the wall, and directlynded on the other side.


    Then, he released his wisdom power and started searching for the target in the Red Human area.


    A few secondster, he curled his lips upward and started walking in a particr direction.


    Along the way, he noticed that the Red Humans'' houses werepletely different from the Night Goblins'' ones and became surprised a little.


    Unlike the small huts, the houses in the Red Humans'' area were filled with Igloo-type ones.


    But instead of ices, these houses seemed to be made of hot embers.


    ''Wow, these Red Humans really are immune to fire.'' Charles nodded inwardly and soon arrived in front of a lone house at the edge of the Miners'' Den city.


    The city was actually located at the Twilight Land teau''s edge, and this house was just a few meters away from the cliff.


    Below the cliff were filled with volcanic mountains and Lava Rivers and beyond that was an endless ocean filled with moltenva.


    Charles nced at theva ocean and then turned his gaze towards the Igloo-type house.


    "Is there anyone home?" He asked in the Scars Language.


    "Who is it?" A male voice came from the inside.


    Instead of replying, Charles looked around and soon confirmed that no one was in the surrounding areas.


    Then, he cast [False Blink] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared inside the house.


    The house interior was simr to that of the small hut and looked simpler.


    Charles saw some luxurious furniture made of some rare metal, strange crystals, and even books appeared inside.


    At this moment, a Red Human cautiously walked near the metallic door, opened it a little, and peeked outside.


    He had short carmine hair, light coral eyes, red skin, a round face, a little fat body with a small belly, and appeared 175 cm high. He wore a handmade fiber dress, few bangles made of precious stones, earrings, and even held a short sword in his hand.


    Once he noticed that no one was outside, he closed the metal door, turned around, and soon froze.


    "Too slow." Charles watched him amusingly and cast [Burning Thoughts] on the Red Human.


    He soon walked near the Red Human, raised his hand, and knocked him out.


    After that, he cast [Fire Seed] spell on him and started erasing his memories.


    ''Tebs¡­ He is a Rank-3 Red Human. He came from a particr tribe situated in the other corner of the Twilight Land. He is a wealthy merchant and has some links with many Rank-4 Warlords. He went to many dangerous ces in the Twilight Land and knew more about the outside world.''


    ''Like the Twilight Land, there are manyrge and dangerous territories out there. Each of thesends was asrge as this one. Fiery Desert, Domain of Lava Giants, Crimson Land, City of Red, Ember Castle, Fire Dragons'' Lair and so on.''


    ''But unlike this Twilight Land, only some particr races live in thosends. For example, the Fiery Desert is filled with Magma Fiends, Magmins, and Scarlet Medusas. The Domain of Lava Giants is filled with Lava Giants, Lava Orcs, and few other inferior ve races. The same goes for the othernds¡­'' Charles nodded inwardly and continued to read his memories.


    ''The next thing is about how the Fire Elemental beings rank up¡­ Hmm? There are no ss Gems in this World? It seems this Red Human doesn''t know much about the ss Gem pathway. All the creatures in this Fire Elemental ne follow the path of bloodlines or something called Noble Blood hierarchy.''


    ''That was the main reason the Magma Fiends from the Fiery Desert exiled the Elemental Demon Garath¡­ Each Race has unique bloodline skills, and if someone didn''t have any of the skills or possess out-of-ordinary skills, they would be executed, exiled, or thrown into prison. The Red Humans are the same. Even though they aren''t at the top of the food chain, they also follow this Noble Blood Hierarchy system and select their future leader by conducting some royal life-and-death battle¡­''


    ''Hmm, here it is¡­ The City of Red is the ce where most of the Red Humans live. As for the Red Humans in the Twilight Land, most of them were exiled to thisnd. Royal Red Humans are the ones who could hold full authority over the Red Human race. They have the power to even shackle them from casting elemental abilities. Other than Red Humans, two other races remain in the City of Red, but they are minority¡­''


    As his [Fire Seed] spell sent out the information to his Inner World, Charles read all about the Red Humans.


    After an hour, hepletely erased his memories and tossed him on the rocky floor.


    After that, he squatted down, unsheathed the dagger, made a small wound on his finger, and let it drop on his palm.


    Then, he recited a short chant, absorbed the droplet, and activated the shape-shift skill.


    A secondter, a strange character imprint appeared in his mind.


    After he became a Cloner, Charles could create twenty-plus new identities now!


    Once he got the character imprint, he swiftly moved the dagger, plunged into his throat, and killed him on the spot.


    After that, he tossed a reddish ball of me and burned his body.


    Then, he linked his mind with the character imprint and started to shape-shift.


    His actual height shortened a little, and his face changed into round one, and so on.


    A few secondster, hepletely changed into Tebs!


    He then changed his cloth into a fiber one and walked out of the Igloo house.

 Chapter 341: Isla

    <h4>Chapter 341: I</h4>


    But just as Charles was about to walk towards his next destination, an invisible power came from the sky and suppressed him!


    ??


    Not only him, but all the citizens of Miner''s Den city felt this invisible power.


    It was the power of Dominance!


    Charles hurriedly looked upward and soon saw a Red Dragon encircling the city!


    Charles also sensed strange power scanning his body and soon disappeared.


    ''The Red Dragon already knew that I came here?'' He was startled a little.


    ''I need to get out of this ce. If I was in my original appearance, the Dragon might have found out about me. I''m not strong enough to face a Rank-5 Creature head-on.'' He thought to himself and waited for the dominant power to disappear.


    After a few seconds, Charles noticed that everything returned to normal and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Meanwhile, the whole city went into chaos!


    Cries and shouts of Night Goblins, Red Humans, Orcs, and other races continued to echo all over the ce.


    Charles even saw that many iron armored Red Human guards came from the opposite side and told all the panicking citizens to return to their houses.


    ''It seems I need to wait for a while.'' He also returned to Tebs''s Igloo house and waited.


    A few hourster, the twilight came, followed by mild darkness!


    Although the two suns in the sky were nowhere to be seen, the city appeared bright as ever because of the light from the embers, the Lava Ocean, and the nearby volcanoes.


    Charles waited for another hour in the igloo house and then walked out.


    After that, he locked the rocky door and started walking on the street road.


    It looked more like a dirt path than a concrete road. Charles walked past many houses and soon arrived in front of 10 meters tall Igloo house. The house was so vast that it could hold ten ordinary Igloo houses inside!


    It was thergest house in the whole Red Human district!


    Charles even saw many Red Human guards stood at the entrance and guarded the house.


    ''It seems this I isn''t a normal prophet.'' Charles also used the ''Fore Warning'' skill to see any danger but ended up failing.


    After some thoughts, he finally gave up on meeting her and disappeared from there.


    The next second, he reappeared out of the city, looked in the opposite direction, and soon saw a dense forest filled with strange fire-elemental nts, trees, and shrubs.


    ''Savage Forest¡­'' Charles also saw a lone path moved deep into the forest and continued to walk.


    From Tebs''s memories, he learned that he needs to cross more than five territories to reach the border of the Twilight Land.


    But crossing the border wasn''t an easy thing. There was arge valley that separates the Twilight Land from the rest of the Elemental World.


    It''s called ''Blood Valley.''


    There was a unique race live in thisnd. It''s called ''Blood Bees.''


    These bees were faster, and their needles were strong enough to prate strong metals.


    They were capable of absorbing enemies'' elemental fire energy and could even kill a Rank-4 in minutes.


    But to make things worse, the space in that particr area was sealed and prohibit anyone from using any teleportation-rted spells or skills.


    ''It seems I need to think of a method to counter these bees.'' Charles thought to himself and continued to walk.


    He could''ve used [me Teleportation] spell or fly spell to cross this forest, but he didn''t dare underestimate the Red Dragon.


    ''I''ll go by walk for now.'' He thought to himself.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile,


    In the Miners'' Den City.


    A Red Human girl descended from the sky, moved towards the Red Human area, and soonnded in front of thergest Igloo house. She had crimson hair, amber eyes and looked around 130 to 140 cm high.


    She wore a luxurious silk cloth and held a strange scroll in her hand.


    She was none other than the Dawn Child, I!


    Currently, her face was filled with confusion, anxiety, and a strange fear.


    It was the fear of the unknown!


    Upon seeing her arrival, the guards who stood at the entrance knelt on the ground and bowed their heads.


    Meanwhile, she waved her hand and fastened her footsteps towards therge house.


    Within a few seconds, she arrived in front of the house, opened the door, and walked in.


    The interior was muchrger than a mansion house and was filled with gold ores, crystals, and many pieces of furniture made of rare materials.


    She hurriedly moved towards the right side wooden box and opened it.


    A blue crystalline orb appeared in front of her eyes.


    She then carefully took out the orb with both hands, ced it on the ground, and started to chant.


    Unlike the Scar Language, the words that came out of her mouth appearedpletely different!


    After a few minutes, she ended the chant, made a small wound on her finger, and let a drop of blood on the orb.


    The next instant, the bluish orb shone brightly and then revealed an image of a Red Human.


    The red human had short carmine hair, light coral eyes, a round face, a little fat body with a small belly, and he appeared around 175 cm high.


    He wore handmade fiber clothes, earrings and looked tired.


    Upon seeing the Red Human''s image, confusion on her face deepened!


    "A Red Human? Isn''t he the one who gave me Bubble Crystal? What is the meaning of this? What is his rtionship with the strange portal and the invisible anomaly?" She muttered in confusion.


    After some thought, she ced the orb back into the wooden box, locked it, and started walking out of her house.


    After that, she ordered the soldiers to go and look for the Red Human.


    Then, she released her wisdom power, rose from the ground, and flew towards the dark sky.


    Within a minute, she flew above the cloud, closed her eyes, and released her full wisdom power.


    Simultaneously, her body began to erge.


    Reddish scales appeared all over her body, and soon she formed into a figure of a Red Dragon!


    ''I went to the Savage Forest to check on something, but¡­ What is this something? How did I forget about it? What is the link between that portal and the Red Human merchant?'' Countless thoughts whirled in the Red Dragon''s head.


    But strangely, she forgot about the invader from the other world!


    In truth, she had been observing Charles for the past 18 years!


    At first, she thought that a foreigner would bring chaos to thisnd and thought of eliminating him.


    But Charles didn''t move out of the Savage Forest and stayed there silently.


    Once she learned that the invader had no n on making arge-scale invasion, she left him alone.


    But a few hours ago, she coincidentally bumped into him and thought of checking out his strength.


    To her shock, he actually managed to stand against her!


    At that moment, she knew that this guy had already grown powerful!


    Without any dy, she made up her mind and thought of eliminating him.


    Unfortunately, Charles manipted the space, created a portal, and escaped.


    Not only that, but he also erased his existence from everyone''s mind.


    Currently, she didn''t even a thing about him nor about his sudden rise in strength!


    A frustration appeared in the Red Dragon''s mind.


    She then opened her mouth and let out a roar!

 Chapter 342: Joel

    <h4>Chapter 342: Joel</h4>


    Savage Woods, Twilight Land.


    Charles suddenly heard a roar from the sky and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''The Red Dragon still hasn''t given up?'' He retracted his wisdom power andpletely reduced it to an average human level.


    ''The Dragon might''ve some other way to track down my location. I need to fool its tracking.'' He nodded inwardly, arrived near a crimson leaves tree, and took out the emerald gem-like leaf from his space ring.


    Then, he also took out a red ink bottle, dipped it for a second, and attached it to the branch using the resin.


    If he had ced the leaf without painting, it might attract others'' attention.


    ''I wouldn''t be surprised if the Red Dragon finds out this leaf and take it back to itsir.'' He didn''t waste a second, recited the chant in English, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, Charles reappeared in the underground basement hall, went towards the nearby chair, and sat on it.


    He waited.


    ¡­


    Haven Town, Halewick Haven, Azure Federation Territory, Endless Sea.


    There stood a two-storied estate next to the beach, and surrounding it was full of green nts and vines.


    At that moment, a golden-painted ship with seven sails drove from the endless sea of water and soon docked near the shore.


    Then, a red-haired woman in herte 20s jumped down from the deck andnded in the seawater.


    She was none other than Valerie.


    Following her were a bald man and a lean man. They were her first mate and second mate, Liam and Elias.


    They soon reached the shore, moved towards the estate, and arrived at the wooden fence.


    At that moment, two brown-colored shepherd dogs ran from inside and directly leaped towards them.


    No, both leaped towards Valerie and started licking her face and hands.


    Meanwhile, a deep-blue-haired man in his 30s walked out of the estate house and greeted them with a smile.


    "You seem aged a little, Charles." A pleasant voice came out of Valerie''s mouth as she patted the dogs'' heads and looked at him with a frown.


    During the past five years, Charles and Destiny Lady co-operated with Gold Demon crew members and earned a lot.


    Not only that, but they even formed an alliance and created a business-based fleet!


    Charles chuckled a little upon hearing her words, walked near the gate, and unlocked it.


    "Come in." He invited them in and waved his hand at Liam and Elias.


    At that moment, Elias ced his hand on Charles''s shoulder, dragged him away from Valerie and Liam, and asked in whispers.


    "Did you make any progress in your love?"


    Upon seeing their sneaky behavior, Valerie also smiled in amusement and spoke.


    "I can hear your voice all clear, Elias. The whole town, even Sophie, knew that Charles is deeply in love with her. Unfortunately, that girl had long given her heart to someone else."


    Liam also nodded his head and added.


    "We actually came here to discuss something about Sophie''s personal matter."


    Meanwhile, Charles''s expression turned solemn.


    "Is it about her lover?" He asked.


    At that moment, a ck-haired woman in herte twenties walked out of the house and asked in confusion.


    "Whose lover?"


    But soon, her scarlet eyes widened.


    The next instant, her whole body trembled uncontrobly.


    Her breath grew rougher, and even her footsteps became unsteady!


    She soon arrived near Valerie, grabbed her hands, and opened her mouth.


    But no words came out!


    Upon seeing Destiny Lady''s state, a deep sigh leaked out of Valerie''s mouth.


    She didn''t say a word, though. Instead, she hugged her, patted her head, and muttered.


    "I''m sorry, dear."


    Those words stuck Destiny Lady''s heart and stabbed it like daggers!


    An uncontroble pain appeared in her chest!


    Tears flew out of her scarlet eyes!


    She tried to open her mouth many times but couldn''t.


    She stood rooted in the same position for the next few minutes and finally released Valerie''s hands.


    She then calmed down a little, moved towards the nearby bench, sat on it, and spoke in a gloomy tone.


    "Tell me more about it."


    Valerie nodded her head, walked towards the bench, and responded.


    "8 years ago, a merchant ship rescued a person named Joel from the Endless Sea and started sailing to the final Ind. At that time, Joel was in a halfa state. Thankfully, a Life Church priest in the merchant ship healed his wounds and saved him. But just after a day of their journey, they seemed to have met a sea monster. A Rank-5 Sea Unicorn attacked the ship and heavily damaged it. The ship captain told us that more than 7 Rank-4 Mystics sacrificed their lives and tried to seal the creature."


    "s, that Sea Unicorn was too powerful andpletely overwhelmed them. Just when the creature was about to kill everyone, Joel flew out of the ship and confronted it. Joel used some fire spell on the Sea Unicorn, protected the ship and the people, and tried to drag it to the other side. But another Rank-5 Sea Monster called ''Shadow Snake'' appeared behind him and dragged him into a whirlpool. The captain said that the Shadow Snake pierced his chest before he got sucked into the whirlpool."


    Just as she finished her words, a strange silence appeared in the yard.


    "I-I w-want to go there." A low mutter came out of Destiny Lady''s mouth as she clenched her fist tighter and looked up.


    She stared deep into Valerie''s eyes and asked in a begging tone.


    "Please take me there, Valerie!"


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a deep sigh and shifted his attention towards Valerie.


    "How far is that final ind?" He asked.


    His question surprised everyone.


    "You agree to her decision? It''s suicidal!" Liam refused.


    Even Destiny Lady looked at him and stared at him in confusion.


    Noticing her gaze, Charles smiled lightly, looked into Destiny Lady''s eyes, and spoke in a calm tone.


    "I''ll help you get over there, Sophie. But once you confirm that your lover is dead, you''ve to cast this matter aside and move on."


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady nodded her head and stood up from the bench.


    "I know when to give up, Charles. I just want to go there and see for myself." Her voice contains a trace of anxiety and nervousness.


    At that moment, Valerie let out a deep sigh and interrupted their talking.


    "Charles, this isn''t like our previous missions. We are actually going deep into the Endless Sea this time, and the dangers will rise as we sail further. One single mistake, all of us will be doomed."


    Upon hearing her words, Destiny Lady took out a bluish gem from her space ring and smiled stiffly.


    "I''ve long met the requirements to Rank-Up, Valerie. I''m nning to Rank-Up by the end of this month."


    All of them got stunned for a moment as they heard her words.


    "It seems we have no choice then," Valerie said in a deep tone and added.


    "Go and pack your belongings. We are leaving before the dusk."


    Then, she and her crewmates returned to the shore, entered the sea, and soon climbed up to the Gold Demon ship.


    On the other hand, Charles and Destiny Lady returned to their rooms, packed their belongings, and soon walked out of the house.


    They also informed the Sage to take care of the shepherd dogs and walked out of the fence.


    After that, they cast fly spells on themselves, flew up, and soon reached therge ship.


    Therge Gold Demon ship made a loud horn noise and started sailing deep into the sea within a few minutes!


    ¡­


    On the other hand, in Tebs''s appearance, the real Charles stayed in the underground hall for a few more hours and finally stood up from the chair.


    Then, he walked towards the concrete wall, chanted a short recite in English, and soon disappeared from there!


    A momentter, he reappeared in the Fire Elemental ne, looked around for a moment, and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ''It seems the Red Dragon has finally given up.'' He muttered inwardly, rose in the air, and cast a wing spell.


    Instead of casting Rank-3 [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell, he cast the [Red Wings] spell, pped it twice, and started flying towards the opposite direction.


    But he didn''t dare to fly higher than 10 meters in fear of attracting the Red Dragon and silently followed the path.


    Although he met a few Lava Orcs, Night Goblins, and few other humanoid races along the way, none of them stopped him.


    No, they actually avoided his gaze.


    After flying for 13 hours, Charles finally managed to cross the Savage Forest and entered a ce called ''Madness Land.''


    Most of the creatures in thisnd were somehow affected by a strange madness disease and could attack any intruder.


    Charles also learned from Tebs''s memories that the creatures living in thisnd had some problems with their memories.


    ''Only Fury Ants, Four-Eyed Orcs, Wingless Red Birds, and some snake-type creatures live in thisnd. But once someone enters thisnd, they have to leave within 24 hours. Otherwise, they would lose their memories and would turn into mindless creatures. Mind Fire?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    Although he was eager to check it out, he didn''t dare dy his search mission and walked into thend filled with rocks, embers, and red sand.

 Chapter 343: Astral Being

    <h4>Chapter 343: Astral Being</h4>


    On a bright sunny day, a big-bellied red human in histe 30s flew above the rocky region filled with red sand and embers and soon stopped as he saw arge settlement at the farther end of the desert-like ce.


    Two red wings made of fire pped on their own and made him hover up in the sky.


    ''mebind City¡­ It is one of the ten biggest settlements in the Twilight Land, and a Rank-5 Efreet is the one who rules this ce. This Efreet race is said to be the descendants of the True Ruler of this ne and is worshiping a me Bird. They are pride creatures, loathe very, and would constantly wage war against the tyrannical rulers.'' Charles thought to himself, flew towards the ground, andnded near the settlement.


    Then, he entered the settlement after paying a strange red gem as payment and started looking for the Red Human child.


    Unfortunately, he found no clue about such a child!


    After some time, he left the settlement and moved towards his next destination.


    For the next few days, he stayed in the Twilight Land and almost searched most ces. If he were in Edhen World, he would have used the Book of Secrets and found some clue about the target.


    Unfortunately, the constetions in the Fire-Elemental ne were different from the Edhen World.


    If he wants to create another book, he had to start from scratch!


    ''But I have no time.'' Charles muttered under his breath as he stood at the edge of the cliff and looked at therge valley filled with reddish mists and rocks.


    Even though he stood at the summit of the Twilight Land teau, he still couldn''t see the other end!


    Only red mist and rocks covered the valley.


    No, there was even spatial crack that appeared in many areas and seemed to be breaking the space itself.


    ''The space¡­ No, the whole Twilight Land seemed to be sealed by some higher power. Even if I walked in, the spatial crack might open next to me at any minute and tear my body into shreds. But that is thest thing I need to worry about.'' As he muttered, his gaze moved towards the spatial vortex in the crimson sky.


    Although he couldn''t see what was on the other side of the vortex, he vaguely sensed the presence of Chaos Power!


    ''Abyss? That spatial crack seems to have some connection with the Abyss or some other Chaos ne. Hmm, there is a high chance some Abyssal life forms lurking in this valley.'' He thought for a moment and soon took out the red-colored leaf.


    He then conjured a ball of me and bathed the leaf in it. In seconds, the red-colored leaf started to change and soon formed into emerald-green.


    After that, Charles linked his mind with the Twin Leaf, erased the previous chanting, and reced it with a simple word ''Return.''


    Then, he cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell on himself and jumped from the cliff.


    But just as he started pping those wings, some elemental disturbance appeared around him and made his fly spell to go ineffective!


    Charles''s eyes shrunk abruptly!


    Without any dy, he used his wisdom power and managed to stop the momentum.


    After that, he scanned the surroundings and then descended slowly.


    After a few minutes of flying, Charles finallynded on the rocky ground and then looked at the red mists surrounding him.


    Simultaneously, he noticed the strange mists started to enter his body and frowned.


    ''Poison?'' Without any hesitation, he ced his hand over his chest and cast [Sun''s Shield] spell on himself.


    The next instant, a sunshineyer appeared around his body andpletely blocked the red mists from nearing him!


    Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and started walking towards the other side of the valley.


    But within a few seconds, buzzing noises came from the sky, causing him to halt his footsteps.


    He hurriedly looked up and saw thousands of red mosquitoes with sharp needles!


    Blood Mosquitoes!


    But what made him turn nervous was that each of them appeared as big as a human''s head and was flying towards him at a fast speed.


    ''They look like an upgraded version of the normal mosquitoes.'' Charles raised his eyebrows, zeroed his gaze on a single Blood Mosquito, and started searching for weakness using the [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    Simultaneously, he conjured a few fireballs and tossed them towards the sky.


    To his shock, those mosquitoes voluntarily moved forward and absorbed into the fireballs.


    But just as the fireballs were about to explode, the mosquitoes'' abdomens shone in red light and started sucking the surrounding fires.


    The next second, all the fireballs started to turn into pure fire elemental energies. Meanwhile, the mosquitoes made buzzing noises and absorbed those fire-elemental energies!


    Upon seeing this, Charles''s expression stiffened.


    But he didn''t lose his calm, though. Instead, he raised his hand, cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand], and send thousands of invisible strings towards the sky.


    Each of the strings soon tangled with one another and formed into a in the sky!


    Charles continued to create more invisible strings and soon created a dome-shaped around him.


    Meanwhile, the thousands of Blood Mosquitoes stuck in thoses and tried to squeeze in.


    But none managed to slip through!


    A smile crept on Charles''s face as he saw this.


    ''As I thought, these mosquitoes are only absorbing the fire-elemental energy as food. If that is the case, I think I can kill them without any problem.'' He casually raised both of his hands and conjured invisible mes around him.


    Then, he closed his eyes and started to manipte the other elements with the help of the false mes.


    ''There is only a little water elemental energy in this ne. I can only use this me to manipte the wind and earth elements. But the power in those spells would be less than 30 percent of my original spell. Moreover, casting such spells would drain my mental energy faster.'' While thinking, he raised both hands and made some hand gestures.


    The next instant, the rocks began to rise from the group, split into small pieces, and finally flew in all directions at a fast speed.


    A momentter, all those small rocks collided with the Blood Mosquitoes and killed them instantly!


    Even Charles got stunned by the result.


    Then, he retracted the invisible strings and continued to walk.


    Whenever he met a group of Blood Mosquitoes, he used the same method and exterminated them one by one.


    Two hourster, he finally reached the center and finally saw thend on the other side.


    ''If I''m not right, that should be the entrance to the Domain of the Lava Giants. Then, Ember Castle and the City of Red. It''s my next destination.'' He nodded inwardly and was about to take a step forward but soon froze.


    At that moment, his [Fore-Warning] skill triggered on its own and gave him a warning.


    Simultaneously, Charles also sensed an anomaly in the future vision.


    Instead of any future images, what he saw were nk images!


    ''What does this mean?'' He instantly thought of using the Twin Leaf and return to the Edhen World.


    But soon, he dismissed the idea.


    ''Each of my actions in this world causes countless variations in my fates and even my destiny. There is one more problem. What if my Twin Leaf suddenly sucked up into any of these spatial rifts? That would ruin my whole n. I might not even be able to evade my death.'' He muttered inwardly, got ready for any unexpected idents, and continued to walk.


    Just as he walked 50 meters on the hotnd, the space above him suddenly made a creaky noise.


    Without any hesitation, Charles backed away while avoiding the nearby spatial tears and looked up at the sky.


    At that moment, a small crack appeared in the space and soon expanded.


    Simultaneously, an eerie ball of ck smoke came out from the spatial crack and entered the elemental ne.


    Then, the ck smoke started to erge, descended from the sky, andnded on the rocky ground filled with embers!


    After that, the ck smoke started to rise and formed into a strange humanoid creature.


    No, only the upper half of its body appeared humanoid while its lower half appeared more ghostly ck smokes.


    But what made Charles raise his eyebrows was that he saw a strange ck scythe made of pure smoke appeared in its hands!


    ''What the hell is this thing?'' Charles widened his eyes in surprise.


    Without any hesitation, he used the [Arcane Eyes] skill and started analyzing it.


    But soon, he noticed that only the racial name appeared on the blue screen.


    ''An Astral Being? Smog Phantom?''


    Without any dy, he raised his hand, pointed his forefinger at the creepy humanoid creature, and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    The next instant, a dense amount of fire-elemental energy gathered at his fingertip, formed into a reddish bullet, moved towards the Smog Phantom, and almost arrived in front of it.


    But just as the bullet was about to pierce into the Smog Phantom, a dense ray of light came out from the humanoid being''s head and froze the bullet''s movement!


    Not only the crimson bullet, but the Smog Phantom''s surrounding reddish mists, a few mosquitoes, and even the flying specks of dust got frozen!

 Chapter 344: Time-Elemental Crystal

    <h4>Chapter 344: Time-Elemental Crystal</h4>


    ''Time-Stop ability!'' Charles''s pupil constricted all of a sudden!


    At that moment, Smog Phantom moved away from where it stood before and soon turned blurry.


    Simultaneously, Charles felt some invisible power attacked him out of nowhere!


    ''N¡­o¡­ It''s¡­ affecting¡­ my¡­ thoughts¡­''


    Without any hesitation, he released his wisdom power and activated the [elerate Thoughts] skill!


    Only then did he saw a blurry ck shadow was moving towards him at a fast speed. Moreover, it held an eerie ck scythe in its smoke-like hand!


    The shadow arrived in front of him in a blink and shed the eerie scythe at his head.


    Upon noticing the uing attack, Charles cast the [Fire Born] spell in a hurry and turned into an elemental being.


    Simultaneously, he took a step back and was about to back away but soon felt his whole body was turning stiff.


    ''Damn it; my body is not responding to my thinking speed. Moreover, I can''t even create my Fire Domain.'' Cursing inwardly, he mustered his strength and leaped backward.


    The eerie ck scythe tore through his [Sun''s Shield] spell and almost appeared in front of his cheek.


    Thankfully, Charles managed to move his body at thest second and evaded the attack.


    Still, a light scratch appeared on his right cheek.


    ''A troublesome enemy.'' Charles turned his gaze towards the ck shadow and cast [Burning Thoughts] spell.


    But to his shock, the Smog Phantom didn''t stop at all.


    Instead, it retracted its scythe and once again shed at Charles''s head!


    ''Why? Does this creature have no consciousness? Impossible. There must be another reason for it. How am I supposed to kill it?'' He was baffled for a moment.


    Charles then hurriedly released his invisible strings and tried to stop the Smog Phantom.


    Unfortunately, even that attempt went futile!


    All those invisible strings pierced through those smokes and couldn''t touch anything physical at all!


    ''Sh*t! My body isn''t responding faster to evade the scythe.'' Without any choice, Charles squatted a little and jumped upward a little.


    Simultaneously, the eerie ck scythe directly tore through the air, shed at his neck, and entered deep into his neck!


    But instead of panicking, a smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    Then, an eerie ckish ball of me appeared from his hand, moved towards the Smog Phantom, and crashed on its body!


    Unlike before, the Rank-4 [ck Inferno] managed to burn almost half of its humanoid body!


    On the other hand, the Smog Phantom''s scythe also cut Charles''s neck and decapitated his head from the body!


    Even though Charles was in his elemental body form, he still felt a sharp pain.


    ''No good!'' A frown appeared on his face as he instantly shifted his attention towards his Inner World and cast the Rank-4 [Heart of Fire] Spell.


    The next second, his decapitated head pulled towards the sliced neck and reattached on its own!


    Simultaneously, he returned to his human self and felt a wet sensation on his neck.


    At this moment, the ck Inferno spell continued to push the Smog Phantom towards the frozen [Finger of Destruction] spell and then started to burn the Smog Phantom''s ck smokes.


    A shrill cry came from the creature''s mouth as it tried to back away.


    With no other choice, it released the [Time Stop] skill that frozen the [Finger of Destruction] spell and used it on the [ck Inferno] spell.


    But a secondter, the reddish chaotic bullet started to crack and began to explode.


    A loud explosion came from the Smog Phantom''s back and caused the nearby spatial cracks to erge!


    Although the Smog Phantom could turn into ck smoke and evade most of the physical attack, it still wasn''t powerful enough topletely block the heat.


    In seconds, the chaos fire engulfed the creature and burned it.


    [Target Eliminated! 60,400 Exp rewarded!]


    ''What the hell? Only 60,400 exp? Does that mean that this creature is only a peak Rank-3 Creature?'' Charles got stupefied for a moment.


    ''Damn, even a Rank-3 creature could pose a serious threat to a pseudo-Legendary Mage, huh.'' He muttered inwardly and soon turned his attention towards the diminishing chaos mes.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly saw a fist-sized transparent crystal and raised his eyebrows.


    Then, he used the [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, picked up the crystal, and pulled it towards him.


    Soon, he caught the fist-sized crystal and inspected it using the [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    The next second, his expression turned serious.


    ''A Rank-3 Time-Elemental Crystal? So, this crystal has a dense amount of Time-Elemental energy, huh.''


    ''This creature only used two skills, but it almost killed me¡­ The first one is to stop the Time around a particr area, and the other is to slow down one''s thinking¡­ Decelerate Thoughts? So, it''s a Magical Beast with Time affinity?'' He stared at it in surprise and soon tried to store it in his space ring.


    But to his surprise, he couldn''t!


    No, he felt that a fierce elemental sh appeared in his space ring!


    With no other choice, he stored the fist-sized crystal in his pant pocket and continued to walk.


    During the next few hours, Charles met the Blood Mosquitoes a few times but didn''t face any difficulty to kill them.


    Soon, Charles reached the other end of the Blood Valley and started climbing up.


    After some struggle, he finally reached the Domain of Lava Giants and soon got stunned.


    Because what he saw was not some strange fire-elemental trees, creatures, and insects. Instead, the wholend appeared gigantic rocks, trees, nts, creatures, and animals.


    Even a rodent-like animal appeared more than one meter tall!


    The same goes for the nts and vines.


    ''Crossing thisnd seems to be a challenging one.'' He muttered inwardly and soon zeroed his gaze on the dense red forest filled with monstrous birds, trees, nts, and vines.


    Although he got shocked a little, he wasn''t anxious at all.


    ''Hmm, other than their monstrous bodies, there seems to be nothing abnormal about these creatures.'' He thought to himself and stepped forward.


    He first found a safe ce, returned to the Edhen World, and gave the Time Elemental crystal to the Holem''s Crown.


    After that, he returned to the Fire-Elemental ne and started his journey.


    Along the way, he met many giant creatures like Giant Wolves, Red Ogres, Behemoths, and even some Lava Orcs and killed them before sending the creatures'' bodies to Edhen.


    Although most of them were Rank-3 creatures, their values were pretty high because of their rarity.


    The days passed as he crossed the Domain of Lava Giants and finally reached the other territory.


    As he walked out of the red forest-like region, he looked at the front and soon widened his eyes.


    The next second, hot air assaulted him from the front and made him breathe harder.


    As the name says, embers and fires were the only things that appeared in thisnd!


    Multiple times of fires flew out from the ember-fillednds like volcanoes and made the surrounding air hotter.


    As Charles surveyed thend, he suddenly noticed something at the center and soon squinted his eyes.


    A monstrous castle stood at the center of the desert-likend caught his attention.


    Ember Castle!


    Unlike othernds, there was only one creature that survives in this harshnd.


    They were the Ember Golems!


    Most of them stay in the castle and continue to strengthen this castle defense.


    They would rarelye out of thisnd and always maintains a neutral rtionship with all other races.


    ''They also worship a strange ''God'' called ''Mother Earth''¡­ But unlike the believers in Edhen World, these Ember Golems never preaches and rarely invite outsiders to participate in the ceremonies. They are peaceful creatures.'' Charles nced at the information he got from the Tebs and stepped on the embers.


    Although he felt a slightly itchy sensation, his foot wasn''t affected by the heat and the mes at all.


    No, he felt a warm feeling instead.

 Chapter 345: Ember Golems Incarnation

    <h4>Chapter 345: Ember Golem''s Incarnation</h4>


    Charles walked on the ember-fillednd for half an hour and soon stopped.


    ''Why does the Ember Castle looks the same as before? Is it that far?'' He stared at the castle for a few seconds, released his wisdom power, and soon widened his eyes.


    At that moment, he felt a strange invisible power came from the other side and scanned his body!


    It was mysterious, well-concealed, and seemed very powerful!


    Without any hesitation, Charles acted swiftly, blocked the Dark Space, and stopped the mysterious power from invading his mind!


    On the other hand, the mysterious power tried to probe him for a few seconds and soon disappeared, leaving him alone in the desert-likend.


    He then stood there silently for a few more seconds and became hesitant.


    ''A powerful being resides in the Ember Castle¡­ Although I couldn''t sense its presence, it is definitely hiding there.''


    Charles also knew that this presence was not a Rank-5 Creature but possibly a Rank-6!


    ''Is it even safe to go there?'' He contemted for a moment and soon sighed.


    ''Hmm, there must also be some Rank-5 Ember Golems hiding in the castle. Although the mysterious power didn''t show any hostility, I''m not too sure that the other party would let me walk near to their castle. I wouldn''t be surprised if the Rank-6 powerhouse suddenly appears in the sky and attacks me.''


    ''Well, I''ve no choice then. Hmm, I could go around the castle, but it will be useless in front of the mysterious expert''s perception.''


    He smiled bitterly and cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell.


    At this moment, he had no choice but to move forward and face the danger!


    ''If I hesitate now, I would never seed in changing my Destiny!'' He cast those useless thoughts away and became firm on his current goal.


    Two eerie-ckish wings made of pure me appeared behind him and pped on their own.


    The next instant, Charles shot upward and soon arrived 500 meters above the ground.


    He pped the ck wings twice to maintain the speed, zeroed his gaze on the other side of thend, and shot forward.


    Like a bullet, he tore through the air and flew up in the sky at an incredible speed.


    But to his surprise, he noticed that the size of Ember Castle started to increase continuously.


    It was not the size of an ordinary castle at all!


    Its size continued to increase as he flew up in the sky.


    After a few minutes of flying, Charles looked at the Ember Castle from above and was stunned a little.


    ''T-This¡­ The Ember Castle is two timesrger than the City of Iron!'' He saw many small towers and soon turned his attention towards the outer walls.


    At that moment, he saw many Ember Golems standing above the walls and were aiming something at him.


    No, they were aiming at him with modern ballista-like weapons!


    Without any hesitation, Charles pped his wings and flew forward at a fast speed.


    At that moment, he also felt a feeling of being watched by countless eyes!


    That feeling didn''te from the Ember Golems in the castle but the mysterious expert!


    His heart started to race.


    It was the [Forewarning] skill!


    Simultaneously, he activated his [Vision] skill and peeked into the future.


    A secondter, his expression turned stiff.


    ''The mysterious expert will attack me in 2 minutes 35 seconds¡­ Once I flew past the border area, he will release his full power all of a sudden and lock the space. Then, he''ll pull me into the Ember Castle! He wouldn''t even give me a chance to retaliate.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    Although he had expected such an oue, he still felt somewhat annoyed.


    Once he learned about the uing threat, Charles didn''t dare to take any rash action and continued to fly.


    He maintained his calmness and acted as if he wasn''t aware of the uing threat.


    Time tickled as he continued to fly, and soon it was 10 seconds before the Mysterious powerhouse''s attacking moment!


    At that moment, Charles forcefully pped his ck wings, stopped in mid-air, and took out a green-colored gem-like leaf from his space ring.


    Simultaneously, he cast [elerate Thoughts] skill and curled his lips upward.


    First, he cast [Hands of Wonders] skill, released the single invisible string, and encircled the Twin Leaf like a tangled snake.


    After that, he turned his attention towards the farther forest region and moved his finger.


    A heartbeatter, the invisible string moved while twisting the space and soon appeared in the middle of a red forest-like ce.


    Then, the invisible string released the Twin Leaf, tossed it into the forest, and started to retract.


    ''Sess!'' He smiled.


    After that, Charles conjured the false me and started manipting the nearby space.


    A momentter, a bluish crack appeared in front of him.


    Before the Mysterious Expert could lock the space, the spatial crack began to expand and soon formed into a 3-meter tall portal!


    But just as Charles was about to enter the portal, an invisible power suddenly appeared around his body and blocked him from moving!


    The power within the invisible power was so strong that it caused Charles''s body muscles to rip!


    Multiple tears appeared all over his body, followed by drops of blood.


    ''Damn it! This guy is firm on capturing me.'' Charles''s eyes turned colder.


    Without any dy, he released his full wisdom power and started resisting the opponent''s mysterious force.


    Simultaneously, he took out the ''Star Watch'' from his space ring, adjusted the crown area, and got ready to click it at any moment.


    Meanwhile, the Mysterious power noticed something was off about him and soon retracted its power.


    But just as Charles was about to breathe out a sigh of relief, an illusionary figure of a humanoid being made of pure fire appeared behind him.


    It was the incarnation of an Ember Golem!


    The illusionary Ember Golem was around 5 to 7 meters tall, held a giant golden hammer in its right hand, and locked its gaze on Charles back!


    A momentter, it shed its hammer at Charles''s body.


    In the meantime, Charles felt that he was about to be crushed to a pulp by a mountain.


    He tried to move, but his body was not responding!


    It was as if something invisible was obstructing him from moving his muscle!


    ''Fear of death?'' A forced smile appeared on his face.


    ''If I got hit by this hammer, I''ll die for sure!'' He gritted his teeth, turned into an elemental form, and moved forward.


    Simultaneously, he shifted his attention towards the giant hammer and cast [Finger of Destruction] and [ck Inferno] spell on it.


    Unfortunately, those two Rank-4 spells only managed to stop the hammer for a moment before being smashed and turned into pure energies!


    "Do not resist." A male voice came from the Ember Golem''s mouth.


    It was so ancient, sacred, and pure!


    Upon hearing those words, Charles felt that it was better to surrender himself than dying!


    But just as he was about to give up, he entered his Inner World and became clear-headed.


    Then, he controlled his body from his Inner World, released all his invisible strings, and started covering his head!


    No, he also moved some of those invisible strings, let them enter his chest, and started enveloping his heart!


    In a second, his heart and head werepletely sealed!


    After that, he cast the [Sun''s Shield] spell on himself and got ready for the impact.


    A secondter, the golden hammer appeared behind him and broke the sunshineyer into pieces!


    At that moment, tens of golden streaks of fire came out of the hammer and spread towards his body.


    A few golden streaks moved towards his limbs and his body, while the remaining ones moved towards his head!


    ''Golden Fire? Lawful Fire?'' Charles was shocked a little.


    Without any hesitation, he released a part of his [Fire Domain] around his body and started absorbing the fire streaks into his Inner World!


    On the other hand, his Fire Domain shed against the golden hammer and pushed his body towards the bluish portal!


    Then, Charles disappeared into the portal, leaving the illusionary Ember Golem and its hammer alone in mid-air.


    The Ember Golem soon woke up from the shock and was about to leap into the portal but stopped.


    At that moment, the bluish portal started to shrink and soon disappeared from its eyes!


    ¡­


    Border Land, City of Red,


    A bluish crack appeared in the middle of the forest, filled with strange red trees, nts, shrubs, and vines, and soon formed into a 3-meter tall portal!


    A secondter, Charles flew out of the portal and crashed onto the opposite tree trunk.


    Thankfully, he managed to cast the [Sun Shield''s] spell once again and managed to reduce the injury.


    Then, he ced his hand over his chest, cast [Heart of Fire] spell on himself, and healed his injury.


    After that, he released his wisdom power, scanned the surrounding, and soon zeroed his gaze on a unique emerald-green leaf that appeared on the red soil.


    Then, he walked towards it, covered the leaf with some normal ones, and turned his gaze towards the Star Watch.


    He pressed the crown area a secondter, activated the [Fog of Time] ability, and then muttered.


    "Return."


    The next second, his body turned illusionary and soon disappeared from there!

 Chapter 346: A New Land

    <h4>Chapter 346: A New Land</h4>


    Just as Charles disappeared from the Red Forest, two types of invisible power came from two different directions and shed against each other.


    One belongs to the Ember Golem, who resides in the Ember Castle, while the other belongs to a new entity!


    But at that time, the Ember Golem noticed that it was missing some of its memories and felt puzzled.


    Then, the Ember Golem made a swift decision and retracted its wisdom power.


    ¡­


    Old Mansion, City of Iron, Edhen World.


    Meanwhile, a red-skinned human appeared in the underground basement and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    He had short crimson hair, light coral eyes, a round face, and a little fat body with a big belly.


    He was none other than Charles!


    Once checking the surroundings, he cast the [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in the city outskirts and soon shifted his direction towards the nearby woonds.


    Without wasting any time, he disappeared from there and reappeared in the middle of dense woods.


    After that, he stood near a tall tree, closed his eyes, and entered his Inner World.


    But just as he appeared in his Inner World, he was startled by the scene in front of him.


    At that moment, tens of golden streaks moving in every direction and were causing destruction all over his Inner World!


    Volcanic mountains, elemental forests,va pools were destroyed constantly by these golden streaks!


    ''T-This¡­ Although these streaks aren''t powerful, they are still capable of harming my Inner World!'' Without any hesitation, he created his [Fire Domain] and released all those golden streaks out of his Inner world!


    A secondter, all those golden streaks appeared out of his body and started destroying everything in his Fire Domain.


    Some golden streaks even escaped from his Fire Domain and caused destructions in the outside world!


    Meanwhile, Charles opened his eyes and saw that the red trees, nts, uniqueva pools, volcanic mountains, andnds started to burn in golden mes.


    Within a few seconds, the golden me enveloped his Fire Domain!


    Charles stood in the middle of the golden me and started to frown.


    ''Hmm, the golden streaks aren''t Rank-5 spells. They are peak Rank-4 spells.'' He still remembered how powerful a Rank-5 spell could be.


    ''There is something else that is troubling me. That Ember Golem is really a Legend-Rank Powerhouse?'' He felt something was off.


    ''The Ember Golem''s incarnation had the power to kill me with a single attack, but it still hasn''t reached the Rank-6¡­ But its wisdom power is something unique and well-concealed. No, I felt a feeling of sacredness and pureness. If not for my high perception, I wouldn''t have noticed its presence. Hmm, there are a few things I need to find out. First, I must find out more about the religions.'' Charles erased many Lava Orcs'' memories and learned a few things about other races during the past few weeks.


    The one thing that caught his attention most was the different religions in the Fire Elemental ne.


    Each race believes in some God-like Entity and worships them regrly.


    ''Lava Giants worships an entity called Sun Lord¡­ Red Humans and Crimson Birds worship Fire Bird, Ember Golems and Magmins worship Mother Earth, Magma Fiends worships a strange humanoid creature named ''Morgas''¡­ And Red Lizards worships Dragon God. s, there is no evidence about these entities'' presence in this world.'' A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    He then looked at the surroundings and soon noticed that the golden me was starting to soothe down.


    Nodding inwardly, he dismissed the [Fire Domain], reappeared in the outside world, and soon clicked his tongue.


    At that moment, he saw that the surrounding trees and nts were already burning in the same golden mes!


    ''As I thought, my pseudo-domain isn''t strong enough.'' He shook his head and then cast [me Teleportation] on himself before enveloping himself in a crimson me.


    A secondter, he disappeared from there and reappeared in the same underground basement hall.


    Then, he cast [vision] skill and checked whether it was safer to go back to the Fire Elemental ne.


    ''Hmm, there is no possible danger. It means the ''Fog of Time'' skill manages to erase my appearance from the Ember Golem''s mind.'' A smile crept on his face.


    Still, he thought it was better to act cautious and chose to stay in the basement hall for a few hours.


    After that, he walked towards the nearby concrete wall, focused his attention on the Twin Leaf, and muttered.


    "Return."


    A momentter, he reappeared in the middle of the red forest filled with dark-red trees and nts.


    He then released his wisdom power, searched for the Twin Leaf, and found it beneath the withered leaves.


    After that, he stored it in his space ring and started walking deep into the forest region.


    Along the way, he came across a small mountain range, a natural river filled with pure water, and even some green nts!


    He also noticed that the temperature in the surrounding areas also dropped significantly!


    If Charles had been transported here instead of the Twilight Land, he wouldn''t have thought of this ne as a Fire Elemental ne!


    ''This looks more like a normal world!'' He climbed down from the mountain range and moved towards where the river water was flowing!


    A few hourster, he finally walked out of the forest region and soon got astonished by the scene.


    Instead of dense woods and grasnds, agricultural nts and cultivatednds were the only things that appeared in front of his eyes.


    Meanwhile, the Red Humans were constantly doing agricultural works like irrigating through channels, cropping, fertilizing, etc.


    They stored the leaking water from the river in a pond-like area and irrigated it through water channels.


    Charles even saw some red human kids picking fruits and vegetables from the nts and vines and putting them in their backpacks.


    Upon seeing the Red Humans, there was one word that appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''Civilized!''


    They were much more civilized than the rest of the elemental races!


    Comparing to these people, the Red Humans in the Miners'' Den appeared more like barbarian tribes!


    They live in Igloo-type houses made of hot ember stones, appeared a little aggressive, wore hand-made dresses, and more importantly, they were ves!


    But the people here in thisnd appeared more like free citizens.


    There were no chains around their cors; they wore well-designed dresses and looked neater.


    Charles also noticed that their skin color appeared a little bit paler and appeared more like blush!


    As he stepped on the small path, many farmers looked in his direction and gave him a curious look.


    The main reason for that was not due to his skin tone, but his crimson hair!


    In thisnd, most of the Red Humans had only brown hair!


    ''It seems I need to alter myself a little.'' He muttered inwardly and soon continued to walk next to the river.


    After a few minutes, he reached an isted area and started to change his skin tone.


    Within a few seconds, his body skin turned from red to blush, and his hair color also changed into a brown one.


    After that, Charles took out an old linen shirt and pants and changed his clothes.


    Comparing to the hand-weaved dress, this one appeared well made.


    Once the disguise was over, he continued the journey and constantly searched for a lone target.


    After a few minutes of walking, he came across a dirt path and stopped.


    At that moment, he saw a Red Human woman mounted on a six-legged horse-like creature and was slowly riding up ahead.


    Unlike other Red Humans, she wore a leather-armor-like dress, held a unique curved sword in her waist, and appeared strong.


    Charles studied her for a moment and soon chose to follow after her.


    Meanwhile, the Red Human woman rode the horse-like creature, stopped near some farmhouses from time to time, and soon entered another woond.


    The tree barks in the nearby woods appeared eerie ckish, and the leaves also seemed to be dark greener.


    Although some trees'' leaves looked red, they didn''t release any fire-elemental energy at all.


    Almost all the trees in this woond were normal ones.


    While riding, the woman suddenly saw a strange fat Red Human blocking her path up ahead and furrowed.


    She instantly pulled the ropes, stopped the horse, and then jumped down.


    After that, she unsheathed the curved sword, pointed the tip at the Red Human, and asked in a strangenguage.


    Unfortunately, Charles couldn''t understand a single word that came out of her mouth.


    Without wasting any time, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself and reappeared in front of her.


    Then, he cast [Burning Thoughts] on her and knocked her unconscious.


    After that, he cast the rank-4 spell [Burning Consciousness] and started erasing her memories.


    Language, culture, religion, history, and much more information appeared in his mind one by one.

 Chapter 347: Journey

    <h4>Chapter 347: Journey</h4>


    A few minutester, Charles erased most of her memories, swiftly unsheathed the ck dagger from his waist, and plunged it into her throat.


    The Red Human woman twitched for a few seconds and finally went motionless.


    ''Good.'' Charles nodded his head, took a drop of her blood, let it drop on his palm, and started to shape-shift.


    Once he changed himself into a 25-years-old looking woman, he removed her dress, shoes, and ornaments and then wore them one by one.


    "Hanna¡­ What a nice name."


    Muttering inwardly, he turned his gaze towards the six-legged horse and grinned.


    Meanwhile, the horse got frightened by his grin and started to back away.


    "Riack." He muttered in a strangenguage called Fars Language, conjured a ball of red me, and tossed it on the dead woman''s body.


    On the other hand, the horse seemed to have been enchanted by that word and started running towards him!


    Upon seeing this, Charles nodded with a smile and soon caught the ropes.


    Then, he hopped on the horse, pulled the ropes, and started riding.


    But at that moment, his mind was entirely upied by the information he gathered from the Red Human Woman.


    In truth, this Red Human territory was muchrger than what he had expected.


    Other than the City of Red, there were more than 200 small towns in thisnd.


    Each of these towns was governed by aristocrat-like people.


    As for the poption, there were more than 10 million Red Humans living in this Domain!


    The people here in this Red Human territory spoke twonguages.


    The first one was Fars Language, which was also an officialnguage in the whole Domain.


    The second one was an ancientnguage called ''Paragon''s Tongue.'' Unlike the officialnguage, thisnguage was spoken by a minority of people, and they were called Paragons and Sacred Humans.


    They were the ones who created a unique hereditary system in this Domain and belonged to Royal bloodlines. They were the rulers of this Red Human territory.


    In thisnd, the Red Human citizens were divided based on the purity of their bloodlines.


    The majority of the Red Humans were Freeman, and they were more than 80% of the poption.


    The farmers, merchants, bakers, weavers, winemakers, stonemason, cobblers, and other job people belong to this group. They were basicallymoners!


    But unlike themoners of Edhen World, they had strong bodies and could cast one or two Rank-1 bloodline spells!


    s, almost all of them were stuck in the Rank-1 realm because of the less amount of pure Red Human bloodline and were considerably weak here.


    Then, the second majority of the people were called Helpers, and they were 10% of the total poption.


    Those who managed to Rank-Up and became Rank-2 beings were called Helpers.


    They mostly work as government officials, guards, army members, border patrols, and so on. They also get the privilege to buy houses in the City of Red''s second District.


    Then, the next group of people was called Paragons. They were more like aristocrats and heldplete authority over all the Red Humans.


    They were pure-blooded Red Humans and had the power greater than any other Helpers.


    The Red Human woman whom Charles killed earlier and stole her identity actually belonged to this group!


    She was a Rank-3 Warlock and could cast more than five different types of spells.


    ''She belongs to a branch family of a paragon family called Cortoner and has 3 siblings. Her father is the Lord of the town called Bores and an illegitimate child of the Cortoner family member. The most important thing is that this Cortoner family isn''t even considered a powerful noble family in the City of Red. There are more than 1,000 Paragon families in the Royal section.'' Charles muttered inwardly and soon shifted his attention towards the Sacred Humans.


    They were a religious group of people and held equal rights as Paragons.


    Although they were not many, this group of people was powerful enough to shake the whole Domain.


    They called themselves Sacred Humans and were firm believers of an entity called ''Fire Bird.''


    Unlike the Royals and other Red Humans, these people would also use some unique spells called Divine spells!


    They mostly live in arge sanctum called Divine Temple located at the center of the City and rarely show interest in politics and other things.


    ''But my most concern is about their leader, Adur¡­ The Fifth Apostle of the Red Bird and also the Hero of Red Humans¡­ From Hanna''s memories, he is revered as a Demi-God by all the Red Humans and they even built temples for him in all the towns. Even Hanna would visit the nearby Sacred Temple and participate in the holy ceremonies daily before going to work. The same goes for all the Red Humans. Even if they didn''t go to the Temple, they would do a simple ritual in their house to get his blessing.'' Charles checked all the information and soon concluded.


    ''This City of Red is more dangerous than I thought. There are two things I need to be wary of. The first one is the leader of this religious group. Adur might be a very powerful mystic with the possession of some powerful artifact. The second one is about the unique Divine spells. What are these spells? I need to gather some information about those when I get free time.'' But his main object was not that.


    First, he had to find the Red Human brat!


    ''But I need to speed up.'' He closed his eyes and sighed.


    ''I''ve 4 months to live. If I didn''t find the ''Heart'' and find a way the Destiny, my death will be certain¡­'' Charles opened his eyes and then pulled the robes.


    Simultaneously, he took the whip from the saddle and whipped it.


    Meanwhile, the horse let out a loud neigh and started running deep into the woods madly.


    Charles continued to ride the horse for two more hours and finally exited the woond.


    After that, he moved on the dirt road and saw a small town encircled by tall fences.


    He even saw some Red Human guards at the entrance and led the horse.


    A few minutester, he entered the town without any problem and moved towards a particr mansion-like building.


    Yes, the houses that appeared in the Red Humans'' settlements seemed more like the houses from the Edhen World.


    Cottage houses, huts, brick houses, and even some well-built storied houses appeared in his visions.


    As the horse strolled on the street road, Charles maintained his cold attitude and soon reached the two-storied house''s entrance.


    Many Red Human guards even greeted him happily as he arrived at the entrance and opened the gate in a hurry.


    Shaking his head, Charles directly entered the house, moved towards his room on the top floor, and packed his belongings.


    Then, he stored everything in his space ring, wrote a letter for her father, and left the mansion.


    After that, he mounted on the horse again and started his journey to the City of Red.

 Chapter 348: Goal

    <h4>Chapter 348: Goal</h4>


    A twenty-year-old young woman sat on a three-legged horse and was riding on a dirt road. She had a curved body, medium-sized melons, blush skin, a heart-shaped face, and wore a leather armor-like dress.


    There was also a long-curved sword hung on her waist and made her look more like a warrior.


    This young woman was none other than Charles!


    As he kicked the horse, it made a snort and fastened its speed.


    Currently, he was on his way towards the City of Red.


    As the horse moved forward, he constantly nced around and watched the beauty of thisnd.


    After a few minutes of riding, Charles soon saw a tall mountain up ahead and whipped the horse.


    Meanwhile, the horse let out another dissatisfying grunt and ran faster.


    Within a few minutes, Charles reached the mountain''s foot and moved around it.


    Soon, he saw arge city filled with tens of thousands of tiny houses.


    But what made him widen his eyes was not the size of the city but a single ck tower!


    Yes, an eerie ck tower stood at the center of the city and seemed to be touching the sky!


    ''Mystic Tower? No, this one lookspletely different.'' He frowned.


    Soon, he checked the information from Hanna''s memories and soon raised his eyebrows.


    "A dungeon, is it?"


    It was the first time he had heard of such a thing.


    ''Hmm, she too doesn''t know much about this dungeon¡­ But she once heard from her father that the Paragons and Sacred Humans are strict with rules and would never allow any impure Red Human to walk near it. Even her father only looked at this tower from afar before leaving the city. Oh? Is it because he is an illegitimate son?''


    While thinking, he pulled the reins and led the horse towards the City of Red.


    He continued to travel by horse for the next two hours and soon arrived in front of an 8-meters tall stone wall.


    At that moment, hundreds of Red Humans moved in and out of the city like busy people.


    As for checking, there was none.


    Charles, too, whipped the horse and entered the city through a metallic gate.


    Although a few well-armored red humans stood at the entrance, none of them blocked his path.


    Well, there were some lecherous perverts stared at his bulging chest and his ass, though.


    Comparing to other red human females, Hanna was indeed a peerless beauty in her hometown.


    If Charles used the ''Disguise'' skill to change his face, he wouldn''t have attracted the guards'' attention.


    Unfortunately, he used the [Shape-Shifting] skill using Hanna''s blood and turned into a woman.


    So, even her charm attribute had transferred to him!


    Currently, it was showing 20!


    ''Can it even help me in any way?'' He instantly pulled the reins, patted the horse, and rode it towards the group of soldiers.


    They also noticed her actions and soon averted their gazes from her chest.


    On the other hand, Charles soon arrived near the guards, hopped down from the horse, and asked in a pleasant female voice.


    "Have you seen this kid?"


    While asking, he waved his hand and started to make some hand movements!


    In truth, he used the false me, manipted the water elements from the surrounding air, and created an illusionaryyer.


    After that, he inserted the piece of Edith''s memory and created a realistic illusion of a Red Human kid!


    He was the same kid who appeared in Edith''s vision!


    On the other hand, the red human guards were startled by his illusion creation method and stared at him in surprise and shock.


    "H-How did you create an illusion, My Lady?" One of the guards looked at the illusion for a second and asked.


    But what made Charles feel surprised was the tone he used to call her.


    He became very humble, like his servant!


    The guard was around 6 feet tall, muscr, rough face, and had blush hair.


    He wore armor made of some beast leather and held a bronze-tipped spear in his hand.


    ''Hmm? Why is he showing humble expression?'' Charles also nced at other guards and noticed that they were also showing polite expressions on their faces.


    Without wasting any time, Charles adjusted his dress and spoke casually.


    "It''s my unique bloodline spell, mister. Now, can you guys tell me the answer?"


    Meanwhile, the muscr guard nodded, turned his gaze towards the illusionary image, and frowned.


    He then pondered for a moment and responded.


    "He is a pure-blooded Red Human, My Lady. Look here; he has unique crimson hair and bright red skin. Only those who belong to the Royal lineage would look like this."


    Upon hearing his words, Charles''s eyes widened.


    ''Pure blooded Red Humans? Does that mean their skill color difference is not due to them staying in hot areas?'' Although he had expected such a result, he was still shocked a little.


    ''Royal Lineage, huh.'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face.


    Meanwhile, the Red Human guard retracted his gaze from the illusion and said calmly.


    "It might be impossible for us to go there, but you are an exception, My Lady." He paused for a moment and then asked with a smile.


    "You must be from one of those outside settlements, right?"


    Upon hearing his words, Charles wore a startled look and nodded his head after a short hesitation.


    On the other hand, the muscr guard smiled a little and continued.


    "Like you, there are some half-paragons who woulde to this city often. Some woulde here to see their original family members, while the others woulde here to earn money and fame. s, most of them would return to their hometown in disappointment. As for the remaining few, they would choose to stay here and start working for the Paragons. If they have enough strength, they would register for government jobs and be real citizens. Hmm, I think a few powerful ones became higher officials aftering here and moved to the Royal District under some privilege. Unfortunately, those types of lucky and powerful ones are rare."


    His voice contains a trace of envy.


    Upon hearing his words, Charles raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "Wait¡­ How do you know that I''m a half-paragon?"


    Meanwhile, one of the nearby guards nced at his right ear and spoke.


    "Unlike normal Red Humans, a half paragon''s ears are slightly red. You are also an attractive one. Like this, there are many differences between us, My Lady." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Although it was hard to distinguish, we found out your identity after you showed us the earlier illusion magic. In this whole Red Human race, Paragons are the ones who are capable of casting different kinds of unique spells."


    A look of astonishment appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''These guys are not bad. Hmm, I should continue my acting.'' He muttered inwardly and continued to ask like a clueless half-paragon.


    "But why are you speaking to me in respect?"


    Meanwhile, the muscr guard shook his head and answered.


    "Although you are just a half-paragon, your status is way above us, My Lady. As long as you didn''t go to serve the true Paragons and stays in the second district, you can live in there like a true lord. If you came here for money, you can be a patrol officer and earn by various means. If not, you can also show your strength to the garrison leader and be a high-rank patrol officer. Moreover, you''ll get a private house."


    He spoke like a tempting merchant.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "Unfortunately, I have other purposes." He suddenly paused for a moment, revealed a mischievous smile, and then added.


    "I came here to snatch the authority of this city. Otherwise, why would I waste my time toe here?"


    Saying so, he skillfully hopped on the horse, pulled the reins, and started moving deep into the crowd.


    On the other hand, the muscr guard and the other guards wore a dumbfounded look on their faces and soon broke intoughter.


    Unfortunately, no one would''ve thought that what he said was the actual truth!

 Chapter 349: Immortal Kid

    <h4>Chapter 349: Immortal Kid</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles led the horse into the city, entered the main road, and soon moved to a random street in the First District.


    The First District had hundreds of streets and appeared vast. Because of this, the Paragons further split the First District into five sections and manage them under strict rules. If someone wants to move from one area to another, they had to get proper approval from the section mayor!


    The security inside each section was also tighter than any other ce Charles visited before. Patrol guards appeared in many areas, and they were constantly monitoring the surroundings all the time.


    But Charles also saw many illegal actions, crimes like thieving, shoplifting, public order crime, etc.,


    Upon seeing this, he couldn''t help but show a deep sigh.


    "There are some things that never change in any era." He muttered as he walked on the market area and entered a nearby alley.


    Charles was currently nning to rent a small house and then start searing for the Red Human kid.


    ''I have more than 10 Chariots. Hmm, this should be more than enough for me to rent a house for a few months.'' He nodded inwardly, took out a small leather pouch, and peeked into it.


    A total of ten reddish crystals appeared in the pouch.


    All of them were thumb-sized and appeared unique, with a symbol of a bird engraved in them.


    Although they look more like elemental crystals, they were unique metals.


    These crystals were the currency used by the Red Humans!


    ''Pawns, Chariots, and Crowns¡­''


    Pawns Were the lowest value currency while the Crowns were the highest value currency in this Red Human territory. The Pawn crystals were paler than the Chariots, and the Crowns were brighter.


    While thinking, he moved on the street road and soon started searching for a rental house.


    After a few hours of search, he rented a suitable one-storied house for 8 Chariots and then moved towards his primary goal.


    He first tied his horse outside the rented house, moved towards the other end of the First District, and finally arrived in front of a 3-meter tall wall.


    It was a wall that separates the First District from the rest!


    He then searched for a while and found an entrance towards the other side.


    Although the guards asked him about his origin, he told them that he was a descendant of the Cortoner family and entered.


    After that, he moved to the Second District and began to ask a few Red Humans about the crimson-haired kid.


    Unlike the Red Humans in the First District, most Red Humans in the Second District were Rank-2 and Rank-3 Bloodlines Warlocks!


    They were the Helpers!


    Although these ''Helpers'' weren''t allowed to stay in the Royal District, most of them were working as guards or servants!


    So, they would go there regrly and knew more about the Royal District.


    Within an hour, he finally found some information about the crimson-haired kid!


    ''This kid is a Keeper of the Royal Library¡­ As for his family background, no one knew much about it¡­'' Charles frowned as he walked on the street road and soon arrived at the Royal District entrance gate.


    Unlike the entrance to the Second District, there was only one person who stood at the gate!


    He had an average-built body, a round face, 190 cm tall, unique scarlet eyes, crimson hair, and looked around 30 years old. He wore a in brown shirt and pants, held an opened book in his hand, and seemed to be in the middle of reading while leaning his back against the closed metallic door.


    But just as Charles walked near to the gate, he suddenly felt an invisible power wrapped around him.


    The power appeared mysterious, sacred and even gave him a feeling of warmth!


    ''T-This¡­ When the Ember Golem scanned me earlier, I felt this same familiar invisible power!''


    At that time, he thought that those power were unique to Rank-6!


    ''Is this the power of Divine Spell?'' Charles halted his footsteps, cast [Arcane Eyes] on himself, and analyzed the gatekeeper.


    ¡­


    [Name: ??????


    Race: Human (???)


    Bloodline: ????


    Level: Rank-4 Bloodline Warlock (Peak)


    Attributes:


    Strength- 22.5


    Dexterity- 24.9


    Constitution- 27.5


    Wisdom- 95


    Charisma- 23


    Bloodline Spells: Fire Immunity, Fire Regeneration, Swirling Fire, Unyielding me, Vermilion Wings.


    Divine Spells: Wall of Fire, Divine Sense, Holy me of Spear, Vengeance me.]


    ¡­


    ''Heh, he is a peak Rank-4 Bloodline Warlock, huh.'' He raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    He then looked at his bloodline spell names and shifted his attention towards the Divine Spells section.


    Meanwhile, the gatekeeper also closed his book and stared at him in surprise.


    "A half-paragon? Moreover, a young woman? Which family do you belong to?" He asked in a calm voice.


    "Cortoner Family." An instant response came out of Charles''s mouth as he started walking towards the Paragon.


    On the other hand, the gatekeeper nodded his head, took out a unique badge, and showed it to him.


    "30 Crowns for one time visit. With this, you can stay there for three days. If you don''t have the right amount, you can go back now." He said in a casual tone and waited for him to pay.


    In the meantime, Charles got stunned for a moment.


    But soon, he woke up from the shock and shook his head.


    "I don''t have enough money. But I''ve enough strength." Saying so, he waved his hand and released his wisdom power.


    The next instant, the gatekeeper''s expression changed drastically.


    He felt some invisible power came from the half-paragon and shed against his own!


    ''She already broke the bloodline shackle? This is a big surprise for our royal faction.'' He hurriedly retracted his wisdom power and spoke in a surprised tone.


    "Wee to the Royal District, youngdy. It''s rare for a half-paragon to break the bloodline shackle at this young age." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "I should''ve noticed your real strength, but it seems I need more training. So, what is your Name?"


    "Hanna," Charles answered calmly.


    Meanwhile, the gatekeeper nodded his head and introduced himself.


    "I''m Reed from Vernize family. So, did your family members know about your arrival?"


    Upon hearing his words, Charles gave him a suspicious nced and shook his head.


    "They knew nothing about me. In truth, I came to this city for another purpose." Saying so, he took a step forward, walked towards him, and asked him a strange question.


    "Have you ever been to the Royal Library, mister?"


    Upon hearing his words, Reed raised his eyebrows in confusion and was about to respond but stopped.


    At that moment, he noticed that he suddenly forgot anything rted to the Royal Library!


    A strange foreboding sensation appeared in his mind.


    But before he could think further, Charles smiled amusingly, conjured a realistic illusion of the Red Human kid, and asked the following question.


    "Do you know anything about this kid?"


    Meanwhile, Reed subconsciously turned his gaze towards the illusionary image and soon began to think about the Red Human kid.


    At that moment, information about the Red Human kid appeared in his mind and soon got enveloped in a mysterious purple me.


    ''Oh? Casper¡­ The Keeper of Secrets and the Immortal kid¡­ He is a blind Red Human and has a mysterious past. He is working as a Keeper before Reed was even born and stay in the library. Many Paragons tried to search about his past, but none seed. Reed is suspecting that Sacred Humans are the ones who keep this information confidential. But what''s more mysterious is that the Red Human kid only has the strength of a normal mortal. As for how he obtained the immortal gift, not even a normal Paragon knew this¡­ Hmm, the Rank-5 Paragons might know something about him.'' Charles skimmed through the information and shifted his attention towards the nk-looking Reed.


    Then, he shook his head, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Reed woke up from the strange nk state, released his wisdom power, and searched the surroundings.


    But at that moment, he forgot about the person he was looking for!


    On the other hand, Charles reappeared in the Royal District and looked around.


    Simultaneously, more than ten Paragons noticed his sudden arrival and were about to warn others but stopped.


    Charles smiled at everyone and spoke.


    "Please forget everything about me."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and started walking towards the right side path.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding Paragons also forgot about his sudden arrival and moved on their own.


    ¡­


    After walking for a while, Charles made a right turn, entered the main road, and searched for the library.


    He scanned the surrounding mansion buildings and soon zeroed his attention on a tall building.


    The building was more than 300 meters tall and appeared warm and cozy. It had been built with red bricks and had white brick decorations.


    Tall, rectangr windows brightened up the building and added to the building in a fairly asymmetrical pattern. There seemed to be more than six floors appeared in the building, and the roof was t and covered with seagrass.


    Charles noticed that even the ordinary houses in this Royal District appeared to be made of unique materials.


    ''Hmm, it''s the Royal Library.''


    Nodding inwardly, he took a step forward and started walking towards the particr building.

 Chapter 350: Origin

    <h4>Chapter 350: Origin</h4>


    Within a few seconds, Charles arrived in front of the tall building and walked in.


    As he stepped on the carpeted floor, he noticed that the whole surrounding went silent.


    Charles looked at the grand hall filled with tables and chairs and noticed more than twenty red humans were already seated. All of them held books in their hands and were reading silently.


    Charles stepped forward without disturbing their reading and moved towards the right side.


    He walked past many bookshelves, soon saw a straight staircase, moved near it, and went upstairs.


    Soon, he reached the second floor and continued to move upstairs through the straight staircase.


    A few minutester, he reached the sixth floor and was about to step into the hall filled with bookshelves, tables, and chairs but stopped.


    At that moment, a voice came from the right side.


    "W-Who is it?"


    A secondter, a crimson-haired kid came from the right side corridor while tapping the floor with a ck stick and soon arrived near the staircase.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked at the blind kid and smiled.


    "If you take a step forward, you will fall."


    Saying so, he activated the [Arcane Eyes] skill and analyzed him.


    ''Hmm? Why his body attributes are showing question marks? Is he that strong? No, his body is too weak. Wait¡­ 55,504 years old? He is older than Mr. Rh?'' Charles''s expression stiffened.


    At that moment, he knew that the person in front of him was not some random kid, but a terrifying final boss monster!


    Although he wasn''t strong now, he knew that he should never take this guy lightly!


    Meanwhile, the blind kid blinked his white eyes, looked in the direction he was standing, and spoke.


    "Paragons are forbidden toe here! Please go back, mister!"


    Even though he spoke in a childish tone, Charles strangely felt the voice as eerie.


    Without waiting for his reply, the kid turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.


    Of course, he constantly tapped the ck stick to check the bumps and went deep into the library hall.


    On the other hand, Charles managed to calm down a little and asked.


    "Casper, right? I came here to look for you."


    Upon hearing his words, Casper halted his footsteps, gripped the ck stick with his tiny hand, and asked.


    "What do you want?"


    His voice contains a trace of annoyance.


    Meanwhile, Charles took a step forward, arrived behind him, and responded in a serious tone.


    "A heart. It should be something unique and precious."


    For a second, an eerie silence appeared in the library hall!


    s, Charles sensed a slight anomaly appeared on the kid''s face for a short time before returning to normal!


    ''This guy sure knows something.'' He patiently waited for the answer.


    In the meantime, Casper maintained his silence for a few seconds and shook his head.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about."


    "I, too, don''t know much about this heart, mister. That''s why I came here to look for this heart. You are my only clue." Charles said in a dead-serious tone.


    On the other hand, Casper sighed deeply, turned around, and spoke.


    "Do I look like someone who can help others? I''m nothing more than a blind child."


    His voice contains anger and helplessness.


    ''Child? Lies.'' Charles clicked his tongue and spoke coldly.


    "55,504 years is not a child''s age, Mr. Casper."


    Just as he finished his words, Casper suddenly looked in his direction in surprise and blurted out.


    "I''m 55,504 years old?! Do you know me? No! Impossible! After that great cataclysm, no one should''ve known about me. How did you find my actual age?" Curiousness and confusion appeared on the child-looking face.


    Meanwhile, Charles was quite baffled by the questions.


    ''He doesn''t know about his real age?'' He stared at the kid for a moment and asked the main question.


    "Are you truly blind?"


    Casper nodded his head and responded as he turned around.


    "I was like this when I wake up from the long slumber. It happened 3230 years ago. I lost most of my memories at that time, and I only remember a few important things." He paused as he arrived near a metallic chair, climbed on it, sat down, and continued to ask.


    "Why are you looking for me? Where did you hear about that ''heart''?"


    Meanwhile, Charles released his wisdom power, isted the whole library hall from the outside world, and introduced himself.


    "I''m Charles, and I came from another world." He paused for a moment and exined more about how he came to this world, what he experienced in Edhen World, how he became cursed, and so on.


    "To put it simply, I got targeted by the Edhen World''s will and is destined to die in 3 months 28 days. To evade this destiny, I made detailed ns five years ago, searched for clues in the future, and managed to get some clues. Among them, one is you, and the other one is this ''Heart.'' After learning this news, I came to this world and started searching for you everywhere." Charles said with a gloomy look on his face.


    Meanwhile, Casper faced his direction, nodded his head in understanding, and spoke.


    "I vaguely understand your situation. I think you came here to look for is that being''s heart, mister. Unfortunately, even if I tell you about its location, it''ll be impossible to reach there."


    "Which being''s heart? Moreover, why is it impossible for me to reach there?" Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    On the other hand, Casper let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Before I tell you more about that being, I''ll tell you some secret about thisnd." Saying so, he climbed down from the chair, took the ck stick, and started walking towards the nearby bookshelf.


    Soon, he touched the books one by one and finally picked up a golden-covered one.


    "18,000 years ago, this Fire-Elemental ne was inhabited only by Fire-Elemental beings and wild animals. There were no Red Humans, Night Goblins, Lava Orcs, Giants, or other humanoid creatures. In truth, there was no Red Human race at that time." He paused for a moment, flipped open the pages, and finally stopped at a particr page.


    "In this page, you''ll see who the Red Humans'' real ancestors are." Saying so, he moved the opened book and showed it to Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles saw many humans entering an artificial portal on that page and became stunned.


    No, he also saw goblins, orcs, giants, and even golems entering the portal!


    But what surprised him was that all of them seemed to be cooperating!


    "The Red Humans were descendants of Humans? Wait. These five races came here as refugees?" He instantly noticed something was amiss and asked.


    Meanwhile, Casper nodded his head and answered.


    "Yes. I don''t know why the five races left their homnd. But they came here for one purpose, and that was to survive. Unfortunately, the hot atmosphere of this Fire-Elemental ne became their first obstacle. In just a few weeks, many of the children and elderly people died."


    "Died? The humans that came here weren''t powerful?" Charles asked with a frown.


    "Yes, the powerful one among the human was only a Rank-3 Mage. The same goes for the other four races. Although they tried to create a fire-resisting shelter, the fire-elemental creatures started to attack their haven and became their second obstacle. For the next ten years, these five races united together and managed to survive in thisnd. Although deaths often happened, they faced all the obstacles and finally epted this world as their new home. During this time, many new mages were also born from all races and gave hope for the newly unified civilization."


    "Not only that, but these five races also finally managed tomunicate with the five guardian deities of this Fire Elemental ne."


    "Guardian Deities?" Charles asked in confusion.


    "Yes, there are five guardian beasts who lived in thisnd. They were Sun Lord, Mother Earth, FireBird, Dragon God, and Morgas. The Sun Lord was a Noble Sun Griffon, Mother Earth was an Earth Fairy made of pure sand and rock, FireBird was a Phoenix bird, Dragon God was a Fire Dragon, and the Morgas was a Basilisk. These guardian deities weed the otherworldly beings as their guests and even created afortable ce for them to live. The current low-temperature in this area was actually because of their doing."


    "But the peace didn''tst too long, though. Another disaster appeared. It was an unknown enemy with pure intent to destroy the life forms from this world. In this book, they mentioned that enemy as ''World Eater.''"


    Upon hearing the kid''s words, Charles suddenly felt a strange chill in his heart!

 Chapter 351: Adur

    <h4>Chapter 351: Adur</h4>


    ''World Eater¡­ What is that thing actually?'' He couldn''t help but flip the pages to see any other portraits.


    Noticing his action, the crimson-haired kid shook his head and responded.


    "There are no descriptions about the World Eater in this book."


    Meanwhile, Charles gave Casper a suspicious look and asked.


    "You can read?"


    On the other hand, Casper turned around and started to speak.


    "Yes. Although I can''t see, I can feel the characters. The Red Humans uses some special ink to write. This Ink is denser than any ordinary ink, and the characters written using this Ink appear more like carvings. So, it''s easy for me to read the characters by touching them. I''ve been reading like this for thest five millenniums." He paused for a moment and then started talking about the World Eater.


    "The arrival of the World Eater was a historical event for all the races. The survivors of the great cataclysm said that the whole world plunged into eternal darkness for twelve days. The five Guardian Deities were the only ones who managed to keep their visions from the eternal darkness and tried to find out the root problem."


    "And, the Guardian Deities told the survivors that they had battled against some terrifying monster. All their divine spells and other innate bloodline spells went useless against that thing. Anything that touched the monster became nothingness. No, I heard that Guardian Deities'' Forbidden Level spells manage to do some harm, though. Unfortunately, no one witnessed that battle."


    "In the end, all those five Guardian Deities managed to break the eternal darkness and gave a new light to this world. As for whether they manage to eliminate this World Eater or not, no one knows. But the Dragon God suddenly disappeared from the world after returning. But before its disappearance, the Red Dragon blessed all of its bloodline descendants and removed most of their bloodline shackles."


    "It boosted their bloodline to grow faster and surpass its peak level one day. That''s why the Red Dragons, Drakes, and other lizard creatures are growing inrge numbers than the rest of the Fire-Elemental Creatures. Meanwhile, the remaining four Guardian Deities didn''t utter a word about the battle and prepared for something. They first separated a portion of their blood essence and gave them to Humans and other four races."


    "The Sun Lord gave a portion of its blood essence to Giants and Orcs, the Fire Bird gave a portion of its blood essence to Humans, the Mother Earth Fairy gave a portion of its blood essence to Golems, and the Basilisk gave a portion of its blood essence to the Goblins. They then cast some forbidden spell and changed their races intopletely new ones."


    "The Humans turned into Red Humans, the Giants and Orcs turned into Lava Orcs and Lava Giants, the Golems turned into Ember Golems, and finally the Goblins turned into Night Goblins. As long as they possess extraordinary fire affinity, these newly created races could break the bloodline shackles one day and be Demi-God Level Existences."


    "That''s the Guardian Deities''st present for the five races. They helped the Humans and others races and created a future for them to walk on the path of Warlocks. They then separated a portion of their divinities, presented them to the Humans and other races'' leaders for protection, and finally became one with the Fire Elemental ne."


    "Became one with the Fire Elemental ne? What do you mean?" Charles became stunned by the history and asked in surprise.


    Meanwhile, the blind kid went silent for a moment, pointed his finger towards the outside, and asked.


    "Do you see thatrge ck dungeon at the center of this city? That''s Fire Bird''s Divine Kingdom. After Fire Bird gave its divinity to the Human Leader, it created this dungeon and ced its Divine Kingdom, its remaining portion of Divinities, and even Divine Organs in it. The ''Heart'' you are searching for is also hidden somewhere in that dungeon. It''s the Fire Bird''s heart. Like the Fire Bird, the other three Guardian Deities also created simr dungeons and ced them at the center of other cities for giving the final hope for the five races."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s eyes widened.


    He soon nodded his head, thought of something, and asked an important question.


    "Then, who are you?"


    "That¡­ I''m also a little confused about my origin. But I do have some spections. The remanent memories in my head are most likely the Dragon God''s memories. Although I look more like a normal Red Human, I have an endless amount of vitality. It might be the reason for my immortality. To put it more simply, I might be the reincarnation of the Dragon God. That may be the reason I knew more about this world than the rest of the creatures. I know how the Guardian Deities created these dungeons, what are the secrets hidden in there, and so on."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles nodded his head in understanding and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''So, he is the Red Dragon''s reincarnation, huh. That exins why he has broken attributes and an abnormal age. Although this kid looks harmless on the outside, he is a real deal. Thankfully, he isn''t hostile towards me.'' He muttered under his breath and asked the following question.


    "How strong is Adur?"


    That was his most important worry.


    If Adur was a Rank-6 Warlock, he had no choice but to back away.


    Currently, he wasn''t even strong enough to face a Rank-5 Warlock.


    So, going against a Rank-6 Warlock would be a suicidal idea!


    On the other hand, Casper went silent for a few seconds and spoke in a cold tone.


    "I feel malice intention from your thoughts, foreigner. If you promise me not to harm the Red Humans in the name of ''Fire Bird,'' I will tell you more about Adur."


    Meanwhile, Charles got stunned by the Red Human kid''s words and nodded after some thoughts.


    ''In truth, I don''t care whether these people live or die.''


    As long as he gets the Fire Bird''s heart, he would leave this Fire-Elemental ne and change his Destiny.


    Once he did that, he would go into hiding for a few more years and prepare for participating in the nar invasion of Abyss.


    Shaking his head, he made an oath in the name of Fire Bird under Casper''s guidance and promised him that he wouldn''t cause any genocide.


    But he told Casper that he would cause some damage to Red Humans, but it would be minimal.


    Casper also knew that casualties would be unavoidable if arge-scale battle urs; so, he agreed.


    Once the oath ceremony was over, Casper nodded his head in approval and exined.


    "In truth, many Red Humans and the Paragons are dissatisfied by the current Red Human head. Twenty years ago, many high-rank Paragons opposed Adur, told him to give up on the leader seat, and even requested him to give up the Divinities to the new champion. Unfortunately, Adur refused to give up."


    "Champion?" Charles furrowed his brows and asked.


    Meanwhile, Casper nodded his head and gave him a detailed exnation.


    "Every ten years, the Paragons would conduct arge-scale test on all Red Humans and search for possible candidates with pure bloodline. Those who have more than 90% pure bloodline of the Red Bird would be called Champions. If such a person appears, he will be the next leader of the Red Humans. But something changed twenty years ago."


    "When the Paragons found a young boy with 92% pure bloodline, they requested Adur to give back the divinities to the next generation champion. But not only did he refuse their request; he even sent assassins after the newborn champion and killed the small kid. His action angered all the Paragons. In anger and dissatisfaction, a few Rank-5 Paragons united together and went to battle him."


    "Unfortunately, Adur was too strong for them. He crushed all the Rank-5 rebellion Paragons and even executed them publicly in the name of treason. Although Adur is a Rank-5 Warlock, he has the Fire Bird''s Divinities. As long as these Red Humans worship him, he will get an endless amount of Divine Power from them and overwhelm any normal Rank-5 Warlocks in seconds."


    Saying so, Casper tapped the floor using the ck stick and started walking back to the table.


    On the other hand, Charles closed the golden-covered book, ced it on the shelf, and walked back towards the nearby table.


    But he couldn''t help but take a look at the naive-looking kid with a surprised expression on his face.


    "The reason you asked me to do an oath in the name of Fire Bird¡­ You feared that I would massacre the whole city to weaken Adur?" He chuckled.


    "You wouldn''t?" The Red Human kid sat on the chair and asked while tilting his head.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and answered.


    "No, I wouldn''t hesitate to massacre the Red Humans in this city. But that would be my final option. After all, there are many ways to weaken one''s belief. Hmm, it seems I''ve to go back and make preparations now. Time is ticking."


    As he spoke, he stood up from his seat and started to walk towards the opposite staircase.

 Chapter 352: Create an Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 352: Create an Opportunity</h4>


    A few minutester, Charles stealthily left the library and started walking towards the Royal District''s entrance gate.


    At the same time, he recalled all the information he got from Casper and started to think of a n.


    ''Faith, huh. If I want to weaken Adur, I need to erase him from everyone''s mind. But that would take too much time. There is a high chance that the other party might notice my n and stop me from weakening him. Unlike the Fire Mages from Edhen, the Red Humans can also cast some unique memory-rted fire spells. Adur is no fool; he would''ve long prepared for such unexpected situations. What to do? Wait¡­''


    ''Can I turn this identity into a new champion? Hmm, a young half-paragon female warrior came to this city to seek money, fame, and power; but got pulled into the conspiracy of the Paragons. Then, suddenly a mysterious person came to the Paragons'' home and told them that this woman was the Fire Bird''s chosen one. Then, the Paragons chose to support the new champion and nned to overthrow the Sacred Humans'' rule. Hmm, this looks good. But to fool others, I need to do some tricks.''


    ''Shall I create a unique incarnation of the Fire Bird in the sky and let it give some hint to the masses? Nah, the Rank-5 Paragons and Adur will easily see through my disguise. I need to study more about these Divine Spells. I think Mr. Rh might know something about these Divine Spells.'' He nodded inwardly and continued to walk on the well-cleaned street road.


    ''I will create an opportunity for ''Hanna'' to shine. Then, I will use that opportunity and weaken my opponent''s strength slowly. After that, I''ll let the Paragons take care of this weakened Adur and enter the dungeon. Before that, I also need to create some evil organization or cult. That will act as a stepping stone for Hanna''s rise.''


    While he was in muse, he already arrived in front of a metallic gate and noticed that it was already open.


    At that moment, he saw a four-wheeled carriage drove out from the Royal District and soon stopped as it moved a few meters away from the gate.


    The one who rode the carriage was a middle-aged Red Human, and he had brown hair, a short beard, and had a stern face.


    Meanwhile, a young woman walked out of the carriage and looked in Charles''s direction in confusion.


    She had long wavy hair, an oval face, elongated eyebrows, and appeared to be around 178 cm high. She wore a luxurious traditional dress made of some silk-like material and looked 20 to 25 years old.


    Reed also followed her gaze and soon widened his eyes as he saw Charles.


    Confusion appeared on his face.


    Without minding him, Charles adjusted his long hair and walked out of the Royal District.


    But just as he walked past the gatekeeper Reed, he locked his gaze on Charles''s back and asked in a cold tone.


    "How did you get in there? Who are you? Wait. Your face looks familiar-"


    At that moment, his eyes widened all of a sudden.


    Although he didn''t understand, he was sure of one thing.


    ''Something feels off about this woman!''


    Without any hesitation, he also gripped his spear and began to infuse it with pure elemental power!


    Meanwhile, the young woman wore a surprised look on her face and soon asked the coachman.


    "Have you seen that half-paragon, Percy?"


    Meanwhile, the coachman shook his head and responded in confusion.


    "There is only a handful of half-paragons staying in the city, My Lady. But most of them are working for their families."


    Just as the young woman was about to say something, she suddenly noticed the gatekeeper''s aggressive action and frowned.


    "Shall I stop him?" Percy asked.


    "Nah, let him give her a small beating. Although she is a half-paragon, she still isn''t qualified to walk into Royal District without permission. From the looks of it, she seems to have confidence in her strength." The young woman said in a calm tone and turned her attention towards Charles.


    ''Heh, they are going to watch my next action, huh.'' A cold glint appeared in Charles''s eyes as he halted his footsteps and ced his hand on the hilt.


    He then calmly turned around and unsheathed the long curved sword.


    Simultaneously, he mimicked Reed''s technique and infused his weapon with his fire-elemental energy!


    "You want to know my name?" A mischievous smile appeared on the female-looking face as he pointed the sword tip at Reed and added.


    "Stand against me for 10 seconds."


    Just as he finished his words, Charles took a step forward and moved.


    But his movement speed appeared blurry and fast!


    Before Reed could understand the situation, a weapon collided against his spear.


    But what shocked him most was that his whole body went numb for a second.


    Thankfully, he managed to calm down and backed away multiple steps.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Divine Sense] spell and observed the surroundings to a full extend.


    As long as he uses this Divine Sense, he can perceive the opponent''s next movement to some extent!


    ''That woman is fast! She is aiming to get behind me!'' He watched the blurry shadow with wide eyes and started to swirl the spear at a fast speed.


    At that moment, the whole spear turned into a me pole and started releasing rays of reddish me towards the direction where Charles was moving.


    No, the red mes moved in all directions and looked more like swirling fire!


    On the other hand, Charles became surprised by Reed''s spell and backed away a little.


    Although he used ''Crimson Steps'' and ''elerate Thoughts'' to speed up his momentum, he was still not strong enough to toy with a Rank-4 Warlock.


    ''But I''m strong enough to crush him head-on. Hmm, it''s better to use only three spells now.'' He nodded inwardly and moved once again.


    Unlike before, he cast [Burning Thoughts] on Reed and erased his current thinking.


    A secondter, the swirling fire began to disperse and soon disappeared from Charles''s eyes.


    Reed''s spear also flew away from his hand andnded on the other side.


    Meanwhile, he stood there dumbly for two continuous seconds and finally regained his sense.


    But before he could understand the situation, a sharp de appeared on his neck and made a light cut.


    "You lost."


    Saying so, Charles casually sheathed his sword and started walking towards Second Street''s main road.


    On the other hand, the young woman and the coachman stared at his back for a few seconds and then looked at each other in confusion.


    "That woman¡­ Investigate more about her." The young woman said in a cold tone and soon moved towards the carriage.


    Meanwhile, Charles left the Second District and soon moved towards a particr street called Dawn Route.


    After a few hours of walking, he soon arrived in front of a single-storied house encircled by a wooden fence.


    It was still early in the evening when he emerged onto the Dawn Route, near the meat market.


    Wooden shops with disintegrating roofs and broken signs stood next to the newly rented house.


    The house appeared older, poorly maintained, and resembled more like an abandoned house.


    Charles nced at the yard and noticed that only a few ornamental nts looked attractive to his eyes.


    ''Tsk, there are so many weeds and thorny nts.''


    Shaking his head, Charles walked near the wooden door, unlocked it, pushed it open, and walked inside.


    There was no furniture in the house. Instead, the whole ce appeared empty!


    ''Well, I won''t be staying here anyway.'' He let out a deep sigh and moved towards the bedroom.


    After that, he locked the door from inside and began to inscribe runal letters all over the wall. He continued to work for the next few hours.


    It was a simple anti-detection array circle.


    After that, he ced the Twin Leaf and stealthily left the Fire-Elemental ne.


    ¡­

 Chapter 353: Blueprint

    <h4>Chapter 353: Blueprint</h4>


    Old Mansion, City of Iron, Edhen World.


    Charles reappeared in the underground basement hall, released his wisdom power, and checked the surroundings.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the right side and noticed that a white-haired man was seated on the nearby wooden chair.


    Currently, he held a metallic te in his hand and seemed to be in the middle of inscribing runal characters.


    Upon noticing his arrival, he halted his movement, looked at him in surprise, and asked.


    "How is the journey? Did you find any answer for the clues?"


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled slightly, nodded his head, and exined what he heard from Casper. He also told him about the five race''s history, the Guardian Deities, World Eater''s invasion, and so on.


    "World Eater, huh. It''s been a long time since I heard about that thing." Oswald''s expression turned gloomy.


    "Have you seen that thing, old man?" Charles also noticed a change in his tone and asked.


    Upon hearing his words, a bitter smile crept on Oswald''s face.


    "I wouldn''t be speaking to you if I encountered that thing head-on,d. When Eddie confronted the World Eater in a separate pocket dimension, he sent me away to cast a ''Miracle'' spell. At that time, even I don''t know much about the World Eater. But I once heard from a few ancient mages that the World Eaters were born from the void and could be capable of destroying anything in its path."


    "Wait¡­ it can even swallow a sun, right?" Charles asked all of a sudden.


    "How did you know?!" A shock appeared on Oswald''s face.


    On the other hand, Charles went silent for a moment and spoke.


    "In my old world, scientists found a simr thing called ''ck Hole'' in space. Its gravity is so strong that nothing- even light can''t escape from its path. It can swallows, stars, and even gxies. But I''m not sure whether both of these things are the same or different. s, there must be some link between these two things." He paused for a moment and asked another question.


    "What do you know about the Divine Spells? How do they work?"


    "Divine Spells? Hmm, if you want to know more about the Divine Spells, you need to learn more about the Divine Path." Oswald said in a calm tone.


    "Divine Path?" Charles raised his eyebrows and waited for Oswald to continue.


    Meanwhile, Oswald nodded his head and began to exin.


    "Divine Path is more of aplicated path. To walk on the path of Divines, you need two important things. The first thing is the believers. Without enough believers, you will be nothing more than a broken Divine. Although some Ancient Mages use the Divinities as supportive things and focus on improving their body strength, those types of people are very rare. Mostly, the Divines depend on their believers'' strength."


    "The second thing is about Divinities. To be a Demi-God, you need to gather five Divinities of the same Domain, fuse them, create a Divine spark, and then form the Divine Kingdom. As long as youplete this process, your body attributes will increase exponentially and enter the realm of Saint Level. By your body attribute levels, your strength, constitution, and Dexterity will be above 75! Once you attain this body state, you can even move in the [Time Stop] Domain!" He deliberated for a moment and then continued with a sigh.


    "But to further improve on the path of Divine is a hard thing. The main thing is about getting the same domain Divinities. Let''s take the Sun God as an example. If my guess is not wrong, he should be a Low-God. It means that he currently has more than 10 Sun Divinities. But if he wants to be a Mid-God, he needs more than 50 Sun Divinities! s, getting 50 Sun Divinities is almost an impossible task. No, even getting a single Sun Divinity is a hard thing."


    "Where do these Divinitiese from?" Charles suddenly got curious about the Divinities and asked.


    "Hmm, that itself is a quiteplicated question. I heard from a schr once that these Divinities are born from nature. Let''s take these Sun Divinities as an example. I once heard that the Sun Divinities appear on the outer surface of the Sun. The same goes for other Divinities. When certain environmental conditions coincide, something happens out of the norm and gives birth to these so-called Divinities."


    "Now, do you understand why it is difficult to get these Divinities? If the Sun God wants to gather more Sun Divinities, he has two options. The first one is to search for the same Domain Divine and steals them from him. The second one is to enter the endless void, move towards the Sun and get the Divinities by himself. But both options are risky."


    "Even if he found the same Domain Divine, he needs to lure the Divine out of his Divine Kingdom. Then, he has to kill the Divine''s main body and steal the Sun Divinities. Unfortunately, no Divine would be foolish enough to walk out of his Divine Kingdom. Sneaking into an opponent''s Divine Kingdom and stealing his Divinities is also not an option either. That would be the universal stupidest idea." As Oswald ended his lengthy speech, Charles nodded his head in understanding and asked another question.


    "So, what is the role of the believers? Will they get stimted from time to time and increase the Divine''s wisdom power?"


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald went speechless for a moment and shook his head.


    "Although the Divine does get Wisdom Power from its believers, it won''t help much during battles. The believers'' main role is to strengthen the Divine Spells. Here, another power helps the Divines to strengthen their Divine Spells. It''s called the power of faith! Yes, faith ys a crucial role when a battle urs between Gods."


    "During the battle, the Divines always project the battle incident to their believers in their Divine Kingdom and show them how powerful they were. In return, those fanatics will get over-excited and release uncontroble positive emotions. That''s called faith. The Divines, in return, uses this power of ''Faith'' and cast powerful Divine spells to battle the opponent. The stronger the faith of its believers, the more powerful its Divine spells would be. That''s why most of the ancient mages avoid confronting the Divines. As long as the Divines stay in their Divine Kingdom, they would send incarnations and their avatars to battle and overwhelm their enemies."


    As Charles heard those words, he couldn''t help but show a wry smile.


    He then pondered for a moment and asked another question.


    "Is there a way to imitate the Divine Spell, old man?"


    "Imitate?" A frown appeared on Oswald''s face.


    He then thought for a moment and shook his head.


    "Imitating a Divine Spell without Divinity is impossible." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "What are you nning,d? Why do you need the power of Divine Spell?"


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled helplessly and spoke about his n.


    "Oh? Do you want to create a Red Bird''s incarnation with Divine Power and fool the Red Humans? Hmm, this is an interesting idea. But are you sure about this? Once you start your n, you will face assassinations from these Sacred Humans. There is a high chance that Adur might notice your scheme and try to kill you earlier." Oswald said in a solemn tone.


    "I have no time left, Mr. Rh. It''s the only option. As long as I trick these Red Humans, I canpletely cripple Adur and let the Rank-5 Paragons take care of him. Then, I will have an easy time entering the Dungeon." Charles responded clearly.


    "Indeed." Oswald nodded in approval, created a white cloud, and tossed it to Charles.


    Although Charles was surprised by his action, he didn''t evade the cloud and quickly absorbed it.


    The next instant, a blueprint appeared in his mind.


    "It''s a minimized version of the Divine power extractor, and I call this as ''Essence Gatherer.'' Unlike the other one, this one can temporarily gather people''s soul essences and store them for a short time. You can use this blueprint, create these Essence Gatherers using fire-elemental energy and infuse some of your thoughts in them. Then, you can ce these Essence Gatherers in people''s bodies and let them do the Essence gathering works. When the right timees, you can use your thoughts and create a fake Fire Bird''s incarnation using these soul essences. As long as you made a perfect n, you can even fool Adur."


    Saying so, Oswald waved his hand and shifted his attention towards the metallic te.


    On the other hand, Charles shifted his attention towards the newly obtained blueprint and started to think.

 Chapter 354: Pseudo-Legend Body

    <h4>Chapter 354: Pseudo-Legend Body</h4>


    ''Hmm, I think I need to start working now.'' Charles nodded inwardly and shifted his attention towards his Game Interface.


    ''The next thing is about my advancement. To Rank Up my main ss, I have toprehend the final spell model. Unfortunately, it would take more than a month toplete it. After that, I need to increase my Strength attribute to above 25 and get the Pseudo-Legend body. Thankfully, I still haven''t leveled up my Sub-ss.'' He muttered to himself and turned his attention towards the Exp bar.


    ''7.81 Million Exp¡­ Damn, that''s a whole lot of Exp points I have.'' He couldn''t help but show a pleased smile on his face.


    Before he went after Red Prince, he only had 4.9 Million Exp points.


    But after he killed the Red Prince, Saron, and Martin Nightwind, he received around 3 million exp points.


    ''This should be more than enough.''


    Nodding inwardly, he looked at the Main ss section and began to ponder.


    Just when he thought of returning to the Fire-Elemental ne, he suddenly recalled something, turned his gaze towards Oswald, and asked.


    "Did you notice anything out of the norm in the Iron City, old man?"


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "Everything is okay. Wait. There is an incident that happened after you left. But it''s just a small feud between Titus and Tyler Elliott."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    "Titus? I thought you said that he quit being a Mystic and started living a normal life, right? What''s with him? Moreover, Tyler Elliott? Isn''t he the one who assassinated his father before the coronation ceremony? He also took full control over the Elliott family, right?"


    "Yes, that guy gave some trouble for Daisy when she went back to see her father''s graveyard. Thankfully, Jessie seemed to have anticipated the plot and intervened. If not, Tyler and his family members might have captured Titus and Daisy and held them as hostages." Oswald paused for a moment and then added.


    "Griffon family also seems to have been involved in this plot."


    Meanwhile, Charles fell into deep thoughts and soon frowned.


    Then, he closed his eyes, conjured a ball of purple me, and weaved it into a small orb.


    After that, he reshaped the orb into a coin-like thing and turned his attention towards his Inner World.


    He then replicated his memories, infused them with the purple coin, and made it look like an illusionary coin.


    But he didn''t end it there, though.


    Instead, he conjured three more purple fireballs and created three more simr-looking purple coins.


    "Old man, please use your power and ce this coin in those kids'' Inner Worlds. It''s better to prepare for the worst-case scenario."


    Saying so, he passed those purple coins and then shifted his attention towards the right sidewall.


    "I''ll onlye on thest day before the Destined Day. Till then, take care of everything." He said in a calm tone and recited a word in English.


    A momentter, his figure turned blurry for a moment and soon disappeared!


    On the other hand, Oswald nced at the four purple coins and soon showed a surprised look on his face.


    "A defensive mechanism against memory erasing spells, huh. Thisd improved a lot during the past five years." He nodded inwardly and stored those illusionary purple coins in his space ring.


    After that, he turned his attention towards the metallic disk in his hand and continued to work.


    ¡­


    Dawn Route, First District, City of Red, Fire Elemental ne.


    Charles reappeared in his newly rented house and looked at the empty bedroom.


    Then, he cleaned the floor using a broomstick, took out a mat from his space ring, and ced it on the floor.


    After that, he sat in a cross-legged position, closed his eyes, and entered his Inner World.


    For the next few weeks, he mostly stayed in his bedroom andprehended the final spell model.


    The only time he went out of his house was to buy food for himself.


    He also sold the four-legged horse to the nearby house owner and earned 4 Chariots.


    The time passed as he continued toprehend the spell model.


    Exactly 35 dayster, Charles finallyprehended the [Heart of Fire] spell model.


    He then walked out of his house, entered the yard, and nced at the weed-filled areas.


    After that, he moved out of the fence gate and started walking towards the main road.


    Thirty minutester, Charles finally left the City of Red through the small exit and walked in a particr direction.


    His current destination was a volcanic mountain range located at the farther end of the Red Human''s territory.


    That was the only ce where the Red Humans would avoid visiting due to the harsh environment.


    Once Charles reached a particr distance, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared a few km away from where he stood before.


    He continued using the [me Teleportation] spell, crossed many viges, towns, and farnds, and finally left the habitable area.


    He soon saw a volcanic mountain range and hot rockynd on the other side and then teleported.


    A momentter, he reappeared at the summit of an ash-filled mountain and released his full wisdom power.


    After scanning the surrounding areas for a moment, he opened the Game Interface, focused his attention on the sub-ss section, and poured 2,701,845 Exp points into it.


    ¡­


    [332,535 exp points deducted!]


    [You are a Level-2 Cloner!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [498,802 exp points deducted!]


    [You are a Level-3 Cloner!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [748,203 exp points deducted!]


    [You are a Level-4 Cloner!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    [1,122,305 exp points deducted!]


    [You are a Level-5 Cloner!]


    [1 Free Attribute point rewarded!]


    [20 skill points rewarded!]


    ¡­


    Charles nodded inwardly and put four free attribute points into the Strength attribute.


    A secondter, some mystical energy came out of the System Cube and seeped into his body.


    Then, the mystical energy entered his body cells and started to strengthen his body.


    At that moment, Charles felt an itching sensation and soon realized that his whole body was entering a new phase!


    His senses became heightened, and his muscle also hardened like a rock.


    ''This¡­ Is this the Pseudo-Legend body strength?'' He clenched his fist, bent down a little, and punched the air.


    To his surprise, his simple hand movement released a shockwave and sliced the nearby rocks!


    ''Good.'' He nodded with a pleased smile on his face and shifted his attention towards the free attribute points section.


    ''Oh? I still have one attribute point left? Yeah, I never used this one after I ranked up the subss.'' He muttered inwardly and chose to put it on Dexterity attribute.


    Then, he found a suitable ce and sat on the ground.

 Chapter 355: Curse of the Overlord

    <h4>Chapter 355: Curse of the Overlord</h4>


    After that, Charles activated the [Vision] skill and checked his future for the next few minutes.


    ''Hmm, there is no anomaly¡­ It''s safe to Rank Up.'' A smile crept on his face.


    Then, he zeroed his focus on the main ss section and checked the Rank-Up mission.


    ¡­


    [Mage ss Rank-Up Quest: Endurance


    Description: Endurance is a part of every Mage''s strength. Endure the pain, endure the hardship, endure the struggle, and you will achieve your goal one day.


    Mission: Completed!


    Rewards: 430,500 Exp points]


    ¡­


    [Host has met the requirements to Rank Up!]


    [There are two methods avable for Host to Rank Up!


    . Host can consume ''Pyromancer'' ss Gem and Rank Up by normal method. Sess Rate: 85%.


    . Host can use Exp points to Rank up the Main ss now!


    Experience needed for Rank Up: 1,254,140 Exp points (221,690 Exp points + 1,032,450 Exp points)]


    ¡­


    Charles entered his Inner World and soon reappeared in front of therge System Cube.


    Then, he waved his hand and gathered all of his memories towards him.


    Within a few seconds, countless pebbles,va liquids, and even some strange rocks appeared above his head and started fusing into a humanoid shape.


    Soon, the humanoid shapended on the ground and stood beside him.


    Unlike the separate consciousness, there were only memories that appeared in the humanoid form.


    Charles nced at the memories and then started creating purple mes.


    Within a few seconds, he created a defensive shield-like thing and enveloped the humanoid being.


    After that, he nced at the notification and poured 1,254,140 Exp points into the Main ss section.


    Meanwhile, the System Cube let out a strange vibration and released one of the two red-colored ss-Gems into the Inner World.


    Just as the red gem came out of the System Cube, it dissolved into a gas-like substance and released some strange eerie ck energy in all directions.


    Upon seeing this, Charles closed his eyes and started focusing his full attention on his Inner World.


    At that moment, he saw some invisible eerie smoke-like power seeped into many parts of his Inner World and finally entered the deepest part of his soul.


    The mysterious power soon bumped into an invisible wall that blocked his soul from improving and shed against it.


    To his surprise, Charles noticed that this mysterious power was using his wisdom power to break the invisible shackle!


    After a few seconds of shing, the mysterious powerpletely broke the invisible shackle and soon disappeared from his Inner World!


    Simultaneously, Charles felt some invisible chains suddenly shattered away from his body.


    ''The invisible shackle is broken.''


    Muttering Inwardly, he dismissed the purple shield, released his memories, and then left the Inner World.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes and soon noticed that dense fire-elemental energies appeared all over the surroundings.


    Countless fire sparks and evenva balls materialized in the surrounding atmosphere and started affecting the ashy mountain!


    But Charles knew that this was just a fragment of his original power.


    He quietly stood up from the ground and then cast [Crimson Robe] spell on himself.


    Then, he looked at the surrounding mountain range and released his wisdom power.


    The next instant, the fire sparks, andva balls began to expand and spread in all directions!


    In a few seconds, the whole mountain got enveloped inva liquids.


    Not only that but more than hundreds of 300-meter tall fire pirs rose towards the sky!


    Red, purple, eerie ck, sunshine yellow, and even blue-colored fire pirs appeared in front of his eyes!


    Those fire pirs directlynded on the rocky mountain and even started burning the sand and rocks.


    Within a few seconds, the whole surroundings turned more like a doomsday!


    ''T-This is just my normal wisdom power¡­ If I construct an attack spell, it might even erase a mountain!'' He was shocked inside.


    He soon retracted his wisdom power, dismissed those towering fire pirs, and looked around.


    He then once again waved his hand, controlled his wisdom power, and then cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    A secondter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me, disappeared from there, and reappeared at the foot of the mountain.


    He then searched the surrounding area and soon found a small cavern.


    After that, he walked into the cavern, found a suitable ce to sit, and then closed his eyes.


    A secondter, he entered his Inner World and soon appeared in front of ava pool.


    Without wasting any time, he rose towards the sky and flew towards the spell models faster.


    A few secondster, he reached the dark sky and soon appeared near the spell models.


    ''Hmm, I have 3.9 million Exp points. With this amount, I can construct more than three spell models. Unfortunately, I don''t have enough time. If my guess is right, it will take more than 15 days to construct a single spell model. I wouldn''t be surprised if the system takes a month to create a spell model.'' He frowned for a moment and soon made up his mind.


    ''I''ll construct a single spell model. Then, I will continue my n and try to enter the dungeon. But before that, which spell should I choose? Attack spell model?'' He instantly dismissed that idea.


    At this moment, Charles''s aim was not to kill others but to survive.


    ''I can vaguely tell that the one who is going to kill me is not some random Rank-5 but possibly a Rank-6 or someone with special status. But this enemy is nothing more than a mere puppet of the Edhen World''s Will! So, simply relying on attack force won''t even help me defeat this Adur. I need something special. Something terrifying that would make everyone fear.'' As those thoughts surfaced in his mind, Charles opened the Game Interface, clicked the Spell Book icon, and soon zeroed his focus on the [ck Inferno] spell.


    The next instant, a list of Wicked Fire corresponding spell names appeared in front of his eyes.


    Charles looked at the spell one by one and soon froze as he saw a strange name,


    ''Curse of the Overlord¡­ Overlord?'' He raised his eyebrows in surprise and read the description.


    [Spell: Curse of the Overlord


    Description: Once you cast this spell, an origin string of the Wicked me wille out of your hand and enter your opponent''s body. After that, this string will attach to your opponent''s Dark Space, corrupt their memories stealthily and let them think of you as their Overlord. The one who created this spell was the former Overlord of the Hell ne. He tricked countless Devils, enved them using this spell, and conquered multiple nes when he was younger. As long as you have higher wisdom power than your opponent, you can easily enve any being.


    Cost: 1,333,500 Exp points.]


    As Charles read the description, his expression turned serious all of a sudden.


    ''This is it!'' He didn''t hesitate for a moment and clicked the select option.

 Chapter 356: Construction

    <h4>Chapter 356: Construction</h4>


    Simultaneously, arge reddish cube flew from the deepest part of Charles''s Inner World and soon appeared next to him.


    The next instant, the System Cube released a weak wisdom power towards him.


    Shock and confusion appeared on Charles''s face as he noticed the System Cube''s action.


    ''Is it trying tomunicate with me?'' He raised his eyebrows in suspicion and soon noticed a strange white cloud wasing towards him.


    With a single nce, he noticed that that strange cloud was an information fragment!


    Although Charles got startled by the System Cube''s sudden action, he didn''t lose his calmness and epted the cloud.


    In a few seconds, the white cloud appeared in front of his forehead, entered inside, and soon released waves of information.


    The next instant, a sharp pain appeared in his head.


    But what shocked him was that he noticed an eerie ck imprint appeared in the deepest part of his mind.


    The imprint was hexagonal and appeared more like an eerie ck sun!


    ''What is this?'' He focused his full attention on the imprint and noticed mysterious streaks of fire appeared all over it!


    There were tens of thousands of streaks in the hexagonal imprint, and they appeared more like countless ck snakes tangled together.


    ''T-This is the ''Curse of the Overlord'' spell model imprint?'' He also received another piece of information from the System Cube and soon learned how to construct the Spell Model!


    In truth, all these ck fire streaks were the pure form of wicked mes.


    ''Unlike Rank 1 to Rank-4 spells, I need to construct a Rank-5 spell on my own. I also can''t rely on the runal characters. The main reason for that was those runal characters didn''t have true me essences. If I follow the runalnguage method to construct a spell model, I would never understand the true essence of the wicked me and might fail to advance next time.'' As he read the new information, a look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''Actually, the system helped me during the previous advancements and paved the right path to walk on. s, this is the limit of the Game System. From now on, I need to rely on my own.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon flew towards a particr spell model.


    Unlike the other ones, this spell model appeared ckish red and gave him a feeling of wickedness.


    Once he arrived in front of the spell model, he raised his hand, conjured a ball of ck me, and manipted it into a shape of a snake.


    Simultaneously, he shifted his attention towards the spell model imprint, focused on a single streak, and started to imitate its shape and structure.


    At that moment, the snake-shaped ck fire began to twist and soon started to shrink.


    The ck firepletely changed into an eerie streak of fire within the next few seconds and then started to slither around him.


    It was as if this single streak had a consciousness on its own!


    ''No¡­ This streak is moving ording to my thoughts.'' Charles nodded in understanding, controlled it using his thoughts, and let it move towards the ck Inferno spell model.


    Meanwhile, the fire streak soon entered the spell model and mingled with it.


    Then, Charles once again shifted his attention towards the spell model imprint and started conjuring another ball of ck me.


    For the next few minutes, he continued to conjure ck fireballs, turned them into wicked me streaks, and started assimting them into the spell model.


    As he continued this process, he felt a strange link between the spell model imprint and the spell model.


    His sense heightened all of a sudden, so was his thinking process.


    At that moment, he entered the state of enlightenment.


    He then shifted his attention towards the spell model imprint, analyzed it, and soon learned that constructing this spell model would take more time.


    ''I was wrong earlier¡­ There are more wicked me streaks than I thought¡­'' He continued to analyze the imprint and soon turned serious.


    ''No good! There are more than three hundred thousand wicked me streaks hidden in the imprint.'' A shock appeared on his face.


    He instantly knew that it would take more than three months to construct this spell model!


    ''Sh*t! Do I have to stop now?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    He instantly shook his head and turned his gaze towards the System Cube.


    ''It seems I have to rely on the System''s help now.'' He muttered inwardly and activated the [Decelerate Time] ability.


    The next instant, his whole surroundings turned silent.


    He also felt it hard to move his illusionary body!


    ''Good.''


    Charles then shifted his attention towards the imprint and started constructing the spell model.


    Five dayster, the first [Decelerate Time] ability''s effect got nullified and soon returned everything to normal.


    But Charles once again activated the [Decelerate Time] ability, slowed down the ''Time flow'' in his Inner World, and continued to construct the spell model.


    At the end of the 43rd day, he used all the 8 [Decelerate Time] abilities and finished constructing more than half of the spell model!


    Although 43 days passed in his Inner World, only a few minutes passed in the Fire Elemental ne!


    Meanwhile, Charles continued to create wicked me streaks and constructed the spell model.


    Unlike before, the current half-constructed Wicked me Spell Model appeared more than 15-meter radius and started to emit radiations in all directions!


    What''s more shocking was that the spell model was continuously increasing in size!


    Time passed slowly, and soon it was the 85th day!


    On this day, Charles finally constructed the [Curse of the Overlord] spell model and put the final wicked me streak in the spell model.


    The next instant, the final wicked me streak entered the eerie ck sun-like spell model and mingled with others.


    Simultaneously, the whole 25-meter radius mini ck sun let out a dazzling eerie light and sent ck res in all directions.


    Some res even moved towards his Inner World and caused changes in the environment.


    On the other hand, Charles looked at the newly constructed spell model and showed a pleased smile on his face.


    ''This spell model is the true essence of the Wicked me.'' He nodded inwardly and descended towards the ground.


    At that moment, the System Cube also descended from the sky and moved towards the deepest part.


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to the ground and soon left his Inner World.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes, checked the surrounding rocky cavern, and soon turned his attention towards his body.


    Although he hadn''t eaten anything for the past 42 days, he didn''t feel any hunger at all.


    ''It must be due to the body advancement.'' He thought to himself and stood up from the ground.


    Then, he walked out of the cavern, cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, and enveloped his body in a crimson me.


    A secondter, he disappeared from the cavern entrance and reappeared inside his newly rented house in the City of Red!

 Chapter 357: Angel of Fire

    <h4>Chapter 357: Angel of Fire</h4>


    Charles then walked towards the closed wooden window, opened it forcefully, and soon frowned.


    ''Hmm? Is someone monitoring this house? Wait. I feel multiple gazes from different directions.''


    Even though it was dark outside, he sensed more than five persons were monitoring his house.


    But soon, he shook his head, closed the window, and walked out of the bedroom.


    Then, he went to the reception hall and sat on a wooden chair ced at the center.


    After that, he looked up at the ceiling and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''I only have 45 days left.'' He stayed in the same position for a few minutes and then stood up from the chair.


    Then, he created a crimson mask made of pure fire and wore it over his face.


    Simultaneously, he returned to his original self and changed his skin color into a red one.


    After that, he also changed his hair color, eye color, and so on.


    Once he disguised himself as a Paragon, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Senna Street, Aurora Land, First District, City of Red.


    At this moment, a Red Human man in histe fifties stood on a two-storied building''s rooftop and looked at the sky with a deep look on his face.


    He had mixed brown hair, a muscr body, a rough face, and a sharp nose. He wore a simple ck robe and held a letter in his hand.


    His name was Spider, and he controls a particr part of the First District!


    Unlike the Royal District and the Second District, the First District had five segments.


    They were Aurora Land, Vermillion Section, Arch Domain, King''s Land, and the Asnd.


    Thesends were under the control of Warlords, and they were the true rulers of the First District.


    One of such Warlords was Spider.


    No one knows his real name, but he came to this Aurora Land a few decades ago and killed the previous Warlord before snatching his position.


    The only thing the public know of him was that he was a half-paragon.


    After snatching the Warlord position, he crushed all the unruly thieves and criminals and forced them to work for him.


    He oversees all the illegal businesses and controls the Aurora Land like a true monarch!


    Although he looked older, he was one of the powerful Helpers in the whole City.


    Some say that he already entered the realm of Rank-5, but no one knows the truth.


    He was a Warlord with a mysterious background.


    As for why he was standing at the terrace of a random building? It was due to a mysterious letter.


    A few hours ago, a random slum child came to his house and gave this letter to him.


    Upon reading the letter, he learned that someone was seeking his help.


    Spider also noticed a strange imprint attached to it and got shocked a little.


    In truth, Charles added his soul imprint and revealed a bit of his strength.


    ''The one who sent this letter is a Rank-5!'' Warlord Spider was sure of the other party''s strength.


    While he was in deep thoughts, he sensed a spatial fluctuation from the right side and got startled.


    Although most Red Humans and other races relied on fire magic, they weren''t clueless about the other elements.


    Some unique beings were born with different elemental affinities in many parts of this World and could cast simr spells.


    Spider also knew that the mysterious Sacred Humans were among them!


    ''No good.''


    He instantly waved his hand, conjured a me whip, and held it in his hand.


    Simultaneously, he created a golden shield with fire magic and cautiously stared in a particr direction.


    ''A Sacred Human?'' Confusion, anxiety, rm, and even fear appeared on his face.


    When he was in the Royal District, he learned some information about them and knew they were powerful beings.


    Although Paragons could cast 6 to 9 bloodline spells, they still feared one particr group.


    They were called Sacred Humans.


    ''A true bunch of monsters¡­ They also have the blessing of Fire God.''


    As those thoughts whirled in his mind, he saw a crimson humanoid me formed in front of him and soon transformed into a figure of a Red Human.


    He had short crimson hair, ck eyes, an oval face, and appeared to be around 25 to 30 years old.


    Currently, he wore a red-lined ck dress, leather shoes and looked 180 cm high.


    Spider calmly analyzed the guest, looked into his strange ck eyes, and soon froze.


    At that moment, an indescribable feeling of terror appeared in his mind.


    The pair of ck eyes appeared pure like gems.


    Just when Spider was about to ask a question, he felt strange dizziness.


    Before he could think of the reason for the dizziness, he returned to normal and noticed a difference.


    Unlike before, he sensed a terrifying aura oozed out of the guest and trembled uncontrobly.


    A secondter, his legs went limp, his thoughts became disarray, and he couldn''t even breathe!


    ''W-What is happening?'' Panic surfaced on his face.


    He tried his best, looked up at the unknown young man, and was about to say something but couldn''t.


    It was as if something invisible was stopping him from speaking!


    At that moment, he saw an illusionary figure of a Fire Bird appeared behind that person and became dumbfounded.


    He knew that it was neither an incarnation nor an illusion.


    Upon seeing the Fire Bird, he felt sacredness, pureness, respect, and other kinds of emotions.


    It appeared majestic and domineering.


    A single thought surfaced in his mind.


    ''God!''


    In truth, Charles had long cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on Spider and started manipting his inner thoughts from the very beginning!


    The Rank-5 spell altered each of his thoughts and made him think of Charles as a God-like entity!


    While Spider looked at him with reverence, Charles calmly stepped on the floor and walked towards him.


    But whenever he took a step forward, Spider felt that the invisible pressure on his body also increased exponentially!


    Just when Spider thought that he was going to die, a clear voice echoed in his ears.


    "You have the strength to face death, Mortal. Stand up."


    As those words ended, he sensed the invisible power started to vanish and soon disappeared from the surroundings!


    Still, Spider didn''t dare to raise his head and trembled in fear and anxiety.


    He soon woke up from the uncontroble fear and asked while keeping his gaze lower.


    "M-May I know your sacred name, Divine One?"


    On the other hand, Charles wore a pleased smile and answered in a carefree tone.


    "Name, huh. I''m nothing but a messenger of our Guardian Deity, mortal. Just call me whatever you want."


    His voice echoed in Spider''s ears like divine words!


    Unknowingly, a strange set of words also mingled with those earlier words and soon engraved in the depths of his mind.


    "Angel of Fire!" His eyes widened as he muttered out loud and then knelt on the floor.

 Chapter 358: Divine Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 358: Divine Punishment</h4>


    "Stand up," Charles ordered in a cold tone, cast [Arcane Eyes] skill on him, and analyzed him.


    ''Alder Firestoe¡­ He is a peak Rank-4 Warlock, already awakened five bloodline spells, and has a unique skill Red Hands. Hmm? Is he an illegitimate child of Firestoe royal family?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and soon spoke.


    "I have a job for you, Mortal."


    Meanwhile, Alder stood up with staggering footsteps and bowed his head.


    "I''ll not disappoint you, Your Eminence!"


    His voice contained a trace of reverence and awe.


    "Good. I want you to help me with something."


    Saying so, Charles took out a small pouch from his space ring and gave it to him.


    On the other hand, Alder took the pouch, looked into it, and soon widened his eyes as he noticed that pouch was a storage artifact!


    Unlike Edhen World, storage artifacts were rare to see in this Fire-Elemental ne.


    He soon woke up from the shock, peeked into the void pouch, and saw many identity documents inside.


    Alder first took out a few documents, read the names one by one, and soon showed a confused look on his face.


    The main reason for his confusion was that those identity documents belonged to the firm believers of the Sacred Temple!


    ''Priests, Clerks and Temr Knights¡­''


    Noticing the confusion on his face, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "They are sinners. Instead of worshiping our Guardian, they are now worshiping a Human. It is pure sphemy, Alder! I want you to hunt them, cleanse their corrupted soul, and ce their heads in their houses as a warning." Charles''s icy voice echoed in the gloomy night.


    Meanwhile, Spider''s expression turned into a shocked one.


    In truth, he locked his Inner World from the very beginning and knew that no foreign force tried to enter inside.


    ''But His Excellency instantly saw through my secrets! As expected of the messenger of our Guardian Deity, he is indeed an Angel of Fire.'' He stared at Charles in admiration and respect.


    In truth, Charles''s curse spell remained in his Dark Space and continued influencing his original consciousness.


    This curse spell was not an enving spell, but it''s more like a brainwashing spell!


    But unlike the other ones, this spell could even brainwash powerful entities.


    Although the Dark Space acts as a bridge between the body and Inner World, it was a vulnerable spot for every life form.


    That''s why Charles''s [Burning Thoughts] spell works better on the enemy than Rank-2 [Fire Seed] spells.


    ''But if I want to brainwash himpletely, I need toe here from time to time and talks to him frequently. Or, I need to give him some orders and show him how good I''m. This spell also has a weakness, though. If I got defeated by some powerful entity in front of these brainwashed servants, these people would start to show hesitation and then lose faith in me. Then, the spell would also lose its effect.'' But Charles didn''t put too much thought into this weakness.


    If he chose to walk on the path of Divines, he would''ve shown some concerns over this issue.


    ''They are the ones who always rely on the faith power.''


    Thankfully, he didn''t choose that path.


    Meanwhile, Alder remained clearheaded and analyzed his current situation.


    ''If I kill those firm believers, arge number of Sacred Humans wille for my head! Moreover, most of them would be Rank-4 powerhouses! It will do no good for anyone.''


    He wasn''t afraid to sacrifice himself.


    But he was afraid that his sacrifice might go meaningless.


    He then thought for a moment and finally asked.


    "Will my action anger Lord Adur, Your Eminence?"


    Meanwhile, a chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth.


    "Don''t worry about his retaliation. Soon, I''ll strip away his strength and cripple him. Then, I will take care of him when the right timees." Charles paused for a moment and then added calmly.


    "Also, spread the news that a new Champion has already arrived. She''ll fight for themoners, erase the discrimination, and will rule you all."


    "C-Champion? She?" Alder acutely grasped the information and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    Without waiting for Alder to speak, Charles waved his hand and added.


    "Although our Guardian is the most forgiving, she is still angry at her children. If you guys continue to worship Adur instead of our Divine One, she might get pissed and cast a Divine Punishment spell on everyone. So, convey this message to the public and warn them. I don''t want to see this peaceful city disappear from this world."


    Upon hearing his words, Alder''s face turned green.


    "D-Divine Punishment?" He sucked in a cold breath and hurriedly thought of announcing it to the whole city.


    ''But would they believe these rumors?'' A bitter smile appeared on his face.


    If he didn''t meet the Angel of Fire today, even he wouldn''t have believed that their Guardian Deity was still alive and well!


    "I''ll take care of it, Your Eminence. I''ll try my best and convey your message to the masses." He said in a solemn tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles was pleased by his response and nodded.


    "Good. I''ll also recruit a few more trusted mortals and send them to you. You can form a small organization and proceed with the n."


    As he said those words, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Alder looked at where Charles disappeared before, then turned his gaze towards the tall ck tower and soon turned solemn.


    "The legends are real. Our Guardian Deity is still sleeping in the dungeon and is watching over us. Lord Adur. No, you don''t deserve the ''Lord'' title. It seems your time hase." He muttered in a cold tone and soon retracted his gaze.


    Then, he turned around and started walking towards the nearby staircase.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles reappeared in another part of the street and started searching for suitable candidates.


    He continued to search for the next two days and finally selected more than ten Red Humans.


    Although those candidates were not as popr as Alder, they were Rank-4 Warlocks and could help him aplish the first mission.


    Once he recruited them, he told them to contact Alder and send them away.


    On the other hand, Alder also summoned hisckeys and told them to spread rumors about the Divine Punishment and the new Champion''s arrival.


    These two matters became a hot topic in all parts of the city for the next few days.


    Although Sacred Temple members and city garrison members tried to suppress the news, their attempts went futile.


    But what made Charles feel shocked a little was that Adur personally arrived at the First District and told the masses not to believe in those baseless rumors!


    After that, the topic of the new Champion''s arrival and the Divine Punishment started to die down.

 Chapter 359: Temple

    <h4>Chapter 359: Temple</h4>


    Band Street, Aurora Land, First District, City of Red.


    There stood a towering Temple at the end of the street.


    The front wall of the Temple had an entrance gateway in its center and beyond that was an entrance.


    The entrance to the Temple was the colonnaded hall that incorporated space for arge number of believers. The believers mostly use that hall to practice ritual dances, meetings, and other entertainments.


    Beyond that colonnaded hall was the sanctum sanctorum.


    It was the area where the Deity''s statue was ced.


    At this moment, a hooded shadow came from the nearby alley, looked at the towering Temple, and removed his ck hood.


    The figure had a muscr body, mixed brown hair, 185 cm tall, and scarlet eyes.


    That figure also wore a unique white mask on his face and appeared mysterious.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that this mysterious person was a male.


    Yes, he was none other than Alder Firetoe!


    Alder met with his Lord''s subjects during the past few days and created an organization called ''Vipers.''


    Although there were only 11 members in this organization, all of them were Rank-4 Warlocks and could pose a significant threat to ordinary citizens.


    Currently, their Vipers organization''s main job was to kill the sinners and warn everyone for worshiping a Sacred Human!


    Today, he officially started the cleansing mission and thought of doing the management work.


    But his Lord suddenly contacted him an hour ago and told him to switch ces with a member named Brian.


    Although he was confused by his Lord''s action, he didn''t say anything and obeyed.


    That''s how he ended uping here!


    s, he had a strange suspicion that some powerful member might be lurking in this Temple!


    ''Brian is weakest among all of us¡­ Did our Lord foresee something?'' He thought to himself.


    Like him, the other ten members went to different Temples in Aurora Street and started doing their allocated missions!


    ''Today is just the beginning. There are more than 90 temples located in the First District, and each Temple has 5 to ten Temr Knights, five clerks, and one priest. Although most of them are around Rank-3, our Lord warned us that there are some Rank-4 Warlocks hidden among them. But why did he send me here? Is there a Rank-4 Warlock hiding here?'' Shaking his head, he looked at the Temple''s tower and soon zeroed his focus towards the peak.


    The next instant, his heart started to beat faster.


    A strange anxiousness appeared in his mind.


    It was a feeling of being spied by something or someone.


    He instantly halted his footsteps, nced around warily, and soon got confused.


    ''There is no one nearby. Someone is monitoring me from afar?'' He tilted his head, looked up at the towering Temple, and studied its structure.


    The Temple''s tower was 200 meters tall, and it looked more like a pyramidal shape.


    On top of the tower was a dome-shaped structure, and above it was a crown.


    It was the shape of an octagonal cup and seemed to be made of silver metal.


    Somehow, Alder knew that the mysterious octagonal cup-shaped thing was the main reason for his anxiousness.


    ''Is this the reason why I feel a feeling of being spied? Wait, I read about that thing in the library! It must be the Divine Crown! But I heard that this Divine Crown doesn''t have such ability, right? Hmm, something feels off. Is that why ''He'' sent me here? To destroy that thing?'' A strange thought appeared in his mind.


    ''No¡­ There must be other reason behind our Lord''s action.''


    He organized his thoughts and continued to walk.


    Even though it was night, the Temple''s tower and dome radiated a dim red light and illuminated the nearby surroundings.


    A g with a crimson bird symbol hung at the peak and was constantly fluttering in the wind.


    Alder soon went near the front wall and moved his hand towards his waist.


    At the same time, he looked at the four Temr Knights who stood at the entrance, gripped the hilt, and unsheathed the curved sword.


    Meanwhile, the Temr Knights also noticed his action and gripped their spears.


    But before they could even blink, Alder sprinted towards them at an incredible speed, shed his sword on both sides, and entered inside.


    On the other hand, the Temr Knights felt a sharp pain in their neck and soon noticed that the whole surroundings were starting to spin!


    At that moment, their heads separated from their bodies and sprayed blood in all directions.


    By the time those heads fell on the ground, Alder had already walked into the colonnaded hall.


    He soon saw a few Temr Knights and Clerks were resting in the hall and killed them without any difficulty.


    After that, he moved towards the sanctum sanctorum and soon stopped as he saw a 70-years-old man suddenly appeared at the sanctum''s entrance.


    He had unique red hair, amber eyes, a sharp nose, and long ears, and he looked more like a half-elf.


    He wore a ck cassock and also held a golden crozier in his hand.


    ''High Priest? Also a Sacred Human?'' Alder''s expression turned grim.


    He instantly knew that the person in front of him was a Rank-4 Warlock!


    ''But why would a Sacred Human appear in this old temple?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    ''If Brain came here, there is a high chance that this High-Priest would have captured him. As expected of the Angel of Fire, he can even foresee this future.'' He couldn''t help but praise inwardly.


    On the other hand, the red-haired old man also stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze towards the clerks'' and guards'' corpses and soon sighed.


    "A rogue half-paragon, huh. Did the Royals send you here to test our patience? Why are you always opposing our Lord''s rule?" He asked while shaking his head in disappointment.


    But Alder didn''t say a word, though.


    No, he didn''t hear a single word that came out of the High-Priest''s mouth!


    Alder knew that the Sacred Humans were always good with words and could even turn their enemy into allies.


    Although the Paragons hadn''t confirmed if that was one of the Sacred Humans'' unique traits, they clearly warned their descendants about this ability.


    So, when he walked into the entrance hall, hepletely sealed his ears using some strange wax!


    Although it would affect his movement, he had many experiences in these types of battles.


    Alder cast a Rank-3 [me Spike] bloodline spell and attacked the High Priest without wasting any second.


    Simultaneously, he raised his other hand and muttered.


    "Magma Storm."


    A secondter, a raging storm ofva shot out from his hand and moved forward like a volcanic eruption.


    Meanwhile, the red-haired High Priest squinted his eyes and soon showed a shocked expression on his face.


    "You dare to attack your master?" He asked in an icy tone and tapped the crozier towards the floor.


    The next instant, a sunshineyer appeared around his body, covered himpletely, and blocked thevas.

 Chapter 360: Crimson Butterflies

    <h4>Chapter 360: Crimson Butterflies</h4>


    Meanwhile, the storm ofvas shed against the sunshineyer and sttered in all directions.


    But Alder calmly shed his curved sword and cut thevas that were flying in his direction.


    He then continued to cast different kinds of spells and attacked the High Priest ruthlessly.


    While doing so, he also closed the distance between him and the High Priest and even used his sword to attack him.


    In a few seconds, fire andvas were the only things that appeared in the hall.


    Fireballs, Lavas, Strange Fire snakes, me Whips, and even fire rays came from both and destroyed the pirs, floors, and walls.


    Alder soon realized that the High Priest was as strong as him!


    ''Damn, I need to win this battle and prove my loyalty to our Lord.'' He didn''t hesitate for a single moment and began the second round of battle.


    Unlike other Red Humans, he was born in Royal District and knew much more about the Sacred Humans.


    Although the Firetoe family exiled himter, he still knew the Sacred Humans'' weaknesses.


    Twenty years ago, Adur refused to step down from the throne, heavily injured four Rank-5 Warlocks, and even killed 3 Rank-5 Warlocks.


    That incident sowed hatred in the Paragons'' minds.


    After that, the Paragons searched for the Sacred Humans'' weaknesses and even found some clues.


    Then, they taught their descendants how to beat Sacred Humans if they encountered them in a battle.


    ''Sacred Humans have excellent hearing.'' A smirk appeared on Alder''s face.


    When he received his Lord''s letter, he vaguely sensed that today''s battle would be a turning point of these 20 years of oppression.


    Yes, killing a Sacred Human would shock the whole Red Human Domain!


    ''Thankfully, I picked up some explosive seeds before leaving my house.'' He stealthily moved his left hand towards his waist, opened the void pouch, and took out a bunch of red seeds.


    Then, he infused his wisdom power in those seeds and threw them towards the High Priest.


    On the other hand, the High Priest became confused by his action and soon saw the red seeds.


    But before he could even blink, all those seeds started to vibrate and exploded while sending piercing sounds in all directions!


    Meanwhile, the High Priest felt that countless needles pierced his whole head!


    He tried to cast some defensive spell but couldn''t concentrate!


    On the other hand, Alder utilized this chance, got close to him within two seconds, and shed his curved sword at the High Priest!


    A neat cut appeared on his neck!


    The next instant, the High Priest''s head directly detached from the neck and fell on the ground.


    At that moment, shock and disbelief appeared on High Priest''s face!


    Meanwhile, Alder breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the High Priest''s head, and walked towards the sanctum.


    After that, he opened it and soon saw a 40-years-old Human statue at the center.


    The man in the statue was muscr, had a square face, and held a book in his hand.


    ''There is not even a small statue of our Guardian Deity here¡­'' Alder walked near the statue, ced the High Priest''s head at the statue''s feet area, and then started writing on the floor.


    "We are the servants of the Angel of Fire, and we''ll hunt down the Sinners."


    Then, he conjured a ball of fire, threw it at Adur''s statue, and sted it into pieces.


    He knew that the earliermotion might have already attracted the security guards'' attention, so he hurriedly left the temple!


    A few minutester, the nearby house citizens and the security guards finally arrived at the temple''s entrance and soon got horrified as they saw the dead bodies.


    They then moved into the temple and finally reached the sanctum.


    But when they saw the High Priest''s head and Adur''s broken statue, a strange chill went up to everyone''s spine!


    "S-Servants of the Angel of Fire?" A young man couldn''t help but read out loud in a trembling manner.


    During their lifetime, nobody had heard of someone murdering a Sacred Human in the City of Red!


    It was a bold action against the current ruler!


    The guards soon woke up from the shock, told the citizens to move out of the temple, and sealed the whole area.


    After that, they sent a report to their higher-ups and waited for further orders.


    But soon, the guards received the shocking news that mysterious masked men invaded more than ten Temples!


    They then killed all the Temr Knights, Clerks, and Priests and even wore simr words in the sanctum!


    The news soon spread towards every part of the city like wildfire and shocked everyone.


    Rumors also spread about the appearance of an Angel of Fire and the new Champion.


    At that moment, many Temr Knights also came from the cathedral and started searching for the culprits.


    Whenever they found some suspicious individual, they detained them in the name of peace and threw them in the underground prison.


    Unfortunately, their action provoked the Vipers organization.


    The very next day, Vipers made another raid and started their massacre!


    Meanwhile, the First District citizens got involved in the feud and became sacrificialmps.


    Ten days passed in a blink.


    Alder and others raided the Temples multiple times during the ten days and killed more than 2000 believers.


    Although they also lost two members in return, Charles used his curse spell on a few more people and strengthened the organization.


    On the other hand, the whole city went on an alert mode. Most of the citizens didn''t even dare to walk out of their houses.


    Not because of the new cult, but because of the Temr Knights'' aggressive actions.


    Those Temr Knights arrested more than 500 ordinary citizens in the name of the cleansing and even executed many of them.


    Because of this that many of the citizens started losing faith in the Temr Knights and the Sacred Temple.


    Instead, fear started to take root in everyone''s heart.


    Some citizens also stopped worshipping Adur and chose to offer sacrifices to their Guardian Deity.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles stayed in his house for 20 days and created Essence Gatherers using the blueprint.


    Currently, he stood in front of a volcanic pool within his Inner World, constantly fusing hundreds of white orbs with someplicated red crystals and turned them into butterfly-like beings!


    Meanwhile, those newly born fire butterflies started pping their wings, flew up in the dark sky, and soon mingled with arge bird-like structure.


    In truth, Charles used the power of his omnipotent ''Inner World,'' created a sample Essence Gatherer, and started replicating it.


    For every second, he replicated tens of ''Essence Gatherers'' and ced them separately.


    During the first ten days, he replicated more than 8 million Essence Gatherers!


    After that, he extracted a small part of his memories, started fusing them, and created a memory fragment.


    Then, he copied the same method and created 8 million memory fragments using the replication method!


    Once hepleted the process, hebined 8 million Essence Gatherers with 8 million memory fragments and created unique ''Crimson Butterflies.''


    These Crimson Butterflies had a small part of his memories, and they could think on their own.


    They were independent and, at the same time, linked to his Inner World.


    They were more like ordinary butterflies and could follow some of his orders!


    As long as these butterflies were within a 5 km radius, Charles could link himself with these 8 million butterflies and order them to do simple missions.


    It may sound powerful; these butterflies had only one ability.


    These Butterflies could absorb the positive and negative essences from living bodies and store them inside the Essence Gatherers.


    They were energy storage devices.


    ''But there is more to it. Bybining these Crimson Butterflies, I can create a unique Fire Bird incarnation.'' He let out a deep sigh, fused the final batch, and looked up at the sky.


    At that moment, all those Crimson Butterflies split up from the monstrous bird-like structure and descended.


    Under his Will, they pped their illusionary wings, encircled him, and soon absorbed into the ground.


    ''Hmm, it''s time to create chaos.'' He said in an emotionless tone and left his Inner World.

 Chapter 361: Stealing

    <h4>Chapter 361: Stealing</h4>


    Charles opened his eyes in the bedroom and stood up.


    He then walked towards the nearby wall, zeroed his focus on the Twin Leaf, and recited an English word.


    A secondter, his body turned blurry and disappeared from there!


    A few minutester, two people appeared in the bedroom instead of one.


    One was a female Red Human, while the other one was a white-haired old man.


    "Why did you bring me here?" Oswald asked with a confused look on his face.


    Meanwhile, Charles curled his lips upward and said with a smile.


    "I want you to steal the Red Humans'' Luck."


    Upon hearing his words, Oswald raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "1 month of their luck?" His voice contains a trace of confusion.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head, raised his hands, and showed six fingers.


    "6 months? That would cause too much chaos,d." Oswald paused for a moment as he recalled something and asked.


    "What is the total poption of this City?"


    "There should be more than 8 Million." An instant response came out of Charles''s mouth.


    Meanwhile, Oswald''s face went stiffened.


    "8 Million¡­ I never stole such a massive amount of luck in my entire life. It''s going to be troublesome than I thought." He deliberated for a moment, sharpened his gaze towards Charles, and asked in suspicion.


    "Your goal is their luck! You want me to cast arge miracle?"


    Upon hearing the old man''s words, Charles let out a deep sigh and nodded.


    "Yes, you''ll understand when the right timees."


    Just when Oswald was about to nod, he suddenly sensed a strange wicked aura from Charles!


    The next second, he widened his eyes in surprise and asked.


    "You built the wicked fire spell model as the first one? Are you not influenced by the spell model?"


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a chuckle and shook his head.


    "Although the spell model would influence me to walk on the path of evil, this is not a bad thing in my current situation. If I hesitate because of morale and ethics, I might lose my precious life."


    Although Oswald felt confused by his words, he didn''t ask any more questions and spoke.


    "You are right. Hmm, if I steal six months of the Red Humans'' luck, 2 percent of their poption might get wiped out within the next six months. A total of 160,000 Red Humans citizens will die, and three hundred thousand will get crippled by sickness, ident, or other means. Are you sure about this?"


    Charles raised his eyebrows as he heard those words and went silent.


    But after some thought, he let out a deep sigh and spoke with a nod.


    "Do it. There is no other choice. Moreover, I need arge-scale miracle to achieve something big. It''s far bigger than evading my Destiny."


    ''Moreover, I need to weaken Adur''s strength. To achieve that, Vipers'' organization won''t be enough. Although their action caused some citizens to change their belief, almost 99 % of the citizens are still worshiping Adur.'' Charles muttered inwardly.


    Meanwhile, Oswald nodded his head in approval and shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    The next instant, a strange power came out of his body and started to spread in all directions.


    At that moment, the Rank-5 powerhouses, who were staying in the Royal Street and the Cathedral, sensed the arrival of the mysterious power and got startled.


    Some cast their Defensive spell while the others used their probing spells to find out the origin.


    Meanwhile, a crimson-haired man in histe 40s suddenly appeared in the sky and waved his hand.


    He had a square face, hawk-like amber eyes, a sharp nose, and thin eyebrows.


    Currently, he wore a grey robe and held a wooden staff in his hand.


    Although he looked like a neighborhood old man, he was the ruler of this city!


    He was none other than Adur!


    As he waved his hand, arge amount of divine power poured out from his body and soon spread in all directions.


    The divine power soon extended over the city like a andpletely covered it from the sky.


    Then, the divine power released a strange yellow fire and enveloped the city.


    Then, he released his wisdom power, focused his attention on a particr Red Human girl, and started analyzing the mysterious power invading her body.


    No, he soon sensed that the mysterious power was invading her soul!


    Although he couldn''t understand what this mysterious power was, he felt a strange kind of familiarity.


    ''Wait! It''s Divine Power!'' His face turned icy cold.


    "Heathen!" He roared furiously and tried to analyze the domain of the mysterious power in a hurry.


    During his lifetime, he always felt superiority because of the presence of divinities in his body. But the sudden arrival of an unknown enemy caused him to get anxious and worry.


    He also began to suspect the Guardian Deity''s death!


    Shaking his head, Adur once again shifted his attention towards the mysterious Divine power.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have enough knowledge about this new power and felt clueless.


    ''Wait¡­ This power seems to be absorbing something from everyone''s soul.'' When he was about to probe further, the mysterious power soon retracted from the young girl''s soul and disappeared!


    At this moment, Adur felt strange anxiety from the deepest part of his soul!


    On the other hand, the other Rank-5 powerhouses in Royal District and the Cathedral also failed to identify the origin of the strange power and became confused.


    No, they felt the fear of the unknown!


    Meanwhile, Oswald finally finished his work and warned Charles.


    "That Adur is not a normal Warlock,d. That guy seems to have more than one divinity. Try not to confront him head-on."


    Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "Did he reach the realm of Legends?"


    That was his most important worry. If that person had entered the realm of Legends, he knew that the chance of seeding in this mission would drop by 90%.


    "Nah. Although Adur has abnormal soul power like most Divine Path Mystics, he still has a long way to reach the peak realm."


    Saying so, Oswald walked towards the right side wall and touched the Twin Leaf.


    "Return."


    He then muttered a word in English and disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Charles wore a solemn expression on his face and soon took out amunication ring from his space ring.


    Then, he linked his mind with the ring and activated it.


    A secondter, a male voice came from the other side, followed by an illusionary figure of a middle-aged man.


    "Your Excellency!" Alder greeted Charles with a polite bow.


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "You guys cane back now. We''ve more jobs to do."

 Chapter 362: Unlucky

    <h4>Chapter 362: Unlucky</h4>


    Once Charles informed Alder, he cut off the connection and looked at the mirror hung on the opposite wall.


    A slim brown-haired woman in her twenties appeared in front of his eyes. She had a curved body, medium-sized melons, blush skin, heart-shaped face, and she wore a leather-armor-like dress.


    While looking at his feminine reflection, Charles touched his shoulders,bed the long hair, and walked out of the bedroom.


    He soon entered the reception hall, moved out of his house, and went towards the main street.


    At that moment, he sensed a few elite men were tailing him from the sides.


    Although they were just Rank-3 Warlocks, Charles felt uneasy for some unknown reason.


    He quickly cast [Arcane Eyes] skill, scanned their bodies, and soon noticed a small piece of paper in one of the men.


    Charles squinted his eyes for a moment, zeroed his focus on the particr paper, and read the content.


    To his surprise, the content in the small paper was mostly about his current actions.


    Still, he saw a name appeared in the letter.


    ''Percy? So, they took the bait, huh!'' A smile crept on his face.


    When Charles came out of the Royal District, he purposefully confronted the gatekeeper named Reed and attracted the attention of a certain noblewoman.


    Although he wasn''t sure which household she belonged to, he noticed that she was already on the verge of a breakthrough.


    Her wisdom power had long reached 99.9!


    ''One single push, she might be a Rank-5 Warlock.'' But that was not an easy matter.


    He knew from the Holem''s Crown that many geniuses got stuck in the same realm in their lifetime.


    ''But that''s not the main point. I vaguely felt an aura of Rank-5 around her. Her family is not a simple one.'' That''s the main reason he chose to confront Reed and show them a bit of his strength.


    Charles soon retracted his gaze and started walking on the street road.


    At that moment, he also used his [Arcane Eyes] skill on the ordinary citizens and saw a sharp drop in their lucks.


    Most of the people had grey-colored clouds above their heads, while very few had pitch-ck ones.


    Out of 100 people, two people were extremely unlucky!


    While observing them, he suddenly saw that a 30-years-old guy walking in his direction with unsteady footsteps.


    His face was flushed, and part of his wavy brown hair fell on his face, almost covering his left eye.


    He wore metal armor, hung a long sword in his waist, and held a water pouch in his left hand.


    As he walked forward, his left leg bumped on the nearby rock, causing him to move forward with staggering footsteps.


    At that moment, he stepped on a lump of horse sh*t and almost fell due to the slipperiness.


    Thankfully, the nearby person caught him out of reflex and saved him.


    But what made Charles pause in surprise was that if the unlucky guy fell on the road, there was a high chance that he might have ended up falling on the nearby metal spikes!


    Although he wouldn''t have died, there was a high chance that he would have been injured severely!


    Charles then turned his gaze towards the other guy and noticed that he was just a normal Red Human!


    ''Then, how did he change this man''s fate? No, this might not be his turn!''


    While thinking, he zeroed his gaze on the unlucky guy, thought about his future, and activated his [Vision] skill.


    A secondter, a look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''Maddox, huh. As I thought, his time hasn''t arrived yet. This guy has the strength of a normal mortal and has two Rank-0 bloodline spells. Wait! Rank-0 spells? Is this a degraded version of the Rank-1 spell? That''s new. Can I able to change his life?''


    Furrowing his brows, Charles thought of something, moved closer towards Maddox, and stopped him.


    On the other hand, the drunken Maddox looked at the beautiful woman and showed a confused expression on his face.


    "What do you want?" He asked in a flustered tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles showed a mysterious smile and spoke.


    "Watch out for the wooden arrow, mister. Also, use your ''Fire Shield'' bloodline spell."


    Not only Maddox but even Percy''s men also got startled by his words and showed a confused look on their faces.


    Before they could wake up from the shock, Charles walked past Maddox and moved in the opposite direction.


    Maddox stood there with a perplexed face for some time, wiped his slipper on the tar-like road, and started walking.


    As for the warning words he heard from a strange woman? He didn''t put too much thought into it.


    Instead, he moved his water pouch, took a sip of the alcohol, and continued to walk.


    But Percy''s men weren''t the same, though.


    One of the men, who looked more like a thief in old clothes, passed the white slip to the nearby person and spoke.


    "You guys continue your job and keep an eye on her. Also, pass this slip to Sir Percy. I''ll tail this man. I don''t know what the meaning behind her words is, but this might be some unique passcode."


    Before the other party could respond, the thief man turned around and started tailing the drunken Maddox.


    Meanwhile, Maddox continued to walk for the next few minutes, reached Whisper Street''s junction, made a right turn, and started walking on the dirt road.


    But at that moment, he suddenly noticed a few young teens were practicing battle stances on the right side corner of the street road and became stunned.


    The main reason for his shock was not the teenagers but the weapons in their hands.


    All of them were holding different kinds of wooden weapons.


    Some teens held wooden swords and spears, while others held bows and arrows.


    Yes, wooden arrows!


    Upon seeing this, Maddox subconsciously thought of the young woman''s words and went stiff for a moment.


    Thankfully, he managed to regain his calm and shook his head.


    ''It''s must be a coincidence.'' He consoled himself and hastened his footsteps towards the other end of the street.


    At that moment, a slim teenage boy held the bow in his hand, picked up a wooden arrow from the quiver, and ced it on the nock on the bowstring.


    Then, he aimed at the aiming board and pulled it with full force.


    But just when he was about to release his hand, one of his friends ran towards him from the right side and gripped his shoulder.


    Due to the sudden disturbance, the young teen got startled a bit, turned towards his friend, and red at him.


    Simultaneously, his hands also moved towards the right side and aimed towards the road.


    Before the teen could loosen the bowstring, his wet fingers suddenly moved a little and released the arrow.


    The next instant, the wooden arrow made a whooshing noise, tore through the air, and directly arrived in front of Maddox''s neck!

 Chapter 363: Deaths

    <h4>Chapter 363: Deaths</h4>


    If Maddox weren''t in a drunken state, he would''ve been more vignt and cast [Fire Shield] spell in time to block the arrow.


    Unfortunately, he failed to notice it.


    By the time he saw the arrow, it already arrived near his right side neck.


    Then, it directly tore through his neck while slicing the internal carotid arteries and appeared on the other side!


    With a shocked face, he clutched the wounded neck and tried to open his mouth but couldn''t!


    Crimson blood dripped down from his neck, painted his shirt and pants.


    Meanwhile, his body staggered for a moment and soon fell on the dirt road.


    He gasped for a few seconds and soon went motionless.


    At that moment, a thief-looking man watched the falling Maddox from afar and soon sucked in a cold breath.


    Shock and rm appeared on his face.


    He was one of Percy''s men who tailed Maddox earlier!


    ''What is she?! How did she predict this?'' He muttered to himself in panic.


    Without any dy, he turned around and started running towards the Second District direction.


    ¡­


    During this time, Charles leisurely walked on the street road, stopped in front of some random people from time to time, and gave them prophecy-like words.


    Among those unlucky ones, he also found a rare gem.


    That person''s title was ''Chaos Maiden'' and had some unique status.


    Although she had only five bloodline spells, all of those spells were chaos fire spells!


    ''Oh? She also has genius-level affinity!'' He gave her simr prophecy-like words and started walking on his own.


    ¡­


    Hazel Street, Vermillion Section, First District, City of Red.


    A brown-haired woman in herte 20s walked on the Hazel Street road and wore an anxious look on her face. She wore a silver-like armor dress, held a spear in her hand, and appeared in deep thoughts.


    She tied her long hair in a loose ball at the back of her head and looked more like a fighter woman. She had almond amber eyes, a Nubian nose, and a pear-shaped face.


    Her name was Nora.


    Like many other helpers of the First District, she enrolled in the city garrison a few years ago and became a knight of a royal family.


    Unfortunately, she got demoted due to an incident andter transferred to the First District as a patrol guard.


    Her duty was to collect the house taxes, arrest any suspicious individuals entering the street and control the street thugs'' activities.


    Her job was not a hard one.


    But today, she bumped into a strange woman while she was on her way home and received prophecy-like words.


    "You''ll be pulled into random fighting and die like a street dog, Chaos Maiden. If you want to live, kill anyone who gets close to you. Do not avoid the fighting."


    Although she didn''t believe the young woman''s words, she still couldn''t get off the uneasy feeling in her heart.


    ''I''m a Rank-3 Warlock! I''m not afraid of some random thugs.'' She muttered to herself and continued to walk on the dirt road.


    Along the way, she met many of her acquaintances and greeted them while waving her hand.


    Most of them were the residents of Hazel Street, so she felt a sense of relief.


    This street was more like her home.


    ''But what if that woman''s words were true? Moreover, how did she know my nickname?'' She couldn''t help but tighten the grip of her spear.


    Although the residents of this street were polite and kind, Nora knew that they would nevere out of their home and help her if she got pulled into a battle.


    ''In the end, I''ve no choice but to rely on myself, huh.'' She muttered inwardly and decided to follow the strange woman''s words.


    It was not out of curiosity but out of the fear of losing her life.


    She then walked past many people while distancing herself from others and even maintained constant vignce.


    After walking for a while, she saw a group of thugs walking towards her from the opposite direction.


    No, she noticed two groups of thugs were walking together and seemed to be fiercely arguing about something.


    Upon seeing this scene, a strange chill went up to her spine!


    ''Damn it, should I walk in the opposite direction?'' She firmly shook that thought and moved forward.


    Meanwhile, the thugs'' argument got fiercer and fiercer, and soon all of them took out their weapons.


    At that moment, Nora also arrived near them and ready for any unexpected attacks.


    Just as she had expected, all those thugs suddenly started attacking one another.


    Daggers and short swords shed against each other, sending sparks in all directions.


    But none used any magic spells!


    It was as if they were holding off while battling against each other.


    While Nora got closer towards them, some thugs shifted their attention towards her direction and pounced at her.


    If it were before, she would have panicked a bit and retreated in fear.


    But now, she held her grip and aimed at the iing opponents.


    Then, she stumped her left foot, cast [Fire Enchantment] spell on the spear, and thrust it at full force.


    At that moment, her metallic spear suddenly glowed in red color and sent out scorching heatwaves.


    The next second, the spear tip tore through the air, stabbed into the thug''s neck, and reappeared on the other side!


    It was an instant kill!


    Upon seeing this, almost all of those thugs paused in surprise and turned their gaze towards her in shock.


    Even though these two gangs would always fight for petty things, they would never kill each other!


    It was a rule!


    But the presence of this unknown female guard changed everything!


    Before the nearby thugs could wake up from the shock, Nora twisted her spear, made a whirling stance, and shed it at the nearby thugs.


    Like a sh of lightning, the spear tip moved at a fast speed and shed the nearby thugs'' throats like butchering knives.


    In two seconds, more than five thugs clutched their necks and started falling with staggering footsteps!


    Meanwhile, Nora pulled her spear, lowered the tip towards the ground, and stared at them with a deadly gaze.


    On the other hand, all those thugs got perplexed by the situation and looked at each other in confusion.


    No, there was a hint of fear that appeared on their faces.


    "One more step, I''ll kill all of you." Her cold voice reverberated in the street.


    At that moment, even the two gang leaders got intimidated by her!


    A strange silence appeared on the street road.


    Meanwhile, a strange chaotic red fire manifested behind Nora and started to take shape into wings!


    ''She is not a normal Helper.'' Such thought crossed in all of those thugs'' heads.


    "C-Chaos Maiden!" A random thug suddenly recognized her and cried out in shock.


    On the other hand, all other thugs took a step back and stared at her warily.


    Her nickname came after she confronted an unruly Paragon youngster and gave him a good beating.


    Because of that, the officials demoted her title and transferred her to the rural street as a patrol guard.


    After some thought, the thugs took a step back and started backing off.


    Although some thugs showed unwillingness, they didn''t oppose the superiors'' orders and backed off.


    Soon, the whole group of thugs disappeared from her sight, leaving six bloodied corpses behind.


    ''Is it over?'' Nora stabbed the spear''s tip on the dirt road and nced around to see the mysterious young woman.


    Simr incidents started to unfold in different parts of the city.


    Most of the people who heard the mysterious woman''s prophetic words managed to survive, while the rest ended up dying.


    Some died because of random idents, some died of heart attacks and somemitted suicide for some personal reasons, and so on.


    By the end of the day, more than 800 Red Humans died, causing a greatmotion all over the city!

 Chapter 364: Plan

    <h4>Chapter 364: n</h4>


    While the power of bad luck influenced the whole Red Human city, Charles casually strolled on the street roads and stealthily released those Crimson Butterflies in different parts of the areas.


    Now, his [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill yed a crucial role in this.


    He continued to spread the Crimson Butterflies like a gue and let them roam freely.


    As long as theye in contact with a Red Human, they would assimte into his body.


    But if that Red Human already had a Crimson Butterfly in his body, the Crimson Butterflies would avoid him and search for a new host.


    Charles created these Butterflies based on simr life forms present in the Red City.


    They were called Elemental Flies.


    These insects would alwayse out at night and suck Red Humans'' elemental energy when they were asleep.


    They had simr traits as normal mosquitoes.


    But unlike the mosquitoes, these Elemental Flies would only suck a bit of fire elemental energies from the hosts.


    So, the Red Humans would never sense any itching sensation or pain.


    Because of this, most of the Red Humans would never mind those insects'' presence.


    Even if they saw the insects moving next to them, they would brush them off and continue doing their work.


    Many Crimson Butterflies came from ditches and alleys as Charles walked out of the street and moved towards different areas.


    Although Red Humans were startled by the numbers, they didn''t put too much thought into it and continued to do their work.


    But Percy''s men sensed something was amiss and hurriedly sent a report to their master.


    In truth, Charles was waiting for their following action!


    If he wanted to enter the Dungeon, he had to defeat or seal Adur.


    Unfortunately, he was too weak to face that monster.


    From the Holem''s Crown''s earlier words, he knew that man was not someone he should mess with.


    That guy had more than one ''Divinity'' and could defeat more than seven Rank-5 warlocks in a single battle.


    Even if Charles weakened his ''Divine'' strength, there would be a high chance that guy might have something up in his sleeves.


    Otherwise, the Paragons would''ve long defeated him.


    So, Charles had to make the Paragons believe that they had a better chance of defeating Adur.


    He also wants to convert the whole Red Human citizens to firm believers of Fire Bird and weaken Adur!


    But to achieve his goal, he needed the Paragons'' help.


    Unfortunately, they were a bunch of arrogant clowns.


    They believe in bloodline strength supremacy and would never listen to a normal Red Human.


    Even if he showed his strength, they would never treat him as their equal.


    Instead, they would usemanding words and order him around like their own servants.


    Charles would never lower his head to those arrogant clowns.


    But now, his current action would startle them deeply.


    After analyzing his actions, they would soon link him with the strange rumors and find out that ''Hanna'' was the new Champion.


    Then, they would inform their family heads, aka the remaining Rank-5 Powerhouses, about the new Champion''s arrival and invite him personally.


    That''s where he would get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    But before going to meet them, Charles would give them hope.


    ''I will show the power of Incarnation and give everyone a scare. I will show them that the Guardian Deity is still alive!''


    He would tempt them with devilish words and make them believe himpletely.


    Then, enve the Rank-5 Powerhouses one by one!


    That''s where his [Curse of the Overlord] spell woulde into y.


    Although he didn''t know how much it would be effective against a Rank-5 Warlocks, he vaguely felt that the chance of sess would be based on the circumstances.


    As long as he creates a believable circumstance, all those Rank-5 Warlocks woulde under his control!


    Once he managed to control them, he would wait for the perfect opportunity and let the Rank-5 Warlocks besiege Adur.


    Meanwhile, he would sneak into the Sacred Cathedral and enter the Dungeon.


    Whether the Rank-5 Warlocks manages to defeat Adur or not, he didn''t care about the oue.


    These remaining Rank-5 Paragons were nothing but perfect scapegoats for his n!


    ''But I''ve to be careful. That Adur might have already sensed something. It''s better to do these works stealthily from tomorrow onwards.'' He muttered inwardly and continued his work.


    Charles moved to more than ten streets and spread more than three hundred thousand Crimson Butterflies by the end of the day!


    After that, he made a few turns and went towards the rented house.


    ¡­


    A Vera Household, Royal District, City of Red,


    At that moment, a brown-haired guard in histe 30s arrived in front of the entrance and hurriedly went inside.


    If this were everyday news, he would''ve moved to Butler Perry''s house and give him a detailed report about the earlier incident.


    Unfortunately, he had seen something absurd and knew that it was an urgent matter.


    He walked towards the mansion building with hurried footsteps and soon arrived in front of the entrance door.


    Then, he removed his leather shoes, wore clean ones which he took from the nearby rack, and walked in.


    At that moment, the Vera household butler Percy also noticed his arrival and gave him a hand signal to stop.


    He was a brown-haired middle-aged man, had a short beard, and appeared stern.


    Upon seeing this, the brown-haired guard halted his footsteps, looked at the reception hall, and started searching for the third princess of Vera Household.


    Soon, he saw a young woman seated on the sofa and grinned inwardly.


    The young woman had long wavy hair, an oval face, elongated eyebrows, and appeared to be around 175 cm high.


    Currently, she wore a gown-like dress and appeared simpler.


    Her name was Scarlet Vera, and she was the third princess of the Vera Royal family!


    Upon seeing her, the brown-haired guard got relieved inside.


    ''I won''t miss this opportunity.''


    The guard knew that he wouldn''t even get a Crown if he reported this news to the butler!


    Without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and spoke in a loud voice.


    "I found something unusual about that young woman, Sir Percy!" He paused for a moment, nced at Scarlet, and then added.


    "I think that woman can predict others'' future!"


    Just as he finished his words, Scarlet suddenly stopped flipping the page, closed her book, and turned her gaze towards the brown-haired guard.


    "You! Come here." She pointed her forefinger at him and ordered.


    Meanwhile, the brown-haired guard ran towards her without showing any etiquette and soon arrived in front of her.


    "Tell me more about it. Why did you believe that she can predict others'' future?" Scarlet leaned her back against the sofa and asked in a cold tone.


    On the other hand, the brown-haired guard nodded his head and exined everything in a detailed manner.


    Scarlet''s expression soon turned solemn as the guard continued to talk.


    The more she listened to his words, the more serious she became.


    By the time he ended his talk, she almost lost herposure!


    ''T-This¡­ There is a high chance that she might be the new Champion! Damn, this involves the survival of all the Paragons! I need to discuss with my father.'' She stood up from the sofa and spoke.


    "Go back and tell no one about what you saw earlier. Also, inform the same to your colleagues."


    Saying so, she turned around and hurriedly ran towards the spiral staircase on the right side.

 Chapter 365: Adur

    <h4>Chapter 365: Adur</h4>


    Soon, Scarlet informed her father about the appearance of the new Champion and even mentioned her future prediction ability.


    Unfortunately, her father and even other high-ranked Paragons didn''t believe her words entirely and chose to observe for a while.


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to his rented house and started his n.


    During the nighttime, he stealthily moved out of his rented house and started spreading the Crimson Butterflies.


    But during the daytime, he randomly strolled on the streets and started giving prophetic words to the unlucky persons.


    Still, the death toll rose exponentially day by day.


    Not only that, but many Red Humans even met with idents and got injured severely.


    These unusual deaths and idents put everyone on great alert.


    Soldiers, Paragons, Temr Knights, Priests, and other Red Human citizens started to get anxious.


    Although Sacred Temple members assured the citizens with their sweet words, none trusted their words fully.


    Days passed.


    One day, two days, three days, and soon ten days passed!


    During the past ten days, more than 8,000 Red Humans died of some unknown cause!


    At first, most of them didn''t believe the increased number of death tolls.


    But now, almost everyone believed it.


    They also learned that even the sacred temple members weren''t safer in this city.


    The main reason for that was because of the Vipers organization''s frequent assassinations!


    Most of the Temr Knights were even scared to walk out alone!


    Meanwhile, Alder and others spread another rumor saying that these mysterious deaths were Divine Punishment sent down by the Guardian Deity.


    As the death tolls started to rise, fear and panic began to spread among the masses.


    At that moment, a Mysterious Lady''s actions started to spread everywhere.


    Not only that, but some people even consider her words as Divine Prophecies.


    The masses also soon realized that the Mysterious Lady was the true Champion of the Guardian Deity, and many changed their beliefs.


    In truth, most Red Humans considered Adur as the apostle of their Guardian Deity, which was why they revered him.


    Although Adur didn''t step down from the ruler position, his actions affected ordinary people.


    No, Adur gave privileges to themoners and created the ''Helpers'' ranking system.


    As long as an ordinary Red Human manages to break the shackle and ranks up, he would be qualified to be a Helper.


    With that Helper Status, even amoner could climb up in social rank and be a high-rank official.


    Because of this system, most of themoners didn''t oppose Adur''s action.


    Some even supported him at that time.


    The ones who were affected by Adur''s previous actions were the Paragons.


    But when ites to life and death, no one would care about faiths.


    Within a few days, many Red Humans started worshiping Fire Bird idols and did multiple rituals for atonement.


    They also did some mass rallies.


    At the same time, they showed their dissatisfaction towards the Sacred Temple and even conducted protests to rece Adur''s statue with the Fire Bird!


    The Paragons also added fuel to the fire and created more chaos in the name of riots.


    Breaking public properties, attacking the guards and Temr Knights, and doing hate speech against Adur and Sacred Temple becamemon everywhere.


    Out of nowhere, an unknown person named Kobe became the leader of these protesters.


    He demanded equal rights, government jobs for themoners, education, and many other things.


    Within three days, people even consider him as a new resistance leader.


    But what''s more unbelievable thing was that some people even called him the new Champion!


    It was entirely out of Charles''s n!


    Just when he thought of investigating that man, another incident happened.


    In broad daylight, a group of masked protesters entered a Sacred Temple and broke everything, including Adur''s statue.


    That incident shook the whole city!


    Everyone, including Kobe, thought that the Sacred Temple would send out their Temr Knights and do a massive suppression.


    To their surprise, the Sacred Temple members remained quiet on this matter.


    But that was only in the open, though.


    The next day, Kobe hung himself in the ceiling andmitted suicide.


    If it were some other time, the citizens would have thought of it as a plot of the Sacred Temple.


    Unfortunately, the time had changed.


    Deaths, crimes, riots, and idents becamemon everywhere.


    Chaos descended all over the city.


    The one who caused all the chaos sat on a wooden chair in the reception room and was in the middle of drinking tea.


    He took a sealed letter from the nearby wooden table, tore the cover, and flipped it open.


    It was a report sent by Alder about a recruit.


    ''Nora, huh. That unlucky girl managed to survive this long? Hmm, she is a rare gem indeed.'' He nodded inwardly, burned the letter, and took another sip of tea.


    Once he drank the tea, he ced the teacup on the table and stood up from his seat.


    After that, he adjusted his dress, released a bit of his wisdom power, and checked the surroundings.


    A secondter, his expression turned grim.


    ''The Sacred Temple members are increasing¡­ Are they going to act today?'' A frown appeared on his face.


    By his calction, the Paragons should''ve sent out invitation letters for him long ago!


    But not a single invitation letter arrived.


    ''Even Hanna''s original family didn''t send out any letter.''


    It was as if all of them were waiting for something!


    ''What are they waiting for? Adur''s response? Would that man dare to attack a Champion in the open?'' He couldn''t help but show a hesitant look on his face.


    Unfortunately, he was not an omniscient being to know about everything.


    The other thing he worried most was about ordinary people''s faith.


    Although many Red Humans were doing protests and rallies, only 50% of themoners prayed the Guardian Deity.


    The remaining 50% were still doing the daily rituals to Adur and worshipping him as the apostle of Red Human.


    ''The Paragons became weak and cowards.'' He shook his head in disappointment.


    ''It''s been 35 days since I constructed my spell model, and there are only ten more days left for me. I can''t dy any longer. Thankfully, I had long released all the Crimson Butterflies, and all of them are ready to activate.'' He nodded inwardly and made up his mind.


    ''If they didn''t dare toe, I''ll go and meet them. Let''s see how Adur and Paragons would respond.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    He may not be a devil, but his thinking was always simr to that of a devil.


    Without wasting any time, he walked out of his house and started walking on the street.


    At that moment, more than a hundred people started to monitor him from different directions.


    Charles didn''t mind their behavior and continued to walk towards the Second District.


    To his surprise, he noticed that all the streets appeared eerily quiet.


    Although some citizens appeared here and there, not a single protest or mass rally appeared!


    ''Hmm? Something is not right. Did the Sacred Temple members kill all the protesters? No, they would never do that.'' He suddenly stopped his footsteps, looked up at the sky, and frowned.


    At that moment, he noticed a strange invisibleyer enveloped the sky!


    ''Adur''s work? Did he send the protester to his ''Divine Domain''?'' He felt that was the possible answer.


    After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and continued to walk towards the Second District.


    After a few minutes of walking, he reached the entrance gate and walked in.


    After that, he continued to walk for another 30 minutes and finally reached the Royal District''s entrance.


    But unlike before, the one who stood in front of him was not Reed but a middle-aged man.


    He had a square face, amber eyes, a sharp nose, and thin eyebrows.


    Currently, he leaned his back against the metallic gate and held a wooden staff in his hand.


    Upon seeing him, Charles couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    "Nice to meet you, Adur," He said in a deep tone and took a step back.

 Chapter 366: Difference

    <h4>Chapter 366: Difference</h4>


    Simultaneously, he took out a dish-shaped metallic artifact from his space ring and activated it with a click.


    It was the Riddle of Nightmare artifact!


    The next instant, Adur''s original consciousness pulled into the Dreamworld!


    He soon noticed that his whole surroundings turned darker.


    The crimson sky disappeared from his eyes, and soon darkness reced everywhere.


    What shocked him most was that the nearby humans also disappeared mysteriously.


    ''Where is this ce?'' He couldn''t help but take a deep look at the sky.


    During all these years, he had never encountered anything like today and got startled deeply.


    He then shifted his attention towards his Inner World and noticed the invisible link connected to his main body!


    ''So, it''s a separate dimension seals one''s consciousness, huh.'' He nodded his head in understanding and left the Dreamworld through the connection in seconds.


    If he were a Rank-4 Warlock, it would take him more than a minute to break away from this separate dimension.


    But he was a peak-level Rank-5 Warlock!


    No, he even had the strength to face a Legend Rank Warlock!


    ¡­


    It took only two seconds for Adur to find the connection link and return to his main body.


    But this was more than enough for Charles to test the opponent''s strength.


    Charles first cast [Purple Consciousness] on Adur and tried to invade his Inner World.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell and sent a thin streak of ck fire towards Adur.


    But just as his two spells were about to affect Adur''s body, some invisible power appeared out of nowhere and repelled them!


    It was so strong that it caused his Rank-4 and Rank-5 spells to vanish without even a trace!


    ''Divine Power?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise and soon exhaled deeply.


    Then, he cast [ck Inferno] spell and tried to attack his body, but failed miserably due to the same mysterious divine force!


    Whenever he tried to attack Adur''s body or soul, the divine power came out of his body and encircled him like a forcefield.


    What''s more shocking was that this protection force field was capable of even blocking a Rank-5 spell!


    ''No wonder he managed to kill four Rank-5 Warlocks and crippled three Rank-5 Warlocks.'' He couldn''t help praise inwardly.


    At that moment, Adur''s consciousness also returned from the Dreamworld, looked at him coldly, and spoke.


    "Your tricks may work onmon people and the Paragons, girl. But you can''t fool my eyes." He paused for a moment, gripped the wooden staff, and asked.


    "Who are you? What did you do to my people?"


    Just as he finished those words, a tremendous mysterious power descended from above and crashed on Charles''s body!


    It was so strong that it made him immobilize in a moment!


    He tried to move but couldn''t.


    ''That Ember Golem also used simr power to restrain me a few months ago.'' Charles thought to himself.


    He then released his full wisdom power, enveloped the whole city, and then spoke.


    But unlike before, he infused his voice with his wisdom power and let it spread all over the city!


    "Do you want to know my identity?" A charming smile appeared on Charles''s feminine-looking face.


    "Be it then. I''m Hanna Cortoner, and I''m the new Champion of Red Humans."


    At that moment, the whole Red Humans in the city got startled by her voice and looked everywhere in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Adur snorted coldly, raised his hand, and conjured a ball of fire.


    "Unfortunately, Red City doesn''t need another Champion."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and walked towards Charles.


    At that moment, the fireball in his hand started to turn a golden color and expanded.


    Within two seconds, it expanded into a five-meter radius fireball and looked more like a mini-sun!


    But an unknown type of invisible power appeared all over the mysterious fireball and gave off the feeling of sacredness.


    On the other hand, Charles gritted his teeth and roared in anger.


    "It''s not for you to decide, Adur. You are not a God!"


    His feminine voice echoed in every citizen''s ears like drums.


    Upon hearing his words, many Paragons and even some Sacred Humans showed admiration towards the young woman!


    But all of them sighed helplessly and shook their heads in disappointment.


    They had long known about this oue and felt pity towards the young woman.


    "God? Are you talking about the sleeping bird in the dungeon?" A mocking smile appeared on Adur''s face as he pointed his finger at the ck tower and chuckled.


    "That God has long gone, imbecile. Currently, there is only one God in this city, and that is me!"


    He said in a deep tone and threw the golden fireball at Charles.


    Meanwhile, his words stabbed everyone''s heart!


    A strange silence appeared in the city, followed by a loud explosion.


    The fireball exploded as it arrived near Charles and released waves of golden fire.


    The golden fire soon enveloped Charles, walls, houses, and even the nearby Red Humans and burned everything in its path!


    A few secondster, the fire died down and revealed a massive crater at the ce where Charles stood before!


    Upon seeing this, Adur clicked his tongue and muttered.


    "This is the difference between a mortal and a Divine."


    But just as he turned around, he suddenly sensed a presence from his right side and stared at the figure in confusion.


    "You manage to evade my attack?" A surprise shed on his face.


    On the other hand, Charles casually leaned his back against the wall and stared at him in amusement.


    Although Adur was powerful, he wasn''t a smart one.


    ''He has too many weaknesses. His main weaknesses are arrogance, overconfidence, pride, and greed.''


    Muttering inwardly, Charles suddenly extended his right hand, pulled something from the invisible space, and then caught something in the air.


    The next second, a wooden staff appeared in his hand.


    It was the same wooden staff Adur holding a while ago!


    His action startled all the powerhouses who were watching the battle using their wisdom power!


    Even Adur couldn''t understand when he lost his battle staff and looked at him in shock and rm.


    Meanwhile, Charles stored the staff into his space ring and spoke.


    "A Divine? You? You are nothing but a clown, Adur." He paused for a moment and then spoke with a smile.


    "Let me show you the power of true God then."


    Saying so, he pped his hand together and activated all the 8 billion Crimson Butterflies.


    At that moment, every Red Human felt a hot sensation from the deepest part of their body and got startled.


    Soon, Crimson Butterflies came out of their bodies, pped their wings, and flew towards the sky.


    Aurora Land, Vermillion Section, Arch Domain, King''s Land, Asnd, and even the Second District got enveloped by millions of butterflies.


    Within seconds, millions of Crimson Butterflies appeared in the sky and blocked the two crimson suns!


    Those strange butterflies continued to fly in the sky and soon started tobine one another.

 Chapter 367: Fire Birds Incarnation

    <h4>Chapter 367: Fire Bird''s Incarnation</h4>


    Meanwhile, the Red Human citizens, Paragons, and the Sacred Humans were startled by the sudden appearance of the millions of butterflies, walked out of their houses, and looked up at the sky in confusion and anxiety.


    On the other hand, the millions of Crimson Butterflies swirled everywhere like tangled snakes, united together and formed into an appearance of a Bird!


    Although it appeared illusionary, everyone felt that it had a life on its own!


    It was an incarnation of Fire Bird!


    The citizens'' confused faces turned into shock and disbelief!


    The Fire Bird was 30 to 40 meters long, had sunshine wings, and the belly appeared golden color!


    Its beak was sharp like a scythe, and it had illusionary amber eyes and unique red tails.


    Its two legs were pure golden in color, and the sharp ws looked like reapers'' scythes.


    What''s more attractive was that the Fire Bird''s illusionary feathers. They looked too realistic!


    Although the monstrous bird was just an incarnation, everyone in the city felt a sense of holiness and sacredness!


    Even Adur got amazed by the scene for a moment and then released his Divine Power to stop its fusion.


    But to his astonishment, he sensed a unique power came out from the Fire Bird''s incarnation andpletely blocked his own!


    At that moment, the scattered parts of Charles''s memories in the Crimson Butterflies also fused and formed into a perfect consciousness!


    Then, Charles''s consciousness analyzed the situation and soon received orders from the original Charles.


    He controlled the Fire Bird''s Incarnation the next instant, opened the beak, and let out a cry.


    A loud, ear-piercing cry came from the sky and assaulted everyone''s ears.


    Then, the Fire Bird pped its monstrous wings, circled the sky, and soon zeroed its gaze on Adur.


    At that moment, Adur also rose towards the sky and flew towards the Fire Bird''s incarnation faster!


    Within seconds, he arrived in front of the Fire Bird and opened his mouth.


    "Elemental Hands!" His cold voice reverberated in the sky.


    The next second, a spatial crack appeared behind him and soon formed into a gigantic vortex.


    Then, two monstrous w-like hands came out from it.


    Unlike any creature''s hands, these two hands were made of fire and appeared reddish.


    Those two hands soon extended towards the Fire Bird and tried to grab its golden legs.


    On the other hand, the Fire Bird pped its wings, clutched the hands using its legs, and screeched!


    The next instant, some mystical reddish me came from the legs and started corrupting the hands.


    Adur frowned as he saw this and was about to cast the next spell but soon stopped.


    At that moment, the Fire Bird, aka Charles''s other consciousness, utilized this opportunity and gathered all the divine power at the tip of its beak.


    Even with the help of the Fire Bird''s incarnation, Charles knew that defeating Adur was a suicidal idea.


    So, that''s why he made a n and thought of intimidating everyone.


    The next instant, a dense orb of eerie ckish me gathered in its mouth.


    Simultaneously, all the gathered divine power mingled with the ckish orb and fused with it!


    A secondter, everyone, including the Rank-5 powerhouses and Adur, felt a terrifying suffocative feeling from the Fire Bird!


    Everyone felt that they were looked down on by the true ruler of this World!


    At the exact moment, a blue notification popped up in front of Charles''s eyes.


    ¡­


    [Unique Skill obtained!


    Aura of Dominance: This skill can empower allies, intimidate enemies. Only the true rulers can obtain this skill. The more people you rule, the more powerful this skill will be.]


    ¡­


    ''Oh? I didn''t expect this.'' Charles muttered inwardly, shifted his attention towards the sky, and ordered.


    ''Do it.''


    As if the Fire Bird had received an order from its master, it opened its mouth and released a beam of eerie ck ray.


    The ray was so fast that it traveled at the speed of sound and stuck Adur''s chest!


    Although the mysterious divine power tried to block the ray, it couldn''t.


    The eerie ck ray tore through the invisibleyer, stuck on Adur''s chest, and collided against his body!


    Even though his body had reached the realm of Pseudo-Legends, it wasn''t an indestructible one.


    The eerie ckish ray released some creepy ck me filled with streaks of the red line and started destructing his body cells at a molecr level!


    Simultaneously, Adur''s body bounced due to the colliding force and shot towards the other side like a meteorite!


    His body flew above the Royal District and soonnded on the rocky road!


    But Adur didn''t even have any time to worry about that, though.


    At that moment, he felt immense pain in his chest!


    The eerie ck and reddish streaks invaded his body and started corrupting his flesh and skin.


    Although Adur used his divine power and suppressed it from spreading towards the other parts, he still felt pain from the infected part!


    ''What the hell is this ck me?'' He also conjured a ball of greenish me and tried to heal his chest while standing up.


    Unfortunately, his every attempt went futile.


    ''That damned bird! Does that mean the Fire Bird is still alive and kicking?'' A foreboding sensation appeared in his mind.


    At that moment, he also noticed that the connections between his firm believers were disappearing at a fast speed!


    ''NO! I need to kill the Fire Bird''s incarnation!'' He gathered arge amount of his divine power, sealed the eerie ck me from spreading other areas, and then looked up at the sky.


    But at that moment, the Fire Bird''s incarnation reduced in size and soon turned into a ray of light.


    Before he could understand the situation, the ray directly entered the area where the new Champion stood before and disappeared from everyone''s sight.


    Upon seeing this, rage appeared on Adur''s face.


    He hurriedly released his wisdom power, locked the whole city, and searched for the new Champion''s whereabouts.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t even find a trace of that young woman!


    ''Where did she go?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    Adur soon sent out multiple orders to the Sacred Temple''s high-rank members and started his search.


    Meanwhile, Charles stealthily entered the Royal District and moved towards a particr mansion.


    It was the Vera Household!


    He soon arrived in front of thepound gate, burned their thoughts, and walked in.


    Although a few guards tried to block him, he knocked them unconscious and soon arrived in front of a wooden door.


    Without wasting any time, he stepped into the three-storied house and entered the reception hall.


    Whenparing with the old mansion, the interior of this mansion was not much decorated and appeared old-fashioned.


    The floor was rough, and there were even many ups and downs.


    Charles looked around the non-painted walls, moved his gaze towards the center of the hall, and finally shifted his attention on a particr familiar-looking Red Human woman.


    She was none other than Scarlet Vera!


    At that moment, Scarlet also stood up from her seat and stared at the entrance in surprise.


    "H-How did you get here?" She asked in an anxious tone.


    Simultaneously, she conjured a ball of me, weaved it into a sharp sword, and gripped the hilt.


    Upon seeing her action, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "Go and tell your father to arrange a meeting for all the Rank-5 Powerhouses. I''ve something important to tell those clowns."


    Saying so, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there!

 Chapter 368: Sasha

    <h4>Chapter 368: Sasha</h4>


    While Charles was causing chaos in the City of Red, a new mysterious guest arrived at the Iron Kingdom.


    A wiry-haired mysteriousdy entered the City of Iron through the northern gate and strolled on the newlyid gravel road.


    She had long auburn hair, close-set azure eyes, faint eyebrows, silken ivory skin, elongated face, and an aquiline nose.


    While strolling, she held a bunch of candy sticks in her hand and gave them whenever she bumped into a kid.


    She soon reached the City Square and started muttering some strange verse.


    "Born in the Iron, but will rise in the Moon.


    She has three hearts but only two hands.


    When she returns, her arrival will shake the home.


    Chaos will descend, so will the opportunities.


    She will rise and be a true Monarch,


    Whenever she takes a step, citizens will kneel.


    Not out of respect, but out of hunger and fear of death.


    She will extend her hand and save the Kingdom from its doom.


    Tell her to beware, beware of a Divine.


    That one will stick to her, to steal her life.


    Save her, and she will save you.


    Let her rest for a while, along with her hearts.


    When the hearts grow, she will lose one.


    But if Fate allows, the lost heart will find me.


    And, I will give the Legacy to it.


    Wait for the Destined Day! What an interesting forefather you have, Rhea." A chuckle escaped out of her mouth.


    If Charles were here, he would have identified her in an instant!


    She was none other than the Goddess of Destiny, Sasha!


    Although she was also an incarnation like the previous one, she linked herself with her Divine Kingdom and held many advantages!


    That''s the reason she retained her original facial structure.


    After taking over a firm believer''s body, she used an ancient soul technique andpletely controlled that person''s soul.


    ''Unfortunately, I''ve to keep a low profile and act ording to the n. With my current strength, I can barely keep up with a Rank-6 Mystic.'' But she wasn''t worried at all.


    In truth, this was also within Destiny Goddess''s n.


    When Charles intervened, Destiny Goddess sensed an anomaly and knew that her separate consciousness might fail to take over Rhea''s soul!


    That''s why she ced the Mysterious Curse on Charles!


    It was her backup n!


    She also long knew of the First King''s Prophecy.


    ''That King predicted my plot long ago and wrote this prophecy. He must have predicted some anomaly in the Destiny and sought out help from the Will of the World. But the World''s Will seemed to have made some blunder mistake and involved a troublesome Irregr. No, the World''s Will is not dumb. Then, is a third party involved in this? That''s why the World''s Will chose to kill him?'' A sh of surprise appeared on her face.


    ''Hmm, this looks like a possible answer. That third party also seems to have lent some help to Charles. If not, he wouldn''t have seeded in dying his death. Yeah, Charles should''ve died before the coronation ceremony, but something seems to have helped him.'' A troublesome expression appeared on her face.


    If it were any other Irregr, she would''ve contacted that person and made some deal with him.


    Unfortunately, this Irregr was an unpredictable one.


    Even she had no clue about his current location.


    ''But the main thing is about the First King. When he wrote that prophecy, his strength should''ve reached the level of Mid-God. That guy is indeed not simple.''


    That''s the main reason Sasha came to this Edhen ne!


    Although the First King of Iron Kingdom left this ne long ago, he gave his descendant a parting gift!


    The Destiny Tower!


    ''I must get it.''


    Currently, her strength was around Mid-God Level.


    Even there was a big difference in that level.


    If she wants to improve further, she needs Destiny Divinities, Origin Force of Destiny Domain, and so on.


    The Destiny Tower was one of her treasure hunting spots!


    But getting the co-ordinate of the Destiny Tower was not an easy matter.


    Not only the First King of Iron Kingdom predicted her scheme, but he also created many traps and even made preparations to counter her abilities!


    What''s more shocking was the arrival of Charles!


    ''I also tried my best to erase the prophecy, but Goddess Rodia interfered¡­ The Destiny Tower is not a random magic tower or some low-level Mystic Tower.''


    "Even so, he underestimated me too much.'' A smirk appeared on her face.


    She then closed her eyes, checked the Fate of a particr person, and soon curled her lips upward.


    ''Hmm, it''s time for ''him'' to escape from the Deep Sea Prison!'' She then made some hand gestures and weaved the fate strings.


    After that, she turned around and started walking towards the Nobles'' Borough.


    A few minutester, she entered Saffron Street and arrived in front of a three-storied mansion.


    Unlike the nearby mansions, this one appearedrger and beautiful.


    More than ten silver-armored men roamed inside thepound gate and were strictly guarding the building.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that they were elite soldiers!


    Sasha also saw a griffon symbol on the guards'' clothes, mansion entrance, and many other things and curled her lips upward.


    "Hmm, this must be the Griffon family." She nodded her head and moved towards the opened metallic gate.


    But just as she walked near it, two muscr men moved their spears and blocked the passage.


    "Commoners are not allowed." One of the gatekeepers said coldly.


    Meanwhile, Sasha raised her eyebrows and asked.


    "Is that so? Then, how about this?"


    Saying so, she took a step forward and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, she appeared in the middle of the reception hall and looked around.


    Golden carpets and paints of wars, gods, and angels were the only things that appeared in the hall.


    With a simple look, she knew that this house owner loves history and art.


    Sasha soon turned her gaze towards the center, nodded her head, and stepped on the golden carpet.


    At that moment, a wrinkled old man was seated on a Lawson sofa and held a brown-covered book in his hand.


    As she walked closer, the old man also noticed her presence and turned his gaze towards her.


    He had silvery hair, strange multi-colored eyes, thick eyebrows, and a long beard.


    He wore a neat golden robe and a brown cap with a symbol of griffon engraved on it.


    He was none other than the head of Griffon Family, Andy Griffon!


    With a mere nce, anyone could tell that this man was proud and arrogant!


    "Who are you? Who told you toe in?" A cold voice came out of his mouth.


    "Who am I?" Sasha stopped her footsteps, raised her right hand, and snapped her fingers.


    The next second, Andy felt that his whole surroundings started to change.


    He found himself in a luxurious room a secondter and saw a blonde-haired woman holding him in her arms.


    Although she appeared younger, Andy recognized her in an instant!


    It was his mother!


    He tried to shout, but a strange baby''s cry came out of his mouth!


    "Wah!"


    Only then did he notice that his hands and legs appeared tiny and smoother.


    ''W-What? HOW? I returned to the past?'' His eyes widened in disbelief.


    But the next second, a female voice echoed in his head.


    ''No. Although I heard that there is a mysterious spell that could send your soul back in time, even I''m not sure whether it is true or not. As for your current situation, I cast a unique spell called ''Destiny Recall.'' This spell will allow you to recall the entire past life and help you walk on the path of true Destiny. Do you want to see the path to your True Destiny?''


    Although that voice appeared pleasant and soft, Andy felt a strange sensation of evilness.


    He felt as if he heard the words of a wicked being!

 Chapter 369: Baroness

    <h4>Chapter 369: Baroness</h4>


    Andy soon agreed to Sasha''s question and experienced his life from the beginning.


    While experiencing, he also realized his mistakes, decisions, and many more.


    He also learned about Sasha''s original identity, part of her n, and his involvement!


    A few minutester, he opened his eyes in the reception hall, knelt on the ground, and bowed his head.


    "What are your orders, Your Grace?" He asked in a trembling tone.


    Meanwhile, Sasha wore a pleased smile and waved her hand.


    "You don''t need to do much. You can continue your work and wait for the head of the Elliott family. He''ll bring you some good news in a few days." Saying so, she turned illusionary and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    Royal Pce, Royal Street, City of Iron.


    It was around 8 A.M.


    At that moment, a ck-haired young woman sat on the Iron Throne and looked down at the hundreds of people.


    She wore a one-shouldered pink tulle gown with borated flowers embroidery and sequins and appeared charming.


    She had pale white skin, unique azure eyes, thin eyebrows, and an oval face.


    She was none other than the Queen of Iron Kingdom, Rhea Bonere!


    She calmly looked at her subjects and shifted her gaze towards a particr couple seated in the front row.


    One was a brown-haired young man, who appeared to be around 20 to 22 years old, while the other was a silver-haired young woman.


    The young man had deep-set brown eyes, shadow nose bridge, fair skin, and a ssic handlebar mustache under his nose.


    Currently, he wore a double-breasted ck coat, high waist pants, ck boots, red cravat tie, bowler''s hat, and a monocle.


    The ssic-looking young man was none other than Titus Jones!


    Next to him was the silver-haired woman, who appeared to be around 25-years-old, had a pretty smooth face, sharp nose, and wore a floral ruffled gown.


    She was Titus''s current lover Daisy Elliott!


    Although they had long decided on their marriage, they postponed it due to some political problems.


    In truth, Daisy still belongs to the Elliott family.


    If a woman from a Ruler Caste wants to marry a foreigner or amoner, she needs to get the approval of three Ruler Caste members!


    Not only that, but she also had to get permission from her family head!


    What''s more unbelievable was that her family head had every right to deny her request or send her off to another family in the name of political marriage!


    In the past five years, her half-brother Tyler troubled her with silly reasons and tried his best to force her into political marriages.


    If not for the Ancient Mage''s protection, he might have captured Daisy and forced her to marry into some noble family.


    ''It all ends today.'' Aplicated smile appeared on Daisy''s pretty face.


    All these years, she worked harder for the kingdom, participated in many royal missions, and finally managed to be one of the seven Royal Mages!


    She achieved this with much secrecy, and only a few people knew of this!


    "You won, darling." A cold male voice echoed in her ears, causing her to nod subconsciously.


    In truth, she didn''t care about the Royal Mage job at all.


    But what she cared about most were the privileges!


    "The show is yet to begin, dear." She spoke as she adjusted her dress and then turned her gaze towards the right side.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired man sat on the other side of the aisle and watched them coldly.


    Anyone could tell that his almond blue eyes were clouded entirely with hate, anger, jealousy, and loathness with a single look.


    The young man appeared to be around 25-years-old, had a square face, fair skin, and wore a single-breasted overcoat.


    "Brother Tyler!" Daisy muttered under her breath and then shook her head in disappointment.


    After her father''s death, Tyler took control over the Elliott family and schemed with Foster Family to overthrow Rhea.


    Unfortunately, they failed miserably and were forced into corners by Jessie''s ve Nobles.


    Then, Rhea also demoted Tyler from Viscount to a mere Baron and seized most of thends under the Elliott family''s control!


    Still, he used his noble influence and troubled Daisy using every means.


    It was as if Tyler was thinking of her as his mortal enemy!


    While she was in muse, Rhea also looked at her and spoke with an authoritative voice.


    "Daisy Elliott! Please step forward."


    Daisy jerked up a little as she heard those words, stood up from her seat, and moved towards her right side aisle.


    Then, she stepped on the red-carpeted floor, arrived near the dais, and then knelt on the floor.


    "Daisy of Elliott family greets Her Majesty!" She said in a loud voice.


    On the other hand, Rhea smiled charmingly, raised both her hands, and spoke.


    "A Royal Mage doesn''t need to kneel in front of a Ruler, Daisy. You can greet me with a polite bow from now on."


    She paused for a moment, pped her hands, and added.


    "High Priestess, please bring the noble seal and emblem of Shadow Hawk."


    A secondter, a white-robeddy in herte sixties stood up from the front row and walked towards Daisy.


    She had long, deep-blue hair, oceanic eyes, and a heart-shaped face and held a unique ck coin-like emblem and golden box in her hand.


    Upon seeing this, confusion appeared on many nobles'' faces.


    Baron Tyler also showed the same clueless look on his face.


    Meanwhile, the High Priestess soon arrived near Daisy, gestured her to stand up, and gave her the golden box and emblem.


    Then, she ced her hand on Daisy''s head and started reciting a chant.


    Simultaneously, Rhea stood up from her throne, touched her multi-colored Ruler''s Ring, and asked.


    "In the name of First King Ledger Bonere, are you willing to protect the citizens and serve this kingdom for the rest of your life?"


    The next instant, an oppressive aura erupted from her body and spread towards all parts of the Throne Hall, causing everyone to stand up in a hurry!


    On the other hand, Daisy got stunned for a moment and soon nodded.


    "Yes, Your Majesty!"


    "Excellent!" A rare smile appeared on Rhea''s delicate face as she touched her ring and announced.


    "Then, I bestow you the title of ''Baroness'' and appoint you as the lord of Eclipse Land."


    The next second, the whole hall erupted in shocking gasps, shouts, and cheers!


    The ones who showed joyous expressions were the Guards, servants, andmoner guests.


    Meanwhile, Tyler''s expression went unsightly!


    He clenched his fist and mmed it against his thigh in anger.


    ''Does that mean she gained equal status as me? Royal Mage? How did she do it? NO! She is nothing but filth that was born from a lowlymoner''s womb!'' His hate towards his half-sister had reached its peak.


    He red at her back for a second and turned his gaze towards Rhea.


    But the next instant, he couldn''t help but lower his gaze due to the invisible power.


    ''Damn it! It''s all because of this woman!'' He cursed at her inwardly.

 Chapter 370: Deep Space

    <h4>Chapter 370: Deep Space</h4>


    Meanwhile, Rhea gestured others to calm down and continued.


    "Next is about choosing a new household name. Daisy, do you have anything in mind?"


    Upon hearing those words, Daisy nodded her head and answered.


    "I want to keep "Embershadow" as my household name, Your Majesty."


    "Embershadow?" Rhea raised her brows and nodded her head.


    "Be it then."


    Saying so, she sat on the Iron Throne and ced her hands on the arms.


    Meanwhile, Daisy bowed her head once again and then returned to her seat.


    On the other hand, Rhea continued her work as the Queen of Iron Kingdom for the next few minutes, listened to many nobles'' requests, and gave them solutions.


    Soon, she dismissed everyone and then stepped down from the dais.


    Then, she turned her gaze towards Titus, moved towards him, and smiled wryly.


    "Are you happy now?" She asked.


    Her voice contains a trace of sorrow and loneliness.


    It was as if the Destiny had yed a terrible joke on them.


    Rhea, Jessie, Noel, and Titus went to Chester City for a better future.


    But they became the disciples of a mysterious Mage and started walking on the path of Mystics.


    Everything was okay until Titus bumped into the woman who was standing next to him.


    Although she hadn''t done anything terrible, Titus somehow lost his motivation after he fell in love with her and started living an ordinary life.


    He was the one who asked Rhea to let his lover be the Royal Mage and give her the title of ''Baroness.''


    He looked more like an old man who seemed to have grown tired of wars and conflicts!


    ''He did change a lot.'' A deep sigh leaked out of Rhea''s mouth.


    Meanwhile, Titus smiled lightly and nodded his head.


    "This is perfect. Also, tell my sister that we are going to Eclipse Land to take a look. We''lle back in a week or two."


    Upon hearing his words, Rhea frowned for a bit and soon widened her eyes.


    "Two weeks? What are you going to do there in that rural town for two weeks? Wait! Are you two nning to settle there?" She asked.


    It was not difficult for her to realize Titus''s true goal.


    "Yes. But we will move out only after our marriage, though." He said with a forced smile.


    On the other hand, Rhea''s face turned solemn.


    She suddenly took a step forward, raised both her hands, gripped his shoulders, and asked in a loud voice.


    "Are you okay with this, Titus? Are you leaving us? What about the promise you made when I asked you about your goal? You told me that you would grow stronger and protect us, right?"


    Upon hearing her words, aplicated smile appeared on Titus''s face.


    "Don''t be a na?ve kid, Rhea. Can''t you see the truth? You guys don''t need my protection at all. Instead, I''m the one who needs your protection. I tried my best, but this is the limit of my growth. If I stay in Royal City, I''ll feel guilty for not meeting our Teacher''s expectations." Titus said with a solemn tone.


    Meanwhile, Rhea went silent for a moment and soon sighed.


    "I''ll take care of the rest then. But Daisy is a Royal Court Mage, Titus. She has toe to Royal Pce once a month and attend the Royal Meeting. Otherwise, I''ll revoke her mage title and might even put sanctions on your territory."


    Without waiting for Titus''s response, she shifted her gaze towards Daisy and spoke.


    "Please take care of him."


    Saying so, she walked past them and moved towards the Throne Hall''s exit.


    Meanwhile, Titus and Daisy nced at each other and sighed in unison.


    Daisy then leaned on Titus''s muscr arm, nced at Rhea''s back, and asked.


    "Is she angry at me?"


    "As I said countless times, she is not angry at you, Daisy. My sister and my friends are disappointed with my decision. In truth, I also want to be stronger and protect everyone. But can I achieve that? After training for more than eight years, I learned one bitter truth. In this cruel world, there is one thing you need most to grow stronger. It''s affinity strength. If I want to enter the realm of Rank-4, my shadow affinity must be above ''Good'' level!"


    "My sister has ''Good'' affinity in Knowledge, so there is a high chance that she could Rank Up in a few years. Then, there is the strange blood-rted ss. Although I don''t know much about it, she has a higher chance to Rank up further. The same goes for Rhea and Noel. After Rhea became the Queen of Iron Kingdom, her water affinity suddenly rose to the ''Genius'' level and is still rising. She''ll be a Rank-4 Mystic in a year or two. As for Noel, he is a born genius in swordsmanship. But mine is just a High-level shadow affinity. If I stay with them for too long, my heart might get broken, my dear. Their talent and growth speed scared me."


    Titus muttered in a deep tone, pulled Daisy closer, turned around, and walked towards the exit.


    In truth, Daisy was the one who understood his pain most!


    She stood by his side when he was alone and helped him get out of his brutal training schedule.


    If he had continued to train without improving a bit, there was a high chance that he might have gone mad!


    She helped him get out of the training life and showed him what amoner''s life looks like.


    In deep sorrow, both of them walked out of the Royal Pce and soon left the Royal Street through a carriage.


    They reached their private house a few minutester, packed their belongings, and soon left the Iron City.


    ¡­


    Five billion light-years away from Edhen World, a particr human moved in the deep space at an unimaginable speed and soon stopped as he reached an asteroid belt.


    He appeared to be around 40-years-old, had wavy blonde hair, a round face, and pure silver eyes.


    He wore red armor and looked more like a knight from the fantasy stories.


    He was none other than Udnir, God of Time!


    Even though he was just an avatar, his mere existence caused the nearby asteroids and space debris to move away in different directions.


    A force field also appeared around his body and blocked any dangerous void life forms or space debris from getting near him.


    He was currently in Crown Belt Stars, located in Crown Neb, and was in the middle searching for a particr Space Point in the Primal Gxy.


    He roamed in the nearby two gxies during the past five years and checked more than 5 million space points.


    Unfortunately, he still wasn''t strong enough to pinpoint the exact location of that particr Space Point.


    But if he were in his peak state, he would have found the particr Space Point in seconds and transported to another part of the Universe in a few minutes!

 Chapter 371: Holy Book

    <h4>Chapter 371: Holy Book</h4>


    In truth, traveling through space was a dangerous one, even for a powerful existence like Udnir.


    There were some dangerous void lifeforms out there that could even pose a threat to Rank-9 beings!


    But as long as one understood the dangers and moved cautiously with sufficient preparations, space travel was not that dangerous.


    If not for Abium''s appearance in Edhen World, Udnir wouldn''t have sent his avatar out of his Divine Kingdom!


    But he doesn''t have any choice now.


    "That darned thief has the core of Itera!'' He muttered under his breath, touched his golden ring, and activated it.


    The next instant, an illusionary universe map appeared in front of his eyes.


    He saw clusters of stars, gxies with different shapes, dust clouds, mysterious ck holes, and many other things on the map.


    Then, he also nine unique bright stars on the map and shifted his gaze towards a particr gxy.


    It''s called Primal Gxy.


    It was located at the edge of a small supercluster called ''Orey Clusters.''


    This ring was theplete map of the explored Universe!


    Although the ancient mages would use long-distance Teleportation Array circles to travel to different parts of the Universe, it was costly and had severe restrictions.


    Not only that but using that method would also leak his original identity to the Lawful Council and might attract some dangerous existences!


    Truthfully, many powerhouses were still thinking that he had fallen during the Iteraary devastation incident.


    But if someone finds out that he was still alive and kicking, countless Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic Gods, Ancient Mages, Modern Era Mystics, Warlocks, Elemental Lords, Devil Lords, and even the Demon Lords woulde out of their home and search for him!


    Shaking his head, he used his thoughts, zoomed in towards a particr star belt, and then stopped.


    After that, he touched his ring, infused his divine power in it, and searched for Space Points.


    More than a hundred Space Points appeared in different parts of the surrounding star belt the next instant.


    These Space Points were quitemon in the Universe.


    They were more like natural teleportation devices!


    Each Space Point had some connection with another Space Point located in a different part of the Universe.


    In a single gxy, you could find more than a million space points!


    But what''s more mysterious was that each of these Space Points had somehow connected to the space points in the nearby Gxies and Stars!


    Butpared to the number of gxies in the Universe, the number of Space Points in a particr gxy was nothing but a small amount.


    If Udnir wanted to go to Edhen ne, he had to find the exact Space Point connected from the Primal Gxy to the Ditune Gxy.


    It was the gxy where Edhen World was located.


    As long as he finds the right Space Point, he could skip millions of years of travel and reach there in minutes!


    Although it would still take him a decade or a two to reach Edhen World, he wasn''t bothered by the small amount of time.


    Udnir then peeked into his hundreds of future and soon pinpointed a particr Space Point.


    ''Hmm, I will get something good if I choose this space point. Tsk, this future is very vague due to the interruptions. Butparing to other nk futures, this one is a lot better.''


    Nodding inwardly, he searched for more information about that particr Space Point and soon learned it was four light-years from where he was hovering.


    Without any dy, he dismissed the illusionary map and was about to use the [Space-Time Leap] spell but stopped.


    At that moment, he sensed a powerful variation in his most predictable future and raised his eyebrows.


    "Hmm? The change came from Edhen World? Who is responsible for this?" He closed his eyes for a moment, shifted his attention towards Edhen World in a distant Universe, and then opened his left eye.


    At that moment, his eyes turned eerie ck with a single white dot and looked creepier!


    It''s called ''False Omniscient-Eye!''


    Although it was only an imitation of the original one, it could help him see any powerhouse''s location, strength, weaknesses, and most possible futures for the next ten years, their disguises, and so on.


    After a minute of checking, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.


    "Heh, Abium picked a daring soul indeed. Moreover, why are so many powerhouses hiding in that ne? Project Destiny? Strange! Let''s see who these sneaky rats are and what they are nning. Destiny Goddess Sasha? Wait! Why do I sense the smell of Myxenta''s Divinity in her?" He frowned for a moment and shifted his attention towards the next person.


    "Red Prince? Red Devil from the Hell ne? Oh? He imed himself as the Overlord''s descendant, huh? Interesting." He nodded inwardly and soon stopped his movement.


    "Fortune Lady Kasoi? What is that old hag doing over there? Wait. I''m also sensing some familiar presence. Asthar, the God of Fate? Rhiione, the God of Miracles? Nedia- The Forgotten Devil? The Demon of Misfortune, Thetia? Zegun, the Evil God of Blessings? Fate Professor? What are these old monsters doing over there?" At that moment, he knew something was very wrong over there.


    "Project Destiny, is it? Let''s see what it is." He once again closed his eyes and shifted his attention towards their goal.


    A few secondster, he couldn''t help but show a grinning look on his face.


    "Haha, good. So, these guys are following our old n, huh. But this group is not a reckless one like us. They are nning on using the Edhen World as a stepping stone. Once theyplete the project, they will proceed with the next n and attack Adrillon with the help of the newly created artifact. They are not bad!" But Udnir also sensed some disturbance in their n and turned solemn.


    "So, Charles has some unique trait to cause chaos and ruin everyone''s n, huh? Moreover, what is this ck thing? Is it some pure incarnation of evil and wickedness?"


    Even he felt uneasy by seeing what was about to be born in a particr me world.


    "In the end, they failed to achieve their goal due to insufficient information. If Abium isn''t there, I might''ve given you guys some help. Unfortunately, thatd will be expecting my arrival." He shook his head in disappointment and was about to retract his consciousness but stopped.


    At that moment, he sensed a unique change in Charles''s future.


    "This guy¡­ Hmm, let me give you guys some help through various means then." He muttered inwardly and once again activated the golden ring.


    Then, he looked at the universal map, zeroed his attention on the Ditune Gxy, and soon started searching for a suitable ne.


    A few secondster, he found a perfect Mid-ne called Faith Realm and searched for a target.


    ''Hmm, the people of this world worship a Demon and hunt anyone with elemental affinity in the name of sphemy? What an irony.'' He scoffed inwardly and shifted his attention towards a person with the title of Light Bishop.


    A secondter, he used his [Conscious Invasion] skill, invaded his mind, and took control over his body.


    Then, he took a nk notebook from the nearby table, walked out of his temple-like ce, looked at the sky, and started writing in the thin air.


    Meanwhile, those written words started to assimte into the empty book.


    For the next few minutes, he wrote countless mysterious words and let them assimte into the book.


    On the other hand, a few words appeared on the front page along with a strange countdown!


    At that moment, it showed four years six months 35 minutes and 20 seconds.


    No, the countdown started to decrease!


    "Holy Book is ready." He said with a smile and shifted his attention towards the possessed body.


    He then imnted something in Bishop''s consciousness and stealthily left the body.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in the deep space, dismissed the illusionary map, and spoke.


    "Space-Time Leap!"


    A secondter, his body turned blurry and disappeared from there!

 Chapter 371: Strange Clouds

    <h4>Chapter 371: Strange Clouds</h4>


    Somewhere in the Endless Sea, Azure Federation''s Territory, Edhen World.


    A golden-painted ship with several sails drove deep into the Endless Sea.


    Unlike the ordinary medieval vessel, this appeared ten timesrger and had multiple cabins, rooms, and tall masts.


    If not for the presence of masts, this ship would''ve looked more like a cargo ship!


    Even though it was morning, the sky looked darker due to dark clouds, and shes of lightning rained down from the sky from time to time.


    Meanwhile, a beautiful woman in herte twenties stood at the bow''s edge and looked at the seawater with her gorgeous eyes.


    Even in the morning sunlight, her crimson eyes shone like fierce fires.


    Her long red hair also moved due to the sea breeze and fluttered in the air like waves.


    The woman had a curved body, round face, a deep scar above her left eye, celestial nose, and tender lips.


    Currently, she wore a Boned Corset, red velvet waistcoat, a crimson skirt, and on top of her head was a ck hat.


    She also hung a sword in her waist and looked more like an Empress of the Sea!


    She was none other than Gold Demon ship''s Captain, Valerie!


    While scanning for any anomaly in the sea, she suddenly noticed a shadow under their ship and soon sighed.


    "It''s another boring day."


    It''s been more than four months since they started their journey to look at the ce where Sophie''s lover disappeared years ago.


    But they still hadn''t reached the right destination.


    At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared behind her and spoke in a calm tone.


    "Don''t worry. We have almost reached our destination."


    The man was around 45-years-old, had wavy blonde hair, a slightly obese body, and wore a naval blue dress.


    As he moved towards Valerie''s right side, he took out a unique woodenpass, opened it, and then stared at it quietly.


    A few secondster, he closed thepass and spoke in a calm tone.


    "Steer the ship to 8 ''o''clock. We''ll reach there in an hour or two."


    "Are you sure about this, Captain Milo?" Valerie asked nervously while looking in the direction where Milo told her to steer the ship.


    In that direction, she saw that the monstrous and eerie dark clouds descended from the sky and almost touched the seawater!


    Tens of lightning bolts fell from the sky continuously and stuck the marine creatures before killing them in dozens or even hundreds.


    Upon seeing this, the corner of Captain Milo''s lips rose upward.


    "This is it! We encountered that Rank-5 Unicorn after we crossed these clouds. It''s also the only way to reach the Last Ind." Captain Milo said with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Valerie suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "What is that Last Ind? Why is it so special? Why is everyone spending their money to visit that ce?"


    "Special? No, special should be an understatement,ss." Milo paused for a moment and then added with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "There is a strange legend about that ind. Some say that those who enter thend in a hopeless situation will have their wish fulfilled. Although only a few people believe that myth, only time will tell the truth."


    Upon hearing his words, Valerie''s eyes widened.


    At that moment, she felt a strange sadness appeared in the depth of her heart.


    The same goes for the nearby crew members like the bald man Liam and navigator Elias.


    They had been with Charles and Destiny Lady for more than four months and knew how Charles loved her one-sidedly.


    Although he didn''t show his love openly, everyone in the crew knew that he was madly in love with her.


    "Shall I tell him about this myth, Captain? That kid''s heart isn''t strong enough to ept the truth." Elias said in a grim tone.


    Liam and other crew members also nodded their heads in unison.


    But Valerie shook her head.


    "This is nothing but a myth, Elias. Even if we tell him now, nothing will change. No, it will only ruin his mood much earlier."


    Elias tried to object but soon gave up on persuading her.


    "Elias, go and steer the ship to 8 ''o''clock. Bentley, go and activate the defensive magic formations in the masts, sails, and the sides."


    Those defensive magic formations were created by the clone Charles during the past few years.


    Although they weren''t strong enough to block Rank-3 spells, they were more than enough to stop regr lighting strikes!


    After giving few more orders to her crewmates, Valerie turned her gaze towards the bald man and spoke.


    "Liam, go and tell Charles and Natalia toe here." Her tone was calm andposed.


    Meanwhile, Liam nodded his head and moved towards the crew cabins.


    A few secondster, he returned with a young man and a young woman.


    The young man was around 28-years-old, had deep-blue hair, an oval face, had a long stubbed beard, and appeared to be around 183 cm tall.


    On the other hand, the young woman looked around 25 years old, had ck hair, scarlet eyes, and wore a ck sheath dress.


    They were Charles and Destiny Lady!


    As they walked towards the front deck, Charles noticed the strange hurricane-like dark clouds that almost touched the sea and frowned.


    "Why are we moving in that direction?" He asked.


    At that moment, his voice appeared rougher and a little bit colder.


    "We are about to reach our destination."


    This time, it was Captain Milo who answered his question.


    On the other hand, Sophie widened her scarlet eyes and leaped towards the ship''s bow to take a closer look.


    "Where did you guys meet that Unicorn?" She asked while peered into the dark clouds.


    "We met that beast on the other side of these dark clouds," Milo said in a solemn tone and started walking towards the side.


    On the other hand, Charles also silently moved near the mainmast and waited.


    Within a few minutes, the Gold Demon ship arrived near the dark clouds and soon entered.


    As they moved into the clouds, lightning bolts shed from all directions and stuck the Gold Demon ship from everywhere!


    Although the defensive magic formations blocked those bolts, they also got damaged after a few rounds of lightning attacks and soon broke.


    A frown appeared on Charles''s face as he saw this.


    ''Those lightning bolts are not normal ones.'' Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and cast [Sun''s Shield] spell.


    The next instant, a sunshineyer appeared around the ship and covered itpletely.


    But just as everyone was about to breathe out a sigh of relief, a bluish arc of lightning bolt sizzled from the center of the eerie dark sky andnded on the sunshineyer.


    Then, the bluish arc of the lightning bolt multiplied into tens of small electric arcs while damaging the [Sun''s Shield] spell and destroyed it in seconds!

 Chapter 373: Accident

    <h4>Chapter 373: ident</h4>


    On the other hand, Charles sensed something was manipting the dark clouds from somewhere and frowned.


    Soon, everyone in the deck saw a horse made of bluish lightning within those dark clouds!


    "I-It''s the Unicorn!" Captain Milo shouted in shock.


    Meanwhile, Destiny Lady released her wisdom power and flew up into the dark clouds.


    Simultaneously, an invisible ripple came out of her body and spread in all directions.


    At that moment, a dense water elemental energy came out of her body and started freezing the sea.


    Her water elemental power mixed with the seawater and started freezing the surrounding sea like a poisonous gas!


    Other than Charles and Valerie, everyone on the deck became wide-eyed as they saw this scene.


    It was the power of Pseudo-Legends!


    "W-When did she Rank-up?" Liam asked with a dazed look.


    ''She indeed told us that she was nning to rank up a few months ago¡­ Still, isn''t this too abrupt?'' Like him, other crew members also got shocked deeply.


    But only Charles knew that she still wasn''t strong enough to face a true Rank-5 Mystic or a Magical Beast.


    Although she managed to enter the realm of Pseudo-Legends, she still hadn''t constructed any spell models yet.


    "Charles, she isn''t strong enough to face that Unicorn." Valerie deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Try not to destroy my ship."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles made a forced smile before nodding his head, cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, and disappeared from there.


    The next second, he reappeared in the dark cloudy sky and soon felt a suction force was pulling his body towards the deep sea.


    ''The gravity is higher here?'' He raised his eyebrows in suspicion.


    "That Unicorn is my prey!" Destiny Lady said as she pped her crystalline wings and arrived beside him.


    At that moment, the dark clouds moved like a hurricane and released slithering bluish lightning arcs towards them!


    If it were before, Charles would''ve tried his best to escape from those lightning attacks.


    But after the original Charles ranked up, his strength also skyrocketed to an unimaginable level.


    In truth, he had equal strength as Destiny Lady!


    s, he kept his strength hidden and let everyone believe that he was still a Rank-4 Mystic.


    He even hid his strength from the Destiny Lady!


    ''Unlike others, my Rank-Up didn''t affect any outside atmosphere. Well, even I got surprised after all.'' He muttered inwardly.


    At that moment, both heard a loud neigh came from the dark clouds and looked up simultaneously.


    Soon, they saw a dazzling bluish horse with a rainbow horn on its forehead descended from above, pped its grayish-white wings, and soon arrived 200 meters away from them.


    It was 3 to 4 meters tall, had a gigantic body, and covered itself in lighting arcs.


    Without any hesitation, Charles released his wisdom power and cast [Arcane Eyes] skill on the Unicorn to analyze.


    In a second, hepletely grasped the Magical Beast''s strength and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ''It''s not the same Unicorn that killed Joel. It''s just a Peak Rank-4 Magical Beast.''


    On the other hand, Destiny Lady suddenly noticed a change around his body and soon widened her eyes in shock.


    But before she could speak, Charles raised his hand and cast a Rank-4 spell.


    "ck Inferno!"


    The next instant, an eerie ball of reddish-ck me came out of his hand and moved towards the Unicorn at an incredible speed!


    Although the me ball appeared less than 1 meter in diameter, some mysterious chain reaction happened within the me ball and stuck everyone''s mind with a feeling of pure wickedness.


    At that moment, thousands of minute ckish-red streaks moved within the me ball and seemed to be multiplying on their own!


    Even though it was a Rank-4 spell, everyone felt that the power hidden within the magic spell was no lesser than that of a Rank-5!


    Even Charles felt the same and showed a confused expression on his face.


    After the original Charles constructed the [Curse of the Overlord] spell model, all of his Wicked me spells got upgraded, and his understanding of the Wicked me also increased significantly!


    Unfortunately, the clone Charles wasn''t aware of that!


    By the time Unicorn managed to sense the hidden danger, the [ck Inferno] spell was already in front of it.


    Perceiving the sudden danger, Unicorn activated its bloodline spell and released a dense arc of bluish lightning through the rainbow-colored horn.


    A secondter, Unicorn''s bluish lightning and Charles''s [ck Inferno] spell collided against each other.


    Simultaneously, the eerie reddish-ck me ball began to expand and released countless bizarre ck streaks in all directions.


    Some ck streaks flew towards the nearby cloud to corrupt it while the others moved towards the Unicorn!


    Within seconds, the grayish-ck clouds soon turned into pitch-ck ones, giving a strange fear in everyone''s heart!


    What''s more shocking was that the eerie me ball continued to expand up to 20 diameters in radius and even absorbed the blue lightning!


    Meanwhile, Charles and others felt a suffocative feeling.


    ''What the hell is this?! W-Wait. I can''t control it! It''s expanding too much.'' His heart skipped a beat.


    ''But why? Is it because my understanding of the spell model is low?'' He couldn''t help but show an anxious look on his face.


    It was more like a spell disruption!


    When a Mage had little understanding about the spell model, but he still tried to cast it without knowing head or tails, these types of idents were bound to happen.


    "No! That Unicorn is escaping!" Destiny Lady suddenly noticed Unicorn''s withdrawal and shouted.


    But Charles didn''t have any luxury to listening to her shouting, though.


    At that moment, he locked his gaze on the mini-sun and became worried.


    ''I can maintain it for 2 minutes¡­ After that, the whole surroundings might get wiped out.''


    He clearly remembered the destruction caused by a Rank-5 spell in Dreamforest and shuddered inside.


    "No good! I''m losing control over that spell." He said in an anxious tone and dragged Destiny Lady back to the ship.


    "Set sail! That fireball might explode at any minute from now on." He urged them in a hurry, but soon his face stiffened.


    The main reason for that was because Destiny Lady had already turned the whole sea into an d!


    On the other hand, the mini-sun began to release cracking noise and continued to corrupt the nearby clouds, ices, and even the lightning arcs.


    Without any dy, he looked into Valerie''s eyes and spoke.


    "Abandon the ship!"


    Upon hearing his words, Valerie also didn''t say a word and nodded her head.


    She knew that it wasn''t his fault and chose to escape.


    Meanwhile, her crew members stored the necessary items in a hurry and arrived next to Charles.


    In the meantime, Charles released his full wisdom power, conjured the colorless False me, and started manipting the surrounding spatial elements.


    A few secondster, a deep crack appeared in the nearby space and soon formed a two-meter tall portal.


    Then, Charles and others walked into it one by one and disappeared from the ship.

 Chapter 374: Prison

    <h4>Chapter 374: Prison</h4>


    As the portal shrunk, the surrounding lightning arcs, and the dark clouds entered the me ball at an unimaginable speed!


    Moreover, the hiding Unicorn also got pulled into the ck Inferno spell by some mysterious force!


    A secondter, a loud neigh came from its mouth before it gotpletely sucked into the me ball and burned into ashes.


    What''s more shocking was that the eerie me ball continued to erge more than 30 meters in diameter and then started releasing ck lightning arcs!


    Within seconds, the ck lighting arcs broke the frozen ices pieces before and melted everything. On the other hand, the dark clouds also sucked into the me ball madly.


    If Charles were there, he would''ve noticed that the spell had once again upgraded into a more powerful one.


    Once the expanded me ball reached a specific size, it descended slowly and soon touched the water surface.


    The next instant, the millions of ck streaksbined, and soon the whole eerie reddish-ck me ball started to shrink.


    But the temperature around the surrounding started to rise drastically.


    100¡ãc¡­ 200¡ãc¡­ 300¡ãc and soon it reached 1000¡ãc!


    Simultaneously, the seawater boiled frighteningly and evaporated while covering the whole area in the mist!


    The Gold Demon ship also burned like a raging storm and soon sunk into the deep water.


    By the time the reddish-ck me ball turned into the size of a pebble, the whole sea turned into a boiling pot while releasing countless bubbles.


    Dead fishes, sharks, and even some Magical Beasts started to float in the water.


    Meanwhile, the pebble-sized me ball soon released a single ray of ckish lightning deep into the seawater and then exploded.


    But unlike the usual explosion, this me ball''s explosion was so swift, intense, and terrifying!


    In a second, the small me ball started to erge into a size of 500 meters in diameter and then exploded while sending eerie fire streaks in all directions!


    Moreover, the explosion caused the whole sea, nearby ind, and even the sky to tremble!


    The sky split was into two while the Endless Sea roared before sending waves in all directions.


    Even though Charles and others appeared more than 10 km away from this mini-sun, they werepletely caught off guard due to the fire streaks!


    Charles and Destiny Lady cast their Rank-4 Defensive spell continuously and started blocking the fire streaks.


    While they were struggling, something extraordinary urred within the deepest part of the sea.


    The eerie ck lightning released from the earlier me ball entered deeper and soon reached the sea''s floor.


    What''s more shocking was that the seawater didn''t affect the strange ck lightning''s movement at all!


    But the power hid in the eerie ck lightning even scared some of the Rank-5 Magical Beasts!


    Soon, the ck lightning struck the mysterious dome-shaped temple building and directly passed into it.


    In truth, this was a temple that belonged to an ancient marine race called Syreni!


    Before the Era of New Time, Edhen World was once ruled by three races.


    The first one was Humans, the second one was a particr Elf race called Wood Elves, and finally, thest one was a marine race called Syreni.


    Unlike Humans and Elves who lived in thend with unity and harmony, those Syrenis ruled the sea using evil means.


    Not only that, but they have also imed themselves as the direct descendants of Blood Demon Goddess and caused destruction and chaos whenever they moved!


    Although most of these Syrenis disappeared after the appearance of Twelve Lawful Gods, a few chose to remain in this Temple and still were guarding something!


    As for what they were guarding, even Destiny Goddess Sasha knew nothing about it!


    But she knew that the World''s Will was aiming for that thing within the deepest part of this Temple!


    Nine years ago, when her incarnation checked Destiny Lady''s fate strings, she noticed an unbelievable thing in her body.


    Divinity!


    Destiny Lady had that thing that could even change her Destiny!


    When she decided to dig deeper, she found out that this Destiny Lady had some connection with the World''s Will!


    Moreover, she also found out more about the World Will''s scheme against Charles and decided to y along.


    First, Sasha manipted Destiny Lady''s mind and showed a little bit of her Destiny in the form of a vision.


    Then, she also decided to add Charles''s image and waited for the things to y out.


    Although Charles managed to spoil many of her ns, he couldn''t do anything about the true Destiny!


    Meanwhile, World''s Will used Charles to ce Rhea on the Iron Throne and then form a n to eliminate him.


    But even World''s Will knew that eliminating an Irregr was not an easy thing.


    So, it broke countless people''s fate strings and recreated a different Destiny for Charles!


    That''s why he started sensing the feeling of his death!


    In truth, the clone Charles''s earlier ident was also due to one of the World Will''s alterations!


    As the ck lighting arc entered the building, it formed into a shape of a snake and slithered into the building.


    Within two seconds, the lighting snake deep into the Temple through the metal pipes and other poles and reached an underground prison-like ce.


    The hall was so vast, and the surrounding walls and ceiling were decorated with portraits of strange sea creatures, Syreni creatures, humans, and even elves!


    What''s more shocking was that the whole underground hall was filled with air!


    The ck lightning snake soon coiled into a metallic pipe and moved towards the farther end.


    Meanwhile, two humanoid creatures with blue skin and w-like jaws tried to stop the strange lightning but got electrocuted in return.


    On the other hand, the eerie ck lightning arcs soon passed the nearby prison rooms and disintegrated all the prison cells.


    Following that, it moved further, arrived in front of a statue of a woman, and then shed with the mysterious power that was protecting it.


    The woman in the statue appears more like a human, had demonic ck wings, sharp teeth with an elongated lower jaw, a pointed tail, and around 2 to three meters tall.


    Even though it was a mere statue, its eyes moved to and forth and seemed to be watching the snake''s movement from a faraway ce!


    The sh between the lightning snake and the mysterious force continued for a while, and soon the lightning snake broke past the force field before destroying the woman statue!


    After that, the lightning snake turned into minute lightning arcs and disappeared from there!


    A strange silence appeared in the underground prison hall, followed by a coughing sound.


    Soon, a single humanoid figure walked out of one of the broken prison cells and looked at the broken statue with a confused look on his face.


    The humanoid figure was a young man in his 30s and appeared skinny. He wore a torn brown cloth and held a ck rod in his hand.


    He had long, messy brown hair, oceanic eyes, an oval face, and thin eyebrows.


    He was none other than Joel!

 Chapter 375: Elders

    <h4>Chapter 375: Elders</h4>


    Although multiple wounds and scars appeared all over Joel''s body, he paid no attention to them and went towards the other side.


    Soon, he arrived in front of the two Syreni creatures, took their weapons and clothes, and moved towards the underground prison hall''s exit.


    But just as he reached the exit, he saw two staircases. One moved upward, while the other one moved deep into the ground.


    After some thought, he cast his [Fate Eye] skill, checked his fate, and flew upward.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles, Destiny Lady, and others finally protect themselves and then moved towards the ce where Joel disappeared years ago.


    Once they arrived at that ce, Destiny Lady threw her silver ne into the deep sea and then did a short ritual.


    After that, they used their fly spells and flew towards thest ind.


    ¡­


    Iron Tower, Royal City of Iron, Iron Kingdom.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired woman walked out of the Iron Tower and moved towards Nobles'' Street.


    For others, she was nothing but an average Rank-3 Wind Mage.


    But in truth, she was none other than Charles''s second clone, Edith!


    Four months ago, Charles sensed something off about the Iron Tower and gave her a secret mission.


    It was to find out the exact whereabouts of the Tower Master, Arch-Mage Marcus!


    Unfortunately, she still hadn''t found a single clue.


    ''But why do I feel something is off?'' She wandered in the Nobles'' streets and checked for any anomaly in that area.


    After roaming for a few hours, she found no suspicious movements and returned to the Iron Tower.


    On the other hand, Oswald stayed in the Rebirth Tower and isted himself from the rest of the world.


    He was also preparing in secret for the destined day!


    ¡­


    Vera Household, Royal District, City of Red, Fire Elemental ne.


    At that moment, a total of 9 early Red Humans were seated in the reception hall and seemed to be waiting for someone.


    "Is sheing or not?" An 80-years-old looking man looked at the entrance and asked in an annoyed tone.


    The older man was the head of the Paragons and had an excellent reputation among all the Paragons.


    He had crimson hair, a wrinkled oblong face, unique amber eyes, and a long beard.


    Twenty years ago, he also participated in the battle against Adur but lost miserably.


    He and even the other two Elders who sat next to him have also participated in that battle.


    But their defeat caused a big shame to the whole Paragons!


    After that, they isted themselves from the rest and started increasing their strength.


    They knew that if they wanted to break away from Adur''s tyrant rule, they had to kill him!


    Unfortunately, he was way powerful than they had imagined.


    To kill such a formidable fellow, one of them needs to break the bloodline shackle and rank up to the realm of Legend.


    If not, they at least need an outsider''s help.


    But both were impossible to achieve.


    Although they could ask for help from the nearby Ember City, it was still a risky move.


    With no other choice, they chose to stay indoors and started improving their bloodline spells.


    Like Mages, they also had toprehend the Bloodline Spells if they wanted to improve further.


    The only difference was that Mages could get the opportunity to choose a better corresponding spell while the Warlocks could only follow the path of Bloodline.


    If they try to change their spells forcefully, they might anger their progenitor and get shackled in return.


    For the past 20 years, the three Elders recruited many peak Rank-4 Red Humans and even helped them enter the Pseudo Legend realm.


    In truth, they have been waiting for an opportunity.


    So, when a mysterious female Champion appeared out of nowhere and even showed her strength, everyone was shocked!


    Not only did she summon the incarnation of their Guardian Deity, but she also used it to injure Adur!


    Her action caused hugemotion everywhere!


    They finally saw hope!


    But what startled them was that the new Champion had visited this mansion and told Scarlet to arrange a meeting!


    Her action caused suspicion among the Elders'' minds.


    "Did she get caught by the Temr Knights?" Another elder asked while rubbing his chin.


    At that moment, a young woman came from the kitchen while holding a te full of juice sses and soon ced it on the tea table.


    She then bowed her head towards the Head Paragon and greeted him.


    "Good Morning, Lord Otto!"


    Meanwhile, Otto nodded his head while stroking his long beard and asked.


    "What do you think about that woman, Scarlet?"


    Upon hearing his words, Scarlet went silent for a moment and spoke.


    "She has a magical aura around her, My Lord. For the past few weeks, my servants were closely observing her every movement. She also has some mysterious spells that make it harder for us to counter. The first one is her future predicting spell. From what I heard from my subordinates, she has been randomly meeting the citizens and giving prophecies. What''s more shocking thing is that all of her prophecies came out true! The second spell we found out about her has something to do with memories. I think she can erase one''s memories permanently. As for other spells, we are still clueless about it."


    At that moment, an Elder with a red mask on his face let out a coughing noise and spoke in a hoarse voice.


    "We also need to watch out for the Guardian Deity''s incarnation. Although I''m not sure it is real or fake, it even injured Adur."


    Meanwhile, Otto also nodded his head in approval and then added.


    "Next is about the strange disk. When the new Champion confronted Adur, she seemed to have sealed his consciousness in a separate dimension."


    "What about the previous Divine Punishment attack? Who cast that divine spell? Is it the wrath of our Guardian Deity? Or is it this new Champion''s new trick?" Another elder asked with a skeptical look on his face.


    "I''m also clueless about that Divine Punishment. Because of that Divine Punishment, things became moreplicated." Otto said with a grim look on his face.


    At this moment, the whole city was already on the verge of breaking into chaos!


    Although the Sacred Temple members used forceful means to suppress any sign of protests, their actions caused fear and anxiety.


    Almost 80% of the Red Humans changed their beliefs within the past few days and started worshiping their Guardian Deity!


    "Death rate is increasing day by day." Scarlet also interjected their conversation and added.


    When Elder Otto was about to respond, he suddenly sensed a spatial fluctuation in the surrounding air.


    Before he could move, a ball of crimson me appeared out of thin air and soon formed into a humanoid shape.


    A secondter, the humanoid fire started to transform and formed into an appearance of a Red Human female.


    In Hanna''s appearance, Charles appeared in the middle of the reception hall and turned his gaze towards the old fogies.


    He then curled his lips upward and spoke with a warm smile on his face.


    "Greetings, Paragon Leaders!"


    Simultaneously, he shifted his attention towards his [Curse of the Overlord] spell model and cast on them continuously.


    Within two seconds, a total of nine invisible ck fire streaks came out of his body and moved towards those Elders.


    Although Otto and other Elders didn''t perceive anything, they vaguely felt something was wrong.


    It was an uneasy feeling!


    But before they could understand the reason for their uneasiness, those ck me streaks invaded everyone''s Dark Spaces and attached to them like parasites!


    On the other hand, Charles took a step forward and spoke with the same smile on his face.


    "Don''t be anxious, Elders. I''m nothing but a servant of our All-Mighty Divine. She chose me as the new Champion and sent me here to give you guys a chance. She gave one final chance to everyone." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "Do you want freedom? Or, do you want to rule under a greedy demon?"


    Meanwhile, Elder Otto and all other 8 Rank-5 elders felt a strange sense of reverence from the young woman.


    Even though she appeared young and weak, they felt that they were in the presence of a mighty being.


    As she spoke, her voice echoed more like divine words in their ears.


    ''S-She¡­ She also has the aura of a Ruler!'' At that moment, Otto felt that this woman was more trustworthy and powerful.


    ''She is not an imposter! She is the New Champion!'' The slight doubt lingering in everyone''s heart started to dispel and then reced with more trust!


    But the Paragons were not easy to fool, though.


    First, they checked for any anomaly in their Inner Worlds and even cast mind-rted spells to look for abnormalities.


    After confirming that everything was normal, Elder Otto stood up from his seat and asked.


    "Before that, we want to know answers to a few questions, Champion. What''s your main goal? Did youe here to be the next ruler? Or, do you have any other purpose?"

 Chapter 376: Back-Up Plan

    <h4>Chapter 376: Back-Up n</h4>


    Charles wore a surprised look as he heard Otto''s words and silently walked towards the nearby wooden chair.


    ''This guy is using some mysterious spell to check my response! I''ve to be careful with words.'' While thinking inwardly, he sat on the chair and started to speak.


    ''''I don''t care have any ambition to rule this Red Human Domain, Elder Otto. As for my main goal, it has something to do with the Dungeon."


    "Dungeon?" Otto raised his eyebrows and stared at him in confusion.


    "Yes." Charles nodded his head and threw out a bait.


    "In truth, this is the right time for you guys to kill Adur. After all, he is currently in a weakened state."


    "Weakened state?" This time, everyone in the hall showed a surprised look on their faces.


    "Yes. I heard from an Angel that Divinities borrow faith power from believers and strengthen the user''s spells. Yes, the reason Adur is more powerful than any other Rank-5 Warlock is mainly due to the power of Faith. As long as he loses most of his believers, he will turn into an average Rank-5 Warlock." Charles leaned his back on the wooden chair and spoke.


    Meanwhile, Scarlet, Otto, and all other Elders suddenly widened their eyes in disbelief.


    "So, our Guardian Deity cast the Divine Punishment is not only to punish us but also to reduce his control over Red Humans, huh!" A look of understanding appeared on Otto''s face as he sat on the sofa and fell into deep thoughts.


    On the other hand, Charles showed a pleased smile and added.


    "Currently, Adur lost more than 80% of the Red Human believers. Moreover, I also ced a curse spell on his body and weakened him further."


    A frown appeared on Otto''s wrinkled face as he heard Charles''s words.


    "Will you help us during this battle?" He asked.


    "Help you? No, this is your battle, Elder Otto. The best I can do now is help you with more information." Charles said calmly and then waited for their decision.


    Upon hearing his words, Otto and other Elders nced at each other and started discussing through telepathy.


    After some time, Otto finished his discussion with other Rank-5 Paragons and said with some hesitant look on his face.


    "We need some time to think about our next n."


    A look of disappointment appeared on Scarlet''s face as he heard his words.


    She then shook her head and spoke before Charles.


    "Every second is precious, My Lord. If what she said is true, then why are you hesitating?"


    Even Charles didn''t expect her rebuttal and got startled a little.


    In truth, he hadn''t affected her Dark Space in fear of some misshapes.


    Meanwhile, Otto let out a deep sigh and spoke with a worried look on his face.


    "It''s not that we are not afraid of confronting Adur, child. We are thinking about the consequence. What if we failed to kill him? Not only will he kill us in return, but he might even put severe restrictions on Paragons. There is a high chance that he might kill anyone who advances to be a Rank-5 Warlock in the future. One single mistake, and there will be no hope for Red Humans. He will rule us for the rest of his life through brute force."


    A shock appeared on Scarlet''s face.


    She didn''t expect that all the elders were thinking more about the future of Red Humans!


    ''As expected, I''m still too naive! Yes, there are many possibilities. We also shouldn''t trust this woman too much.''


    She soon calmed down and started to ponder.


    At that moment, one of the nine Elders suddenly pped his hands together and spoke as if he got an idea.


    "Why not send our Prodigy Batch to the Ember Castle? As long as we agree to give that thing, the Castle Lord will take care of those kids and guide them, right?"


    "That''s a suicidal move, old Rhett. What if that Castle Lord breaks his promise? Although Ember Golems are trustworthy, I still can''t think it''s the best choice to ce our future on their hands. If we n to send the Prodigy Batch to somewhere, I think Twilight Land should be the best ce." This time, the masked elder said with a solemn look on his face.


    "Twilight Land?! Are you out of your mind, Aiden? Isn''t that ce full of betrayers and sinners of the final war?" Another elder roared as he stood up from his seat and stared at masked Aiden furiously.


    "That''s in the past, Preston." Otto waved his hand, went silent for a moment, and soon let out a deep sigh.


    Although he didn''t like Aiden''s idea, he felt that this n was way better than sending those kids to an enemy side.


    He then turned his gaze towards Scarlet and asked.


    "Can you do me a favor, child?"


    Meanwhile, Scarlet also understood his intention and hurriedly nodded her head.


    "I''ll take care of them, My Lord. But my strength is not enough to protect them."


    A weak smile appeared on Otto''s face as he heard her words.


    "That''s why I''m sending Aiden along with you. But he will be hiding his identity and only act when the situation turns serious. You have 30 minutes to prepare for the departure." He said calmly.


    Meanwhile, the masked Aiden also stood up from his seat in shock and looked at Otto in confusion.


    At that moment, a telepathic voice echoed in Aiden''s head.


    ''I have a vague feeling that we might fail to kill that monster, Aiden. Although this new Champion seems more trustworthy, this arrangement is for the worst possible oue. Those kids'' future lies in your hand. Also, take that thing and search for the rightful sessor. I''m telling you, search for the rightful sessor. Not the rightful ''Red Human'' sessor.''


    Meanwhile, Aiden widened his eyes for a moment and soon nodded inwardly.


    After that, he turned his gaze towards Scarlet and spoke.


    "Follow me,ss. We are going to have a long journey."


    Watching their action, Charles let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "Bring some of my men too. Although most of them are criminals, they''ll be helpful when ites to battling against Rank-4 beings."


    "Your men? The Vipers organization?" Scarlet asked.


    After monitoring ''Hanna'' for more than four months, she had vaguely felt that this newly arrived Champion had some link with the Vipers Organization.


    ''But I didn''t expect that she controls everyone from that organization! Wait. The Vipers Organization members said something about ''Angel of Fire'', right? No, they also said that their Angel is a male. Something is not right.''


    As if Charles had read her thoughts, he suddenly turned his gaze towards her direction and smiled mysteriously.


    Although his smile appeared pure and innocent, her heart skipped a beat for some strange reason!


    It was not out of fear but out of some eerie feeling.

 Chapter 367: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 367: Confrontation</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles retracted his gaze from Scarlet and waited patiently.


    First, Scarlet and Elder Aiden went to the nearby Royal Academy, gathered a selected group of 15 young men and women, and brought them out of the city.


    Charles also informed his men and told them to join Scarlet''s group.


    Not only that, but he also told Nora to apany that group and even gave her a mission.


    Her mission was to dy the group''s journey as long as possible!


    On the other hand, Elder Otto and others went on their own and started their preparation.


    When Scarlet and others left the city, Elder Otto and others moved to the other side of the Royal District and soon arrived near a metallic wall.


    It was a wall that separated the Sacred Cathedral from the rest of the city and was also known for being the most sacred ce.


    The only ones who were allowed to enter inside were Sacred Humans and Sacred Knights.


    So, the sudden arrival of 8 Elderly looking Paragons startled the Temr Knights, who stood at the entrance gate.


    The Head Knight looked at them deeply, soon recognized Elder Otto, and broke into cold sweats.


    ''What the hell is he doing here?'' He cursed at his rotten luck.


    ''Even though High Priest said some Paragons mighte and provoke us¡­ Isn''t this too much?''


    ''Why did things turn out like this?'' He wiped the sweats on his forehead and smiled bitterly.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the nearby Knight and gestured him to sound the rm.


    At the same time, he also shifted his gaze towards the other Elders and soon widened his eyes in disbelief.


    ''F*ck! All of them are main patriarchs of Head Families!'' He subconsciously moved his hand towards the sword hilt and shouted.


    "Elder Otto of Estger Household, this is a restricted area! Only Sacred Humans are allowed to walk in."


    Upon hearing his words, a ridiculing smile appeared on the Elders'' faces.


    Meanwhile, Elder Otto let out a chuckle and ordered.


    "Move aside, kid. I''ve no time to quarrel with a fool."


    ''Fool?''


    Anger appeared on the Head Knight''s face.


    At that moment, hisrades also unsheathed their swords and pointed them towards Elders'' direction.


    But before they could even think, a tall man in histe 60s suddenly took a step forward and raised his hand.


    He was Elder Rhett and also known for being extremely cruel duringbat.


    The next instant, the concrete-like ground began to crack and soon sent out multiple streaks ofvas!


    A secondter, all thoseva streaks coiled around the Temr Knights'' legs and started burning them.


    The only one who managed to react in time was the Head Knight.


    Still, he wasn''t powerful enough to block all theva streaks.


    Before he could understand the situation, two crimsonva streaks came out from the cracked areas and slithered around his legs.


    He tried to cut theva streaks, but his attempt went futile.


    On the other hand, Rhett curled his lips upward and moved his forefinger.


    A secondter, a 3-meter tall broadsword made of pureva suddenly appeared above his head and shed from the sky.


    The next instant, his body was split into two!


    Soon, screams and cries of men echoed at the entrance, followed by dead silence.


    More than 30 dead bodies with severe burn marksy motionlessly on the ground.


    Although most of Temr Knights had the strength of Rank-4 Warlocks, they were nothing but chickens in front of the Elders'' true might.


    After clearing the entrance, Elder Otto waved his hand, directly melted the metallic gate with his pure elemental power, and walked in.


    As the group stepped onto the other side, a beautiful sight weed them.


    A 400-meter tall dome-shaped building stood in front of the ck tower and seemed to be guarding it against any outsiders'' invasion.


    Some small buildings also appeared around the dome-shaped building and were encircled by another stone wall.


    As Elder Otto looked at the majestic building, he suddenly sensed a unique power from the surroundings and frowned.


    "Get ready to use the scroll, Preston." He said in a gloomy tone and looked at the surrounding areas.


    At that moment, more than 100 golden-armored Temr Knights came from different directions and blocked the Elders from moving further.


    There were also tens of different color-robed men who came after the Temr Knights and held wooden staffs in their hands.


    But unlike the normal Red Humans and Paragons, their skin appeared brighter, and their ears, nose, and face looked sharper.


    They were High Priests, Bishops, and higher officials of the Sacred Temple.


    "Sacred Humans!" Another Elder named Preston said in an icy tone and released his full wisdom power.


    Simultaneously, he took out a reddish scroll and a unique fist-sized blue stone from his void ring and recited a chant in a strangenguage.


    While chanting, he opened the reddish scroll, tossed the bluestone into it, and then muttered.


    "Begin."


    A momentter, a magic me wave appeared out of nowhere and spread in all directions.


    Soon, he suddenly pointed his finger at the red sky and spoke in a cold tone.


    "He is over there! Oh no! He is chanting!"


    Upon hearing his words, Elder Otto, Elder Rhett, and other Elders released their wisdom power and shot towards the sky at an unimaginable speed.


    They soon reached more than 2000 meters up in the sky and saw a middle-aged Red Human hovering in the air.


    He had a square face, amber eyes, a sharp nose, and thin eyebrows.


    But what made the Elders pause in surprise was a strange mark on Adur''s chest.


    At that moment, they saw an ''X'' mark made of pure ck me on his chest area, and it seemed to be invading his body.


    Meanwhile, some mysterious divine light came out from Adur''s shoulders and continuously burned the ck fire!


    Anyone could tell that this ck me was a dangerous thing!


    Upon seeing his miserable statue, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.


    Adur may have weakened during the past twenty years. But, he was still a man who once crushed the Paragon Elders and almost annihted them.


    ''The new champion is not to be messed with.'' All of them thought at the same time.


    At that moment, Adur also noticed their arrival, but he didn''t stop his chanting.


    Instead, he created a force-field around his body and continued to chant faster.


    On the other hand, Elder Otto and other Elders didn''t waste their time and attacked him from all directions.


    What''s more shocking was that each of them attacked him with Rank-4 and Rank-5 bloodline spells!


    Within a few seconds, rays of fires, Fire Storms, Sr st, Inferno Ray, Chaos Breath, and many other powerful spells collided against the force field!`


    Soon, crimson fire enveloped the whole sky!


    As Adur and Elders started their battle, chaotic me balls,va balls, and even ember rocks fell from the sky like rainfall and destroyed the houses.


    If the Sacred Temple members didn''t activate the defensive formation in time, the whole city might have turned into a Hell.

 Chapter 367: Lost Tombs

    <h4>Chapter 367: Lost Tombs</h4>


    While the Elders were battling Adur in the sky, a female figure moved towards the broken metallic door and soon looked at the Sacred Cathedral.


    Because of the chaos, most of the Temr Knights and Sacred Humans didn''t notice the figure''s arrival and were in the middle of running here and there.


    The female figure was none other than Charles!


    While Charles was in muse, dazzling sunlight came from the cathedral''s dome and started spreading in all directions.


    Soon, the sunlight enveloped the whole city and created a yellowish crystal-likeyer.


    ''Oh? A defensive spell made of Divine Power? But why do I feel something feels off about this spell?'' He raised his eyebrows and analyzed the defensive spell.


    Soon, a look of understanding appeared on his face.


    ''So, it''s connected to Adur, huh. If he ended up in a bitter position, not only this defensive spell would go frenzy, but it will also suck everything within the spell in the form of divine power and increase his strength temporarily.''


    As he muttered inwardly, the crystallineyer shone brightly and blocked all the falling fireballs,vas, embers, and other spells.


    What''s made Charles pause in surprise was that the defensiveyer even blocked some Rank-5 spells!


    "As expected, the Elders are still no match against that guy." Charles looked up at the red sky and chuckled.


    "You aren''t going to help them?" At that moment, a childish voice came from his right side, causing him to turn around.


    He soon saw a crimson-haired kid and became surprised inside.


    Even though he was a blind kid, he didn''t miss a step and calmly walked towards him.


    "Casper? Why are you here?" Charles stared at the blind kid for a moment and asked.


    Meanwhile, Casper walked forward while tapping the concrete road using his ck stick and soon spoke.


    "I came here to give you some information about the Dungeon."


    A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face, followed by puzzlement.


    Then, he thought for a moment and asked.


    "What do you want in return?"


    Upon hearing his words, Casper froze for a moment and let out a deep sigh.


    It was as if he was troubled by his question.


    "I''ll tell you in a bit." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "In truth, this ck tower is nothing but a transporting tunnel to the original dungeon called the ''Lost Tombs.'' When a Divine being dies in a ne, its Divine Kingdom would move from the endless void and crash directly into that ne. On the other hand, World''s Will would absorb the falling Divine Kingdom and store them into a separate dimension."


    "Then, World''s Will would use its power and link the newly formed dimension into any of the True Dungeons. As for the True Dungeons, you''ll learn about them in the future. Let''se to the main topic. Once you walk into the gate of this dungeon, you will soon find yourself teleported to a particr dimension called ''Fury Layer.'' That''s the Fire Bird''s fallen the Divine Kingdom. Once you reach there, all you have to do is search for a ruined temple called ''Verm'' and proceed to the sanctum. Within the sanctum, you''ll find what you''ve been searching for. After that, you can go to the Dungeon Guardian and seek help from her to leave the dungeon. She''ll help you."


    Upon hearing his words, the frown on Charles''s forehead deepened.


    "You still haven''t answered my previous question, Casper." He said coldly.


    Meanwhile, Casper curled his lips upward and responded with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "I indeed have a hidden motive for giving you this information, Charles. But you don''t need to think much about it. It won''t affect you in any way."


    Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards Royal Library.


    On the other hand, Charles''s heart skipped a beat!


    ''I haven''t told him about my real name. Damn, I''ve to be extra careful.'' He muttered inwardly and checked the time limit of his death.


    ''There are only 13 hours left!''


    He took a step forward on the paved road and walked towards the 400-meter tall cathedral.


    He soon walked past many Sacred Human statues, unique green trees called ''Sadri,'' and even some ornamental nts and soon arrived in front of a particr 8-meter tall statue.


    What startled him was that this particr status appeared to be made of crystalline Diamond!


    Even in the Fire-Elemental ne, these kinds of jewels were rare and expensive.


    ''The Sacred Humans sure do spend more money on these things.'' He muttered inwardly and shifted his gaze towards the two bell towers that appeared at the front of the cathedral.


    Then, he turned his attention towards the nearby woods and proceeded to walk in that direction.


    Although some Temr Knights blocked him as he went near the woods, he conjured chaotic fireballs and killed them all.


    Soon, he entered the woods and started walking towards the ck towering dungeon located at the other end of the city.


    A few minutester, he soon arrived in front of the ck tower and saw an entrance at the base area.


    The circr tower was more than 100 meters in width and seemed to be as tall as 1 km!


    He also saw many strange engravings, stone tablets, and even tombs that appeared near the entrance pathway!


    But what caught his attention were not the stone tablets and tombs but the entrance to the other side.


    At that moment, he saw nothing but an empty void within the entrance!


    "A tunnel to the Lost Tombs, huh." He went near the entrance and leaped into the endless void.


    A secondter, his vision blurred, and he felt a crushing sensation from all over the area.


    Not only that, but he also sensed some strange spatial radiations came from all sides and started affecting his body tissue.


    Within two seconds, multiple cuts appeared all over his body.


    Simultaneously, Charles noticed some suction force appeared out of nowhere and pulled him into a mysterious bluish tunnel.


    Meanwhile, he looked around the surroundings and soon got shocked by the beauty of the tunnel.


    At that moment, myriads of stars, cosmos, suns,s, and even some asteroids moved past in the sides!


    It was as if this tunnel was transporting him somewhere far away in the universe!


    He tried to open say something, but no words came out of his mouth.


    Still, he couldn''t help but shout in his mind.


    ''Wormhole! But why didn''t I enter a wormhole when I use the Twin Leaf to transport?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    But before he could think further, some mysterious ck tentacles suddenly popped out of the space tunnel and slithered towards his direction!


    Upon seeing this, Charles''s expression hardened.


    ''What the hell is that?'' He tried to release his wisdom power but failed miserably.


    Not only that, but his spell models also acted abnormally in his Inner World and prevented him from casting any spell!


    Just when he thought of using the Twin Leaf to escape, another suction force came out of nowhere and pulled him away from the space tunnel.


    A momentter, he found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest!


    ''What the hell? How did Ie here? Moreover, why didn''t I remember anything about how I escaped from the space tunnel? What was that suction force?'' Countless questions whirled in his head.


    Soon, he calmed down his mind, released his full wisdom power, and searched the surroundings.


    To his shock, he noticed that some mysterious force restricted his wisdom power.


    ''My scanning range is reduced to 10 to 15 meters in diameter. It seems the owner of this mysterious power is way above my level.'' He smiled bitterly and checked his spell models.


    Thankfully, no mysterious force appeared around his spell model, causing him to breathe out a sigh of relief.


    Then, he looked around and felt some weird sensation from all those nts, trees, and vines.


    Before he could think further, a strange type of shrill came from everywhere and affected his hearing sense.


    At the same time, cracks appeared on the tree stems, nt leaves, and even in grounds and soon formed into strange eyelids.


    As Charles saw this scene, a chill went down to his spine!


    Meanwhile, all those strange eyelids twitched for a second and then opened slowly.


    Soon, Charles saw creepy reddish eyes with two ck pupils appeared in all those eyelids and shuddered a little!


    At that moment, those eyes moved left and right and finally locked their gazes on Charles.


    As Charles saw this, he didn''t hesitate for a moment and cast [Burning Thoughts] on a particr tree.


    Unfortunately, his spell failed miserably due to some unknown reasons.


    ''It''s better to get away from here and find more information about thisyer.'' He muttered inwardly and cast [Red Wings] spell on himself.


    Then, two reddish wings appeared behind him and pped on their own.


    A secondter, he shot upward, tore through the tree branches, and finally looked up at the sky.


    At that moment, he saw seven crimson suns hung up in the sky, and they even arranged in an orderly manner!

 Chapter 379: Mutated-Human

    <h4>Chapter 379: Mutated-Human</h4>


    As Charles looked up at the sky, his vision blurred for a moment and showed tens of futuristic images.


    In the first few images, he saw thousands of trees moved on their own and were attacking with countless metal-like root spikes.


    He saw himself ambushed at the cliff''s edge in another few images and then swallowed by a giant rock monster.


    In the third list of images, he randomly touched a nt''s leaf and got trapped in an unbreakable illusion.


    With no other way, he wandered in this dangerous forest like a drunken man.


    As the images continued to appear, he soon learned that all these images were rted to possible futures.


    He also saw some normal future images like him discovering a ruin at the foot of a mountain, found a rare fruit used for a potion recipe near ake, and so on.


    ''These are the possible futures¡­ But when I activated the [Multi-Vision] skill in Edhen World, why couldn''t I see clear future images as now?'' A question appeared in his mind.


    ''Is it something to do with the World''s Will? Did it block me from seeing near futures?'' He felt that was a possible answer.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards the future images and soon frowned.


    ''This forest seems to be a dangerous one, even for a Rank-5 Mystic. The trees, nts, even small mushrooms appear to have consciousness on their own. Although I don''t sense any presence or soul within them, I vaguely sense that someone is monitoring me.'' As that thought whirled in his head, he perceived a danger sensation.


    Without any dy, he cast [False Blink] spell and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he reappeared 10 meters away from where he hovered before and turned around to look at that ce.


    At that moment, more than 100 spiky roots came from below and pierced towards the sky.


    Simultaneously, Charles felt a feeling of being observed by countless eyes!


    He instantly knew that the whole dense forest was filled with hundreds of thousands of Tree Monsters!


    Meanwhile, all the trees, vines, and nts shook violently and began to move on their own!


    Without any dy, Charles pped his red wings and rose higher.


    But he also knew that there was something else hiding in the sky and continued to pay attention towards the dark clouds.


    ''In one of the earlier visions, a mysterious being attacked me all of a sudden and ambushed me. Although I didn''t see that figure''s clear image, I vaguely saw a humanoid appearance.''


    He nodded inwardly and activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    The next second, his vision heightened to an unimaginable level and enabled him to see more than 20 km of the surrounding areas. He saw many unique trees, nt-type monsters, golems, faraway mountain ranges, and even some monstrous birds.


    He also noticed many city ruins appeared in many parts of the area.


    There were also ruined temples, broken castles, mansions, and thergest rock fortress that almost looked like a mountain, stone statues, and many other ruins that appeared everywhere.


    ''Damn, there are so many temples out there.'' He was shocked a little.


    He also realized that God''s Divine Kingdom was nothing but another separate world!


    He knew with a simple survey that most of them living in this divine kingdom shared the same culture and customs as the Red Humans.


    But what made him furrow his eyebrows was that some of the temples had different architecture.


    Most of the temples appeared in dome shapes, while more than a dozen temples had spires and towering pirs.


    ''So, the people who lived in this divine kingdom are also fought with each other, huh. Hmm? They appeared to have divided into two groups. The majority of the believers worshipped the Fire Bird, while the rest worshipped apletely different deity. No, it''s not a different deity but a Red Sun!'' He saw multiple Red Sun symbols at the dozens of unique temples'' entrances and continued to think.


    ''What does this Red Sun represent? Is it another identity of the Fire Bird? It is possible. If not, why did Fire Bird allow them to live in its Divine Kingdom?'' He couldn''t help but show a curious look on his face.


    After looking around the surroundings for a few seconds, he recorded his memories and created a mini-map in his Inner World.


    After that, he chose one of the twelve unique temples as his target and pped his red wings.


    But just as he flew towards a particr direction, a humanoid figure descended from the dark cloud and flew towards him.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s eyes widened!


    The humanoid figure was a young man with two crimson wings pping behind.


    He was around 25 to 30 years old, had a square face, and wore golden armor over his knight cloth.


    But unlike Charles''s Fire Wings, that young man''s wings appeared to be made of real feathers!


    If not for his [Arcane Eyes] skill sending information about him, he would''ve thought of him as an Angel.


    There was not even a sign of any fire elemental power around him!


    ''A mutated Human, is it? Moreover, why there is a question mark appear in the age section?'' He furrowed his brows and soon checked his ss.


    ''Rank-5 [King] ss Mystic? So, he is also following the ss-Gem path, huh.''


    He then shifted his attention towards the subss section and went solemn.


    ''No good. This young man is a dual-ss mystic! Rank-5 [Observer of Secrets]? It''s going to be a tough battle!'' He also saw a strange title called ''Protector'' appeared in his status.


    ''It''s better to avoid confronting him now.''


    Nodding inwardly, he cast [me Teleportation] spell and was about to escape, but soon froze!


    The next instant, he noticed that something was obstructing him from casting a spell!


    It was as if some invisible power seeped into his Dark Space and prohibited him from activating his spell models!


    ''Sh*t! No good!'' He instantly activated [Forewarning] skill and peeked into the near future.


    Simultaneously, he cast Rank-4 [Sun''s Shield] spell on himself and blocked the foreign power from entering his Dark Space.


    Meanwhile, the young man arrived before him, pped his wings, and stared at him with an icy look.


    His face was pale, and his two amber eyes appeared more like dead ones'' eyes!


    But what made Charles pause in surprise was that a strange eyelid appeared on his forehead, giving him a peculiar sensation in his heart!


    ''This guy looks more like a doll!'' He maintained his vignce and get ready for any attack.


    After that, he shifted his attention towards his golden spear, then towards the young man''s face and asked.


    "Who are you?"


    Unfortunately, no reply came out of the young man''s mouth.


    Instead, the young man gripped the golden spear in his right hand, made a battle stance, and thrust it towards Charles''s head!


    The next instant, the spear tore through the air and collided with the [Sun''s Shield] with a bang.


    Although the defensive spell managed to block the spearhead, the spear created a shockwave at the end and pushed Charles more than 10 meters away!


    Simultaneously, the young man looked into Charles''s eyes and muttered.


    "Invasion!"


    The next instant, another mysterious power seeped into the Sun''s Shield spell, entered his Dark Space, and soon invaded his Inner World.


    In a second, an eerie ck smoke appeared within his Inner World and soon formed into an illusionary appearance of the young man.


    The young man soon opened his eyes, looked at the surroundings, and frowned.


    But before he could think further, countless purple fireballs rained down from the sky and attacked him.


    Soon, one of the purple fireballsnded on his body and directly erased his memories.


    Within two seconds, the newly invaded consciousness turned into a pure form of information!


    On the other hand, a surprise shed on the young man''s face!

 Chapter 380: Inscriptions

    <h4>Chapter 380: Inscriptions</h4>


    "Not bad!" A cold reply came out of the young man''s mouth.


    On the other hand, Charles felt a strange sense of uneasiness.


    ''Not bad? But this is not how a Mystic is supposed to act. I erased his consciousness, but he is behaving as if everything is under his control.'' He thought for a moment and decided to escape.


    First, he cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell and checked where it had some effect on this strange person.


    A secondter, a look of disappointment appeared on his face.


    But he didn''t think further and cast [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself.


    Then, he opened his palm and conjured an eerie ball of reddish-ck me at an unimaginable speed.


    It was the upgraded Rank-4 spell, ''ck Inferno''!


    Without any hesitation, he aimed it towards the front and tossed it at the young man.


    Simultaneously, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped himself in a crimson me, and disappeared from there!


    Meanwhile, the young man casually moved the spear and tried to pierce through it.


    But the [ck Inferno] spell expanded suddenly and exploded while sending reddish-ck me in all directions!


    Upon seeing this, his expression changed.


    He then retracted his spear, touched the golden armor on his chest, and spoke.


    "Aegis!"


    A secondter, the golden armor expanded while releasing pure white light and enveloped his body like a protective shield.


    Even though Charles''s [ck Inferno] had the power of Rank-5 spell, those pure white lights blocked all the reddish-ck mes and protected him continuously.


    On the other hand, the whole sky soon got enveloped in mes and smoke!


    Not only that, but balls of ck mes descended towards the dense forest and burned everything!


    Within seconds, strange shills echoed all over the forest, followed by an eerie dead silence!


    The ck me in the sky also disappeared at that moment, leaving a single pure white ball in the sky.


    Soon, the young man came out of the white ball of light and looked around.


    Then, he closed his eyes and cast his sub-ss skill called, Eyes of an Observer!


    The next instant, all the nts, trees, and vines within a 5 km radius started to create creaking noises and formed strange eyelid-like things in the stems, leaves, and even in roots.


    Then, those eyelids opened one by one and revealed brilliant red eyes!


    All those eyes then searched the surroundings and then closed once again.


    On the other hand, the young man let out a deep sigh and flew in a particr direction.


    Meanwhile, Charles reappeared more than 10 km away from the previous battlefield and soon arrived at arge temple''s entrance.


    Unlike the other dome-shaped temples, this one had four ck pirs, spires at the back, and a three-meter tall stone wall encircled the whole Temple!


    Charles first checked the surroundings and noticed that this Temple was built in the middle of the dense woods.


    After confirming no other being was nearby, he shifted his attention towards the metallic entrance gate and soon noticed inscriptions of Paragons'' Tongue in the gate.


    Although those characters appeared simr, Charles noticed that they were older versions of the Paragons'' Tongue.


    Not only that, but he also saw many Fars Language characters in those inscriptions.


    ''It seems it would take some time for me to decipher the content.'' He thought to himself.


    Even though millenniums passed, no rust appeared on the metallic gate.


    Only clouds of dust and sands covered the inscription letters, making it harder for Charles to see them.


    Shaking his head, he took a step forward, arrived in front of it, and took out a brush-like material from his space ring.


    Without wasting any time, he removed the dust and started deciphering the content.


    "Seventh Temple of the Rebirth Star¡­


    Built on: Year 3560 Elemental Born Era, Before the Era of New Time!


    Temple Name: ss Temple.


    History: During the Elemental Born Era in Derixn ne, countless demons appeared through portals and massacred our brethren. To save Humanity, the Al-Mighty Rebirth Star shone its brilliance and created this Temple out of nothing. This Templeter became a sanctuary and helped us defend our ne. Then, this Temple transported all the dead souls to this Divine Land and gave us a new home."


    As Charles continued to read those lines, he vaguely understood what was going on.


    ''Unfortunately, this is not the temple I''m looking for.'' He shook his head in disappointment.


    ''Should I take a look and see if there are some treasures inside?'' He muttered inwardly and touched the metallic gate with both hands.


    When he was about to open it, his vision blurred again and showed tens of future images.


    But unlike the previous ones, these vision images rted to a single timeline!


    As Charles skimmed through the images, he couldn''t help but take a few steps back.


    ''A snake-type Magical Beast is guarding this Temple! Moreover, its strength should be no less than a peak Rank-5 warlock.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''Although I''m confident enough to beat that beast¡­ No, I came here to get the ''Heart,'' not to fool around.'' He instantly backed away.


    After that, he moved away from the gate and shifted his attention towards the information he got from the young man''s consciousness.


    ''Like the snake monster, he is also a protector of a temple called ''Niven.'' As for why did he attack me, there is no reason for his action. He purely acted on instinct. Wait. What are these memories? Most of them are crazy killings, eating raw meats, fighting monsters, controlling the ns through his observation skill, and so on. Although he had vague memories of other temple protectors, he hadn''t gone past ''Niven'' Temple''s territory.'' But what shocked Charles most was the following information.


    ''Like other protectors, he has been doing this job for more than 1,000 years and even died multiple times¡­'' He froze.


    ''Wait! Died multiple times? What does that mean?'' Charles soon searched for other memories to learn more about this ce but found nothing.


    ''So, his consciousness has only fewer memories, huh. I have got a vague feeling that something is wrong with these protectors.'' He thought to himself, shifted his attention towards the mini-map, and chose the next Temple.


    A secondter, his whole body was enveloped in a crimson me and soon disappeared from there!


    Charles visited hundreds of temples for the next few hours but couldn''t find the ''Verm'' Temple.


    While massaging his head, he arrived in front of another Rebirth Temple''s entrance and soon noticed a long line of inscriptions appeared in the sidewall.


    Out of curiosity, he moved towards the wall, removed the sands and clouds of dust using the brush, and started to decipher.


    Soon, he noticed that all these inscriptions had information about other Rebirth Temples!


    Thirty minutester, he deciphered more than 30 paragraphs of those inscriptions and soon froze.


    At that moment, he saw ''Verm'' Temple''s name in thest paragraph.


    But as he started to decipher the words, his expression turned stiffened.


    ''Verm Temple is the main Cathedral of thisyer? F*ck! This mission is not going to be a simple one.'' He couldn''t help but show a bitter smile on his face.


    After that, he continued to decipher more words and learned about its exact location.


    He learned that the Cathedral was in the deepest part of the western mountain range.


    Although the western mountain range was more than 100 km away from where he was standing, he could get there in no time.


    But what worried him most was the information about the Protector of the Cathedral.


    The inscriptions mentioned that the Protector of the Cathedral was none other than the Dungeon Guardian itself!


    ''It seems I''ve no choice but to see for myself, huh.'' Hemented for a moment and walked away from the walls.


    After that, he cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 381: Elf

    <h4>Chapter 381: Elf</h4>


    Charles reappeared in the cloudy sky, cast [Red Wings] spell, and flew towards the western mountain range.


    The mountain range had a name called ''Gond''s Stairs.''


    Unlike the normal mountain range, this mountain range was divided into sevenyers.


    The firstyer of mountains was around 700 to 1000 meters tall and was easy to climb.


    But from the nextyer, the mountains'' height would increase exponentially.


    At the end of the seventhyer, one had to climb more than 20,000 meters to reach the summit of God''s Mountain!


    That''s where the Rebirth Star main temple and FireBird main temple were located!


    As Charles flew about the dense forest, he started to feel a cold sensation.


    If he were an average human, he would be shivering by now.


    But due to his strengthened body, he hardly felt any feeling.


    Then, he also noticed a change in the surrounding vegetation like most of the tree leaves appeared pale yellow, and there were some trees with no leaves!


    As he flew closer towards the mountain range, he even saw snow appearing in the firstyer''s summit.


    ''Man, I thought this whole dimension would be a fire-elemental one.'' He muttered under his breath as he stopped near the mountain range and looked up at the sky.


    After that, he pped those two fire wings, flew upward while evading some birds'' attacks, and soon reached the summit in a few minutes.


    But he didn''t stop there and continued to fly towards the nextyer of mountains!


    He continued to fly while crossing the snowy mountainyers one by one and soon reached the finalyer.


    But unlike the otheryers, there was only one mountain that appeared in front of his eyes.


    But the single mountain had entered the dark clouds and seemed to have reached the starless sky!


    As he stood at a mountain''s summit, Charles noticed that the air got chillier and made it harder for him to breathe.


    Although he didn''t face any monsters or Magical Beasts, he did see two Protectors along the way.


    Thankfully, those two Protectors didn''t attack him, unlike the previous one, and left him alone.


    Casting those thoughts, Charles cast [Sun''s Shield] spell on himself and made preparations.


    First, he took out a ck dagger from his space ring, released a single invisible string, and let it encircle the hint area.


    The next instant, the whole ck dagger turned transparent and soon disappeared from his eyes.


    After that, he also took out the [Starfall Codex] Magic book and held it in his hand.


    Then, he took a deep breath to calm down his mind and continued to fly.


    After another few minutes of flying, he finally reached the summit of God''s Mountain and hovered in front of two tall buildings.


    The right side was a dome-shaped building with four conical pirs, while the other side was a free-standing building.


    Upon seeing this, he subconsciously turned his gaze towards the left side and soon smiled.


    Even though the front wall blocked most of the temple''s base, he noticed the pyramidal-shaped spire, side hallways, and two frontal pirs and confirmed that this was the main temple of Rebirth Star.


    He also saw that both temples were separated by another stone wall and soon nodded as he recalled the information he read in the inscriptions.


    ''They seemed to have worshipped the same God, but followed different religious customs andws. So, that caused division among the believers, resulting in the formation of two types of sub-religions.'' He felt that was the possible exnation.


    The majority of the worshipers worshipped the idol of the Fire Bird and even did sacrificial offering rituals to please God.


    But the minority felt that worshipping their God in the form of some bird''s idol was uwful.


    Instead, they drew the portrait of the Red Sun and started worshipping them.


    For them, the one who saved their was not some bird but the Sun itself!


    While thinking, Charles soonnded in front of the left side temple''s entrance and arrived in front of the metallic gate.


    Then, he raised both of his hands, ced them on it, and pushed them open.


    A loud screeching noise came from the gate due to the rust, followed by multiple bell sounds.


    Charles soon stepped inside, walked on the courtyard, and soon arrived near the courtyard altar.


    Although it was just an elevated tform with nothing on it, Charles felt some divine power around it!


    ''Is this the remnant power of a God?'' He extended his hand and tried to touch it.


    But the next instant, a burning sensation appeared around his hand and even harmed his skin to some extend!


    Within two seconds, blisters and reddish burn marks appeared all over his hand!


    Meanwhile, Charles wore a startled look and instantly retracted his hand.


    Then, he conjured a ball of greenish-blue me and healed his hand.


    After that, he turned his gaze towards the forecourt and was about to move forward but stopped.


    At that moment, he suddenly noticed that a humanoid figure was moving towards him from inside.


    ''Protector?'' He hurriedly took a few steps back and moved towards the courtyard''s center.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Arcane Eyes] skill on that figure and analyzed it.


    On the other hand, a 2-meters tall young woman in herte 20s walked out of the temple and stared at him coldly.


    Her smooth skin appeared golden, and she tied her long emerald hair into a bundle. She had a beautiful oval face, almond blue eyes, elongated eyebrows, and long ears.


    Yes, she was an elf!


    Her beautiful melons appeared a little budging due to the golden armor, and she looked more like a warrior woman!


    She wore a short skirt, boots, and a pair of silver bracelets, a tiara, and a long sword in her hand.


    As Charles analyzed her, he suddenly let out a painful groan and covered his eyes with both hands!


    At that moment, blood mixed with tears dripped down from the corner of his eyes.


    When he used [Arcane Eyes] skill on her, not only did he not find a single clue about her strength, but he also received a skill bacsh!


    ''Damn it!'' He cursed inwardly and instantly released his wisdom power.


    Although it could only cover 10 meters of the surroundings, he felt it was necessary.


    Simultaneously, he released thousands of invisible strings, let them spread around his surroundings like a gigantic spider, and got ready for any unexpected attack.


    But to his shock, no such sneak attack happened!


    "Heal your wounds. I won''t shamelessly attack a blind mortal." A cold voice echoed in his ears.


    In the meantime, Charles froze for a second and frowned.


    ''A nobledy?''


    After some thought, he nodded his head, conjured another ball of greenish-blue me, and healed his eyes.


    After, he opened his eyes, stared at the young woman, and asked.


    "Are you the protector of this Temple?"


    To his shock, the young woman blinked her blue eyes twice and responded with a nod.


    "Yes. I''m an 11th Protector of Rebirth Temple and also the holder of the Fire Bird''s Heart." She paused for a moment and asked.


    "You came here for its heart, right?"


    Meanwhile, Charles got startled inside and nodded.


    "If so, show me your worth, mortal. If you want the Fire Bird''s Heart, you have to defeat me or kill me first." She said with a smile.


    That mere smile appeared so pure and innocent!


    Meanwhile, Charles started to frown and soon shook his head.


    "You are a Rank-6 Mystic, My Lady. Although I''m strong enough to face a Rank-5 individual, I''m not even close enough to stand in front of a Rank-6 individual." He said with a solemn tone.


    What he said was the actual truth!

 Chapter 382: Incarnation Summon

    <h4>Chapter 382: Incarnation Summon</h4>


    "Hmm? You are not even going to try?" A disdainful expression appeared on the cold beauty''s face.


    But a secondter, she noticed two types of spells invaded her mind and got startled.


    ''Burning Thoughts and Burning Consciousness? Mind Fire?'' A sh of surprise appeared on her face.


    At that moment, [Burning Thoughts] magic spell tried to affect her consciousness, while the [Burning Consciousness] magic spell tried to enter her Inner World.


    "Too bad, I can block these types of spells with eyes closed." She muttered casually and waved her hand.


    The next instant, an invisible ripple appeared out of nowhere and blocked those two spells from entering her mind before breaking them into pure fire-elemental energies!


    Meanwhile, Charles frowned a bit, raised his hand, moved his fingers like a trickster, and then curled his lips upward.


    ''Why is he smiling?'' The elven woman felt something was off.


    The next moment, she sensed something appeared behind her and used her wisdom power to stop its movement.


    But to her surprise, the invisible thing tore through her wisdom power and almost appeared near the nape!


    Still, she managed to react in time and snapped her fingers.


    The next instant, the space around her neck began to distort and formed into a small portal!


    Then, another simr invisible object appeared from the other side and collided against Charles''s dagger.


    Charles''s face hardened as he saw this.


    ''What did she do?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    But what startled him more was that she hadn''t made a single move on him!


    ''She is checking my skills. Even if I use all of my trump cards, there is a high chance I might lose my life in the next battle.'' He knew that this was just a trailer.


    ''My main battle is just 2 hours away. I can''t even use my lifesaving spells carelessly. For now, all I can do is chose a suitable trump card and sacrifice it. So, the question is: Which trump card should I choose?'' He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.


    ''It''s a do-or-die, then.'' He then pulled his hand, caught the invisible dagger, and threw it near the courtyard altar.


    Then, he looked at the elven woman and spoke in a cold tone.


    "I''ll fight if you head on, My Lady. But you''ve to limit your power to Rank-5 Mystic. As long as I force you to cast a Rank-6 spell, then it''ll be my win."


    On the other hand, the elven woman showed a surprised look and nodded.


    "You are indeed an interesting visitor, mortal. But even that won''t be enough to defeat me." She stated calmly.


    Instead of responding, Charles first cast [elerate Thoughts] spell on himself and took out the [Starfall Codex] magic book.


    At that moment, he also activated [Arcane Eyes] skill on the elven woman and widened his eyes.


    ''She indeed can suppress her own power! If I didn''t use Arcane Eyes skill on her earlier, even I would''ve fooled by her!''


    While thinking at a fast speed, he flipped the pages and soon stopped at the 18th page!


    It was the one-time Incarnation Summon spell!


    ''Although I don''t want to draw another mysterious person''s attention, I''ve no choice now.'' A forced smile appeared on his face.


    He knew that as long as he could summon the book owner''s Incarnation, he would gain an absolute advantage in the battle.


    As for the strength of the Incarnation, he could vaguely tell that it should be around Rank-5.


    ''But I''ve to be very careful. Once I summon him, I must force him to abide by the rules of summoning.'' He recalled the Holem''s Crown''s warning and nodded inwardly.


    A secondter, he infused his wisdom power with it, activated the Rank-4 spell, and spoke.


    "Incarnation Summon!"


    As he ended his words, the Starfall Codex let out an eerie ck light and released three balls of energy!


    The first was a ball ofwful fire energy, the second was a ball of chaos energy, and the third was a ball of pureher energy!


    Even the surrounding space began to crack due to the dense violent powers!


    Soon, all those three balls merged and soon got transformed into a humanoid shape.


    A secondter, an illusionary figure of a middle-aged man appeared in front of Charles''s eyes.


    He looked around 40-years-old. A man with brown hair, blue eyes, and sculptured outlines had his hands in his pocket.


    He was 1.87 meters tall and nearly 50 years old. His sideburns were a little white, but his figure was maintained well. He appeared more mature and handsome.


    Upon seeing the Incarnation, Charles cast [Arcane Eyes] skill and looked into it.


    On the other hand, the middle-aged man also turned towards him with a sharp look on his face and waved his hand.


    A secondter, a fragment ofher energy came from his illusionary hand, entered Charles''s body, and soon attached to his soul!


    ''Oh no! Why didn''t my forewarning skill warn me?'' He tried to resist the strange energy at a fast speed.


    At the same time, he also utilized the advantage and continued to think.


    ''There is only one possibility! This Incarnation also hid its real intention from the ''Future'' itself! The original owner of this Incarnation is a powerful person!'' His mind worked at an unimaginable speed.


    At that moment, he also tried his best to erase the mysterious fragment.


    But the fragment suddenly let out a weird noise, broke into pieces, and sent two mysterious words into Charles''s mind.


    Although Charles tried his best not to focus on those words, some strange energy appeared and forced him to see.


    "Felix Starfall!"


    As he said those words subconsciously, a virtual image of a middle-aged man appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''Sh*t! No good!''


    He instantly knew that the Incarnation had used him to send his location to its real body!


    Without any dy, he gripped the Starfall Codex Magic Book, enveloped it with chaos-infused fire, and spoke coldly.


    "Please abide by the rules of a summoning, Felix. Otherwise, I''ll destroy this book and erase you."


    Upon hearing his words, the middle-aged man showed a surprised look and soon nodded his head.


    "No worries. I already did my job. As long as you enter his domain, he''lle and look for you. After all, your body has the qualification to be an excellent vessel." Felix said with a mysterious smile, looked up at the sky, and then asked.


    "So, why did you summon me?"


    But soon, he raised his eyebrows, sniffed the surrounding air, and widened his eyes.


    "I smell a maiden''s breathe nearby." He said rudely, looked around the courtyard, and soon zeroed his gaze on the young elven woman.


    On the other hand, a strange chill went up to the elven woman''s spine.


    She felt as if a lecherous bastard was staring at her!


    "Ivory, is it?" Felix suddenly paused for a moment and then added with a surprised look on his face.


    "It''s rare to see an Ancient Mage puppet here."


    Meanwhile, Ivory sized up the Incarnation up and down and got ready for the battle.


    But to others'' surprise, Felix didn''t attack her, though.


    Instead, he stared at her bulging melons, then towards her hip, and finally fixed his gaze on her long smooth legs.


    Then, he subconsciously opened his mouth and licked his lips.


    Upon seeing this guy''s action, an angry expression appeared on Ivory''s face.


    Charles also couldn''t help but shakes his head.


    ''Yup, I summoned a pervert. I hope he would do his work.'' Nodding inwardly, he stealthily moved his finger and started controlling the invisible dagger.


    At the same time, he took a step forward, nced at the Incarnation, and spoke.


    "Mister, I summoned you here to defeat her. Not to stare at her lustfully."


    "I know that, kid. But she is a real beauty. Look at her b**bs. It''s so perfect. Although her bu** is little bitrger, I can adjust with that." Felix said in an obscene tone and then raised his hand.


    A secondter, an illusionary form of a reddish scythe appeared in his hand.


    "Stay back. I''ll go and y with her for a while."


    Saying so, he then took a step forward and dashed towards Ivory.


    On the other hand, an icy chilling aura appeared around her body.


    Although Ivory had been staying in the dungeon for millenniums, she was still a woman after all.


    His vulgar words infuriated her to the core!


    The battle between beauty and the beast was about to start!

 Chapter 382: Battle

    <h4>Chapter 382: Battle</h4>


    While moving towards Ivory, Felix waved his hand, created some greyishher energy balls, and tossed them into the sides.


    Meanwhile, all thoseher energy balls expanded into mysterious ritual circles, then created small portals above the ritual circles and pulled something from another dimension.


    Soon, a total of four armored human skeletons appeared on the battlefield.


    One held a broadsword in its hand; the second one held a crossbow, the third one kept a spear, and finally, the fourth one held a shield in its hand.


    But what made Charles widen his eyes was that each of their physical attributes was above 20!


    ''Four Rank-4 Undead Skeletons? Moreover, the weapons in their hands seemed to be enchanted with magic!'' A shock appeared on Charles''s face.


    Although he knew that this Incarnation was powerful, he still underestimated him too much.


    Meanwhile, Felix arrived near Ivory and shed the illusionary scythe at her.


    On the other hand, Ivory took a step forward, raised her hand, gripped something in the air, and pulled.


    The next instant, the surrounding space twisted continuously, transformed into mirror-like shapes, and formed a hexagonal-shaped defensive structure.


    What''s more shocking was that Ivory''s figure appeared inside the hexagonal prism-like mirror and appeared well-protected.


    In the meantime, Felix''s red scythe tore through the air and soon reached the mirrors. But just as it was about to collide, the mirror started to distort and formed into a small portal.


    Then, a simr red scythe appeared from the small portal and collided with Felix''s original one. The next instant, a shockwave appeared from the scythes and caused the nearby bells and walls to shake violently.


    Upon seeing this, a grim look appeared on Felix''s face.


    "A unique spell based on Mirror World?" He soon retracted his weapon, squatted down, and ced his hand on the ground. A secondter,va bubbles came from underneath one by one and soon sshed on the mirrors.


    A momentter, cracks appeared all over the hexagonal mirror, followed by explosions. Within seconds, the whole hexagonal prism got destroyed into pieces and sent mirrors in all directions.


    Even so, Ivory didn''t show any emotions at all. She calmly used her wisdom power to block the broken mirrors, took two steps backward, and then muttered a strange word.


    A secondter, anotheryer of shield appeared around her body. But this time, there was no hexagonal prism-like mirror appeared around her body. Instead, her whole body turned into a crimson fire, and she seemed more like a fire-elemental being!


    Moreover, an illusionary figure of a Fire Bird also appeared behind her and started emitting oppressive power in all directions!


    Upon seeing this, Felix frowned deeply and then snorted.


    "So, you also modified your body and turned into a half elemental being, huh." He nodded inwardly before raising his hand and then added,


    "Let''s see you have the ability to block this attack." As he spoke, he backed away quickly, conjured a chaos power-infused ice arrow, and tossed it into one of the four summoned undead skeletons.


    Meanwhile, the undead skeleton caught the bluish icy arrow, ced the nock on the bowstring, and aimed at Ivory.


    At that moment, a strange greyishher energy came out of both his hands and gathered at the arrow''s tip. Without any dy, the undead skeleton pulled the bowstring with full force and released it.


    A sharp whooshing sound echoed in the courtyard as the arrow tore through the air and soon arrived in front of Ivory''s forehead. But just as the arrow was about to collide with her forehead, she suddenly moved her right hand at an unimaginable speed and caught it.


    Then, she turned her gaze towards Charles and spoke in a cold tone.


    "If you think this mere Incarnation could defeat me, you''re clearly underestimating me, mortal-"


    Before she could even finish her words, she suddenly noticed an illusionary bluish arrow came out of the ice one and directly entered her body!


    Shock and rm appeared on her face.


    The next instant, she threw the ice arrow, ced her hand on her bulging chest, and let out a groan in pain.


    "A soul attack?" She cast a wary look at the undead skeletons and panted.


    "Don''t underestimate this mere Incarnation, youngdy." A mocking voice echoed in the courtyard as Felix looked at Ivory, raised his hand, conjured a golden ball of me, and weaved it into a long whip.


    Then, he moved his hand and shed it in Charles''s direction. In the meantime, the golden whip moved towards Charles at a fast speed, arrived in front of his right hand, disintegrated the chaos me that encircling the Starfall Codex magic book, and pulled it towards Felix.


    Although Charles tried to stop his action, the golden whip moved too quickly and stole the Starfall Codex magic book in a second!


    "I can''t do anything to you because of the universalw, kid. But once I fulfilled the request of the summoner, everything will be invalidated." An evil smirk appeared on his face.


    Then, he once again shifted his attention towards Ivory and shed his scythe. The next moment, a terrifying golden arc came out from the scythe and flew towards Ivory. Simultaneously, he moved his other hand, attacked her using the golden whip.


    At that moment, the four undead skeletons also moved on their own and started attacking her co-ordinately. On the other side, Ivory used her mirror defensive structure and faced all those attacks head-on. Moreover, she also used three more spells like Mirror Void, Hell prison, and Life Suction spell and went on an offensive mode.


    Both of them shed against each other and caused massive damage to the surroundings. In just 30 seconds, they destroyed all the surrounding walls and even broke the courtyard altar. If not for some mysticyer covering both of those temples, the whole mountain surroundings might have razed to the ground right now!


    While they were battling, Charles patiently stood in the sides and waited for an opportunity.


    ''Although Felix stole the Starfall Codex magic book, it''s not a big problem to take it back. If I use my [Hands of Wonder] skill, I can steal the book and eliminate him without any problem. So, I should focus on how to defeat Ivory first. Although Felix is more powerful than I had expected, he still can''t defeat her with those Rank-5 spells.'' While he was in muse, Ivory suddenly used another new mirror-type spell and eliminated two undead skeletons at once.


    But in return, she also lost her focus for a mere moment and stumbled. Upon seeing this, Charles suddenly curled his lips upward, controlled all those invisible strings, and moved them towards her.


    He knew that once she touched any of these invisible strings, she would get cautious and wouldn''t give him another opportunity. He carefully controlled those strings and let them encircle her body.


    At that moment, he also moved the invisible dagger artifact behind her nape and got ready to attack her.

 Chapter 382: Golden Chest

    <h4>Chapter 382: Golden Chest</h4>


    But before that, Charles cast [Multi-vision] skill on himself and checked the possible futures. Soon, a grim look appeared on his face.


    ''As I thought, she is indeed prepared for such sneak attack.'' But he didn''t get anxious, though. Instead, he took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, moved his thumb towards the crown area, and pressed it with a click!


    It was the Star Watch''s [Fog of Time] skill!


    The next instant, an invisible power came out of the pocket watch and spread in all directions. Soon, the mysterious power entered Ivory''s Inner World and her consciousness and tried to erase her memories about Charles. A simr thing happened to Felix as well!


    For a moment, both of them stopped their battling and shifted their attention to the foreign power. Then, Ivory and Felix used their full wisdom power and blocked it from invading further. Ivory soon noticed that it was the power of ''past'' time and became deadly serious.


    ''No good! I''m losing my focus.'' Before she could think further, some power entered her consciousness and started erasing her memories about Charles. s, she still maintained her calm and focused her full attention on her consciousness.


    Meanwhile, Charles zeroed his gaze on Ivory, raised his hand, and pulled his hand towards his chest. The next instant, all those thousands of invisible strings suddenly moved andpletely bound Ivory''s body. Not only that, but his dagger artifact also moved at a fast speed and directly prated deep into her nape!


    By the time Ivory noticed the attack, it was already toote!


    The next second, she stumbled forward and soon fell on the courtyard''s altar. But what happened after caused Charles to open his eyes wide.


    As Ivory fell on the floor next to the courtyard altar, her body ignited on its own and started burning in a crimson fire! Soon, not even ashes were left behind!


    Using this opportunity, Felix managed to erase the foreign power and then shifted his attention towards Charles. But instead of showing an arrogant expression, he showed a grim look. The main reason for that was because of the Starfall Codex magic book!


    A while ago, he clearly remembered that it was within his hand. But when the foreign power invaded his consciousness, not only did he lose that book, but he also didn''t remember how he lost it!


    ''What did he do?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    "You don''t get it, do you?" Charles asked with a mischievous smile on his face.


    "What did you do?" Felix asked, showing wariness and confusion on his face.


    In the meantime, Charles smiled lightly and shook his head. Simultaneously, he conjured a ball of chaos fire and burned the Starfall Codex magic book without hesitation.


    "Farewell." He said to Felix and started walking towards the Temple''s entrance.


    In the meantime, Felix tried to do something, but his Incarnation broke into countless pieces. At that moment, his other two undead skeletons also stopped moving and fell like lifeless skeletons. Not only that, but their weapons also broke into pieces and then disappeared.


    On the other hand, Charles continued to walk further and soon arrived at Temple''s entrance. He then stepped into the hallway and nced at the surroundings. Unlike the other temples hallway, this one''s appeared muchrger. The only thing that appeared in his vision was rock pirs supporting the tall ceiling and portraits of the Rebirth Star.


    But as he looked deeply, he noticed that the whole floor, ceiling, and pirs were inscribed in mysterious magic circles!


    He activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and studied the surrounding magic circles for a few seconds. The mode he studied, the more he felt something was off about the whole Temple.


    "T-This looks more like a gigantic! Moreover, they are connected to the sanctum," He muttered in a solemn tone.


    Charles then avoided the magic circles, walked past the pirs, and soon reached the sanctum. A bronze double door appeared in front of his sight. Parts of the door appeared painted while the other half remained clean. But Charles sensed a mysterious invisible power appeared around the door and seemed to be protecting it.


    He also saw a lock at the center and frowned. But a momentter, he released a single invisible string, moved it into the keyhole, and started unlocking the lock. A few secondster, a metal clicking noise echoed in the sanctum''s entrance, followed by a loud bang.


    A momentter, the bronze double door opened on its own and revealed what was inside the sanctum.


    But just as he was about to step inside, a cold female voice echoed in his ears.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you, mortal."


    The voice was so familiar, which made Charles raise his eyebrows. He soon turned around, looked at the hallway, and saw a young elven woman standing next to a stone pir.


    "So, that protector''s memories are true! You guys won''t die, huh." He stared at Ivory with full of curiosity.


    Meanwhile, she let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "It''s more like a curse to me, though. I can''t even go out of this Temple."


    She paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    "My job here is to protect the heart of the Fire Bird and wait for a suitable candidate to arrive. Although quite a few brave souls from different worlds came here, they still don''t have the qualifications to inherit the heart. But you simply exceeded themon sense. During the fight, you only made one move but killed my Rank-5 clone! Also, you constructed the [Rebirth me] spell model. You are the right person to inherit the heart."


    Upon hearing her words, Charles got shocked a little and then shifted his attention to the sanctum.


    Meanwhile, Ivory also followed his gaze and looked at the altar table at the center of the sanctum.


    A golden chest was ced on the altar table, and around it was filled with many unique elemental crystals!


    Charles also noticed that the outside magic circles were interlinked and somehow connected to the golden chest!


    ''These elemental crystals appear to be supplying energy to the golden chest¡­ Something feels wrong here.''


    A wary look appeared on his face as he muttered inwardly.


    "Is the Fire Bird''s heart dangerous? Why did you create such powerful magic circlework to seal it in the golden chest?" He asked while locking his gaze on the golden chest.


    At that moment, he felt two types of energy from inside the chest. One was pure like a radiant sun, while the other one was evil with full of wickedness and destruction. To be more precise, evil would be an understatement to describe that thing!


    As he stared at the golden chest, Ivory took a step forward, erased the invisible power, and spoke.


    "For the past few millenniums, the Fire Bird''s heart is constantly burning the evil thing and suppressing its growth. Before the Fire Bird killed himself to create the connection bridge, he came here and ced his heart and the evil thing inside the golden chest. He just told me to find a suitable candidate to pass his inheritance. As for the evil thing, he said nothing about it." She paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    "Don''t worry¡­ I''ll take that thing and store it somewhere else during the inheritance passing process."

 Chapter 385: Eclipse Land

    <h4>Chapter 385: Eclipse Land</h4>


    Ivory arrived near the golden chest and searched for a key in the small room. Other than the altar table and the golden chest, there were many other things like bronze jugs, brassmps, a small cabin, oil jugs, and even some silver tumblers were scattered all over the ce. Soon, she picked up a metallic key from the nearby rack and opened the golden chest with a click.


    A secondter, Charles heard a beating heart sound! Not only that, but he also heard a strange metal crunching sound from inside.


    He hurriedly walked into the sanctum, arrived next to Ivory, and looked inside. Two things appeared in the golden chest. One was a beating heart, while the other one was a slimy ckish thing. Suddenly, mysterious red me streaks came out of the heart through the aorta and burned the ckish thing. On the other hand, the slimy ckish thing continued to regrow and even attacked the red streaks before being burnt into ashes!


    As Charles saw this thing, he couldn''t help butment.


    "This looks more like a symbiote."


    Meanwhile, Ivory took out a cubic ss from her space ring, picked up the symbiote creature using her wisdom power, and ced it in the cubic ss. The symbiote creature regenerated at an unimaginable speed and appeared twice as before in size!


    But once Ivory sealed the symbiote in the cubic ss, it suddenly stopped moving and went motionless.


    "Hmm, I can only seal this thing for an hour or so." Ivory deliberated for a moment, turned her gaze towards Charles, and spoke.


    "Remove your shirt andy on the floor. It will take more than 30 minutes to do the transntation."


    ''Transntation? Will it cause any kind of mutation?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    As if she had expected his reaction, she let out a chuckle and answered.


    "You don''t have to worry about strange mutations, mortal. You see, this heart only cause changes in your elemental form. For example, I''m not going to take your original heart. Instead, I''m going to transnt this heart into your [Fire Born] spell''s elemental form." She suddenly stopped talking and soon widened her eyes as she saw his confusion.


    "Don''t tell me! You don''t know anything about the elemental form?" She stared at him with a disbelieving look on her face.


    She soon returned to her usual self and muttered.


    "It''s been a while since I lost myposure for a second. I don''t know how you manage to create a perfect elemental form without even knowing, but this is incredible." Just as she spoke, she turned her gaze towards Charles, touched his chest, and infused it with a bit of fire elemental power.


    A momentter, Charles''s [Fire Born] spell activated on its own and turned him into a pure fire being.


    But Charles didn''t pay any attention to her at all.


    ''It''s the fire-elemental ne! The ne''s Will is the one that helped me create this [Fire Born] spell. I sacrificed a blood drop of a divine and tried to increase my fire affinity level. But at the end, the Will also sent some me streaks and made some alterations in my body. That''s how I create the [Fire Born] spell model at that time.'' A look of understanding appeared on his face. Whenparing with Edhen World''s Will, the fire-elemental ne had helped him in many ways!


    While he was in muse, Ivory took out the beating heart from the golden chest and gestured him toy down.


    Meanwhile, Charles didn''t say anything and did as she told him to do.


    At that moment, Ivory also squatted down and spoke while talking out a few metallic instruments like knives, des, needles, and even some reddish elemental crystals.


    "This form is also a part of your body. Although it doesn''t form into a true elemental body, it will in a few decades." While muttering, she skillfully picked up the nearby knife and directly stabbed it onto Charles''s chest.


    Although Charles felt pain, it wasn''t hard for him to endure. She made precise cuts, rippedva-like flesh, and soon ripped a heart-like thing. But whenparing it with the heart in Ivory''s hand, that thing was barely considered as a heart. Then, she ced the Fire Bird''s heart in Charles''s chest and started chanting in a mysteriousnguage.


    At that moment, she also created elemental words in the thin air and started sending them into his chest area. Meanwhile, those mysterious words entered deep into his body and started connecting the heart with his elemental body!


    Meanwhile, Charles looked up at the ceiling and started thinking about how his disciples and his clones were doing.


    ¡­


    Town Lord''s Mansion, Night Town, Eclipse Land, Iron Kingdom, Edhen World.


    It was around 8 A.M.


    At that moment, a four-wheeled carriage came from the opposite road and soon stopped at the mansion gate. Then, a brown-haired coachman jumped down from the driver''s seat,nded on the ground, and soon started walking towards thepound gate.


    Meanwhile, two gates at the entrance gave the coachman a big salute and opened the gate for him.


    On the other hand, the coachman waved his hand, adjusted his bowler hat, and stepped inside. He appeared to be around 21 to 22-years-old, had brown hair, deep-set brown eyes, shadow Nose Bridge, fair skin, and a ssic handlebar mustache under his nose.


    He wore a double-breasted ck coat, waist pants, ck boots, a red carved tie, and a monocle. He was none other than Titus!


    After Daisy got the Baroness title, they left the Iron City and came to Eclipse Land to check. They went to different viges during the past seven days and checked the local people''s living conditions.


    Although they want to stay a few more days, Titus''s sister suddenly called him this morning through amunication ring and told them to return to the city. Even Titus felt some urgency in her tone!


    ''Did something happen?'' He muttered under his breath and soon arrived in front of the mansion house entrance.


    "Daisy? It''s time." He shouted.


    Before he could say another word, the wooden door opened with a click, and soon a silver-haired woman walked out from it. She had a pretty smooth face, a sharp nose, and wore a floral ruffled gown.


    She took a step forward, arrived in front of Titus''s face, and kissed him on the lips. After that, she retracted her face, grabbed his rough arm, and asked with a smile.


    "Shall we go?"


    "Of course, my dear." Titus nodded his head and started walking out of the mansion. Then, he gave the Mansion house key to the gatekeeper and arrived near the carriage. After that, he opened the red curtain and gestured Daisy to walk in.


    Once she entered the carriage, he moved towards the front, climbed up on the driver''s seat, and sat down.


    Following that, he took out a long whip from his space ring, whipped the horses, and drove the carriage towards the town''s exit. After a few minutes of travel, the carriage soon left the Night Town and entered a innd filled with trees and shrubs.


    As the carriage moved slowly, Daisy removed the curtain, peeked at the faraway paddy field, and asked.


    "What do you think about Jessie''s urgent call, my dear? Even if things are urgent, she should''ve given you an exnation, right?"


    Upon hearing her words, Titus also nodded his head and answered in a confused tone.


    "I never saw her talk like that. That''s why I got more anxious."


    In the meantime, Daisy sighed deeply and added.


    "Just make another call and ask her about the problem. If things are more serious, we can use our wing artifacts and get there quick."


    "Yes, why didn''t I think about that?" He pped his forehead and took out themunication ring from his pocket. Then, he used his wisdom power and activated it.


    A few secondster, a pleasant female voice echoed from the other side.


    "Titus! You finally got some time to call your sister? I heard you guys went to the Eclipse Land. How is the journey?"


    As Titus heard his sister''s word, he wore a confused look and asked.


    "What are you talking about? Didn''t you call me earlier this morning and told me to return to the city?"


    A strange silence answered. After a short pause, Jessie took a deep breath and answered in a solemn tone.


    "No, Titus. I didn''t call you."


    Meanwhile, Titus''s and Daisy''s faces went stiff.


    Before they could wake up from the shock, Jessie spoke from the other side in a dead-serious tone.


    "Titus? Can you tell me everything in detail? Don''t leave a single word."

 Chapter 386: Urgency

    <h4>Chapter 386: Urgency</h4>


    Upon hearing Jessie''s urgent tone, Titus nodded his head subconsciously, parked the carriage under a tree shadow, and exined everything in detail.


    Meanwhile, Daisy walked out of the carriage and looked for any suspicious movements in the surrounding areas. Currently, they were in an open space and could easily find out if some suspicious persons appeared in the surroundings.


    She patiently checked each side and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    But she knew that they might also be searching for them!


    Just as that thought crossed her head, she saw a group of three cavalrymen moving in their direction from the faraway woods!


    Not only that, but she also saw a shadowy figure flying above them using a magic spell!


    Mage!


    "We gotpany!" She said in a grim tone and took out a crimson staff from her space ring.


    Meanwhile, Jessie also got anxious and said in a panicking tone.


    "Don''t worry, Titus! I''m on my way to see Miss Edith. Please hold on for 15 minutes."


    Panting and wind rippling noise echoed as she said those words.


    Meanwhile, Titus also looked at the group of cavalier men and the mage and soon frowned.


    Then, he took out a pupil-less eyeball from his space ring and activated it. A secondter, hundreds of shadow eyes came out of the pupil-less eye and spread in all directions.


    Two years ago, his Teacher upgraded some of his old artifacts and returned them as his trump cards.


    This Pupil-less Eye was one of them! He also had Ember Pistol, two Rare Daggers, and one Rank-4 Spell Scroll!


    Within seconds, he observed all the surrounding areas and saw more than 20 people with different attires were walking in their direction.


    ''No good! It''s Tyler and hisckeys!'' His expression turned serious.


    "Sister, they are after Daisy. It''s Tyler." He paused for a moment, turned his gaze towards Daisy, and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Dear, use your fly spell and go back to the city. I''ll hold them off."


    "What are you saying? I''m not going anywhere without you." Daisy firmly shook her head and even took out some artifacts from her space ring.


    On the other hand, Titus sighed heavily and spoke.


    "They are after you, my dear. If you got caught, your brother wouldn''t hesitate to kill you. But I have a better chance to survive. Even if he captures me, he would never dare to kill me." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Moreover, there is a young life hiding in your womb. You can''t die here."


    "Young life? Daisy is pregnant?!" A sharp voice echoed from hismunication ring.


    Jessie was both surprised and angry at the sneaky couple. She also understood why they had been urging everyone about their marriage and sighed heavily.


    After some thought, Jessie also agreed with her little brother''s decision and spoke.


    "Daisy, listen to what he says. Don''t worry about Titus''s safety. He is strong and could survive for more than 15 minutes on his own."


    On the other hand, Daisy''s expression went pale.


    She opened her mouth and was about to retort but soon stopped. Then, she leaped onto Titus''s shoulder and hugged him tightly.


    "Please don''t bete!" She cried.


    Meanwhile, Titus patted her head, turned her gaze towards the iing cavalrymen, and spoke while taking a scroll from his space ring.


    "Fly in the western direction for two minutes, make a turn, and then use the invisible spell scroll. After that, don''t stop anywhere and fly towards the south. We don''t have much time." Saying so, he took off the bowler hat and tossed it into the carriage. Then, he took out two daggers from his space ring, ced them in his waist, and muttered.


    "Shadow Stealth!"


    A secondter, his figure turned ck and soon blended with the nearby tree''s shadow.


    Meanwhile, Daisy wiped her tears, cast [Crimson Fire] spell on herself, and pped it forcefully.


    The next instant, she shot towards the sky and flew in the western direction.


    At that moment, the three cavalrymen also noticed this and got panicked.


    "Oh no! Our target is escaping!" A silver-armored knight said in an anxious tone. He then looked up at the sky, started at the bat-winged human in his blue robe, and requested.


    "Lord Kingston! Please go ahead and stop her from escaping. We''ll inform our lord and then take care of the Ancient Mage''s disciple."


    Meanwhile, the mage named Kingston looked at them coldly, pped his bat wings, and nodded.


    A momentter, he shot forward, flew past the trees and shrubs, and almost reached the area where the carriage was.


    But just as he flew past the four-wheeled carriage, a strange metal clicking sound echoed in his ears.


    A secondter, an ear-piercing bang followed!


    Before he could understand, a crimson bullet came from below, directly entered his nape, tore through his head, and soon appeared on the forehead.


    A bloody hole appeared on the human mage''s head!


    Scarlet blood, along with brain matters, sttered in all directions!


    Meanwhile, his lifeless body crashed onto the nearby tree trunk and soon fell with a loud thud.


    On the other hand, Titus retracted the Ember Pistol from his hand and trembled uncontrobly.


    "I-I killed a human!" His eyes widened in disbelief.


    In truth, he aimed at the mage''s shoulder but ended up urately killing him!


    ''But how did that happen?''


    His whole body started to shake due to anxiety, fear, and guilt. Due to this, his body also came out of the shadows and revealed his location to the cavalrymen.


    "He is over there! Capture him!" All those three cavalrymen woke up from the shock and sped towards him!


    Titus, too, noticed them moving in his direction but couldn''t move! He felt that his whole body was stuck on to the ground like some glue!


    He gashed his teeth and cursed.


    "Damn it! I can''t die here!" He hurriedly stored the Ember Pistol back into the space ring and moved his trembling hand towards his face.


    He then pped his cheek and then shook his head to cast away the guilt and fear.


    ''Pathetic!'' He continued to curse at himself for being a weak-willed kid and unsheathed his daggers.


    At that moment, those three cavalrymen also arrived near him and were just a few meters away from where he was standing.


    ''Is that all, Titus? Didn''t I teach you more about the assassination and the art of killing?'' A familiar old man''s voice echoed in Titus''s head, causing his eyes to widen!


    "T-Teacher?" Surprise shed on his face.


    ''Don''t get too excited. I''m nothing more than a mere will. You can just consider me as your Teacher''s memory fragment. Now, blend yourself with the darkness and get away from here. I have got a way to get yourself out of this situation.'' Charles''s Will said inside his mind.


    Yes, when Charles met the Holem''s Crown a few months ago, he gave four Will-infused memory fragments and told him to ce them in their Inner Worlds secretly.


    He knew that the Destiny Goddess had some n for his disciples. So, he also prepared earlier. But whether his disciples managed to break their shackles or not, it was all up to them!


    Meanwhile, Titus nodded his head and regained his senses. Then, he once again blended with the darkness and leaped towards the nearby tree. He continued to move under the tree shadows and soon disappeared from the cavalry men''s eyes.


    Upon seeing this, one of the silver-armored knights took out amunication ring and reported their current situation to their boss.


    A few secondster, a cold voice came from the other side.


    "I''ll send five Rank-3 [Rogue] ss mystics over there. You guys keep chasing after that kid. Meanwhile, I''ll go and kill that pest once and for all. Not only did she walk out of our Elliott family, but she also got the noble title and even obtained equal status as me! This is unforgivable."


    "We''ll chase after him, My Lord." The silver-armored knight nodded his head, whipped the horse, and moved towards the direction where Titus disappeared into.


    In the meantime, Titus continued to run and soon entered the nearby woods. He then found a suitable ce to hid and asked in his mind.


    ''Is there a way to get out of this situation, Teacher?'' His hands and legs continued to tremble as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.


    ''Yes. But before that, I will show you something¡­'' As Charles''s Will spoke, he separated some of his memories and released them in Titus''s Inner World.

 Chapter 384: Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 384: Ambush</h4>


    All those memories were Charles''s childhood ones. In those memories, Titus saw that a kid was forced to do all kinds of suicidal training, participated in survival games, and so on. In just a few seconds, he read all those memories and somewhat understood the dark side of the human.


    On the other hand, Charles''s Will also spoke in his mind.


    ''Killing another person is indeed an evil thing. That''s why humans madew and order and punished the criminals ording to it. By doing so, no one would feel guilty about killing or harming another person. It''s how a normal world works. But do you think thisw and order would work in the mystics'' world? No, Titus. Law and order are for the mortals. What matters most for a mystic is strength. It''s the absolute strength. Do you think hiding from the rest would solve the problem? No. A random legend rank mystic can erase this whole Kingdom if he finds it as an annoying ce. It''s is the world of mystics.''


    In the meantime, Titus fell into deep thoughts and stood up.


    At that moment, his hands and legs also stopped trembling. He learned that staying naive wouldn''t solve the problem and decided to face his enemies head-on.


    But he knew that changing his character was also an impossible thing.


    ''I will cripple them then. I''m not going to kill another person, but I''ll cripple my enemies.'' He said in a solemn tone.


    ''You are still too naive,d. Their aim is not you. So, most of would be still chasing after Daisy.'' Charles''s Will retorted.


    Upon hearing those words, he widened his eyes in disbelief and sprinted out of the woods to stop others. Although he moved carefully, he made many mistakes and left too many clues behind.


    Within his Inner World, a loud disappointed sigh echoed.


    ''He ispletely influenced by this love emotion. It seems Sasha is the winner this time.'' Still, Charles''s Will decided to help his unlucky disciple.


    ''Kid, take out the poison needles and follow my words. First, stop running cluelessly and prepare for an ambush. I''ll show you what an assassin can do.'' A cold voice echoed in Titus''s head.


    In truth, Titus had more than 50 kinds of assassination tools and materials in his space ring. He had been secretly training using those materials but never used them in battle and had no experience!


    Under Charles''s Will''s guidance, he swiftly took out hundreds of needles, dipped them in poison, and ced them in ten different ces like in a tree Branch''s side stem, on the ground, on the tree stem, and even attached them in rotten woods.


    If he were an ordinary mortal, it would have taken more than 30 minutes toplete this process. But with his Shadowy Hands skill, he did his job in a single minute.


    ''Next is about scaring the enemy. If my guess is right, the other party will send Rank-3 [Rogue] ss mystics to deal with you. Every ss has weaknesses. Assassin''s weakness is light.'' Charles''s Will paused for a moment and then added.


    ''Take out all the rum bottles from your space ring and hid them under the fallen leaves. Also, pour some rum around the bottles, otherwise; it might not catch fire. As for the lighting part, I''ll help you with that.''


    ''How did you know I''ve alcohol bottles in my space ring, teacher?'' Titus asked in a shocked tone.


    ''Humph, I know all of your secrets,d. I know you''ve been drinking for the past 5 years. Now, take them out.''


    Meanwhile, Titus smiled bitterly and did as he told him.


    ''Next is about the abnormal physical body. Mystics have an abnormal physique. These Rank-3 Rogue ss mystics are no exceptions. So, once you poison everyone, escape. You can''t take multiple opponents at the same time. Your main goal is to chase after Daisy''s brother and stop him from going after your woman. Although you gave her an invisible spell scroll and increased the chance of her survival, it''s better to be safer than sorry.''


    As Charles''s Will spoke, Titus listened patiently and followed his every word.


    Two minutester, a group of eight people followed after his trails, entered the nearby woods, and soon reached the ambush area. There were 5 Rank 3 [Rogue] ss mystics, and three silver armored knights appeared in that group.


    Unlike ordinary mortals, their movement speed appeared extremely fast!


    Just as they reached the ambush spot, the Rogue ss mystics halted their footsteps and nced at each other in confusion.


    "What happened?" One of the three knights moved towards the right side, looked around vigntly, and asked.


    At that moment, he unknowingly stepped on one of the poison needles and yelped in pain.


    "F*cking thorns!" He cursed loudly and was about to bend down but felt slight dizziness.


    Meanwhile, a humanoid shadow descended from the tree branch andnded in front of the five Rogue ss mystics.


    Before they could wake up from the shock, the shadow closed the distance between them and directly pushed one Rogue ss mystic towards the tree trunk. Simultaneously, he took out multiple knives and threw them towards all the rogue ss mystics.


    To avoid those knives, all of Rogue ss mystics moved in different directions but ended up stepped on the poison needles!


    Even the other two knights also stumbled backward and stepped on those needles.


    Meanwhile, Titus took a few steps backward, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.


    More than ten light sparks came out of his fingers and spread in different directions the next instant.


    Without waiting for the result, he blended into the shadows and escaped.


    On the other hand, all those Rogue ss mystics and the silver-armored knights got startled by his action and shouted in unison!


    "Mage!"


    But soon, confusion appeared on their faces.


    ''What can these sparks do?'' Such thought appeared in their heads.


    But when those fire sparks touched the highly concentrated rum, it ignited the surroundings like a raging fire!


    Before they could understand the situation, all those run bottles exploded one by one andpletely enveloped the woods in a yellow fire.


    Meanwhile, Titus didn''t even look back for a moment and ran in the opposite direction.


    ''I already wasted five minutes!''


    Muttering inwardly, he took out the pupil-less eyeball, activated it, and released hundreds of shadow eyes towards the sky. Soon, he saw a group of people standing 2 km away from where he was now, and they seemed to be waiting for someone!


    As he saw them, his heart started to beat faster.


    Without any dy, he blended with the tree shadows and moved at a fast speed.


    In 2 minutes, he managed to catch up with Tyler''s group and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Currently, there were only nine people appeared in that group. Seven were silver armored knights, one was another blue-robed mage, and thest one was Baron Tyler himself!


    All of them stood under a tall banyan tree and were chatting among themselves.


    ''What are they doing?'' He showed a confused look on his face and stealthily moved towards the banyan tree''s backside. He then silently climbed on the tree and hid within the tree shadow.


    In the meantime, Tyler suddenly stopped chattering as he received a signal from the nearby mage and walked out of the tree shadows.


    Then, he looked up at the sky and smiled as he saw a ck-robed mage was flying in his direction.


    But what shocked Titus was that he saw an unconscious woman in the ck-robed mage''s arms!


    She had silver hair and appeared around 25 to 28 years old.


    She was none other than Daisy!


    Titus couldn''t help but tremble as he saw her unconscious figure.


    ''A Rank-4 mage! This is the worst possible oue!'' Even Charles''s Will spoke in a solemn tone.

 Chapter 388: Daisy

    <h4>Chapter 388: Daisy</h4>


    ''T-Teacher! What should I do now?'' Titus asked in a panicking tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s Will also fell into deep thoughts.


    After a few seconds, he let out a deep sigh and spoke the truth.


    ''There is a clear difference in strength between Rank-3 and Rank-4 Mystics,d. The chance of you saving your woman from these people is close to zero.''


    ''Close to zero? Not zero?'' Titus raised his eyebrows.


    But before Charles''s Will could continue, the ck-robed mage handed over the unconscious Daisy to Tyler and removed the face mask.


    The next instant, Titus''s expression stiffened.


    ''Laney Griffin?''


    Yes, the ck-robed mage was Andy Griffin''s daughter!


    She appeared to be around 30 to 35 years old, had long blonde hair, a square face, emerald eyes, and looked 185 cm high.


    "My job is done, Mr. Tyler. As per the agreement, you have to fulfill the promise and give that brat to us." She spoke in a cold tone.


    "Don''t worry, My Lady. My men will bring him in a minute or two." Tyler spoke with a ttering smile on his face.


    Just as Laney was about to ask something, she suddenly perceived a chance in the surroundings and frowned.


    "It seems your men didn''t do the job properly, Mister Baron." She paused for a moment, looked at the surroundings, and raised her eyebrows.


    "He is here. As expected of an Ancient Mage''s disciple. He is indeed good at hiding." A smile appeared on her face.


    On the other hand, a chill went up to Titus''s spine.


    ''Lad, there is no time to think. Take out the [Shadow Walker] ss gem and swallow it.'' Charles''s Will spoke in a hurry.


    ''Wouldn''t I turn into a distorted shadow?'' Titus asked.


    ''No. When my grandson saved Jennie''s life, he discovered some secrets about the power of ss gems and told me how to solve the Rank Up process. If you want to save your woman, swallow the ss gem and push your limit to break the shackle. Kill anyone whoes in your path. In truth, your skills have already reached the bottleneck. The only thing that is holding you back is your fear. Crush the fear and move on.''


    Titus nodded as he heard those words and took out the [Shadow Walker] ss gem from his space ring.


    Then, he swallowed the gem, unsheathed his daggers, and jumped down from the tree branch in a reckless manner.


    On the other hand, Charles''s Will finally understood Sasha''s second power.


    ''So, it''s Love, huh. That exins everything.''


    In the meantime, Baron Tyler, Laney, and all other people around them got startled by Titus''s arrival and unsheathed their weapons.


    But soon, confusion appeared on everyone''s face.


    At that moment, Titus''s face showed a bloodthirsty expression on his face.


    His eyes turned bloodshot, and many ck spots appeared all over his face and hands.


    Upon seeing his appearance, Laney turned solemn and shouted.


    "Be careful! He seems to have swallowed the ss gem and is in the middle of turning into a distorted shadow."


    Hearing her words, Tyler clicked his tongue and spoke.


    "It''s better to kill him now. If he turned into a distorted shadow, we have no choice but to run for our lives."


    Cold sweats dripped down from his forehead as he recalled a particr incident.


    On the other hand, Laney shook her head and disagreed.


    "No, killing him won''t solve the problem. Instead, it will turn into a nightmare for us. Do you think you can escape from the ancient mage? He will chase you to the other end of Edhen and kill you brutally. Humph, if you want to kill this brat, go ahead. But don''t involve me in this mess. I came here to capture him alive and use his life for a political game. Not to start a war." Laney''s words were sharp and cold.


    Meanwhile, Tyler smiled awkwardly and dragged the unconscious Daisy away from the tree shadow.


    While they were discussing, something extraordinary happened within Titus''s Inner World.


    After Titus swallowed the ss Gem, he found himself teleported to a strange world.


    At that moment, the sky, the rock-fillednd, nearby mountains,ke, and even the strange tower in his Inner World appeared darker and eerier.


    He also saw shadows in the form of insects, snakes, rats, and animals roamed here and there and became stunned inside.


    The only thing that appeared brighter was a single purple coin that hovered a few meters away from him.


    If not for the purple coin''s light, he would still be clueless about the surroundings.


    It was Charles''s Will!


    Before Titus could blink, the purple coin started to expand and soon transformed into a figure of an illusionary old man.


    ''What the-?'' Titus showed a dumbfounded look on his face.


    "T-Teacher? Is this my Inner World?" He asked in a hesitant voice.


    "Yes. I''m supposed to use this trump card during your reincarnation process. But things aren''t going as my original consciousness nned." Charles''s Will frowned deeply and then once again transformed!


    But this time, his illusionary body turned into purple color!


    In the meantime, Titus got more confused and asked further.


    "M-My reincarnation process? What do you mean by that?"


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and added.


    "There is no time to exin now. First, close your eyes and familiarize yourself with your Inner World. Then, gather all of your memories in one ce. You''ve 10 seconds left."


    Although Titus couldn''t understand his Teacher''s words, he didn''t question him further and co-operated.


    In truth, he had learned about Inner Worlds and knew much more than any average Rank-3 Mystic.


    ''My sister told me that I would control everything within my Inner World. Let''s see if it is true or not.'' Nodding inwardly, he closed his eyes and turned his attention towards the surroundings.


    In a moment, he noticed that the whole world appeared to be within his palm. He also saw his precious memories and became astounded.


    Without any dy, he used his thoughts and started pulling all of his memories in his direction.


    He knew that Daisy''s life was at stake and acted hastily.


    A secondter, shadows in the form of insects, worms, animals, snakes, and other living beings started moving in his direction.


    But at that time, he also noticed some strange eerie ck smokes were starting to corrupt some of his memories and turning them into dark thoughts.


    If it were others, they wouldn''t have noticed it. But thanks to Titus''s shadow affinity, he quickly found out about those dark thoughts and rejected them.


    Within ten seconds, all those shadowy beings arrived next to him and crawled under his feet.


    Upon seeing this, Charles''s Will nodded his head and spoke.


    "If you want to rank up, erase the fear in your heart." Saying so, he grabbed Titus and threw him towards the sky.


    A secondter, Titus felt that his whole vision blurred and soon found himself surrounded by silver-armored knights.


    But what shocked him most was that he had no control over his body!


    He soon turned his gaze towards his hand and noticed eerie ckish skin appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''I''m turning into a distorted shadow!'' As that thought crossed his mind, he gritted his teeth and tried his best to gain control over his body.


    At that moment, he also saw the unconscious Daisy in Tyler''s arms and roared in anger.


    A deafening roar came out of his mouth and caused the whole group to take a step back.


    Upon seeing this, Tyler made a mocking grin and threw a stone at him.


    Noticing his action, Laney frowned deeply and spoke.


    "What are you doing? Just leave him alone. He''ll soon turn into a distorted shadow."


    "Leave him alone? Do you know how this guy and his friends turned my life upside down? I''ll show him what it is like to lose something." Tyler made a malicious grin, unsheathed his short sword, and ced it on Daisy''s throat.


    Then, he looked at Titus and asked.


    "Do you want her?" He paused for a moment and slit her throat.


    "You can have her now."


    Saying so, he grabbed her with both hands and threw her towards Titus.


    In the meantime, Titus''s mind went nk.


    The fierce beast that lurked in the deepest part of his soul woke up all of a sudden.


    An uncontroble rage appeared in his eyes!


    He gripped the dagger and moved like a true shadow while leaving blurry images.


    At that moment, his body seemed to have been strengthened by some mysterious force.


    Not only that, but he also gainedplete control over his body and broke the invisible shackles.


    Before Tyler could understand the situation, Titus appeared before him, moved his daggers towards his neck, and swiftly decapitated him.


    Then, he turned into streaks of dark shadows, disappeared from there, and reappeared in front of the twitching Daisy.


    At that moment, her whole body was soaked in blood, and she was opening and closing her mouth.


    Due to the pain, she had woken up from the unconscious state and looked at Titus''s berserk state in worry.


    Meanwhile, Titus squatted down in a hurry, took out a potion bottle from his space ring, and poured it on the wounded area.


    Unfortunately, nothing happened!


    ''Sh*t! This low-level potion isn''t enough!'' Panic appeared on his face.


    Before he could ask for his Teacher''s help, Daisy''s twitching body stopped moving and went motionless!


    She died!

 Chapter 389: Tituss Wrath

    <h4>Chapter 389: Titus''s Wrath</h4>


    The next instant, a raging roar came out of Titus''s mouth.


    At the same time, Charles''s Will noticed strangeness around his surroundings and frowned.


    ''Something is happening in Titus''s soul.'' Although he couldn''t see his soul form, he sensed some invisible power affected his Inner World.


    Soon, the surrounding living shadows merged and formed into a gigantic humanoid figure with an eerie ck hood over it.


    The humanoid shadow was more than seven meters tall and held an enormous scythe-like weapon in its shadowy hand.


    But what shocked Charles''s Will was not the gigantic figure but the energy that appeared around it.


    ''I feel some familiarity. Nether energy?'' His illusionary eyes widened in disbelief.


    But soon, he calmed down and probed further.


    ''No¡­ It''sher energy without any impurities. This one appeared as a pure form ofher. Hmm, is this the Death energy? The power of Death?'' He felt that was the possible exnation.


    ''But what confuses me more is how did he get this Death affinity? When we checked his affinity at Chester City, he had nothing like this.'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    ''That leaves with only one possible exnation. When Daisy died, something must have happened inside his soul. His soul got affected due to an emotional breakdown? That results in Awakening of this Death affinity?'' Charles''s Will also noticed that his shadow affinity was merging with the Death affinity!


    ''Hmm, this is indeed a huge miracle. But I have a vague feeling that the World''s Will might have done something in the background.'' He nodded inwardly and shifted his attention towards the outside world


    At that moment, Titus knelt in front of Daisy''s corpse and cried loudly.


    Tears continued to fell from his eyes and drenched his cheeks. At that moment, he was entirely in a vulnerable state.


    s, Laney or the nearby silver-armored knights had no courage to attack him at this moment.


    No, all of them started shivering all of a sudden.


    A mysterious power oozed out of his body and started affecting the surrounding atmosphere.


    Then, a strange icy aura followed and started freezing everything in its path.


    If not for their abnormal physical bodies, Laney and others would have been long affected by the freezing iceyers.


    ''He changed into apletely different person!'' Cold sweats dripped down from Laney''s forehead.


    Without any hesitation, she backed away few more steps and started to think about her next n.


    ''What happened? How did he save himself from being turned into a distorted shadow? How did he seed in the Rank-Up process?'' Multiple questions whirled in her head.


    ''What should I do? Fight him? No, he is not a Rank-3 anymore.'' She firmly shook her head.


    ''But I can''t leave like this. Wait. Titus is in a defenseless state. As long as I manage to knock him out, I''ll be the winner!'' Such thought appeared in her mind.


    She instantly turned her gaze towards the nearby mage and the silver-armored knights and signaled them to get ready.


    Simultaneously, she raised her hand and was about to cast [Light Deprivation] spell but froze.


    Unlike ordinary mystics, mages were a little sensitive to future-rted things. Once they reach a certain level, they would see a bit of their future from time to time. Although these visions won''t be as urate as Seer''s skill, they would indeed warn them about some impending danger. Laney also felt the same thing.


    At that moment, a strange feeling of fear crept up to her heart. Her limbs suddenly turned sluggish, and her heart started thumping louder and faster!


    ''If I attack him now, I''ll die for sure!'' Fear gripped her heart.


    While she was thinking, the silver-armored knights unsheathed their weapons and moved towards Titus from different directions.


    But just as they arrive near him, an illusionary figure of a seven-meter-tall humanoid ck shadow materialized about Titus''s head. It held a long illusionary scythe in its hand and made a single sh.


    A momentter, eight different illusionary scythes came out from the original one and moved in different directions!


    The illusionary scythes passed into the silver-armored knights'' bodies one by one and then disappeared.


    The next instant, all the eight silver-armored knights fell on the ground and went motionless!


    In truth, the illusionary scythes severed the link between their souls and their bodies and killed them in a mere second!


    Only Laney and another ck-robed mage stood in front of the banyan tree with a dumbfounded look on their faces.


    ''F*ck! We provoked a monster!''


    Laney cast [Dark Wings] spell on herself and shot up towards the sky without any dy.


    She knew how dangerous this monster was and decided to retreat.


    ''F*ck! That Tyler ended up ruining everything!'' She cursed inwardly and pped her wings at a fast speed.


    Meanwhile, the other ck-robed mage woke up from the shock and was about to cast a fly spell but stopped.


    At that moment, he saw a blurry shadow flew past him and went pale.


    ''No good!''


    Before he could even blink, a cold dagger appeared from behind and directly plunged it into his neck.


    "I''ll kill everyone!" A bone-chilling voice came out of his mouth as Titus retracted his weapon and stabbed him twice in the chest area.


    After that, he sheathed the dagger and then started walking towards Daisy''s corpse.


    Although his appearance didn''t change, the aura around his body turned cold as freezing eyes.


    The pure form of death energy came from time to time and froze the nearby grass, leaves, and even the banyan tree leaves and roots.


    Soon, he arrived near her, squatted down, touched her cold face, and asked.


    "Why?" His voice contained pain, unwillingness, and hatred.


    A strange silence appeared in his head, followed by an old man''s cough.


    ''It''s not about why, when, or who,d. It''s about strength. You failed to protect your woman-'' Before Charles''s Will could finish his sentence, Titus suddenly looked up at the sky and asked.


    "But I''m strong enough to seek vengeance, right? I want to kill everyone who is involved in this scheme!" He said in a raging voice.


    ''Even if I tell you to stop, I know you wouldn''t listen to my words. Go on and let your wrath out.'' Charles''s Will responded.


    Upon hearing his words, Titus nodded his head and stood up.


    After that, he turned into streaks of ck shadows and disappeared from there.


    In the meantime, Laney continued to fly faster and then took out amunication ring from her space ring.


    She then activated it using her wisdom power and waited for the answer from the other side.


    A few secondster, an old man''s voice came from the other side.


    It was Andy Griffin''s voice!


    "What happened, Laney? Did you capture him?"


    Upon hearing his words, Laney smiled bitterly and shook her head.


    "No, Father. It''s quite the opposite. I''m running away from that monster!"


    "Monster? What do you mean?" Andy probed.


    Meanwhile, Laney continued to fly higher and exined the whole incident in detail.


    "This is indeed an unexpected turn of event." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Come to Baron Arwen''s town soon. We should return to Iron Tower and stay there for a while."


    "Will the Ancient Magee and look for us?" Laney asked in a stiff tone.


    "I don''t think so. Although Baron Tyler killed Titus''s lover, it''s more like a feud. As long as we erase our trails, everything will be okay. And, you''ve to live in another ne for a decade or two, though." Andy said in a cold tone.


    After that, he told her to be careful of shadows and cut off the connection.

 Chapter 390: Laney

    <h4>Chapter 390: Laney</h4>


    Snake Fortress, Town of Red Hill, Baron Arwen''s Territory, Iron Kingdom.


    At that moment, a silver-haired old man stood at the edge of the fortress wall and looked at the cloudy sky in deep thoughts. He had a wrinkled face, multicolored eyes, thick eyebrows, and a long beard.


    He was none other than Andy Griffin!


    Next to him, there stood a young woman in herte twenties. She had auburn hair, close-set azure eyes, faint eyebrows, an elongated face, and an aquiline nose.


    She was Destiny Goddess, Sasha!


    She also stared at the cloudy sky for a second and then asked.


    "Are you willing to sacrifice for the great Destiny?" Her voice echoed in Andy''s ears like divine words.


    .


    "It''s my honor, Divine One! I will not disappoint you." Saying so, he released his full wisdom power, cast [Wind Wings] spell, and shot up towards the sky!


    Soon, he entered the cloudy sky and disappeared from Sasha''s vision.


    Meanwhile, a smile crept on her beautiful face.


    "It''s time." She said in a calm tone, tapped her foot on the concrete floor, and then disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    At that moment, a blurry figure flew from the eastern sky while sending sonic booms and soon moved towards the opposite side at an unimaginable speed.


    In just 10 seconds, that figure managed to travel more than 3 km distance!


    This figure was none other than Laney Griffin!


    After flying for a few more seconds, she soon saw a tall rocky red hill and descended towards it.


    Although Andy had warned her not even tond, she felt that he was too concerned.


    ''Moreover, this spell is already draining my mental power. Although that brat managed to Rank-Up, he is still a newbie. As long as I watch out for his strange ck shadow, I can escape without any difficulty.'' She muttered inwardly and arrived near arge rock.


    In truth, she was very confident of her Rank-4 [Dark Wings] spell.


    Unlike other fly spells, this spell could help her fly at the speed of sound. Although she could only use it for 30 to 40 seconds, this was more than enough to save herself from any dangerous situations.


    ''Even a peak Rank-4 Mage would feel helpless against this speed, much less a newly ranked-up Mystic.'' She chuckled inwardly and released her wisdom power, and checked the surrounding areas.


    At that moment, she stood at the edge of a rocky hill and looked at the faraway fortress.


    ''I''m just a few more kilometers away from the town of Red Hill. Hmm, there are no movements in the shadows.'' As she observed the surroundings, she suddenly noticed a change around her and soon saw that her shadow rose like creepy snakes!


    ''What the-?'' Before she could even blink, the shadow transformed into a figure of a human.


    That figure was none other than Titus!


    Upon seeing this, Laney took a step back and shouted.


    "Dark Vanish!"


    A secondter, her body turned blurry and turned into streaks of ck dots before disappearing!


    In the meantime, Titus unsheathed his daggers and spoke in a bone-chilling voice.


    "You can run, but you can''t hide from your shadows. Wherever you go, your shadows will follow; so do I!" Saying so, Titus blended with his own shadow and vanished like he never existed before.


    On the other hand, Laney appeared at the foot of the mountain and started running towards the in grassynd.


    ''H-How did he find me so soon? Moreover, how did he manage to travel at my speed?'' Questions whirled in her head.


    ''Damn it! My father is right; I should''ve been more careful.'' She wiped the sweats on her forehead and got ready for any unexpected situations.


    Just as she took few more steps, the nearby tree shadows crept towards her and gripped her legs.


    Upon seeing this, she cursed inwardly and stopped running.


    "You want to kill me? Then, let me show you the difference in strength." She said in an angry tone and added.


    "Mist of Fear!"


    A secondter, eerie dark smoke came out of her body and started spreading in all directions.


    In the meantime, her own shadow once again rose up and soon formed into Titus''s appearance.


    But to Laney''s surprise, he didn''t show any fearful expression at all.


    Instead, he curled his lips upward and showed a twisted smile on his face.


    "You think this mere mist can influence my inner emotions?"


    The same illusionary humanoid shadow appeared above his head as Titus spoke.


    Although its size had shrunk into 2 meters, its appearance resembled more like the grim reaper from the legends!


    It then casually moved its shadowy hand and shed the illusionary scythe at Laney.


    On the other hand, Laney backed away hurriedly, dodged the illusionary scythe attack, and looked at the humanoid shadow warily.


    ''It''s the same shadow monster! What the hell is this thing?'' She took few more steps, appeared in the in area with no shadows, and sighed.


    ''As long as I watch out for the shadows, I can kill him.''


    Yes, she didn''t care about the ancient mage''s wrath at all.


    On the other hand, Titus looked at her coldly and activated his first [Shadow Walker] ss skill.


    "Shadow Double."


    A secondter, his shadows started to twist and rose before forming into a shadowy humanoid figure.


    Then, the shadow separated on its own and dashed towards Laney while holding two dagger-like things.


    At that moment, Titus also submerged into the nearby tree shadow and disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, his Shadow Double soon arrived in front of Laney and attacked her head-on.


    Each of its attacks was in and simple but carried ruthlessness.


    Laney also noticed that the strength of that Shadow Double was no less than that of a normal Rank-4 [Shadow Walker] ss Mystic!


    ''Unfortunately, there is a clear difference between a Mage and a normal ss Mystic.'' She snorted while evading the dagger attacks, raised her hand, and pointed her forefinger at the Shadow Double.


    A rainbow-like jet ray came out of her finger a secondter, tore through the Shadow Double''s head, and disintegrated it.


    She then turned her gaze towards a particr tree shadow and smiled.


    "Rest in peace, brat." She said coldly and cast her Rank-4 [Rainbow Jet] spell.


    At that moment, a ck shadow leaped out of the tree shadows and tried to escape.


    Unfortunately, Laney''s [Rainbow Jet] spell appeared before the shadow and disintegrated it in a second.


    "Sess!" The smile on her face widened.


    But just as she was about to release her wisdom power, a chilling sensation appeared behind her neck.


    Then, an illusionary bony hand gripped her nape from behind and lifted her in the sky.


    She tried to resist but couldn''t!


    She felt as if her whole soul was being pulled upward.


    Meanwhile, the grim reaper shadow raised her towards its face and opened its skull-like mouth.


    The next second, a pure form ofher energy appeared from its mouth, grasped her soul, and sucked it into its mouth!

 Chapter 391: Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 391: Struggle</h4>


    In the meantime, Charles''s Will also got stunned by the shadow reaper''s action and soon frowned.


    ''What it did do? Where did her soul go?'' He then turned his attention towards the simr 7-meter tall shadow reaper and started to ponder.


    ''This shadow reaper seems to be moving under Titus''s Will. Is this a skill? Or, is something else pulling the strings from another ne?'' Charles felt skeptical about its origin.


    ''Titus may be lucky, but there is also a possibility that someone else is pulling the strings.'' As that thought appeared in his mind, he suddenly saw a deep void opened near the shadow reaper''s mouth.


    The next instant, a white humanoid fog came out of the shadow reaper''s mouth and disappeared deep into the void.


    ''The shadow reaper directly connected to another dimension? Interesting.''


    .


    While he was in muse, Titus arrived near Laney''s motionless body and ordered the illusionary shadow reaper to drop it.


    But before her body touched the ground, a mysterious power appeared out of nowhere and caught it.


    A silver-haired old man descended from the sky andnded a few feet away from him the next instant.


    Simultaneously, an oppressive power came out of his body and pushed Titus backward.


    He was none other than Andy Griffin.


    Upon seeing the new arrival, Charles''s Will also turned serious.


    ''Run, Titus! You are no match against him!''


    Titus frowned as he resisted the oppressive power and asked in his mind.


    ''I can kill him like that woman, Teacher.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    ''You are overestimating the shadow reaper''s strength,d. He is a dual-ss mystic and also a peak level Rank-4 Expert-''


    Before Charles''s Will could warn him, the Shadow Reaper raised its bony dark hand and shed the scythe at Andy.


    But just as the scythe was about to touch Andy''s body, a strange power came out from his bracelet and formed into a force field!


    A loud nging sound echoed, followed by a shockwave.


    "A soul attack that directly aims at the soul connection, huh" Andy chuckled.


    Meanwhile, Titus''s face went grim. He clearly understood why his Teacher had warned him earlier.


    Without any dy, he opened his mouth and muttered.


    "Shadow Shift!"


    It was his second skill!


    Unfortunately, Andy made some hand gestures andpletely locked the space.


    Just as Titus''s body turned into a dark shadow, some mystical power appeared out of nowhere andpletely locked him!


    "You think it is easy to get away after killing my daughter?" A cold voice came out of Andy''s mouth.


    Without waiting for Titus to respond, Andy raised his hand, pointed his forefinger at the Shadow Reaper''s head, and muttered.


    "Soul Burst!"


    A secondter, an invisible ripple came out of Andy''s forefinger, moved towards the Shadow Reaper, and directly broke its illusionary figure like sses!


    ¡­


    At that moment, a bluish spatial crack appeared in front of a tall banyan tree and soon formed into a two-meter tall vortex-like portal.


    Then, two female figures walked out from it and soon covered their faces as they got assaulted by the smell of the death.


    One was a ck-haired woman in herte twenties, while the other was a blonde-haired young woman.


    They were Edith and Jessie!


    As Jessie stepped on the ice-covered ground, she covered her nose, looked at the surrounding,s and soon trembled as she saw motionless Daisy.


    Without any dy, she dashed towards her, gripped her with both hands, and checked her pulse in a hurry.


    "She is dead." Before Jessie could confirm, Edith spoke in a cold tone and released her wisdom power.


    "W-What happened here?" Jessie asked in a shocked voice. At that moment, a trace of panic appeared on her face, followed by a wave of uncontroble anger.


    "Something terrifying seems to have awakened." Edith paused for a moment and soon frowned as she sensed two powerful presence from the northwest direction.


    "Come on! I think Titus is battling a powerful Mystic." She added in a solemn tone.


    Meanwhile, Jessie widened her eyes and hurriedly stored Daisy''s corpse in her space ring. Then, she turned around and ran towards Edith at a fast speed.


    On the other hand, Edith waved her hand, conjured invisible mes, and started manipting the surrounding spatial elements.


    A secondter, a spatial crack appeared before her and soon formed into a bluish portal.


    Soon, both Edith and Jessie stepped into the portal and disappeared from there.


    Simultaneously, another spatial crack appeared at the foot of the Red Hill and formed into a bluish portal.


    At that moment, Andy stood 10 meters away from the portal and stared at the brown-haired young man hovering in front of him.


    Although Titus appeared unharmed, some eerie ck vines sprouted from the ground and bounded his legs and hands.


    Currently, he was struggling with all his might.


    As Jessie and Edith stepped out of the portal, both of them turned their heads towards Titus and Andy and became deadly serious.


    Meanwhile, Andy also noticed their arrival and frowned.


    A secondter, he waved his hand and manipted the dark vines to move Titus towards him.


    "Duke Andy! Release my brother!" Jessie screamed in anger.


    "Release him? Why would I do that? He killed my daughter." While responding casually, he raised his right hand and gripped Titus''s neck.


    In the meantime, Edith signaled Jessie to back off and then spoke.


    "Your daughter killed his lover, Mister Andy. She is on the wrong side here." She suddenly froze as she sensed a change in the future, closed her left eye, and activated the [Multi-vision] skill.


    A momentter, she widened her eyes in shock and cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on Andy.


    Unfortunately, her sneak attack failed in an instant.


    She noticed that Andy''s consciousness seemed to be protected by some mysterious power.


    ''It looks like the Divine Power! Is someone manipting his mind?'' Doubt appeared in her mind.


    Without any dy, she released her full wisdom power and activated her [Fire Domain].


    The next instant, the ground, the nearby Red Hill, trees, and even the rocks disappeared one by one and were soon reced with fire-elemental trees,va pools, volcanic mountains, and ember stones!


    Upon seeing this, a sh of surprise appeared on Andy''s face.


    "A Rank-5 Mystic! So, I don''t even have a chance to retaliate, huh!" His voice appeared hoarse.


    He then turned his attention towards Titus, tightened his grip, and curled his lips upward.


    "But so what? My job is already over." A creepy smile appeared on his face.


    Meanwhile, Edith waved her hand, controlled all the nearby fire elements to take shapes into snakes, and let them coil over his legs, hands, and neck.


    Simultaneously, she increased the gravity threefold and sprinted while shouting.


    "Don''t do it, Andy! I''ll erase your whole family!"


    At that moment, Andy''s eyes turned eerie ck, his face distorted, and he lookedpletely different from before!


    Not only that, but he also released a mysterious power andpletely broke all those slitheringva snakes.


    After that, he waved his hand, released an invisible ripple all over the surroundings, and said in an eerie voice.


    "I don''t mind sacrificing my family to achieve the True Destiny, Charles. Out of four hearts, one heart must die."


    "True Destiny? What are you talking about-?" Just as Edith spoke, a specific Goddess''s name shed in front of her eyes.


    "Sasha?" She asked in a stiff voice, conjured an eerie me sword, and almost arrived in front of Andy.


    On the other hand, Andy made a wicked grin, looked at the struggling Titus, and broke his neck!


    "NOOOOOOO!" Jessie screamed and ran towards Andy.

 Chapter 392: Archmage

    <h4>Chapter 392: Archmage</h4>


    Throne Hall, Royal Pce, Iron City.


    As usual, Rhea seated on her Iron Throne and was in the middle of listening to a nobleman''sint about food shortage in his territory.


    Just as she was about to give a solution, a sharp pain appeared in her heart. Not only that, but she also felt a strange emptiness. It was as if something precious had suddenly disappeared from her side.


    "What Happened, Your Majesty?" The High Priestess noticed the sudden change in her emotions and asked.


    Meanwhile, Rhea ced her hand over her chest and shook her head.


    "Nothing. It might be due to theck of sleep¡­" She hid away the strange empty feeling and started talking about the nobleman''s problem.


    ¡­


    Eron Weapon shop, Market Street, Commoners'' Borough, Iron City,


    At that moment, a blonde-haired young man in his twenties stood before the weapon stand and searched for a good sword. Just as he was about to pick up a curved de, his heart tightened all of a sudden.


    ''What happened?'' He wore a startled look and got confused. After some thought, he shook his head and shifted his attention towards the curved de.


    ¡­


    Inside, Edith''s Fire Domain.


    At that moment, Edith''s ck sword appeared in front of Andy and directly stabbed onto his chest.


    Simultaneously, Edith grabbed Titus''s body and backed away.


    She then conjured a dense ball of greenish-blue me and ced it on his neck to heal him.


    Upon seeing this, Andy let out a wickedugh and spoke.


    "I severed his soul link. Even the resurrection magic won''t be of any help."


    Saying so, he touched the me sword with both his hands and pulled it out.


    Then, he looked at the surrounding areas and searched for a way out.


    On the other hand, Edith''s expression turned icy.


    "You want to escape?" While asking, she took a step back and snapped her fingers.


    "Go on." She added.


    The next instant, the whole surroundings started to twist and were soon reced with trees and rocks.


    At that moment, Jessie also appeared next to Edith and hugged her brother''s body while wailing loudly.


    "Jessie, get away from here. I''ll take care of him." Edith said as she manipted the nearby spatial elements and created a portal.


    Although Jessie was unwilling, she understood her situation and walked towards the portal while carrying Titus''s body. But there was an evident hatred that appeared in her eyes!


    Soon, she entered the bluish portal and disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Edith stood near the portal and stared at Andy with a stern look on her face.


    "Aren''t you going to escape?" A chilling voice came out of her mouth.


    "I changed my mind." Saying so, Andy touched his chest and chanted in an ancient voice.


    It was a chanting method to summon his ancestor!


    But Edith calmly raised her hand and attacked him.


    "ck Inferno!"


    A momentter, an eerie ball of ck me appeared before her and soon started to erge while absorbing all the negative energies in the surrounding atmosphere.


    In a second, the ck me ball flew towards Andy at a fast speed and almost collided against him.


    But before it could touch his body, a strange invisible ripple came out of his chest and formed into a forcefield!


    Unlike other regr Rank-4 defensive spells, this forcefield appeared indestructible against the ck inferno spell.


    Meanwhile, the ck inferno exploded while sending Andy more than 30 meters away from where he stood before.


    At that moment, a few cracks appeared all over the forcefield but were soon disappeared.


    But it was just a start, though.


    Edith calmly analyzed his movement, raised her hand, and started bombarding many fire spells like [Incinerate], [Finger of Destruction], [ck Inferno], and so on.


    Within seconds, all those powerful fire magic spells broke the forcefield into pieces and started destroying everything in its path.


    Although Andy used many artifacts to block those spells, he was still too weak against Edith.


    Before long, his ancient chanting also got interrupted, and that caused heavy bacshes!


    At that moment, his head appeared bald, his left hand was broken, and many burn marks appeared all over his body.


    Andy panted as he knelt on the rocky ground and stared at Edith with a bloody smile on his face.


    "Why are you holding back? Are you afraid of taking my life?" He mocked.


    A strange silence answered.


    In truth, Edith didn''t want to go all out and kill him at all.


    ''There is a high chance this is a trapid down by the World''s Will to deal with me. If I kill him now, my action will infuriate the Arch-Mage Magnus and create a chain reaction. No, I think it''s already startled. If I''m not wrong, he is most likely staying in a pocket dimension. Once I kill Andy, he''lle here to seek revenge and ends up confronting my main body. But if I didn''t kill Andy, Jessie and others might do something reckless in the name of revenge and invite trouble on their own. One way or another, my main body will face him at the end of the day.'' Although Rhea and Noel would hesitate to act, Edith knew that Jessie would kill all the Griffin family members.


    ''She has the manpower to cause such chaos.'' A deep sigh leaked out of her mouth.


    Noticing the strange silence, Andyughed out loud and spoke.


    "Yeah, let me live. I want to see my ancestor butcher the other three brats and destroy the newly built tower-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Edith raised her hand, pointed her forefinger at Andy''s forehead, and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    A momentter, Andy''s head burst open, and his headless body fell on the ground with a loud thud.


    But a secondter, something magical urred.


    A ball of golden me came out of the headless body and soon formed into an appearance of an old man.


    A wizened face full of illusionary wrinkles appeared in front of her eyes. The old man''s azure eyes were so deep and pure as if they held the mysteries of the cosmos itself.


    Currently, he wore a simple grey robe, a wizard''s hat and held a cane in his hand.


    While Edith looked at him warily, he also sized her up and down and soon turned his gaze towards the headless corpse.


    "You are?" His voice appeared ancient.


    In the meantime, Edith analyzed the incarnation''s strength and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ''The incarnation''s strength is just around Rank-4. His main body still hasn''t entered the realm of Legends.'' Edith muttered inwardly, raised her hand, and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell on him.


    She knew that it was impossible to resolve the conflict. So, she decided to act first!


    Before the incarnation could block the spell, the reddish chaotic ray tore through the air and soon pierced into his chest.


    The next instant, the incarnation exploded into pieces, causing a deep spatial crack to appear.


    Then, two eerie dark hands came out of the deep spatial crack and split the space itself.


    Within two seconds, a spatial crack that wasrge enough for a single person to walk through appeared in front of Edith''s eyes.


    A secondter, Edith felt a strange power crept from the deep void and soon disappeared.


    On the other hand, the erged spatial crack shrunk and soon vanished from her eyes.


    ''Something came out of the void!''


    Edith''s expression went pale as she saw this.


    "No good!" She muttered in a grim tone and was about to cast [me Teleportation] spell but stopped.


    At that moment, she suddenly noticed that some mysterious power locked the surrounding space!


    "Who are you, Young Lady? Why did you kill my descendant?" The same ancient voice echoed from behind, causing goosebumps all over her body.


    At that moment, she knew that the Archmage Marcus had already appeared on the battlefield!

 Chapter 393: Astral Projection

    <h4>Chapter 393: Astral Projection</h4>


    Edith frowned deeply and cast [Multi-Vision] skill.


    A secondter, more than twenty types of different possible future images appeared before her eyes and soon engraved in the depths of her consciousness!


    Without any dy, she cast [elerate Thoughts] skill and started reading the visions.


    As she skimmed through those visions, she raised her hand and activated the [Sleight of the Mystery Hand] skill.


    The next instant, thousands of invisible strings came out of her hand and started forming a gigantic around her surroundings.


    All these happened in less than a second!


    As the invisible strings moved in different directions, she started to think about her opponent.


    ''From the visions, I can tell that this Archmage is an expert in stealth and assassination. Out of 28 different visions, he managed to injure me in 21 visions¡­ But how did he get close to me? Why didn''t my forewarning skill warn me? How did he bypass my wisdom power surveince?'' Questions whirled in her head.


    ''Before that, I need to gather information about this guy. Even though Andy failed toplete his summoning incantation, Marcus managed to find out his exact location and sent his incarnation first. That itself is an amazing feat. After he confirmed his descendant''s death, he only took two to three seconds toe here. It''s an impossible feat even for a Rank-5 Mystic. But this guy did it so casually. How is that possible?'' A frown appeared on her face.


    At that moment, a small space rift appeared next to her neck, and soon a sharp knife flew out from it.


    But what shocked Edith was that she felt no spatial fluctuation from it.


    Before that knife could touch Edith''s skin, it collided with one of those invisible strings and then repelled in a different direction.


    On the other hand, Edith released another invisible string and sent it towards the opened spatial crack.


    Unfortunately, her action was too slow. Before the invisible string could appear near the crack, the spatial gap shrunk and soon disappeared from her eyes.


    But at that moment, Edith managed to gather some more information about the enemy!


    ''There are two possible exnations. First, Arch-Mage Marcus must have a unique skill that could help him travel to other nes at his will. Second, he must belong to the [Spatial Mage] ss. Rank-5 [Reality Warper] ss Mystic? It is possible.''


    But she suddenly recalled the earlier anomaly and froze.


    ''Wait, I saw two bony hands earlier. An undead-rted ss? Now that I think about it, why didn''t I sense any spatial elemental fluctuation earlier? A unique ss rted to the undead?'' At that moment, she also realized that there was another way to travel to other nes and widened her eyes.


    ''Is it astral projection method? Although I don''t have any clue about how it works, I experienced it on my own. Did he appear here through the astral projection method? A soul-rted ss?'' A look of understanding appeared on her face.


    But before she could think further, a deep cut appeared on her right hand!


    This time, she couldn''t even saw any sign of spatial cracks in the surrounding areas!


    At that moment, the [Multi-Vision] skill activated on its own and sent out more than 20 different visions to her mind.


    A secondter, a look of shock, confusion, and disbelief appeared on Edith''s face.


    ''I died in all those visions! But why?'' As she looked at the surroundings in confusion, she suddenly felt that some invisible power entered her chest, touched her consciousness, and went pale.


    ''Some invisible power is crushing the core of my consciousness!'' Without any dy, she separated a small part of the gathered information, made it into a cloud, and sent them into Charles''s Inner World through the strange link that connecting her consciousness.


    On the other hand, the invisible power crushed the core and started erasing all of Edith''s remaining consciousness from a separate realm!


    When her consciousness faded, she finally noticed that this power appeared simr to the Dream Powers!


    Unfortunately, her thinking process stopped, and soon Edith''s body fell on the ground with a loud thud.


    Charles''s second clone died!


    A secondter, all those invisible strings started to crack and broke into multiple pieces before disappearing.


    In the meantime, a humanoid figure appeared a few feet away from Edith''s corpse.


    But unlike an ordinary human, this figure''s appeared looked more like a foggy appearance!


    If a mortal or an ordinary Mystic looked at the area now, they wouldn''t notice his presence at all.


    It was the same skill Eve used to contact Charles before her death!


    The old man walked towards Edith and soon frowned.


    "Where is her soul?" He tilted his head in confusion. After some thought, he shook his head and shifted his attention towards Andy''s headless corpse.


    "Hmm, something is not right. It seems I''ve toe here personally and find out the root cause of the problem." He said in the same ancient tone and closed his eyes.


    A secondter, the foggy form started to distort and soon disappeared from there!


    ¡­


    Rebirth Tower, Iron City, Iron Kingdom.


    At that moment, amotion happened at the Tower''s entrance.


    Jessie ced Titus''s body at the entrance and knelt on the ground with a pale face.


    Crystal-like tears fell from her scarlet eyes from time to time and sshed on Titus''s cold body.


    Meanwhile, hundreds of students, robed mages,moners, and even some well-armored knights stood around her and whispered among themselves.


    Some guards tried to approach her but soon stopped as they saw the arrival of a golden carriage.


    A secondter, Rhea and Noel jumped down from the carriage and ran towards Jessie while excluding the crowd.


    Soon, both of them arrived near Titus''s corpse and almost fell.


    "W-What happened?" Rhea asked in a panicking tone.


    Her face and head started to tremble uncontrobly.


    Noel also appeared in the same condition. He knelt on the ground and punched his hand on the concrete floor in anger.


    "WHY? Who did this?" His angry roar echoed at the entrance.


    In the meantime, Jessie remained motionless for a few seconds and spat out two words.


    "Griffin Family!"


    Just as she finished her words, she suddenly sensed a change in Titus''s spatial ring and paused.


    She then extended her hand, removed the ring from his finger, and sent a part of her wisdom power.


    But the next instant, she blurted out in surprise.


    "His soul imprint is still there!"


    "It''s amon urrence, My Lady." The nearby mage responded in a polite tone.


    At that moment, another mage took this opportunity and exined the reason.


    "I once heard from a schr that it will take more than 24 hours for a soul to reach the Eternal River of Life. Although his soul imprint is still there, you won''t feel any resistance if you try to erase it, My Lady."


    Jessie nodded her head in disappointment upon hearing his words, shifted her attention towards Rhea, and asked.


    "Where is our Teacher? Did you try to contact him?" There was a trace of anger appeared on her face as she asked the question.


    Earlier, she came to the Tower to look for their Teacher, but couldn''t find his whereabouts.


    She tried to ask the Tower Spirit, but all she got was a disappointing response.


    "I tried, but no response came from the other side," Rhea said with a bitter smile, then looked up at the Rebirth Tower''s top and asked.


    "Zera? Are you there?"


    Just as she spoke, a silver-haired woman''s figure appeared in front of them.


    She appeared illusionary, had long hair, blue eyes, an oval face, pointy ears, and appeared to be around 25 to 30 years old.


    She wore a red floral dress, emerald gem-embedded ne, and had a delicate figure.


    She was none other than the Tower Spirit of the Rebirth Tower!


    "Take us to the 24th floor," Rhea ordered in a cold tone.


    On the other hand, Zera mimicked human etiquette and nodded her head while bending her waist.


    A secondter, Rhea and others felt that the whole surroundings started to distort and soon found themselves in the middle of argely empty hall.


    At this moment, Jessie turned her gaze towards the Tower Spirit and asked.


    "Do you know anything about our Teacher''s whereabouts?"


    Zera paused for a moment and soon shook her head.


    "I''m not authorized to tell you guys about his current whereabouts, My Lady. But he did predict your friend''s demise much earlier and told me to pass a message to all of you." She paused for a moment, mimicked Oswald''s voice, and then added.


    "Stay in the Rebirth Tower and wait."


    Upon hearing those words, confusion appeared on everyone''s face.


    "W-Wait! Our Teacher predicted Titus''s demise? Then, why didn''t he save him?!" Jessie''s eyes went bloodshot all of a sudden.


    She felt that they were betrayed by their Teacher!


    "I''m nothing but an artificial spirit, My Lady. If you want the answer, please stay in the Tower and wait for his return. He may give you a satisfying answer." Zera responded politely and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 394: Leaving

    <h4>Chapter 394: Leaving</h4>


    A secondter, Zera reappeared in the Rebirth Tower''s underground hall and looked around.


    It was Rebirth Tower''s Level-0yer!


    The Holem''s Crown created thisyer solely for blocking the prying eyes and do forbidden experiments. Unlike the other ground basement hall in the old mansion, this one appeared five timesrger.


    The ceiling, floor, and even the pirs were filled with countless golden and crimson runal characters.


    It was the multiyered ''Seven-Leaf'' magic formation!


    Even the World''s Will would find it hard to spy inside!


    At that moment, a white-haired old man sat on a wooden chair and was in the middle of writing something on a scroll.


    As he noticed Zera''s arrival, Oswald paused for a moment, ced the quill near the table, and spoke.


    .


    "Good job. You can go back and continue your surveince work."


    Then, he shifted his gaze towards the right side wall and soon zeroed his focus on a particr gem-like leaf.


    "He iste." A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    ¡­


    Rebirth Temple''s Sacrum, God''s Mountain, Fire Bird''s Fallen Divine Domain, Dungeon of the Lost Tombs.


    In his fire-elemental form, Charlesy on the concrete floor and stared at the ceiling with a deep look in his eyes.


    On the other hand, Ivory knelt beside him and chanted in a uniquenguage while creating mysterious letters before sending them into his elemental form.


    It''s been more than 45 minutes since Ivory started the heart transntation process.


    Unfortunately, it took more time than she had expected.


    For the next five minutes, she continued to do the process and finally ended her chant.


    The next instant, Charles felt a strange connection appeared between his original body, soul, elemental form, and his Inner World!


    The next instant, he closed his eyes, entered his Inner World, and soon looked up at the dark sky.


    Unlike before, the [Heart of Fire] spell model shone in a dazzling red light.


    Upon seeing this, Charles disappeared from there, reappeared in the dark sky, and flew towards the spell model.


    Within a few seconds, he arrived in front of the spell model and soon widened his eyes as he saw a beating crimson heart inside the spell model!


    But what shocked him more was that he felt a deep sense of sacredness and holiness when looking at the heart.


    ''Sess. What can this heart do?'' He closed his eyes, sent a part of his wisdom power into the spell model, and tried to examine it.


    Unfortunately, he found no answer from the beating heart.


    ''But I can vaguely tell that I have a chance to change my Destiny. Unfortunately, my chance to sessively change my Destiny only rose from 0 to 5%. Unless a big miracle happens, I would fail miserably and die a horrible death.'' But Charles wasn''t anxious at all.


    ''I''ve my ns.'' As he was about to leave his Inner World, he suddenly sensed a change within his soul and frowned.


    ''One of my clones died? Which one?'' He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and soon descended.


    At that moment, a white cloud came from the dark sky and soonnded on his palm. Meanwhile, Charles grabbed the cloud and directly pushed it into his chest.


    A secondter, images of Edith''s final moments shed in front of his eyes in the form of images!


    "A soul-rted ss?" A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face. He also learned of Titus''s death and turned solemn.


    ''Prophecy came true, huh¡­ It should be Goddess Sasha''s doing. But the problem is where he will reincarnate next. I hope my Will help him change his Destiny.'' A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    Currently, Charles wasn''t even powerful enough to change his Destiny without external help.


    So, even if he made dozens of ns for Titus, the chance of him seeded in changing Titus''s Destiny was close to zero.


    ''Now, I should think about how to kill this Arch-Mage.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    After some thoughts, he shook his head and left his Inner World. He then opened his eyes in the sanctum, looked at his muscr body, and sat up.


    Meanwhile, Ivory sat next to him with an exhausted expression on her face and spoke thoughtfully.


    "The transntation process is over. If you end up in a life or death situation, chant a word called ''Birreth,'' and the heart will do the rest."


    "What is this Heart''s ability?" Charles asked, full of confusion.


    "I''ve no idea about it. But I think this heart has something to do with the Rebirth Star. Don''t worry; if your luck isn''t terrible, you''ll manage to escape death." Ivory said with a mysterious smile on her face and was about to say something but froze.


    She then touched her spatial ring, turned her gaze towards the right side, and waved her hand.


    A secondter, a spatial crack appeared at the center of the sanctum and soon formed into a two-meter tall portal!


    "You can go back now. I''ve few other things to do." Ivory added with an urging tone.


    Although Charles felt something was amiss, he didn''t put too much thought into it and nodded his head in agreement. Then, he took out a in cotton shirt and enchanted leather coat from his space ring, wore them over his muscr body, and walked towards the portal.


    Then, he enveloped his body with pure wisdom power and leaped into the spatial vortex.


    As Ivory watched him disappearing into the void, she breathed out a sigh of relief and closed the portal. After that, she hurriedly took out the crystal box that sealed the symbiote and tossed it on the floor.


    At that moment, more than ten cracks appeared on the crystalline box, and it seemed to be on the verge of exploding.


    Like she had expected, the whole crystalline box exploded in a few seconds!


    On the other hand, the eerie ck symbiote let out a shrill cry and started to grow at an unimaginable speed.


    In 10 seconds, the whole symbiote creature erged into a one-meter tall blob-like thing and transformed into a humanoid shape.


    A few secondster, a human figure appeared in front of Ivory''s eyes.


    No!


    It wasn''t a human figure but a Red Human!


    Moreover, the Red Human was a small kid!


    He had crimson hair, pure white eyes and appeared to be around 155 cm tall.


    If Charles were here, he would''ve identified him in an instant.


    He was none other than Casper, whom he met in the library!


    "What are you nning to do, Casper?" Ivory paused for a moment and then asked in a cold tone.


    "Or, should I call you ''the World Eater''?"


    Meanwhile, Casper blinked his white eyes for a second and soon shook his head.


    "I''m not the mindless World Eater anymore. For now, I''m nning to go back to the Fire-Elemental ne and get my other selves back." An eerie voice came out of the young kid''s mouth.


    "Then? Are you nning on corrupting the World from inside?" Ivory asked while maintaining a calm expression on her face.


    But at that moment, a dense amount of fire-elemental energy gathered in her hand.


    "Corrupt the World? No. When those beasts destroyed my true body, I acted out of instinct and tried to contaminate a single divine beast. In the end, I seeded in taking over the Dragon''s soul and became a unique being. s, those Divine Beasts sensed my presence in the Dragon''s soul, split his soul, and sealed me in four different dungeons using their body parts as sealing materials. Unfortunately, those beasts underestimated me too much." An evil smirk appeared on the kid''s face as he said those words.


    "Anyway, I''m nning to walk on the path of mortals. That''s why I created this mortal body." He added.


    In the meantime, Ivory took a few steps backward, opened another portal, and spoke.


    "Leave."


    On the other hand, Casper wore an amusing smile on his face, went near the portal, and jumped into it.


    Once Ivory noticed that the kid left the sacrum, she hurriedly closed the portal and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "Finally! That thing has gone!" A forced smile appeared on her face.

 Chapter 395: Return

    <h4>Chapter 395: Return</h4>


    Dungeon''s Entrance, City of Red, Fire Elemental ne.


    At that moment, a humanoid figure came out from the void-like passage and soonnded on the ground.


    It was none other than Charles.


    First, he released a bit of his wisdom power, checked the surroundings, and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    But just as he was about to take a step forward, he sensed someone was looking in his direction. Although he didn''t see any presence nearby, he vaguely felt that the prying sensation came from the Cathedral.


    ''It seems Adur won the fight.'' But he wasn''t bothered by his prying eyes.


    .


    He released his full wisdom power without dy, scanned the surrounding areas, including the Red Human city, and cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    Then, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared 10 km away from the Red City and smiled.


    ''That guy seems to be injured heavily this time. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have let me go without a fight.'' He shook his head and once again released his wisdom power.


    At that moment, he shifted his gaze towards the [Curse of the Overlord] spell model and checked the curse connections.


    ''Out of 9 Elders, only one Elder is alive. Moreover, he is currently heading towards the Ember Castle direction. Hmm? Isn''t he the one who carries the final hope of Paragons?'' He paused for a moment and soon took out the Twin Leaf from his space ring.


    ''Hmm, it''s better to give this leaf to a trustworthy person.'' As he thought, a certain woman knight''s image shed in front of his eyes.


    ''Nora, the Chaos Maiden¡­ Hmm, I think she would keep this leaf safer and take it to the Twilight Land. After that, her job is to bring the Twin Leaf to the old waterfall and hide it in the underground cave. Although that Red Dragon knew of that location, I don''t think it would be still looking for me over there.'' Charles had some ns for the Night Goblin child.


    ''But they are all for the future. First, I need to break my Destiny shackle.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    He then gripped the Twin Leaf in his palm, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and disappeared from there.


    A few secondster, he reappeared in the sky, looked at the surrounding mountains and forest, and soon zeroed his focus on a particr direction.


    At that moment, he saw a group of 40 young men and women moving towards the direction where the Ember Castle was located.


    The one who led the group was a crimson-haired paragon woman.


    She was none other than Scarlet, whom he met a few hours ago.


    Scarlet''s group had yet to reach the Ember Golems'' territory, making it easier for Charles to contact Nora.


    ''Before that, I need to change my identity.'' He nodded inwardly, touched his face, and started shapeshifting into a Red Human merchant, Tebs.


    His hair turned short brown color, his eyes turned coral, and even his height also reduced to 175 cm. Not only that, but he also appeared a little fatter with a big belly and a round face.


    Once hepletely shapeshifted into a Red Human, he first cast [Red Wings] spell on himself, descended towards the ground, and soonnded in front of the group.


    "I came here to deliver a message from the new champion." He shouted in a loud tone before others could ask any question.


    Upon hearing his words, Scarlet wore a surprised look and asked in a hurry.


    "What is the current situation?"


    "Elders are still fighting the old champion, My Lady." His words were short.


    "What about the casualties? How did you sneak out from the defensive magic array?" Scarlet continued to ask more questions.


    Meanwhile, Charles paused for a moment and responded in a vague tone.


    "I don''t know much about the casualties, My Lady. The only thing I know is that the whole defensive shield was on the brink of breaking down when I left the city. That''s how I manage to sneak out." He shamelessly lied.


    Before Scarlet could ask another question, he shifted his gaze towards Nora and spoke.


    "I''ve something important to talk with you, Miss Nora."


    Although Nora got startled inside, she didn''t ask any question, nodded her head, and moved forward.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned around and walked into the woods.


    Both continued to walk for a few more minutes and soon stopped as they arrived in front of a river.


    Then, Charles released his wisdom power, blocked the other foreign forces from listening to their conversation, and passed the Twin Leaf to Nora.


    Then, he gave a few orders on behalf of the new champion and left the Fire-Elemental ne!


    ¡­


    Layer-0, Rebirth Tower, City of Iron, Iron Kingdom, Edhen ne.


    Charles reappeared in the underground basementyer and soon frowned as he noticed the different atmosphere.


    ''I''m not in the old mansion''s underground basement?'' He raised his eyebrows and soon looked at the surrounding dark hall.


    His gaze swept past the mysterious runal circles, tall supportive pirs, experimental tables with many ss equipment, and soonnded on the cloning pods.


    Charles also saw illusionary game interface-like screens in front of those pods and became surprised.


    ''Damn, this looks more like a sci-fi setting.'' He muttered inwardly and turned his attention towards the white-haired old man seated a few meters away from him.


    "You arete," Oswald said in a cold tone, stored the scroll into his space ring, and stood up from his seat. Then, he took out a ck cane from his space ring, held it in his hand, and started walking towards him with its support.


    But just as he took the second step, a loud explosion came from above and caused the whole tower to shake violently!


    "What the hell is that?" Charles shouted in surprise.


    Meanwhile, Oswald frowned a little and responded.


    "It must be the Arch-Mage Marcus. So, what''s your n? Are you nning to confront the World Will? Or, run away?"


    "Runaway? To where? Moreover, the Divine had already ced a curse on my soul. Running away is not an option." Charles paused due to another explosion from outside, shifted his attention towards the Holem''s Crown''s contract mark, and erased it.


    "Old man, you are free to go on your own." He said with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Rh took a step forward, raised his ck cane, and gave Charles a forceful beating.


    "There are still 90 more years for our agreement to end. Moreover, why do I need to leave when I have this much wealth to do research? Whether you live or die, I''ll be staying in this tower for the next 90 years and continue to do my research. Now, get the hell out of here." He said in an angry tone.


    Charles let out a chuckle and searched for an empty ce before walking over there.


    After that, he closed his eyes, entered his Inner World, and soon reappeared in front of the system cube.


    Then, he covered the cube with his wisdom power and left his Inner World.


    A secondter, arge red cube appeared in front of Oswald''s eyes.


    It was 6 to 7 meters tall and appeared more like a crystal cube.


    At that moment, thousands of runal characters orbited around the cube and let it stay one meter above the concrete floor.


    Upon seeing this cube, Oswald widened his eyes and hurriedly walked towards it.


    "Is this the system artifact?! Extraordinary! The Sun God must''ve used the ancient runenguage to build this thing. Not only that, but he also seems to have used elven-style blueprints to create the outer cube. There is also the presence of ''Time'' power hidden all over this cube. Although it is almost non-existing now, the remnant power is still there." He muttered in a shocked tone.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and spoke in a cold tone.


    "This is under your control from now on, old man. Study this cube carefully and then remodel the whole thing. Also, check if there are any traps ced in this game cube. Once you finish studying the game cube, we''ll think of a way to upgrade it."


    In the meantime, Oswald nodded his head and was about to say something but suddenly froze.


    "Wait¡­ Why are you cing the System Cube here? Don''t tell me-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Charles cut him off.


    "Don''t say a word. The World''s Will might perceive my n. Anyway, take care of the kids."


    Saying so, he raised his hand, touched his face, and started to shapeshift.


    On the other hand, Oswald squinted his eyes, replicated a part of his memories, appeared beside him, and directly sent the memories into his Inner World.


    "Use this transportation method to travel. I also added my original name I.D. and passcode." He then said in a calm tone.


    ''This¡­ nar Transportation method? Lawful Faction? Neutral Faction?'' A sh of surprise appeared on his face.


    Charles then thanked him with a nod, changed into Oswald''s appearance, and took out the ck cane from his space ring.


    "Don''t use my identity often," Oswald grumbled from behind, but Charles paid no attention to it.


    He then looked up at the ceiling, released his wisdom power, and scanned the whole tower.


    In a second, he saw all the ins and outs of the Rebirth Tower and soon zeroed his focus on the 24th floor.


    At that moment, Jessie, Rhea, and Noel looked outside through the ss window and were showing angry expressions on their faces.


    Before Charles could cast [me Teleportation] spell, another attack came from outside, causing the whole Rebirth Tower to shake.


    "Come out. You people dare to scheme against my family?" A sharp voice came from outside.


    ''A foolish puppet of the World''s Will, huh.'' Charles took a deep breath and cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    A secondter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared on the 24th floor the next instant, shifted his attention towards Titus''s cold body, and walked towards it.


    Meanwhile, Jessie, Rhea, and Noel noticed someone''s presence in the hall and turned around in surprise.


    "T-Teacher!" All three of them shouted in unison and ran towards him with teary eyes.


    Soon, the trio arrived next to him and hugged him from all directions.


    Charles stumbled a bit due to the force but managed to regain his bnce.


    Without waiting for them to question him, Charles patted on their heads one by one and spoke.


    "I know you''re angry at me for not saving Titus. But there is a big reason for my action." He paused for a moment and then asked a question.


    "Do you guys still remember the First King''s prophecy?"


    Although Jessie and others got confused by his sudden question, they nced at each other and nodded in unison.


    "Is it possible for Titus toe back from the dead?" Rhea asked in a shocked tone.


    To this day, she thought of that prophecy as a fake one.


    When she heard about Titus''s death earlier, she indeed thought of that prophecy. But she didn''t put much thought into it.


    "Yes, it is possible for him to return from the dead. But it''s all in Titus''s hand. What you guys should do from now on is focus on improving your strength and wait for the destined day. It may take months, years, or even decades. Don''t lose hope and stay together." Oswald spoke as he continued to walk, arrived near Titus''s body, and then added.


    "Zera, send Titus''s body toyer-0 and tell Rh to seal his body using the Time Elemental Crystal."


    Saying so, he once again cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 396: Astral Realm

    <h4>Chapter 396: Astral Realm</h4>


    A secondter, Charles appeared above the Rebirth Tower and soon saw a ss-like iceyer covered the whole Tower.


    But unlike the regr ice spell, this one appeared to be infused with the power ofw!


    It was a Rank-6 defensive spell array!


    At that moment, a white-haired old man hovered outside the defensive spell array and looked at Charles with a stern look on his face.


    His square face was full of wrinkles, and he had an aquiline nose, lengthy eyebrows, and azure eyes. He wore a in grey robe, the same wizard hat, and held a golden staff in his hand.


    "You are the mysterious Ancient Mage?" Arch-Mage Marcus looked down from above and frowned.


    Then, he took out a crystalline fragment from his pocket and raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    "So, that was your clone, huh!" He nodded his head in enlightenment and then asked coldly¡­


    "Are you ready to receive the punishment for killing my descendant?" While asking, he created a spatial crack next to him and sent an invisible de from it.


    It was a Rank-5 spell called "Dimensional de"!


    It could travel through dimensions and even split a Magic Tower into two!


    In a blink, the Dimensional de tore through the space and collided with the defensive iceyer.


    The mere sh sent shockwaves in all directions and caused destructions everywhere.


    There were even some people who stood outside the Rebirth Tower were cut down into pieces!


    On the other hand, Charles looked at the defensive structure and noticed that a few cracks appeared on the shing area.


    s, the Rank-6 Defensive formation stood firmly like a mountain and blocked the Dimensional de from entering the Tower.


    As Charles saw this, he breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his attention towards the old man.


    Although this spell could travel through dimensions, it wasn''t strong enough to break a Rank-6 spell.


    ''There is a huge difference between two Ranks. But that''s not my worry at all. This guy is a Dual-ss Mystic.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    Without any dy, Charles activated [Arcane Eyes] skill and started analyzing him.


    But to his surprise, not a single piece of information appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''Is his wisdom power higher than mine? No, something feels off-'' Just as that thought crossed his mind, Charles sensed strangeness around the Arch-Mage Marcus''s figure.


    ''Hmm? Some invisible power seems to be blocking me from getting more information about him. No, that''s not it. It''s as if the person in front of me is nothing more than a mere illusion.''


    At that moment, a look of realization appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Is this the power of a Rank-5 [Reality Warper]?'' He muttered to himself in surprise.


    It was the [Spatial Mage] ss.


    Meanwhile, Arch-Mage Marcus stared at the defensive formation for a moment and then showed a greedy look on his face.


    "I''ve never seen such a sturdy defensive formation! Now, I want to enve your soul and see what secrets you are hiding." He said with a grin.


    On the other hand, Charles let out a deep sigh and took a step forward.


    The next instant, he disappeared from there while leaving blurry images and appeared outside the crystal-like defensiveyer.


    "You talk too much," Charles said coldly, released his wisdom power, and searched the whole surroundings.


    ''As I thought, this guy is speaking to me from apletely different ce. Astral Realm?'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    He knew how this guy managed to kill his clone and snorted inwardly.


    In truth, Charles studied more about Astral Realm and soul research during the past few years and even knew how to deal with soul-rted abilities.


    ''There is something Edith failed to do when facing this guy. If she had used the [Fire of Life] spell, she would''ve sensed his presence and even gave him a big surprise.''


    Yes, the [Fire of Life] spell could indeed connect him to the Astral Realm!


    Not only that, but this spell could also allow him to see his soul form and even heal minor curses in his soul!


    ''Unfortunately, there is a one-week time limit to cast this spell.'' But Charles felt this was more than enough to deal with this guy.


    At that moment, his [Forewarning] skill triggered on its own and sent out a warning in the form of future images.


    A secondter, the space behind him started to distort, and soon an invisible scythe-like thing flew out from it.


    It was so fast that it arrived before Charles could even look at those warning images.


    Without any dy, he cast [Fire Born] spell and turned into his Fire-Elemental form!


    The next instant, the scythe tore through his fire elemental form and appeared on the other side.


    A momentter, Charles returned to his original state without any scratch on his body.


    In the meantime, an old man''s illusionary form hovered a few meters away from Charles and stared at him with a surprised expression on his face.


    It was Arch-Mage Marcus''s soul form!


    Currently, he was monitoring Charles''s every movement from the Astral Realm!


    Although his physical body was sleeping in the Iron Tower, he could still cast all types of spells in his soul form!


    In truth, it was still impossible for a soul to harm any physical object.


    There were many restrictions to travel in the Astral Realm, making it impossible for a soul to cross the barrier between the Astral Realm and the Physical Realm.


    If an ordinary soul could damage the physical objects while it was in the Astral Realm, then the dead persons'' souls would''ve long caused chaos and destruction all over the ce. That''s why when a person dies, their soul would enter the Astral Realm and then stopped interfering with the physical world.


    There was a barrier between the two realms!


    But there were always some exceptions, though.


    The souls that could cause some paranormal activities were due to their awakened space-time abilities.


    Charles and his disciples met ghosts during their journey to the Iron City had awakened such powers and became anomalies under Reid''s experiments.


    Like those anomalies, Arch-Mage Marcus''s sub-ss was also a perfect anomaly.


    His [Reality Warper] ss could allow him to warp the dimensional barrier that separates the two Realms!


    Because of this, he always had the upper hand against his opponents!


    ''So, this Ancient Mage has an elemental form that could nullify any physical attack?'' Marcus showed a surprised look, then turned his gaze towards Charles''s soul form and waved his hand.


    A secondter, the space behind Charles started to twist and soon formed a small crack.


    Marcus then moved forward, appeared near the spatial crack, and spoke.


    "Consciousness Cut!"


    The next moment, an invisible ripple filled with Death energy came out of his soul form and passed through the space crack.


    A secondter, the invisible ripple entered the physical world and arrived near Charles''s soul form in a blink.


    But just as the invisible ripple was about to touch his soul, Charles curled his lips upward and smiled.

 Chapter 397: Pain

    <h4>Chapter 397: Pain</h4>


    "Fire of Life!" Charles muttered in a cold tone and then enveloped his body and soul in a greenish-blue me.


    The next instant, the invisible ripple got dissolved by the greenish me and soon disappeared.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly turned his gaze towards a particr space and grinned.


    It was the same ce where Arch-Mage Marcus was currently hiding!


    Upon sensing his cold gaze, Marcus''s heart skipped a beat.


    ''H-How? He can see my soul form?'' His mind went nk for a moment.


    As if Charles had heard his thoughts, he let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "I can see you now."


    The next instant, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at Marcus''s soul form, and muttered.


    "Hand of Wonder!"


    An invisible string came out of his finger a momentter, tore through the dimensional barrier, and entered the Astral Realm.


    Unlike the regr invisible strings, this single string could move through dimensions and divine barriers!


    As the string moved in the Astral Realm, a sharp hook appeared at the tip and soon attached to Marcus''s soul!


    But what''s more shocking was that Marcus didn''t even notice the string''s presence in his soul form.


    Still, he understood that the opponent had done something to his soul and became warier.


    ''Sess.'' Charles showed a pleasing smile.


    But just as he was about to pull his soul, his face contorted all of a sudden.


    ¡­


    A few minutes ago,


    The Last Ind, Azure Federation''s Territory, Endless Sea, Edhen World.


    In a random Inn, a 28-years-old looking young man stood before the mirror and gazed at his reflection with a smile.


    He had deep blue hair, jade eyes, an oval face, and thin eyebrows.


    He was none other than Charles''s first clone!


    Currently, he wore a regr shirt and pants and held a silver pocket watch in his hand.


    Just as he was about to flip open the pocket watch''s outer case, a knocking sound came from the outside.


    "Who is it?" Charles asked, showing a puzzled look.


    "It''s me. Elias!" A male voice came from the outside.


    Charles smiled as he heard Elias''s voice, walked towards the wooden door, and opened it from inside.


    At that moment, he saw a lean man, who appeared to be around 30 to 35 years old, stood outside the door and was waving his hand at him.


    "What are you doing? Aren''t you going to see Natalia?" Elias gave a light punch on his shoulder and asked.


    "Isn''t this too early? She is still in a depressed mood. Even if I went to confess my feelings, I don''t think she would listen." Charles shook his head in disapproval.


    "Don''t be a coward. At least, go and talk to her for a while." Saying so, he dragged Charles out of the Inn, and both started walking on the street road.


    They soon exited the small town on the Last Ind and moved towards the beach.


    As Charles and Elias walked on the sandy beach, both looked at the blue sea and soon turned towards the shore.


    A few hundred meters away from them, a beautiful young woman in herte twenties sat on a rock and stared at the blue sea while cing her right hand on her chin.


    Her long ck hair waved in the sea breeze, and the morning sunlight reflected in her scarlet eyes.


    Her cheeks were a little red, and there was a deep sorrow that appeared on her pretty face.


    With a single look, anyone could tell that she was crying all along.


    As they moved closer, Elias halted his footsteps and patted on Charles''s shoulder.


    "Go on! I''ll be waiting for your return at the town''s entrance." Saying so, he turned around and ran away.


    On the other hand, Charles took a step forward and started walking towards Destiny Lady.


    One step, two steps, three steps¡­


    Soon, he appeared behind her and was about to touch her shoulder but stopped.


    At that moment, he saw a crimson-winged human flying from the deep sea at a fast speed and soon moved in their direction!


    He flew in a zigzag manner for some unknown reason and soonnded a few meters away from Charles.


    No, he crashed onto the sandy beach.


    Due to the sudden noise, Destiny Lady also woke up from the dazed state and turned her head towards the front.


    At that moment, the crimson winged human also stood up while brushing the sand and turned his gaze towards Destiny Lady.


    He was a young man in his 30s and appeared skinny. He currently wore an old brown shirt, torn pants and held a strange ck rod in his hand.


    He had long, messy brown hair, oceanic blue eyes, an oval face, and thin eyebrows.


    He was none other than Joel!


    As Destiny Lady saw his appearance, she stood up in a hurry and widened her eyes in shock.


    She tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth.


    She stood there like a frozen statue and soon leaped towards Joel with teary eyes!


    Joel was also shocked by her presence on a random ind and embraced her with both arms.


    After decades of separation, Destiny Lady finally managed to find her lover!


    s, a strange pain appeared in her heart.


    Although she was delighted, she also felt sad for some odd reasons!


    At that moment, another young man''s face shed in front of her eyes.


    ''Charles!'' A sharp pain appeared in her heart.


    At that moment, she felt someone stabbed a hole in her heart with a needle!


    It was not out of love but out of guilt!


    She had many opportunities to avoid his caring love, but she did the opposite during the past five years.


    In the end, she followed the Holem''s Crown''s advice and used him to find her lover!


    At that moment, she realized that her heart had turned into a vile one and felt miserable.


    Tears flew out of her scarlet eyes and soon drenched her cheeks.


    Joel also noticed her strange behavior, kissed her forehead, and asked in a concerned tone.


    "What happened, Natalie? Why are you crying?"


    She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.


    She soon backed away from his embrace, turned around, and looked at the surroundings.


    Unfortunately, Charles was nowhere to be seen!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, a humanoid crimson me appeared at the edge of a tall mountain and soon formed into a young man.


    It was the Last Ind''s only mountain called Hill of Sorrow!


    Charles soon knelt on the ground and ced his right hand over his chest.


    At that moment, he felt an uncontroble pain from the depth of his heart and went pale.


    His hands and feet trembled on their own.


    "Argh! What happened to me?!" Tears poured down from his eyes like a broken dam and sshed on the weeds.


    As he thought about the earlier scene, he couldn''t help but cry loudly.

 Chapter 398: Urgency

    <h4>Chapter 398: Urgency</h4>


    On the other hand, the pain in Charles''s heart started to increase exponentially.


    In seconds, Charles''s eyes turned blurry, and soon he fell on the grassynd.


    But just as he was about to lose consciousness, a familiar face appeared in front of his eyes.


    The final thing that shed in front of his eyes was a crimson-haired female''s face.


    She was none other than Valerie!


    Although Charles heard her panicking shout, he didn''t even have any energy to say goodbye.


    At that moment, he found himself enveloped by eternal darkness!


    s, the pain in his heart never went down.


    .


    Instead, it continued to rise and finally shattered his soul fragment!


    But it was just a start, though.


    The heartbreak pain mysteriously traveled through the soul link and activated the mysterious curse in Charles''s soul!


    ¡­


    At present,


    Outside of the Rebirth Tower, City of Iron.


    Charles felt a simr sharp pain appeared from the depths of his heart.


    Not only that, but he also noticed that the mysterious curse activated suddenly and increased the heart pain to several hundred levels!


    In truth, the mysterious curse was called the ''Love Curse''!


    Goddess Sasha knew that Charles would send a clone to help the Destiny Lady, so; she ced the curse on him as a backup n!


    Moreover, she influenced Charles''s emotion with the power of ''Love''!


    In truth, her sub-domain was Love Domain!


    That''s how she manipted Titus to fall into her trap!


    She orchestrated the Viscount Elliott''s death incident and created an atmosphere for Titus to coincidentally encounter the wounded Daisy!


    Charles sensed some anomaly at that time but couldn''t perceive who was behind that incident.


    No, he thought that it was the World''s Will scheme and forgot about Goddess Sasha!


    In a sense, Goddess Sasha secretly used the power of ''Love'' and made a perfect trap for him.


    But what''s more ruthless was that she made several arrangements to erase his existence!


    She knew that this Irregr could pose a threat to her ns. So, she became hell bend on erasing his existence.


    To her surprise, the World''s Will co-operated with her and even altered the many peoples'' fate to kill him!


    In reality, Goddess Sasha just put an outline to eliminate Charles.


    The one who made everything possible was the World''s Will!


    As Charles groaned in pain, a deep crack appeared in his soul form.


    No, the crack started to spread towards all parts of his soul!


    In two seconds, more than 20 cracks appeared in many parts of his soul form!


    Even Marcus got stunned by the sudden change and started to show hesitation.


    At that moment, the greedy emotion stopped him from attacking Charles further.


    ''I want to enve his soul! If I managed to enve a wounded ancient mage''s soul, I would get an endless amount of knowledge!'' A smile appeared on his face.


    On the other hand, Charles''s mind went chaos for a moment!


    ''F*ck!'' He cursed inwardly and turned his gaze towards the Rebirth Tower''s top floor.


    At that moment, he saw a white-haired old man looked at him from the inside and soon calmed down.


    ''Old man, it''s time. Cast the big ''Miracle'' spell on me.'' Charles shouted in his mind.


    ''Got it.'' An instant response came from the other side.


    A momentter, a mysterious power came from the Rebirth Tower and soon entered his soul form.


    But Charles knew that this was just the beginning.


    He entered his Inner World and soon appeared in front of a giantva pool without any dy.


    Then, he raised his hand and pulled something from thevake.


    A secondter, a greenish-blue gem flew out of thevake and soonnded on his illusionary palm.


    It was the exact gem that Ivy ced in his Inner World long ago!


    He then activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and looked deeply at the crystal''s outer area.


    Two runal words appeared on the crystal!


    In truth, those two runal words were written using a pure form ofw divine power.


    Charles casually threw the greenish-blue crystal towards the sky and muttered.


    "Rodia Daymoon!"


    A secondter, the greenish-blue gem shattered into millions of pieces and released a pure form of green me.


    The greenish me started to expand at an unimaginable speed and spread in all directions.


    In just five seconds, his whole Inner World was filled with pure green mes!


    The green me continued to absorb the crimson fire and convert them into greenish ones.


    At that moment, the green me also appeared in his soul form and even enveloped his body.


    Then, the green me repaired the cracks that appeared all over his soul!


    The ''Love Curse'' continued to break his soul on one side, while the mysterious ''Green me'' tried its best to restore his soul!


    Upon seeing this, Marcus knew that this ancient Mage was trying to heal his soul and decided to act.


    Although he was a greedy mage, he knew when to give up.


    ''This guy is dangerous! That green me is healing his soul!''


    In his life, he never heard of a me that could heal one''s soul!


    Without any dy, he raised his foggy hand and muttered.


    "Dimensional de!"


    The next instant, an invisible moved out of the Astral ne and reappeared behind Charles''s neck!


    The next instant, the Dimensional de made a clean cut on his neck and decapitated him.


    Simultaneously, Charles felt a sharp pain from his neck and hurriedly shifted his attention towards the outside world.


    ''Damn it! He decapitated my head!'' He gritted his teeth and muttered.


    "Heart of Fire!"


    Rays of crimson fire came out of his Rebirth Fire Spell Model as he spoke and moved out of his Inner World.


    Soon, the crimson rayspletely enveloped his head and neck area and reattached his head to the body.


    The next instant, Charles took control over his body and looked at Marcus''s soul form with an icy look on his face.


    Although he appeared invisible, Charles knew where he was hiding through the invisible string.


    Upon sensing his gaze, Marcus got startled deeply and hurriedly flew in a different direction.


    Then, he created another spatial crack near Charles''s heart area and shifted his attention to cast a spell called "Soul Envement!"


    But Charles acted one step faster.


    He calmly controlled the invisible string and pulled his soul towards the newly opened spatial crack.


    Unlike a human body, a mage''s soul weight was just around 25 to 30 grams! (ording to MacDougall''s Experiment, the actual weight of a soul is 21 grams. Although the scientificmunity rejected this experiment, I put this one here as a reference. Also, I added a few more grams to show that Mage''s souls are more like mutated ones.)


    So, Charles faced no resistance from the other side!


    "What is this!?" Marcus muttered in a shocked tone.


    Still, he managed to remain calm and tried to close the spatial crack.


    To his shock, another type of invisible power appeared around the spatial crack and blocked it from closing!


    At that moment, hepletely forgot to cast the [Soul Envement] spell!


    Charles pulled Marcus out of the Astral Realm and released him into the Physical World in a blink!


    Meanwhile, a humanoid fog-like thing started to manifest in front of his eyes and soon formed into an illusionary appearance of an old man!


    Shock and horror appeared on his wrinkled face.


    ''F*ck! I need to escape!'' He cursed inwardly and soon spoke.


    "Astral Walk-"


    Before he could cast his soul spell, Charles locked his gaze on Marcus and cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him.


    Simultaneously, he closed the distance between himself, appeared near Marcus''s soul form, and spoke in a chilling voice.


    "Burning Consciousness!"


    A secondter, a ball of purple me appeared in Marcus''s Inner World and soon formed into an appearance of a 28 years old young man.


    But unlike Charles''s original appearance, the burning consciousness appeared to be made of pure purple me.


    ¡­

 Chapter 399: Shattered

    <h4>Chapter 399: Shattered</h4>


    Within Marcus''s Inner World, the purple Charles (Burning Consciousness) opened his eyes and waved his hand.


    A secondter, thousands of Knowledge Seeker spell and Fire Seed spell came out of his purple fire body and spread in different directions like a gue.


    Although Marcus''s second and third consciousnesses tried to interfere, they stood no chance against the Nemesis of the Inner World!


    Marcus sensed that his whole Inner World got invaded by some foreign force and got shocked.


    He tried to think of casting his soul-rted spell multiple times but failed miserably.


    On the other hand, Charles endured the sharp pain from the constant cracking and restoration of his soul form and focused his full attention on erasing Marcus''s soul!


    Just as he was about to cast his [ck Inferno] spell, he heard a voice in his head and paused.


    ''Don''t try to attack his soul,d! It''s a waste of time. If you want to destroy a soul, your spell must be Rank-7 or above Rankl! Instead of trying to do the impossible, why don''t you focus on finding his physical body and destroy it¡­''


    It was the Holem''s Crown''s voice!


    A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    Nodding inwardly, he changed his strategy and cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell on Marcus.


    Then, he stopped casting [Burning Thoughts] spell and looked at the foggy soul form with an icy look on his face.


    In the meantime, Marcus managed to regain his sense and tried to cast [Soul Envement] spell.


    But at that moment, he heard an old man''s voice.


    "Why are you firm on killing me, Mr. Marcus? I have a better n to resolve our conflict. Do you want to hear it?"


    Marcus subconsciously stopped thinking about casting the [Soul Envement] spell and looked at him cautiously.


    "What are you trying to do?" He asked.


    At that moment, a strange sense of fear appeared in the depths of his consciousness.


    Strangely, he felt that this Ancient Mage might be stronger than some Legend-Rank Mystics!


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a chuckle and responded casually.


    "In truth, I have ancient potion forms, artifact blueprints, and even some Rank-7 defensive spell arrays. As long as you agree not to interfere in our business, I''m willing to share some with you. Even the Legend-Rank Mystics would fight for these things. How is it?"


    His voice appeared more like a devil''s one!


    Upon hearing those tempting words, Marcus hesitated for a moment and soon agreed.


    He was a practical guy. Although this mysterious Ancient Mage killed one of his descendants, it was not a big deal for him. The main reason he came here to attack the Rebirth Tower was purely to suppress the other party. At that moment, he also nned on enving this Ancient Mage''s soul and gainplete control over the new Tower.


    Unfortunately, he underestimated his enemy and already ended up in a bitter position. If this fight continued for a few more minutes, there was a high chance that he would lose some of his precious memories.


    "Undo that memory-erasing spell. I''ll return to the Iron Tower and send my disciples for the talking." He said in a solemn tone.


    On the other hand, Charles breathed a sigh of relief and erased the Burning Consciousness from Marcus''s mind.


    "It''s over," Charles said with a smile and flew backward.


    In the meantime, Marcus cast [Astral Walk] spell, entered the Astral ne, and soon flew towards the Iron Tower.


    Unknown to him, a strange invisible string was attached to his soul!


    Meanwhile, Marcus flew towards the Iron Tower quickly and soon reached the Tower''s top floor. He passed through the concrete wall, arrived at the core room, and soon saw an old man resting next to the tower core.


    It was his physical body!


    "Finally!" He muttered under his breath and was about to fly towards the Core Room''s center but stopped.


    At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the space next to his body started to distort and soon formed into a bluish portal!


    A secondter, a white-haired old man walked out of the portal, turned his head towards his direction, and curled his lips upward.


    Upon seeing this, a chill went up to Marcus''s spine, even though he didn''t have one!


    He tried to move forward, but some strange invisible force stopped his movement all of a sudden!


    In the meantime, Charles squatted down, pointed his finger at Marcus''s sleeping body, and muttered.


    "Finger of Destruction!"


    A momentter, a dense ray of chaos fire came out from his fingertip, pierced into Marcus''s forehead, and exploded. His head burst opened like watermelon while burning the brain matters in red me!


    But that was just a start, though. Charles also continued to conjure three balls of chaos me and tossed onto the headless body.


    "No!" A raging old man''s voice echoed in the Astral ne as he sensed that the connection between his soul and his body got severed!


    "I''ll kill you!" Marcus extended his foggy hands, created a sizeable dimensional crack, and pointed his finger at Charles.


    Although some strange emotion interfered with his thoughts, he gritted his teeth and cast a new spell.


    "Soul Jolt!" His voice turned abnormally eerie.


    It was another Rank-5 necromancy spell!


    But unlike the previous one, casting this spell would cause equivalent damage to his soul!


    The main reason Marcus chose to cast this spell on Charles now was to shatter his soulpletely.


    Currently, hundreds of cracks appeared in Charles''s soul form!


    Although the green me was doing its best to healing his soul, it wasn''t powerful enough topletely restore his soul to its original state.


    Even if the green mepletely heals his soul, Charles knew that the ''Love Curse'' would release more death energy and shatter his soul at the end!


    As Marcus tried to cast the [Soul Jolt] spell, Charles also received a warning in the form of vision and became grim.


    "It seems this is the end." He raised his head, looked in the direction where Marcus''s soul was hovering, and sighed heavily.


    Simultaneously, an eerie ck ray came out of Marcus''s finger, crossed the Astral ne through the dimensional gap, and soonnded on Charles''s body.


    The ray entered his soul in a blink, spread towards all other areas while suppressing the green me, and started breaking his soul form.


    At that moment, Charles felt a tearing pain from the depths of his soul and groaned.


    ''15 more seconds for my soul to shatter!'' He also constantly received forewarnings and turned solemn.


    He then thought of returning to a safe ce and activate the heart!


    Wasting no time, he used every bit of energy to cast the [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared in the Rebirth Tower''s 23rdyer and fell on the concrete floor a momentter.


    Jessie, Rhea, and Noel got startled by the sudden noise and turned around in unison.


    s, Charles didn''t have any time even to say a word.


    He silently entered his Inner World and soon noticed that spatial cracks and green fires appeared all over.


    He also saw destroyed volcanic mountains, emptyvakes, and emptynds with ashes of elemental trees and nts.


    Instead of seven different types ofva pools, he saw empty craters.


    Charles also saw some empty voids appeared in different parts of his Inner World and were sucking everything.


    What shocked him most was that there were a few holes appeared in his illusionary form!


    Letting out a deep sigh, he looked up at the sky, turned himself into a pure me, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared in front of the Rebirth Spell model and looked at the heart inside the spell model.


    Then, he opened his mouth and muttered.


    "Birreth."


    A secondter, the spell model shone brightly for a moment and returned to normal.


    After that, nothing happened at all!


    Upon seeing this, Charles''s face went stiff.


    ''W-What happened? Did the heart troll me?'' He couldn''t help butment inwardly.


    He then shifted his attention towards his Inner World and his soul but found no chances.


    Panic surfaced on his face, followed by an absolute calmness.


    When facing death, he felt no regret!


    No, he felt a sense of pride and aplishment. Although he was defeated by Goddess Sasha and the World''s Will, he managed to forge a new path for his disciples!


    ''In the end, I epted them as disciples instead of mere scapegoats.'' He showed a radiant smile on his face.


    Then, he descended towards his half-broken Inner World and soonnded in front of a half-splitva mountain.


    Green fire sparks andvas sshed all over the ce and soon sucked into the ck voids that appeared all over the areas.


    Without minding the constant destructions, he closed his eyes and countdown the time.


    "7¡­6¡­5¡­4¡­3¡­2¡­1!"


    As he finished his counting, his soul trembled violently and then shattered!


    ¡­

 Chapter 400: Crimson Flame

    <h4>Chapter 400: Crimson me</h4>


    Griffin Household Mansion, Saffron Street, Noble''s District, City of Iron.


    At that moment, an auburn-haired youngdy stood on the mansion''s balcony and stared at the Rebirth Tower with a smile on her face.


    She had whirly-long hair, azure eyes, thin eyebrows and wore a traditional dress made of pure silk.


    She was none other than Goddess Sasha!


    "Finally! His soul shattered." She muttered in a cold tone, retracted her gaze, and turned around.


    Then, she stepped forward, opened the balcony door from outside, and walked into the mansion.


    ¡­


    Within the Sun God''s Divine Realm, a golden castle stood at the top of a mountain.


    It was the Sun God Abium''s home.


    Currently, an elven young man sat on the throne made of pure gold in the throne hall and stared at the white ceiling in a dazed look. He had blonde hair, amber eyes, pointy ears, and appeared to be around 20 years old.


    At that moment, his amber eyes glittered in white light and showed him what was happening in the Rebirth Tower''s 23rd Layer!


    As he saw Charles''s soul started shattering, he couldn''t help but let out a deep sigh.


    "Another death. I thought he would be the most capable one among the participants to get my job done. Was I mistaken?" He muttered in a disappointed tone.


    Just as he was about to retract his gaze, he suddenly noticed a strange thing within the deepest part of Charles''s soul and smiled.


    "Interesting! So, he already made preparations, huh. Then, I should also think of a way to trick the God of Time once again. I wonder how he will react when he learns that I''m nothing more than a mere clone." A chuckle escaped out of his mouth.


    He then stood up from his seat, turned around, and walked towards the golden throne''s backside.


    A mysterious fountain filled with white clouds and five lotus-like flowers appeared in front of his eyes.


    All five lotus-like flowers were in different colors and seemed to be unique on their own.


    If someone looks at those flowers closely, they will notice that the flower petals were actual divinities!


    Abium took a step forward, touched the yellowish flower, and then closed his eyes.


    A secondter, he gathered the divine power from the flower and took out a green ring from his pocket.


    Then, he activated that ring and spoke.


    "I need your help, Helena. Also, bring Nics and Umi with you."


    A strange silence appeared in the throne hall, followed by a short response.


    "Okay."


    ¡­


    rd Layer, Rebirth Tower, City of Iron,


    When Charles''s soul shattered, his body shook violently and went motionless.


    "Teacher!" Jessie and others cried out in shock.


    On the other hand, the ''Heart'' within the Rebirth spell model exploded and released a streak of crimson me.


    Soon, the crimson me streak expanded like a wildfire and enveloped the whole sky.


    Then, the fire moved out of his Inner World and wrapped both his shattered soul form and his body!


    At that moment, Charles also saw that the strange crimson mes were spreading from broken voids and were seeping into his Inner World continuously!


    In just two seconds, crimson mes appeared all over his Inner World.


    But what shocked him most was that these strange fires froze everything in its path.


    ''Present Time!'' The almost disappearing Charles opened his eyes wide and realized that the strange fire had already enveloped his illusionary form!


    If not for his [elerate Thoughts] skill, he wouldn''t have noticed this crimson me!


    At that time, he thought of something and cast [Fire Born] spell.


    The next instant, he saw that the [Time-Stop] effect got nullified on his consciousness and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards the outside world and soon saw his body was burning in a crimson me.


    Meanwhile, Jessie and Noel showed panicking expressions on their faces and asked for help from the Tower spirit.


    The only one who remained calm at that time was Rhea!


    She raised her hand, conjured tens of water balls, and dropped them one by one on his body!


    Unfortunately, a mysterious forcefield appeared around Charles''s body and evaporated the water elements.


    As Rhea saw this, she also got panicked and then attacked the forcefield with an ice spear!


    "Rhea! Are you trying to kill our Teacher?" Upon seeing her action, Jessie screamed.


    "IT''S NOT WORKING!" Rhea roared in anger.


    "Zera! Do something." Noel also shouted with teary eyes and soon fell on his knees.


    Meanwhile, Jessie and Rhea also showed a helpless expression on their faces and watched the fire burning their Teacher''s body fiercely.


    In just a few seconds, they saw a skeleton within the crimson me and cried.


    "No!" "Stop it! "Teacher!"


    s, the crimson me continued to burn his bones!


    Before long, not even ashes were left behind!


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Charles noticed that the crimson me rearranged his shattered soul form and directly pulled it into the Astral ne!


    At that moment, his consciousness left the Inner World, and soon he found himself in the shattered soul form!


    Astral ne seemed nothing special in front of his eyes.


    The only difference was that he became invisible to others. Even if Charles tries to contact them, it would be impossible!


    ''I became a dead soul, huh. Let''s see what this crimson me could do.''


    He soon shifted his attention towards his soul form and turned solemn.


    If not for the crimson me enveloping his foggy humanoid form, he knew that his shattered soul would dissolve into pure energies in a matter of seconds.


    ''Man, I got f*cked up pretty hard this time. But why did the crimson me take my soul to the Astral ne?'' Just as that thought crossed his mind, his soul form suddenly moved upward.


    He passed through the ceiling in a blink, moved towards the 24th floor, and soon reached the core room.


    At that moment, he saw a white-haired old man standing before the blue screen and was watching the kids'' reactions.


    ''This old monster also got attached to those kids, huh.'' Charles sighed.


    Suddenly, Rh sensed someone''s gaze from behind and turned around in surprise.


    Although he didn''t see Charles''s soul form, he seemed to have perceived Charles''s existence and soonughed.


    "I was damn right! You survived even after that bitch shattered your soul? Haha, good. Good." He deliberated for a second, raised his hand, waved at him, and then added.


    "Come back sooner,d."


    Meanwhile, Charles noticed that the crimson me was pulling him towards the sky and co-operated with it.


    In a second, he appeared above the Rebirth Tower, continued to fly higher, and soon entered the clouds.


    As for where this strange crimson me was taking his shattered soul? Only time would give the correct answer.


    ¡­


    Hill of Sorrow, the Last Ind, Azure Federation Territory, Endless Sea.


    A few seconds ago,


    Valerie looked at the unconscious Charles in confusion and slowly knelt beside him. Then, she took out a water pouch from her space ring and sshed the water on his face.


    To her shock, Charles showed no sign of movement.


    "What a pure-hearted kid. I never heard of anyone falling unconscious because of a one-sided love breakup." She muttered inwardly and thought of taking him back to the Inn.


    But as she was about to touch him, a crimson me appeared on his chest and started spreading everywhere!


    "What-? F*ck!" She opened her eyes wide and tried to extinguish them with her own hands.


    To her shock, she noticed no burning sensation appeared on her hand and became dumbfounded.


    ''What is this?!'' She stared at the me with gawked eyes and soon noticed that Charles''s body was the only thing burning fiercely.


    In a panic, she also took out a water barrel and tried to pour it on him.


    But a simr forcefield appeared around his body andpletely evaporated the water.


    Soon, she saw Charles''s skeleton within the burning fire and went pale.


    She also used different methods to extinguish the fire, but nothing worked.


    In a few seconds, even his skeleton disappeared along with the crimson me, leaving a pebble-sized red crystal behind!


    "W-What the hell did I witness?! Charles died just like that?!" She asked herself in disbelief.


    She remained in the same position for a whole minute and finally woke up from the shock.


    She then picked up the strange gem and ced it on her smooth palm.


    "Is this your final gift, my friend?" A bitter smile appeared on her face.


    ¡­


    (End of Vol.4: Heart.)


    ¡­

 Chapter 401: Aftermath

    <h4>Chapter 401: Aftermath</h4>


    rd Layer, Rebirth Tower, City of Iron, Iron Kingdom.


    An eerie silence appeared in therge hall.


    Noel remained in the kneeling position and stared vacantly at the concrete floor.


    No, he was looking at a silver ring.


    It was the only thing that remained after their Teacher''s death.


    On the other hand, Jessie and Rhea stood behind him like frozen statues and hung their heads down. They were clueless about what to do next. The trio felt that they some lost two precious eyes on the same day!


    Jessie and Rhea looked at their own feet and appeared angry at themselves for being too weak and naive!


    .


    After a minute of long silence, Jessie finally raised her head, stared at the ceiling with reddened eyes, and spoke.


    "I want revenge." Her voice appeared eerie.


    Rhea and Noel also nodded their heads in approval. But as Noel opened his mouth, the space before them started to distort and soon formed a small spatial crack.


    Then, a red gem-embedded crown came out from it.


    It hovered in the air for a moment and soon moved towards their direction.


    Upon seeing this, Rhea and Noel got startled deeply and got ready to attack it at any moment.


    "What is this?!" Noel already unsheathed his sword and pointed the sword tip at the crown.


    The only one who remained calm was Jessie.


    "Mr. Rh?" She asked; her face was full of surprise and confusion.


    "It seems you still remember me. I thought your Teacher had already erased your memory." The Holem''s Crown spoke in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Jessie showed a puzzled look and soon asked with a hesitant face.


    "W-What happened to our Teacher, Mr. Rh?"


    "Didn''t you see his burning body? He is no more,ss. You guys are on your own." The Holem''s Crown lied without any hesitation.


    In truth, telling these kids would do no good for Charles, and the Holem''s Crown was well aware of it.


    ''Moreover, killing Oswald''s identity is the right thing. As for telling the truth, it isn''t the right time.'' The Holem''s Crown knew that these kids needed a push to move forward in their life.


    Although Titus was dead, he mighte back from the dead ording to the first King''s prophecy. And, Jessie would learn about his condition using the imprint in his space ring and might not think of him as a dead person.


    But, Oswald''s death would give them real pain.


    In their minds, he was truly dead!


    Without waiting for the trio to ask more questions, the Holem''s Crown let out a dim red light and added.


    "I know you guys want to take revenge. But what can you do? Currently, your strength is nothing in front of the Griffin Family. Although Andy Griffin is dead, there are still two people in that family with Rank-4 strength. Moreover, we aren''t sure about what happened to Arch-Mage Marcus. Is he dead? Or, is he hiding in the Iron Tower?" His question shocked them.


    At that moment, Noel suddenly recalled another important person and asked.


    "What about Lady Edith? Where is she now? Can''t she help us with the revenge?"


    Upon hearing his words, Jessie''s face went pale.


    Due to the earlier chaos, she forgot about what happened to Edith and grew anxious.


    ''Wait! Mr. Rh said that Andy Griffin was already dead. Does that mean she killed him? But where is she now?'' Questions whirled in her head.


    "She is also no more,d. Although she managed to kill Andy Griffin, Arch-Mage Marcus returned to Edhen World using a strange technique and killed her on the spot." The Holem''s Crown answered patiently.


    "So, we are on our own, huh." Rhea exhaled loudly and muttered.


    "Yes. That''s why you guys should focus on improving your strength. If there is something important, you guys cane toyer-0 and look for me." The Holem''s Crown added.


    Meanwhile, Rhea gave the strange red crown a deep look and soon asked.


    "Are you a series artifact, mister?" Her voice appeared polite.


    "Indeed, I''m." The Holem''s Crown paused, then moved towards the silver ring on the concrete floor and picked it up using telekinesis skill.


    Then, the artifact moved upward and soon disappeared from there!


    A momentter, it reappeared in theyer-0, moved towards one of the cloning pods, and soon entered inside by turning itself into a steak of light.


    But instead of a white-haired old man, a blonde-haired human appeared inside the cloning pod. He seemed to be around 40 to 50 years old, had amber eyes, a rough face, and looked muscr.


    This clone was a replica of Rh''s original body!


    During the past five years, he solved many problems rted to cloning and increased a clone''s lifespan to one year.


    Still, he had a long way to recreate his original body.


    ¡­


    At that moment, Jessie and others returned to their residence and started preparing for Daisy''s and their Teacher''s funeral.


    As for Titus''s funeral, they chose to put that on hold.


    s, they didn''t announce their Teacher''s death to the masses and decided to do the funeral ceremony secretly. They knew the consequence of dering his death to the people and invited trustworthy people for their funeral.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, a shattered soul flew above the clouds and soon entered the thermosphere. It appeared more like a humanoid fog with a crimson meyer enveloping all over. Although many cracks appeared all over the soul form, the crimson me held the soul together like glue!


    While flying, Charles looked at the surrounding auroras and became stunned by the beauty. He then looked below from the sky and widened his foggy eyes.


    A bluish appeared in front of his eyes. Although he wasn''t sure of its exact size, he vaguely suspected that this Edhen must be ten times bigger than Earth.


    As he was about to take a closer look at Edhen World, he suddenly noticed that the crimson me suddenly elerated its speed!


    Before long, he found himself leaving the''s thermosphere and soon reached the exosphere. Although he didn''t see any artificial satellites, he saw some metallic ck pirs here and there.


    Each pir appeared to be around 100 to 300 meters tall, emitted strange radiations, and seemed to be monitoring the outer surface of Edhen.


    Charles also noticed some strange force-field was blocking the physical objects from entering or leaving. He saw many a few small asteroids crashed into the barrier and soon disintegrated into minute particles.


    ''Is this built by thewful gods?'' He thought to himself.


    If he wasn''t in his soul form, he might not be able to leave this at all!


    ''It seems there are many mysteries around this.'' He thought to himself.


    As he further moved away from Edhen, he also saw broken asteroid debris, the Red Moons, and got amazed by the beauty of outer space.

 Chapter 402: Space Travel

    <h4>Chapter 402: Space Travel</h4>


    ''I wonder why those three moons appear red instead of white. Is that due to the three moons always staying in the shadow of Edhen? Or, there are other reasons?'' Questions whirled in his foggy mind.


    As he turned to look at the Red Moons, he suddenly noticed that his vision started to blur.


    No, he noticed that his movement speed once again elerated.


    At that moment, Charles also sensed an invisible ripple came out of the crimson me and bent the surrounding space. The invisible wavepressed the space in front and expanded it behind!


    ''It acts more like a warp device!'' Charles wasn''t ignorant about the sci-fi movies and instantly linked the simrities.


    ''Wait¡­ Why do I feel like this crimson me has its own Will? Maybe the Fire Bird''s remnant will?'' A strange thought appeared in his mind.


    Instantly, he tried to enter his Inner World but failed for some unknown reason.


    ''Is it due to me staying in Astral ne? Or, due to space travel?'' He got confused.


    Before Charles could think further, the crimson me once again sent another ripple towards the surroundings.


    No, more invisible ripples followed and continuouslypressed the space in front and expanded it behind!


    Meanwhile, he noticed that the surroundings turned into pure white light rays and soon formed into a tunnel-like void.


    It appeared more like a wormhole!


    The continuous warping of the spatial elements somehow created a wormhole!


    ''This me is taking me somewhere faraway!'' He muttered inwardly. Like thest time, he saw myriads of stars, gxies, nebs, and star clusters as he traveled through the tunnel for three continuous hours and finally exited through another portal-like wormhole.


    During this travel, he didn''t encounter any strange creature like thest time at all.


    As he moved out of the wormhole, he rolled more than twice in the space and finally managed to return to a fixed position.


    But what greeted him was not a space but a bright reddish star!


    Even though he was far away from the bright star, he still felt a strange warmth feeling.


    At that moment, he suddenly recalled the information about Rebirth Temple and soon widened his foggy eyes.


    ''The believers of Rebirth Temple mentioned in the inscriptions that a Red Sun descended from the sky and saved them during the battle against demons¡­ Red Sun¡­ Rebirth Star!''


    As that thought crossed his mind, the crimson me glowed in red color and moved faster towards the Red Sun!


    It was as if this crimson me had finally found its home!


    Before Charles could even utter a word, the crimson me once again released a strange invisible ripple, bent the space, and moved forward.


    In truth, this Rebirth Star was 2200 timesrger than the Sun and considered one of the seven mysterious stars in the universe!


    But, it still wasn''t thergest star in the universe. As for why these seven stars were called mysterious stars? These stars appeared out of nowhere around 1 million years ago and disrupted the bnce of seven gxies.


    Dixon Gxy was one of them.


    The sudden appearance of seven stars disrupted the bnce of thergest gxies!


    From then onwards, these seven stars were considered taboo stars! They pose an equal danger to the universe as the Taboo Existences.


    Unfortunately, Charles wasn''t aware of this and still thinking of it as a normal Sun!


    After traveling for more than 10 hours at a speed of 27 times faster than the speed of light, he finally got closer towards the Red Sun.


    Rebirth Star was a red supergiant located in the constetion Blue Bison. It was also cataloged as Red Sun 2-MST and Blood Globe in Universal Map. It was the current record holder for the brightest star known. The star was located at 25,900 light-years from Edhen and was a member of the open cluster Rebirth Cloud.


    Rebirth Star had an estimated radius of 2,150 sr radii. If Rebirth Star reced the Sun in Myxend sr system (Edhen''s sr system), it might even extend past the orbit of Rezore!


    The star''s size corresponds to a volume about 11.2 billion times greater than the Sun!


    As Charles got closer towards the Red Supergiant, he couldn''t help but get shocked inside.


    It was too big!


    Sr res constantly flew into space, causing ripples in the space.


    ''Will I be okay if I get too closer towards the gigantic Sun?'' While he was in muse, the crimson me continued to move closer towards the outer surface of the Rebirth Star and soon released a strange ripple.


    But unlike before, this ripple contained streaks of red fire!


    The ripple extended towards the supergiant and soon touched its outer surface.


    Although the crimson me only managed to touch a minute part of the Rebirth Star, it managed to cause some reaction to the Rebirth Star!


    A momentter, a tear-like drop of red re came from the outer surface, moved towards Charles''s direction, and soon enveloped the crimson me!


    Charles frowned as he saw the red re tear and tried to back away.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t!


    On the other hand, the reddish tear drop absorbed the crimson me, soon enveloped his shattered soul, and finally froze his shattered soul''s movement!


    ''Oh no! It''s affecting my thinking!'' Charles got startled deeply. He knew that if he didn''t find a way stop this mysterious [Present Time] effect, he might be sealed in this tear drop forever!


    At that moment, he sensed that he could enter his Inner World and got relieved.


    A secondter, he entered his Inner World and soon noticed a change in his appearance. Instead of illusionary form, he appeared in his elemental form!


    But unlike before, his facial structure seemed to be simr to that of his physical one. The only difference was that instead of human skin, his body was purely made of fire!


    ''Why? Did my elemental form fuse with the original consciousness?'' He wore a surprised look on his face and then looked around.


    Although his whole Inner World was filled with cracks and voids, it still didn''t break down entirely, and even the sky remained undamaged.


    ''No¡­ I think my spell models are damaged.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    Just as he was about to check the spell models, he suddenly perceived a strange warmth from the outside and was startled.


    In a second, he closed his eyes, sensed the changes in his shattered soul, and soon opened his eyes wide.


    "That red teardrop is trying to reconnecting my shattered soul!?" Charles spoke in a shocked tone and soon noticed that another type of invisible energy was also moving outside from his Inner World!


    ''Is this the power of luck? The Holem''s Crown''srge Miracle finally started showing its effects?'' A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.

 Chapter 403: Rebirth Star

    <h4>Chapter 403: Rebirth Star</h4>


    Charles then again closed his elemental eyes, checked the reconstruction process, and soon turned solemn.


    ''The red tear¡­ No, it''s the rebirth me. Hmm, the rebirth me is reconnecting the broken soul shards while the luck power is boosting the sess rate when a soul shard fuses with another. What an incredible power to create a miracle.'' Charles knew that there would be a high chance of failure during the fusion without this ''Luck'' power boost!


    Although 30% of his soul shards would fuse on their own without the need of ''Luck'' power, Charles knew that the final result wouldn''t be a good thing for him.


    ''There is a high chance that the resurrection of my soul would end up as a failure without this luck power. Even if my soul got resurrected, I might face some big side effects.'' He wouldn''t be surprised if he permanently lost his power to cast spells or got stuck in the same Rank for the rest of his life¡­


    ''Thankfully, I anticipated such an oue and prepared earlier. Moreover, the Holem''s Crown used 8 million people''s luck power to cast this Miracle.'' In truth, he was waiting for the final result of this resurrection!


    ''If this process continues without any interruption, my shattered soul would reform into a new one in 3 to 4 years.'' But Charles had another thing to worry about, though.


    ''Even if I manage to get a healed soul, how am I supposed to live without my body? Won''t I be stuck in this Astral Realm?'' While thinking about the problem, he suddenly recalled something and soon froze.


    ''When that me burned my body, I didn''t feel any pain at all. No, I have a vague feeling that my physical body is somehow fused with my elemental body!'' Unfortunately, he was not in a safe ce to do experiments.


    ''It''s better to experiment once I move to a safe ce.'' He nodded inwardly and soon shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    After ncing around for a while, he flew towards the sky and soon arrived before the Rebirth spell model.


    Instead of the fire heart, he saw a bird''s imprint in the form of fire streaks within the spell model!


    ''Remnant Will of the Fire Bird?'' He cautiously moved closer towards the spell model and tried to touch it.


    But the next instant, the bird''s imprint darted like a living bird and sent a streak of fire towards Charles!


    A momentter, he noticed that many memories entered his consciousness in the form of images.


    ''What is this?!'' He instantly gathered his remaining wisdom power and got ready for a mind attack.


    To his surprise, nothing happened.


    ''There is no Fire Bird''s Will in it?'' He checked his consciousness and found no abnormalities inside.


    After that, he shifted his attention towards the bird''s imprint and soon realized that it had returned to its original position.


    Meanwhile, Charles linked his mind with the spell model and probed the imprint.


    Soon, he sensed a weak Will residing in the form of fire streaks and frowned.


    ''It seems I need to keep this thing for a while.'' Although he could erase this weakened Will, he decided to let it live for a while. He felt no hostility from it.


    ''Moreover, this Fire Bird''s Will also seemed to have onest job. It wants to fuse with the Rebirth Star, huh.'' A chuckle escaped out of his mouth.


    Then, he moved away from the Rebirth spell model and shifted his attention towards the new memories.


    ''Hmm? Was the Fire Bird born from this Red Star? It seems so. Then, it''s about the Red Star. No, it''s neither a Red Sun nor a Rebirth Star. That star is a Rank-9 living creature''s outer shell!'' He froze for a moment and soon squinted his illusionary eyes.


    ''Wait! Phoenix? The Rank-9 living creature is the mythical bird Phoenix? Moreover, is it sleeping inside the Rebirth Star? Wait, howe this bird''s name appeared in Earth Mythology?'' He was deeply startled inside.


    He then thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''The Fire Bird seemed to be born from one of the Phoenix''s feathers and then went on its own. As for how it managed to be a Divine Beast of the Fire Elemental ne? There is no memory about it. The reason the Fire Bird kept its heart, aka its Will, was to pass down its inheritance to a Red Human.'' In truth, this inheritance thing was nothing more than a series of coordinate numbers to the Rebirth Star.


    As Charles read those memories, he also learned some information about the Rebirth me.


    ''Rebirth me- Rebirth me is the me of resurrection and rebirth. As the legends say, once you understand the essence of a rebirth me, you can rise from the me even if your main body got destroyed. But the resurrection of the shattered soul isn''t a simple matter. That''s why the rebirth me needs more than four years to heal my soulpletely. Moreover, there is also a high chance of failure during this process¡­'' His expression turned grim.


    ''I was right!'' He sighed heavily and shifted his attention towards the Rebirth Spell model.


    ''Except for the bird''s imprint inside the spell model, nothing abnormal happened to it.'' He breathed out a sigh of relief and soon flew towards the next spell model.


    It was the [False Fire] spell model. But as he arrived near it, he couldn''t help but show a bitter smile on his face.


    Unlike the Rebirth spell model, the [False Fire] spell model was damaged in many areas. Although it wasn''t hard for him to reconstruct it, it would still take some time. Charles also moved towards the other spell models one by one and soon turned pale.


    Among the seven spell models, three of them appeared heavily damaged due to the heart explosion.


    ''It seems I''ve to start the spell model reconstruction process.'' He heaved another deep sigh, shifted his attention towards the [Chaos Fire] spell model, and started reconstructing the broken area.


    ¡­


    The Last Ind, Azure Federation Territory, Endless Sea, Edhen World.


    At that moment, a lean man in histe twenties stood at the Town gate entrance and stared at the beach direction in confusion. He had blonde hair, a Nubian nose, a square face, and looked around 180 cm tall.


    He was none other than Elias, Valerie''s crew member.


    Meanwhile, a ck-haired woman in herte twenties ran in his direction with an anxious look on her face. A strange man also followed behind her, but Elias paid no attention to him.


    Instead, he sized Destiny Lady up and down and asked.


    "Why are you here, Miss Natalie? Where is Charles?"


    There was a trace of anticipation that appeared in his tone.


    Upon hearing those words, Destiny Lady lowered her head to hide away her guilt and spoke.


    "I''m also searching for him, Mr. Elias." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "He ran away after he saw us."


    "Ran away? Why-?" Before he could ask the question, everyone sensed an intense fire elemental energy from the sky and looked up in unison.


    At that moment, a female figure flew from the Hill of Sorrow using her crimson wings and soonnded 100 meters away from them.


    The female figure had a deep scar on her left eye, and her red hair moved in the air like waves.


    She was none other than Valerie.


    She waved her hand, dismissed her wing spell, and ordered in a solemn tone.


    "Elias, we are leaving." She paused for a moment, turned her attention towards Destiny Lady, and then added.


    "If you are looking for Charles, it''s no use. He has long gone."


    Although her tone appeared normal, Destiny Lady felt cold and distant.


    "H-He left?! Where? Why?" A shock appeared on Destiny Lady''s face.


    Meanwhile, Valerie heaved a deep sigh and spoke.


    "He has reasons to leave, Natalie. As for where he went¡­" She paused for a moment and soon recalled a quote.


    ''Sometimes, it''s better just to remain silent and let his death bury with me.'' It wasn''t because she was cold-hearted, but it was to give Natalie a new joyous life.


    Although what she did was wrong, both of them were at fault here. Even after knowing that Destiny Lady had a lover, Charles chose to love her. From her perspective, the thing that killed him was not the Destiny Lady''s rejection but his foolishness and naivety.


    ''Charles is no more, but this girl has a new life. If I tell her about Charles''s demise, I don''t think she would live happily ever after at all.'' She thought.


    After a long silence, Valerie arrived in front of Destiny Lady, stared deep into her eyes, and spoke with a smile.


    "Humans are indeed strange beings, aren''t they? They spent decades looking for a precious gem, but once they got that gem, they would toss it somewhere and start searching for a new gem. Natalie, are you going to follow the same thing? Let me ask you a question: Are you going to cherish the precious gem you obtained through decades of searching? Or, are you going after the new gem? What is your answer?"


    As Destiny Lady heard those words, she suddenly felt like countless needles were stabbing her heart.


    She soon showed a hesitant look, turned her gaze towards Joel, and grabbed his arms.


    "I want to be with him." She said.


    Valerie''s smile widened as she nodded her head and spoke.


    "Then, forget about Charles and spend your time with this precious gem."


    Saying so, she turned around and started walking towards the Town entrance.


    But just as she took a few steps, she recalled something, halted her footsteps, and then added.


    "If you guys want to tag along, go and purchase the necessary things for the journey. We will depart at dusk."


    Saying so, she waved her hand and continued to walk.


    In the meantime, Elias showed a dumbfounded look on his face and soon came to a realization.


    "So, he is your lover, huh." A trace of sorrow appeared in his tone.


    Before Destiny Lady could give an affirmative nod, he turned around and followed after his Captain.


    Soon, he arrived beside her and asked.


    "Where did Charles go, Captain? Don''t tell me you gave him the idea to run away?"


    A forced smile appeared on Valerie''s face.


    "He has gone very far, Elias. It will be a miracle if we see him again in this lifetime." She said in a sorrowful tone.


    "Oh? Did he use any teleportation scroll to escape? That coward!" Elias cursed.


    "Don''t curse him, idiot. Let''s go." Valerie pped him on his shoulder and then fastened her footsteps.


    In the meantime, Destiny Lady stood there dazed and soon leaned on Joel''s shoulder.


    Meanwhile, Joel patted her head and said in a solemn tone.


    "Let''s go. It''s better to stick with this group for a while."


    Soon, both of them took a step forward and walked into the town.

 Chapter 404: Fire Bird

    <h4>Chapter 404: Fire Bird</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles continued to reconstruct his spell models for the next three months and finally shifted his attention to his soul form.


    He had been feeling weird since he started reconstructing the spell model, though. It was as if this mysterious Rebirth Fire and the Luck power not only reformed his soul but also seemed to be merging the fused soul-shards with his elemental form!


    ''And, I can tell that my physical body and consciousness had already fused with this elemental form. Three months ago, I didn''t sense my physical body''s presence within my elemental form. Now, not only do I sense my physical body''s presence, but I''m also sensing my consciousness with my elemental form. Something strange is happening.'' He couldn''t help but take a deep look at his current form.


    ''Wait¡­ Could this be the soul mutation?'' He recalled the moment when the Holem''s Crown mentioned the soul mutation and turned serious.


    ''He said that one''s soul will mutate after Rank-6 and be more solid. Moreover, this soul mutation will also increase one''s lifespan to the maximum level. To put it more simply, a Rank-7 Mystic will get an average lifespan of 200,000 years. And, those who achieved this stage would be called ''Demi-Gods.'' This title should be the same for Divines, Bloodline Warlocks, Ancient Mages and Mystics. Did the curse ident cause my soul to go through the mutation process at an earlier stage?'' He couldn''t help but show a surprised look on his face.


    ''So, this soul mutation process is merging process with the consciousness and physical body, huh. Hmm, the heart explosion seemed to have triggered the fusion of my consciousness and physical body with the elemental body. Then, this rebirth power and the ''Luck'' power seemed to be helping with the final process and fusing the merged soul shards with the elemental form. Once this process is over, I might be able to stay transform into any of these four forms willingly.'' But Charles also knew that there would be some disadvantages as well.


    ''But it''s not a serious problem like this one, though.'' He nodded inwardly and then shifted his attention towards the outside.


    If those fused soul shards hadn''t merged with his elemental form, it would be impossible for him to sense the outside world.


    But after merging, he felt that it was possible to sense the Rebirth me essence to some extent.


    ''I think it''s worth a try toprehend the rebirth me!'' As that thought appeared in his mind, he didn''t waste any more time and tried to probe the red me.


    But even after spending more than two days, he made no progression at all.


    ''I can''t even understand the information hidden in a single streak of the Rebirth me. No, there seemed to be thousands of zigzag lines hidden in that single fire streak.'' He was a little annoyed.


    He suddenly looked up at the dark sky and zeroed his attention on the Rebirth me spell model.


    ''The Fire Bird''s Will!''


    He flew up towards the dark sky and soon arrived in front of the spell model. Then, he touched the spell model and tried to contact the weakened Will of the Fire-Bird.


    To his surprise, he received a reply in an instant.


    "What do you want, Human?" A female voice echoed in his mind.


    On the other hand, Charles didn''t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.


    "I want you to help meprehend the Rebirth me."


    Meanwhile, a deep sigh leaked out of the Fire Bird''s imprint. Then, it pped its illusionary wings, flew out of the spell model, and soon arrived in front of his face.


    "I don''t have enough strength to converse with you for a long time. Give me your Incarnation''s divine power, I''ll teach you how toprehend the Rebirth Fire." The Fire Bird''s Will spoke.


    Meanwhile, Charles stared at the illusionary bird imprint and soon sighed.


    He knew that this Fire Bird imprint had enough strength to live for more than 20 years. But this sneaking Will somehow noticed the divine power in his Fire Bird incarnation and decided to take a risk. Yes, it was risking its existence to bargain with Charles.


    If he disagreed, it would go back to his spell model and stay over there for the next four years. If he tries to suppress it, it would retaliate with full force and try to harm his soul.


    Facing such a situation, Charles would instead give up on the Incarnation than risk his own life. In truth, he had no use for the divine power hidden in that Incarnation. The main reason Charles kept it within his Inner World was to use it during the earlier battle. Unfortunately, he hadn''t got a chance to use that Incarnation''s strength!


    Shaking his head, he shifted his attention towards the Fire Bird imprint and pondered.


    During the past three months, he also noticed that this Fire Bird''s Will remained in the spell model and tried its best to conceal its presence from the outside world.


    ''This imprint wants to live a new life?'' He felt that was the possible exnation.


    "Why are you hiding? Why do you need my Incarnation''s divine power?" He suddenly asked, without hiding his curiousness.


    Meanwhile, the imprint paused its flying and soon spoke.


    "You seem to be a straightforward person." The Fire Bird''s Will paused for a moment and then told him about its unwillingness to fuse with the Rebirth Star. Although the original Fire Bird''s goal was to reunite with its creator, the Will didn''t think of the same. But still, it was in a dilemma as to whether to fulfill its true soul''s wish or live a new life.


    Charles felt this scene strangely familiar.


    ''Eddie Nightwind''s Incarnation also did something like this. Heh, if I die permanently, would my Wills also do a simr thing? Is this the result of freedom? It seems so.'' He nodded inwardly.


    After some talking, he agreed to Will''s request and waved his hand. A momentter, a strange cry resounded from the faraway Inner World, and soon a crimson bird flew out from it.


    Currently, it held a strange bluish crystal in its beak and seemed to be protecting it with its life on the line.


    It was Charles''s soul core!


    But unlike before, cracks appeared in many areas, but it wasn''t on the brick of breaking down.


    The reason his Inner World remained together was mainly due to this soul core.


    Charles soon descended towards the Incarnation and took the soul core from it. Then, he closed his eyes, erased all the memories of that Incarnation, and shifted his attention towards the Fire Bird''s Will.


    Meanwhile, it pped its tiny wings, shot towards the Fire Bird incarnation like a bullet, and soon entered.


    The next instant, the Fire Bird''s Will tookplete control over the Incarnation, absorbed all the divine power, and started to transform.

 Chapter 405: Soul Mutation!

    <h4>Chapter 405: Soul Mutation!</h4>


    The Incarnation''s size started to shrink at an unimaginable speed and soon transformed into a small parrot!


    But unlike before, this Fire Bird appeared more like a real bird. It had actual red feathers, ckish-red legs, a red beak, and three long tail feathers!


    The Fire Bird then pped its wings, flew towards Charles, and soonnded on his shoulder.


    "You are too nice. So, what do you want to know?" A pleasant female voice came out of the bird''s mouth.


    On the other hand, Charles flew up towards the Rebirth me spell model, closed his eyes, and shifted his attention towards the outside world.


    "What are those zigzag lines within those streaks of Rebirth me?"


    "Oh? They are essence rules. They are more like human body cells. If you want to conjure a single streak of a Rebirth Fire, you need to understand these rules and arrange them in an orderly manner before conjuring¡­ Otherwise, you won''t seed." The Fire Bird said in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles frowned deeply and asked another question.


    "How many fire rules do I need toprehend if I want to create a ball of Rebirth me?"


    "It''s not about fire rules, Human. It''s about the essence streaks." The bird paused for a moment and then added.


    "The tear-like ball of fire has around 1,300 fire essence streaks. Each fire steak is unique on its own, and they united together to form this Red Tear."


    Charles widened his eyes as he heard those words and then asked in curiosity.


    "What is the strength of this Red Tear? Is it considered a spell? If so, what rank is it?"


    "You are indeed a curious one." The Fire Bird let out a humming sound as it said those words and then added.


    "You can think of this ''Red Tear'' as a Rank-6 spell. As long as you manage toprehend this full Red Tear, you can even move on your own in the space. But it''s not an easy matter, though."


    "That''s why I''m asking for your help, FireBird," Charles responded calmly and then shifted his attention towards a single streak.


    On the other hand, the Fire Bird poked his cheek using its beak and protested.


    "I''m not a bird! I''m Midea."


    Charles focused on a Rebirth me streak without paying any attention to the bird and soon zeroed his attention on a single fire rule. Then, he probed the zigzag line, analyzed its structure with the [Arcane Eyes] skill, and soon entered a deep enlightenment state.


    He continued toprehend the first fire rule, second rule, third rule, and so on and finally sessfullyprehended a single fire essence streak on the 60th day!


    At the same time, countless zigzag lines appeared inside his spell model and soon formed into a streak of Rebirth Fire. The fire streak circled inside the spell model and momentarily hovered in the middle.


    "Comprehending a single fire essence took me more than two months. But I don''t know how much time has passed in Edhen." He muttered with a frown. Although he was still in deep space, he felt the gravity of this Rebirth Star might influence the time.


    Meanwhile, Midea jumped on his head using her w-like legs and spoke.


    "You don''t have to worry about the time dtion effect. Rebirth Star is known for slowing down the time around its surroundings, and that''s why it''s called one of the seven mysterious stars in the universe. Moreover, how did youprehend those thousands of rules in two months?" Midea''s voice was filled with full of confusion and curiosity.


    ''Oh? Now that I think about it, the Rebirth me indeed has the power to manipte the present time. No wonder.''


    Although Charles was still skeptical about Midea''s im, he quickly tossed that thought away and continued toprehend the fire rules.


    For him, this was more like a godsend opportunity. He didn''t dare to waste it.


    Once again, he closed his eyes, shifted his attention towards the following rule, and started his work.


    Days. Weeks. Months. Years. And finally, four years disappeared in a blink.


    At the end of the fourth year, he managed toprehend theplete Red Tear!


    It was an impossible achievement even for an Irregr Rank-5 Mage like him.


    But the reason he seeded inprehending the whole Red Tear was due to him having many advantages. The first advantage was Midea''s presence in his Inner World. If she weren''t there to clear his doubts, he would still be in the middle ofprehending the fire rules.


    The second advantage was his [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    Then, the final advantage was his soul mutation. Although his soul hadn''t fully fused with his elemental form, he still received so many surprises.


    Yes, his soul mutation not only increased his thought process to an unimaginable level, but it also gave him a new ability. No, it''s not an ability, but the upgraded version of wisdom power to perceive the surroundings. And, his control over his wisdom power had improved ten folds!


    ''I can move all the physical objects without any restrain in my soul!'' A smile appeared on his face.


    Moreover, he could perceive the surrounding elements to a molecr level!


    ''I can also speed up the healing process.'' A smile crept on his face.


    Then, he descended from the dark sky and soonnded on the destroyed elementalnd. Unfortunately, no fire-elemental energy appeared in his Inner World. When his soul shattered, his connection with the fire-elemental ne had also disappeared!


    He had no elemental heart now!


    A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth as he looked around the surroundings.


    After those merged soul shards fused with his elemental form, his Inner World had long healed.


    The strange cracks and voids had long disappeared and were reced with destroyed hills, craters, rocks, and sands. Unfortunately, there was novake, volcanic mountain, or even a single fire in the surroundings.


    ''In the end, I''ve been relying on the Elemental ne''s help all this time!'' As that thought crossed his mind, he subconsciously looked up at the sky and zeroed his gaze on the Rebirth me Spell Model.


    Currently, it appeared more than 200 meters radius and looked more like an actual sun!


    ''From now on, I don''t need to rely on the Fire Elemental ne''s help to cast my Rebirth me spells.'' He chuckled.


    After heprehended the Red Tear, he could conjure a ball of Rebirth me out of nothing. Not only that, but he also didn''t need any ne''s help to maintain his Elemental Form! It was the power of fire essence!


    ''Fire essence! I need toprehend the other six types of fire essences. The Chaos Fire, False Fire, Law Fire, Hell Fire, Soul Fire, and finally the Mind Fire and then move on without any outside force''s help.'' But Charles knew that it wasn''t an easy task.


    ''First, I should heal my soul and then return to Edhen World.'' He nodded inwardly and shifted his attention towards the outside world.


    In a blink, he returned to his soul form!


    At that moment, there were only a few cracks appeared all over his soul form. No, his soul form had changed entirely and appeared solidified.


    ''I feel no restrain from the present time.'' He nodded.


    In truth, he could also manipte the surrounding ''Time'' to some extent. But, he still wasn''t powerful enough to move in the ''Time-Stop'' area.


    Although his soul had mutated into the realm of Demi-Gods, his body, elemental form, and consciousness were at Rank-5 now!


    ''There is no need to rush things.'' He nodded inwardly, moved his foggy hand, and ced it on a specific cracked area.


    Then, he conjured a simr red me and started healing his soul.


    Another six months passed.


    When Charles fused the final soul shard into his soul form, a bang appeared in the deepest part of his soul.


    The next instant, his soul form continued to solidify and soon appeared simr to his original appearance.


    Not only that, but his soul form also fused with his elemental form!


    For a moment, he appeared in his soul form, then his elemental form, then his illusionary consciousness form, and finally his physical form!


    He indeed didn''t lose his physical body!

 Chapter 406: Reborn

    <h4>Chapter 406: Reborn</h4>


    But when Charles changed from soul form to the other three states, he sensed the change around the surroundings and felt warmth for a moment.


    ''I finally left the Astral Realm!'' Joy shed on his face.


    But when he changed into his physical form, he felt a suffocative feeling!


    Not only that, but he also saw blisters appear all over his skin.


    Without any dy, he changed into an elemental form.


    He knew that his physical body wouldn''t survive in this hot temperature for more than a few seconds and acted swiftly.


    But to his shock, he even felt a strange suffocative feeling in this elemental form. With no other choice, he again changed into his soul form and returned to the Astral Realm!


    ''Damn! I need to be careful from now on¡­'' He nodded inwardly, controlled the Red Tear through his own Will, and moved in the opposite direction. At that moment, he also shifted his attention towards his Inner World and then entered.


    Currently, he could also do multi-tasking!


    While his soul controlled the Rebirth me to move away from the Rebirth Star, he reappeared at the summit of a destroyed mountain and checked his elemental form.


    Although there wasn''t much difference after his soul mutation, he knew that his lifespan had already improved to a significant margin!


    ''Currently, my lifespan should be around 50,000 years.'' If he had obtained the soul mutation through a normal means, his lifespan would''ve increased to 200,000 years!


    ''But that''s the level of Demi-Gods.'' He shook his head and soon shifted his attention towards the sky.


    At that moment, Midea descended from the sky and soonnded on his shoulder.


    "It''s time for us to part away, Midea." He said with a frown.


    "Oh? You already healed your soul? What a monster!" Mideamented.


    Then, she released opened her mouth and sent out a ray of a crimson streak.


    A secondter, that single streak moved out of his Inner World and soon enveloped the Red Tear.


    "Remove the Red Tear." She ordered.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and erased the Rebirth me essences with a simple thought.


    "It''s done." He said.


    On the other hand, Midea pped her red wings, flew above his head, and spoke.


    "I ced the exact coordinate of your world in the crimson me. As long as you continue to follow the crimson me, you''ll return to Edhen World in a few minutes."


    On the other hand, Charles looked up at the Fire Bird and asked.


    "Are you okay with your decision? Don''t you want to live a new life?" He asked while making his face a sad one.


    In truth, he needed an assistant. As long as this bird was in his side, he could escape from any danger and return to Edhen World safe and soul.


    ''Pity, this Fire Bird had already made up its mind.'' A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    Meanwhile, Midea let out a loud humming sound and pped her wings wide.


    A secondter, she directly left his Inner World, appeared in the Astral Realm, and encircled his soul form.


    After that, she pped her wings, made a screeching noise, and flew towards the Rebirth Star.


    On the other hand, the crimson me around Charles''s soul form suddenly elerated its speed and moved forward.


    After some time, an invisible ripple came out of the crimson me,pressed the space in front, and expanded it behind.


    Soon, Charles noticed that the whole surroundings turned into white lines. But no wormhole appeared this time.


    Instead, the crimson me traveled 27 times at the speed of light for the next 10 hours and soon slowed down as it reached a specific destination.


    Then, it moved in a different direction and once again elerated its speed by bending the space.


    But in just a few seconds, Charles saw a tunnel-like entrance opened up in the front!


    At that moment, he suddenly realized that he hade here through this same portal!


    ''So, there is a portal connection between this ce and Edhen''s outer space, huh.'' He was shocked inside.


    While he was in shock, the crimson me moved rapidly and soon entered the wormhole tunnel.


    Like thest time, he saw simr myriads of stars and nebs and looked around in curious as the crimson me moved deep into the tunnel.


    ¡­


    Light Church, Saint Town, Kingdom of Light, Faith Realm (Mid ne), Ditune Gxy.


    It was around 2 A.M.


    At that moment, a 30-year-old many on a wooden bed and was in the middle of deep sleep. He had messy blonde hair, a round face, a hawk nose, thick eyebrows, and appeared muscr. His name was Victor.


    Although he held the position of a Bishop, he was nothing more than a despicable man in the Light Church members'' eyes. Not even a guard would show respect to him. The main reason for that was his current physical strength and a bad reputation. Even though he was a high-ranked Bishop, he was nothing more than a scoundrel and a worthless mortal in the Light Church members'' eyes.


    Like the Edhen World, the Faith Realm also had people with mystical powers. But unlike the Mages and ss-Gem pathway Mystics, the ones who appeared most in this ne were called Knights.


    The Knights use strange awakening methods and strengthen their bodies with heavy training. The more they battle, the more their physical strength would rise. Not only that, but they also practice a strange form of sword dance and use their pure soul intent in the form of aura around their weapons to battle.


    Like the Edhen World, there was also a level system in this Faith Realm.


    The first level knights were called True Knights; the second level was called Expert Knights, then Crystal Knights, Radiant Knights, Saints, and finally the Awakens. Those who reached the realm of Saints were called the protectors of thisnd. As for the Awakens, they were the true pirs of each kingdom in this Faith Realm.


    Yes, Light Kingdom wasn''t the only kingdom in this Mid-ne. More than ten kingdoms appeared around this Light Kingdom, and these kingdoms were constantly waging war against each other.


    Now, let''se to the current topic.


    To be a True Knight, one needed to awaken their true elements through a ceremony. It was the light elemental affinity awakening ceremony.


    Those with light affinities with above-average levels would receive a slight boost and then get the qualification to be True Knights of the Kingdom of Light.


    Unfortunately, Bishop Victor wasn''t a lucky person.


    He had a low light affinity. But using his father''s influence, he managed to obtain the Light Bishop position. His action invoked hatred among all the light believers. Most of the priests and even the knights of the Light Church hated him for that.


    But what''s more funny thing was that he was the most honest person in this whole kingdom and never lied during the past four years. He would pray to the Goddess Zaqiel five times a day and would do three ceremonial rituals. Not only that, but he would also visit the orphanage regrly and preach about the Al-Mighty Goddess.


    Even the Holiness of Light Pope personally visited him two years ago and honored him with the title of the Truth Bearer.


    But he wasn''t like this around four and a half years ago, though. He was an alcoholic and involved in many bad habits like smoking, bet fighting, illegal racing, etc. Moreover, he was also a gambling addict.


    Although he changed now, most Light Church members were still thinking of him as a vile fellow and loathed him to the core.


    If not for his high-rank position, many priests might have sent assassins to kill him.


    Unfortunately, he became a holy saint in themoners'' eyes.


    It all changed on a fateful day. Four and a half years ago, he received a gift from the Goddess Zaqiel herself and chose to walk on the path of righteousness.


    Well, that''s what he had told others when they asked about his change in character.


    In reality, that gift was none other than the Holy Book, which Udnir created using the constetions.


    Currently, it remained on the nearby table and continued to show a series of numbers.


    No, it wasn''t numbers but countdown.


    [0 Years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 7 seconds¡­]


    [0 Years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 6 seconds¡­]


    ¡­


    [0 Years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 3 seconds¡­]


    [0 Years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 2 seconds¡­]


    [0 Years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 minutes, 1 second¡­]


    ¡­


    As the strange countdown ended, two invisible ripples came out of the Holy Book and moved in two different directions.


    One invisible ripple moved towards sleeping Victor, while the other created a crack in the space and disappeared into the void.


    After that, a strange silence appeared in the small room.


    But a few secondster, Victor showed a painful look on his face and soon sat up with a horrified look on his face.


    He then hurriedly touched his neck and showed a confused look on his face.


    "What happened? Wait. My hand!" He then looked at his right hand and showed a disbelief look on his face.


    ''H-How!? I lost my hand one year ago, right? Moreover, how did Ie back to life? That heathen killed me, right?'' While muttering to himself, he looked around the surroundings and soon widened his eyes.


    "W-Wait! Isn''t this my old room?! How did I return here?" He hurriedly lit the nearbymp and soon turned his gaze towards his reflection that appeared in the opposite mirror.


    "D-Did I return to the past?" His expression stiffened.


    At that moment, he suddenly thought of a strange divine book and soon widened his eyes in shock.


    "Oh! Almighty Goddess of the Truth and Light! So, it was your doing, huh! I''ll not fail again! I''ll make a perfect n and kill that evil sorcerer!" He looked up at the sky and spoke in an icy tone.


    But he soon regained his senses and checked his own body.


    "No, I need to strengthen myself first. I''ve time to make preparations for future battles. There are three more years left for our first confrontation. But this time, I''m going to kill that me demon sorcerer first. Before that, I''ve to find the Ice awakening stone and be a True Knight." A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    ¡­

 Chapter 407: A New Planet

    <h4>Chapter 407: A New</h4>


    In the meantime, Charles continued to move in the space tunnel and soon frowned as he sensed a sharp headache. Even though he was in his soul form, he still felt the pain.


    ''What is this?'' He got startled a little and soon noticed that a ck rocky object was moving up ahead of him. It was in irregr shape, had the size of an elephant, and drifted in a zigzag manner.


    ''Is it a broken part of an asteroid?''


    Strangely, as he got closer to the ck rock, the headache also started to rise. In mere two seconds, Charles felt like his head was bulging from the inside.


    ''F*ck! What is this? Something isn''t right!'' He instantly activated the [Foresight] skill and tried to see his future.


    To his shock, nothing appeared in his mind. There was no vision, no warning sensation, nothing!


    .


    ''Wait¡­ This strange headache. Is it a warning? That ck rock is a dangerous thing?'' He instantly tried to back away but couldn''t due to the momentum. Meanwhile, the Crimson me continued to move faster and appeared closer towards the rock.


    On the other hand, Charles felt a soul-tearing pain. Even when his soul got shattered, he didn''t feel anything simr to this.


    Just as he was about to take control over the crimson me, a strange ripple filled with the power of ''Time'' entered the space tunnel out of nowhere and spread in all directions.


    For a split second, Charles sensed that some higher being had locked its gaze on him and shuddered inside!


    ''What the f*ck?! I barely survived from a divine''s plot.'' He couldn''t help but curse inwardly.


    At that moment, he noticed that the ck rock suddenly changed its trajectory, moved towards the bluish tunnel wall, and crashed into it.


    A secondter, a crack appeared in the space tunnel, followed by a suction force.


    Before Charles could even think further, the suction force pulled him into the spatial crack. At the same time, the debris of the ck stone flew in his direction and directly crashed into him.


    Thankfully, the crimson me blocked the ck debris.


    Before checking if that debris had any effect on the crimson me, he suddenly noticed that his vision turned blurry and soon got ejected from the wormhole tunnel.


    By the time he managed to regain his vision, he had found himself flying in the deep space at an unimaginable speed.


    But there was something else scary that appeared in front of his vision.


    At that moment, he noticed that the ck stone was affecting the crimson me and turning it into a ck me.


    In a blink, the outer part of the crimson me transformed and soon got changed into a pure ck one!


    ''No good!'' He didn''t hesitate for a moment as he conjured a ball of rebirth me and covered his soul form.


    At the same time, he also manipted the rebirth me, created a Red Tear around his soul, and broke the crimson me before escaping in a random direction.


    He only stopped after five minutes of flying.


    ''Damn, that sucks.'' A bitter smile appeared on his face. But only then did he realize something.


    ''Wait! I''m in Astral ne! But howe that ck rock manages to harm the crimson me?'' He knew that the crimson me could work in both Astral ne and Physical World but didn''t expect that some physical objects would also appear in both Realms.


    ''It seems this Astral ne isn''t a safer ce. Indeed, there might be many dangerous astral beings drifting in space. Haa! What should I do now?'' A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    ''I can''t stay in the space for too long. Anything can happen when I''m in this Astral ne. That ck rock is a good example.'' He muttered inwardly and then looked around the surrounding space.


    Only stars and an empty void appeared in his sight. No, he also saw bright stars! One star appeared on his right side while the other one hovered above his head.


    They were so bright and closer than the rest of the stars.


    Charles closed his eyes, zeroed his focus on the star in front, and activated his [Foresight] skill.


    Unlike before, he managed to perceive the future and soon saw a vision.


    It was the image of a yellowish dwarf star!


    A momentter, he opened his eyes and looked up at the other star.


    Like before, he once again activated his [Foresight] skill and perceived the future.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes and frowned.


    "A, huh. Moreover, this one appears more like an Earth-like. Hmm, this surely is not a coincidence." At that moment, he vaguely pinpointed the real culprit behind this mess.


    "It must be the God of Time or the Angel of Time. Those two are the only ones who are capable of manipting future time to this extend." Although he was shocked by this anomaly, he didn''t put too much thought into it.


    Unlike the power of Destiny, time was not a fixed one. As long as he acted out of their predictions, he could easily fool those two guys and move independently.


    ''Still, I need to be extra careful.'' He nodded inwardly, manipted the Rebirth me, and moved forward.


    Unlike the crimson me, the Rebirth me constantly expelled the fire and helped Charles move into space.


    Although the rebirth me moved slower at the start, he continued to conjure the me and elerated the speed for the next few hours!


    Soon, the Red Tear''s speed reached the speed of sound!


    But Charles didn''t stop there and continued to increase his speed up to 10,000 km/hr.


    After twenty hours of travel, he finally managed to see another celestial object next to the blue.


    It was a Moon!


    ''If I hadprehended the crimson me, things would''ve gone much smoother. Nah, this Rebirth me is a must for me.'' He shook his head, manipted the rebirth me, and continued to move.


    After another ten hours of travel, he finally managed to reach the exosphere of the blue.


    Unlike Edhen''s outer surface, no pir or barrier appeared in the''s exosphere. Moreover, he noticed that this was much smaller than Edhen but somewhat bigger than Earth.


    As he got closer to the blue, he manipted the Rebirth me and reduced the movement speed.


    Then, he didn''t dy any longer and descended towards the surface.


    At that moment, he also looked at the''s surface from the sky and noticed that only onendmass appeared at the center.


    ''A continent surrounded by sea, huh.'' He nodded inwardly and continued to descend.


    After a few minutes of travel, he reached the thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and finally, troposphere.


    As he flew through the white clouds, he saw habitable ces towns, forts, dense woods, and even viges.


    ''This looks exactly like Edhen!'' He was momentarily stunned inside.

 Chapter 408: Battlefield

    <h4>Chapter 408: Battlefield</h4>


    As Charles further descended towards the surface, he saw tens of thousands of ant-like beings moving here and there on the innd and seemed to be fighting with each other.


    Although few trees appeared here and there, there wasn''t much in the surrounding areas. Instead, Charles only saw some agriculturalnds and farmhouses a little away from this battlefield.


    Out of curiosity, he manipted the Rebirth me and soon descended towards that battlefield. For him, this was an excellent ce to find a new identity.


    After a few minutes of flying, his soul form soon descended in the middle of the battlefield and observed this''s inhabitants.


    ''Humans, huh.''


    He saw them killing each other using different kinds of medieval weapons like spears, swords, and bow and arrows and chuckled.


    .


    After observing them for a while, he vaguely guessed that this was a battle between two kingdoms. One group belongs to a kingdom called ''Aetas'' while the other belongs to the ''Ammar'' Dynasty.


    Aetas people wore full red armor, and they even painted their g in red with a peacock-like bird symbol at the center. On the other hand, the people of the Ammar Dynasty wore iron armor and strange silver helmets.


    Even when the opposite party attacked them in their heads, some aura appeared around the helmet andpletely nullified the opponents'' attacks.


    But what shocked Charles most was the soldiers'' abnormal strength.


    Most of the soldiers had the strength of expert-level physique while the remaining few had the strength of extraordinary level physique!


    Not only that, but the soldiers also coated their weapons with some aura-like energy when battling!


    ''It''s more like sword aura! But these soldiers are using this aura power in all kinds of weapons.'' He even saw the bowmen using aura-coated arrows to attack the enemy soldiers from both sides.


    Charles also saw a hundred elite soldiers mounted on the horses and observed the battle from both sides. It was as if they were waiting for the foot soldiers to kill each other.


    ''Hmm? They are protecting theirmander, huh.'' He hovered in the air for a while and soon sensed multiple gazes from everywhere.


    All of them were dead souls!


    But the big difference was that they appeared in foggy form while he looked more like a real human.


    "Don''t worry. I''m here to observe the battle. You guys can continue your fight." He waved his hand and shifted his attention towards the battlefield.


    Unfortunately, they couldn''t even understand what he was saying and looked at each other in confusion. After some seconds, some tried to go back to their dead bodies, while the remaining started battling with the other souls.


    s, the chaos continued both in Physical World and the Astral ne.


    ''Currently, I only have enough fire-elemental energy to cast all the Rank-4 fire spells two times.'' It was the final gift from Midea. Unlike him, Midea didn''t rely on Fire-Elemental ne to cast spells and was capable of casting low-level spells continuously. That''s how she refilled his spell models.


    Even though she was just a Will of the Fire Bird, she had enough power to battle an average Rank-4 Mage.


    ''But I can''t act recklessly and waste my opportunity. Although this world has an average amount of fire-elemental energy like Edhen World, they aren''t enough to fill up the spell models. It might take even a week for me to save up enough fire-elemental energy to cast a Rank 4 spell.'' Charles sighed deeply and then shifted his attention towards the elite guards.


    Currently, most of the foot soldiers were fallen, and the remaining ones were in a seriously wounded state.


    At that moment, Charles noticed that themander of Aetas Kingdom raised his hand suddenly and spoke a few encouraging words.


    ''No, this guy is nomander. He is just a kid!'' Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    Yes, themander of Aetas Kingdom was a 14-years-old kid. He had wavy blonde hair, azure eyes, a heart-shaped face, and appeared to be around 155 cm high. He mounted on a small horse and held a long sword in his right hand while a small red shield in his left hand.


    Within a few seconds, he ended his speech, whipped the horse, and moved forward at a fast speed.


    On the other hand, the elite knights roared in unison and also moved while encircling the young kid in all directions. With a single look, anyone could tell that all these elite knights were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect this young kid.


    s, many cavalry knights entered the battlefield and intercepted his elite knights one by one.


    At that moment, themander of the Ammar Dynasty also raised his hand and charged forward from the other side. But unlike this youngmander, the other party entered the battlefield without relying on his elite knights'' protection and slew the enemy soldiers with his sharp spear.


    Wherever he moved, tens of enemy foot soldiers'' heads flew up in the sky and sprayed blood everywhere.


    Ammar Dynasty''smander was a bald man with multiple scars on his face. He appeared to be around 50 to 55 years old, had a square face, ck eyes, a muscr body, and seemed to be around190 cm high.


    He currently looked more like a demon descended from the abyss to cause a massacre. What''s more shocking was that he even killed his foot soldiers!


    ''He is killing the severely wounded soldiers in the name of honor and mercy, huh.'' This scene amused Charles.


    He continued to kill the foot soldiers for a whole minute and finally shifted his attention towards the youngmander and his elite knights.


    "Arrow!" He roared as he held his spear in the right hand and rode the ck horse towards the youngmander.


    In the meantime, the elite cavalrymen of the Ammar Dynasty moved towards theirmander and made an arrow-shaped formation.


    Soon, both of the elite soldiers collided against each other and started the main battle. But unlike before, their shes appeared much more destructive. Whenever two weapons shed against each other, shockwaves and ripples appeared in the surroundings. Even the young kid showed impressive swordsmanship and killed three elite soldiers.


    After that, he faced Ammar Dynasty''smander and battled against him for two continuous minutes.


    Unfortunately, his opponent was too skilled and brutal when it came to the battle. The baldmander found an opening within the next few seconds and thrust his spear into the horse''s neck before throwing the youngmander on the ground.


    Then, he jumped down from his horse and started walking towards the young kid.


    Before long, he appeared in front of the youngmander and swiftly thrust his spear into his chest.


    He didn''t show any hesitation and killed the youngmander on the spot!


    On the other hand, his elite knights also disyed their full strength and killed the youngmander''s elite knights one by one.


    Before long, a strange silence appeared on the battlefield.


    The only ones who remained on the battlefield were the baldmander and his seventy elite knights.


    "Clean up the battlefield. After that, we are going to this brat''s territory and loot everything." He said in an icy tone.


    Meanwhile, one of his knights arrived closer to the baldmander and asked.


    "Won''t the kingdom report our action to the council of Light Church?"


    "Nah. This kingdom is facing a civil war now. The king of Aetas is no more, and the crown prince is just goofing around. Meanwhile, thete King Beau''s second son already sided with Duke Michel and is gathering army men on his own. The same goes for the other three of his legitimate sons. Killing this rural baron won''t attract the attention of the Royals. Even if they found out about our action, they wouldn''t dare to report it to the council. After all, they are in no position to start a war with our Dynasty." The baldmander said coldly and moved away from the battlefield.


    ¡­

 Chapter 409: Daniel

    <h4>Chapter 409: Daniel</h4>


    While the Ammar Dynasty elite knights were clearing the battlefield, Charles flew towards the young kid''s body and soon appeared in front of it.


    Meanwhile, a foggy humanoid soul came out of the young body, looked around, and soon knelt on the ground.


    Even though the soul didn''t have any facial expression, Charles saw a deep sorrow, anger, betrayal, and pain on the soul''s face.


    The soul was none other than the youngmander''s one!


    Although the young soul got confused by his current appearance, he didn''t show any panicking reaction and remained in the kneeling position for some time. It was as if he was trying to figure out what had happened to his body. At that moment, a few more souls appeared near the young soul and stood behind it.


    They were all the elite guards of this youngmander!


    Even after their deaths, they showed their loyalty to their Lord.


    .


    ''Wow! They are so loyal to their Lord.''


    Charles stared at the youngmander for a moment and then made up his mind.


    First, he touched the youngmander''s chest area, took a drop of blood, and ced it on his palm.


    A secondter, he activated his [Shape-shifting] skill and created the young kid''s identity imprint in his mind. Then, he shifted his attention towards the young soul, cast [Burning Consciousness] on him, and started erasing his memories.


    In truth, all these dead souls would enter the Eternal River of life in a day or two and go through the memory cleansing process.


    So, Charles didn''t show any hesitation and continued to erase the young soul''s memory.


    ''Baron Daniel of Louet Noble Household¡­ Three years ago, his father Braxton participated in the battle of Mountain Falls and died an honorable death for the Aetas Kingdom. Later, Daniel inherited his noble title as Baron''s only sessor and became the Lord of the Grime ins. The Ammar Dynasty dared to invade his territory has something to do with it being an isted ce from the rest of the Aetas kingdom. Yes, the young Baron''s territory is nothing more than an extra in Aetas Kingdom royals'' eyes.''


    ''200 years ago, a pioneer knight came from a farawaynd to be an independent ruler and ruled this Grime ins. At that time, no other kingdom considered this territory safer due to demon monsters like lesser imps, goblins, and orcs. Meanwhile, the pioneer knight managed to create a well-fortified town at the center of this Grime ins and started eradicating the demon monsters¡­''


    ''Although he died after some years, his descendants continued their job and finally exterminated all the demon monsters upying this territory. But just when they were feeling safer from the monsters, the surroundings kingdoms like the Aetas Kingdom, Ammar Dynasty, and the Light Kingdom started harassing them in the name of tax collection. With no other choice, the pioneer knight''s descendant chose to be a vassal of Aetas Kingdom¡­''


    ''Heh, the demon monsters, huh. Moreover, Goblins and Orcs, is it? This world is truly a fantasy setting.'' Charles chuckled inwardly and then continued to read the information about the territory.


    ''Hmm, the Town of Darkwell¡­ The town''s poption is around 15,000 people and most of the inhabitants are skilled in weaving dresses, pottery, and agriculture-rted jobs. There is also a small river that flows next to the town and is the main source of water supply for this territory. Next is Baron Daniel. Although his father is no more, his mother is still alive and well. She is the one who invited a Radiant Knight from the capital to train him in sword skills.''


    ''Hmm? From this kid''s memories, that guy seems to have been harassing his mother for a while. Although Daniel tried to tell Radiant Knight to behave properly, he didn''t listen to his words. But what infuriated Daniel was that this ''Teacher'' was the one who sent him to face the enemy soldiers to get battle experience! He didn''t even listen to veteran soldiers'' advice and was hell bend on sending him here.'' As Charles read that memory, he couldn''t help but suspect something wrong about this.


    ''Hmm? That Radiant Knight''s disciple is the one who sent information about enemy soldiers'' appearance? Not only that, but he also told everyone that the Light Kingdom army is marching instead of Ammar Dynasty¡­'' Unfortunately, withdrawal during battle was considered a cowardly act in this world. So, Daniel and his soldiers had no choice but to face the Ammar Dynasty soldiers head-on.


    ''Tsk, this is purely a betrayal. No wonder that baldmander is daring to enter the enemy territory and loot the town.'' He snorted coldly.


    ''Well, I''ll deal with that Radiant Knightter.'' Charles nodded his head and continued to erase the kid''s memories. He learned about the localnguage, then about this Faith Realm''s geography, then about the nearby kingdoms, and so on.


    Although some souls tried to attack him as he erased the kid''s memories, he waved his hand and restrained them with pure wisdom power.


    After ten long minutes, he finally managed to empty the young soul''s Inner World and tossed the young soul away.


    Currently, this soul was no better than a newborn soul!


    Then, he closed his eyes, changed his soul form into elemental form, and left the Astral ne.


    At that moment, the elite knights of the Ammar Dynasty remained on the battlefield and were gathering their weapons, ornaments, and armors of the dead soldiers.


    On the other hand, the baldmander stood 300 meters away from the battlefield and gazed at the evening sky.


    He was thinking about his future.


    ''Once I seed, there is a high chance I would be appointed as a governor of this town. As long as I do my job properly and interfere with Aeras Kingdom''s session, my rewards won''t be less than this whole territory.''


    But suddenly, he sensed a scorching feeling from behind and turned around in surprise.


    His elite soldiers also got startled by the sudden burning feeling and looked at the center of the battlefield.


    Meanwhile, a ball of reddish me suddenly appeared above Daniel''s dead body and started to transform into a humanoid shape. It was made entirely of red fire, had eerie white eyes, two horns, and crimson wings, and looked scarier.


    Upon seeing such a strange creature, all the elite soldiers took a step back in unison and unsheathed their weapons.


    On the other hand, Charles looked at his me body, then pointed his finger at Daniel''s dead body and cast [Incinerate] spell.


    The next instant, a ray of crimson me came out of his hand,nded on the dead body, and soon disintegrated it into pure mes!


    ''I''ve to create the elemental heart sooner.'' He muttered inwardly and soon started to shape-shifted into a physical form.


    In seconds, the me body started to transform and soon formed into an appearance of a blonde-haired kid.


    Charles looked at his naked body, then squatted down a little and picked up the long sword from the bloody ground.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards 70 plus frozen soldiers and smiled.


    "Scared already?" He asked while casting [Arcane Eyes] skill and analyzed their strength.


    ''47 elite soldiers are Expert Knights while the remaining 18 are Crystal Knights.'' Charles calmly studied their movements and finally locked his gaze on the baldmander.


    ''His physical strength is almost simr to a Rank-4 Mystic. A Radiant Knight, huh!''


    Meanwhile, a dead silence appeared on the battlefield.

 Chapter 410: Goddess Zaqiel

    <h4>Chapter 410: Goddess Zaqiel</h4>


    Finally, the baldmander woke up from the shock, held his spear tighter, and asked.


    "Who are you?"


    His voice contained a trace of panic.


    "Me?" A rare smile appeared on his childish face as he pointed his finger at his chest and then added with a smirk.


    "I''m a God!"


    The next instant, a gloomy atmosphere appeared on the battlefield.


    It was as if his reply had hit their sore spot. The next instant, the soldiers also tightened their weapons and looked at him with an icy look on their faces.


    In truth, Charles knew the reason for their anger and felt amused inside¡­


    Unlike Edhen, all the inhabitants in this Faith Realm worship a single higher being called Zaqiel.


    She was their Goddess, the God, the Omnipotent Being, Creator, Deity, and everything!


    She controlled the domains of Light and Truth and was considered Al-Mighty in this Faith Realm.


    Two millennia ago, a mysterious woman with grey wings descended from the sky, released the enved humans from demons, and changed the barbaric lives of everyone. She taught everyone aboutws, rules, created order in society, and even wrote a book about how a human should live. Then, she also unified the human tribes living in this continent and created a singlerge empire called the ''Fallen Empire.'' When the humans asked the reason for suggesting a negative name, she told them that no true empire existed forever and revealed her identity as a Fallen Angel. She was a being who got corrupted by the power of Chaos and Evil and thenter chased out by her family members.


    But the humans of the Faith Realm epted her truthfully and started worshipping her as their Goddess. For them, she was one and the only omnipotent Goddess. The Faith Realm inhabitants may tolerate if someone insults theirnguage or culture, but not their Goddess Zaqiel. She was their hope, strength, weakness, and everything!


    Moreover, the Fallen Empire was the first and thest Empire created in this Faith Realm.


    Goddess Zaqiel stayed in this realm for more than a century and finally left, leaving the Empire under human control. But after a few centuries, the Fallen Empire broke into five parts and became dynasties. Then, the humans waged war against each other and split into more groups.


    s, their faith in their Goddess hadn''t decreased one bit.


    That''s why the whole realm was named Faith Realm!


    Even though Zaqiel was considered a demon all over the universe, she was worshipped here as a Goddess.


    ''An Angel, huh.'' Charles shook his head.


    ''My first goal is to find out more information about this Angel.''


    At that moment, the baldmander finally let out a deep sigh and spoke in a chilling voice.


    "Kill him!"


    Simultaneously, he gripped his spear, infused the spear tip with a greenish aura, and threw it in Charles''s direction at full speed.


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows and cast Rank-4 [Sun''s Guard] spell.


    A secondter, a sunshine shield appeared around his body andpletely enveloped him.


    Simultaneously, the aura-coated spear appeared in front of his face and collided with the sunshineyer.


    An explosive sound resounded on the battlefield, followed by multiple cracks.


    Upon seeing this, surprise shed on Charles''s face.


    ''Heh, this green aura is powerful enough to break a Rank-4 spell, huh.'' But Charles wasn''t worried in the slightest.


    Just as the sunshineyer was about to break, the cracked areas suddenly started to regenerate and then appeared as good as new.


    On the other hand, the greenish aura on the spear tip broke into small fragments and disappeared from his eyes.


    At that moment, the spear also trembled for a moment and then dropped.


    As the baldmander saw this, he couldn''t help but turn gloomy.


    In the meantime, his elite knights also gripped their weapons, coated them with different colors of auras, and dashed forward.


    On the other hand, Charles casually activated [elerate Thoughts] skill and raised his left hand.


    A secondter, thousands of invisible strings spread in all directions, appeared near the running elite knights, started tangling their feet, hands, and bodies, and soon stopped their movements!


    Everyone felt that tens of invisible robes suddenly coiled around their bodies and got panicked.


    These invisible strings even tangled the powerful Radiant Knight. He tried to use his brute strength to break these invisible strings but couldn''t!


    "Didn''t you hear my earlier words?" Charles calmly stepped on the bloody corpses while carrying the long sword and soon arrived before the baldmander.


    "As I said before, I''m a God!" He said in a cold tone and activated [Aura of Dominance] skill.


    A secondter, an invisible ripple came out of his body and spread everywhere.


    Simultaneously, the dmander felt a domineering power was descending from the sky and went pale.


    Before he could think further, his legs went limp, and soon he knelt before Charles!


    The same goes for all the elite soldiers on the battlefield.


    All of them couldn''t keep themselves standing due to the invisible power and started kneeling one by one.


    "That''s more like it." Charles curled his lips upward and looked coldly at the baldmander.


    Meanwhile, the baldmander groaned in pain and spat on the ground.


    "You are nothing more than an evil sorcerer! Light Church will hunt you down for speaking those sphemous words!"


    "Is that so? Then, I''ll eliminate them first."


    Charles said and shed his long sword at the baldmander''s neck.


    The sharp de tore through the air in a blink and sliced the Radiant Knight''s neck.


    The armymander of the Ammar Dynasty died without knowing how!


    Shaking his head, he shifted his attention towards the frozen knights, raised his hand, and pulled all the invisible strings together.


    A momentter, all of them felt that those invisible strings tightened their bodies.


    Before they could utter a cry, those invisible strings sliced their body fleshes, necks, hands, feet, and even cut their bones like sharp iron threads.


    A secondter, all the 70 plus knights were cut into pieces!


    The same goes for some poor horses!


    ''Man, my soul mutation not only increased my lifespan but also upgraded my control over the skills and spells.''


    He even felt that gathering the fire-elemental energy from the surroundings also appeared much smoother than before.


    ''Still, I need to find a suitable sacrifice material sooner andplete the elemental heart ceremony.'' He muttered inwardly, used his wisdom power, and picked up the baldmander''s head with the power of telekinesis.


    Then, he searched for suitable clothes from the dead soldiers and soon found a foot soldier who was the same height as him.


    After that, he removed his dress and wore it. Although bloodstains appeared here and there, he didn''t put too much thought into it.


    "All right. Everything is good." He nodded inwardly, used his wisdom power, and flew in the direction where the Darkwell Town was located.


    After flying for another hour, he finally saw a fortified town up ahead and soon widened his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw more than hundreds of silver-armored men at the town''s entrance and furrowed his brows.


    ''Light Church Knights? What are they doing here? Moreover, how did theye so quick?'' Questions whirled in his head.


    After some thought, he shifted his attention towards the nearby woods and chose tond over there. Then, he silently walked out of the woods and moved forward.


    Along the way, he met many vigers but didn''t say a word.


    Like an angry lion cub, he continued to walk on the dirt road and soon arrived in front of a 4-meter tall gate.


    At that moment, he noticed that the Light Church members stood outside the gate and were ordering the gatekeepers to open the gate.


    As Charles got closer towards the group, he tossed the enemymander''s head into the nearby bush and asked.


    "May I know who the head of this knight squad is?"

 Chapter 411: Bishop of the Light Church

    <h4>Chapter 411: Bishop of the Light Church</h4>


    His childish voice attracted the Light Church''s Knights and the soldiers who stood on the fortified wall.


    But as they saw his shabby look, a few soldiers cried out in surprise.


    "My Lord!" "What happened?!" "Our Young Lord is here! Open the gate!"


    Yes, only a few soldiers shouted from above. Meanwhile, the rest stood on the wall with a stern look and didn''t look at him.


    With a simple nce, anyone could tell that they were foreigners of this territory.


    ''Who are they?'' Charles''s eyebrows rose upward.


    Although Charles saw the Grime ins emblem on their chest, he knew they didn''t belong here.


    .


    ''Outsiders? Who brought them here? Is this the kid''s Teacher''s doing? Yeah, it seems likely the case.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    On the other hand, a white-robed middle-aged man excluded the Light Knights and soon arrived in front of Charles. He had long silver hair, grey eyes, a square face, and seemed to be around 178 cm high. He also held a unique golden staff in his hand and looked more like a church priest.


    He then sized Charles up and down and asked.


    "Are you the Baron of the Grime ins, kiddo?"


    His tone was neither friendly nor impolite. But his face showed clear signs of surprise and shock as he analyzed the bloodstains and wounds on his body.


    ''T-This kid¡­ Did hee from the battlefield?! H-How could these people send such a fragile kid to a battlefield? And, why did Victor want to arrest this kid?'' He couldn''t help but get confused inside.


    "I''m Baron Daniel. May I know who you are?" Charles asked while gripping his sword tighter.


    Noticing his action, the white-robed man raised his eyebrows, gripped the golden staff tighter, and spoke in a deep tone.


    "I''m the Bishop ke of Aetas Kingdom and also the ambassador of the Light Council, Lord Baron. The reason we came here is to inquire about your earlier actions and put you in custody. We received aint from our fellow Bishop that you''ve vited the Light Council rules and harmed the citizens of Ammar Dynasty."


    As he ended his speech, the Light Knights unsheathed their swords and pointed them in his direction.


    Upon seeing this, Charles frowned deeply and shifted his attention towards the surrounding soldiers.


    He could tell that they came here in a hurry and got more confused.


    ''Something isn''t right. Are these guys from Ammar Dynasty''s side? No, they would''vee here. Ammar Dynasty knew that the chance of Daniel and his men defeating their soldiers was close to zero. Moreover, they also appeared to be afraid of this Light Council''s interference. Hmm, this Bishop seemed to have long known about Daniel''s sessful return. What is this strange situation?'' He fell into deep contemtion.


    ''Do I''ve to use my spells here?'' In truth, he didn''t want to use his spells at all.


    One single mistake and others might think of him as a demon or something. Although he wasn''t afraid of these locals, he felt it was necessary to hide information about his magic spells.


    ''That baldmander also said something about the evil sorcerer. Unfortunately, that Daniel kid had no memory of such a job. It seems I''ve no choice but to use it now.''


    He soon shook his head, moved towards the nearby bush, and took out the baldmander''s head from it.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards the white-robed man and tossed it to him.


    "Do you know who this person is?" Charles asked.


    In the meantime, Bishop ke reflexively caught the bald head and soon asked in a trembling voice.


    "Radiant Knight Arlo! How? Who killed him?!" He was beyond shocked by his action.


    At that moment, all the Light Knights showed startled expressions on their faces and looked at each other in confusion.


    They were puzzled about whether to apprehend this young boy or not.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly raised his long sword, pointed the tip at Bishop ke''s neck, and spoke with a nod.


    "I killed him, Mr. ke. Do you want to check it out? I wouldn''t mind cutting your head if you didn''t answer my questions properly."


    He didn''t even bat an eye at the hundreds of Light Knights and threatened him.


    His words caused the Bishop to be frozen stiff.


    As he saw the sharp de touch his smooth skin, cold sweats started dripping down from his forehead.


    ''Oh, dear! We''re toote! This kid had already entered the path of darkness!''


    Before he could think further, Charles locked his gaze on Bishop ke and asked a question.


    "Who told you toe here and arrest me?"


    But just as ke was about to open his mouth, he suddenly forgot what he was about to say!


    In the meantime, a few pieces of information appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''Oh? A Bishop from the Light Kingdom told him to arrest me? If not, he even told this Bishop to stay in this town and monitor my every action? Also, he predicted that Daniel would turn into an evil human consumed by darkness? Who is he?'' Surprise shed on his face.


    ''It seems this world isn''t a normal one. So, there is already a human who predicted the change in the timeline? Is he a Seer?''


    While he was in muse, Bishop ke''s face went pale as white.


    ''What is this feeling?! Why am I trembling?'' He gulped down his saliva and tried to seek help from the nearby Light Knights.


    Unfortunately, they were also caught off guard by Charles''s action and showed a bitter smile on their faces.


    ''I didn''t sign up for this sh*t! Damn it, Victor! I shouldn''t have trusted that maniac''s words and came here in a hurry to arrest this kid.''


    While he was cursing the main culprit in his mind, Charles pressed the sword tip against his neck and made a small cut.


    "You still haven''t told me about this Radiant Knight Arlo, Mr. Bishop." He added.


    Upon sensing the sharp pain, Bishop ke got panicked inside and responded in a hurry.


    "He is the seventh division''s submander of Ammar Dynasty and is responsible for reconnaissance missions, Lord Baron."


    This time, he even responded politely and showed a nervous look on his face. Although two Radiant Knights were apanying him this time for protection, they weren''t helping him at all.


    Meanwhile, a pleased smile appeared on Charles''s young face.


    If they hadn''t seen him upfront, they would never believe that there exists a young kid with such ferocity and cunningness.


    "Submander, is it? Why did hee to my territory with his army soldiers? Wait. Could it be your Light Kingdom is allying with the Ammar Dynasty to overthrow Aetas Kingdom''s rule? Now that I think about it, this bald man also said something simr like this." He locked his gaze on Bishop ck and lied without even flinching.


    On the other hand, Bishop took a step back and responded with a stiff smile on his face.


    "N-No, Lord Baron. I think we got the wrong information. We never had an intention to overthrow this kingdom''s rule."


    "Wrong information? What if I didn''t take the enemymander''s head? Wouldn''t you guys arrest me in the name of Light Council and ruin my reputation?" Charles spoke in a cold tone and retracted his sword.


    Then, he nced at the surrounding knights and added.


    "You guys can go back to your home now. If you want to arrest me next time,e with some valid proof. Otherwise, I wouldn''t mind cleaning up the corrupted souls in the name of our Almighty Goddess."


    Saying so, he turned towards the town''s entrance and soon noticed all the citizens were walking out while holding different kinds of weapons in their hands.


    Although they appeared cheering on the outside, he also saw that many were showing nervous expressions on their faces.


    But there was something else that caught his attention most.


    At that moment, he saw more than 50 unusual people among the masses and got surprised a little.


    With his swift observation using the wisdom power, he learned that all of them were powerful Knights.


    Without any dy, he activated his [Arcane eyes] skill and analyzed them one by one.


    ''Oh? 36 Expert Level Knights and 14 Crystal Knights! But they are not the only outsiders.'' He subconsciously turned his gaze towards the fortified wall and noticed more than 30 more unfamiliar Knights standing over there.


    ''They aren''t from Daniel''s territory¡­ No, they are not even the residents of Aetas Kingdom.'' He also saw three of his Teacher''s disciples among the group and felt that this matter hadn''t been over yet.


    On the other hand, Bishop stood there frozen for a while and soon ordered the Light Knights to retract their swords.


    Then, he looked up at the darkened sky, turned his attention towards Charles, and asked with an awkward smile.


    "Can you let us stay in the town till morning, Lord Baron? Although there aren''t any monsters near the Grime ins, we feel unsafe to travel during the night."


    ''Oh? I thought about how to solve these outsiders'' matter but didn''t expect this righteous group would be willing to join in the fun.''


    "As long as you and your knights didn''t disturb the citizens, you are free to feel to stay here. But you''ve to follow the rules of thisnd, though." Charles said in a calm tone, excluded the crowd, and soon arrived at the entrance.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards one of the Teacher''s disciples and ordered.


    "Go and bring Teacher Colt here, Mr. Holden. I''ve something important to tell." He paused for a moment and asked.


    "Where is he now?"


    "H-He is staying in your mansion, D-Daniel." The disciple named Holden answered stiffly.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and stepped into the town. But as he walked further on the main road, many citizens came from different streets and blocked his path before asking him about their family members'' whereabouts.


    Upon seeing such unrest in the town, a deep sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth.


    ''It''s better to act as a good kid for now.'' He nced at the Light Knights and soon spoke.


    "They fought bravely and protected thisnd with their blood and flesh. Without their help, I wouldn''t be standing here. Forgive me."


    His response silenced everyone for a while.


    Then, loud cries of women and children echoed all over the streets.


    Soon, the news about him returning from the battlefield alone spread all over the town.


    Some cursed at their misfortune, while the rest prayed for the Goddess''s protection. s, none of them med Daniel.

 Chapter 412: Decision

    <h4>Chapter 412: Decision</h4>


    While the town was mourning over the loss of hundreds of soldiers, Charles continued to walk towards the mansion house located at Yellow Street.


    There were only five streets located in this small town. They were Potters Street, Market Street, Honor Street, Yellow Street, and finally Church Street.


    Unlike other towns and cities, there was no status quote in this town regarding living. Moreover, most citizens were farmers, merchants, and workers like dress weavers, tailors, potters, woodworkers, etc. So, there was also no discrimination or anything.


    ''It''s a good ce to live a peaceful life.'' He muttered inwardly.


    Unfortunately, Charles had other ns in his mind.


    .


    ''If I want to leave this, I need all the forbidden and secret knowledge in this ne. I have a vague feeling that Light Church might know some information about how to leave the Faith Realm.'' But he was well aware of the difficulties and felt troubled inside.


    ''There is also this guy named Victor¡­ He seemed to have peeked into my future and even sent a Light Bishop to arrest me. I can''t act recklessly and get caught. Although I could kill these Crystal Knights and Radiant Knights, the above rank Saints might pose some serious threat to me. Then, there is the Awakens. I can''t act careless and get myself killed once again.'' He also recalled the mysterious entity''s earlier gaze and decided to act more cautiously.


    ''For now, I should think of a way to recreate the elemental heart. Although I don''t have ritual ingredients, I can create them on my own with the help of Fire Domain. But what I need from the outside is a sacrificial material.'' While thinking, he walked past many houses and soon arrived in front of apound gate. Although a few soldiers and Colt''s disciples still followed after him, he didn''t mind their presence and opened the metallic gate.


    A three-storied building surrounded by a grassy yard appeared in front of his eyes.


    But just as he was about to step inside, two armored knights came from inside and blocked his path. Both of them were Expert Knights and appeared muscr.


    "P-Please wait here for a while, Lord Baron. L-Lord Colt is discussing something privately with your mother." One of the Expert Knights said in a stuttered tone.


    The corner of Charles''s lips twitched as he heard thatme excuse.


    ''Humph, that Radiant Knight and Daniel''s mother are arguing about something. Wait. What''s her name again? Willow, is it?'' He saw everything that was happening in the living hall and soon raised his eyebrows.


    ''Hmm? There is not a single worry in that woman''s eyes. Instead, she is arguing with that Radiant Knight about some key. No, something feels off. This kid''s mother doesn''t look like a good person. Moreover, why is she giving more importance towards a random key than her own son''s life?'' He frowned deeply and continued to listen to their conversation.


    ''A key to the ancestral hallway? Isn''t that the ce where the Pioneer Knight''s body was buried? Although Daniel hasn''t been to that secret ce, he had heard about it from his mother. Hmm, she seems to be the only one who knew a little about that secret ce.'' As he continued to eavesdrop on their conversation, he vaguely understood the reason behind Colt''s betrayal.


    ''So, Colt came here under the order of Duke Michel and second prince of Aetas to find more about the Pioneer Knight''s secret, huh. Although he may be just a Pioneer Knight, he and his descendant managed to eradicate all the demon monsters and even built a town here. That''s not a normal task. From the looks of it, this Duke and second prince appeared to have formed some agreement with the Ammar Dynasty. In exchange for the secret hiding inside the ancestral hall, Duke and the second prince gave this territory to Ammar Dynasty, huh.'' A look of understanding appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''Then, what is hidden in the ancestral hall? Is it more important than the whole territory? Why isn''t that Radiant Knight using forceful methods to snatch the key from Willow?'' He couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows in suspicion.


    Without any dy, he released his wisdom power, scanned the whole town, and soon shifted his attention towards an old house in Potters Street.


    At that moment, he noticed some invisible power blocked his wisdom power from scanning further into that house!


    ''What is that strange blocking? Hmm, the outer structure looks familiar. A soul barrier?'' He was startled


    ''It is even capable of blocking my wisdom? This ce is where the Ancestral Hall is located, huh.'' At that moment, he knew that this world had many secrets.


    ''Hmm, what should I do in this situation? The Ancestral Hall has something important like an artifact or a sorcerer-rted thing.''


    Normally, he would kill Colt and all other outsiders and search for more secrets about this Ancestral Hall. But if he does that now, the Light Bishop would use that as a chance to stay here.


    He furrowed his brows and soon exhaled deeply.


    ''So what? One way or another, I''ll end up invading the Light Kingdom and looting the Light Church. So, there is no point in being low-key now.''


    As that thought crossed his head, he raised his hand, cast [Sleight of the Mystery Hand] skill, and released invisible strings.


    Before those two gatekeepers could understand the situation, countless invisible strings came from all directions and bound them.


    Then, he unsheathed his long sword and swiftly decapitated their heads.


    Upon seeing this, Colt''s disciples got shocked, and soon one of them shouted in anger.


    "What are you doing, Daniel-?"


    Before he could even finish his words, a sharp cut appeared on his neck.


    The same goes for the other two disciples of the Radiant Knight.


    All of them gripped their necks in unison and stared at Charles with a disbelief look on their faces.


    Meanwhile, blood gushed out of their necks and drenched their dresses.


    Before long, all of them staggered backward and fell on by one.


    "Well, that ended smoothly." Charles nodded calmly, stepped on the concrete path, walked past the outer yard, and appeared before the building''s entrance.


    He opened the wooden gate, walked on the ceramic tiled floor, and soon arrived near the living room''s entrance.


    But instead of walking inside, he cast [Conceal] skill on himself, went on a stealth mode, and shifted his attention towards the two people.


    Currently, the Radiant Knight Colt sat on a wooden chair and was staring at Willow Louet. He was a man in his 40s, had brown hair, a stern face that could scare off a child at any time, and wore silver armor above his linen clothes.


    Meanwhile, Willow sat on the Lawson Sofa and stared at the fruit ss ced on the coffee table. She appeared to be around 35-years-old, had ck hair, a heart-shaped face, fair skin, emerald eyes, and wore a x linen bridesmaid dress. With a single look, anyone could tell that she was in deep thoughts.


    After some time, Willow raised her head, looked at the Radiant Knight Colt, and spoke.


    "I''ve long agreed to give that key, Mr. Colt. But you broke the promise and sent Daniel to the battlefield instead of protecting him. You should''ve known the importance of his life, right? Without him, you can''t open the ancestral hall at all. Nah, even finding that ce is impossible without Daniel." Her voice was sharp and cold.


    On the other hand, Radiant Knight Colt went silent for a moment and spoke.


    "Lord Duke has a sorcerer to do that job. As long as you give that key, our job will be over. As for whether that sorcerer manages to find out the location of the ancestral hall or not, it''s none of our business."


    "It''s easy for you to say, Mr. Knight. I''ve been acting as the Baron''s wife for five f*cking years to get that key from him, but you ended up ruining everything. Moreover, you are telling me to believe your words? I will never believe that Duke or you and your men. If I give that key to you, my head would be rolling in this room the next minute." Willow refuted.


    A strange silence appeared in the room.

 Chapter 413: Demon

    <h4>Chapter 413: Demon</h4>


    Colt opened his mouth to say something but soon stopped. After a short deliberation, he let out a deep sigh and asked.


    "What''s your demand?"


    Just as Willow was about to respond, she suddenly squinted her eyes and took out a strange red core from her pocket. It was as if she sensed a dangerous premonition!


    On the other hand, the Radiant Knight Colt wore a startled look, gripped his sword hilt, and stared at her cautiously.


    "What are you trying to do?" He asked.


    Instead of responding, Willow turned her gaze towards the entrance and asked in a cold tone.


    "Who is it? Come out!"


    Upon hearing this, Radiant Knight''s eyes widened¡­


    Before he could stand up from his seat, a human figure walked into the room, startling both of them.


    The figure was 155 cm tall, had blonde hair, and wore a blood-stained linen cloth.


    He was none other than Charles.


    "Daniel?!" Willow stood up from her seat in surprise and shock. The same goes for the Radiant Knight Colt!


    Without minding their shock, Charles walked towards the center of the room and finally locked his gaze on Willow.


    "Who are you?" While asking, he sized her up and down and cast [Arcane Eyes] skill on her.


    In truth, he had many opportunities to scan her, but he refrained from doing so because of his forewarning skill. If he had scanned her, things would''ve gone much moreplicated. In the worst-case scenario, she would have escaped.


    ''She has a skill that could alert her when she is in danger, huh.'' He muttered inwardly and then looked at the blue interface.


    ¡­


    [Name: Irzoch (True Name: ????????)


    Race: Demon (Demon Sorcerer)


    Age: 463 years


    Gender: Female


    Bloodline: Skinwalker


    Rank: 4


    Health points: 451/451


    Attributes:


    Strength - 20


    Agility - 22


    Constitution - 21


    Wisdom- 62


    Charisma - 16


    Bloodline Spells:


    Skin-Change


    Mind Possession


    Supreme Senses


    Instant Regeneration


    Vicious Form


    Superior Eyesight


    Ageless Body


    Unique skills


    Advanced Swordsmanship


    Demon Tongue]


    ¡­


    "Oh? A warlock, huh. Moreover, you have the Skinwalker Bloodline. Is this some Demon Bloodline?" Charles''s words caused Irzoch''s face to stiffen up.


    She instantly opened her arms wide, leaped backward, and soonnded a few feet away from the sofa.


    "Vicous Form." Her voice turned hoarse as she muttered those words.


    Simultaneously, her skin started to shed everywhere and revealed an eerie ckish skin. Her body also turned bulkier, her eyes turned pitch ck, and even a long reddish tail appeared behind her back!


    At this moment, she looked more like a Demon than a Human!


    As Charles saw this demonic form, he couldn''t help but show a surprised look on his face.


    "Where are you from? Abyss?" He continued to ask questions, full of curiosity.


    On the other hand, Irzoch moved towards the nearby table, took the long sword from the drawer, and unsheathed it.


    Then, she held it with both hands, enveloped it with a reddish aura, and asked.


    "H-How did you know my identity?" While asking, she subconsciously turned her gaze towards the frozen Radiant Knight and made a loud hiss.


    It looked more like a snake hissing at its hunter!


    "I didn''t tell him." The Radiant Knight Colt shook his head and turned his gaze towards Charles.


    "How did you manage to escape from Sub-Commander Arlo?" There was no sign of fear appearing on his face. Instead, he asked him in an ordering tone.


    On the other hand, Charles raised his sword and mimicked the technique he learned from the original Daniel.


    ''If I''m not wrong, it''s a peculiar power to form an aura around the weapon¡­Should I try coating the weapon with rebirth me?'' A thought whirled in his head.


    As he put that into practice, a strange form of reddish me enveloped the long sword. But at that moment, Charles saw countless fire streaks sh and started destroying the long sword itself.


    ''I still need control over this Rebirth me. But can this me harm my opponent?'' He wasn''t sure of it.


    Without any dy, he moved his hand, aimed at the Radiant Knight''s neck, and shed at him.


    Then, he retracted his weapon and then shifted his attention towards the Demon.


    At that moment, the Radiant Knight showed a confused look and was about to ask a question but froze.


    "What-?"


    At that moment, a neat cut appeared on his neck.


    No, a simr cut appeared on his consciousness and also on his soul form!


    He tried to move his hands towards his neck but couldn''t!


    Blood gushed out of his neck and sttered in all directions while painting the floor. He then staggered with a disbelief look on his face and soon fell backward with a thudding sound.


    Painful moans and grunts came out of his mouth as he tried his best to look at the Demon for help.


    Unfortunately, the Demon''s eyes were fixed on Charles. A strange fear appeared in Irzoch''s heart.


    She saw how this kid managed to kill off the Radiant Knight a while ago and became petrified inside.


    ''Just by waving his sword, he created an eerie red sword aura and controlled it to an unimaginable level! What the hell is happening? Who is this monster?'' At that moment, she knew that he wasn''t the Daniel she knew a few hours ago!


    "W-What do you want?!" She asked in the same hoarse voice while taking a step back.


    On the other hand, Charles calmly studied her and cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    A momentter, Irzoch felt that the fear in her heart grew exponentially, followed by a severe headache!


    Her head became dizzy, causing her to stumble back and forth.


    At that moment, she saw that the person in front of her had started to change.


    His whole body suddenly got enveloped in a reddish me, and he had eerie horns, white eyes, and looked more like a me demon from the legends. But what shocked Irzoch was not the elemental form but the two crimson wings that appeared behind his back!


    "W-What are you?" She asked. Her face was full of fear and shock.


    Simultaneously, her legs went limp suddenly, and she knelt on the floor while trembling uncontrobly.


    In the meantime, Charles walked towards her and soon stopped as he arrived in front of her.


    "You may call me whatever you want. But from now on, I''m your master." His childish yet sinister voice echoed in her ears.


    Just as his voice ended, the ck thread that linked to her dark space suddenly glowed.


    Simultaneously, those words entered her Inner World and were engraved in the depths of her soul.


    She subconsciously lowered her head and trembled uncontrobly.


    At that moment, countless questions appeared in her mind.


    ''What is this strange being? Is he a me Sorcerer? No, I never heard of anyone turning into a pure being made of fire! Could it be? Did hee from the Abyss itself?'' She thought of the legends about the pure bloodline demons and felt scared a little.


    After staying in the same position for ten continuous seconds, she finally made up her mind and decided to serve this new master!


    ''Whether he is a me Demon or a powerful me Sorcerer, he is powerful enough to kill a Radiant Knight in a blink. Even the Saint Ezra of Aeras Kingdom would find it difficult to kill a Radiant Knight with a single sh! But this being did it so casually.'' At that moment, she thought of the ''Awakens'' and shuddered involuntarily.


    ''This being is either an Awaken or a powerful me Sorcerer.'' But she also felt that this being might be a simr one as the Goddess Zaqiel. Even she got surprised by her fantasized thinking and shook her head. But that sensation grew continuously.


    ''W-Wait. It''s impossible for this being to be as powerful as Goddess Zaqiel. She is beautiful, sacred, and is kind. But this being appeared to be sinister, evil, and appears more like a Demon!'' She instantly stopped her thinking, stabbed the long sword on the floor, and bowed her head.


    "Irzoch greets the Demon of Fire!" Her voice contained a trace of reverence.


    In the meantime, Charles waved his hand, returned to Daniel''s appearance, and nodded his head.


    "You can stand up now." Saying so, he turned around, walked towards the Lawson sofa, and sat on it.


    On the other hand, Irzoch stood up staggeringly and soon walked towards him.


    "What are your orders, My Lord?" She asked. Even though her voice appeared hoarse, Charles felt politeness in her tone.


    Without minding her demonic look, he leaned his back against the sofa and spoke.


    "Tell me more about this Ancestral Hall. What is hiding in that ce? How did Duke Michel and the second prince know of it?"


    Upon hearing his words, Irzoch moved her hand into her chest area, took out a golden key from it, and gave it to him.


    "This is the only thing that Baron Braxton gave it to me before he went to participate in the battle of Mountain Falls."


    "Oh? Did you guys orchestrate a n to kill him?" Charles caught the golden key and asked casually.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch''s expression stiffened up. She then made a forced smile and responded in a stutter.


    "Y-Yes, My Lord. But Duke Michel was the one who executed the whole n. My job is to get the key and remain hidden."


    "Why didn''t you enter the Ancestral Hall with this key? That kid Daniel must''ve been staying with you all this time, right?" Charles asked.


    "Yes, My Lord. But before he turns 15 years old, it''s impossible to find the location of the Ancestral Hall. That''s what I heard from Baron Braxton." Irzoch responded truthfully.


    In the meantime, Charles raised his eyebrows, nodded his head, and then shifted his attention towards the golden key.


    Although it appeared just like some regr key, Charles noticed some mysterious power hidden in it.


    ''Essence power? Yes, this looks simr to the ones in my Rebirth me. But instead of the fire element, the thing hidden in the golden key is apletely different element.'' He closed his eyes, enveloped the golden key with his wisdom power, and analyzed it.


    Soon, a surprised expression appeared on his face.


    ''Power of nature? Hmm? There is another power hiding in this key. Oh? The power of knowledge? Wisdom?'' Although it appeared at a minute level, Charles managed to perceive it vaguely.


    After studying the golden key for a while, he nodded and learned a few more things.


    ''This key has some scanning mechanism to analyze the person''s age, their eyes, fingerprint, blood, and so on. Not only that, but it also has some map-like mechanism to guide the legacy owner to the destined ce. A map to the Ancestral Hall, huh.'' He was surprised inside.


    Charles then stored the golden key in his pocket and asked another question.


    "What are you? Are you a human? Or, a Demon?"


    "I was a Human, My Lord. Four centuries ago, I had a fortunate encounter with a roaming Demon Sorcerer. He told me about an organization named "Brigade of Skin Imps" and even invited me to join. That''s how I entered the world of Demon Sorcerers. Once I joined the organization, they injected a serum into my veins and turned me into an Imp. It''s a low-level Demon form. I struggled during my early days and increased my skills while taking many dangerous missions. After so many years, I managed to reach this ce." She said with a proud look on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles thought of another question and asked her.


    "Are there any real Demon in this world? Do you know anything about them?"


    "Although there are no real Demons in this world, I heard that those who get past the realm of Awakens could enter a new world. It was a world where powerful true demons roam everywhere." An instant response came from her.


    "Abyss? There is a connection from this world to Abyss?" Charles''s interest piqued all of a sudden.


    "Yes, My Lord. But I don''t know much about where this connection ce is located."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles heaved a deep sigh and soon fell into deep thoughts.

 Chapter 414: Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 414: Meeting</h4>


    After a minute of long silence, he looked at Irzoch and spoke in an ordering tone.


    "Change back to your human form."


    She chanted a verse in an unknownnguage like an obedient child and cast her [Skin Change] bloodline spell.


    A secondter, her skin returned to normal, her tail turned shrunken, and soon she returned to her previous self.


    Then, she went to the right side bedroom, lit up themp candle using a matchstick, and moved towards the wardrobe.


    Soon, she opened it with a screech and started changing her torn cloth into a kirtle. After that, she took out a brown cowl from the wardrobe and wore it over her head like a hoodie.


    Then, she walked out of the bedroom after extinguishing themp and soon arrived in front of Charles¡­


    "Good. Take this corpse and follow me." Charles said as he pointed his finger at the fallen Radiant Knight.


    Then, he stood up from his seat, walked out of the living room, and soon exited the building through the front entrance.


    At that moment, the sky had already turned darker, and a single moon appeared in the eastern sky.


    ''It''s been a long time since I saw a white moon.'' He looked at the sky and muttered in amazement.


    In the meantime, Irzoch dragged the corpse from inside and soon appeared next to him. Although blood continued to stain the tiled floor, she didn''t mind anything and obeyed his order.


    "Let''s go." Charles soon retracted his gaze from the dark sky and started walking towards thepound gate.


    At that moment, a few armored soldiers and civilians looked at the Colt''s disciples'' and foreign Knights'' corpses from outside thepound gate and showed shocked expressions on their faces.


    Shouts and gasps of the nearby citizens echoed everywhere.


    Although a young man tried to enter inside to look closer, other soldiers pulled him back and warned him to act cautiously.


    Charles also saw two foreign Knights among the group and asked with a frown.


    "Who are those foreigners? Are they Duke Michel''s men?"


    In the meantime, Irzoch dragged the Radiant Knight''s corpse, reached the grassy yard, and answered in a polite tone.


    "I also don''t know much about them, My Lord. But I once heard that Duke Michel has a special squad full of foreign Knights. They were trained from childhood and are extremely loyal to that man. What''s more surprising is that they are elites when ites to strategic battles." She deliberated for a moment and then continued with a solemn look on her face.


    "These guys appeared simr to that group. If you''ve any n on recruiting them, I wouldn''t rmend them, My Lord. They are trained to even act as loyal guards to the enemies. They will stick to you like loyal guards and will betray you when the right timees."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles couldn''t help but show a surprised look on his face.


    ''Then, I want these capable guards at all cost.'' As for loyalty, he already had a method to solve this problem.


    At that moment, those two foreign Knights seemed to have sensed his gaze and looked in the direction where Charles and Irzoch were walking. Even though it was dark outside, they saw everything.


    The next instant, both of their eyes went wide as they saw the Radiant Knight''s corpse!


    On the other hand, Charles and Irzoch quietly walked towards thepound entrance and soon stopped near the gate.


    "Put the Radiant Knight over there," Charles spoke as he pointed his finger at the soldiers'' corpse.


    Then, he opened thepound gate, shifted his gaze towards the armored soldiers, and spoke as he saw the confusion in their eyes.


    "They tried to assassinate me a while ago. Go and tell the gravedigger to dig six graves for these poor souls. Even if they are our enemy, we should give a proper burial to the dead." He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards one of the two foreign Knights, and asked.


    "Isn''t that the right thing to do, Mr. Easton?" Even though he asked with a smile, his childish voice appeared sinister in the Foreign Knight''s ears.


    A strange chill crept up to the foreign Knight''s spine.


    ''What?! How did he know me?!'' This Foreign Knight was a runaway ve butter picked up by one of Duke Michel''s men in the woods. Thanks to his excellent sword skills, that soldier spared his life and brought him to Duke''s mansion. From then onwards, he buried his darkest past and changed his identity under a new name.


    To his surprise, this young Baron managed to find out this secret in a mere second!


    "Don''t be too anxious. Everyone has secrets, young man." Charles paused for a moment as he arrived near the Foreign Knight, ced his hand on his shoulder, and added.


    "Tell yourrades to not leave this town until I say so. Otherwise, this will be their fate."


    At that moment, one of the Darkwell Town''s guards showed a hesitant look and asked in nervousness.


    "B-But when are we going to the battlefield, My Lord? If we didn''t finish the mass funeral ceremony for the fallen soldiers, a great gue may befall on our territory."


    "It''smon for the winners to do the funeral ceremony, My Lord. It''s also written in Goddess Zaqiel''s Order of Truth book. Those who didn''t follow these rules will be considered as an enemy of Light Church." Irzoch whispered in his ears.


    ''Oh? The rule book she wrote to guide humanity?'' He nodded inwardly and then spoke to the same soldier.


    "After burying these guys, go and gather all the remaining soldiers at the town''s entrance. We''ll go back to the battlefield around 9. P.M."


    Then, he also told the soldiers to clean his house and started walking towards Potters Street.


    Irzoch also followed after him after cing the Radiant Knight''s corpse next to other ones, and soon both entered a dark alley.


    After walking for a while, they reached the other end of the alley and finally entered Potters Street.


    But just as Charles stepped on the Potters Street road, he suddenly saw a group of Light Knights standing in front of an old house entrance and got startled.


    It was the same house where the Ancestral Hall''s entrance was located!


    He also noticed that Bishop ke was discussing something with the house owner and got a bad premonition.


    Without any dy, he fastened his footsteps and soon arrived near the group of silver-armored knights.


    At that moment, Bishop ke also noticed his arrival and greeted him with a smile.


    Then, he turned his face serious and asked.


    "What happened, Lord Baron? Is there anything I can help you with?"


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and shifted his attention towards the house owner.


    He was a man in his 80s, had long white hair, skinny, and his face was filled with full of wrinkles. Currently, he wore an old linen shirt and pants and held a wooden stick in his hand. Moreover, his eyes appeared red, and his cheeks were a little swollen. With a swift nce, Charles knew that this man was crying a while ago.


    "Elder Rhett? Are they troubling you?" He asked.


    Before the old man could respond, Bishop ke let out a fake cough and interjected.


    "Ahem, we just now rented his house for 1 gold 60 silvers for the next 30 days, Lord Baron."


    On the other hand, the old man wore a forced smile on his face and nodded his head.


    "Y-Yes, Young Master. I also don''t have much money due to the death of my both sons. So, I thought of renting the first floor and the basement to save up some money for the winter season." His voice contained a trace of sadness and pain.


    At that moment, Charles was utterly stunned inside.


    ''Of all the houses in this town, why did Light Bishop choose this one?'' He couldn''t help but get suspicious.


    ''Is this also the work of the mysterious Victor?'' A strange sense of wariness appeared in his mind.


    ''What should I do now? Kill them?'' But he instantly dismissed that idea. If he kills them now, there was a high chance that the Light Kingdom would send an army of Light Knights to this territory. Although this territory was under Aetas Kingdom''s rule, the second prince had already discarded this territory.


    ''Moreover, I''m not strong enough to face a whole nation.''


    He may be powerful enough to kill 100 Crystal Knights or even more, but he was still a single man. Against an army of powerful Knights and the mysterious sorcerers, he would stand no chance.


    ''I still need time to learn more about this world. Going offensive is not an option. There is also this seer named Victor lurking in the Light Kingdom.'' As that thought crossed his mind, he raised his head, locked his gaze on Bishop ke, and cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    A secondter, an eerie fire thread entered Bishop ke''s dark space and attached to him.


    After that, Charles nced at the Light Knights group and asked.


    "Why don''t you use my two guest houses for staying? They arerge enough to amodate more than 50 people and are still maintained properly. If Father ke is nning on staying here for a month, those two guest houses should be a better choice."


    Bishop ke went speechless as he heard those words. After a short deliberation, he wore a troubled look on his face and responded hesitantly.


    "But we already paid rent for this house, Lord Baron. If we back away now, wouldn''t we break our promise?"


    On the other hand, Charles waved his hand and spoke.


    "Let Elder Rhett keep the rent money." He paused for a moment, turned his gaze towards the old man, and added with a smile.


    "I''m sorry for not protecting your two sons, Elder Rhett. But I''ll not repeat the same mistake. I''ve grown stronger than before. I''ll use my blood to protect you and your other family members." He said in a solemn tone.


    At that moment, Irzoch also nodded her head and even gave five gold coins from her pouch.


    "You are a good person, Lord Baron," Bishop kemented with a smiling face and soon turned solemn.


    "Lord Baron, can you tell me what happened on the battlefield? Also, did your family members offend someone from our Light Church? In truth, someone sent me here to cause trouble for you." He said.


    In the meantime, Charles showed a surprised expression on his face and asked more about this person.


    Bishop didn''t hide anything due to the sudden friendliness towards Charles and spilled everything.


    Unfortunately, Bishop ke only knew of him as a gambling addict and his bad reputation among the church members. He also told Charles about how he got the Bishop title using family ties.


    After another 15 minutes of talking, Bishop and other Light Knights bade farewell to Charles and went in the opposite direction.


    On the other hand, the frown on Charles''s head deepened.


    ''Is he some kind of newly awakened seer?'' After some thought, he decided to deal with himter.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards Elder Rhett and asked.


    "Elder Rhett, can you take us to your basement?"

 Chapter 415: Sorcerers

    <h4>Chapter 415: Sorcerers</h4>


    Potters Street, Darkwell Town, Aetas Kingdom, Faith Realm.


    At that moment, Charles and Irzoch stepped down on the wooden stairs while holding a candle in their hands and soon reached the basement.


    The basement was around 20*20 ft. Although it was a basement in name, only some cotton bags and a few wheat bags appeared inside. Charles even saw some strange engravings on the opposite wall and frowned.


    "The production of wheat and paddy are reduced to half due to heavy rainfall, My Lord. Moreover, the water level of the Well River also increased during that time and flooded most of the agriculturalnds." Noticing his frown, Irzoch misunderstood him and then gave him a short exnation.


    As he heard her exnation, Charles suddenly thought of something and asked.


    .


    "Do you know of any special item that has a mysterious power? Like an artifact or armor?"


    "Mysterious power?" Irzoch tilted her head in confusion and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    "I indeed heard of some materials that has extraordinary powers, My Lord. If I''m not wrong, even our Duke Michel posses a strange artifact called Shield of Faith. I also heard him saying that artifact as a Goddess''s Shield."


    ''Oh? Goddess''s Shield, huh. Let''s see if I can steal it from him.'' But he decided to act cautiously.


    ''First, I''ll focus on opening this Ancestral Hall and then think of a n to steal that artifact.''


    While thinking, Charles stepped forward continuously and soon arrived in front of the wall.


    But just as he tried to touch it, some invisibleyer appeared around it and blocked his hand from moving further!


    As Irzoch saw this scene, she couldn''t help but let out a surprised gasp.


    All this time, she was confused by her new master''s action but didn''t question him.


    She thought that her master came here for another purpose. But the sudden appearance of an invisible shield in some random house startled her greatly.


    ''W-What is this magicalyer? A high-level sorcery?'' She also took a few steps forward and got closer to the invisibleyer.


    On the other hand, Charles activated the [Arcane Eyes] skill, looked at the soul barrier, and started analyzing it.


    Fifteen minutes passed in a blink, but still, he made no progress.


    ''The Pioneer Knight was definitely a sorcerer who excelled in Nature Magic, Wisdom Skill, and sword arts.'' Yes, Charles also saw the presence of the strange golden sword aura in the soul barrier and felt like he was facing a high-level spell full of essences.


    ''I can break thisyer if I spent enough time¡­ No, what I need is to hack these essences using Daniel''s blood and force my way into the Ancestral Hall.'' At that moment, he suddenly thought of another thing and asked.


    "Irzoch, can you tell me more about the Knights? How to be a Knight? What are those Awaken stones?"


    Indeed, he had no information regarding those Awaken Stones and the Awaken process. Although Daniel indeed attended the awakening ceremony, most of his memories appeared vague. It was as if some mysterious fog was blocking him from learning more about this stone.


    Upon hearing his words, Irzoch got startled a little and responded with a nod.


    "Awaken stones are mostly found in famous churches, My Lord. As for their origin, I once read in a history book that these stones were creations of our Goddess. Before she left, she passed down the Knight techniques, sword art books and these Awaken stones as protections for the humans."


    "What can these Awaken Stones do?" Charles asked while continuing to analyze the soul barrier.


    Irzoch went silent for a moment and then answered politely.


    "They awaken your physical body''s full potential, My Lord. For example, increasing one''s body strength without any magical techniques or other creature''s blood essence is an impossible task. But when you go through the awaken process, this awaken stone will break the limitations of your physical body and also increase your body connection with the elemental affinity. That''s how the auras are formed. But there are also many restrictions there. For example, if you have a good ''earth'' elemental affinity, you''ve to find Earth Awaken stone toplete the awaken process. Also, if you have only an average earth elemental affinity, you will face physical limitations after bing an Expert Knight."


    ''Oh? This stone seems to be simr function as potions. But can it help my body to go through any changes?'' He felt it was worth a try.


    "Then, what about sorcerers? How did they appear here? Are they all bloodline Warlocks?" Charles asked the following question. In truth, he was very eager to know about this group. Compared to the Knights, Sorcerers were the most dangerous people in his eyes.


    "There are three types of sorcerers out there, My Lord. First one is Elemental Shamans. But unlike you, they need to recite chant if they want to cast powerful spells. Although they were weak when itpares to everyone, their role in battles are very huge. As long as they had given enough time, they would cast their magic spells endlessly and cause destructions to the enemy nation. That''s why they face continuous assassination threats from enemy nations. But as long as they managed to deepen their link with the nature elements, they won''t need to chant and they could cast the high-level spells instantaneously. As for their origin, they only appeared after the fall of the Fallen Empire." She deliberated for a moment, took a deep breath, and then continued.


    "The second one is the Demon Sorcerers or Evil Sorcerers. Like the name suggest, we use evil means to gather citizens'' souls and sacrifice them to our respective High-Rank Demon to obtain strength. As long as we sacrifice enough souls, we''ll receive a permanent boost in our strength. As for when the Demon Sorcerers appear in this ne, I actually don''t know much about it. Some says that these demonic organizations are there even before the arrival of our Goddess. Unfortunately, there are no valid proofs to their ims."


    "Then, the final one is called ''Druids.'' Among the three, they are the mysterious group of people and their origin is still unknown to us. In my 400 plus years of lifetime, I still haven''t seen any of them and only heard about them from others. But from what I heard from others, they seemed to control nature and even talk to animals. Among the three, these Druids are the peace loving people and rarelye out from the Eastern Hills."


    ''Interesting. So, that Pioneer Knight was a Druid, huh.'' Charles subconsciously turned his gaze towards the invisibleyer and nodded his head in understanding.


    ''From the looks of it, it will take some time for me to study this soul barrier. Hmm, it''s better to go back andplete the funeral ceremony.'' He muttered inwardly and then spoke.


    "Irzoch, you are responsible for guarding this basement from now on. Whether you buy this house using all of Baron''s savings or rent this house for a year, I want you to getplete control over this house. Find a better house for the old man and his family members and send them there."


    "I''ll take care of this matter, My Lord." An instant response came out of Irzoch''s mouth.


    After staying in the basement for another hour, Charles went upstairs and soon left the old house. Then, he moved towards the town''s entrance and saw more than 100 people gathered there. Some held shovels, some held picks, and some carried spears, and so on.


    To his surprise, even those Foreign Knights stood outside the gate and appeared to be holding different kinds of equipment for digging. Without their leaders, they looked more like clueless people.


    Charles didn''t waste his time over talking and hurriedly mounted on the nearby horse. Then, he whipped the horse and rode it deep into the darkness. In the meantime, other soldiers and Foreign Knights also followed after him and reached the Grime ins'' border after two hours of horse riding.


    Once they reached the bloody battlefield, all of them climbed down from their horses and started searching for their rtives or family members'' bodies. In the meantime, the foreign Knights lit the fire torches and ced them in different parts of the battlefield.


    After that, everyone gathered together under the order of Charles and started digging arge graveyard at the center.


    After four hours of hard work, they dug arge graveyard, ced all those corpses together, and buried them. Although some people buried their rtives or family members separately, most chose to bury all the bodies together.


    Then, a few retired soldiers came forward, lit multiple candles at the center, and started singing a mourning song. Meanwhile, young men and foreign soldiers came forward, knelt beside the old knights, and joined them.


    Only Charles stood a few meters away from them and watched their funeral ritual in silence.


    They continued to sing till the arrival of dawn light,pleted the funeral ceremony, and finally returned to the Darkwell Town.


    After that, Charles stayed in the old house in Potters Street for the next few days and analyzed the entrance path to the Ancestral Hall.

 Chapter 416: Victor

    <h4>Chapter 416: Victor</h4>


    Light Church, Saint Town, Kingdom of Light, Faith Realm.


    It was around 7 A.M.


    At that moment, an armored Knight arrived in front of the dome-shaped church building and jumped down from his grey horse. He looked around 30 years old, had wavy blonde hair, a round face, a hawk nose, and thick eyebrows. He also appeared muscr and wore iron armor over his linen clothes. If someone looks at his shoulder guard, they would see blood stains and w scratches. His sheathed long sword also appeared bloody.


    He was none other than Bishop Victor!


    After his transmigration, Victor made a swift n, sent out a few orders to the Bishop of Aetas Kingdom, and created some obstacles for Baron Daniel. Then, he organized a knight squad, moved towards Shelsby Covert, and searched for a secret hideout called ''Grey Cavern¡­'' Although the journey was a little dangerous because of wild wolves, his elite guards managed to kill them all and even found the cavern after three days of search. Then, he entered the cavern, looted the dead sorcerer''s belongings, and returned to the Saint Town.


    Although his action caused dissatisfaction among the elite Light Knights, noneined due to his Bishop title.


    ''But I need to do the awakening process sooner. I already wasted 4 days.'' He grumbled as he arrived in front of the gatekeepers, passed a feather-like emblem to one of them, and stepped into the porch. He entered the church''s nave, walked on the aisle while looking at the side pews, and soon paused as he saw a few people seated on the first pew.


    He then shifted his gaze towards the altar table and saw candles, flowers, and fruits on it.


    They were not sacrificial ritual materials or something, but just offerings. In truth, Goddess Zaqiel was a nature lover and also a vegetarian. When she was in Faith Realm, she only ate fruits and vegetables. Even that was in rare cases. A story also said that she hadn''t eaten anything for five years after her statue fell off due to the heavy rain and killed a young woman.


    After that incident, the Faith Realm people refused to ce statues or portraits inside the Light Church. Idol worshiping was considered taboo in this Realm.


    ''Hmm? Someone already did the offering to our Goddess? It must be the priestess Caroline''s work.'' Victor nodded thoughtfully and was about to move forward but stopped.


    At that moment, a young woman in herte twenties stood up from the first pew and walked towards him with fast steps. She wore a ck habit and also held a red-sealed letter in her hand.


    As she arrived in front of him, she bent her waist a bit and greeted him in a polite tone.


    "Good Morning, Father." Although she didn''t show any contempt on her face, Victor felt distant and cold in her tone. s, he didn''t mind her cold tone and nodded his head in response.


    "A letter came from the Aetas Kingdom, Father. It''s from Bishop ke." She added solemnly and then passed the sealed letter to him.


    Meanwhile, a surprise shed on Victor''s face.


    He soon took the letter from Priestess Caroline''s hand, thanked her, and then walked towards the right-side way. Then, he made a left turn and moved towards the residential hallway.


    After a few minutes of walking on the long corridor, he arrived in front of a wooden door, took out a metallic key, and inserted it into the locker.


    A nging sound echoed as he turned the key towards the right side.


    Then, he pushed open the door and walked in.


    It was a 10*10 room with a wooden bed at the center, a wooden table next to the window, and finally a cab.


    Once Victor entered his room, he lit the nearbymp and walked towards the wooden table. Soon, he arrived in front of the table and fixed his gaze on the ck-covered book.


    It was the same book that sent him back in time!


    ''I never did expect that this mysterious book would give me a second chance.'' He slowly moved his gaze towards the strange countdown area and soon shook his head.


    ''The strange countdown isn''t restarting. There seems to be some kind of restrictions to use this book again.'' He thought.


    ''I need to hide this book in a much safer ce. Well, I''ll think about itter.''


    Muttering inwardly, he walked towards the nearby wooden cab, opened it, and then took out a normal notebook, feather quill, ink bottle, resin bottle, and a crude self-drawn map from inside. Then, he ced all of them on the bed and selectively took out the self-drawn map and the resin bottle. After that, he searched for a suitable ce and soon zeroed his gaze on the opposite wall.


    ''Hmm, that ce looks good.''


    He nodded inwardly, walked towards the wall, opened the self-drawn map, and attached it to the wall using the resin. Then, he took out the sealed letter, opened it, and started reading it.


    "Oh? Baron Daniel didn''t kill Bishop ke? Moreover, why is that Bishop praising the Baron? Didn''t I tell him to give him more trouble? Hmm? Baron even asked the Bishop ke and others to stay in his mansion as guests? Something is wrong. Around this time, Bishop ke should''ve died under the Baron''s hand, right?" A frown appeared on his face.


    ''Did I already change the future? No, Baron Daniel should be in an angry state at that time. He lost many of his people and even got betrayed by his own teacher. Most importantly, he is just a Radiant Knight now. In the past, he killed more than 60 knights after he returned from the battlefield and caused a hugemotion. Not only that, but he also killed his teacher and his disciples brutally. But Bishop mentioned in the letter that there are only 6 deaths. Moreover, an assassination attempt? What a load of bullsh*t is this? Why is Bishop praising his good nature? Why is Baron Daniel acting like a good guy?'' He knew very well of this young Baron''s true nature and got confused.


    At that moment, an absurd thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Wait! What if that Baron Daniel is the sorcerer from the very beginning?'' He hurriedly moved towards his bed, took out the notebook, and opened it. It was a short diary he wrote on the first day of his transmigration.


    On the first page, he saw the basic outline of the future events.


    Then, he also saw information about Baron Daniel and his abilities in an orderly manner.


    ''I faced him multiple times during the past and learned most of his abilities. He has the memory-erasing ability, Magic enving ability, Demonic me transformation ability, Nature''s Shield ability, mysterious name identifying ability, and finally devastating ck Sun creation. No, these are the only things our Light Church learned about him. There might be much more secrets about him. But I also heard that he rarely showed his mysterious sorcery abilities during the first few months. That''s why I thought that he became a bloodline sorcerer after getting the Pioneer Knight''s legacy. I was wrong. This guy has been hiding his strength from the very beginning.'' He couldn''t help but get anxious inside.


    ''Does that mean he is already aware of my action?'' His body trembled unconsciously.


    ''No, I need to calm down. Although I made a mistake, it''s not a life-threatening situation. The reason I chose to send ke is also because of this reason. Among all the Bishops I knew from the past, he is the honest and ignorant one. In truth, I''m nothing more than a drug addict in his eyes. As long as I refrain from crossing Baron''s path, he will eventually forget about me.'' He sat on the bed, stared at the notebook for a whole minute, and then started reforming his n.


    ''First, he''ll seed in obtaining the Pioneer Knight''s legacy within a month or two. Then, he''ll shift his attention towards Duke Michel. In the past, he infiltrated the Duke''s Castle single-handedly, killed the Duke Michel, looted his treasury, and even enved the second prince. Later, he used the second prince as his puppet, gathered a massive army, and marched towards the Aetas Kingdom''s capital. Although the pce sorcerers and Royal knights blocked him at that time, they stood no chance against this evil sorcerer. Even the crown prince was killed in that battle.'' It was also the first time Victor met saw him upfront.


    ''I saw a young kid with a face full of innocence and smile. Unfortunately, I didn''t know that smile was not the smile of innocence but full of wickedness. I still remember the moment when the whole city went into lockdown mode. If not for the Saint Knight of Light Church''s decisive action to escape, I would''ve died over there.'' As he recalled those incidents, he couldn''t help but let out a bitter smile.


    ''That kid is too strong for us to face. Even our Holiness got defeated after 2 days of continuous battle. No, I''ll kill that evil sorcerer this time.'' If he followed the normal method, he knew that it would take more than ten years for him to reach the same level as the Pope.


    ''I''ll first gather the divine fragments of light and then face him head-on.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes. He was well aware of the Knights'' weaknesses and started making ns.


    In truth, those divine fragments were holy artifacts left behind by the Goddess Zaqiel. Unfortunately, they lost in history and were sleeping in many parts of this world.


    ''But I knew quite a few of those artifacts'' current locations. Hmm, Duke Michel''s Shield of Faith is also one of them. Should I go and steal it? In the past, that evil sorcerer raided his treasury and looted that shield. After that, it disappeared from the world itself. Even when we forced that sorcerer to the corner during the battles, he never used that shield. Hmm? Now that I think about it, why didn''t he use it?'' Victor''s face turned solemn all of a sudden.


    ''During the earlier days, he always hid his sorcerer identity and appeared more like a mysterious Knight. But that changed after he kidnapped the second prince and took him to his territory. After that incident, he started using his me magic openly and even intimidated the nearby nobles. Could it be?'' Victor suddenly thought of a possibility and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Could it be that he is currently in a weakened state? That divine fragment is the cause of his sudden rise in power?'' His face stiffened.

 Chapter 417: Undead

    <h4>Chapter 417: Undead</h4>


    ''I can''t rule out that possibility. If my earlier guess is right, then I must find a way to stop him from getting that holy artifact!'' A firm resolution appeared in Victor''s eyes.


    ''But the question is how can I achieve it? With my current strength, it''s impossible for me to even look at him from afar. Even if I contact Duke Michel and exin to him about his future demise, it won''t work at all. No, it might backfire instead.'' He wore a troubled expression on his face.


    ''Then, there is only one way. I''ll do everything anonymously from now on.'' He nodded inwardly and shifted his attention towards the notebook. Then, he spent more time perfecting the n and finally turned his attention towards his pouch.


    After that, he sat on the concrete floor, took out a fist-sized bluish stone from the pouch, and focused his full attention on the awakening stone¡­


    In the meantime, a new type of water elemental energy came out of the stone, entered his body, and started strengthening the connection with his body and his soul''s ice elemental affinity.


    ¡­


    At this moment, a strange being suddenly woke up in a faraway world filled with nothing butherkes, barrennd, and undead skeletons.


    There was no sun, no moon, and not even stars appeared in the sky. The only light source was the strangeherkes in every part of this world. Theseherkes emitted strange greyish light and illuminated the world itself.


    Some called this world a Primal Nether World, while the other called this world as Underworld. There was a myth saying that each of theseherkes connected with the Tree of Death itself!


    Theseherkes were more like wombs for the souls who lost their way in the astral ne. When the mortal souls escaped from the Eternal River of Life, lost their way, and got consumed by the eternal darkness, they would end up waking in this strange world.


    It was a world where undead Liches, necromancers, Death Knights, Grim Reapers, and Death Gods roamed around freely and caused chaos and destruction everywhere. They also enve the newborn skeletons, nurture them to be undead soldiers and invade foreign nes.


    It was a ne of chaos and evil.


    Long ago, a Taboo Existence watched over the whole Underworld and guarded the Gate of Death. He judged the lost souls by observing their soul core and karma and gave them fair trials. He treasured the pure souls, cleansed the corrupted souls by giving punishments and harsh penalties. He was loved by the people and feared by all the Gods. He was the only being who even sentenced an Evil God to eternal imprisonment!


    But before the era of New Time, he left the ne for some unknown reason and never returned. s, some legends mentioned that he was still hiding inside the Tree of Death and waiting for a suitable sessor to appear.


    Was there any conspiracy behind his scheme? Was he a good God, as the rumors say? Only time will answer.


    ¡­


    Currently, a young human skeleton suddenly opened his eyes in one of the numerousherkes. His eyes were bluish and looked more like blue fire!


    Once he noticed that he was underwater, he waved his hand in panic and tried to move upward. But just as he saw his white skeletal hand, his whole body got frozen and started to descend deep into theherke.


    This young skeleton was none other than Titus!


    As he saw himself in a skeleton body, he was frozen stiff. Despair and fear appeared in his bluish eyes. Just as he was about to be consumed by theherke and its mysterious veins, he heard an old man''s voice in his head.


    ''Why are you panicking? You have a new life ahead,d. Move on.'' It was Charles''s Will.


    ''Teacher!'' Titus suddenly recalled the final moments of his life in Edhen ne and got back to his senses.


    ''Are you alright, Teacher?! You''ve been battling against that strange purple fire for days!'' He asked in concern, and at the same time, started swimming upward.


    Yes, after Titus''s soul entered the Astral ne, some invisible force pulled him deep into the void and soon tossed him into a river of purple me! It was a me river that flowed in the endless void and connected to all the nes.


    If not for his Teacher''s Will activating the purple coin and shielding his memories and his original consciousness, the purple me would''ve erased every piece of his memories in his Inner World. Also, if not for the strange link to this ne, Titus wouldn''t have escaped at all!


    ''Not really. My Will is already on the verge of breaking down. I won''t live for more than 6 hours,d. From now on, you are on your own. Don''t be a naive kid and be ready to face all the obstacles. Although you lost your physical strength, you are still a Rank-4 [Shadow Lord] ss Mystic. If my guess isn''t wrong, you won''t face any problem using the Rank-1 skills. Moreover, you also have previous life memories. Utilize this second chance properly.'' Charles said in his mind.


    ''Y-Yes, Teacher.'' Titus paused for a moment as he recalled something and asked.


    ''W-What about Daisy, Teacher? Is she really gone?'' His voice contained a trace of pain and sadness.


    ''It''s impossible to change the past, Titus. Instead, go and change the future. Break all the destiny shackles in your body and turn into a powerful existence. I don''t know if my true soul survived the schemes of the Divine or not, but you guys must survive and reach the pinnacle level. If you want to do something for your Teacher, move forward and live without any restrain. So what if you be an undead? Find a way to evolve and be the overlord of the undead.''


    Goosebumps appeared all over Titus''s skeletal body, even though he had no flesh or skin.


    ''I''ll not disappoint you, Teacher!'' He said in a firm tone and continued to swim.


    As Titus moved into theherke, he saw many simr humanoid skeletons floating in theherke and was startled deeply.


    ''Where is this ce?'' He asked.


    ''I''m also not sure about it either. But it''s definitely an undead ne.'' Charles said in his mind.


    At that moment, Titus reached the surface and soon looked around with his bluish eyes.


    There was nothing but endless barrennds that appeared all over theherke. Although darkness covered the surroundings, Titus still managed to see everything clearly due to his shadow affinity.


    ''I think I can use all of my skills to some extent.'' He even felt that he could teleport in the shadow!


    Nodding inwardly, he moved towards thend and soon reached there. Then, he tried to stand up but couldn''t. He felt like a toddler. But after some time, he finally managed to stand on his skeleton legs, turned around, and looked at his reflection.

 Chapter 418: Underworld

    <h4>Chapter 418: Underworld</h4>


    Other than the strange bluish fire-like eyes, Titus was nothing more than a normal skeleton!


    He tried to open his mouth, but only a strange creaking voice came out from it.


    He then raised his hand, touched his skull, and then sighed. After that, he turned around, looked up ahead, and checked the surroundings. Theherke was located next to a small hill and covered more than one km radius. Titus even saw some strange withered trees and nts near theherke and became more curious about this new world.


    ''For now, I should find a safe ce and hide for some time before start gathering more information about this world.'' He first wanted to familiarize himself with his new skeletal body.


    Nodding inwardly, he cast the [Shadow Stealth] skill and tried to blend with the surrounding darkness. Unfortunately, there was no physical object like trees or nts to give shadow to the surroundings. The only thing that appeared in front of him was his own shadow¡­


    ''But that''s now how my skill works. Although most of this world is dark, I still need the shadow of an object to use this skill.'' He subconsciously shifted his gaze towards the small hill. He saw many rocks in the small hill and also saw arge shadow on the other side.


    A creaky sound in the form of augh came out of his white skull as he tried tough.


    But just as he took a few steps forward, he suddenly perceived some presence up ahead and got tensed up.


    He saw a group of armored-skeletons walking out from the other side of the hill! A total of five humanoid skeletons of different sizes appeared in front of his eyes. Among the five, two undead skeletons looked the same height as him, while the other three seemed to be 3-meter tall and appeared gigantic. They even held broadswords and appeared imposing.


    But what shocked him was not the presence of these skeletons but their eyes! They had reddish fires burning in their eyesockets and emitted a strange form of death energy.


    No! It was a dense form ofher energy full of impurities!


    ''They are evil!'' He muttered subconsciously and hurriedly moved towards the nearby rock.


    ''How did I know that?'' Confusion appeared on his face as he arrived near arge rock and hid his presence in the rock''s shadow.


    ''I think it has something to do with theher impurities,d. Most of the things in this universe have two sides. For example, if there is an evil force, there will also be a good force. The same goes for everything. Many powers are contradictions to each other. Is this to create a bnced universe? Is it just an anomaly? I don''t know.''


    ''But everything has two sides. The chaos faction is known for causing chaos all over the universe, while the Lawful faction tries its best to control the chaos and bring peace and rule. Destiny''s power wants to control everyone''s future, while the power of ''Time'' wants to break these shackles and wants to be a free bird. Fire wants to burn things while the water wants to extinguish the fire and soothe everything. The wind wants to roam freely while the earth wants to stay in a single ce. This list will go on in every power.''


    ''So, this death power might also have the good and evil side. If my guess is not wrong, these skeletons might be an evil form of Nether energy, and what you are using might be the good form of Nether energy. And, there also seemed to be a restriction to use this purest form of this death energy.''


    ''Restriction?'' Titus asked in curious.


    ''Yes. To use theher energy, you need to be an evil person. Not only your habit, but your thinking must also be evil to the core. Impurities gather in the form of evil and chaos. I think that''s how thisher energy works here. But unlike them, you are a pure-hearted child. You always respected thews and rules of the mortal world and tried your best to follow them. Even when you got forced into a corner by your enemies, you didn''t try to kill them. You killed them only when they crossed their line. You always considered the mortals as equal. You respected them. That''s more than enough for you to get the approval of this death energy. But there must also be many loopholes out there to control this pure death energy. If not, how could those necromancers control this same death power?'' Charles asked in his mind.


    While Titus was discussing with Charles''s Will, the armored skeletons walked towards theherke and soon looked at the shoreline area.


    They soon noticed a skeleton''s footprints near theke and followed the trails.


    ''What are you going to do now,d?'' Charles asked.


    In the meantime, Titus pondered for a moment and soon spoke in his mind.


    ''I don''t know, Teacher. But unlike the humans, I don''t feel any sympathy for these undead skeletons. No, I feel a sense of loathing towards them. It''s as if they do not belong to this world at all. They are evil; their souls are corrupted and filled with so many impurities. I want to eliminate them.''


    ''Oh? Are you feeling hatred towards these undead skeletons? That''s a surprising thing. Do you think of another reason other than them being evil nature?'' Charles asked rationally.


    Meanwhile, Titus got stunned by his question and soon asked in surprise.


    ''What do you mean? Aren''t they evil? So, what''s so surprising about my loathing feeling towards them?''


    ''There is no good and evil in this universe,d. If you think of some practice as a good thing, it will turn into a good thing from your perspective. If you think of the same practice as a bad thing, then that thing will be a bad one. Take a necromancer as a primary example. He mostly studies the human bodies and experiments on humans, animals, and even souls. But he might consider his practice as a normal thing. He does experiment on human subjects as we do on normal animals. Do you think this death energy won''t ept his belief when hees in contact with it? I don''t think so. Death energy has no personal emotion to find which person is good or which person is bad. If the necromancer does human experiments pure-heartedly, he might one day get epted by this death energy. That''s the fact.'' Just as he finished his words, the group of armored skeletons finally noticed Titus''s presence and nced at each other.


    Even though Titus hid under the shadow, the enemy skeletons found his location due to the white bones.


    In a blink, one of the five armored skeletons suddenly walked towards his direction and soon unsheathed his sword made of emerald-like metal. He appeared the same height as him and wore a simple ck cloak over his body and the armor.


    Once the cloaked human skeleton arrived near the rock, he sized Titus up and down, turned his skull towards the other undead skeletons, and spoke in an unfamiliarnguage.


    "%*#U% @O$%%| $%I#email protected"


    In the meantime, one of the three giant undead skeletons nodded his skull, took out an eerie ckish book from his bag-like thing, and tossed it towards the ordinary cloaked skeleton.


    On the other hand, the cloaked skeleton caught the book, shifted his gaze towards Titus, and threw it towards his feet.


    Then, he made a hand gesture and told him to pick it up.


    ''What is this book, Teacher? Is it safe to pick it up?'' Titus asked, and at the same time, getting ready to use his Grim Reaper ability.


    Indeed, his grim reaper incarnation was still standing in his Inner World and appeared good as new.


    s, Titus decided to use it only when it was necessary.


    At that moment, Charles''s Will also got puzzled by the skeletons'' response and fell into deep thoughts.


    After two seconds, he let out a deep sigh and spoke inside Titus''s mind.


    ''Pick it up. Even if it has some envement spell, I think your Grim Reaper is more than enough to severe the shackles.''

 Chapter 419: Nether Language

    <h4>Chapter 419: Nether Language</h4>


    In the meantime, Titus nodded his white skull, squatted down a little, and touched the book.


    But the next instant, a sharp pain appeared in the depth of his soul, followed by a forceful intrusion of a foreign power in his Inner World.


    ''What is this?!'' Even Charles''s Will got startled deeply and soon learned the truth.


    At that moment, Titus also noticed that information about a newnguage called ''Nether Language'' appeared in his mind.


    Upon seeing this, the cloaked skeleton nodded his skull and asked.


    "Do you understand my words now?"


    Meanwhile, Titus got startled suddenly and then nodded his skull.


    "Good¡­ Do you still remember your past life memories?" The cloaked skeleton asked him further.


    ''Answer him as no.'' Charles''s Will responded in Titus''s mind. He vaguely felt the ill intention behind the undead skeleton''s words and helped him.


    On the other hand, Titus tilted his head to show his confusion and stared at them with curiousness and wariness.


    "What should we do, Master? This skeleton seems to have lost all of his memories in the river." The cloaked skeleton said as he nced at one of the three gigantic humanoid skeletons. If someone looks at this particr giant skeleton, they will find that it had a golden color skull!


    "No use in keeping a pure soul in our ce. He is bound to cause trouble in the future. Finish him off." An eerie voice came out of the gigantic skeleton''s skull.


    "Yes, My Lord." The cloaked skeleton nodded his skull and was about to raise his broadsword but froze.


    At that moment, a seven-meter-tall silhouette of a grim Reaper suddenly manifested behind the young skeleton and released a dense amount of death energy!


    Like thest time, a ck cloak appeared around its body.


    Then, the Grim Reaper created a defensive structure of bones around Titus''s skeleton body and shielded him first.


    Simultaneously, a scythe also appeared in the grim reaper''s hand and glowed in red color.


    As the cloaked and giant skeletons saw the Grim Reaper''s incarnation, all of them stepped back in unison. But before the nearby undead skeleton could even move, the Grim Reaper raised its scythe and shed at him.


    Like a blurring shadow, the reddish scythe moved towards the nearby cloaked skeleton and decapitated his head in a blink. Then, the Grim Reaper once again moved its scythe and shed at the other undead skeletons. In three seconds, all those skeletons'' heads, bodies, and limbs were sliced into many pieces and fell on the ground one by one.


    Then, the Grim Reaper moved forward, looked down at the sliced skeleton bones, and opened its mouth. The next instant, five foggy appearances appeared in the thin air and soon got sucked into the Grim Reaper''s mouth!


    A secondter, the Grim Reaper turned transparent and disappeared from there. At that moment, the defensive bone structure also got broken into pieces, leaving Titus alone in the barrennd.


    ''I didn''t even order it to attack.'' He was stunned by this scene and soon noticed a dense form of death energy came out from his soul. Before he could even understand the situation, the dense death energy entered his skeleton body and started strengthening his bones!


    ''T-This¡­ This Grim Reaper is extracting the death energy from the souls and strengthening your soul and body!'' Charles''s Will shouted in surprise.


    ''But why is it acting on its own, Teacher? What is its origin?'' Titus noticed a slight chance in his skeletal body and asked in confusion.


    ''You''ve to find out on your own,d. First, find a safe ce and learn more about this world.'' Charles''s Will paused for a moment and then added.


    ''I also have a gift for you. Although it won''t be enough to survive in this world, it will help you learn more about this death energy.''


    Saying so, Charles''s Will extracted some of his memories, condensed them into a ball of cloud, and sent them into his Inner World.


    It was the memories of Reid''s lifetime research!


    A secondter, Titus noticed that another round of information appeared in his mind.


    ''Necromancy and skill information? Soul research? Soul Bind skill? How to control a soul? Research papers?'' But unlike before, the information that appeared in Titus''s mind was enormous. As he skimmed through the information, he knew that it would take more than a week to digest this information thoroughly.


    Although this research paper mainly was about souls and their function, he also saw some information abouther energy and felt d inside.


    After that, he took a short sword from the broken bones and soon shifted his attention towards the ck cloak.


    Then, he picked up the cloak, wore it over his skeletal body, and started walking towards the other side of the small hill.


    ¡­


    Old House, Potters Street, Darkwell Town, the Grime in, Aetas Kingdom, Faith ne.


    Currently, Charles stood before the invisible soul barrier in the basement and continued to analyze it. On the other hand, Irzoch stayed a few meters away from him and stared at his back, full of shock and surprise.


    It had been more than a month since he started analyzing the mysterious soul barrier, but he hadn''t moved an inch from that ce!


    His action shocked her to the core!


    ''How?! Lord hadn''t eaten bread or drank a ss of water! How is he still standing like he wasn''t affected by the hunger?'' She found it very hard to believe. Even though she was a bloodline sorcerer, her body wasn''t strong enough to withstand the hunger for more than two days. The same goes for the other Saints and Sorcerers. At that moment, she knew that her Lord was indeed a unique being like their Goddess!


    Although she thought of asking him many times, she decided not to disturb him.


    In the meantime, Charles stared at the soul barrier and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    ''Essence points¡­ They are interlinked with one another and created a perfect soul barrier.''


    For the past 30+ days, he used the [Arcane Eyes] non-stop on the soul barrier and found more than 2,596 essence points. Two thousand four hundred points were nature essence points, while the remaining were sword and insight essence points.


    Yes, he also found out that the thing that appeared simr to wisdom power was called Insight!


    ''It might be a sub-domain of the wisdom power.'' He thought to himself.


    When he was analyzing the sour barrier, he entered a strange enlightenment state five times!


    Unfortunately, there was no fire essence in this soul barrier. Otherwise, he would''ve long analyzed the soul barrier and entered the Ancestral Hall.


    s, he didn''t lose his patience at all. In truth, he was more eager to study this ''Insight'' power.


    As long as he manages to merge this power with his [Arcane Eyes] skill, his gain would be immeasurable!


    ''This power is capable of pulling my consciousness to a strange enlightened state! This might help me greatly during the spell modelprehension process.'' He was very eager to obtain some information about this Insight Power.

 Chapter 420: Essence Points

    <h4>Chapter 420: Essence Points</h4>


    Shaking his head, Charles shifted his attention towards the soul barrier and soon fell into deep thoughts. If Daniel had been alive, he wouldn''t have used thisplicated way to open this soul barrier. With a drop of his blood and his soul imprint, he would''ve entered and exited the Ancestral Hall whenever he wanted.


    Although aplex formation appeared in the golden key to monitor his age, it wasn''t a big deal for Charles.


    ''Unfortunately, Daniel is no more. If I want to enter the Ancestral Hall, I need to break these essence points one by one and rece them with my rebirth fire essence to maintain the soul barrier. One single mistake, then the whole Ancestral Hall will destroy from inside.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    It wasn''t an impossible job for him to rece all those essence points. But what he feared most was an outside disturbance. Once he starts breaking the essence points, the whole Ancestral Hall would reveal its presence to the outside world¡­ He was damn sure that all the Crystal Knights would sense the appearance of dense elements in this house.


    ''I already gained full control over Bishop ke and hisckeys. But my main worry is the foreign knights and those few outsiders.'' Charles noticed that some thugs wereing from the outside and causing unrest during the past few days. Although they weren''t strong knights, they caused some trouble for the local people. He even saw them hitting on widows and young girls.


    ''Are they belong to some bandit gang?'' He raised his eyebrows in suspicion. Although the Light Knights and the Foreign Knights maintainedw and order and prohibited others from causing chaos in this town, Charles knew that both groups weren''t trustworthy.


    ''Once I start breaking the nature essence points, the soul barrier will weaken and reveal its presence to the outside world. Everyone will perceive the elemental fluctuations and interfere. Hmm, I need more than a minute to rece those essence points with my rebirth me and recreate another soul barrier. During that time, I''ll be in a vulnerable state. Although those foreign Knights showed submission and swore their allegiance to me, they are waiting for the right time.'' He frowned.


    But there was something else bothering him too much.


    For the past few weeks, he constantly used his [Foresight] skill and peeked into the future for anomalies.


    ''What I found is nothing but some hazy dark futures. But, I feel someone else is monitoring my future. The culprit might be that Victor guy.'' Even though he wasn''t strong enough to peek into the exact future, his understanding of the future time wasn''t any less than that of any Legend-Rank Mage. So, it wasn''t a difficult thing for Charles to perceive such an anomaly.


    ''Should I create another Star Constetion Book?'' He thought to himself.


    If he had that book now, he could''ve easily found the current location of this mysterious stalker.


    Charles even fooled the Divine and the World''s Will using the Star Constetion Book and beat them in their own game. Although he barely survived that scheme, he still managed to restore his soul and body.


    No, he gained many things and even achieved the soul mutation process in return.


    Unfortunately, recreating that Extraordinary Artifact wasn''t an easy matter.


    And, he doesn''t want to waste too much time in this random ne.


    ''But I will not hesitate to create it if I face another anomaly. Although returning to Edhen World is important, it''s not important as my life. With my current experience, it won''t take much less than a year to create another Star Constetion Book.'' He muttered inwardly.


    ''For now, I should worry about how to deal with the foreign knights.''


    While thinking, he turned his gaze towards Irzoch and paused.


    He knew that she wasn''t strong enough to face all of them and furrowed his brows.


    ''It seems I''ve no choice but to send them away.'' He muttered inwardly and then asked.


    "Can you change yourself into Daniel, Irzoch?"


    Upon hearing words, she got startled a little and then shook her head.


    "To change my appearance, I need to eat a piece of Daniel''s flesh and drink his blood, My Lord. I know you are only using some magic spell to look like him. So, it''s impossible."


    "Cannibalism?" Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    In the meantime, Irzoch went silent for a moment and nodded.


    "It may look like cannibalism for others. But I don''t consider it like that, My Lord. In truth, I already abandoned my humanity and became a Demon Sorcerer. My race is not a Human, but a Skinwalker. Most importantly, I don''t like to eat human flesh or drink human blood like those vampires. I merely consume them to activate my bloodline spell."


    "It doesn''t matter anyway." Charles waved his hand and then added.


    "Go and bring a cup to extract my blood."


    Although Irzoch was stunned by his words, she didn''t say anything and obeyed. She hurriedly went upstairs and soon returned with a y cub.


    In the meantime, Charles unsheathed his sword, made a deep cut on his arm area, and ripped a piece of his flesh.


    If this was a few years ago, he might''ve gritted his teeth by now in pain.


    But after his soul shattered, Charles experienced the most painful moments and became resistant to the pain.


    Once he ripped the flesh, he turned his gaze towards Irzoch and waited.


    In the meantime, she held the y cup with both hands and gathered the blood drops.


    A few secondster, she retracted the y cup, took the flesh from Charles''s hand, and then spoke in a hurry.


    "This is more than enough, My Lord. Please heal your hand now."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, conjured a ball of greenish-blue me, and ced it on his arm. A secondter, his wound started to heal at an unimaginable speed.


    Once Charles healed his hand, he turned his gaze towards Irzoch and said with a nod.


    "Go on."


    At first, Irzoch showed a hesitant look on her face. Then, she nodded her head, opened her mouth wide, and tossed the flesh into her mouth. Then, she closed her eyes and started munching it with great difficulty. After a few munches, she swallowed the flesh and drank the blood.


    Meanwhile, her body skin turned ck and started to shed before revealingpletely new skin. She appeared shorter than before, and her whole body turned slimmer.


    In just a few seconds, Irzoch turned into an appearance of Daniel!


    On the other hand, Charles watched her transformation patiently and then asked.


    "Is there any outsider problem in this territory? I noticed that some thugs areing to the town during the past few days."


    "You don''t have to worry about them, My Lord. They belong to the Helv Mercenary Gang, and their headquarters is located right next to our territory. They woulde here to try their luck hitting our woman, but they wouldn''t dare to cause any trouble inside. Usually, some single women and widows would ept their invitation and even have sex with them for gold coins. It''s quitemon in every town." Irzoch responded calmly.


    ''Oh? A mercenary gang, huh.'' Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Good. Go and summon all the knights to gather at the town''s entrance. I want you to go and meet that mercenary gang leader. As for why you are visiting him suddenly? Tell him that you want his help to maintainw and order of this town. Also, tell him that you want to borrow his elite mercenaries as your bodyguards. As for the rate, decide it on your own."


    "Alliance?" Irzoch blinked her eyes in surprise and soon nodded her head.


    After that, she bowed her head, turned around, and walked out of the basement.


    In the meantime, Charles sat on the ttened floor, monitored the whole town through the wisdom power, and waited for the next few hours.


    As he saw them moving away from the town, he stood up from the ground, released hundreds of invisible strings, and simultaneously destroyed the nature essence points!

 Chapter 421: A Pendant

    <h4>Chapter 421: A Pendant</h4>


    Charles then conjured a ball of rebirth me, sent all the rebirth me essences towards the destroyed areas, and reced the destroyed natural essences with his own.


    At that moment, a dense elemental sh appeared in the basement, causing the soul barrier to be visible to his naked eyes.


    Simultaneously, a metallic door appeared on the other side of the greenish transparent barrier.


    It was the entrance to the Ancestral Hall!


    Although the Light Knights and Bishop ke had sensed the elemental fluctuation from the mansion''s guest house, none of them took any action.


    s, some mercenary knights and the residents of Darkwell town moved towards Potters Street in a hurry.


    In the meantime, Charles continued to rece the natural essences with his rebirth ones, and at the same time, he looked at the Insight and Sword essences. Unlike the natural essences, they appeared very few and were just a connection bridge of this soul barrier.


    So, he knew that there wouldn''t be resistance from those essence points.


    He shook his head, reced all the natural essences, and shifted his attention to the Insight and Sword essences. Then, he erased the minute level of soul imprint in those essences and fused them with his rebirth me essences.


    A secondter, a reddishyer appeared in front of his eyes and soon turned transparent.


    ''Sess.'' A smile appeared on his face. Then, he raised his hand and used his thoughts to control the soul barrier.


    A momentter, the reddishyer once again turned visible in the basement and split open before creating a way for a person to walk in.


    At that moment, the metallic door also opened on its own and revealed a staircase.


    From the outside, it appeared to be leading to an underground area!


    Upon seeing this, Charles deliberated for a second, walked into the opened soul barrier, and soon arrived in front of the door. Then, he took a step forward and went downstairs.


    In the meantime, the reddishyer once again closed from behind and turned transparent.


    If someone entered the basement now, they would find nothing but an empty area.


    On the other hand, Charles continued to step down on the stone stairs and soon saw a gloomy passage filled with rocks and limestones.


    At that moment, his [Dark Vision] skill activated on its own and revealed everything around his surroundings.


    ''There are traces of human footprints¡­ No, these footprints appear more like child''s one.'' He frowned.


    He nced at the surrounding rocky walls and soon realized that he was walking into a tunnel-like ce!


    As he walked further into the tunnel, Charles noticed more footprints appeared on the path. But this time, he saw different kinds of sizes.


    Some footprints didn''t even have any resemnce with the humans'' ones.


    ''Underground races?'' He subconsciously thought of the demon monsters and turned solemn.


    After walking for another 10 minutes, he finally arrived at the edge of the tunnel and then stopped. If he were an ordinary knight, he would''ve turned around and returned to the basement in disappointment.


    Thankfully, he wasn''t. Although the stone wall appeared normal, he sensed the presence of Nature Energy and raised his eyebrows in suspicion.


    He then used his [Arcane Eyes] skill and analyzed the wall.


    Within a few seconds, he found a secret door on the right side corner and went towards it. Then, he raised his hand, made a small cut on his finger, and put a drop of his blood on it.


    A secondter, the secret door opened with a clicking noise.


    Meanwhile, Charles activated [Multi-Vision] skill, checked any dangers on the other side, and then walked in.


    Soon, he entered an underground chamber-like area and noticed that broken bookshelves, chairs, and tables were the only thing that appeared in the whole surroundings. He even saw w marks on the scattered books and got startled.


    ''Some creatures came here before and caused this mess? But where did they go?'' He released his wisdom power and searched for any anomalies in the hall. But he found no foreign presence in the hall at all.


    ''Wait! What are those?'' He instantly noticed a greenish-gem-embedded pendant that was ced on the farther table and widened his eyes.


    He felt some dense nature-elemental energy wasing from that greenish pendent. What was more surprising was that Charles noticed a familiar power appeared around the pendant.


    ''Spatial energy? But this one seems to be in an unstable state.'' He hurriedly moved towards the table and soon arrived in front of it. Then, he picked up the greenish pendant and probed it with his wisdom power.


    A weak soul appeared within the pendant!


    It was an intellectual artifact!


    But what made him raise his eyebrows was that this soul appeared very weak and harmless. It was just like a curious kid. When he tried to probe further, it didn''t show any resistance at all.


    Instead, it touched his wisdom power and tried to eat a part of his wisdom power. Unfortunately, another foreign power came out from the soul''s outer area, released some dark chains, and shackled its movement!


    ''Hmm? An envement imprint?''


    At that moment, Charles noticed a brand new soul imprint appeared all over this weak soul and seemed to be controlling the artifact''s every movement.


    ''Someone already owns this artifact?'' But as he further probed the soul imprint, he couldn''t help but snicker inwardly.


    ''A Rank-2 being''s soul imprint?''


    If it were before he went through the soul mutation, he would''ve found it impossible to erase it. But after his soul mutation, his control over his wisdom power had reached an unimaginable level.


    He condensed his wisdom power into minute spikes and stabbed the soul imprint from different sides. The next instant, a shrill cry came from the pendant, followed by an illusionary appearance of a greenish humanoid face.


    It had red eyes, pointy green ears, a sharp nose, an ugly look with sharp teethes, and looked evil!


    With a simple look, anyone could tell that this creature was none other than Goblin!


    At that moment, Charles also felt a strong resistance from the other side and chuckled inwardly.


    "You are resisting against a Demigod-level soul, goblin." He spoke coldly.


    A secondter, he released more condensed wisdom spikes and broke the soul imprint in an instant!


    In the meantime, the illusionary goblin creature''s face let out a fierce cry and soon disappeared with a poof.


    On the other hand, Charles erased the broken imprint and shifted his attention towards the weak soul.


    He knew that his soul imprint might control this weak soul at the early stage, but not for too long.


    ''The intellectual artifacts are not easy to control. Although they might co-operate with humans at first, when they get enough knowledge about the outside world, they will retaliate.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    A secondter, he closed his eyes, entered the Astral Realm, and looked at the weak soul. Then, he extracted a small part of his soul, conjured a ball of Rebirth me, and fused them.


    A dense reddish cloud appeared in front of his eyes.


    After that, he weaved the soul cloud into a soul imprint and attached it to the weak soul.


    A momentter, hundreds of rebirth essence streaks enveloped every part of this weak soul and soon turned into a soul armor-like spell.


    As long as this rebirth soul armor was there, not even a God could take control over this artifact. In truth, it was an easy thing for a God-like existence to break a mortal''s soul imprint in the artifact. But that couldn''t be said true for a Demi-God level existence''s soul imprint.


    ''Even a Mid-God would find it difficult to break my soul imprint. But what I put in this weak soul is not my soul imprint but my soul shard itself. So, unless a High-God or a taboo existence intervenes, no one can take this artifact from me.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    But Charles didn''t stop there, though. Instead, he focused on the weak soul and then cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell on it.


    A momentter, another streak of ck fire came out of his Inner World, entered the weak soul''s dark space, and attached to it.


    ''From now on, this intellectual artifact would be my eternal ve¡­ Nah, it will be my loyal pet.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    Then, he closed his eyes again, left the Astral ne, and soon opened his eyes in the underground chamber.


    After that, he linked his mind with the weak soul and was about to check the intellectual artifact''s abilities but suddenly stopped.


    At that moment, a brand new world appeared in his mind!


    No, it was a mini-world!


    "A pocket dimension?" Charles''s eyes widened.


    It was a separate dimension filled with full of dense woods, mountains, and rivers. He also saw many types of flora and fauna in the pocket dimension and became stunned inside.


    ''It seems I''m not that unlucky.'' He muttered inwardly and soon realized that this weak soul was the pocket dimension''s Will!


    "Let''s see what is hidden in this pocket dimension¡­" Saying so, he linked his mind with the new soul and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 422: Pocket Dimension

    <h4>Chapter 422: Pocket Dimension</h4>


    A momentter, Charles reappeared in the middle of the dense woods and soon felt a suffocative feeling.


    Although the gravity was much lesser than Edhen or Faith Realm, the air inside this pocket dimension appeared too thin. Although it didn''t affect his breathing, it indeed made his heart beat faster.


    Charles released his wisdom power without wasting any time, enveloped the surrounding areas, and looked around.


    In two seconds, he noticed many types of mutated animals like four-eyed squirrels, ck rabbits, mutated wolves, and omnivorous buffalos, monstrous reptiles, poisonous nts, and even some humanoid creatures appeared in this dimension.


    ''Hmm? Goblins, Orcs, lesser Imps, and forest Trends, huh. This dimension isn''t a simple one. Although the pioneer knight must be the one who created this pocket dimension, he seemed to have borrowed multiple sorcerers'' help.'' While muttering, he looked up at the bluish sky and soon widened his eyes.


    At that moment, a ring light stared back at him from the sky.


    It was the sun!


    But unlike the actual sunlight, this one emitted pale greenish-colored light.


    But what''s more unbelievable was that there was no scorching feeling appeared from the sun at all.


    Instead, Charles felt a kind of warm feeling.


    ''But how did a sun appear in the sky? I''m in a pocket dimension, right?'' He felt suspicious.


    Although the sky appeared normal with scattered dark clouds and sun, he felt something was missing.


    He changed into an elemental form, turned into streaks of mes, and entered his Inner World without any hesitation.


    Then, he opened his eyes in the Astral Realm, conjured a reddish ball of me, enveloped his soul form, and then flew up towards the sky!


    But as he flew above 1000 meters high, he noticed that this mini-pocket dimension was nothing more than a small.


    ''No, a should be an overstatement. Its size is simr to that of a small moon.'' At that moment, he also noticed that he was flying closer towards the giant ball of pale-greenish sun and became more interested.


    As he further flew towards the sun, he couldn''t help but take a deep look.


    At that moment, he noticed that the bright star was not a sun, but something else!


    Currently, it appeared pure greenish color and emitted a dense amount of nature-elemental energy!


    ''What the hell is this bright thing?'' He controlled the rebirth fire and flew higher.


    As he reached more than 10,000 meters higher, he finally managed to get a clear view.


    ''T-This¡­'' He was stunned for a moment.


    What appeared in front of him was not some star but a damn nt!


    The nt was ced in a golden pot, and the pot itself appeared 5-meter tall!


    s, the mysterious nt was nothing more than a size of 1 meter tall.


    There was also saw arge greenish forcefield appeared around this nt and emitted dazzling green light everywhere!


    It was what he thought of it as a Sun!


    The forcefield itself was around a 30 to 40 meters radius and seemed to be protecting the nt from any threats.


    Even Charles felt a slight repulsion as he tried to move further towards the nt. But that sensation soon ended when another type of power appeared around him and covered his body.


    It was the Will of this pocket dimension!


    He paused in surprise and soon used [Arcane Eyes] skill on the mysterious nt.


    Unfortunately, he got nothing but error symbols!


    He also activated his [Forewarning] skill to see any danger but didn''t receive any warning.


    ''Is it safe to get closer towards this nt?'' He thought.


    But he still felt something was off.


    ''Is this nt an intelligent being? Does it have any connection to the mysterious World Trees?''


    ''Is this a newborn World Tree?'' He furrowed his brows and moved closer towards the forcefield.


    In a few seconds, he appeared next to the forcefield, touched it with his soul, and directly passed through the barrier.


    Soon, he appeared in front of the greenish nt and stared at it in curious.


    Unlike the other nts, some strange star-like patterns showed all over the nt leaves and looked mysterious. Some golden threads also appeared from the nt''s stem area and connected towards the greenish forcefield.


    Anyone could tell that this nt was the primary source of the mysterious green light with a single look.


    ''What''s so special about this nt?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and was about to touch it but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, a strange unsettledness appeared in his mind.


    Simultaneously, he noticed that the mysterious nt released a minute green-ray towards his direction.


    Even though he was in his soul form, the mere small green-ray managed to pass through the dimension barrier, entered the Astral Realm, and caused a small crack on his soul!


    ''F*CK! It can even damage my soul?'' Before he could think further, he noticed that even his soul core trembled in the deepest part of his Inner World.


    ''Danger! No, it''s not just danger! If I stay here any longer, this nt might erase my existence itself.'' His expression stiffened.


    At that moment, the Pocket Dimension''s Will got angered by the mysterious nt''s action and attacked it from outside.


    Invisible shockwaves came from all directions and attacked the forcefield continuously.


    Some shockwave managed to pass through the forcefield and even sliced a single leaf from the mysterious nt!


    On the other hand, Charles backed away quickly and soon moved out of the greenish forcefield.


    Then, he closed his eyes, linked his connection with the pocket dimension''s Will, and ordered it to back away.


    To his surprise, the Pocket Dimension''s Will refused to yield and attacked the nt fiercer. Although the nt also released two more green rays towards Charles, he reacted in time and evaded them.


    Still, he was utterly shocked inside.


    At that moment, Charles knew that this mysterious nt could even kill an actual Demi-God-like existence like nothing!


    ''What''s more shocking thing is that this nt actually lured me inside!'' Even though he didn''t sense any ill intent, he vaguely suspected that this nt might have perceived its future and acted!


    ''If it can block the future time, then it can also see the future!'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    If this was before, he might''ve backed away in cautiousness. But now, a terrifying killing intent oozed out of his eyes.


    ''This nt¡­ I need to learn more about this nt. Its mere existence in this pocket dimension is a great threat to me.''


    Muttering inwardly, he shifted his attention towards the sliced leaf and decided to steal it.


    Although he didn''t understand the current situation, he vaguely noticed that this nt was nothing more than a parasite in this pocket dimension.


    Yes, it''s a parasite!


    Otherwise, the Pocket Dimension''s Will wouldn''t have retaliated against it that fiercely.


    ''But who put this thing here? The pioneer knight? How did he even get this thing here?'' Countless questions appeared in his mind.


    ''Tsk, no use in thinking further about this nt.'' He muttered inwardly and then acted.


    He first entered the physical world by conjuring a ball of me and turned into an appearance of a 14-years old young boy.


    Then, he activated [Multi-Visions] skill and tried to peek into the future.


    Unfortunately, not a single vision appeared in his mind.


    ''As I thought, this nt has the power even to block the time.'' He couldn''t help but smile wryly.


    Still, he decided to take a gamble and raised his hand.


    The next instant, he activated [Hand of Wonders] skill, released a single invisible string, and let it move towards the fallen green leaf.


    Although the greenish forcefield tried to block the invisible string, it directly tore through the space, appeared inside the forcefield, and soon encircled the fallen green leaf.


    But just as he was about to pull the invisible string, another greenish ray of light came from the mysterious nt and directly severed his invisible string!


    In a blink, the invisible string was cut into countless pieces!


    Thankfully, Charles didn''t face any bacsh and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    He then released his full wisdom power and probed the whole greenish star-like forcefield.


    ''Getting near to this nt is nothing more than a suicidal idea. But if I didn''t even get the fallen leaf, I wouldn''t learn a thing about this nt. The more I dy, the more powerful this nt might grow into.'' His expression turned solemn.


    Without any dy, he once again raised his hand, cast [Hand of Wonders] skill, and released the single invisible string towards the fallen leaf.


    But this time, he also ordered the Pocket Dimension''s Will to create a distraction and manipted the invisible string.


    At that moment, two gigantic transparent hands suddenly appeared above the forcefield and mmed on it continuously.


    Meanwhile, the whole forcefield shook violently and moved back and forth. The mysterious nt also trembled violently and released tens of mysterious green rays towards the two transparent hands.


    Unfortunately, nothing happened!


    On the other hand, Charles used this opportunity, manipted the invisible string towards the fallen leaf, and soon grabbed it.


    Then, he pulled the invisible strong towards himself, used more invisible strings to cover the star-symbol engraved leaf, and descended towards the ground.


    At that moment, he also ordered the Pocket Dimension''s Will to retreat and then shifted his attention towards the mysterious leaf.


    No, it wasn''t a mysterious leaf to his eyes now!


    [Mutated Leaf of Nature: This leaf is a severed part of the ??????? and still has the power of protection left behind. As long as the user''s life is in danger, this leaf will activate on its own and create a natural shield to protect him.]


    ''Leaf of Nature, huh.'' He nodded inwardly and was about to heal his soul but soon froze.


    At that moment, he noticed that a drastic change urred in his wisdom power!


    Currently, his wisdom power reached its peak level!


    ''199 Points! Is that strange ray is the cause of this?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    ''But something doesn''t seem right. If nting a world tree is that easy, why are those Lawful Gods searching for the Mystic World Tree in Edhen World? I heard from Rh that most of the Gods are actually after these World Trees. But due to my ''miraculous'' luck, I ended up getting a strange World Tree nt¡­ My miraculous luck?''


    ''Nope. If my luck is that much high, I wouldn''t be in this state, to begin with. There are two possible answers. The pioneer knight and his friends might have created a unique nt with the help of any World Tree''s leaf or stem parts. So, the first possibility is that this nt is not a World Tree nt but an inferior version of it. Or a mutated nt with some powerful mystic abilities. The second possibility is that someone ced it here recently. If so, then the Sun God must be the real culprit behind this action. That strange gaze I felt before I entered the Ancestral Hall? Is it him?'' A deep frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''Anyway, he is helping me in many ways. But I also know that nothing is free in this world¡­ If this is his doing, then what does he want me to do in return? Why didn''t he ce some Fire World Tree nt?'' He thought for a moment and soon decided to ask himself when he returned to the Edhen.

 Chapter 423: Goblins

    <h4>Chapter 423: Goblins</h4>


    Two minutester, Charlesnded on the grassynd, released his wisdom power, and soon turned his gaze towards a particr direction.


    "Oh? A goblin settlement? No, this one looks like a mini-town for the goblins." Although it was located more than 2 km away, finding the exact location wasn''t a problem for him.


    "Should I go and meet them?" He nodded inwardly, controlled his wisdom power, and flew upward.


    Then, he made a turn and shot towards that particr direction. After flying for a while, he soon saw a town filled with tribal huts and bamboo houses. He even saw many green humanoids roaming here and there and was surprised a little.


    In a minute, he arrived above the small town and then looked down at the small creatures. They were green, ugly, and wore hand-knitted clothes. He even saw the feminine-looking goblins wearing jewelry like bangles, earrings, nose pins, and bone-made nes and looked old-fashioned.


    But what surprised him most was that they appeared uniform and civilized.


    At that moment, he saw many of them gathered at the center of the settlement and conversing politely with the nearby goblins.


    Smiles andughs echoed everywhere.


    He also saw the small ones that appeared before the raised tform and looked at an old goblin with expectation eyes.


    No, some were not looking at the old goblin but the carcasses of wild wolves. Drools appeared in those small kids'' mouths, and they looked acted more like real human kids. They even held their hands together and whispered among themselves from time to time.


    ''These are the demon monsters, huh.'' Charles chuckled inwardly and soon shifted his attention towards the old goblin.


    He instantly knew that this old goblin was the same one that appeared in the soul imprint!


    He also saw many guards among the group and noticed a big difference.


    Unlike the normal goblins, the guards were much taller and almost reached the same height as Humans!


    ''Variants?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise, cast [Arcane Eyes] skill, and analyzed a single guard.


    ''Hobgoblin?''


    He then shifted his gaze towards the old goblin and soon widened his eyes.


    ''A Rank-2 Wind Shaman, huh? Hmm, this goblin should know more about this pocket dimension.'' He muttered inwardly, zeroed his gaze on the old goblin, and cast [Fire Seed] spell on it.


    A secondter, a purple seed appeared in the old goblin''s Inner World and started burning its memories.


    In the meantime, the old goblin showed a confused look on his face and soon gripped his head. Although some Hobgoblins tried to help him, he backed away hurriedly in fear and started shouting at them in a foreignnguage.


    Although the old goblin couldn''t understand why he started forgetting some things, he felt that his men might''ve poisoned him!


    In truth, he was already on the verge of going on a berserk mode.


    His eyes appeared a little maniacal at that moment, and he also started muttering a strange incantation under his breath.


    On the other hand, the thousands of goblins stopped shouting and looked at each other in confusion. Only the young kids didn''t care about the insane old goblin and locked their gazes on the wolves'' carcasses.


    "Hmm, I think it will take a few hours for the [Fire Seed] spell to erase all of his memories." Charles watched the town from the sky and was about to move towards the next settlement but stopped.


    At that moment, he noticed that fierce wind-elemental energy wasing out of the old goblin''s body and got startled.


    ''T-This¡­ The mere fluctuation has the power of rank-3 spell!''


    A secondter, more than hundreds of [Wind de] spells came out of the old goblin''s body and went in different directions.


    Upon seeing this, Charles frowned deeply, waved his hand, and stopped those hundreds of wind des with his pure wisdom power.


    ''This goblin isn''t showing any mercy towards its men at all. Is he hiding something from the rest? Wait. What is the cause of that earlier elemental fluctuation?''


    Furrowing his brows, he locked his gaze on the old goblin''s body and soon noticed a strange stone appeared inside his chest area.


    A secondter, Charles''s wisdom power entered the goblin''s body sooner and started analyzing a hexagonal-shaped crystal.


    ''Is it a wind-elemental crystal? Moreover, a Rank-2 crystal?'' He was stunned inside.


    Even though the crystal had some strange wicked power, Charles confirmed that it was indeed a wind-elemental crystal!


    ''Could all these goblins have something simr in their chests?'' He couldn''t help but shift his gaze towards the other goblins.


    After some analysis, he learned that every goblin had a strange crystal hidden in their chest! But unlike the elemental crystal in the old goblin''s chest, the ones that appeared in the other goblins were dense mana crystals.


    ''All the elements are mixed in those crystals and appeared impure. But I think I can refill my spell models using arge amount of these mana crystals.'' A sh of surprise appeared on his face.


    He also saw different sizes of mana crystals and decided to study more about themter.


    He wanted to gain some understanding of this pocket dimension first.


    Without any dy, he retracted his gaze from the crowd and shot in the other direction.


    After a few minutes of flying, he soon arrived above a new settlement and looked at it.


    This time, it wasn''t a goblin settlement, but Orc Settlement!


    Unlike the goblins, these Orcs appeared fatter, taller, and stronger.


    They had the heads of pigs, were 3 to 4 meters tall, and looked barbaric. They wore small clothes to cover their private parts and held wooden clubs and sticks as their weapons.


    ''Unlike the goblins, these Orcs are sleeping in the wild.'' He shook his head in disappointment and continued to fly in the other direction.


    For the next few hours, he roamed all over the pocket dimension and saw different kinds of creatures, nts, trees, and even some magical beasts in the woods.


    Yes, he indeed encountered more than twenty magical beasts with wind and nature elements. Some were three-eyed wolves, while the rest were nt-type creatures.


    Not only that, but he also found more than 200 different types of potion materials in the woods and became surprised. If not for his [Arcane Eyes] skill, he wouldn''t have realized that this pocket dimension had too many precious materials!


    ''I need to show this to Rh and let him decide if these potion materials are worth it or not.'' He thought to himself as he hovered 500 meters above thend and looked at the dark-skinned goblin-like creatures. But unlike the goblins, these creatures had pure chaos energy in their bodies!


    ''This must be the Imp race. But they look so evil and aggressive.'' He looked at them quietly and was about to continue his work but stopped.


    At that moment, a piece of memory appeared in his Inner World.


    It was about the Pioneer Knight''s belongings and his graveyard!


    ''Oh? That old goblin knew of the Pioneer Knight?'' Charles''s eyebrows rose upward.

 Chapter 424: Diary

    <h4>Chapter 424: Diary</h4>


    Charles soon shifted his attention towards his Inner World and started reading the old goblin''s memories.


    ''Although the old goblin hadn''t seen the pioneer knight up front, he heard a lot from his parents. The old goblins called him the Sage, and the whole goblin tribe considered him the savior of their race. The pioneer knight gave them a new home and taught them many things. But some humans didn''t like his approach towards the demon monsters and poisoned him.''


    ''At that moment, the pioneer knight wanted was nothing but a safer ce for these demonic monsters. Although they were demon monsters, he honestly considered them as some variants of human beings.''


    ''So, he created the Ancestral Hallter with the help of his friends and ced the pocket dimension in it. Then, he gave his responsibilities to his descendants, left the Faith Realm, and stayed in the pocket dimension for the rest of his life.''


    ''Heh, he was poisoned to death, huh. But his strength shouldn''t be much less than a Rank-5 Mystic, right?'' He raised his eyebrows in suspicion. As for the origin of this pocket dimension? The old goblin knew nothing about it.


    Charles continued to read the memories and soon learned how the old goblin became the owner of this pocket dimension.


    ''He robbed the graveyard and became a shaman with the help of some mysterious enlightenment? Interesting¡­ Let''s see. More than 50 years ago, this old goblin got more curious about their savior and decided to check his graveyard. He secretly moved towards the nearby mountain, dug the pioneer knight''s graveyard, and looted three mysterious items.''


    ''The first one was a ring which allowed him to teleport out of this pocket dimension, the second one was a strange bluish stone, and the final one was an old book¡­ After bing a Wind Shaman, he learned more about his soul power and elements and became the first intelligent goblin among the whole race. After years of hard work, he united the nearby tribe, created a small town in the pocket dimension, and became the leader of this goblin tribe.''


    ''Although other goblins are smarter than the rest of the creatures in this pocket dimension, the old goblin''s wisdom is higher. He created many things to improve the goblins'' lifestyles and even made some blueprints for building houses. Not only that, but he also led a small army of goblins and hunted Orcs, mutated beasts, and even some Rank-1 Magical Beasts.''


    But what surprised Charles was the goblin''s other actions.


    In truth, the old goblin also realized that they were in a prison cage and searched for a way to move out. It became his true goalter on. First, he researched the things he looted from the graveyard and gained some knowledge of the outside world with the help of the old book.


    ''After years of research, he even managed to form his soul imprint, left the pocket dimension, and entered the Ancestral Hall. He then tried to get out of the hall but faced an invisible barrier at the end of the path. He returned to the ancestral hall with no other choice and took full control over the pocket dimension. From then onwards, he would asionally move out of the pocket dimension and waited for anyone toe from the other side.'' As he read those memories, he couldn''t help but get impressed.


    ''He is truly a talented goblin.'' But Charles also learned that the average lifespan was only around 30 years and felt pity towards the whole race. Even after this old goblin became a Shaman, its life span hadn''t improved much.


    ''His current age should be only around 70 to 80 years old.''


    After pondering for a while, he turned around and flew towards the goblin settlement.


    Although the current old goblin was nothing more than a memoryless puppet in Charles''s eyes, he had some precious possessions of the pioneer knight.


    And he needed them at all cost.


    ''There is a high chance that his diary might have some information about this world and the mysterious nt.'' He thought to himself.


    After flying for a minute, Charles appeared above the small town, released his wisdom power, and zeroed his gaze on a nk house. Unlike the rest of the houses and huts, this one appeared well-guarded by multiple hobgoblins.


    Charles searched the whole house without minding their presence and soon noticed that many goblins were looking at the unconscious old goblin in the bedroom area.


    He soon shifted his attention towards the other side of the house and found the three precious materials hidden in the secret room.


    A momentter, he raised his hand, released tens of invisible strings, and let them move towards those objects. Soon, he picked those objects, made them invisible with the help of those strings, and pulled them out of the nk house.


    A few seconds, three objects appeared in front of Charles''s eyes.


    He first zeroed his gaze on the brown ring and analyzed it.


    ''A fixed teleportation ring?'' Unlike the other teleportation artifact, this ring could let the user enter and exit this pocket dimension. Even if he wasn''t the actual owner of this pocket dimension, Charles could enter whenever he wanted.


    Unfortunately, it currently had no use to him.


    Shaking his head, he shifted his attention towards the coin-sized bluestone and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Eye of Insight?'' Although there was no further exnation about this tone, Charles sensed the mysterious wisdom essence hidden in the stone and was amazed.


    But what made him more shocked was that he noticed a mysterious array circle engraved deep within that bluestone and blocked his [Arcane Eyes] from studying it further!


    Charles also noticed a small number of wisdom rules were leaking out on their own and went wide-eyed!


    ''So, the pioneer knight''s Insight Power is because of this stone, huh.'' A look of realization appeared on his face.


    Then, he took a deep breath and shifted his gaze towards the final object.


    It was an old book written in the localnguage of Faith Realm.


    ''As I thought, this is indeed the pioneer knight''s diary.'' He muttered inwardly and put the ring and the [Eye of Insight] stone in his pocket.


    After that, he held the old book in his hand, linked his mind with the pocket dimension''s Will, and then disappeared from there. Although he loved to explore more about this pocket dimension, he didn''t want to waste his time here.


    A momentter, he reappeared in the Ancestral Hall and looked at the chamber-like hall filled with scattered books, tables, and bookshelves. Then, he raised his hand, released his wisdom power, and controlled all the books, tables, and shelves to move. Within seconds, the fallen bookshelves started to rise on their own and soon returned to their previous position. Meanwhile, the books also started hovering in the air, moved towards the bookshelves, and arranged independently.


    Still, many ripped books, papers, and broken chairs remained in the hall.


    Shaking his head, Charles turned around, picked up the greenish pendant, and wore it over his neck. Then, he took a step forward, walked towards the exit, and left the ancestral hall.


    After that, he moved on the gloomy underground passage, walked on the rocky path, and soon arrived in front of the stone staircase.


    Following that, he stepped on the stairs, moved towards the end, opened the metallic door, and then saw the basement area of the old house.


    ''Finally,'' Charles muttered under his breath, manipted the rebirth me essence, opened the soul barrier from inside, and walked out of it.


    In the meantime, a reddishyer of fire appeared in the basement room and soon split open on its own.


    On the other hand, Charles walked out from the other side, waved his hand, and closed the soul barrier.


    Then, he released his wisdom power, scanned the Darkwell Town, and checked if everything was alright.


    ''It''s already dark outside. Hmm, Bishop ke and hisckeys are staying in the guest house¡­ No thieves or outsiders are causing any disturbance to the public. Everything is alright now.'' He muttered inwardly and sat on the ttened floor.


    Then, he took out his new rewards and ced them on the ground in order.


    After that, he took out the [Nature''s Leaf] and bound it with his soul imprint. A secondter, the greenish leaf turned into a streak of green light, entered his chest, and soon appeared on his skin like a tattoo.


    In truth, the original leaf passed through his physical body and attached to his soul form!


    Charles also noticed that this strange Nature''s Leaf also started absorbing the surrounding nature-elemental energy and frowned.


    ''Even this leaf acts more like a parasite.'' He checked for any anomaly in that leaf for the next few minutes and then shifted his attention towards the greenish pendant.


    Among the items he got from the ancestral hall, this one was the most valuable. Although the [Eye of Insight] stone looked excellent, a powerful magical array circle appeared around it and obstructed him from gaining any more knowledge about this stone.


    ''This magic array circle appears moreplex and mysterious. It''s better to ask Mr. Rh''s help.''


    Muttering inwardly, he shifted his attention towards the old-covered book and picked it up.


    After that, he opened it casually, flipped the first page, and started reading the pioneer knight''s diary.

 Chapter 425: New Information

    <h4>Chapter 425: New Information</h4>


    Charles stayed in the old house''s basement for the next few hours, read the pioneer knight''s diary, and learned more about this world.


    The pioneer knight''s original name was Cohen, and he came from a farawaynd called ''Magewind.'' Although this ce was still in the Faith Realm, it was far away from this group of kingdoms and was isted from the rest of the world. Unlike the people of this ce, those who lived in the Magewind believed in another existence called ''Mother Nature.'' Only the high-ranked peoples like Saints and Awakens of the Light Church-affiliated kingdoms knew about thatnd. s, going to that ce was still an impossible task even for the Light Church Pope!


    If someone wants to go there, they have to cross the eastern forest, thends ruled by Divine Beasts, and finally, the rifts to the Abyss. Only then would they reach the other end of this continent and see another human settlement. But there was a legend saying that whoever falls into these abyssal rifts would end up teleporting to the 436thyer of the Abyssal Realm!


    Although the pioneer knight doesn''t have any valid proof, the schrs of the Magewind firmly believed that theory. Those who dared to cross the Abyssal Rifts without prior preparations would disappear from the rest of the world! Even some Awakens went missing after they decided to go to the other side of thisnd.


    As for how this pioneer knight managed toe here? He and his other friends came here with the help of an ancient map. That map had detailed exnations about how many rifts were there, their activation times, the chaotic illusion traps, and many other guidelines. Thanks to that ancient map, more than 40 people, including the pioneer knight Cohan, crossed those dangerous ces and reached this ce. Butter, some went on their own and created an organization called ''Druid''s Guild,'' while the rest chose to settle in different kingdoms.


    The pioneer knight also mentioned the reason why they left their homnd. In truth, they came here to search for a better future. Although Magewind city was an excellent ce to live, Cohan and others wanted to be independent without having any kinds of shackles. Unlike the nations in thisnd, Magewind was ruled by mad religious schrs and their family members. They called themselves ''Nobles.'' From the pioneer knight''s knowledge, they were much more powerful than any other Awaken in this ce.


    Not only that, but they were even capable of moving to other worlds. s, those peoples were cruel, wicked, evil, and would never hesitate to experiment on any random stranger if they found something interesting. Even the pioneer knight''s father died because of such experimentation done by one of the schrs'' sons. They hadplete control over the peoples'' lives and even their properties. Those who didn''t like the rules would choose to escape from the city and move towards the other side for a better future.


    Before fleeing from the city, the pioneer knight Cohan actually assassinated his father''s killer and stole his pocket dimension and other belongings. What''s more surprising thing was that he also knew nothing about the mysterious nt. No, he hadn''t even gone up to the sky and seen what was in there. Ha was a naive and honest knight. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have used the precious pocket dimension for housing some demon monsters. All he wanted in his life was to create his dream nation and rule over it like a true king.


    A single word came to Charles''s mind as he read the diary.


    ''Kid!''


    Yes, the pioneer knight acted more like what a naive kid would do if he got his hand on the throne. Charles even wondered how he managed toe this far.


    ''No wonder humans managed to poison him easily.'' A trace of disappointing sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    Charles also read some information about the ''Eye of Insight'' stone and learned that it was also one of the stolen goods from the religious schr''s son.


    Once he read the diary, he closed it and then fell into deep thoughts.


    ''From the information, I''m 100% sure that the mad schrs are capable of traveling to other nes. But the problem is not their evil nature but their strength. They seemed to be powerful enough to face the Legend Rank Mages.'' Although he could shapeshift into another human and hide his identity, he still felt it wasn''t a good idea to go there. Even if he wants to go there, he doesn''t have that ancient map.


    ''I need to find the other druids and search for the ancient map.'' He nodded inwardly and thought of his next goal. It was to recreate his elemental heart.


    ''I need a sacrificial material.'' Although he had that Nature Leaf, he decided not to sacrifice it for the time being.


    In truth, he wasn''t sure whether that leaf could act as a sacrificial material or not.


    ''I should go to Duke Michel''s territory and get the Goddess''s shield.'' He nodded inwardly and then stood up from the ground. But he didn''t dare to enter a lion''s den without any preparations.


    ''I need to gather mana and refill my spell models first. Then, I''ll form a n and attack the castle.''


    Muttering inwardly, he walked out of the basement, left the old house, and soon started walking towards his mansion.


    Even though the morning sun rose from the east side, the street road appeared vacant and gloomy. Only a few women were doing chore works outside, while the rest had already moved to their agriculturalnds or workshops to do their regr work.


    Charles even saw a few kids doing some work outside their houses and shook his head.


    The loss of thousands of men had caused heavy blows to every family.


    After a few minutes of walking, he reached the mansion and walked in after opening thepound gate. Soon, he arrived in front of the building entrance, opened the door, and entered the living room.


    As he walked in, a middle-aged woman came from the kitchen room and bowed her head politely. She had long grey hair, a wrinkled face, and she wore a ck dress with white trim, a full skirt, and an apron.


    "Good morning, young master!" She greeted him, raised her head, and then asked him with a confused look on her face.


    "I heard that you went to Crack ins along with those knights of Dukedom, My Lord? Did something happen?" Her voice contained a trace of anxiousness.


    In the meantime, Charles showed a surprised look on his face and asked instead of responding.


    "Oh? How did you know?"


    "One of the Dukedom Knights is staying in my house for rent, My Lord. He told me about it." The housekeeper said with a stiff smile.


    In the meantime, Charles nodded his head in understanding and spoke while waving his hand.


    "Nothing. I came back to do some personal work. As for the Dukedom Knights, they''ll return in a day or two-"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, the housekeeper suddenly remembered something and asked in the same anxious voice.


    "W-Where is Lady Willow, My Lord?"


    Although it was rude to interrupt his talking, Charles didn''t put much thought into it and gave a short answer.


    "My mom is still staying in Elder Rhett''s house."


    Before she could ask any more questions, he took a step forward and walked toward the right-side spiral staircase. He then moved to the second floor, walked on the tiled corridor, and soon arrived at a wooden double door.


    After that, he opened it using his invisible string, walked inside, and looked around.


    Arge double bed at the center, two tables on the sides, and a wardrobe appeared inside the room. Charles even saw a cab full of books next to the wooden door and was surprised a little.


    ''A talented kid, huh.'' He sighed. If someone wants to reach the peak-level rank, one''s talent ys a crucial role in everything. But that wouldn''t be enough to reach the top. Along with talent, one also needs enough wisdom, cautiousness, cunningness, and Luck.


    Yes, Luck also ys a crucial role in every being''s life.


    But it was easy to manipte.


    If not for the Holem''s Crown''s luck boost, even Charles might''ve died more than dozens of times in the past.


    ''With my current strength, I''m capable of seeing the normal people''s fate strings. But I still have no clue about how this luck power works.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    ''For now, I should focus on return to the Edhen World and then think of a way to increase my Fire Affinity.'' But he was also concerned about his newly added affinities other than darkness.


    ''Time, Wisdom, and Trickster affinities¡­ It seems my unique and sub-ss skills also need upgraded affinities to rank up further. Currently, all three of these newly added affinities are at the average level. To improve them to peak, I need sacrifices. But where can I find precious materials like God''s Blood?'' Charles also knew that he needed to sacrifice Divine''s blood or body materials to upgrade these affinities.


    ''I''ll think about these thingster.''


    He went towards the nearby cab, put the pioneer knight''s diary on it, and then took out the greenish pendant from his neck.


    Then, he opened the drawer, ced the pendant and the [Eye of Insight] stone inside, and closed it.


    After that, he moved towards the nearby bed, sat on it in a cross-legged position, and closed his eyes.


    The next instant, he released his wisdom power, covered the whole town, and started drawing the surrounding fire-elemental energies into his Inner World.


    For the next three weeks, he stayed in his room and focused his full attention on refilling the spell models. During that time, Irzoch also returned from her mission and helped him with all the misceneous tasks like gathering intelligence about Duke Michel''s territory, his strength, army power, castle map, trump cards, etc.,


    Twenty-two dayster, Charles finally managed to refill his spell models and walked out of his room.

 Chapter 426: Swordsmanship

    <h4>Chapter 426: Swordsmanship</h4>


    As Charles went to the first floor, he saw Irzoch doing some paperwork in the living room.


    She hurriedly put the notebook on the coffee table as she saw his appearance and stood up from her seat.


    She then checked if the housekeeper was around and bowed her head.


    "Good Morning, My Lord." She paused for a moment and then asked.


    "Is there anything you need?"


    Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "Did you arrange the things I asked for?"


    "Yes, My Lord." Saying so, Irzoch moved towards the nearby cupboard and took out a bunch of scrolls.


    Then, she moved towards Charles and passed them to him.


    In the meantime, Charles took those scrolls, picked up a single one, and opened it using his wisdom power.


    A clear map of a castle appeared in front of his eyes.


    "It''s the Dinton Castle''s interior blueprint, My Lord. I also ced the map of the Dukedom."


    "Good." Charles nodded with a smile and then looked at the next scroll.


    It had information about Duke Michael''s physical description, his strength, weaknesses, important artifacts, and so on.


    As Charles read the information, he couldn''t help but take a deep look.


    "He is a Darkness elemental Saint Knight?"


    "Yes, My Lord. Moreover, he is also well experienced in swordsmanship. Although he hadn''t shown his true sword skills in any battle, many believe that he is actually a Grandmaster-level swordsman." Irzoch responded calmly.


    "Grandmaster level swordsman? There is another separate level system for the swordsmanship? I thought every knight could use the aura and coat it to their weapons. Did Daniel know nothing about it?" Charles asked in surprise. In truth, he still hadn''t learned much about this world''s level system. He only paid attention to the Saints Knights, the Awakens, Sorcerers, and the Druids.


    Upon hearing his question, Irzoch showed a dumbfounded look and soon answered with a wry smile on her face.


    "There are 6 levels of swordsmanship out there, My Lord. As for Daniel''sck of knowledge, he didn''t even have enough time to learn the full extent of the Knight techniques. First level is just basic swordsmanship. We call this as fusing one mind with the sword and form a basic whitish aura. It''s not a hard for an experienced being like you." She paused for a moment and then continued with a solemn look on her face.


    "The next level is called intermediate swordsmanship. To achieve this level, one must master the basis sword arts and achieve a sword enlightenment to create a new type of aura. We call this one as sunshine aura, My Lord. The third level is called Advanced level swordsmanship. In this level, one had to focus on sharpening their sunshine aura. As long as one''s sword aura is sharp enough to cut an iron rod, it will turn red color. It''s the advanced sword aura. The further you improve; you will reach master level swordsmanship and create a greenish sword aura. It''s what we call it as ''Master Aura.'' The Radiant Knight whom you killed before belongs to this category."


    On the other hand, Charles moved towards the nearby wall, leaned his back against it, and asked.


    "What about the grandmaster level aura?"


    "I don''t know much about this level, My Lord. I only knew that the Grandmasters could even cut a diamond like paper. I also heard that the grandmaster level sword aura would glow like a pure gold. As for the sixth level, we call this as Legendary Swordsmanship. Other than the name, I knew nothing about it."


    ''Oh?'' Charles nodded his head, took the next scroll, and opened it.


    The scroll was filled with information about Duke Michael''s army strength.


    ''He have 10,000 True Knights, 4,000 Expert Knights, more than 600 crystal Knights, 45 Radiant Knights, and three Saint Knights, including himself.'' But what made him pause in surprise was the Sorcerers who were working under him.


    ''There are 19 Elemental Sorcerers, 4 Demon Sorcerers and even one Druid is working under him¡­ This guy''s army strength is terrifying indeed.'' Currently, Charles wasn''t even powerful enough to destroy one-tenth of his army power.


    Shaking his head, he shifted his gaze towards the next scroll and then opened it.


    It contained information about most armymanders'' information and their abilities. Then, the next one contained some information about the second prince of Aetas Kingdom.


    ''Julius Matthias ymoore¡­ He is the second prince of Aetas Kingdom and also an armymander of Aetas Kingdom. He has the support of 60% of the whole army and one-third of the Kingdom''s nobles! If not of third prince Leonel, he would''ve gotten full support of the nobles and might''ve seeded the throne singlehandedly. He is a Radiant Knight and has two powerful Rank-4 Demon Sorcerers working under him.'' As he read that information, he couldn''t help but take a deep look at this person''s information.


    ''He is also loved by the people. This guy¡­ If I could control Duke Michael and this prince, I''ll get a full control over this Kingdom in just two to three months. Once I achieve that, I''ll have an easy time invading the neighboring countries and strengthening my grip over this ne.'' He was also well aware of an Awaken''s presence in the Royal Capital of Aetas Kingdom and turned solemn.


    ''First, I want to know if I''m strong enough to face the Awakens of this ne. Only then I can make my move and dominate this whole world.'' Yes, Charles actually wanted to dominate the whole world and gainplete control over it.


    ''Unlike the Fire-Elemental ne, this ne is easy to control.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    He then continued to study the remaining scrolls and learned more information about Michael''s Dukedom.


    Then, he stayed in the living room for the next few minutes and memorized all the information.


    Once he was done, he returned all the scrolls to Irzoch and spoke.


    "I''ll be going out for a while then. Until I return, change yourself into Daniel from time to time and fool those foreign knights. I want to keep my journey secret." Charles didn''t even mention his real n and even hid it from Irzoch. Although she was more like a ve to him, he still didn''t dare to risk exposing his real n to anyone.


    On the other hand, Irzoch suddenly recalled something and spoke with a hesitant look on her face.


    "Although I don''t know if it is just my assumption, but I vaguely feel that the knights of Dukedom are closely watching our Mansion during the past few days, My Lord. No, it''s not watching, but they seems to be probing whether you are in the Mansion or not."


    Charles widened his eyes in surprise as he heard her words and soon frowned.


    ''They are monitoring me closely? Why?'' Charles knew that they were keeping an eye on him from the beginning, but not to this extend.


    ''Something is not right.'' Although he didn''t understand the reason, he knew something was amiss.


    ''Well, there is no use in thinking at this point anyway.'' He shook his head and shifted his attention towards Irzoch.


    "Don''t worry about them. You should continue your work and keep fooling them." Saying so, he walked towards the center of the living room and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A secondter, his whole body was enveloped in a crimson me and soon disappeared from there!


    On the other hand, Irzoch''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "He can even use the mysterious teleportation spell?" She couldn''t help but mutter in a shocked tone. Then, she shook her head, moved towards the Lawson Sofa, and sat on it.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles reappeared in the middle of dense woods and looked around.


    Tall trees with more than 1-meter radius-sized stems, slithering green vines tangled everywhere like snakes, and thorn nts appeared all over the woods. As he looked up at the sky, squirrels jumped down from the trees to trees while letting out squeaking noises and continued to disrupt the peacefulness of the woods.


    Due to the constant rainfall during the past few months, the whole forest was brimming with full of greenery.


    Just as Charles was admiring the beauty of nature, he suddenly felt an uneasy feeling in his heart.


    The next instant, his vision suddenly turned blurry and was soon reced with a different scene.


    At this moment, he saw Daniel''s illusionary image before his eyes.


    He was heavily injured, and a golden spear pierced his chest from the backside. He also saw a shadow of a humanoid figure hold the spear''s grip on the other side and became stunned.


    Sword cuts appeared all over his body!


    What''s more surprising was that he knelt on the grassy ground and looked at the surrounding with a calm look on his face.


    s, not a single hint of fear appeared in his eyes.


    Charles looked at his self in the vision and shifted his attention towards the surrounding areas. He noticed that he was actually standing in some mansion garden.


    But unlike any other mansion, this building was surrounded by more than 5 to 6-meter tall walls and looked well guarded. Thousands of armed soldiers stood on the tall walls and were constantly raining down the aura-infused metallic arrows.


    Not only that, but Charles also saw thousands of armed knights encircling him from all directions and were ready to rush towards him at any moment!

 Chapter 227: Dinton Castle

    <h4>Chapter 227: Dinton Castle</h4>


    ''How did my stealth mission turned out to be like this? This looks more like a perfect ambush!'' Charles looked at the thousands of knights in the vision and shifted his attention towards the sky.


    At that moment, he saw a ck-winged Knight hovering up in the dark sky and was looking at him with a stern look on his face. He held a ck sword in his right hand and appeared calm as water. He was in histe 40s, had long silver hair, triangle face, pure white eyes, two bat-like wings, and looked more like a noble vampire from the legends. Charles also saw two more golden-winged knights hovering in the opposite direction and turned grim.


    Anyone could tell that this was a well-nned ambush.


    ''But how did they know of my arrival? Did Irzoch betray me? No, my spell connection is still active. There is no way she has the power to fool the ck fire hiding in her Dark Space.'' At that moment, he subconsciously thought of the mysterious person named Victor.


    ''Is this his set up? But even if he is a powerful seer, I should''ve known that someone is probing my future, right? Why didn''t I feel anything? From the looks of it, they seem to have find a way to hide their presence from my wisdom power! Otherwise, I wouldn''t have ended up being surrounded by thousands of people.'' Confusion appeared in his eyes.


    ''Should I abandon this mission? The opposite party even seemed to have locked the space and put me in a bitter position.'' He blinked his eyes and soon saw that the whole surroundings suddenly broke into millions of pieces.


    A momentter, Charles found himself standing in the middle of the dense woods and turned solemn.


    Even though it was only around 5 P.M, the dense treespletely blocked the sunlight and made the atmosphere gloomier.


    ''I can''t back out now. I want to know how this mysterious Victor managed to see the future without alerting me. Although I can go back to my territory and hide there for a while, I don''t think that the opposite party would wait for me to make preparations.'' He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then heaved a heavy sigh.


    ''This is a very big anomaly in my future.'' He opened his eyes and made up his mind.


    ''I will use apletely different method and take things much slower. I want to know if this guy could actually see every future of mine.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    First, he raised his hand, touched his face, linked his mind with one of the shapeshifting imprints, and dismissed his current identity.


    A secondter, his wavy blonde hair turned into deep blue color, his azure blue eyes turned into jade one, his smooth face turned little rough, and even his height started to increase a little.


    Before long, he turned into his original appearance!


    s, he changed his original appearance into his younger self to match his dress size.


    If someone looked at his current appearance, they would consider him as a foreigner.


    Indeed, his original appearance actually looked more like a people from another kingdom from the north called ''Crido Kingdom.''


    But they rarely appear in the Aetas Kingdom.


    ''s, no one would think of me as a Daniel. No, I should be more careful of this Victor guy.'' He nodded inwardly and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    Once he noticed that no humans appeared in the surroundings, he breathed a sigh of relief and flew upward. Once he reached a certain height, he suspended in the air and looked down from the sky.


    He saw the Grime ins territory, the nearby Snakewall Valley, a small mountain range, and soon shifted his gaze towards the northern side.


    It was the direction where Duke Michael''s territory was located.


    After that, he moved further into the white clouds and flew towards the northern direction.


    ¡­


    Charles continued to fly in the sky for the next 30 minutes and soon reached the territory of Duke Michael. Then, he activated [Conceal] skill and hid his presence in the sky.


    At that moment, the whole sky was filled with dark clouds. shes of lightning appeared in the sky from time to time and caused the entire territory to lighten up.


    While Charles flew into the Duke''s territory, darkness also descended to every part of the territory.


    Thankfully, this benefited him to conceal his presence even more.


    Soon, he reached the north-eastern side and started searching for the fortified castle building.


    A few minutester, he finally saw a Dinton castle and soon smiled.


    It was a stone keep type castle. Charles also matched it with the castle blueprint and confirmed that this was his target.


    Eight towers were connected by tall stone walls and looked majestic even from the sky. Castle walls were very high, and the stones used to build the walls appeared thick and sturdy.


    Even though he was hovering more than 3000 meters away from the castle, it wasn''t difficult for him to see everything.


    ''But where are the thousands of soldiers?'' Currently, the whole castle looked empty.


    If Charles hadn''t seen the earlier vision, he would''ve loosened his guard and directly flew towards the castle.


    ''Something feels off.''


    He squinted his eyes sharper and released his wisdom power.


    A secondter, an invisible ripple came from the sky, spread towards the castle, nearby grasnd, the lone hill, and the forest, and covered the whole surroundings.


    But to his shock, not a single soul appeared in his scan. Other than a few travelers who were camping near the lone hill, nothing appeared in his scan.


    "It seems this ne has some technique to hide away from one''s wisdom scan.''


    Muttering inwardly, he turned himself into an elemental form, disappeared into his Inner World, and then opened his eyes in the Astral ne.


    At that moment, his surroundings turned gloomier and looked darker. He also saw some wandering ghost clouds here and there in the sky, then turned his gaze towards the castle and frowned.


    ''I sense a foul smell from that castle.'' Even though he was in his soul form, he sensed some nasty smell from the castle.


    ''What is that ckyer covering the castle?'' He felt a mixture of chaos and death power covered in all over the ce.


    ''I sense the power of death looming over there.''


    A secondter, he covered his soul form in a red me and started to descend.


    Although the rebirth me enveloped his soul form in the Astral ne, no fire-elemental energy appeared in the Faith Realm.


    Currently, his existence was disappeared entirely from the physical ne.


    He was more like a ghost now!


    ''I don''t think that seer could track my location in the Astral ne¡­'' He nodded inwardly and continued to descend.

 Chapter 428: Melody

    <h4>Chapter 428: Melody</h4>


    Charles arrived just a few hundred meters above the castle, passed through the strange chaotic ck barrier, and soon froze.


    At that moment, he saw apletely different scene!


    Thousands of armored knights stood on the top of the walls and were carrying different types of weapons. A few people also stood at the center of the garden and looked at the sky solemnly.


    It was as if the whole army were waiting for his arrival!


    ''How did they know that I would invade the castle from the sky?'' Instead of descending towards the castle garden, he controlled the rebirth me and moved towards the wall.


    A few secondster, hended on the castle wall, dismissed the rebirth me, and looked at the surrounding knights.


    Just as he looked at the other armored knights, a blonde-haired knight held his sword tighter, nced at the nearby knight, and asked.


    "What are we waiting for actually?"


    Upon hearing those words, the other knight also shook his head and responded.


    "How would I know? But this is definitely not some drill mission."


    While speaking, he also looked up at the dark sky and showed a solemn look on his face.


    In the meantime, Charles walked towards the right side and, at the same time, listened to the nearby knights'' conversations.


    After two minutes, he confirmed that not even the elite members, or the armymanders, knew why there were assembling in the castle!


    ''It seems I need to see for myself.'' Muttering inwardly, he turned his gaze towards the mansion garden and looked at a particr middle-aged man.


    His long silver hair fluttered in the air as he stood next to a Bush Daisy nt and held his long ck sword. His eyes were pure white, and he looked around 190 to 194 cm tall. Currently, he wore a trench coat, brown boots, and a grey hat over his head.


    He was none other than Duke Michael!


    Charles''s eyes glinted in cold light as he took a step forward, appeared at the edge of the castle wall, and jumped down like a feather.


    He descended towards the ground slowly andnded on the grassy garden.


    Then, he took a step forward and walked towards Duke.


    He arrived in front of Duke Michael in a few seconds, sized him up and down, and then sat down on the nearby garden bench.


    Then, he leaned his back on the wood, ced both of his hands on the top rail, and watched him patiently.


    Minutes passed, but no intruder appeared from the sky.


    As Michael saw this, he couldn''t help but take a deep look at the southern direction.


    At that moment, a young woman in her twenties came from the mansion building, arrived next to him, and bowed her head.


    She had long emerald hair, green eyes, a square face, and pure olive skin. She had a perfect body shape with round melons, big booty, and a sexy brown embroidered dress.


    It was a beautiful, one-piece medieval-style dress made from brown taffeta and looked fascinating. It was fastened viaces on the back and front of the dress, making it very adjustable. Because of taffeta, this dress behaved in a way that''s quite simr to silk. It was soft, luxurious, and shimmers slightly even in the surrounding torchlight.


    Although she appeared more like a harmless woman in the stunning dress, Charles knew she was a powerful sorcerer.


    ''No, she looks more like an enchantress. Hmm, if I''m not wrong, she must be the Druid who is working for Duke Michael.'' He looked at her sexy figure and soon recalled her name.


    ''Melody.''


    While he was analyzing her, that young woman named Melody passed the unsealed letter to Duke Michael and spoke with a soft voice.


    "We found no clue about the sender, My Lord. When we tried to track down his origin with the help of Sorcerer Colson''s artifact, it led us to multiple locations. This letter came here after passing through more than 30 main cities and towns."


    In the meantime, Duke Michael nced at her pretty face and responded while waving his hand.


    "Hmm, that guy seems to know every secret about us. No, he actually knew about your secret and origin. Then, he also knew about our alliance with the demon sorcerers, about His Highness''s secret affairs, my ties with the Ammar Dynasty, about our family heilroom ''Shadow Cloak'' artifact and even about the pioneer knight''s legacy. This guy must be a real prophet of Our Goddess or a terrifying spy of the enemy nation."


    He deliberated for a moment and then added coldly.


    "At least, he seemed to be helping us this time. But who would''ve thought that Baron is actually a powerful sorcerer? That brat must''ve gotten the legacy gift from the Pioneer Knight."


    Melody also nodded her head upon hearing those words, then looked up at the sky and asked.


    "What do you think, My Lord? Will Baron Daniel attack our castle alone? Isn''t he too reckless?"


    "It''s not reckless. He has the confidence to kill everyone here. At least, he is powerful enough to kill a Radiant Knight in a second." Duke Michael paused for a moment and then added.


    "I heard from our moles that he left the Darkwell Town more than 2 hours ago. What''s more surprising thing is that he left his mansion in a blink. It''s like he was hiding in the mansion all this time but suddenly, he disappeared."


    "Teleportation? But why didn''t that anonymous informer mention this ability?" Melody asked in surprise.


    "That''s why I''m more concerned about this mysterious guy. Did he know nothing about this ability? Or, is he testing us? I don''t really know." Duke Michael shook his head and then continued.


    "Anyway, I already made some preparation and used my Shadow Cloak artifact''s ability to lock the space. One he walks in, there is no way for him to escape. Humph, even an Awaken would find it difficult to break the Death Cage spell."


    In the meantime, Charles patiently listened to their conversation and turned dead serious.


    ''H-How the hell did they know everything about me?'' At that moment, he knew that he had made the right decision toe here.


    While he was racking his brain, Duke Michael turned his gaze towards a particr ck-robed young man and asked.


    "Do you sense his presence nearby, Miles?"


    Among all people in the castle, he had unique ck hair and appeared shorter than the rest.


    He was a Rank-4 Demon Sorcerer!


    Upon hearing his question, the Sorcerer named Miles shook his head and answered.


    "No, My Lord. My spell works only around one km radius. As long as that Baron arrives near to our castle, I''ll sense his blood scent and lock on to his exact location. If my guess isn''t wrong, he should be arrived here by now."


    ''Blood scent? They are tracking my location using Daniel''s blood? So, there is also another Demonic Sorcerer hiding in the Darkwell Town, huh. No wonder they manage to pinpoint my location and monitor me all those time.'' A solemn look appeared on Charles''s face.


    On the other hand, Melody took out an old pocket watch from her pocket and looked at the time.


    Upon seeing her action, Duke Michael let out a fake cough and asked with a smile.


    "Is it time for you to serve His Highness?"


    A blush appeared on Melody''s cheeks as she heard those words and soon nodded her head.


    "His Highness told me toe back faster, My Lord."


    On the other hand, the corner of Duke Michael''s lips twitched uncontrobly.


    "I wonder if any of the royal family members actually has some control over their sexual desires. Haa, go on. I also don''t want you to distract my knights'' attention." Saying so, he turned his gaze towards the castle wall, red at the drooling knights, and sighed.


    "Instead of honored knights, all of them in my army are a bunch of h*rny bastards!" He cursed loudly and shooed Melody away.


    Meanwhile, she bowed her head and hurriedly ran off.

 Chapter 429: Prince Julius

    <h4>Chapter 429: Prince Julius</h4>


    As Melody ran towards the building, Charles also stood up from the garden bench and followed her. Meanwhile, Duke Michael and others turned their attention towards the dark sky and waited for Baron Daniel to appear.


    Well, they believed so.


    On the other hand, Charles walked on the concrete path and soon arrived in front of a five-storied square building.


    It was basically a keep.


    But unlike the regr keep of the castle, this one appeared muchrger and had two entrances. The front entrance was directly leading towards the Grand Hall, kitchen storage, and the luxury rooms, while the back entrance led to the soldiers'' amodation rooms.


    Yes, this building inside the castle was sorge that it could amodate more than 2000 people inside!


    Not only that, but the Dinton Castle also had tons and tons of rations, weapons, and even the necessary groundwater supply.


    Even if this castle got surrounded by enemies, it could stand on its own for more than six months.


    Charles looked up at the grand structure wholly made of stones, arrived in front of the keep''s entrance, and walked in.


    Actually, he closely followed after the young woman named Melody.


    Within a few seconds, she entered the grand hall filled with luxurious sofas, tables, and chairs and then shifted her gaze towards the golden chandelier. Then, she took a step forward, went towards the velvet-colored couch, and sat on it.


    At that moment, a man in histe thirties came from the right side corridor and bowed his head towards Melody. He had brown hair, a hook mustache, a triangr face, and appeared to be around 176 to 178 cm high. He wore a ck suit with a tie and a vest.


    "His Highness is waiting for you in his room, My Lady." He said in a polite tone.


    A trace of annoyance appeared on Melody''s face. The reason for her irritation was very simple.


    The second prince of Aetas Kingdom had been f*cking her non-stop for the past few weeks!


    If not for the Duke''s hospitality during these past 120 years, she would''ve refused his orders long ago.


    She even wondered where he got that kind of stamina.


    "Tell him that I''ll be there in a few minutes." She spoke in an annoyed tone, then leaned her back against the couch and closed her eyes.


    On the other hand, the butler bowed his head towards the young woman, turned around, and headed in the direction where he came from.


    In the meantime, Charles pondered for a second and decided to follow the butler. In truth, he came here to get the ''Goddess''s Shield'' artifact. But due to the earlier vision, he changed his mind and decided to find out the root cause of this problem.


    ''The mysterious seer¡­ I want to get more information about him and finish him off before he grows into a potential threat.'' But before that, he needed to gainplete control of this castle and these thousands of soldiers.


    ''There is only one way for that.'' A cunning smile appeared on his face.


    Without any dy, he took a step forward and followed after the butler.


    The butler first moved towards the nearby storage room, picked up a bag of dry fruits, wheat flour, cabbages, and beans, put everything in arge bag, and then walked out of the room.


    Then, he walked on the corridor and entered another room. It was the kitchen.


    He soon met a young woman, exchanged a few words, and gave those things to her.


    After that, he left the kitchen, walked past two more rooms, and soon arrived at a wooden double-door.


    First, he raised his hand, knocked on the door twice, and waited.


    A few secondster, a young man''s voice came from the other side.


    "Come in."


    Meanwhile, the young butler opened the wooden door and walked in.


    It was a 20*20ft room with a luxurious four-poster bed at the center, two tables on the sides, and a bookshelf to the bed''s opposite side.


    At that moment, a half-naked young man leaned his back on the silk-covered headboard t and stared at the entrance. On the other hand, he continued to rub his hardened holy sword¡­


    No, it was actually a puny dagger.


    Anyway, he continued to do his thing without showing any embarrassment and only stopped when he heard a coughing noise from the butler.


    "What?" He retracted his hand from his crotch and red at him in anger.


    The young man appeared to be around 25 to 28 years old, had wavy auburn hair, a handsome body, amber eyes, a square face, and straight eyebrows.


    He was none other than the second prince of the Aetas Kingdom, Julius Matthias ymoore!


    Upon seeing his angry face, butler bowed his head in apology and spoke in a low tone.


    "L-Lady Melody said she''lle here in few more minutes, Your Highness."


    "Hmm? That bitch! Why is she taking too long?" Prince Julius clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and then asked.


    "What about that chefdy? Is she free now?"


    "N-No, Your Highness. She is making food with other chefs for all the soldiers. It''ll take more than 3 hours for her to finish the cooking work." Butler said with a solemn look on his face.


    On the other hand, Prince Julius mmed his fist on the bed and shouted.


    "Melody should be here in two minutes. Otherwise, I''ll cut your fingers and feed them to my pet dog!"


    "Y-Yes, Your Highness!" Butler went pale in an instant as he nodded his head, turned around, and hurriedly walked out of the room.


    On the other hand, Prince Julius closed his eyes while imagining the nude Melody, moved his right hand towards his crouch, and started beating his meat.


    Unbeknownst to him, a ball of reddish me appeared next to the bed and soon formed into an appearance of a human.


    Charles activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill, zeroed his gaze on the young man, and checked his body status.


    Other than the unusual vitality level, there was nothing special in his status.


    ''A radiant knight with advanced swordsmanship, huh.''


    Charles didn''t say a word as he raised his hand, cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him, and erased his current thinking.


    A secondter, a memory of the naked image of Melody appeared in his mind.


    Although Prince Julius tried to open his eyes after sensing the anomaly, Charles didn''t give him any chance, moved his hand towards his nape, and knocked him unconscious.


    ''Even though the Radiant Knights have an abnormal physique, their wisdom power is so weak.''


    He shook his head in disappointment, shifted his attention towards the prince Julius and cast the Rank-4 [Burning Consciousness] spell.


    A secondter, a ball of purple fire appeared in Julius''s Inner World and soon formed into an appearance of a 28-years-old young man. Charles''s purple consciousness nced at the world filled with nothing but foggy clouds and waved his hand.


    The next instant, countless [Fire Seed] and [Knowledge Seeker] fire spells flew from his illusionary body, spread in all directions, and started burning the memory clouds.


    As the purple consciousness was erasing the prince''s memories, Charles nced around and soon turned his attention towards the small knife ced on the nearby table. Then, he went near the table, took the silver knife, and then returned to the bed.


    After that, he sat on the soft bed, made a small cut on his right shoulder, and let the blood drop on his palm.


    Following that, he conjured a ball of greenish-blue me and healed the wound.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards the drop of blood, activated his [Shape-Shifting] skill, and created an identity imprint.


    Once that process was over, he shifted his attention towards Julius and muttered.


    "All should I do now is to wait for my purple consciousness to finish its work." He nodded inwardly, turned into his elemental form, and then disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in the Astral Realm, moved towards the opposite table chair, and sat on it.


    Then, he closed his eyes and started reading the burned memories.


    Two minutester, another knocking sound came from the outside.


    ''Visitors?''


    Charles raised his eyebrows, stared at the entrance door, and soon noticed two people were standing outside the double door.


    They were the Butler and Melody.


    After getting no response from inside, both nced at each other in puzzlement and decided to barge in.


    The butler first took a step forward, pushed open the door, and entered inside, while Melody also followed after him. Both soon shifted their gaze towards the four-poster bed and saw the unconscious Julius.


    "He fell asleep while masturbating?" Melody''s lips twitched as she saw the embarrassing scene.


    On the other hand, the butler hurriedly ran towards the second prince, took his hand, and checked his pulse.


    A heavy sigh came out of his mouth. Then, he took out the nearby quilt and covered the prince''s half-naked body with it. After that, he turned around and spoke without showing any emotion.


    "Let him rest for a while, My Lady. He might have fallen asleep due to fatigue."


    Melody also nodded her head in approval, and soon both walked out of the luxurious room.


    For the next 45 minutes, Charles continued to erase the second prince''s memories and read them patiently.


    ''A spoiled brat, huh. Butpared to his elder brother, this guy is way better. Although Julius is a sex addict like their other family members, he showed some interest in training his body, army, and politics. In truth, he is very good at strategic battles and has shown his worth to all the soldiers. Currently, more than 1000 elite Royal Knights are under his control. After the death of Aetas King Oliver, Duke Michael visited him and sowed a seed of greed. He induced Julius''s desire and convinced him to fight for the throne¡­ At that moment, many other low and mid-ss nobles also supported Julius and they formed a new alliance.''

 Chapter 430: Illusion

    <h4>Chapter 430: Illusion</h4>


    Charles paused for a moment, shifted his attention towards another part of his memory, and started reading it.


    ''Next is about why they targeted Baron Daniel. Hmm, it seems Irzoch''s words are right. Duke Michael had been nning on getting the pioneer knight''s legacy artifact for years. He is also the one who sent Baron Braxton to the battle of Mountain Falls and killed him secretively. As for how he knows about the secret of Pioneer Knight? Even prince Julius knew nothing much about it. But he suspects that it was Melody who told Duke about that information. From his observation, Melody is shrouded in full of mystery. At first, even Julius believed her as a normal druid from the farawaynd. But now, he felt that she and Duke Michael are hiding some deep secret.'' As he read the memories, Charles was stunned a little.


    ''Haa, Baron Daniel''s territory became a tool for these nobles, huh. In exchange for aid during the rebellion, Duke Michael and Julius chose to sacrifice the Grime ins. Unfortunately, I took over Daniel''s identity and crushed the Ammar Dynasty''s army men. Due to my action, Duke became wary of my real strength and chose to observe me using the foreign knights. They continued to monitor my every movement for the past few months¡­''


    ''Even when I sent Irzoch and other foreign knights away, a demon sorcerer stayed inside the town and monitored my every movement. Unfortunately, he became hesitant to attack me when I broke the soul barrier and missed the opportunity.'' Charles also read some information about the mysterious person''s letter.


    ''Three days ago, a hooded person entered Duke Michael''s mansion in Ironstall City and gave a sealed letter to his first son. The mysterious person mentioned in the letter that Baron Daniel would invade the castle and try to assassinate the Duke of Ironstall on the 2nd month of Pearl, Fallen Year 2457.'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    He wasn''t confused by the new calendar of this Faith ne. In truth, he heard about it long ago from Irzoch and knew that this calendar was also simr to Edhen World''s one. But instead of 360 days per year, this Fallen calendar had 347 days, and most of the months only had 28 days. Moreover, month names were also different.


    Instead of usual month names, the people of Faith ne usedpletely new names like Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire, Emerald, Red Coral, Pearl, Topaz, Hessonite, Mithril, Amethyst, moonstone, and White Jade.


    Yes, these people were using gem names for each month.


    But the reason for his frown was different.


    ''So, this mysterious guy saw my future, huh. Moreover, his future vision appeared more urate. It seems I need to go to the Light Kingdom and kill him swiftly.'' He nodded inwardly and then continued to read.


    But as he further read the memories, he couldn''t help but show a shocked look on his face.


    ''That mysterious Victor also knew about my magic spells? Not only that, but he even knew about Nature''s leaf?! Impossible.'' His face stiffened.


    But the truth was right in front of him now. At that moment, he also noticed a strange anomaly and furrowed his brows.


    ''Something is wrong. That mysterious Victor knew about my Mind Fire spells, enving spell, and even the [ck Inferno] spell, but not about my teleportation spell? Moreover, he also doesn''t know about my shapeshifting skill? Did he hide this information intentionally, or he really doesn''t know anything about it?'' Although he still doesn''t understand the exact situation, he vaguely felt that this mysterious guy wasn''t also clueless about his skills.


    ''But this guy is in the dark while I''m in the open. It was as if he had watched one of my infinite futures!'' Indeed, he already noticed this strangeness.


    ''The enemy knew about me, but not everything. When I returned from the battlefield, he sent Bishop ke to arrest me. At that time, he didn''t contact the Bishop using some anonymous name. Instead, he directly contacted ke and asked him to give me some trouble. Because of that, I also manage to find some information about him, like his name and history. But he somehow realized his mistaketer and chose to do everything anonymously.''


    Unfortunately, Victor was a bit toote.


    ''No, that guy still knew much about me. If my guess is right, he should be prepared for the worst possible oue.'' Charles thought for a moment and decided to fool himpletely.


    For the next few minutes, he erased the remaining memory clouds and emptied his Inner World. Then, he stood up from his seat, left the Astral ne, and appeared inside the luxurious room. He then moved towards the bed, broke the second prince''s neck, and killed him without hesitation.


    After that, he absorbed his body into his emptied Fire Domain and burned it.


    Following that, he shifted his attention towards the identity imprints, activated a particr identity imprint, and started to shapeshift!


    A few secondster, hepletely changed into an appearance of prince Julius, went towards the left side wardrobe, and took out the dresses. First, he wore braies, tights, a shirt and finally the surcoat.


    Later, he moved towards the entrance and wore leather boots.


    ''Good.'' Charles nodded inwardly, showed a tired look on his face, opened the double door, and walked outside. Then, he looked at both sides of the hallway and started walking towards the Grand Hall.


    But just as he walked past the few rooms, a young man in his butler suit came from the nearby room while carrying empty tes and soon widened his eyes.


    "Your Highness!" He hurriedly ced the tes on the floor, ran towards him, and bowed his head.


    On the other hand, Charles looked at him coldly and asked.


    "What are you doing here, Jeremy? I asked you to bring that b*tch in two minutes, right? Where is she?!" His sharp voice echoed in the hallway.


    On the other hand, Jeremy went pale in an instantly and hurriedly exined.


    "N-No, Your Highness! When I brought her to your room, you were already fallen asleep. That''s why I told her not to disturb you."


    Meanwhile, Charles shrugged his shoulder and then added while waving his hand.


    "Forget it. Go and bring Melody now."


    Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards his room. On the other hand, the butler named Jeremy wore a bitter look on his face, turned around, and hurriedly ran towards the Grand Hall.


    At that moment, Charles returned to the bedroom, removed his surcoat, ced it on the nearby table, and then went towards the bed.


    Then, hey on the bed, unbuttoned his shirt, and waited for Melody to walk in.


    A few minutester, running footsteps came from the outside and soon stopped near the double door.


    Then, a knocking sound came from the outside.


    ''Here shees.'' Charles nodded inwardly and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Come in."


    A secondter, a young woman in her twenties opened the door from outside and walked in. Her loose emerald hair fluttered in the wind as she stepped inside and greeted him with a smile. Then, she turned around, locked the door, untied the dress knots, and removed her brown embroidered dress.


    After that, she once again turned around and walked towards his bed. Even though she wore a white chemise inside her dress, it appeared very thin and transparent.


    Upon seeing her walking towards him with a seductive smile, Charles chuckled and checked her status.


    While he stayed in the Astral ne, he activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and tried to scan her. But due to the presence of a dimensional barrier, he couldn''t.


    As he tried to probe her with his [Arcane Eyes] skill, he noticed a difference.


    Even though she walked towards him, his [Arcane Eyes] showed no presence in that area!


    Furrowing his brows, he released a bit of his wisdom power and tried to scan her body but soon froze.


    ''She is indeed walking towards me¡­ No, something feels off.'' Charles suddenly sensed a dense amount of nature energy inside her body and felt suspicious.


    No, he realized that it wasn''t Melody, but a pure form of Nature Energy!


    ''A realistic illusion?'' A surprised look appeared on his face. If not for his [Arcane Eyes] skill, even he would''ve fallen under such illusion!


    At that moment, he knew that the other party had already found out something was wrong with him!


    Charles released his wisdom power without dy, crushed the nature energy clone with pure force, andpletely enveloped his bedroom.


    A secondter, he noticed that the half-naked Melody turned into a green cloud and dissolved into thin air!


    On the other hand, Charles shifted his gaze towards the entrance door and smiled.


    At that moment, Melody stood near the closed door and stared at him with a shocked look on her face.


    She tried to open her mouth but couldn''t. Currently, Charles''s wisdom power enveloped her body and wholly shackled her!


    Her breath grew harder while some mysterious power constantly entered her mind and affected her thinking.


    On the other hand, Charles stood up from his bed and walked towards her with a smile.


    "Well, I didn''t expect to find a Blessed One in this ne. Hmm, you are not a follower of this Light Goddess, are you? Which God are you serving, Young Lady?" His voice appeared calm and cold.


    Simultaneously, he sized her body up and down and analyzed her.


    In a second, a row of information appeared in front of his eyes.


    ¡­


    [Name: Melody Tonha Nyara (Blessed One)


    Race: Catfolk


    ss: Rank-4 Druid


    Health Points: 640/640


    Attributes:


    Strength- 22


    Dexterity- 24


    Constitution- 24.5


    Wisdom-89


    Charisma- 22


    Druid Spells: Nature''s Spike, Wheel of Nature, Seed of Illusion, Chaos nt, Absolute Hypnotism, Shield of Creation, Blessed Eyes.


    Unique Skills: Face of Trickery, Master Swordsmanship.]


    ''Hmm? She isn''t a human? A Catfolk?'' Charles''s eyes widened.

 Chapter 431: A New Servant

    <h4>Chapter 431: A New Servant</h4>


    As Charles arrived in front of Melody, he nced at her status and felt something was off about it.


    ''I think I heard thest part of her name somewhere else.'' He tried to recall but felt no clue about it.


    ''Did my memory get messed up a little?'' He indeed lost a few of his memory clouds when his soul got shattered, and he felt confused inside.


    After thinking for a moment, he shook his head, shifted her attention towards the beautiful young woman, and cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    A momentter, a streak of invisible ck me came out of his body, moved towards Melody like a bullet, and directly invaded her head.


    Then, it moved further towards the Dark Space that connected her main consciousness to her soul and attached over there!


    In the meantime, Melody felt a strange sense of awe and respect towards the second prince.


    Her heart pounded faster all of a sudden as she looked into the young prince''s eyes.


    No, she felt that this man wasn''t the second prince she knew for the past few months but someone else!


    Instead of a spoiled brat who lusted over women, she saw a brave, handsome man for the first time.


    ''What am I thinking?! He is too young and only knows how to y with beauties.'' Even though she tried to dismiss that thought, a strange emotion appeared in her heart. Not only that, but she actually felt a desire to obtain him!


    At that moment, her gaze met Charles''s one!


    Melody felt that his gaze could see through all her secrets!


    As Charles arrived closer, Melody closed her mouth and became dumbstruck. If not for the strange invisible power enveloping her whole body, she would''ve fallen on the floor right now.


    Charles also noticed her strange behavior and got startled a little.


    ''Hmm? Love at first sight? No, but this looks something simr to that. So, this curse spell influence''s one''s weak emotion and enves them using that emotion, huh.'' He nodded inwardly, moved his face closer towards Melody''s face, and retracted his wisdom power.


    On the other hand, Melody stumbled all of a sudden and fell backward. s, her heart and mind got entirely captivated by the young prince''s gaze.


    ''What is this feeling?!'' Her face turned red in fluster.


    But before she could fall, Charles took a step forward, moved his hand around her waist, and grabbed her body.


    "Are you alright?" He asked in a concerning voice and then released her from his grasp.


    In the meantime, Melody became flustered, took two steps backward, and stared at him in shock and surprise.


    ''W-What is happening to my body?! Why am I admiring the second prince?'' She got startled deeply.


    But at that moment, some strange power entered her mind and altered her thinking.


    ''No, I always have high respect towards His Highness. Although I felt ufortable whenever he ordered me to have s*x with him, I respected his character as a whole. But why did I think ill of him earlier?'' Positive and negative thoughts got mixed up and soon etched in the deepest part of her consciousness.


    ''I hate some of His Highness''s orders, but I also respected him from the bottom of my heart. He is my true King!''


    Finally, she gained some courage and asked in a stutter.


    "Y-Your H-Highness? D-Did you use any strange spell on me?" Her voice contained a trace of confusion.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and asked.


    "No. It should be my question. What happened to you? Why did you try to put me under an illusion?"


    Just as Melody was about to answer, she suddenly forgot what to say.


    In the meantime, Charles read her memories and learned the truth.


    Whenever she wasn''t in the mood to have sex with the second prince, she would usually do these kinds of tricks to satisfy the prince''s desire.


    ''So, that''s the reason, huh.'' He nodded his head in understanding.


    Then, he shifted his gaze towards her ears and asked.


    "You are a catkin, right?"


    Upon hearing those words, a shock appeared on Melody''s face, followed by disbelief.


    Without any hesitation, she backed away in a hurry and tried to run away but froze.


    ''Wait¡­ Why am I running away? I indeed hide this secret, but it''s to protect myself, right?'' She opened her mouth but closed it after some hesitation.


    Meanwhile, Charles observed her facial expression and then waved his hand.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t punish my subjects just because they hide their secrets from me. As long as you tell me about your origin, I''ll let this off." He paused for a moment, suddenly released his invisible strings,pletely bound her body, and then continued in a cold tone.


    "But if you dare to hide anything from me, I won''t show any mercy on you."


    In the meantime, Melody trembled uncontrobly for some odd reasons and responded without even thinking.


    "I-I know nothing much about the catkins, Your Highness. I was brought to this world as a ve from another ne andter sold to a Noble House in Magewind City. Like me, more than thousands of non-humans working there as ves and servants in the Nobles'' houses. Two centuries ago, I managed to escape with arge group of druids and came to thisnd as a fugitive. Currently, I''m living under Duke Michael''s protection. N-No, I''m living under His Highness''s mercy!" Saying so, she burst into tears and knelt on the ground.


    "P-Please don''t kill me." She begged.


    ''Wow! My enving spell is too good. With just a few words, shepletely became my servant.'' In truth, he was a little scared of using this curse magic spell often. He doesn''t want his whole followers to be a bunch of enved beings.


    After a short pause, he squatted down a little, grabbed her shoulder, and then asked.


    "Why are you hiding your identity?" Concern and curiosity could be seen in his tone.


    On the other hand, Melody shook his head and answered.


    "Light Church will send an army of Light Knights to hunt me down in the name of Inquisition, Your Highness. They are already doing that to all the Demon Sorcerers."


    ''Inquisition, huh. I wonder if there are some special Temr Knights to do that job.'' He furrowed his brows and then asked the following question.


    "Which God are you serving?"


    Upon hearing his words, Melody showed a confused look and once again shook her head.


    "I''m a non-believer, Your Highness. The only things I rely on are my nature spell models and skills."


    ''She is a non-believer? But why does she have the ''Blessed One'' title then?'' He pondered for a second and then further asked more about herself. The more he asked questions, the more she became attached to him. By the time he ended the conversation, her eyes had be reverent and pious.


    At that moment, she felt that she was born to serve this handsome prince for the rest of her life!


    She even felt d to meet such a kind-hearted ruler!


    "Good. I''ll be taking you as my personal attendant from now on. You can go back to your room and take some rest. Also, tell the butler not to disturb me for the next few hours."


    Saying so, Charles sent her out of his bedroom.


    Then, he closed the door from inside, locked it, and then moved towards the nearby wardrobe.


    After that, he opened it, took out a ck hooded robe from inside, and wore it.


    Following that, he took out Julius''s long sword from the nearby table and strapped it to his waist.


    ''Man, I really miss my space ring.'' He muttered inwardly. Even though he could put his thing in his Fire Domain, most of them might get destroyed due to the harsh environment.


    Shaking his head, he enveloped his body into a crimson me, turned into an elemental being, and then entered his Inner World.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes in the Astral ne, conjured a ball of rebirth me, and covered his soul form. Then, he controlled the rebirth me and flew towards the sky¡­ He first passed through the ceiling, entered the second floor, and continued to move upward.

 Chapter 432: Entering the Trap

    <h4>Chapter 432: Entering the Trap</h4>


    In a few seconds, Charles appeared above the castle''s keep and looked around.


    Even though it''s been more than an hour since he infiltrated the castle, the thousands of elite knights and Duke Michael stood vigntly in the same position and were waiting for him patiently!


    Of course, Charles hadn''t thought of disappointing them, though. He actually thought of giving them a small lesson.


    ''I also have to kill that Demon Sorcerer who is specialized in blood magic.'' A cold glint appeared in his illusionary eyes.


    In a few more minutes, he moved towards the sky, crossed the strange chaotic ck barrier, and finally reached the dark clouds.


    The next instant, he left the Astral ne, reappeared in the dark sky, and changed his appearance into a 14 years old young boy.


    A momentter, two eerie wings made of wicked me appeared behind his back, spread outward, and pped on their own.


    The two wings looked more like creepy fire wings, seemed to be reddish-ck color, and released lightning-like red me streaks towards all the surrounding clouds!


    It was his Rank-3 [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell!


    Charles then locked his gaze on the small castle, suddenly retracted his wings, and descended towards the ground like aet.


    At that moment, Duke Michael saw a reddish-ck fire in the sky and got stunned.


    ''Fire?'' But he soon noticed that it was not a fireball but something else.


    "It''s directlying towards our direction, My Lord!" The nearby knight shouted in shock.


    Duke also noticed this and smiled.


    "He is here!" Saying so, he took a few steps backward and unsheathed his sword.


    The other knights and Demon Sorcerers also get ready for the uing battle.


    In the meantime, Charles passed through the invisible barrier and slowly flew towards the castle.


    But just as he appeared a hundred meters above the garden, he opened his reddish-ck fire wings wider, decreased the momentum like a bird, andnded on the grassy yard.


    Then, he nced at the thousands of knights and went pale.


    At that moment, Duke Michael took a step forward and muttered.


    "Elemental Wings."


    As he spoke, eerie dark smoke came out of his body and soon formed two bat-like wings behind him.


    He pped those two wings, rose towards the sky, and asked coldly.


    "Baron of the Grime ins, could you please tell me why you are here?"


    Simultaneously, two blonde-haired knights released yellowish-color energy from their bodies and created golden wings behind their backs. Then, they also pped their wings, flew towards the sky, and appeared beside Duke.


    ''Fire elemental energy? No, it''s Light-Elemental energy!'' Charles looked up at the dark sky and furrowed his brows.


    Even though he was up against three Saint Knights, he wasn''t afraid at all.


    ''They are strong but not unbeatable. What I''m worried most about is not the Saints but the Demon Sorcerers.''


    Muttering inwardly, he retracted his gaze from the sky, looked around, and soon looked in a particr direction.


    At that moment, three robed Sorcerers stood under an ornamental tree shadow and looked at him with wariness. One was a ck-haired young man, while the other two were middle-aged men.


    Charles ignored the two middle-aged men and firmly locked his gaze on the ck-haired young man.


    The young man appeared shorter, had a square face, downturned hazel eyes, high-arched eyebrows, and celestial nose.


    He was the Rank-4 Demon Sorcerer, Miles!


    ''But his wisdom power has long reached Rank-5, and his skills are also simr to Jessie''s blood maniption skills!'' What''s more shocking was that his skills were upgraded versions.


    But just as he was about to move towards him, Duke Michael pped his bat-like wings and shot towards Charles madly.


    At the same time, the Demon Sorcerer named Miles also noticed his gaze, took a few steps forward, raised his hand, and spoke.


    "Blood Freeze."


    As he spoke, Charles felt that his whole body got stiffened all of a sudden.


    He thought his entire body would burst open if he didn''t do something to block the strange power from invading his mind!


    He instantly shifted his attention towards his body, released his wisdom power, and blocked the strange invisible force from entering his body.


    Then, he unsheathed his long sword, took a step forward, and pped his Fallen Angel''s Wings.


    A momentter, he shot up towards the sky at an unimaginable speed and appeared in front of Duke Michael in a blink.


    Then, he raised his hand, imbued his sword with a reddish sword aura, and lunged forward.


    But one of the two golden-winged knights came from Duke''s right side and blocked his sword.


    Simultaneously, the other golden-winged knight appeared above his head and thrust his greenish-aura-coated sword towards it!


    Meanwhile, a mocking smile appeared on Duke''s face. He pped his bat-like wings, released more darkness-elemental energy towards the surroundings, and then disappeared!


    No, Charles noticed that he turned into a pure darkness elemental energy and mingled with nature.


    "There is a clear difference between a Radiant Knight and a Saint,d." A cold voice echoed in his head.


    s, Charles didn''t have any time to hear Duke Michael''s taunting words.


    He pped his wings, backed away hurriedly, and then sighed.


    "I did expect some action. But it seems I don''t need to hold back anymore." Just as he spoke, he locked his gaze on one of the golden-winged knights and cast [Burning Thoughts] on him.


    Simultaneously, he cast [False Blink] spell on himself, disappeared from there, and reappeared behind that knight.


    Then, he calmly raised his hand, pointed his forefinger at his nape, and muttered.


    "Ember Needle."


    A secondter, a sharp reddish needle came out of his forefinger, moved into the knight''s nape, and entered his body.


    By the time the golden-winged knight managed to regain his senses, he felt a burning sensation from his throat!


    At that moment, the [Ember Needle] spell broke into two parts and released dense, chaotic fire into his bloodstreams!


    A shrill scream came out of the knight''s mouth as he opened his brown eyes wider and scratched his body in a hurry.


    Due to the sudden itchy and painful sensation from all over his body, he couldn''t maintain his golden wings and directly fell from the sky!


    A secondter, a thud sound echoed in the middle of the garden and attracted everyone''s attention.


    Even though the Saint Knight wasn''t heavily injured due to the crashnding, all the thousands of elite knights suddenly widened their eyes and shouted in shock and surprise.


    The reason for their surprise was very simple.


    At that moment, the Saint Knight''s skin turned pink, then deep red, and soon transformed into ckish color. His whole body also started to bulge like a balloon and let out intense, chaotic elemental fluctuations!


    Waves of chaotic fire ripples spread towards the surroundings and burned all the nearby ornamental nts and trees!


    Even Duke Michael got stunned by this scene and came out of his hiding.


    Before long, the Saint Knight''s body erged more than a 2-meter radius in size and then exploded while sending flesh and blood in all directions!

 Chapter 433: Massacre

    <h4>Chapter 433: Massacre</h4>


    As they saw the gruesome scene, a strange chill went up to everyone''s spines!


    Duke Michael''s face also turned green as he saw such a magic spell. He hurriedly pped his bat wings, flew towards the castle wall, andnded on the top of one of the eight castle towers.


    Then, he raised his hand and spoke in a deep voice.


    "Get ready to attack!" This time, he learned his lesson and decided to use his army.


    In the meantime, all the elite knights who stood on the castle wall and the garden suddenly took out the bows and metallic arrows, ced the arrows on the bowstrings, and aimed at Charles.


    "Infuse!" Duke''s voice thundered in the gloomy night, causing the sky to send out shes of lightning.


    On the other hand, all the knights controlled their elemental energy, sent them towards their hand, and soon infused their arrows with it. Some arrows glowed in red light; some glowed in blue, some in green, etc.


    Knights used more than ten different elemental-infused arrows and aimed at Charles from all directions.


    At that moment, Duke Michael also stared at him coldly from the top of the castle tower and added.


    "Pull."


    A momentter, everyone pulled the bowstrings in unison and locked their aim at Charles.


    Upon seeing this, he frowned deeply and waved his hand.


    Although he wasn''t sure of the destructive power behind each of those arrows, he felt threatened inside.


    A momentter, sunshine energy came out of his body and soon formed into a forcefield-like structure.


    It was Rank-4 [Sun''s Guard] spell!


    Just as the sunshineyer covered his body, Duke sized his up and down, snorted coldly, and roared.


    "Release!"


    A secondter, more than thousands of arrows flew up towards the sky like firecrackers and soon fell towards the garden''s center.


    It was such a beautiful scene!


    Well, not for Charles, though.


    Soon, all those arrows descended towards the garden andnded on the [Sun''s Guard] spell one by one!


    Explosions echoed continuously as those elemental arrows crashed on the sunshineyer. Moreover, the thousands of arrows managed to create cracks everywhere.


    At that moment, Charles knew that this Rank-4 spell wouldn''t be enough to stop the uing arrows and decided to act.


    Indeed, the knights had already loaded another round of arrows and started infusing them with their elemental power!


    Although the [Sun''s Guard] spell could restore on its own, it needed a massive amount of fire-elemental energy. Unfortunately, [Sun''s Guard] spell model hadn''t much elemental energy stored inside.


    ''I can only use this spell once.'' He stared at another round of arrows flying from all directions and sighed deeply.


    ''Tsk, I thought of ying a good character, but it seems it won''t work that way.''


    A secondter, he conjured a ball of rebirth me and enveloped his body in it.


    At that moment, his skin color also changed and was soon reced with an appearance of a Red Human!


    Then, his whole body started to melt in reddishva, and he looked more like a humanoid form ofva.


    His body also started to erge in a second, and his height reached two and a half meters tall!


    Not only that, but two reddish horns, a long reddish-ck tail, and two creepy white eyes appeared in the eye sockets!


    Moreover, his Fallen Angel''s Wings also remained on his back and gave an ominous feeling to everyone.


    To the thousands of humans'' eyes, he looked more like a demon from the Abyss itself!


    Gasps and shouts echoed from all over the castle as they saw his demonic form. Even the secretly plotting Demonic Sorcerers and Duke Michael got stunned for a moment.


    It was just a start, though.


    Charles opened his mouth andughed as those elemental arrows descended from the sky.


    "Kekekekeke!"


    Because of him in the elemental form, hisugh appeared eerier and reverberated everywhere like a demon''sughter.


    For a moment, a strange silence appeared in the center of the garden.


    At that moment, every human in the castle was deeply terrified by such a creature''s appearance.


    A secondter, Duke Michael managed to wake up from the shock and roared.


    "Stop dazing around, morons! Fire your arrows!"


    He knew that everyone was entirely intimidated by this Demon Sorcerer and woke them up.


    ''No! This thing is not even a Demon Sorcerer! Like that anonymous person mentioned in the letter, this being is a real me Demon!'' Fear appeared in his heart.


    On the other hand, Charles released his wisdom power to its fullest and then raised his hand.


    A momentter, all those flying arrows suddenly slowed down and soon suspended in mid-air!


    Like a demonic god, Charles rose in the sky without even pping his Fallen Angel''s Wings, raised both of his hands, crossed his fingers, and turned all those arrows in the opposite directions.


    At that moment, the eerie reddish-ck wings suddenly spread outwards and pped all of a sudden.


    The next instant, countless reddish-ck feathers came out of the wings, moved towards those metallic arrows, and soon enveloped those arrows in ck mes.


    Within two seconds, the whole sky was filled with reddish-ck arrows!


    "You want to kill me?" A raucous voice came out of Charles''s mouth as he snapped his finger and let out another wickedughter.


    A momentter, all those arrows made whooshing noises and moved in all directions!


    Before long, those arrows arrived in front of those thousands of Elite Knights andnded on their bodies.


    But unlike before, all those arrows exploded upon reaching the target and enveloped the target in eerie ck me!


    In seconds, the castle walls were burning in ck mes.


    Cries and shouts of the soldiers continued to echo in all parts of the castle.


    Soon, the me affected soldiers burned to crisps, fell from the walls one by one, and died on the spot.


    In the meantime, Duke Michael watched his elite soldiers massacred by the me demon and felt pain in his heart. He had been nurturing them for years for his grand n, but everything went to dust in mere seconds!


    ''That anonymous guy knew nothing about this Demon''s true strength! This Demon''s strength is a whole new level. Damn it!'' He cursed at the informer and soon shifted his attention towards the garden.


    At that moment, Charles was walking towards the three Demon Sorcerers with a cold look on his face.


    As for the other Saint Knight, Duke Michael couldn''t even see any sign of his presence.


    ''Where did Carlos go? Wait! Did he run away?!'' Rage appeared in his eyes. He was well aware of Carlos''s cowardly nature and felt deep anger towards him.


    ''Should I call Melody now?'' He thought for a second but soon dismissed that idea.


    From his perspective, Melody was the strongest person in this whole castle. But involving herself in this battle would expose a lot of her secrets, and it might attract the Light Church''s attention.


    He didn''t want to undergo any investigation!


    On the other hand, Charles locked his gaze on the young man named Miles and cast [Burning Thoughts] on him.


    A momentter, he disappeared from there and reappeared behind him. But instead of killing him on the spot, he suddenly turned his gaze towards the other two middle-aged Demon Sorcerers and squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he received a forewarning and learned that one of these two demon sorcerers had attacked him in that vision.


    ''Wait¡­ No, something is off about that right side sorcerer.'' Because of the ck hood, Charles couldn''t see his face clearly and showed a confused look.


    He then raised his hand, pointed his finger at him, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    At the same time, he raised his other hand, grabbed Miles''s head, and crushed it without any hesitation.


    In the meantime, a dense, chaotic ray came out of his other hand and moved towards the right-side Demon Sorcerer at a fast speed.


    Before he could even understand the situation, the ray entered his head and exploded.


    But to his shock, the one that exploded wasn''t the right side Sorcerer''s head but the other person''s head!


    ''What happened?!'' Charles saw his spell enter the hooded Sorcerer''s head but couldn''t understand how he transferred that attack to the nearby person!

 Chapter 434: Divine Items

    <h4>Chapter 434: Divine Items</h4>


    ''Hmm? Isn''t he the Demon Sorcerer who works for second prince Julius?'' Charles stared at the hooded Demon Sorcerer and showed a confused look on his face.


    From Julius''s memories, he knew that this person was nothing but a Rank-4 sorcerer with minimal battle experience. His name was Nash, who came to the Aetas Kingdom from the north 30 years ago and became a permanent resident. s, he currently had some bad reputation in the Royal City.


    Five years ago, he was involved in illegal business and got exposed to the masses by the Royal Knights. After that, the Light Church arrested him in the name of investigation and held him for three months in prison. When he returned from the prison, the royal family confiscated all his saved money and properties. With no other choice, he chose to work for the Royal Family. No, he decided to work for Julius''s mother.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was not his background, but when did this Demon Sorcerere to this castle.


    ''He came here two days ago under the order of Julius''s mother! But due to his weak look, no one, including Duke Michael, took him seriously and thought of him as a normal Demon Sorcerer.''


    Well, that''s what Julius also thought about him all these times.


    ''Julius knew nothing about him at all¡­ This guy isn''t some normal folk. Did that Seer even warn Julius''s mother?'' While thinking, he activated his [elerate Thoughts] skill and analyzed the surroundings in slow motion.


    Although he had many advantages in battle, he didn''t dare to take his enemies lightly.


    ''It''s better to act cautiously.'' He nodded inwardly and jumped backward.


    In the meantime, that hooded sorcerer named Nash backed away hurriedly, removed his ck hood, and looked at him in surprise. He looked around 40 years old, had violet eyes, barely visible eyebrows, crooked nose, Russet brown skin, chestnut hair, and an oblong face.


    Charles also activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and tried to scan him. But to his shock, nothing appeared in his vision!


    Unlike the time when he scanned Melody, he also didn''t see any abnormality around this person.


    ''He can block my [Arcane Eyes] skill?'' He was stunned a little. s, he used his wisdom power, probed his physical strength, and soon frowned.


    ''His body is weak, and he looks more like a mortal.'' But just as he thought of attacking that sorcerer, some strange divine power came out of his pant pocket and covered his body. Not only that, but Charles also noticed another type of mystical power came from the same pocket and fused his body itself!


    ''What the hell is this?! He now looks like apletely different person!'' He also noticed that his body strength had reached a terrifying level!


    ''A Pseudo-Level Physique!''


    Upon seeing such a strange scene, he felt somewhat clueless about what to do next.


    At that moment, another figure descended from the sky andnded next to the Demon Sorcerer.


    It was none other than Duke Michael.


    Duke was also surprised by this person''s capabilities and sized him up and down. Although he knew this person belonged to Julius''s side, he also didn''t pay much attention to him all these times.


    "Who are you?" Duke Michael asked while hiding his shock.


    On the other hand, the mysterious hooded man shook his head and spoke.


    "If you want to live, take out that shield and use it. This demon is more likely from another ne. Trying to hide your strength in this situation won''t solve the problem. It seems Julius''s mother''s worry came true." His voice appeared colder.


    A surprise shed on Duke Michael''s face. The same goes for Charles.


    After some hesitation, Duke Michael touched his left-hand bracelet and directly took out a long sword and a heater shield from it. The shield appeared to be made of bronze metal and was inscribed with mysterious runes. Four animal symbols also appeared engraved on the heater shield, and they looked alive.


    Indeed, those strange symbols moved here and there from time to time and sent out mysterious ripples to the surroundings.


    One was a lizard-like creature, the second was a mammoth, the third was a rat, and the fourth was a snake-headed humanoid creature.


    What''s more shocking was that Charles sensed four souls residing in the heater shield and was emitting four unique chaos power!


    ''Moreover, there is also a power of chaos fire residing in one of those four souls!'' Charles muttered inwardly.


    On the other hand, the long sword appeared to be made of pure gold, and the hilt glowed in blue light. There were also some strange gems embedded all over the handle and looked unique.


    Charles''s eyebrows rose upward. Although he didn''t sense any divine power or soul in it, he didn''t dare to take it lightly and analyze it.


    ''ckest Heart, huh. What a unique sword name.''


    He felt threatened by those two items.


    ''I didn''t expect such an anomaly. Should I retreat?''


    He wore a grim look on his face, turned his gaze towards Nash, and gashed his elemental teeth.


    ''This guy also has some mystical power or item! There is also a possibility that he is a powerful Rank-5 Sorcerer. Victor? No, I don''t think so.'' If not for Julius''s memories, he would''ve thought of him as Victor.


    But Charles now knew that this guy was involved in this mess due to bad luck.


    ''No, he might be pulled into this mess by the mysterious seer.'' He felt that was highly possible and fell into deep thoughts.


    On the other hand, Nash took out a strange talisman coin ne from his pocket and held it in his hand.


    On the coin, there was also a simr type of symbol engraved in it.


    But instead of animals, this talisman coin had six different kinds of symbols on one side. The first symbol was a heart, the second one was a ruby eye, the third one was a clover, the fourth one was a peace sign, the fifth symbol was a wheel, and the final one was an elephant. On the other side, a lucky star and a unique guiding stone were delicately engraved in it.


    With a mere nce, Charles knew that this item was also a divine artifact!


    At that moment, Duke Michael also stared at the unique ne and soon blurted out.


    "Is it our Goddess''s ''Lucky Talisman'' artifact?!" He widened his eyes in disbelief.


    "Lucky Talisman? Are youparing that scrap ne to mine? Humph, back away." The Demon Sorcerer named Nash shot a cold nce at Duke Michael, shifted his gaze towards Charles, and continued.


    "It''s better to not know about my artifact''s name. After all, the more you learn about it, that me demon might also learn some information about it. Isn''t that right?" His tone contains a hint of mockery.


    On the other hand, Charles''s white eyes squinted sharper.

 Chapter 435: Wheel of Fortune

    <h4>Chapter 435: Wheel of Fortune</h4>


    The next instant, Charles zeroed his gaze on Nash and cast [Burning Thoughts] on him.


    But at that moment, the clover symbol on the coin suddenly shone brightly, released an invisible ripple, and blocked the Mind Fire from invading his mind!


    ''What the-?'' Before Charles could even think further, Duke Michael jumped up while holding the Goddess''s shield in his left hand, pped his bat wings forcefully, and shot towards him like an arrow.


    While moving, he also gripped the cken Sword on his right hand, connected his mind with the sword, and created a sword aura.


    A secondter, a dazzling golden aura came out of the hilt area and soon covered the sword edges!


    It was the Grandmaster Level Sword aura!


    Legend says that this aura could even cut a diamond-like cake!


    Without any hesitation, Charles cast Rank-4 [Sun''s Guard] spell and created a sunshine-force field around his elemental demonic body. At that moment, Duke Michael also arrived in front of Charles and shed his sword at the sunshineyer.


    The sharpened de tore through the air, even ripped the surrounding space, and soon collided against the sunshine shield.


    A secondter, a bang sound echoed in the middle of the garden, followed by cracking noises. Charles noticed that cracks appeared all over his defensive spell and soon went solemn.


    As he was about to teleport, Nash raised his hand, pointed his finger in his direction, and spoke.


    "Let Amay judge you for your demonic deeds."


    A secondter, Charles suddenly saw that a silhouette of an elephant appeared above Nash''s head and dashed towards his direction.


    No, it wasn''t an elephant but a mammoth!


    What''s more shocking was that somehow that strange mammoth''s eyes glowed in golden light, released an invisible ripple, and created a strong disturbance in the surrounding spatial elements.


    ''Sh*t!'' He cursed inwardly and soon saw his whole defensive spell was crumbled into powders.


    At that moment, Duke Michael didn''t hold back his strength and continued to sh at Charles''s chest.


    But before the aura-coated sword could pierce through his elemental body, a greenish ripple came out of his chest area and created another forcefield-like structure.


    It was the Nature Leaf''s ability!


    Another nging sound echoed as the sword collided against the nature shield, pushed him backward, and created shockwaves in all directions.


    But unlike before, not a single crack appeared on the nature shield.


    A heavy sigh came out of Charles''s mouth.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t have a second to rx as he saw the iing illusionary mammoth.


    Soon, the illusionary mammoth arrived before his sight, turned into a golden spear with a white tip, and mmed onto the greenyer.


    But what''s more shocking was that the golden spear managed to tear through the Nature Shield, pierced into Charles''s chest, and reappeared on the other side!


    Lavas and reddish fire sprayed in all directions and burned the nearby grass.


    A momentter, a fist-sized hole appeared in his chest area.


    At that moment, Charles staggered with a shocked look on his face and soon fell backward.


    A loud thud echoed in the grassy yard.


    As Nash and Duke Michael saw this scene, both of them nced at each other and curled their lips upward.


    But before they could shout in rejoice, the 3-meter tall me demon suddenly stood up while letting out a creaking noise.


    In truth, Charles wasn''t injured in the slightest.


    After his rebirth, his elemental body had upgraded to Rank-6 spell level and could even face a Rank-5 spell.


    Much less some divine spell.


    "Not bad." He spoke coarsely, raised his hand, pointed his finger at Duke Michael, and cast the Rank-4 [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    He knew that defeating the Demon Sorcerer was an impossible task in his situation. So, he instantly shifted his gaze towards Duke Michale and chose to kill him.


    A reddish ray of fire suddenly came out of his fingertip, moved towards Duke Michael, and soon arrived in front of him.


    But just as the ray was about to prate his head, the Goddess''s Shield in his left hand trembled all of a sudden, created a reddish fire-shied and blocked the red ray.


    A momentter, a loud explosive sound echoed, causing the chaos fire to spread in all directions. Within minutes, the chaotic fire consumed the nearby ornamental trees, nts, grass and even burned the wooden posts!


    Instead of a greenish yard, the whole garden appeared devastated.


    s, Charles''s expression wasn''t too good.


    ''It managed to block my Rank-4 spell? What a troublesome shield.'' He turned his face solemn, thought of something else, and cast [Burning Thoughts] on Duke Michael.


    But before the ''Mind Fire'' could get near Duke, a simr ripple came out of the mysterious coin ne in Nash''s hand andpletely nullified it.


    ''That Demon Sorcerer only used two abilities, but those spell already nullified my spells.'' Charles soon realized that he was no match for this guy.


    ''Should I try my trickster skill and steal any one of those artifacts?'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    He knew that defeating any one of them was impossible. So, he decided to steal their artifacts.


    Without any dy, cast [Hands of Wonder] skill, released an invisible string, and moved towards Nash.


    In a blink, the invisible string bent the space, moved towards Nash''s ne at an unimaginable speed, and soon arrived in front of it.


    A secondter, the invisible strong tangled with the coin ne and firmly tied to it.


    Upon seeing this, Charles raised his hand and pulled the string in his direction.


    The next instant, the coin ne suddenly slipped out of Nash''s hand, entered the deep crack that appeared out of nowhere, and soon appeared in front of Charles.


    s, no trace of panic or anxiousness appeared on Nash''s face as he saw this scene.


    He calmly took a step forward and muttered.


    "Wheel of Fortune."


    As he spoke, something extraordinary happened.


    The mysterious coin shone brightly suddenly, sent out a golden ray, and soon created a mysterious golden halo above Nash''s head.


    It looked more like a cart''s wheel, had 24 spokes, reddish central disk, and white rim!


    It circled above his head like an actual wheel, sent bolts of lightning towards the invisible string, and broke it into minute pieces.


    Not only that, but those bolts of lightning alsonded on Charles''s body and sent him flying in the other direction.


    Even the restored Nature Shield couldn''t block that mysterious lightning. Charles hurriedly pped his ck wings, managed to control the momentum, and soon hovered in mid-air.


    Then, he checked his elemental body but found no wound or anything.


    ''What happened?'' He hurriedly activated his [Arcane Eyes] and soon widened his eyes.


    At that moment, he noticed that some mysterious golden threads appeared from the golden halo and attached to all parts of his soul form!


    Not only that, but he also noticed that these mysterious golden threads were trying to invade his Inner World!


    ''It is trying to control my every action?'' He frowned.


    Although these threads appeared simr to the ''Fate Strings,'' he knew that these threads werepletely different.


    Even though Nash was more than 100 meters away from him, Charles felt that an unimaginable amount of divine power oozed out of that golden wheel.


    ''Wait¡­ I feel a familiar sensation¡­ Is it the power of luck?'' He was stunned a little.


    ''It''s better to break these things.'' He nodded thoughtfully, conjured a ball of rebirth me, weaved it into a sword-like structure, and shed at all directions.


    The rebirth me moved towards those invisible golden threads, neatly cut them one by one, and soon severed all those connections!


    Due to the sudden disturbance, the mysterious wheel also faced severe bacsh, shrunk suddenly, and soon disappeared.


    Upon seeing this, a shock appeared on Nash''s face.


    But soon, he muttered a mysterious chant, raised his hand, and pulled the hovering coin ne towards his direction.


    He caught the ne in a blink, wore it over his head, and shifted his gaze towards Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles''s face went dead serious.


    ''He is acting too calm¡­ It feels like he is the one who is controlling the whole situation of this battle.''


    What''s more shocking was that this mysterious Nash guy didn''t use any of his single spell or skill!


    ''He has three more abilities under his sleeves. Meanwhile, I already used up my defensive and attack spells.'' Currently, Charles couldn''t only use [ck Inferno] spell and [Curse of the Overlord] spell to turn the situation around.


    But he decided not to use them against these two guys.


    First, he wanted to obtain at least one of the two artifacts. Second, these two would be perfect bodyguards for the Second Prince Julius and also for his ns!


    ''Anyway, I already achieved my goal here. It''s time to escape.'' He opened his bulky elemental arms wider, pped the reddish-ck wings forcefully, and shot towards the sky!


    "He is trying to escape!" Duke squinted his eyes sharper and shouted.


    "Let him go. We are barely holding up against that monster." Nash refused to act. In truth, his artifact''s abilities had long cool-down times.


    ''I also used up my attack spell.'' He muttered inwardly.


    ''

 Chapter 436: Result

    <h4>Chapter 436: Result</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles flew up in the sky and soon arrived at the shadowyyer covering the castle like a forcefield.


    But just as he tried to pass through the barrier, a strange invisible force came out of nowhere and blocked him!


    ''Should I enter the Astral ne?'' He thought to himself but shook dismissed that idea for now. He didn''t want others to know about some of his abilities. One of them was this Astral Traveling ability.


    ''It''s better to do it secretively.'' Muttering inwardly, he flew back a little, raised his hand, and conjured a ball of ck fire.


    Simultaneously, he waved his other elemental hand, conjured hundreds of normal me balls, and sent them in all directions.


    Meanwhile, the ck fireball began to expand continuously and soon reached the size of 30 meters radius!


    It was not a normal fireball, but an upgraded version of Rank-4 [ck Inferno] spell!


    As Duke Michael and Nash saw his action, they couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    "Is he going to create the ck sun?" Panic surfaced on Duke Michael''s face.


    Before he could even blink, the ck Inferno spell released numerous ck streaks, entered those normal fireballs, and turned them into darkish red color.


    A secondter, chains of small explosions resounded in the sky, covered the sky in crimson me, and illuminated the whole castle in bright red light.


    Duke Michael and Nash subconsciously closed their eyes and lowered their gaze in unison.


    "Take cover!" Nash also got shocked inside, touched his coin ne, and got ready to cast arge-scale defensive spell.


    s, norge explosion appeared in the sky!


    After three seconds, the blinding red light soon started to diminish and then disappeared along with the monstrous ck ball of fire.


    s, the invisible ck barrier remained in the sky. But there was no sign of the me demon!


    "W-Where did he go?" Duke Michael looked up at the dark sky, searched for the me demon, and asked.


    Nash also showed a puzzled look and shook his head.


    "That person who sent the anonymous letter also seems to have less information about this Demon." He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "At least, we seeded in protecting our Highness."


    In the meantime, Duke Michael nodded his head and shifted his attention towards the burned bodies of his elite knights and some moaning knights.


    "I lost too many soldiers." Although this was only one-tenth of his army, the loss was still huge for him. Both then moved away from the destroyed garden, walked on the concrete path, and went towards the keep.


    At that moment, more than a hundred knights came out of the keep and hurriedly ran towards heavily injured knights. They were off-duty knights who rested in their room. Due to the earlier noise, they also woke up and saw what happened outside through the windows.


    The appearance of a demonic human being startled them greatly!


    Cries and shouts soon resounded everywhere in the castle as they ran towards the injured knights to help them. Soon, they saw charred dead bodies fallen near the walls and got shocked. s, they didn''t get panic, though. Instead, they hurriedly moved towards the charred bodies and started checking whether if someone was still alive or not.


    Within a few seconds, a brown-haired knight found a barely breathing knight and called out for help. Even though that injured knight''s body appeared ckish, he managed to maintain his consciousness and raised his hand to ask for help.


    "Bring the stretcher here." The brown-haired knight shouted and then helped the injured knight.


    Soon, more and more knights call out for help from different directions.


    At the same time, the air mixed with blood and burned flesh assaulted everyone''s nose.


    While the off-duty knights were helping the injured ones, Melody, the young butler named Jeremy, chefs, maids, and servants also walked out of the keep and soon froze as they saw the devastated battlefield. Although they heard shouts and explosive sounds earlier, they didn''t think that the whole castle would be turned into a mess.


    Melody was the first to be snapped out of the shock, turned her gaze towards Duke Michael, and soon moved towards him.


    Soon, she arrived in front of Duke, recited a short chant, and released a strange greenish ripple in all directions.


    "What happened here, My Lord? Why didn''t you call me earlier?" While asking, her eyes wandered towards the fallen knights.


    Meanwhile, Duke Michael showed a bitter smile on his face and shook his head.


    "I underestimated the enemy." He paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "How is Prince Julius?"


    "His Highness is resting in his room, My Lord." As Melody responded, a strange blush crept on her pretty face.


    Unfortunately, Duke wasn''t in any mood to ask about the reason for her blush.


    On the other hand, Melody also controlled her emotions and soon asked.


    "Where are the other two Saints?"


    "Rays is dead, while Carlos fled from the battle," Duke said in an emotionless tone and then added.


    "You should go and guard the prince now. If that demon attacks the castle again, we''ve no choice but to flee from here. Get ready for the worst possible oue." His tone was dead serious.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards three particr servants and gave out an order.


    "You three should go and bring the ''Herbal ointments'' from the storage room. Jeremy, take some servants and go to the Arena City. Then, find the Light Bishop and tell him about the current situation. If possible, ask him to send a few Light Knights and priests here." He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards another group of servants, and then added.


    "The rest of you should go and help the other knights. Gather all the wounded soldiers in the castle''s hallway."


    Meanwhile, the servants nodded their heads and ran in different directions. Three moved back to the keep, Butler Jeremy and a few other servants moved towards the castle''s entrance, while the rest went towards the walls.


    On the other hand, Duke nced at Nash and thanked him by bowing his head a little.


    "If not for your Excellency''s help, I might''ve died in the battle." His tone was much politer than before.


    On the other hand, Nash waved his hand and shifted his gaze towards the sky.


    "Even I didn''t expect such fierce demon to appear here. So, what are you going to do now?"


    His question caught Duke Michael off-guard.


    Indeed, he still hadn''t thought of how to deal with this situation. After pondering for a few seconds, he made up his mind and spoke.


    "cing a bounty on his head won''t solve the problem. That guy is too strong even for a Saint or Rank-4 Sorcerer to handle. That''s left with only one choice and that is to attack his weakness."


    "Weakness?" Nash covered his head with the hood and asked.


    "His territory is his main weakness. But Bishop ke seems to be staying in that town." Duke Michael showed a troubled look on his face as he thought of his following action.


    Unknown to them, an illusionary human descended from the sky, flew towards the castle''s keep, and soon disappeared into it.


    A few secondster, a ball of crimson fire appeared in Prince Julius''s luxury room and soon formed into an appearance of an auburn-haired young man. He looked around 25 to 28 years old, had amber eyes, a square face, and straight eyebrows.


    He was none other than Charles.


    He hurriedly released a bit of his wisdom power, scanned the surroundings, and checked for any anomaly. Then, he walked towards the wardrobe, removed his clothes, and then wore a ck nightgown. After that, he wore a pair of wooden slippers, walked towards the double door, and opened it.


    Because of the earliermotion, not a single soul appeared in the hallway.


    He first looked at both sides, turned his face into a carefree one, and started walking towards the right side path while whistling.


    While walking, he also kicked open the nearby kitchen door and shouted.


    "Sophie? Your handsome prince is here to see you!" He abruptly paused for a moment and soon saw a 60-years-olddy staring at him in shock from inside.


    Soon, she let out a fake cough and responded in a hurry.


    "S-She went outside, Your Highness!"


    "Oh? What about others?" Charles asked with the same carefree attitude.


    "T-They also went outside to see the situation, Your Highness." She responded stiffly.


    He nodded his head in understanding, closed the door, and went towards the Grand Hall.


    Just as he walked towards the hall, Melody, Nash, and Duke Michael came from the entrance and turned their gazes towards him.


    Soon, Duke Michael smiled lightly and gave a respected bow.


    "Good evening, Your Highness. I thought you went to sleep earlier?" While asking, he turned his gaze towards Melody and gave a questionable look.


    On the other hand, Charles walked on the tiled floor, arrived in front of Melody, and responded with a confused look on his face.


    "I woke up due to the earlier explosions. Did something happen while I was asleep? Did you guys kill that Baron?" While asking, he moved his hand towards her *ss and gave a light p.


    "W-We failed to kill him, Your Highness. I''m ashamed of myself." This time, Nash was the one who answered his questions.


    The next instant, Charles raised his eyebrows and soon turned solemn. He also retracted his hand from Melody''s *ss and shifted his gaze towards Duke Michael.


    Unlike before, not a single trace of yfulness appeared on his face.


    "Failed? What happened, Duke Michael?" His voice turned colder all of a sudden.


    Meanwhile, Duke Michael showed a forced smile on his face and answered.


    "We underestimated our enemy, My Lord¡­ We were no match against that me demon."

 Chapter 437: Misleading

    <h4>Chapter 437: Misleading</h4>


    Charles paused in surprise as he heard those words.


    "What about the losses?" He then asked while looking at the entrance and soon frowned.


    A momentter, he subconsciously raised his hand and covered his nose as a strange smell assaulted him.


    "What is that foul smell?" While asking, he walked past them and moved towards the entrance.


    On the other hand, Duke Michael and others nced at each other, turned around, and followed after him without saying a word.


    Meanwhile, Charles walked out of the castle''s keep, looked at the empty castle walls and burned garden, and widened his eyes.


    "Most of our elite knights are no more, Your Highness. We still don''t know about the exact number of losses. Only one-tenth of our knights are still alive, and most of them are in critical condition." Duke Michael finally answered.


    "Others are dead?" Charles''s tone turned colder.


    Simultaneously, he looked at Duke Michael and soon noticed that he had already stored his Goddess''s Shield and the mysterious sword into his space ring.


    But just as he was about to cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell, he suddenly thought of something, activated the [Foresight] skill, and checked the future.


    ''Hmm? Casting the spell would expose my identity?'' He subconsciously shifted his attention towards Nash and noticed that the Demon Sorcerer was still wearing the mysterious divine ne around his neck.


    What made Charles to be shocked inside was that he appeared more cautious than before.


    ''This guy still hasn''t lowered his vignce. Did he notice something? It seems I''ve to wait for a while.''


    While he was thinking, Nash sensed someone''s probing power, turned his gaze towards Melody, then towards Charles, and felt something was off. But before he could track it, Charles frowned deeply and asked.


    "What happened here? Tell me everything in detail." His voice was abnormally cold. Although Prince Julius was a carefree character, he wasn''t an idiot for not discerning the circumstances.


    On the other hand, Duke nodded his head and started narrating the whole battle. He told him about how Baron Daniel killed the Saint Knight, how he transformed into a me Demon, how he massacred the soldiers, and finally about the battle between them and the me Demon.


    "Do you have any n on how to solve this situation? Do you n on taking revenge, Mr. Duke?" Charles asked, turning his face solemn.


    Meanwhile, Duke Michael went silent for a moment and then nodded.


    "I''m nning on sending some elite assassins to Baron''s town and assassinating all his remaining soldiers. I won''t let this off easily." Deep anger and resentment appeared in his tone.


    Upon seeing his reaction, Charles gave him a sharp look, shook his head, and spoke.


    "You''ve failed me once again, Mr. Duke. You still haven''t understood the difference in strength, do you? Haa, we are the ones who started this whole mess. To obtain the Pioneer Knight''s legacy, we killed Baron Daniel''s father and mother, caused chaos in his territory, and even tried to kill him. But now, he obtained the legacy and has even grown stronger. Not even a Saint or Rank-4 Sorcerer could beat him in one on one battle. Currently, he is way above our league. If you recklessly attack his people, he might massacre the whole territory of yours."


    "His Highness''s words are right. That Baron. No, that me demon has too many mysterious abilities. If not for my divine ne, I might have died there." This time, it was Nash who spoke those words.


    Surprise shed on everyone''s face. At that moment, Charles knew that this mysterious Demon Sorcerer was telling the truth.


    ''So, he mostly relies on his artifact during the battle, huh.'' But that ne artifact became the biggest obstacle for Charles''s n.


    "What''s your n, Your Highness? Do you have other methods to deal with him?" While he was secretly observing Nash, Duke Michael took a step forward, walked towards the bailey, and asked.


    "You are not thinking properly. It''s not a good thing to make another enemy. What we need to do right now is not to escte the conflict but to solve it. I may not be an expert in politics, but I knew how to solve the problems. Our main opponent is not this rural Baron, but my brothers." Charles stated as he followed after him.


    "B-But¡­ What about this Baron? Let him roam freely in our territory?" Melody interjected their conversation and asked.


    "The reason why Duke and I nned on sacrificing the Grime ins was to get the Pioneer Knight''s legacy. Although the Grime ins is a fertilend full of resources, you can''tpare thisnd to the legacy. If we had gotten the legacy before Baron, I might have had a chance against my brothers. My younger brother has the support of the Light Church, while I have none. Only some self-centered nobles, naive masses, and some loyal knights are with me." Charles paused for a moment and then added.


    "Meanwhile, my elder brother has all other royal family members'' support. Even Lord Drake is showing his full support to that good-for-nothing elder brother of mine. If not for the little bit of support from my mother, I would''ve died long ago."


    A bitter look appeared on his face as he said those words. Before Nash or Duke could say something, he walked towards the opposite building and continued.


    "We''ll send an apologetic letter for conspiring against Baron Daniel''s family andpensate him with some amount of gold coins. If possible, it''s better to pull him to our side."


    "N-No, Your Highness. He might be an otherworldly being and most probably a Higher Demon from the Abyss." Nash instantly opposed his idea.


    "Why? Do you think that he will kill us without any morale? Or, are you afraid of the Light Church''s wrath?" Charles asked mockingly.


    A strange silence appeared at the keep''s entrance.


    "He massacred our soldiers, Your Highness. Even if he did it without any choice, he isn''t a trustworthy being. Moreover, the anonymous person also said in the letter that he possessed a mysterious enving ability." Duke Michael added.


    On the other hand, Charles sharpened his gaze towards Duke and asked coldly.


    "But why do you trust this anonymous person so much? Did he tell all information about this me Demon? He didn''t, right? If he had warned us about the telekinesis and the ck me abilities, we would''ve minimized our loss to arge margin." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Think logically. Why did Baron Daniel rush to our mansion all of a sudden? During the past three months, he didn''ty a finger on the hundreds of our elite squad either. That guy had many opportunities to harm us. But why did hee here after three months? To kill us? I don''t think so. What would he gain from killing us? Not only his action would infuriate my family, but it might also alert the Light Church."


    "What if he wanted to enve you, Your Highness?" Nash asked as he recalled Baron Daniel''s abilities from the anonymous letter.


    ''Damn it, just when I mislead the Duke''s thinking in a different direction, this guy once again spoiling my n. Well, if I say something against this point, he might get suspicious of me.'' He maintained his calm look and responded with a nod.


    "Yes, we can''t rule out that possibility. In truth, I wanted to ask my mother whether she has any artifact that could block mind-rted spells. Otherwise, I won''t feel safer in the future." He quietly shifted the topic.


    "I''ll ask her once I return to the capital, Your Highness," Nash answered. At that moment, Melody showed a hesitant look on her face and soon spoke.


    "I have a suspicion that this anonymous person doesn''t want Baron Daniel to meet Lord Duke or His Highness. There are too many mysteries about this person. What if he manipted us to attack Baron Daniel after seeing a future vision? What if he is a supporter of one of the other two princes? There is a high chance that he might be one of the Light Church''s Prophets."


    ''Good girl.'' Charles secretly gave thumbs up for Melody and added a few more points.


    "Unknown enemy is more dangerous than a known enemy. As long as we take precautions against this Baron, we can resolve this issue. First, send an apology letter and some gold coins to Baron Daniel and wait for a reply. Tell him that everything that happened here is a misunderstanding."


    "As long as we pull him into our faction, we''ll get a powerful ally. As for your revenge, you can put some heavy tax on his territory once the civil war ends and deal with him using diplomatic means."


    Duke Michael, Melody, and even Nash got impressed by his idea!


    "Then, I''ll go back to the capital and see if I can get any mind spell blocking artifact from your mother, Your Highness." Saying so, Nash turned around and went back to the keep.


    Meanwhile, Charles, Melody, and Duke Michael went to see the wounded knights and started assisting them. While doing so, Charles also found an opportunity and cast the Rank-5 [Curse of the Overlord] spell on Duke Michael.


    After that, everything went smoothly.


    It didn''t take long for Charles to getplete control over Duke Michael.


    On the other hand, Nash bid farewell to them and returned to the Royal Capital of Aetas Kingdom.

 Chapter 438: A Mistake

    <h4>Chapter 438: A Mistake</h4>


    Charles and Duke Michael remained on the bailey for the next few hours and helped the injured Knights first. Because of the Curse spell, Duke Michael started to show more respect towards Charles.


    Although some servants noticed something was off, none of them put too much thought into it. In truth, Charles''s curse spell didn''tpletely enve Duke Michael. The main reason was his ambition.


    On the other hand, Melody exposed her druid identity and caught everyone''s attention. She constantly examined the severely injured knights and healed them using some nature magic. It restored the injured knights'' health to peak level and even fastened the tissue regeneration process. Although most servants were shocked by her unique magic spell, none showed hostility or fear towards her.


    Meanwhile, Charles and Duke Michael shifted their attention towards the dead knights and decided to do the funeral ceremony before dawn. Along with the other knights, Charles and Duke brought the dead bodies out of the Castle and did arge-scale funeral ceremony near the lone hill.


    By the time Charles and others returned from the hill, it was already around midnight.


    At that moment, the young butler Jeremy and a few other servants also returned from the nearby Arena City along with seven Church Priests and a squad of Light Knights. They then took over Melody''s job and started healing the wounded knights.


    In the meantime, servants, the remaining Knights, and maids returned to their quarters to take some rest.


    On the other hand, some elite knights and the Light Knights moved towards the castle walls and towers and took over the guarding job.


    Charles looked at those Light Knights and sighed heavily. Then, he nced at the nearby Duke Michael and spoke.


    "Send letters to yourmanders and tell them toe here with their army by the end of this week. Also, don''t forget to send the apology letter to Baron Daniel. We must pull him to our side." His voice turned deadly serious.


    Then, he turned around and started walking towards the Castle''s keep.


    Soon, Charles, Duke Michael, Melody, Butler Jeremy, and a few servants entered the Castle''s Keep and soon arrived at the Grand Hall.


    The ceiling was around twenty feet high and designed with portraits of fruit and flowers. Charles also saw the portraits of twelve young children with wings, and they seemed to be encircling around the chandelier.


    Looking closer at those portraits, he noticed that those children appeared real, and they seemed to be looking down at him from every angle. Their eyes seemed creepier.


    Charles also sensed some strange energy from above, looked up at those portraits in surprise, and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''Divine power?'' His eyebrows rose upward. Although they appeared at a minute level, he still managed to perceive them.


    ''It seems I need to have a long chat with Duke.''


    He nodded inwardly, shifted his gaze towards the nearby servants, and then spoke.


    "From tomorrow onwards, you guys need to do double the work. Hurry up and go. I''ve something important to discuss with Lord Duke." He paused for a moment, looked at the Butler Jeremy, and then added.


    "You too. Go and take some rest."


    "Y-Yes, Your Highness." Butler didn''t say a word and nodded his head.


    Then, he and other servants bowed their heads towards Charles and hurriedly moved towards the right side hallway.


    On the other hand, Charles went towards the nearby sofa, sat on it, and looked at the ceiling.


    "What are those portraits, Mr. Duke?" He asked.


    Upon hearing those words, Duke Michael showed a surprised look on his face and soon spoke.


    "It''s a secret history, Your Highness. I once read about it in my family''s ancestral hall. One of my ancestors mentioned in a book that these twelve babies are our almighty Goddess''s creations. Before she disappeared from this realm, she turned these babies into twelve divine artifacts and blessed them with unique abilities. They are the Divine Artifacts." Saying so, he took out the Heater Shield from his space ring, gave it to him, and then added.


    "This is one of the twelve divine artifacts, Your Highness."


    On the other hand, Charles caught the Heater Shield, touched the four unique symbols, and cast [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    ''Shield of Fallen Angel¡­ It has four abilities: Divine Ring of Fire, Radiant Guard, ck Cloak, and Fallen Armor. Hmm, the lizard symbol emits chaos fire energy, the Mammoth symbol emits pure light energy, the rat-symbol emits strange darkness energy, and the snake-human symbol emits ice elemental energy.'' He also sensed some retaliation from the artifact''s soul and snorted inwardly.


    After probing the artifact for a while, he lifted his head, looked into Duke Michael''s eyes, and asked.


    "Mr. Duke, I like this Divine Shield. But I''m not a shameless person to take away your precious treasure." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "What is the price for this artifact? I''ll buy it from you."


    Although Charles could order Duke to give this artifact to him, he decided not to use any forceful method. After studying the curse spell for a long time, he learned that some requirements were needed to be met to strengthen this spell in the opponent''s dark space. If he used any forceful method on the target, his Rank-5 curse fire spell might backfire and nullify on its own.


    ''I don''t want to leave any loopholes.'' He thought to himself.


    On the other hand, Duke Michael showed a troubled look on his face and went silent. Although he swore his allegiance to Prince Julius and was even willing to sacrifice his life for him, there was something else in his heart that stopped him from making any rash decision.


    It was his greed and ambition.


    Noticing the silence, Charles turned his face solemn and then added.


    "How about I give you two divine artifacts in return? Mention two of the other eleven divine artifacts and their current locations. I''ll try my best and get them for you. But it will take one or two years, though."


    As Duke Michael heard those words, he couldn''t help but get tempted by this deal.


    He stood in silence for a whole minute and finally spoke.


    "I don''t want our Goddess''s divine artifacts, Your Highness. I want the coin ne in the Demon Sorcerer''s possession."


    His eyes were filled with full of greed and jealousy.


    In truth, what Duke Michael saw during the earlier battle made him realize that his Goddess''s Shield artifact was way weaker and inferior whenparing it with the mysterious ne!


    He wanted a powerful artifact. Not only that, but he had another goal in his mind.


    He wanted to be a Ruler! The reason he chose to support Prince Julius and even nurtured a powerful Druid was for his n. As long as he managed to break the barrier and enter the realm of Awakens, he could create a kingdom without any obstacle. It was also the reason he became firm on getting his hand on the pioneer knight''s legacy.


    Meanwhile, Charles was stunned inside.


    ''This guy¡­ It seems I''m still not in full control over his main consciousness. If I want to strengthen the ck me streak in his Dark Space, I need to get that artifact, huh. No, his ambition seems to be too high. I need to subdue him; otherwise, he might destroy the link one day and stab me in the back. I made a mistake.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    After some thoughts, he let out a deep breath and then nodded.


    "As long as you co-operate with my n, I''ll get it for you." While speaking, he focused his full attention on the Goddess''s Shield, condensed his wisdom power into countless needles, and directly attacked Duke Michael''s soul imprint!


    A momentter, shock appeared on Duke''s face.


    Before he could even say a word, Charles released his wisdom power, enveloped his body, and wholly bound him.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Burning Thoughts] spell, invaded his mind, and wholly erased his current thought!


    At that moment, Melody also raised her hand suddenly and cast her Druid magic spell on Duke!


    "Nature''s Spikes!"


    A secondter, more than five darkish green vines popped out of the tiled floor, slithered towards Duke''s body, and strangled him eventually!


    At the same time, the strange dark needle-like spikes came out of those vines and stabbed him all over his body.


    Not only that, but Melody''s nature spell also released some pollen into his blood vessels and started affecting his body from the interior!


    By the time Duke Michael managed to return to his usual self, he was restrained entirely from all sides.


    Stabbing pain came from all over his body, causing his eyes to widen in shock. He also noticed the dark vines and soon realized that his trusted aide had betrayed him!


    He stared at the second prince and then turned his gaze towards Melody.


    "W-Why?!" He shouted from the top of his lung.


    At that moment, there was only one thing that appeared in his mind.


    Confusion!


    He still didn''t understand why Prince Julius and even his loyal partner attacked him all of a sudden.


    On the other hand, Charles erased Duke Michael''s soul imprint and stood up from the sofa.


    Then, he took a step forward, took the space ring from his hand, and spoke.


    "I don''t like it when my servants demand too many things from me. I want a loyal servant like her, but not a greedy man with a different goal."


    As he said those words, he shifted his attention towards Melody and added.


    "Finish him off." His voice appeared cold and emotionless.


    Although Duke tried to create a dark elemental shield around his body, Charles controlled the surrounding air and broke the shield with pure force.


    On the other hand, Melody showed aplicated look on her face and nodded. Although she had been working under him for more than a century, it was more like a mutual partnership. So, the small amount of her loyalty towards Duke also vanished without a trace.


    A secondter, she moved her hand towards her waist, unsheathed her sword, and created a master-level sword aura with her wisdom power.


    Then, she raised her sword, aimed at his neck, and shed her sword.


    The next instant, a neat cut appeared on Duke Michael''s neck. Soon, his head and body got separated and fell on the tiled floor with a loud thud!


    Meanwhile, Charles caught a drop of his blood and created an identity imprint in his mind.


    Then, he erased the soul imprint on the space ring and stored the Divine Shield into it. After that, he moved towards the twitching body and stored them into the space ring.


    Following that, he turned his gaze towards Melody and gave her another order.


    "Clean up the blood. If someone asks about Duke''s whereabouts, tell them that he is meditating in the basement."


    Saying so, he turned into a humanoid me, disappeared from there, and entered the Astral ne.


    Then, he looked at the surroundings and soon saw a foggy humanoid soul was trying its best to attack Melody from the Astral ne. Unfortunately, an invisible barrier obstructed Duke Michael''s soul from touching any physical objects.


    Shaking his head, Charles zeroed his gaze on the soul, cast [Fire Seed] spell on him, and started erasing his memories.

 Chapter 439: Secret of Light Church

    <h4>Chapter 439: Secret of Light Church</h4>


    An hourter, Charlespletely burned all of Duke''s memories and let out a deep sigh. He learned more about Duke Michael''s real motive, ties with Ammar Dynasty, and many more from those memories. But there was single information that shocked him to the core.


    It was rted to the Light Kingdom!


    In truth, Duke and his family members were true Nobles of the Fallen Empire. But after the Empire''s demise, most of the nobles united together and created a Kingdom while intending to reform a new future Empire.


    They called it the Light Kingdom.


    But instead of focusing on conquest and war, these nobles showed much importance to religion. In truth, there was no Light Religion during the Empire. Although citizens of Faith Realm worshiped Goddess Zaqiel as true Goddess, they didn''t put any importance on prayers and rituals. They prayed to Goddess Zaqiel from the bottom of their heart.


    But the Nobles of the Fallen Empire made some alterations in Goddess''s textbooks and started changing the cultures. They first built churches in every town and even appointed priests to perform rituals regrly. Moreover, those priests were also taught to spread the cultural beliefs to others and let everyone follow them. After that, they formed a church-based religious school and started teaching the children about religion, rituals, customs, and even battles.


    Then, they created a unique form of Knight Squad and named them Light Knights. They also put some restrictions on the requirements and only took kids with high Light affinities.


    From then onwards, those who were born with Light affinities became treasures of the Light Kingdom. Even citizens of other kingdoms adopted such beliefs and started sending their kids to Light Church school.


    In no time, the whole Light Kingdom turned into a religious nation. Simrly, the religion and culture of Light Kingdom also spread towards the nearby kingdoms. Before long, the 10+ Human kingdoms became Light Church-affiliated ones.


    Following that, a hierarchical system was born within the Light Kingdom. Those Fallen Empire Nobles became Deacons, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, and Sages, and the wisest and powerful one among the Sages became ''Pope'' through many religious tests.


    In no time, the Light Church became the pir of human civilization.


    During the past 500 years, the Light Church tried to unify the kingdoms thrice. Even Duke Michael''s family members were involved in that secret plot.


    But something abnormal happened whenever their ns were about to take form. During the first unification process, a Nightmare invaded the world and caused chaos everywhere. Thankfully, the powerful Pope Apollo sacrificed his life, summoned the divine messenger Seraph and sealed her along with that Nightmare in a box to stop its invasion. Because of the Nightmare''s intervention, the first unification process came to an abrupt halt.


    The next one happened around 340 years ago. But this time, a natural earthquake stuck all over the ce and caused destruction everywhere. The one who affected most was the people of the Light Kingdom. Because of this, the second attempt also turned into a failure.


    Then, the final one happened around 210 years ago. It was the time when Druids came to thisnd. At that time, Light Church managed to regain its former strength and decided for the third unification. They even sent letters to all the spies hiding in the other kingdoms and told them to get ready for a massive revolt. Light Knights were secretly dispatched to those Nobles'' house to strengthen them. But before the start of such massive revolt, a mysterious identity sneaked into the Light Church and stole the Sealed Box!


    Moreover, another mysterious individual also barged into the Holy See of Light Kingdom on the same day and attacked the Pope. Although Pope and others managed to capture this attacker, the Light Church lost the sealed box of Nightmare.


    After that incident, no other Pope dared to even think of the unification process. At least, no one wanted to act recklessly.


    Because of these abnormalities, Duke lost interest in Church''s unification process. Instead, he decided to gain control of this Aetas Kingdom for his desire.


    Although Duke''s goal was to be a Ruler, his ancestors had long sworn their allegiance to the Light Church and were the true guardians of the Fallen Empire. The reason why Duke got support from Ammar Dynasty was also due to a Light Church affiliated Noble house''s help. These spy Nobles appeared in all parts of the kingdom.


    Even after hundreds of years, they were still working for the Light Church and were waiting for the orders.


    Although it was just a pipe dream, Light Church was still preparing for the following unification process.


    ''No wonder Duke had the Goddess''s Shield in his hand. So, it''s Light Church''s doing, huh'' Charles was surprised inside.


    ''But my concern is about the demon sorcerer Nash. Who is he? Why does he have such a powerful intellectual artifact? There is also something strange about these abnormalities. The Light Church failed not twice but thrice. It indicates that some other power is acting behind the scenes.'' After thinking for a while, he shook his illusionary head and proceeded with his next n.


    He soon left the Astral ne, appeared near the sofa, and looked at the sleeping Melody.


    When he was in Astral ne, she cleaned the entire bloodstain and even erased all the evidence.


    The grand hall appeared good as new.


    Upon noticing someone''s presence, she opened her eyes, hurriedly stood up from the sofa, adjusted her robe, and bowed her head.


    "You don''t have to bow me all the time." Charles waved his hand, took a step forward, and started walking towards the keep''s exit.


    "Follow me. I''ve some work in the North Tower''s base room." He added.


    Although she was puzzled by his words, she didn''t say anything and followed him quietly.


    Truthfully, she knew what was hidden in North Tower and had long nned on telling him about that secret ce. But to her shock, Prince Julius managed to find out on his own.


    ''Did Duke tell His Highness about that ce? It seems so.'' She thought to herself.


    Both soon exited the keep, stepped on the burned garden, and moved towards the northern tower.


    At that moment, a few Light Knights and even two priests, who were bandaging a severely wounded Knight''s leg, noticed their presence and stopped their work. They then nced at each other and conversed using hand signals.


    After a short discussion, two Light Knights stood up from their position and followed after them.


    Charles and Melody, on the other hand, walked past the broken trees and went towards the other side.


    After walking for a while, both soon arrived near the tall castle wall and turned their attention towards the castle tower.


    Unlike the normal watchtowers, the eight castle towers appeared more like tower buildings. Each tower was separated into threeyers and appeared more like a three-storied square house.


    Soon, both arrived in front of the castle tower and entered after opening the metallic door.


    Before Melody stepped in, she took out the fire torch from the nearby wall and walked in. She soon looked at the messy room, then turned her head towards Charles and asked.


    "Do you want me to open the secret chamber, Your Highness?"


    "Yes." Charles nodded his head and soon shifted his gaze towards the left side castle wall.


    On the other hand, Melody went towards the left side stone wall, ced her hand on a particr ck stone, and pressed it forcefully.


    A secondter, a rumbling noise came from the other side, and then a part of the stone wall moved on its own before revealing a gloomy underground path.


    She then moved the fire torch towards the dark path and went downstairs.


    Charles also followed after her and soon saw a long hallway supported by tens of pirs.


    The pirs appeared to be embedded with some crystals, which reflected the light from the fire torch and caused the whole hallway to illuminate in red light.


    At the end of the hallway, Charles saw a sealed metallic door.


    It was the castle''s secret hideout!


    It was a ce where some deep secrets were buried.


    Although it wasn''t used nowadays, Duke still kept this location a secret from others.


    Even hismanders and family members knew nothing about it. If not for a century-long loyalty, even Melody wouldn''t have known of this location.


    Charles looked at those bright pirs, shifted his gaze towards the ceiling, and saw simr portraits of babies that appeared all over the ce. But unlike the babies'' portraits in Grand Hall, these portraits contained a dense amount of divine power.


    ''Divine power is gathered from outside and is flowing towards the secret hall.'' He nodded inwardly, turned around, looked at the stone staircase, and noticed that the secret door had already closed on its own.


    "Go back and guard the entrance. Those Light Knights mighte here anytime soon."


    He knew that some spies of the anonymous were already monitoring their every action. So, he didn''t dare to be careless.


    After that, he turned around and started walking towards the secret gate.


    ¡­

 Chapter 440: Divinity

    <h4>Chapter 440: Divinity</h4>


    As Melody went out of the secret chamber, Charles took a step forward, moved towards the 3-meter tall metallic door, and raised his hand.


    Then, he conjured a ball of me and let it float next to him. After that, he touched his space ring and took out an iron key from it.


    He then inserted it into the door, turned it towards the right side, and unlocked the door.


    After that, he stepped into the secret chamber and soon raised his eyebrows. What appeared in front of his eyes was nothing but darkness.


    Thankfully, his fireball also moved on its own, entered inside the dark chamber, and illuminated it. The chamber was more than 22x28 ftrger, vaulted ceiling, and the temperature appeared colder.


    Charles also saw eight coffins ced on both sides, a unique ck pir at the farthest end of the gloomy hall, and next to it was a single statue of a young woman.


    The woman in the statue appeared to be around 25 years old, with long wavy hair, a slim figure, and she even wore a crown over her head. The statue appeared to be made of marble, and the sculptor sculpted this statue with perfection. Charles also knew that this sculptor was none other than Duke Michael''s great-grandfather. Moreover, this statue was Goddess Zaqiel''s statue.


    As for why he created a statue for Goddess even though idol worshiping was forbidden in Light Religion? Charles found no memory about it.


    While looking at the chamber, he noticed that a dense amount of divine power was gathered from all directions and poured into the statue. But what startled him most was that the divine power seemed to be disappearing after entering the statue!


    ''Is there some kind of storage device hidden inside the statue?'' Doubt appeared in his mind.


    Charles conjured four more fireballs, threw them in different directions, and let them float near the surrounding walls to make the chamber brighter.


    After that, he walked on the brick floor and soon arrived in front of the marble statue.


    "I admire the sculptor''s courage to sculpt a statue for Goddess." Charles paused for a moment as he looked the statue up and down and soon muttered out loud.


    "But why did he create a statue? Was he some kind of rebellion artist? Or, does that have something to do with this gathering divine power?" While muttering, he raised his hand and tried to touch the statue.


    To his shock, an invisible forcefield appeared out of nowhere and directly blocked his hand.


    ''A defensive mechanism?'' A surprise shed on Charles''s face. After some thought, he retracted his hand and decided to recreate the elemental heart ceremony first.


    He first closed his eyes, entered his Inner World, and soon appeared in the middle of barrennd. But unlike before, he appeared in his elemental form and then nced around.


    Although theva pools, volcanic mountains, elemental nts were nowhere to be seen, he still felt a trace of fire elemental energy in the surrounding air.


    ''It should be more than enough to create the elemental materials.'' He nodded inwardly, released his wisdom power, and absorbed all the nearby fire elemental energy towards him.


    Simultaneously, he used the power of his imagination and created twelve crystal stones. On the other hand, those dense fire elemental energies gathered into those crystals and turned them into red stones!


    Once the process was over, Charles grabbed those twelve stones, sent them out of his Inner World, and stored them into his space ring. After that, he once again shifted his attention towards the surrounding environment, followed the same process, and created twelve fire-elemental herbs and twelve elemental fruits.


    Although they weren''t exactly the real things, they contained the same amount of fire-elemental energy as the real fire-elemental herbs and fruits. Moreover, they weren''t some incarnations or something but real materials!


    Indeed, Charles added a small amount of rebirth me and created these herbs and fruits made of pure fire-elemental energies.


    In truth, these artificially created ritual materials were more than enough toplete the ritual ceremony.


    ''It''s time to start.'' He muttered inwardly, left his Inner World while carrying those newly created materials, and soon opened his eyes in the physical world. Then, he stored those ritual materials in his space ring and conjured twelve fireballs.


    No, they weren''t fireballs butva balls! Then, he moved theva balls towards the chamber''s center and let them drop on the brick floor.


    A secondter, all thoseva balls fell on the floor one by one and sshed. But instead of being absorbed or cooled down, those stteredva drops moved under Charles''s thoughts and started forming runic characters. As theva drops moved outward from the center, they also created strange ritual lines. Within a minute, a brand new ritual circle appeared in the middle of the chamber and shone in bright orange light.


    Upon seeing this, Charles showed a pleased smile on his face and stepped into the ritual circle. Then, he ced the ritual materials in twelve corners, conjured twelve small rebirth mes, and let them hover over the ritual materials. Following that, he took out a sharp knife, made a small cut on his finger, and put a few drops of his blood on the ritual circle.


    It was to form a connection with the ritual circle. In the past, Charles used a fire-elemental creature''s blood to finish this process. But now, he decided to use his blood.


    The whole ritual circle started to shine in bright red color and released fierce fire elemental fluctuation a secondter. Even the Light Knights, the church priests, and all other knights in the castle sensed a sharp rise in the surrounding temperature.


    On the other hand, Charles closed his eyes and started chanting the summoning incantation. Like thest time, the first verse contained the emotion of anger and induced emotional change in everyone''s heart. The second verse caused sadness, the third verse induced joy, and so on.


    By the time he ended the incantation, dense spatial elements gathered at the center and created a crack in the space.


    At that moment, the whole ritual circle, the floating fireballs, and even the rebirth mes flickered intensely and soon dimmed.


    It was as if they swallowed their intense nature and decided to show some respect for the ruler of the fire.


    A secondter, another form of fire-elemental energy came out of the spatial crack and soonnded in the middle of the ritual circle.


    Simultaneously, the fire-elemental energy also poured into the chamber from the spatial crack and soon formed into an appearance of a humanoid figure.


    As the fire-elemental ne''s Will manifested at the center of the ritual circle, it directly sent a wave towards Charles''s direction and scanned him.


    No, he felt more like an embrace.


    Then, a strange silence appeared in the chamber, followed by a voice.


    ''I''m d you are alive.'' A mysterious voice echoed in his head. It was monotonous and foreign, but Charles somehow understood the meaning clearly.


    "You are d?" Charles felt puzzled by the Fire-Elemental ne''s response and tilted his head in confusion. Unfortunately, no response came from the other side.


    Shaking his head, he hurriedly took out the Goddess''s Shield from his space ring and tossed it towards the humanoid figure.


    In the meantime, the humanoid figure caught the shield and directly absorbed it into its body.


    ''Insufficient!'' The same foreign voice echoed in his head.


    ''Insufficient? Why? This artifact''s worth should be more than enough for elemental heart creation, right?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    Before Charles could respond, the humanoid figure suddenly created a whip, shed it towards the Goddess''s statue, and soon broke it!


    Then, the fire whip moved on its own, tore through the statue''s body, and directly took out a white petal from it. Meanwhile, the white petal shone brightly, released some dense light elemental fluctuations, and tried to escape. But the fire whip remained firm.


    On the other hand, Charles felt a scorching sensation due to the light elemental fluctuation.


    But he didn''t mind the sensation at all. In truth, he locked his eyes on the white petal.


    "Divinity?" He couldn''t help but show a dumbfounded look on his face.


    Meanwhile, the shameless World''s Will pulled the whip along with the divinity and absorbed it into its body. After that, the humanoid figure waved its hand and sent a reddish ray of energy towards him.


    That ray was so fast that it entered Charles''s forehead before he could even blink, passed through the Dark Space, and entered his Inner World.


    Then, itnded in the middle of tnd and transformed into arge imprint filled with mystic signs. It appeared more like a ritual circle and released dense fire elemental energy into his Inner World.


    Within two seconds, Charles''s felt a refreshing feeling from the depth of his soul.


    On the other hand, the World''s Will didn''t stop there and conjured a ball of fire. But unlike normal fire, it appeared more like a mixture of brown and red.


    ''Chaos Fire!'' Charles''s eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    He then controlled his wisdom power, pulled the ball towards his body, and took it into his Inner World.


    Meanwhile, the humanoid figure also turned into pure fire elemental energies and disappeared into the spatial crack.


    In no time, the spatial crack also disappeared from there, leaving Charles alone in the hall.

 Chapter 441: Changes in the Inner World

    <h4>Chapter 441: Changes in the Inner World</h4>


    After a long silence, Charles looked at the broken statue and shook his head.


    ''So, that statue had a Divinity, huh.'' Although he felt regret inside, he didn''t put too much thought into it. After all, he knew very well that the Light Divinity had no use for him now.


    ''What I''m more curious is about the Chaos Fire.'' He muttered inwardly, walked away from the ritual circle, and soon found afortable ce to sit. Then, he closed his eyes, entered his Inner World, and soon found himself standing before the ritual circle-like elemental heart imprint. At that moment, arge amount of fire-elemental energy came out of it and was filling up his Inner World at an unimaginable speed.


    Most of the elemental energy went towards the dark sky to fill up the emptied spell models and then fell in the form of fireball showers. A total of six types of fireballs fell from those spell models, crashed on the destroyednd, and soon filled his Inner World in the form of fire andvas. They were Chaos Fireballs, Soul Fireballs, Wicked meballs, Whitish False Fireballs, Lawful Fireballs, and the Purplish Mind Fireballs. Charles looked up at the raining fireballs for a moment, shifted his gaze towards the Fire Elemental Imprint, and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    In truth, the main reason for the previous elemental imprint''s destruction during the soul-shattering incident was mainly due to his Inner World instabilities. Indeed, his Inner World and his soul were actually in a vulnerable state at that time. If the Goddess Sasha''s Avatar had intervened directly, he would have died right there. Not even the remnant fragments of his soul would be left alone.


    ''I also relied on the power of Luck too much.'' A frown appeared on his face.


    ''Because of such power, I finally managed to break the shackle of Destiny and formed a new unwritten future for myself.'' Currently, his future appeared infinite. Each of his actions might lead to multiple consequences. But once hees in contact with Legend Rank or above Rank Mystics, his whole future would also change. At that moment, his own life would be at the higher power''s mercy.


    ''In the end, I''m still a powerless Mystic. My soul may have reached the level of Demi-God, but my physical strength is far below.'' But he had already set his goals.


    First, he had to strengthen his fire-affinity to the ''Divine'' level. After that, he had toprehend the essences of seven spell models and be a Taboo Existence. Otherwise, those powerful beings would squash to death in no time!


    ''But I''m not even close to even face a Legend Rank Mystic.'' He couldn''t help but show a wry smile on his face. After some thoughts, he dismissed those thoughts and shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    First, he hovered up in the sky and arrived in front of the ball of chaos fire. But instead ofprehending it, he conjured a ball of Rebirth me, created a tear-like structure, and enveloped the chaos fireball using it.


    After that, he used the power of Imagination and made a 3-meter tallva pir. Then, he used his wisdom power, controlled the tear-enveloped chaos fire, and ced it on the top of theva pir. He then sealed the ''Chaos Fireball'' and put it there safely.


    Following that, he shifted his attention towards the elemental imprint, gathered all the fire-elemental energy above it, and created a rocky floor while leaving arge hole. Then, he closed his eyes, released his full wisdom power, and controlled the whole Inner World.


    For the next few hours, he hovered in the middle of the air, continued to pull fire-elemental energies from the imprint, and sent them towards the spell models. On the other hand, those spell models sprinkled those fireballs towards his Inner World and caused great destruction everywhere.


    Lavas formed after those fireballs ignited the volcanic rocks and mountains and almost turned half of the Inner World into the sea ofvas! What''s more surprising was that thevas appeared in different colors and shed with one other.


    In the meantime, Charles hovered in the middle of the air and observed his Inner World like a God.


    After waiting for a few more hours, he opened his eyes all of a sudden, raised both hands, and muttered in a cold voice.


    "Split!"


    A momentter, his whole Inner World shook violently, and the ground started moving on its own while creating cracks everywhere. Before long, a singlendmass started to split up into seven inds.


    No, they weren''t inds but appeared more like seven continents!


    What''s more surprising was that the elemental imprint didn''t sink or join in any of those inds. Instead, thend beneath him rose upward and already formed into arge mountain.


    On the other hand, the sea ofvas also moved away from thosendmasses, fell into the cracked areas, and formed intova seas.


    Currently, the long mountain stood in the middle of those seven inds and appeared to be dominating the whole Inner World.


    In the meantime, Charlesnded on the mountain''s summit and created a beautiful pce next to the Elemental Imprint. Then, he stayed in his Inner World for another few hours and made a few more alterations.


    Once everything was over, he left his Inner World and soon opened his eyes in the underground chamber.


    Then, he stood up from the brick floor, released his wisdom power, and soon frowned as he sensed multiple presences were arguing with Melody outside.


    ''Oh? Morning already? The Light Knights and Priests are questioning her about my whereabouts? Hmm? Why is the priest asking for Duke''s whereabouts? How long has it been?'' He got startled a little.


    Although Charles had no idea how long he stayed in this chamber, he vaguely guessed that he must be here for more than a day.


    ''Hmm, what should I do now?'' A question appeared in his mind. Although he managed to recreate his Elemental Heart without any disturbance, he still felt somewhat disturbed by those previous anomalies.


    ''My next goal is obviously to go back to Edhen World. But I don''t have a single clue about how to go back. There are two methods. One is to find if there is any clue hidden in the Holy See of the Light Church. The second one is to go to the Magewind City and search for a way over there. Nope, it''s too dangerous for me to go there now.'' From Duke''s memories, he also learned that there were some unique artifacts even in the Light Church to distinguish one''s real identity. They created these unique artifacts mainly to prevent any infiltration of Skin Walker into the Light Church or the Royal Pce.


    ''It''s better to act cautiously. If I''m not wrong, this anonymous person named Victor is more cautious towards Daniel than Prince Julius. Hmm, if I want to fool him, I need to act as two people from now on.'' He paused for a moment and decided to create future goals for his two identities.


    ''First is about Daniel. He is an innocent kid who was forced into a battle and went through emotional changes. But his life changed after he found his ancestor''s legacy, turned into a Demon Sorcerer and decided to walk on the path of evil. His goal is the same as mine. Daniel wanted to enve all those nobles, form a great army and invade the Holy See. Then, it''s about Prince Julius.''


    ''Unlike Daniel, Prince Julius''s goal is to maintainw and order. He will turn his enemies into allies and be an obstacle for this evil sorcerer''s growth. Hehe, this is good. If I want to lure this mysterious Victor out of the shadow, I''ve to keep this identity much more secret. First, I should form an enmity between these two characters and let this mysterious person think that Prince Julius is a good candidate for the next king of Aetas Kingdom¡­'' A cunning smile appeared on his face as he formed a new n in his mind.

 Chapter 442: A Trustworthy Servant!

    <h4>Chapter 442: A Trustworthy Servant!</h4>


    Charles walked out of the chamber hall and soon arrived in the hallway. Then, he moved towards the end of the hallway, stepped on the staircase, and left the secret chamber.


    But just as he stepped out of the secret door, he stopped and then looked towards the exit. Even though the door appeared locked from outside, he saw what was happening at the entrance and frowned.


    Currently, Melody blocked the entrance gate and pointed her sword at three Light Knights and a priest. On the other hand, the Light Church Knights also unsheathed their swords and were ready to battle at any time. The only one who remained calm was the gray-robed priest. He looked around 40-years old, had silver hair, olive skin, an obese body, and blue eyes.


    At this moment, he stared at Melody coldly and warned her in stern words.


    "Madame, please move aside from the entrance and let us investigate the Tower Building. It''s been more than a day since His Highness went inside, but he hasn''t shown up even once. We also knew that Lord Duke went missing for a while. What are you plotting?" The gray-robed priest''s tone was sharp and cold.


    On the other hand, cold sweats dripped down from Melody''s face. s, she didn''t say a single word and remained silent. While Charles was in the secret chamber, she followed his orders strictly and never let anyone appear near the Tower. Not only that, but she even wrote an apology letter on behalf of Prince Julius and sent it to the Grime ins. Then, Melody also sent a few more letters and ordered Duke Michael''s othermanders to return to the castle within three days! In a single day, she brought all the remaining soldiers under her control.


    Although Charles wasn''t aware of her work, he knew she had already turned into a trustworthy servant.


    Shaking his head, he watched the incident from inside and decided not to waste any time.


    ''I need to gainplete control over this Light Church group.''


    Muttering inwardly, he hurriedly walked towards the door, used the [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, sent invisible strings towards the lock, and unlocked it.


    After that, he opened the door and walked outside. On the other hand, Melody, a gray-robed priest, and a few Light Knights were startled by his sudden appearance.


    "G-Greetings, Your Highness!" Melody hurriedly bowed her head and greeted him politely.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s cold gaze first went towards the nervous Melody, then towards the gray-robed priest, and finally stopped on the three young Light Knights.


    After staring at them for a moment, he retracted his gaze and soon shifted his attention towards the Light Priest.


    "Who are you? Who sent you here?" He asked. At the same time, he also cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on all four of them and erased their current thoughts.


    A secondter, four different pieces of information appeared in his mind.


    ''The gray-robed priest is a Light Bishop, and he is responsible for gathering intelligence. Moreover, his real name is Rance, but he currently goes by another identity called Leone. He came here under the order of church Higher-ups to assist Duke Michael whenever he was in need. As for the three Light Knights? Hmm? One of them is a Lady Knight? Oh? Interesting! The woman is the Head Deacon of the Second Legion and has the codename of ck. The young man on the left is a scout-type Knight, and his real name is James. The young man on the right is a swordsman, and his name is Simon. And, these guys all pretty much knew about my real abilities.'' What surprised him most was that this Knight Squad received an order from above to monitor Prince Julius''s regr activities. As for who gave that order, there was no memory about it.


    Meanwhile, Rance and others showed a dazed look on their faces and then looked at each other in confusion.


    After obtaining the information, Charles immediately retracted his gaze and ignored the Light Priest. Instead, he first looked at the Lady Knight and soon noticed that she was showing a troubled look on her face. If someone saw her current thoughts, they would notice that she had already started linking the strange anomalies with the me Demon Sorcerer''s abilities!


    Thankfully, Charles was always one step ahead. So, he didn''t hesitate for a single moment and cast the Rank-4 [Burning Consciousness] spell on her.


    A secondter, a ball of purplish me appeared inside ck''s Inner World and soon formed into an appearance of a purple-skinned Charles. Then, the purple Charles calmly moved towards her link towards her Dark Space and checked her current thoughts.


    ''So, you are the smartest one among this group, huh. I like smart people.'' A pleased smile appeared on the purple consciousness''s face. He then directly conjured a ball of purple me and started erasing most of the memories about him. Then, he enveloped himself in purple me and shrunk into the size of a seed before mingling with her memories.


    In the meantime, Charles in the outside world raised his hand, pointed his finger at ck''s forehead, and cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    A minute ck me streak came out of his finger a secondter, moved towards her forehead, and directly entered her head.


    Although she tried to block the minute me streak by waving her sword, all her attempts turned futile.


    In truth, it would be impossible for most people to notice this minute me streak. However, ck managed to perceive it because she had cast two Rank-4 light spells on herself to make her thoughts clear.


    Indeed, she was not some random Light Knight but an advanced Light Elemental Sorcerer. Unfortunately, Charles manipted the me streak and sessfully ced it on ck''s Dark Space.


    However, even though the curse had already taken effect on ck, he didn''t stop. He continued to cast the curse spell on Rance, Simon, and James as well.


    Although nobody sensed anything abnormal happened to their bodies, they somehow felt a strange uneasiness. A secondter, all four of them took a step back in unison, gripped their weapons, and stared at Charles in vignce.


    "Don''t be so vignt. I have no ill intention against you guys. I just yed some tricks." Charles paused for a moment and then added with a warm smile on his face.


    "But I would like to hear more about your adventures. Hmm, why don''t you guys join me during today''s dinner?" Without even waiting for them to respond, Charles turned his gaze towards Melody and ordered.


    "Melody, tell the head chef to make some special food items for our guests."


    Meanwhile, Melody noticed the change in their emotions and co-operated with him like a real partner in crime.


    "Don''t worry, Your Highness. I will arrange them myself. Do you like to add any food items for yourself? I know you liked the roasted meat of young deer, but do you want any other unique dishes?" While asking, Melody skilfully sheathed her sword and gestured ck and others to move away.


    On the other hand, Charles took a step forward, went towards the castle''s keep, and spoke.


    "I indeed want to add a few more dishes. Are there any potatoes on the Castle farm? I want to add the fried potatoes, some unique drinks with less alcohol content¡­"


    Upon seeing the duo walking past them, Rance couldn''t help but grumble.


    "What the hell just happened? Did the second prince y prank on us just now? How immature!"


    On the other hand, ck sheathed her sword and shook her head.


    "I heard that he is a carefree type. And, he acts just like what I read in the file. Anyway, let''s observe him for a day before making our first report to the Holy See." Her voice appeared calm as water.


    Meanwhile, Charles and Melody entered the keep, moved past the Great Hall, and went towards the guest room.


    As they walked in the hallway, Charles nced at Melody and ordered.


    "I''ll be going out for a while. If the Light Church members ask about my whereabouts, tell them that I''m meditating in my room. Say the same thing to the Butler and other servants."


    Melody nodded.


    "I understand. But what should I say if others ask about Lord Duke''s whereabouts, Your Highness? Even the elite knights and servants started asking me about his whereabouts."


    "Tell everyone that Duke Michael is still training, and he mighte back to talk with Prince Julius tonight. Also, invite all the high-ranked elite knights'' for today''s dinner. It''ll reduce my job to a great extend." Saying so, he continued to walk in the hallway and soon arrived in front of a decorated wooden door.


    Then, he unlocked it using a key, pushed the door open, and walked inside. Following that, he locked it from inside, went towards the center of the guest room, and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A secondter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 443: Change of Plans

    <h4>Chapter 443: Change of ns</h4>


    The Grime ins, Aetas Kingdom.


    Charles reappeared in the middle of a dense forest, scanned the surrounding trees and shrubs, and activated the shapeshifting identify imprint. A secondter, his face twisted and formed into apletely different one. His height also lessened, and soon he turned into a 14-year-old young boy.


    Once he changed into Daniel''s appearance, he also removed loosened clothes and wore arge nightgown.


    Following that, he once again cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in the reception hall of Daniel''s mansion and released his wisdom power.


    A faint ripple came out of his body a secondter, moved in all directions, and covered the whole Darkwell Town in no time. He then closed his eyes and scanned all the foreigners.


    ''Currently, more than 100 foreigners are staying in this town. Except for the Holy Knights and Bishop ke, all of them belong to Duke Michael. If nurtured properly, these knights would turn into a perfect knight squad.'' He paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''That mysterious enemy might have already predicted my next action. So, I''m going to do the opposite. Moreover, this is the right time to change this identity into a pure evil antagonist and let the opposite party think Daniel is an unpredictable enemy.'' A cold smirk appeared on his face. He then opened his eyes and looked at the reception room.


    There was no sound except the heavy footsteps that came from upstairs.


    ''Irzoch?'' He raised his eyebrows and shifted his gaze towards the left-side spiral staircase.


    Meanwhile, a simr-looking young boy came from the second floor and soon bowed his head at him.


    "Good morning, My Lord." A feminine voice came out of the young boy''s mouth.


    "It seems there is no problem on your side." Charles nodded his head and then ordered.


    "Change back to your original self."


    "Yes, My Lord." Irzoch nodded her head and started to transform. First, her smooth skin started to tear away from her body and changed into a greyish one. Her hair color also turned from blonde to ck and even grew a bit longer.


    After that, Irzoch''s physical appearance also turned a little muscr, and she appeared feminine along with a curvy body. There was also a sharp ck tail, and two ck wings appeared behind her, but they didn''t look terrifying than thest time. But what surprised Charles was that he saw a single horn on her forehead.


    "This is your normal demon form, huh. Hmm, other than the tail, wings, and horn, you look more like a normal human to my eyes. Maybe you are not a true demon, but more like a demi-human." He said with an understanding look on his face.


    "You may be right, My Lord. But the public and Light Church would always consider us as a demon." A bitter smile appeared on Irzoch''s face.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a chuckle and added.


    "Then, let''s show them what a true demon can do." He paused for a moment and ordered.


    "Go and bring a knife and ss."


    Irzoch nodded her head nervously and hurriedly went towards the kitchen.


    A few secondster, she returned with a knife and ss tumbler and shifted her attention towards him.


    On the other hand, Charles waved his hand, took out Duke''s body, and tossed it on the floor.


    Irzoch showed a confused look as she saw the headless body but soon widened her eyes.


    "L-Lord Michael?" Her voice contained shock and panic.


    "Yeah, I killed him one day ago. Now, do your usual ritual and transform into Duke Michael. I don''t want to waste any more time in this small town." Charles spoke coldly.


    She bowed her head again and obeyed hismand without a single word.


    He waited for her and watched her.


    On the other hand, Irzoch extracted Duke''s blood first and drank it without any hesitation. Then, she used the sharp kitchen knife, cut a piece of his flesh, and swallowed it as a whole.


    Following that, she activated her bloodline spell and started to transform. Within a few seconds, she changed into a silver-haired middle-aged man.


    Then, she adjusted her voice, turned her gaze towards Charles, and bowed her head once again.


    "I''m ready to go, My Lord. But the Light Church members might find out my disguise if they checked me using artifacts." Irzoch spoke in Duke Michael''s voice.


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he heard those words.


    "You think I hadn''t thought of that problem? Don''t worry. No one will get suspicious of your identity."


    Irzoch nodded her head and then asked another question.


    "What about Daniel''s identity, My Lord? Are we going to abandon these citizens? Wouldn''t the Light Church get suspicious of us if we disappear all of a sudden?"


    "I''m not going to abandon Daniel''s identity. In truth, I''m going to let the whole world remember him from now on." Charles spoke with a mysterious smile on his face, took out a set of formal clothes from his space ring, and gave them to her.


    "Change your clothes into a formal one. Meanwhile, I''ll go and take a few things from my room." Without waiting for Irzoch to respond, Charles went towards the spiral staircase, stepped on the wooden stairs, and moved upstairs.


    "Okay, My Lord. I''ll wait for you here." After saying that, Irzoch smiled as she looked at the formal clothes he had given her and quickly changed into them.


    On the other hand, Charles reached the second floor, walked on the tiled corridor, and soon arrived before the wooden double door. Then, he raised his hand, used the invisible strings, unlocked the door, and walked in. First, he went towards the wardrobe, opened it, and searched for a suitable set of clothes.


    Charles soon found a clean-looking white shirt, ck pants, grabbed a fresh-looking pair of underwear from the drawer, and ced them on the nearby table. Then, he removed the nightgown, threw it on the floor, and started wearing the neat ones. After that, Charles shifted his gaze towards the wardrobe, took a nicely-ironed grey surcoat, and wore over his shirt. Heter made his way to the door and changed his shoes into newfortable ones.


    And finally, he walked back towards the wardrobe and stored all of Daniel''s clothes into his space ring.


    Then, he went towards the nearby cab, opened the drawer, and took out the [Eye of Insight] stone and the greenish pendant from inside. After that, he stored the [Eye of Insight] stone into his space ring and shifted his attention towards the greenish pendant.


    ''From now on, I need to keep this pendant much safer.'' He nodded inwardly and wore it over his neck.


    Following that, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared in the old house''s basement in Potters Street and shifted his attention towards the empty wall.


    Simultaneously, the surrounding air made a rippling noise and revealed a reddishyer of pure Rebirth me. Without wasting any time, Charles controlled the soul barrier made of rebirth me, created a way to walk through, and soon saw a metallic door.


    Then, he took a step forward, walked towards the door before opening it, and then went downstairs. He soon reached the gloomy passage filled with rocky walls, sharp rocks, and limestones and hurriedly walked forward.


    After 10 minutes of walking, he finally arrived at the end of the passage, walked into the basement hall through the secret door, and then stared at the ce filled with old books, bookshelves, broken tables, and chairs. Then, he released his full wisdom power, moved those books towards him with the power of telekinesis, and then stored them one by one in his space ring. Thankfully, Duke Michael''s space ring was an extrarge one and appeared to be around 30 cubic meters in size!


    He stored all those old books into his space ring and walked out of the basement in no time.


    Before long, he left the Ancestral Hall, appeared in the old house''s basement, and then locked the soul barrier. After that, he once again cast the [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    He appeared in the mansion''s reception room a momentter, looked at the startled Irzoch, and then spoke.


    "I''ll send you to a safe ce. Stay there for some time."


    Before she could even understand, Charles raised his hand, touched the greenish pendant, and connected his mind with the Will of the pocket dimension.


    A secondter, an invisible suction force appeared around Irzoch, twisted the space around her, and pulled her into the pendant. She felt suffocated for a moment and also noticed that her eyes turned blurry. At that moment, she saw that her whole surroundings turned into a dark void and soon found herself standing in the middle of a dense forest!


    "W-Where am I?" She asked in Duke Michael''s voice but got no response.


    On the other hand, Charles adjusted his surcoat, took out a t cap, and wore it over his head¡­ Then, he walked out of the reception hall and soon exited the mansion building.

 Chapter 444: Emotionally Unstable

    <h4>Chapter 444: Emotionally Unstable</h4>


    As Charles stepped out of the mansion, he raised his head, looked at the mansion courtyard, and saw many Light Knights were roaming here and there. Then, he turned his gaze towards the outside and saw five foreign Knights outside thepound gate. But unlike the Light Knights, he saw that the foreign knights were closely monitoring each of his movements!


    After looking at the Foreign Knights for a moment, he suddenly thought of something, activated the [Arcane Eyes] skill, and checked their body status one by one.


    Soon, he focused his gaze on a particr knight and raised his eyebrows.


    "So, this guy is the disguised demon sorcerer who specialized in blood magic, huh." While muttering, he touched his space ring, took out a long sword from it, and held it in his hand. But just as he was about to infuse it with his elemental power, a male voice came from his right side, causing him to stop his current action.


    "Greeting, Lord Baron!"


    Charles turned towards the guesthouse with a surprised look and saw a white-robed middle-aged man walking towards him. He was none other than Bishop ke. Currently, he carried a sealed letter in his right hand and showed a polite smile on his face.


    Charles sized him up and down and greeted him in a young voice.


    "Greetings, Father. Do you need something?" He asked.


    On the other hand, Bishop looked at the unsheathed sword, then nced around the surroundings and looked puzzled at his face.


    "I came here to give you a letter. But before that, why did you unsheath your sword?" His voice contained a trace of suspicion.


    ''Oh? My curse spell isn''t working properly on him. Is it due to him being a believer of Goddess?'' He calmly stared back at Bishop and shook his head.


    ''Wait, it''s a good thing. If I let him witness Daniel''s emotional transformation, he will send a detailed report to the Holy See. When the mysterious Victor guy hears this, he will think that Daniel''s action is due to his interference.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes. Without any further thought, he shifted his gaze towards Bishop and erased the ck streak that hid deep inside his Dark Space.


    On the other hand, Bishop ke felt a refreshing feeling suddenly and showed a confused look on his face.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a fake cough and spoke.


    "It''s nothing serious, Father ke. I made a mistake earlier and let these betrayers inside my territory." As he spoke those words, a faint ripple came out of his body, and the domination power uncontrobly spread towards the surrounding. The Knights, even the nobles, might be ignorant about the power of dominance, but not the Bishop of Light Church. In truth, he knew much more about this mystical power and got stunned for a moment.


    "A-Aura of the Ruler!" He blurted out in shock.


    Without minding Bishop''s shocked face, Charles raised his hand before pointing his finger towards the group of foreign knights and then added in an angry tone.


    "Even after swearing their allegiance to me, those ungrateful scums monitored my all actions and sent every information about me. What do you want me to do in this situation, Lord Bishop?" His tone appeared ice as cold and emotionally unstable.


    ''What happened?'' Bishop suddenly sensed that Baron Daniel lookedpletely different than before. It was as if something that hid in the deepest part of his heart came out all of a sudden and started taking a deep root in his body.


    ''H-He is emotionally unstable! Damn it, I knew Baron took those knights without even thinking that they would betray him in the future. Tsk, he is still a naive kid after all.'' He felt pity towards the young noble kid.


    ''Well, I should guide him a little and show the true color of humans. Otherwise, even Duke Michael and Prince Julius might use him as a pawn in the future.'' Just as he was about to say something, Bishop suddenly noticed that the whole surroundings suddenly turned colder. Bishop, the Light Knights, foreign knights, and even the nearby citizens noticed the strangeness.


    At that moment, Bishop also saw a trace of evil aura that appeared out Baron Daniel''s body and felt a strange chill.


    ''W-What the hell is this?'' Without even knowing, he subconsciously moved his hand towards the sword hilt and gripped it tighter.


    Soon, he snapped out of the shock and spoke in a hurry. He knew that things would turn uncontroble if he didn''t do anything to soothe this kid''s anger.


    "L-Lord Baron! I think you have misunderstood something. In truth, I know what happened in Duke''s castle. They even sent an apology letter-"


    Before he could even finish those words, a hoarse yet creaky voice came out of the young kid''s mouth.


    "Even Light Church is also involved in this scheme, huh? No wonder I got cornered everywhere."


    As Bishop ke heard those words, he suddenly felt a bad premonition appear in his head.


    He tried to say something, but Charles cut him off in an eerie voice.


    "I hope Father Bishop won''t interfere in the internal matter."


    Saying so, he infused his long sword with fire-elemental energy and created a crimson aura around the sword edges. Even though it wasn''t strong as the original sword aura, he enchanted the sword''s sharpness two folds!


    Then, he took a step forward and sprinted towards thepound wall at an unimaginable speed. Before Bishop could stop him, Charles ran faster while leaving afterimages and crossed more than 100 meters in four seconds.


    Even the nearby Light Knights got startled by his movement speed and let out loud gasps, followed by murmurs.


    "Isn''t that Lord Baron?"


    "Why is he running towards the wall?" The Light Knights were puzzled by his action.


    On the other hand, Charles arrived near thepound wall, ced his hand on the capping area, and jumped all of a sudden. A secondter, he flew upward, made a backflip, andnded on the other side.


    Meanwhile, the foreign knights got startled by his arrival and turned their gaze towards his direction.


    Without even waiting for a moment, Charles took a step forward and once again moved forward.


    Although the foreign knights got confused by his action, they didn''t lose their calm and swiftly unsheathed their swords in unison.

 Chapter 445: Kill

    <h4>Chapter 445: Kill</h4>


    Then, one of the Light Knights took a step forward, infused his sword with a reddish sword aura, and intercepted him. Unlike other knights, he wore iron armor and a leather cuirass that covered his upper half. The armor was decorated with red, yellow, and blue designs in front and the back.


    Charles learned that this guy was just a Crystal Knight who mastered advanced sword aura with a simple nce and snorted coldly.


    On the other hand, the armored knight made a whirling stance and thrust his sword at Charles''s throat.


    However, the sword aura had no effect on Charles'' de that was infused with fire-elemental energy. Charles took a battle stance and diverted his attack with a simple sword movement. Although he had no experience in swordbat, he had the memories of Duke Michael, Prince Julius, and Baron Daniel! All three of them were more like prodigies in sword arts.


    Noticing that, the Light Knight''s face went pale.


    Meanwhile, the other Knights in the red and the white armor kept close to theirrades and watched vigntly.


    "Why are you attacking us, My Lord?" The armored knight asked while distancing himself from Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles skillfully moved his sword and pointed the sword tip at the Demon Sorcerer.


    "Do you think I''m unaware of your sneaky actions? Even after swearing allegiance to me, you guys dared to send all information about me and my mother to Duke Michael! Unforgivable!" His whole body was enveloped in a strange ck me as he spoke those words.


    Then, he fastened his footsteps towards the Crystal Knight and attacked him all of a sudden. Although the opponent tried his best to block his attack with his unique sword aura, Charles found his weakness in two seconds and directly thrust his sword towards the chest area.


    But unlike before, Charles''s sword turned blurry, ripped the nearby space, and directly pierced through his chest in a blink!


    Before the Crystal Knight could even sense the pain, Charles took a step back and retracted his sword like a skillful swordsman.


    A secondter, a loud cry came out of the Crystal Knight''s mouth. At that moment, he looked downward at his chest and saw arge stabbing wound on his chest. He widened his eyes in shock and instantly ced his left hand on his chest. Scarlet blood dripped like a broken dam, but he saw no weapon before his eyes.


    "W-Why?!" He asked.


    But at that moment, he suddenly noticed that the whole surroundings began to spin as if the entire world was moving upside down.


    A secondter, he realized that his head had long decapitated from his body!


    Meanwhile, Charles shed his sword to remove the bloodstain and once again moved towards the others. Like thest time, he didn''t hold back his strength and arrived before the group of three other foreign knights and the demon sorcerer. After that, he once again aimed his sword and attacked them. Although they tried their best, none of them managed even to see his sword movements.


    Except for the Demon Sorcerer, the other three knights fell on the ground one by one. One guypletely lost his head, while the other two lost both limbs and pathetically crawled on the earthen road.


    Only the Demon Sorcerer stood there unharmed and stared back at Charles with a dumbfounded look on his face.


    Although the person who appeared in front of him was just a 14-year-old kid, he felt a strange sense of fear appear in his heart.


    ''Do I have to use my bloodline spells?'' But if he did that, he knew that this Baron might kill all other foreign knights in the name of treason!


    Hiding his fear, the Demon Sorcerer gripped his sword tighter and asked.


    "Why are you doing this to us, My Lord?" He continued to act like a real Knight.


    Upon seeing this, Charles looked at him coldly and thrust his sword at his throat.


    Meanwhile, the Demon Sorcerer gritted his teeth and cast his defensive blood spell.


    A secondter, his whole body bathed in bright red light, and a reddishyer appeared around his body. What''s more shocking was that the injured knights'' blood suddenly rose in the air and soon merged into the defensiveter.


    Although the foreign knights tried to move away, some invisible force appeared around their bodies and shackled their movements. Before long, the remaining two injured knights lost their consciousness and didn''t move anymore.


    On the other hand, the Demon Sorcerer tried to stop Charles by casting another spell, but he just thrust his sword at his head as if to cut it. At that moment, Charles''s sword ripped the defensive bloodyer like paper and moved forward while leaving blurry images.


    But just as his sword was about to pierce his head, a sunshine light appeared in front of Demon Sorcerer''s face and formed a defensive shield!


    The next instant, Charles''s sword shed against the light shield and let out a nging sound.


    Upon seeing this, Charles squinted his eyes and turned around.


    At that moment, he saw Bishop ke, and more than 20 Light Knights had already appeared behind him.


    "What are you doing, Father ke?" Charles asked in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Bishop let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "You are just escting the problem, Lord Baron. Even if he is a traitor, I won''t allow you to kill him. Listen to me-"


    Before he could even finish his words, Charles red at him and cut him off.


    "Listen to you? I don''t think you are in a position to order me around, Father."


    Saying so, he once again infused his fire-elemental energy with his sword, turned his gaze towards the scared Demon Sorcerer, and made a vertical sh at the light shield.


    But unlike thest time, the sword edges let out a pure reddish aura and gave everyone a feeling of strange emptiness. Then, his sword appeared above the Demon Sorcerer''s head, broke the light shield, and directlynded on his head.


    The next instant, the Demon Sorcerer felt the blood pouring from his forehead. He could only feel pain in his entire body as blood began to spill. He opened his mouth to ask, but no words came out of his mouth.


    Just as Charles had wanted, the Demon Sorcerer fell to the ground. Even though he had cast his blood spell, a neat vertical cut appeared on his body and cleaved him into two.


    He died in a second!


    "Y-You! Why did you kill him?" Bishop stared at the sliced body with a shocked face and soon let out a disappointing sigh.


    He then made a hand signal towards the Light Knights and spoke.


    "I already learned about your secrets, Lord Baron. Although you chose to be a Demon Sorcerer to take revenge, you got consumed by the evil power in return. But it''s still not toote to back away from the path of the darkness. Take out the ursed legacy of the pioneer knight; I''ll cast the light purification spell and clean your wicked thoughts."


    Saying so, he moved his hand towards the grey robe, took out a book from his pocket, and opened it.


    A secondter, a dazzling ray of sunshine light came out from the book and enveloped his body.


    Simultaneously, he flipped the pages and started reciting an ancient prayer.


    On the other hand, the twenty-plus Light Knights also spread out and soon surrounded Charles from all directions.


    Meanwhile, Charles also saw more foreign knights wereing from the opposite side and felt it was the right time to retreat.


    Still, he maintained his acting, looked at the surrounding knights in confusion, and soon widened his eyes.


    "W-What are you nning to do, Father ke-?"


    Before he could finish his words, a light whip came out of the book and directly entangled his neck all of a sudden.


    "Y-You! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Charles showed an understanding look and roared in anger.


    At that moment, his face also contorted all of a sudden as he struggled wildly and red at Bishop ke, full of hate.

 Chapter 446: Search

    <h4>Chapter 446: Search</h4>


    A secondter, Charles''s azure eyes suddenly froze and soon turned into pitch ck. Not only his eyes, but his blonde hair also suddenly changed color and turned into greyish ck!


    Meanwhile, Bishop continued to recite the verse of the Rank-3 Light Purification spell for a few seconds but stopped.


    At that moment, he felt a strange sense of urgency from the deepest part of his heart.


    It was a forewarning!


    Without any dy, he stopped his chanting, tossed the light whip away from his hand, and shouted while backing away.


    "All of you! Get away from here-" But before he could finish those words, a strange fire ripple came out from Charles and pushed him away like a fly. The Light Knights, the foreign knights, and the nearby citizens were also caught off guard and tossed away.


    Bishop soon crashed onto the ground and looked up.


    At that moment, he saw two eerie ckish wings made of pure fire appear behind Charles, and he looked more like a Demon descended from the abyss itself!


    In a second, he felt a suffocative feeling!


    ''W-What is that? Is this the demon form I heard from the letter?'' He couldn''t help but suck a cold breath.


    On the other hand, Charles enveloped his body in a ck me and ascended from the ground without even pping the ck wings.


    Once he reached a certain height, he looked at Bishop and other Light Knights with his cold gaze and spoke.


    "Don''t get in my way."


    It was more like an order.


    A secondter, he released his full wisdom power, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. The next instant, more than 80 ckish fireballs appeared above his head and formed into fire arrows. Even though they were just fire arrows, Bishop and the Light Knights felt a sense of loathing towards them.


    ''The ck me is full of wickedness and corruption.'' At that moment, Bishop realized that this young Baron had already chosen his future path.


    ''It''s not about saving him¡­ I think it would be impossible to kill him from now on.'' Although he didn''t know the reason, Bishop felt this feeling from the depth of his heart.


    While he was thinking deeply about what to do next, Charles curled his lips upward, showed a wicked grin on his face, and then spoke in an eerie voice.


    "Let me show you the real power of a true Demon!"


    A momentter, all those 80+ fire arrows suddenly moved upward and flew in different directions. Some moved towards the running foreign knights, a few moved towards the nearby houses, and the remaining fire arrows moved towards the town walls.


    Before long, all those fire arrowsnded on the foreign knights and directly enveloped their bodies in ck me!


    Cries and shouts echoed from different parts of the town, but Bishop or the Light Knights couldn''t move a muscle.


    In a few seconds, the cries of foreign knights died down, and the town returned to an eerie silence.


    On the other hand, Charles checked if any other foreign knights were still alive through his wisdom power and then shifted his attention towards Bishop and the Light Knights.


    Then, he pped his eerie ck wings and flew upward towards the white clouds.


    By the time Bishop ke managed to stand up from the ground, Charles had long vanished from his eyes.


    He stood there dumbly for a whole minute and finally remembered his original mission.


    "Bishop Victor''s words are true. s, I was a bit toote to realize his true face. Daniel indeed has the power to cause destruction." A bitter smile appeared on his face. Then, he turned his gaze towards the nearby Light Knight and spoke.


    "Leonard, I''ve got a special job for you. Go back to the Light Kingdom and give a letter to a particr person. Also, tell the higher-ups that we are taking over the Grime ins."


    As he spoke, he turned around and started walking towards the mansion building.


    ¡­


    At that moment, Charles hovered in the middle of the cloudy sky and calmly stared at thend filled with full of greenery.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the western direction, pped his fallen angel''s wings, and shot forward like a bullet.


    His destination was, of course, the Light Kingdom!


    But his goal was not to invade the Holy See but to learn more about the Light Kingdom.


    ''From now on, I''ll be a rogue Evil Sorcerer and cause trouble all over the ce.'' In truth, he had more than 12 ns to destroy the Light kingdom. But his main goal was not to destroy but to get ess to the Holy See''s secret treasury first.


    Unfortunately, it was not an easy matter. Charles learned from Duke Michael''s memories that a special squad called ''Shadow Angels'' guarding the treasury. Moreover, the Pontiff also started living near the secret treasury after thest thieving incident and overseeing the treasury like a hawk. Going there without even any backup n would be the stupidest idea.


    ''In the end, what Ick most is information about this kingdom. Duke''s memories won''t be enough to achieve my goal. Moreover, I want to try something else.'' He muttered to himself as he continued to fly for the next few hours and soon reached the territory of the Light Kingdom. Then, he chose a random direction, pped his wings to fly forward, and soon appeared above a small town called ''Norwich.''


    Although soldiers and the town residences started shouting as he appeared in the sky, he didn''t mind their noise and searched for the Light Church. Soon, he saw a dome-shaped building on the eastern side of Norwich Town.


    Without losing a second, he swam downward andnded on the roof of the building. Then, he stepped on the window and looked inside the building.


    At that moment, he only saw a few nuns and tens ofmoners in the chapel area and seemed to be praying.


    After some thought, he kicked the ss window, broke it with brute force, and jumped inside.


    Meanwhile, themoners and nuns looked up at the dome area and soon froze as they saw him. But what made their whole body stiffen up was not his sudden arrival but his outer appearance!


    Currently, he looked more like a fallen angel!


    But before they could even kneel and pray, Charlesnded on the altar table, waved his hand, and let the eerie wings disappear.


    After that, he shifted his attention towards a particr nun and scanned her.


    The nun appeared to be in her mid-thirties, had azure eyes and a square face. She wore a ck habit andpletely covered her head.


    After a short pause, Charles jumped down from the table and started walking towards her. But before he could utter a word, she bowed and stepped back.


    ''Who is he?'' She thought.


    The nun was trembling and asked in a scared voice.


    "Who are you?"


    Meanwhile, Charles arrived before her, sized her up and down, and spoke.


    "I want to know where the awaken stones are."

 Chapter 447: Saint Knight

    <h4>Chapter 447: Saint Knight</h4>


    "Awaken Stones?" The nun showed a surprised look on her face first and was about to answer but soon froze. At that moment, she suddenly forgot what she had to say.


    On the other hand, Charles read a part of her memories and soon frowned.


    ''Oh? Only the priest and above rank members knew about the awaken stones, huh.'' He had long expected such an oue. But as he was about to say something, his vision turned blurry suddenly and showed a future vision.


    In that vision, he saw an old man in his 80s appearing in front of him after he killed a blonde-haired priest and tried to attack him. Although that old man did show extraordinary skills and even cast some mysterious spells during the battle, he was way weaker than Charles. So, Charles didn''t find much difficult and killed the old man in a few seconds. The vision ended just as he killed the old man, causing him to raise his eyebrows in suspicion.


    ''What does this vision represent?'' He couldn''t help but pause in surprise. In truth, he always knew that these future visions were more like warnings sent out by his future self.


    ''My future self doesn''t want me to kill this old man? But why?'' Although he couldn''t understand the reason behind his vision, he chose to trust his future self.


    After some thought, he looked up at the nun and asked.


    "Do you know any old man with long white hair and brown eyes? He should be around 80 to 90 years old."


    Upon hearing his words, the nun widened her eyes and asked.


    "Does he have a scar below his left eye? And, does he wear a surcoat all the time?"


    Charles froze for a moment as he didn''t know what the nun was talking about.


    After some hesitation, Charles nodded and then spoke.


    "It should be him."


    "Then, you are looking for former Saint Caster, mister." The nun responded in a stiff smile.


    "Go and bring him here." He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards others, and added coldly.


    "As for you guys? Scram!"


    Upon hearing his icy words, the citizens and the other nuns shrunk back in fear and ran away from the chapel. On the other hand, that particr nun also moved towards the right side hallway and soon brought an old man, who appeared to be around 80 to 90 years old. He had long white hair, pale skin, brown eyes, and his face was filled with wrinkles. He wore an old grey surcoat and walked towards him while using a wooden cane for support.


    As he arrived before Charles, he raised his wooden stick, gestured the nun to go outside, and then shifted his attention towards Charles. Then, he sized his up and down, used his wooden cane to tap on Charles''s right hand, and snorted.


    "I assume you are one of those demon skinwalkers? Have we met before?" He asked. His voice contained a trace of chillness.


    Meanwhile, Charles showed a surprised look on his face and shook his head.


    The main reason for his surprise was not Saint Caster''s words but something else.


    ''He is using the same technique as the demon sorcerer Nash and blocking me from scanning his body.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes. After a slight pause, he stared back at Saint Caster and answered.


    "Nope. But I''m not a demon skinwalker, but someone from another world." He paused for a moment as he released his wisdom power, locked all the windows and doors with telekinesis power, and then added honestly.


    "I came here to check about how to use the awaken stones. I want to know if those stones could help me improve my physique. Tell me more about this process."


    "Oh? You seem to be quite confident in your ability!" The old Saint muttered as he looked at the shutting windows and then asked.


    "What if I refuse?"


    A smirk appeared on Charles''s face. Then, he raised his hand, conjured a small ball of ck me, and let it hover upward.


    In the meantime, Saint Caster looked at the ck me for a moment and soon squinted his eyes. Although he didn''t know what this small me ball could do, he vaguely felt an ominous feeling in his heart.


    "What is this, demon?" The old man asked in a cold tone.


    On the other hand, Charles pointed his forefinger at that me ball and spoke with a smile.


    "You see, this me ball survives by consuming negative emotions. Fear, sadness, hatred, and anger are the main fuel to this fireball, and this ce has too many negative emotions. This ball of ck fire will grow bigger and bigger up to 20 to 30 meters in radius and explode when it consumes enough negative emotions. When that happens, the surrounding 5 kilometers ofnd will turn into a hellish ce. Now, what''s your answer, old man?"


    Upon hearing those words, Caster''s face turned deadly serious.


    ''H-He isn''t bluffing!'' He used a divine spell to confirm whether Charles was telling the truth or not and got shocked inside!


    "What is your motive?" He probed further while sizing Charles up and down with wary eyes.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a chuckle and answered calmly.


    "My motive is to find a way back to my homnd. But I''m also interested in learning more about this world''s power system."


    A heavy sigh leaked out of the Saint''s mouth. He then looked up at the small ball of me and spoke.


    "I''ll tell you more about how the awaken stone works. But before that, you''ve to promise me not to kill any of my citizens."


    "I may havee from the other world, but I''m also a human being. My earlier actions are the proof, old man. I had the power to kill all the nuns and citizens, but I didn''t. I''m a universal citizen ofwful faction, and I consider all the intelligent species as my kith and kin." Charles responded calmly.


    On the other hand, Saint Caster showed a surprised look and stared at him with some hesitation.


    In truth, he used a divine spell earlier and confirmed one thing.


    ''He is telling the truth.''


    Still, he didn''t dare to believe this demon skinwalker, contacted a specific person through a telepathic link, and spoke some code-words in his mind.


    It was a special divine spell used only by saint-level Knights. Truthfully, Caster used this spell only two times in his life. The main reason for that was using this long-distance telepathy spell would consume his lifespan.


    ''I''ve no choice now. I have a vague feeling that I''m no match against this demon.'' He felt threatened inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked at the hesitant old man and asked.


    "Do you think I would cause unnecessary chaos and ends up inviting trouble? Why would I do that?"

 Chapter 448: Awakening Process

    <h4>Chapter 448: Awakening Process</h4>


    ''Yes, why would he want to invite trouble by killing the normal citizens? Anyway, it''s better to be safer than sorry.'' Caster muttered inwardly and soon spoke.


    "Then, I''ll tell you more about the Awakening process." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Before that, show me your real face. I want to check your original physique."


    Meanwhile, Charles didn''t say a word and agreed to his request. Then, he deactivated his [Shape-Shifting] skill and returned to his original appearance.


    A secondter, a 28-years-old looking young man appeared in front of Saint Caster.


    On the other hand, Saint Caster stared at the shape-shifting process and widened his eyes in shock.


    ''Except for his true physical strength, everything within his body is changing!'' While muttering inwardly, Caster used his wooden cane to touch Charles''s body and studied him for a few seconds.


    After that, he took out a cigarette from his surcoat, ced the butt part in his mouth, lit it up using a match stick, and inhaled the smoke inside.


    A secondter, he removed the cigarette from his mouth and let out a puff of smoke. Then, he closed his eyes and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "Your body is in messy shape. Unlike the Knights'' method, you seem to have used a forceful method to strengthen your body. Did you use those simr alchemic potions like the druids? No wonder your body physique is in such a messy state. You haven''t even awakened your body physique."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles raised his eyebrows and waited for him to continue.


    Meanwhile, Saint Caster took another puff inside, exhaled the smoke, and added.


    "Not only that, but you also didn''t strengthen your muscles using the affinity element. Although your body seemed to have formed some strange connection with the fire-elemental energy, you still need to do more training to assimte the fire energies into your body muscles and bones." While speaking, he turned around, gripped the wooden cane with his right hand, and started walking towards the altar.


    Soon, he stepped on the dais, walked past the altar table, and soon arrived in front of a 1-meter tall stone pir. The stone pir appeared greyish, and on top of it was a burning bowl. Charles noticed that a sunshine me was burning inside the bowl and gave off a feeling of pure sacredness.


    ''Hmm? I also saw such a simr stone pir inside the secret chamber. Is this the connection bridge between the believers and the Goddess Zaqiel?''


    While Charles was studying the ritual process, the old Saint first took five colorless crystals from his pocket and tossed them into the burning bowl. Then, he raised both hands above his chest, crossed the fingers with one another, closed his eyes, and started to pray in an ancientnguage.


    After a minute of long chant, he opened his eyes suddenly, moved his right hand towards the burning bowl, and took out five reddish crystals from it. Then, he turned around, stepped away from the altar area, and soon arrived in front of Charles.


    Then, he first took out a unique small stone and gave it to him.


    "Swallow this stone and do the first awakening process here. I''ll go back to my room and bring back the knight technique manual for your training. When you finish the first awakening process, you can follow the instructions written in the knight technique manual and strengthen your physique on your own. Once you reach the bottleneck, you can use the second awakening stone and continue the process." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "I''ll give you five stones for your future progression. As long as you follow the procedure, you''ll be a Saint Knight within 20 years."


    Meanwhile, Charles took the small red stone from the old man''s hand, cast [Arcane Eyes] skill, and analyzed it. After confirming that there was no problem with the awakening stone, he sat on the nearby pew and cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself. Then, he closed his eyes and swallowed the red stone.


    A secondter, a strange hot sensation appeared in his throat as the red stone dissolved into pure mystic power and spread all over the body. Soon, the mystical force seeped into every cell and created a strange mutation. Unlike the time he ranked up, Charles felt a deep connection with his soul and the body!


    He stayed in the same position for the next 2 minutes as he continued to observe the changes happening inside his body and finally opened his eyes. Then, he looked at his own hands and felt a strange refreshing feeling.


    ''Hmm, this awakening process is indeed helping me gain control over my body to a greater extend. Although it didn''t increase my body strength as I already increased it using potions and attribute points, it definitely improved my flexibility. Moreover, I can now also borrow the surrounding fire elemental energy and create an aura around my body for defensive purposes.'' Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon squinted his eyes. Then, he looked at the right-side hallway and saw the old Saint was returning while holding an old book in his hand.


    Meanwhile, Charles stood up from his seat and went towards him while dismissing the hovering [ck Inferno] spell.


    On the other hand, Saint Caster looked at the disappearing me ball and breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Thanks for understanding my concern, mister. If you have any more doubt, feel free to ask me." While speaking with a polite smile, Saint Caster gave the knight''s manual and the remaining four red stones to Charles and took three steps back.


    On the other hand, Charles let out a chuckle, looked up at the dome-shaped ceiling, and spoke.


    "I do have one more question, old man." He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards the wrinkled old man''s face, and asked with the same smile.


    "How long would it take for your church friends toe here?"


    Upon hearing those words, Saint Caster widened his eyes in shock and blurted out.


    "H-How did you know?"


    "You think there are no other ways to notice the telepathic waves? You are standing in front of an otherworldly being, mortal. Humph, I''ve long noticed your sneaky action. Well, I don''t want to disappoint you guys." Charles spoke in a cold tone, snapped his fingers, and created another ball of ck me.


    Then, he used his wisdom power and let it move towards the dome''s interior. But unlike thest one, this fireball appeared more than a five-meter radius and sucked all the negative emotions from the nearby surroundings.


    "What are you trying to do?!" The Saint caster instantly conjured an illusionary sword made of pure light and pointed the tip at Charles.

 Chapter 449: Memories

    <h4>Chapter 449: Memories</h4>


    Meanwhile, Charles wore an amusing smile on his face, raised his hand, and showed two fingers.


    "You''ve two options now. The first option, fight me with all your might and force me to undo this spell. Second, act smarter and evacuate the townspeople before my [ck Inferno] spell explodes. After all, the fireball will take more than 30 minutes to reach its peak level. The choices are yours." He paused for a moment, cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on the saint, and then added.


    "But I don''t like staying here for too long."


    Meanwhile, Saint Caster sensed a strange force was seeping into his soul and tried his best to stop it.


    On the other hand, Charles''s mind fire managed to cross the Dark Space and soon arrived inside his Inner World. A secondter, the small purple fire absorbed the nearby memory clouds and soon formed into an appearance of purple Charles.


    The burning consciousness soon opened its eyes and saw that Caster''s whole Inner World appeared in the form of clouds.


    ''Although this Saint formed some sort of connection with his soul, he still hasn''t entered his Inner World!'' It analyzed the surrounding clouds and started erasing the most important memories from his Inner World.


    ''It''s better to erase most of our earlier conversation.'' While muttering, it sent out a streak of purple me towards the Dark Space.


    At that moment, Charles also asked questions about how he came here, why Saint Caster wanted to see his original self, and so on, and helped his burning consciousness.


    Saint Caster also noticed that some of his memories were disappearing one by one and got stunned inside.


    By the time he managed to regain his sense, Charles also stopped asking any more questions, cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there!


    "H-He disappeared?!" Saint Caster''s face went pale. Although he couldn''t remember his face or his voice, he still retained most of their conversation. He then hurriedly looked up at the dome-shaped ceiling and soon squinted his eyes.


    "That ursed demon!!" He cursed out loud and hurriedly walked towards the exit while informing what had happened to his colleagues.


    He soon opened the church gate from inside and saw hundreds of Light Knights standing at the entrance with weapons and shields.


    Upon seeing the group, he breathed out a sigh of relief and spoke loudly.


    "Light Knights! Follow the evacuation procedure. Split into ten groups and gather all the citizens at the town''s entrance in 5 minutes. Use any means to drag everyone out of their house and let them look at the church-" Before he could finish his sentence, the church''s dome suddenly shook violently and soon burned in an eerie ck me!


    Meanwhile, the whole Light Knight squad got startled deeply and soon shouted in shock and disbelief.


    Under Caster''s shouting, all of them soon woke up from the shock and moved to different sides. Cries and shouts constantly echoed as the church''s dome continued to burn and finally revealed the infant form of the [ck Inferno] spell!


    The true chaos began in a small town called ''Norwich.''


    ¡­


    While Saint Caster and other Light Knights were trying to escape from the disaster descending onto their town, Charles appeared 1000 meters above the small town and watched their movements calmly. Within 30 seconds, more than six figures flew from the eastern direction at an ultrasonic speed and soon arrived at the town''s entrance. They all wore some cloak type of dress and used some pure light wing spell for flying. Once they entered inside, they split into three groups and started searching the surrounding areas.


    ''Reinforcements, huh?'' Charles chuckled inwardly and once again cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself before enveloping himself in a crimson me.


    A secondter, he disappeared from there and reappeared 30 km away from Norwich. Then, he again disappeared from there, returned to the Duke''s Castle, and appeared at the center of his guest room.


    After that, he raised his hand, touched his face, and transformed into Prince Julius.


    He then touched the green pendant, linked his mind with the artifact''s soul, and gave a specific order.


    A secondter, a middle-aged man appeared before his eyes and showed a startled look on his face.


    It was Irzoch, in Duke Michael''s appearance!


    "What the-?!"


    She widened her eyes in surprise, looked at the surroundings, and soon froze as he saw Prince Julius''s face.


    "Don''t panic. It''s me." Charles said in Daniel''s voice and shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    Then, he extracted Duke''s memories,bined them into a cloud, and pulled it out of his Inner World. After that, he raised his right hand, touched Irzoch''s forehead, and sent the memory cloud into her head.


    A secondter, Irzoch felt a sharp headache and then noticed memories in the form of visual images appeared in her mind.


    "T-This¡­" She couldn''t help but let out a gasp as she nced at the memories.


    On the other hand, Charles moved towards the nearby table, took out an empty notebook from the cupboard, and spoke.


    "They are Duke Michael''s memories. Assimte those memories in your mind and then start your job. Also, be careful when you are around the Demon Sorcerer Nash. He is a dangerous one." Saying so, he stored the notebook into his space ring, went near the luxurious four-poster bed, andy on it. After that, he took out a pocket watch from his space ring, flipped it open, and checked the time.


    "2 P.M. There are still more than 6 hours left for the dinner meeting."


    He muttered to himself, closed his eyes, and started taking some rest.


    While he was resting, Irzoch moved towards the nearby wooden chair, sat on it, and started reading those memories.


    For the next four hours, she stayed in the same ce, read most of Duke''s memories, and finally managed to get a good grasp of her new identity.


    ''This memory extracting ability is indeed terrifying!'' She couldn''t help but nce at the mysterious otherworldly person, who was sleepingfortably on the nearby bed. In truth, she would stalk her target for more than a year to know more about the person, and then only she would use her [Skin-Change] spell.


    But what this otherworldly being did before her earlier defied hermon sense!


    ''What is he? A God? Or, a Demon?'' She didn''t know. But what she knew was that no one in this Faith Realm held these kinds of mysterious powers.


    She soon shook her head and stood up from her seat¡­ After that, she checked her outfit, moved towards the double door, and quietly left the guest room.

 Chapter 450: Divine Realm

    <h4>Chapter 450: Divine Realm</h4>


    Within the Sun God''s Divine realm, a golden pce stood at the summit of a lone mountain.


    It was Abium''s residence!


    At that moment, two important figures were sitting in the throne hall and were in the middle of ying a game called ''ne Walkers.'' One was a 20-years-old male in his golden robe, while the other was a very young girl. The young man had pointy-long ears, an oval face, amber eyes, and looked like a royal elf from the legends.


    He was none other than Abium, the Angel of Time!


    On the other hand, the young girl appeared to be around ten years old, had silvery-long hair, kitten ears, long fluffy white tail, and she wore a greenish-blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric. Currently, she ced a wooden flute below her lips and made some strange music using it.


    Although she looked more like a neighborhood young kid, she was a powerful existence. In truth, she was terrifying than the Angel of Time, and even the demon lords would hide away in fear of offending her!


    She was none other than the Goddess of Trickery, Nyara!


    She was not powerful like Chaos Gods, nor did she possess any abnormal wisdom. What''s more unbelievable was that she was just a Mid-God!


    Even she achieved that rank only after the arrival of the New Time Era.


    But the reason even High Gods were scared of her was because of her mysterious trickery skills. Her tricks could fool anyone. Even the mysterious Angel of Time and Time God Udnir was no exception. Not only that, but she could even enter other''s Divine Domain! That''s why she was called a Pseudo-Taboo Existence.


    The reason they used the term ''Pseudo'' was that she doesn''t have any destructive spells. She was the only Divine who would dare to enter another God''s divine realm to y some games or to prank others!


    Both Abium and Nyara sat at the center of the grand luxurious hall and stared quietly at the mysterious board filled with moving globes. If someone looks at any globe closely, they will find that it resembles more like a!


    Within each World, two types of forces entered through strange portals and started invading the local residences. Those two invading forces were these two divine beings'' faithful believers!


    Indeed, they were invading tens of lower nes for fun!


    The ne Walkers game involvesrge-scale battles, chaos, and destruction. As they sat in silence, the Goddess Nyara suddenly let out a yawn, leaned her back against the throne-like chair, and asked.


    "Will he be powerful enough to kill a God in two decades? I''m feeling ufortable for cing my mom''s life in that guy''s hand. One single mistake and the wholewful faction wille after us."


    Meanwhile, Abium let out a chuckle and spoke while waving his hand.


    "Don''t put too much thought into it, Lady Nyara. I''m not good at evaluating others, but I know that he is the best one among all the other candidates. He is controlling his future now, and his soul also entered the realm of Demi-God Rank. That''s more than enough to ce our bet on him."


    On the other hand, the Goddess Nyara turned her face solemnly and retorted.


    "His physical strength is far below. If your guess is right, then the Chaos Era will descend on Edhen like what happened in Easica World within the next 20 years. I don''t know how you perceived this future which even Udnir couldn''t, but this is a risky move. Foreign Gods will lose their power over this high-ne, but that doesn''t mean the World''s Will would let you do as you please. Moreover, you still haven''t told me why you want to kill the Wisdom God Rashwa?"


    Upon hearing those words, Abium smiled lightly and spoke calmly.


    "There is something we, even Gods, fail to notice when ites to defending our home ne and choose to follow as our heart says. It''s called Loyalty. In my opinion, it''s also a part of servitude. If we want to obtain True Sovereignty, we need to discard such things." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "Who was stronger? Your mother? Or the Light God Welos? In my opinion, both were weak. Your mother stayed loyal to Easica ne and died protecting it, while Welos stayed loyal to his vampire ancestor and ended up dead in my hands. Both showed their weakness, and their weakness was Loyalty. Above Loyalty is the wisdom mark. There is something called wisdom above wisdom. There was no God or any Taboo Existence that attained that position. It''s called True Sovereignty."


    Meanwhile, Goddess Nyara let out another loud yawn and spoke.


    "What a boring guy you are. Moreover, why do I feel like I have read such nonsense somewhere else?"


    On the other hand, Abium showed a forced smile on his face and added.


    "It''s a famous quote I read from the Judgement Goddess. I know we are still far away from obtaining that realm, but I don''t want to miss such an opportunity. The Wisdom God Rasha has something that could help me attain such power in the future. I''m after his wisdom divinities. It''s also the key to break away the Time Seal that ced on my original body."


    "Wisdom Divinities¡­ But he is also a Foreign God, right? Moreover, when the chaos wave starts, he will return to his Divine Kingdom-" At that moment, Goddess Nyara''s face turned serious.


    "He isn''t a foreign God, but a God ascended in the Edhen World?"


    Meanwhile, Abium nodded his head and spoke.


    "Even I don''t know much about his secrets, but he seemed to be an Elven Emperor of the Ancient Era. When the first batch of foreign Gods invaded the Edhen ne, he went to the Abyss to search for some Blood Goddess and escaped the great purge. When he returned from the Abyss, he had already lost his Empire, his people, and even his family. With no other choice, he chose to sign some pact with Edhen World and became the World Will''s servant. Later, he rose to power by obtaining the wisdom divinities from who knows where and became the God of Wisdom and Knowledge. He is one of the puppets of the World''s Will."


    "Lady Rodia told you about this? She sure knows everyone''s secrets." Goddess Nyara clicked her tongue, stood up from her seat, and spoke.


    "I''ll help you find his Divine Kingdom. As long as we destroy that, he has no choice but to seek refuge in Edhen World. But once he falls on the Edhen World, he will lose his Divine domain power and be a Demi-God level being. That''s where your card wille into y." She paused for a moment as she nodded her head in understanding and then asked.


    "What about Udnir? How long will it take for him to reach Edhen?"


    Abium closed his eyes as he heard those questions, peeked into the infinite number of futures in mere seconds, and frowned.


    "15 years, and 235 days. Although Udnir still didn''t notice the future chaos wave, he will sense it once he arrives there."


    "Hmm, then we should also find a way and dy his journey." Saying so, she suddenly took a step forward, turned illusionary, and disappeared from there!


    On the other hand, Abium raised his eyebrows and showed a serious look on his face.


    "Trickery, huh¡­ It defines thew of the universe and even tricks Time, Destiny, Luck, Love, and much more wonders. No wonder she dares to enter God''s Divine Domains like a walk in the park¡­" He muttered solemnly and turned his attention towards the unfinished game.

 Chapter 451: Dinner

    <h4>Chapter 451: Dinner</h4>


    Duke''s Castle, Aetas Kingdom, Faith Realm.


    Charles woke up around 7.30 P.M and got ready to attend the dinner meeting. First, he went to take a good shower and then wore formal attire.


    Then, Charles moved towards the nearby table and stored it in his space ring.


    After that, he also stored three wooden chairs, candles, an ink bottle, three types of wooden quills, and even argemp into his space ring.


    ''Hmm, this should be more than enough for my night work.'' He thought to himself.


    He then left the guest room, went towards the dining hall, and soon arrived near the entrance. After that, he halted his footsteps, adjusted his surcoat, and looked inside.


    At that moment, he noticed the important people like two knight captains, church squad members like the grey-robed priest, the Head Deacon, a scout-type knight named James, Holy Swordsman named Simon, Melody, and Irzoch, in Duke''s appearance, were already seated and appeared to be waiting for the main guest.


    He also saw two young women standing near the dining table and was holding towels.


    After a swift nce, he tapped the wooden door to announce his presence and walked inside.


    Upon noticing his arrival, everyone stopped their action, stood up from their seats, and greeted him with a bow. Meanwhile, Charles moved towards the guest seat, pulled the wooden chair a little, and sat on it. Then, he raised his hand and gestured them to sit down.


    At that moment, he also shifted his attention towards Irzoch andmunicated with her using telepathy.


    ''I want you to co-operate with me over Grime ins issue to create a friction between Julius and the Light Church. Can you do it?''


    Meanwhile, Irzoch averted her gaze towards the food that was carried by a blonde-haired maid and answered.


    ''You want to put the me on Light Church? I can, My Lord. But Demon Sorcerer Nash and a few other knights also knew about the foreign knights. The same goes for Bishop ke and the other Light Knights.''


    At that moment, the blonde-haired young maid arrived near Charles, greeted him by bowing, and started serving different kinds of dishes.


    Charles sat in silence and observed his surroundings whilemunicating.


    ''Don''t worry about the Demon Sorcerer Nash and other knights. We can silence themter on.''


    ''Okay, My Lord.'' Irzoch responded.


    After noticing that everyone was looking at him, Charles first picked up the wine ss, took a sip, and started the dinner.


    He then put the wine ss back on the table, picked up the fork and knife, and added.


    "Let''s finish our dinner first."


    The church members and knight captains also nodded their heads and started eating the food.


    Charles also ate Julius''s favorite dish, roast chicken and various vegetables, and drank plenty of water. Then, he took another sip of his wine and drank it wholeheartedly.


    During dinner, he also talked about the politics from time to time with Irzoch and soon shifted the topic towards their future goal.


    "The reason I invited knight captains and our honorable church members to this dinner was mainly to talk about the current civil war and the future of the kingdom. Although many nobles are supporting me in the shadows, none of them swore their allegiance to me." He paused for a moment, nced at Irzoch, and then added.


    "This includes my greatest benefactor Duke Michael."


    Upon hearing his words, Irzoch showed a forced smile on her face and spoke in a Duke''s rough voice.


    "Sorry to say this, Your Highness. But swearing allegiance to you means breaking away from the royal family and the kingdom itself. Although your father died without announcing the next sessor''s name, your elder brother has every right to inherit the throne. If we chose to swear our allegiance to you, there is a high chance he would hold some grudge against our family and execute us or expel us from the kingdom. Moreover, there is a high chance that the nearby kingdoms might invade ournd using excuses."


    "I know that. But what I''m asking is not a formal allegiance but a normal one. At least, I want to know whoever would stay by my side if I choose to confront my elder brother openly." Charles added while picking a slice of orange and putting it in his mouth.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch showed a thoughtful look on her face and nodded with a respectful look.


    "If that''s what you wish, I have no problem, Your Highness. I''m honored to serve a Royal like you and will apany you to the end of the death itself."


    "I''m ttered by your words, Duke Michael," Charlesmented with a smile and then added.


    "Let''se to the main topic. Currently, our kingdom is in a disordered state. Let''s take the Grime ins as a prime example. Two months ago, a knight squad from Ammar Dynasty invaded that territory and even killed all the local knights. Not only that, but some foreign knights also invaded the town before the Baron could return and forcefully upied that territory."


    "Grime ins? Isn''t it Baron Daniel''s territory? Why haven''t I heard of such news? Moreover, why did he attack us if he has that much problem in his territory?" Irzoch showed a confused look on her face and turned her gaze towards the two knight captains.


    Meanwhile, those two knight captains also understood the situation and decided to y along. Although they knew that Baron Daniel was the one who killed the thousands of theirrades, they didn''t dare to disobey Duke''s order.


    "We also know nothing about such news, My Lord. Should I send a squad of knights for investigation?" One of the knight captains responded swiftly.


    On the other hand, Melody showed a dumbfounded look on her face and soon realized it was all an act.


    The only ones who sat with a clueless look on their faces were the grey-robed priest and his squad members.


    Unlike Melody and the two other knight captains, the church members were always kept in the dark about outside. Their job mainly was to pass information to the Holy See and do some secret assignments for the higher-ups. So, they still hadn''t realized Charles''s scheme.


    Upon seeing them eating without any worry on their face, he stabbed a sliced roasted chicken piece using a fork, put it in his mouth, and continued while munching.


    "Hmm, it''s better to send some scouts and see the real situation over there. I heard from my scout knight that these foreign knights are using Duke''s name tomit such a heinous act-"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, Irzoch widened her eyes in disbelief, straightened her back, and shouted in shock.


    "Someone dared to use my name? Wait. That''s why he attacked our territory, huh. No wonder I felt something was odd about that incident!"


    This time, not only the knight captains but even Charles got stunned by her acting.

 Chapter 452: Observing the Sky

    <h4>Chapter 452: Observing the Sky</h4>


    Charles soon turned his face solemn and spoke.


    "Well, I only heard it from one of my scout knights. Anyway, this is just one of the examples. So, what we need to do now is not to solve these problems one by one, but to put an end to this civil war."


    "I don''t understand, Your Highness. What do you mean by putting an end to the civil war? Are you nning to give up the throne?" Melody interjected their conversation.


    "It means we are not going to negotiate with the royal family and the Awaken but oppose everyone," Irzoch responded.


    Charles nodded his head and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "First, I want to meet all our faction nobles and ask them to lend me a hand. It''s time to create an army under my name."


    "Wouldn''t that anger your mother, My Lord?" This time, it was Melody who asked the question.


    "I don''t think she will get angry. As long as I get enough support from the nobles, the whole royal Knight Squad and the army would open the pce gate for me. My only problem is guardian knight. Well, we shouldy low for a few months and gather our strength slowly. When the timees, we will invade the royal capital and gainplete control over it."


    He also discussed his n with everyone and even told Melody to invite the nobles for a secret gathering.


    On the other hand, the Light Church members listened to their conversation quietly and decided to inform the whole n to the church. s, none of them felt the strangeness about Charles''s or others'' behavior.


    Charles continued to converse with the knight captains and also secretly cast the curse spell on them. After some time, all of them finished their dinner and bid farewell to each other. The knight captains and the church members moved out of the castle''s keep while others returned to their rooms.


    Once Charles entered his room, he closed the double door and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A secondter, he disappeared from the room and reappeared at the summit of a lone mountain. Then, he nced around and noticed that the rocks and cactus were the only things that appeared before his eyes.


    After looking around for a while, he found a in area to settle down and took out the wooden quills, ink bottle, candles, empty notebook, wooden chairs, and finally a table from his space ring.


    Then, he arranged everything on the table, lit the candle with his me magic, and opened the notebook.


    Then, he sat on a chair, looked up at the sky, and entered his Inner World.


    A secondter, he reappeared at the newly built pce''s entrance and waved his hand.


    The next instant, his memories came from all directions and appeared above his head in the form of tinyva droplets.


    Without wasting a second, he observed the memories, gathered the fire-elemental energy, and created a perfect consciousness in mere seconds!


    After that, he also added all of Julius''s memories into this consciousness and gave exact characteristics.


    But he didn''t stop there, though. Instead, he shifted his attention towards the hovering memories, replicated them again, and created two more consciousnesses!


    Then, he infused those consciousnesses with arge amount of fire-elemental energy and even added rebirth me essences into them!


    Unlike the previous one, these two perfect consciousnesses were made of pure fire and looked natural.


    They were his new incarnations!


    Before long, a total of three familiar figures appeared in front of his eyes.


    The first perfect consciousness looked more like Julius, while the other two incarnations took the appearance of Daniel and his original self.


    ''Oh? The other two already chose their identities, huh?'' A surprise shed on his face.


    He then looked at Julius and ordered.


    "Go and take control over my body and write the Star form." He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards the other two consciousnesses, and added.


    "You two should also go out of the Inner World and help him create the Star Constetion Book. I want to create this book within six months. From now on, you guys shoulde here during nighttime and create the Star Constetion book. During the daytime, concentrate your attention on physical training using the knight manual and improve the body physique."


    "Got it!" All three of them responded in unison.


    A secondter, they turned illusionary and disappeared from his eyes.


    The perfect consciousness moved to take over his body while the other two appeared behind him in the form of incarnations.


    First, Julius opened his eyes, touched his face, and smiled.


    Then, he took out the wooden quill, dipped the brush into the ink bottle, and started writing aplicated form.


    Meanwhile, the illusionary incarnations moved towards the nearby chairs and took their seats. Then, they also shifted their attention towards the notebook and waited for Julius to finish it.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles turned his attention towards the nearby 3-meter tall pir and used his wisdom power to take the sealed chaos fire from the top.


    The chaos fireball sealed in the rebirth fire moved from the top the next second and soon appeared in front of his eyes.


    Charles carefully covered it with his wisdom power, controlled the sealed chaos fire, and flew towards the dark sky.


    Within a minute, he reached the sky and soon arrived in front of the chaos spell model. Then, he turned his gaze towards the sealed chaos fire, broke the rebirth me seal, and let the chaos fireball hover in front of him.


    Then, he zeroed his attention on the fireball and soon noticed that there were only 50 to 60 chaos fire essences hidden in there.


    Although he was disappointed a little, Charles knew that these were more than enough for him to construct a Rank-5 spell model!


    ''No, the [Curse of the Overlord] spell only had 3000 me streaks¡­ If I''m not wrong, those streaks are nothing but essence rules. So, the [Curse of the Overlord] spell only has two Wicked me essences. But even that spell had the power to control Rank-5 Existences!'' His eyes squinted all of a sudden.


    ''Does that mean this chaos fire will be a pseudo-Rank-6 Spell?'' He thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    Then, he activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill, shifted his attention towards a particr chaos fire essence, and startedprehending the essence rules.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Julius also finished writing the star form and started creating a constetion map.


    Unlike when Charles created the Star Constetion Book, there was no constetion book in his hand.


    But he decided to create a brand new constetion with the two incarnations'' help!


    The trio observed the sky all night, marked the exact positions of the brightest stars, and even grouped them to form constetions. They then created a unique map inside his Inner World to make their jobs easier.


    During that time, they found 64 constetions in the sky and got ready to search for the ''Time'' Stars!

 Chapter 453: A Messed-Up Future

    <h4>Chapter 453: A Messed-Up Future</h4>


    West Street, Hill City, Newborn Territory, Light Kingdom.


    At that moment, a 20-year-old Light Knight arrived in front of a random Inn and walked inside. He wore leather armor over his linen shirt, had messy brown hair, almond green eyes, a square face, and was around 175 cm high. Currently, he held an old bag in his left hand and a long sword in his right hand.


    He was a crystal knight sent by the Light Church of Sacred Town to deliver letters to Bishop Victor.


    As he stepped inside, the people inside the Inn turned their gaze towards the entrance and looked at him curiously.


    After a quick look, the people around the table quickly returned to their business. But the Innkeeper, who had been observing him, cleared his throat and asked,


    "Light Knight, do you need something?"


    Meanwhile, the crystal knight, whose face revealed he was a bit of a loner, nodded and said,


    "Yes. I came here to deliver some letter to Father Victor."


    "Bishop? He still hadn''t returned from the Bard Woods. Wait over there for a while. He''lle back before the dusk arrives."


    Saying so, the Innkeeper then returned to his work. Meanwhile, the Light Knight sat at the nearest table, turned his gaze towards the opened window, and was about to look outside but suddenly stopped. At that moment, he overheard a conversation.


    "Did you hear the rumor? It seems a ck sun descended from the sky a few days ago and erased a town from the map!" A bald man said while gulping a mug of ale.


    Meanwhile, hispanions shook their heads and started mocking him.


    ''It''s the same rumor again!'' In truth, the Light Knight heard of this rumor multiple times during his journey and felt suspicious of it. Although the masses might''ve exaggerated the rumor, he knew that a part of it might''ve some truth in it.


    While he was in muse, he suddenly saw a 30-year-old young man walking inside and soon widened his eyes.


    The young man had blonde hair and brown eyes, a round face, and was around 180 cm high. He was d in a worn but elegant and expensive dress that included a long, blue-ck coat with white fur lining and a leather belt with a blue-ck stone at the center. On his left shoulder was a silver circlet, and a short beard was on his face. There was also a unique golden bracelet that appeared in his left hand and looked sacred.


    He was none other than Bishop Victor!


    Upon seeing him, the Light Knight got stunned for a moment and stood up in a hurry. He then straightened his back and thumped his chest before greeting him.


    Then, he took out a bunch of letters and gave them to Bishop Victor.


    "Priestess Caroline told me to give these letters, Father. She said that all these letters came from the Aetas Kingdom."


    Meanwhile, Victor caught the bundle of letters and nodded.


    "I''ve been waiting for these letters. You can stay here for a day or two to rest before returning." Without waiting for the Light Knight''s reply, he took a step forward and proceeded to walk towards the left side spiral staircase.


    He soon went upstairs through the spiral staircase, reached the second floor, and went towards his rented room. Within a few seconds, he arrived in front of a wooden door, took out an iron key from his coat, and inserted the key into the keyhole.


    Then, he gripped the doorknob, pushed it harder, and at the same time, twisted the iron key to unlock the door.


    A secondter, a clicking sound came from the other side, followed by a screeching noise. Without minding the noise, Victor took a step forward and walked in.


    The room was rtively small and decorated with a bed, a table, and arge wooden trunk. Victor soon arrived near the wooden bed, sat on it, and shifted his attention towards the bunch of sealed letters.


    Even though it was just three months since his transmigration, his improvement during this time was immense.


    ''I''ve already be an Expert Knight and also got my hands on the first divine artifact!'' While muttering, he subconsciously shifted his gaze towards his left hand and looked at the golden bracelet.


    It was called the ''Band of Judgement.''


    It also had a unique name called ''Karmic Bangle.''


    It can show the opponent''s past crimes and let the criminal experience an eternal nightmare in a separate hellish world! Those who got judged and banished into that world would never return. In the past, an evil organization member obtained this artifact, learned out more about its true potential, and sent his enemies into this mysterious world. Unfortunately, he encountered a powerful demon sorcerer named Bryson and was killed even before using this artifact''s ability on the opponent.


    In truth, Victor had a n to how to use that powerful demon sorcerer''s strength.


    But he wouldn''t dare to contact him recklessly now.


    ''I need to find other artifacts first and make up for this artifact''s weakness.''


    Indeed, this artifact had a weakness.


    To activate this artifact, one needed to recite the activation incantation!


    s, Victor didn''t put too much thought into the weakness. As long as he obtains the other few artifacts, he would be an invincible knight in the whole world!


    Shaking his head, he hurriedly took out a letter, opened its seal, and started to read.


    The first letter came from the Aetas Kingdom''s royal capital. In that letter, the church members mentioned the previous battle in detail and even added Prince Julius''s motive.


    "Oh? So, the prince and Duke are still alive, huh. Nice." A smile appeared on his face.


    ''But I should tell the spies to monitor his daily activities. There is a high chance that he might''ve gotten enved by Daniel''s spell.'' He thought to himself.


    He also read two more detailed letters from Head Deacon and learned that both were about secret ces. After some thought, he ced them separately and took out the fourth letter.


    Then, he tore it open and started to read.


    "Oh? Bishop ke''s letter?" He showed a surprised look on his face and continued to read. But just as he read the second sentence, he couldn''t help but show a doubtful look on his face.


    ''Baron Daniel left the town? Moreover, he killed the foreign knights after an emotional breakdown and ran away? Wait! Emotional breakdown? Also, he ran away? Impossible! That guy is a demon who killed thousands of Duke''s elite knights in seconds. There is no way he would run away from this weakling. Also, who are these foreign knights?'' Unfortunately, there was no information about them in the letter. Instead, Bishop ke apologized for his carelessness and mentioned that he had already takenplete control over the Grime ins!


    As Victor continued to read the letter, he couldn''t help but get confused inside.


    "What the hell happened? Did my single warning to Duke Michael change the whole future?" A frown appeared on his face.


    He then took out another letter and soon saw the Holy Seal on it.


    ''A letter from the Holy See?'' He got startled a little.


    As he read the letter, he noticed that it came from a Cardinal named Smith.


    Cardinal mentioned a saint knight''s encounter with a mysterious individual in that letter and even attached the Saint Knight''s letter to the Holy See.


    The reason why he sent this letter was mainly due to his warning about the me Demon.


    Indeed, Victor had long submitted a detailed report about Baron Daniel''s demonic abilities and even included some of his possible future actions. When Baron Daniel attacked Duke''s castle, many Light Church members got shocked inside and finally read Victor''s report. This Cardinal Smith was one among them.


    ''But I didn''t expect to attract an Awaken''s attention so soon.''


    He soon opened the Saint Knight''s letter, read it carefully, and soon turned serious.


    ''A mysterious person visited this Saint Knight''s town and erased his memories? He also created a ck sun and destroyed Norwich town and its surroundings? It''s Baron Daniel''s spell!'' He read more about what happened to the town and soon heaved a heavy sigh as he learned that most citizens evacuated before the explosion.


    Victor continued to read all other letters and finally turned grim.


    ''Something is wrong. It was as if this Baron seemed to have anticipated my movements! Is it because of my earlier actions?'' He couldn''t help but get anxious inside.


    ''I can''t predict his next actions!'' He felt threatened inside. Although the other party knew nothing about his real identity, he didn''t dare to be careless.


    ''It''s better to hide my identity and strengthen myself first. In the end, Baron has no choice but toe to the Holy See. When he arrives, I''ll bury him in the holy ground!'' A cold look appeared on his face.


    Without any dy, he stood up from the bed, grabbed all the important stuff, and stored them inside his newly obtained space ring¡­ Then, he waited for the darkness to descend and stealthily left the Inn.

 Chapter 454: Important News

    <h4>Chapter 454: Important News</h4>


    Nine months passed in a blink.


    During the past nine months, Charles stayed inside his Inner World,pletelyprehended the chaos fireball, and created a unique Pseudo Rank-6 spell called [Fire Rain].


    It was arge-scale attack spell that could eradicate a whole kingdom in a blink.


    Moreover, his other chaos fire spells had also upgraded to peak Rank-5 Rank spells!


    At this moment, he was nothing but a walking disaster.


    ''No, I haven''t encountered the Awakens yet. And, I heard that there is also a different level gap between the Awakens.'' He didn''t dare to take them lightly.


    Currently, he hovered in the dark sky and stared at the 20 metersrge chaos spell model with a solemn look on his face.


    ''It took longer than I thought!'' He breathed a sigh of relief, descended from the sky, and soonnded at the central ind.


    It was the ce where the elemental imprint was located.


    Once hended on the rocky floor, he shifted his attention towards the pce and noticed that his three consciousnesses were also inside.


    He then closed his eyes, read the past nine months of memories, and soon learned that they had already created the Star Constetion Book!


    But what startled him was the result of his physical body training.


    ''Oh? My body physique only awakened up to Expert Knight Level?'' Although he was startled by the slow progression, he didn''t put too much thought into it. Then, he shifted his attention towards politics and learned some important news.


    The first one was about the official coronation ceremony date of the crown prince!


    Not only that, but the Royals also made another announcement saying that they banished the Second Prince Julius from the Royal Family and even put Julius''s mother under house arrest!


    ''Banishment? Why?'' He soon nced at the other important news and became stunned.


    ''No wonder they banished me. So, it was my consciousness'' doing, huh.''


    Although Julius was the Second Prince of Aetas Kingdom, his mother wasn''t the Queen of this Kingdom but a consort. So, she didn''t hold much power in the Royal Pce and failed to stop the banishment.


    The same goes for Leone''s mother.


    Thete King Ezequiel had four wives. The first wife was the Queen of Aetas Kingdom and also the daughter of Duke Ismael.


    She had two daughters and one son. Her son was none other than the yboy Crown Prince, Quinn Matthias ymoore.


    ''But the problem is not the Crown Prince but Duke Ismael¡­ He is the Guardian of Aetas Kingdom and also the only Awaken powerhouse.'' If not for his protection, the whole kingdom might''ve fallen long ago.


    The second wife was Julius''s mother. She was the first consort of thete King and had no noble background like other wives.


    Her father was just a famous merchant and owned many luxury shops. The reason thete King Ezequiel chose to marry her was because of her beauty.


    The third wife was Prince Leone''s mother, while the fourth wife had two daughters.


    But they were just a part of the Royal Family, though.


    ''Ezequiel also had two younger brothers¡­ Both are also Royals under the kingdom''sw and had equal right to inherit the throne. This Royal Family is more like arge noble household. If it were any other kingdom, the sessor problem would''ve escted to a whole new level. But because of Duke Ismael, no one dared to raise their voice. If not for the third prince''s and Julius''s protest, the Royal Family would''ve enthroned Quinn long ago.''


    The coronation news arrived just a day before yesterday and caused restlessness among all the soldiers. Even Melody and Irzoch got scared by this news and were waiting for his decision.


    The second important news was about the third prince of Aetas Kingdom.


    ''If I''m not wrong, this kid is a genius and a crafty brat.'' He also recalled his personal information.


    Leone Matthias ymoore¡­ He turned 19 this year and had two-third of the kingdom nobles'' support. He had both political and army support. In truth, Julius and Leone had a good rtionship, but that soon ended when King Ezequiel died of a heart attack two years ago.


    Currently, there was a strange rumor spreading among the masses that Leone had gone missing.


    All this time, he stayed in Duke Edwin''s private guest house and remained firm on his decision. He even gathered an army under the shadow of Duke Edwin and was nning to invade the Royal Capital. But two months ago, he went out with Duke Edwin for a hunting game but never returned.


    As Charles read the information, he couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    ''So, Duke Edwin already formed an agreement with Duke Ismael, huh. No wonder the Royal Family announced the coronation ceremony sooner.'' In truth, Duke Michael, aka Irzoch, also received a secret letter from the Royal Family two months ago. But Charles''s consciousness told her not to respond to that letter and did something unbelievable in Grime ins.


    ''This incident gave them a chance to banish me.'' He shook his head and shifted his attention towards the other information.


    The third important news was about an assassin.


    Three months ago, an assassination incident happened. At that time, a servant tried to stab his consciousness in the back when he went out to train his body. Thankfully, his [Forewarning] skill warned him about the danger, and he managed to evade the fatal attack.


    ''But the assassin used dark magic and escaped?'' He couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows.


    After some thought, he shook his head and finally shifted his attention towards the Grime ins incident.


    After Bishop ke took control over the Darkwell Town, he brought more Light Knights from the Holy See and dered that territory as Light Kingdom''s territory.


    This news caused rage among all the Aetas Kingdom citizens. To others'' shock, the Royal Family didn''t make a singlement about this incident and acted like it wasn''t their problem. At first, the Third Prince Leone and Charles''s consciousness used Bishop ke of illegally upying Aetas Kingdom''s territory and even sent a warning letter to the Holy See.


    Unfortunately, the Light Kingdom didn''t take both of the Princes'' words seriously and even ignored to send a reply.


    But Irzoch and his consciousness didn''t give up and decided to give everyone a huge surprise.


    First, Irzoch and his consciousness went to Grime ins with two-thousand elite knights and invaded the upied territory. They didn''t show any mercy towards any Light Knights and killed everyone.


    It was a massacre!


    Moreover, they imprisoned Bishop ke, cut both of his hands under the watchful eyes of thousands, and put him in the dungeon cell!


    His action was more like a tight p to the Light Kingdom!


    That''s the main reason the Royal Family banished him and indirectly told everyone that what he did in the Grime ins had nothing to do with them.


    "A bunch of cowards." An amusing smile appeared on his face. Although he nned on making the Light Church a political enemy, his consciousness did the opposite and reduced his future troubles.


    ''Next is about my current army power.'' Indeed, his consciousness also created an elite legion under his name and even trained them harder. There were only 1,050 people in this legion, and this legion was further divided into 21 squads while having one Radiant Knight as the leader in each squad.


    As for the rest, all of them were Crystal Knights!


    Although their strength wasn''t enough to take down an army, they could more or less do all kinds of stealth missions.


    As Charles read about this legion, he couldn''t help but praise inwardly.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards other information like Demon Sorcerer Nash''s suspicious movements, the appearance of two Druids in the Royal Capital, and so on and decided to read them wholly.


    Once he read all those memories, he silently left his Inner World, waking up in the physical world, and noticed that he was resting in his room.


    Then, he sat up, stepped down from the bed, and went towards the bathroom to take a long bath. A few minutester, he walked out of the bathroom, wore a nightgown, and went near the table.


    After that, he touched his space ring and took out a ck-covered notebook from it. Even though he hadn''t opened the book, he felt a familiar power from inside and got surprised.


    Then, he opened the notebook and started checking whether if his consciousnesses had made any mistake for the next few minutes. This book appeared simr to the previous Star Constetion Book and even had the same mysterious nk page in the middle. Not only that, but Charles also saw some unique marks at the twelve corners of this nk page and got startled a little.


    ''Hmm? What are these? Each of these marks appears creepy and, at the same time, unique.'' He hurriedly searched for the cause from his consciousnesses'' memories and learned that they also didn''t have any clue about it.


    After confirming that there was no danger from those marks, he sat on thedderback chair and put the opened notebook on the table.


    After that, he also took out the ink bottle and quill pen from his space ring, dipped the quill''s brush into the ink, and began to write on the mysterious nk paper.

 Chapter 455: Visions

    <h4>Chapter 455: Visions</h4>


    First, Charles wrote down his personal information and recited a chant in runalnguage. A few secondster, he ended the chanting, thought of returning to Edhen, and soon spoke.


    "Reveal!"


    A secondter, the twelve marks on the mysterious nk paper suddenly shone in bright golden light and moved towards the center of the nk page.


    At that moment, the mysterious paper also moved like water waves and absorbed the written words. The next instant, Charles suddenly noticed that the whole surroundings started to distort and was soon reced with a different scene.


    Currently, he stood inside a dark room filled with treasure chests, gold coins, silvers, and weapons, held an opened wooden treasure chest in his hands, and was looking at a fist-sized blue stone.


    At that moment, he noticed a strange anomaly around his surroundings but decided to focus on the mysterious blue stone.


    ''Water-elemental stone? No, it looks more like a spatial-elemental stone.'' But he also saw some mysterious, strange engraving on the surface of that stone and got perplexed inside. Before he could take a clear view, the surroundings shook violently and soon broke into millions of broken pieces like ss!


    A momentter, Charles found himself sitting in front of the wooden table and showed a dumbfounded look on his face.


    The main reason for that was the reality-like situation.


    Yes!


    Unlike before, he felt like he had been truly standing in the darkroom and even sensed the air!


    It was so real that it startled him deeply.


    ''Is this due to my increasedprehension in Future Time?'' He felt that was the possible exnation.


    ''Now, what does this bluish stone represent? A transportation stone? Moreover, where does that dark room located?'' Although he wasn''t sure of the location, he knew that the darkroom was a treasury!


    ''It must be the Holy See''s treasury. Should I enter Astral ne and try to sneak inside?'' A bold idea appeared in his mind.


    But he didn''t dare to bet his life on luck and decided to check the future first. Once again, Charles picked up the wooden quill, dipped the brush into the ink bottle, and started writing his personal information on the nk page.


    He stopped his quill a few secondster, recited a short chant, and saw another realistic vision.


    This time, he found himself standing in front of a tall dome-shaped building and noticed that he was in his soul form. Moreover, he saw that three skeletons had already surrounded him. Each of them held a scythe in their hand, wore a dark cloak, and looked more like grim reapers!


    But unlike the normal skeleton, they appeared foggy and released some strange energy around them.


    Although he was in his soul form, he felt that their gazes could see through his soul itself!


    ''They are also in their soul forms? Some type of Astral Beings?''


    Just as he was about to take a closer look at those reapers, he noticed that the whole surroundings shook violently and then broke into pieces like ss.


    A secondter, Charles soon woke up from the short realistic vision and frowned.


    ''What are those skeletons? They appeared strong!'' He hurriedly took out another notebook and started writing the information he had gathered from thest two visions.


    After that, he again wrote his personal information on the nk page and continued to peek into the future. This time, instead of thinking about going back to Edhen, he chose to think about the mysterious enemy named ''Victor!''


    Just like before, the whole surrounding turned blurry as he ended the chanting and noticed that he appeared in some in grassynd. Opposite to him was a ck-robed man with a bowler hat on his top. He had many essories like a golden bracelet, a blurry mask-like thing covering his face, a mysterious amulet, a wooden staff, and two unique rings. Upon seeing this, Charles couldn''t help but be surprised.


    ''He knew that I would peek into the future? Moreover, what are these strange essories? Artifacts?'' He stared at the mysterious ck-robed man for a second, memorized his outer appearance, and soon noticed that the surroundings started to shake violently.


    Before long, he found himself sitting in front of the table and showed a smile on his face.


    ''This is indeed a big surprise. s, I found more clues about Victor now.'' He nodded inwardly, picked up the quill, and decided to write down all the essories'' appearances.


    ''As long as I learn more about those artifacts and their abilities, I''ll have an advantage in the future battle.'' He muttered inwardly. He once again followed the divination procedure and searched for some clues about the Demon Sorcerer Nash. But this time, some invisible power appeared out of nowhere and directly blocked him from even entering the realistic vision!


    Charles widened his eyes in surprise and soon found himself back in the guest room a momentter.


    ''He is even more dangerous than this mysterious Victor? Or, his background is too big?'' He felt that there were many mysteries about this guy.


    ''Is he also after something? Why would such a powerful person work under Julius''s mother? No, he might be using her as a cover to hide his identity. Should I eliminate him?'' In truth, the Demon Sorcerer Nash had been showing more interest in Julius''s life during the past few months.


    ''It better to eliminate him now. Otherwise, he might stab me in the back at any time.'' While muttering, he closed both of those books, stored them inside his space ring, and stood up from the chair. Then, he also closed the ink bottle and kept other things in his space ring.


    After that, he walked away from the wooden table and moved towards the wardrobe.


    He soon opened the wardrobe and started to look for something to wear. A few minutester, he finally found a dark long ck leather overcoat, white shirt, ck pants, and ck shoes. He then wore them one by one and closed the wardrobe. Once he had finished adjusting, he turned around and moved towards the nearby cabin. Over there, he found a pair of short ck gloves and a white cotton scarf and wore them.


    ''It''s time.'' He nodded inwardly, left the guest room, and walked towards the Grand Hall. After a minute of walking, he arrived at the grand hall and noticed that no one had appeared in the hall.


    Only then did he realize that it was still dark outside!


    He paused in surprise, went towards the Lawson Sofa, and sat on it.


    At the same time, he released his wisdom power, scanned the whole Castle, and soon frowned. At that moment, he noticed that the Demon Sorcerer Nash was nowhere to be seen inside the Castle.


    He raised his eyebrows in suspicion and released his full wisdom power in all directions. In mere three seconds, his wisdom power covered almost half of Duke Michael''s territory and continued to expand further!


    Simultaneously, Charles saw every being''s movement and soon found his target.


    Currently, the Demon Sorcerer Nash sat inside a small Inn in the nearby town and seemed to be in the middle of meditation.


    As Charles tried to probe him, he suddenly opened his eyes and furrowed his brows.


    ''Oh? He already perceived my scanning?'' A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face.


    Meanwhile, the Demon Sorcerer Nash stood up from the concrete floor and looked at the surroundings in wariness. Then, he touched the mysterious ne, recited a short chant, and created an invisible shield around himself.


    Following that, he packed his things, put the sheathed sword on his waist, and walked out of his room!


    ''A single suspicion, but he already decided to leave the area! He is too cautious.'' Charles praised him inwardly and sent a telepathic message to Melody and Irzoch.


    Ten minutester, both Irzoch and Melody walked out of their room and hurriedly ran towards the Grand Hall.


    Currently, Melody wore a white dress with a long skirt and showed an elegant smile on her face. She also held a unique wooden staff in her hand and appeared more like a schr. Meanwhile, Irzoch, in Duke Michael''s appearance, wore a ck suit, white shirt, and ck vest with a ck velvet cor and a velvet scarf wrapped around her neck. She also held a sheathed long sword in his hand and appeared to be ready for battle at any minute.


    Charles stood up from his seat as he saw their arrival and nodded his head.


    "Follow me."


    Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards the keep.


    Although Melody and Irzoch got confused by his order, they didn''t say a word and followed him silently.


    The trio soon exited the Castle''s keep, walked past the garden and the front yard, and soon arrived at the tall castle gate.


    Charles then ordered the castle gatekeepers to open the gate and stepped out. Meanwhile, Irzoch and Melody followed him behind and soon found themselves standing in the middle of a grassy in.


    Charles looked at the surroundings, pointed his finger at the nearby woods, and spoke.


    "Wait over there for a while¡­ Once the enemy appears, your job is to block him from running away."

 Chapter 456: Paper Butterfly

    <h4>Chapter 456: Paper Butterfly</h4>


    Irzoch and Melody nced at each other as they heard Charles''s words and followed his order.


    On the other hand, Charles released his wisdom power and waited for the Demon Sorcerer to arrive.


    Meanwhile, the Demon Sorcerer Nash flew past many farmhouses while warily looking at the surrounding areas and soon shot towards the faraway Castle. Although he left the town after noticing a slight anomaly, his heart started to beat faster for some odd reasons.


    ''Something bad is going to happen!'' He could tell that it was a life-threatening situation for him.


    ''Who is targeting my life? Baron Daniel? Or the Light Church?'' Just as he flew past the dense woods, he suddenly pped his wings forcefully, suspended in mid-air, and frowned. At that moment, he noticed that his heart started to beat abnormally faster.


    It was the same feeling he got when he was almost killed by a Cardinal thirty-two years ago!


    ''Should I send a warning to Lord Bryson?'' He pondered for a second, touched his left-hand space bracelet, and took out a ckish paper from it. After that, he replicated a part of his memories, extracted it from his Inner World, and fused the extracted memories with the ck paper.


    He then recited a short chant and tossed the ck paper away from the sky before flying forward.


    Meanwhile, the ck paper twisted suddenly, folded on its own, and soon turned into a butterfly-like shape. Then, the paper butterfly pped its wings, flew up towards the cloudy sky, and disappeared.


    On the other hand, Charles stood in the grasnd in silence and patiently looked at the dark sky in silence.


    At that moment, the eastern sky appeared brighter than the rest and even gave off a feeling of warmth.


    Charles also saw foggy clouds enveloping the sky and blocking the stars.


    Just as he was about to use his wisdom power to search for Nash, he saw a human flying towards him from the opposite direction.


    Upon seeing his figure, the corner of his lips curled upward and formed into a grin.


    ''Here hees!''


    Muttering inwardly, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at the flying Demon Sorcerer, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    A dense reddish ray of fire came out of his forefinger a secondter, flew towards Nash at an unimaginable speed, and appeared before his face in a blink!


    Meanwhile, Nash''s pupil shrunk as he perceived the danger and shouted in shock.


    "Clover!"


    A secondter, the talisman coin ring in his neck shone in a golden light and released an invisible forcefield around his body!


    The next instant, Charles''s chaos fire ray collided against the invisible forcefield and caused an explosion in the sky.


    It was so strong which covered the whole sky in reddish me and illuminated the surroundings in bright light. Rains of fireballs fell in seconds and burned all the nearby forests and grasnds.


    Meanwhile, the Demon Sorcerer let out a groan and shot in the other direction.


    Although the forcefield managed topletely block the upgraded version of the [Finger of Destruction] spell, the mere explosion sent the Demon Sorcerer flying at an unimaginable speed.


    Thankfully, he managed to regain his footing in the air after pping his illusionary wings.


    Following that, he once again pped his wings and soon flew towards the direction where the attack came from.


    In a few seconds, he reached the burning grasnd, searched for the culprit, and soon froze as his eyes caught a familiar figure in the sea of mes.


    ''Prince Julius?''


    He then hurriedly halted his movement, suspended in the air, and showed a surprised look on his face.


    He then sized Charles up and down and asked.


    "You are the me Demon, right? Heh, no wonder you went hiding during the past few months. So, you''ve been sneaking around here and searching for an opportunity to kill me, huh. When did you take over Prince Julius''s body?" His eyes contained curiousness and amazement.


    On the other hand, Charles was surprised by his calm attitude and opened his arms wide.


    "I''ve been monitoring your movement from the very beginning, Mr. Nash," He said with a smile.


    "From the very beginning? What do you mean?" For the first time, a look of seriousness appeared on his face.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "I don''t like wasting my time." While speaking, he shifted his attention towards the dark cloudy sky, raised his hand, and pulled something from the faraway space.


    A momentter, the space next to his hand split on its own and formed into a small void!


    Then, a ckish butterfly made of paper came out of it and soonnded on his palm.


    Upon seeing this, the Demon Sorcerer widened his eyes, touched the coin ne, and asked.


    "H-How did you find it?!" Although his tone appeared calm as water, his eyes showed otherwise.


    Instead of answering his question, Charles covered the butterfly with his wisdom power and sent it into his Inner World. Then, he shifted his attention towards the Demon Sorcerer Nash and pped his hand.


    A secondter, his wisdom power covered the whole surroundings andpletely reced the surrounding grasnds and those faraway trees with embers, Rocky Mountains, andva pools.


    It was his Fire Domain!


    The Fire Domain had a sky as the ordinary ne but filled with reddish clouds instead. A sunshine aura filled the domain and increased the temperature to an unimaginable level. Seven different mes like soul mes, purple mes, chaos mes, wicked mes, false mes, rebirth mes, andwful mes flew around everywhere as if the atmosphere was alive. On the other hand, an enormous ck mountain appeared on the other side of the domain, with its peak reaching a height of over a thousand feet and spewing out volcanicvas into the sky.


    As the Demon Sorcerer Nash saw this, he couldn''t help but open his mouth wide in shock.


    "Domain Creation?"


    The next instant, he backed away hurriedly and added.


    "Mind Eyes!"


    A secondter, his unique violet eyes turned into ruby color and gave a mysterious aura.


    After that, Nash locked his gaze on Charles and spoke.


    "Forget about me."


    On the other hand, Charles felt a mysterious power invading his consciousness and erasing a part of his memories!


    Although he tried to block the force using rebirth me, the mysterious power entered his consciousness in a blink and erased a part of his memories.


    A secondter, a nk look appeared on Charles''s face.


    At that moment, the surrounding Fire Domain also shook violently and started to break everywhere.


    Nash got some courage as he saw this and thought of killing this me Demon.


    ''I have only one chance-''


    Unfortunately, Charles instantly regained his erased memories from one of his consciousnesses, raised his head, and stared at him coldly.


    "Nice trick, but too many enemies have used this ability on me."


    "What?!" Nash hadn''t expected such a situation and got perplexed inside.

 Chapter 457: Dream World

    <h4>Chapter 457: Dream World</h4>


    On the other hand, Charles calmly analyzed the enemy, cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, and disappeared from where he stood before.


    He reappeared at the summit of the ck mountain a secondter, raised both hands, and muttered.


    "Chaos Rain!"


    A momentter, hundreds of thousands of chaos fireballs appeared in the sky and rained down on the ground like some apocalyptic meteor showers. Each fireball was about 5 to 7 meters in diameter and looked terrifying!


    Upon seeing this, the Demon Sorcerer couldn''t help but get anxious. He hurriedly gripped his ne and summoned the illusionary mammoth to defend himself.


    Simultaneously, he also touched the coin talisman ne and spoke.


    "Wheel of Fortune!"


    A secondter, a golden halo appeared above his head and started circling his head on its own!


    At that moment, he also shifted his attention towards the ''Clover'' like symbol on the ne and soon breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed that the divine spell was still active.


    After confirming that, he used the golden halo to release some strange power towards the dark sky and changed the trajectory of the fireballs!


    Soon, countless amounts of chaos fireballs moved in different directions, crashnded on the ground, and enveloped the whole Fire Domain in chaotic mes.


    Although the mysterious ''Luck Strings'' managed to deviate most of the chaos fireballs that were fell towards Nash, some of them still managed to break those luck strings andnded on the illusionary mammoth!


    Then, those chaotic fireballs exploded with much destructive force and even managed to break the incarnation!


    Bang sounds echoed from every part of the Fire Domain.


    Meanwhile, Nash stood on the ember-fillednd and stared at the destroyed surroundings with wide-opened eyes.


    ''Thankfully, I activated the ''Clover'' divine spell in advance!'' He took a deep breath and started moving under the guidance of the Wheel of Fortune.


    His Ruby eyes also constantly used his memories and created realistic illusions to fool Charles!


    Meanwhile, Charles casually raised his hand, conjured another round of fireballs, and let them drop from the sky.


    In mere seconds, the Demon Sorcerer noticed that it was an impossible task to escape from this ce and turned pale.


    He even tried to use many methods to defend himself from the Chaos Fire, but Charles predicted his every move and gave him no option to even think for a second.


    In truth, Charles learned the weakness of the coin ne and started attacking the Demon Sorcerer without any restrain.


    s, there was one thing that still made him worry.


    It was about the Demon Sorcerer''s bloodline!


    Even after being surrounded by chaos mes, Nash still didn''t use any of his bloodline spells and survived solely relying on his sword and artifacts!


    ''Why is he restraining his power even after I forced him to corner?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion.


    ''There is only one possibility. Someone must be after this Demon Sorcerer to obtain his bloodline due to its rarity. Wait, there is also another possibility. What if he is afraid of exposing the real identity of the Demon to the outside world?'' As such thought appeared in his head; he couldn''t help but take a deep look at the Demon Sorcerer.


    ''Should I steal those artifacts first?'' He cast all offensive spells and even used the [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill on the opponent.


    In less than five minutes, the chaos me covered every corner of the Fire Domain while leaving a single ce empty.


    At that moment, a naked middle-aged man stood at the center and looked up at the ck mountain with a furious look on his face.


    There were many burnt wounds on his body, and even his head appeared bald. Nash had no sword or a unique ne to defend himself from the fire and looked in a pathetic state.


    Meanwhile, Charles looked at the mysterious coin ne on his palm for a second, stored it inside his space ring, and then shifted his attention towards the trembling naked man.


    "Stubborn, aren''t you?" He let out a chuckle and took a step forward.


    Simultaneously, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in front of the Demon Sorcerer Nash and cast [Arcane Eyes] skill on him.


    The next instant, he widened his eyes and then nodded his head in understanding.


    "No wonder you tried your best to hide your bloodline. You don''t have a Demon bloodline but a Devil bloodline, huh."


    Upon hearing those words, Nash''s face went stiff, and he took a step back in anxiousness.


    "You can read my memory?" He asked.


    Before Charles could even respond, he showed a ruthless smile and spoke.


    "It seems there is no use in hiding my abilities!" He paused for a moment and then muttered in an eerie voice.


    "Night Walk!"


    A secondter, a deep cracking noise appeared in the space!


    ''Someone is disrupting my domain from the outside?'' Charles soon observed the outside world and soon realized the reason behind the trembling.


    At that moment, he noticed that a separate power was trying its best to creep into his Fire Domain!


    ''And, it''s not some Divine, but the Will of the Dream World. Damn, my domain is still not strong enough to block a World Will''s invasion.''


    Upon noticing the seriousness of the situation, he shook his head in disappointment and broke the Fire Domain on his own. He knew that he was no match against Dream World''s Will and decided to retreat.


    A momentter, his Fire Domain shook violently, and soon the surrounding atmosphere started to change at an unimaginable speed. The embers, fires, a ck mountain, and theva pools soon broke into pieces like ss and were reced with burned grasses, small fires, and ashennd.


    Just as Nash appeared in the outside world, his figure suddenly turned illusionary, and soon he disappeared from Charles''s sight.


    "Oh? Trying to escape through the Dream World?" He snorted coldly, raised his hand, and cast [Hand of Wonder] skill.


    An invisible string came out of his hand a momentter, moved towards the area where Nash disappeared before, and soon made a small crack in the space.


    Then, the invisible string passed through some barrier, reached the other side, and soon attached to something!


    The next second, Charles also linked his consciousness with the other side and then disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he appeared in the Dream World and noticed that the whole world looked greyish. Although he still appeared in the grasnd, he saw two different anomalies around the surroundings.


    First, he saw gigantic grey whales floating up in the sky, and they seemed to be swimming in the air like they were in the water. Although they appeared more like peaceful creatures, he somehow felt ufortable even to look into their eyes.


    Second, he also saw a gigantic 7-meter tall bird monster standing a few ten meters away from him and was holding something in its w-like beak. It had sharp wings with sharp knives-like feathers, whitish feather-covered face, reddish eyes, metal-like strong legs, and blood painted all over its grey feathers.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was not the bird but the prey in its mouth.


    That prey was none other than Nash!


    Currently, he was struggling with all his might, but the bird casually raised one of its legs, gripped the lower part of his body with its w, and ripped him into two.


    A shriek came out of Nash''s mouth, but the bird monster didn''t flinch a bit and swallowed his upper half as a whole!

 Chapter 458: Dream within a Dream

    <h4>Chapter 458: Dream within a Dream</h4>


    Charles watched the scene in surprise and soon cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself while maintaining the connection with the Faith Realm through the [Hand of Wonder] skill.


    On the other hand, the bird creature shivered suddenly and let out a screech!


    Although it appeared more like a painful scream, Charles felt that the creature seemed to be enjoying the pain.


    The next instant, illusionary images of Nash''s memories appeared above that creature''s head.


    Charles learned that they were Nash''s precious memories with a simple nce! One image showed Nash''s childhood memory with his mother, another image showed him marrying a blonde-haired woman, and so on.


    ''It eating his memories?'' He was shocked a little. Although he knew that some Nightmare Creatures could steal memories, he didn''t think they also had simr skills like his [Mind Fire] spells!


    At that moment, he couldn''t help but frown.


    ''Should I attack this creature now?'' Just as he was about to cast his [Finger of Destruction] spell, he suddenly thought of something, activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill, and looked at the bird monster.


    No, he searched for Nash''s soul!


    Soon, he realized that his soul was sealed inside the bird creature''s belly. Moreover, Nash''s main consciousness was broken into pieces at that moment, and his memories were disappearing quickly.


    ''What kind of creature is this?'' Even he felt somewhat threatened by this creature. But after he looked at its status, his worry eased a bit.


    ''A Rank-5 Nightmare Hollow, huh. It also has some troublesome mind-attacking abilities. Should I back away?''


    While he was thinking, a new illusionary image appeared in front of his face. Unlike other images that appeared above the bird creature''s head, this one contained an image of a winged serpent. It was arge creature with a blue crystal-like cone on its forehead area, had two greyish wings, and diamond-like scales.


    The slender serpent slithered silently in the image, its scaly skin shimmering in the sunlight as its tongue asionally flicked out to taste the fear in the air. Charles also saw a symbol around its neck area. It was a circle with a cross inside and looked more like a sr cross! Currently, the winged snake was hovering above an abandoned pce and seemed to be hissing at the sky for some odd reasons.


    But for some strange reasons, Charles felt strangely familiar as he looked at the symbol!


    ''I''ve seen this symbol! But where?'' He tried to recall the memories, but suddenly something extraordinary happened.


    At that moment, the bird-creature that was pleasantly devouring Nash''s memories froze due to some odd reason, made an ear-piercing screech, and started staggering. Simultaneously, its body made ss-breaking noises and began to bulge like a balloon.


    Meanwhile, Charles also received a forewarning from the future and learned about what would happen next.


    ''Hmm? A ck cloud? It will transport me to the abandoned pce?''


    Before he could even understand the situation, an illusionary cloud appeared out of nowhere andpletely enveloped the bird monster. It wasn''t a normal cloud, but tens of thousands of minute cube-like ck crystals formed into a cloud and covered the bird monster! The creature tried its best to shrug off those strange minute crystals, but everything went futile.


    Before long, the whole 7-meters tall bird-creature exploded and soon turned into simr ck cube-like structures!


    The next instant, Charles noticed that those ck cube-like structures moved towards the illusionary image and then entered in.


    A momentter, a mysterious force came out of the image and caused the whole surroundings to break away like broken mirrors.


    Although Charles tried to back away and return to Faith Realm, he was a bit toote. s, a greenishyer and sunshineyer appeared around his body and blocked the mysterious force from moving towards his body.


    Before long, he found himself standing in front of an abandoned pce! But unlike before, he couldn''t remember where he was a moment ago!


    He tried to recall but couldn''t! It was as if something obstructed him from even thinking about his past.


    ''What am I doing here? How did Ie here? Is it a dream?'' He raised his right hand, pinched his skin, and soon frowned as he felt a sharp pain.


    ''This is not a dream?''


    The change was so abrupt that it made him raise his eyebrows in confusion.


    ''Maybe an illusion?'' Charles got deeply startled by this strange situation and hurriedly cast a fireball.


    A secondter, a head-sized ball of chaos fire appeared before his face and soon disappeared with a puff.


    ''I still can use magic. That means someone else transported me here.''


    He frowned deeply and shifted his attention towards the pce. Although it appeared old and abandoned, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. It was as if he had seen this thing a while ago.


    While in confusion, he looked up at the sky and searched for something.


    ''Wait¡­ Why am I searching for something? No, what am I searching for?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    Meanwhile, the sky appeared greyish ck color with only a white sun hovering at the center, causing him to rx a little.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards the pce and stepped forward to explore this new ce. Although he didn''t understand what he was doing here, he didn''t dare to neglect any strange incidents.


    ''An anomaly happens due to two reasons. One is because of idents, while the other is because of some else''s maniption. I might be in Dreamworld or under some realistic illusion. In my whole life, I only heard a few people who are experts in Dreams rted abilities. They are Goddess Rodia''s artifact, Sun God, God of Dreams and Nightmares Ithos, and finally, the strange ''Nightmare'' creature that attacked the Holy See in Faith ne. My main suspects are Sun God and the mysterious ''Nightmare.'' In my opinion, this image might be due to the ident. But I can''t rule out the possibility of the second reason.'' He thought inwardly, walked on the entrance stairs, and observed the exterior structure of the pce.


    The three-storied pce and a 145 feet five-storied tower were built using fine grey granite, while deep pink marble was used for the domes. The exterior of this marvelous structure was enriched with two durbar halls, several arches, canopies, columns, and bay windows. There was also a sprawling green garden surrounding the pce.


    As he stepped inside, he couldn''t help but pause in surprise.


    The interiors were opulently designed with carved doors, stained ss ceilings, glittering zed flooring tiles, spectacr chandeliers, and works of art from everywhere. All the rooms of the pce are stunningly luxurious and quite appealing.


    Above the central arch, a divine sculpture of a person- with two creatures standing on both sides. One creature was a winged serpent, while the other was a parrot-like bird with three-long feathers as its tail. But what made his face stiffened was that the divine statue was none other than his own!


    ''What kind of sorcery is this? When did I have these two pets?'' He couldn''t help but take a deep look at his statue suspiciously.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards the parrot-like bird and realized that this one was Midea!


    ''But what about this winged serpent?'' Charles moved his gaze towards the other creature and soon felt that he had seen it somewhere before.


    ''Hmm? That cone-shaped blue crystal. Hadn''t I seen something simr on the shadow princess snake''s forehead? Now that I think about it, Eddie indeed said that he had created fake souls to let the shadow princess and other creatures live for a long time in the Dream World. After I left Riverdale City, I almost forgot about that snake. But it seems this one is still alive and kicking somewhere in the Dreamworld.'' He showed a surprised look on his face and shifted his attention towards his current situation.


    ''I''m clearly in Dreamworld. Hmm, I think Eddie also once told me that the Dreamworld has a link with past, present, and future timelines. I might''ve entered the Dreamworld when I was asleep.'' After some thought, he stopped exploring the dream pce, touched his space ring, took out a sharp knife from it, and directly stabbed it into his stomach!


    A secondter, Charles opened his eyes abruptly in the Dreamworld and noticed that he was still in the Dreamworld.


    Currently, he stood a few meters away from the bird-like monster and appeared unharmed. The main reason was due to his other consciousnesses. One of the three consciousnesses took control over his body when his original consciousness disappeared into the abandoned pce and protected his body.


    ''Good job.'' He nodded inwardly and shifted his attention towards the bird monster.


    Indeed, the bird monster was still alive and seemed to have entered a simr Dreamworld like him.


    At that moment, the previously blocked memories also appeared before Charles''s eyes and showed the seriousness of the situation.


    ''It''s too dangerous to stay here!'' He hurriedly linked his mind with the invisible string that connected him to the Faith Realm and left the Dreamworld.


    A secondter, he reappeared in the middle of ashen grasnd and let out a heavy sigh.


    At that moment, the morning sun had already risen from the eastern sky and showered him with warm light.


    ''I wanted to capture Nash and erase his memories to learn more about his background, but that bird monster ruined my n. No, it''s not the bird monster, but that anomaly. That thing put me into a real dream and gave me a shock.'' He clicked his tongue and then shifted his attention towards the mysterious butterfly letter.


    It was the only memory Nash left behind!

 Chapter 459: Departure

    <h4>Chapter 459: Departure</h4>


    Charles looked at Nash''s memory and soon noticed that it had information about Royal Family and then about a sealed box called ''Cursed Crown.''


    ''Oh? Nash''s original goal is to see if the Royal Family of Aetas Kingdom owns a specific artifact, huh. From the looks of it, Nash suspected that the Royal Family indeed possesses a Cursed Crown, and he felt that it might be what his employer is searching for¡­ Bryson, huh. This world sure has many intellectual artifacts.'' He let out a deep sigh and then thought about the previous dream.


    ''I also feel something was off about that dream. That pce! Although it isn''t an exact copy of Aetas Royal Pce, it has simrities.'' While he was in deep thoughts, Melody and Irzoch came from the nearby woods and soon arrived beside him.


    After that, both didn''t say a word and patiently waited for his further orders. In the meantime, Charles continued to think about the previous incidents and rechecked if any anomalies had happened earlier.


    After some time, he shook his head in disappointment, turned his gaze towards his two subordinates, and spoke.


    "Let''s go. I''m nning on gathering our army and starting to march to the Royal Capital today."


    "Today? Are we going for war?" Melody widened her eyes in shock and asked.


    "It''s hard to make preparations for journey in a single day, My Lord. Moreover, half of our army is still residing in Duke''s capital city." This time, it was Irzoch who said in a concerned tone.


    "No. More numbers will slow us down. It''s better to take our newly formed elite knights to the capital." Charles said as he waved his hand, turned around, and started walking back towards the direction where the well-fortified castle was located.


    Before long, the trio reached the castle entrance and walked in. Then, Irzoch moved towards the courtyard, invited the army captains, and told them to gather the elite army members at the entrance gate before 11 A.M. On the other hand, Melody and some guards went to the armory and took weapons for the 1000+ elite knights.


    She gathered armors, shields, gauntlets, and leather bags for each elite knight. Then, she moved towards the storehouse, picked up a few twenty gunny sacks of rations, and ced them in five carriages. While Melody and Irzoch were preparing for the departure, Charles returned to the guest room and checked the spoil of the battle. He took out the coin ne from his space ring and was about to rece Nash''s soul imprint with his own but soon noticed that this artifact was resisting with all its might!


    It even tried to escape from his grasp, but he grasped it tightly.


    "Can you speak?" He asked, but no response came from it. Instead, it started acting aggressively like an animal.


    The coin ne showed its refusal, cast the ''Wheel of Fortune'' spell, and attacked him further.


    Upon seeing the resistance, Charles frowned deeply, forcefully ced his soul imprint on it, and checked more about the artifact.


    ''Heh, this artifact is still in a child-like state, huh. Ne of Fortune¡­ Hmm, this shoulde under a Series-A artifact section. Although it had powerful abilities, they aren''t as powerful as Legend Rank spells. It has six symbols, and each symbol has unique abilities with a cooldown period of one week. The first one is a heart symbol, and it has an ability called ''Fortune Heart.'' Unlike other abilities, this one will be active on its own from time to time and boost the artifact user''s luck as a whole. Hmm? But why did Nash die?'' Charles paused in surprise and soon thought of something.


    ''Is it because of me? Indeed, I can break those mysterious golden strings and even nullify any future-rted powers. Did my earlier action cause his doom?'' He furrowed his brows in suspicion. Then, he shifted his attention towards the artifact and read about the other abilities.


    ''Next one is called Ruby Eye or Mind Eye- it''s an ability to erase one''s memories permanently. The third one is called the ''Clover'' symbol, and it can create a forcefield for protection. The fourth symbol is called the ''Peace Sign,'' and it can create an ability called ''Order Inducement.'' Hmm? It''s an ability to maintain peace and order, huh. It''s no use to me.'' He shook his head and then checked the fifth symbol.


    ''Wheel of Fortune- User can use this ability to manipte the luck strings and create fortune or misfortune incidents. The final one is called ''Strength of a Mammoth." Charles nodded inwardly and stored it inside his space ring. Then, he also checked Nash''s bracelet and other artifacts and learned that they weren''t much use for him.


    Once he finished checking the artifacts, he stored everything in his space ring and started packing things for the journey.


    ''It''s going to be a boring one.'' He muttered inwardly and proceeded to work.


    ¡­


    Duke''s Castle, Northern Entrance Gate.


    It was around 11. A.M.


    At that moment, there were more than 1050 well-equipped cavalry Knights who stood in line and were waiting for further orders. They were Charles''s well-trained army!


    There were also five four-wheeled wooden carriages for carrying the rations, and one luxurious carriage appeared along with the group.


    Currently, Charles, Irzoch, and Melody sat inside the luxurious carriage and waited for the knight squads to get ready for the departure.


    After waiting for a few minutes, a silver-armored knight hopped on his white horse, drove towards the front, and shouted out a few orders.


    Meanwhile, the cavalry knights also moved in different directions and formed four groups. Two moved towards the front of the luxurious carriage while the other two moved towards the back.


    After that, the silver-armored knight took the lead and started moving towards the north-western direction.


    Before long, the whole 1000+ cavalrymen, along with other six carriages, marched towards the north-western grasnd and entered the nearby deep forest.


    Their destination was, of course, the Royal Capital!


    To reach the Royal Capital of the Aetas Kingdom from Duke Michael''s territory, one had to pass through three different territories and multiple woonds.


    The first was the Demi-Valley. It was more than a 15 km long valley and a homnd for some animals. But unlike the other valleys in Faith Realm, this one wasn''t a dangerous ce, and any knight could pass through it as long as they possessed a minimum amount of battle experience. The only wild animal roaming in this valley was lone Blood Wolves.


    The second territory belongs to a Count named Pierce. To make things worse, this guy was a supporter of Light Church. Although Charles knew that this guy would give them some trouble, he didn''t put much thought into it.


    Finally, the third territory was called the ''Sleepy Mountain Range.'' It was also a safe ce for travel as long as one had enough knowledge about the local fauna and flora.


    Charles''s army continued to march deep into the forest and soon reached the Demi-Valley''s entrance around 6 P.M.


    But, instead of going further, they stopped and chose to camp outside.

 Chapter 460: Journey

    <h4>Chapter 460: Journey</h4>


    As the dawn arrived, the knights moved in different directions and started gathering woods for camping. Some moved to prepare foods while others moved to clean the nearby areas for sleeping. Then, they evenly distributed the cooked food and had their dinner before the night came.


    After that, the elite knights moved towards the cleaned ce and slept on the hard ground. Although it was difficult to sleep in the opened space filled with mosquitoes and dangers, most of the knights had long been ustomed to these kinds of environments.


    The next day, the group again continued their journey, entered the Demi-Valley, and started marching deep into thend filled with wild animals and reptiles.


    Although some wild wolves tried to attack them as they ventured into the valley, they didn''t pose too much trouble for the elite knights. After three hours of travel, the group left the Demi-Valley and soon reached Count Pierce''s territory. Unlike Duke Michael''s territory, Count Pierce''snd was filled with paddy fields, maize fields, sugarcane, and vegetable nts. It was a ce filled with full of greenery. s, the surrounding environment appeared tense and hostile towards them. The farmers, patrol soldiers, and the citizens showed open hostility towards Charles''s group.


    Charles also knew why they showed hostility but didn''t mind it.


    ''There was a regional fight that happened between Duke''s and Count territories over the Citrus river water. Unfortunately, Count Pierces refused to yield and even built a dam to stop the river water from entering Duke Michael''s territory. Demi-Valley was once a ce that connected two distantnds, but now it became a dangerous ce.'' Charles shook his head as he thought of the nobles'' dispute and continued to walk.


    The army soon reached an earthen path and continued to walk deep into the territory. Along the way, they saw many farmhouses, viges, and even some poultry, but they didn''t stop anywhere and continued their journey.


    By the time it was around 2 P.M, they even crossed Count Pierce''s city called ''Ironhaven'' and entered the Soundless ins. As they moved further, the greenery disappeared slowly and was soon reced with small hills and rocky areas. Soon, thend was filled mostly with thorn nts, cactus, vinca, Gasteria, etc. Although some green trees also appeared along the way, they were very few.


    If not for the earthen route, Charles''s army would''ve found it hard to even walk through the thorn-fillednd.


    It was around 3.30 P.M,


    At that moment, Charles sat inside the luxurious castle and was in the middle of reading a book called ''Mother Nature''s Child.'' It was one of the books he picked up from the pioneer knight''s ancestral ground. While he was in the middle of reading about a young girl''s journey, his heart raced all of a sudden.


    Upon sensing the strangeness, he closed the book, stored it inside his space ring, and then opened the blue curtain to peek outside. The only thing that appeared in his vision was dry grasnds and a few palm trees.


    s, the uneasiness in his heart didn''t disappear for a single moment. Instead, it increased as the army marched further.


    ''A forewarning?'' He thought inwardly.


    He hurriedly released his wisdom power and scanned the whole surrounding area. To his surprise, nothing abnormal appeared in his scan.


    ''Someone is targeting me? Still, why am I feeling threatened?'' He couldn''t help but pause in surprise.


    There was only a handful of people who could pose some serious threat to his life, and they were Awakens.


    ''There is no way an Awaken ising after my head-'' He abruptly froze for a second.


    ''An Awaken Rank Assassin is after my head? The royal family''s doing?'' He felt that was the possible exnation.


    First, he turned his gaze towards Melody and ordered.


    "Melody, go and tell Commander Corey to stop moving further. We are-" Before he could finish his words, his [Forewarning] skill triggered all of a sudden and warned him about the future.


    Tens of blurry images appeared in the form of visions and engraved in the depth of his soul. Although the vision images looked very vague and foggy, he felt a sense of urgency upon seeing those images.


    He abruptly paused what he was about to say, touched Melody and Irzoch using both hands, and then cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    The trio soon enveloped in a crimson me a secondter and disappeared from there.


    Just as they disappeared from the carriage, a loud sonic boom came from the sky, followed by a monstrous golden pir of light!


    Simultaneously, the whole 1000+ elite knights felt holy light bathed on their bodies and got paralyzed. They tried to get away before the light pir fell from the sky but couldn''t.


    Meanwhile, the monstrous golden light pir fell from the sky like a judgment of God,nded on the luxurious carriage, and incinerated everything in its path. In a blink, the luxurious carriage, the coachman, and even the nearby knights got disappeared from everyone''s sight. Not even a bone was left behind.


    The horses got scared by the sudden golden light pir and started going berserk one by one while the knights tried their best to get everything under control.


    Just when everyone thought that this was over, the high-ranked knights felt a strange sense of prying sensation. It was as if someone was looking at them from afar and watching their every move like some hawk!


    On the other hand, Charles, Melody, and Irzoch appeared near Commander Corey''s horse and looked up at the sky in unison.


    At that moment, Charles found nothing appeared in the sky.


    ''What was that?'' He then looked at the ce where the golden pir of light fell earlier and frowned.


    ''An assassin?'' A grim look appeared on his face. Before he could even blink, he sensed a spatial disturbance in the surrounding air. A momentter, a spatial crack appeared behind his back, and soon a sharp metallic spear came out of it. Simultaneously, an invisible force appeared out of nowhere andpletely bound him on the ground!


    Not only that, but the enemy even used a mind-rted skill on Charles and interfered with his thinking process!


    ''No¡­ Someone¡­ is¡­ interfering¡­ with¡­ my¡­ thought¡­ process¡­''


    He cast [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself in a hurry and soon returned to his former state.


    s, the enemy had already made his move and plunged his spear from behind!


    A sharp pain appeared from his chest area as he regained his sense, looked downward, and soon saw a golden light enveloped spear tip that had already pierced through his chest from behind.

 Chapter 461: Assassin

    <h4>Chapter 461: Assassin</h4>


    Although the ''Nature''s Leaf'' ability had activated on its own earlier, it still couldn''t able to block the spear!


    A cracked greenyer appeared around his body and appeared to be on the verge of breaking down. Scarlet blood poured out from his chest and drenched his formal attire.


    But what was more shocking was that the spear even seemed to have entered the Astral ne and even touched his soul and consciousness.


    Although it didn''t damage a bit, this action startled him greatly. The only thing left untouched by this spear was his elemental form.


    ''My elemental form is in my Inner World, otherwise¡­ Nah, my elemental form is tough to break due to the presence of Rebirth me. Still, this spear is something else.''


    For the first time, a serious look appeared on Charles''s face. To this day, he considered the Faith Realm Knights and Sorcerers as some tribal Shamans and Knights with little to no knowledge about Essence-rted spells. This incident showed him that one shouldn''t underestimate the tribal Shamans.


    ''The enemy knows about Astral ne and also seemed to be aware of my abilities. Is he from the Light Church? Or from the organization that belongs to Nash?'' He frowned as he analyzed the situation at an unimaginable speed.


    Even though he was injured deeply, not a single sigh of emotion appeared on his face.


    At that moment, Melody and Irzoch also noticed the sneak attack and attacked the area where the spatial crack was. Unfortunately, they were toote.


    By the time their attack spells went towards the spatial crack, the enemy had long finished his sneak attack and withdrawn while leaving the golden spear behind!


    "Don''t waste your time." Charles spat out a mouthful of blood as he said those words, let out a deep sigh, and then added.


    "Stay away from me."


    Saying so, he took a deep breath, took a few steps forward, and analyzed the surroundings.


    ''What kind of attack was that? Why didn''t I see clear visions? The enemy has a way to fool my future self?'' Multiple thoughts whirled in his head in just a second.


    Without any dy, he transformed into his fire-elemental form for a split second, directly pulled the golden spear from his chest, and stored it inside his space ring. After that, he returned to his human appearance and noticed that the wound on his chest was too severe.


    ''I was careless earlier. I didn''t expect the enemy to use a ''Thought Interfering'' spell. Moreover, my opponent''s wisdom power is higher than mine. He is most possibly an Awaken, has a dream-rted ability¡­ Or did he use some artifact?''


    While thinking, he suddenly cast [Crimson Steps] spell, took a step forward, and disappeared while leaving blurry images. A momentter, he appeared three steps away from where he stood before, turned around in an instant, and saw a deep spatial crack that appeared behind him.


    At that moment, a purple-colored liquid-coated dagger came out from the deep crack, tore through the air quickly, and soonnded on the opposite side wooden tree.


    Simultaneously, the enemy seemed alerted by his action and instantly dismissed the spatial crack.


    ''Tsk! The enemy is too cunning and is lurking around me like some poisonous snake.'' Even though he didn''t sense any abnormality near him, he felt a strange prying sensation.


    Charles then raised his hand, ced it on his chest, cast the [Life of Fire] spell, and healed the severe wound on his chest. At the same time, he also cast [Sun''s Shield] spell on himself and protected himself from any sneak attack. As he cast the spell, a sunshineyer appeared around his body, covered him like a force-field, and gave him a warm feeling.


    Although this shield wasn''t strong enough to block the enemy''s attack, it could dy the opponent''s attack speed.


    After preparing, he took a step forward, moved towards the area where the spatial crack appeared earlier and probed the ce using his wisdom power.


    ''Hmm, I feel simr divine power around this area. As I thought, the church is after this assassination attempt, huh. The enemy seems to be using some kind of domain power to move around¡­ The question is: What domain does he belong to?'' He paused for a moment, cast [Arcane Eyes] skill, and studied the remnant divine energy.


    As he made contact with the divine power, a strange sense of justice, righteousness and honesty appeared in the deepest part of his heart.


    At that moment, he wanted to turn himself to the Light Church formitting crimes!


    ''What the hell was this feeling?'' He muttered to himself in shock.


    Just when he was about to probe further about this divine power, his [Sixth Sense] and [Prevision] skill triggered on their own and warned him.


    He turned into his fire-elemental form without any dy and saw another spatial crack that appeared before his forehead!


    Like before, a long sharp sword came out of the spatial crack, pierced through his elemental head, and appeared on the other side.


    But instead of doing any harm to his body, the sword melted within two seconds and fell.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the hand that came from the cracked spatial crack.


    Then, he cast [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, released hundreds of invisible strings, and let them pass to the other side of the spatial crack.


    He manipted those invisible strings a momentter and soon caught a humanoid figure from inside!


    Even though the enemy seemed to have found a way to counter his [Forewarning] and [Multi-Vision] skills, he wasn''t an omnipotent being.


    ''My [Prevision] and [Sixth Sense] skills are still working properly.'' A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    Indeed, the enemy wasn''t powerful enough topletely block him from seeing his future.


    Moreover, Charles even managed to see blurred future images like earlier and acted calmly.


    He first manipted the spatial elements using the False Fire, created a spatial vortex, and pulled the assassin from the other side of the separate domain.


    A momentter, a humanoid figure came out from it and soon crashed ten meters away from him.


    The assassin was a middle-aged man, had multi-colored eyes, long brown hair with a mustache, rough-looking face, and he appeared to be around 175 to 180 cm high. Currently, he wore a grey robe, a red scarf around his neck, and held a golden crosier in his right hand.


    "You are indeed sharp, me Demon!" A cold voice emerged out of the assassin''s mouth.


    Upon hearing those words, Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise and used [Inspect] skill on the intruder. But to his shock, the only thing that appeared on the blue screen was nothing but question marks.


    "Who are you?" Charles sized the man up and down and asked.


    On the other hand, Melody seemed to have found out the intruder''s identity and exined.


    "He is the Cardinal of the Light Church and also held the position of Head Deacon, My Lord. His name is Smith, and he is specialized in assassination and stealth missions." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "But I don''t have any information about his strength."


    ''Oh? A cardinal, huh. He is definitely an Awaken-Level Knight.'' Charles instantly linked his mind with the green pendant and gave a specific order towards the artifact.


    A secondter, Melody and Irzoch felt dizziness suddenly and soon got sucked into a void.


    Meanwhile, the Light Cardinal Smith got stunned by their disappearance and soon shifted his gaze towards Charles''s green pendant.


    "A pocket dimension?" A sh of surprise appeared on his face.

 Chapter 462: Count Pierce

    <h4>Chapter 462: Count Pierce</h4>


    On the other hand, Charles showed a mischievous smile on his face and asked.


    "Do you want to have a look at it?"


    "What-?" Before Cardinal Smith could understand the reason behind Charles''s smile, he suddenly felt that the strange invisible strings around his body began to tighten.


    Simultaneously, the space around him distorted suddenly and pulled him into the void that appeared behind him.


    As he struggled with all his might, he saw the smiling Charles and soon heard an icy voice in his head.


    ''Try to survive in the pocket dimension. If you manage to survive for two days, I''ll let you live.''


    A momentter, Cardinal Smith''s vision turned blurry, and soon he found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest.


    Currently, he stood under a tree shadow and barely managed to stand steadily from the dizziness.


    "W-Where am I?" While asking, he looked at the surroundings and soon frowned.


    Then, he closed his eyes for a moment and tried to borrow power from Goddess''s divine power.


    But to his shock, he couldn''t!


    It was as if something was blocking him from borrowing power from Goddess Zaqiel!


    "Is it due to the pocket dimension?" He widened his eyes in surprise and soon checked his Knight Aura.


    ''Thankfully, I can use my light elemental aura power to some extent.'' Although there was only a little light elemental energy present in the atmosphere, he felt that he could survive on his own for a while. He also checked whether he could use sword aura or not and soon let out a deep sigh.


    ''Next is about my domain power.'' He opened his eyes, muttered a strange incantation, and soon spoke.


    "Truth Domain!"


    But a momentter, nothing happened!


    Even though some strange power came from his Inner World, it soon disappeared into the atmosphere!


    ''As I thought, I need to borrow the Divine One''s power to maintain my Truth Domain.'' He knew that Goddess Zaqiel''s Divine Power yed some role in Awaken''s Domain Creation process, but he didn''t think that it would affect to this extend.


    ''Tsk, with my current state, I can barely stand against those Demon Sorcerers. And, if I face the me Demon now, I''ll be captured or killed in seconds.'' His face went stiff in a moment, and it didn''t take him long to realize the seriousness of the situation.


    But before he could think of a n to get away, two figures descended from the sky and soonnded in front of him.


    One was an emerald-haired woman in her twenties, while the other was a long silver-haired middle-aged man. Both held swords in their hands and appeared unique. The emerald-haired woman had two wings made of different flowers that appeared behind her back, while the middle-aged man had bat-like wings.


    As Cardinal Smith saw their appearance, he couldn''t help but pause in surprise.


    "A Druid and a Skinwalker?" He asked.


    On the other hand, Irzoch, in Duke Michael''s appearance, cast her [Viscious Form] bloodline spell all of a sudden and started to transform. Simultaneously, she locked her gaze on Cardinal Smith and shouted.


    "Mind Possession!"


    In the meantime, Melody also dismissed her wings spell and muttered in a cold tone.


    "Seed of Illusion."


    As she spoke, Melody and Irzoch turned transparent and soon disappeared from Cardinal Smith''s sight!


    The fight between Cardinal and Charles''s subordinates had begun.


    ¡­


    At that moment, Charles raised his hand, touched the green pendant, and shook his head.


    "A crippled assassin is nothing more than a toy in front of those two. Let''s see if they could defeat that guy in two days." While muttering, he also linked his mind with the pendant and checked the battle. After noticing that Cardinal Smith didn''t have much power to kill his handpicked subordinates, he withdrew his gaze from the pocket dimension and looked at the dumbfounded Commander and the knights.


    "It''s nothing serious. You guys should dismount the horses and camp here." He paused for a moment, looked up at the direction where ''Ironhaven'' city was located, and then added.


    "Meanwhile, I''ll go and say ''Hello'' to the Count."


    A secondter, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared above the Ironhaven City a secondter, released his wisdom power, and searched for Count Pierce.


    The city was arge one, probably the size of Chester City in Edhen, though it was mostly built of stone. It was surrounded by a massive stone wall and appeared well-fortified.


    After looking at the city for a few seconds, Charles zeroed his focus on a particr three-storied building, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in a 16*16 ft room and shifted his gaze towards a particr direction.


    Even though the room appeared darker, Charles managed to see everything in the small room. To his right, there was a desk and a door on the other side of the room. He saw a couple of chairs as well as a small table with a bottle of booze on it and a te of fried chicken. At that moment, Count Pierce sat next to the wooden table, held a ss in his hand, and was about to take a sip but froze.


    Even though he was just a Radiant Knight, his perception was strong than any mortal.


    "W-Who are you?" Count Pierce hurriedly stood up from his seat as he noticed Charles''s presence and asked in a stutter.


    On the other hand, Charles took a step forward, raised his hand, and spoke.


    "Your King."


    A cold voice came out of his mouth as he conjured a small me and let it dance on his palm. Due to the appearance of crimson fire, Count Pierce managed to see Charles''s face clearly and soon trembled all of a sudden.


    "Y-Your Highness!" At that moment, he felt that a bolt of lightning struck from somewhere and went stiff.


    Upon seeing his reaction, Charles wore an amusing smile on his face, continued to walk towards the table, and corrected him.


    "It''s not ''Your Highness,'' Mr. Count. It''s ''Your Majesty.''"


    Simultaneously, he raised his left hand, pointed his forefinger at Count Pierce''s forehead, and cast the [Burning Consciousness] spell on him.


    A momentter, his [Burning Consciousness] appeared inside Count Pierce''s Inner World and started erasing his memories.


    On the other hand, Charles arrived before the wooden table, pulled the nearby chair, and sat on it. After that, he leaned his back against the rail and started reading the new information.


    But as he read the information from his memories, he couldn''t help but sigh in disappointment. Unlike Duke Michael, Count Pierce knew nothing much about the Light Church. Pierce might look like a Light Church''s only ally to outsiders like Royal Family and other noble houses, but the truth was far from behind.


    ''He was nothing but a puppet. This guy doesn''t even know about the Shadow Angels.''


    After some time, Charles stopped erasing Count Pierce''s memories and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''This isn''t getting anywhere. What should I do now? If this goes by normal means, it might take more than ten years to gainplete control over this world. Unfortunately, I don''t have enough time. I urgently need to return to Edhen World and participate in Abyss nar Invasion. I want to get my hands on the ''thing'' that could help me improve my fire affinity to ''Divine'' level.'' He also wanted to upgrade his system cube to a High-Ranked Series artifact.


    ''Although this world has many resources and artifacts, they won''t be much of any use in the future.'' If he chose to stay on this ne, he might be a mighty Ruler in no time. But it would restrict his progression. No, he didn''t even have the system toplete constructing the other four spell models.


    He pondered for a moment and soon made some adjustments in his ns.


    He then entered his Inner World, created new memories based on Pierce''s memories, and made them into a small cloud. After that, he also made an imprint with his Will in it and decided tobine them both. He had long known that the Light Church had some way to distinguish one''s identity through some soul-searching method. So, instead of recing Count or enving his consciousness using the [Curse of the Overlord] spell, he decided to modify his original consciousness!


    Then, he left his Inner World, looked at Count Pierce, and raised his hand. At that moment, a greyish cloud appeared out of nowhere and moved towards Count Pierce''s face. Soon, it absorbed into his head, entered the Dark Space, and thenbined with his original consciousness!


    Meanwhile, Count Pierce returned to his sense, widened his eyes all of a sudden, gripped his head tighter, and started groaning in pain.


    On the other hand, Charles stood up from his seat, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    ¡­

 Chapter 463: Goddess of Trickery, Nyara

    <h4>Chapter 463: Goddess of Trickery, Nyara</h4>


    Charles soon returned to the campsite, participated in the funeral ceremony for the deceased knights, and returned to a separate tent for rest. As most of the elite knights went to sleep, he took out the green pendant and checked what was happening inside the pocket dimension.


    But after some time, he sensed something was off about Melody and took out the Star Constetion Book from his space ring.


    Then, he conjured a ball of me, let it hover in front of him, and then took out an ink bottle, quill, and a nk notebook from his space ring.


    After that, he opened the Star Constetion Book, flipped the pages, and soon stopped at the mysterious nk page filled with twelve types of unique marks.


    He then opened the ink bottle, dipped the quill''s brush into it, and started writing information about Melody on the nk page. He wrote her true name, race, age, and even her physical appearance detailedly.


    As he finished writing Melody''s personal information, the twelve marks on the corners of the mysterious page glowed in a golden light and moved towards the center.


    As the twelve golden lines connected, they merged and soon formed into a mysterious crystal-like arrow.


    A secondter, the mysterious arrow elevated on its own and soon showed its tip at Charles''s face.


    Upon seeing this strange scene, Charles couldn''t help but look at it warily.


    ''What happened?''


    "Something is wrong about this book-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, the mysterious page suddenly moved like a water wave, released strange energy, and caused the crystalline arrow to move towards his forehead.


    But what shocked Charles was not the sudden wave but some mysterious energy that appeared all over the crystalline arrow. He strangely felt a familiarity upon sensing the power.


    ''I sense the power of Future Time¡­'' He squinted his eyes sharper and was about to back away but suddenly stopped.


    No! It wasn''t him who stopped, but the whole surroundings went frozen in time.


    At that moment, mysterious energies came from twelve different stars, enveloped the Faith ne, and froze the whole.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious ''Time arrow'' tore through space and time, appeared in front of Charles''s forehead, and entered.


    Then, the ''Time arrow'' prated his Dark Space and soon stabbed into his original consciousness.


    A secondter, Charles suddenly returned to his normal state and found himself standing in the deep void.


    He also saw two people who appeared 100 meters away from him, and they were staring at each other. He guessed that they were somewhat hostile to each other from their facial expression.


    ''But they seem to be refraining themselves from attacking each other¡­ An old grudge, maybe?'' He thought.


    One was a catkin girl, while the other was a brown-haired humanoid figure. The catkin girl appeared to be around 10-years-old, she had silvery-long ears, kitten ears, long fluffy tails, and wore a greenish-blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric. Currently, she held a wooden flute in her hand and seemed to be looking at the other person with a cold look on her face.


    The brown-haired figure had a human face but had strange wood-like limbs. Charles even saw barks on the figure''s hands and soon shifted his gaze towards its front. It had two red eyes, a unique azure eye at the center of its forehead, a matured feminine face, and appeared to be around 18 years old. The brown-haired figure seemed more like a young girl than a monster.


    Currently, the brown-haired girl wore a dress purely made of flowers and leaves and looked more like a forest dryad.


    Charles looked at those two people for a second, shifted his gaze towards his right side, and noticed that arge hexagonal crystalline structure appeared over there.


    ''A quartz crystal?'' He looked deeply at the hexagonal quartz-like crystal and soon noticed an anomaly.


    A young man appeared inside the hexagonal crystal, and he sat in a cross-legged position. His eyes were closed, his hands were chained using a ck-colored metal, and he currently appeared to be in the middle of deep meditation.


    That person was a 20-years-old young male, had pointy-long ears, an oval face, amber eyes, and wore a golden robe.


    ''An elf?'' At that moment, Charles thought of a certain taboo existence and got confused inside.


    But before he could think further, he felt an eerie gaze from the front.


    Shocked by the sudden feeling, he shifted his gaze towards the front and soon froze as he saw the catkin girl was looking at him!


    Then, her lips curled upward suddenly and soon formed into a mischievous smile.


    "Interesting,"


    A childish voice echoed in Charles''s ears. Before he could even understand the situation, the catkin girl disappeared from where she stood before and reappeared in front of him.


    Then, she tilted her head with a curious look on her face and spoke.


    "Pleased to meet you, Mister. I''m Nyara." She suddenly paused, raised her right hand, and added with the same mischievous smile on her face.


    "The Goddess of Trickery."


    Then, she snapped her finger.


    The next second, the surroundings shook violently and broke into millions of pieces!


    A momentter, Charles found himself in the tent and showed a dumbfounded look on his face.


    "Goddess of Trickery¡­ Nyara¡­ Melody Tonha Nyara¡­ Blessed One¡­" He abruptly stood up and then showed an understanding look on his face.


    ''No wonder¡­ But how? How did she manage to speak to me through vision?'' He couldn''t help but get more confused inside.


    ''The next thing is about the elven young man sealed inside the hexagonal crystal. Who is he? The Sun God? What happened to him?'' Although he couldn''t understand the situation, he felt that the Sun God seemed to have deliberately imprisoned himself in the crystal.


    ''There are too many mysterious about that vision. From the looks of it, Goddess Nyara, the brown-haired girl, and I seemed to have formed an agreement to meet in the deep void. What''s our goal? Are we going to release the Sun God from that sealing crystal? But why am I helping him? It makes no sense. Tsk, I''ve no choice but to ask him myself.'' He shook his head and shifted his attention towards the green pendant.


    ''My next concern is about Melody. What''s her rtionship with the Goddess of Trickery? Her child? Or just a chosen one?'' He furrowed his brows. Then, he looked into the pocket dimension and checked if everything was alright.


    Then, he sat down and chose to get some rest.


    The night soon ended without much disturbance, and the group continued their journey after the sunrise.


    For the next 10 hours, Charles and others continued to travel on the barrennd, crossed the Soundless ins around 3 P.M. and finally reached the Sleepy Mountain Range.


    But instead of going further, they chose to camp near the mountain range and rested¡­ The following day, the knights packed their belongings and finally entered the mountain range with the help of a local guide.

 Chapter 464: Convincing

    <h4>Chapter 464: Convincing</h4>


    Pocket Dimension.


    At that moment, a grey-robed man hid under vines enveloped bush and was panting heavily. He appeared to be around 40 to 50 years old, had multi-colored eyes, brown hair, and a rough-looking face. His grey robe was torn in many ces, and he was severely injured. Not only that, but his left hand was nowhere to be seen.


    While Charles and his elite knights were moving closer towards the Royal City, the battle between Cardinal Smith and Melody had reached its conclusion.


    As for Irzoch? She realized that she was weaker than the Light Church Cardinal and had chosen to assist Melody during the battle.


    ''Damn it! That demon girl! She is far more dangerous than I thought!'' Cardinal Smith cursed inwardly and soon looked up at the cloudless blue sky through the tree branch gap. A trace of panic and anxiousness appeared on his face.


    It had been more than 40 hours since Cardinal Smith got transported to this strange pocket dimension. s, he still hadn''t found a way to escape from this strange ce. Moreover, he got cornered earlier and almost died at the hands of a catkin. If not for his quick thinking, he would''ve sliced into smithereens by a strange druidic spell called ''Wheel of Nature.'' In truth, Melody was a lot weaker when Cardinal first confronted her. He even had an opportunity to kill her, but a mysterious power appeared out of nowhere and protected her. Whenever he thought of that strange power, he shivered uncontrobly.


    He strangely felt familiarity when he recognized that mysterious power.


    ''It''s the power of Divine, but it also appears strange.'' Unlike the masses, Cardinal Smith knew more about the outer world and even heard that some powerful Gods were living in many nes.


    But when he encountered such being in a random pocket dimension, he couldn''t help but get fearful of this new power.


    ''Is this being supporting the me Demon?'' A strange sense of fear appeared in his heart.


    Was it a fear of the unknown? He doesn''t know. But he does know that mysterious power was not something that belonged to this world and was pretty dangerous to the Light Church.


    In truth, he witnessed a miracle in this ce!


    ''That demon girl''s spells and physical strength rose exponentially. She has grown to the level of an Awaken in two days! It''s beyondmon sense.''


    Cardinal Smith had advantages during the first battle as he destroyed her spells and overwhelmed herpletely. s, she got help from the mysterious identity and escaped with the Demon Sorcerer.


    But, something extraordinary happened during the second battle, and she stood against him for the first time. Then, Cardinal started to face difficulties during the other fights. Sometimes, he would retreat to rest, but Melody and Irzoch did the opposite. They would change shifts and chase after him like madden dogs all the time.


    ''I lost!'' As he thought of the earlier battle, he couldn''t help but smile wryly.


    ''At least, I still have a way to conceal my presence from those two. As long as I manage to escape from this pocket dimension, I''ll be able to turn the tables and escape from that me Demon''s grasp.'' He now clearly understood how dangerous that me Demon was!


    ''I''ve to warn His Holiness and kill this Demon before he bes a powerful monster.'' Unlike him, the Pope of Light Church was far stronger and could even battle tens of Awakens at a time! He was more like a trump card of this Faith Realm, and only the Awakens knew about this secret.


    Even the Royal Kings got kept in the dark.


    Shaking his head, Cardinal Smith took a deep breath and started to ponder about his current situation.


    Just when he thought that he was in a safer ce, a familiar cold voice resounded in his ears.


    "It seems you managed to survive this ordeal, Mr. Cardinal." At that moment, a blonde-haired man suddenly appeared in front of him and startled him greatly.


    Cardinal Smith identified him instantly and was about to stand up and cast a light spell, but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, he honestly forgot about how to cast his Light Magic spell!


    Meanwhile, Charles waved his hand and cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell on him. Unlike thest time when he tried to cast this spell, no foreign force appeared in Smith''s ''Dark Space'' and interfered with his spell.


    In truth, he thought of using this spell to manipte one''s thoughts and change Smith''s ideology. He knew that as long as he let Cardinal Smith walk out of this pocket dimension, there was a high chance that he would once again acquire his Domain Creation ability and even get ess to casting divine spells.


    If Cardinal Smith did that, Charles knew that the [Curse of the Overlord] spell would disappear from his Dark Space.


    He didn''t want that to happen. Although he could kill him here, it wasn''t necessary at this moment.


    As Charles sessfully cast the curse spell on Cardinal Smith, he gestured him to stand up and activated the [Aura of Dominance] skill. Then, he conjured a ball of blue fire and tossed it towards him. His severed arm started to grow in a few seconds and appeared as good as new. Not only that but the severe wound all over his also got healed in a matter of seconds.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal shifted his attention towards his body, checked his newly grown hand, and soon got astounded.


    "Amazing! So, this is the magic of the outer world, huh. It''spletely different from Sorcerers'' magic spells." He spoke in a shocked tone. Although the Nature Magic also had some simr effects, this was the first time he had seen that a ball of fire doing the healing job.


    Soon, Cardinal Smith snapped out of the shock and tried to back away warily but fell due to fatigue. At that moment, he felt that the person in front of him looked different than before!


    ''Is it due to the envement spell?'' A look of rm appeared on his face.


    But a secondter, something within his mind manipted that thought and changed into a different one!


    ''Wait¡­ I feel like the burden on my shoulder had been lifted all of a sudden. Also, I''m feelingfortable.'' While he was in deep thoughts, Charles showed a solemn look on his face and spoke.


    "Don''t be afraid, noble warrior. I''ve no interest in you or your world." He paused for a moment as he took a step forward, used his invisible strings to help him stand up, and added.


    "I''m searching for a way to get out of this ne. Do you know if there is a way?"


    "S-Searching for a way to get out?" Cardinal Smith got confused by his words and asked in surprise.


    Just as Charles was about to exin the detail, the surrounding trees suddenly moved their branches and made way for the greenish sunlight to fall on them.


    Melody and Irzoch descended from the sky a secondter and soonnded 10 meters away from Charles. But as they saw him, both stopped for a second and then bowed their heads in unison.


    "Your Highness!"


    On the other hand, Charles responded with a smile and spoke.


    "You''ve done a good job. Go back now."


    While speaking, he linked his mind with the Will of the pocket dimension and ordered it to send them out. A momentter, both of them turned illusionary and disappeared from there!


    Meanwhile, Charles shifted his attention towards Cardinal Smith and exined his situation¡­ He even mentioned how he got schemed by the previous World''s Will and ended up in this Faith Realm.

 Chapter 465: Prophecy Book

    <h4>Chapter 465: Prophecy Book</h4>


    The more Cardinal Smith heard about Charles, the less vignt he became. By the time Charles finished exining his situation, a look of admiration and respect appeared on Cardinal''s face.


    At that moment, he also linked everything with the information he got from Light Church members and got convinced by Charles''s answers.


    No, he even started to feel sympathy!


    "You''ve done nothing wrong, Mr. Charles. It seems we''re on the wrong side this time. No, I would say that we acted recklessly." A heavy sigh came out of his mouth as he said those words.


    On the other hand, Charles folded his arms and probed him further.


    "Why did you attack me, Mr. Smith?"


    "I think our Church higher-ups misunderstood your intentions and acted without even thinking." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "How strong are you?"


    A rare smile appeared on Charles''s face as he heard Cardinal Smith''s question and spoke in a calm tone.


    "I''ll show you how powerful when the right timees."


    Then, he talked with the Cardinal about his future goals and even started chatting with him like a close friend. He then told him more about other nes, Gods, different factions, and Edhen World''s Lawful Gods.


    The more Cardinal Smith learned about the outside world; he realized how insignificant he was!


    "In truth, I have some guess about Goddess Zaqiel''s origin." Charles went towards the nearby tree, leaned his back on the trunk, and continued.


    "I think she must be from one of the Ten Superior nes called ''Elder ne.'' Among the ten superior nes, that ne is the homnd for all thewful faction beings. As long as you help me achieve my goal, I might take you there in the future. If you are lucky, you might even be able to meet your Goddess Zaqiel."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal Smith''s body suddenly went stiff. His breath grew heavy, his legs trembled in excitement, and he looked more like a curious kid.


    But he didn''t agree to his request in an instant, though.


    Instead, he pondered for more than a minute and nodded.


    "As long as your requests didn''t affect the Faith ne''s peace, I''ll help you."


    At that moment, Cardinal Smith learned that they were nothing more than some tiny ants in the universe and decided to explore the outer world.


    Unknown to him, his faith towards Goddess Zaqiel got weakened slightly!


    They chatted inside the pocket dimension for a few more minutes and soon decided to leave.


    A momentter, Cardinal Smith noticed that the surroundings started to turn blurry and soon found himself seated inside a wooden carriage. But the next instant, he got tensed up as he saw two familiar people on the opposite seat.


    One was an emerald-haired woman, while the other was a silver-haired middle-aged man.


    "Demons-" Before he could even cast any Light spell on them, a hand gripped his right shoulder.


    At that moment, Charles appeared beside him, took the green pendant from Melody''s hand, and wore it over his neck.


    "Don''t worry. They are my subordinates." He said in a reassuring tone.


    Simultaneously, he shifted his attention towards his [Wicked Fire] spell model and noticed that the ck me streak hadn''t disappeared yet!


    ''Oh? It seems Cardinal still hadn''t noticed anything abnormal in his mind. But if he made contact with Goddess''s Divine power for some time, he might notice it.''


    While he was in deep thoughts, Cardinal Smith also satfortably on the leather seat and checked whether he could create his Truth Domain. He first chanted in a strangenguage and made a small domain around himself.


    Once he realized that he could finally use his Domain power, he breathed out a sigh of relief, dismissed the domain power, and got rxed inside.


    At that moment, Charles also noticed a strange power around him but decided not to probe it.


    Instead, he opened the curtain cloth and looked outside.


    Currently, the evening sky shone its brilliance from the west and brightened the whole world. Even the outside grasnd appeared to be soaked in moltenvas. Although some green trees appeared here and there, there were no dense woods around them.


    "We already crossed the Mountain Range?" Charles stuck his head out and looked at the other side.


    Soon, he saw the long mountain range and noticed dark clouds were moving in their direction while creating lightning shes. Small thundering noises also echoed from afar, and the wind appeared stronger than before.


    On the other hand, Irzoch mimicked Duke Michael''s voice and answered.


    "We are just three kilometers away from the Royal Capital, My Lord. Before the rain arrives, we''ll be able to reach our destination."


    "Good." Charles retracted his head, took out a ck cloak from his space ring, and passed it to Cardinal Smith.


    "Please wear it to hide your identity, Mr. Smith." He added.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal Smith caught the cloak and wore it without saying anything. Although he could escape on his own now, something in his mind stopped him from doing any rash action.


    ''I also want to see how strong this person is.'' He thought to himself.


    As the carriage and the cavalry knights moved towards the Royal Capital, Charles and others sat in silence and watched the outside scenario through the curtain gap.


    After some time, Cardinal Smith let out a fake cough and spoke.


    "All this time, I thought of you as Baron Daniel''s evil nature. But who would''ve thought that you are a powerful otherworldly being." He paused for a moment, took out a leather-covered book, and added.


    "If not for Victor''s prophecy book, I wouldn''t have tried to assassinate you."


    In the meantime, Charles showed a puzzled look on his face and asked in surprise.


    "Victor? Prophecy Book? What is that?"


    On the other hand, Cardinal Smith showed a hesitant look and decided to tell more about it.


    "A year ago, a Bishop named Victor somehow gained enlightenment about the future and wrote a prophecy book. Then, he sent that book to the Holy See, created multiple copies, and requested all the high-ranked members read it. Although no one believed the prophetic verses at first, things started to change after the Dinton Castle massacre incident. In that book, he mentioned Baron Daniel''s victory against Ammar Dynasty Knight Squad, about Dinton Castle Massacre, and even many other things. Not only had that, but he even pointed out Baron Daniel''s abilities." While saying so, he opened the leather-covered book and showed it to him


    On the other hand, Charles caught the book with both hands, flipped the page, and started to read.


    "me Demon¡­" At first, he didn''t put too much thought into the prophecy book. But as he further read it, he couldn''t help but tense up a little. The author wrote some prophetic verses in a detailed manner, which unsettled him greatly.


    ''It was as if he watched my every movement and even read my thoughts before writing this book!''


    "Who is this Victor, Mr¡­ Smith?" Charles asked after a long silence.

 Chapter 466: Bryson

    <h4>Chapter 466: Bryson</h4>


    "Victor was a gambling addict once and had a bad reputation among the local citizens. But after he received the future enlightenment from our Goddess, his personality changedpletely. Then onwards, Victor stopped visiting the gambling houses and became a true devotee of Light Church. He also used his newly gained prophecy power to gather unique artifacts and even started his daily training to be a Knight. If I''m not wrong, his current strength should be around Crystal Knight or Radiant Knight Level. At this moment, he is training in the Holy See." Cardinal Smith responded politely.


    ''Oh? It seems he is too cautious.'' Charles smiled lightly with a nod, stealthily activated his [Hand of Wonder] skill, and let the invisible string move towards Cardinal''s chest area.


    Simultaneously, he showed a thoughtful look on his face and asked a different question.


    "Do you know anyone named Bryson, Mr. Smith? He should be a powerful Awaken in this world."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal Smith showed a surprised look and asked.


    "How did you know him?" His voice contained curiosity and shock.


    ''Did Bryson contact him?'' While he was in deep thoughts, the invisible string moved towards the ''Light Badge'' on his chest area, made a coil around the badge, and was bound entirely with it.


    Meanwhile, Charles moved his hands upward, let out a loud yawn, and responded.


    "I came in contact with a person who was working under Bryson. But when I tried to get more information from him, he entered the Dreamworld and got killed by a Dream Creature-"


    Before Charles could finish his words, Cardinal Smith looked at his face and interrupted his talking.


    "Are you talking about the Demon Sorcerer Nash? I indeed heard that he had been working under Royal Family of Aetas but never expect to hear his name again."


    "You knew of him?" This time, it was Charles''s turn to be surprised.


    While in surprise, he stealthily moved his fingers, manipted the invisible string, and stealthily stole the ''Light Badge'' from his robe.


    Without perceiving anything odd, Cardinal Smith showed a solemn look on his face and answered.


    "Yes, I battled him thirty-two years ago and beat him for killing a Light church member. But before I could finish him off, he used a mysterious technique and disappeared all of a sudden. So, he escaped to the Dream World, huh. No wonder I felt something was off at that time." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "How did you find out Bryson''s name? I''m damn sure that Nash would''ve killed himself before spilling secrets about his boss, though."


    "I managed to find out this guy''s name through some means," Charles replied vaguely.


    "Memory erasing spell?" Cardinal Smith chuckled inwardly and spoke while turning his face solemn.


    "Hmm, you''ve indeed asked about a very troublesome person. Bryson¡­ As far as I know, he is the leader of an organization called ''The Deceivers'' and has some mysterious background. In truth, he was the one who tried to steal the sealed ''Nightmare'' 210 years ago and almost seeded. But someone else intercepted him while he was escaping our pursuit and stole the sealed ''Nightmare'' box from him. That day was the most shameful day for all our elite Light Church members. The same goes for Bryson. I heard that he is still searching for the sealed ''Nightmare'' box but haven''t gotten a single clue yet."


    "Someone else intercepted him? Do you know who it is?" Charles asked in interest.


    "No idea. But I suspect that person might be a member of Druid''s Guild." Cardinal Smith responded in a solemn tone.


    "Why are you suspecting Druid''s Guild?" This time, it was Melody who asked the question.


    Her eyes and face were clearly showing that she was significantly startled.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal Smith stared into Melody''s eyes and spoke coldly.


    "When Bryson stole the sealed ''Nightmare'' box in the secret chamber, there was another person who infiltrated the Holy See and intercepted Pope Gabriel from chasing after Bryson. That person''s name is Laura Massey."


    Upon hearing those words, Melody''s face went stiff all of a sudden.


    She then turned her face solemnly and heaved a heavy sigh.


    "I did suspect that someone from Druid''s Guild betrayed others and sold the map to gain Light Church''s trust. But I never imagined this kind of twist. So, you guys got our ancient map from Lady Laura, huh. Is she still alive?" She asked.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal Smith shook his head and gave a short reply.


    "Pope Gabriel killed her on the spot."


    A strange silence appeared in the carriage. Only the wheel creaking noise echoed in everyone''s ears from time to time.


    At that moment, Charles noticed a slight emotional change in Melody''s face and decided to shift the topic.


    "We''ll talk about it once we finish our job first. Melody, what do you know about Duke Ismael? How powerful is he?"


    Upon hearing his words, Melody also calmed down her inner emotions, went silent for a moment to reorganize her thoughts, and then spoke.


    "If you want to know about his character, you can think of him as a scheming old fox, Your Highness. He will use every means to provoke you and might even trick you to attack him first-"


    Before ending her speech, Charles raised his right hand and interrupted her.


    "I don''t have any n on ying a political game here. What I want to know is about Duke Ismael''s strength. Tell me how strong he is and what artifacts do he owns."


    Meanwhile, Melody nodded her head and answered.


    "He is a unique Awaken who possesses the power to speak with death and also has the power to control shadows. Other than this, I know nothing much about him, Your Highness."


    At that moment, Cardinal Smith let out a fake cough and added.


    "I once heard from His Holiness that Duke Ismael is blessed by the ''Luck'' itself. The longer you take time to defeat him, the more he will get an advantage during the battle. I advise you to pull him into the pocket dimension and finish him off stealthily. There is a high chance that his main domain might be ''Luck.''"


    ''Main Domain? Like the gods, mortals can also have more than one domain?'' Charles furrowed his brows and chose to search about itter.


    In the meantime, Melody looked at Charles and continued.


    "He also possesses a unique spear and used it to kill a formidable Demon Sorcerer named ''Harrison de'' a century ago. Although I don''t know much about that artifact''s name or its abilities, I heard that this spear has the power to freeze oneself for some time, Your Highness."


    Cardinal Smith shook his head and corrected her.


    "That spear''s name is called ''Unholy Spear.'' Anyone who got stabbed by this spear would indeed be frozen for a particr amount of time, but it''s not a mysterious ability. I heard that this ability has something to do with one''s blood and soul."


    "You are indeed knowledgeable," Charles showed a surprised face and thenmented.

 Chapter 467: Clervine City

    <h4>Chapter 467: Clervine City</h4>


    Charles then shifted his gaze towards Melody and spoke to her through telepathy.


    ''Once we reach the Royal Capital, I want you to sneak into the Royal Capital and assassinate Duke Ismael''s family members. Don''t show any mercy and kill anyone on the spot.'' He paused for a moment, shifted his gaze towards Irzoch, and asked her through the same method.


    ''Irzoch, did you take Cardinal Smith''s severed hand from the pocket dimension?''


    ''Melody has it in her spatial bracelet, My Lord.'' Irzoch responded to him in an instant.


    Meanwhile, Charles acted like he was studying the Prophecy Book and added.


    ''Good. I want you to kill the crown prince using Cardinal Smith''s identity. Can you do it?''


    On the other hand, Irzoch maintained her calm look and responded.


    ''It''s not a problem, My Lord.''


    Charles was pleased by her response and then spoke.


    ''I ced a ''Light Badge'' in your surcoat''s left pocket. Once you kill the Crown Prince, ce this ''Light Badge'' next to the corpse and leave.''


    Saying so, he shifted his attention towards the leather-covered book and continued to read.


    On the other hand, Melody and Irzoch exchanged information through eyes and calmly waited for the carriage to reach the Royal Capital.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal Smith peeked outside through the curtain gap and watched the nature scenario.


    As the wooden carriage moved closer towards the Royal Capital, the outside vegetation became denser and appeared lush. Overgrown trees, shrubs, beautiful nts, and grassy areas covered the surroundings in mere moments.


    A few minutes passed without any disturbance, but the carriages and the other cavalry knights suddenly stopped moving.


    Then, Commander Corey came from the front and interrupted Charles''s reading.


    "Your Highness, we''ve reached the Royal Capital, but something feels off at the entrance." His voice contained a trace of anxiousness.


    Charles halted his hand to flip the next page, closed the leather-covered book, and looked outside.


    "What happened?" He asked while ultimately pushing the curtain to one side.


    "The entrance gate is shut tightly, Your Highness." The Commander deliberated for a moment, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and then added.


    "I-I also saw more than a hundred dead bodies hung from the city walls."


    "Dead bodies?" Charles''s eyebrows arched upward.


    "Not only that, but the Royal Knights are standing on the city wall and even ordering us to surrender. They appear very hostile, Your Highness." The Commander said.


    ''Oh? The other side has already decided to kill the second prince, huh. Unfortunately, I don''t have any time to y around.''


    Muttering inwardly, Charles closed his eyes and released his full wisdom power.


    An invisible ripple came out of his body a momentter, spread towards the whole surroundings, and soon enveloped the Royal City.


    A secondter, he saw the ins and outs of the Royal Pce, the clear picture of the hanging dead bodies, every citizen''s movements, and so on.


    He then continued to look inside the city and even saw a 30-years-old looking young man seated on the golden throne and ordering everyone like a king. There was also a middle-aged man who stood beside the young man, and he appeared to be monitoring everything in the throne hall.


    But what surprised Charles was that the middle-aged man managed to perceive his wisdom power and looked around the surroundings in confusion.


    ''As expected of an Awaken, he is sharp and vignt.''


    Charles opened his eyes, turned towards the silver-armored Commander, and ordered.


    "Tell our knights to dismount the horses and wait for my orders. In the meantime, I will go and see what those guys are up to."


    As Commander Corey moved to the front, Charles turned towards Cardinal Smith and asked.


    "Do you want to tag along, Mr. Smith?"


    "Of course," Cardinal responded instantly and covered his head with the ck hood.


    On the other hand, Charles raised his hand, ced his hand on Cardinal''s shoulder, and cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    Simultaneously, he nced at Melody and Irzoch and blinked his eyes.


    The next instant, Charles and Cardinal Smith got enveloped in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    They reappeared in front of arge closed metal gate and looked around a secondter.


    "Is that a spatial spell?" Cardinal Smith asked while shifting his gaze towards the city wall and soon frowned. At that moment, a foul smell assaulted his nose and caused him to cover it involuntarily.


    He saw hundreds of dead bodies hanging outside the metal gate a secondter and raised his eyebrows.


    If the dead bodies belonged to criminals, he would''ve voluntarily cast some Light Spells to purge their bodies and souls.


    But what appeared in front of his eyes were dead bodies of young women, elders, and small children!


    "It''s indeed a terrible thing. May the Divine Light befall on the withered souls!" His voice appeared emotionless, without even having a trace of pity or sympathy in it.


    He shifted his gaze towards the top and soon sensed malicious stares from above.


    At that moment, thousands of well-armored knights stood on top of the city wall and aimed their weapons in Charles''s direction. Some knights held spears, and some held bow and arrow in their hands, and so on.


    "What is your next n?" Cardinal asked emotionlessly and soon froze.


    "Something is not right. This ce is filled with negative energies." He said with a frown.


    He then tried to cast a light spell, but Charles stopped him.


    "I''ve some use for these negative energies. These people must have worked in Prince Julius''s mansion. So, it''s more than enough for any ruler to execute them." He responded calmly, zeroed his gaze on a particr naked woman''s dead body, and squinted his eyes.


    "But this time, the self-crowned king indeed went too far." He added coldly.


    In the meantime, Cardinal Smith also followed his gaze and soon widened his eyes in shock.


    "Is she Prince Julius''s mother?" Although he hadn''t seen Julius''s mother upfront, he vaguely saw the simrity between Charles''s face and the dead body''s face.


    He instantly realized that Duke Ismael was nning on provoking Prince Julius and finishing him off in the name of justice.


    "It''s just like what that demon girl told us earlier. B-But, he is breaking the Church War Rule. Even if it is a Civil War, no one is allowed to kill any Royal family members or noble family members to seek vengeance."


    ''Tsk, he is also a typical church member, huh. The Church War Rule also stated that killing normal citizens in the name of war is not eptable, but he hasn''t spoken a single thing.'' Charles felt that the Light Church members were almost like the politicians from his previous world.


    Instead of responding, he cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell, pped those eerie ck wings, and shot towards the sky.


    "Where are you going?" Cardinal Smith asked loudly, but no response came.


    Startled by Charles''s action, he hurriedly cast a spell called [Holy Wings], pped those wings, and flew upward towards the sky.


    Within a few seconds, he managed to get a clear view of this Royal City and got stunned by the beauty of the Royal City.


    Clervine was the name of the Royal Capital of Aetas Kingdom. It was located in tropical ins, where the vegetation was lush.


    Clervine grew around a well-maintained road, and the houses inside the city were well architected. The locals mainly harvest nuts and olives, and nearby was a region rich with y and granite deposits. The Royal City appeared more ancient and old from the sky, with the church and a grand pce at the center.


    While Cardinal Smith was admiring the beauty, Charles reached the height of 2500 meters, raised his right hand, and cast [ck Inferno] spell.

 Chapter 468: Black Sun

    <h4>Chapter 468: ck Sun</h4>


    A secondter, a ckish me ball filled with wicked fire essence came out of his hand and soon formed into a 2-meter giant ckish fireball!


    Soon, the me ball absorbed the negative energy from the city and started to erge at an unimaginable speed.


    The whole sky turned darker at that moment, and it seemed to be on the verge of tears. shes of lightning and thunders resounded in the sky continuously and disrupted the peacefulness of the city. Startled by the sudden noises, Cardinal looked upward towards the dark sky and got shocked inside.


    ''What is he doing?'' A look of confusion and puzzlement appeared on his face.


    He then recited a short chant and cast a defensive spell.


    "Sacred Vanish!"


    It was a convenient spell due to how little light energy was required for casting. After absorbing a small amount of light energy, which would briefly circle the caster, the spell could use it to pull the caster''s body into a separate dimension for a short period, rendering an opponent''s physical attacks useless as they simply pass through the caster.


    At that moment, Cardinal Smith''s body started to distort suddenly and turned transparent.


    Then, he pped his holy wings and flew upward at an unimaginable speed. Within a few seconds, he finally arrived near Charles and tried to get closer towards the monstrous me ball.


    But a secondter, a groan came out of Cardinal Smith''s mouth.


    Even though he cast a defensive light spell to protect himself in advance, a small ck streak appeared out of the [ck Inferno] spell, ripped through the light energies, andnded on his illusionary chest!


    Then, a strange wicked me enveloped his illusionary body and tried to burn him.


    Thankfully, the defensive light spell acted on its own and removed the ck me before it could cause any damage to his consciousness or soul.


    "Holy Goddess of Light!" He wore a dubious look on his face and backed away from Charles.


    Although he didn''t get hurt, he felt fear towards the ck me.


    ''I have a vague feeling that ck me might pass through dimension and cause harm to my real body.''


    He felt that he had severely underestimated his new friend''s strength at that moment!


    ''A single ck streak managed to startle me greatly! Is this the power of an otherworldly being?'' His heart raced all of a sudden.


    "What are you doing?" He also sensed the danger of the ck fireball and asked.


    From the information he gathered from the Prophecy Book, he knew how destructive this [ck Inferno] spell was and got a bad premonition.


    ''Why is he getting angry over the death of a few mortals? Am I missing something? Wait¡­ Could it be he also got emotional like humans?'' He couldn''t help but suspect something was wrong with Charles''s action.


    Meanwhile, the [ck Inferno] spell released chaotic heatwaves in all directions and even caused the citizens of Royal City to feel suffocative.


    At that moment, everyone in the Royal Capital noticed that the sky had turned gloomy. Even the Saint Knights and Demon Sorcerers were shaken and looked at the sky in anxiety.


    Within seconds, the ordinary citizens, knights, merchants, and even the slum people walked out of their houses and looked up at the gloomy sky in shock and disbelief.


    Because what appeared in the sky was not some cracker but a freaking ck Sun!


    Currently, it appearedrger than the original one and looked more like a doomsday sun!


    The citizens, the knights, and even Charles''s elite knights felt a strange sense of fear.


    The only ones who remained calm were Melody and Irzoch.


    In truth, they had long left the wooden carriage and sneaked into the Royal Capital. Melody went towards a specific district called ''Nobles Borough'' and moved towards Rainbow Street.


    That''s where Duke Ismael''s mansion was located!


    In the meantime, Irzoch also used her ''Skinwalker'' bloodline spell to change herself into Cardinal Smith and started walking towards the center of the Royal City!


    On the other hand, Charles calmly let the ck Sun hover in the sky, shifted his attention towards Cardinal Smith, and asked with an emotionless face.


    "What will happen if I let this ck Sun explode in the Royal Capital, Mr. Smith?" His voice appeared strangely eerie and cold.


    Upon hearing his question, Cardinal froze for a second and soon answered with a forced smile on his face.


    "The whole city will get wiped out." He stated the truth.


    "Correct. But do you know something? This spell isn''t even my trump card. In fact, this spell is just an above-average spell. If you don''t believe me, you can use your ''Truth Domain'' to check whether my reply is right or wrong."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal Smith furrowed his brows in suspicion and went silent for a moment.


    ''Is he bluffing? But why didn''t Victor mention any of this in his book?'' He thought to himself and then used the Truth Domain power to check if Charles''s words were genuine or not.


    A secondter, a shocked expression appeared on his face.


    ''What?! Does he have more trump card spells? Then, the prophecy book is a fake one?''


    Before he could even ask a question, Charles curled his lips upward and spoke.


    "I also have some mysterious abilities other than the ones mentioned in the Prophecy Book. For example-" He paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    "Like Victor, I, too, can see one''s future to some extent. Not only that, but I also have the power to destroy a kingdom in mere seconds, can shapeshift into any person, and also has the ability to travel to different dimensions."


    As Cardinal Smith heard those words, he constantly checked his words with the ''Truth Domain'' power and soon got frozen in shock.


    ''All of his words are true!''


    "What are you nning to do?" His voice contained a trace of wariness.


    Unlike Irzoch and Melody, Cardinal Smith had a strong soul and had the divine power to help him stay calm and collective even in hopeless situations.


    Currently, he was more like a half-controlled state.


    One single mistake, there would be a high chance that he might get away from Charles''s grasp.


    ''What a tricky guy to manipte. I need to turn him into my side slow and steadily.'' But Charles also knew that naive talking wouldn''t work on such a person¡­ That''s why he thought of cornering him first.

 Chapter 469: Manipulating

    <h4>Chapter 469: Manipting</h4>


    Letting out a deep sigh, Charles controlled the [ck Inferno] spell to move upward towards the dark clouds and spoke.


    "Although I''m not sure if I can defeat the Pope of Light Church, I have the power to kill any Awaken in this Faith Realm within a few seconds. But I don''t want to cause chaos everywhere like the ''Nightmare'' being. I know how long it would take to build a city like this one, Mr. Smith." He deliberated for a moment, looked up at the cloudy sky, and then continued.


    "After reading the Prophecy Book, I learned that Bishop Victor seems to have some deep hatred against me, and he also knew only basic things about me. Anyway, I want to tell you that I don''t have any reason to harm the citizens."


    As he spoke, the [ck Inferno] spell continued to move upward and soon entered the dark clouds.


    The next instant, the [ck Sun] suddenly started to shrink at a minute level while releasing ck streaks and almost disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    While the citizens, knights, and other Demon Sorcerers looked at the sky in panic, Charles calmly raised his hand and snapped his fingers.


    A secondter, the almost disappearing [ck Inferno] spell started to expand like never before and appeared more than 100 meters in diameter. At that moment, the ck inferno spell almost shrouded the sky and released ck lightning-like streaks into the dark clouds.


    The next instant, a terrifying rumbling sound came from the sky, followed by shes of ck lightning.


    After that, the [ck Sun] released a thunder-like roar that was audible from everywhere, and the citizens heard the sound of heavy rain.


    The [ck Sun] was about to break up the next instant, but it suddenly stopped releasing the ck lightning streaks.


    At that moment, the strange [ck Sun] started vibrating and even showed cracks on the surface.


    No one knows how long this strange phenomenonsted, but the [ck Inferno] spell again began to shrink. The rumbling sound disappeared, and a strange eerie silence appeared everywhere.


    Like the calm before the storm, this strange silence gave everyone little goosebumps.


    Boom!


    A loud explosion resounded in the sky a secondter, causing the whole kingdom to tremble.


    Windows and doors broke into smithereens due to the shockwaves and explosive noise stuck fear in every living being''s heart.


    Some citizens even died of idents caused by the powerful shockwaves!


    At that moment, the whole dark sky was enveloped in some eerie ck me!


    Those ck mes burned the dark clouds like some devourers and soon disappeared from the sky, leaving behind nothing but an empty deep blue sky.


    Charles calmly folded his arms, zeroed his gaze at the Royal Pce without minding the shockwaves, and showed a pleased smile on his face.


    "Here hees."


    Just as he finished his words, a lone figure suddenly flew up from the Royal Pce like a bolt of lightning and almost reached the height of 300 meters high in mere two seconds. Then, he covered his spear with some eerie ck smoke and flew higher.


    The silhouette wore a ck cloak like Cardinal Bishop and was almost invisible under the dark-blue sky.


    He looked around 50 years old, had a pale face, ck hair, and brown eyes. He also held a golden spear in his hand and looked at Charles with a stern look on his face. Unlike Cardinal Smith, he didn''t use any wing spell and used his wisdom power to fly up in the sky!


    ''Heh, this guy is indeed a rare one.''


    He was none other than Duke Ismael!


    On the other hand, Cardinal Smith still hadn''t woken up from the shock and watched the empty sky with a nk look on his face.


    At that moment, only one thought appeared in his mind.


    ''Powerful! No, powerful is an understatement to this spell.''


    ''T-That Victor! He underestimated his opponent too much! If what he said earlier was true, then he is powerful enough to battle equally against His Holiness!''


    ''But why did he cast a powerful spell in the sky? Did he choose to reveal his presence to the Light Church and the World?''


    Cardinal Smith squinted his eyes sharper and soon asked.


    "Why aren''t you hiding your Sorcerer identity?"


    Upon hearing those words, an amusing smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "There is no need to hide my identity from others, my friend. Currently, what I want is nothing but safety from the Light Church."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal Smith froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    "You want to be the King of Aetas Kingdom with my support?"


    "Right," Charles nodded his head in approval, pointed his finger at the flying Duke Ismael, and added.


    "I want you to kill Lord Duke for breaking the Church War Law and give justice to those innocent souls. As long as you agree to do this, there will be no chaos, no wars, nor any destruction in the future like Victor mentioned in the prophecy book. The Faith Realm''s fate lies upon your decision." He deliberated for a second, flew backward a little by pping the fallen angel''s wings, and then added.


    "I want to turn you into the ''Hero'' of this Faith Realm and unify the kingdoms into a new empire." His words were like devil''s tempting whispers.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal Smith frowned deeply and felt some resistance towards his words.


    "I''m not your puppet." He muttered subconsciously but stopped as he heard Charles''s following words.


    "As long as you help me, I''ll also help you meet the Goddess Zaqiel in the future. You may have received divine oracles from her in the form of visions or words, but I know that no one had seen her or even heard her voice after she left this ne. If you help me achieve my goal, I''ll make everything possible."


    As Charles finished talking, Duke Ismael finally reached 3000 meters above the ground and soon appeared 100 meters away from him.


    At that moment, he held the spear with both hands and also covered his body in some mysterious invisible energy.


    He stared at the cloaked Cardinal Smith for a second and then turned his gaze towards Charles.


    "Julius! What the hell was that?" He asked with an icy look on his face, and soon his face stiffened as he zeroed his attention on the eerie ck wings on Charles''s back.


    "You became a Demon Sorcerer?" A sh of surprise appeared on his face.


    On the other hand, Charles nced at Cardinal Smith and waited for the other party''s response.


    Noticing his gaze, Cardinal Smith also heaved a deep sigh and nodded his head.


    "It seems I''ve no other choice then."


    While speaking, he moved his hand towards his spatial ring, took out an old broadsword from it, and then gripped it tighter.


    Simultaneously, he activated his [Truth Domain] power around his body and enchanted his body muscles with light-elemental energy.


    A secondter, he pped those two holy wings faster and shot towards Duke Ismael like a bolt of lightning!


    On the other hand, Charles showed a pleased smile on his face, flew further up in the sky, and soon looked below.


    At that moment, he activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill while releasing his wisdom power and started monitoring everything happening in the ground and the sky like an overlord.

 Chapter 470: Arrow

    <h4>Chapter 470: Arrow</h4>


    Rainbow Street, Nobles'' Borough, Royal Capital.


    At this moment, Melody arrived in front of a three-meter tallpound wall and soon shifted his attention towards a metallic gate. She then took a step forward and walked towards it. Before long, she arrived in front of thepound gate, pushed it open from the outside, and walked inside.


    Although two gatekeepers tried to stop her while pointing their weapons, she casually raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.


    A secondter, more than five eerie dark vines popped out of the concrete path like some worms, slithered around their bodies, and directly strangled them to death in mere seconds.


    Melody then closed her eyes for a moment and then cast her wide-range druidic spell.


    "Wheel of Nature!"


    It was more like a Nature Domain spell!


    As she cast this spell, the surrounding 500-meter radiusnd fused with her druidic power and became a separate domain.


    An illusionary power enveloped the mansion in mere seconds and isted the mansion from the rest of the city like some forcefield.


    She then extended her hand, created a crystalline seed out of thin air, and tossed it towards the sky.


    A secondter, most of the people inside the mansion felt that their surroundings started to distort and change into apletely different scenario.


    Some found themselves standing in the middle of a forest, some in a prison dungeon, some in deep space, and so on.


    Everyone got pulled into different illusions!


    Just when she was about to cast her next spell, a strange ripple came from the three-storied mansion and caused her to pause in surprise.


    ''Duke invited a Sorcerer to protect his family?'' Her eyebrows rose upward.


    But soon, she shook her head, took out an emerald bow and a unique silver arrow from her golden bracelet. Then, he ced the arrow''s nock on the bowstring, held the fletching with thumb and forefinger, and pulled the bowstring.


    Simultaneously, she closed her left eye, adjusted the angle of the arrow, and recited a short chant.


    In a moment, a dense amount of nature-elemental energy gathered at the tip of the arrow and covered it like the sword aura!


    Then, she locked her gaze at the mansion''s entrance and aimed at the person who was walking out of the three-storied building.


    The one who came from the mansion was a wrinkle-faced older woman, who appeared to be around 70 to 80 years old, and she wore a luxurious silver-colored robe. She had greyish white hair, pale skin, strange purple-colored eyes, and she held a wooden staff in her hand.


    As Melody saw her face, a sense of hopelessness and fear appeared in her heart.


    Melody pulled the arrow with full force before the strange feeling could take over her mind and released it.


    Swoosh!


    Like a bullet, the arrow tore through the air, moved towards the olddy at an unimaginable speed, and almost arrived in front of her forehead in a blink.


    But just as it was about to pierce through her forehead, a strange mirror appeared in the middle and deflected the arrow towards the sky!


    On the other hand, Melody felt dizziness suddenly and staggered to and forth due to some strange energy invading her mind. She also dropped the bow and took a step back.


    ''Damn it!'' Cursing inwardly, she took a deep breath and activated her unique skill [Mask of Trickery].


    Unlike other nature spells, Melody had no idea how she got this unique skill.


    s, she knew how it would work.


    The [Mask of Trickery] skill had helped her in many situations. It blocked many hypnosis-type effects by inducing her inner emotions, masked her facial appearances, allowed her to fake her death twice, and even created opportunities to escape from hopeless situations.


    In her opinion, it was a divine skill!


    She wouldn''t have escaped from the ''Magewind City'' if not for this skill.


    As she expected, she felt some resistance towards this fear emotion and snickered inwardly.


    ''So, there is indeed some power affecting my mind!''


    At that moment, an image of a charming young man''s face appeared in front of her face, causing her lips to curl upward.


    ''I can''t be defeated by mere fear!''


    The next instant, she raised both her hands and muttered.


    "Shield of Creation!"


    A secondter, an illusionary forcefield appeared around her body andpletely blocked the fear-inducing power from entering Melody''s head.


    Without any dy, she locked her gaze on the silver-robed olddy, cast her [Blessed Eyes] spell on herself, and added.


    "Absolute Hypnosis!"


    A secondter, a strange power came out of her emerald eyes and affected the silver-robed olddy.


    But Melody didn''t stop there, though. Instead, she took a step forward, raised her right hand, and then spoke in a cold tone.


    "Chaos nt!"


    A secondter, the ground behind the olddy cracked suddenly, and soon a rose-like nt came out of it.


    The strange rose-like nt was as thick as a few centimeters and grew up to 3 meters high with multiple branches. At the same time, arge number of thick needles and thorns covered the nt''s surface, with a density equivalent to steel or the densest metal.


    The needles were also extremely sharp, and the thorns could cause extreme pain!


    At that moment, the olddy also turned around and tried to back away from the chaos nt. Unfortunately, the nt seemed to have read her thoughts, extended one of its thorn-covered branches, and coiled around her neck. Simultaneously, the sharp needle-like thorns prated her flesh and released strange pollens into her bloodstream. Although the olddy struggled with all her might, the thorn-filled branch pulled her towards the main stem and tightened her neck.


    Then, the other nt branches also slithered towards every part of her body andpletely bound her with the stem. After that, the chaos nt started to pull back into the ground and soon disappeared from Melody''s eyes.


    The chaos nt had killed the Demon Sorcerer in mere moments!


    Melody calmly looked at the area for a moment and then shifted her attention towards the humans inside the mansion. Some crawled on the ground, some slept soundlessly, and the rest were roaming here and there like blind men.


    Upon seeing this, she shook her head in disappointment, squatted down before touching the ground, and then muttered.


    "Nature Spikes!"


    A secondter, eerie dark greenish vines popped out of the ground from everywhere and started slithering in all directions. Before long, those vines slithered around humans'' bodies and started strangling them one by one. Except for small children and some women, Melody didn''t spare anyone and killed them using her thoughts.


    Once she was done, she turned around, started walking towards thepound gate, and soon left Duke Ismael''s mansion.


    ¡­

 Chapter 471: Silver Crown

    <h4>Chapter 471: Silver Crown</h4>


    Throne Hall, Royal Pce, Crown''s Street.


    The hall''s interior wasvishly designed with carved doors, stained ceilings, glittering zed flooring tiles, chandeliers, and arts from different parts of this Faith Realm. A red carpet wasid on the floor from the entrance to the dais and appeared beautiful.


    This hall was where people would meet the king, queen, and other royal family members.


    A long, golden-colored throne was located with a magnificent canopy at the center of the throne hall. On this golden-colored throne, a two-meter tall man was seated. His appearance was simr to Prince Julius''s, with thicker ck hair, a more mature face, arger nose, and a sharper and fiercer look. But the thing that was different with this man was that he wore a monocle on his left eye.


    He looked around 30 years old, had long wavy hair, bluish eyes, and wore a silk-lined dress. A silver crown also appeared on his head, giving the aura of eeriness.


    He was none other than the Crown Prince of Aetas Kingdom, Quinn Matthias ymoore!


    Currently, the young man ced his hand on his chin and appeared to be in deep thoughts.


    There were also a few nobles in the throne hall, but none dared to make any noise under the young man''s presence.


    In front of him, there stood a middle-aged man with a robe outfit. Currently, he wore a solemn look on his face and spoke while rubbing his hands to hide away his nervousness.


    "We still don''t know how powerful your younger brother is, Your Majesty. I advise you to leave the Royal Pce with our elite army men-"


    "Do you think Charles has the power to defeat Uncle Ismael? Nonsense." Quinn raised his hand, interrupting him, and stared coldly at the middle-aged man.


    "I know Lord Ismael is an Awaken Knight, Your Majesty. But that earlier appearance of the ck Sun and its explosive power in the sky wasn''t a mere illusion. Moreover, what worries me most is that the Light Church has been staying silent all this time. I feel some deep conspiracy behind their action." The middle-aged man''s words were dead serious. Meanwhile, the remaining nobles also nced at each other and nodded their heads in approval.


    Quinn frowned deeply for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "You guys don''t have to worry too much about it. Uncle Ismael is more than enough to kill tens of Julius." The corner of his lips curled upward as he said those words, raised his left hand, and adjusted the monocle.


    Meanwhile, the middle-aged man let out a deep sigh in disappointment and spoke.


    "At least, give us the order to kill Prince Julius''s elite knights, Your Majesty."


    As Quinn was about to say something, two loud metallic ngs came from the entrance, followed by a creaking noise.


    He abruptly froze for a moment, shifted his attention towards the Throne Hall''s entrance gate, and soon squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw that a grey-robed figure pushed open the metallic gate and stepped inside.


    But instead of walking forward, that person turned towards the entrance gate before closing it from inside and then heaved a heavy sigh.


    Then, he turned around again, nced at the surrounding nobles and the crown prince, and walked forward with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Quinn and the nobles saw the intruder''s face and soon showed a confused expression on their faces.


    The intruder was a middle-aged man, had multi-colored eyes, long brown hair with a mustache, rough-looking face, and he appeared to be around 175 to 180 cm high. He currently wore a grey robe, a brownish-red scarp around his neck, a sheathed long sword on his waist, and a wooden staff in his right hand.


    "Who are you?" Quinn frowned and shouted at the intruder.


    At that moment, the nobles and the middle-aged man unsheathed their swords and stared warily at the grey-robed man.


    Some nobles even called out for the Royal Knights'' help, but no response came from the outside!


    Although they didn''t know what was happening, everyone in the throne hall felt something was off about the situation.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch, in Cardinal Smith''s appearance, calmly walked forward and answered.


    "I''m Cardinal Smith of the Light Church, Your Highness. After receiving an oracle from our almighty Goddess, His Holiness asked me toe here and put an end to the civil war." She deliberated for a moment as she continued to walk on the carpeted floor and then added with a smile.


    "You don''t have to be too vignt around me. I''m your ally."


    Quinn widened his eyes in surprise and stood up from his seat.


    Then, he pped his hands, stepped on the dais, and soon walked down from the throne canopy while letting out a burst ofughter.


    "Hahaha! You guys never disappointed me. I have been waiting for Light Church''s response all this time but didn''t expect that the Light Church would send a powerful Awaken Knight to help us."


    On the other hand, Irzoch reached the center of the throne hall and arrived in front of the crown prince.


    But just as Quinn extended his hand to shake his hand, the corner of Irzoch lips curled upward and formed into a mocking smile.


    At that moment, everyone in the Throne Hall realized that the person in front of them was not a Cardinal but someone else!


    But before they could even blink, Irzoch took a step forward, stared into Quinn''s eyes, and muttered.


    "Mind Possession!"


    Quinn felt that the surroundings started to turn blurry and staggered a secondter. He saw that the whole area began to twist at a weird angle and got dizziness.


    He felt someone was trying to take control of his body!


    On the other hand, Irzoch unsheathed her sword suddenly, leaped towards Quinn, and shed at his neck.


    The next instant, a neat cut appeared on his neck area, and soon his head fell on the carpeted floor with a loud thud!


    Scarlet blood sshed everywhere as the head rolled on the floor and soon stopped next to the middle-aged man''s feet.


    Prince Quinn''s body also danced in the hall for a moment and then fell while making a loud noise.


    Meanwhile, the silver crown on his head also fell on the nearby tiled floor with a nging sound, started rolling towards the right side wall, and then disappeared!


    s, none of them, including Irzoch, noticed its disappearance.


    An eerie silence appeared in the Throne Hall.


    At that moment, the nobles and the middle-aged man got frozen in shock and didn''t even dare to breathe!


    "Well, that ended quickly," Irzochmented casually, stepped towards the elevated throne canopy, and soon appeared before the golden throne.


    Then, she turned around, sat on the throne before crossing her legs, and ordered.


    "From now on, no one is allowed to move from where you are standing." She swept her gaze all over the surrounding nobles and then added with a chuckle.


    "You can breathe, though."


    Saying so, she leaned her back against the golden throne and waited.

 Chapter 472: Capture

    <h4>Chapter 472: Capture</h4>


    A few moments ago,


    Duke Ismael held the golden spear with both hands as Cardinal flew towards him and cast his shadow-elemental spell.


    "Dark Vanish!"


    His figure turned into a cloud of smoke and disappeared from there a secondter.


    Unlike most awakens, he had two types of powers. One was the power of Luck, while the other one was the power of Shadows. But there were still many restrictions to use the full potential of these powers, though. Unlike Cardinal Smith, he couldn''t create domain power and overpower the enemy.


    What''s surprised Cardinal Smith was that even he couldn''t find a trace of his presence in the surroundings!


    ''Stealth spell?'' He instantly saw through the opponent''s n, pped his ''Holy Wings,'' and suspended in mid-air.


    At the same moment, his Truth Spell called ''Divine Insight'' activated on its own and warned him about the enemy''s presence behind him.


    But before he could even act, Duke Ismael made the first move.


    "Blind Luck." An eerie voice echoed in Cardinal Smith''s ears.


    A momentter, a humanoid smoke appeared behind him and formed into an appearance of a middle-aged man.


    Then, Duke Ismael activated the golden spear''s ''Blood Freeze'' ability, aimed the spear tip towards his back, and thrust it full force.


    Upon sensing the iing attack, Cardinal Smith frowned deeply and moved towards the side by pping his wings.


    But to his shock, the golden spear twisted in a weird angle, moved on its own, and prated his left shoulder!


    The next moment, Cardinal Smith felt that his whole body went numb all of a sudden!


    Even though his main body was in a separate dimension due to [Sacred Vanish] spell, his soul and consciousness were in the physical realm, which became his weaknesses.


    The spear released someher-like energy a secondter and caused his whole soul and consciousness to freeze for a moment.


    ''¡­!'' Even his thoughts froze abruptly!


    Fortunately, his ''Holy Wings'' spell still worked perfectly and helped him move further away from Duke Ismael.


    s, that too started to lose connection with his Inner World and turned illusionary before disappearingpletely.


    Not only that, but Cardinal Smith''s other spell [Sacred Vanish] also went ineffective.


    His main body returned to the physical world and became vulnerable to any attack at that moment!


    If Duke Ismael could use this opportunity and give him a fatal wound, he would win the battle in a second.


    Charles watched everything from above but didn''t try to intervene. Although he had many ns for Cardinal Smith, he never wanted a weak servant.


    If Cardinal Smith failed even to kill an Awaken with multiple advantages like domain creation power, divine spells, and artifacts, how could he help Charles achieve his goal?


    Just when Charles thought that the battle was already over, he noticed an anomaly in his left hand and squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, the silver ring in Cardinal Smith''s left hand shone brightly and released some strange energy towards the surroundings.


    Charles soon noticed that the 100-meter radius area was covered by a mysterious divine power at that moment and showed a surprised look.


    ''Truth Domain?''


    While Charles was probing the divine power, Cardinal Smith''s eyelids twitched all of a sudden, and soon he regained his senses.


    "Zone of Truth!" A solemn voice came out of his mouth.


    Then, he cast [Holy Wings] spell to maintain his body from falling, made a flip in the sky, and soon locked his gaze on Duke Ismael.


    He held the golden crozier, gathered dense light energy at its tip, and started reciting a short chant to activate the artifact.


    Then, a radiant golden light appeared at the tip of the crozier and even caused the space to twist!


    It was a Divine Spell called Crusade''s Strike!


    It had the power to bypass any barrier and even harm one''s soul!


    Once the crozier started emitting heat waves, he made a stance in mid-air and threw it at Duke Ismael.


    A secondter, the golden crozier moved towards Duke Ismael at a terrifying speed and almost arrived near him.


    But before the crozier could prate his head, Duke Ismael made a smirk and muttered under his breath.


    "Fortune Saver."


    A momentter, a silver arrow enveloped in nature energy suddenly appeared from below and collided with the tip of the golden crozier.


    It was the same silver arrow that Melody released earlier!


    The next instant, the dense nature energy at the tip of the arrow and the light energy at the crozier collided against each other and soon exploded.


    Shockwaves came from the explosion, sending Cardinal Smith and Duke Ismael in different directions.


    They soon managed to regain their momentum and looked at each other.


    But before Duke Ismael could initiate the second round of attack, he trembled all of a sudden and went wide-eyed.


    He soon showed a twisted expression on his face and turned his attention towards the city.


    "Oh no! My family!" His eyes went bloodshot, and he hurriedly tried to fly towards the Royal Capital.


    s, the mere moment of distraction was all Cardinal Smith needed.


    He instantly used this as an opportunity, raised his hand, and muttered.


    "Guiding Bolt!"


    A secondter, a dense ray of white light came out of his hand and directlynded on Duke Ismael''s head,pletely disrupting his thinking ability.


    Duke Ismael froze for a second before turning around, flew towards Cardinal Smith, and then raised both of his hands!


    At that moment, Duke Ismael felt that he had done terrible mistakes and decided to surrender himself to the Light Church.


    On the other hand, Cardinal Smith recited a short chant, put a star mark on Duke Ismael''s forehead, and nodded his head.


    "Do not resist the power of Truth." He spoke to Duke Ismael and ced multiple star-like marks in different ces.


    Cardinal Smith finished his enving process a few secondster and looked up at the dark sky.


    In the meantime, Charles also descended from above, arrived before Duke Ismael, and nodded.


    "Good." Saying so, he nced at Cardinal Smith and then added while shaking his head.


    "But letting him live any longer will only give me more troubles. Kill him."


    At first, Cardinal showed an unwilling look but soon nodded in agreement.


    He then moved closer towards Duke Smith, ced his hand on his chest area, and started reciting another incantation. But unlike thest one, this one appeared very long.


    Meanwhile, Duke Smith remained motionless and co-operated with Cardinal like a real ve!


    But soon, Duke Ismael suddenly regained his senses and soon looked at his own body. He noticed that the mysterious star marks appeared all over his body and widened his eyes in shock.


    ''What are these?!''


    He also noticed Charles''s and Cardinal''s presence and tried to back away but couldn''t!


    It was as if some invisible chains shackled him from all directions.

 Chapter 473: Statue

    <h4>Chapter 473: Statue</h4>


    "W-What did you do?!" Duke Ismael asked with a startled face.


    He noticed that his memories appeared hazy like some fog at that moment and grew pale.


    ''No! I can''t die like this. I need to avenge my family!'' A firm resolution appeared in his eyes.


    As he tried to recall what happened earlier, those hazy memories started to appear like brand new ones in the form of images. At the same time, the star marks on the different parts of his body also disappeared.


    An irreceable joy filled with anger, sadness, and grief appeared on his face.


    He then showed a twisted expression on his face and red at Cardinal Smith in rage.


    "I''ll kill you-!"


    But before he could even finish his words, Cardinal Smith finally ended his chanting and muttered.


    "Purgation of the corrupted Soul!"


    A secondter, Duke Ismael''s whole body erupted in sunshine me and then started burning fiercely!


    Although Duke screamed in pain and anger and even struggled with all his might, the sunshine me continued to burn his body and cleansed his soul.


    Before long, Duke Ismael''s body turned into pure light energy and soon disappeared from Charles''s sight.


    ''What a strange way to kill someone.'' Charles muttered under his breath and shifted his attention towards the Royal Pce.


    "You''ve one more job to doter. Till then, wait there for a while." Saying so, he arrived beside Cardinal Smith and ced his hand on his shoulder.


    Cardinal felt that the whole surroundings started to distort the next instant and soon found himself standing in the middle of the dense woods.


    "Pocket Dimension again? Why did he send me here?" He looked around in confusion and soon sighed heavily.


    In the meantime, Charles cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself, enveloped in a crimson me, and disappeared from the dark sky.


    The next second, he reappeared in the middle of the throne hall and startled the nobles.


    But soon, most of the nobles recognized his face and instantly greeted him.


    "Your Highness!"


    In the meantime, Irzoch also noticed his arrival, stood up from the golden throne, and then stepped down from the throne canopy.


    "I have done my job, my friend." She mimicked Cardinal Smith''s voice perfectly and spoke in a male voice. While speaking, she arrived in front of him, pointed her finger at the headless body of Prince Quinn, and asked.


    "What should we do with the body?"


    Charles thought of something and soon spoke while waving his head.


    "Even though he hadmitted multiple crimes, he was still a member of Aetas Royal Family. We''ve to give a proper burial for the dead ones." Saying so, he turned his gaze towards the surrounding nobles and ordered.


    "You guys can go back and tell everyone what happened here. Also, inform the masses that the coronation ceremony will be held in a month."


    Just as he finished his speaking, the whole throne hall erupted in noise.


    Some murmured in agreement, some whispered enthusiastically, and some even pledged their allegiance boldly to Charles.


    "Y-Yes, Your Highness!" "We will spread the words to different parts of the kingdom!" "Long live Prince Julius!" "Garia Household will always be on Prince Julius''s side."


    While shouting, they moved towards the entrance gate and soon left the throne hall. Once the nobles disappeared from Charles''s sight, he shifted his attention towards Irzoch and ordered.


    "You can return to your original human form. There is no need for you to transform into Duke Michael from now on."


    Meanwhile, Irzoch widened her eyes and nodded her head. Simultaneously, she deactivated her [Skin-change] bloodline spell and returned to her human form.


    Her middle-aged figure changed and soon transformed into apletely new one. Her skin tone became shiny, her silvery hair became brown, and her eyes turned red.


    In her original human form, she had a round face, Nubian nose and appeared to be around 25 years old.


    Once Irzoch returned to her human form, she smiled at Charles with a wide-eyed look and bowed her head.


    In the meantime, Charles stepped on the dais and soon arrived in front of the golden throne. Then, he turned around, sat on the throne, and then ordered.


    "Tell me what happened after you entered the throne hall."


    Although Irzoch got confused by his words, she didn''t put too much thought into it and nodded.


    But as she was about to exin everything in detail, she suddenly forgot what to say!


    At that moment, a ball of purple fire appeared inside her Inner World and started erasing her earlier memories.


    A few secondster, Charles finally erased most of her previous assassination incident memories, erased the purple me from her Inner World, and then looked at Irzoch.


    At that moment, she also looked back at Charles and opened her mouth to say something but couldn''t remember what had happened earlier.


    Thest thing she remembered was how she sneaked into Royal Pce and killed the two gatekeepers before entering the throne hall.


    "Don''t put too much thought into it." Charles waved his hand as he noticed her confusion and then turned his attention towards the head of the Crown Prince.


    He then nced at the surrounding area and soon furrowed his brows.


    "Where is the silver crown?"


    Upon hearing those words, Irzoch looked around in a hurry and became puzzled.


    "It should be around here somewhere near the right side wall, My Lord. Maybe one of the nobles stole it? It shouldn''t be." She clearly remembered that the silver crown rolled towards the nearby wall and frowned.


    "Leave it. It''s not an important thing anyway." Charles muttered slowly and was about to turn his attention towards his Inner World but stopped. At that moment, he perceived a strange familiar powering from the right side wall and raised his eyebrow in surprise.


    "Dream power? No, it seems more like an upgraded version of the dream power. Interesting," He straightened his back and stood up from the throne before disappearing.


    A momentter, he reappeared next to the right side wall, touched the tiled floor with his right hand, and tried to sense the dream power.


    A momentter, he noticed a strange connection in that area towards the Dream World!


    He was quite familiar with this type of connection!


    ''Strange¡­'' Charles didn''t hesitate for a moment before he sat on the floor in a cross-legged position and closed his eyes.


    "Protect me for a while." He ordered Irzoch in a cold tone and turned into his consciousness form.


    He disappeared from the throne hall a secondter, passed through the strange barrier, and soon opened his eyes in the simr throne hall.


    But instead of the golden throne, what appeared in the throne canopy was a 2-meter tall rocky statue of a human. Although the statue was damaged in many areas, it wasn''t beyond recognizable.


    Charles instantly recognized the person in the statue and narrowed his eyes.


    ''My statue again?'' He also noticed that a silver crown was ced next to his statue''s feet and got more confused.

 Chapter 474: Serpent

    <h4>Chapter 474: Serpent</h4>


    After some thought, Charles stood up from the floor, went near the throne canopy, and extended his right hand to take the silver crown.


    But he suddenly paused for a moment, took two steps backward, and showed a solemn look on his face. Even though no anomaly appeared around him, he felt something was off about this silver crown.


    ''It''s better to be careful.''


    Muttering inwardly, he used the wisdom power to make the silver crown float in mid-air and stared at it in silence for a few seconds.


    Then, he suddenly raised his hand, pointed his forefinger at the silver crown, and spoke in a cold tone.


    "Come out."


    Just as he spoke, the hovering silver crown trembled all of a sudden, and soon a foggy humanoid figure came out of it. Then, the humanoid fognded on the cracked tiled floor, started to appear clearer, and then formed into an illusionary appearance of a young woman. But before Charles could inquire more about her, the illusionary face of the young woman started to twist while aging at an unimaginable speed, and her body also started to turn fatter!


    Within a few seconds, she turned into apletely different person.


    At that moment, she was an ugly-looking woman with long hair covering her whole head, a pair of ugly eyes that could even hurt anyone, and even had two more legs. In addition, she appeared quite overweight and wore a dirty, light-colored dress.


    She was literally in a deformed state!


    "Who are you?" Charles took one more step back and asked in a cautious tone.


    On the other hand, the deformed woman let out a creakyugh, grabbed the hovering silver crown, and spoke while offering the crown towards him.


    "I''m nothing more than a remnant Will, young man. I choose you as my sessor from now-"


    But before she could even finish her words, a chaotic fire bullet filled with pure chaos energy came out of Charles''s forefinger, moved towards the deformed woman, and almost arrived in front of her forehead in a blink.


    BANG!


    The next instant, the chaotic bullet entered the ugly woman''s illusionary forehead and exploded while sending shockwaves in all directions.


    Then, the chaotic fire soon enveloped her illusionary figure and tried to devour her and even the stone statue. But all of a sudden, Charles''s [Forewarning] skill triggered and gave him a warning in the form of images.


    Without any dy, he activated [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself and saw what was happening around him in slow motion.


    At that moment, he noticed that some invisible forcefield appeared around the deformed woman''s body and stopped the chaotic fire from devouring her.


    Soon, the earlier exploded head started to restore at an unimaginable speed and soon returned to its former state!


    ''What is this thing?'' Charles didn''t dare to stay closer, hurriedly cast [False Blink] spell, disappeared from there, and soon reappeared 20 meters away from the deformed woman.


    In the meantime, the woman made a twisted smile and then opened her arms wide while tossing the silver crown in his direction.


    At the same time, her body also warped while creating multiple faces, arms, hands and inted like a balloon. Before long, the deformed illusionary woman''s skin peeled on its own, transformed into a creepy worm-like thing, and then reshaped into a two-headed serpent!


    It had two python heads, a dragon''s body, eerie illusionary ck wings, a unique rainbow-colored crystalline horn on its forehead, and two w-like legs. What''s more shocking was that its scales appeared pure ck color and glittered due to the presence of the remnant chaos fire. The creature hissed while releasing purplish bolts of lightning everywhere from its body and finally stopped growing once it reached 7 meters tall.


    Even though it was just an illusionary manifestation of a remnant Will of a Nightmare creature, Charles felt that a terrifying feeling appeared in the deepest part of his heart.


    His legs trembled uncontrobly due to the presence of this being and caused his heart to inner emotions to twist.


    But he didn''t get frozen in fear or shock, though. Instead, he made a forced smile and looked at the terrifying creature like a new prey.


    "Haha, it''s been a while since I felt this terrified." He spoke with augh.


    But the next instant, he released his wisdom power, raised his hand, and asked mockingly.


    "But do you think your mere remnant ''Will'' could force me to submit? If you want to capture me, at least send your clone or something." He snorted coldly, pointed his finger at the creature, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell continuously.


    Chaotic me bullets with chaotic power tore through the air andnded on the Nightmare Serpent-like creature. Explosions and shockwaves continued to erupt as Charles''s magic spells and the Nightmare Creature''s purple lightning shed against one another and caused destruction everywhere. s, the battle became one-sided after Charles started throwing balls of purple mes. In truth, the remnant Will was nothing but a collection of a creature''s memories. So, Charles''s purple fire became its nemesis.


    But what startled him was that the memories erased by his purple fire were disappeared without even sending any information to his Inner World!


    ''What?!'' He was startled deeply by the strangeness and even attacked the creature using his [ck Inferno] spell.


    Although the remnant Will tried its best, Charles casually evaded all of its attacks and cornered it.


    After some time, he managed to break the Nightmare Serpent''s scales using his Chaos Fire spell and soon broke the remnant Will into many pieces.


    Once the remnant ''Will'' disappeared from his sight, he breathed out a sigh of relief and turned his gaze towards the silver crown that was ced a few meters away from him.


    He then walked towards the crown, probed it with his wisdom power, and conjured a ball of rebirth me. After that, he used the rebirth me to seal the silver crown and picked it up.


    Following that, he walked towards the right side wall, sat on the cross-legged position, and tried to sense the strange connection link towards the physical world.


    He disappeared from the Dream World and reappeared in the Throne Hall a momentter.

 Chapter 475: Clues

    <h4>Chapter 475: Clues</h4>


    Throne Hall, Royal Pce, Royal Capital of Aetas Kingdom.


    At that moment, Irzoch stood a few meters away from the throne canopy and was in deep thoughts. Melody also stood next to Irzoch and stared at the right side wall with a solemn look on her face.


    It had been more than five hours since Charles entered the Dream World. When he disappeared from the Throne Hall, Irzoch waited for a few minutes and soon started to get nervous. But after some thought, she decided to do other works in that free time. First, she stored Prince Quinn''s body in her space ring to preserve it for the funeral ceremony and started cleaning the hall.


    During that time, she also met with Melody and told her what had happened earlier.


    On the other hand, Melody also agreed with her decision, and both decided to concentrate on other works.


    After some discussion, Melody went to the Eastern Entrance gate and opened the gate for elite army men to enter the city. Under Commander Corey''s help, she then took full control of the Royal Pce and returned to the Throne Hall.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch asked a few elite knights and ordered them to prepare for the funeral ceremony. At the same time, she also wrote many letters, ced Duke Michael''s noble seals on the covers, and gave the letters to some trusted knights to deliver them to all the noble households.


    After that, she also asked Commander Corey to check if any other Royal Members like Third Prince and his mother were imprisoned in the dungeon.


    Even though Charles wasn''t there with them, both of them didn''t lose their calm and did everything they could to stabilize the situation.


    Melody and Irzoch finished their other works within the next five hours and then waited in the Throne Hall.


    At that moment, Melody currently held a strange emerald bow in her hand and stood while leaning her back against the nearby wall.


    Just as she was about to ask Irzoch about nobles, she sensed a spatial fluctuation and hurriedly gripped her emerald bow.


    In the meantime, the space near her twisted suddenly, and soon a young man appeared before her.


    Once she confirmed that it was Charles, she instantly lowered her bow and greeted him with a bow.


    "Greeting, Your Highness!"


    Meanwhile, Charles stood up from the tiled floor, nced at Irzoch, and asked with a frown.


    "How long has it been since I entered the Dream World?"


    Upon hearing those words, Irzoch took out an old-fashioned pocket watch from her grey robe, looked into it, and answered.


    "It''s been more than five hours, My Lord."


    ''Oh? The time anomaly is indeed a troublesome matter in the Dream World.'' He nodded his head and started walking towards the throne canopy.


    Soon, he stepped on the dais, sat on the golden throne, and then shifted his gaze towards the silver crown.


    Currently, a reddishyer of me surrounded the crown, and it looked more like a fire cube.


    Even though ayer of rebirth me wrapped the crown, Charles felt a creepy gaze from there!


    It was as if something terrifying was hiding deep inside the crown and was watching his every action.


    The silver crown appeared simple, had a unique ck gem at the front, and emitted a strange eerie aura. Charles first used the wisdom power to probe it but found no anomaly. Although he vaguely felt that something was living in the crown, he couldn''t figure out what it was or how it could affect the surroundings.


    After some thought, he activated his [Arcane Eyes] skill and observed it closely. For the next few minutes, he remained in the same position and soon saw a glimpse of information through some mysterious link. But due to the presence of some barrier around the crown, he couldn''t decipher it.


    ''Should I use that stone now?'' He touched his space ring, took out the ''Stone of Insight'' from it, and tried to probe the crown while using it.


    The next instant, a sh of surprise appeared on his face. At that moment, he noticed that his eyes managed to see a piece of information from the silver crown and widened his eyes.


    ''A shard of the Hell''s Crown? Is this an Intellectual Artifact like the Holem''s Crown? Or, is it some broken piece of an Artifact?''


    After some thought, Charles took out the mysterious Star Constetion book, wrote his personal information on the ck page, and searched for answers from his future self.


    Soon, the page moved like a wave, and then Charles received two short replies from his future self.


    ''An Evil God''s y? Beware of its Avatar?'' As he read the replies, he couldn''t help but show a nk look on his face.


    ''What does that mean? That creepy serpent was an Evil God''s remnant Will? Moreover, what''s the difference between a God and an Evil God?''


    He stayed motionlessly for a few more seconds, let out a deep sigh, and then thought about the earlier incident.


    ''My next question is about the origin of the remnant Will. What is that creature? Why did it try to control me? Wait. Could it be? Is this the same ''Nightmare'' that once invaded the Faith Realm? That ''Nightmare'' is the Evil God?''


    ''Now that I think about it, it is indeed quite possible. When I chased after the Demon Sorcerer Nash into the Dream World, I got pulled into another dream and woke up in front of a simr pce. At that moment, I also saw my statue along with two creatures. One was a winged serpent, while the other was the Red Bird. Maybe the Shadow Princess (The dream snake that appeared in Volume 1) isn''t the Winged Serpent but this Deformed Serpent? Or, did this creature read my memories without alerting me and create such a realistic dream?'' Confusion appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''There are indeed many terrifying monsters out there! But what should I do now? Should I send this crown to the Holy See?'' He pondered for a moment but decided to refrain from doing so.


    ''If this is indeed some intellectual artifact, I can ask Rh''s help to try and enve it in the future.'' In truth, he also wanted to get a Series-S or above level artifact in the future!


    His main priority was to gather as much wealth as possible in this ne and return to Edhen World like some wealthy merchant. Then, he nned to auction all his wealth like artifacts, awaken stones, or other things and upgrade his System Cube into a true intellectual artifact.


    ''I also need to take care of that Victor.''


    Shaking his head, he stored the silver crown into his space ring and shifted his attention towards the green pendant.

 Chapter 476: Ananku

    <h4>Chapter 476: Ananku</h4>


    Charles then closed his eyes and shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    Soon, he extracted the memories which he got earlier from Irzoch and replicated them.


    Following that, he made a few alterations, fused them to create a small memory cloud-like orb, and even ced his ''Will'' in the deepest part of the orb.


    Moreover, he even added some of his personal information into the orb.


    Charles then opened his eyes, touched the green pendant while linking his mind with the artifact''s soul, and ordered.


    ''Send him out now.''


    A spatial crack appeared 2 meters away from him the next instant and soon formed into a 1-meter tall portal.


    Cardinal Smith walked out of the other side a secondter and looked around the surroundings.


    But before he could think further, Charles waved his hand, dismissed the portal, and locked his gaze on Cardinal. Simultaneously, he cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him and erased his current thinking.


    After that, he raised his hand, took out the memory orb from his Inner World, and threw it towards him.


    In a blink, the memory orb arrived in front of Cardinal Smith''s forehead, entered deep into his head, and tried to fuse with his original consciousness.


    But suddenly, an invisible divine power appeared out of nowhere and blocked it!


    ''Hmm? The divine power? It is protecting his original consciousness, huh.'' Charles paused in surprise and then sent the memory orb into his Inner World.


    Cardinal gripped his head with both hands and staggered to and forth the next instant. His breath turned louder, his legs started trembling uncontrobly, and he even let out painful groans. Even though Cardinal Smith was a powerful Awaken, his soul was weak.


    So, forceful memory insertion caused him severe headaches!


    Although Melody and Irzoch got startled a little, both knew that their master had done something to the Light Church Cardinal and decided to remain silent.


    Nobody spoke a word in the throne hall for the next few minutes.


    After some time, Cardinal finally managed to return to his previous state and checked his body in a hurry.


    Once he noticed that nothing abnormal had happened to him, he breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his attention towards Charles.


    "What-?" As he was about to ask what had happened, part of his memories suddenly vanished from his Inner World.


    At that moment, only a sense of calmness and truthfulness appeared in his eyes.


    He nced around, soon frowned as he realized that he was in the Throne Hall, and asked.


    "Do you need any other help, my friend? If not, I have to return to the Holy See sooner."


    Unlike before, he showed some respect towards Charles, which surprised Melody and Irzoch to some extend.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "I want to ask you some questions, Mr. Smith. Can you answer me honestly?"


    On the other hand, Cardinal showed a hesitant look and soon agreed.


    "As long as it doesn''t include anything confidential, I will answer those questions."


    ''Heh, confidential, huh.''


    Nodding his head, Charles ced his right hand on the golden throne''s arm and asked.


    "What''s your goal?"


    Although Cardinal got confused a little, he didn''t put too much thought into it and answered truthfully.


    "The purpose of my life is to be an integral part of our supreme Goddess, transcend the notion of all emotions, and blend into eternal bliss. It''s amon goal for all Light Church devotees."


    "But how are you going to achieve that? Jumping into the Abyssal Rifts like what Goddess Zaqiel''s disciples did in the past?" This time, Melody nced at him and asked mockingly.


    Although Cardinal somehow became their ally, she didn''t trust him a single bit and openly showed her hostility.


    In the meantime, Cardinal Smith made a forced smile, shook his head, and responded calmly.


    "We call that state as ''Infinite One.'' It''s like ending the cycle of life and bing one with the ''Creator.'' But before attaining that state, every soul would be judged in the presence of Divine Lady and then sent to Hell or Heaven based on previous life sins."


    "Heaven and Hell? You guys believe in that concept?" In truth, Charles hadn''t read anything called ''Heaven'' or ''Hell'' in any Light religious books and got surprised inside.


    Meanwhile, Cardinal Smith heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head.


    "Not all of them believe in that particr concept. Unlike others, only the higher-ups of the Light Church follow the concept of bing the ''Infinite One.'' Moreover, we also knew that our Goddess isn''t an almighty but a mortal once. Haa, it all started around five centuries ago." While speaking, Cardinal hurriedly touched his silver bracelet, took out a leather-covered book from it, and tossed it towards him.


    "At that time, our Goddess Zaqiel sent us an oracle and told the Pope to unify the Kingdoms. Not only that, but she also told the Pope that she sent a trusted Angel to the Faith Realm from the ce called ''Elysian World'' to guide humanity. But the one who appeared was not an Angel but a monstrous Nightmare Creature! It was a Devil!"


    In the meantime, Charles caught the book, flipped open the page, and read the title.


    ''The Seven Hells.''


    "Your Goddess is currently residing in one of the Seven Infernal Worlds?" A surprised look appeared on his face.


    "We don''t know much about her current location. But what we do know is that Devil had many holy books like this one. Also, His Holiness told me that our Goddess indeed sent an Angel for us, but the Angel seemed to have encountered something during its journey andter turned into a Nightmare Creature. If not for the Pope of that time sacrificing his life to seal it in a box, the whole world might''ve gotten corrupted by that evil being and turned into a demond."


    "It''s quite a fascinating story indeed. This story perfectly fits with the Evil God''s scheme prophetic words." Charles let out a chuckle and flipped the pages before reading the book.


    "First Layer of the Infernal ne, Xedeus¡­ The true ruler''s name was Al Amar Seiyon, but he disappeared along with the God of the Underworld before the Age of Origin Time. He had many titles like the Fallen Overlord, Prideful Being, The White Devil, etc.,"


    "The legend im that it was Overlord Seiyon who ''created'' the firstnguage itself by teaching it to High Humans and High Elves¡­ There was also a legend saying that he was born before the birth of the Universe itself, but nobody knew the truth. Even though he disappeared for more than one hundred thousand years ago, nobody dares to be the next ruler of the first Hell."


    ''Oh? So, he is the Fallen Overlord, huh.'' Charles nodded, flipped the pages continuously, and soon stopped at a particr page.


    "Secondyer- Evil God Avar¡­ He is the new Evil Emperor of Greed and Wealth¡­"


    It was information about the Second Hell. But as he further read about the Evil God Avar, he soon lost interest.


    He again flipped the pages and soon stopped as he read a poetic verse.


    "In the groves of fierce mountains, Ananku wear


    Bright flowers and appears in whatever form desired.


    Male Owl, along with its female hoots in the


    Huge, dark town square at this confusing


    midnight time, when she rises and roams in many forms.


    Like an Angel who descends from heaven,


    She wanders mostly with ghouls and spirits.


    She was called a Queen of Ghouls, Guardian of Spirits, Demoness who incites lust and kills oneself, or Devil who corrupts men.


    She was also called Demon Goddess of Lust and Desire, Deity of Shores, Ocean, and Mountain. She is the ruler of the third Hell)."


    ''Oh? This Devil seems to be an interesting one.'' He muttered inwardly and then continued to look at the rest of the pages.


    "Fourth Layer- Maayon,


    Devil of Wrath & Destruction, Blood Devil."


    "Fifth Layer- Guber, Lord of Gluttony and wealth."


    "Sixthyer- Pora, Evil Goddess of Envy and Jealousy."


    "Seventh Layer- Red Prince, Self-proimed descendant of Fallen Overlord and also a sloth. He is also called as Evil God of Fate and Destiny."


    Charles''s eyes flickered as he read information about the Red Prince.


    ''But Rh said he merely ruled the 66th Domain of the First Layer, right? He recently became the ruler of the Seventh Hell? Tsk, I need more information.'' He closed the book and tossed it back to Cardinal.


    Then, he looked at him and asked.


    "What happened to the ones who jumped into the Abyssal Rifts? Why did they do it?"


    "They are a bunch of fanatics who tried to leave this ne." Cardinal Smith responded shortly.


    Meanwhile, Charles pondered for a few seconds and finally spoke.


    "So, that''s why the Light Church wanted to unify the kingdoms, huh. But why did they fail?"


    "Our Church also has people with two different ideologies. Although His Holiness and some high-rank members wanted to unify the kingdoms, most of them are firmly opposing the decision."


    "You mean the Shadow Angels?" Charles asked.


    "No¡­ Shadow Angels are just a part of the opposition group."

 Chapter 477: Key Player

    <h4>Chapter 477: Key yer</h4>


    "They are more like the shadow of the Light Church. Even though His Holiness holds the highest authority in the Light Church, he doesn''t have the power to do as he wishes like any King." Cardinal Smith answered solemnly.


    "So, the Light Church is also in a mess, huh," Charlesmented.


    Meanwhile, a forced smile appeared on Cardinal Smith''s face.


    He was well aware of the politics and schemes run in the Holy See and felt bitterness. Although he wanted to tell more about the Light Church''s corruption, he decided not to reveal too much information.


    Little did he know that he revealed too much confidential information due to the influence of the curse spell!


    ''Moreover, I know nothing about the outside world. But I can''t trust this otherworldly person fully. But I can ask His Holiness about this. As long as I enter the secret chamber, I might get some clue about how to travel to other nes. If I get my hands on that Nightmare Creature''s artifacts, I can use that as a bargaining chip and leave this ce. But will His Holiness allow me to enter the secret chamber and study about the otherworldly artifacts? He will oppose my decision for sure.''


    A grim look appeared on his face.


    Finally, he heaved a heavy sigh and responded.


    "No. Even if I find a way, it''s almost impossible for me to leave this ne without His Holiness''s approval. There is a high chance that he might imprison me in the name of Heresy and throw me in the Ender Maze."


    "Ender Maze?" Charles asked in curiosity.


    "It''s a mysterious ce of no return, My Lord. I heard that this ce is located in the northern end of this continent, but no one knew of its real location." Irzoch exined.


    "Oh? Then, it is indeed a troublesome matter." Charles frowned deeply and then went silent.


    In the meantime, Melody suddenly thought of something and proposed an absurd idea while pointing her finger at Cardinal Smith.


    "Your Highness, why shouldn''t we rece Gabriel and make him the new Pope? By doing so, I also don''t need to hide my true identity and roam wherever I want."


    Cardinal''s eyes flickered in anger as he heard those words.


    "Atrocious! His Holiness is the true believer of Light, and he has all the qualifications to remain Pope for the rest of his life. He cares for the people and could even sacrifice his life to save everyone-"


    Before he could even finish his words, Irzoch gave a disdainful look and interrupted him.


    "Humph, don''t try to act like your guys are like some saint. I have seen the dark side of your church members!"


    At that moment, Charles also waved his hand and spoke thoughtfully.


    "What she said is indeed right, Mr. Smith. From what I have read from all the books, I can tell that the Light Church is corrupted to the core everywhere. Pope Gabriel may be a good person, but he is not a saint."


    Irzoch also nodded her head and added.


    "Indeed, the Light Church''s only aim is to unify the kingdoms and recreates the Fallen Empire to fulfill their Goddess''s Oracle. They won''t give a damn about citizens'' well-being or poor people''s life."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal Smith went silent. Then, he looked at Charles and shook his head.


    "It''s impossible for me to be the next Pope. Even if His Holiness dies due to some unfortunate circumstances, there are more than three more Cardinals and two Head Deacons to rece his position. I may be powerful, but I''m not the only Awaken in the Light Church." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "If there is nothing else, I will go back to the Holy See and submit a detailed report about the Crown Prince''s demise and his misdeeds. If not, they might think something terrible had happened here and dispatch the Shadow Angels."


    Meanwhile, Charles also showed an understanding look on his face and acted ordingly.


    "It seems you''ve already made up your mind." He paused for a moment and then asked.


    "But before that, I want to ask you another question. Do you know if there are any unique books that Goddess Zaqiel wrote before she left? If I use my prophecy skill on those items, I might find more clues about her. If luck is on our side, there is a high chance that we might get the right coordinate of her current location."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal Smith''s eyes lit up, and he nodded his head in a hurry.


    "Although it is impossible to get the original copy, I can get the duplicates for you."


    "I''m counting on you then." Charles nodded and then secretly erased the [Curse of the Overlord] spell from his dark space.


    s, not a slight change in emotion appeared on Cardinal Smith''s face.


    He then turned around, walked towards the hall''s entrance, and left the throne hall.


    As Melody watched Cardinal leaving the Throne Hall, she couldn''t help but mutter in a displeased tone.


    "I don''t trust that guy, Your Highness,"


    On the other hand, Irzoch also nodded her head in agreement and added.


    "I have a feeling that he might invite more trouble."


    "You are wrong. From now on, Cardinal will be the key yer in my game." Charles said with a cunning smile on his face.


    "Key yer? But didn''t he reject our deal?" Melody tilted her head in confusion and asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled lightly, took out the fire cube from his space ring, and asked.


    "What would happen if we release the sealed ''Nightmare'' creature in the Holy See?"


    Upon hearing his words, both Melody and Irzoch took a step back and stared at the silver Crown hidden inside the fire cube in shock.


    "I-Is that what I think it is, Your Highness?" Melody asked in a startled tone.


    "No. I don''t think this Crown is the sealed ''Nightmare.'' But I have a vague feeling that this Silver Crown is the key material to find that sealed ''Nightmare'' box. Once we get that thing, we can release the ''Nightmare Creature'' inside the Holy See and see if it could kill Pope Gabriel. Then, we can take things slowly and make Cardinal Smith the next Pope of the Light Church. But before that, we need to do some preparations." Charles paused for a moment and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ''If what Cardinal Smith said is true, we can safely assume that the ''Nightmare Creature'' was once an Angel and came here to protect the humans. But many secrets are revolving around that Nightmare Creature. For example, why did Bryson invade the Holy See and steal the sealed box? Why did a Druid help him steal the box? Also, who is the mysterious person who stole that Sealed ''Nightmare'' Box from Bryson? If I don''t find answers to these questions sooner, my whole n might fail. Hmm, Its better to think of a backup n to enter the Secret Chamber if this one fails¡­'' He sighed heavily.

 Chapter 478: Worth

    <h4>Chapter 478: Worth</h4>


    ''I should take things slowly. My first job is to get more clues about this Silver Crown.'' Charles suddenly blinked his eyes and soon recalled Prince Julius''s memories about the Silver Crown.


    But just as he read the memories, he couldn''t help but pause in surprise.


    ''Hmm? Julius''s mother is the one who gifted this Silver Crown to thete King?''


    On their first anniversary, she gifted this Crown and became his favorite woman!


    This incident happened more than 20 years ago!


    Then, thete King reced this Crown with the old one and even announced it as a Royal Heritage.


    ''But the question is: Where did she get that much money to buy this crown?''


    It was an expensive silver crown with many tiny crystals and diamonds. Moreover, the unique crystal at the top of the Crown also gave him an eerie feeling earlier, which he believed wasn''t some random stone.


    Charles was well aware of Prince Julius''s mother''s situation and felt suspicious.


    ''Hmm, she is from a small merchant family; so, there is no way she brought this Crown by herself. Did someone help her? If so, who is it?''


    As he was about to order Irzoch to do an investigation about this Crown, a certain Demon Sorcerer''s face appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''Demon Sorcerer Nash¡­ Indeed, even Cardinal Smith mentioned that he battled him 26 years ago andter heard about Nash staying in the Royal Capital. Coincidence? Or, am I overthinking?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon frowned.


    If Nash had no connection with Prince Julius''s mother, he wouldn''t have suspected him. But now felt that there might be a big conspiracy behind his action.


    ''It''s better to do more investigation before concluding.'' He nodded inwardly and then ordered.


    "Irzoch, I want you to go to the Commoners'' Borough and conduct a small investigation. Can you do it?"


    "Yes, Your Highness," Irzoch responded with a nod and then waited.


    In the meantime, Charles told her about his suspicion and even gave the authority to use forceful methods.


    "Investigate everyone, including Prince Julius''s grandparents. I want to know how this silver Crown came into second consort''s hand."


    Then, he took out a silver ring from his space ring, shifted his attention towards Melody, and tossed it to her.


    "This is for you. Put the soul mark in this ring. With this, you can enter and exit the pocket dimension willingly."


    On the other hand, Melody caught the ring, thought of her abnormal growth in the pocket dimension, and asked.


    "Is there anything special about that ce, Your Highness?"


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke while waving his hand.


    "That ce has some deep rtion with your catkin race."


    ''Catkin race?!'' Melody widened her eyes in shock.


    ''How?! His Highness seems to have already known more about my origin! But where did Ie from? What is the name of the ne? Are my parents still alive?'' Countless questions whirled in her head suddenly.


    All she remembered about her hometown were enclosed forest, blurry mountain images, arge green tree, and strange voices. Other than those things, she knew nothing about her origin.


    As if Charles had already read her thoughts, he let out a chuckle and added.


    "I don''t know if your parents and rtives are still alive, Melody. But what I do know is that a powerful person is keeping an eye on you. She might be far more powerful than Goddess Zaqiel or me and has the power to annihte everyone in this world in seconds. If you want to learn about your origin and your parents, prove your worth towards her. She is your only clue." He decided to lend her a hand.


    Although he still couldn''t understand the reason behind Goddess Nyara''s action, he chose not to act rashly and anger her for silly reasons.


    ''I have already offended too many powerful beings. It''s time to take a step back.'' He thought.


    Meanwhile, Melody widened her eyes in surprise and asked.


    "Prove my worth?"


    "Yes. First, I want you to be a member of the Druid''s Guild and take full control over this Guild within the next nine months. I also want you to investigate why did Druid Laura help Bryson 210 years ago. There is a high possibility that Sealed ''Nightmare'' Box might be hidden somewhere in the Druid Guild''s headquarters. Can you do it? If you can''t even achieve this simple thing, you can forget searching for clues about your family." Charles''s words were cold and harsh.


    As Melody heard those words, she bit her lips and nodded her head.


    "I''ll not disappoint you, Your Highness."


    Charles smiled lightly and then spoke.


    "Good. You should also spend your free time training in the pocket dimension. I have a vague feeling that you might achieve a breakthrough and be a Rank-5 Druid in a few months."


    In truth, she had long reached her peak stage. The only thing holding her back was theck of understanding of the Nature Law and low wisdom power. She gained multiple breakthroughs when she entered the pocket dimension due to the dense nature-elemental energy in the atmosphere.


    It enchanted her druidic spells and even strengthened her soul.


    "Rank-5?" Melody blurted out in surprise and soon showed an exciting look on her face.


    Then, she shifted his attention towards the silver ring, ced her soul imprint on it, and disappeared from there.


    Melody reappeared in the Throne Hall two secondster and bowed towards Charles.


    "Thank you, Your Highness."


    Charles smiled as he saw her enthusiastic face and then turned towards Irzoch.


    "I also have a long-term job for you, Irzoch." He spoke calmly.


    "This loyal servant is waiting for your order, My Lord." An instant response came out of Irzoch''s mouth.


    "It''s about a stealth job. I want you to be a member of the Deceivers Organization and find more information about Bryson and the Nightmare creature." He paused for a moment and then added in a solemn tone.


    "You also have only nine months to finish this job. If possible, you can find a way to contact your organization and try to upgrade your demon bloodline before starting your mission. Also, you are free to use the Royal Family''s wealth from now on."


    "Y-Yes, My Lord," Irzoch responded with a nod.


    On the other hand, Charles scanned the Royal City and soon frowned.


    "Why there are so many Nobles gathered in the Royal Pce at this hour?"


    "I invited them to talk about the uing funeral ceremony, Your Highness," Melody answered.


    "Go and bring them in." Charles sent out an order and then leaned his back against the throne.


    In the meantime, Melody hurriedly walked out of the Throne Hall and returned with a bunch of luxuriously dressed nobles.


    On the other hand, Charles acted like the real Prince Julius and sent out multiple orders.


    He even invited elite armymanders, the Third Prince Leone, and other Royal Family members and discussed the current situation of the kingdom.

 Chapter 479 - A Lone Princesss Grief

    <h4>Chapter 479 - A Lone Princess''s Grief</h4>


    Chapter 479: A Lone Princess''s Grief


    Three weekster,


    Throne Hall, Royal Pce, Royal Capital.


    Many things had happened in the Aetas Kingdom during the past three weeks.


    First, Charles was crowned as the next King of the Aetas Kingdom and even recognized by the Light Church two days ago. Although some nobles and even armymanders protested and opposed Charles, Melody, and Irzoch managed to solve everything in no time!


    It was a huge change in his opinion.


    Even though he became the King and even formed a formal alliance with the Light Church, there was one thing he was still wary of.


    It was the mysterious seer who goes by the name Victor.


    Although Cardinal Smith was keeping an eye on him, he still felt that he had to do something about this matter.


    Second, Irzoch''s investigation about the Demon Sorcerer Nash and the Silver Crown gave him some big clues towards Deceivers organization and its origin.


    From the investigation, Charles learned that the one who gave the ''Silver Crown'' to Prince Julius''s mother wasn''t Nash but someone else!


    But the Demon Sorcerer Nash also seemed to have shown interest in this ''Silver Crown'' and even tried to steal it seven years ago. Unfortunately, he got caught by Duke Ismael and was imprisoned for more than six months.


    Later, Prince Julius''s mother recruited him under her wings and even gave him the guard position.


    But what startled Charles most was that the Demon Sorcerer Nash worshipped a being named Amay!


    In truth, he also remembered Nash mentioning that name during the Castle Massacre incident but hadn''t given much importance to that information at that time.


    Moreover, Irzoch also found strange inscriptions, engravings, and even an Angel-like statue in Nash''s secret cabin.


    With all the clues, Charles came to a bold conclusion.


    ''There is a high chance that this Amay might be the name of the Angel sent by Goddess Zaqiel. Then, who is this Bryson? Maybe a cult leader?'' He shook his head and leaned his back on the throne.


    At this moment, he satfortably on the golden throne and nced around. The Throne hall didn''t look like it was in despair. All kinds of people appeared all in the hall, and there was even an orchestra ying music before him. It was usual for the Kings of Aetas to invite poets, dancers, or musicians to the Throne Hall and present gifts for the best ones.


    At that moment, the ones who stood most inside the Throne Hall were privilegedmoners, guards, and merchants. Only a few nobles participated in this event, but they too appeared bored. On the other hand, themoners seemed very enthusiastic, and some even already immersed themselves in the music and rhythm.


    Charles also lost interest in hearing the old-type music, but he maintained hisposed look and pretended like he was watching the show in surprise due to his current position.


    s, he entirely focused his attention on the other matters.


    ''I also feel that there might be some connection with the warning words from my future self.'' Muttering inwardly, he continued to do his acting for the next two hours and finally ended the orchestra after giving the entertainers gold coins and gems.


    Once everyone, including nobles of Aetas Kingdom, left the Throne Hall, he breathed out a sigh of relief and crossed his legs together.


    ''Irzoch and Melody had already left the city. All I need to do now is upgrade my [Arcane Eyes] skill, wait for my subordinates toplete their mission, and then start the game.'' The corner of his lips curled upward as he touched his space ring and took out a ck-covered book from it.


    It was an unknownnguage book that Cardinal Smith sent to him a day ago. In truth, 63 simr books were stored in his space ring, and each book had more than 1000 pages!


    But what''s more surprising was that thenguage written in the book was even alien to the Pope or other High-Rank members. That''s what Cardinal Smith told him before giving them for his research purpose.


    s, the Light Church made copies of the original one and ced them in the Holy See''s library to show off.


    ''Cardinal mentioned that I need to return this batch of books within the next three months. It seems he used some of his authority to borrow them from the library. Anyway, what I need now is to improve my overall knowledge.''


    There was a reason for Charles to learn new things. Currently, he didn''t have the system cube to build other spell models, nor did he have the ss-Gems to rank up the Sub-ss.


    So, instead of wasting time, he decided to upgrade his [Arcane Eyes] skill by learning a newnguage and knowledge without any help from outside. He knew that if he wanted to stand toe to toe against those monstrous beings, he should at least possess a vast amount of knowledge!


    Shaking his head, he opened the book and tried to read the title.


    At that moment, his [Arcane Eyes] skill activated on its own and gave him some form of a clue about the first word.


    It was a strange feeling that he felt when he entered into the state of enlightenment.


    ''Is this the power of wisdom? Or, insight?'' He stared at the first word for a whole minute and soon muttered.


    "Astial? Is it a name?"


    ''It seems it would take some time to decipher the content of thisnguage.'' Muttering inwardly, he closed his eyes, took out all 64 books from the space ring, and ced them next to the golden throne.


    Then, he read the second word and soon widened his eyes as he felt different meanings.


    "Development... No. Breeding? Cultivation?...Refinement? Nah, it''s something else. Wait. Civilization? Astial Civilization?" He smiled as he grasped the title''s meaning and soon shifted his attention below.


    After some minutes, he also managed to decipher most of the letters on the title page.


    ''Volume one: A Lone Princess''s Grief... by ??????-'' He frowned as he stared at the author''s name for a moment and soon paused in surprise.


    Even though he saw something written over there, he couldn''t even decipher what it was.


    He then tried to probe the meaning of the name multiple times but felt something invisible was blocking him from even reading it!


    ''I can see some invisible power around this name.... A spell used to block others from reading a particr word or a name?'' He felt that was the possible exnation.

 Chapter 480 - Eyes Of The Runes

    <h4>Chapter 480 - Eyes Of The Runes</h4>


    Chapter 480: Eyes of the Runes


    Charles stayed in the same position for the next few hours and continued deciphering the book.


    "Astial Language (The origin of the sacred scripts) and its influence..."


    At first, Charles only saw early scripts of the Astial Language with some phics and the crude form of writing.


    But as he continued to read the first volume, he soon realized that it was a narrative about the rise and fall of an Archaic Civilization in a world called ''The Origin Nexus.''


    ''Birth of three princes....'' Charles continued to read this book for the next three days and finallypleted it. Then, he stored the volume-1 into his space ring and took out the second volume before opening it. He isted himself from other works and continued reading the second one.


    "2. Style or Metre (Required for verses)..."


    In the second volume, he learned about unique styles of the Astial Language''s writing, their way of living, the people''s food habits, and so on.


    The next volume was mainly about mathematics. But unlike the maths Charles learned on Earth, what he saw were some unique procedures and unique methods for calction.


    "3. Mathematics..."


    When he finished learning the third volume, he grasped the basics of the Astial Language and even managed to speak some words strangely.


    For the next three months, he didn''t waste a single moment of his time and continued to learn about many things.


    "4. Dream and its mysteries ..."


    "5. Records of the Past Time..."


    "6. Calligraphy..."


    "7. Law and Order..."


    "8. Astrology..."


    "9. Ts of Righteousness..."


    "10. Soul Insight Exercise..."


    ...


    The more he tried to decipher the new words and learned the meanings, the more he connected to some wisdom power and even continuously gained enlightenment!


    At some point, the remains of [Inheritance Gift] hidden deep inside his soul started to act up and started upgrading his [Arcane Eyes] skill.


    Indeed, even though he left his System Cube with Rh, this [Inheritance Gift] was still hiding in his Inner World.


    At that moment, countless strange letters simr to Runal words came from the depths of his soul, passed through the Dark Space, and started affecting his eyes.


    Although no warning notifications appeared in front of his eyes, Charles knew that his eyes were undergoing some strange kind of mutation!


    The mutation process continued for more than an hour and finally stopped.


    Then, a dense amount of information also appeared out of nowhere and engraved in the depth of his soul.


    A secondter, Charles opened his eyes and saw a strange scene.


    "Eyes of the Runes?" A sh of surprise appeared on his face.


    At that moment, his right eye appeared eerie bluish like his original one, but his left eye seemed to be a whitish crystalline one!


    In his right eye, he saw a regr physical world.


    But in his left eye, he saw something extraordinary.


    It was the Dream World!


    What startled him most was that he noticed the ''Time'' anomaly in the Dream World and got stunned inside.


    He saw a ruined pce at first, then the scenario got changed into empty grasnd where the wild creatures were roaming here and there, and sometimeter, he saw a normal scene where everyone was standing in the Throne Hall, but everything moved slowly!


    Time moved faster sometimes, while the other times were at a very slower ce. Not only that, but he also saw past, present, and future scenes like some broken videotape recorder!


    But before he could try to get more information, a sharp pain appeared from the depth of his left eye and caused him to close it voluntarily.


    ''What happened?'' He frowned deeply before trying to open his eyes but was met with another sharp pain.


    ''Why? Is there any cool-down time for this upgraded left eye? Or, is my understanding of the Wisdom power is too low to let me see what''s happening in the Dream World?'' He couldn''t help but show a surprised look on his face.


    After that, he shifted his attention towards his right eye and tried to sense what was upgraded.


    ''Hmm? I can now see the Soul forms more clearly, clear interlined fate and luck strings of every creature -... Hmm? Interlinked? So, that''s why changing one''s luck is affecting the fate strings, huh.'' He nodded inwardly and continued to check.


    ''Able to see Illusions, invisible objects, and other things are already there before. So, it''s not a major upgrade. But the major one is theputer-like deciphering ability.'' He nodded inwardly and then shifted his attention towards the next volume. Even though he upgraded his eyes, his thirst for knowledge and power hadn''t lessened a single bit.


    ...


    Three monthster, he finallypleted the 64th book called "Knowledge of ck Magic and Curses" and felt that he hadprehended the power of wisdom to some level!


    ''It wasn''t a power one could gain by just reading books. To obtain even a little spark of wisdom, I think I needed to learn and experience things like the birth of civilizations, histories of different kinds of worlds and eras, many races, their origins, their natural habits, and many more. What I have is nothing but a minute particle of knowledge about a particr civilization that was destroyed eons ago.'' At that moment, he also realized the gap between a God and a mortal.


    ''Those Gods must have lived for tens of thousands of years and even saw birth and fall of many civilizations. So, it''s not surprising for them to not even consider me as a threat. On the other hand, I''m nothing more than a worthless being. I don''t have a Prodigy or Divine affinity in any element, nor do I have some powerful S or SS Level Intellectual artifact or any overpowered grandfather to help me. I have a criminal mind to think smarter, but there must be many more genius out there to outsmart my pathetic mind.'' A frown appeared on his forehead as he walked in the hallway, stopped in front of arge wooden door, and opened it.


    It was his royal bedroom.


    The room was big and lengthy, made entirely of the wooden floor, and had arge bed with wooden frames made of wooden logs. They were a bit rusty with patches of moss. Above the bed, there was a wooden pole with many bells tied on it. It was on the right side of the room. To his left was a big desk, and next to it was a wooden rack used to keep his clothing.


    There were also some big empty wooden chests ced in the corner of the room and big windows on the opposite wall. As one could see it from the outside, the windows wererge, and arge wooden table and chair were ced next to it.


    The table was made of a few logs of wood, and next to it was a small cupboard filled with foodstuff and several utensils.


    Once Charles walked inside, he went near the wooden table and sat on the nearby chair.

 Chapter 481 - More Clues

    <h4>Chapter 481 - More Clues</h4>


    Chapter 481: More Clues


    Charles then took out a bunch of sealed letters from his space ring and was about to read them one by one but suddenly stopped.


    At that moment, he noticed that the green pendant on his neck flickered in green light and soon received a message from the Will of the pocket dimension.


    "Oh? Melody returned to the pocket dimension using the fixed teleportation ring?" He muttered in surprise.


    He then leaned on the wooden chair and waved his hand.


    A secondter, the space behind him started to distort and soon formed into a one-meter tall bluish portal.


    The next instant, an emerald-haired youngdy walked out of the portal, arrived near the wooden table, and bowed her head.


    "Good morning, Your Majesty!" Melody greeted him politely and was about to tell him about her mission but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, she saw his closed left eye and got confused.


    "W-What happened to your eye, My Lord!?" She asked in an anxious tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles nced at her, activated [Eyes of the Runes] skill, and checked her status.


    At the same time, he noticed the anxiety on her face and answered with a smile.


    "It''s nothing serious. But I''ll be like this for most of the time from now on."


    While answering, he noticed peculiar energy filled with some nature essence power appeared in her left hand.


    It looked more like a w mark and appeared almost minute.


    If not for his keen sense and [Eyes of the Runes] skill, he wouldn''t have noticed it.


    ''Someone cast a tracking spell on her body?'' He furrowed his brows before conjuring a ball of [Rebirth me] and tossed it towards her hand.


    Although Melody got started by his action, she didn''t try blocking it. Instead, she showed a stiff smile and waited for the ball of rebirth me to hit her hand.


    Meanwhile, the me appeared near her hand and enveloped the area where the w-like mark appeared before sealing it.


    Then, Charles probed for any other anomaly in her body and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "They won''t be able to track your location now." In truth, tracking her would be an impossible task for anyone from that organization. Currently, she was more than 1000 km away from the Eastern Forest and even used a different transportation method toe here.


    Still, he thought it would be safer to seal that mark for a while.


    Then, Charles took a deep breath, ced the letters on the table, and spoke solemnly.


    "You haven''t returned to the pocket dimension for the past one month. Did something happen?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty!"


    Melody nodded her head and answered.


    "After joining the Druid''s Guild, the official members didn''t allow me to roam outside. But thanks to [Trickster''s Mask] skill and my identity, I managed to fool the higher-ups and even became an elite member."


    "Your identity?" Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. I was Lady Laura''s student back then, and she was the one who taught me everything and even helped me multiple times during our escape from the Magewind city. So, when the old Druids heard about my request to join the Guild, they directly promoted me to an Elite member and even requested me to stay there permanently."


    "Oh? How is this new organization? Care to tell more about them?" Charles''s interest piqued as he heard those words.


    ''Even if they were affected by her skill, no one would allow a stranger that easily. Although Melody has some history with the founders, something feels fishy here.'' He thought to himself.


    In the meantime, Melody showed a solemn look on her face and spoke.


    "The organization has grown to an unimaginable level, Your Majesty. More than thousands of druids are staying in the Guild''s headquarters, and almost all of them are newly recruited humans. As for the organization''s location, it resides in the deepest part of the Eastern Forest and difficult for anyone to locate it." She deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Also, they seemed to find a way to turn a normal human into a Druid using some unique golden leaf. They called it ''Divine Leaf,'' and it enchanted a normal human''s nature affinity by one level! Although they only use that leaf for the awakening process, its ability to boost one''s Nature affinity exceededmon sense."


    "Leaf?" Charles widened his eyes in surprise, hurriedly touched his chest area, and took out the [Nature''s Leaf] before showing it to her.


    "Did it look like this? I mean, did that leaf have any star-like symbol like this one?"


    At that moment, a surprise shed on Melody''s face as she stared at the star-like symbol imprinted [Nature''s Leaf] and soon showed a puzzled look on her face.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and added.


    "It''s called ''Nature''s Leaf.'' Unlike the other leaf, this one can''t boost one''s Nature affinity. But I didn''t expect that a small group of refugees would possess such an extraordinary item."


    On the other hand, Melody also showed an impressed look on her face and asked.


    "What are your orders, Your Majesty? Should I steal it?" Her voice contained a trace of excitement.


    "Nah, you can take that yourself when you took full control over that organization." Charles waved his hand and asked.


    "What about the ''Nightmare'' Box? Did you get some clue about it?"


    As she heard those words, the trace of excitement on Melody''s face soon disappeared without even a trace and was reced with a hint of anxiety.


    "Y-Yes, Your Majesty. As you have guessed earlier, the one who took the ''Nightmare'' Box from Bryson was indeed a Druid''s Guild member. His name was Wade, and he was the leader of the group who brought the 40 plus Druids out of Magewind city to this farawaynd. After that, Wade, Laura, and a few other druids created this Nature''s Guild and started expanding it to arge organization."


    "Where is he now?" Charles raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "He died, Your Majesty. From what I''ve heard from an elite member, the Nature''s Guild and Deceivers'' organizations seemed to have cooperated to steal the Nightmare box from the Holy See 210 years ago. Although that guy doesn''t know the rtionship between these two groups and their original goal, he said that the Druid''s Guild betrayed Deceivers'' organization by sacrificing Lady Laura''s life for that artifact-"


    "Artifact?" Charles raised his eyebrows and interrupted her all of a sudden.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. They called that sealed ''Nightmare'' Box a terrifying cursed artifact. From what I learned from him, anyone who stays in the Druid''s Guild for more than a month started having nightmares in their dream. There are even cases where some druids went to sleep during the nighttime but never woke up. That''s why every Druid must leave the organization''s headquarters once in a month to neutralize the nightmare effect." Melody said in a gloomy tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head in understanding and asked further.


    "What about Wade? How did he die?"


    "After stealing the Nightmare Box from Bryson, Wade returned to Druid''s Guild headquarters and tried to open the box with all elite Druids, Your Majesty. From what I heard from an Elite Druid, they appeared to have nned to turn the Nightmare Creature into an artifact. Unfortunately, they underestimated that thing. When Wade tried to open the box, he seemed to have entered aa stage and started losing his lifespan. Within three minutes, he died of old age, and even his body and soul were erased from existence itself." Melody paused for a moment and then added in a grim tone.


    "Not only him, but those who touched that metallic box also affected by the ''Nightmare'' being and turned into ashes."

 Chapter 482 - Golden Dice

    <h4>Chapter 482 - Golden Dice</h4>


    Chapter 482: Golden Dice


    "Oh? An ability simr to [Erase Existence] spell?" Charles frowned as he sensed an abnormality and then asked in confusion.


    "If anyone who touched the ''Nightmare'' Box were affected by that strange spell, why Bryson is still alive? He must have touched that box when stealing it from the Holy See, right?"


    Melody tersely acknowledged his words and answered with a nod.


    "I have a slight suspicion that something must have happened to Bryson, Your Majesty. He might''ve evaded his death but was still affected by the power to some extent. Otherwise, he would''ve returned to Druid''s Guild''s headquarters to take revenge on them for their betrayal, right?"


    "Still, that didn''t exin why Deceivers organization sent their members to different kingdoms to look for the sealed ''Nightmare'' Box." Charles shook his head in disapproval and then pondered.


    "I think Bryson might also have died during that time, but someone else must have reced his position and is still acting as the head of the Deceivers organization. That''s why this new Bryson doesn''t know the location of this sealed ''Nightmare'' Box."


    Meanwhile, Melody widened her eyes in surprise and soon said with a frown.


    "I suspect that this new Bryson also knew nothing about the two organizations'' cooperation. Maybe a puppet leader?"


    "It seems so. Well, let''s see if Irzoch sent us some useful information."


    Saying so, he straightened his back and shifted his attention towards the bunch of letters.


    Although more than thousands of letters came from different parts of the world, Charles picked up the most important ones and brought them to his room earlier.


    He searched those letters for a while and soon picked up the one from Irzoch. But unlike the other letters, this one appeared bulk.


    ''She also sent us a book?''


    He hurriedly tore the red sealed cover and soon took out a letter and a ck-covered book from it. Then, he shifted his attention towards the letter and started to read.


    In that letter, Irzoch mentioned that she had visited the ''Brigade of Skin Imps'' organization two months ago and requested the higher-ups to upgrade her bloodline. Unfortunately, they rejected her request and told her that it wasn''t worth risking her life.


    After some investigation, she learned that only the near-death individuals or old-aged people could upgrade their bloodline and be a Rank-5 Demon Sorcerer. She also mentioned that many of those who ranked up lost their mind and went berserk!


    ''So, this phenomenon was not only to the ss-Gem path members but also Warlocks, huh.'' Charles thought to himself.


    She even attached a demonic ritual book along with the letter and asked Charles to help to look into it. Then, Irzoch told him that she had gathered more information about the Deceivers'' organization using money and learned that it only had dozens of members. Each of them had a unique identity, and they were much more secretive than any other organization. She also added that bing a Deceivers organization member was an impossible task.


    "...Two hundred years ago, there seemed to be more than hundreds of members working for that organization, My Lord. Butter, it got shrunken to dozens of numbers. I highly suspect that something must have happened during that time, which caused this reformation. I also saw a mission about the Deceivers organization posted on the Brigade of Skin''s mission board. It''s a mission to find someone named ''Luis'' from Deceivers organization and help the client to catch this guy alive. It means someone other than us also gathering information about the Deceivers'' organization and seems to be plotting..."


    But what surprised him was that Irzoch took the job rted to the Deceivers organization and was waiting for the appointed time. She also mentioned the exact appointment time and even told her about the client''s identity.


    ''Not bad.''


    He nodded inwardly and shifted his attention towards the next letter.


    "From Count Pierce, huh..." He read the letter carefully and checked if any important information was there. Once he found it was just an official greeting letter, he tossed it into the nearby dustbin and moved towards the next one. He read the other letters for the next few minutes and finally shifted his attention towards Melody.


    "You can go back and continue your job. Meanwhile, I''ll think of a way to take that sealed ''Nightmare'' Box without touching." Although he could still use wisdom power to take the box, he didn''t dare try it. He wanted to confirm a few things before taking any reckless decision.


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    Melody bowed her head, turned around, and walked towards the bluish portal that appeared out of nowhere.


    She entered the portal in a second and disappeared from there, leaving Charles alone in the bedroom.


    "What should I do now?" He asked himself while blinking his right eye and soon clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    ''It seems I need more information about that sealed ''Nightmare'' box.''


    Shaking his head, he took out the star constetion book from his space ring, ced it on the wooden table, and searched for something in the rack. Soon, he took out a wooden quill and ink book from it and put them on the table. Following that, he flipped the star constetion book and soon stopped at the mysterious empty page. After that, he wrote his personal information and then thought about a clue regarding System Cube''s upgrade.


    The only answer he got from his future self was nk visions filled withplete darkness for the first few times.


    But during the seventeenth time, the mysterious twelve marks shone in golden light and pulled his consciousness somewhere.


    He opened his right eye a secondter and soon noticed that he was currently in an enclosed dungeon.


    The dungeon walls were formed of dark grey brick, and the stone floor was covered with dirty dust and loose dirt. The floor was so cold that the color of the dirt seemed to have changed to dull yellow. Charles then noticed the ck, iron-barred doors of the dungeon. One of them had a small, square, and shiny ss window on the top, and light beams wereing out of it.


    He also saw a griffon symbol engraved on the iron-barred door and memorized it in an instant.


    Charles then stepped forward and soon appeared in front of the iron-barred door. But just as he tried to open the door, his hand passed right through it, and soon he found himself inside the dungeon cell.


    At that moment, he saw a brown-beared man in histe 70sid on the dirty dust with a painful look on his face and appeared tired. But what caught Charles''s attention was the thing thaty next to his box.


    It was a golden dice with one to six dots on different sides, and it glowed in bright light.


    ''A luck-based artifact? So, my upgraded system cube will have a luck-based ability, huh?'' A surprise shed on his face.


    Without any dy, he looked at the surroundings and started to gather if he would get any information. He soon saw a cross symbol with a sword on the man''s torn dress and was about to take a deep look at it but soon noticed that the surroundings were starting to break like broken mirrors.


    Before long, Charles found himself in his bedroom and soon showed a surprised face.


    "A dice, huh.." He nodded inwardly, took out another empty notebook from the nearby rack, and wrote down all the information in it.

 Chapter 483 - Voice

    <h4>Chapter 483 - Voice</h4>


    Chapter 483: Voice


    Charles again shifted his attention towards the star constetion book and repeated the process.


    Although he failed at first, he didn''t get discouraged at all.


    After a few tries, he noticed that the twelve golden lights moved from the unique marks, intersected with one another, and moved straight towards his forehead.


    An invisible force appeared out of nowhere the next second and pulled his consciousness somewhere.


    A momentter, Charles saw that the whole surroundings started to distort and soon found himself in a small room.


    It was a 10x10ft room with a bed, a table, and a window viewing a green-tiled roofed building and nothing more.


    The room was silent, devoid of any life. Even with the windows open, the air was still. At that moment, he also saw a unique double-wings symbol on the walls and frowned.


    ''Where am I?'' Furrowing his brows, he moved closer towards the window and soon paused as he saw a dome-shaped building with four unique towers on the opposite side.


    ''Light Churches?'' A surprise appeared on his face.


    He also saw that many simr buildings appeared all over the ce and soon froze as he realized where he was now.


    ''Holy See?''


    He paused in surprise and shifted his attention towards the small room.


    He knew that he had no extra time to waste in this vision and tried to gather as much information as possible.


    He first looked at the cab, then the wooden bed, the nearby shelf, and finally, a ck-covered book ced on the table.


    But as he tried to look at it more clearly, some strange invisible ripple came out of it and spread to the surroundings!


    ''An artifact? Wait... I feel some familiar power... Hmm? Is it the Future Time?! What is this book?''


    At that moment, Charles knew that this power was trying to seal himself in this future vision itself!


    ''It''s dangerous to stay in this vision.''


    He hurriedly withdrew his consciousness from the vision and soon opened his eyes in his bedroom.


    Then, he released his wisdom power and checked for any anomaly in his body.


    Once he noticed that nothing had happened to his body or consciousness, he breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his gaze towards the other notebook. Then, he picked up the wooden quill and started writing what he had witnessed in the vision. Although he had an extraordinary memory, he never trusted the memories of Visions or Dreamspletely. For example, both could be manipted and falsified by the higher powers.


    Following that, he continued to do more divinations, visited the same room multiple times, and gathered more information about the book. From the information he collected from the book, he confirmed one thing.


    ''That book certainly belongs to the Mysterious Seer Victor! His ability to manipte future time might have been rted to this. I can''t be too careless from now on.''


    He muttered inwardly and stood up from his seat.


    Then, he went towards the closed window, opened it from inside, and looked outside.


    It was still midday, and the scorching sunlight brightened his room, causing him to squint his right eye for a moment. He peered outside without minding the brightness and soon saw the faraway street road, wooden and brick houses, carriages, and the old architectures.


    ''What a beautiful city.'' He chuckled inwardly and soon shifted his attention towards the Golden Dice from the first vision.


    ''I have two clues now. One is a cross symbol with a sword in it, while the other is a griffon symbol. Hmm, it''s better to look for clues in the Council Book.''


    It was a book that contained basic information about famous households. Be it a Royal Household or a small Knight Household; one can find it in this Council Book as long as they had some extraordinary history. Although this book didn''t have all the basic information about every Noble Household in this realm, it at least had 80 to 90 percent uracy. The only ones left out in this book might be the newly risen households.


    Nodding inwardly, Charles returned to the table, casually extended his right hand before touching his space ring, and took out a golden-covered book from it.


    Then, he opened the book and started flipping the pages while looking for clues. After some time, he suddenly noticed a griffon symbol on a page and then wrote the household name in the nearby notebook.


    After that, he looked at the golden-covered book once again and looked for any simr griffon symbols in it. As he had expected, he noticed 13 nobles'' households had griffon-type symbols as their household symbols. Although two Households had long disappeared from history, the others still appeared in different kingdoms.


    ''1. Livingster Household- Duke of the Haiven Dynasty...


    2. Rutherdows Household- Royalty of Braiba Kingdom...


    3. Goldhead Household- Count of Ammar Dynasty...


    4. Fullerstrong Household- Baron of Veragia Kingdom...


    ...


    11. Wilfort Household- Knight of Acanait Kingdom...''


    ...


    As he read more information about each Household, he grasped the basic knowledge of the Household like where it belongs, which era it rose to power, whether they possess a divine artifact or not, and so on. Once hepletely memorized the content, he shifted his attention towards the cross symbol-rted household names.


    ''Hmm, among the above households, only Ruthersdow Household''s symbol looks simr to the Griffon Symbol, which I saw earlier in my vision. The Barbia Kingdom, huh. As for the Cross Symbol, three households have simr cross symbols. But Buckson Household is the only Household located near the Barbia Kingdom, and it also has a sword appeared in it.'' He muttered inwardly.


    After that, he thought of the mysterious ck-covered book that appeared in his other vision and pondered.


    He knew that the book had the power of ''Future Time'' and got unsettled a little.


    He then subconsciously thought of the mysterious seer Victor and felt troubled.


    ''I think he might have suspected my identity but didn''t have enough evidence to prove it to others. Cardinal Smith also keeping an eye on him; so, I should avoid going after him now.''


    After he came to this Faith Realm, Victor was the only person who showed some understanding towards Future Time, which made sense for him to feel unsettled inside.


    But any rash action against the Church would lead to unpredictable variables. And Charles also knew the consequence of messing up a n.


    ''My problem is not Victor but how to steal this book from him. I suspect that this book can let the user see the future like my Star Constetion book, right? Then, he might be expecting my arrival, and there is a high chance that he might hide that mysterious book before confronting me. What would I do if I were in his shoes? Obviously, I would try my best to hide even the information about it. Nah, I might even erase the memory of its location and its abilities from my memory. So, I have to catch him off guard and steal that book from him.'' He nodded in understanding and then took out the silver crown sealed in a rebirth me cube.


    He then ced it on the table, opened his right eye, and looked at it carefully.


    Simultaneously, he activated his [Eyes of the Runes] skill and analyzed it.


    At that moment, he noticed that a strange wave of energy leaked out of the silver crown from time to time. It was neither ''Dream'' energy nor ''Astral'' energy. Instead, Charles sensed a peculiar powering from the strange wave, and it seemed to be rted to information or knowledge!


    ''Knowledge?... Hmm, it looks like a unique type of knowledge power.'' He casually took out the ''Eye of Insight'' stone and used the insight power to probe the strange wave.


    Later, he entered a deep enlightenment state and started analyzing knowledge power.


    As he managed to grasp a small part of this new knowledge power, he felt that his right eye had already reached its limit.


    Before he could close his eyes in sharp pain, an eerie voice echoed in the depths of his mind.


    "H-Help me!"


    The voice appeared more like a whisper of a young man, and it seemed to be scared of something.

 Chapter 484 - Doubts

    <h4>Chapter 484 - Doubts</h4>


    Chapter 484: Doubts


    A startled expression appeared on Charles''s face as he heard that voice.


    Simultaneously, he also thought of erasing the current thinking but stopped.


    At that moment, he noticed multiple simr waves from the silver crown and appeared to be moving out of the me cube.


    After some probing, he soon realized that these waves were nothing but recorded ones!


    ''From the looks of it, the voice seemed to be rying some secretive information. Is it the remnant Will of the ''Nightmare''?''


    After a slight hesitation, he stared at the silver crown deeply and waved his hand.


    A momentter, the rebirth me cube that enveloped the silver crown started to go off and soon disappeared from his eyes.


    Then, he shifted his attention to the mysterious waves and deciphered the details hidden in the knowledge power.


    Like before, he heard a strange type of broken sentence in the depths of his mind.


    But what startled him deeply was that he heard two different kinds of voices.


    "I''m trapped... Eternal... Demon!... Find the... remnant shards and-!"


    Before the creepy voice could end, it stopped for a moment and soon continued.


    "-Release me! I''ll... forever... in debt... you."


    Charles frowned as he heard those voices and listened to other unique waves. Unfortunately, all he heard was the same recorded voice in the form of knowledge power.


    ''Eternal Demon? The ''Nightmare'' is not a Devil but a Demon? Moreover, whose voice is that? Is it the former Pope''s voice? Does that mean he didn''t die but got sealed himself along with the ''Nightmare'' being? Or, this ''Nightmare'' being is trying to trick me into releasing it?'' After pondering for a while, Charles sighed deeply and thought of gathering more information about the Crown of Hell and its shards.


    ''Well, my goal is also the same anyway. As long as I gain ess to the Secret Chamber, there is nothing else for me to lose.''


    He used the same divination methods for the next few hours and searched for the remaining Shards locations.


    To his surprise, he saw multiple visions about different objects and their current locations, but soon he found something unique about those objects!


    "All of them are Crowns? Moreover, almost half of them are in the same ce?" He couldn''t help but mutter in a shocked tone. Indeed, the silver crowns also appeared simr to the Silver Crown and even had ck-colored gemstone stones on them.


    ''Dream Stones? It looks like these silver crowns seem like an activation key. Maybe it''s a key to control the sealed box?'' Although it was absurd thinking, he felt that it might be possible.


    It was a vague feeling which made him unsettle inside.


    While in confusion, his [Forewarning] skill triggered on its own and showed him a glimpse of a faraway future image.


    In that image, he saw that a terrifying ckish serpent descended from the cloudy sky and seemed to be hissing at him!


    The winged serpent appeared simr to what he saw in Dream World, but it had two heads instead of one.


    ''A future warning? Tsk, an omnipotent Light God, Evil God, Avatar of the Evil God, Fallen Angel, Eternal Demon, and finally, the Nightmare Devil. I''m starting to suspect that all these titles belong to a single entity.''


    ''There is something else that''s troubling me for a while now. What happened 500 years ago? When the Nightmare Being, aka the corrupted Angel, came to this mortal world, the Pope of that time confronted it and even managed to seal it in some mysterious box... But why didn''t the Church mention his name anywhere in the history book? They should''ve crowned him as the next emperor... But he seems to have disappeared from history itself.''


    As he thought, his suspicion towards the Light Church grew deeper.


    ''There are also the two types of factions that emerged in the Light Church at that time. Hmm, the unluckiness effect whenever they started their n of reunification... Wait, first of all, why did they even want to re-establish the Fallen Empire? Even Goddess Zaqiel mentioned multiple times that no empire would stand forever, right? Then, the descendant of the Nightmare Being changed their ideology? That''s the reason for this whole mess?'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''Gathering all these Crowns would put the whole world in a dangerous situation. But I don''t care about that nonsense. What I need is how to get out of this world as soon as possible.'' Shaking his head, he wrote down the information about other crowns and closed the notebook. Then, he put it back in the rack and took out an empty piece of paper. After that, he ced it on the wooden table before picking up the quill and started writing his next orders to Irzoch.


    Once he finished writing the letter, he shifted his attention towards his Inner World and waved his hand.


    A momentter, dense elemental energy appeared in the small room and soon took shape into an appearance of a humanoid figure. Before long, an illusionary appearance of Prince Julius appeared in front of his eyes.


    It was his incarnation!


    "I have a job for you." Charles paused for a moment as he looked at the incarnation, gave the letter to him, and continued.


    "Go to the Azov Kingdom''s capital and look for Irzoch in the mentioned address. I have a vague feeling that she might get herself killed if she goes after that Deceivers Organization member without any protection. Even the Demon Sorcerer Nash was powerful enough to stand equally against me in battle; so, I think this guy might also have something up in his sleeves like the coin ne artifact."


    Saying so, he took out the strange talisman coin ne from his space ring and gave it to him.


    "Give this artifact to her for protection. I also added this artifact''s abilities and side effects in the letter. So, tell her to use it cautiously." He added.


    In the meantime, the incarnation nodded its illusionary head and asked.


    "Do you want me to protect her if anything dangerous urs in my watch?"


    "You can only act when she ends up in a life-threatening situation. Otherwise, stay should stay closer to her and wait for an opportunity to erase Luis''s memories. Also, you have to be careful when casting the [Burning Consciousness] spell on him. Act more cautiousness and proceed only when he let his guard down during the battle." Charles responded in a solemn tone.


    He was well aware of the shorings of his incarnation and decided to warn it.

 Chapter 485 - Intruder

    <h4>Chapter 485 - Intruder</h4>


    Chapter 485: Intruder


    At that moment, Charles''s incarnation thought of its weakness and spoke.


    "I can''t maintain this Incarnation form for too long. Also, it will be difficult to cast the [Burning Consciousness] spell during battle."


    "What is your suggestion, then?" Charles raised his eyebrows and asked with a frown.


    Meanwhile, the incarnation went silent for a few seconds and finally answered.


    "Imprint! If I turn myself into an imprint and attach to her, I think there would be no problem. In that way, I don''t need to spend too much energy to maintain the incarnation body."


    "That''s fine. As long as you finish your job, I don''t have any problem." Charles said with a smile.


    "Got it." The incarnation nodded as it went towards the left side wardrobe and picked up a ck cloak. Then, it wore the cloak over its illusionary body and covered its head with the hood.


    Then, the incarnation cast the [me Teleportation] spell on itself and disappeared from Charles''s eyes.


    "Well, I should also go and do my work," Charles muttered inwardly, walked out of his room, and went towards the Throne Hall.


    Along the way, he also met Julius''s younger brother and his sister and exchanged a few words with them. Although he could''ve avoided them, he decided to continue his acting for a few more months.


    Once he reached the throne hall, he summoned all the Saint Knights and then gave new secret missions for them.


    Their goal was to go to different kingdoms and bring back different kinds of silver crowns, which he saw in the future visions.


    If he solely depends on his strength, it might take him months or even a year to collect all the items from different parts of the world.


    But now, he decided to split the work and give it to the elites. Although they weren''t powerful enough to battle an Awaken, their strength was more than enough to steal the crowns and escape.


    Once he exined everything about their next job, Charles replicated a piece of his memory about the silver crowns and put them in the Saint Knights'' mind.


    The next day, a total of eleven Saint Knights left the Royal Pce of Aetas Kingdom and went to different parts of the Faith Realm''s maind.


    Some Saint Knights moved towards a particr Kingdom called ''Narva,'' while the rest moved towards other ces.


    Their goal was, of course, to find the mysterious silver crowns!


    Meanwhile, Charles remained in the Royal Pce and focused his full attention on managing the official works.


    At first, he also thought of going to the Braiba Kingdom and started looking for the Golden Dice.


    He was indeed eager to know what was so special about that Golden Dice!


    But he suppressed his curiosity and then took care of the official matters first, likepleting all the document works, foreign meetings, gatherings, and he even adjusted two banquet dates.


    He also focused his attention on his left eye and tried to control it fully during his free time.


    Unfortunately, he soon learned that he needed more than a decade to control that power!


    ''I also need toprehend the [Eyes of the Runes] skill to grasp the pure wisdom essence in my eyes. Although the inheritance gift forcefully pushed this wisdom essence into my eyes and made a strange mutation, I mustprehend the wisdom essence in the next few years to make this wisdom essence my own. Otherwise, the essence might leak like what is currently happening in the Eye of Insight stone and disappear from my eyes one day. In the worst-case scenario, I might lose the recent upgrades of my eyes.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''But if Ipletelyprehend that power, I might be able to open a pathway to the Dream World and go there whenever I want,'' He muttered inwardly and decided to put an eyepatch on his left eye.


    ...


    Thirteen dayster.


    Throne Hall, Royal Pce, Royal Capital of Aetas Kingdom.


    Currently, more than hundreds of people like nobles, knights, servants, and even somemoners were seated in the hall and were in the middle of listening to a noble advisor''s words.


    He was talking about Demi-Valley and Citrus River dispute, whichsted for more than five decades.


    While Charles was thinking of a solution, an anxious voice came from the Throne Hall''s entrance and interrupted his thinking.


    "Sorry for the intrusion, Your Majesty. But I came here with a gift from a farawaynd. Could you please ask your soldiers to open the gate?"


    On the other hand, Charles squinted his eyes, looked at the Throne Hall entrance, and peered into the other side. At that moment, a middle-aged man stood outside the Throne Hall and held arge wooden chest in his hand. Surrounding him were the elite Royal Knights pointing their various weapons towards his neck and was ordering him to put down the wooden chest box.


    If not for Charles''s analyzing skill, he would''ve thought of him as a wandering knight.


    ''Although I couldn''t scan him due to a mysterious forcefield around his body, I can vaguely guess that he is not a random soldier. Is he a Rank-5 Demon Sorcerer? An assassin?''


    Charles raised his eyebrows while cing his right hand on the throne''s arm and ordered.


    "Let him in."


    Upon hearing the order, two Royal Knights hurriedly ran towards the entrance gate and opened it, allowing the nobles and others to see the intruder''s face.


    The intruder was a man with brown hair, blue eyes, and sculptured outlines and was holding the wooden chest tightly like some precious treasure. He was 1.77 meters tall and nearly 50 years old. His figure was maintained well, but some burn marks appeared on his left chin, ruining his handsome face a little. Currently, he wore a thin ck surcoat and looked tired. At this moment, he showed a surprised look on his face and soon stepped into the throne hall.


    Before long, he arrived a few meters away from the throne canopy and knelt on the ground before greeting him.


    "The ''Mystique'' of the Deceivers'' Organization greets Your Majesty Julius."


    ''Oh? Interesting,'' Charles also put a smile on his face and asked.


    "You aren''t here to assassinate me?"


    On the other hand, the middle-aged man named ''Mystique'' shook his head and stood up while cing the wooden chest box on the carpeted floor.


    Then, he bent his waist a bit and bowed his head once again before answering.


    "Lord Bryson sent me here to deliver the silver crowns that you are searching for, Your Majesty."


    For a moment, a strange silence appeared in the Throne Hall.


    ''How did he know? Irzoch got caught by the enemies? No, something isn''t right. The [Overlord Curse] is still working, which means she isn''t dead yet. Moreover, my incarnation is still alive...''


    Charles frowned deeply and soon heaved a deep sigh.


    "How did you know that I needed the silver crowns?" He couldn''t help but ask.

 Chapter 486 - Book Of The Past

    <h4>Chapter 486 - Book Of The Past</h4>


    Chapter 486: Book of the Past


    Before Mystique could open his mouth, Charles suddenly sensed something appeared in his mind and soon widened his eyes.


    At that moment, a new type of information appeared in his Inner World.


    ''Oh? My incarnation managed to cast the [Burning Consciousness] spell on Luis?'' He couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    At the same time, he raised his hand to stop Mystique from responding, leaned on the golden throne, and spoke with a smile.


    "Please wait for a while, Jace. I need some time to think."


    This time, it was Mystique''s turn to be shocked!


    ''H-How did he know about my real name? Mind reading? Impossible!'' While Jace was muttering in confusion, Charles shifted his attention towards his Inner World and started reading the new memories.


    ''Memories about the Deceivers Organization... Book of the Past... True History of the Faith Realm... Goddess Zaqiel... Bryson''s new goal...''


    As he started reading, the first thing that caught his attention was the information about Bryson''s appearance.


    ''He is a man with no face... Bryson also has some deep knowledge about ancientnguages and history...'' Charles also found more information about the mysterious angel statue in Nash''s secret chamber and soon furrowed his brows.


    ''Amay... The Deceivers Organization worships this being as the Goddess of Nightmare and Illusions... Bryson and the Deceivers'' organization members weren''t tricked by this being but chose to worship this Goddess willingly to get strength in return. It was more like a mutual rtionship. The Amay Goddess wanted to establish a Church in this ne, while Bryson needed a powerful backer to achieve his own goal. As long as one sacrifices enough materials or treasures to the Goddess, they will get a bloodline vial in return from the Goddess herself... The more you sacrifice your wealth and treasures, the more you will benefit from the Goddess... Wait... Is Bryson already under the control of this Goddess?'' Charles furrowed his brows and continued to read about the Book of the Past artifact.


    The more he read about the Book''s other abilities and Bryson''s recent actions, the more he understood the current situation of the Deceivers'' organization.


    ''The Book of the Past seemed to have sealed Bryson''s memories about the ''Nightmare Box'' deep in his Inner World and stopped the ''Eternal Nightmare Curse'' from affecting him... From all the conversations Luis had with Bryson, I can vaguely tell that he doesn''t have much memory about what happened 210 years ago. He probably erased all the memories about the Nightmare box and evaded the curse. Still, the curse seems to be still there in his body. Because of that, he seems to be avoiding any information rted to Druid''s Guild or the Light Church...''


    ''He also used the Book of the Past frequently and learned more about the history of this Faith ne... In truth, he became a new person with a different goal.''


    ''But the main thing is: Why did he be a servant to a foreign Goddess? If this guy is smart enough to evade this curse, he should''ve prepared for other obstacles, right? Moreover, what is his strange habit of painting strange creatures'' images on walls and floors? He does that whenever he uses the Book of the Past?''


    Although Luis believed that this might be a side effect of overusing the Book of the Past, Charles felt it had other meanings.


    ''Are there any clues in those images? Or maybe I''m overthinking? Also, how does he know that I needed the silver crowns?'' Questions whirled inside his head.


    At that moment, a clear image of the painting of the strange creatures appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''Abyssal Rose? Three-headed humanoid creature? Wait! Why do I feel like I had seen these creatures before?''


    A simr image shed before his eyes as he looked at that particr memory.


    The next instant, Charles got stunned for a moment and soon muttered out loud.


    "I remember now!"


    When Charles and the Aces Team members searched for clues about Red Prince in Riverdale City, he saw simr paintings in Jimmy''s house.


    ''Same creatures... Hmm, something is wrong with the painting. Hints to something?'' He thought for a moment and then decided to erase it from his memories.


    He knew that many strange beings out there could transverse through realms and possess anyone who came in contact with these mysterious symbols or paintings.


    For example, even muttering a particr name, drawing a symbol, or even doing some unique hand signs were more than enough to attract some Divine Being''s attention!


    He didn''t want to make the same mistake as before when he muttered a particr Time God''s name and almost got himself killed.


    ''If Luis encountered such a problem when he looked into the true history or his Past, I would''ve thought of it as a normal thing. But it seems Bryson is the only one who seems to be seeing these creatures in the Book.''


    ''Maybe his mind got corrupted by the chaos power?'' Charles massaged his temple and also noticed another anomaly.


    ''Bryson hasn''t left the organization''s headquarters for more than five decades. Moreover, he seemed to be gathering these crowns based on intuition only.'' Not only that, but he was trying his best to lessen the number of the organization members in recent years.


    Even when Nash died earlier, Bryson told the other members not to look for another candidate to rece his position. Instead, he told others toy low for a while.


    ''Is he afraid of something? Or, is he in a weakened state and is in dire need of an outsider''s help? Is that why he always stays in the headquarters? He forgot about what happened 210 years ago but acted like he already knew what would happen next-''


    ''Wait! There is a high possibility that the one acting outside is not his original consciousness but a clone one. Yes, Bryson''s original consciousness might be hiding deep inside his Inner World and scheming something big. By doing this, he could''ve avoided being influenced by any external force.'' Indeed, after Charles came to this realm, he hadn''t met anyone who entered their Inner World. Even the Rank-5 Demon Sorcerers and Awaken Knights hadn''t entered their Inner World and were using spells with the help of Divine or a Demon during battle.


    That''s why the Elemental Sorcerers were pretty weak in this ne.


    ''They also hadn''t undergone any elemental heart ceremony. But unlike others, Bryson is different. He must have already created the elemental imprint.''


    ''If I''m not wrong, his goal must be simr to mine. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have sent these silver crowns to me as a gift. He wants me to free the ''Nightmare'' from the sealed box? What a tricky guy.'' Although Charles couldn''t understand why he did that, he was more or less happy with how things were going now.


    But what startled him more was another piece of information about Goddess Zaqiel from the Book of the Past!


    There was no Light Church thousands of years ago, nor was Goddess Zaqiel a Light Magic-user!


    Luis learned this information from the ''Book of the Past.''


    If it were before, Charles wouldn''t have put too much thought into it.


    But after he read about the Book of the Past''s abilities and Bryson, he was more or less convinced that it was a powerful intellectual artifact to see the history itself.


    ''It has the power to show the true history and one''s Past in a matter of seconds... Not an ordinary intellectual artifact but most probably a Series-S artifact.''


    Unlike the coin ne, this one was a real deal and seemed to have many mysterious powers.


    ''Moreover, it isn''t a controble one; because it could read one''s Past like a mind reader and is even capable of manipting others'' will to some extent!''


    Other than Bryson and three other people like Luis, no one in the Deceivers'' Organization would dare to even get near it.

 Chapter 487 - Links

    <h4>Chapter 487 - Links</h4>


    Chapter 487: Links


    ''But I wonder does the Series-S artifact also have multiple sealed souls inside like the Coin Ne?''


    In truth, the Coin Ne was nothing but a powerful Extraordinary Level artifact. Although it had mysterious luck abilities, it wasn''t strong enough to causerge catastrophes like a normal intellectual artifact.


    But the Book of the Past artifact was a different one.


    Charles also learned that there were four more powerful Intellectual artifacts in Deceivers'' organization''s possession, and each of them was powerful and could even causerge-scale catastrophes.


    For example, an artifact called ''Miracle Mirage'' could even be capable of pulling every soul in the Physical World to the Dream World and giving them their wishful life in the form of dreams!


    As for these intellectual artifacts'' origin? Luis knew nothing much about it.


    But Bryson believed that they were Goddess Zaqiel''s possessions.


    Still, he wasn''t sure about some things, though.


    For example, the Divine artifacts that Light Church-owned were all like Extraordinary Artifacts and had many drawbacks like activation times, chanting rituals, etc.,


    They were also a lot weaker.


    On the other hand, artifacts like Book of the Past and the ''Miracle Mirage'' were unique on their own!


    Even the Coin Ne was far more powerful than a normal Divine Artifact from the Light Church.


    Also, be it the Goddess Shield which Duke Michael had in his possession or any other Divine artifacts, most of them had one thing inmon.


    They were all created using the power of Light and Truth.


    But there was no mention of Light Magic in ancient literature or the Fallen Empire era scripts.


    No one even knew what magic did Goddess Zaqiel used at that time.


    But wherever she moved, thend flourished, thunders and rain descended, and Nature itself extended its own hands to create miracles upon miracles on thisnd.


    The people of that time even called her the Angel of Wishes, not the Angel of Light!


    Bryson also suspected that Goddess Zaquel had three types of power. The first one was Luck-based power, the second one was a Dream based one, and finally, thest one was a Nature-based one.


    He believed that the ''Nightmare'' that attacked the Holy See was not an Angel like the Church mentioned in the books but an intelligent artifact of Goddess Zaqiel!


    ''Wait... He knew of the ''Nightmare'' being''s attack on the Holy See but didn''t have any idea about who stole it 210 years ago? Interesting.''


    At that moment, Charles knew that the one who erased all evidence linked to Deceivers'' organization with the ''Nightmare'' box and the Druids'' Guild was none other than Bryson himself.


    ''But Light Church must have known about his real identity at that time and even his link with the Druid''s Guild. So, he had no choice but to iste himself from the rest of the world and wait for an opportunity to undo the cursepletely. I suspect that the only way to undo the Nightmare Curse must be something to do with the silver crowns.''


    The next thing that surprised him was Goddess Zaqiel''s miracles in the past.


    ''Miracle? Maybe Goddess Zaqiel was a [Historian] ss mystic? Or a luck-based bloodline warlock? Is this the reason why I stumbled upon a lot of luck-based artifacts and even a luck-rted Awaken Knight recently?'' Charles furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion and soon shook his head.


    He then shifted his attention towards the memories and started reading more about Faith Realm''s history.


    When Goddess Zaqiel came to this world, she seemed to be injured and even had a mysterious illness that caused her health to worsen.


    Still, she hid everything from the innocent civilians, built a civilized Empire, and did many good deeds for the people.


    She only disappeared after unifying the Faith Realm.


    As for where she went? No one knew.


    But Bryson believed that the Goddess Zaqiel went to the other side of the maind, created a small town, and spent the rest of her life over there.


    He also suspected that the Magewind City''s rise had something to do with her!


    ''Magewind City... Nature Magic... The mysterious nt in the pocket dimension... Is it one of Goddess Nyara''s schemes? Does that mysterious nt have a connection with Goddess Zaqiel? Maybe that mysterious nt is the newborn Goddess Zaqiel?'' He felt goosebumps all of a sudden.


    ''Mother Nature... Is she the one whom Margwind City schrs and Druids were worshipping all this time? What is the role of Melody in this?'' As he connected the links, he couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    ''Haa, I thought there are no deep schemes in this world. Damn you, Nyara!'' He cursed inwardly and decided to read the remaining memories.


    It was mostly about what happened after Goddess Zaqiel left the Fallen Empire to the other side of the continent.


    ''Because of greed and lust for power, Goddess Zaqiel''s beloved disciples fought for the throne and broke the Fallen Empire into three Dynasties.''


    ''Two centuriester, those Dynasties also further broke into pieces and became 12 small kingdoms...''


    Even though the Fallen Empire broke as Goddess Zaqiel had predicted, they remained together during tough times and even helped each other.


    Norge-scale war happened for more than two centuries.


    But that soon ended when a shocking earthquake appeared out of nowhere and gave birth to bizarre abyssal rifts.


    Then, hordes of demonic creatures and demons emerged from the abyssal rifts and invaded the maind.


    Upon facing such an unexpected situation, the twelve small kingdoms united together and fought against the Demons and the demonic creatures to save humanity.


    Arge-scale war happened, and that war forced humanity to lose almost half of its poption. If not for the help from the Divine Beasts that resided deep in the western Forest, the whole Faith Realm would''ve turned into a Demons territory by now.


    Although the small kingdoms managed to repel those hordes of Demons and sent them back to the Abyssal Rifts, the loss on everyone''s side was too huge.


    ''But they neglected another problem at that time. It was the scattered demonic beasts... Although the Demons returned to the Abyss, the demonic beasts like imps, goblins, and kobolds spread across the continent and started troubling the mortals.''


    For the next three centuries, the small kingdoms focused their full attention on strengthening their defense and carried out countless expenditures to kill the remnant demonic beasts.


    But what they didn''t expect was that the abyssal rift remained in the Faith ne, formed a connection with the Abyss itself, and continuously spawned demonic beasts into the Faith Realm.


    At the same time, many demon worshipers and cults started to appear everywhere.


    Some nobles who belonged to Fallen Empire also got tempted by the demons and started worshipping a foreign deity using Goddess Zaqiel''s name!


    That''s how the Light Magic came into existence in this world.


    After some decades, Light Church tried to creature rift among the kingdoms and built the thirteenth kingdom called ''Light Kingdom.''


    Then, they used Goddess Zaqiel''s name to build churches everywhere and even formed a ''Light Council'' under their supervision.


    At the same time, Demon Sorcerers, Elemental Sorcerers, and evil cult organizations also appeared everywhere in this ne.


    Although the root evil managed to enter all parts of the maind, their main obstacle also arrived.


    It appeared in the form of ''Luck'' or ''Misfortune.''


    The first unluckiness started when the Light Church got a hold of people''s hearts and was about to reunite the broken Fallen Empire.


    The Nightmare Being invaded the Holy See and ruined their n.


    ''Well, I didn''t expect such a twist at all. Whether this part of history is true or false, I can vaguely understand the situation of this Faith Realm now..'' Charles muttered inwardly and continued to read the rest of the memories for the next few minutes.

 Chapter 488 - Avatar

    <h4>Chapter 488 - Avatar</h4>


    Chapter 488: Avatar


    ''Even Luis seemed to be clueless about Bryson''s original goal.'' Charles thought to himself.


    But he knew that Bryson''s goal must be simr to what the Light Church was doing or even worse.


    Once he finished reading the memories, Charles ced his right hand on the throne''s arm and tapped on it while pondering.


    ''The foreign entity... Evil God... Avatar...''


    ''A few weeks ago, Cardinal Ismael said that Pope of that time received an ''oracle'' from their Goddess before she sent out her Angel for protection... Could it be that Pope realized the truth and retaliated? Is this also the reason for two factions in church?'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''It is possible. Bryson also wants to release this sealed Nightmare being to this world. But if he were born in this world, he would never make such a decision. Instead, he would have taken these Silver Crowns to the deepest part of the earth and buried it there... something is wrong...''


    ''What if the Nightmare thing that sealed inside the sealed box is not an Avatar or a Demonic Angel but an Evil God itself? What if Bryson is not a normal human with so much ancient knowledge but an Avatar of this Evil God? It perfectly makes sense.''


    At that moment, his abnormal intuition also told him that it was the correct answer!


    ''Damn, I was almost got fooled by this guy. The Evil God must have descended to this mortal realm with so many ns, but met with retaliation from the Pope of that time. Yes, the Pope might have learned that it was not their Goddess who heeded their prayers but an Evil God. So, to save his people, he must have fought against it and even managed to seal the demon with himself in the ck box...''


    ''On the other hand, the Evil God ended up in a critical situation and decided to separate a part of its soul to save its main bodyter... That remaining portion must be the Avatar of the Evil God!'' Although this was just a guess, Charles felt that the truth wasn''t far from behind.


    ''Even though I don''t know how the Pope managed to seal away the Evil God, I suspect that it might be something to do with the sealed ck box. It may be an intellectual artifact left behind by Goddess Zaqiel. Yes, when Druid''s Guild members tried to open the sealed box, it inflicted a strong ''nightmare curse'' on anyone who touched it and erased their existence from the time itself. The only one who managed to survive this curse was Bryson. Even he seemed to be still affected by it. It indicates that the one who cast this ''curse'' spell was the intellectual artifact, not the ''Evil God.''''


    ''As for the origin of those silver crowns? I still have no clue about it. But from all the gathered information, I can tell that Bryson or the Avatar seems to be searching for the silver crowns to open the sealed box and release his main body. But because of the Eternal Nightmare Curse and its effect, he still hasn''t collected all the silver crowns yet...''


    ''But when did I attract this being''s attention? Wait... It was when I chased after the Demon Sorcerer Nash into the Dream World... Yes, Bryson must have noticed that I didn''t belong to this world and thought of using me as a pawn to release his Main body from the sealed box. He also seemed to have read a part of my memories and created a realistic future dream to confuse me.''


    ''I thought that releasing the Nightmare Being from the sealed box would be the right choice, but it seems I was wrong.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    After some thought, Charles let out a deep sigh and shifted his attention towards ''Mystique'' Jace.


    ''What should I do with him now?'' He pondered for a while and decided to finish him off.


    With that thought in his mind, he stood up from his seat and stepped down from the throne canopy.


    Meanwhile, everyone in the throne hall also stood up from their respective seats and showed confused expressions on their faces.


    At that moment, Jace stood more than 10 meters away from the golden throne and carefully observed Charles''s every movement. Although he had an artifact in his sleeve that could block any sneak attack, a strange sense of uneasiness started to appear in the deepest part of his mind and made him anxious all of a sudden.


    His heart started to beat faster, causing him to sweat a lot.


    He was unsettled inside.


    A cold voice echoed in his ears as he was confused by the strange unsettled feeling.


    "You''ve done a great help by bringing me this gift, Jace."


    Meanwhile, a stiff smile appeared on his face as he bowed his head a little and responded.


    "I-It''s my honor, Your Majesty-"


    But before he could even finish his words, his intuition screamed all of a sudden and warned him about the impending danger.


    At that moment, he knew that the king in front of him was about to finish him off.


    ''F*ck! I need to escape!'' He subconsciously gripped his sweaty hands and took a step back. Simultaneously, he shifted his attention towards the golden amulet on his neck and tried to activate its protective ability.


    On the other hand, Charles casually stepped on the red-carpeted floor, used the telekic wisdom power to pick up the wooden chest box, and stored it inside his space ring.


    Then, he looked at Mystique Jace and cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on him.


    Although Jace noticed some foreign power was invading his mind, his soul was too weak even to resist his spell!


    Even his artifact didn''t help him block the mind-rted spell.


    The next instant, he forgot what he was about to do next and stood there like an emotionless doll.


    Meanwhile, a ball of purple me appeared in the deepest part of his Inner World and formed into an appearance of Charles.


    A momentter, countless [Knowledge Seeker] spell and [Fire Seed] spell appeared out of the purple Charles and flew in a different direction to burn all the memory clouds.


    On the other hand, Charles continued to walk towards Jace and soon arrived in front of him.


    Then, he extended his right hand towards his neck and snatched the golden amulet from him.


    He then pointed his forefinger on his forehead and cast [Ember Needle] spell on him.


    A secondter, a chaotic reddish needle-like me came out of his forefinger and entered deep into his head.


    Then, the chaotic fire entered every part of his body and started burning him from inside. Within a few seconds, Jace fell on the floor, and his whole body began to erupt in reddish me.


    s, not a single sign of retaliation or scream came out of Jace''s mouth.


    The chaos me burned his body continuously for the next few minutes, leaving only a charred body behind.


    Meanwhile, an eerie silence appeared in the Throne Hall!


    Be it the Nobles or the advisors, all of them were scared out of their wits upon seeing Charles''s brutality.


    On the other hand, Charles returned to the golden throne, focused his full attention on Jace''s soul, and erased his memories for the next few minutes.


    Once he finished his job, he gazed at the scared nobles and the advisors and smiled.


    Unfortunately, that mere smile caused everyone''s body to stiffen up.

 Chapter 489 - Myxentas Gift

    <h4>Chapter 489 - Myxenta''s Gift</h4>


    Chapter 489: Myxenta''s Gift


    "Court Dismissed." Charles''s voice ran through the Throne Hall as he raised his hand and signaled everyone to leave.


    As the Nobles and others were about to stand up, he turned his gaze on a particr Noble and spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "Count Pierce of the Ironhaven! I have some important news to discuss with you. Please stay here for a while."


    As the Nobles and others were shocked by Charles''s sudden words, they didn''t dare to look into his eyes and left the hall in a hurry.


    Meanwhile, a slightly obese man walked out of the crowd and soon arrived in front of the Throne Canopy. He was a short man with a darkplexion and a small head, who wore a long cloak that flowed out behind him. He was a man around 50 years old, with short hair that looked like it had been cut with a pair of dull scissors. On his face was a strong but tattered scar, the center of which was about the size of a plum. His face was pockmarked with age, and he could still see the wrinkles on his forehead, yet his expression looked young and sharp.


    Once he arrived near the dais, he knelt on the floor with one leg like a true knight and greeted him.


    "This servant is waiting for your orders, Your Majesty!" His tone appeared so sincere and polite.


    "Stand up, Pierce. Wait over there for a while."


    Charles waved his hand as he signaled Count Pierce to stand on the right side, turned towards the nearby soldier, and sent out an order.


    "Go and tell Commander Corey toe here."


    "Yes, Your Majesty!" The nearby soldier nodded his head and hurriedly left the Throne Hall.


    Although Count Pierce got puzzled inside, he didn''t say anything and waited patiently.


    Meanwhile, Charles remained seated on the golden throne in silence and appeared in deep thoughts.


    The only disturbance in the Throne Hall was a creaky noise from the loosely fitted Chandelier up in the ceiling.


    Because of the wind, it moved to and fro like a swing and disturbed the hall''s peacefulness from time to time.


    Without minding the noise, Charles focused his full attention on how to get the blue crystal from the Holy See.


    He first thought of releasing the Nightmare Being in the Holy See and creating a big mess to achieve his goal.


    But due to Bryson''s scheme, he decided to abandon that idea.


    ''There would be many misshapes in my n if I did that now. There is a high chance that I might get killed by Bryson or the Evil God itself. Although I don''t know the real strength of this Evil God, I''m damn sure that it should be a Rank-7 Demon or above.''


    Rank-7 was a Demi-God level being!


    ''If it is a Rank-8, I might get squashed like an ant in an instant!'' He knew that even thinking of escaping under such a being''s watch would be a foolish idea.


    Moreover, he doesn''t want this whole world to turn into a chaotd filled with demons and demonic creatures.


    ''In the future, I''m nning on returning here and visiting the Magewind city.'' After some thought, he decided not to wait any longer.


    ''But if I want to sneak into the Holy See, I need to find a way to divert the Pope''s attention for some time. Then, I also have to fool everyone and enter the secret chamber stealthily to seal the bluish stone. Hmm, there is also the skeletal-faced astral being guarding the Secret Chamber...'' Charles knew that it wouldn''t be an easy job to sneak inside the Holy See.


    ''From what Cardinal Smith told earlier, Light Church has more than eight Awakens, and five of them would always stay in the Holy See most of the time. So, confronting all of them at once would be more like a suicidal idea. It''s better to need to reduce their numbers or lure them away from the Holy See for some time.''


    ''Only then I might get an opportunity to even get near the Secret Chamber. But even if I get there, some unexpected idents might ur. That Mysterious Seer named Victor will also be waiting for me over there.'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    While he was in muse, Commander Corey entered the Throne Hall, stepped on the red-carpeted floor, and soon arrived in front of him.


    "Greetings, Your Majesty!" He bowed his head in respect and greeted Charles before shifting his attention towards Count Pierce.


    Charles gave a half-smile, took out a nk paper from his space ring, and started to write something on it.


    A few minutester, he folded the paper, put a royal seal on it, and passed it to Commander Corey.


    "I have a job for you, Commander Corey. Go to the Holy See of the Light Kingdom and deliver this letter to Cardinal Ismael in secret. Although it is a dangerous mission, you won''t face much problem as long as you apany Count Pierce." He paused for a moment and then looked at Count Pierce.


    "Do you have any problem?" He asked.


    "N-No, Your Majesty! I''ll take care of everything." Count Pierce said stiffly.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, took out a unique ck cloak, and passed it to Commander Corey.


    "Take this. Once you deliver the secret letter to Cardinal Smith, stay in the Holy See for the next few days and wait for my signal." He said.


    "Your Signal?" Puzzlement appeared on Commander''s face.


    "Yes, a big fire explosion will happen in the sky like the time we captured this city. That will be my signal. When you see that explosion, wear this Shadow Cloak artifact and activate it."


    "As long as you seed that, no one will be able to enter or leave that ce without your permission. That includes me."


    Although the shadow cloak wasn''t strong enough to stop Pope, Charles knew that this artifact would be more than enough to stop Awaken from leaving or entering the Holy See for some time.


    "Yes, Your Majesty." Commander nodded his head and waited for his further orders.


    On the other hand, Charles tapped his finger on the golden throne and then spoke.


    "That''s it. You guys can go back and start your mission."


    "Yes, Your Majesty!" Both Commander Corey and Count Pierce bowed their heads and hurriedly left the Throne Hall.


    In the meantime, Charles looked up at the noisy Chandelier for a moment and continued to think.


    ''But how should I lure Pope away from the Holy See first? Should I go there personally and cause some trouble like a random Demon Sorcerer? But will hee after me? No, only one or two Awakens will chase after me. Even they would give up their chase as long as I move away from the Holy See.'' In truth, it was a normal response of any powerhouse. Although they would investigate himter, they wouldn''t leave their post recklessly to kill a random Demon Sorcerer.


    While he was racking his brain, a few armored soldiers entered the throne hall and soon took the charred body away in a stretcher.


    ''Hmm? Wait, I haven''t checked Jace''s artifact yet.''


    Charles hurriedly took out a golden amulet from his space ring and checked it carefully.


    ''Only an extraordinary artifact?'' After analyzing it, he shook his head in disappointment and stored it inside his space ring.


    Then, he took out the wooden chest, used his wisdom power to make it float in the air, and opened it.


    The next instant, a total of six silver crowns with unique greyish-ck gems appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''I should store them in a safer ce.'' He nodded while analyzing them one by one and then conjured a ball of reddish me before enveloping the whole chest with it.


    Then, he sealed the wooden chest with the Rebirth me and sent it into his pocket dimension.


    But just as he was about to check whether Melody was still staying in the Pocket Dimension or not, the Chandelier suddenly fell from the ceiling and smashed just 3 meters away from the throne!


    ''What the hell was that?''


    At that moment, he suddenly saw the candles and the fire torches attached to the walls start to extinguish one by one!


    ''An enemy?'' He instantly released his wisdom power and checked the whole pce but found nothing abnormal around him.


    But strangely, an ill feeling started to sprout in the deepest part of his heart.


    It was as if something was warning him about the impending danger!


    ''Omen?''


    At that moment, Charles''s eyes widened all of a sudden.


    ''Bryson?''


    As that name surfaced in his mind, he hurriedly took out the Star Constetion Book and started doing divinations.


    Within a few minutes, he learned a few pieces of information and got startled deeply.


    "As I thought, Bryson already knew about my action, huh? That''s troublesome. Wait. He appears... Silent? No, he looks like a maniac in another vision?"


    The more Charles does divination, the more he gets confused inside.


    ''Something is affecting him from inside? Split personality? It looks like three consciousnesses are staying in a single body!''


    In truth, Charles saw one oue that repeated most of the time among those future visions.


    ''My imprisonment. If I remain here, Bryson''s maniac personality will take over the cautious one within the next few hours ande here to capture my soul using a strange gauntlet...''


    ''And if I leave this ce, he will stille here and destroy this city before moving to the Holy See...''


    ''He isn''t affected by the curse? No, from the looks of it, those split personalities might be the side effects of the curse. Now that I think about it, Bryson isn''t an original entity but an avatar with a soul shard! So, he also doesn''t have an Inner World to hide away from the curse! His consciousness might be a replicated one like my other consciousnesses.''


    ''Then, he is facing the ''Nightmare Curse'' all along? That''s impossible. I guess he managed to suppress that curse using some unique method or the book artifact, but that''s led to this split personality disorder. As for the personalities, the first personality seems to be a reckless and maniac one, the second one looks like a cautious and shy one, and the third one looks like a silent type who only shows interest in drawing. And, the cautious one and the silent one seem to be acting together and suppressing the maniac one. It must be the reason why he was staying hidden in his headquarters all along.''


    ''But What I did earlier seems to havepletely caught him off guard and caused the maniac personality to take over the body. Well, if my incarnation hasn''t cast the [Burning Consciousness] spell on Luis, even I wouldn''t have made such a rash decision to kill Jace. Luckily-'' He suddenly paused for a moment and soon noticed an odd phenomenon.


    ''There is nothing wrong in Bryson''s n to make me his pawn... But what''s odd is the right timing when my incarnation cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on Luis and sent more information about Bryson to my Inner World. Moreover, the earlier omen-like warning. Another power is helping me?''


    Although it might be a pure coincidence, Charles decided to check whether any ''foreign'' power was involved in this small scheme.


    After all, he had seen simr types of manipted enemies before and decided to act more cautiously.


    To his surprise, a simple sentence appeared on the mysterious page, which gave him a little goosebump!


    ''Myxenta''s Gift has chosen you as its next sessor!''


    ''Myxenta''s Gift? Who is Myxenta? It kinda looks like a Girl''s name, though.'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    Just as he was about to do another divination, his eyes turned blurry all of a sudden and showed him an image of a golden dice.

 Chapter 490 - Dice Of Disasters

    <h4>Chapter 490 - Dice Of Disasters</h4>


    Chapter 490: Dice of Disasters


    ''It seems that Golden Dice is more important to me than I thought.'' Charles stood up from his seat and stepped down from the elevated throne canopy. Simultaneously, he touched the emerald pendant and checked whether Melody was in the pocket dimension or not.


    ''Oh? She is in the middle of meditation?'' He thought for a moment and ordered the Will of the pocket dimension to let her out.


    A momentter, the space in front of him started to distort and soon formed into a one-meter tall portal.


    A few secondster, an emerald-haired young woman in her twenties walked out of the portal and greeted him.


    "Do you need any help, Your Majesty?"


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Yes. I want you to apany me for a while." As he spoke, he arrived next to her, grabbed her waist with his right hand, and enveloped both of their bodies in crimson me before disappearing from the Throne Hall!


    A few secondster, both of them reappeared in the middle of an unknown forest and looked around.


    "W-Where are we, Your Majesty?" Melody released herself from Charles''s grasp and asked with a slight blush on her face.


    Meanwhile, Charles thought for a moment and spoke.


    "We are currently in the territory of the Holy See." He paused for a second and then talked to her about something secret for the next few minutes.


    Once he finished talking, he looked in a particr direction and added.


    "Wait for a while. I will go and bring Irzoch here."


    Saying so, he once again cast [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared from there.


    ...


    Thirty minutester, Charles reappeared in the same ce with Irzoch and spoke.


    "From now on, you two must act very cautiously andplete your mission before that Seer finds out your true intention. Don''t disappoint me."


    Saying so, he manipted the surrounding spatial energy using the false me and created a bluish portal behind him. Then, he turned around, walked into it, and soon disappeared from there.


    ...


    A few minutester.


    Golden Griffon Territory, Braiba Kingdom.


    At that moment, a bluish spatial crack appeared 1000 meters above the city called Goldcrest and soon formed into a one-meterrge bluish portal.


    Then, a blonde-haired young man in histe twenties walked out from it and looked at therge city with a solemn look on his face.


    His hair was a little bit messy, and his eyes appeared sharp as the eagle''s one. He was none other than Charles!


    Although it would be difficult for a Demon Sorcerer to travel to different parts of this maind, Charles was an exceptional case. He traveled more than 2,000 km in a few minutes and reached this Braiba kingdom.


    At that moment, Charles released his wisdom power, scanned the tens of thousands of houses from above, and searched for any dungeon or prison-like building.


    Soon, he zeroed his particr three-stored mansion-like building in the northern direction and curled his lips upward.


    A momentter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared in an enclosed dungeon a secondter and scanned the surroundings. As he had seen in the vision, the dungeon walls were formed of dark grey bricks, and the stone floor was covered with dirty dust and loose dirt. The floor also appeared colder, and constant groaning sounds came from both sides of the iron-barred doors.


    At that moment, an unpleasant odor also appeared out of nowhere and filled his nose with a stench.


    Covering his nose, Charles took a step forward and started walking towards the other side of the dungeon. He also saw simr griffon symbols engraved on the iron-barred doors along the way and soon arrived in front of a particr prison cell.


    Like what appeared in the vision, Charles saw a brown-beared man in histe 70sy on the dirty floor with a painful look on his face and appeared tired. Moreover, the golden dice also appeared next to the old man''s right hand and glowed in golden light continuously.


    But there was something else that caught Charles''s attention.


    ''Why do I feel nothing appear in my scan?'' Indeed, his wisdom power perceived no soul or body appeared inside the dungeon prison cell!


    After thinking for a moment, Charles stepped forward, cast [False Blink] spell before disappearing, and reappeared inside the prison cell.


    Then, he bent down and was about to pick up the golden dice but suddenly stopped.


    Not because he received any forewarning, but because someone gripped his leg!


    It was the brown-haired old man.


    At that moment, he looked at Charles with a stiff smile and muttered.


    "D-Don''t lose it."


    Saying so, he suddenly moved his hand and tried to take the nearby Golden Dice.


    Unfortunately, Charles acted swiftly and stopped him. Then, he shifted his attention towards the brown-haired old man and asked with a frown.


    "Who are you?"


    "You don''t need to know my name, Stranger. The dice has already chosen you as its next owner. Take it."


    Just as he spoke, his body turned into pure golden light and scattered everywhere!


    Simultaneously, the Golden Dice elevated above the floor and soon stopped as it reached one-foot height.


    At that moment, Charles felt a drastic change in the surrounding area and felt the time itself had frozen suddenly!


    The next instant, an invisible ripple came out of the golden dice as it turned illusionary and disappeared from his sight!


    Simultaneously, an imprint appeared in the deepest part of his mind.


    A momentter, Charles noticed it had already entered his Inner World and was hovering in mid-air!


    Even though Charles had [Eyes of the Runes], he couldn''t even perceive its movement at all!


    ''So fast and mysterious!''


    s, he knew that this golden dice was not a regr artifact.


    ''Tsk, I hate surprises.''


    Clicking his tongue, Charles took out the golden dice from his Inner World, let it hover in front of him, and analyzed it carefully.


    Soon, a row of information appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Dice of Disasters:


    Description: It is one of the hundred Miracle Gold Coins created by Goddess Myxenta to break the bnce of the Universe. Each coin contains the soul shard of the Goddess of Luck and can exhibit mysterious luck abilities.


    Ability: Chaotic Disasters.


    When the user rolls the active Golden Dice, it will produce the power of ''Misfortune'' without relying on any outside force and cause countless disasters to your surroundings. The power of the disasters'' will depend on the dice''s face with a total number of dots faced upward after rolling. The more the dots face upward, the more disasters you and your enemies will experience.


    Caution: Trying to manipte the Die will result in a backfire.


    Side Effects: As long as the user manages to survive the Disasters, there will be no side effects after that.


    Usage: 1/Year.]


    ''Oh? So, this dice has some mysterious past, huh. But who was that brown-haired old man?'' Charles furrowed his brows and decided not to use this ''dice'' now.


    He knew it was impossible to guess what kind of disaster this Golden Dice would bring upon rolling.


    After some thought, he stored the dice back into his Inner World, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from the enclosed dungeon.


    A momentter, he reappeared more than 1000 meters above the Goldcrest City, manipted the surrounding space elements, and created a bluish portal.


    Following that, he jumped into it and disappeared from there.


    A few minutester, he returned to Aetas Kingdom''s capital and waited for Bryson''s arrival.


    ...


    Exactly 5 hourster.


    Charles walked out of the Royal Pce, cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell on himself, and flew up to the dark cloudy sky.


    Within a few seconds, he reached a height of around 500 meters and stopped pping his wings.


    Then, he turned his gaze towards the eastern direction and soon squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw that arcs of bluish bolts of lightning passed through the clouds like slithering snakes and moved in his direction at an unimaginable speed!


    ''So fast!'' Before he could even blink, a human descended from the dark clouds and soon arrived 100 away from where he was hovering.


    The person wore a ck suit with golden embroidery and held a ck stick with a bright-red tip.


    He had long ck hair, greyish eyes, pale face and showed a twisted smile on his face.


    But what startled Charles was that he also saw two distorted faces appear behind him from time to time and seemed to be screaming for help!


    Upon seeing this, Charles stealthily activated the [Eyes of the Runes] skill, analyzed his every movement, and asked in a cold tone.


    "Are you here for the Silver Crowns to open the sealed ''Nightmare'' box, Mr. Bryson-?"


    Before he could finish his words, Bryson suddenly raised his ck stick, pointed the tip in his direction, and opened his mouth.


    A momentter, a strange echo came out of his mouth and caused everyone in the city to forget what they were thinking!


    Some of their consciousnesses were even pulled into the Dream World!


    Even Charles forgot what to think next and hovered in mid-air with a nk face.


    Unlike all other spells he had faced earlier, this one bypassed his Dark Space without even alerting him and affected his consciousness in an instant!


    Thankfully, he managed to regain his thinking ability in a moment due to his other consciousnesses'' intervention and hurriedly backed away.


    He enveloped his body in a crimson me, disappeared from there, and reappeared 1 km away from where he was hovering earlier.


    On the other hand, Bryson also turned into bolts of bluish lightning arcs, disappeared from there, and chased after Charles!


    ....

 Chapter 491 - Warning

    <h4>Chapter 491 - Warning</h4>


    Chapter 491: Warning


    Three hours ago.


    The Light Kingdom.


    The Holy See was located in the western corner of the Light Kingdom and surrounded by a thick ck fog that covered the surrounding areas. Although it was close to two neighboring kingdoms, the surrounding forest acted as a wall for any invasive force from outside.


    It was called the ''Nightmare'' Forest.


    As the name suggests, this ce had some close link with the Dream World. Anyone who dares to cross this forest without any help from the Light Church would find themselves lost in the woods forever. It was more like a maze forest than a Nightmare Forest!


    There was only one official route from the East to the Holy See, but it was under the control of Light Knights. So, anyone who wants toe here must pass through that path.


    At that moment, a young holy knight walked out of the dense forest while tying his pants using a knot and soon breathed a sigh of relief as he saw a group of people waiting for him on the dirt road.


    Currently, they were in the middle of their journey towards the Holy See.


    "What took you so long, Bet? Didn''t you just go there to take a leak?" An elderly man in his grey robe stepped forward and asked him.


    Meanwhile, the young Knight named Bet scratched his head awkwardly and responded.


    "I almost went in the other way and got lost, Father."


    The elderly man chuckled in amusement upon hearing his words and gestured everyone to follow after him.


    Then, the group continued to walk for the next few minutes and finally managed to see the Holy See''s outer wall from afar.


    Bet saw a tall stone wall up ahead and noticed that hundreds of Holy Knights were standing on it.


    ''Security is too tight.'' He even saw a long line of the queue and frowned.


    The group soon reached the eastern entrance gate and joined the queue.


    After some time, Bet and others also went through basic checkups at the entrance and entered through a small metallic gate.


    Once Bet and others entered the city, he left the group and moved independently.


    The Holy See was a city bustling with full of life. Unlike other towns and cities, this city was wholly enclosed by a 10 meters tall wall and appeared to have strict security measures.


    As he took a step on the concrete-like road, he sensed the light elemental energy in the surrounding air and soon froze.


    ''Inhaling too much light energy might cause imbnce to my ''Skin Change'' skill!'' He raised his eyebrows and scanned the surroundings.


    ''I have to search for that particr building. Lord Charles said that it should be located in Oak Street.'' At that moment, multiple pieces of information about the Mysterious Seer Victor, the Holy See''splete blueprint, a particr memory of a room next to dome-shaped churches appeared in the deepest part of his mind.


    Indeed, the young holy Knight was none other than Irzoch in disguise!


    After Charles left Irzoch and Melody in the woods, both came up with a bold n and decided to put it now.


    ''Thankfully, Lord Charles gave us multiple pieces of information about our secret mission! Otherwise, it would be too difficult to even get near the city. Time is running out.'' Irzoch took a step forward and walked on the main street road while ncing around.


    Hundreds of people were rushing around and had a lot of energy, so the atmosphere was lively. Although it was a city with a few million poptions, it was rich in life and culture.


    She could hear lots of differentnguages and music. Most of the people in this city seemed to have skills in multiple fields and were busy with their work.


    The streets were filled with thousands of people, and carriages were speeding down them. Because of that, every street had soundsing out of it.


    While analyzing, Irzoch continued to walk towards Sacred District and soon entered ''Oak Street.''


    Then, she took some time to locate the exact building with the help of new memories and then started to think of a n.


    ...


    45-A Dimitri Street, Knights'' District, Holy See, Light Kingdom,


    At that moment, two people entered a two-storied building situated next to the Library building and walked into the reception hall.


    One guy was a 50-years-old man who looked more like a bodyguard, while the other was a slightly obese man.


    Once they entered the reception hall, the slightly obese man went near the sofa, sat on it, and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "You should wait here until you receive His Majesty''s signal, Lord Commander. As long as you don''t go outside, no one will get suspicious."


    Meanwhile, Commander Corey removed the helmet from his head, ced it on the nearby table, and nodded.


    "I hope everything ends peacefully." He said nervously, took out a ck-colored cloak from his leather bag, and wore it over his linen clothes. Then, he ced his soul imprint on the cloak and soon understood how to activate this artifact. After that, he went towards the nearby window, opened it from inside, and looked at the clear blue sky.


    At that moment, he saw dark clouds starting to visible up in the northern and eastern sky and seemed to be moving in the Holy See''s direction!


    ...


    Hours passed slowly.


    It was around evening 5 p.m.


    Even though the sun was still up in the western sky, the dark clouds had already shrouded the city and made it look gloomier. shes of lightning and rumbling thunders echoed everywhere, nting a strange sense of uneasiness in everyone''s heart!


    There stood a single towering church at the center of the Holy See.


    The front of the Church was decorated with several pirs supporting two floors. On top of the two floors was a vast white-colored dome visible from anywhere. The light from the dome was bright, and even though it was in the evening, its brightness was too strong for one''s eyes. It lit up the entire surroundings and made the Church look so dazzling.


    On the right side of the Church stood another tall building with multiple floors that looked simr to a school. It also had a giant dome on top. However, it looked like the building was made of metal instead of wood.


    It was a Museum building and held a whole lot of treasures inside. The secret chamber was also hidden somewhere in the tall building!


    The left side of the Church was an extensive library with thergest library in the Holy See. It also had arge dome on top.


    Currently, the whole sky was covered with thick clouds and looked eerier.


    It was as if nature itself was giving warning signals to the Holy See''s ruler about the impending danger!


    In truth, the ruler also noticed the anomaly!


    At that moment, a white-robed old man in histe 70s suddenly opened his eyes in Main Church''s hallway and stood up from the front pew. The old man was the Pope of the Light Church, and his ck robe made him look frightening, and his long white hair made him look more menacing. His eyes were pure oceanic blue, and he was almost around 2 meters tall!


    "Something ising!" He currently held a golden crozier in his hand, looked up at the dome, and muttered in a grave tone.

 Chapter 492 - Sneak-In

    <h4>Chapter 492 - Sneak-In</h4>


    Chapter 492: Sneak-In


    Even though Pope muttered under his breath, almost everyone in the Church heard it!


    The priests, Bishops, Arch-Bishops, the Saint Knights, and even the only Cardinal who stayed in the Holy See got stunned by his words and stood up from their seats.


    Soon, a middle-aged man with multi-colored eyes walked towards Pope and asked in confusion.


    "What is it, Your Holiness? Is it an Oracle?"


    "Hmm... It''s just a feeling. Maybe is this the warning that thed told us all this time? Tell the Shadow Angels to strengthen the city''s defense. Also, inform the other Cardinals to return from their missions immediately." The Pope''s voice appeared serious.


    On the other hand, a forced smile appeared on the middle-aged man. He was about to say something but swallowed it back and then asked another question instead.


    "What about Bishop Victor, Your Holiness? Should we also inform him?"


    The Pope thought for a moment and nodded his head before walking towards the Sacred Church''s exit.


    In the meantime, the middle-aged man looked outside at the darkened sky through the ssy window and turned grim.


    ''His Majesty is already on his way? Damn it; there are still three more Awakens staying in the capital now!''


    Yes, that middle-aged man was none other than Cardinal Smith.


    Although he had already sent two Cardinals out of the Holy See, he wasn''t happy at all.


    Shaking his head, he hurriedly turned his gaze towards the nearby Light Knight and ordered.


    "Go and tell Bishop Victor toe here sooner."


    Before the Light Knight could respond, he walked past him and moved towards the right-side corridor.


    He thought of stopping the Shadow Angels from interfering with his Lord''s n first!


    ...


    It was around 5.10 P.M.


    Currently, a nun arrived in front of a three-storied building and looked up at it with shining eyes. It was a residential building specifically allocated for Bishops and Saint Rank Knights.


    The nun first looked up at the tall building''s terrace and then shifted her gaze towards a particr corner room on the second floor. Simultaneously, she touched her space ring and took a small de from it.


    Then, she made a small cut near her elbow and threw the de towards the nearby bush.


    ''This should be more than enough to fool him for some time.'' Irzoch muttered inwardly. Although she shape-shifted into a Light Church nun by consuming a random nun''s flesh and blood, she was well-aware of the disadvantages of this spell.


    ''I can manage without that nun''s memories, but it''s impossible to remove the blood smell from my body. Moreover, Lord Charles said that Victor would notice when I took the mysterious book ande after me. I''ve to take that book and escape faster.'' A grim look appeared on her face.


    Then, she shifted her gaze towards thepound wall and adjusted her dress.


    Currently, she wore a simple white dress, covered by a ck poncho that covered her left shoulder. She looked quite old but had a youthful and delicate figure and held a broomstick in her hand. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, showing her long slender neck.


    After adjusting her dress, she moved towards the entrance gate and greeted the gatekeepers.


    "What happened, Sister Sophie? You came two hours earlier than usual." One of the gatekeepers showed a puzzled look on his face and asked.


    In the meantime, Irzoch showed a polite smile and answered.


    "Today, I have some other works to do."


    "Don''t overwork yourself, Sister."


    The other gatekeeper said solemnly, unlocked the metallic gate, and let her in.


    On the other hand, Irzoch stepped inside, moved on the outer yard, and soon reached the building''s main entrance.


    She then turned left, casually strolled on the long corridor, and soon arrived near a straight staircase.


    Then, she took a step forward and went upstairs. Within a few seconds, she reached the second floor and turned towards the left side corridor before walking towards it.


    At the same time, she also looked at the side doors from time to time and observed the surroundings.


    It wasn''t long until she reached the end of the corridor did she halt her footsteps and shifted her gaze towards the wooden door on her left side.


    Then, she raised her soft hand and knocked on the door.


    A strange silence appeared in the corridor, followed by walking footsteps from the other side.


    Within a few seconds, a 30-years old man opened the wooden door from the other side and looked at her in confusion. He had messy blonde hair, a round face, a hawk nose, thick eyebrows, and appeared muscr.


    He was none other than Victor!


    "Cleaning? Why are you here earlier than usual?" While asking, he looked at the eerie dark clouds and soon furrowed his brows.


    At that moment, he sensed a blood fragrance from the surrounding air and looked at Irzoch in suspicion.


    Simultaneously, his eyes scanned her from head to toe and soon focused on her elbow area.


    "What happened to your hand?" He asked.


    "It''s just a small scratch, Father. Nothing serious"


    Irzoch paused for a moment and then answered his previous question politely.


    "I have some personal work to do after this, Father. That''s why I came much earlier today."


    Although it was a bit odd for her toe earlier for cleaning, Victor didn''t put too much thought into it. Instead, he looked at the dark clouds for a moment and felt an unsettling feeling.


    But soon, he dismissed that feeling, turned his gaze towards Irzoch, and nodded.


    "Go on."


    But just as Irzoch was about to step inside, running footsteps came from the corridor, followed by a young man''s shout.


    "His Excellency Smith is looking for you, Father! It''s urgent!"


    It was the same Light Knight which Cardinal Smith sent earlier. The young Light Knight''s voice was so loud that everyone in the building heard it!


    Victor and Irzoch paused in surprise as they heard his words and turned their gaze towards his direction. As the Light Knight arrived near them, Victor showed a grim look on his face and asked in a hurry.


    "What happened?"


    The Light Knight shook his head and spoke vaguely.


    "His Holiness seems to have sensed something ominous ising! He suspects that thing might be me Demon from your prophecy book."


    Upon hearing those words, the corner of Irzoch''s mouth turned upward a little but soon returned to normal.


    Before Victor or the Light Knight could notice anything odd about her, she lowered her head and shifted her gaze towards the 10x10ft room.

 Chapter 493 - Chase

    <h4>Chapter 493 - Chase</h4>


    Chapter 493: Chase


    On the other hand, Victor was also stunned by his words and soon curled his lips upward.


    "I didn''t expect that I would meet him sooner here." He let out augh, turned around, and walked inside in a hurry. He soon arrived in front of a wooden cab, opened it with both hands, and took out multiple items like a bowler hat, a golden bracelet, bangle, a wooden staff, two unique rings, and finally, a mysterious greyish ck mask from it.


    Then, he put the bowler''s hat on his head and started wearing all other essories while leaving behind the mysterious greyish ck mask and the wooden staff aside. After that, he moved towards the wardrobe, took out a trench coat from it, and put it over his casual dress.


    After that, he put the mask on his face, recited a chant in a weirdnguage, and activated the artifact.


    The mask turned transparent and soon merged with his outer skin a momentter!


    Meanwhile, Irzoch and the Light Knight watched the scene in silence and showed a confused look on their faces.


    "Good," Victor said with a nod, took out a wooden staff, and held it in his right hand.


    Even though it was just a wooden staff, Irzoch felt a mysterious power flowing out from it!


    ''All of them are Divine Artifacts!'' She was stunned inside.


    On the other hand, Bishop Victor took out a silver key and a lock from the nearby table and passed them to her.


    "After cleaning, lock the door and give this key to the receptionist. I''ll get it from himter."


    Saying so, he walked past her and left the room in a hurry.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch stood in the same ce for more than ten seconds, turned her gaze towards the room, and stepped inside.


    It was a simple room with a bed, a wooden table, a wardrobe, and finally, a cab.


    ''It''s time to finish my job.''


    She heaved a heavy sigh, walked towards the wooden table, and looked at the books ced on it.


    But as she looked at them one by one, she couldn''t help but show an anxious expression on her face.


    ''Where is it?'' Her eyes subconsciously wandered towards the nearby bed, then towards the window, and soon returned to the table.


    ''That ck-covered book isn''t here!'' Her heart skipped a beat for a moment.


    ''Did he take it with him? Wait. Maybe he put it in the cupboard?''


    She instantly shifted her gaze towards the cupboard and opened it in a hurry.


    The next instant, the anxious expression on her face disappeared and was reced with a smile.


    At that moment, she saw a ck-covered book with a strange pentagram symbol inside the cupboard. It had some peculiar countdown appeared on the front cover and looked spooky.


    ''What is that countdown? Maybe an activation time?'' She hurriedly shook her head, picked up the ck-covered book from the cupboard, and stored it inside her space ring.


    After that, she didn''t dare to dy a single moment and walked out of the small room. She moved out of the residential building in a minute and left Oak Street through a carriage.


    Although the gatekeepers inquired her when she left the building, she made excuses and escaped.


    ...


    While she was on her way to the eastern gate, Bishop Victor and the Light Knight were going to the main Church building through a horse-drawn wooden carriage.


    It was an open-type carriage. The front was decorated with a bright red color, and the sides were painted with a pair of ck wings.


    "Do you really think that me Demon would invade our Holy See, Father?" The Light Knight sat on the front seat, drove the carriage, and asked.


    Upon hearing those words, Bishop Victor showed a thoughtful look on his face and answered.


    "I once thought that our future is a fixed one, Young man. But now I know that nothing is fixed in this world. As long as you control your future, it will change ording to your thoughts." His tone appeared mysterious and profound.


    "So, the me Demon might note as you have predicted? Then, why did His Holiness feel unsettled all of a sudden? Maybe is it another enemy?" The Light Knight probed.


    As Bishop Victor was about to respond, his vision turned blurry, and soon he saw a future vision in the form of images!


    In those images, he saw that the nun he met earlier was running on a dirt road, and he seemed to be chasing after her. Even though he was drenched in rainwater, his angry expression was visible on his face.


    Indeed, his understanding of ''Future'' Time had increased a bit due to his earlier reincarnation, giving him a seer''s skill in return!


    Although it wasn''t as strong as Charles''s skill, it could indeed predict some near future incidents!


    Upon seeing those images, Victor realized that he had been fooled by that nun named Sophie and went bloodshot!


    ''That damned nun is an imposter! Is she after the Holy Book?! How did she know?'' Countless questions whirled inside his head.


    "HALT!" He roared madly, causing the Light Knight to pull the horse reins in panic.


    "W-What happened, Father?" He asked while trying his best not to crash the carriage to the nearby poster.


    On the other hand, Bishop Victor didn''t utter a response, waved the wooden staff in his hand, and jumped down from the slowing carriage.


    He then moved towards the right-side horse, cut the reins, and hopped on it.


    Although the Light Knight got confused by his action, he soon realized that Bishop Victor was going somewhere and warned him.


    "D-Don''t whip that horse, Father. It will get scared and start running around aimlessly in panic."


    "I''ll take care of it." Bishop Victor waved his hand and made a pat on the horse''s neck before making a clicking noise.


    Simultaneously, he touched the golden bracelet, whispered a strange incantation, and muttered.


    "Go faster."


    In the meantime, the white horse let out a loud neigh and ran towards the opposite side.


    Bishop continued to ride the horse while crossing multiple streets andnes and reached the eastern side within 15 minutes.


    At that moment, the darkened sky created shes of blue lightning and started pouring raindrops wildly.


    Without minding the sudden rain, Victor jumped down from the horse and hurriedly ran towards the exit gate.


    Although the Holy Knights tried to stop him, he took out a light badge from his pocket and showed it to them before walking out of the ten-meter-tall wall.


    He first looked at the surrounding woods, then towards the long queue, and finally shifted his gaze towards the dirt path that moved deep into the woods.


    "Did you see a woman covering herself with ck poncho dress leave the city?" He asked the nearby gatekeeper.


    In the meantime, the gatekeeper got startled inside and responded in a stutter.


    "Y-Yes, My Lord. She just left the city two minutes ago-"


    Before he could even finish his words, Victor released ice-elemental energies and dashed towards the dirt path.

 Chapter 494 - Underestimated

    <h4>Chapter 494 - Underestimated</h4>


    Chapter 494: Underestimated


    Victor soon entered the road enclosed by the woods and continued to run deeply even in the heavy rain. The wind howled loudly as the leaves scattered from the branches and fell.


    At that moment, the rain also started going more fiercely and sttered on his face while blocking his sight.


    ''Damn it; I didn''t expect that someone would dare to sneak into the Holy See to steal the Holy Book! Which organization did she belong to?! Deceivers? Or, Druid''s Guild?'' He felt that only those two would dare to do something reckless like this.


    He wiped the sshing rainwater on his face and continued to run.


    But just as he moved one kilometer away from the Holy See, he suddenly halted his footsteps and squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw a silhouette standing in the middle of the road and blocking his path.


    The silhouette was the woman with long ck hair and dressed in a ck-covered poncho!


    "Who are you?" He asked in a deep tone.


    Simultaneously, he gripped the wooden staff in his hand and pointed the tip at her.


    In the meantime, Irzoch panted heavily and showed a forced smile on her face.


    "My identity didn''t matter, Mister. As long as I can stall you-"


    Before she could finish her words, the whole surroundings started to turn chilly all of a sudden. At that moment, she saw an uncontroble amount of ice-elemental energying out of Victor''s two unique rings and even started freezing the rainwaters!


    Before she could back away, Bishop Victor made a cold smirk and muttered.


    "Cold Burst!"


    The next instant, the surrounding ice elemental energies gathered at the wooden staff''s tip and formed into a ball of snow.


    Although Irzoch wasn''t impressed by that snowball, she didn''t dare to let her guard down and tried to move towards the left side.


    At that moment, a bang sound came from the front, followed by a sharp pain.


    Before Irzoch could understand the situation, she was already flying in mid-air!


    Moreover, a tearing pain came from her left-side shoulder and caused her to shriek in pain.


    She crashed on the iceyer-covered dirt road the next second and felt a suffocative feeling inside. She tried to open her mouth to scream but couldn''t!


    Only then did she realize that her left side arm was nowhere to be seen!


    No, she saw that her severed arm appeared five meters away from her and seemed to have turned into pure crystalline ice.


    ''Even my flesh and bones turned into pure ice?! What the hell is that?'' She was horrified inside.


    While she was staring at the crystalline hand in shock, it started to make creaking noise and soon broke into multiple pieces before dissolving into the small powders!


    ''Wait... Why do my arms feel so numb?'' She subconsciously turned towards her side and soon stiffened up.


    At that moment, she saw that whitish foam-like snow froze the severed area, and that strange ice was even spreading towards her shoulder!


    ''I''m going to die!'' A deep sense of dread appeared in her eyes for the first time.


    It all happened in mere two seconds, which caused her face to go pale in fright!


    Meanwhile, Bishop Victor adjusted his trench coat, looked in her direction, and asked in a calm tone.


    "Anyst words?"


    Even though his voice appeared more like a calm one, a strange sense of chilling sensation invaded her heart, sending a shiver down her spine!


    "You don''t want to say anyst words? Then, die peacefully then." His mocking voice echoed in her ears.


    Irzoch wanted to stand up and run, but not a single muscle moved from her body. It was as if her body had already epted its fate.


    As Victor was about to cast another spell to finish her off, the whole ground started to rumble all of a sudden, and soon tens of eerie ck vines popped out of the dirt road. They then slithered here and there like real snakes and even released some strange spores in the air.


    Not only that, some vines suddenly sprouted reddish flowers and shot acid-like balls at Victor.


    Meanwhile, Bishop Victor retracted the wooden stick, evaded the acid balls, and backed away hurriedly.


    Although he had powerful divine artifacts under his sleeves, he was not all that powerful at all!


    He was just a Saint Knight!


    In truth, even that kind of achievement in just two years was almost an impossible task.


    Thankfully, his previous life experience gave him a big boost.


    ''It seems I have no choice but to go all out.'' He would never give up the Holy Book that changed his life forever.


    At that moment, an emerald-haired woman in her twenties walked out of the woods and arrived beside Irzoch.


    "Why did you confront him head-on? Didn''t ''His Majesty'' warn us not to underestimate him?" Melody asked while ring at her.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch bit her lips in frustration and shook her head.


    "L-Leave. He is too strong even for you."


    In truth, Melody wasn''t sure about her current strength. But what she did know was that she could at least hold against him for more than a minute or two.


    "Don''t worry-"


    Before Melody could respond, thousands of shes of bluish lightning arcs appeared in the cloudy sky all of a sudden and caused the whole world to brighten.


    Even Bishop Victor was stunned by the lightning shes and got confused inside.


    "What are they?" He asked with a frown and shifted his gaze towards the Holy See.


    At that moment, he saw an enormous ckish fireball that appeared above the Holy See and started to expand at an unimaginable rate!


    "ck Sun!" A low mutter came out of Victor''s mouth.


    The next instant, an image of a me demon appeared in the deepest part of his mind.


    He thought of turning around and moving towards the Holy See but stopped.


    He knew that his enemy was not the me Demon but these two people.


    ''Moreover, Holy Book is more important than killing that me Demon!'' He thought.


    On the other hand, Melody took a deep breath and muttered in a gloomy voice.


    "Nature Domain Expansion!"


    Just as she muttered, the whole surrounding shook violently as an invisible ripple spread out from her body and started breaking everything like sses.


    The dark sky also turned brighter the next second, and it soon appeared as clear as a greenish-blue one. Instead of the sun, only a rainbow appeared in the center sky and brightened the surrounding in different colors.


    The entire scenery got much clearer as Melody''s Domain spell caused her vision to be clearer. What appeared before her eyes was arge forest that seemed to be covered with many dark blue vines. Moreover, those vines were extremely thick, and they seemed to be growing from the cracks of the ground!


    Melody felt that her body had grown more powerful. Even the air around her felt so light, and she could hold it in her palms. Also, her arms felt even heavier than before, making her legs stiffen!


    ''Is this the advantage of creating a perfect domain?'' She felt like her power had grown tenfolds now!


    s, she didn''t dare to take the enemy lightly and stared at Bishop Victor with wary eyes.


    In the meantime, Bishop Victor was also much surprised by the sudden change in environment and soon realized his situation.


    ''She is a Rank-5 Druid!''


    The earlier carefree attitude was now reced with a deadly serious one. In Victor''s eyes, Rank-5 Sorcerers and Druids were just a step below the level of Pope!


    ''They are equally or more powerful than Awakens! But there are only a few of them in the whole maind, right? Why haven''t I heard of this Rank-5 Druid in the past?'' He felt puzzled inside.


    On the other hand, Melody squatted down a little, ced her hand on Irzoch''s wounded arm, and cast an advanced nature spell to stop the whitish snow from spreading further.


    Then, he manipted the vines, covered all over Irzoch, and hid inside her domain.


    After that, she shifted her attention towards Bishop Victor and got ready for the battle.

 Chapter 495 - Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 495 - Confrontation</h4>


    Chapter 495: Confrontation


    A few moments ago.


    A wavy-haired young man suddenly appeared more than 500 meters above the Holy See and looked at the city with a stern look on his face.


    He appeared to be around 25 to 28 years old, with an eyepatch on his left eye, a handsome face, a square face, and straight eyebrows.


    He was none other than Charles in Julius''s appearance!


    At that moment, he also noticed shes of blue lightninging from the faraway clouds and chuckled.


    "Hepletely lost his rationality."


    In the past few minutes, he learned that the more Bryson got angry and frustrated, the more he started to act like a mad man.


    "I hope everything goes ording to the n."


    As he finished his mutter, Charles suddenly perceived a future vision and instantly activated [elerated Thoughts] on himself.


    The next instant, he noticed that the whole 100-meter radius suddenly started to slow down and soon returned to normal.


    No, it appeared more like everything started to move at a slow speed.


    ''Time power?''


    While he was in confusion, an old voice echoed in his ears.


    "Who are you, Young Man?"


    Simultaneously, a dense amount of light elemental particles appeared behind him and soon formed into an appearance of a 70-years-old man.


    He was none other than the Pope of the Light Church!


    Charles turned around with a calm look on his face and sized him up and down.


    He had long white hair, a wrinkled, pale face, and an aura of sacredness around him. But what caught his attention was not the sacredness aura but the golden crozier in his hand.


    A row of information appeared in his mind the next instant, causing his eyes to widen.


    ''A crozier made of the Fallen Demon Lord''s bones? Demon Lord Scy?''


    He retracted his gaze from the crozier instantly and responded with a smile.


    "I''ve many names, old man. But you can call me whatever you want."


    While saying so, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.


    A momentter, a dense amount of wicked me essence came out of his body and formed more than a 20-meter radius ckish fireball in an instant!


    On the other hand, Pope didn''t mind his rude words or the newly appeared ck Sun. Instead, he stared deep into Charles''s eyes and soon showed a surprised look on his face.


    "You are not a Demon like thatd mentioned in the book... You have the full qualification to ascend to Godhood one day." He paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "Unfortunately, you are destined to die here."


    His words appeared sincere and seemed to hold the authority of the truth itself!


    Meanwhile, Charles wasn''t much surprised by his words and asked calmly.


    "Then, do you think you have the power to stop me from leaving this ne today?"


    Just as he asked the question, countless lightning arcs appeared from the cloudy sky, blinding both of their vision, and soon disappeared.


    But a secondter, a new person appeared in front of Charles and Pope.


    The person wore a ck suit with golden embroidery and held a ck stick with a bright-red tip.


    He had long ck hair, greyish eyes, pale face and showed a twisted smile on his face.


    "Bryson!" Pope instantly identified him and released a strange invisible power towards the surrounding air.


    At the same time, he muttered a strange incantation and focused a part of his attention on the ck Sun.


    Charles instantly learned that Pope was deeply surprised by Bryson''s arrival and chuckled.


    ''Trying to interfere with my spell?''


    He also released his wisdom power, created a forcefield around his body, and stopped the probing force first.


    Then, he raised both hands, made a smirk on his face, and activated the [ck Inferno] spell.


    At that moment, the ck Inferno spell had already started showing cracks and released ck lightning arcs everywhere.


    As he activated the spell, the fireball shrunk to a minute level and sent out invisible ripples in all directions.


    The next second, rumbling noises came from the dark sky, followed by a loud explosion!


    Within a second, the whole dark sky got consumed by the sudden appearance of ck mes, and it continued to expand in the clouds while burning fiercely.


    Before long, Charles, Pope, and even Bryson got enveloped by the mes!


    At the same time, shockwaves also spread in all directions and caused destruction everywhere.


    Like before, the shockwaves destroyed ss windows, doors, carriages, and even houses. Although there were no casualties in the Holy City due to the defensive formation that appeared out of nowhere and blocked most of the shockwaves and ck mes, the destruction wasn''t minimum at all.


    It also caused Bryson and Pope to lose their sense. If not for them constantly casting multiple spells to block the mysterious ck fire from affecting them, they would have long burned to ashes!


    By the time Pope and Bryson managed to get out of the me, both found out that Charles was nowhere to be seen!


    What''s more shocking was that a strange invisible cloak appeared below them, and it had already covered the Holy See like a cocoon!


    ''What is that?'' Pope knew that it wasn''t the defensive formation and got startled inside.


    But before he could think further, Bryson turned into arcs of bluish lightning and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared behind Pope a secondter and attacked him.


    "Dream Domain!"


    Pope felt that the surroundings started to distort the next instant and soon found himself pulled into a strange ce.


    In the meantime, Charles watched them disappearing from the Astral Realm and smiled.


    "That went smoothly." He muttered with a nod and looked at his illusionary soul form.


    Although his soul had undergone mutation, he didn''t have any soul-rted abilities to counter astral beings or enemy''s souls, and now it was one of his weaknesses.


    ''Although the Rebirth me could heal my soul, it won''t help me in the battle. Hmm, I should start researching more about the ''Soul Fire'' and find a way to get my hands of the Soul Fire Essence.'' He thought to himself and started descending towards the Holy See.


    Within a few seconds, he passed through the Shadow Cloak''s invisibleyer, moved towards the center of the Holy See, and soonnded in front of the Main Church.


    At that moment, hundreds of people like Saint Knights, Bishops, Arch-Bishops, and even a handful of ck-dressed figures stood at the entrance and looked at the sky anxiously.


    Charles wasn''t much bothered by the presence of Saint Knights and Bishops. But what caught his attention were the seven ck-dressed figures.


    They were all d with a dark-blue jacket, ck shirt, and a golden cor. All the figures seemed to have a powerful aura surrounding them, and their faces showed no sign of emotions.


    ''Are they something like Human puppets?''


    He thought for a moment and decided not to waste more time here.


    He left the Astral Realm without dy and reappeared in the Physical world a momentter.

 Chapter 496 - Skeletons

    <h4>Chapter 496 - Skeletons</h4>


    Chapter 496: Skeletons


    Upon seeing Charles''s sudden appearance, the Bishops and others went alert and instantly unsheathed their weapons.


    Simultaneously, the seven shadow-like figures turned their gazes towards him and dashed towards him at an unimaginable speed!


    But thanks to his [elerate Thoughts] skill, all of their movement appeared slower to his eyes!


    ''Shadow Angels, huh? Hmm, each of them is only at the level of Saint Knight. But their strength doesn''t matches with the records, though.'' Although he hadn''t battled them upfront, he had scanned them before and even had some information about them.''


    ''They are not dead humans, but emotionless killers. They don''t feel love or fear and only obey the order of a ''certain'' person. They are powerful enough to hunt down Awakens, and records say that they had killed more than 3 Rank-5 Demon Sorcerers in their lifetimes. Not only that, but they eradicated many evil organizations and are called Shadow Heroes by Light Church officials.''


    ''They are mostly responsible for assassinations, hunting demon sorcerers, and had some bad reputation among the masses. A Ruler even called them Dead Knights and caused controversy among the masses a few decades ago. And, the one who controls these Shadow Angels is not the Pope but the Chief Deacon of the Light Church.'' As the information appeared in his mind, he casually evaded the long sword from one of the Shadow Angels and shook his head.


    ''I''ve no time to y with these puppets.'' Muttering inwardly, he calmly took a step forward, pointed his finger at one of the seven Shadow Angels, and cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him.


    Just as he had expected, that Shadow Angel froze all of a sudden, missed a step, and fell pathetically!


    "Weak." Charles shook his head, pointed his finger at the fallen Shadow Angel, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    The next instant, a condensed bullet made of ''Chaos Fire'' came out of his fingertip, moved towards the Shadow Angel at an unimaginable speed, and directly entered his head.


    A momentter, his head burst open like a watermelon, and his whole body started to erupt in chaotic me!


    Following that, all six other Shadow Angels fell one by one like sheep and got killed by Charles''s multiple [Finger of Destruction] spells.


    In less than three seconds, an elite squad of Shadow Angels was disappeared from everyone''s eyes.


    In the meantime, the Priests, Bishops, and other knights stared at the burning bodies with a horrified look on their faces and trembled uncontrobly.


    Although they wanted to kill the enemy, their legs and hands couldn''t move a single bit.


    All of them stood there like frozen statues!


    On the other hand, Charles shifted his attention towards the tall building with multiple floors that looked simr to a school.


    It also had a giant dome on top.


    ''Museum!'' His eyes shone in the dusky sunlight as he looked at the tall building''s entrance, took a step forward, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared a few meters away from the entrance and soon furrowed his brows.


    Then, he released his wisdom power and searched the tall building.


    The next second, he found the ''Secret Chamber'' deep inside the underground and showed a surprised look on his face.


    "There are five floors below the ground level? Moreover, the whole underground is the secret chamber, huh? Weapons, golds, crystals... Hmm? Why couldn''t I scan a particr room?" He furrowed his brows and opened the 4-meter tall metallic gate using his pure wisdom power.


    But as he tried to walk inside, his eyes turned blurry all of a sudden and gave him a warning vision.


    He instantly halted his footsteps, cast [Fire Born] spell on himself, and transformed into a 2-meter tall fire-elemental being.


    At that moment, the space in front of him began to rip, made a vertical line, and soon formed into a spatial crack!


    From there, three foggy humanoid skeletal beings withrge scythes came out of the spatial crack one by one and blocked his path.


    They were around 3 meters tall, had reddish bone-like skeletal structures, reddish soul fires in the sockets, and looked ruthless.


    As he saw their eyes, a single word appeared in his mind.


    "Chaos!"


    It wasn''t a guess, though. Charles sensed a dense amount of chaotic energies around those skeletal bones and confirmed that they were chaos beings. He even saw some strange red chains attached to their chests and felt an ominous feeling upon looking at them.


    ''They are definitely from the Chaos Faction.''


    Although he still didn''t know much about the factions, he at least knew that they weren''t good beings.


    At that moment, those three skeletons moved all of a sudden, encircled him, and shed the scythes at him from three directions.


    Meanwhile, Charles watched the scythes'' movement in slow motion, evaded a scythe aimed at his neck, and closed the distance between him and a particr Skeleton.


    Simultaneously, he conjured a ball of rebirth me,bined it into a long sword, and thrust it at the reddish chain attached to its chest.


    A momentter, a metal breaking sound echoed at the entrance, followed by a loud sonic screech!


    Meanwhile, a look of surprise appeared on his face.


    ''They are not strong?'' With a mere exchange, he realized that they were normal beings with the above-average strength of a Saint Knight and snorted!


    Simultaneously, he rolled around to evade the other two scythe attacks and distanced himself from them.


    ''They look more like skeletons from the underworld. But howe they can travel both in the Astral and Physical realm? Wait! I would''ve sensed them if they stayed in the Astral realm all this time.'' Furrowing his brows, he activated his [Eyes of the Runes] skill and soon smiled.


    ''I got your weaknesses now.'' He didn''t hesitate for a moment as he cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on one Skeleton and attacked it using [Soul Fire] spell!


    Yes! He didn''t use chaos fire spells like [Finger of Destruction] spell, but chose to attack them using Soul Fire spell.


    From what he understood about the chaotic beings, they were more or less resistant towards his Chaos Fire. Moreover, they were weak towards healing-type spells!


    As the soul fireball touched the Skeleton''s chest area, it suddenly spread towards all parts of Skeleton''s body andpletely enveloped it in blue me!


    Moreover, the soul fire spread towards the other two Skeletons and burned them fiercely.


    Charles stared at the burning skeletons in shock and soon noticed that all of them hurriedly moved towards the opened spatial crack!


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to his human shape but didn''t stop them from fleeing.. Instead, he took a step forward and continued to walk inside the Museum building without minding the opened spatial crack.

 Chapter 497 - Museum

    <h4>Chapter 497 - Museum</h4>


    Chapter 497: Museum


    As Charles entered the Museum building, the door swiftly closed behind him and shut with a bang. No one followed him, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of footsteps echoing on the multiple floors.


    He soon arrived at arge hall and noticed that they had stored weapons, ornaments, crystals, and armors inside the sealed ss boxes all over the ce.


    After ncing at the Museum for a moment, he cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared in the underground hall''s fifthyer, observed the surroundings, and soon showed a thoughtful look on his face. Even though the darkness enveloped the whole underground hall, he saw everything clearly with minute details!


    The underground hall was spacious, and it housed several rows ofrge and small storage vaults. A single row of dark stairways could be seen along the hall and several stone doors leading to other underground halls, rooms, and secret passages.


    It was like a maze.


    There were various paintings, statues, and columns all over the ce. Some were big, some were small, and even several statues in the middle of the wide-open space.


    It was originally a storage ce, but itter transformed into a museum!


    After observing for a moment, he turned his gaze towards a particr direction and headed there.


    Before long, he appeared in front of a door and soon noticed that it was sealed using aplex lock. Also, unlike other rooms, this particr room was built using some unique ck metal and appeared enclosed.


    The door also seemed to be made of the same metal and shut with aplex lock system.


    When he tried to teleport inside, an invisible power appeared out of nowhere and blocked him. No, it was the door and the metallic walls that nullified his fire-elemental energies and stopped his teleportation!


    ''What happened?'' He tried to scan inside again through his wisdom power but soon realized that not even his wisdom power was passing through it!


    A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face. He instantly moved near the door and touched it.


    The next instant, he felt his hand be weak all of a sudden! At that moment, he also noticed that all the fire-elemental energies in his right hand started to disperse into the surrounding environment!


    "Interesting," Charles retracted his hand, conjured a ball of chaos me, and created it into a me sword. Following that, he shed at the door and tried to cut it.


    But just as he expected, although the chaos me sword didn''t get dispersed like normal fire, it only left a scar on the metallic door!


    ''The door is powerful enough to withstand a Rank-5 spell?'' He paused in astonishment for a moment, released an invisible string, and tried to touch the door using it.


    This time, his invisible string wasn''t affected by the door at all!


    ''Heh, so this door only nullifies elemental energies, huh.'' He nodded thoughtfully, released more invisible strings, and moved them into theplex lock system.


    After that, he closed his eyes and focused full attention on unlocking the door.


    ...


    While Charles was unlocking the door, a life and death battle had started in Melody''s Nature Domain.


    At that moment, Melody stood a few meters away from Bishop Victor and stared at him with a wary look on her face.


    ''I''ve to kill him here!'' A strange sense of resolution appeared in the depths of her heart. Although she had been with Charles for only a year or two, she had learned many things from him and improved her strength constantly all this time.


    ''I''ll not disappoint him.'' She swore inside and got ready for any unexpected attacks.


    In the meantime, Bishop Victor also finished observing the surroundings and nodded.


    "A perfect domain indeed."


    Saying so, he raised his hand, adjusted his bowler hat, and muttered.


    "Let''s begin."


    Just as he finished his words, the bowler hat suddenly turned illusionary and disappeared from Melody''s eyes.


    The next instant, Victor''s original consciousness had undergone some change due to an outside force and split into three consciousnesses!


    It was the Bowler Hat''s unique ability: Three Minds!


    Simultaneously, Victor raised his wooden stick and pointed the top at Melody.


    The next instant, a dense amount of ice-elemental energy came out from the pair of rings and gathered at the tip of the wooden stick like before.


    As Melody saw this phenomenon, she suddenly recalled Irzoch''s state and turned grim.


    ''I need to evade this spell!'' She raised both of her hands and cast her Druidic spell.


    "Shield of Creation!"


    A dense amount of nature-elemental power came out of her body and soon formed into a greenishyer forcefield!


    Just as her shield spell covered her body, an essence-filled snowball released from the wooden stick''s tip and flew towards Melody at an unimaginable speed!


    A momentter, the snowball collided with the greenish forcefield with a loud bang and released the strange ice essence in all directions.


    The nearby trees, vines, even the ground turned into pure crystalline ice and started to break like sses! What''s more shocking was that Melody even saw her forcefield affected by the strange snow and widened her eyes in surprise.


    But before she could think further, Victor suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of her!


    Then, he casually raised his right hand, touched the greenish forcefield, and spoke in an icy voice.


    "Chill Touch."


    The next moment, her whole forcefield shook violently before turning into crystalline ice and soon broke into multiple pieces like sses.


    Upon seeing this, a look of horror appeared on Melody''s face. Still, she gritted her teeth and cast another [Shield of Creation] spell in an instant.


    Simultaneously, she covered the surrounding areas using her wisdom power and manipted all the vines to attack the enemy!


    Sharp poisonous vines slithered from all directions, released strange pollens, acid balls, and poisonous gases, and attacked Victor continuously.


    As Victor was busy blocking the attacks, Melody used that opportunity and distanced herself from him.


    ''Thankfully, my spells are also strengthened inside the nature domain and could hold on like this forever.'' She muttered inwardly but soon dismissed the idea of prolonging the battle. She knew that the opponent must have some other dangerous spells under his sleeves and decided to go offensive.


    Without any dy, she locked her gaze on Victor and added coldly.


    "Absolute Hypnosis!"


    To her shock, not a single change appeared on Victor''s face!


    ''My spell didn''t have any effect on him?''


    As if Victor had already read her mind, he smirked inwardly and shook his head.


    "You have no idea who you are dealing with, woman."


    While speaking, he opened his arms wide and muttered a strange word.


    It was as if he was activating another artifact!


    Two crystalline icy wings appeared behind him the next second and pped all of a sudden before lifting him in the air.


    At the same time, an unimaginable amount of ice elemental energy oozed out of his unique rings and started freezing everything.


    "Let me kill you with my own hands then."


    Saying so, Victor gathered ice-elemental energies before creating arge sword out of it, pped his newly formed icy wings, and shot towards Melody at full speed.


    Meanwhile, Melody stepped back hurriedly, looked at the surrounding trees, and cast another Druidic spell.


    "Mist of Illusions!"


    The next instant, she turned illusionary and disappeared from there.


    On the other hand, Victor pped his wings twice, suspended in mid-air, and soon looked in a particr direction.


    Although Melody created an illusionary atmosphere to hide in the ice-filled forest, Victor saw through her illusions in an instant and changed his direction!


    It was due to his mysterious mask.


    Not only could it block any prying force from probing his body, but it could also help him scan the surrounding atmosphere. Although it wasn''t as strong as some Light spells, it was more than enough for him to guess the other party''s location.


    In a blink, he arrived in front of Melody, thrust the icy sword at greenish forcefield, and broke it in an instant.


    At that moment, the illusion also broke and revealed her to Victor''s eyes.


    "I got you now!" Victor pped his icy wings again and thrust the ice sword towards Melody.


    The ice sword tore through the air a secondter, arrived in front of her chest, and pierced inside.


    The next instant, the icy sword appeared on the other side and almost pushed her to the ground!

 Chapter 498 - Overestimation

    <h4>Chapter 498 - Overestimation</h4>


    Chapter 498: Overestimation


    Scarlet blood sprayed everywhere as Melody screamed in pain, knelt on the ground with a thud, and soon looked at her chest in horror!


    In the meantime, Victor pulled the ice sword from her chest and kicked her with full force.


    The wounded Melody flew in the opposite direction and soon crashed onto a tall tree trunk the next instant.


    She then coughed up a mouthful of blood and showed a forced smile on her face.


    Still, she tried her best, stood up with staggering footsteps, and stared at Victor deadly.


    "I won''t die that easily." She said coldly and took out a strange reddish fruit from her pocket.


    ''Oh? Still not dead yet?'' Victor furrowed his brows, once again pped his icy wings, and shot towards her like a bullet.


    After pping his wings once, hended on Melody''s chest, moved his icy sword, and swiftly decapitated her head!


    The next instant, Melody''s head flew up in the air while spraying scarlet blood everywhere and soonnded near a bush.


    "It seems that you can''t defeat me at all!" Victor grinned at her head as she stared in horror.


    On the other hand, her headless body danced in the air and soon fell backward pathetically while dropping the strange reddish fruit under Victor''s feet.


    "Well, that ended quickly." He nodded inwardly and was about to retract his gaze from the horrified Melody''s face but suddenly froze.


    He saw that her face started to twist and soon showed a smile at that moment.


    No, it looked more like a wicked grin!


    The next instant, the head started to turn greener and soon appeared more like a bunch of green vines with one rose on the forehead area!


    At the same time, Melody''s body also turned into greenish vines and soon dispersed like slithering snakes!


    Before he could even blink, the reddish fruit that remained under his feet exploded all of a sudden and released yellowish spores in the air!


    The spores instantly entered Victor''s nasals and started affecting him.


    Dizziness appeared as he backed away in shock and racked his brain to understand the current situation.


    ''What the hell happened? Was I under the illusion the whole time? That woman''s skill even fooled my mask''s ability?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    At that moment, his vision turned blurry as he soon arrived beside a tree trunk and leaned his back on it.


    ''Damn it! I can''t even bnce my body. She tricked me!'' He cursed himself for being overconfident and soon felt a sharp pain from his abdomen!


    At that moment, the wooden trunk suddenly started to distort and formed into an appearance of a young woman with big breasts!


    Currently, Melody held a dagger in her hand and gripped the dagger''s hilt that was plunged into his abdomen!


    All this time, he was leaning against her!


    But the reason how she managed to fool him was not due to the earlier illusion spell, though.


    It was all because of her [Mask of Trickery] skill.


    It manipted the enemy''s thoughts and made himpletely believe that Melody had died by his attack earlier.


    Because of that, Victor let down his guard and got ambushed by her.


    "You indeed have many artifacts and also seem to have abundant experience in battle, Mister," Melody whispered in his ears, removed the dagger from his abdomen, and pushed a strange seed into the stabbed area.


    The next instant, Victor felt that his whole body got paralyzed in a second and went pale.


    "But your physical body is too weak. If we have given you enough time, you might have one day grown powerful enough even to kill our Majesty. Unfortunately, your dream ends here." Saying so, Melody stabbed the dagger into his neck and finished him off instantly.


    Although Victor tried his best to activate his amulet, he was still a bit toote.


    He struggled wildly for the next few seconds and soon went motionless.


    The person who traveled back in time to change the future didn''t even get enough time to save himself from the enemies and died at the hands of an underling!


    Melody first removed all the artifacts and even took the strange mask and bowler hat from him and stored them inside her space ring.


    Then, she dismissed her nature domain and reappeared on the dirt road.


    At that moment, Irzochy a few meters away from her and soon widened her eyes as she saw Victor''s body.


    "H-How did you kill him?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    On the other hand, Melody showed a mysterious smile, walked towards Irzoch, and soon squatted down while grabbing her arms with both hands.


    Then, she activated the fixed teleportation ring, and both disappeared from there!


    ...


    Underground Hall, Museum Building, the Holy See.


    The metallic door lock made a nging noise as Charles finally unlocked the door and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    He then moved his hand towards the doorknob, pulled it with full force, and opened it.


    A momentter, 8x10 feet room appeared in front of his eyes.


    It was a small room with only a few rusty armors, one wooden chest, a ck metallic cube, and a dagger. The cube was the same material as the door. The armors were all different sizes and shapes and equipped with armoring tools, while the dagger appeared to be made of mithril and had some unique markings.


    It appeared more like a name.


    Thanks to his [Eyes of the Runes] skill, he managed to decipher the markings and noticed it was written in Devil''s Tongue.


    "Ananku!"


    ''Isn''t she the Ruler of Third Hell? Why is her name written on this dagger? What''s her rtionship with Mother Goddess?'' He frowned.


    At that moment, he also examined the dagger and soon furrowed as he only saw question marks on the blue screen.


    ''Is it safe to take this?''


    After pondering for a moment, Charles let out a deep sigh and stored it inside his space ring.


    Then, he went towards the wooden chest and picked it up with both hands.


    Then, he hurriedly opened the chest and soon saw a fist-sized azure bluish crystal inside. It had countless runal-like letters inscribed on it at a minute level and appeared mysterious.


    As Charles examined the crystal more deeply, a row of information appeared in front of his eyes the next moment.


    ''Portal Stone?'' As he read the description, he more or less understood how one could leave this ne without any difficulty.


    In truth, this portal stone was a long-distance teleportation stone only used by Lawful Faction members. As long as one activates this stone, they would be teleported to a nearby Space Hub through the Lawful Faction''s Hyperspace Web.


    ''Is it simr to the wormhole I traveled back earlier?''


    It was a nar transportation method that was solely under the control of Lawful Faction!


    ''But to get ess to this transportation method, one needs to be a member of awful faction and also must have registered I.D and passcode.''


    Thankfully, Charles had Rh''s I.D and passcode!


    ''This is unexpected.'' He casually picked up the Portal Stone and stored it inside his space ring. Then, he also stored the armors and finally shifted his attention towards the metallic cube.


    ''How should I carry this?'' He knew that cing this cube inside his space ring would be almost impossible.


    So, he took the cubic metal with both hands and walked out of the enclosed room.


    Following that, he waved his hand, created a portal connected to his pocket dimension, and tossed it inside.


    After that, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, Charles reappeared at the Museum''s entrance and soon frowned as he sensed a piercing gaze from the sky.


    At that moment, the invisibleyer that covered the Holy See was nowhere to be seen.


    Instead, a 70-years-old man hovered more than 100 meters above his head and was staring at him with a deadly gaze. He currently held the same golden crozier in one hand and a decapitated human''s head in the other!


    "Leave the thing that you took from the sacred room and surrender yourself, Young Man. I may give you a painful death.." An icy voice echoed in Charles''s ears.

 Chapter 499 - Battle

    <h4>Chapter 499 - Battle</h4>


    Chapter 499: Battle


    ''He already killed Bryson?'' A grim look appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''It''s no use in suppressing my power anymore.'' He muttered to himself.


    Then, he looked up at the sky and released his full wisdom power.


    The next second, the whole surroundings ignited suddenly, and fires,vas balls, and sparks appeared all over the ce while burning everything in its path!


    At that moment, the whole Museum''s entrance was enveloped in reddish me and burned fiercely like wildfire.


    Nearby knights, horses, a few priests, and even some bishops got affected by the fire and screamed in pain.


    Meanwhile, Charles casually flew up towards the sky and soon stopped as he reached 300-meter high.


    Then, he calmly looked at Pope Gabriel and activated [elerated Thoughts] and [Eyes of the Runes] skills.


    At that moment, a row of information appeared in front of his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Gabriel Campbell


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Human


    ss: Sacred Knight (Level-7)


    Title: Pope


    Divinity: Light, Truth.


    Divine Domain: Land of Faith


    Health Points: 1350/1405


    Attributes:


    Strength- 30.0


    Dexterity- 34.0


    Constitution- 31.4


    Wisdom-340


    Charisma- 34


    Divine Spells:


    Light Spells: Light Freeze, Dawn of Light, Heaven''s Heart, Sacred Life, Unlimited Blessing.


    Truth Spells: Beacon of Truth, Divine Judgement, Endless Misery, Fool''s Curse, Mark of Truth.]


    ...


    Upon seeing the information, Charles''s face changed slightly.


    ''His wisdom power is on par with the Rank of Legends (Rank-6)! He is not a Pseudo-Legend but a True Legend! I''m no match for him.''


    Without waiting for the Pope to say something, he took the initiative, raised his hand, and showed his two fingers.


    "You have two options now, Pope Gabriel. First, you can use your divine power and battle me to death here and now. Although you might be a victor at the end of the battle, your Holy See will be no more for sure." While saying, he cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] on himself, pped it twice, and flew a few meters backward.


    In the meantime, the white-haired Pope gazed at him coldly and asked with a surprised look on his face.


    "Oh? What is the second option would be?"


    While maintaining the calm look on his face, Charles grinned evilly and replied.


    "Let me walk away from here and promise me that you will not chase after me."


    A strange silence appeared in the dark sky, followed by an eerie sound of the wind. Even though the wind was caused by the surrounding atmosphere, Charles felt like they were suddenly attacking him in anger.


    At that moment, a teeth-gritting sound also came out of Pope''s mouth as he tossed Bryson''s head away and gripped the golden crozier tighter.


    Soon, a deep sigh echoed in the sky.


    "Victor was right about you. You are indeed a shameless demon hiding in a human''s skin. Tch, then I will choose the third option."


    He paused for a moment, looked up at the dark sky, and added.


    "The World!"


    Just as he spoke, an invisible ripple came out of his body and spread in all directions.


    Simultaneously, a white light appeared below his feet, moved in every direction, and covered the whole Holy See like a dome!


    Upon seeing this, a frown appeared on Charles''s face.


    He instantly pointed his finger at the dark sky and cast Rank-5 [Rain Fire] spell.


    The next instant, a dense amount of fire-elemental energy came out of his soul and spread towards the sky like wildfire.


    In a blink, the whole sky turned entirely red as the clouds started to transform into pure chaos fire and started raining fireballs!


    Most of them were football-sized ones, some were 1-meter radius in size, and some were even asrge as a single-stored house!


    On the other hand, Pope''s face remained calm as water.


    Still, he was surprised inside.


    Although Pope did expect that this young man would give him some trouble, he truly underestimated Charles!


    ''He is indeed stronger than anyone I have faced before.'' He thought.


    But he didn''t get anxious, though.


    In truth, he had the authority to control this Faith ne and had absolute confidence in killing Charles!


    Meanwhile, the fireballs fell from the sky and crashed on the dome endlessly.


    As more fireballs crashed onto the dome, Charles noticed an odd phenomenon.


    Although the fireballs damaged the dome from time to time, an invisible power came from the surrounding atmosphere and recovered the damaged areas continuously!


    ''Something is wrong!'' He closely perceived the surrounding air and soon felt a small amount of divine power flowing through the whole surroundings.


    ''Wait! It''s the same with Cardinal Smith. He used divine power when he tried to assassinate me but couldn''t use such power in my pocket dimension.''


    At that moment, Pope of the Light Church seemed to have guessed what he was thinking and asked a strange question.


    "Do you know why we called this world as Faith ne?"


    Without waiting for Charles''s reply, he moved closer towards Charles and spoke.


    "Unlike other worlds, this one is a unique ne. As long as you control a particr territory or domain and make the citizens haveplete faith in you, you can be an absolute being in that territory. For example, if the Aetas Kingdom citizens became your true believers and started worshiping you as their God, you''ll be able to get the approval of the World''s Will one day and be a true ruler. That''s why your spell won''t have much effect against this dome."


    Meanwhile, Charles furrowed his brows and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    "That''s why you want to unify the ne and be the true ruler of this world? But how could Cardinal Smith borrow this divine power from you and use it to battle against me? Are you also working under some Demon-"


    Before he could even ask those questions, Pope suddenly appeared before him and mmed the golden crozier against his body at an unimaginable speed!


    Even with [elerate Thoughts] skill, Charles only managed to see blurry images before the golden crozier gave him a devastating blow.


    Although the nature leaf activated on its own and created a forcefield, it couldn''t even manage to stop the crozier for 0.1 seconds before breaking into pieces.


    ''I didn''t even get any warning visions!'' His eyes turned blurry as he thought at that moment.


    He felt that his rib bones were broken from inside for a moment.


    In a blink, his body flew in the eastern direction while ripping through the air, tore through the nightmare forest trees, and soonnded on a rocky surface.


    He felt like his body was broken into pieces as he coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked at his surroundings in shock.


    Only then did he notice that he had already flown more than a few km away from the Holy See andnded at the base of a lone mountain!

 Chapter 500 - Disasters (Part-1)

    <h4>Chapter 500 - Disasters (Part-1)</h4>


    Chapter 500: Disasters (Part-1)


    ''Damn it.''


    Cursing inwardly, Charles cast [Soul Heal] magic spell and healed his body continuously.


    But before he could even stand up and prepare for the next attack from the enemy, a monstrous amount of light energy started to gather up in the sky.


    "I told you, Young Man. You''ll die here." Pope''s voice echoed inside his head the next second.


    Following that, a monstrous pir of light descended from the sky and directly moved towards him like divine punishment.


    ''What the heck?!'' Charles''s face went pale in an instant.


    He hurriedly cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A momentter, he reappeared a hundred meters above the summit of the lone mountain and soon heard a loud explosion from below.


    At that moment, the pir of light had descended towards the ce where he was before and entered deep into the earth while disintegrating rocks, trees, and nts!


    The only thing that appeared in his eyes was an emptynd filled with ashes and a strange hole.


    Charles instantly retracted his gaze and looked in the direction where the Holy See was located.


    In the next millisecond, a dense amount of light-elemental energies gathered before him and soon formed into an appearance of a 70-years-old man!


    ''I need to escape.''


    Charles activated his [Forewarning] skill and tried to read the future.


    But just as his vision was about to turn blurry and give him a warning sign about the uing future, a strange power appeared out of nowhere andpletely blocked it!


    "I can see that you are capable of reading the future, Young Man. But this is not your domain. There is only one true future in my territory, and I will be the one who decides it."


    As Pope spoke, he raised the crozier, pointed the tip in his direction, and added.


    "Endless Misery-!"


    Before he could finish his words, Charles understood the seriousness of the situation and cast [Fire Born] spell instantly.


    He transformed into his elemental form a secondter and appeared more like a 2-meter tall me demon with two eerie ck wings.


    At the same time, he also thought of creating the Fire Domain but couldn''t!


    It was as if something was shing against his domain power and blocking him from even entering!


    ''As I thought, I''m already in his domain. Moreover, his wisdom power seems to be much higher than mine!'' By the time he finished his thinking, multiple rays of golden lights had appeared out of the Golden Crozier and attacked him from all angles.


    Even though Charles was in his elemental form, the rays prated his body and even damaged his soul.


    He coughed up a mouthful of blood and groaned in pain. The golden light continued to inflict pain on him, but before he could even think of creating some defensive spells, he felt another type of power entering his Inner World!


    It was the same ''Truth'' domain power.


    At that moment, he wanted not to resist this attack and let the Pope kill him to relieve himself from this misery!


    Although he instantly erased that thought, he felt simr thoughts were creeping up inside his Inner World, and they were even trying to alter his original consciousness!


    ''It''s dangerous to battle here any longer!'' Such thought appeared in his mind.


    Without any hesitation, he enveloped his body in a crimson me, disappeared from there, and soon opened his eyes in the Astral ne.


    At that moment, he noticed that the ''Truth'' power even managed to enter the Astral Realm and harmed his soul!


    If not for the Rebirth Fire, Charles knew that his soul would''ve shattered already.


    Without any dy, he conjured a ball of rebirth me, used it to create a tear-like structure around his soul form, and started blocking the truth power from entering his soul.


    Meanwhile, the tear-like fire also constructed the injured area and started healing his soul.


    ''Good.''


    He nodded inwardly, shifted his attention towards Pope, and noticed that he had already started reciting a strange incantation!


    Even though he couldn''t peek into the future, he felt a bad omen inside.


    ''Do I have to use it now?'' After some thought, he left the Astral ne and reappeared in the Physical World in his elemental form.


    But unlike before, the Truth Power only managed to harm his elemental form.


    Pope also noticed this, stopped reciting the incantation, and frowned deeply.


    "You managed to dispel my divine spell?" His voice contained a trace of shock.


    Instead of answering, Charles pped his Fallen Angel''s wings and took a strange Golden Dice from his Inner World.


    Simultaneously, he manipted the surrounding air through his false me and created a inyer of pure air under his feet.


    "What are you trying to do?" Pope noticed his odd behavior and tried to hurl the crozier in his direction.


    He first aimed the crozier at the newly created invisibleyer made of air and was about to throw it at him!


    But at that moment, Charles also moved his right hand and tossed the Golden Dice upward.


    Just as the Golden Dice left his palm, both Charles and Pope felt that a powerful yet mysterious ripple appeared out of the Dice, spread towards every direction like wildfire, and covered the whole surroundings instantly.


    Then, this mysterious power froze everything in that area!


    Even though Charles and Pope could think normally, both felt that their bodies went paralyzed all of a sudden.


    ''What did you do?!'' A telepathic, angry voice appeared in Charles''s head.


    But he didn''t even listen to that voice, though.


    Instead, he focused his full attention on the Dice of Disasters and watched its movement patiently.


    The Dice of Disasters flew in mid-air and soon descended in slow motion.


    Two secondster, the Dice slowlynded on the invisibleyer and began to roll.


    It continued to roll for the next few seconds and finally stopped when the Dice''s face with two dots faced upward.


    The next instant, a terrifying amount of invisible divine power came out of the Dice and spread in all directions in the form of ripples!


    Although Pope didn''t sense any danger from those ripples, he felt a strange sense of unsettling feeling in his heart.


    ''Something is wrong! I need to take that Dice from him first!''


    Before he could finish thinking, the Dice turned illusionary and disappeared from there!


    It reappeared in Charles''s mind a momentter and went on a dormant mode.


    Following that, the strange ''Time-Stop'' effect also disappeared from the surroundings!


    Pope stopped his attack while retracting the crozier, locked his gaze on Charles, and frowned.


    "What was that thing?!" He asked in a deep tone.


    Before Charles could respond to his question, a deep rumbling sound came from the ground, followed by the shaking of nearby trees andnds.


    Not only that, but he also saw that the lone mountain was shaking violently, andvas wereing out of the deep hole that was created by Pope''s spell!


    Upon seeing this, only one word came out of Charles''s mouth.


    "Disaster!"

 Chapter 501 - Disasters (Part-2)

    <h4>Chapter 501 - Disasters (Part-2)</h4>


    Chapter 501: Disasters (Part-2)


    Just as Charles spoke, a strange vibration appeared from the ground and caused the surrounding air and thend to tremble.


    Both Charles and Pope nced at each other and soon felt that the minute amount of the divine power in the surrounding air disappeared all of a sudden!


    ''The earlier ''Time-stop'' spell affected the surrounding spatial elements?'' A surprise shed on Charles''s face.


    At that moment, he knew that Pope''s Domain power had lessened in the surroundings due to this strange phenomenon and felt d inside.


    "What did you do?!"


    Meanwhile, Pope showed an icy look on his face and asked him.


    At the same time, he again moved his crozier and was about to attack him but stopped!


    At that moment, he also seemed to have gotten a dangerous premonition and went pale in an instant.


    Not only that, drops of blood came out from the corner of his eyes and drenched his wrinkled face.


    "N-NO! Y-YOU-!" He suddenly made a furious look on his face, locked his gaze on Charles, and instantly cast [Mark of Truth] spell on him.


    The next instant, a dense amount of invisible ray suddenly appeared out of his crozier and flew towards Charles at an unimaginable speed.


    The fragment of Truth power entered Charles''s body in a blink and directly imprinted on his soul form.


    Meanwhile, Charles sensed an anomaly in his body and soon frowned.


    At that moment, he felt like Pope''s gaze seemed to have prated through his wisdom barrier and directly observed his physical strength and magical spells.


    ''A tracking spell?''


    He felt essence-filled light energy from that mark and snorted coldly.


    In truth, it was just like the tracking spell he had seen in Lost Tombs Dungeon. At that moment, an incarnation of the mysterious mage named Felix Starfall cast such a mark spell on him and tries to track his location in the future.


    But during Charles''s rebirth process, that mark also got washed away by the rebirth me.


    ''But this one indeed is troublesome. If I didn''t erase it sooner, Pope might learn more about me. It''s better to break the tracking spell sooner.'' He gave a swift nce at the newly appeared curse, pped the ck wings, and back away.


    Meanwhile, Pope took a deep breath to calm down his mind and spoke coldly.


    "Remember this! I''lle after you and hunt you down even if you run to the end of this world!"


    On the other hand, Charles panted lightly and shook his head.


    Just as he was about to say something, his vision went blurry all of a sudden and showed him multiple future images!


    ''F*ck! Not at this moment!'' He almost cursed inwardly and hurriedly activated both the ''Nature''s leaf'' and cast [Sun''s Guard] spell.


    At that moment, Pope also noticed the strangeness and snickered.


    Distraction during battle was a godsend opportunity for any person, so he didn''t dare to miss such an opportunity.


    Before Charles could take a deep look at those images, he took out a strange dagger from his waist and directly stabbed his own heart!


    Simultaneously, he raised his left hand, pointed his forefinger at Charles, and muttered.


    "Heaven''s Heart!"


    Then, he turned into pure golden light and tried to teleport from there.


    But to his shock, a dense spatial fluctuation appeared in the surrounding area and prohibited him from teleporting!


    It was not due to Charles''s spell, though.


    In truth, the earlier ''Time-Stop'' effect caused the spatial disturbance.


    ''Oh no!'' Pope''s face turned pale for some unknown reason as he looked up at the dark sky in panic and then shifted his gaze towards the lone mountain.


    A secondter, he created two light wings behind his back, pped them forcefully, and shot towards the Holy See like a bullet!


    On the other hand, Charles didn''t even have any time to look at Pope as he was assaulted by sharp pain and clutched his chest in shock.


    Even though he activated his defensive spells, Pope''s spell seemed to have bypassed the two barriers without any problem and harmed him!


    ''Did he stab my heart?'' He gritted his teeth and looked in the direction where Pope was flying like a scared cat.


    He then looked at his elemental body but saw no visible stabbed wound on his chest area.


    Confusion appeared on his face.


    ''There is no wound? But why do I feel a deep pain in my heart? Another curse?''


    He instantly conjured a ball of soul fire and tried to heal it. But he soon noticed that a unique Light essence appeared deep inside his heart region and affected his soul fire from even reaching inside!


    ''No good!''


    A deep sense of scorching sensation appeared in his chest area, causing him to grimace.


    ''It is trying to wound my heart?''


    He cast a ball of fire with pure rebirth essence, created a cube-like form, and directly pushed it into the area where his elemental heart was located.


    Simultaneously, he noticed that his rebirth me cube had started attacking the Light Essence and soon froze it!


    Upon seeing this, a smile crept on his face.


    At that moment, he knew that Rebirth me had stopped the Light Essence from spreading everywhere and felt relieved!


    As long as the Rebirth me eradicated the unique light essence in his elemental heart, Charles doesn''t have to worry about it.


    ''I should leave first.''? He shifted his attention towards the future images he received earlier and soon stiffened up.


    ''A volcanic eruption!''


    Muttering inwardly, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and tried to teleport away from there. But just like what happened to Pope, the surrounding spatial elements appeared in a disoriented manner and prohibited him from teleporting!


    He also tried to enter the Astral ne in rm but couldn''t!


    ''I''m in deep sh*t now!''


    Just as he pped his Fallen Angel''s Wings in a hurry to get away from here, a hot gust of air filled with sulfur andva liquids came from the hole that Pope''s Light Spell created earlier and enveloped him all of a sudden!


    If not for him in fire-elemental form, he would''ve been struck by theva balls and rocks and ended up in a tattered position.


    Still, the mere gust of sulfur air tossed him up in the sky at an unimaginable speed.


    While flying, he looked below with a pensive look on his face and pped his wings constantly to stabilize his movement.


    At that moment, he heard a rumbling sound from the deep belly of the earth and soon saw that the surrounding 5 km radius ofnd rose upward and downward like some monster waking up from its deep sleep!


    Simultaneously, more gusts of air filled with volcanic gases andvas came out from multiple areas and outstretched towards the sky like some hot springs. But instead of water, the ones that appeared from the ground were seas ofva balls, volcanic gases, rocks, and darkish grey ashes!


    The next instant, the lone mountain''s summit suddenly swelled up and exploded violently while sending tons and tons ofvas up in the sky.


    A secondter, a shockwave filled with destructive power spread in all directions while ripping everything in its path. Even Charles got affected by the shockwave and flew towards the Holy See''s direction.


    Meanwhile, the Holy See and the whole Nightmare forest, which appeared to be around a 20 to 25 km radius, gotpletely enveloped in greyish ash in the next few seconds. All the trees and vegetation were either burned up or eradicated due to the shockwave!


    Large stones from the volcanic mountain''s mouth hit the air constantly, turned into crimson fireballs, and burst into mes. The fireballs then flew along with the gust of wind and spread towards the upper atmosphere. It was a very massive and powerful eruption and spread everywhere.


    As the ash andva spread up to the sky, Charles pped his wings and flew higher while evading all the flying fireballs in midair.


    ''This is not some normal disaster! The whole Light Kingdom might get affected by this meteorite-like shower!'' He wouldn''t be surprised if this incident caused a temperature change in the Aetas Kingdom and affected everyone''s life!


    If he had known this earlier, he wouldn''t have thought of using it.


    ''No, I had no choice earlier. If I didn''t use this dice, there is a high chance that damned Pope might have killed me!'' He grumbled inwardly and looked below.


    At that moment, the powerful ashes continued to rise from the lone mountain and formed into a giant mushroom cloud that almost looked like a nuclear explosion cloud!


    ''What a terrifying disaster!'' He looked at the surrounding areas from the sky and soon noticed nothing visible to his eyes.


    The Holy See, the forest, and even the lone mountain were enveloped in a greyish cloud of ashes!


    Just as he wondered whether the Holy See survived this disaster, a monstrous amount of light energy gathered from below and soon cleaned away the nearby ashes in other directions.


    Then, a tattered city appeared in front of Charles''s eyes. Even though the outer wall and the strange dome made of pure light remained still, the Holy See seemed to have gone through many changes and appeared more like a funeral house.. The earlier shockwaves destroyed tens of thousands of houses, and casualties urred higher inside the city.

 Chapter 502 - Disasters (Part-3)

    <h4>Chapter 502 - Disasters (Part-3)</h4>


    Chapter 502: Disasters (Part-3)


    The whole Holy See appeared to be in a great mess.


    At that moment, a 70-years old man flew out of the Holy See''s outer dome and soon stopped as he reached around 400 meters high.


    Meanwhile, Charles appeared on the opposite side while pping his fallen angel''s wings and stared at him with a wary look on his face.


    Simultaneously, he got ready to cast [Fire Rain], [Finger of Destruction], and [ck Inferno] on the Pope at any second.


    On the other hand, Pope also noticed Charles''s gaze but remained silent.


    After a short silence, he sighed deeply and asked.


    "Is this because of that dice?"


    Before Charles could give him an affirmative nod, he waved his hand and continued.


    "If you want to live longer, get the hell out of here. I have some other business to do."


    Once he said those words, Pope retracted his gaze, closed his eyes, and entered a strange state of meditation.


    At that moment, he also took out strange crystals from his pocket and made them hover in front of him using his wisdom power.


    A few secondster, he opened his eyes, made some ritualistic signs, and chanted in a strangenguage.


    Whenever he finished a verse, a dense amount of light energy came out of the strange crystals and started gathering at the tip of the golden crozier.


    "What are you doing?"


    Charles felt something was wrong with his action and asked in cautiousness.


    s, not a single word came out of Pope''s mouth.


    ''Should I attack him?'' Charles hesitated for a moment as he released his wisdom power, enveloped the Holy See and the surrounding areas in a blink, and scanned everything. His wisdom power even bypassed the light dome and observed everyone inside the Holy See.


    Within two seconds, hepleted the scan and soon widened his eyes in surprise.


    ''It seems the earlier earthquake and shockwave from the volcanic eruption killed more than 10,000 peoples.''


    Butpared to a few million people, this amount of death was not high.


    ''But why is Pope still acting seriously? Something more serious ising up? I should escape before he changes his mind.''


    Before he could think of escaping from there, his vision turned blurry all of a sudden and showed him a series of futuristic images!


    A momentter, he returned to his usual self and looked at the newly appeared images in his mind.


    But soon, his face turned into a shocked one and then into disbelief.


    "A second disaster?!" He muttered out loud and looked up at the sky with wide eyes.


    At that moment, a reddish star appeared in his sight.


    "A meteorite!" He shouted in surprise.


    The next instant, Charles didn''t hesitate for a moment before he turned around, pped his ck wings, and shot towards the eastern direction at an unimaginable speed.


    In the meantime, Pope continued to chant for a few more seconds, suddenly opened his eyes, gripped the golden crozier with both hands, and shot towards the reddish meteorite.


    He aimed to destroy the meteorite before it could reach the surface!


    Pope continued to fly upward and soon felt a burning sensation as he got closer.


    At that moment, the reddish meteorite started to getrger andrger and lightened up in crimson color while entering Faith Realm''s atmosphere.


    ''I can''t back down now. If I let this meteorite fall in Holy See, the whole kingdom or even the whole maind might get affected by it.'' Just as he was thinking, he noticed that the meteorite was erging in size quickly.


    Before long, a meteorite that had the size of a football field appeared in front of him!


    At that moment, it traveled at a speed of 60km/sec and could obliterate the Light Kingdom within seconds!


    As long as itnds on the surface, it could also cause more than 7.0 to 8.0 magnitude earthquakes and create more destruction all over the surrounding kingdoms!


    This newly appeared meteorite was nothing but pure cmity in front of Pope''s eyes.


    He instantly released his full divine power, pointed the crozier''s tip at the meteorite, and moved forward.


    In the meantime, the meteorite''s radiation assaulted all over his body and burned his dress and skin.


    Nevertheless, he still went on like he had no concerns in front of him.


    The moment his body was nearly in contact with the meteorite, the whole area around the meteorite turned into a gigantic, red field!


    His face also turned crimson red due to the burning from the radiation.


    His crozier soon touched the meteorite''s outer surface and collided against it.


    A momentter, a loud explosion echoed in the sky, followed by a terrifying shockwave spread everywhere in the sky.


    The golden crozier trembled violently a secondter and soon broke into multiple pieces!


    Before Pope could even utter a cry, his body bent at a weird angle due to the meteorite''s speed and was pushed back.


    Immeasurable pain assaulted everywhere as his bones started to break due to the brute force, and his skin started burning at a considerable speed.


    "Argh!" He screamed out loud in pain and struggled to push forward, only to see that the meteorite was forcing him backward at an unthinkable speed!


    The next moment, he tossed from the sky like a ball and fell like a shooting star.


    Although the earlier collision managed to lessen the meteorite''s speed, it still wasn''t enough to stop or even destroy a part of the meteorite.


    Pope fell from the sky continuously while staring nkly at the monstrous meteorite and soon cast [Divine Wings] spell to regain the bnce. Currently, he appeared more like a man who walked out of the firehouse, had multiple severe injuries, and even his left hand was nowhere to be seen!


    Moreover, a strange foreign power crept over his skin and had already infected him stealthily.


    "W-What is this?!" He groaned in pain and nced at the greenish smoke-covered right hand.


    Noticing the seriousness, he gathered every ounce of divine power from the surrounding air and even started burning the ''Divinity Core'' that resided inside the deepest part of his soul.


    It was where all the divine power that he had gathered in this ne was stored!


    The next instant, the space around him started to distort and released a terrifying amount of invisible power.


    The mysterious divine power then gathered above his head in the form of an invisible spear the next second and showed its tip at the descending meteorite.


    "Pir of Judgement." Pope roared wildly and flew towards the uing red meteorite once again.


    Another collision echoed in the sky, followed by another wave of shockwaves. But this time, the invisible spear managed to stop the meteorite for a mere second and reduced its movement speed to a considerable level.


    At that moment, its movement speed was reduced to 20 km/sec from 60 km/sec!


    "I can destroy it!" Hope appeared in Pope''s eyes.


    But soon realized that the meteorite was descending continuously and soon damaged the invisible spear.


    Before he could blink, the powerful invisible spear broke into millions of pieces and disappeared from his sight.


    The next moment, the meteorite directly mmed onto his body and burned him fiercely in a reddish me.


    At that moment, a strange greenish gas-like thing also entered deep into his body and weakened him.


    A strange sense of dizziness appeared in his mind.


    Simultaneously, he felt that his memories disappeared one by one due to some unknown factors and stiffened up.


    ''Something is attacking my mind?'' That was thest thought that appeared in his mind.


    Before he could understand the situation, a strange force appeared from the dream world and directly devoured his soul along with Truth and Light Divinites hidden in his body!


    Pope died without knowing how.

 Chapter 503 - Disaster (Part-4)

    <h4>Chapter 503 - Disaster (Part-4)</h4>


    Chapter 503: Disaster (Part-4)


    At that moment, Charles was hovering than ten km away from the Holy See and stared at the descending meteorite with wide eyes.


    The meteorite directly smashed onto the Holy See''s outer dome and exploded in seconds.


    Millions of people in the Holy See had already died long before the meteorite hit, and their bodies burned to ashes in a mere second.


    Then, the huge and terrible explosion covered an area of 30 km2 and made the entire city turn into a fire that almost reached the clouds.


    As for the rest, the explosion caused several earthquakes that even induced damage to the nearby Kingdoms.


    It nearly shook the entire Faith Realm.


    Charles also got entangled by the explosion, and his body started burning at an unimaginable speed!


    His body was also flown in a different direction, and rocks and sand smashed him.


    Thankfully, he was in his elemental form. Otherwise, he might have got himself killed by some random boulders due to the terrific shockwaves.


    Still, the damage he received in the next few seconds was more than ever he had received in his life.


    ''I''ll die if this continues!'' At that moment, he knew that he would die in a minute or two.


    Without any dy, he cast [Sun''s Guard] spell on himself and tried his best to defend himself from all the rocks and debris.


    At that moment, the whole sky turned red.


    More than thousands of people died after the earthquake, which followed the meteorite collision in the other parts of the Light Kingdom. The meteorite also sent some massive waves to the surroundingnds, which caused a lot of animals and birds to die, too.


    At that moment, the impact also threw hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris into the surrounding areas and created havoc.


    Charles also resisted the shock waves continuously and watched the destruction in sheer shock.


    Although the meteorite''s collision didn''t cause much destruction outside the Light Kingdom, he felt strange guilt inside.


    "T-That Dice! Compared to the first disaster, the second one is ten timesrger!" He sucked in a cold breath as he stared at the reddish surroundings and soon felt heavy in his chest.


    Was it his mistake? No, he knew that it was a pure ident. What he did was throw the golden dice to see if it could help him escape the pursuit of Pope.


    But he never expected it would bring this kind of disaster!


    "Wait... When I rolled the dice, itnded while showing a face with two dots, right? Is this the reason for the two disasters? T-Then, what would have happened if that dice face with six dots faced the sky?" A strange chill crept up to his spine.


    ''Sh*t! I need to be very careful when using this artifact!'' He continued to evade the debris while thinking and soon noticed that the bombardment had calmed down.


    After a few minutes, the smoke and fire also settled slowly and revealed arge crater at the ce where the Holy See was located!


    Charles stared at the ce for a moment and soon noticed that the earlier divine power was nowhere to be seen.


    ''I can teleport now?''


    Without any dy, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A few secondster, he reappeared above the Aetas Kingdom''s Royal City, looked below the houses, and soon breathed out a sigh of relief.


    "It seems Pope''sst effort to lessen the meteorite''s impact."


    Although a few houses were damaged here and there, he noticed no major destruction or casualties in the city.


    At that moment, the citizens were standing outside the house and were shouting here and there in a panic. Meanwhile, the elite Knights were trying their best to control the situation.


    After confirming that everything was okay, Charles enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    Then, he reappeared in the middle of the Throne Hall and soon clicked his tongue as he saw the destroyed old antiques, window sses, and the newly attached Chandelier.


    The wooden chairs in the Throne Hall were also messily fell here and there and appeared in a disorderly state.


    At that moment, tens of servants and guards who were busy cleaning the Throne Hall startled got by Charles''s arrival and bowed their heads one by one.


    On the other hand, Charles casually waved his hand and ordered.


    "Leave the Throne Hall now."


    Although the servants were confused by his sudden order, nobody said a word and did as he told them.


    As they walked out of the Throne Hall, Charles moved towards the throne canopy, stepped on the dais, and sat on the golden throne.


    Following that, he touched the greenish pendant on his neck and ordered the Pocket Dimension''s Will to send Melody and Irzoch out of it.


    A momentter, the space in front of him started to distort and soon formed into a 1-meter tall portal.


    Then, Melody and the injured Irzoch walked out of the portal, nced at the surroundings for a moment, and bowed towards him.


    Then, they shifted their gazes towards the hall and looked at the broken windows, chairs, and antiques in puzzlement.


    "What happened, Your Majesty?" Melody asked in a startled tone.


    Instead of responding, Charles looked at Irzoch''s injured arm and gestured her toe forward.


    Although Irzoch hesitated for a second, she soon nodded and stepped on the dais.


    Charles ced his hand on the severed arm as she arrived near the throne and muttered.


    "Life of Fire."


    A secondter, a dense amount of soul me filled with a minute amount of essence came out of his right hand and enveloped her body.


    As the soul me touched the injured area, it started to heal the wound at an unimaginable rate.


    Before long, new blood vessels and bones started to reappear from the severed area, followed by fleshes.


    Within a few seconds, a brand new arm appeared in front of Charles.


    Upon seeing this, Irzoch almost got into tears and bowed her head.


    "T-Thank you, My Lord!" She said in a trembling tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles finished his healing process, shifted his attention towards the [Curse of the Overlord] me essence in their dark space, and waved his hand.


    A momentter, Irzoch and Melody felt that some strangeness had disappeared in their mind but couldn''t understand what it was.


    Noticing their puzzled face, Charles smiled lightly and answered.


    "I erased something from your mind, but it''s nothing serious. Now, let''se to our current situation." He took a deep breath and spoke with a deep sigh.


    "Holy See is no more. Also, the whole Light Kingdom is in a mess right now." He paused for a moment and started narrating the whole situation to both of them.


    The more they heard, the more shocked they became!


    By the time he ended his speech, the whole hall had gone into an abrupt silence!


    "So... You caused the whole mess, Your Majesty?!" Melody asked with a dumbfounded look on her face.


    "I didn''t expect that rolling that dice would cause a meteorite to fall from the sky." A forced smile appeared on Charles''s face as he said those words.


    Meanwhile, Irzoch touched her newly formed hand like some treasure, then bit her lips and asked in a sad tone.


    "So, are you nning to leave us here, My Lord? Why can''t wee along with you?"


    Charles shook his head and answered.


    "That''s because I don''t want to interfere with both of your future. The more you guys stay with me, the more you will get interfered with by my power and lose your purpose. Also, this Faith Realm will turn into a chaotic zone from now on. All those kingdoms will fight against each other to gain supremacy because of the destruction of the Light Kingdom, and I want you guys to unite all the kingdoms and form a new empire." He paused for a moment, turned his gaze towards Melody, and then added in a solemn tone.


    "Keep that one-time teleportation ring with you all the time. Although it won''t work after I leave this ne, I might find this ne''s exact coordination using that-"


    Before he could finish his words, his eyes went blurry all of a sudden and showed him a future vision.


    The next second, he blinked his eyes in surprise and spoke with a mysterious smile on his face.


    "You also have another mission, Melody. It''s a mission to save someone who is imprisoned in the Magewind city."


    "Who?" Melody tilted her head and asked in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles extracted a piece of his memories from his Inner World and sent it to her mind.


    A secondter, a memory of a brown-haired humanoid figure imprisoned in a ck metal cage appeared in her mind.


    The brown-haired humanoid figure had a feminine human face but had strange wood-like limbs. It also had barks on its limbs, had reddish eyes, a unique azure eye at the center of its forehead, and appeared more like an 8-years old girl child.


    "W-What is this creature, Your Majesty? Is it a mutated human?" Melody asked in curiosity.


    Charles shook his head as he heard her question and answered mysteriously.


    "That''s for you to find out. But don''t go there before uniting the whole Faith Realm and integrating your domain with this maind. If you go earlier, not only would you lose your life, you might even end up ruining someone''s n."


    Although Melody didn''t understand his motive, she quietly nodded and agreed.


    "I''ll not disappoint you, Your Majesty."


    On the other hand, Irzoch seemed to have recalled something, hurriedly took out a strange ck-covered book and the Talisman of Fortune artifact from her spatial ring, and gave them to him.


    Meanwhile, Charles activated [Eyes of the Runes] skill and tried to scan the book first. But to his shock, all he saw was nothing but question marks!


    Surprised, he scanned the book with his wisdom power and soon frowned.


    "A time-rted spellbook?"


    After some thought, he stored the book and Fortune Talisman artifact into his space ring and shifted his gaze towards Melody.


    At that moment, she had also taken out various artifacts which she took from Bishop Victor and presented them to him.


    "Bangle of Judgement... Misery''s Bracelet... Twin Ice-Hearts... Life Branch... Tri-Mind Hat... Mask of Deception..." As Charles analyzed them one by one, he shook his head and spoke.


    "Split the spoil among yourselves."


    Saying so, Charles then shifted his gaze towards Irzoch and continued.


    "You are free to do whatever you want until Ie back. It may take a decade or even a century for me to return. Till then, enjoy your freedom and decide a goal for your life."


    While speaking, he stood up from his seat and took out the portal stone from his space ring.


    He then ced his soul imprint on the portal stone and activated it.


    The next instant, he noticed that the portal stone sent a mysterious wave towards his head, scanned his body, and soon sent a piece of information to his mind.


    A momentter, a row of information appeared in front of his eyes.


    "Runal Language?" A surprise shed on Charles''s face as he muttered and read it slowly.


    "Soul Name... Identity number... Passcode..."


    Then, he raised his hand and tried to write a name with his thought.


    ...


    "Soul Name: Rh Aixus Rit''zyk."


    "Lawful Faction''s Identity Number: 255308 211648 278153 269542 273447 147746 271062 179267"


    "Passcode: ************************************************* *"


    ...


    Just as Charles input the correct passcode, he suddenly felt that the space around him started to distort, and soon a strange power was pulling him into the void.


    Before he could even say goodbye to Melody and Irzoch, his body turned illusionary and disappeared from the throne hall.


    (End of Volume-4: Reborn)

 Chapter 504 - Space Hub

    <h4>Chapter 504 - Space Hub</h4>


    Chapter 504: Space Hub


    Charles found himself traveling in a simr bluish tunnel-like structure the next instant and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    At that moment, he also noticed the strange radiations appearing everywhere and affecting his body.


    Frowning, he touched the ''Nature''s Leaf'' and activated the forcefield-like ability.


    After that, he looked around and started analyzing the surroundings.


    At that moment, myriads of stars, cosmos, cloud-like structures, asteroids, and many other space things moved past him continuously.


    But unlike thest time when he traveled to the Lost Tombs dungeon, no ck tentacles or other spatial creatures appeared in his sight and attacked him.


    After traveling for a few more seconds, Charles again felt another suction forceing out from the nearby space tunnel and pulled him out!


    A momentter, his vision turned blurry, and the next instant, he felt his body smashed onto a hard white-colored floor.


    Simultaneously, an invisible pressure assaulted his body from everywhere, followed by multiple powers trying to probe his body!


    Without any dy, he released his wisdom power and blocked them.


    He also noticed that the gravity power in that ce was two times greater than Edhen.


    ''Gravity?''


    Thankfully, his physical body was much higher than an average human body, so he didn''t feel much difficulty standing up.


    Soon, he looked around and noticed that he was standing in argely empty hall. The surrounding walls, the floor, and even the ceiling were painted white!


    Moreover, there wasn''t even a single sign of decoration or furniture that appeared in his sight.


    As he was looking at the surrounding in confusion, the space before him started to distort, and soon a young woman teleported in front of his eyes.


    Her body was slender, and she appeared to be around 25-years-old. She was wearing a white vest, a blue skirt, and an orange scarf wrapped on her head, and she was wearing a pair of red gloves. She had long shiny blonde hair, a round face, crystal-like azure eyes, pointy ears, and appeared to be around 190 to 192 cm high.


    "An elf?" Charles said in surprise and looked her up and down.


    In the meantime, the young elven woman curled her lips upward, gave him a polite smile, and answered in a Rune Language.


    But the voice that came out of her mouth appeared synthetic.


    "Wee to the ''Halo'' Floating City, Mister. You are now in the Space Hub of Ditune Gxy''s inteary teleportation midpoint." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "I''m a Homunculus assistant no-AR241. You can call me Vera."


    ''A Homunculus, huh.''


    Charles nodded his head and asked.


    "Am I able to travel to Edhen World from here? What are the procedures for that?"


    "You can, Mister. But we have no records of your history. Also, you used someone else''s ID to enter the Lawful Faction''s Space Hub, and it vites thew of Space Travel. So, we need to verify if you killed a member of our Lawful Faction to sneak in here or just borrowed it from him. Please do not resist the probing scans."


    The same female authentic voice came out of her mouth.


    Just as she finished her words, another round of multiple invisible powers came out from different parts of the walls and floors and started scanning him.


    At that moment, an authentic male voice echoed from the surroundings suddenly.


    "Scanning the portal stone... Identity Holder''s Soul Mame: Rh Aixus Rit''zyk."


    "Scanning the Identity Number: 255308 211648 278153 269542 273447 147746 271062 179267"


    "Scanning the Human''s body: No abnormal radiations or chaotic energy found."


    "Scanning for Bloodline: High-Human Bloodline Detected!"


    "Scanning for Pathways: ss Gem path Mystic!"


    "Scanning for ID Card Holder''s history in the Human''s memories... Match Found!"


    "Analyzing..."


    "Analysispleted-"


    "Universal Explorer Rh''s Soul Message detected!"


    "Deciphering...."


    "Message Deciphered!"


    "The Deciphered message will be delivered to Origin Seeker Ainhoa under the request of the Universe Explorer!"


    "Re-entering Rh''s status from ''Dead'' to ''Alive.''"


    ...


    The scanning process continued for more than a minute, and finally, it ended after sending a row of information into his mind.


    In that information, Charles saw hiswful faction identity.


    "Soul Name: Charles Nightwind


    Identity Number: 492576 2756921 19572521 2950252 710583 1988472 1740214...


    Passcode: ***************************************************


    Wealth: 1 Emperor Silver (Beginner''s Gift)


    Mission Completed: Nil"


    As Charles read the information, he couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows in surprise.


    He then turned his gaze towards Vera and asked multiple questions at a time.


    "How much is this 1 Emperor Silver worth? Do I have to use these Emperor Silvers for Space travel? How much do I need now to go to Edhen World?"


    Meanwhile, Vera bowed her head and answered.


    "Emperor Silver''s worth varies from one ce to another, Mr. Charles. One Emperor Silver coin is more than enough to buy a single-storied house in Halo Floating City, but you will need more than 10 Emperor Silvers to buy the same-sized house in any urban Space Hubs. Also, you have to convert Emperor Silver to the Local Currency for using it here. As for the hyperweb space travel, it varies." She paused for a moment, waved her hand, and created a projection.


    At that moment, a map of the spiral gxy appeared in front of his eyes.


    "It''s the map of Ditune Gxy, Mr. Charles. Can you pinpoint the location of your destination? I''ll tell you how much it will cost."


    Nodding his head, Charles used his hand to zoom in towards a particr part of the primary bar and soon shook his head.


    "No, this is the first time I''m seeing a gxy map. But I know the coordination of my home. It''s in Myxend Sr System." Charles said solemnly and sent a piece of memory towards Vera.


    Meanwhile, the Homunculus Vera scanned the memory and soon zoomed in to a particr area.


    Within seconds, a bluish-green appeared in front of Charles''s eyes.


    ''Edhen!'' A smile appeared on his face.


    At that moment, Vera also calcted the cost of travel and answered.


    "It will cost around 10 Emperor Silvers, Mr. Charles."


    Vera paused for a moment as she noticed the troubled look on his face and then suggested.


    "But you can use Lord Rh''s ID for your travel now."


    "Can I?" Charles asked in surprise and hurriedly looked at the portal stone.


    On the other hand, Vera nodded her head and responded.


    "Yes. It''s normal for Lawful Faction members to use theirrade''s ID or Portal Stone for emergency purposes. As long as you are a Lawful Faction member, you won''t face any problem."


    "Oh? Then, can you please transport me to Edhen ne?" Charles asked while inputting Rh''s ID, Soul Name, and Passcode in the portal stone.


    "Okay." Vera also nodded her head and disappeared from there.


    Three secondster, Charles felt a spatial fluctuation in front of him, and soon an invisible force sucked him into a void.

 Chapter 505 - Edhen

    <h4>Chapter 505 - Edhen</h4>


    Chapter 505: Edhen


    An unknown Ind, Azure Federation''s Territory, Endless Sea, Edhen World,


    It was around 7 in the morning.


    Although the sun had appeared in the eastern sky, the surroundings appeared a little dimmer due to the cloudy sky, causing the surrounding atmosphere to be a little gloomy.


    At that moment, a sailing ship with three masts came from the sea and soon docked next to the sandy beach.


    It was a golden-colored one, appeared not too big nor too small whenpared to the average pirate ships, and had more than ten people on board at that moment. A white g with crimson-colored X-symbol also attached to the middle mast and fluttered due to the sea wind.


    The first person to disembark was a young woman with a deep scar on her left eye who dressed in a long coat, waistcoat, high boots, and a ck hat. She had long red hair, a tall figure, crimson eyes, and a sword in her right hand. She also wore a unique crimson-gem-embedded pendant around her neck and appeared beautiful.


    She climbed down from the ship and soon stepped towards the sandy beach. Then, a middle-aged bald man and other crew members followed her and looked around at the green forest in curiosity.


    Suddenly, the middle-aged man named Liam looked at the ground and asked


    "What are your next orders, captain? Shall we do another night raid at Azure Corps?"


    At that moment, the young woman subconsciously moved her hand towards her pendant, caressed the crimson orb, and sighed.


    She was none other than Valerie, captain of the Golden Demon ship!


    After the clone Charles''s disappearance, she and herrades set out on their own and formed arge merchandise corp. But just after six months, Azure Federation interfered with their business using a random excuse, and their merchandise vessels were sunken by the Rising Serpent Naval Commander!


    Because of that, Valerie and the crew members were forced to flee and became fugitives.


    Currently, they were nothing more than pirates.


    After a long silence, Valerie shook her head and responded.


    "Nah, let''s wait for our subordinates to return with other vessels. Too many raids in a short time might get us killed. Let''s rest here for a month or two-"


    Before she could finish her words, she suddenly went stiff for a second and soon widened her eyes.


    At that moment, she sensed some invisible power was scanning her from a faraway ce and cried out in surprise.


    "Enemy! Take cover!"


    Before she could take a step back, the space in front of her started to distort and formed into a 2-meter tall portal.


    A secondter, a young man with blonde hair walked out from the portal and stared at her in surprise. He had a unique eyepatch on his left eye and wore a ck overcoat.


    He was none other than Charles in Julius''s appearance.


    A while ago, Charles returned to Edhen ne and thought of returning to the Iron Kingdom.


    But at that moment, he sensed his shattered soul shard was nearby and thought of checking it out.


    Upon seeing his appearance, Valerie took a step back, conjured a ball of me, and got ready to cast an attack spell at him at any moment.


    "Who are you?" She asked him warily.


    Instead of responding, Charles casually waved his hand and picked up the crimson-gem-embedded pendant from her neck using telekinesis.


    Valerie''s face changed as she noticed what he was doing and stared at him with bloodshot eyes.


    She tried to utter a word but couldn''t.


    At that moment, she knew that the person before her was far more powerful than anyone she had encountered before!


    "Legend Rank!" She finally said it out loud.


    ''A Rank-6 powerhouse!''


    Herrades also froze and soon broke into cold sweats.


    Meanwhile, Charles casually caught the pendant and probed the gem using his wisdom power.


    Soon, his eyes widened his surprise.


    Inside the small crimson orb, he noticed that his clone''s body was floating in the void like a boat!


    What''s more shocking was that the whole crimson orb contained the essence of Rebirth me that involves freezing the surrounding time!


    ''Present Time!''


    Charles didn''t care much about his clone''s broken soul shard. Although he could repair it and give it a new life with the previous memories, he didn''t have any high hopes for the clone Charles.


    But the crimson orb was something else.


    He could increase the Rebirth Fireprehension and get a spell unique to ''Time-Stop'' or something simr!


    ''Although I could slow down the time around my body by casting [Red Tear] Spell, I still need to increase my body Physique to nullify the gravity.'' Indeed, the ''Time-Stop'' rted abilities had some deep connection with the Gravity, making it hard for anyone to move in that area.


    ''But the mysterious thing is no one would be squashed to death by the gravity power. They would only get restrained, and that''s it.''


    It was a strange power but powerful enough to startle even a Divine.


    If he managed toprehend the essence hidden in crimson core and create a spell simr to a ''Time-Stop'' spell in the future, there would be a high chance he might be as famous as the Angel of Time!


    When he was near the Rebirth Star, he only managed toprehend the [Healing-Type] Rebirth Fire to reattach his shattered soul and didn''t put much time on other types.


    ''But now, I can take things slowly.'' He thought to himself, extracted the broken soul shard and the clone''s body from the orb.


    A secondter, Charles''s clone body appeared in front of him and soonnded on the beach sand with a thud!


    Without minding it, Charles conjured the Rebirth me, made it into Red Tear, and sealed the small Crimson Orb using it.


    Then, he directly sent it into his Inner World and shifted his attention towards the broken soul shard, which resided inside the clone body. Then, he closed his eyes, entered the Astral ne, and soon saw a small thumb-sized broken piece of his soul was attached towards the clone''s heart area.


    ''The clone might need some time to recuperate.''


    First, he extracted a part of his memories, added it to the shattered piece, and merged them.


    Following that, he conjured a ball of Rebirth me, made another cube-like structure, andpletely covered the soul shard to heal the shattered soul.


    After that, he left the Astral ne and opened his eyes in the Physical Realm.


    Then, he squatted down and checked the Clone Charles''s pulse to confirm if he was okay.


    "His soul shard is healing. It will take a month or two for him to wake up." Charles spoke towards the dumbfounded Valerie, suddenly thought of something, and asked.


    "For how long has he been sealed in that crimson orb?"


    Meanwhile, Valerie snapped out of the shock and said in a stutter.


    "H-He has been like this for more than two years, Your Excellency."


    "Oh? Fire Bird''s words are true? Only two years had passed in Edhen World? That''s surprising." Charles muttered inwardly and asked.


    "What day is today? Can you tell me the exact date and year?"


    Valerie showed a stiff smile as she heard his words and answered.


    "It''s Tuesday. 13th of December, Year 6408, Your Excellency."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A strange silence appeared on the beach, followed by a heavy sigh.


    "I thought Charles died there in the mountain. But I didn''t expect he was hiding in that orb all this time." Valerie said in a deep tone, squatted down, and ordered.


    "Liam,e and pick him up. We need to protect him until he wakes up."


    At that moment, the bald Liam also hurriedly ran towards the clone Charles and grumbled.


    "Why did you hide his disappearance from us, Captian? Elias will create a scene when he gets here and learns the truth."


    "Who cares about that perv. Come on; take Charles to the ship first." Valerie said as she stood up and shifted her gaze towards the ce where Charles was there before.


    ''Who is that guy?'' That question lingered in her heart.

 Chapter 506 - Runeth

    <h4>Chapter 506 - Rh</h4>


    Chapter 506: Rh


    Charles reappeared more than five km away from the unknown ind and looked down at the roaring seawater.


    Then, he touched his face and started to shape-shift into his original appearance.


    At that moment, he had deep bluish hair, a deep-set jade eye on his right side, short eyebrows, olive skin, a fleshy nose, and an oval face.


    After that, he released his wisdom power in all directions, covered 20 km surroundings, and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A secondter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he reappeared 20 km away from where he was before and continued to cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    Before long, he appeared above a port city that belonged to the Azure Federation and moved to the southern part of the continent.


    For the next few minutes, Charles traveled through many kingdoms, Forests, and woonds and finally managed to reach the territory of the Iron Kingdom.


    Just as he thought of continuing further, he suddenly sensed a strange invisible thread passing through space and tried to reach out towards his body.


    If it were before, he wouldn''t have sensed its presence. But after he upgraded his Eyes, he saw the mysterious thread clearly and smirked.


    He then conjured a ball of Rebirth me, shaped it into the form of a long sword, and directly shed at it multiple times.


    The invisible thread broke into multiple pieces the next second and disappeared from the nearby space itself.


    "So, that''s the Destiny thread controlled by the World''s Will, huh? No wonder I got controlled by the World''s ''Will''st time." Charles muttered slowly and disappeared from there.


    Three secondster, he appeared more than 60 km away from where he was before and soon shifted his attention toward the 800 meters tall golden magic tower.


    It was a 5yered cylindrical tower with a golden dragon symbol at the top.


    Eachyer of this tower was further divided into five levels and had 25 levels!


    Rebirth Magic Tower!


    He saw a strange forcefield-likeyer that appeared around the outer surface of the tower and seemed to be protecting it from any outside force.


    As he turned his gaze towards the entrance, he also saw hundreds of young men and women entering and exiting the tower through the 3-meter tall golden gate, and the whole area appeared busy.


    After a quick scan, Charles shifted his attention towards the City of Iron and finally towards the Iron Tower located on the northern side of the city.


    "It seems nothing changed in the past two years." He muttered inwardly and started to descend towards the entrance.


    At that moment, the students, teachers, and even the guards noticed his presence and were startled.


    Even though he looked more like a young man than some powerful mage, almost all of them showed an alert look on their faces.


    In a second, all of them distanced themselves away from him and got ready to attack him. Some unsheathed their weapons, while some started reciting incantations, and so on.


    Meanwhile, a few elite guards in golden armor stepped forward and aimed their spears at him.


    It all happened in less than 2 seconds which startled Charles greatly.


    All of them acted uniformly and seemed to have trained for any unexpected situations!


    ''They are well-trained!''


    While he was stunned inside, a particr silver armored young man stepped forward and asked in a cold tone.


    "Who are you?"


    Before Charles could open his mouth, an illusionary female figure materialized in front of him and bowed her head towards him.


    She had long silver hair, blue eyes, elongated ears, and looked around 25 to 30 years old with a big chest.


    Currently, she wore a golden floral gown, a gem-embedded ne around her neck, and had a delicate figure.


    She was none other than the Tower Spirit, Zera!


    "Wee back, Tower Master." She said in a smooth voice.


    Meanwhile, Charles raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "Did you scan my soul?"


    On the other hand, Zera nodded her illusionary head and added.


    "Rune Master is waiting for you in the underground basement, Master. Do you want to meet him now?"


    Charles thought for a moment and agreed.


    "Send me there."


    Just as he finished his words, the space around him started to distort, and soon he found himself standing in a different scenario.


    Charles nced around and noticed that he was in a familiar hall filled with mysterious rune circles, experimental tables with materials ced on them, cloning pods, and many other spooky things.


    He even saw arge red cube at the other end of the hall and grinned.


    It was the same system cube he had ced here two years ago.


    But unlike before, the system cube appeared in a half-dismantled state.


    "Well, well, well. I thought it would take more than a decade or two for you toe here. Here you are! What happened to your eyes?" An ancient voice came from Charles''s right side, causing him to turn his head subconsciously.


    When he turned, he was astonished to see a man standing in front of him wearing a white robe and a simple face. The man was a bit old, around 50, and had arge frame, a face covered with wrinkles, and a pair of spectacles on his face.


    He had long blonde hair, amber eyes, a muscr body, and looked around 180 to 185 cm high.


    "You are?" Charles showed a surprised look and soon widened his eyes.


    "Mr. Rh?"


    Meanwhile, the blonde-haired male nodded his head and said with a smile.


    "This is how my original body looked like,d. So, how is your journey?"


    "I encountered some extraordinary things." A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    Then, he started walking towards the System Cube and told him about the whole story.


    "It seems you encountered a lot of incredible things," Rh muttered after hearing his story and then added in a solemn tone.


    "But... That Trickster Goddess seems to have put you in a high spot. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have ced her Mother''sst Will under your''s wing."


    "Last Will? Mother? You mean that mysterious nt in the Pocket Dimension?" Charles got stunned by his words and asked in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Rh nodded his head and answered.


    "If I''m not wrong, the Goddess Zaqiel must be the same Mother Goddess who was born in the Easica ne. It''s the ne that gave birth to many powerhouses and Gods. A few millenniums ago, I once heard that she fought the Light God Welos and Goddess of Judgement in Easica ne but died protecting the ne. But your story says something different. Maybe she managed to save herself at thest moment and fled?" He rubbed his chin and soon shook his head.


    "I don''t know what happened at that time, but I am damn sure that Mother Goddess is the person I know from the Easica ne. So, she died in that rural ne, huh. The appearance of Myxenta''s Dice, Light Divinities, Truth and Judgement rted artifacts, and Nature power all indicate that she must have moved there for a specific reason. Haa, you don''t need to worry much about this matter anymore.." Saying so, Rh arrived near the 3 metersrge Red Cube and stared at the artifact deeply.

 Chapter 507 - System Slots

    <h4>Chapter 507 - System Slots</h4>


    Chapter 507: System Slots


    At that moment, Charles thought of Jessie and the other kids and asked.


    "How are those kids?"


    His question caused Rh''s face to turn serious.


    "Titus''s and your death caused a big impact on them. All three of them learned the seriousness and went on their own to improve themselves. Jessie went to the City of Miracles a few months ago to search for clues about Underworld and learn more about Rank-5 [Siren] ss. Yes, she became a Rank-4 [Blood Duke] a year ago and even improved her main ss. On the other hand, Noel went to the mysterious ruin called ''Dreamforce Lair'' a week ago and still hasn''t returned yet."


    "He went to explore the ruin that has a connection with Dream World?" Charles asked in surprise.


    In truth, even he was a little wary of the Dream World.


    "Well, he insisted that he would go alone. Moreover, he already chose to walk on the path of Dreamers and became a Rank-3 [Dream Walker]. As long as he didn''t venture too deeply into the ruin, I don''t think he would face problems." Rh said with a smile.


    Nodding, Charles then thought of the queen of Iron Kingdom and asked.


    "What about Rhea?"


    "Thatss? She had already be a fully-fledged queen and is focusing her full attention on Ice magic during the past two years. She also advanced to be a Rank-4 [Hail Sorceress] and is doing great. You can meet her anytime as long as you go to the Royal Pce."


    "Nah, I''m happy as long as they are doing well. Moreover, I return to Edhen not to fool around." Charles said.


    "I know. You are waiting to upgrade the System Cube, right?"


    Rh let out a chuckle, arrived in front of the Red Cube, and touched the System Cube''s outer part.


    In the meantime, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "It''s not my main objective, old man. I want to upgrade my ''Fire Affinity'' first. Goddess Rudia said that the nar Invasion mission would start around Year 6418 at the City of Miracles, and the final reward would help me improve my affinity to peak level. So, I want to participate in that mission at all cost."


    "You are nning on participating in the nar Invasion?" Rh paused in surprise but suddenly shook his head.


    "No... It''s a precious reward even for a Legend Rank Mystics. The higher-ups in the City of Miracles would never allow an outsider to win."


    "Oh? You mean they would cheat or find a way to disqualify me?" Charles showed a troubled look on his face.


    "Absolutely. Although you have ten more years to prepare, I don''t think you can obtain the reward using normal means. Currently, you are just a peak Rank-5 Mage. If you show your strength and affinity ranking to the organizers, they will give you a sword and shield and tell you to go and guard one of their outposts. Do you think Abyss is an easy ce for anyone to walk in? One single mistake, you and all other reckless mages might get squashed by some Demon General or Demon Lord. Once you enter the Abyss, you need to stay closer to the main group to stay alive. Otherwise, you''ll die for sure. You may have an artifact to cheat death one time or even twice, but can you do it tens of times?" He paused for a moment and soon asked in a mocking tone.


    "Moreover, do you think the event organizers would allow a random Rank-5 Mage to apany the main group? Never. Only High-Rank members of those three Towers or Legend Rank powerhouses would be allowed to stay with the main group. As for other mystics, the organizers would mostly split them into different groups and send them to different areas for reconnaissance missions. They are nothing but cannon fodders."


    "What if I manage to be a member of one of the Three-Towers? Sun Tower should wee me willingly, right?" Charles asked.


    "Even if you want to be a member of one of the three Magic Towers now, you need to spend a lot of Arcane Coins and do a lot of bribes. Do you think Sun Tower would throw flowers if you visit them? Not even the gatekeeper would wee you." Rh''s words were harsh and cold.


    Before Charles could even refute, he once again nced at him and added.


    "Moreover, many young mages from powerful mage families would be participating in the uing nar Invasion Mission. So, your merits won''t be enough to win among all those prodigies and blessed ones."


    "Then, what do you suggest?" Charles asked in an annoyed tone.


    "Leave that matter to me. I''ll inform you when I find enough information about that reward. Till then, stay here in the Rebirth Tower and construct your remaining spell model." Rh said in a calm tone and shifted his attention towards the System Cube.


    At that moment, Charles also followed his gaze and asked.


    "How long will it take for the upgrade process?"


    "I already removed all the remaining ss Gems and Fire Spell Models and stored them in the Tower Core. If you want to build spell models, you don''t need to rely on this Cube anymore."


    "Oh? Then, what function does this System have now?" Charles asked in curiosity.


    "Except for the system interface, there is none. Unlike other artifacts, the original owner of this artifact created this pseudo-intellectual artifact uniquely and ced five empty slots for new abilities. That''s how the ''Time-Freeze'' spell, the ''Forceful Spell Construction'' ability, the ''Consciousness Protection'' spell capable of destroying Legend Rank consciousness in your Inner World, the ''Present-Time'' ability to protect the System Cube and the ''Game interface'' function appeared in this Red Cube. But when the Time-Elemental Stone became empty, the ''Time-Freeze'' ability and ''Present-Time'' ability disappeared from the Cube, leaving two empty slots behind. A few months ago, I also removed the ''Forceful Spell Construction'' ability and a part of the Game Interface''s ability and transferred everything into the Tower Core. As for the consciousness protection spell, I don''t think you needed that badly. So, I removed that also."


    "So, this Red Cube now only has five empty slots?" Charles stared at him in confusion.


    "No, I remodeled the Game Interface and changed its core function. For example, I created a forbidden tool used by ancient mages and added it to your System. From now on, you won''t receive Exp points or skill points whenever you kill an individual. Instead, this System Cube will extract a part of soul essence from the enemy and give it to you in the form of Wisdom Points." Rh paused for a moment and then continued with a proud smile.


    "What I''m trying to do now is simple. I''m nning to extract four different skills or spells from different artifacts you got from Faith Realm and fuse them into this System with the help of my ''Miracle'' skill. Take the artifacts now."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded and took them out from his space ring one by one.


    First, he took out the ck-Covered Book and passed it to Rh before asking.


    "I got this Spellbook from a Seer, but I couldn''t scan it. Do you know what this is?"


    On the other hand, Rh caught the book from Charles, closed his eyes, and probed it with the power of Past Time.


    A few secondster, he opened his eyes and showed puzzlement on his face.


    "Even I can''t search of its past. Someone seems to have erased this book''s history from the ''Time'' itself. Hmm, but I can sense an incredible amount of ''Future-Time'' essence from inside." He deliberated for a moment and then added with a frown.


    "I think I needed some time to analyze more about this book."


    "Take your time." Charles casually waved his hand and took out the ''Dice of Disasters'' from his Inner World.


    "This Dice holds-"


    Before he could speak, Rh took it from Charles''s hand, ced it on his palm, and said in an excited tone.


    "Lad, you think I don''t know about this artifact? It''s one of the hundred Miracle Gold Coins. Goddess Myxenta sacrificed her own life to create these coins and spread them to every part of this universe for a specific purpose. I heard that the Angel of Time also has one Miracle Gold Coins in his possession."


    Charles creased his eyebrows as he heard those words and tilted his head in puzzlement.


    "Goddess Myxenta? I, too read, something simr in the description. Yes, the description said that ''It is one of the hundred Miracle Gold Coins created by Goddess Myxenta to break the Universe''s bnce or something.'' Why did she kill herself for that?"


    "Divines are always unpredictable and crazy beings,d. But there must be a reason for that Lady''s action. Leave this Dice to me; I''ll find a way to attach itself to one of those slots." Rh put the Dice of Disaster into his pocket and then asked.


    "Do you have any other artifacts like this one?"


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head, removed the green pendant from his neck, and passed it to him while adding.


    "It''s the pocket dimension that has the mysterious nt hidden in the sky."


    "Hmm? Pocket dimension, huh. Order the Will to send us to its core room." Rh spoke as he took the pendant and scanned it using his wisdom power.


    "Core room?" A puzzled look appeared on Charles''s face. But after receiving no response from Rh, he let out a deep sigh and sent out an order towards the Pocket Dimension''s Will.


    A secondter, a suction force appeared in the underground hall and pulled both of them into a separate space!

 Chapter 508 - Rest

    <h4>Chapter 508 - Rest</h4>


    Chapter 508: Rest


    A momentter, Charles and Rh found themselves standing in front of a 3-meter radius ss sphere and looked around in curiosity. They were currently standing in an enclosed room, and almost all the walls, ceiling, and floors were engraved in mysterious characters and paintings.


    "Is this the Core Room?" Charles observed the surroundings and soon shifted his gaze towards the ss sphere, around a 3-meter radius in size.


    No, he focused on the multiple head-sized crystals hovering inside the ss sphere.


    At that moment, a few strange tubes were attached to the ss sphere''s top and appeared to be drawing energy from all those crystals constantly.


    It looked more like an experimental test sphere than some Core of the pocket dimension.


    Charles also noticed that all of the crystals seemed to have possessed a tremendous amount of energy inside.


    ''Are they elemental crystals? But aren''t they too big? Fairy Crystals? Or Divine Crystals?''


    While he was in muse, Rh walked towards the ss sphere and muttered.


    "Time, Space, Nature, Water, Wind, Earth, Fire, and Light... There are a total of eight Divine Elemental Crystals, huh. This sphere is the core of this pocket dimension,d. Even touching this sphere would cause instant retaliation from the Pocket Dimension''s Will."


    Saying so, he extended his right hand and tried to touch it. But a momentter, a mysterious force appeared out of nowhere and created an invisible wall in front of him.


    Simultaneously, a foggy humanoid shape materialized in front of them.


    "This is the pocket Dimension''s Will. But this is in an infant form."


    While exining, Rh took out a fist-sized crystalline Time-Elemental Crystal from his space ring, passed it to Charles, and added.


    "Charles, order the Pocket Dimension''s Will to rece the Divine crystal with this Fairy One. This crystal should be more than enough for a millennium or two to maintain the stability of the pocket Dimension."


    Although Charles didn''t understand his motive, he quietly nodded and did as Rh told him.


    To his surprise, the Pocket Dimension''s Will didn''t show any hesitation and reced the crystal within three seconds.


    "This is for speeding up the System Cube''s aging process. I thought of using the ''Fairy Crystal'' to finish the process, but the presence of Pocket Dimension in your hand changed everything." Rh gave him a short exnation.


    "You want to elerate the time around the System Cube using this Time Crystal?"


    "Yes, I''m nning on elerating it 10,000 times faster than normal. Using a Fairy Crystal, we can only increase the System Cube''s age up to 3,000 years. But with this ''Divine Crystal,'' we can increase the System Cube''s age up to 30,000 years to 50,000 years!"


    Excitement appeared in his tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles noticed the craziness in his eyes and asked.


    "You want to upgrade it to S or SS-level intellectual artifact, right?"


    "No. I want to upgrade it to a Z-Series intellectual artifact." Rh paused for a moment and soon chuckled.


    "But that''s more like an impossible task even with the Miracle skill. Let''s see if we can make something imaginative."


    "Imaginative, huh. I wonder if we could create an upgraded artificial intelligence-like system artifact? The one that could be capable of creating missions to save the user from any dangerous situations..." His voice trailed off as he ended the sentence.


    On the other hand, Rh stored the ''Divine Rank'' Time-Elemental Crystal into his space ring and spoke.


    "It''s not an impossible thing,d. But to achieve that, we need pure wisdom essence. You see, mission-like things have some connection with Wisdom Tree and Wisdom Link. Wisdom Link is a mysterious web that connects all nes like the Eternal River of Life. Even I heard about these things only after I became a universal Explorer. This Wisdom Link is also the reason for the birth of any intelligent creature in any ne."


    "Wisdom Essence?" Charles suddenly thought of the ''Eye of Insight'' stone and hurriedly took it out from his space ring.


    "What about this stone? I got it from this pocket dimension."


    Meanwhile, Rh took it from Charles''s hand, analyzed it carefully, and soon widened his eyes.


    "It seems a powerful Druid used ''Nature'' essence to seal the ''Insight'' power from leaking outside. Although I''m not sure whether this stone could create your imaginative System artifact, it could at least increase the artifact''s intelligence to a considerable level." He said.


    Meanwhile, Charles was surprised by Rh''s words and nodded in understanding.


    After that, both stayed in the core room, talked more about the System Upgrade for the next few hours, and finally left the Pocket Dimension.


    Once they returned to the underground hall, Rh took a deep breath and spoke.


    "You should go and take some rest in the Tower,d. Later, you can go and check out the Tower Core''s new functions and start constructing the spell models."


    Before Charles could utter a word, he sat in front of the System Cube and started writing runal characters in the air before sending them into the half-dismantled Red Cube.


    On the other hand, Charles heaved a heavy sigh and ordered.


    "Send me to 24th Level, Zera."


    The next instant, he turned blurry for a moment, disappeared from there, and reappeared in a luxurious bedroom hall.


    He saw a beautiful room with several crystal scintitors on the floor.


    The walls were decorated with red flowers, red dragons paintings, and red birds paintings. Moreover, Charles even saw some other red-colored items were attached to the walls using hooks.


    The windows were covered in red curtains, and the floor was covered in red carpet.


    "Old man sure loves red color," Charlesmented casually and looked around.


    There was a huge ''Bay'' window on the eastern side of the hall, and some furniture that could be considered luxurious appeared all over the room.


    But the most outstanding feature of the room was the huge bed with crystal coverings that looked like a single sheet of ice.


    Charles toured therge hall-like room for a while and moved towards the red-painted wardrobe ced next to the luxurious bed.


    Soon, he arrived in front of it, opened it with both hands, and took out a nightgown from it.


    He then locked the wardrobe and started walking towards the opposite side.


    He soon saw the bathroom and stopped at a white bathroom door. In front of the door, there was a white towel hung up on a golden hook. He picked up the towel, moved his hand towards the door know and opened the door before walking inside.


    Inside, he saw arge bathtub made of clear crystal filled with the hottest water. The bathtub''s handle and the whole edge were crystal-covered and appeared exquisite. For a moment, he thought that he had returned to modern earth.


    Charles then took out his hand and pulled the top edge of the bathtub. He also took out the towel and held it by his waist. Then, he turned to the side, took some bath supplies from the white cab, and took a deep bath after a long time.


    Before leaving the bathroom, he washed his face and hair with the boiling hot water in the bathtub.


    After that, he changed his clothes and moved towards the luxurious bed.


    Before long, he arrived before the luxurious bed,y on it, and started sleeping soundlessly.


    ....

 Chapter 509 - New Spell Models

    <h4>Chapter 509 - New Spell Models</h4>


    Chapter 509: New Spell Models


    The next day,


    Charles woke up around 4 A.M and sat up while yawning. He then looked up at the ceiling and ordered.


    "Are there magicmps fixed in this room?"


    The nearby magicmp lit up the next second and shone in brilliance, causing his lips to curl up.


    He always wanted this kind of life.


    Following that, he rose from the bed using telekinesis, flew towards the eastern side hallway, and soon arrived in front of the bay window.


    While looking up at the dark sky, hended on the cold floor, sat on the nearby Lawson sofa, and called out the Tower Spirit.


    "Zera, are you there?"


    The next second, an illusionary female figure materialized in front of him.


    "Yes, Master." She said while bowing her head.


    "Show me the spell models which Rh transferred to the Tower Core," Charles said.


    A momentter, a notebook-sized blue screen appeared in front of his eyes, and on it were a total of seven folders. Each folder had a separate section of fire spell models.


    Charles first touched the ''Soul Fire'' folder and searched for a suitable spell to construct.


    After a few seconds of searching, a single spell model caught his attention.


    It was a spell called ''Soul Shock.''


    [Spell: Soul Shock


    Description: Upon casting this spell, a strange wave of soul fire would be released from your soul, and it could freeze anyone who appears at a distance of 5-meter surroundings and make them paralyzed for 5 seconds. Unlike other magic spells, this [Soul Shock] spell would directly affect one''s soul in the Astral Realm and could be deadly during battles!


    Time Limit: After every casting, the [Soul Shock] spell model needs a time limit of ten seconds to cast again.]


    ''Finally, I got a spell that could harm my opponents even if he was in the astral realm.'' A smile crept on his face.


    After that, he selected the spell model name and confirmed it.


    A secondter, a thumb-sized red crystal appeared before his face and hovered in the air silently.


    While he was staring at it in puzzlement, Zera moved her illusionary hand, touched the red crystal, and exined.


    "Lord Rh stored all those spell models in separate empty stones. This stone has the information of the ''Soul-Shock'' spell model, the construction procedure, and the spell model''s soul essence."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head thoughtfully and closed his eyes.


    A secondter, he reappeared in his Inner World along with the red crystal and flew towards the dark sky where the seven spell models were. Soon, he appeared in front of a 3 metersrge hexagonal spell model and shifted his attention towards the red stone in his hand.


    Following that, he enveloped the red stone using his wisdom power and directly absorbed it into his soul form.


    The next second, a dense amount of bluish soul-essence along with the information of the spell model appeared in Charles''s mind.


    Then, he got closer towards the Soul Fire spell model, made soul fire rules in thin air, and started creating the Rank-5 [Soul-Shock] spell model.


    At the same time, he cast [Eyes of the Runes] skill andprehended the released me streaks.


    Countless soul me streaks appeared from his hand and soon entered the spell model like a swarm of bees.


    As the seconds passed, more soul fire streaks entered the 3 metersrge hexagonal spell model and formed a single Soul-me rule. Charles continued releasing more me streaks and soon entered a strange enlightened state.


    At the same time, his eyes startedprehending the spell model almost at one-fourth of the actual speed of construction!


    Even he was momentarily stunned by his eyes''prehension speed.


    The spell model construction process continued for more than six months and finally stopped when the spell model reached the size of more than 20 metersrger!


    Although he still needed two years fully toprehend the [Soul-Shock] spell model, he was pleased by the progression.


    During this time, one of his other consciousnesses took control of his body and started doing physical work.


    Charles still hadn''t improved his body strength using the Awaken Stone. So, the consciousness focused on that part.


    At the same time, it also visited the underground basement from time to time and provided some help to Rh.


    Moreover, the consciousness also took his original previous space ring from Rh and transferred everything to his current ring except the Star Watch.


    It appeared Rh had some n for that Watch, so he took that from Charles''s ring.


    ''What is that old man up to?'' Charles furrowed his brows and shifted his attention towards his body progression.


    ''Oh? My physical body has already reached Crystal Knight level, huh. That awaken stones are indeed something else. My body feels more rxed and reflexive.'' He nodded with a pleasant smile on his face and returned to bed.


    After resting for a whole day, Charles once again opened the blue screen of the Tower Core and thought of constructing the next spell model.


    Like before, he chose the [Law Fire] option and checked for a suitable spell model.


    Soon, a spell model named ''Sphere of Invulnerability'' caught his attention.


    [Spell: Sphere of Invulnerability


    Definition: It is an excellent defensive spell to block enemy spells. Upon casting, it creates a me barrier with a ten-foot radius thatsts for up to a minute. Any spell cast from outside the barrier that targets anything or anyone inside the barrier will be nullified. Even a beginner Rank-6 Mage (Legend Rank) would find it hard to break this sphere.


    Time Limit: After casting, the spell model needs a time of three minutes to cast again.]


    ...


    Once again, he entered his Inner World and started constructing the next spell model.


    It also took him six months toplete it.


    After that, he repeated the procedure and constructed a mind Fire spell model named [Purple Word].


    ...


    [Spell name: Purple Word


    As long as the user fused a particr name or word within this spell model, it would form a bond with that ''word'' itself and alert you whenever someone mentions that name while thinking about you. At the same time, that particr word would turn into a unique purple me and will burn a small part of their memories before sending them to your Inner World. Moreover, this purple me would only erase their basic information to avoid alerting or affecting the enemy.


    No of words you can create:1


    Note: It would be ineffective against anyone with higher wisdom than you.


    Caution from Rh: "Do not spread that particr ''word'' recklessly,d. Many ancient mages would backtrack this spell and learn more about you instead."]


    ''This spell looks more like God''s unique tracking method!'' Charles didn''t even check the other spells and started constructing this one.


    Another six months passed in a blink.

 Chapter 510 - Madness Land

    <h4>Chapter 510 - Madness Land</h4>


    Chapter 510: Madness Land


    Once Charles finished constructing this spell, he used his name ''Charles'' inside the spell model and activated it.


    ''Hmm? There no one thinking about me in this universe? Well, everyone must be busy with their works, right?'' He shook his head and then decided to stop the spell model construction process.


    After that, he left his Inner World, took control over his body, and checked the progression of his body.


    "I still need to exercise more than three years to reach the realm of Radiant Knight, huh?" He wasn''t surprised at all. He knew that increasing his progression would take more time and decided to take things slowly.


    After checking his body for a while, he took a long bath in hot water and walked out.


    He then took a ck and gray dress from the wardrobe, put it on, and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    A secondter, he disappeared from there and reappeared in the underground basement hall.


    He then nced at the cloning pods on the right side and shifted his attention towards the farther end of the hall.


    At that moment, he noticed that the Red Cube was shining in bright reddish color and emitting dense spatial-elemental fluctuations. Meanwhile, Rh sat next to the Red Cube and was in the middle of engraving something on the floor!


    He also noticed that an invisibleyer appeared in the middle of the hall to stop anyone from interfering.


    Seeing that Rh was busy with his work, Charles didn''t disturb him and quietly probed the hall.


    Soon, he shifted his attention towards the right side and looked at a greenish gem-like leaf attached to the wall.


    ''Hmm, it seems that girl child from the Fire-Elemental ne hasn''t awakened yet. No, there is a high possibility that Chaos Maiden might not have made it to the Twilight Land.'' He thought to himself and walked towards the Twin Leaf.


    Within a few seconds, he arrived in front of the leaf, touched it with his right hand, and checked whether someone had already put their soul imprinted in it.


    After confirming that there was none, he ced his soul imprint on it and created a short chant for a passcode.


    A secondter, he recited the short chant and disappeared from there.


    ...


    The next instant, he noticed that his surroundings started to distort and soon found himself traveling in space at an unimaginable speed.


    Before he could even blink, his vision blurred once again, and he found himself standing in the middle of a strange valley filled with red mist and ember rocks.


    The surrounding air started to emit a deep red and warm-hot gust and then gradually began to fill with dark and intense spatial-elemental fluctuations.


    At that moment, more than three spatial vortexes appeared in the crimson sky and looked eerie.


    ''I''m in a Valley? Isn''t this the Blood Valley that separates the Twilight Land from the rest of Fire Elemental ne?'' Charles also encountered a strange astral being in thisnd and had some unforgettable memory.


    First, he looked down and soon saw a greenish-gem-like leaf remained on an ember rock. But the thing that made him raise his eyebrows was the skeletons that appeared nearby.


    ''Hmm? So, the refugees from the Red Human City died, huh? Although I had some hope for the Chaos Maiden, it seems even she-''


    At that moment, he noticed that a strange invisible power appeared out of nowhere and weed his arrival.


    "World''s Will?" He eximed in shock.


    The invisible power suddenly pulled him somewhere while he was stunned by its behavior.


    Although it''s wasn''t powerful enough to pull his body, Charles noticed a sense of urgency in its action.


    ''It is seeking my help?'' It was the first time he had seen a World''s Will acting like this one.


    In some sense, he considered this World''s Will as a good one whileparing it with the Edhen World''s bitchy one.


    Although he couldn''t understand the situation, he decided to check it out.


    Without any dy, Charles took the Twin Leaf from the ember rock, stored it in his space ring, and started walking towards the opposite cliff.


    Although Blood Mosquitoes and poisonous fog tried to affect him, he didn''t face difficulty at all.


    Before long, he arrived near the bottom of the valley''s cliff and directly flew upward using his wisdom power.


    Within seconds, he reached the Twilight Land and released his full wisdom power in all directions.


    A momentter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, he reappeared more than 500 meters up in the sky and cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell.


    Then, he closed his eyes and checked which direction the invisible power was leading him.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes, looked in a particr direction, and asked towards the surrounding air.


    "You want me to move in that eastern direction?"


    He pped his wings forcefully and shot in that direction.


    Within a few minutes, he flew across a rocky region filled with red sand and embers and soon saw arge settlement in the middle of a desert-likend.


    In truth, he knew of this settlement.


    ''mebind City... It''s a city ruled by a noble Warlock Efreet and is one of thergest settlements in the Twilight Land.'' Just as he was about to stop, the invisible power again appeared around his body and pulled him further.


    "Not here? I have to fly across this city?" He understood what it was trying to convey and followed its guidance.


    He flew across the mebind City in a few seconds and reached and filled with dense trees and elemental nts.


    It wasn''t the Savage Forest but a different one.


    Charles continued to fly above the forest while searching for the target and soon stopped as he entered a strange domain.


    Even though he was still in the forest, he felt a strange divine power in the surrounding air!


    What''s more shocking was that this divine power was trying its best to enter his consciousness!


    ''Wait... It''s the Madness Land. Anyone who stays in thisnd would be affected by this strange curse and lose their memories. I also thought of exploring it long ago.'' He recalled the memories about this ce.


    At that moment, he also noticed that the World''s Will was leading him deeper into this forest.


    He instantly searched the surroundings as he flew forward and soon stopped as the World''s Will stopped pulling him when he arrived at a particr ce.

 Chapter 511 - Her Role

    <h4>Chapter 511 - Her Role</h4>


    Chapter 511: Her Role


    At that moment, Charles saw a zombie-like woman wandering mindlessly in the middle of the dense elemental forest and frowned.


    She was carrying a blood-stained ax hanging around her waist, her head was tilted sideward, and her eyes looked more like a void of emotions.


    ''What happened to her?''


    He instantly disappeared from the sky while dispelling his [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell and soon appeared in front of her.


    She was a young woman in herte twenties, and she had long, brown hair, almond amber eyes, a Nubian nose, and a pear-shaped face.


    She wore an armor-like dress and appeared stinking because of her unclean body. Blood and flesh appeared all over her face, and she acted more like a wild animal.


    Currently, she was walking in the dense forest while dragging her half-broken feet and seemed to be moving towards the opposite wooden trunk.


    She was none other than Chaos maiden, aka Nora!


    As he saw her in this condition, he couldn''t help but pity her.


    ''I thought she is a lucky one. But what happened to her?''


    Charles raised his hand, restrained her using invisible threads, and soon scanned her body and soul.


    ''As I thought, her memories are erased. Her original consciousness looks empty. It must be due to this Madness Land...'' He instantly cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on her and checked if her Inner World had some memories.


    Thankfully, the strange divine power didn''t affect it, causing him to breathe out a sigh of relief.


    "What should I do now?" In truth, Charles would''ve abandoned her or killed her on the spot for notpleting her mission.


    But the World Will''s interference made him feel that something fishy was going on here.


    ''There is something important about her. Otherwise, the World''s Will wouldn''t have brought me here.''


    Without any dy, he waved his hand, pulled Nora into [Fire domain], and blocked the divine power from contaminating her original consciousness.


    The next second, the craziness on Nora''s face started to change and soon turned into a confused one.


    At that moment, her memories from the Inner World started to refill her Original Consciousness.


    Within a few minutes, she regained most of her memories and soon stared at him in confusion.


    "W-Who are you?" She asked in an anxious tone but soon froze as she saw that his face changed into a Red Human woman before returning to normal.


    At that moment, she realized who he was and widened her eyes in surprise.


    ''He is the Champion of Red Bird!''


    She soon recalled all the incidents that happened in the City of Red and quivered involuntarily.


    "Y-Your Grace!" He hurriedly bowed her hand and greeted him.


    Meanwhile, Charles released the invisible strings, cast a [Soul Heal] spell on her, and asked.


    "I told you to go to Miner''s Den, right? How did youe here? Where are the others? Why did you leave the Twin Leaf in Blood Valley?"


    Upon hearing those words, Nora opened her mouth to say something but couldn''t remember a thing.


    "A-All I remember was that we entered the Blood Valley, and a group of Blood Foxes ambushed us. After that, my memories appear hazy... I think some of us managed to escape the Blood Valley but went in a separate direction for some odd reasons." Her voice trailed off as she finished her words.


    Confusion appeared on her face.


    But suddenly, she seemed to have recalled something and spoke in a hurry.


    "There is one strange incident that happened during our journey, Your Grace. I remember a strange crimson-haired Red Human kid appeared out of nowhere and asked us to bring him to the Twilight Land. Of course, we refused his request. But I felt familiarity when I saw him at that time but couldn''t remember his face now."


    ''A strange kid? Could it be Casper?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon felt that might be possible.


    "I know that Immortal Kid was up to something, but I didn''t think his action would even cause the World''s Will to tremble in fear. Who is he?" He rubbed his chin and soon felt a headache.


    ''I didn''te here to pamper that Goblin Child. But the World''s Will... Hmm, that Immortal Kid might be after that Goblin Child or someone else.'' He pondered silently for a while and soon took out the ''Talisman of Fortune'' artifact from his space ring.


    Charles knew that this World''s Will was nning something big, so he decided to let it a hand.


    ''Everyone deserves a second chance after all.''


    Nodding inwardly, he extracted a part of his memories and directly sent it to Nora.


    Following that, he passed the Talisman to her and added.


    "I won''t interfere much in this matter. Go on your own."


    Saying so, he manipted the surrounding spatial element and created a portal for her to walk through.


    Simultaneously, he also secretly erased the [Burning Consciousness] spell from her Inner World.


    As for the [Curse of the Overlord] spell, it had long disappeared from her dark space, making him suspect someone was indeed manipting behind the scenes.


    Although Nora got confused by Charles''s words, she didn''t say anything and hurriedly walked inside.


    Charles watched her disappearing, closed the portal, and silently flew up in the air.


    At that moment, he also noticed that the World''s Will''s invisible force had also disappeared from the surroundings.


    ''It seems Nora''s life is more important than I thought.'' He thought inwardly and cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell.


    Two eerie ck wings appeared behind him as he pped them forcefully and shot towards the direction of Miner''s Den, that situated at the farthest end of the Twilight Land.


    Powered with his wisdom power, the speed of his movement reached more than 750 km/hr and surpassed the speed of sound!


    Sonic booms continued to resound whenever his wings pped in the sky and caused every being in thend and sky to tremble in fear.


    Within a few minutes of travel, Charles managed to cross multiple settlements, forests, and even some cities and arrived at the Savage Forest, where he stayed there for hunting.


    Instantly, he reduced his movement speed and slowed down.


    At the same time, he suddenly looked up at the cloudy sky and spoke with a cold smile.


    "It''s been a long time, Dawn Child."


    At that moment, a monstrous 30 meters long Red Dragon descended from the white clouds and pped its wings on the opposite side.


    The gigantic being was covered in a crimson me that looked like it burned from within. It had sharp amber eyes, horns at the back of its head, long ws on its ws, big batlike wings, a long neck, and a serpentine body. The Red Dragon was apanied by an innumerable number of strange butterflies and a strong smell of sulfur that made everyone want to vomit in disgust.


    "Human! You finally showed up? I was expecting your arrival." A rough voice came out of it.


    "You seem to be full of confidence." Charles didn''t dare to waste any more time and directly cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell on the Red Dragon.


    At the same time, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at the cloudly sky, and muttered.


    "Try to survive this spell then."

 Chapter 512 - Myl

    <h4>Chapter 512 - Myl</h4>


    Chapter 512: Myl


    As Charles spoke, the whole sky suddenly turned crimson red and started rumbling like a monster.


    The next instant, shes of red lightning came from above, followed by monstrous fireballs.


    Before the Red Dragon could p its wings to move away, two chaotic fireballs at the size of arge house descended all of a sudden and smacked on its back!


    Because of the dense Fire-Elemental energy in this ce, Charles''s [Fire Rain] spell got enchanted two-fold and showed its might.


    In the meantime, a painful roar echoed in the Savage Forest''s sky.


    The Red Dragon first used its magic spell and then it''s me breath to block the fireballs but couldn''t.


    Realizing that it was not working, it let out an angry roar and activated its bloodline speed.


    The next instant, the Red Dragon''s body began to shrink at an unimaginable speed, and soon it turned into the appearance of a ten years old girl child, I.


    She moved in the air using her wisdom power like Charles, evaded all the monstrous fireballs, and tried her best to survive.


    Although she was a powerful Red Dragon in this Fire Elemental ne, her current strength was far inferior.


    In less than ten minutes, she was forced to corner by the [Fire Rain] spell and hovered in the air with a half-burned appearance.


    Panting heavily, she looked at the reddish cloud with a fearful expression on her face, then nced at the surrounding sky and shouted.


    "W-Who are you?"


    The next instant, a ball of crimson me appeared out of thin air and soon formed into an appearance of a young human.


    Charles casually appeared before her, conjured a ball of ''Soul Fire'' and threw it at her.


    A secondter, the soul me enveloped her body and healed the wounds on her body.


    Stunned by his action, she tried to retaliate, but something stopped her from taking any action.


    "Follow me to Miner''s Den," Charles said coldly.


    On the other hand, his words echoed more like some divine order in her ears.


    "Y-Yes!" She stuttered.


    In the meantime, Charles got close to her, ced his hand on her shoulder, and cast [me Teleportation] spell.


    The next second, both disappeared from there and reappeared above the Miner''s Den.


    Charles calmly let go of I''s shoulder and looked at the small town that appeared at the edge of the Twilight Land''s cliff.


    After that, he released his wisdom power, enveloped the small town, and checked for abnormality.


    Soon, he zeroed his gaze on a particrva house and squinted his eyes.


    ''What happened to my Will in that young goblin''s Inner World? It did its work and disappeared? No, there is no sight of improvement in that Night Goblin girl''s body strength! Someone interfered?'' He nced at I and asked.


    "Did you erase my will in that girl''s soul?"


    "N-No!" A short response came out of I''s mouth.


    At the same time, she clenched her fist tightly for some odd reasons and gritted her teeth from time to time.


    Charles was well aware of her soul''s retaliation, but he didn''t mind it.


    "You can go back to your house and do your work."


    Although she was reluctant to obey his orders, something deep in her mind forced her to do so.


    "Okay," That was all she could say before she flew in a different direction and soon disappeared from his eyes.


    On the other hand, Charles focused his attention on a particr house and looked at what was happening inside.


    At that moment, a young Night Goblin girl was in the middle of doing her cooking in an igloo-likeva house.


    She had greyish-ck skin, red eyes, pointy ears, and she appeared to be around 100 cm tall.


    It was an average height of a normal ssless Night Goblin.


    Her hands and face were filled with bruises and wound marks, and she appeared very weak. There was also a metallic cor that hung around her neck, and it seemed to be restricting her movements constantly.


    ''She already wasted her potential. I thought my Will would have taught her everything, but someone messed it up.'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    He always hated when someone stuck their nose in his n.


    Charles pondered deeply, descended from the sky, and soonnded in front of theva house.


    Then, he raised his hand, knocked on the door twice, and waited for the young goblin to open it.


    A few secondster, the young Night Goblin maiden in her ragged clothes opened the door from inside and peeked outside with her pretty red eyes.


    Upon seeing Charles''s alien appearance, she was stunned inside and couldn''t even utter a sound.


    Bymon logic of the me Elemental ne, he was a pure alien!


    Meanwhile, Charles bent down and picked up the stunned girl with both hands.


    "What''s your name?" He asked her in the localnguage and walked inside.


    On the other hand, the goblin girl struggled with an uneasy expression on her face and responded in a trembling voice.


    "Myl!"


    "What happened to your mother Qoz?" Charles asked the most important question.


    When he visited this housest time, she was the one who gave him some information.


    At that moment, an old Night Goblin arrived at the entrance and responded in Myl''s stead.


    "She died two years ago, Foreigner."


    It was a voice of an old woman.


    Surprised, Charles turned around, looked at the unafraid old goblin woman, and asked in curiosity.


    "You aren''t afraid of me?"


    "For what? We are just mere ves. Whether we die today or tomorrow, it''s all written in our heads." The old goblin spoke like she had seen the end of her life itself.


    ''End, huh.''


    Shaking his head, Charles shifted his attention towards the ve cor on Myl''s neck, activated his [Eyes of the Runes] skill, and studied it for a few seconds.


    Following that, he conjured a ball of ck me,pressed them into minute streaks, and sent them into the cor one by one.


    Simultaneously, he used the newly formed me streaks to break the spider-like structure in the cor and finally severed the ck essence that connected to her brain.


    The next instant, the ve cor came off on its own and fell on the rocky floor.


    The old goblin woman was stunned even to utter a word as she stared at the cor in shock.


    "I''m taking her away for a while," Charles said with a smile and enveloped both himself and Myl of them in crimson me.


    The next instant, both of them turned illusionary and disappeared from there.


    Two secondster, both reappeared in the deepest part of the savage forest and searched for a suitable ce to hide the ''Twin Leaf.''


    After cing the ''Twin Leaf'' in the cavern near a river, Charles taught the secret chant and sent Myl to the Edhen World.


    Then, he also recited the same chant and disappeared from there.


    As for whether the Goblin Girl woulde back and fulfill her role, it''s all in the hands of Myl alone.


    If she chose to stay in the Edhen World, he would agree to her request.


    But will a Goblin Child mingle with the Humans without facing any discrimination? He knew it was an impossible thing in Edhen World. There wille a day when she would think of her home and people and decide to return to the Fire Elemental ne.


    That might be the beginning of a new age in the Fire-Elemental ne.


    But little did he know that he was actually helping the enemy to achieve his desirable goal.

 Chapter 513 - False Field And Rebirth Body

    <h4>Chapter 513 - False Field And Rebirth Body</h4>


    Chapter 513: False Field and Rebirth Body


    At that moment, a crimson-haired kid who appeared to be around 8 to 10 years old stood at the other side of the Blood Valley and stared at the faraway Twilight Land with a mysterious smile on his face. He had a small oval face, pure white eyes, thin eyebrows, and he looked around 130 cm tall.


    He was none other than Casper, aka the Immortal Kid!


    "He took that child away to give her special training? Well, nothing will change the result, though." He suddenly paused for a moment as he took a step towards the edge of the cliff, looked at the surrounding space, and asked.


    "Why are you following me? Do you think I won''t devour you like my kin? Your children may have destroyed my true body, but I got an empty soul in my hand, Morris. As long as you let me have the World Tree and help me proceed with the soul shaping and reincarnation procedure, I won''t cause any trouble."


    At that moment, an invisible power started to gather before Casper and soon formed into an appearance of a humanoid fog.


    "L-I-A-R!" A sharp soundposed of true intent emerged from the humanoid fog and created a ripple in the surroundings.


    The mere word caused the Fire Elemental ne to shake violently, resulting in mild earthquakes in many ces.


    Before Casper could mutter a word, the humanoid fog dispersed slowly and soon disappeared from there.


    "What a stubborn world." He muttered slowly and soon shifted his attention towards the other side.


    "Hmm, I should go to other dungeons and reim my other parts." He said in a carefree tone and soon turned into a humanoid ckish liquid thing.


    Following that, he raised his sludgy hand, made a crack in the space, and soon formed a 1-meterrge portal!


    Then, he jumped from the tall cliff and directly leaped into the portal.


    ...


    Rebirth Tower, City of Iron, Edhen World.


    At that moment, Charles appeared in the underground basement hall along with the goblin girl Myl and quickly spoke.


    "Zera."


    The next instant, an illusionary figure of a female elf appeared in front of his eyes.


    "Yes, Master." She quickly bowed her head and soon shifted her attention towards Myl.


    "Who is she?" She asked while blinking her illusionary eyes.


    Meanwhile, Charles gave her a short exnation about her origin and then added.


    "From now on, you are responsible for taking care of this child. Educate her properly and also tell Rhea and Noel about her origin. If you need anything else, juste to my room and ask me."


    "Yes, Master. I''ll try my best to apany her." Zera paused for a moment as she thought of something and asked.


    "Is it possible for her to socialize with Human kids? I mean, will you allow it?"


    ''Oh? I thought artificial spirits are supposed to do works only. But it looks like she has more secrets.'' He knew that Rh made this spirit using his former lover''s memories and wasn''t surprised at all.


    "Go on. I don''t think anyone would dare to bully this kid inside. But don''t let her leave the Tower."


    Saying so, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared in the 24thyer and moved towards the other end of the hall.


    Once he arrived near the Bay Window, he sat on the nearby sofa and opened the blue screen.


    Then, he focused his attention on the [False Fire] option and started reading the description for each spell model. Unlike other spells models, the ones that appeared in the options were all belonged to other elements like Water, Wind, Earth, Space, Time, and so on.


    ''But the thing is that these spell models would help me manipte the rtive element using the false me and create a simr spell from different elements.'' He muttered inwardly and soon started listing out all the space-rted spells.


    Although he could select other elements, he decided not to do it.


    A few secondster, he chose a spell called ''False Field'' and decided to construct it.


    ...


    [Spell: False Field


    Description: Upon casting this spell, the surrounding 100 meters radius space woulde under the user''s control and let him move or teleport at a fast speed. The gravity in that field would also be two times lesser for the user and give him an absolute advantage in movement speed.


    Time Duration: 1 minute. After that, the user has to wait five more minutes to cast this spell again.]


    ...


    Charles soon caught the red stone that suddenly appeared before him and entered his Inner World to construct the next spell model.


    Unlike thest time, it took him more than eight months to construct this ''False Field'' spell!


    After the construction process, Charles again opened the blue screen, touched the ''Rebirth me'' option, and searched for the final spell.


    Although heprehended more than 1,300 rebirth fire essence streaks and created a Rank-6 unique spell called [Red Tear], he noticed that he could still construct a Rank-5 spell inside the spell model.


    It was more likeprehending a few unique Rebirth me Essences.


    Charles looked at the spell model names and descriptions and soon chose a spell called ''Rebirth Body.''


    ...


    Spell: Rebirth Body (Timeless Body)


    Description: Upon casting this spell, the Rebirth me would envelop the user''s body and nullify the ''Present-Time'' power from affecting him. His body would also be immune to any age-rted spells or even the ''Time Stop'' spell.


    Time Duration: 10 seconds. When the time ends, the user will enter a state of ''vulnerability'' and won''t be able to transform into the Fire-Elemental Form for the next one hour. This spell also has a cool-down time of one day.]


    ...


    Charles soon caught the red stone that appeared out of nowhere and entered his Inner World to construct the spell model.


    After another six months, he finallypleted the spell model construction and focused onprehending the constructed spell models.


    Another two and half years passed smoothly.


    During this time, Charles also went to the underground hall more than ten times and even re-imprinted his soul mark on the System Cube.


    Charles and Rh knew that it would be a risky move to upgrade an artifact without cing any soul imprint on it.


    So, they even spent more than six months creating a powerful imprint using Charles''s soul shard.

 Chapter 514 - System Upgrade (Part-1)

    <h4>Chapter 514 - System Upgrade (Part-1)</h4>


    Chapter 514: System Upgrade (Part-1)


    12th February, Year 6413, Second Arcane Era.


    It''s been around five years since Charles returned to Edhen World from Faith ne.


    It was around 9 P.M.


    Whileprehending the spell models in the Inner World, Charles received a piece of information from his consciousness and stopped his work in a hurry.


    Then, he disappeared from the dark sky filled with seven massive spell models and left the Inner World in a hurry.


    He soon opened his eyes and saw the Tower Spirit Zera standing before him.


    At that moment, she seemed to be showing some impatience expression on her illusionary face, causing him to raise his eyebrows.


    ''She is mimicking human expression?'' He went stunned for a moment.


    "What happened?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    In the meantime, Zera bowed her head in greeting and quickly responded.


    "Lord Rh asked you toe to the Underground Basement, Master."


    "Oh? Is it ready?" In a surprise, Charles stood up from the sofa, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared in the underground basement hall and soon saw a separate dome-like structure made of rune words that appeared on the other side of the hall.


    It appeared more dazzling and seemed to hold some tremendous energies inside.


    On the other hand, multipleyers of array structures appeared around the Red Cube, and thoseyers appeared to be holding the artifact still!


    The Red Cube appeared more like some secret locker than an artifact and was floating 1 meter up in the air.


    ''Why do I feel like we are about to open an interary dimensional portal through this cube?'' The corner of his lips twitched as he thought of a certain movie he had watched long ago.


    He then gazed towards the walls, ceiling, and floors inside the golden dome and was surprised.


    ''He sure made many preparations!'' Charles observed the many defensive arrays engraved all over the ces and chuckled.


    At that moment, Rh also stood outside the dome and seemed to be in the middle of deep thoughts.


    Charles also noticed his presence and started walking towards the dome.


    Noticing his arrival, Rh turned his gaze towards his direction and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "I''ve ced a total of 3,560 defensive arrays in this dome, and they are capable of blocking all kinds of probing or spying powers. I also long activated the Rebirth Tower''s defensive structure, so you don''t have to worry about World''s Will''s petty schemes."


    Nodding, Charles appeared close towards the runic words filled dome and soon felt the ''Time'' power hidden in it!


    After scanning the outer dome, he shifted his gaze towards the System Cube and analyzed it.


    Unlike before, the System Cube appeared only around 1 meter in size and had five unique box-like slots inside.


    Charles also saw the Divine rank Time-elemental crystal, which they took from the pocket dimension, hovering next to the System Cube, and it seemed to be connected to the Cube through strange strings.


    Countless strange words were inscribed all over the System Cube and the Divine-Rank Time-Elemental Crystal and appeared more mysterious.


    ''They are not Rune Words!''


    "Whatnguage is that?" Charles asked in curiosity.


    "It''s thenguage of Ancients, or you can call it as Astial Language. I learned it when I was adventuring the Elder ne and thought of using it here instead of Rune Language." Rh''s words made Charles''s expression freeze all of a sudden.


    ''Astial Language? Wait, didn''t I read a book regarding 64 divine skills and a particr civilization named ''Astial'' in the Faith ne? What was that again? The Origin Nexus, right? The journey of three princes and a Lone Princess''s grief... It seems there are some big secrets behind it.'' He thought for a moment and decided to search more about itter.


    What he needed to do now was to focus on the current situation.


    Casting those useless thoughts away, he looked at Rh and asked the most important question.


    "What about Miracle spell? Did you manage to gather enough Luck power?"


    A smile appeared on Rh''s slightly wrinkled face.


    "You don''t have to worry about it. When I created this tower, I added a specific function to gather Luck Power from the masses from time to time. Currently, I''ve enough luck power to cast arge-scale miracle. I also visited nearby Kingdoms once in a few months during the past few years and stole the masses'' luck stealthily."


    Noticing Charles''s suspicious gaze, Rh let out a fake cough and added impatiently.


    "I only stole one or two months of their lucks, and it won''t alter their fate. Compared to you, I''m more generous and a good guy."


    Shaking his head, Charles shifted his attention towards the System Cube and spoke.


    "Let''s begin then."


    Nodding, Rh took two steps forward, touched the dome-shapedyer, and started to chant in a strangenguage.


    Simultaneously, he took out a pocket watch from his space ring, let it travel into the mysterious dome, and moved it towards the Red Cube using his wisdom power.


    "Star Watch?" Charles got startled inside and decided to wait.


    The Star Watch reached the System Cube in seconds, passed through the outeryer, and entered the first slot.


    The next instant, the whole box-like slot glowed in golden light and then sealed the Star Watch in the form of a new goldenyer.


    At that moment, Rh took out the Golden Dice, the Mysterious ck Book, a strange ring, and finally the bluish stone called ''Eye of Insight'' from his space ring and sent them into the dome one by one.


    Each artifact moved under Rh''s Will and soon entered into a separate slot before sealing itself in the empty slots.


    All this time, Rh didn''t stop for a second and continued reciting the chanting.


    The reciting ritualsted for more than 12 minutes.


    When he ended the long chant, he shifted his attention towards his Inner World and activated the ''Miracle'' skill!


    An invisible ripple came out of his body a secondter, entered the mysterious dome, and soon enveloped the System Cube.


    He then zeroed his attention towards the ''Time-Elemental'' Crystal and muttered.


    "Activate!"


    A secondter, Charles saw that the whole System Cube shone in bright red light and seemed to have entered a strange state.


    At the same time, the Time-Elemental Crystal also released the pure form of ''Time'' energy andpletely enveloped the mysterious domeyer.


    "All we need to do now is to wait," Rh said in a calm tone, turned around, and walked towards the other side.


    On the other hand, Charles watched the System Cube and soon squinted his eyes as he noticed that the System Cube tried to move here and there like a living being.


    It moved towards the right side, then towards Charles''s direction, and continued the process like some baby.


    "Time is moving 10,000 times faster inside. So, it''s normal for you to see the Cube''s movement.." A cold voice came from behind.

 Chapter 515 - System Upgrade (Part-2)

    <h4>Chapter 515 - System Upgrade (Part-2)</h4>


    Chapter 515: System Upgrade (Part-2)


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "What would''ve happened if I entered inside the dome along with the System Cube and started training? I''ve more than 30,000 years of lifespan, right?"


    "That would be the foolish decision,d. Although you could train your body and might even use that much time toprehend spell models, is it worth sacrificing your lifespan? You could finish theprehension process in a century or two in real-time. So, what would you do next? y some ping pong game?"


    ''Yup, that was the stupidest question I have ever asked.''


    Charles went silent upon hearing those words. Then, he nced at the underground hall, chose a suitable ce to sit, and entered his Inner World to continue hisprehension work.


    Meanwhile, multiple strange artifact mutations started to ur deep inside the System Cube.


    The first one was due to the ''Eye of Insight'' stone. Like Rh had predicted, the strange stone assimted into the System Cube during the first millennium time and started turning the infant-like consciousness to mature speedily.


    The leaking insight essence was more than enough to do such change in the System''s Soul.


    The second one was due to the ''Dice of Disaster'' artifact. The strange Dice also broke into pieces during the first millennium, and the true essence of ''Disaster power'' and the Will of Goddess Myxenta started merging with the System itself!


    The third one was due to the ''Mysterious ck Book'' which Udnir ced in Bishop''s hand.


    Like other artifacts, the Mysterious ck Book also merged with the System''s soul, released strange Future-Time essences, and started mutating the artifact''s soul.


    The fourth one was due to the Star Watch.


    The fifth one was due to another strange ring that Rh ced personally.


    All these massive amounts of essences entered the System Cube from the five slots and caused changes under the maniption of Rh''s Astial array inscriptions.


    Following the next few millenniums, the ''Eye of Insight'' stone increased the System Cube''s true insight and formed a connection Link towards the System''s soul itself!


    Around this time, the System Cube managed to move in the air on its own and started moving here and there like some 5-year-old kid.


    It sometimes looked at the outside world curiously and even tried to smash itself on the dome to break it. Although it didn''t have an eye, Charles and Rh sensed a newborn''s gaze from inside.


    Thirteen millenniumster, the Nature essence sealed the real ''Insight'' essence weakened considerably at some point and soon broke into pieces.


    Without any understanding, the System Cube''s soul absorbed the newly appeared Insight essence like some hungry wolf and soon started to bulge like a balloon!


    Due to the massive Insight Essence, a sudden change urred within the System Cube and caused the whole artifact to crack in multiple areas.


    Even Charles got startled by that change and almost thought they failed to create an upgraded artifact!


    But, this incident triggered the previously gathered ''Luck'' power to use up exponentially!


    The ''Miracle'' effect took ce at this time.


    At that moment, a strange invisible power came out from the deep space, formed some link with the System Cube, and startled healing the System itself!


    Rh suddenly stood up from the nearby chair as he saw this and hastily walked towards the dome.


    After some inspection, he let out a deep gasp and almost stopped breathing for a few seconds.


    "Hahaha! It''s the Wisdom Link. I knew this would happen when a soul absorbs too much Wisdom Essence." A burst of crazyughter echoed in the underground basement hall as Rh stared at the change happening in the System Cube with a wide grin on his face.


    Although Charles didn''t understand much about it, he knew it was all within the old man''s expectations.


    Following that incident, the 1-meter tall Red Cube started to shrink slowly.


    But what made Charles and Rh to be surprised was that the System Cube suddenly became silent!


    It didn''t move a single bit and remained in the same ce for the next thirty-one millenniums!


    Thirty-one millenniumster, therge red-colored system cube had turned into a size of a pebble and appeared spooky!


    Around this time, the ''Time-Elemental Crystal'' was also used up and disappeared from there, causing the ''Time Flow'' inside the dome to slow down.


    "It''s over!" Both Charles and Rh woke up from their seats and moved towards the domeyer.


    At that moment, Charles shifted his attention towards his own body and was pleased inside.


    During the four years, he didn''t waste a single moment and focused his full attention onprehension and training his body.


    ''My body had already reached the Radiant Knight level. As for spell models, I alreadyprehended [Purple Word] and [False Field] spells.'' While thinking, he arrived in front of the reddish dome and stared at the small pebble-like artifact in excitement.


    "What do you think? Shall we remove the dome now?" Rh asked as he crossed his arms and stared at the upgraded artifact in anticipation.


    "Let''s do it." Charles also nodded, shifted his gaze towards the ceiling, and added.


    "Zera, lock this space in the underground basement."


    "I locked it a while ago, Tower Master." An illusionary appearance of a young female elf appeared next to him and stared at the pebble-like Red Cube in curiosity.


    On the other hand, Rh recited another long chant and ended it after 10 minutes.


    The next instant, the golden dome started to break into countless pieces and soon disappeared from the hall.


    "Go and check the artifact. Try to sense if your soul imprint is still intact." Rh added.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, walked towards the small pebble-like cube, and soon arrived in front of it.


    Then, he released his wisdom power and tried to scan it.


    The next instant, a strange suction force appeared from the cube and tried to absorb his wisdom power!


    No, it appeared more like scanning!


    Charles also noticed his soul imprint in the artifact''s soul and allowed it to scan him.


    The next instant, a strange synthetic voice echoed inside his head.


    It was neither male nor female.


    [Host''s soul matches with the imprint!]


    [Initiating System Assimtion Process!]


    The pebble-like artifact turned illusionary the next instant, entered Charles''s head like a ray of light, and soon shrunk into a minute level.


    Before long, it entered into his main consciousness and attached itself to it!


    In truth, his main consciousness, soul form, elemental form, and physical body had long fused and became inseparable. Although they appear in different forms in different realms, they were all one in some sense.


    So, he wasn''t surprised at all.


    After a few seconds, the same synthetic voice echoed in his head.


    [Assimtion Completed!]


    [Would Host like to scan your physical body?]

 Chapter 516 - [Bonus ] System Upgrade (Part-3)

    <h4>Chapter 516 - [Bonus ] System Upgrade (Part-3)</h4>


    Chapter 516: System Upgrade (Part-3)


    Instead of responding, Charles pondered for a moment and asked a different question.


    "Do you have emotions?"


    [...]


    After a short silence, a response came from the System.


    [Insufficient information!]


    [Trying to connect to ''Wisdom Link'' to check for the possible answer!]


    [Connection Sessful!]


    [Found the Answer!]


    [ording to the Wisdom Link of Edhen World, I''m an artificially mutated artifact and have neither emotion nor any feelings. But I have the power of Insight, which would help me distinguish between right and wrong. Also, I belong to the SS-Series Rank category and could cause considerable damage to the surroundings if not appropriately controlled.]


    ''But that earlier silence gives me the feeling that you might mutate further in the future.'' He couldn''t help but mutter with a wry smile on his face.


    [It is possible during the following transformation, Host! The ''Wisdom Link'' advises you to terminate me when that happens.]


    Charles froze for a moment and soon asked.


    ''Oh? Then, what is this Wisdom Link?''


    [From the gathered information, I can determine that it is a Higher Being!... Alert! Alert! Alert!]


    A short pause appeared in his head, followed by the same familiar synthetic voice.


    [Knowing more about it through the Wisdom Link might corrupt the System''s information and lead to my destruction. The System advises the Host to abstain from asking such dangerous questions!]


    ''Even asking such questions leads to the destruction of the System, huh. Interesting. Then, show me my current body status.''


    Just as he spoke, a blue game interface appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Status]


    ...


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Cloner


    Main ss: Rank-5 ze Sorcerer


    Sub-ss: Rank-5 Cloner


    Physical Body Rank: Radiant Knight Level


    Soul: Demi-God (Mutated)


    Title: Chaos Maker, Savior, me Demon, Fire Angel.


    Health Points: 1050/1050


    Wisdom Points: Nil


    Attributes:


    Strength- 28.0


    Dexterity- 29.0


    Constitution- 29.4


    Wisdom-199


    Charisma- 14


    ss spells:


    Curse of the Overlord (Rank-5 spell, Iplete)


    Fire Rain (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Rebirth Body, or Timeless Body (Rank-5 spell, Iplete), Red Tear (Rank-6 spell, Completed)


    Sphere of Invulnerability (Rank-5 spell, Iplete)


    Purple Word (Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Soul Shock (Rank-5 spell, Iplete)


    False Field (Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Wonders- 644


    Cloning- 531


    Multi-Foresights - 702


    Unique skills:


    Eyes of the Runes- 850


    Conceal- 59


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 55


    Sharpshooting- 50


    elerate Thoughts- 430 (Present Time)


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.]


    ...


    While Charles looked at his Status, Rh and Zera arrived next to him and stared at his face in confusion.


    "What happened,d?" Rh asked with a frown.


    Charles soon snapped out of it and responded with a smile.


    "The system cube turned into an artificial system artifact, old man." He paused for a moment and started exining what he had learned so far.


    "Hmm, that Wisdom Link, the Eternal River of Life, Blood River, River of Time, the Fortune Wheel, and all those mysterious things spread across the universe might be some kind of Higher Beings indeed." While speaking, Rh nced at Zera and let out a deep breath.


    "If so, then I want to destroy that Eternal River of Life one day and take back Zera''s memories and soul!"


    At that moment, a blue screen popped up in front of his eyes.


    ...


    [Mission Triggered!]


    [Mission Title: Rh''s Eternal Wrath.]


    [Goal: Defeat the Higher Being [Eternal River of Life] and help Rh recover the memory of Wood Elf Zera!]


    [Mission Difficulty: Impossible]


    [Rewards: ?????]


    [Time Limit: Nil]


    ...


    Before he could even look at the mission, the same synthetic voice echoed in his head.


    [Please refrain from participating in that future mission, Host. The possibility of your survival against any higher being is zero!]


    ''It''s an impossible task, huh.''


    But what surprised him was the Mission option.


    ''Hmm, show me your status first.'' He ordered.


    The next instant, the blue screen blurred and was soon reced with another one.


    ...


    [Name: System-45 (Upgraded)


    Rank: SS-Series


    Abilities:


    1. Dice of Disasters (1/Year)


    2. Time Stop (1/Year)


    3. ?????? (1/1000 Years)


    4. Past Touch (1/Week)


    5. System''s Help (Passive)]


    ''Hmm? What do the question marks represent? Moreover, I can only use that ability once in 1000 years?'' Charles was stunned inside.


    [Even I don''t have enough information about that option, Host. Unless you activate that option, it''s almost impossible to guess the name of that ability.]


    Charles furrowed his brows and soon nodded.


    ''It looks more like some kind of Future prediction ability.''


    After that, he turned towards the downhearted Rh and said solemnly.


    "Don''t put too much thought into it, old man. If you want to face such a higher being, you need to restore your soul to its peak state and improve further. First, decide whether you want to reincarnate or find a way to restore your original body. Although cloning can help you live like a human, you need more than that to achieve your goal."


    "I know," Rh muttered solemnly and soon shook his head.


    "I need some time to think about it." He deliberated for a moment and soon added.


    "You can go and continue your training."


    In the meantime, Charles nodded his head and was about to walk away but stopped as he recalled something.


    "What about my mission to the City of Miracles? You said that you will think of a n to get the reward of the nar invasion mission, right?"


    Upon hearing those words, Rh froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    "Yes, I almost forgot about it. In truth, Jessie sent me a letter a few days ago and informed me that they would ce the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion in the City''s museum from May-13 to May-15th for disy. She even sent an Airship Ticket for your arrival, but Ipletely forgot about it."


    As he spoke, he hurriedly touched his space ring, took out two crystalline sheets, and gave them to him.


    One was a pure bluish color ticket, while the other was reddish.


    Charles casually caught the tickets and soon saw his personal information was written on the front page.


    "It''s the Airship Tickets. Once you arrive at the City of Miracles, you will go through a series of inspection processes. After that, you should go to the museum under Jessie''s guidance and rece this ''potion'' bottle with the original one."


    While saying so, Rh took out a reddish bottle from his space ring and looked at it deeply.


    The bottle made a popping sound, and its crystal turned into a brown liquid while a bit of me appeared inside. There was also a strange array ced outside the bottle, and it seemed mysterious.


    As Rh touched the array, the liquid inside the bottle turned transparent and looked more like water!


    "This should be more than enough to do the trick." While saying this, he turned his gaze towards Charles and passed it to him.


    "That''s it?" Charles stared at the potion bottle in suspicion.


    "No. Once you enter the City of Miracle, you need to abide by the rules of the City and refrain from casting any attack magic spells. A mere sign of attacking someone with the intention of killing would trigger the arrays that ced all over the City and kill you in an instant." Rh said in a cold tone.


    "What do you mean? Casting any attack spell inside the City will get me killed? Then, how am I able to achieve my goal? What if the security force finds out my true intent and chases after me?" Charles asked in annoyance.


    Meanwhile, Rh shook his head and answered.


    "You can''t retaliate. A small mistake, and you would be bombarded with tens of Legend Rank spells from the sky. That whole City itself is a gigantic divine pce. All you can do is use your wits and steal the potion bottle without alerting anyone." He paused for a moment as he saw the worry in Charles''s eyes and then added with a chuckle.


    "Don''t worry. When you enter the museum, touch the array on the potion bottle, and the water will turn into its previous state. After that, all you have to do is use your mysterious Trickster skill and rece this bottle with the original one. Following that, you and Jessie have to leave the museum in a hurry and reach the Airship station in the next 30 minutes. You can''t use any flying spell, nor can you use a teleportation spell inside. Using these spells will attract the security forces, and it will dy your journey for sure." He stopped talking for a moment to take a deep breath and continued.


    "The best way for you guys is to rent a carriage and move to the Airship station without showing any suspicious movement. Then, you will see an Airship named Azure-553 somewhere in Zone-3. Both of you have to find that Airship quickly and leave the City. All in all, you guys have to leave the City within one hour after recing the potion bottle in the museum."


    "Isn''t this mission too dangerous?" Charles felt like he was taking a big gamble here.


    "You think getting that potion without taking risk is a possible thing? If you don''t want to take this chance, you can forget about it." Rh said impatiently.


    Meanwhile, Charles stored the potion bottle inside his space ring and sighed.


    "Haa, it seems I have to y carefully this time."


    Saying so, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 517 - Blood Empire

    <h4>Chapter 517 - Blood Empire</h4>


    Chapter 517: Blood Empire


    Charles reappeared in the Rebirth Tower''s 24th level the next second and asked.


    "System... Wait, do you have any name?"


    [My name is System-45, Host.]


    Charles frowned for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "Select one from the following names. Zero... Aurora...Genesis...Hex...Nemo...Ghost-"


    Before he could end the list, a synthetic voice echoed in his head.


    [I choose the name Genesis, Host. It means birth or beginning.]


    A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face. He then nodded his head and asked.


    "Genesis, can you tell me the exact date and time?"


    [Yes, Host. Today is 24th March, Year 6418, Second Arcane Era. There are only three more years before the end of this Era.]


    "Wait. Hold on! There are some dangerous words you just spoke there. What do you mean by that? Howe this Second Arcane Era would end so abruptly?" He was stunned by the information and felt like he had heard something ominous.


    Meanwhile, Genesis paused slightly and responded in the same synthetic tone.


    [Insifient information due to innumerable barriers! But the end of this Era is imminent, Host.]


    ''Damn, this artifact indeed is a frightening one. The ability to gather information through Wisdom Link is not to be scoffed off easily.'' He thought for a moment and decided not to ask any terrifying questions from now on.


    After that, he summoned Zera and told her to pass some information to Rh.


    It was something to do with his left eye. Two years ago, Charles asked Rh to create an artifact to help him suppress the Dream Eye and let him see everything normally.


    Although he had been training his [Eyes of the Runes] skill constantly, it hadn''t improved much, which made him worry inside.


    After informing her, he took out the mysterious ck cube-like stone from his space ring and ced it on the floor.


    ''Do you know what it is, Genesis?''


    [Yes, Host! It''s called ''Nullify Stone.'' It''s a rare element found only in dense gravitational nes and has the highest nullifying effect against all basic elements. If the Host likes to create a weapon using this element, I would suggest a Boomerang or needles as a weapon. Both of them match with your trickster ss and could help you in many ways.]


    ''What about cards?''


    [It''s impossible to create card-like weapons using Nullify Stones, Host. Even if you made such cards, it would be hard to control them using strings.]


    Charles nodded his head and passed the Nullify Stone to create a Boomerang and Nullify needles for his personal use.


    He then moved towards the nearby sofa and continued hisprehension work for the next few weeks.


    On 13th May morning, Zera appeared in his room and ced a sealed box on the nearby tea table.


    "Lord Rh asked me to give this to you, Master!" She said solemnly and then disappeared.


    Charles stopped hisprehension work in his Inner World and opened his eyes. Following that, he shifted his gaze towards the nearby tea table and took the sealed box with both hands.


    Then, he unlocked the box and saw a monocle inside.


    ''Oh?'' He carefully picked up the monocle, removed the eyepatch, and put the monocle on his left eye.


    He opened his eyes and soon noticed that he could see the physical world without difficulty.


    But as he removed the monocle, he saw the surroundings changed and showed him a ruined hall with dust and broken furniture.


    "Hmm, this looks good." He quietly kept the monocle in the box and went to the bathroom to take a long bath in hot water. After that, he moved towards the wardrobe and searched for a suitable formal dress.


    After some searching, he found a ck knee-lengthed double-breasted coat, a ck belt, the same colored pant, and a bowler hat inside and wore them one by one.


    ''Perfect.'' He thought.


    Then, he returned towards the bay window area and took the monocle from the sealed box before putting it on his left eye.


    After that, he took out a red crystalline sheet from his space ring and checked the Airship ticket.


    "Hmm, I have to go to Blood Empire, huh. Departure at 13th May, 3 P.M." He muttered slowly and shifted his gaze towards the destination.


    "City of Miracles... I wonder how long it would take for me to reach there?"


    [It would take more than 18 hours to travel from Blood Empire to the City of Miracles by Airship, Host.] A familiar syntenic voice appeared in his head.


    "Oh? Then, I should set off then." He stored the crystalline-reddish sheet into his space ring and enveloped his body in a crimson me.


    The next instant, he disappeared from there and reappeared above the Rebirth Tower.


    Following that, Charles released his wisdom power in all directions and cast [me Teleportation] spell on himself.


    ...


    Redhills City, Blood Empire.


    It was around 1 P.M.


    A young man in histe twenties stood outside the Redhills City and was waiting in the long queue. He had deep-set jade eyes, an oval face, olive skin, short eyebrows, and a fleshy nose. He currently wore a double-breasted coat, a bowler hat on top, and a monocle on his left eye.


    He was none other than Charles.


    After using the teleportation spell multiple times, he arrived at the Redhills City entrance in no time. But as soon as he reached here, he met with his first obstacle.


    ''It seems I need to wait for more than 30 minutes in the queue.'' He muttered inwardly and looked at the surrounding people. There were all kinds of people who waited in the queue. Some were merchants, a few were mages, and even a few nobles stood in line like peasants. Unlike the City of Iron or Chester City, this Redhills City was the capital of Blood Empire! The most prosperous and advanced magic city of the Edhen World. Although it was still no match for the City of Miracles in terms of development in all magic-rted fields, this Redhills city had its uniqueness on its own.


    And it was also the ce where the young, powerful, rich, and talented aristocrats lived and gathered. Although this Redhills City had several advantages, it wasn''t easy to ess unless one belonged to nobility or a royal. Even the Blood Empire''s affiliated kingdom royalties or nobles had to abide by the rules of the empire and do as the higher-ups say.


    While Charles was observing the people from different parts of the world, the queue also moved forward, and soon it was his turn.


    A stern mage in a ck robe stood at the entrance and supervised the identity checking process. After a simple nce, Charles knew this young man was not a normal foe.


    [I suspect he has an artifact to hide his wisdom power, Host. Please refrain from using Wisdom Power or [Eyes of the Runes] skill to inspect anyone from now on.]


    ''He even has an artifact to hide his wisdom power? So, what do you think about his power level?'' Charles did as Genesis told him and asked.


    [His strength should be no less than Rank-4 Mystic, Host. There is a high chance that he might be a Rank-5 [Curse Wizard] ss Mystic.]


    ''A Rank-5 Mage!'' He wasn''t surprised at all.


    Nodding inwardly, he took out his original documents and gave them to the nearby guard. Indeed, he decided to use his Charles identity from now on openly.


    ''I don''t need to hide my true self any longer.'' He thought to himself.


    After some inspection, the nearby guard nodded his head and let him in.

 Chapter 518 - Airship

    <h4>Chapter 518 - Airship</h4>


    Chapter 517: Airship


    As Charles walked into the Redhills city, he was greeted by the sight of endless tall buildings, skyscrapers, Magic Towers, and broad roads on the streets made of concrete.


    The tall buildings had ss windows and balconies where various people stood and chatted. On the ground, it was a bustling city of people. Charles casually observed the passerby and soon zeroed his gaze on the wooden carriages that stood in line for transportation purposes.


    At that moment, the carriage drivers greeted the newly arrived guests from faraway ces and asked them if they needed their transportation facility.


    Some even dragged the naive customers to the carriages andpelled them to get in.


    ''Now that I think about it, I don''t have any money!'' In truth, he forgot that one needed Blood Currency for living here. Golds and Silvers were nothing more than some precious elements.


    The currency used in the Blood Empire was called ''Blood Crystals.'' It varies in size, and each crystal''s value could be analyzed by the strange crystal method called ''Blood System.''


    ''Hmm, where can I find the currency exchange centers?'' He nced at the surroundings and soon saw a young man in his luxurious dress entering the city with tens of soldiers surrounding him. Anyone could tell that he was a nobleman with a simple nce!


    ''Hmm, there are no powerful people nearby. All of his guards are only Rank-3 Mystics.'' He observed the guards quietly and thought of taking this young master''s pocket money.


    He moved near the young man, searched his body using wisdom power, and found a pouch full of Blood Crystals in his bag.


    After that, he manipted his invisible strings and soon let them move towards that pouch.


    A secondter, he pulled his hand all of a sudden, directly caught the leather pouch that appeared out of nowhere, and stored it inside his space ring.


    It took less than two seconds for him to steal that amount from the young man!


    After that, Charles walked past the group and soon arrived near a horse-driven wooden carriage.


    "Where do you want to go, dear customer?" A middle-aged man in the driver''s seat asked him politely.


    Meanwhile, Charles took out three peanut-sized blood crystals from his space ring, gave them to the coachman, and added.


    "Airport."


    Then, he entered the carriage and waited for the coachman to start driving.


    Meanwhile, the coachman first tied the horses to the carriage, pulled the reins, and drove it deep into the Redhills City.


    The carriage drove past many streets, left the Commoners'' Borough, entered the Merchants'' Land, and soon reached the northern side of the city.


    It was the ce where Redhills airport was located.


    The airport building was surrounded by numerous skyscrapers and tall buildings and appeared more like a stadium. The carriage went into a long, narrow path, made several turns, and stopped at the building''s entrance.


    Charles then stepped out of the wooden carriage and moved towards the terminal building. While walking, he saw nobles, robed mages, and many mystics in formal dresses moved in and out constantly and were carrying simr red-crystalline sheets in their hands.


    He also mimicked their action, hurriedly took the red crystalline sheet and his identity documents, and moved towards the main entrance.


    Soon, he showed everything to the security guard and finally entered the building.


    Then, he checked his Airship ticket and memorized the Airship number and his seat number.


    "Airship name: BE-AIR45, Zone-5, Seat no: 430."


    While muttering, he nced around and checked the right direction to reach the zone-5 area.


    After a short nce, he noticed an arrow mark indicating Zone-1 to Zone-10 to his right side and started walking in that direction.


    Unlike the airports on Earth, this one looked simpler and appeared less crowded. Along the way, he saw many uniformly dressed gentlemen and women move past him and sensed all of them were powerful mages.


    ''It seems they are staffs. But what kind of work would they do?''


    Hiding his curiosity, Charles continued to walk on the long hallway and soon arrived in front of a staircase. Then, he went upstairs, moved to the second terminal, and proceeded forward while following the arrow mark.


    After some time, he soon saw a group of people standing over the right side, looking outside through the ss window.


    [You are currently in Zone-1 area, Host. You have to walk more than 1.5 km to reach your destination.]


    A synthetic voice echoed in his head, causing his lips to twitch.


    Shaking his head, he fastened his footsteps and moved further into the hallway-like ce.


    After a few minutes of walking, Charles finally reached zone-5 and soon furrowed.


    At that moment, he saw hundreds of people standing in a queue right next to the side exit.


    ''I hate this.''


    He grumbled inwardly, joined the queue with no other choice, and looked outside through the ss window.


    Around 200 meters away from where they were standing, he saw that a giant airship descended from the cloudy sky andnded smoothly!


    The airship had an elegant metal shape that looked like the body of a dragon, and the front was painted blue. The airship''s outer sides had a symbol of ''Blood Moon'' drawn in red color, and it looked more like an airship used for wars and invasions. Multiple magic propellers appeared on the four sides of the base ship and seemed mysterious and powerful.


    Blue mes spewed out from the propellers as the airship continued to run even afternding and caused the surrounding atmosphere to heat up quickly. Three vanes filled with strange runal engravings also rotated at an unimaginable speed and began to slow down.


    Upon seeing such arge airship, Charles couldn''t help but suck in a cold breath.


    Even the base of the balloon-like airship appeared asrge as a three-storied mansion house.


    ''It''s more than three the size of a normal passenger airne.''


    Inside the airship, there were a lot of passengers in formal dresses and casual clothes, and they appeared to be standing leaving the airship.


    At that moment, a red-robed mage moved towards the airship from the second terminal and cast a magic spell.


    The next instant, illusionary steps appeared from the ground and soon connected towards the airship''s main entrance gate.


    Following that, the passengers from the airship climbed down and moved towards the airport''s main terminal.


    Just as Charles was staring at the airship in amazement, a youngdy in red uniform walked past him and soon reached the right side exit gate.


    After that, she unlocked the exit door, checked the passengers'' tickets, and allowed them to move downstairs.


    Charles also showed his red crystalline ticket to the youngdy, went downstairs through the metallic staircase, and soon reached the apron.


    Soon, he and others reached the airship''s base, climbed up through the same illusionary stairs, and entered the passengers''partment.


    The airship interior was an oval shape with the base of the hull made of metallic iron and filled with arge number of seats. The passengerpartment resembled more like a normal ne from Earth, and it was filled with many windows, benches, and chairs.


    Charles entered thepartment through a ss door, stepped on the red-carpeted floor, and started searching for his seat.


    After a minute of a long search, he found his seat at the farthest end of thepartment and satfortably on it.


    After that, he leaned towards the ss window and waited for the airship to start.


    After 15 minutes of waiting, the airship made loud noises while thrusting bluish mes from the propellers and levitating up in the sky.


    Before long, the airship appeared above the Redhills city and started moving in the northern direction.

 Chapter 519 - City Of Miracles

    <h4>Chapter 519 - City Of Miracles</h4>


    Chapter 519: City of Miracles


    The rest of the journey inside the airship appeared pretty boring to Charles.


    So, he closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.


    He didn''t know how long he had slept, but suddenly an rm-like ring appeared in his head, causing him to wake up abruptly.


    At that moment, a familiar synthetic voice echoed in his ears.


    [Alert! Alert! Alert! Wisdom Link''s connection is weakening!]


    ''Hmm? Wisdom Link?'' Charles frowned at Genesis''s words and soon asked.


    ''Why is that?''


    [We entered the territory of City of Miracles just now, Host. I highly suspect it might be due to some powerful spell or array ced inside the city blocking the Wisdom Link.]


    ''What''s the big deal about it?'' Charles wasn''t bothered much about it.


    Although the Wisdom Link could help him get some inessible information, it wasn''t necessary for him in this mission.


    But the following words from Genesis made his face stiffen up.


    [If that barrier has the power to severe the Wisdom Link, then it might also have the power to affect Future, Fate, Destiny, Luck, and all other powers. You might not be able to use any of your Time-rted skills once you enter the city.]


    ''My vision skills won''t work inside?'' His face changed abruptly.


    After all, he relied on this ''Vision'' skill countless times and even won in many battles.


    [Your [Prevision] skill will always be active, Host. That''s because your understanding of ''Future Time'' is much higher than any normal Seers. So, you could directly peek into one or two seconds into the future with no difficulty.]


    ''What about the ''Vision,'' ''Forewarning,'' and ''Multi-vision'' skills?''


    [Unlike the [Fire Mage] ss, your Trickster ss works based on the High-Human bloodline''s percentage in your body and has many problems. If you want to understand the situation clearly, you need to know the difference between Ancient Mage Pathways and Warlock Pathways, Host. Ancient Mages always used their brain to understand orprehend different elements and create unique spell models for battles purposes. But on the other hand, Warlocks gets the basic information about the corresponding skills by consuming the blood essences of a particr Bloodline and doesn''t know how their bloodline spell works.]


    ''I thought so too.''


    Charles nodded his head at Genesis''s response and asked.


    ''Is there any other way?''


    [There is no other way to bypass the barrier, Host. You can only rely on yourself from now on.]


    At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of the ''Wisdom Link'' and soon sent out an order.


    ''Genesis, create a new mission and see if you get some important information from the ''Wisdom Link'' for achieving my goal.''


    [Searching!]


    [Insufficient information!]


    [Connecting to the ''Wisdom Link'']


    [Connection Sessful!]


    At that moment, a blue screen appeared in front of his face.


    ...


    [Mission Triggered!]


    [Mission Title: Host''s Last Hope]


    [Goal: Steal the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion from the Miracle''s museum hall and escape the City of Miracle under the watchful eyes of three Demi-Gods!]


    [Description: You are nning to steal the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' on 14th May, 8.00 A.M. But Chaos is already brewing inside and waiting to consume the whole city. Beware of the [Historian] Ma-... Unknown Barrier Detected! Error! Error! Error!...]


    [Mission Difficulty: Changed from High to Extremely Dangerous]


    [Rewards: Draught of the Phoenix]


    [Time Limit: 14th May, 9 A.M.]


    ...


    ''Mission Difficulty rose to extremely dangerous? Moreover, three Demi-Gods are residing in that city, huh.'' His face turned gloomy all of a sudden.


    ''I have very too little information. Do I have no choice but to give up now?'' He still had time to back down after all.


    Suddenly, he touched his space ring while thinking of something and took out the mysterious Star Constetion book.


    Following that, he also took out the golden quill and ink bottle from his space ring, opened the book, and started writing his personal information on the mysterious nk page.


    Then, he recited a mysterious chant, and at the same time, he activated his [Foresight] skill.


    A secondter, his vision turned blurry all of a sudden, and he found himself standing in a dark void.


    The next instant, an illusionary figure that looked simr to Charles appeared in front of him and opened its mouth.


    "Future Spell!" A familiar voice appeared from the figure''s mouth and soon disappeared from there.


    The next instant, Charles saw that the whole surroundings started to break like sses, and soon he found himself returning to the passengers''partment.


    ''What was that? Future spell? Is he talking about that ability?'' Charles rubbed his chin and soon ordered.


    ''Genesis, activate the mysterious ''Future-Time'' ability now.''


    [Are you sure about that order, Host? Casting an unknown ''Time'' rted spell might lead to severe consequences!] Genesis warned him.


    But Charles had already made up his mind.


    In truth, he had no choice but to take his gamble on his future self''s advice.


    ''Activate that ability!'' Charles said in a cold tone.


    [''?????'' is activated!]


    The next instant, he felt that a strange invisible force enveloped his consciousness all of a sudden and then disappeared.


    Then, nothing happened after that!


    [No abnormality detected in the Host''s body or the surroundings.] Genesis''s voice echoed in his head.


    He furrowed his brows and checked if anything abnormal happened to his soul or consciousness but found nothing!


    "Why there is no effect on me?" Just as he muttered to himself in confusion, the airship suddenly shook violently and caused everyone in thepartment to move to and forth.


    Just as Charles thought of casting the [me Teleportation] spell, he noticed that the airship was entering an invisibleyer!


    ''Something is wrong.''


    He instantly removed the monocle from his left eye and soon noticed that the strange invisibleyer blocked the connection between the Physical World and the Dream World!


    He also closed his eyes to enter the Astral Realm simultaneously but couldn''t!


    ''The barrier? As long as anyone enters the City of Miracle''s range, it would be much harder to escape, huh.'' He was impressed even before arriving at the City of Miracles.


    ''Let''s see if I can seed in this mission.'' He thought to himself and looked at the side window.


    At that moment, he saw a shadow of a gigantic cloud up in the sky and soon squinted his eyes.


    ''No... It''s not a shadow. It''s a City!''


    Indeed!


    The City of Miracles was a Floating City!


    As the airship moved closer towards the gigantic shadow, he finally managed to take a closer look at the city from afar and was stunned inside.


    The city was more than 100 miles long and had countless towering buildings!


    At the center of the city, Charles also saw three unique towers that almost touched the above clouds, and they appeared to be protecting the city from any outside forces.


    While Charles and other passengers looked at the city in amazement, the airship appeared above the city and soon descended towards particr vacantnd.


    It was an airport!


    Within a few minutes, therge airshipnded next to a half-egg-shaped building and started to slow down.


    At that moment, Charles and other passengers stood up from their seats and waited for the staff to open the door.

 Chapter 520 - Jessie

    <h4>Chapter 520 - Jessie</h4>


    Chapter 519: Jessie


    City of Miracles.


    It was a holy ce for Mages, Mystics, and even Warlocks. Unlike all other cities in Edhen World, not a single Church building could be seen inside this floating city.


    The entire city was devoted to Magic, and it was one of the remnant cities that belonged to the Ancient Era. There were more than 30 million people residing in this city, and it was considered thergest city in the whole world.


    As Charles stepped down from the airship, he skimmed through the basic information he had read about in the past and soon shook his head.


    ''I hope Jessie gathered enough information.'' He thought to himself, followed the other passengers, and soon entered therge half-egg-shaped building.


    But just as he stepped in, he suddenly felt an eerie feelinging out of nowhere and halted his footsteps.


    ''Why am I feeling threatened?'' His heart raced all of a sudden.


    [It must be due to the magic arrays, Host. You can see them using [Eyes of the Runes] skill.] Genesis responded in his head.


    ''Wouldn''t that alert the security? You told me not to use my skills unnecessarily, right?'' Charles couldn''t help but ask in suspicion.


    [Casting identification skill on array circles or formation circles won''t alert the security.]


    ''Oh?'' Nodding, Charles activated his [Eyes of the Runes] and looked at the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling. The next instant, he saw that a veryplex system of magic arrays appeared all over the ces and was momentarily stunned inside. Some magic array circles had loop-like circles with strange patterns, some had flower-like designs inside, and some arrays even appeared in square or rectangle shapes.


    What shocked him more was that he was standing on two mysterious array circles at that moment!


    Although they were in an inactive state, he knew that it would activate on its own as long as the array circle met its criteria!


    Charles cautiously nced at the long hallway that appeared before his eyes and continued to walk with careful steps.


    After walking for a few minutes, Charles and others entered arge tall-ceiling hall and noticed different kinds of suitcases, trolleys, and even sealed boxes ced there.


    ''Luggage counter, huh.'' Charles stepped into the hall and soon squinted as he saw a unique array circle that ced four meters away from where he was standing.


    At that moment, he saw that the array circle was shining in reddish light but soon realized no one was paying attention to it.


    Curiously, he deactivated the [Eyes of the Runes] skill and realized it was invisible to naked eyes!


    ''Hmm? But why is it glowing in red color?'' Charles asked with a frown and soon walked past the array circle.


    [There are two reasons, Host. One is that the array circle must have met its requirement and is about to activate, but I don''t think that''s the case. I highly suspect that this array circle has been damaged continuously for a long time and is on the verge of breaking down. As long as one fulfils the criteria, it will activate on its own and cause damage to the surroundings.] Genesis said in the same tone as always.


    ''It can cause damage? You mean explosion?''


    [Yes, Host. Most of the arrays ced in this building are for security purposes. Some would activate on their own when sensing unstable emotions, a few would activate when a person steps on them to check his name and identity, and there must be even some array circles out there for scanning souls. The Host should leave this building sooner.]


    Charles''s lips twitched as he heard those words.


    Nodding, he continued to move towards the next hall and showed his identification and airship ticket towards the securities. Then, they asked him to erase his soul imprint in his space ring and even searched the content inside.


    Thankfully, Charles left the pocket dimension pendant and other artifacts in the Rebirth Tower and didn''t attract anyone''s attention. After a minute of long check-up, they returned the space ring to him and let him walk away. As for the secret fake potion vial Rh gave him, the security mage thought of the potion as normal water and didn''t inquire further.


    Charles then adjusted his dress, took out a pocket watch from his space ring, and walked towards the airport''s exit with a calm expression on his face.


    By the time Charles walked out of the airport, it was around 6.55.


    Soon, he took a deep breath and looked at the thousands of people standing at the entrance. Some were holding nametes next to the exit, while many were looking here and there for their loved ones.


    Charles also searched for any familiar face among the crowd and soon saw a youngdy standing at the farther end.


    Her long hair and elegant dress showed off her beauty, and she kept her back turned away from him. She was dressed in a beautiful, long red-colored long gown and held a ck, high-quality purse on her side. She had emerald-green eyes, whirly blonde hair, a pretty oval face, and thin eyebrows. Even though it was just a decade ago since he saw her up front, she had already grown into a beautifuldy and appeared more attractive.


    ''Oh!'' A smile appeared on his face as he saw Jessie.


    He then took a step forward and walked in her direction. At that moment, Jessie also noticed his gaze and hurriedly walked towards him while lifting her even gown from sweeping the ground.


    Within a few seconds, Charles arrived before her and greeted her with a smile.


    "Hello!"


    "Greetings, Mr. Charles," Jessie also greeted him in return and then added.


    "I already got our carriage ready at the parking lot. Shall we go now?"


    ''Oh? She seems to be in a hurry.'' Although Charles was puzzled a little, he quietly nodded and followed her.


    Both soon moved towards the parking lot next to the airport building and saw hundreds of horse-drawn carriages parked in lines. Some were old with wooden wheels, while the rest were luxurious carriages with metal-covered wheels andrge enclosed bodies.


    The vast parking lot was covered by rows and rows of towering trees, many different kinds of fruit nts, and foliage, and the atmosphere was one of tranquility.


    The duo walked past the trees, horses, and parked carriages and soon arrived near a luxurious four-wheeled carriage.


    The carriage was very elegant and appeared a little out of fashion but still elegant. The body was covered with ck wood and ced with a golden,rge, and oval heamp that had a big bulb. It was a ck-colored light that resembled a star.


    The carriage also had four seats inside, covered with leather, and the wheels were shiny and appeared in good condition.


    As Charles walked closer towards the carriage, Jessie moved forward, hurriedly put her hand on the carriage door''s handle, and opened the door for him.


    "Please enter, Mr. Charles.." She said in a solemn tone.

 Chapter 521 - Elder Seer

    <h4>Chapter 521 - Elder Seer</h4>


    Chapter 520: Elder Seer


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head, ced his right leg on the carriage step, and walked in.


    Then, he turned around and sat on the leather seat while facing the front.


    On the other hand, Jessie ordered the coachman to tie the horse rope and entered inside. Following that, she sat on the opposite seat and closed the carriage door.


    The next instant, Charles felt a spatial fluctuation inside the carriage and soon nodded his head in understanding.


    "It''s a spatial spell to block others from spying our conversation, huh?"


    "It''smon for the mages to use these types of artifacts in this city, Mr. Charles." Jessie paused for a moment, covered the half-ssed carriage door using curtains, and then added with a serious look on her face.


    "I''m sorry for your loss, Mister. Because of our careless actions, you lost your grandfather." She bit her lips in frustration as she said those words.


    Meanwhile, Charles went stunned for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "Don''t apologize. I know very well who was responsible for that incident." He waved his hand and instantly thought of changing the subject.


    "Let''se to our current business. Can you tell me more about this city? I want some information about those three towers, the three Demigods, districts, Museum location, and other rted subjects."


    A sh of surprise appeared on Jessie''s face.


    ''I know he is a cold and a heartless person, but I didn''t expect him that he wouldn''t even show a slight change in emotions.'' She sighed heavily and then answered his previous questions.


    "There are five main districts in the City of Miracles, Mister. The first one is called ''Underground District.'' It''s a ce where the rogue mages, shady organization members, and evil god followers reside. The one who controls this district is the Demigod Miguel. He is the head of the Tower of Curses and has full authority over the city''s security force. Recently, he even appointed a young legend rank guy named ''Professor'' as the new Director of Security and his move was weed by all over the city. He has a good reputation among the mages for maintainingw and order." Jessie deliberated for a moment and then continued.


    "The second one is called ''Merchants'' Market.'' It''s a ce where you can buy anymon artifact or potion and is famous for businesses. The city museum is also located in this district. The third one is called ''Magus Center.'' It''s the district where the Magic Towers are located, and the whole area is under the control of the Demigod Rafael. He is also the head of the Sun Tower and has absolute authority over the City of Miracle."


    "Absolute authority?" Charles asked in surprise.


    "Yes. After thest nar war, the City of Miracles came under the control of the Sun Tower, and Demigod Rafael became the president of this city. Although Demigod Miguel was dissatisfied over this issue, he didn''t dare to revolt against Demigod Rafael and focus his attention mostly on nar invasions and other magic-rted stuff." Jessie said in a calm tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and asked further.


    "What about the other two districts?"


    "The four and fifth districts located on the other side of the city and are under the control of the Demigod Emerson. Emerson is also positioned as the head of the Mirror Tower and is the son of Demigod Rafael. Many say that he will be the next president of the City of Miracles in the next few decades." Jessie answered politely.


    ''Oh? Then, Rafael''s family is the one who controls the city, huh.''


    Charles nodded his head in understanding and soon frowned as he noticed that the carriage stopped all of a sudden.


    Jessie also noticed this and opened the door in a hurry. She then stuck her head out and looked at the situation.


    At that moment, she saw that more than fifty soldiers d in silver armors stood up ahead and were blocking the carriages and people from moving further. She also noticed that the other carriages were turning around and were moving in the other direction.


    "What happened?" She asked the coachman in confusion.


    "The security officers blocked the road, Young Lady. I think something serious must have happened up ahead." The coachman jumped down from the driver''s seat and then added.


    "Wait inside the carriage for a while. I''ll go and check the situation."


    Soon, he removed the leather hat, ced it on his seat, and walked towards the group of soldiers.


    A few secondster, he returned with a solemn look on his face, opened the carriage door, and spoke in a hurry.


    "Someone assassinated the Elder Seer, My Lady!"


    "Elder Seer?!" Jessie''s eyes widened in surprise as she heard those words and soon turned serious.


    Following that, she activated her [Mind Storm] skill and closed her emerald green eyes.


    At that moment, countless pieces of information appeared in her mind and soon formed into a virtual map of the whole city.


    She soon opened her eyes and spoke in a hurry.


    "Turn around the carriage. We are going to the Museum through the Crystal Land."


    "But it''s in the opposite direction, My Lady. It would take extra 15 minutes to get to the Museum!" The coachman shook his head at her idea.


    At that moment, Charles looked at the coachman through the opened door and ordered.


    "Do as what she says."


    The next instant, coachman felt like he had heard an order from the god itself and hurriedly nodded his head.


    He soon turned the carriage around, drove it towards the opposite side, and entered the side road.


    On the other hand, Jessie sat inside the carriage and frowned deeply.


    "What happened? Who is this Elder Seer?" Charles asked in confusion.


    "He is a Rank-5 [True Seer] ss Mystic and also a legend rank Ice mage. Who on earth has the guts to assassinate such a powerful figure in broad daylight?" She couldn''t help but ask herself in confusion. Soon, she opened the side curtain and added.


    "He is a best friend of Demigod Rafael and also the only powerful Seer residing in this city. But who did it?"


    Meanwhile, Charles also fell into deep thoughts and spoke.


    "Well, someone already did it, right? They must have their own agenda. Would his death pose a problem to our n?"


    Jessie shook her head at Charles''s question and spoke.


    "Although his death might cause the security to tighten a little, I don''t think it would affect our n."


    ''That''s reassuring.'' Charles nodded his head, shifted his gaze towards the outside, and patiently waited for the carriage to reach the Museum.


    On the other hand, the coachman drove the carriage through different routes under the guidance of Jessie and soon reached the Merchants'' Market around 7.35 A.M.


    He then drove on the Merchants'' Market road and soon reached the Museum within the next 5 minutes.


    Charles and Jessie stepped out of the carriage the next second, nced at each other, and then went towards the five-storied building.

 Chapter 522 - Steal

    <h4>Chapter 522 - Steal</h4>


    Chapter 520: Steal


    The Museum was huge and was surrounded by arge greenwn. But the unique thing found in the building was the huge sign hanging on the window on the first floor and the words ''Miracle Museum'' was written in big letters.


    As soon as they arrived at the door, the guards stopped them and asked them to present their passes and personal IDs. Jessie handed the guard her ID first, followed by Charles.


    The Museum''s first floor was a vast spaceposed of numerous shop stalls and galleries. It was a huge tourist attraction and had millions of people visiting and shopping every year.


    The Museum was open and was full of people. People were flocking in the gallery to take a glimpse of the priceless paintings, statues, and collections of artifacts.


    Charles and Jessie entered the grand hall, took a sneak peek at the artifacts and paintings that paced in the side boxes, and moved up ahead towards the second floor.


    That''s where the Museum''s main attraction was ced, namely, a room on the second floor that contained various priceless artifacts and collections. They were paintings, statuettes, golden statues, gold coins, ancient statues, and books of various topics. Charles''s target item ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion was also ced inside that room for the exhibition.


    The duo walked past many security guards, acted like they were here to watch the exhibition from time to time, and soon reached that particr room around 7.55 A.M. No, it wasn''t a room but appeared more like another grand hall!


    Once they reached that room, Charles signaled Jessie to stay outside and walked into it. At that moment, only a few people appeared inside the room, and they were staring at different artifacts.


    Charles casually nced at the surroundings, analyzed all those collections ced in separate ss boxes, and soon shifted his attention towards a particr area.


    At that moment, he saw a reddish potion bottle ced inside the ss box and soon walked towards it.


    He also activated the [Eyes of the Runes] skill and checked for any magic array ced around the ss.


    As he arrived closer towards the box, he saw something invisible surrounding that particr ss box and stopped his footsteps. At the same time, he activated his [elerate Thoughts] skill and enchanted his thinking capability.


    He first analyzed the outer web structure and soon started to see the core part of the array circle, branch lines responsible for passing information, a unique invisible line that extends towards the rm siren ced in the room, and so on.


    As he explored further, he noticed that a web-like strange pattern extended towards every corner of the ss box, and it looked more like aplicated array circle than a simple one.


    [The pattern looks simr to Monitoring Array, Host.] Genesis added.


    ''I can see that without you mentioning. Do you have any idea about how to deactivate it?''


    [Nope.] A short response appeared in his head.


    Charles furrowed his brows as he further probed the mysterious web-like magic array and checked for any weaknesses.


    To not look suspicious, he casually moved towards the nearby exhibition item and then continued to look for any gap in the array. Although he wasn''t a Rune Master, his unique eyes were powerful enough to analyze any rune array in a short time and were capable of pointing out their weaknesses!


    Within 1 minute 53 seconds, Charles managed to find a small gap that appeared at the backside of the crystal box and smiled.


    Simultaneously, he touched his space ring and made a slight hand movement.


    A momentter, a rectangr-shaped potion vial filled with pure water appeared in his hand.


    It was the size of his thumb finger and remained well-hidden in his palm.


    Once Charles took out that fake potion vial, he touched the unique array circle on the bottle and activated it. The next instant, the transparent bottle turned into reddish-brown color and soon changed into the exact copy of the original one!


    After that, Charles cast [Hand of Wonder] skill, released the single invisible string, and let it coil around the fake potion vial. Following that, he made that bottle transparent and let it move towards the crystal box.


    At that moment, he also waved his other hand, released another simr invisible string, and let it move towards the rm siren.


    Before long, the invisible string entered the rm siren, started moving around the mechanism in a zig-zag manner, and stopped them from producing any sound or alerting waves!


    On the other hand, the main invisible string twisted the surrounding space itself, moved towards the backside of the crystalline box, and soon entered inside without alerting the web-like array.


    The invisible string removed its invisible effect a secondter and ced the fake potion bottle inside.


    Following that, the invisible string moved towards the original potion vial, encircled its neck area, and turned it transparent.


    After that, Charles manipted the surrounding space like before and pulled it out of the crystalline box with simple finger movement.


    In two seconds, the original potion vial appeared in his hand!


    ''Sess!'' He hid his excitement and hurriedly put the vial in his coat pocket.


    Then, he turned around and walked out of the room silently.


    Simultaneously, he took out a pocket watch from his space ring and checked the timer.


    ''8.03! Three minutes dy than the nned time.'' He sighed deeply and soon saw Jessie was walking towards him with a warm smile on her face.


    Once she arrived closer to him, she grabbed his arm and whispered something in his ears.


    The next instant, Charles nodded his head, and both of them moved towards the staircase that leads to the first floor.


    Within two minutes, both reached the first floor and started walking towards the exit.


    As they walked towards the exit, more than five security guards stopped them and ordered them to remove the imprint in their space rings.


    Charles had long expected this. So, he nodded his head, touched his space ring, and erased the soul imprint for them to check it.


    Meanwhile, Jessie ced her purse on the nearby table and did the same.


    As the security guards were about to check them, Charles casually put his right hand into the coat pocket, coiled the potion vial with the invisible string, and made it transparent once again.


    Then, he casually took out the potion bottle from his coat pocket and yawned while raising his hands forward. Using the opportunity, he controlled the invisible string, moved it towards the outside carriage, and quietly ced the transparent potion vial next to the driver''s seat.


    While he was doing this, the guards did a brief check-up and let them out of the museum hall.


    After that, Charles and Jessie walked out of the museum hall and moved towards the carriage in hurried footsteps.


    Before long, Charles arrived next to the carriage, moved towards the front, and took out the potion vial near the driver''s seat.


    Although coachman had already been seated in the driver''s seat, he didn''t notice the potion vial all this time and only showed a confused expression at his strange action.


    Meanwhile, Charles took back the potion vial and entered the carriage with Jessie.


    Then, Jessie satfortably on the front seat, extended her hand towards the carriage door, and closed it from inside.


    On the other hand, the coachman whipped the horse and started driving the carriage towards the main road.

 Chapter 523 - Bronze Lane

    <h4>Chapter 523 - Bronze Lane</h4>


    Chapter 520: Bronze Lane


    The luxurious carriage soon left the street road, entered the main road of Merchants'' Market, and continued to move towards the Underground District.


    Indeed, the City''s airport was located on the northern edge of the Underground District.


    Just as the carriage entered the Underground District''s main road, Jessie opened the carriage gate and ordered.


    "Oliver, take the Bronze Lane route."


    "You think the roads would still be blocked, My Lady? But isn''t that Lane dangerous for travel?" The coachman asked anxiously.


    "Obviously. But we don''t have time. Even if the main road isn''t blocked, the traffic would be pretty high at this time." Jessie said in a calm tone.


    Meanwhile, the coachman also agreed and soon made a left cut.


    Bronze Lane was not a street road but a passage that connects the whole Underground District from north to south. In truth, many smugglers would smuggle drugs, enved people, magical beasts, weapons, artifacts, and even intellectual artifacts into the City through Airships each year in masses.


    Then, they would supply them to different parts of the Underground Districts through this Lane and makes a profit from the mages and mystics. Because of this, no one from the security would dare to stop any vehicles and let them do as they please.


    Although killing was prohibited in the whole City and would lead to severe consequences, the criminals in the Underground Districts would always find a way to tackle the problems. Killing inside the City was prohibited, but kidnapping or torture wasn''t. The basicw system of the floating City had some severe ws, and this led to many criminals in this particr district.


    As the carriage entered the Bronze Lane, coachman Oliver drove the carriage on the right side road and continued to nce at the side street roads and alleys. To his surprise, he noticed that this path appeared empty. Only a few carriages appeared here and there, and the whole surroundings looked peaceful.


    "Why are there very few people in the streets?" Charles moved the door curtain, peeked outside through the ss window, and asked.


    At that moment, he also nced at the side trees, the different size houses, and street alleys in curiosity.


    "This Bronze Lane would be pretty busy only during night times, Mister." She paused for a moment and soon added.


    "But during the daytime, most would usually prefer to move in the main street. After all, this Lane has some bad reputation, and the patrol would always target anyone traveling from this Bronze Lane."


    "Wouldn''t that cause problem for us?" A bad feeling appeared in his heart.


    "Of course not. We are just going to the Airport, Mr. Charles. We can tell the patrol unit that we''re in a hurry to catch an Airship. They won''t-" Before she could end her words, the carriage stopped all of a sudden, followed by a young man''s panicking voice from outside.


    "It seems we have a problem now," Charles said with a frown and opened the carriage door.


    He then walked out of the carriage and soon saw a young man in his 30s was pleading at the coachman.


    He had messy ck hair, amber eyes, a shallow nose, tan brown skin, and wore regr linen clothes. He also held a leather bag and appeared to be around 175 cm high.


    ''A Rank-4 [Artificer], huh. But who is chasing after him?'' Muttering inwardly, he looked around but found no one.


    After a shift nce, Charles returned his gaze towards the young man and asked.


    "What happened? We are in a hurry."


    Meanwhile, the young man also looked in his direction and hurriedly ran towards him.


    Once he arrived near him, he bowed his head and pleaded.


    "P-Please help me, Sir! If I stay in this City, they will kill me and my family! Please take me away!" He almost cried in panic.


    Just as Charles was about to ask him further, he suddenly saw that more than ten security guards in their ck armor came out of the nearby alley road and moved in their direction.


    Noticing this, the young man suddenly stepped towards the carriage''s wheel and pulled out the linchpin.


    At the same time, he looked at Charles and spoke in a trembling voice.


    "I don''t want to involve you in this, but I have no choice, sir."


    As he spoke, he cast some mysterious magic on the linchpin and turned the whole metal into a gel-like thing.


    Following that, he molded it like y and soon turned it into a pistol!


    He then looked at the newly created pistol, ced the muzzle area at his forehead, and tried to shoot himself!


    s, he soon stopped in midway and cursed like a mad man.


    "I can''t do it!"


    Unlike the ember pistol, this one appeared unique like the real one and looked dangerous.


    After a slight pause, the young man held it in his right hand and ran towards the group of security guards while shouting maniacally.


    "You want to use me and create havoc? Let''s see how you are going to do it now."


    While shouting, he suddenly raised his hand and cast another skill.


    The next instant, Charles sensed that the pistol started to absorb a dense amount of darkness-elemental energy from the surroundings and stored them inside!


    "We are in trouble now," Jessie spoke as she arrived beside Charles and stared at the guy with a dumbfounded look on her face.


    In truth, even Charles was stunned by that young man''s action and was still in confusion.


    Meanwhile, the young man said something slowly and tried to squeeze the trigger.


    But before he could even do it, a dark ray appeared from the sky, directlynded on the young man''s head, and disintegrated him into ashes!


    On the other hand, Charles looked up at the invisible protective formation and frowned.


    ''Genesis, is there a way to resolve this situation?'' He asked with a frown.


    [It''s better to co-operate with the security officers to resolve this situation, Host. But if they learned that you stole the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion, things might getplicated.]


    ''Oh? What do you suggest then?''


    [I have insufficient information to give you the correct guidance, Host. But I advise you to act normally and try to resolve the problem peacefully.] Genesis responded.


    ''Solve the problem peacefully, huh.'' While he was thinking about the current situation, the ten security guards walked past the area where the young man stood before and soon stopped as they arrived next to the carriage.


    Then, a middle-aged man stepped out of the group and stared at Charles in silence.


    This man had a height of 180 cm, tan skin, light green eyes, and silver hair. Although his stature was lower, his looks and facial features were more youthful.


    After a short silence, he walked closer towards Charles and asked.


    "What did he tell you earlier? Speak truthfully.." His words appeared more like an order.

 Chapter 524 - Professor

    <h4>Chapter 524 - Professor</h4>


    Chapter 524: Professor


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and responded politely.


    "He said nothing. We are actually on our way to the Airport, Sir."


    Just as the silver-haired man was about to ask something, the bracelet in his right hand shone in red light and vibrated all of a sudden.


    Then, a young male voice came out of it.


    "Did you catch him, John?"


    The silver-haired man named John made a forced smile, touched the silver bracelet, and answered solemnly.


    "Hemitted suicide, Professor. But we have some witnesses."


    A strange silence appeared for a second, followed by the same voice from the other side.


    "Stay where you are. I''ll be there in a minute."


    The next second, the bracelet let out a dim light and returned to usual.


    Meanwhile, John pointed his finger at the coachman, then towards Charles, and ordered.


    "Take out your identity proofs and airship tickets. I need to check them."


    Saying so, he moved towards the carriage where the linchpin was ced and checked the hole.


    After finding nothing inside, he shook his head in disappointment, moved towards the driver''s seat, and searched for something.


    On the other hand, Charles, Jessie, and the coachman took out their IDs from their space ring and passed them to other security guards.


    ''Do I have to stay quiet?'' Charles felt something was wrong but didn''t dare to do anything reckless. The earlier spell descended from the sky was deeply etched in his mind.


    ''I sensed a strong threatening feeling from it earlier. Most probably a Rank-6 spell!'' He thought to himself.


    ''Moreover, why do I feel like this whole journey is a little off?'' A strange thought appeared in his head.


    At that moment, one of the security guards asked him about his real name and the purpose of his visit.


    While Charles started exining the reason, John searched the carriage and soon stopped when he noticed something hidden under the driver''s seat.


    The next instant, he lifted the seat before taking out a silver ring from the seat''s gap and soon smiled.


    He then hurriedly activated themunication bracelet and waited for the other party to attend the call.


    When the bracelet shone in red light, John nced at the ring with a smile, marked it with his soul imprint, and spoke.


    "I found that ring under the driver''s seat, Professor. Marvin didn''t carry it with him when he tried to attack us."


    "Oh? That''s good. Check if the Chaos Scroll is still inside or not." Professor responded from the other side calmly.


    Meanwhile, John nodded his head, checked the contents in the ring carefully, and soon added while ncing at Charles.


    "It''s there, Professor. Should I release these witnesses?"


    "Wait till I reach there." Saying so, Professor once again cut the call.


    On the other hand, John put the ring in his coat pocket and shifted his attention towards Charles.


    At that moment, a four-wheeled wooden carriage also came from the right side alley road and soon stopped as it arrived near them.


    Then, the carriage door opened with bam, and soon a young man in his 20s walked out from it. He appeared to be around 180 cm high, had an oblong face, and appeared calm as water.


    He wore a ck double-breasted waistcoat, pince-nez sses, a hook mustache, and also wore a bowler hat on his head. His ck hair was slightly longer, and his wide-set emerald eyes seemed to hold some deep secrets behind.


    When Charles saw that young man''s face, he strangely felt familiar.


    At the same time, a foreboding sensation appeared in his mind.


    ''He is dangerous!''


    He also noticed that the space around him twisted whenever the young man stepped forward and blocked any probing power from getting near him!


    ''He is the Director of the security forces, Mr. Charles. I already told you about this man when we were on our way to the Museum. If I''m not wrong, he is a dual ss Mystic and also a Legend Rank Powerhouse.'' Jessie spoke to him telepathically at that moment.


    ''I remember his name. Professor, right? Hmm, I think I''ve met this man before.'' While Charles was puzzled inside, the young man named ''Professor'' also recognized him and soon broke in a smile.


    "Well, well, well, I didn''t expect to meet you here of all the ces, Charles."


    "You know me?" Charles showed a surprised look on his face and soon froze as he realized who he was.


    "You are the [Historian] ss mystic who helped me in the Unexplored Forest. Max Fireborn, am I right?"


    Indeed, he was the same guy who helped him when Charles confronted the fake Eddie Nightwind in the city ruins and even used a Reverse Spell to counterattack Eddie!


    Meanwhile, the young man named himself as Professor shook his head and walked closer towards Charles.


    "I''ve many names, and Max Fireborn is one of them. Now, what are you doing here, Charles?"


    While asking, he shifted his attention towards John and talked to him through telepathy.


    Two secondster, he looked back at Charles and waved his hand.


    The next instant, the ring in Charles''s finger turned illusionary, disappeared from there, and reappeared in Professor''s hand.


    After that, Professor looked at the ring deeply, observed his soul imprint, and soon widened his eyes in surprise.


    "Your soul has already entered the realm of Demigod?" He couldn''t help but take a deep look at him in shock.


    He gave the space ring back to Charles the next instant, adjusted his sses, and spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "Hmm, you came to the City at 7.00 A.M, visited the Museum around 8 ''o''clock, and now returning to the Airport... Something feels off, Charles."


    While speaking, he moved his hand towards the waistcoat and took out a rainbow-colored feather.


    "I call this feather as ''Truth'' Line. We usually use this feather to capture the criminals and learn the truth about their goals." He paused for a moment and then added with a smile.


    "We need to check what you have in your space ring, Charles. Please remove the soul imprint."


    On the other hand, Charles nced at Jessie for a moment and soon sighed heavily.


    "It seems I''ve no choice but to co-operate."


    In truth, he had long realized that he had already fallen into the enemy''s hand but didn''t know what to do next.


    ''I have too little information about this guy. Why did he appear here? Is it a coincidence or under someone''s maniption?'' At that moment, he also recalled the earlier system''s quest and furrowed his brows.


    ''The ''Wisdom Link'' indeed gave me the warning. It said that Chaos was already brewing inside the City and warned me to be careful of the [Historian]... But I didn''t think I would end up meeting this guy. Haa, I have no choice but to ce my trust in that mysterious ''Future Time'' spell.'' Charles nodded inwardly, erased his soul imprint in the space ring, and passed it to Professor.


    Meanwhile, Professor caught the ring, checked the contents one by one, and soon widened his eyes in surprise.


    "Heh, no wonder you are in a hurry to the Airport. So, you stole the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion, huh." He suddenly thought of something, turned his gaze towards John, and asked.


    "Will he fit for that ''Job,'' John?"


    Meanwhile, John pondered for a moment and soon nodded.


    "He fooled the security of the Museum Hall and even stole the Divine Potion, Professor.. I think he has more qualifications than Marvin."

 Chapter 525 - Job

    <h4>Chapter 525 - Job</h4>


    Chapter 525: Job


    "Did you collect their IDs?" Professor asked while looking at the other security guards.


    "Yes, Sir!" One of them responded with a nod and showed them to him.


    "Take them to our hideout." Without waiting for Jessie or Charles to speak, he turned around, walked towards his carriage, and entered.


    Then, his carriage also made a U-turn and moved towards the right-side alley road.


    Meanwhile, John moved towards their carriage, opened the carriage door, and gestured Charles, Jessie, and Oliver to get in.


    "Enter. I''ll also apany you."


    John said coldly and also followed them from behind.


    Meanwhile, one of the security guards moved towards the front, climbed up towards the driver''s seat, and took over the coachman''s position. Following that, he whipped the horse while pulling the reins and started driving the carriage.


    "Where are you taking us?" Jessie asked as she sat down but got no proper response from John.


    "We can talk thatter." That''s what he said.


    Following that, he shifted his gaze towards the other guards and told them to follow the carriage closely.


    All this time, Charles sat silently inside the carriage and asked Genesis about the current circumstances.


    ''What will happen if I try to escape?'' That was what he wanted to know most.


    [You''ll be captured or killed within ten seconds, Host. All the security guards are powerful Rank-5 Mystics and could restrain you within seconds. Moreover, the security guard leader John might be a Rank-6 Mystic and could kill you at any second if he wants.] Genesis responded directly.


    ''Oh? What if I cast the [Time-Stop] skill and use the [Timeless Body] spell to escape from here?''


    [It is possible to escape using that method, Host. But I don''t think these security guards will give up that easily. In the worst-case scenario, they might use the city''s defensive array to eliminate you.] Genesis said.


    ''Hmm, it seems I''ve no choice but to do as Professor says, huh. From the looks of it, he seems to be nning something big.'' A forced smile appeared on his face.


    ''For now, I should do as he says and wait for the opportunity to escape.''


    While Charles was discussing with Genesis, the luxurious carriage entered the right side alley road, drove past many houses, and soon joined another road. But unlike before, Charles noticed that only a few abandoned buildings appeared here and there, and the rest were filled with emptynds.


    After a few minutes of travel, the carriage soon entered arge abandoned church building and stopped next to Professor''s carriage.


    After that, Charles and others stepped out of the carriage and looked around.


    The yard was filled with weeds, vines, and trees, and the church building appeared older and damaged. What caught Charles'' eyes wererge cracks appearing on the walls, floor, and everywhere.


    A howling wind blew through the church as the group walked towards the entrance and caused the atmosphere to turn gloomier. At that moment, Professor took the lead as he arrived near the damaged door, opened it with a single hand, and walked in.


    On the other hand, Charles and others also followed inside and soon saw broken pews, chairs, tables, and even broken window sses appear all over the ce.


    ''This ce... I smell blood inside.'' His eyes darted towards the floor and noticed multiple blood marks appeared everywhere.


    ''So, it''s a ce for erasing the eyewitnesses, huh.''


    He observed the surroundings carefully and soon focused on a particr map hung on the opposite wall.


    With a simple nce, he could tell that it was the map of the Floating City. He then saw an X mark on a particr area on the map and tried to pinpoint the exact location.


    ''The X mark point towards the Northern Graveyard, Mr. Charles.'' Jessie''s telepathic voice echoed in his head.


    At that moment, Professor stopped his footsteps as he arrived right below the damaged chandelier, turned around, and looked at Charles with a smile.


    Meanwhile, Charles also stared back at him and asked.


    "What are you after? Why did you bring us to this abandoned church?"


    On the other hand, Professor signaled John to get near him, took out the silver ring from him, and checked it.


    Then, he took out a metallic neck cuff, moved towards Jessie, and tried to put it on her neck.


    "What are you doing?" Charles tried to stop him, but a powerful force appeared out of nowhere and restrained his body from moving!


    "You shouldn''t interrupt when I''m in the middle of doing my work, Charles."


    Saying so, he finally put the neck cuff and touched the center part.


    A strange invisible ripple came out of the cuff the next instant and tightened Jessie''s neck a little.


    She tried to open her mouth but couldn''t. At that moment, she also felt that sharp pain appeared in her head and stopped her from even retaliating! Tears soon flow out of her eyes as the pain intensifies, and she hurriedly gripped her head with both hands.


    Meanwhile, Professor nodded his head, took out another cuff from his space ring, and put it on Oliver''s neck.


    "I need your help with something, Charles. But I don''t trust you fully. That''s why I''ll be taking these two as hostages." He added.


    On the other hand, Charles observed the cuff on Jessie''s neck and soon turned serious.


    ''It''s affecting her brain!''


    "If Iplete that job for you, will you leave us alone?" He asked while constantly thinking about the odds of sess.


    "Of course. As long as you finish your job, I won''t cross your path. Also, I hope you keep your promise." Professor said in a calm tone.


    A strange silence appeared in the hall, followed by a deep sigh.


    "What about the other security forces? Wouldn''t they search for my whereabouts when they notice that the Potion bottle disappeared in the Museum Hall ande after me?"


    "You don''t have to worry about that problem." Professor turned his gaze towards John and added.


    "Take care of that matter, John."


    Meanwhile, John nodded his head and hurriedly walked towards the exit.


    At that moment, Professor returned his gaze towards Charles and asked.


    "Now, will you help me?"


    Charles closed his eyes for a moment and soon asked.


    "What is this Job?"


    "That''s more like it." A blooming smile appeared on Professor''s face. He then touched the space ring, which he took from John, and marked with his soul imprint.


    Then, he took out an eerie ck scroll from inside, tossed it towards Charles, and spoke.


    "I want you to go and attend Elder Seer''s funeral at 4. P.M and assassinate someone."


    "Oh? Who am I going to assassinate?" Charles asked, without showing any sign of emotions.


    Professor made a grin and spoke.


    "Demigod Rafael."

 Chapter 526 - Test

    <h4>Chapter 526 - Test</h4>


    Chapter 526: Test


    "Are you out of your mind?!" This time, it was Jessie who asked that question.


    After all, assassinating Demigod Rafael was nothing but a pipe dream even for all the 12 Lawful Churches.


    This City was a Mage City where many ancient Mages resided. Some were legend Rank Mages, while the rest were unique like Rh, and it would be hard to measure their strength using ordinary means.


    These Mages may not be as powerful as Gods, but they were powerful enough to predict the future and could perceive the location of the enemy in a matter of seconds.


    ''But to fool everyone''s perception means that this guy must be on the same level or more powerful than them.''


    Charles also looked at Professor in suspicion, then nced at the surrounding walls and floors and furrowed.


    Although he doesn''t understand how this Professor blocked their thoughts from leaving this building, he was sure of one thing.


    The young man standing in front of him might not be a mere schemer.


    "You are a God''s avatar? Maybe a Taboo Existence?"


    "No, I''m not strong enough to gain that title yet. But you can think of me as a powerful God." Professor said with a smile, which gave him a strange chill.


    After a slight pause, Charles looked at the ck scroll and tried to inspect it but only saw question marks on the blue screen.


    "It''s called Chaos Scroll. As long as you tore this scroll and cast this spell on Demigod Rafael, everything will be over in a blink." Professor added calmly.


    But his calm words unsettled Charles greatly.


    "Everything will be over in a blink? What about the defensive array? How can I escape the array''s retaliation? Moreover, there will be more powerhouses standing next to Demigod Rafael, right?" A solemn look appeared on Charles''s face as he said those words.


    "You don''t have to worry too much about that. By the time you assassinate Demigod Rafael, the defensive structure in the sky won''t be under anyone''s control."


    ''This guy seems to be nning something big.''


    Charles remained silent for a few seconds and soon sighed.


    ''I''m sick of being yed by someone else.''


    [I advise ''Host'' not to act rashly.] Genesis warned him in his head.


    ''I also understood a little about how the defensive array system works, Genesis. As long as I control my emotions, I don''t think the defensive system will activate. Also, I need to confirm something.'' He paused for a moment and sent out another order.


    ''Genesis, can you figure out what power does he possess by observing his battle?'' Although his [Eyes of the Runes] skill had been active for a long time, Charles still hadn''t found a clue about the opponent''s power.


    [It is possible, Host. Unlike you, I have been exposed to ''Insight'' power for more than 46 millenniums and am very sensitive to any foreign power. As long as I came in contact with that power for a moment, I''ll be able to differentiate them.] Genesis responded calmly.


    ''Oh? Then, let''s try out something new.''


    While muttering, Charles raised his hands, activated [Hands of Wonder] skill, and released two invisible strings towards Jessie and Oliver.


    At the same time, he looked at Professor and spoke.


    "I''ll do the work for you. But let me test your strength a bit." He paused for a moment and activated [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself.


    The next instant, the whole surroundings suddenly started slowing down.


    But he didn''t stop there, though. He cast the [Rebirth] Body spell on himself and transformed into his elemental form.


    The next instant, his body bathed in a reddish me, and soon he looked more like a human of pure mes.


    At that moment, Charles noticed that the ''Present-Time'' essence appeared inside his body and helped him elerate and decelerate thoughts willingly.


    Noticing his elemental appearance, Professor furrowed his eyebrows and tried to stop his movement using his wisdom power.


    But Charles was one step ahead of him.


    He shifted his attention towards the ''System Cube'' in his consciousness and activated the [Time Stop] ability.


    An invisible ripple came out of his body the next instant, spread towards all directions, and soon enveloped the Floating City.


    The next instant, the ''Time-Stop'' ability took effect and froze everything!


    The City of Miracles was covered by a strange crystal-like barrier in a blink.


    Simultaneously, Charles saw everyone around him get frozen in time and appeared more like statues.


    ''I can think normally. Now, let''s see if I can move my body.''


    Just as he had expected, he didn''t face any restriction at all!


    Then, he tried to move the invisible strings towards Jessie and Oliver but couldn''t.


    ''Those invisible strings are not working in the Time Stop domain. It seems only my elemental body can move in this ce.''


    While muttering inwardly, he stepped forward and started walking towards Professor slowly.


    Whenever he took a step forward, he felt like he was walking inside a sea of water.


    It was a strange feeling he had never experienced before.


    As he arrived near Professor, Charles raised his hand slowly and cast his Fire Magic spells one by one.


    s, nothing worked except for the Red Tear spell!


    But he knew that the Red Tear spell had no attacking ability and felt conflicted.


    ''Damn it; I need to think of something else. I have to cripple this guy before this [Time Stop] effect goes down-''


    Before he could think further, he suddenly noticed Professor''s hand started to move!


    Although his hand movement appeared slower whenpared to his, Charles couldn''t help but take a deep look at him.


    ''He can also move in [Time Stop] ability domain?'' He instantly gripped his fist, made a battle stance, and thrust it forward towards his chest.


    At that moment, he also noticed that Professor''s eyes started to twitch.


    The next instant, a strange invisible power came out of Professor''s body and nullified the [Present Time] around him.


    Following that, Professor blinked his eyes, raised his left hand, and directly blocked his fist!


    Then, he curled his lips upward and spoke in his mind.


    ''You are indeed full of surprises.''


    Saying so, he snapped his fingers using his other hand.


    A momentter, Charles noticed a familiar ripple came out of Professor''s body, moved in all directions, and soon nullified the ''Present Time'' in the City of Miracles.


    Everything around him started to move gradually and soon returned to its normal state in a blink!


    At the same time, a terrifying shockwave came out from the ce where his fist met Professor''s hand, spread in all directions, and even caused the half-broken windows and the wooden door to turn smithereens.


    The chandelier also detached from the ceiling and flew in a different direction. The broken chairs, pews, and tables were also smashed by the shockwave and flew outside!


    On the other hand, Jessie and others were also pushed by the shockwave, flew in different directions, and soon crashed onto the nearby walls.


    Even Professor got pushed back by this shockwave and soon showed a surprised look on his face.


    Charles was the only one who stood in the same position and remainedposed.


    ''He also used the power of ''Time'' to nullify the ''Time-Stop'' effect earlier. Genesis, did you pick up something?''


    [Yes, Host. I also sensed the power of Fate, Past-Time, and Luck appeared around his body to break the ''Time-Stop'' ability.]


    ''Oh? He has the power of Luck, Fate, and Past Time, huh? Who is this guy?'' A hint of wariness appeared in his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Professor looked at his hand in surprise, then at Charles and asked.


    "Do you want to test more?" His voice also contained a hint of surprise and shock.


    Meanwhile, Charles retracted his hand and shook his head.


    "It won''t be a good thing for both of us.. Tell me more about your assassination n."

 Chapter 527 - Funeral

    <h4>Chapter 527 - Funeral</h4>


    Chapter 527: Funeral


    Northern Graveyard, Underground District, City of Miracles.


    It was around 4. P.M.


    At that moment, many luxurious carriages came from the southern road, entered the Northern Graveyard, and soon parked in the nearby garden one by one. Then, a young man wearing a green coat walked out from one of those carriages and looked at the surroundings solemnly.


    After a swift nce, he raised his hand, adjusted the monocle, and took a white frock coat from his space ring.


    There was a strange funeral custom practiced in the City of Miracles. While in most cultures wearing ck to a funeral was the norm all over the Edhen, mourners in the City of Miracles always wear white during funeral ceremonies. Because they still follow the customs of the Ancient Era and the First Arcane Era.


    To the Ancient culture, white means purity, and it was used to show respect to the departed and the family. It was alsomon for the deceased men to be wearing white clothes when buried.


    He casually removed the green coat and wore the white one. After that, he took out the pocket watch from his space ring and checked the time.


    ''4.02.'' He nodded thoughtfully, put it in his pocket, and shifted his attention towards the front.


    Unlike the graveyards Charles had seen on Earth or in other parts of the Edhen World, this one appeared more than ten timesrger and covered an almost 5 km radius. Tall green trees appeared around the graveyard and made the surroundings greener.


    The overgrown grass and stray weeds appeared all over, and gray bs were buried in many areas. Charles also saw many security guards at the entrance, and they were constantly checking the identities of the ones entering the graveyard.


    Among those guards, Charles saw a familiar face. That person was a male, who appeared to be around 45 to 55 years old, had tan skin, light green eyes, silver hair, and looked around 180 cm high. He wore a ck surcoat with a symbol of three swords engraved on his chest area.


    He was none other than the Security Guard Captain John!


    At that moment, he also noticed Charles''s arrival and nodded his head at him.


    Simultaneously, Charles heard a voice in his head.


    ''Move forward. Also, don''t make any unnecessary movements.''


    It was Professor''s voice.


    Nodding, Charles moved forward, walked past many carriages, and soon arrived at the entrance to the graveyard.


    Meanwhile, John stopped the other guards from checking him, arrived closer, and stealthily gave him a strange bluish crystal.


    At that moment, Professor exined to him calmly in his head.


    ''Before you assassinate Demigod, you have to break this crystal and nullify all types of powers from altering Rafael''s destiny. Once you break it, you will get five seconds to do your job.''


    ''What about Demigod''s retaliation? Wouldn''t he and other Legends notice my action and stop me from using the Chaos Scroll?'' Charles asked with a frown.


    ''You don''t have to worry about that. My allies will create an opportunity for you.''


    Although he didn''t have the slightest trust in Professor''s words, he decided not to ask any more questions and walked in through the wooden gate.


    As he walked inside, more than a hundred crows sat on the nearby tree branches, cawed continuously, and gave everyone a feeling of eeriness. Were they mourning for the loss of a Seer? Or, were they warning the citizens about the impending danger? Nobody knew the answer.


    On the other hand, Charles walked further into the graveyard and soon saw thousands of people gathered a few hundred meters away from him.


    At that moment, they all stood in line while facing the golden coffin ced before them and seemed to be waiting for the funeral ceremony to begin.


    Different organization members, Tower Mages, influential family members, and reputed figures came to attend this funeral, and everyone wore a white dress like him.


    ''Go and mingle with the crowd and wait for the right time. I''ll call you when youplete the assassination.'' Saying so, Professor hung up themunication.


    Meanwhile, Charles did as he told him, mingled with the people, and started observing the people.


    After a while, he looked at the front where the coffin was ced and soon raised his eyebrows.


    At that moment, three ck-robed mages stood next to the coffin and were in the middle of reciting a strange chant.


    Among all the people who came to attend Elder Seer''s funeral, they were the only people who appeared in ck dress.


    They also held candles in their hands, circled the coffin from time to time, and seemed to be doing a funeral ritual.


    "During the Ancient Era, the Death Mages practiced these types of rituals tomunicate with the deceased and to prevent their soul from going to a ce of darkness. There is also a legend saying that this ritual could allow them to enter the path of reincarnation sooner." The person who stood next to him spoke solemnly. He was a young man in his twenties with wavy blonde hair, a snub nose, amber eyes, and looked more like a young master of a wealthy family.


    Charles inspected him silently and soon realized that he was also a Rank-5 Mage.


    "How do you know about them?" He asked curiously.


    Meanwhile, that person showed a friendly smile and started talking about how he learned the history of the Ancient Era from the Tower of Mirrors.


    "I presume you must havee to this city recently." He paused for a moment and introduced himself voluntarily.


    "By the way, I''m Ezra. In truth, the Tower of Mirrors holds all the past knowledge of this world and is considered as a Miracle treasure house by all the mages. A total of 99yers are there in that Tower, and one need to pass different kinds of test to move forward. To this day, no one had crossed the 70thyer yet. If you want to learn more about the ancient Elven Empire, you can find them in the 23rdyer. But if you want to learn deeper about their culture and get ancient mage pathway methods, you need to get past the 50thyer. You''ll also find information about a mysterious race called Syreni in the 52ndyer, and their history is quite interesting. In one of the ancient books, I learned that they appeared more like the mermaids from the legends, but they had the traits of chaos beings. It seems there was a war that happened at that time...."

 Chapter 528 - Assassinate

    <h4>Chapter 528 - Assassinate</h4>


    Chapter 528: Assassinate


    While listening to Ezra''s rambling, Charles kept his movement hidden and stealthily took out a ck scroll from his space ring.


    Following that, he released two invisible strings, let them coil around the scroll, and turned the scroll invisible.


    Then, he controlled those strings and let the scroll move towards the front.


    He moved the scroll towards the front and soon squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw a unique symbol engraved on both sides of the ck-robed mages'' arm areas and got startled inside.


    It was a triangle symbol colored yellow on top, red at bottom-right, and blue at bottom-left.


    "Destiny Conquerors!" He said in a shocked tone.


    Stunned by his sudden words, Ezra stopped speaking and showed an interesting smile.


    "It seems you are not an ignorant person like the usual guys from the empires. Hmm, the people of Miracle City always invite Death Mages from the Destiny Conquerors to do the funeral ceremony rituals. Do you know how this organization formed-?"


    Just as he was about to give him a detailed history of that organization, he suddenly turned his gaze towards the right side graveyard entrance and spoke.


    "They are here."


    Meanwhile, Charles also followed his gaze and soon saw two people were walking in their direction.


    The one who led the way looked like a soldier in his mid-60s, had a sharp gaze, a square jaw, short brown hair, and a thin body. He was also carrying a sword with a long de and wore a traditional white dress. His face was calm, and he didn''t show any of the signs of emotion.


    That man was Demigod Rafael!


    Behind him came ady in her early twenties. She had long brown hair, fair skin, bright green eyes, and a white dress with a blue cor. Although she didn''t have an aura of powerful people, everyone in the funeral ceremony felt a prying power was looking at them from all directions.


    "She is the [Secret Witch] of Miracle City and has a mysterious background!" Ezra said to him in a low mutter.


    "Oh? No one knows about her?" Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion and asked in whispers.


    "Yes. Not only Secret Witch''s background, no one even knows her name, her power level, or anything. Some say that even Demigod Emerson knew nothing about her secrets. So, all of them in this city call her using this title, and she is also the only disciple of Elder Seer."


    While Ezra was in the middle of exining about Secret Witch, Demigod Rafael and Secret Witch arrived near the golden coffin and joined the funeral ceremony.


    Meanwhile, the ck-robed Death Mages continued the ceremony for the next few minutes and finallypleted it by opening the coffin. Then, they poured many cups ofher sake, dropped multiple white clothes, and even ced most of his daily belongings inside the coffin. Then, they looked at all the mourners and told everyone to talk onest look at Elder Seer.


    After that, one of the three Death Mages took out a bottle of aher sake from the nearby table and poured it into the small cups. After that, he gave one cup to Demigod Rafael, another one to Secret Witch, and the remaining cups to Elder Seer''s close rtives.


    Meanwhile, Demigod Rafael drank theher sake with a single gulp, took a deep breath and started giving a funeral speech.


    "I stand here today to pay tribute to a kind soul, an indulgent heart, an endless visioner, and a disciplined mind ¡ª the most precious person in my life: Albert Zander.


    Albert was truly extraordinary. So was our eight hundred years-old friendship. Between the two of us, he was always the stronger one. His life could be all kinds of chaos, but he never wore it on his face.


    And even when he was exhausted during the nar war, he made sure he treated others as though they were precious too. His was a life that shined brightly just so the paths of others could be illuminated. His was also a life that exemplified brilliance in every capacity.


    With matters that had to do with all-things-life, he was an exceptional Seer. Yet, sometimes, he peered through countless futures and gave us warnings about our life but didn''t give single importance to his own. It always infuriated me. If he had given priority to his safety, he would be standing with us right now.


    You''re not here, Albert, but your presence lingers in the shadows.


    You don''t see what I see, but I hear youughing with me when Iugh.


    You don''t know what I feel, but I think you- I- feeling- for- me-"


    Demigod Rafael abruptly stopped his speech after noticing he couldn''t speak properly and frowned.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly took the bluish crystal out of nowhere and broke it.


    The next instant, an invisible power came out of that crystal, spread in all directions, and wholly nullified any power from alerting the Demigod and other Legend Rank Mystics.


    Demigod Rafael suddenly sensed something, looked up at the sky, and soon shifted his gaze towards the three towers. As he was about to use his divine power, something obstructed him from thinking further.


    Meanwhile, Secret Witch also showed a confused look on her face and tried to say something but soon froze.


    She also couldn''t think properly!


    At that moment, one of the three ck-robed Death Mages suddenly leaped towards Secret Witch and kicked her with full force.


    On the other hand, an eerie ck scroll appeared in front of Demigod Rafael''s face and tore all of a sudden.


    The next instant, a strange illusionary eye appeared out of nowhere and released a bolt of reddish-ck lightning at Demigod Rafael.


    A momentter, that reddish-ck lightning directlynded on Rafael''s body and disintegrated him into ashes.


    But that lightning didn''t stop there, though. It even entered the Astral ne, erased his main consciousness, and destroyed his soul in a blink!


    At that moment, Charles also noticed that the defensive array system didn''t activate and felt relieved inside.


    But just as he was about to breathe out a sigh of relief, a sharp pain appeared from his back, and soon an eerie ck sword pierced his chest from behind!


    Simultaneously, a dense amount of chaotic power entered Charles''s body, corrupted his consciousness, and even invaded his soul like a powerful virus!


    A suffocative feeling appeared in his mind as he tried to breathe harder but couldn''t.


    Before he could even understand the situation, his body bulged all of a sudden and exploded while sending flesh and blood in all directions!


    ...


    Gasp!


    Charles suddenly opened his eyes in apletely different ce and soon let out a loud gasp.


    [No abnormality detected in the Host''s body or the surroundings.] Genesis''s voice echoed in his head.


    He abruptly stood up from his seat and looked around. At that moment, he saw that he was seated with many other familiar faces and was flying in the Airship!


    At that moment, propeller machines'' sound emerged from all sides of the Airship, causing his eyes to widen.


    ''Did I just travel back in time?'' He couldn''t help but get shocked inside.. Although he did expect a simr thing like long-term time vision, he wasn''t entirely sure of this ability''s capability.

 Chapter 529 - Repeat

    <h4>Chapter 529 - Repeat</h4>


    Chapter 529: Repeat


    While Charles was in shock, the airship shook violently and caused everyone in thepartment to move to and forth. If not for him holding on to the front seat, even he would''ve fallen right now.


    Realizing the situation, he instantly activated his [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself and soon saw that everyone in thepartment started moving slowly.


    ''I''ve no time to waste. Genesis, connect to the ''Wisdom Link'' and see if you can get any information about the Chaos Scroll.''


    Just as he ordered Genesis, he noticed that the ship had already entered an invisibleyer and furrowed.


    At that moment, a list of notifications popped up in front of his eyes.


    ...


    [System is connecting to the ''Wisdom Link!'']


    [Error! Error! Error!...]


    [Unknown barrier detected!]


    [Connection failed!]


    ...


    As he saw the notifications, he couldn''t help but click his tongue in annoyance.


    ''Tsk. I should''ve asked that question sooner.'' He shook his head, satfortably on his seat, and thought about the previous incidents.


    ''That Professor is a dangerous man. But who is he? Why did the Destiny Conquerors members help Professor to assassinate Demigod Rafael? Also, how did I die earlier?'' He froze for a moment and soon recalled the young man named Ezra.


    ''That loudmouth is the one who stabbed me in the back? But why didn''t my prevision skill warn me? Wait. Was that due to the strange blue crystal? Possible. It seems the crystal nullified all kinds of prediction-rted abilities and even fooled my danger sensing skill.'' A grim look appeared on his face. Although he knew nothing about Professor or others'' background, he could tell that they were powerful enough to kill a Demigod in a matter of seconds.


    ''I should change my ns a little and leave the city as soon as possible.'' He thought to himself and soon saw the Floating City up in the sky through the window ss.


    Then, he sat patiently in the same position, noticed that the airship descended towards a particrnd in Underground District andnded next to a half-egg-shaped building.


    Once the airshipnded, he undid the seat belt and stood up along with other passengers.


    Following that, he quietly moved towards the airship''s exit, stepped down from it through the illusionary staircase, and soon entered the half-egg-shaped building. Following that, he didn''t waste a single moment, walked into the long hallway, and soon entered arge hall with high ceilings.


    It was the luggage counter.


    But he didn''t stop there, continued to move towards the next grand hall, and soon stopped in front of the security guards. Then, he took out his airship ticket, identification card, and a few other documents and gave them to the guards. He also took out his space ring, erased his soul imprint, and passed it to the nearby guard.


    After a simple check-up, those security guards nodded their heads and let him walk outside.


    Meanwhile, Charles hurriedly moved towards the airport''s entrance and soon moved towards the farthest area where Jessie was standing there.


    At that moment, she turned around and soon noticed his arrival.


    Following that, she picked up her long gown with both hands, hurriedly moved towards him, and soon bowed her head.


    "Greetings, Mr. Charles," She paused for a moment and then added.


    "I already got out carriage ready at the parking lot. Shall we go now?"


    ''There is not even a slight change in her sentence.'' Charles smiled and nodded. They entered the parking lot in two minutes, arrived near the luxurious carriage, and stepped in.


    On the other hand, the coachman also started driving the carriage, moved out of the parking area, and soon went towards the main road.


    In the meantime, Charles sat inside the carriagefortably and listened to Jessie''s introduction about the City of Miracles.


    Even though he knew all the information, he didn''t ruin Jessie''s enthusiasm and patiently listened to what she said.


    "The fourth and fifth districts located on the other side of the city and are under the control of Demigod Emerson-"


    Before she could finish, Charles raised his hand and interrupted her.


    Then, he opened the carriage door, stuck his head out, and spoke to Oliver in a calm tone.


    "Go to the Merchants'' Market through the Crystal Land road, Oliver. The road is blocked up ahead."


    Jessie got stunned by his words and asked in confusion.


    "W-What do you mean by that, Mr. Charles?"


    Oliver also pulled the horse reins suddenly, drove the carriage towards the side road, and asked.


    "Are you sure about that, Mister? It would take extra 10 minutes to get to Museum."


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and spoke calmly.


    "It''s a little bitplicated to exin. But do as I say." His words were firm.


    On the other hand, Jessie remembered her Teacher''s future predicting ability and widened her eyes in surprise.


    Without any dy, she nodded and spoke.


    "Oliver, do as what he says."


    "Yes, My Lady." Oliver nodded from the driver''s seat, whipped the white horse, and drove the carriage again. But within a few seconds of travel, he pulled the reins a little, made a left turn, and moved through the shortcut road.


    ...


    It was around 7.30 A.M.


    A luxurious carriage arrived in front of a five-storied Museum building, and soon two people stepped down from it.


    After the security check-up, Charles and Jessie entered the grand hall like before and moved towards the second floor without making any suspicious movements.


    Around 7.45 A.M, Charles entered the particr room where the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion was ced for exhibition and started doing his work.


    Precisely five minutester, he walked out of the room with the original potion, joined Jessie in the main hall, and left the Miracle Museum after a brief checking.


    Charles also took out the potion bottle near the driver''s seat and entered the carriage with Jessie.


    Meanwhile, Oliver drove the carriage out of the Miracle Museum''spound and entered the Merchants'' Market main road within a minute.


    After that, the carriage drove on the dirt road quietly and soon entered the Underground District.


    At that moment, Jessie opened the carriage gate and ordered.


    "Oliver, take the Bronze Lane route."


    "You think the road would still be blocked, My Lady? But isn''t that Lane dangerous for travel?" Oliver asked from the driver''s seat.


    ''Wow, they even repeating the same dialogue.'' Charles felt that he was interacting with the NPC characters and showed an amusing smile.


    "Obviously. But we don''t have enough time-"


    Before Jessie could finish her words, Charles shook his head and interrupted her.


    "Even if the traffic on the main road is high, we have extra 15 minutes. Take the main road route this time."


    "This time?" Jessie retracted her head, nced at Charles in suspicion, and nodded half-heartedly.


    "Take the main road route then." She said with a sigh.


    ''Why is he acting like he knew everything?'' She muttered inwardly, satfortably on the front seat, and looked outside through the ss door.

 Chapter 530 - Realization

    <h4>Chapter 530 - Realization</h4>


    Chapter 530: Realization


    The luxurious carriage drove on the main road and soon met heavy traffic along the way.


    "See? I told you, Mr. Charles. It would take more than 20 minutes to reach the airport now," Jessie said as she looked outside and sighed in disappointment. At that moment, she saw more than hundreds of carriages were moving up ahead of them and appeared crowded. Not only that, more than thousands of people were walking here and there on the roadsides, and everyone seemed to be in a rush.


    ''But it''s normal in the morning time-.''


    No, she noticed something was odd in the streets.


    At that moment, she saw many robed mages and security guards were stopping the people randomly and checking them.


    "Why is there tight security here? Did something happen?" She muttered with a confused look on her face.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly thought of something and added.


    "It might be due to Elder Seer''s death."


    "What?! Elder Seer died?!" Jessie almost jumped up and hit her head on the wooden top as she heard his words.


    "H-How did you know, mister?" For the first time, a hint of suspicion appeared on her face.


    ''Even our Teacher felt troubled to predict these types of urate futures.'' She muttered inwardly.


    After noticing his silence, Jessie shook her head and spoke in a grim tone.


    "It''s better to take a shortcut route to get to the airport."


    Meanwhile, Charles touched his space ring, took out a pocket watch, and checked the time.


    "8.15 A.M. No worries. I think we can still make it in time." He spoke in a solemn tone.


    "I think the opposite, Mr. Charles."


    Saying so, Jessie closed her eyes, activated her [Mind Storm] skill, and soon created a virtual map of the city in her mind.


    "There are three ways to get to the airport sooner. First, we can enter the next right-side alley route, go to Wend Lane and then move to the airport through Garden Street. The second option is to go through by using magic spells. Although the city array prohibits anyone from using fly spells and teleportation spells, it doesn''t prohibit anyone from using other movement-type spells. The third option would be moving to the Bronze Lane to reach the airport, but you already opposed that idea."


    Charles frowned as he heard her words and soon spoke.


    "If so, choose the first option then."


    Meanwhile, Jessie nodded and told Oliver to enter the right side alley.


    Under her guidance, Oliver drove the carriage into the short path, entered Wend Lane, and moved to the airport in a different route. After multiple turns, the carriage finally reached the airport around 8.40 A.M.


    As Oliver parked the carriage near the airport building''s entrance, Charles and Jessie stepped out of the carriage and hurriedly moved towards the airport''s entrance. Both soon showed their Azure Airship tickets to the security guards, had gone through a basic checkup, and moved inside.


    After that, they walked past the luggage counter, entered therge hallway, and soon moved towards the zone-3 area.


    Within a minute, they reached arge hall-like ce and noticed more than 200 people were seated in the hall.


    Charles and Jessie also found a pair of seats around the corner of the hall and sat down.


    Then, Charles took out his airship ticket and checked it carefully.


    [Airship name: Azure Flyers


    Airship Number: Azure-553


    Passenger ticket number: 34-G


    ss: Normal


    Passenger''s name: Charles Nightwind


    Passenger''s identification number: ARCRIV35674


    Time of Departure: 9 A.M,


    Date of Departure: May 14th, Year 6418, Second Arcane Era.


    From: City of Miracles


    To: Crystal City, Azure Federation.]


    ''Departure time is 9.A.M.'' He nodded inwardly, took out the pocket watch, flipped open the outer case, and looked into it.


    Minutes passed quietly, but no sign of announcement appeared about their departure.


    Soon, it was 8.55 A.M!


    Around this time, many passengers went towards the airship staff and inquired about the dy but got no replies.


    In the meantime, Charles also observed the surroundings and silently signaled Jessie to get ready for any unexpected situation.


    ''I have a bad feeling about this.''


    Just as he muttered inwardly, a ck-haired young woman entered the waiting hall through the right side door and pped both hands to get everyone''s attention.


    She then nced at everyone and spoke loudly.


    "This is an announcement for passengers on Airship Azure-553 to Crystal City. The airship has been dyed due to some technical fault in the airship''s propellers. The flight crew has arrived at the zone, but the ground crew is repairing and also rechecking the other propellers of the airship. Our new departure time is 10:50 A.M."


    Upon hearing the sudden announcement, Jessie''s face went pale in an instant.


    On the other hand, Charles also turned gloomy and hurriedly asked a question in his mind.


    ''Genesis, is it possible for the ''Future-Time'' spell to affect my Luck?''


    Indeed. Even though no ''Luck'' power appeared around him, Charles felt that he had been too unlucky after entering this city.


    [The main thing about the ''Future Time'' is to cause variations in Fate by breaking the Fate strings, Host. Although ''Luck'' power is quite the opposite of the manipte ''Fate'' power and creates variables like Present Time power, there is a high possibility that this ''Future Time'' spell shattered the fate strings around you and even erased the Luck power. That might be the reason for your unfortunate encounters or disturbances.]


    ''Oh? That exins why I encountered too many disturbances in this mission.'' He muttered inwardly and soon froze as his heart started to beat uncontrobly.


    ''An omen?'' He instantly perceived the change and furrowed.


    He then hurriedly nced around and soon saw multiple security guards entering the hall with different weapons in their hands. A few people also came from the other two different exits, locked the doors stealthily, and cautiously moved in their direction.


    At that moment, Genesis''s voice echoed in his head all of a sudden.


    [Alert! Alert! Alert!]


    [Multiple Powerhouses are scanning Host''s body!]


    [Abnormality Detected!]


    ...


    ''Oh? But why couldn''t I perceive their scan?'' Charles asked in a startled tone.


    [It''s due to low wisdom power, Host.] An instant reply appeared in his head.


    ''What is the possibility of my escape?''


    [The possibility of getting killed by the defensive array mechanism is extremely high. Chances of escaping from this situation: 0.5%.]


    ''Only 0.5%?'' He narrowed his eyes and soon noticed Jessie also seemed to have seen the guards'' approach.


    ''Stay calm. I''ll think of a way to get us out of the situation.'' Charles said to her telepathically and pondered.


    At that moment, Genesis''s voice echoed in his head once again.


    [The chances of escaping from the current situation have been reduced from 0.5% to 0.3%.]


    ''More reinforcements areing to capture me? Wait. Something is wrong.''


    He realized something at thest moment and soon thought of an absurd possibility.


    ''If it is true, then I have no choice but to take a gamble now.''


    Muttering inwardly, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at the ck-haired woman, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell on her.


    Just as a dense ray of chaos bullet appeared out of his forefinger, the defensive array that appeared on the ceiling activated and released an eerie ckish ray.


    Before the chaos bullet coulde out of Charles''s forefinger, the ckish ray directlynded on Charles''s head and disintegrated him into minute particles!


    ...


    Gasp!


    Charles instantly opened his eyes in the airship and soon muttered in a shocked tone.


    "As I thought, it''s a Time-Loop spell!"

 Chapter 531 - Time Loop

    <h4>Chapter 531 - Time Loop</h4>


    Chapter 531: Time Loop


    [No abnormality detected in-]


    Before Genesis could speak, Charles cast [elerate Thoughts] skill and ordered.


    ''Connect to the ''Wisdom Link'' and search for information about Chaos Scroll.''


    A momentter, a row of blue notifications appeared in front of his eyes.


    ...


    [Searching...]


    [Connecting to the ''Wisdom Link''...]


    [Connection Sessful!]


    ...


    [I found an answer, Host. Chaos Scrolls are mystical scrolls created during the Era of Past Time and scattered across the universe. The creator of these scrolls invaded the Abyss eons ago and made 666 chaos scrolls by sacrificing the souls of all demon lords of the Abyss ne. Legends say that each scroll has the unique power of the sacrificed demon lord, and some scrolls are even powerful enough to injure or kill the powerful Warlocks and Gods.]


    ...


    As Genesis spoke in his mind, the airship shook violently and caused everyone in thepartment to move to and forth.


    Charles also noticed that the airship entered an invisible barrier and frowned.


    He hurriedly shook his head and shifted his attention towards Genesis''s earlier words.


    ''So, there is a deep history behind the chaos scrolls, huh. No wonder that scroll killed Demigod Rafael in a matter of seconds.'' He nodded inwardly and thought of his next n.


    ''Hmm, I can tell that going back to Museum and stealing the ''Potion'' won''t solve my problem at all. I need to solve the root cause of this whole mess.'' Although he could re-schedule ording to the new departure time, Charles felt that his ''Unluckiness'' effect might act up on its own and give him more problems.


    ''Hmm, what should I do now? Should I go to the Sun Tower and warn Demigod Rafael? But will he believe me?'' No, Charles might not even be able to get close to him with his suspicious look.


    He might get himself arrested for odd reasons and thrown into a prison cell.


    Moreover, there was one more thing that troubled him now.


    ''It''s the ''Time-Loop spell. I want to know if I''m experiencing a ''Loop-like vision'' spell or traveling back in time.'' If he was experiencing a ''Time-Loop'' spell now, he wanted to know how to break it. Otherwise, he might get trapped in this ''loop'' forever!


    ''Okay, I''ll ask this question to Genesis after my next death and search for more clues using the Wisdom Link.'' He nodded thoughtfully and decided to gather more information about Professor and the assassination incident this time.


    After that, he patiently waited in his seat and waited for the airship tond.


    A few minutester, the airshipnded near the airport building, and soon Charles and other passengers walked out of it through an illusionary staircase. Like thest time, he entered the airport building, went through regr checking, and exited a few minutester. He soon met with Jessie at the entrance, and both moved towards the parking area.


    ...


    A few minutester.


    Charles sat inside the luxurious carriage, looked outside through the ss door, and appeared in deep thoughts. In the meantime, Jessie started telling more about the city and soon froze as she noticed that he wasn''t paying attention to her.


    "Did something happen, Mr. Charles? Do you need any help?" She asked him out of concern.


    On the other hand, Charles snapped out of it and waved his hand.


    "It''s not something you can help me with-"


    Suddenly, he thought of something, closed his eyes, and replicated the earlier two rebirth memories.


    After that, hepressed them into a small cloud, took them out of his Inner World, and directly sent it to Jessie''s head.


    Before she could understand the situation, she felt a sharp pain that appeared deep in her mind, followed by countless memories about Charles''s earlier rebirth.


    "W-What is this?!" She couldn''t help but mutter in a shocked tone as she read those memories. She then looked at Charles and asked with a dumbfounded look on her face.


    "You came from the future?"


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and answered.


    "I''m not sure either. But what I think is that this might be a future vision. Even if I achieve my goal here and escape from this city with the potion bottle, I might not wake up in reality. Instead, I might die due to some unfortunate means and wake up in the same time loop." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Unless I find a way to break this ''Time-Loop'' spell, I won''t seed in this mission at all."


    On the other hand, Jessie also calmed down and soon started reading all those memories carefully. Unlike Charles, Jessie was more like an expert in analyzing memories and finding possible solutions to break this spell. That''s the reason Charles decided to input his rebirth memories into her.


    "It''s an intellectual artifact''s work, huh."


    After reading it for a while, she suddenly moved her hand towards the carriage door, opened it by pushing the knob, and spoke to Oliver.


    "Oliver, part the carriage somewhere safer for a while."


    Saying so, she shut the door tightly and activated the space lock spell inside.


    "I think you can wake up on your own when youplete this mission, mister. I highly suspect that this ''Time-Loop'' spell might work based on the user''s favor. But there is another possibility. What if this ''Time-Loop'' spell was initiated by a powerful god to save this city from its destruction?"


    She made that possibility by analyzing the strange unlucky incidents Charles had faced before. She felt that all these abnormal incidents were pointing in one direction.


    "If you didn''t fulfill this wish, you might not be able to wake up from this ''Time-Loop'' at all."


    Meanwhile, Charles squinted his eyes and asked in his mind.


    ''Genesis, is it possible for some higher power to manipte the ''Time Loop'' spell?''


    [It''s possible, Host. For example, the system assistance you are having is mainly due to a higher power called ''Wisdom-Link.'' I evolved to an SS-Rank Artifact due to the influence of ''Insight Essence'' and the ''Wisdom Link.'' So, I suspect there might be another higher being''s influence in this ''Time Loop'' spell. That might be the reason for my inability to distinguish the ability of this spell before its activation.] Genesis responded in the same synthetic voice.


    ''Another higher power like Wisdom-Link... Do you mean the River of Time?'' Charles thought of Rh''s words and asked.


    [I can''t confirm due to insufficient information, Host. But I suspect that there might be more than one higher being out there influencing the Time power.] Genesis responded.


    ''Oh? There are more than one Higher Beings? What are they? Are they level above Higher God? Maybe the so-called Sovereign Realm? Or something else?'' Countless questions appeared in his mind, but no answers.

 Chapter 532 - Crows

    <h4>Chapter 532 - Crows</h4>


    Chapter 532: Crows


    But Charles knew that the higher beings didn''t have any power to corrupt his mind like the Divines.


    ''They may have the power to change the fate of the world itself, but even they seemed to be functioning under somews. Moreover, this ''Time-Loop'' spell is helping me achieve my goal. As long as I''m aware of the difference between reality and vision, I''ll be able to break this spell and achieve my goal.''


    He muttered to himself and soon spoke.


    "If what you say is true, then we should think of a way to stop Professor and his gang from assassinating Demigod Rafael."


    Jessie also nodded her head, opened the carriage door, and told Oliver to go to the Northern part of the Underground District.


    The carriage soon arrived at the Northern Graveyard, stopped in the nearby garden, and soon Charles and Jessie walked out.


    Charles then moved towards thepound gate that surrounded the graveyard and looked at the hundreds of stone bs ced inside. He then pointed his finger in a particr direction and spoke.


    "That''s where they are going to conduct the funeral ritual. Now, what''s your suggestion?"


    Jessie thought for a moment and soon spoke with a thoughtful look on her face.


    "I read a saint''s book called God''s Virtue, and a single verse in his book suits our current condition, Mr. Charles. On a particr page, the author said: whoever be the speaker, whatever be the content, to find the truth is the role of wisdom."


    "So, let''s wait until the evening and observe the whole situation. Once Professor and his group assassinate Demigod Rafael, we should follow them closely and think of a way to extract more information about this group."


    "I also have the same thought." Charles nodded his head, returned to the carriage, and waited.


    Hours passed in a blink, and soon it was around 3.50 P.M.


    Then, Charles looked outside through the carriage window and spoke to Jessie.


    "Wait inside the carriage. I''ll go and check the situation."


    "You don''t need my help?" Jessie asked in surprise.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and responded calmly.


    "You are too weak to participate in the spying mission."


    Before she could say something, he opened the carriage door and walked outside. Then, he walked towards the opposite side garden and satfortably on the wooden park bench.


    After that, he adjusted his monocle and directly looked at the opposite side graveyard entrance. At that moment, John and other security members stood outside the entrance gate and were in the middle of checking strictly the mourners.


    ''No wonder they manage to fool the Demigod Rafael. These are some real acting skills.'' While muttering, he moved his gaze away from them and looked inside.


    At that moment, hundreds of mourners had already gathered in the graveyard, and even the three mysterious ck-robed mages were in the middle of doing their funeral ceremony. Charles also saw Ezra standing within the crowd of people, and he seemed to be chatting with a bald man.


    ''That guy... I didn''t even sense the slightest hint of hostility from him at that moment.'' He recalled how he was stabbed by this guy and clicked his tongue.


    While he was in muse, a luxurious ck carriage drove past him, made a turn, and soon stopped near the graveyard entrance.


    Then, the carriage door opened with a bang, and soon a young man in his 30s walked out of it with an anxious look on his face. He had messy ck hair, amber eyes, a shallow nose, tan brown skin, and wore white linen clothes. He also held a leather bag and appeared to be around 175 cm high.


    He was the same young man who stopped their carriage when they traveled through the Bronze Lane.


    ''I think his name is Marvin.'' Charles nodded thoughtfully and quietly observed him.


    Meanwhile, Marvin nced around like a cautious young man, moved towards John, and hurriedly got a blue crystal from him. Following that, he entered the graveyard, stepped on the overgrown grasses and weeds, and soon reached the faraway crowd.


    After that, he mingled with the crowd and tried his best not to make suspicious movements.


    At that moment, Ezra moved closer to Marvin and started chatting with him like his best buddy. If not for Charles''s previous vision knowledge, even he would''ve thought of them as some long-lost friends who met each other coincidentally.


    A few more minutester, Demigod Rafael and Secret Witch also came from another luxurious carriage, entered the graveyard through the entrance, and soon arrived next to Elder Seer''s coffin box.


    Then, both joined the funeral ceremony and co-operated with the three-robed mages.


    At the end of the funeral ceremony, Demigod Rafael took theher sake cup from one of the ck-robed mages and drank it.


    Like thest time, he looked at everyone and started giving his funeral speech.


    While he was speaking, Charles suddenly looked at the nearby trees and noticed a strange phenomenon.


    At that moment, the crows that sat on the tree branches suddenly pped their wings one by one and flew up in the dark gloomy sky while cawing continuously. They soon appeared above the ce where the funeral ceremony was urring and started flying in circles.


    "What are they doing? Is it due to the strange funeral ritual?" In truth, Charles didn''t notice this strange incident in the previous vision and was stunned by this scene.


    In the meantime, Marvin also took out the bluish crystal from his pocket and broke it when Rafael started stammering.


    Then, he took out the same chaos scroll from his space ring and tore it with both hands.


    The next second, an illusionary eye appeared above his head, and soon a ckish-red bolt of lightning came out of it.


    The bolt of lightning tore through the space in a blink, appeared before Demigod Rafael''s forehead, and disintegrated him!


    While Marvin was focused on assassinating Demigod Rafael, Ezra quietly took two steps back, casually took an eerie ck sword out of nowhere, and stabbed him from behind.


    Just like what had happened to him before, Marvin''s body turned eerily ckish in an instant, bulged like a balloon, and exploded while sending darkish flesh, blood, and bones in all directions.


    At that moment, the three ck-robed mages also went after Secret Witch, bombarded her with unique spells, and killed her in two seconds.


    But what shocked Charles was not Ezra''s action or the three-ck-robed mages'' action but something else.


    At that moment, the circling crows suddenly started to transform into humanoid shapes and directly descended towards the mourners.


    Before the elite Legend Rank Mystics and Pseudo-Legends could understand the situation, more than thousands of ck-cloaked humans fell from the sky one by one and started attacking them.


    ''What the hell?!'' As Charles took a closer look at one of the ck-cloaked humans, his pupil shrank drastically.


    At that moment, he saw a symbol of a goat skull with ancient runes on it.


    The runes read: "death is permanent."


    ''Divine Order Organization!'' A cold look appeared on his face.

 Chapter 533 - Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 533 - Betrayal</h4>


    Chapter 533: Betrayal


    Divine Order members activated their ss skills as theynded on the graveyard and transformed into shadow-like humans.


    Their skin turned darker and rougher, their height rose from two to three meters tall, and their bodies also erged more like alien figures with illusionary dark wings. They had eerie ck hands and dark eyes.


    Two eerie ck horns appeared on their foreheads, and they looked more like devils. Among those beings were a few devil-like humans who had unique red-crystalline horns and looked taller than the rest.


    All of them were [Shadow Killer] ss Mystics!


    Although they looked more like corrupted creatures, they were human mystics. But unlike others, they chose the chaos faction and became half-chaotic humans who longed for death and destruction.


    They were evil humans who would go any length to achieve their goals and were wickeder.


    The normal shadow humans were Rank-5 [Shadow Devils] Mystics, while the unique shadow humans were Rank-6 [Death Phantoms] Mystics.


    After transformation, they madly rushed towards the nearby people and attacked the nearby Mages.


    Not only that, but they also created strange illusionary clones and tried their best to confuse everyone.


    Meanwhile, the mourners also woke up from the shock and started retaliating while casting powerful defensive spells. Layers of defensive spells like Ice Walls, me Shells, and Wind Armors appeared everywhere and blocked the assault of the Divine Order members.


    At that moment, there were even lightning bolts, fire rays, and dark bolts that appeared here and there and destroyed the nearby trees and stone bs in a matter of seconds.


    The whole graveyard turned into a chaotd.


    Screams and shouts echoed as the cowardly ones ran in panic while the brave ones stood firm and battled against the sudden ambush. Weapons and spells shed against each other and caused explosions everywhere.


    Soon, the Divine Order members realized that they were not all-powerful.


    Although the [Shadow Killer] mystics were brutal with their attacks, their skill didn''t have much power to cause anyrge-scale damage. All they could do was use their devil form to attack the enemies physically, distract them using illusionary clones and confuse them, and then teleport from there using shadows.


    Charles knew about the [Shadow Killer] ss Mystics'' three skills and felt strange about their current action.


    ''What are they trying to achieve? The ck-robed mages and Marvin had already killed Demigod Rafael, right? It looks more like a suicidal mission. Even if they use their full strength, they are no match for those Legend and Pseudo Legend Powerhouses.'' After all, most of the mages in this city were peerless geniuses and had much experience in battles.


    ''Unless... It might be just a distraction.'' He thought inwardly.


    As Charles was about to take action, he suddenly noticed that a total of five old Legend Rank Powerhouses walked out of the gathered group and started confronting the ck-robed Mages from the Destiny Conquerors. Although more than 25 Legend Rank powerhouses gathered in that area, Charles felt these five people might be at a different level than the rest.


    The mere presence of those five elders caused the Destiny Conqueror Mages to take a few steps back.


    All five elders wore unique white-robe, appeared to be around 60 to 70 years old, and looked very powerful.


    "I never thought you guys would side with the Chaos Faction and be the traitors of this city, Mateo." One of the five elders spoke in a rough male voice.


    Meanwhile, a ck-robed mage let out a creakyugh and spoke.


    "Kekekeh, Traitors? Tell me, Nn. Who betrayed the world''s Will and side with the foreign gods during the Ancient Era? Who massacred the Wood Elves and caused genocide? Who killed our three Divine Beasts and seriously weakened the world''s Will?"


    "That was done in the past, Mateo. If you were so angry about that, you guys should''ve at least acted during the First Arcane Era and killed the 24 Noble Warlords who created this city. But not only did you keep quiet all this time, you guys even took over the Tower of Curses and acted like saints. All those sixteen members of Destiny Conquerors are nothing but cowardly old men who hide behind the new generations and always y victim cards." Elder Nn spoke coldly and added.


    "Do you know what will happen once the Lawful Gods heard about the fall of Demigod Rafael? The Churches will invade this city and take everything in the Towers."


    "You don''t have to worry about that, Elder Nn. Demigod Miguel will take over Rafael''s position and be the new president." Mateo refuted, but Elder Nn cut him off angrily.


    "So it was his idea, huh. No wonder I couldn''t contact Emerson earlier. Tell me, Mateo! Do you trust the Chaos Faction would help achieve your goal? How foolish can you be?"


    "Sorry, Elder Nn. But I trust our Conquerors'' decision."


    The three ck-robed mages released their wisdom power as Mateo spoke and flew towards the sky.


    "Mida, Samuel. Stay here and take care of these vermins. Meanwhile, we will go and kill those traitors!" Elder Nn spoke coldly and flew after those ck-robed mages.


    Another two Legend Rank Mages released their wisdom power the next instant and flew towards the sky.


    On the other hand, the remaining two Legend Mages named Mida and Samuel shifted their attention towards the surroundings and confronted the Divine Order members'' attacks.


    It was more like a one-sided ughter. Although Divine Order members managed to catch the City Mages off-guard, they failed to realize the true strength of this city.


    Unlike the Mages from the maind, the Mages in the City of Miracles were well-experienced in battles and had battled against demons, devils, and other races during nar invasions. Once they moved to a safer position, the mages started their counterattack.


    In a blink, tens of Rank-5 and even a few Rank-6 spells appeared from all directions andnded on the Divine Order members one by one before disintegrating them into pieces!


    Some Divine Order members tried to flee the battlefield, but the mages chased them and killed them brutally.


    At that moment, powerful explosions echoed in the sky, followed by shockwaves and spatial ripples all over the areas. Freezing ice arrows, fire rays, invisible des, and many more powerful spells came from the sky and caused destruction everywhere.


    It was a total mess.


    At that moment, Charles also heard multiple explosions from different parts of the city and furrowed his brows.


    After that, he released his wisdom power, enveloped the Underground District, and scanned everything.


    He saw that the Divine Order members were raiding more than 15 ces like Airport, Security Building, Arcane Bank, and other public properties and destroying everything.


    Witnessing this, Charles stood up from the bench and spoke to Jessie telepathically.


    ''Get away from here.''

 Chapter 534 - Confrontation

    Chapter 534: Confrontation


    After a short pause, Jessie''s voice came from the other side.


    <i>''Okay, Mr. Charles. Capture Ezra and try your best to gather as much information as possible.''</i>


    Nodding his head, Charles told them to move towards the Merchants'' Market.


    As the carriage disappeared from his sight, Charles shifted his gaze towards the graveyard and searched for Ezra.


    He soon saw that a wavy blonde-haired young man moved out of the Northern Graveyard, entered the dirt road, and walked towards the Underground District''s main road.


    <i>''There he is!''</i> Charles''s eyes flickered.


    At that moment, a luxurious four-wheeled carriage drove past Charles and soon stopped as it arrived near Ezra. Then, a middle-aged man in his leather suit opened the golden curtain and signaled Ezra to get in.


    <i>''The security captain John?''</i> Charles raised his eyebrows in suspicion and soon saw Ezra entering the carriage.


    After that, the coachman pulled the horse reins and drove the carriage in the other direction.


    Meanwhile, Charles cast [Crimson Steps] on himself and followed the carriage while maintaining distance.


    On the other hand, the carriage moved on the dirt road, entered the main road, and soon stopped as it reached the opposite side alley.


    Then, Ezra stepped down from the carriage and shifted his gaze towards the front.


    The alley road wasrge enough for two carriages to pass through but looked deserted at this time. Only a few stray dogs roamed here and there, and one even started growling at Ezra.


    At that moment, a 40-years-old looking man stood a few meters away from the alley''s entrance and seemed to be waiting for his arrival.


    The man''s face was wrinkled and grey, and his hair waspletely white. He wore a dirty white vest, white leather shoes, and a walking stick in his hand. Small bumps protruded on his right cheek, and his face was yellowish, while thick eyebrows covered his eyes.


    "You arete, Ezra." The man spoke in a cold tone, turned around, and started walking in the other direction.


    "It''s not easy to escape without attracting anyone''s attention, Hayden." Ezra hurriedly walked closer towards Hayden and added.


    "We should move faster. We already got marked by someone."


    Meanwhile, Hayden showed a surprised face and asked in a startled tone.


    "Someone is tailing us? How did you know?"


    "Professor contacted us a while ago. He said that someone might be interfering with our n and ordered the security captain to take care of the problem."


    While speaking, both walked through the alley, exited the path, and soon disappeared from there.


    At that moment, John opened the golden curtain, walked down from the carriage, and gestured the coachman to leave.


    After that, he took a step forward, walked deep into the alley road, and soon stopped as he arrived at the center of the alley.


    He then closed his eyes, released his wisdom power, and checked the surroundings but found nothing abnormal.


    "No one is there?" His eyebrows rose upward.


    He then touched the silver bracelet in his left hand, used his wisdom power to activate it, and contacted Professor.


    "What happened, John? Did you catch the suspect?" A cold voice came from the other side.


    "I still hadn''t met him yet-" Before he could finish the sentence, he perceived someone from behind and squinted his eyes.


    As he sensed a presence, John turned around and saw that a blurry shadow appeared a few meters away from him and vanished.


    Upon seeing this, his eyelids twitched.


    "I saw him a moment ago. But he just vanished out of thin air." He added.


    "Where are you now?" Professor asked him from the other side.


    "I''m currently in Rowan Alley, Professor," John said grimly.


    "Don''t let him escape. I''ll be there in a minute." Saying so, Professor cut off the connection from the other side.


    Meanwhile, John nodded his head subconsciously, nced around, and soon squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he saw a young man in histe twenties standing a few meters away from him and blocking his path. He had deep blue hair, jade eyes, an oval face, and he wore a double-breasted coat.


    "A Spatial Mage?" John stared at Charles for a moment and made a hand gesture.


    At that moment, a warning notification popped up in front of Charles''s eyes.


    [Alert! Alert! Alert!]


    [A foreign power is pulling the User''s consciousness from your body!]


    Charles noticed that the surrounding walls started to warp and soon disappeared from his eyes.


    A secondter, he noticed that he was floating in the cloudy sky and soon became confused.


    Even though he was floating in the air, he wasn''t affected by gravity, which caused him to frown deeply.


    <i>''Something is wrong. Where am I?''</i> He nced around and soon froze.


    At that moment, a silver-haired John appeared a few meters away from him and held a long sword in his right hand. Unlike before, his outer appearance looked illusionary, and he wore different cloth than before.


    "I''m in your Domain?" Charles furrowed his brows and was about to say something but stopped.


    <i>''Wait! I''m in my consciousness form. It means...''</i> As he muttered, he looked at his own illusionary hands and turned grim.


    At that moment, he knew that he was in John''s Inner World now!


    "You realized the situation you are in?" John said as he turned into a cluster of white clouds and disappeared from there.


    The next instant, the white clouds that appeared behind Charles started to gather and formed into an appearance of John.


    Before Charles could act, John raised his hand, created an eerie ck sword out of thin air, and thrust it in his direction.


    Meanwhile, Charles instantly tried to cast his [Sphere of Invulnerability] spell, but his thoughts were interrupted by a foreign power.


    At that moment, the eerie ck sword directly prated him from behind and appeared on the other side.


    Charles felt a sharp pain as the sword appeared in front of his chest and thought of backing away but couldn''t.


    No, he felt the same foreign power was corrupting his consciousness from backing away!


    <i>''He has a skill to corrupt my consciousness?''</i> He instantly looked into John''s eyes and cast [Burning Thoughts] spell.


    The next instant, a small purple fire appeared inside John''s head and erased his current thinking.


    Then, he raised his hand, cast [Hands of Wonder] skill, and released an invisible string towards the surroundings.


    At the same time, he linked his mind with his soul and physical body and soon curled his lips upward.


    Although John''s Inner World was powerful enough to block any consciousness from leaving, it didn''t have the power to stop Charles from taking something from outside using his [Hands of Wonder] skill.


    The single string could travel through dimension, much less a barrier between one''s Inner World and the physical world.


    A secondter, Charles turned into his elemental form, backed away quietly, and returned to his original appearance.


    But unlike before, his form didn''t appear illusionary but looked more real!


    When John woke up from the strange memory loss effect, he noticed a big difference in Charles''s appearance and became stunned.


    "You- Howe your body appears in my Inner World?!" Confusion appeared on John''s face.


    Meanwhile, Charles opened his arms wide and started casting [Fire Seed], [Knowledge Seeker], and [Burning Consciousness] spells continuously.


    Countless purple rays, purple me seeds, and even Charles-like consciousnesses appeared out of his body and started burning his Inner World!


    Before John could understand the situation, he noticed that some of his precious memories were disappearing one by one.


    Charles let out a chuckle and spoke coldly upon seeing the panicking look on the enemy''s face.


    "You shouldn''t have pulled my consciousness into your Inner World, John. Unlike others'' souls, mine is a mutated one. It means my soul form, body, consciousness form, and elemental body form had already fused and became a single entity. Not only that, but my soul also has reached the level of Demigod level.. Your mind skills are useless against me."

 Chapter 535 - Wish

    Chapter 535: Wish


    Charles disappeared from John''s Inner World and reappeared in the physical world.


    In the meantime, John also opened his eyes and stared at him in shock.


    "H-How did you leave my Inner World?" He was utterly perplexed inside and soon felt a sharp pain in his mind.


    <i>''I should finish him sooner.''</i> Charles nodded thoughtfully, cast [False Field] spell first, and took a step forward.


    At that moment, he sensed that the surrounding 100-meter space appeared under his control, and the gravity inside that particr space also became two times lesser for him.


    As he took a step forward, he noticed that he moved like a bolt of lightning.


    He soon arrived in front of John and cast [Soul Shock] spell on him.


    A secondter, a wave of soul fire appeared out of his soul, entered John''s body, and paralyzed him in an instant.


    Not only his body, even his soul form got paralyzed in the Astral Realm at that moment and appeared chained.


    John only saw blurry images of a human moving in his direction before he was struck by the [Soul Shock] spell and got frozen by a strange power.


    He tried to move his body but couldn''t!


    <i>''What is happening?''</i> He couldn''t help but get more anxious inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles gazed at John and asked a question.


    "Who is Professor?"


    Before John could even think about Professor, a strange purple fire appeared in his Inner World and erased his current thoughts.


    A momentter, a piece of information appeared in his mind.


    <i>''Hmm, Professor has a mysterious past and has some deep link with Divine Order Organization. Other than this, John knew nothing about him.''</i> He nodded thoughtfully and asked the next question.


    "Who is he working for?"


    The next instant, another piece of information appeared in his mind.


    <i>''Demigod Miguel.''</i>


    "Why did you guys assassinate Demigod Rafael?"


    <i>''To help Demigod Miguel be the next president of the City of Miracle and takeplete control over the city...''</i>


    "Where is the Divine Order Organization headquarter located?" He asked another question.


    A secondter, another piece of information appeared in his mind.


    <i>''95A Dew Street.''</i>


    "How did you guys manage to deactivate the defensive array system of this city?" It was Charles''s most concerning question.


    <i>''Hmm? Only Ezra and Professor knew that answer, huh.''</i> Charles nodded his head in understanding and was about to ask the next question but stopped.


    Then, he raised his hand, pointed his finger at John''s forehead, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell on him.


    A momentter, a dense, chaotic ray came out of his fingertip, entered his forehead, and directly exploded from within.


    Meanwhile, Charles shifted his attention towards the shape-shifting identity mark and changed himself into Julius!


    As John''s headless body fell backward, blue notifications appeared in front of his eyes.


    ...


    [Enemy''s soul has been captured!]


    [Extracting soul essence...]


    [Extractionpleted!


    [2 Free Wisdom Points obtained!]


    ...


    <i>''Oh? That''s it?''</i>


    Charles furrowed his brows as he dismissed the notifications, turned around, and sharpened his gaze towards the other side of the alley.


    A few seconds passed quietly, and soon a young man in his 20s arrived at the other side of the alley.


    He appeared to be around 180cm high, had an oblong face, slightly long ck hair, wide-set emerald eyes, and a hook mustache. He wore a double-breasted coat, pince-nez sses, and a bowler hat on his top.


    He was none other than Professor!


    Professor looked at Charles in confusion, then towards John''s headless body and asked.


    "Who are you? Why are you interfering with our n?"


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled and soon shook his head.


    "I don''t want to interfere with your n too, Professor. But I can''t."


    Saying so, he took a step forward and cast [Timeless Body] spell on himself.


    His body was enveloped in a crimson me the next instant and transformed into his elemental form.


    Simultaneously, he took out a long sword from his space ring and held it with both hands.


    The sword appeared to be made of ck metal, and the hilt glowed in blue light. Some strange gems were also embedded all over the handle and looked good.


    It was the same sword he got from Duke Michael in Faith Realm called <i>''ckest Heart.''</i>


    Although it doesn''t have any special skills or spells attached to it like other magic items, it could inflict curse-like damage to the opponent and was considered an extraordinary artifact.


    "Rebirth me?!" Professor also identified the me essence in his elemental body and squinted his eyes.


    At that moment, he knew that something had terribly gone wrong and got confused inside.


    <i>''A foreign power is interfering!''</i> A strange feeling appeared in his heart.


    In the meantime, Charles suddenly disappeared from where he was before and almost appeared in front of Professor instantly. He was just 2 meters away from Professor and had already aimed his eerie ck sword at Professor''s chest.


    <i>''Does he think that he has a chance to kill me?''</i> A ridiculous expression appeared on his face.


    Just as he was about to activate his [Fate Change] skill, he suddenly noticed a strange purple me entering his main consciousness and erasing his current thinking!


    At the same time, Charles shifted his attention towards Genesis and added.


    <i>''Activate the [Time-Stop] ability!''</i>


    A secondter, an invisible ripple came out of his body, spread towards all directions, and enveloped the floating city in an instant!


    Charles then curled his lips upward, raised the long sword above his head, and directly shed at Professor''s left arm.


    Then, he pulled the sword, aimed at Professor''s throat, and directly thrust it with full force.


    When Professor finally erased the purple me in his mind, he noticed that his left arm had already detached from his body.


    Not only that, but he also noticed the ck sword tip was thrusting towards his throat.


    <i>''What the hell? [Time-Stop] spell? Who is he? An Ancient Mage?''</i> Countless questions appeared in his mind.


    In truth, it was more like an ambush that caught himpletely off-guard!


    At that moment, he realized that it would be impossible to dodge the sword attack and went pale.


    Even if he could nullify the <i>''Time-Stop''</i> spell now, he knew that he would either die here or be severely injured!


    <i>''I can''t ept my defeat now. No, I can still use that spell!''</i>


    It was a [Historian] ss luck-based spell called <i>''Wish.''</i>


    It had a lot of restrictions like <i>''Miracle''</i> skill and could be used only after gathering an unimaginable amount of luck power!


    But as long as requirements were met, the <i>''Wish''</i> spell would find a way to save him from dying!


    At that moment, he realized Charles''s having a strange elemental body and decided to take a gamble.


    First, he nullified the<i> ''Present-Time''</i> power around his body using his ''Fate'' power, moved back a little, and muttered under his breath.


    <i>''I ''wish'' I had the same spell he has in his body as well.''</i>

 Chapter 536 - Gazes

    Chapter 536: Gazes


    While saying so, Professor released invisible fate power in all directions and nullified the <i>''Time Stop''</i> spell.


    A momentter, the frozen time resumed all of a sudden, causing the sword''s speed to move at an unimaginable speed!


    But not a single change appeared in Professor''s body!


    Before the ck sword tore through his throat, a thought appeared in his mind.


    <i>''My ''wish'' spell didn''t activate!''</i>


    The next instant, the sword entered deeper, sliced the spine, and appeared on the other side!


    Simultaneously, an invisible spatial ripple came out of the sword due to the force, ripped the space itself, and created a devastating shockwave!


    A secondter, Professor''s head was nowhere to be seen, and only his ragged body was moving here and there like a drunken man.


    s, Professor still managed to remain conscious in his soul form, controlled his right hand to rise upward, and tried to touch Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles also took a step forward, touched his hand while thinking of Professor''s origin, and ordered Genesis to activate the ''Past Touch'' ability!


    The surroundings started to distort a momentter and soon reced it with apletely different scene.


    At that moment, Charles noticed that he was standing in a grand hall, and multiple figures sat around a round wooden table ced at the center.


    There were five human-like figures, two humanoid devils, a strange woman with bluish scales on her cheeks and hands, andstly, one elven woman sat on their respected seats, and they all seemed to be having a fierce argument.


    Among those nine figures, Charles managed to identify two of them!


    One was the Goddess of Destiny, Sasha, while the other was the Red Prince!


    As he saw this group of people, an organization''s name appeared in his mind.


    <i>''Edhen''s Children!''</i>


    He was damn sure of it!


    Just as he was about to look at the other people, they all started turning their gazes towards his direction one by one and looked at him.


    A chill went up to his spine as he felt that countless eyes were staring at him from different parts of the universe!


    Before he could even blink, the surroundings started to break like mirrors, and soon Charles found himself standing in the middle of the alley road.


    At that moment, Professor''s headless body also remained standing before him and touched his hand.


    A secondter, a cold voice echoed in his ears.


    "Disintegrate!"


    Meanwhile, Charles squinted his eyes and noticed that his body started to disintegrate into dust!


    ...


    <i>Gasp!</i>


    Charles let out a loud gasp, noticed that he had already returned to the airship, and hurriedly cast [elerate Thoughts] on himself.


    [No abnormality detected-]


    <i>''Genesis, connect to the ''Wisdom Link'' and search if I''m in ''Time-Loop'' spell or I''m traveling back in time.''</i> Charles hurriedly spoke in his mind.


    ...


    [Searching for answers...]


    [Connecting to the ''Wisdom Link.'']


    [Connection Sessful!]


    ...


    [I found an answer, Host. Currently, your consciousness is experiencing the <i>''Time-Loop''</i> spell in the fixed time, and this <i>''restart''</i> process will repeat continuously until the requirements are met.] Genesis responded in his mind.


    <i>''The answer is so vague. What are the requirements?''</i> At that moment, the airship shook violently and caused him to frown deeply.


    At that moment, he sensed that the airship had already entered an invisibleyer and sighed.


    [An error urred. Connection towards the <i>''Wisdom Link''</i> has been lost, Host!] Genesis''s word entered his head the next instant.


    Nodding his head, he thought of the information he had gained earlier and fell into deep thoughts.


    <i>''That past vision I saw earlier gave me some information about my current situation. If I''m not wrong, Professor should be among those nine members. But what are they plotting? First, I bumped into Red Prince; next, I got pulled in Goddess Sasha''s scheme, and now this Professor. Hmm, if I''m not wrong, this Professor might not be original, but an avatar like others. If not, I wouldn''t be able to ambush him and kill him with a little trickst time.''</i> Although he didn''t quite understand the situation, he vaguely felt that their goal in the City of Miracle was to gainplete control over the towers.


    <i>''The requirements must be the same as what Jessie told me earlier. It seems Professor managed to convince Destiny Conquerors organization and even Demigod Miguel to his n. Now, what is my next n? Should I go to the Tower of Sun and warn Demigod Rafael? Or, should I go after Ezra and learn more about how they manage to stop the defensive array?''</i>


    A grim look appeared on his face. Then, he suddenly thought of something, checked his body status, and soon saw no free wisdom point appeared there.


    <i>''As Genesis said earlier, I''m really in the ''Time-Loop'' spell, huh.''</i> He nodded his head in understanding and soon fell into deep thoughts.


    ...


    24A Orchard House, Spruce Avenue, Fourth District, City of Miracles,


    At that moment, a young man in his twenties suddenly opened his eyes in his bedroom and gasped for breath before sitting up. He had long ck hair, wide-set emerald eyes, an oblong face, and appeared to be around 180 cm high.


    He was none other than Professor!


    First, he looked at his own hands, touched his head, and then muttered in a stunned tone.


    "How the hell am I still alive?" His voice contained a trace of shock and disbelief.


    He nced around and soon realized that he was actually in his bedroom!


    "Strange!" Muttering, he stood up from the wooden bed, walked towards the mirror ced on the opposite wall, and looked for any changes in his body.


    After finding no anomalies, he hurriedly moved towards the nearby table, took out a stopwatch from the cupboard, and checked the date and time.


    "6.40 A.M, 14th May... Wait, 14th May?" Confusion appeared on his face.


    "It shouldn''t be... I died a while ago, and now I''m here in my bed. John also got killed earlier-"


    He suddenly paused for a moment as he heard a vibration sound from his silver bracelet and soon frowned.


    He felt a d¨¦j¨¤ vu sensation all of a sudden.


    He then touched the center area, focused on his soul imprint, and attended the call.


    A secondter, a familiar voice echoed from the other side, causing him to widen his eyes.


    "Good morning, Professor. Should I tell Hayden-"


    "John, what day is today?" Professor cut him off and asked in a hurry.


    Although John got confused a little, he paused for a moment and answered.


    "Today is 14th May, Professor. Did something happen?"


    Professor went silent for a moment and soon sighed deeply.


    "Nothing. Why did you call me?" He asked even though he knew the answer.


    "Oh! I called you to ask whether there is any change in the n, Professor. Should I tell Hayden to proceed?"


    "Yeah, tell him to finish the job properly." Professor paused for a moment and then added.


    "Also, go to Old Saint building and lock Marvin in a separate prison. If I''m not wrong, he should be using his unique skill to unlock the prison cell now."


    Saying so, Professor cut off the connection.


    Then, he moved towards his bed, sat on it, and started to ponder.


    "How did I return to the past?" He knew that it was an impossible task and got even more confused.


    <i>''The only answer to my question is that blonde-haired young man. Who is he? Why did he interfere with our n?''</i> He instantly closed his eyes, thought of the person''s image, and tried the divination method to locate his origin.


    But to his shock, nothing appeared!


    <i>''That person is either dead or has some high-level artifact to block my divination.''</i> A grim look appeared on his face.


    He shook his head a few secondster, stood up from the seat, and moved towards the bathroom.

 Chapter 537 - Dew Street

    Chapter 536: Dew Street


    Griffin Household mansion, Saffron Street, Nobles'' District, City of Iron.


    At that moment, an auburn-haired youngdy sat in the reception hall and appeared to be in the middle of reading a book. She had long whirly hair, azure eyes, thin eyebrows and wore a simple red gown made of silk.


    She was none other than Goddess Sasha!


    Suddenly, she paused for a moment and looked at the faraway sky.


    No, she precisely looked in the direction where the City of Miracles was located and soon squinted her eyes.


    "Did someone see my past self? Who is that?" Her eyebrows arched upward. She hurriedly closed her eyes looked for clues but found nothing.


    It appeared as if the person who saw this vision was not in the timeline itself!


    <i>''Something feels off.''</i> She pondered for a moment and soon shook her head.


    Like her, all other Edhen''s Children members also noticed someone''s gaze but couldn''t find any clue about the origin. Some even saw Julius''s face in the form of vision but couldn''t track him down.


    ...


    Airport Building, Underground District, City of Miracles.


    Charles walked out of the airport around 6.55 A.M and soon met with Jessie at the entrance. Then, they moved towards the parking lot, arrived next to the luxurious carriage, and entered.


    Meanwhile, Oliver tied the horse, pulled the horse reins, and drove the carriage out of the airport.


    Soon, the vehicle entered the main road and continued to move on the right side.


    On the other hand, Jessie also introduced herself and told more about the city.


    While she was exining, Charles suddenly raised his hand and touched his face.


    Simultaneously, he shifted his attention towards the ''Identity mark'' in his mind and started to shape-shift!


    Jessie''s face went stiff suddenly as she saw this scene, and soon she widened her eyes.


    "W-What are you, M-Mister?" She couldn''t help but stutter in shock. Although she knew the [Deceiver] ss mystics could change their skin and disguise, she hadn''t seen it upfront.


    "Keep it secret," Charles said with a smile, took out a fake mustache from his space ring, and put it under his nose. He then took off the bowler hat, put it in his space ring, and finally nodded.


    Following that, he moved the curtain a little, peeked outside through the ss door, and spoke calmly.


    "We are not going to steal anything from the museum today."


    On the other hand, Jessie stared nkly at his face and couldn''t understand what he had said earlier.


    "Pardon me for asking this, but aren''t you here to steal the potion from the Miracle Museum?" Her voice contained a trace of confusion and suspicion.


    "Change of ns, Ms. Jessie."


    He paused for a moment and then added.


    "We are going somewhere else."


    Saying so, he opened the carriage door and spoke.


    "Go to 95A Dew Street, Oliver."


    Although Oliver was confused by his order, he didn''t say anything, pulled the horse reins, and entered the right side alley road.


    Meanwhile, Jessie went silent for a whole minute and finally asked.


    "Why are we heading there?" She couldn''t hide her curiosity at all.


    In truth, she wanted to know what Charles had in his mind but didn''t dare to pester him.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled amusingly at her question and answered.


    "Not <i>''we.''</i> Once we get there, only I would go inside the building. Meanwhile, you and Oliver should leave the area sooner and move to the Museum."


    <i>''Tsk, why is he always trying to act mysteriously?''</i> Jessie grumbled inside and nodded her head in disappointment.


    On the other hand, Oliver drove the carriage while making a few turns, arrived at Dew Street, and soon stopped near a particr mansion building.


    Unlike other streets, this one appeared very far away from the main road and was closer to the Northern Graveyard!


    Moreover, the street appeared devoid of people, and only nine buildings appeared in that area. Even they seemed to be a little isted from each other, and the remainingnds were filled with vine trees and long-thorn trees.


    ncing around, Charles opened the carriage door, stepped down from the luxurious carriage, and signaled Oliver to move on.


    After that, he crossed the dirt road, arrived near thepound gate, and looked ahead at the building.


    It was a four-storied building with argewn in the front and two guest houses on the sides. The building itself had few decorations, while the roof and the building walls were made of cement. At that moment, two guards who stood at the entrance blocked his path, and one of them inquired him in an intimidating tone.


    "Who are you?"


    Meanwhile, Charles activated [Eyes of the Runes] skill and looked at their strength.


    <i>''Rank-4 Mystics, huh.''</i> He wasn''t surprised at all.


    He took a step forward, cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on the two of them, erased their current thinking, and cast [False Blink] spell.


    A secondter, his body turned blurry for a moment, disappeared from there, and reappeared inside thewn.


    Charles then looked at the front and sensed an invisibleyer was enveloping the mansion building like a cocoon at that moment.


    He hurriedly moved towards the invisibleyer, analyzed it for a moment, and soon tried to pass through it.


    To his surprise, he didn''t face any retaliation at all.


    [Thisyer must be ced here to block any mystic power from entering and leaving the building, Host.] Genesis''s voice echoed in his head.


    <i>''Does that mean I won''t face defensive array''s retaliation inside?''</i> He asked in a surprised tone.


    [Yes, Host. As long as you refrain yourself from destroying thisyer or casting a Rank-6 spell when inside, the defensive array system won''t activate.]


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he heard those words.


    He then stepped forward, entered inside theyer, and observed the surroundings.


    After that, he shifted his gaze towards the mansion building''s entrance and went towards it.


    Meanwhile, the two guards who stood at thepound entrance gate nced at each other and soon showed a confused expression on their faces.


    Although the guards felt they had talked to someone a while ago, they couldn''t remember who they had even talked to.


    It appeared more like some d¨¦j¨¤ vu for them!


    On the other hand, Charles arrived in front of a 2-meter tall wooden gate, released an invisible string, and moved it towards the keyhole. After a short silence, he unlocked the door with a click sound and opened the door.


    A momentter, a grand hall appeared in front of his eyes.


    Currently, more than 50 people appeared in the grand hall, and they seemed to be in the middle of doing different kinds of work.


    Some were stitching ck cloaks and attaching the goat skull badge at the front; some were arranging swords, spears, daggers, and many other weapons on the table, while the remaining ones were in the middle of cooking!

 Chapter 538 - Repetitive Day

    Chapter 536: Repetitive Day


    As Charles took a step forward and moved towards the hall, he analyzed everyone and soon saw goat skull tattoo symbols on their arms and wrists.


    At that moment, a 40-years-old man who stood a few ten meters away from Charles also noticed his arrival and looked at him in confusion.


    He held a walking stick in his hand, had pure white hair, a wrinkled face, and a stern look.


    Meanwhile, Charles also looked in his direction and noticed a familiarity upon seeing him.


    <i>''Wait, he is the one who took Ezra from the alley. What is his name again? Hayden, right?''</i> While he was in deep thoughts, Hayden frowned deeply, pointed his finger in his direction, and asked.


    "Who are you? How did youe here?"


    Noticing the silence, he instantly realized something was wrong and roared.


    "Morons! Who let an outsider inside? Capture him! No, kill him!" His voice echoed more like a rumble of thunder, causing everyone in the hall to turn around and look in Charles''s direction.


    Then, all fifty-plus Divine Order members took different weapons from the nearby table and madly rushed towards Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles first cast [elerate Thoughts] on himself and touched his space ring.


    The next instant, a long ck sword appeared in his hand.


    Following that, he cast [False Field] spell and instantly increased his movement speed to twice in the surroundings.


    After that, he took a deep breath and dashed forward like a bolt of lightning.


    In a blink, he arrived in front of a 25 years old young man, shed the sword at his neck, cleaved it into two, and moved towards the right side to avoid being hit by a dart.


    Simultaneously, he received the system notifications but dismissed them with a simple thought.


    Then, he bent down a little, avoided the ice arrow that flew from the front and took a step forward. A momentter, his figure turned blurry, disappeared from there, and reappeared in front of another young man. Before that guy could even react, Charles moved the longsword upward, rammed on his head, and directly cleaved his body into two.


    "Idiots! Use your devil forms!" Hayden shouted from the opposite side and picked up a spear from the nearby table.


    In the meantime, the other Divine Order members also woke up from the shock and instantly cast their [Devil''s Form] skill.


    The next instant, their skin turned dark color, their bodies erged up to 2 meters tall, and even their faces changed into hideous forms.


    Simultaneously, they cast [Shadow Clones] skill on themselves, split themselves into phantom-like clones, and moved towards Charles at high speed.


    Charles''s pupil dted as he saw this scene.


    <i>''I need to find their true bodies.''</i> Muttering to himself, he cast [Eyes of the Runes] skill and observed the hundreds of shadowy figures that appeared all over the grand hall.


    <i>''I can see the difference.''</i> His eyes glowed in golden light as he muttered under his breath and gripped the sword tighter.


    Simultaneously, he crouched down a little and moved towards a particr shadow. Although it was challenging to find the real one among those shadowy clone forms, Charles used his full attention on the enemy and wasted no time.


    At that moment, his eyes flickered as they moved to and forth like a machine and analyzed for weaknesses, found the difference between the real person and clones, and even showed him their next steps.


    <i>''Oh no! There are more than thirteen Rank-5 Mages in this group! Dual Mystics?''</i> A grim look appeared on his face. But as he scanned Hayden, his expression turned stiff.


    <i>''Sh*t! Hayden is indeed a Rank-6 Mystic! I need to be very careful of him.''</i> While he was thinking, he saw a reddish [Inferno] spell from his right side; a [Crystal Ice Needle] spell from the front, and a [Wind de] spell, an [Ice Spear] spell, a Reddish [Chaos Chain] Spell, and a [Dark Bolt] spell came from the left side.


    All of them were Rank-5 spells and appeared dangerous!


    Moreover, He noticed that all those spells were moving towards him at an unimaginable speed.


    <i>''It will be hard to even dodge in this False Field.''</i>


    As he saw the danger in slow motion, Charles cast the [Sphere of Invulnerability] magic spell on himself and braced for the impact.


    The next instant, a me barrier with a ten-foot radius appeared around him and encircled him like a forcefield.


    A secondter, all those attack magic spells collided against the me barrier and created multiple explosions and shockwaves.


    Meanwhile, Charles noticed that even the me barrier showed cracks at multiple ces and turned grim.


    But before he could think about his following action, Hayden raised his wooden stick, pointed the tip in his direction, and spoke.


    <i>"Forgotten Curse!"</i>


    A secondter, Charles suddenly sensed that an invisible power appeared out of nowhere, entered his soul, and directly affected his consciousness.


    He forgot how to maintain the [Sphere of Invulnerability] spell the next instant and showed a nk look.


    By the time he snapped out from the dazed state, the me barrier around his body was nowhere to be seen!


    Instead, he saw an ice spear entering his head and reappeared on the other side.


    Then, the ice spear exploded in his head and killed him on the spot!


    ...


    <i>Gasp!</i>


    Charles again opened his eyes in the airship, let out a gasp, and gritted his teeth in frustration.


    Then, he cast [elerate Thoughts] spell on himself and ordered before Genesis could speak.


    <i>''Genesis, use the ''Wisdom Link'' and check if someone named ''Professor'' is a member of the Edhen''s Children organization.''</i>


    ...


    [Searching...]


    [Connected to the ''Wisdom Link.'']


    [Connection Sessful!]


    ...


    [Yes, Host. The person you are referring to must be the ''Fate Professor'' who rules over the domain of Fate, Luck, and Past. He is a Rank-8 [Destiny Watcher] of Elder ne and has a high reputation in the Lawful Faction. Other than this, Wisdom Link has no information about his real name or history.]


    ...


    Charles furrowed his brows as he read the information and soon turned solemn.


    <i>''Destiny Watcher, huh. As I thought, the guy in the City of Miracle must be the avatar of the real ''Fate Professor.''''</i> He went silent for a moment and decided to continue his current mission.


    ...


    In the meantime, Professor woke up in his bedroom and looked at the surroundings in confusion.


    "Wait! I was in the carriage just a while ago... How did Ie here?"


    A strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu appeared in his mind.


    He hurriedly walked out of his wooden bed, moved towards the table, took out a pocket watch from the cupboard, and checked the time and date.


    "6.40 A.M, 14th May..." His face stiffened up all of a sudden.


    "It shouldn''t be possible. The day is repeating for me?" Just as he muttered, the silver bracelet in his hand vibrated all of a sudden.


    He frowned deeply, focused on the soul imprint, and attended themunication call.


    The next instant, a familiar voice echoed in his ears.


    "Good morning, Professor. Should I tell Hayden to proceed with the n?"


    "John? Oh, yeah. Tell him to finish the work before it''s toote." Professor snapped out from the daze and cut the call in a hurry.


    Then, he took out a cigarette and a lighter from the same cupboard, put the cigarette in his mouth, and lit it.


    He then took arge puff, exhaled the smoke, and rubbed his head in confusion.


    "What did I miss? Why am I experiencing the same day?"

 Chapter 539 - Confusion

    Chapter 536: Confusion


    At that moment, Professor recalled the previous battle and soon frowned.


    <i>''Is it due to my wish spell? But I only wished to get the same spell on that blonde-haired man, right?''</i> At that moment, an absurd thought appeared in his mind.


    <i>''Wait! Is he also experiencing a simr type of repeated day? Impossible! What kind of spell is this?! It looks more like a loop-''</i> His face stiffened all of a sudden.


    At that moment, Professor recalled a particr taboo existence capable of creating such a spell.


    <i>''There is only one monster who is capable of creating such a miraculous ''Time'' spell, but didn''t he die eons ago?''</i>


    <i>''But if not Udnir, who created this spell? Maybe the newly born Angel of Time?''</i> His face turned grim.


    <i>''Possible. After all, there are rumors about this Angel being the next incarnation of the Time God spreading everywhere. But what is he doing here? Also, isn''t he a Royal Elf? But the person who confronted me earlier was a human, right?''</i> He also recalled the <i>''Time-Stop''</i> spell and got more confused.


    <i>''So, I''m currently in the ''Time-Loop'' spell cast by that blonde-haired man, huh. What kind of concept is this?''</i> He was baffled inside.


    After a pause, he took another puff and shook his head.


    <i>''Now, what should I do now? Searching for him and killing him won''t solve the problem. My only way is to find a way and break this ''Time-Loop'' spell myself.''</i> But Professor knew it wasn''t an easy task, even for his original self.


    <i>''I''m nothing more than an avatar with no connection to my main body or my Divine Domain.''</i> Due to some reasons, he and all other Edhen Children organization members used different methods to infiltrate this world and couldn''t even get help from outside.


    <i>''I''m on my own now.''</i>


    He hurriedly stood up from the bed, moved towards the nearby cabin, and took out a bunch of notebooks. He then went near the wooden table, sat on it, and recalled all the array forms.


    <i>''I have a memory of 535,830 disruption array forms. But I don''t have time to check everything.''</i> He muttered inwardly and activated his [Absolute Recall] skill.


    The next instant, he saw that his lifelong memories about <i>''Disruption Magic Arrays''</i> appeared in the form of clouds and arranged in an orderly manner.


    He removed the useless and low-level magic array forms a momentter and only focused on<i> ''Time''</i> rted ones.


    <i>''5,590 forms are there. But most of them are for blocking future vision array forms. But what I''m experiencing is a ''Time-Loop'' spell. It should be more like an advanced version of the future vision spell.''</i> Nodding his head, he also removed most of the ''Future Vision'' blocking arrays and finally selected a total of 47 magic array forms.


    <i>''I don''t know which one would break this spell, but I have to check them one by one now.''</i> He muttered to himself and started writing a single array form in the notebook.


    Once he was done, he moved towards the bed and stored it inside his space ring.


    He also stored other furniture in his space ring and made the room empty.


    Then, he touched his silver bracelet, linked his mind with the soul imprint, and contacted John.


    A few secondster, a familiar voice came from the other side.


    "What happened, Professor?"


    "John, I want you to go-" At that moment, he realized that he knew nothing about his enemy!


    "Forget it. Just increase the security in all areas and tell me if anything abnormal happens." He said in a grim tone.


    "Yes, Professor," John responded from the other side and cut off the connection.


    Meanwhile, Professor once again touched the silver bracelet, shifted his attention towards the soul imprint, and used a unique number on themunication device.


    A few secondster, a middle-aged man''s voice came from the other side.


    "Good morning, Professor. We are currently arranging the weapons for the mission and will leave the building in 20 minutes."


    "Don''t forget the timing, Hayden. You''ve to assassinate Elder Seer at 7.19 A.M. Not a single minute dy or in advance." Professor said in a cold tone and then added.


    "If anything abnormal happens, notice me. Also, watch out for any blonde-haired man."


    Saying so, he cut off the connection and took a deep breath.


    "Blue Eye array."


    Muttering, he raised his hand and drew a unique rune character in thin air.


    ...


    It was around 7.00 A.M.


    A luxurious carriage entered Dew Street and moved on the dirt road slowly.


    Meanwhile, Charles peeked outside through the ss door and focused his gaze on a particr mansion building.


    Like earlier, Charles appeared in Julius''s appearance and observed the surrounding areas like a hawk.


    <i>''I need to find a way and kill that Hayden this time.''</i> But unless he activated that [Time-Stop] ability, Charles knew that he had zero chance of killing him.


    <i>''That guy is a Rank-6 Mystic.''</i> A gloomy look appeared on his face.


    <i>''Although I could use [Time Stop] ability once again to kill him, that Professor won''t allow it.''</i> So, if Charles wanted to kill Hayden, he had to get much closer and finish him off before Professor nullify the<i> ''Time Stop''</i> ability!


    Otherwise, he would fail and die at the hand of the Divine Order members like thest time.


    While he was thinking of his next n, the carriage continued to move on the dirt road while making creaking noise from time to time and soon arrived closer towards thepound gate.


    At that moment, Jessie noticed that Charles was still in deep thoughts and woke him up by shaking him.


    "Are you alright, mister?" She asked in concern.


    Meanwhile, Charles blinked his eyes, waved his hand, and opened the carriage door.


    But as he was about to walk out of the carriage, he suddenly thought of something and stopped.


    "You aren''t going?" Jessie asked in curiosity.


    "No. It''s better to act cautiously." He paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "Do you anything that could make a Rank-5 Mystic unconscious in seconds?"


    Jessie froze for a moment as she heard his question and hurriedly nodded.


    "I have a potion in my space ring. But how are you going to use it?" She asked in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled mysteriously and patiently waited for the carriage to move across the mansion''spound wall.


    Once he confirmed that the gatekeepers weren''t paying attention towards the carriage, he stuck his head out and sent out an order.


    "Park the carriage near the left side tree, Oliver."


    "Yes, My Lord."


    Saying so, Oliver drove the carriage towards the opposite side of the road and parked near the tree.

 Chapter 540 - Gatekeeper

    Chapter 540: Gatekeeper


    On the other hand, Charles removed the curtain, looked at the mansion from inside, and released his wisdom power.


    As his wisdom power moved towards the invisible barrier that enveloped the building, it dissipated all of a sudden.


    <i>''Oh? It seems that barrier is a very high-level defensive array formation.''</i> He nodded to himself, opened the carriage door, walked out of the carriage, and tried his best to look at the mansion''swn.


    He didn''t hide his intention at all.


    Meanwhile, one of the two gatekeepers noticed his action and hurriedly walked towards him while gripping the sword hilt tighter.


    The gatekeeper arrived near the carriage in a minute and stared at him warily.


    He appeared to be around 30 years old with long brown hair, a rough-looking face, azure eyes, and a sharp nose. He wore silver armor over his regr dress and appeared imposing.


    "Who are you? Why are you looking at the mansion building? You can''t park the carriage here, Mister." His tone appeared authoritative.


    On the other hand, Charles smiled at the gatekeeper, stealthily cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell on him, and asked.


    "Do you know anyone named Ezra staying in this building, my friend? I came here to meet him."


    Upon hearing his words, the gatekeeper froze for a moment and was about to unsheath his sword but stopped.


    At that moment, he felt a strange sense of familiarity upon seeing the young man in front of him.


    "Don''t look so cautious, my friend. I have known Ezra for a long time. In truth, I came here to give him something." Charles paused for a moment while making an unhappy face and then added.


    "Unfortunately, we had a big fight a few months ago, and he told me not to appear in front of him again."


    Strangely, the gatekeeper felt sympathy for the young man and gave him a light pat on his shoulder.


    "I know that guy is an arrogant punk. Even I got an urge to p him on the face for kicking my dog yesterday. If not for his privileged position and connection with security forces, I would''ve beaten him up and thrown him out of the mansion house long ago. Moreover, Boss Hayden also started giving importance to that guy recently. What do you want to give him anyway? I can help you."


    "Oh? That would be very helpful." Charles widened his eyes in surprise, then looked around cautiously and added.


    "Can you get inside the carriage? I can''t give that in the open area. It has some precious value."


    The gatekeeper nodded his head in understanding and agreed instantly.


    "No problem." Saying so, he removed the sword from his waist, held it in his right hand, and entered the carriage.


    On the other hand, Oliver felt a strange chill in his heart.


    Although he couldn''t understand the situation, he vaguely realized that the blonde-haired young man had somehow enved the gatekeeper in mere seconds!


    The same goes for Jessie. At that moment, she couldn''t even believe what she was seeing.


    <i>''His technique is way superior whenparing with my blood envement spell!''</i> She mumbled inwardly and looked at Charles with a disbelieving expression on her face.


    At that moment, Charles seated next to Jessie, locked the carriage door from inside, and activated the space lock ability.


    Then, he signaled Jessie to take the potion bottle from her space ring and turned his gaze towards the gatekeeper.


    In the meantime, the gatekeeper looked at the carriage''s interior with an impressive look and asked him.


    "What do you want to give him?"


    Instead of responding, Charles looked into the gatekeeper''s eyes and cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him.


    Simultaneously, he moved his hand towards Jessie, snatched the potion bottle, and opened the lid.


    Following that, he released his invisible string, opened the gatekeeper''s mouth, and poured the liquid into his mouth.


    As the liquid entered his throat, the gatekeeper swallowed the liquid and drank it.


    "That''s it?" Jessie looked at Charles dubiously and soon saw him taking a needle from his space ring.


    Without minding her curious gaze, he swiftly made a small wound on his finger and let a drop of blood fall on his palm.


    Then, he activated the [Shapeshifting] skill, absorbed the drop of blood, and created a new identity in his mind.


    At the same time, he looked at the gatekeeper and cast [Burning Consciousness] spell on him.


    The next instant, arge amount of information about the gatekeeper started to appear in his Inner World one by one.


    <i>''Winston Grey... He is a resident of Forestsage Street and became a gatekeeper of the Divine Order organization a year ago. Unlike others, he doesn''t know much about the organization''s secrets.''</i> While reading, he also noticed that the identity imprint waspleted and activated the ability.


    A secondter, his face started to change into a rough-looking one, and his hair color, eye color, and even his skin color also changed into a new one.


    He turned into an exact copy of Winston in the next few seconds!


    Once hepleted the shapeshifting process, he first removed Winston''s dress and wore them one by one.


    Then, he took the sword from Winston''s hand, shifted his gaze towards the flustered Jessie, and spoke.


    "Once I step out of the carriage, wait for 60 seconds and then order Oliver to move to the museum. Do not wait for my return."


    Before she could respond, he walked out of the carriage and moved towards the mansion''spound gate.


    Soon, he arrived near the gate, got into Wilston''s usual position, and stood in silence.


    Meanwhile, the nearby gatekeeper looked at him strangely and asked while looking at the carriage.


    "Is he your friend?"


    At that moment, Oliver also pulled the reins, whipped the horse, and started driving in the opposite direction.


    On the other hand, Charles showed a stern expression on his face and nodded.


    "He is an old acquaintance of me. We were-" Before he could give him a proper answer, both of them heard a nging sound from the mansion''s interior and shut their mouth.


    At that moment, Charles peeked at the entrance and saw a dozen people walking out of the four-storied building.


    They then stepped down from the raised porch, arrived near the three wooden carriages parked next to the fountain, and walked in.


    <i>''Hmm? Wait, Hayden is also leaving now? Where is he going?''</i> He felt ted inside.


    Simultaneously, Charles tapped his finger, stealthily took out the stopwatch from his space ring, and checked the time.


    <i>''7.07 A.M.''</i> He muttered inwardly and hurriedly opened the gate.


    On the other hand, the three carriages drove out of the mansion, entered the dirt road, and started moving in the direction where Oliver''s carriage went earlier.

 Chapter 541 - Black Pillar

    Chapter 541: ck Pir


    As the carriage disappeared from Charles''s eyes, he calmly put the stopwatch in his pocket and turned his gaze towards the other gatekeeper.


    At that moment, the gatekeeper noticed something was odd about his right eye.


    Instead of his usual azure eye, his right eye appeared more like a white crystal!


    Noticing his surprised face, Charles suddenly cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him and erased his current thinking.


    When the gatekeeper recovered from the sudden nkness, Charles had already turned around and looked at the four-storied mansion.


    "I think my stomach is not well today." He said while touching his belly, took a step forward, and added.


    "Watch over my duty. I''ll be back in two minutes."


    Before the other gatekeeper could open his mouth, Charles hurriedly moved towards the four-storied mansion building''s entrance.


    "Hey! Where are you going? You shouldn''t use the mansion bathroom!" The gatekeeper shouted at him, but Charles shrugged it off and continued to walk.


    Soon, he walked into the invisibleyer that encircled the mansion, arrived in front of the wooden entrance gate, and pushed it open with both hands.


    The hall was as spacious as the one at the pce. The entire interior was decorated with splendid items and beautiful paintings.


    At that moment, the Divine Order members were doing different kinds of work like thest time and appeared busy.


    Although some Divine Order members were startled by his sudden bargain, they soon returned to their work as they noticed that he was just a gatekeeper.


    He calmly watched their movements, cast [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself, and moved towards the center of the hall.


    At the same time, he closed his right eye, activated [Eyes of the Runes] skill, and analyzed them one by one.


    <i>''There are seven mages still here.''</i> He muttered inwardly.


    At that moment, each was doing different kinds of works like two were reading books, three of them appeared to be in the middle of creating a semi-liquid golem-like creature, and the other three were focusing on inscribing strange symbols on the ck cloaks.


    On the other hand, a few divine order members were focused on stitching strange goat-symbol badges on the cloaks; some appeared to be arranging the weapons like before and so on.


    As Charles arrived at the center of the hall, one of the Divine Order members noticed his strange action and blocked his path.


    At that moment, Charles focused his attention on all the mages and cast multiple [Burning Thoughts] spells on them in one go.


    Simultaneously, he raised his hand and muttered coldly.


    "Ember Needle."


    A millisecondter, seven reddish ember needles appeared before his face, split in different directions, and moved towards the mages at an incredible speed!


    Before the mages could wake up from the sudden nkness, reddish needles appeared before their forehead and entered deep into their heads.


    "What are you doing-?" The Divine Order member tried to stop him, but Charles was ahead of him.


    He calmly touched his space ring, cast [False Field] spell, and took out the ckened Heart long sword.


    Then, he raised the sword above that guy''s head and made a vertical sh.


    His action was too fast, leaving only blurry images behind.


    The next instant, the divine order member''s body was split into two and fell, leaving a thudding sound behind.


    At that moment, the ember needles broke into two pieces and released chaotic fire-elemental energies into the Mages'' bodies.


    Their skin turned eerily ck, their body started to bulge, their eyes began to bleed, and finally, everyone let out terrific screams.


    Screams filled with pain and agony reverberated in the grand hall, and their thinking process also became messier due to chaos power.


    Before the Divine Order members could even understand the situation, one mage''s body expanded like a balloon and exploded while sending flesh, blood, and brain matters in all directions!


    Soon, the other six mages'' bodies also erged and exploded one by one.


    It was a perfect assassination.


    An eerie silence appeared in the grand hall.


    The next instant, all the Divine Order members activated their [Devil''s Form] skill and picked up their weapons before moving in his direction.


    But Charles was nowhere to be seen.


    No, he moved at an unimaginable speed, and they couldn''t even perceive his movement speed!


    The Divine Order members'' heads started to detach from their bodies and rolled down on the concrete floor whenever he moved.


    The whole grand hall was filled with nothing but blood and corpses in a few seconds.


    Meanwhile, Charles stood at the center of the hall, closed his eyes, and released his wisdom power.


    He then calmly scanned the building and soon saw multiple presences were moving towards downstairs from the second and third floor.


    "Hmm, most of them are with low wisdom power... Ezra is not on the second and third floors. Hmm? Why can''t I scan a particr room on the third floor?"


    He abruptly opened his eyes, zeroed his gaze on the right side staircase, and started walking in that direction.


    At that moment, he also dismissed the [False Field] spell and stored the [ckened Heart] sword into his space ring.


    At the same time, he took out a monocle from his pocket, put it on his right eye, and then opened his right eye.


    "I feelfortable now." He nodded inwardly and continued to walk towards the stairs.


    Although he could control his right eye to some extent, he still needed toprehend more wisdom essence to stop its abnormal connection with the Dream World.


    Shaking his head, he arrived in front of the staircase and moved upward. Although one or two Divine Order members ran towards his direction, he calmly raised his hand from time to time, cast [Finger of Destruction] spell, and killed them before they could even get closer towards him.


    He reached the third floor in a minute, walked on the hallway, and soon saw a metallic gate at the other end.


    As he focused on the door, he noticed that multiple arrays were ced over the gate and the surrounding walls.


    "Hmm? Are they hiding something inside?" He muttered in curiosity.


    A few secondster, he arrived at the 2 meters tall metallic double door, frowned deeply, and observed.


    After another few seconds of observation, he moved towards the door, opened it with both hands, and saw another hall with golden-colored tiles.


    But unlike the main hall, this one appeared much smaller and was filled with many unique items like statues, tables, specimen sses, ritual circles, and many more.


    Charles''s gaze swept past the tables, chairs, a strange ck pir at the center of the hall, and finally zeroed on a certain human figure who stood next to the pir.


    That figure appeared to be around 20 years old, had wavy blonde hair, a snub nose, amber eyes, and wore a normal grey robe.


    Currently, he held a strange metallic box in his hand and seemed to be in the middle of reciting a chant.


    <i>''Ezra! But what is he doing?''</i> Charles furrowed his brows as he looked at the ck pir and soon squinted his eyes.


    It was a two-meter tall rectangr ck stone filled with enormous rune characters.


    He could feel that each character held some mystic power and sensed a slight change in his inner emotions.


    As he focused on the pir, he noticed that strange powers were emitting from there.


    Each of those characters was soplicated yet clear and emitted the purest form of multiple divine powers.


    <i>''I feel the power of Death, Chaos, Destruction, and... What is that? Time. No, it''s something else. It''s not Time Divine power, but it seems to hold a power greater than the time itself. Nothingness?''</i> He tried to focus on a particr rune character that held that strange power to identify it but felt a sharp pain in his head.


    <i>''Hmm, why do I feel like I have seen such simr pirs before?''</i> At that moment, a memory shed before his eyes.


    <i>''It was when my soul got shattered and carried by the crimson me out of this world.''</i>


    When his soul left the exosphere, he saw simr ck pirs up in the space!


    But unlike this small one, they appeared to be around 100 to 300 meters tall and looked eerier!

 Chapter 542 - Change Of Plans

    Chapter 542: Change of ns


    <i>''What are those ck pirs?''</i> Charles furrowed his brows and soon shifted his gaze towards Ezra.


    Even after Charles''s arrival, he stayed next to the strange ck pir and continued to chant in a peculiar rhythm.


    Meanwhile, Charles was stunned by his action and hurriedly cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him.


    But to his shock, nothing happened!


    <i>''What happened?''</i>


    He noticed a strange invisibleyer enveloped the ck pir and blocked his spell from entering near it.


    "A barrier?" He furrowed his brows, walked closer towards the strange invisible barrier, and soon stopped.


    He then activated [Eyes of the Runes] and tried to find the weakness of this barrier. But even after looking at the strange barrier for a minute, he couldn''t find a single w!


    It was as if the whole barrier seemed to have been made of pure energy and mingled with nature itself.


    <i>''Do I have to use the forceful method?''</i> He raised his hand and was about to cast [Finger of Destruction] spell on the barrier but suddenly paused.


    At that moment, his [Prevision] skill triggered on its own and noticed him about the impending danger.


    The next instant, an arc of eerie ckish ray came from the ck pir, passed through the strange barrier like it was nothing, and soon arrived before his head.


    He didn''t even have time to think of casting any defensive spell on himself.


    Then, the strange ray entered deep into his head and disintegrated him into ashes!


    ...


    A secondter, Charles opened his eyes in the airship and cursed.


    "Sh*t!"


    He hurriedly cast [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself, dismissed the system''s warning notification, and sent out an order.


    <i>''Genesis, connect to the ''Wisdom Link'' and check if you can find any information about the strange ck pirs in the Edhen World''s exosphere.''</i>


    ...


    [Searching...]


    [Connecting to the<i> ''Wisdom Link''</i>...]


    [Error! Error! Error!]


    [Connection failed!]


    ...


    A row of notifications appeared in front of his eyes, followed by Genesis''s strange synthetic voice.


    [A foreign force blocked the system from obtaining the valid information from the <i>''Wisdom Link,''</i> Host. It means that learning more about it will cause more harm to the user than good.]


    <i>''Another forbidden knowledge... It seems that ck pirs are not something that belonged to this world. But what are they doing up in the exosphere? Do the Lawful Gods know about it?''</i> He pondered for a second and soon shook his head.


    <i>''It doesn''t matter. But what is that small ck pir doing in that mansion? What is Professor plotting? Wait. Is it the reason why the defensive array turned inactive? If so, I need to learn more about that ck pir and find a way to destroy it.''</i> In truth, it was an effective method to ruin Professor''s n.


    But Charles doesn''t know how to break it yet.


    <i>''Let''s see if I can break it in this timeline.''</i> He muttered inwardly and waited.


    ...


    24A Orchard House, Spruce Avenue, Fourth District, City of Miracles,


    At that moment, a young man in his twenties suddenly opened his eyes in his bedroom and mmed his fist on the cotton bed.


    "Damn it! I was about toplete the first array form and activate it." Professor rubbed his temple and frowned.


    "But how did he die?"


    He hurriedly walked out of bed, went to the restroom, and washed his face. After that, he wiped his face using a towel and soon heard a vibratory sound from his silver bracelet.


    He then took a deep breath and attended themunication call.


    "Good morning, Professor. Should I tell Hayden to proceed with the n?"


    "Yes. Tell Hayden to finish it on time." He suddenly paused for a moment as he recalled something and asked.


    "Who will be there to protect the ''Void Pir'' once Hayden leaves the mansion?"


    "Ezra and a few mages from the Destiny Conquerors will be staying in the mansion, Professor."


    "You mean those newly recruited mages of the Destiny Conquerors? They won''t even stand a chance against that guy. Ask them to send a Destiny Conqueror to go over there for protecting the Void Pir." Professor muttered in a grim tone.


    "Which guy, Professor? What are you talking about?" John asked in puzzlement from the other side, but Professor sighed deeply and ordered.


    "Don''t ask unnecessary questions. Ask one of those sixteen old monsters to disguise as a normal Mage and go to the Dew Street mansion to guard the pir. That person must go there in 15 minutes." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "If some intruder tries to enter the building, tell him to capture the intruder at all cost. Also, warn him that the intruder can even cast <i>''Time-Stop''</i> ability."


    "But Destiny Conquerors main heads won''t agree to do such guarding job, Professor. They always act arrogantly." John said from the other side in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Professor sighed heavily and added.


    "I know that. Ask Conqueror Brooks to do this job. As long as hepletes this job, tell him that I will present him a Rank-8 Bone Dragon''s skeleton body as a gift."


    After saying so, he cut themunication call and sat on the bed.


    "That guy is poking all the dangerous areas and getting killed. First, I should corner him using other forces and capture him alive in this vision. After that, I will have enough time to check which one of those 47 disruption arrays could break this <i>''Time Loop''</i> spell."


    "Moreover, I must find out his real identity."


    This time, Professor decided to go after him and capture him at all costs.


    While thinking, he took out a pocket watch from his space ring, opened the outer case, and checked the time.


    "6.46. A.M."


    <i>''I only have 15 minutes to reach Dew Street.''</i> Unfortunately, he was in Fourth District.


    It would take at least half an hour for him to reach the Underground Street.


    <i>''I hope Conqueror Brooks will arrive there on time.''</i>


    Muttering inwardly, Professor changed his cloth into a ck-robed one, took out a strange mask from his space ring, and wore it on his face.


    Following that, he covered his head in a hood and soon walked out of his Orchard House. Then, he moved towards the carriage parked near his housewn and ordered the coachman.


    "Landon, go to Dew Street faster."


    While ordering, he withdrew the curtain on the four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage and entered.


    Meanwhile, the coachman Landon nodded his head, tied the horse with the carriage, and pulled the horse reins.


    On the other hand, the ck horse let out a loud neigh and ran towards the street road.


    Before long, the carriage left Spruce Avenue, entered the Fourth District''s main road, and soon moved towards the City Center.


    That''s where the three Magic Towers were located.


    ...


    It was around 7.00 A.M.


    Like thest time, a luxurious carriage slowly entered Dew Street and moved on the dirt road.


    <i>''Thankfully, this Dew Street is right next to the airport road. Otherwise, it would''ve taken ten more minutes for us toe here.''</i> Charles muttered inwardly and followed the previous n.


    The luxurious carriage soon arrived near the four-storied mansion house, moved towards the opposite side of the road, and parked under a tree shadow in a few seconds.


    Then, in Julius''s appearance, Charles walked out of the carriage, acted suspiciously by looking at the mansionwn, and drew the gatekeeper''s attention.


    A few secondster, the gatekeeper moved closer to the carriage likest time, became Charles''s puppet sooner, and walked into the carriage.


    <i>''Sess!''</i> Charles smiled lightly and walked in before locking the carriage door.


    While Charles was shapeshifting inside the carriage, a ck-hooded mage came from the opposite direction, said a few words towards the gatekeeper, and walked into the mansion building.


    Unaware of the danger, Charles soon walked out of the carriage in gatekeeper Winston''s appearance and adjusted his dress.


    After that, he took a step forward, walked towards the mansion''s entrance, and soon returned to Winston''s position.

 Chapter 543 - Brooks

    Chapter 543: Brooks


    Like thest time, Hayden and a few other mages walked out of the mansion house and entered the carriage, and left the mansion building in a hurry.


    On the other hand, Charles watched the carriage disappearing from his right, lowered his head, and spoke to the nearby gatekeeper.


    "I think my stomach is not well today." He touched his belly, turned around, and then added.


    "Watch over my duty. I''ll be back in two minutes."


    Before the other gatekeeper could open his mouth, Charles hurriedly moved towards the four-storied mansion building''s entrance.


    "Hey! Where are you going? You shouldn''t use the mansion bathroom!" The gatekeeper shouted at him like thest time, but Charles shrugged it off and continued to walk.


    Soon, he entered the strangeyer that shrouded the mansion building, moved towards the four-storied building''s porch, and arrived in front of the entrance door.


    Then, he took a deep breath, raised both hands, and pushed open the door.


    A screeching noise came from the door as he stepped into the main hall and soon froze.


    At that moment, what appeared in front of him were not the Divine Order members but a single ck-robed guy.


    He appeared to be around 60 to 70 years old, had a wrinkled face, bald head with some white hair on sides, fair skin, almond blue eyes, and thick eyebrows.


    Currently, he held a single wooden staff in his right hand and appeared to be holding it tightly for support.


    Charles''s mind went chaos for a second as he saw apletely different future unfolding in front of his eyes.


    <i>''What the hell happened? Did I change the timeline?''</i> While he was in confusion, the old man let out a burp and spoke.


    "You can call me Brooks. My employer asked me to capture you at all cost, young man. Now, surrender yourself before I get serious."


    Just as he finished his sentence, a total of three golden rune-engraved human skeletons in a ck robe appeared in front of the old man and turned their gazes towards Charles.


    Each skeleton held two unique silvery swords in its hands, had reddish soul fire in its eyes, and appeared powerful.


    Charles frowned as he heard the old man''s words and instantly cast [False Field] and [elerate Thoughts] spell on himself.


    <i>''I don''t know who he is talking about, but I can vaguely feel that something is wrong about the current situation.''</i> Hisplexion turned gloomy.


    <i>''Should I retreat?''</i> He instantly shook his head and decided to gather more about this new enemy.


    He activated the [Eyes of the Runes] skill and looked at Brooks.


    But a secondter, his face showed a confused expression on his face.


    <i>''Why couldn''t I scan him? No, there is nothing but a pure form ofher energy appeared over there.''</i> His pupil shrunk abruptly.


    Simultaneously, he received a prevision warning and cast [False Blink] spell.


    He disappeared from there, reappeared behind the current Brooks, and punched him at the head.


    Meanwhile, Brooks'' head and body exploded into countless mirrors the next second and dispersed into thin air.


    On the other hand, a strange ripple appeared at the ce Charles stood before, moved like a wave, and soon broke into countless mirror sses, revealing a ck-robed man from those broken mirrors.


    <i>''A mirror illusion?''</i> Charles looked at the front and raised his eyebrows.


    "Oh? How did you manage to perceive my attack? Interesting. It''s rare to see an enemy who is well-versed in Time Magic."


    At that moment, a booming voice came out of Brooks'' mouth.


    On the other hand, the three golden-rune inscribed skeletons suddenly unsheathed their swords and encircled Charles from three sides.


    But what surprised him was not the unique engraving on their bones, but their movements speed.


    All three of those skeletons moved too fast, which led him only to see blurry images!


    <i>''Sh*t! These three skeletons have the strength of peak Legend Rank!''</i> At that moment, he also realized that the ck-robed wasn''t an ordinary fellow.


    He cast [Rebirth Body] spell on himself and turned into an elemental being without any dy.


    Simultaneously, he locked his gaze on Brooks and ordered Genesis to activate the [Time-Stop] ability.


    An invisible ripple came out of his body the next instant, spread all over the surroundings, and soon enveloped the Miracle City.


    Charles soon saw everything around him get frozen in time and sighed inwardly.


    <i>''At least, I have got an advantage now.''</i>


    He took more than five steps, walked past a golden skeleton that stood in the front, and moved closer towards Brooks.


    But just as he was about to take the sixth step, he felt a strange eerie gaze from behind.


    No, not one but three people''s gazes!


    With an rmed look, he turned around and soon got stiffened.


    He noticed that the three golden skeletons also turned their heads towards his direction in unison and opened their bony mouth.


    <i>''You aren''t the only one with special abilities.''</i> A telepathic voice echoed in his head the next second.


    Before Charles could even understand the situation, the golden skeleton near him took two steps forward and thrust a longsword at his chest area.


    <i>''F*ck! They are moving without any restrain!''</i> Charles saw the sword moving towards his chest at a terrifying speed and tried to leap towards the right side to dodge.


    s, the golden skeleton seemed to have long predicted his next movement, changed the direction of its sword in midway and aimed precisely at his heart region.


    A secondter, the silvery sword tore through the space and time power, appeared in front of his chest, and directly plunged into his chest.


    Charles flew in the air as the skeleton closed the distance between them at an unimaginable speed and kicked him in the chest.


    The next second, Charles''s body flew towards the right side at terrifying speed and crashed onto therge stone pir.


    Thankfully, the sword wound on Charles''s chest healed instantly due to him being in elemental form.


    Still, not a single sign of relief appeared on Charles''s face.


    Instead, his face was filled with full of shock and disbelief.


    <i>''No good! These skeletons are too fast!''</i> Before he could even stand up, he noticed that all three skeletons had already arrived near him and pointed their swords at him.


    <i>''Surrender now, young man.''</i> The same old man''s voice echoed in his head.


    But he also managed to notice an anomaly at that moment.


    He noticed that the ck-robed old man remained in the same ce as before!


    <i>''Wait! Is he still affected by the ''Time-Stop'' ability? Moreover, why didn''t Professor nullify the ''Time-Stop'' effect yet? Is this his scheme? How did he know about me?''</i> Countless questions whirled in his head.


    At that moment, he also noticed the ck-robed guy''s motive.


    <i>''He isn''t trying to kill me. He is nning to capture me here!''</i> A strange chill appeared in his heart.


    He knew that would be the worst possible oue and decided to escape here at all cost.


    <i>''I need to die here.''</i> But he knew that it was easier said than done in this situation.


    <i>''I can''t even kill myself in this situation.''</i> He paused for a moment and then asked.


    <i>''Genesis, is there a way for me to get out of this situation? What spell can I use while in this ''Time-Stop'' ability?''</i>


    [The chance of you being captured by the enemy is very high, Host. I suggest you close the distance between you and Brooks and wait for my call. Once I undo the [Time-Stop] ability, you can use that opportunity, cast your [Soul Shock] spell on him, and paralyze his soul. The reason Brook''s skeletons are moving in the [Time Stop] effect is due to them being [Demigod] rank being''s skeletons.] Genesis spoke in the same synthetic voice.


    <i>''No wonder I got thrashed by these skeletons..''</i> He stood up unsteadily and locked his gaze on Brooks.

 Chapter 544 - Mutation

    Chapter 544: Mutation


    Charles first calcted the distance between him and Brooks and confirmed that he was standing 10 meters away from him.


    <i>''I need to be at 5 meters distance to cast the [Soul Shock] spell.''</i> While muttering, he tried to cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on Brooks but failed.


    Meanwhile, one of the golden skeletons raised its sword and aimed at his right hand.


    Charles confirmed that the other party was trying to cripple him and turned grim.


    <i>''I''ve no choice but to sacrifice my hand-''</i>


    He abruptly paused and noticed a strange anomaly happening in his right eye at that moment.


    A strange mystic force pushed the<i> ''wisdom essence''</i> away from his left eye the next second and let it enter his right eye!


    Simultaneously, he sensed a unique mutation started to happen in his left white crystalline eye and got startled deeply. It was as if apletely new power reced the wisdom essence in his left eye!


    <i>''What is happening to my other eye?''</i> He thought of opening the left eye but decided to let the mutationplete.


    <i>''I have a strange suspicion from the very start. Let''s see if my guess is right.''</i>


    On the other hand, the wisdom essence stored in the left eye entered his right eye andbined with the original one, enchanting his eye skill.


    The skill soon turned into [Eye of the Runes] skill!


    In a mere moment, Charles noticed that the wisdom essence enchanted his right eye to an unimaginable level and showed him multiple weaknesses of the attacking golden skeleton.


    In seconds, he also saw a foggy humanoid figure sealed inside the skeleton, and it looked more like a puppet.


    <i>''Soul of this skeleton? It hadn''t undergone any mutation yet. Wait, the skeleton be from a Demigod, but its Soul isn''t.''</i>


    As he looked further, he saw more than tens of minute greyish threads came from Brook and connected to the Soul''s head area, hands, legs, and even the body parts.


    <i>''They look more like threads made of Nether energy!''</i> A sh of surprise appeared on Charles''s face. At that moment, he learned how the necromancers controlled the souls and skeleton bodies and let them move under their will.


    <i>''I got you now.''</i> He didn''t hesitate as he touched his space ring, took out the [ckened Heart] long sword, and covered it entirely with the<i> ''Rebirth me.''</i>


    As the Golden Skeleton was about to sh at his right hand, Charles swiftly thrust the long sword at a particr thread controlling the Soul''s right hand and severed it.


    His movement speed appeared faster than the skeleton for some odd reasons!


    A secondter, the sword in the golden skeleton''s hand detached on its own and hovered in the air.


    The skeleton''s hand also abruptly got frozen in mid-air.


    Utilizing the opportunity, Charles moved his sword towards the skeleton''s skull, then towards the skeleton''s chest region, another hand, and legs and severed all theher threads!


    Before Brooks could realize what was happening to the golden skeleton, Charles released the original Soul from its puppet state.


    The Soul also seemed to have been affected by the <i>''Time-Stop''</i> effect and remained motionless.


    <i>''But this is more than enough.''</i> Charles muttered inwardly and took a few steps away from the other two golden skeletons.


    Simultaneously, he sensed that the mutation in his left eye was also gotpleted and opened it slowly.


    The next instant, he couldn''t help but get shocked inside.


    At that moment, he noticed that more than 20 types of small sections appeared in that eye, and each showed him a different kind of reality!


    It was like Charles''s left eye suddenly formed more than twenty lenses, and each showed a unique future!


    In one particr section, he noticed that a golden skeleton stabbed its two swords into his chest and pinned him to the ground.


    But in another section, Charles noticed that he managed to dodge those swords and severed theher threads attached to the Soul hidden in the golden skeleton.


    While seeing those twenty types of future visions, he was momentarily stunned.


    He also noticed that his understanding of the<i> ''Future Time''</i> had improved significantly and was amazed.


    In the meantime, Brooks also noticed the anomaly and ordered the other two skeletons to attack him with full force.


    But as the nearby golden skeleton sprinted in his direction while raising its swords, Charles suddenly bent his body at a weird angle, dodged the skeleton''s right-hand sword in a hairsbreadth, and blocked the other sword using his long sword.


    Then, he tilted his sword, moved the sword tip towards the golden skeleton''s elbow joint area, and severed aher thread.


    After that, he took a step forward, evaded the sword attack from the left side, and thrust his sword at a particr angle.


    The sword moved like a slithering snake,nded on the golden skeleton''s left hand, and froze it.


    Charles then casually pulled the [ckened Heart] sword, made multiple shes at the skeleton''s neck, chest, and limbs, severed theher threads, and made it motionless.


    Just as he severed the finalher thread on the golden skeleton, he suddenly gripped the skeleton''s skull, moved it towards his nape, and blocked the sword aimed at his head from behind.


    Then, he turned around and locked his gaze on the final golden skeleton.


    After that, he calmly raised his [ckened Heart] sword and blocked the other sword.


    On the other hand, the golden skeleton suddenly took two steps backward and stared at Charles with its reddish soul fire.


    There was a hint of confusion visible in its eyes.


    <i>''How did you kill my two puppets?''</i> A shocked telepathic voice echoed in his head all of a sudden.


    It was from Brooks.


    Meanwhile, Charles moved his left hand towards the nearby skeleton''s hand, picked up the hovering sword, and held it tightly.


    A secondter, he created ayer of rebirth me and covered the sword''s edges.


    <i>''Shall we start?''</i> Charles looked into the single golden skeleton''s soul fire and asked with a smirk.


    On the other hand, the skeleton seemed enraged by his calm voice and dashed towards him at a terrifying speed while aiming the swords at his head.


    In the meantime, Charles studied the skeleton''s following possible actions through his mutated left eye and parried against the golden skeleton''s sword attacks very casually.


    He severed aher thread attached to its left tight in mere moments and crippled its movement speed.


    He soon found another opportunity and severed aher thread attached to its left hand.


    Then, he made a powerful sh at the frozen area and separated the silvery sword from its grip.


    In the next few moments, he also severed otherher threads and finally stopped its movement like the other two.


    <i>''This is indeed a good battle.''</i> Muttering inwardly, he shifted his gaze towards Brooks, who stood more than 12 meters away from where he was standing, and started walking towards him.


    Within a few seconds, he arrived in front of the ck-robed old man, raised the [ckened Heart] sword, and ced the sword tip at Brook''s neck.


    <i>''Who told you toe here? Is it Professor?''</i> He asked, but no response came from the other party.


    Clicking his tongue, Charles dispelled the rebirth me in two swords and ordered.


    <i>''Genesis, remove the ''Time-Stop'' effect.''</i>


    An invisible ripple came out of Charles''s body, spread in all directions, and enveloped the whole city instantly.


    After that, the invisible ripple nullified the<i> ''Time-Stop''</i> power and let everything return to normal.


    In the meantime, Charles looked into Brooks'' eyes, cast [Soul Shock] spell on him, and paralyzed his Soul.


    Then, he moved his [ckened Heart] sword, shed at his neck, and decapitated his head.


    After that, he conjured two balls of chaos me and tossed them into the falling body and head.


    <i>''It''s time for me to leave.''</i> He didn''t dare to stay in this building any longer, hurriedly walked towards the entrance, and left the four-story mansion house.


    He soon stepped on the concrete path, walked through the defensive arrayyer that covered the mansion, and soon arrived near thepound gate.


    Then, he raised his right hand, pointed his finger at the gatekeeper, and tried to cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell on him.


    But before he could even cast it, a ray of ck lightning appeared from the sky, directlynded on his head, and disintegrated him into ashes.

 Chapter 545 Meet

    Chapter 545: Meet


    A few moments ago,


    A luxurious carriage came from the fourth district, turned towards the Underground District, and moved towards the northern part of the area.


    As the carriage entered the Main Street junction, Professor took out a pocket watch from his space ring, flipped open the outer case, and checked the time.


    "7.03 A.M." Nodding, he opened the curtain and looked outside.


    He looked closely at the passerby and soon saw a fifty-year-old man walking on the roadside.


    He was a long silvery-haired man with a slightly wrinkled face, had an oval face, bronze skin, and a sharp nose. He wore a in grey robe and held an umbre in his hand at that moment.


    As if he had noticed Professor''s gaze, he abruptly paused in surprise and looked at the carriage.


    In the meantime, Professor also raised his hand and ordered the coachman.


    "Stop the carriage."


    As the coachman drove the carriage towards the roadside, Professor stepped out of the carriage, showed a polite smile, and greeted the silver-haired man.


    "Greetings, Elder. Why are you going by walk?"


    Meanwhile, the silver-haired man also greeted him with a nod and responded.


    "Oh! You must be the newly appointed security director, am I right? I heard a lot about you during the past few weeks." He paused for a moment and then responded to his earlier question.


    "My carriage left wheel''s linchpin got broke in midway. So, I thought of going by walk before my coachman goes and get a new one."


    "Oh! Let''s get in my carriage, Elder. I''ll drop you on the way." Professor spoke while moving the curtain.


    Meanwhile, the silver-haired man waved his hand and shook his head.


    "It''s alright, young man. I''m going to meet someone in the Underground District. So, it''s better to go and meet him without any security force." He raised his hand and pointed his finger at the carriage door''s cross-sword symbol as he spoke.


    On the other hand, Professor also understood his meaning and agreed.


    "Then, I will be on my own, Elder. I, too, have some ''important'' business to attend."


    "Let''s meet againter." The silver-haired man also nodded his head, turned towards the front, and continued to walk.


    In the meantime, Professor turned around, walked into the carriage, closed the curtain, and ordered.


    "Start the carriage."


    As the carriage moved on the road, he suddenly moved his hand to the pant pocket, took out the pocket watch, and checked the time.


    "7.07."


    He then touched his silver bracelet, contacted Hayden, and spoke.


    "I met the Elder Seer a while ago and talked with him for a minute. So, he will not arrive at the exact location on time."


    "We left the mansion house just now, Sir Professor. We''ll take care of him at the right time." An old early voice came from the other side.


    "Good-."


    Before Professor could cut the call, he suddenly noticed that a wave of invisible power washed his body and soon froze everything around him!


    ''Time-Stop!'' He instantly released his ''Fate'' power and nullified the ''Present Time'' power around his body.


    Then, he opened the curtain, looked outside, and saw that the whole street was frozen in time.


    ''He indeed went to the Dew Street''s mansion, huh.'' He opened the carriage door, walked out of the carriage, and stepped forward.


    At that moment, he locked his gaze on an old woman who stood 20 meters away from him and activated his [Fate Swap] skill.


    The next instant, he disappeared from there and reced the old woman''s position!


    Then, he continued to swap and moved on the street at an unimaginable speed.


    Before long, he reached Dew Street''s junction road and was about to walk on the street road but suddenly stopped as he saw a luxurious carriage parked near a streetmp post.


    At that moment, he saw a whirly blonde-haired youngdy standing outside a luxurious carriage, and she seemed to be looking at the Dew Street''s road.<sub> </sub>


    She had emerald green eyes, a pretty oval face, and thin eyebrows and wore a red-colored long gown. She also held a ck, high-quality purse in her right hand and showed an anxious look.


    ''Why do I feel like I have met her before?'' As Professor was about to turn towards that young woman, he suddenly noticed another invisible ripple wash over his body and the surroundings and nullified the ''Time-Stop'' ability.


    In the meantime, Professor showed a surprised look, looked at the faraway mansion, and asked himself.


    "Did Brooks seed?" He shifted his attention towards the dirt path and started walking on Dew Street road without hesitation.


    But as he arrived closer towards the mansion building, he suddenly noticed that a ckish ray of lightning came from the defensive arrayyer andnded at the building''spound gate.


    The next instant, Professor''s vision turned blurry and soon went nk.


    ...


    Gasp!


    Suddenly, Professor let out a loud gasp, opened his eyes widely, and sat on the cotton bed.


    "F*ck! I was so close!" He gritted his teeth in anger and rubbed his temple in frustration.


    "In this vision, he won''t go there. Moreover, there is a high chance that he might have suspected me." He was damn sure of it.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and walked out of his bed.


    Then, he arrived in front of the mirror on the opposite wall, stared at his reflection, and muttered.


    "What should I do now?" A frown appeared on his forehead.


    At that moment, an image of the whirly blonde-haired girl appeared in his mind.


    ''Is she an aplice of the main culprit?'' A strange suspicion arose in his heart.


    s, he didn''t have enough information to do a divination and find out her real identity and background.


    ''But I can pinpoint her current location, though.'' He instantly closed his eyes and connected his mind to the Destiny-Web.


    Countless red strings appeared in his mind the next second and soon formed into a gigantic golden thread.


    Professor then recalled the young woman''s face and started to chant a strange incantation. After a few seconds, he suddenly opened his eyes and muttered in confusion.


    "She is in the Airport now?"


    ? At that moment, the silver bracelet in his right hand vibrated suddenly, giving him a strangely familiar feeling.


    He moved his right hand, touched the bracelet, focused on his soul imprint, and attended the call.


    "Good Morning, Professor. Should I tell Hayden to get ready-?"


    Before John could speak from the other side, Professor cleared his throat and cut him off.


    "John, go to the Airport and search for a young woman. Arrest her at all cost."


    A strange silence appeared, followed by John''s awkward voice.


    "More than thousands of young women will be roaming in the Airport, Professor. Can you be more specific?"


    Professor froze for a moment and soon added with a fake cough.


    "She is a whirly blonde-haired woman with emerald-green eyes." He closed his eyes as he recalled the image of the young woman and then added.


    "She has thin eyebrows, an oval face, and will look like a 20-years old youngdy. Also, she will be wearing a red-colored long gown and will carry a ck purse in her hand."


    "That''s more than enough, Professor. I''ll reach there in 15 minutes." John responded from the other side.


    "Go there as quick as possible. Otherwise, that person might escape." Professor spoke solemnly and cut off the connection.


    After that, he moved towards the nearby wooden table, sat on the chair, and tapped his finger on the table.


    "Where will he go next? Will he try to go and meet Demigod Rafael?" A grim look appeared on his face.


    He knew that wouldn''t just ruin his n for advancement, but it might even ruin the Edhen''s Children Organization''s n itself.


    "I have to capture him this time at all cost."

 Chapter 546 Bloodline Ability

    Chapter 545: Bloodline Ability


    A few minutes ago,


    Charles opened his eyes in the Airship, nced around cautiously, and frowned.


    Instead of ordering the Genesis to gather information through the [Wisdom Link], he first dismissed the notification, removed the Monocle from his left eye, and shifted his attention towards his crystalline eye.


    ''The wisdom essence is still hidden in my left eye.'' He took a deep breath, closed both eyes, focused his full attention on the crystalline eye, and moved all those ''wisdom essence'' hidden in the left eye to the right one.


    Like thest time, a change happened, and soon his [Eyes of the Runes] skill got upgraded into [Eye of the Runes] skill.


    Simultaneously, a strange mutation took ce in his left eye.


    Charles waited until the strange mutation gotpleted and opened his eyes.


    A secondter, his crystalline eye showed him more than twenty unique sections of future visions!


    "This is indeed an interesting change." At that moment, he felt that his body somehow awakened a unique bloodline ability.


    ''Is this something to do with my [Trickster] ss?'' A frown appeared on his face.


    In truth, he had long learned that [Trickster] ss was not a Mage or Soul rted aka Inner ss-gem path, but an outer ss-Gem path.


    It involved strengthening one''s body.


    ''Rh also told me once that [Trickster] ss has some connection with a Warlock bloodline called ''High Human Bloodline.'' This ''High Human'' might be the peak level powerhouse of this ss and must have three unique skills like all other ss-Gem pathways. That must be why my left eye turned into a crystalline one during the previous upgrade.''


    Charles always felt confused about his sub-ss and unique skills.


    Unlike the Fire Spell Models that appeared in his Inner World, these skills'' origin looked mysterious.


    For example, his [Shape-Shifting] skill seemed to have connected to his blood and flesh, but he couldn''t tell how it worked to this day.


    The same went for the [Multiple Vision] and [Hands of Wonder] skills.


    But now, he vaguely guessed that these skills might have integrated with his blood and flesh instead!


    ''When I upgraded my [Eyes of the Runes] skill in Faith Realm, I saw multiple visions in my left eye and thought that my ''Left Eye'' had some connection with the Dreamworld. But what I didn''t think was howe I would get dream-rted ability out of nowhere. That made no sense at all. No, I should''ve noticed it much earlier. Anyway, I somehow awakened the true potential of the ''High Human Bloodline'' skill now. But I think this might be just a basic form, though.'' He knew how Udnir could see countless futures simultaneously from a faraway gxy and decided to improve it continuously.


    ''If I''m not wrong, I can only see 20 possible future visions now. That too has restrictions like I can''t peek more than 10 seconds into the future. But if I want to improve further, I have to increase my ''Time'' affinity.'' As for how he suddenly awakened this ''Eye-Power,'' he had a guess.


    ''It has something to do with the current spell.''


    When his consciousness got pulled into the ''Time-Loop'' spell, Charles started gaining a minute amount of Future Time essence in the form of insight or information and closing the connection between his soul and his left eye!


    That''s how the crystalline eye managed to suppress the ''Wisdom Essence'' and tookplete control over it.


    ''I can now understand why I couldn''tprehend the Wisdom Essence hidden in my left eye all these times.''


    He shook his head and muttered.


    ''Genesis, show me my current body status.''<sub> </sub>


    [Yes, Host.]


    A synthetic voice appeared inside his head, followed by a row of data.


    At that moment, he saw a unique skill name in the subss section and became stunned inside.


    ''[Eye of the Faceless], huh? Moreover, it''s just a basic form?'' He furrowed his brows, soon dismissed the interface, and then thought of his [Hand of Wonder] skill.


    ''Will it also awaken and be more powerful or be one of my body parts like the eye? Maybe I can gain mutation in my hand to release those invisible threads? Wait. Will I need to get bitten by a spider or something?'' He couldn''t help but chuckle inwardly.


    After some thoughts, he shook his head and decided to think about his current situation.


    ''After awakening this skill, I can see the world from different points of view. All these times, I thought that this [Time Loop] spell was an omniscient one, but I was wrong. It has weaknesses too. While I''m in this spell, I can''t rely too much on Genesis''s guidance help. In truth, Genesis gave me a suggestion to get out of the situation earlier, but if I had acted ording to its suggestion, I might have gotten captured. Also, Genesis acts more like an AI from my former world. It will be helpful to some extent, but that''s it.''


    He nodded thoughtfully.


    ''Finally, it''s about the Professor. He seemed to have already predicted my arrival earlier. But how did he achieve that? Did he find out my real identity already? No, it''s almost impossible. After the first loop, I never showed my real face to anyone. And, Professor isn''t aware of my existence until thest vision.''


    ''That means he somehow found a way to break this ''Time Loop'' spell and started learning more about me... No, something isn''t right. I''m the only one currently experiencing this ''Time Loop,'' right?'' He felt uneasy all of a sudden.


    ''Earlier, Necromancer Brooks tried to capture me instead of killing me. Why? Did Professor even manage to infiltrate into my ''Time Loop'' vision? If not, what can Professor achieve by capturing me in this Loop spell? Is he nning to break the ''Time Loop'' spell? It is possible.'' He nodded inwardly and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''In truth, I also want to break this [Time Loop] spell, but it''s not the right time yet. If I want to win this future battle, I need all information.'' Muttering inwardly, he waited patiently for the Airship to reach the City of Miracles.


    A few minutester, Charles walked out of the Airship through the illusionary staircase and entered the half-egg-shaped airport building.


    He soon walked into the hallway, entered a tall-ceiling Luggage Hall, and soon noticed suitcases, trolleys, and sealed boxes were ced over there.


    But unlike before, he focused his attention entirely on the unique reddish array circle.


    At that moment, his left eye glowed in silvery light and revealed twenty future visions.


    ''Stepping on the array circle''s particr area will cause explosions in the Airport?'' He was momentarily stunned as he zeroed his gaze on one particr vision and took a few steps away from that ce. Then, he entered the next hall, had gone through a strict security check-up, and was about to step out of the airport through the entrance but suddenly paused.


    At that moment, his left eye once again glowed in silverly light and showed another series of future visions.


    In most of those visions, he noticed that more than ten guards in ck armor appeared out of nowhere as he walked towards Jessie and arrested him!


    But what startled him was the appearance of the middle-aged guard named John in that group.


    ''No good. If I step outside, those guards will surround me for sure!'' He nced around warily and decided to back away.


    He first moved closer to the nearby security guard and asked politely.


    "Can you tell me where the restroom is, Sir?"


    On the other hand, the security officer didn''t find anything odd about his question, pointed his finger towards the right side corridor, and answered.


    "Go in that direction, Mister. You''ll find it at the end of the passageway."

 Chapter 547 Hide And Seek

    Chapter 547: Hide and Seek


    Charles nodded his head as he heard the security guard''s response, adjusted his bowler hat, and moved towards the right side.


    Before long, he arrived at the end of the passageway and soon saw signboards of men and women.


    He casually removed the bowler hat from his head, stored it in his space ring, and moved towards the women''s restroom entrance.


    Then, he nced around, checked if anyone was nearby, and walked in.


    A few minutester, a young woman in herte twenties walked out of the restroom, took out red lipstick, and applied it to her smooth lips.


    Then, she stored the lipstick in her space ring and started walking in the passageway.


    She had long ck hair, deep-set jade eyes, an oval face, tan skin, and trimmed thin eyebrows. She wore a full-sleeved ck top, pants, and brown leather shoes.


    The person was none other than Charles in Edith''s appearance.


    After walking for a while, he reached the airport''s entrance, walked past the security guards, and quietly exited the airport building.


    Then, he made a swift nce and soon zeroed his gaze on a blonde-haired youngdy standing at the farthest end.


    She was dressed in a beautiful, long red-colored long gown and held a ck, high-quality purse on her side.


    ''Jessie.''


    But he didn''t get closer to her. Instead, he slowed down his footsteps and quietly observed the surroundings.


    Within a few seconds, his expression turned gloomy.


    ''They are monitoring Jessie''s every movement like a hawk. I should better move on my own this time.'' He thought to himself as he walked past Jessie, strolled through the long concrete road, and finally reached the main road.


    After that, he looked at many carriages moving on the street road and soon went towards the wooden carriage parked nearby.


    Meanwhile, the coachman also noticed his arrival, jumped down from his seat and greeted him with a smile. He appeared to be around 30-years-old, with fair skin, and had elongated eyebrows. He wore a simple ck cap, dark grey-colored shirt, ck pants, and a pair of white sneakers.


    "Where do you want to go, Young Lady?" He asked politely.


    Charles also smiled at him and spoke in a young female voice.


    "Go to the Miracle Museum. Take the main road path." Even though he spoke in a female voice, it appeared more like an authoritative tone.


    Without waiting for the coachman''s reply, he walked toward the carriage''s door and entered.


    On the other hand, the coachman nodded his head stiffly, tied the horse rope to the carriage, climbed up to the driver''s seat, and started driving the carriage.


    In the meantime, Charles satfortably on the seat, moved the brown curtain, and looked outside through the ss.


    Simultaneously, he took out the stopwatch from his space ring and checked the time.


    ''6.57 A.M. Two minuteste.'' He nodded grimly and soon shifted his gaze towards the right side cut road.


    It was the shortcut route to Dew Street.


    ''Wait. If I take the main road, it will take too much time to reach the destination due to the heavy traffic. But if I take this route, I''ll reach there quickly. No, I can even follow Hayden quietly and learn more about their schemes.'' At that moment, he vaguely felt that the Elder Seer''s death might have something to do with this group!


    He abruptly opened the carriage door and spoke in the same feminine voice.


    "Take a left turn and enter the alley road."


    Although the carriage driver got confused by his words, he didn''t say anything and obeyed his order by pulling the horse''s rein.


    Then, he made a left turn, drove the carriage towards the opposite side road, and entered the small alley road.


    The carriage quietly moved deep into the alley road, entered the Bronze Lane route, and soon reached Dew Street.


    Then, the carriage entered the Dew Street dirt road and quietly moved up ahead.


    On the other hand, Charles quietly looked outside and soon squinted his left eye as he saw multiple visions.


    Those visions showed that Charles''s eyes met with a random ck-robed passerby.


    But what''s surprising was that the ck-robed guy summoned three golden skeletons suddenly and attacked the carriage the next second.


    As he saw those twenty simr visions, Charles instantly identified the ck-robed guy and widened his eyes.


    ''Brooks!- No good!''


    He hurriedly averted his gaze towards the opposite seat and closed the curtain.


    ''He is going to the four-storied mansion building, huh. But he seems to have a great perception-'' He froze for a moment and soon cursed inwardly.


    ''He might have the skill to distinguish between the enemy and a friend. I should act carefully.''<sub> </sub>


    The next instant, he closed his eyes, entered his Inner World, and extracted all information about Brooks and Professor from his consciousness.


    Then, he made them into a pure cloud of memory and gave it to one of the consciousnesses.


    After that, he opened his eyes and soon showed a confused look on his face.


    ''Strange... Why did I order the coachman to enter Dew Street earlier?'' At that moment, he noticed that another order hade from his Inner World.


    ''I''ve to go to the Dew Street Junction and stop there. But for what?'' He instantly realized that he was taking precautions against some enemy and decided to act along.


    On the other hand, Brooks didn''t notice anything odd about the carriage that drove past him and continued to walk towards the faraway mansion building.


    "But I hate being ordered around. Moreover, why do I have to do the guarding?" He grumbled inwardly.


    "There are only a few more hours left for the main scheme to happen. Hmm, Professor might''ve sensed something." Unlike other Destiny Conquerors'', Brooks knew more about Professor''s skills and power and felt d inside.


    ''Although I still don''t know his real identity, he is a powerful God.'' Even for the Destiny Conquerors, reaching the Demigod or God realm level was only a pipe dream.


    ''But as long as we manage to kill Demigod Rafael and Demigod Emerson today, we''ll take full control over this Miracle City. Then...'' A wicked grin appeared on his face as he thought of their next goal.


    ''Then, we shall activate the ''Miracle Core'' and merge the three Magic Towers. When that happens, an ultimate Miracle will descend upon this world within the next few years.'' Even he or the other fifteen Destiny Conquerors knew nothing about this miracle.


    But Brooks heard from his master that frequently activating the ''Miracle Core'' would lead to a severe loss of ''Luck'' worldwide, which might increase the probability of the Edhen World''s destruction!


    But Brooks and others didn''t put too much thought into that future danger.


    In truth, he had never heard of a ne being destroyed by some higher power in his life.


    Moreover, they were currently living in a Higher World.


    ''I once read in a story that even the Ancient Gods failed to destroy a ne called ''Itera'' and even got themselves killed. So, I don''t think there is an existence out there that could destroy this Edhen World.'' He chuckled inwardly and soon noticed that he had arrived near the four-storied mansion.


    He hurriedly moved towards thepound gate, asked the gatekeeper to open the gate while showing a unique badge, and walked inside.


    In the meantime, Charles also noticed that the carriage reached the Dew Street junction and entered the Underground District''s main road.


    At that moment, another order appeared in his mind.


    ''I should wait here and wait for three carriages from Dew Street. And then, I''ve to follow after them.''


    He opened the carriage door, stuck his head outside, and spoke to the coachman.


    "Park the carriage on the opposite roadside."


    "Yes, My Lady." The coachman nodded solemnly, drove the carriage towards the other side of the main road, and parked it there.


    In the meantime, Charles opened the other side carriage door and looked in the Dew Street road''s direction.


    Minutes passed quietly.


    After 5 minutes, three luxurious carriages came from Dew Street, reached the Street Junction, and entered the main road.


    Then, all three carriages made a U-turn and started driving in the direction where the Merchants'' Market was located.


    "Follow those carriages," Charles ordered the coachman and shut the door.


    Although the coachman got annoyed, he didn''t say anything and obeyed his order.


    He followed the other three carriages for the next five minutes and soon pulled the horse''s rein suddenly.


    He also quietly made a clicking sound using his tongue tomunicate with the horse, drove the carriage towards the roadside, and parked it at the nearby shop''s entrance.


    Then, he jumped down from the driver''s seat, moved towards the carriage door, and knocked twice before speaking.


    "Those three carriages stopped, My Lady. What is your next order?"


    s, no response came from inside!


    "Are you in there, My Lady?"


    He tried to open the door but soon noticed that it was locked.


    ''Did she fall asleep?'' He frowned deeply and knocked on the door loudly.


    In the meantime, a blonde-haired man quietly stood a few ten meters away from the carriage and stared at the three luxurious carriages in silence. Currently, he held a ck-covered book in his right hand, wore a golden-lined red robe, and looked more like a schr.


    He was none other than Charles.


    He chose Prince Julius''s appearance this time and decided to y hide and seek with Professor.

 Chapter 548 Confrontation

    Chapter 548: Confrontation


    It was around 7.17 A.M.


    Charles stood on the roadside while holding a book in his right hand and quietly observed the surroundings like a hawk.


    On the other hand, seven people stepped out of those three luxurious carriages, moved towards the nearby food store, and started ordering.


    To outsiders, they looked more like regr mages one could see anywhere in this city. They all wore ck and grey robes and even had unique badges on their dresses!


    At that moment, Charles even saw Hayden among the group but decided not to make any abnormal movements.


    For them, he was nothing more than a stranger who happened to be standing quietly near the street road shop.


    To not make thingsplicated, he took a step forward and tried to stop an empty carriage for a ride.


    While doing so, he suddenly saw a silver-haired man from the corner of his eyes and instantly cast [Eye of the Runes] skill on him.


    On the other hand, the silver-haired man walked in his direction, held an umbre in his hand, and appeared in a hurry.


    He walked past many shops and the three luxurious carriages and finally arrived closer to Charles.


    Suddenly, he seemed to have perceived his gaze and slowed down his footsteps.


    "Are you okay, young man?" His eyes glowed in silvery light as he asked that question and even peered into his soul.


    Although Elder Seer couldn''t understand why this young man suddenly used a mysterious skill on him, he felt that he was quite different from others.


    ''Strange. Why do I feel the power of ''Time'' in him?''


    "You seem to have encountered too much trouble in the past few-" He abruptly paused in surprise, halted his footsteps, and soon furrowed.


    "Why is your future changing continuously? Even if you are a Seer, that shouldn''t be possible, right?" Puzzlement appeared on his face.


    On the other hand, Charles showed a forced smile and shook his head.


    ''I thought things would go smoothly, but it can''t be helped.'' While muttering to himself, he touched his space ring and took a stopwatch from it.


    Then, he flipped open the outer case and checked the time.


    "Twenty more seconds." He spoke calmly, turned around, and locked his gaze on the seven robed-mages who stood right before the nearby food stall.


    At the same time, a voice echoed in Elder Seer''s head.


    ''They are nning to assassinate you here, Elder Seer. I don''t know how, but they seemed to have found a way to intercept the city''s defensive array structure and stop it for a while.''


    "What do you mean?" Elder Seer blurted out in shock and stared at him in surprise.


    At that moment, Hayden and the other six people also sensed something went wrong and turned their gazes towards Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles curled his lips upward and started to count the seconds.


    "Ten¡­ Nine... Eight...


    ...


    Three¡­ Two¡­ One."


    As he finished the countdown, he suddenly raised his hand and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell on a grey-robed mage who stood next to Hayden.


    A dense, chaotic fire bullet came out of Charles''s forefinger, flew towards the grey-robed mage at an incredible speed, and arrived in front of his forehead the next second.


    But just as it was about to pierce his head, a strange ckish void appeared between the chaotic fire bullet and the grey-robed mage''s forehead and devoured it like a ck hole.


    s, not a single sign of anxiousness or worry appeared on Charles''s face.


    "See? I''m not dead yet." He pointed his finger at his chest and spoke casually.


    Meanwhile, Elder Seer showed a dumbfounded look and asked in shock.


    "H-How?!"


    The only thing that appeared in his mind was nothing but confusion and unanswered questions.


    Thankfully, he managed to calm down his mind in a second, shifted his gaze towards the group of robed mages, and hurriedly muttered.


    "Ice Cocoon."


    A secondter, a crystalline form of ice appeared around Charles and Hayden and sealed them inside like a real cocoon.


    "This [Ice Cocoon] spell should be enough to stop them for a while." He spoke in a confident tone.


    On the other hand, Charles snorted coldly and shook his head.


    "They managed topletely trick your Seer skills and even assassinated you in other timelines, Elder. They must have prepared for this long ago."


    At that moment, Hayden looked annoyed by the sudden disturbance, walked closer to the crystalline ice cocoon, and took out a strange pink paper from his space ring.


    After that, he injured a bit of his wisdom power, ced it on the ice cocoon, and made strange hand signs.


    Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and spoke in an unknownnguage.


    Two secondster, the whole [Ice Cocoon] turned into an eerie pinkish color instead of a crystalline one, shook violently, and shed thin pinkish iceyers like a snake shedding its skin!<sub> </sub>


    It was a God-Rank spell called ''Softness of Love''!


    Any defensive spell, be it a powerful Ice spell or an Earth-based spell, or even a Mental forcefield spell, would melt away like water as long as it was touched by this ''Softness of Love'' spell!


    Elder Seer''s eyes went wide-eyed as he saw such an unimaginable thing and soon blurted out in shock.


    "How can he break a Rank-6 spell so easily?" In truth, [Ice Cocoon] was a Rank-6 unique spell filled with purew ice essence.


    Even a Demigod-level Mage would find it hard to break it!


    But what appeared in front of his eyes truly shocked him to the core.


    He suddenly realized something, turned his gaze towards Charles, and asked.


    "Wait. Who are you actually, young man? How did you know about their assassination?"


    Instead of answering, Charles conjured an orb of white cloud, tossed it towards his head, and spoke.


    "That orb contains the memories of what I encountered all this time. Cast another Ice Cocoon spell on yourself and watch it patiently. Meanwhile, I''ll take care of these assassins."


    As he spoke, the surrounding crystalline ice cocoon suddenly broke into many thinyers of ice, fell one by one, and disappeared.


    Meanwhile, Charles calmly touched his space ring, took out the [ckened Heart] sword from it, and dashed towards Hayden.


    But just as he took two-step forward, he suddenly entered his Inner World and let another consciousness take control over his body.


    At that moment, Hayden locked his gaze on Charles and cast the [Forgotten Curse] spell on him.


    The next instant, his other consciousness got affected by the spell, and it didn''t know how to run!


    Just as Charles''s body was about to stumble and fall, his main consciousness took control of his body and took the third step.


    Simultaneously, Charles opened his mouth and muttered.


    "Sphere of Invulnerability."


    A sphere-likeyer of fire appeared around his body andpletely covered him like a forcefield.


    Before the Defensive Fire spell could cover his body, a nging sound reverberated on the street road as an invisible pir descended from the sky and crashed onto the sphericalyer of fire!


    Thankfully, Charles''s defensive spell managed to stop the invisible pir for a millisecond and deflected it towards the direction of the nearby carriage.


    Due to the powerful force, the defensive sphericalyer of fire also shook violently and broke into pieces.


    But Charles didn''t stop for a single moment, cast the [False Field] spell, and moved at a much faster speed.


    Only Hayden managed to perceive his movement!


    He hurriedly cast an eerie ckish wing spell and shot up towards the sky.


    On the other hand, Charles had already arrived before a grey-robed mage, shed his sword at an unimaginable speed, and cleaved his neck into two.


    Then, he calmly withdrew his sword, casually evaded the Rank-5 [Frozen Knife] spell from the left side ck-robed mage, and locked his gaze on another grey-robed mage.


    After that, he cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on him, erased his current thinking, and thrust his sword at the enemy.


    The next instant, his [ckened Heart] sword tore through the air, arrived in front of the grey-robed mage''s chest, and plunged directly into it.


    It took him less than two seconds to kill two Dual Rank-5 Mystics!


    Just as he was about to move towards his next target, he quietly observed the future images in his left eye and blinked.


    A momentter, he disappeared from there and reappeared next to the Ice Cocoon that Elder Seer had already cast on himself.


    At that moment, Hayden also appeared above the crystalline cocoon, ced another pinkish paper, and started destroying it.


    Like thest time, the whole cocoon started to shed pinkish iceyers at an incredible speed and revealed the silver-haired human to everyone.


    But instead of fear and anxiousness, Charles saw a profound aura appear around the Elder Seer.


    Without minding Charles''s gaze, he quietly looked up at Hayden, raised his hand, and spoke.


    "Cold of the Graveyard."


    A momentter, a terrifying amount of ice elemental energy came out of his body, spread everywhere like a powerful storm, and froze everything in its path.


    The terrifying ice-elemental power soon reached the nearby streets and alleys, then further moved towards the faraway streets and almost covered the Underground District in crystalline ice!


    Other than a few Rank-5 and Rank-6 Mystics, those who stayed in the Underground District were frozen into ice and died.


    In the meantime, Hayden pped his eerie ck wings, descended from the sky, and stared at Elder Seer with bloodshot eyes.


    "What have you done?!" At that moment, many types of emotions like shock, disbelief, anxiety, confusion, and panic appeared all over his face.


    The main reason for that was because his family was also staying in the underground district!


    At that moment, Hayden knew that Elder Seer''s spell had long killed his family members and went pale.


    "You look like a stupid, Mr. Viin." Charles chuckled.

 Chapter 549 Sealed

    Chapter 549: Sealed


    Meanwhile, Hayden spread his eerie-ck wings wide open, locked his gaze on Charles, and spoke coldly.


    "Don''t think you won easily."


    Simultaneously, he flew backward and arrived next to the other robed Mages.


    One of them got affected by the earlier ice spell and had already frozen into a statue.


    On the other hand, the other three ck-robed mages had cast protective spells around them and blocked the ice from affecting them.


    Once Hayden arrived next to them, he nced at the nearby mage and spoke.


    "It''s better to leave now."


    At that moment, another mage on his left side waved his hand and tried to create a bluish portal.


    "Don''t-"


    Hayden tried to stop him from casting the spell, but it was toote.


    The next instant, a pir of light descended from the sky like divine punishment, crashed onto everyone, and killed them on the spot.


    Their bodies were all disintegrated into pure white light particles.


    Meanwhile, Elder Seer looked up at the defensive array enveloped the sky, curled his lips upward, and muttered with a smile.


    "The array structure is not so easy to be fooled. It is also like a Tower Spirit and has a will on its own."


    "It has its own will?" It was Charles''s turn to be surprised.


    "Why not? You think the one who created this Miracle City and the array system is not even powerful enough to create such a thing?" Elder Seer said with a chuckle and added.


    "You''ve only seen the drop of the ocean, young man. These guys must have used an artifact to block the defensive array circle''s particr function. If I''m not wrong, that particr function must be ''Kill Detect Function.'' That''s how they openly showed their killing intent and even used attack spells to assassinate me. But that one mage seemed to have forgotten that ''Long-Move Prohibition Function'' is still active."


    On the other hand, Charles raised his eyebrows in confusion and asked.


    "But why didn''t I get targeted by this function when I cast the [False Blink] spell to move earlier?"


    "Blink spell won''t cause much disturbance in the space, young man. Those types of spellse under the ''Supportive Spells Section.'' [Space Walk], [Blink], [Wind Steps], [Fate Swift], [Floating] spell and even the Rank-5 [Dimension Creation] spell woulde under this section. But if you use a [Fly] or [Teleportation] spell to move far away and cause disturbance to the surroundings, the array system could consider that act as a system breach and kill you. Even I have to abide by the rules." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "As long as you don''t cause too much disturbance in space, the defensive array won''t act."


    "Interesting." Charles nodded his head in understanding and asked a series of questions.


    "Do you have any solution for my current problem? How can I break this Time-Loop spell? Moreover, how can I stop Professor and others from assassinating you and others? What''s their main goal?"


    Meanwhile, Elder Seer also showed a troubled expression on his face and shook his head.


    "I don''t know. There seems to be a big conspiracy going on. The Destiny Conquerors... Demigod Miguel... Professor..." He suddenly paused, looked at Charles, and asked.


    "Are you sure he is an otherworldly God?"


    "Yes. The Professor in this Miracle City is nothing but an avatar. But one shouldn''t underestimate his strength." Charles responded calmly and went silent.


    Meanwhile, Elder Seer showed a grim look, activated his [Seer''s Search] skill, and searched for the loopholes in the future itself.


    "Something is blocking me from looking afar. It''s not the defensive array system but something else." He frowned deeply.


    "It might be the ck Pir''s ability. I also sensed a unique power around it." Charles spoke as he thought of the mysterious ck pir in Dew Street''s mansion building.


    Elder Seer raised his eyebrows in suspicion and was about to say something but suddenly froze.


    He seemed to have recalled something and soon widened his eyes.


    But he hurriedly returned to his calm self, let out a heavy sigh, and spoke.


    "They are definitely after Demigod Rafael''s position, young man. But your strength is not enough to change the future of this City. You should ''surrender'' to Professor the next time and let him break the ''Time-Loop'' spell. After that, you should stay in a safe ce and escape this cmity."


    Before Charles could even speak a word, Elder Seer suddenly raised his hand, touched his chest, and muttered.


    "Frozen Touch."


    A momentter, a dense ice elemental power filled with essence came out of Elder Seer''s palm and enveloped Charles''s body like wildfire.


    What startled him greatly was that none of the twenty visions in his left eye showed this future!


    Charles felt that his thoughts, consciousness, body, and even soul slowly started to freeze by this strange ice-essence power.


    ''N-No! He... is... sealing... me!''


    Realizing the seriousness, he instantly cast the [Rebirth Body] spell on himself, but nothing changed due to the excessive ice elemental energies.


    ''Sh*t!''<sub> </sub>


    That was thest thought that appeared in his mind before he got frozen in ice.


    s, he did notice that a strange cloud entered his Inner World and gave him new memories.


    In the meantime, Elder Seer turned his gaze towards the nearby frozen carriage and spoke coldly.


    "You cane out now."


    The next instant, the frozen carriage gate suddenly shattered, and soon a young man in histe twenties jumped out from it. He appeared to be around 180 cm high, had an oblong face, slightly longer ck hair, wide-set emerald eyes, and even had a hook mustache.


    He currently wore a double-breasted waistcoat, pince-nez sses, and a bowler hat on his head.


    He was none other than Professor.


    He calmly raised his hand, adjusted the sses, and smiled politely.


    "We meet again, Elder." He bowed his head and greeted him.


    On the other hand, Elder Seer showed a solemn look and asked cautiously.


    "What are you scheming?"


    Meanwhile, Professor showed a smirk and took out a strange mirror from his pocket.


    Simultaneously, he raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.


    A momentter, an invisible ripple came out of Professor''s body, spread towards the surroundings, covered the 100-meter radius area in a blink, and froze everything first.


    It was a unique spell simr to the ''Time Stop.''


    But instead of manipting the power of ''Time,'' this spell could let the user control the Fate of the objects and give multiple advantages.


    The user could slow down, speed up, or even reverse the ''Time'' itself in that domain!


    It''s called Fate World.


    Professor calmly opened his mouth, muttered something, and disappeared from there.


    He appeared next to frozen Charles a momentter, nodded his head, and shifted his gaze towards Elder Seer.


    Then, he calmly raised the mirror, let it touch Elder Seer''s head, and turned him into a pure transparent crystal statue.


    Then, he shifted his attention towards Charles and muttered.


    "Although using this spell would reveal my identity to the Time Angel, I have no other choice now."


    He moved two meters away from Charles, dropped the mirror on the dirt road, and added.


    "Floor."


    A crystallineyer appeared as the mirror touched the road and created a ssy road.


    "Nice."


    He nodded inwardly and created more than 20,000 illusionary rune characters out of thin air.


    Then, he used his thoughts to control those characters, let them move toward the ssy road, and created a unique magic array circle.


    Then, he opened his mouth, recited a mysterious chant for thirty minutes, and activated the array.


    s, nothing happened.


    "Failed." He muttered solemnly, erased it quietly by waving his hand, and recreated another array.


    He followed the same procedure for the next 45 hours in the frozen domain and finally noticed a change when he started creating the 34th array circle.


    As the rune characters moved towards the ssy floor and formed a unique array circle, the whole ssy road suddenly made a creaking noise and even shone in a golden light.


    A smile appeared on Professor''s face as he saw this change.


    He hurriedly opened his mouth and recited the incantation in a mysteriousnguage.


    But just as he recited the fourth verse, a ss-breaking sound came from behind and caused him to furrow.


    Still, he continued to recite the incantation and, at the same time, turned around to take a look.


    At that moment, the iceyer that covered Charles''s body started to crack in multiple ces and soon broke into countless pieces.


    Those ice pieces floated in midair due to the strange ''Fate World'' spell effect and slowly moved away, revealing a me human to Professor''s eyes,


    It was Charles in his elemental form!


    Charles blinked his eyes me eyes and soon curled his lips upward.

 Chapter 550 Reality

    Chapter 550: Reality


    Charles stepped forward, arrived closer to Fate Professor, and calmly looked at him.


    He had long woken up from the strange frozen state but decided to wait in the Ice.


    Meanwhile, Professor showed a surprised look on his face and was about to stop the chanting but stopped doing so.


    At that moment, he heard a calm voice in his head.


    ''Go on. Break the ''Time Loop'' spell.'' Charles folded his arms as he said those words, remained standing in the same ce and started observing his every action.


    He also memorized every verse that Professor was uttering and even copied the array circle that appeared under his feet!


    For him, this ''Time-Loop'' breaking array circle was also a treasure!


    What would happen if he entered the ''Time Loop'' spell next time and didn''t know how to break it?


    Although he could grow more powerful in the next 1,000 years, he wasn''t sure of his progression in the Future Time Ability.


    He doesn''t want to miss this opportunity.


    As for surviving this current ordeal, he already had some ns in his mind.


    ''Moreover, staying in this ''Time-Loop'' spell is no longer safer.''


    Charles knew that the longer he stayed under the ''Time Loop'' spell, the more Fate Professor would learn about him and his background.


    He didn''t want that.


    ''Professor still has no idea about my true identity yet.''


    Moreover, Elder Seer sent a memory cloud to his Inner World earlier and informed him to look for someone named ''Arayn'' in the Miracle City.


    But what startled Charles was that Elder Seer mentioned in the memory that only she had the power to save this city!


    ''The mysterious [Secret Witch]?'' He raised his eyebrows and decided to check it for himselfter.


    For now, what he had to do now was to carefully y his cards and outsmart Professor in the real world.


    On the other hand, Professor continued to recite the incantation for the next 20 minutes and finally ended the chanting.


    A golden light came out of the mysterious array circle and spread in all directions.


    Before Charles could blink, the golden light enveloped his body and turned him into pure gold particles.


    ¡­


    A secondter, Charles woke up in the Airship and let out a loud gasp.


    Simultaneously, he received minute details about the things that happened in every loop and soon engraved them into the depths of his Inner World.


    ''As I thought, each loop is a fixed timeline. That''s why I and others always acted like NPC characters in the first few visions. If not for the strange mutation that happened in my left eye, I might have gotten stuck in the ''Time-Loop'' spell forever... No, Professor would''ve caught me again and learned more about me.''


    At that moment, he saw a row of red notifications that appeared before his eyes and curled his lips upward.


    ¡­


    [Warning! Warning! Warning!]


    [Foreign Force is detected!]


    [Error! Error! Error!....]


    [''Time-Loop'' spell has been interrupted!]


    ¡­


    ''Finally!'' Charles showed a pleased smile and nodded.


    ''Although I didn''t want this spell to end sooner, I''ve no choice but to trust my wits now.'' He muttered to himself, shifted his attention towards his left eye, and tried to move the Wisdom Essence to his right eye.<sub> </sub>


    After a short dy, he managed to seed and closed both eyes.


    At that moment, a strange mutation also began in both eyes.


    He remained calm for the next two minutes and finally opened his eyes. Just like before, his left eye turned into crystalline whitish color, while the right one turned into eerie blue color.


    ''Excellent.'' A smile crept on his face.


    He then quietly nced around and searched if anyone in the Airship had amunication bracelet.


    Thankfully, the guy sitting in the left side seat had one, and he seemed to be in the middle of deep sleep!


    Charles extended his hand, released an invisible string, let it move towards the guy, and encircled themunication bracelet using it.


    After that, he turned the bracelet invisible, stealthily removed it from his hand, and pulled it in his direction.


    A secondter, he casually raised his hand, caught the invisible bracelet, and wore it in his hand.


    The next instant, a golden bracelet appeared in his right hand.


    ''Good.'' Charles nodded inwardly, let his ''Wisdom Power'' seep into the artifact, and soon linked his mind with themunication artifact.


    A row of secret rune characters appeared in his mind in a blink, along with names.


    But instead of checking them, Charles used his thoughts, dismissed them, and started writing a series of rune characters in his mind.


    Then, he also thought of Jessie''s name in Runal Language and activated it.


    A few secondster, a nging sound came from the other side, followed by a female voice.


    "Vana. Who is this?"


    ''Vana? Is it a ''Greeting word''?'' Charles furrowed his brows and hurriedly spoke.


    "This is Charles Nightwind. I''ve important news to tell you."


    "Charles?! Did you reach the Airport already, Mister? Wait. I''ll be there in five minutes." Jessie''s voice came from the other side. From her tone, it was clear that she was panicking inside.


    "Don''t. Tell Oliver to park your carriage near the Golden nket Restaurant and wait there. I''lle on my own." Charles said in a calm tone.


    "Oliver?! How did you know his name-?" Before she could ask more questions, he cut off themunication, removed the bracelet from his hand, and quietly ced it inside the original owner''s pocket.


    Then, he touched his space ring, searched for something, and soon took a fist-sized blue crystalline ball from it.


    It was a regr crystal ball made of Sapphire.


    He casually held it in his hand, analyzed it quietly, guessed its exact weight, and put it in his coat. After that, he leaned toward the side window and looked at the gigantic city.


    As the Airship entered the range of the Defensive Array System, it slowed down its speed, moved closer to the floating city, and soon descended towards the city''s northern direction.


    At that moment, two crew members also told everyone to fasten their seatbelts and announced aboutnding.


    For Charles, everything appeared repetitive.


    The Airship soonnded next to a half-egg-shaped building, and its propellers also slowed down. At that moment, the blue mes spewing out from the propellers also quietened down and disappeared.


    Meanwhile, Charles undid his seatbelt, adjusted his bowler''s hat, and stood up before joining the long queue.


    But just as he took a few steps, he suddenly halted his footsteps and furrowed as he saw a change in his left eye.


    ''They are already here?''


    He hurriedly moved towards the left-side ss window, looked outside, and soon saw quite a few ck-armored security guards standing outside.


    He even saw a familiar face among those security guards and turned gloomy.


    ''How did Johne here so fast? It seems Professor is nning on cornering me from the beginning itself.'' He looked around grimly, returned to the queue, and followed other passengers.

 Chapter 551 Hayley

    Chapter 551: Harley


    But just as Charles moved on the aisle, he suddenly thought of something and looked for an airship hostess.


    He soon saw a young woman standing along the way and was in the middle of helping a passenger to take his luggage from the overhead locker.


    ''She is good.'' He nodded thoughtfully, stealthily took out a water bottle from the nearby seat, opened the tab, and held it in his right hand.


    He then moved along with the crowd of passengers and studied the hostess closely.


    She appeared to be around 20 years old, tied her long auburn hair into a knot, and even applied bronze skin color on her fair skin. She had beautiful jade eyes, plump reddish lips, and a pretty round face. She also wore a red-formal dress and looked more like a model.


    As he moved closer towards her, the young woman finally took the trolley from the overhead locker, gave it to the 60-years-old man, and turned around.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly bumped into her and pressed his broad chest against her big melons.


    "Oh! I''m sorry, Miss." He apologized politely and tried to back away, but the crowd from behind pushed him forcefully.


    Due to the sudden push, Charles lost his hand grip and ''identally'' hugged her.


    On the other hand, the hostess also raised her hand to hold something but pressed the water bottle instead.


    The next instant, water sshed from the bottle and drenched their clothes.


    "I''m sorry, sir!" She apologized with a panicked face and covered her half-transparent white shirt using the red zer-like coat.


    "It''s alright." Charles waved his hand, wiped his face, removed the coat from his body, and asked.


    "Can you take me to the restroom? I can''t go out like this now, can I?"


    Meanwhile, the hostess nodded with a slight blush, moved towards the right side empty seats, and sat on the middle seat before covering her shirt.


    Then, she looked at Charles and spoke.


    "Please sit here and let others move first, Sir. I''ll guide you to the restroom once the passengers get out."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded, moved towards the right side, sat next to her, and asked in curiosity.


    "What''s your name, Miss?"


    Upon seeing the anxious look, he let out a chuckle and responded.


    "I''m not going to make anyint. I''m just asking casually."


    Meanwhile, the hostess breathed a sigh of relief, stared into his eyes, and responded.


    "I''m Harley, Sir."


    Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise, ced his hand on her left hand, and asked.


    "Ember or Herath?"


    "Pardon?" Harley got stunned by his question and tilted her head in confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles showed a smile and answered.


    "You must be from the Ember Kingdom or Herath, right? Only those two kingdoms have people with unique auburn hair. Moreover, your face looks more like the face of southerners. So, it''s an easy guess."


    On the other hand, Harley showed an impressed look on her face and nodded.


    "I''m from the Hearth Kingdom. But my family members left the Kingdom due to some political infighting and came to Miracle City around 30 years ago. After that, I enrolled in the City''s Airspace Academy and became a hostess not too long ago." She deliberated for a moment and asked.


    "What about you, Sir?"


    Charles smiled bitterly and responded.


    "You can think of me as a lone knight."


    "What about your family?" Harley asked, frowning.


    A solemn look appeared on Charles''s face as he heard that question.


    "There is no one alive to talk about them, Miss. Both of my parents have long gone. My father got assassinated while I was still an infant, and I know nothing much about him. On the other hand, my mother got killed by a powerful enemy not too long ago. As for my grandparents, I''ve no idea about their current location. They too have probably died after all these years."<sub> </sub>


    Upon hearing his story, Harley widened her eyes in surprise and soon apologized.


    "I''m sorry for asking something unpleasant. What about your life, Sir? Aren''t you married yet?"


    "Marriage? I haven''t thought of falling in love with someone yet."


    At that moment, only a few dozen people stood behind them in a queue.


    On the other hand, Harley blinked her eyes in surprise, moved her lips closer to Charles''s right ear, and asked teasingly.


    "Aren''t I attractive?"


    Although it was inappropriate to tease the passengers, she didn''t put too much thought into it.


    At that moment, Charles turned his face, looked into her eyes, and decided to y with her.


    "You are attractive. But to be my woman, you need more than that."


    "More than that? Care to exin more about it?" Surprise shed on Harley''s face.


    It was the first time Harley had heard of a man putting conditions for marriage, and she got stunned inside.


    ''No wonder he remains single till today.''


    On the other hand, Charles stood up from the seat and spoke.


    "First, you''ve to be a smart woman. Unfortunately, you haven''t done anything smart to impress me yet."


    ''Wait. Did this guy call me dumb?'' Harley stared at him with a dumbfounded look, hurriedly noticed that the passengers had already walked past them, and stood up.


    At that moment, Charles stepped towards the aisle, helped Harley step out from the middle seat, and asked.


    "Shall we go now?"


    In the meantime, Harley subconsciously smiled, took the lead, and spoke.


    "Come this way, Sir."


    Saying so, she guided him towards the end of the airship and soon stopped in front of a small room.


    "This is it." She spoke as she arrived near the restroom and removed her red coat.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly looked at her transparent shirt and shook his head.


    "Seduction isn''t an ability to prove your smartness. Try something new.-"


    Before Charles could finish the sentence, she suddenly moved her body forward, pressed her lips on his own, and kissed him.


    Both of their tongues twisted like snakes and caressed each other.


    At that moment, Charles blinked his eyes, hugged her with his left hand, and opened the restroom door using the other one.


    Then, he quietly carried her inside, roughly mmed her body on the restroom wall, and locked the door. After that, he moved his left hand, untied the button on her white shirt, and removed it.


    Simultaneously, he also removed his pants and inners


    Moans came out of Harley''s mouth as Charles''s hand slid into her skirt, her smooth panty, and touched her lower mouth.


    Meanwhile, Harley separated her mouth, licked her red lips, and urged him.


    "Make it quick. I''ve to return- Ahh."


    Before finishing her words, Charles removed her skirt and white panty and lifted her body upward.


    Meanwhile, Harley leaned forward and was about to kiss him again but stopped.


    At that moment, she saw him smiling at her and opening his mouth.


    "Let''s meet again someday." His voice echoed in her head like some divine sentence.


    But before she could understand the situation, her eyes started to turn blurry.

 Chapter 552 Explosions

    Chapter 552: Explosions


    At that moment, the young man''s whisper appeared in her head.


    "I''ve to go now. Sleep well."


    A secondter, she nked out entirely and fell with a thud.


    Meanwhile, Charles took a needle from his space ring, made a small wound on her finger, and let a drop of her blood fall on his palm.


    Then, he created a new identity imprint, shape-shifted himself into Harley, and started changing his dress.


    Once he was done, he took a deep look at Harley''s face, covered her naked body with a new ck dress, and walked out of the restroom.


    He quietly moved down the aisle while putting the lipstick on his lips and soon reached the Airship''s front.


    At that moment, three hostesses who stood next to the exit gate noticed his arrival and waved their hands at him.


    "Where were you, Harley? The captain is searching for you."


    "What does he want? My shift is already over, right?" Charles mimicked Harley''s voice and asked while raising his eyebrows.


    "Who knows? He might be nning to invite you on a date." One of the hostesses showed a teasing smile and started walking toward the Airship''s control room to notify the Captain.


    On the other hand, Charles looked outside through the exit gate and saw John and other security guards were checking everyone''s identity.


    "Okay. I''m gettingte already." He muttered calmly, turned his gaze towards the hostess on his right side, and added.


    "Tell Captain to contact me through themunication device. I''m on my way to see an important person."


    Before the other girl could respond, he moved towards the exit gate, walked on the illusionary staircase, and soon reached the concrete road.


    Then, he turned his gaze at the half-egg-shaped building and walked towards it.


    Although the security guards and John noticed her presence, they didn''t mind her and continued to do their work.


    On the other hand, Charles soon entered the building, walked through the long corridor, and took out the bluish crystalline ball from his space ring.


    At that moment, a big-bellied man, who walked next to him, looked at the crystal ball and asked in curiosity.


    "What is that crystal ball, Young Lady? Is it a Charm Stone?"


    Charles frowned as he heard the old man''s question and spoke femininely.


    "It''s a mystic stone called ''Diviner''s Eye.'' I brought it for 4,300 Blood Stones."


    Meanwhile, the big-bellied man looked at it suspiciously and probed in interest.


    "What can it do?"


    Charles curled his lips and gave him a short exnation.


    "As long as you look at the crystal ball for 30 seconds, you''ll be able to get a peek at your future. Although I don''t know if this stone could still work in the Miracle City due to the presence of a defensive array system, I want to try it out."


    On the other hand, the big-bellied man got more curious and asked.


    "Can I try it first?"


    Charles showed a hesitant look and soon nodded before passing the crystal to him.


    "Don''t drop it." He added.


    On the other hand, the big-bellied man caught the crystal ball with both hands, walked into the baggage counter hall with Charles, and looked at the crystal ball deeply.


    At that moment, he had already moved closer to the reddish broken array circle and was only a few meters away from it.


    Charles suddenly extended his right hand, released an invisible string, and moved it towards the young man who walked ahead of them.


    The invisible string crept slowly towards his head and touched his left ear.


    The young man got startled by the touch sensation, halted his footsteps suddenly, and furrowed.


    ''What was that?'' He hurriedly raised his hand and touched his ears but found nothing abnormal.


    While he was in deep thoughts, the big-bellied man also continued to walk forward and ''identally'' bumped into him.


    Due to the sudden bump, he moved his hand in reflex hands and dropped the bluish crystalline ball!


    "Oh no!" He shouted in shock and tried to bend his body but couldn''t due to therge belly.


    Meanwhile, the crystalline ball made a nging noise, bounced upward like a rubber ball, and moved forward.


    After the third bounce, it directlynded on the reddish array circle and made a final touch.


    A secondter, an invisible power came out of nowhere and caused the array circle to crack.


    In a blink, reddish fire came out of the broke array circle, enveloped the young man and the big-bellied man, and disintegrated them into ashes.


    It was the chaos fire!


    But the fire didn''t stop here, though. It soon spread towards the surroundings, activated the nearby array circles, and caused severe explosions!<sub> </sub>


    Although a strange invisible power appeared around that area to deactivate the defensive arrays in seconds, it was toote.


    The whole Baggage Hall was enveloped in reddish me in mere seconds and burned everyone.


    Even the powerful Rank-5 Airport Guards got affected by the reddish me and disintegrated into pure ashes.


    Only a single humanoid figure remained calm in the sea of me, slowly stepped forward, and started walking towards the hall''s exit.


    Soon, the me figure calmly exited the baggage counter hall and entered the security checking hall.


    Due to the shockwave, tables, chairs, many scanning artifacts, and even the people in the nearby hall were tossed up in different directions, and the whole area appeared devastated.


    Although the security guards were shocked by the sudden appearance of a me humanoid figure, nobody gave a damn about it.


    At that moment, those security guards and other passengers crawled around on the floor and tried their best to move toward the Airport''s entrance gate.


    Meanwhile, the humanoid me figure started to transform and changed into an appearance of a deep-blue haired naked young man.


    It was none other than Charles.


    He quietly walked out of the Airport as the people ran around in panic, took out a shirt and pants, and put them on.


    Once he was done, he cast the [False Blink] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared 20 meters away from the entrance gate.


    He continued to cast the [False Blink] spell, left the Airport''s territory in a few seconds, and soon appeared in the middle of the dirt road.


    ...


    A few seconds ago, a naked youngdy whoy in the restroom suddenly let out a gasp and opened her eyes widely.


    Simultaneously, she heard explosive noises from somewhere and widened her eyes.


    She then sat up in a hurry, looked at the ck dress on herp, and chuckled.


    "He is a good kisser." She licked her lips, stood up with a half-smirked face, and took the red bra from the floor. Then, she peeked at her reflection in the opposite mirror as she tried to wear the bra and hummed a strange tune. Slowly, she wore her panty, picked up the linen shirt, and sniffed it before opening her mouth to sing.


    "May you live long, Mother~ Please listen to me ~


    Do not harass her, saying that you saw her go up


    ande down the lookout tform like a peacock


    earrings that gleamed like midnight lightning


    and spreading loosely braided hair,


    when heavy rains with roaring thunder and


    lightning had stopped, and it was pitch dark~" She paused as she had forgotten the next verse, buttoned the shirt, and soon smiled.


    Then, she picked up the ck pant and continued to sing.


    "Those who dream in their sleep can get confused


    and feel like they saw the God in person who wears


    bright flowers from our grove and appear in the


    forms that they desire.


    She trembles when she is alone in the dark, and


    seeks protection due to her fear when the ''owl'' on the


    ancient tree in themon ground hoots.


    On top of that, if she does something, won''t she be


    afraid of her father, who is in the house abandoning


    hunting with his pack of dogs


    and is filled with great rage like Periyon?~"


    By the time she finished singing the strange song, she had worn the new dress and nodded her pretty head.


    "It was a fun talk indeed." She muttered with a mysterious smile on her face and snapped her fingers.


    The next instant, she closed her eyes, remained in the same position for the next three seconds, and opened her eyes again.


    But instead of calmness, she showed a confused look on her face, looked around in anxiety, and soon froze as she saw the formal ck dress instead of a red one.


    "Where am I? Wait! Why am I in the restroom now?! The Airship is going tond sooner!" She snapped out of the daze and hurriedly ran out of the restroom.


    But to her shock, she soon realized that there was no passenger inside the Airship and waspletely dumbfounded!


    "What the hell happened?" Harley uttered with a disbelief look on her face.

 Chapter 553 Travel

    Chapter 553: Travel


    Charles hurriedly cast the [False Blink] spell and moved once again. After blinking a few more times, he soon reached the Golden nket Restaurant and stopped at the entrance.


    Then, he nced around and soon zeroed his gaze on a particr little old-fashioned but elegant carriage.


    At that moment, a whirly blonde-haired young woman in her reddish-long gown stood next to the carriage''s door and appeared to be talking to someone through themunication device.


    As he walked closer to her, he released his wisdom power and probed the strange waveing through themunication bracelet.


    He heard a familiar male voice from the bracelet a secondter and furrowed.


    ''Could you please tell your location and your name, mam?''


    It was none other than John''s voice!


    ''They finally found the bracelet, huh.'' A smirk appeared on Charles''s face. Then, he arrived closer to Jessie, signaled her to stop talking, and removed the silver bracelet from her hand.


    After that, he released more wisdom power into the bracelet, broke the hundreds of magic array circles, and destroyed themunication bracelet.


    He then tossed the silver bracelet to the nearby dustbin and muttered.


    "Let''s talk inside."


    Without waiting for her response, he moved towards the carriage''s door, turned the knob before opening it, and walked inside.


    At the same time, he thought of something and ordered.


    "Oliver, drive the carriage to the North. Our destination is 88 Rocky Street."


    "Yes, sir," Oliver responded with a nod, pulled the horse reins, and started driving the carriage.


    Meanwhile, Jessie walked into the carriage with a confused look and closed the door from inside.


    As the carriage moved away from the restaurant''s entrance, Jessie sat on the back seat, closed the curtains, looked at Charles, and asked.


    "What happened, Mr. Charles? I thought you came here to seal the Affinity Potion. Moreover, why did you tell me to wait here instead of going to the airport to pick you up?"


    On the other hand, Charles leaned his back on the carriage seat and looked at Jessie''s status.


    ...


    [Name: Jessie Jones


    Health Status: Normal


    Age: 36


    Race: Human (????)


    Main ss: Mind Maniptor (Rank-4)


    Sub-ss: Blood Duke (Rank-4)


    Title: Apostle of Blood


    Health Points: 650/650


    Attributes:


    Strength- 24.0


    Dexterity- 24.6


    Constitution- 23.4


    Wisdom-96


    Charisma- 24


    Main ss skills:


    Conscious Control, Mind Reading, Thoughts Maniption, Opposite Thoughts, Truth Finder, Mind Illusion, Mind Storm.


    Sub ss Skills:


    Blood Freeze, Bloodline ver, Blood Spear, Siren''s Eye.


    Unique Skills: None


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Blood: Good


    Knowledge: High.]


    ...


    After looking at her status for a second, he dismissed it and asked a question instead of responding.


    "How many ves do you have now?"


    Meanwhile, Jessie froze for a moment and soon widened her eyes.


    "How did you find out?"<sub> </sub>


    "I heard a lot about your blood envement skill from Mr. Rh." Charles paused for a moment and then asked.


    "So, how much manpower do you have?"


    Jessie went silent for a second, moved her hand towards the door knot, locked the space inside the carriage, and answered.


    "I currently have 46 Rank-3 Mystics, 405 Rank-1, and Rank-2 Mystics in this Miracle City, Mr. Charles. Most of them are bloodline Warlocks and could do all kinds of stealth works for us."


    "Oh? What about Rank-4 Mystics?" Charles asked in surprise.


    "Rank-4 Mystics are hard to control, Mister. Even if I cast my Blood Control skill on them, they would enter their Inner World and nullify my spell. Even my [Mind Maniption] skill has no use in this situation." Jessie responded solemnly.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and finally spoke.


    "We aren''t going after the potion now. Instead, I''m nning on doing some secret mission. Can you help me with that?"


    Before Jessie could open her mouth to respond, he raised his head and added.


    "I''m warning you, Jessie. It''s more dangerous than you think. In short, you''ve to hide important information in your Inner World to even walk out of this carriage."


    Even after hearing his warning, no sign of anxiety or fear appeared on Jessie''s face.


    Instead, she calmly looked into his eyes and spoke.


    "I''m used to doing these kinds of stealth works, Mister." She deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Tell me more detail about this secret mission."


    On the other hand, Charles nodded his head, took out a silver pocket watch from his space ring, opened the outer case, and looked into it.


    "It''s 6.58 A.M now. It will be more like a series of missions. Anyway, our first job is to steal something from someone with a higher position." While saying this, he raised his hand, extracted a small part of his memory cloud from his Inner World, and sent it to Jessie''s forehead.


    Before Jessie could even blink her eyes, a piece of memory entered her Inner World and was engraved deep into her mind.


    ''So fast!''


    She hurriedly closed her eyes and entered her Inner World.


    She soon found herself seated on the throne made of human bones and looked at the surroundings a momentter. Corpses, blood pools, bones, and skeletons were the only things that appeared in her Inner World, and the whole world looked eerier. Three blood moons also materialized in the dark sky and illuminated her Inner World in a reddish light.


    Currently, she wore a long dark gown, a reddish crown on her head, and looked more like an Evil Goddess than some random young woman.


    Without minding the strange screaming noisesing from all those fresh corpses and flesh-sticked skeletons, she crossed her legs and looked into the newly appeared memories.


    "Hmm, we aren''t going to 88 Rocky Street but to an abandoned Church. But before that, we need to create an ''ident'' and use that ident to steal something from a particr man named ''Fate Professor''... Wait, is he the Director of the Security Department? How did Charles know him? It seems he isn''t a normal foe." She nodded, safely hid the particr information, and left her Inner World.


    A momentter, she opened her eyes, looked at Charles on the opposite seat, and asked.


    "How are we going to find our target''s carriage?"


    "Our target usually travels in a security carriage. So, it won''t be a problem." Charles said calmly, opened the carriage door, looked outside, and noticed that their carriage was still moving on the main road.


    He then stuck his head out and ordered.


    "Oliver, stop the carriage."


    "Yes, Sir," Oliver didn''t say any word and parked the carriage towards the roadside.


    Meanwhile, Charles shut the carriage door, raised his hand, and touched his face.


    Simultaneously, he linked his mind with the ''Identity Imprints,'' chose the ''Vivian''s identity Imprint'' and transformed. He knew that using Edith''s or Julius''s identity Imprint could expose his original identity, so he thought of acting cautiously.


    Under Jessie''s dumbfounded gaze, he started to shape-shift and transformed into a silver-haired woman.


    His oval face changed into a square one, his jade eyes turned sky-blue color, his chest area also bulged abnormally, and he appeared more like a 30 to 35 years old woman!


    Meanwhile, Jessie showed a horrified look and asked in wariness.


    "What the f*ck is this?!"


    Charles removed his current dress without minding her gaze and took out ady''s dress like a long-sleeved shirt, a ck-colored pencil skirt, a ck frock coat, and even a red scarf from his space ring.


    Then, he wore them one by one and started doing a little makeup.


    After that, he cleared his throat, looked at the stupefied Jessie, and smiled warmly.


    "I can shape-shift into anyone I want." He stated in a feminine tone.


    "I-I can see that myself." Jessie stuttered a little and soon heaved a deep sigh to calm her emotions.


    Meanwhile, Charles opened the pocket watch and checked the time.


    "It''s 7.02 A.M,''" He muttered.


    After that, he opened the carriage door and jumped down from the carriage.


    He soon moved towards the driver''s seat and spoke.


    "I''ll do the driving from now on. You can go to the passengers'' seat and take some rest with Jessie. We have a long day ahead."


    ...

 Chapter 554 Noel

    Chapter 554: Noel


    Airport, Underground District, Miracle City.


    It was around 7.05 A.M.


    At that moment, a young man in his twenties suddenly appeared at the Airport''s entrance gate and adjusted his blower hat.


    He had ck hair, wide-set emerald eyes, and a hook mustache. He wore a double-breasted waistcoat, pince-nez sses, and held a unique long sword.


    After adjusting his hat, he calmly looked at the surroundings and zeroed his gaze on the burning interior.


    "What a mess." He muttered out loud.


    Although the defensive array mechanism had put out most of the fire, tables, chairs, and trolleys that appeared at the Luggage counter were still burning.


    Panic cries, screams, and shouts still resounded everywhere.


    At that moment, a few people in ck uniforms walked from the other side and arrived near him. They all held weapons in their hands and appeared well-organized.


    A secondter, a silver-haired middle-aged man stepped forward and greeted him.


    "Greetings, Professor."


    "Good morning, John. How is the search going? Did you find any clue about ''him''?"


    A forced smile appeared on John''s face as he heard his words. He then let out a deep sigh and responded while taking amunication bracelet from his pocket.


    "Unfortunately, we have no clue about him, Professor. Even though we watched out for anyone with a suspicious identity, he fooled all of us and created a series of explosions at the Luggage Counter before escaping. Still, we managed to find out that he stole amunication device from a fellow passenger and used it to contact a woman named ''Jessie.'' Currently, Felix and Preston are searching for more information about her."


    Just as he spoke, two young men in theirte twenties ran from the half-destroyed airport building and stopped in front of Professor.


    "We found out her real identity, My Lord." One of the young men spoke excitedly, took out a strange silver ring from his pocket, and sent his wisdom power into it.


    A secondter, a holographic image of a blonde-haired young woman appeared in front of their eyes.


    "She is the one, My Lord. Her name is Jessie Jones, and she came to the Miracle City only a few years ago." He stated.


    Meanwhile, Professor took a deep look at Jessie''s face and nodded.


    "Tell me more about her. Where is her origin? I want to know herplete history."


    On the other hand, the young man took a deep breath and spoke.


    "ording to the data collected from the information department, we found out that she is an orphan from the Moon Kingdom, My Lord. Around 20 years ago, she and the other three orphans went to the Moon Kingdom''s capital city to search for a bright future but met a mysterious Ancient Mage named Oswald. Later, that Mysterious Mage brought them to the Iron Kingdom and chose to settle there."


    "But to everyone''s surprise, one of the four orphan kids turned out to be a lost princess. After learning the truth, this orphan group and the Mysterious Ancient Mage seemed to have made some n, defeated all the scheming enemies, and even helped the Lost Princess sit on the throne. Their story became famous all over the southern part of the kingdoms. Jessie Jonester created an informationwork organization called ''Silent Nightmares'' and became the pir of the Iron Kingdom." He paused for a moment and then added in a grave tone.


    "From what our information department mages had learned so far, she seemed to have already made contacts with multiple Warlocks and even founded a branch organization in the Miracle City. Unfortunately, we don''t have enough evidence to arrest her. Due to her low strength, her current threat level is only at ''Medium'' level."


    Professor raised his eyebrows as he heard the lengthy exnation but returned to his usual self.


    ''Something isn''t right. Although Jessie could pose some danger to the city''s security, she is still a low-rank Mystic.'' He pondered for a moment and ordered.


    "Tell me more about the other three orphans and the Mysterious Ancient Mage."


    Nodding, that young man tapped the silver ring thrice, minimized the bluish hologram, and created a new holographic image.


    A ck-haired young woman''s face appeared in front of everyone this time.


    She sat on an iron throne and wore a one-shouldered pink tulle gown in that image. She had pale white skin, azure eyes, thin eyebrows, and an oval face.


    "Her name is Rhea Bonere, My Lord. She is the Queen of Iron Kingdom and even gained membership of the Lawful United Council seven years ago. Interestingly, a well-famous Seer from the Rogue Throne Empire made a prophecy about her a few years ago and said she would bring some big news to the Edhen World during the next United Council Meeting. Unfortunately, others aren''t sure about his ims."


    Meanwhile, Professor calmly waved his hand and spoke.


    "Next one."


    The young man hurriedly tapped the ring''s surface thrice and dismissed the holographic image.


    He created another holographic image of a chubby-faced young man two secondster.


    "His name is Noel, My Lord. Unlike the other two, we''ve less information about this guy. He is a mysterious swordsman." He paused for a moment as he read more information that appeared on the bottom of the holographic image and soon turned grim.<sub> </sub>


    "But some confidential information appeared about this guy recently, My Lord. And, this information is not to be taken lightly."


    "What is it?" A trace of annoyance appeared on Professor''s face. After all, he came here in a hurry to kill a powerful schemer, not to hear information about some random kids!


    Meanwhile, the young man showed a stiff smile and added.


    "He became a member of the Unseen Legends a week ago and even seemed to have killed No.25. From the rumors, everyone says that his strength should be close to Legend Rank." The young man''s face suddenly went pale as he further read the information and quivered a little.


    "A-Also, he seemed to have entered the Dreamforce Lair and obtained the legacy-" He gulped down his saliva and spoke fearfully.


    "He obtained the Legacy of Star Emperor!"


    For the first time, Professor''s face turned into a surprised one. No, his face turned into a shocked one at the end!


    He was amazed when he heard that Noel managed to kill No.25 of the Unseen Legends.


    Unlike other organizations, Unseen Legends Assassin Organization members'' strength was based on the code numbers.


    Number 50 or above means that the assassin was a Rank-4 Mystic.


    Number 30 or above means he should be around Pseudo-Legend Mystic.


    But No.25 means that the person would be a Legend Rank Powerhouse!


    Although they wouldn''t be as powerful as peak-level Legend Powerhouses like Brooks or other Destiny Conquerors, they could still pose some serious threat to any Rank-5 Mystics.


    So, killing such a person at a young age was not an ordinary matter.


    ''Did he get some Intellectual artifact or something?'' Such thought appeared in his mind.


    But the reason for his shock was not his Unseen Legends membership but the information about Star Emperor''s legacy.


    "How did he manage toe back alive from the Dream Realm? I heard that even the Rogue Shadow failed to do so, right?" A frown appeared on his face.


    ''Something is fishy. I have a suspicion that this guy must be possessed by the Emperor''s Will or something and is exhibiting extraordinary strength.''


    But he shook his head and focused his attention on the current situation.


    "He isn''t our target. Although he might have the power to kill a Legend Rank Powerhouse, he is still weak to kill me." He muttered solemnly.


    ''Moreover, ''Time-Stop'' and ''Time-Loop'' spells aren''t some random swordsman could cast casually.''


    "What about the Mysterious Ancient Mage and the fourth orphan?" He asked.


    "Both of them died more than ten years ago, My Lord. Other than them, no one seemed to be on closer term with Jessie."


    At that moment, Professor shifted his attention towards John and asked.


    "What about the target''s name? Haven''t you guys found out from the Airship''s ticket counter?"


    Meanwhile, John shook his head and responded with a sigh.


    "The earlier explosions destroyed all those data, Professor. All we got was thismunication bracelet which he stole from the nearby passenger and used to warn the girl named ''Jessie.''"


    "Oh? Can I take a look?" Professor extended his right hand and took out the golden bracelet from John''s hand.


    Then, he closed his eyes, used [Fate Reveal] skill, and tried to search for clues about their destination.


    A few secondster, he suddenly opened his eyes and muttered with a smile.


    "Found him. He is heading to 88 Rocky Street. Where is that ce located?"


    "It''s in the southern end of the Underground District, Professor. If we go by carriage, it will take only 30 minutes." John responded hurriedly and ordered the nearby soldier to bring the carriage.


    Before long, three carriages came from the parking area and stopped near the Airport''s entrance.


    Meanwhile, Professor stepped towards the center carriage, opened the carriage door, and entered.


    On the other hand, John and other security guards moved towards the other two carriages and walked in.


    Those three carriages drove towards the Airport''s exit and soon entered the Underground District''s main road within a few seconds.

 Chapter 555 Accident

    Chapter 555: ident


    Main Road, Underground District, Miracle City.


    It was around 7.18 A.M.


    At that moment, a whirly blonde-haired girl in her reddish gown stood on the roadside and held a ssic ck umbre in her right hand.


    She was none other than Jessie.


    She casually looked around, touched her silver-colored spatial ring, and took out a golden pocket watch.


    After that, she flipped the outer case, nced inside, and nodded.


    ''50 more seconds.'' While muttering, she looked up ahead and saw three ck-curtained carriages with unique cross-sword symbolsing from the front.


    ''They are here.''


    She looked behind and saw another golden-curtained luxurious carriage starting to move from the roadside.


    At that moment, the silver-haired woman who sat in the driver''s seat seemed to have sensed her gaze and nodded her head.


    ''What a terrifying precognition he has. Moreover, how did he know that those three carriages woulde to this exact location at 7.19? I wouldn''t be shocked if he turned himself into our ''Teacher'' one day and fooled us all.'' But she had confidence in her ability to differentiate between this young man and her Teacher.


    Shaking her hand, she gripped the umbre''s handle, faced herself towards the road, and stood there in silence.


    Seconds passed slowly, and soon it was 7.19 A.M.


    The carriages were only 200 meters away from where she was standing and moving closer towards her at an incredible speed.


    The white horse that carted the carriage in the front ran madly while the coachmen constantly pulled the horse reins and controlled its movement speed.


    Soon, the horse ran past Jessie and moved further.


    On the other hand, she casually raised her head, locked her gaze on the carriage driver, and tapped her forefinger on the umbre''s handle.


    Meanwhile, the coachman suddenly felt a sharp, aching feeling over his chest and went stiff.


    He hurriedly ced his hand on his chest and tried to scream but couldn''t.


    Simultaneously, his vision turned blurry and wentpletely nk.


    The coachman then slowly slid from the driver''s seat and fell under the carriage''s left wheel.


    By the time he realized his situation, the metal-coated wheel had run over his head and crushed it like a watermelon!


    It all happened too fast for anyone even to realize how he died.


    Due to the sudden bump, the horse also went off-course.


    Meanwhile, the ck carriage moved towards the road''s other side and collided with the ''golden carriage'' that drove from the opposite side!


    Thankfully, the ''silver-haired woman'' managed to perceive the ident and created a water shield to minimize the damage.


    Still, the collision was too fast, causing the ck-armored men in the carriage to fly out in different directions.


    The carriage''s top was torn off from the carriage andnded on the dirt road.


    John was also among the victims as he rolled on the dirt road and stopped right under Jessie''s foot.


    Meanwhile, the two ck carriages that drove behind this one collided due to the sudden ident and slowly stopped.


    Simr minor idents happened all over the ce as all coachmen from the nearby carriages tried to move further away from the idental area and control their horses.


    Within ten seconds, the whole main street became disorganized.


    Then, coachmen and the passengers walked out of the carriages and tried to check what had happened.


    On the other hand, the nearby shop owners and onlookers like Jessie also moved forward to help the ck-armored security guards.


    At that moment, Jessie showed a shocked look on her face and hurriedly bent down to help the silver-haired man.


    "Are you alright, sir?" She asked in an anxious tone.


    Meanwhile, John coughed a little, sat up without much difficulty, and patted the sand on his arm.


    "Such a minor ident won''t kill me." He said as he stood up from the road and looked in the direction where the coachman''s headless body was twitching.


    He then stepped forward and moved over there in a hurry.


    At that moment, Professor and other ck-armored security guards also walked out of the other two carriages and moved towards the coachman''s headless body.


    Arge crowd was gathered next to the coachman''s body in seconds.


    Meanwhile, John looked at Professor and was about to ask what had happened, but someone else asked before him.


    "What happened?" A young feminine voice echoed as a silver-haired woman excluded the crowd and arrived near John.


    Although she wasn''t a beauty queen, her revealing big melons attracted every man''s eyes in the crowd.


    Even John got distracted for a moment and soon snapped out of it.


    He then shook his head and responded.


    "We don''t know why he suddenly fell from his driver''s seat." He suddenly stopped talking, shifted his gaze towards the ck-haired young man, and waited for his answer.


    Meanwhile, Professor squatted down, touched the dead coachman''s chest, and closed his eyes.<sub> </sub>


    Two secondster, he opened his eyes and muttered solemnly.


    "His heart stopped all of a sudden... No, his blood movement stopped." He froze as he thought of something, took out his pocket watch from his space ring, and flipped open the outer case before looking inside.


    "7.19." His face turned gloomy.


    "I knew it. It must be Jessie''s blood ability." He instantly activated his [Past Touch] skill and recreated the ''past scene'' that happened a while ago in his mind.


    He then stood up from the ground and looked at the surroundings.


    He quietly observed the nearby store owners, workers, ordinary people, and even a few cats running here and there.


    After that, he locked his gaze on a whirly blonde-haired girl who stood only a few meters away from where he was and raised his eyebrows.


    At that moment, Jessie took out a pocket watch from her space ring and checked the time.


    Then, she looked in the direction where the ck carriages wereing from and smiled mysteriously.


    Then, she turned her head, looked behind, and nodded.


    ''An ally?'' Professor also followed her gaze and soon squinted as he saw the silver-haired woman!


    He identified her in an instant.


    ''She is the one who asked John about the ident!''


    Although they didn''t interact much, Professor instantly realized that they knew each other and turned grim.


    He then shifted his gaze towards Jessie, quietly observed her every action, and soon saw how she tapped the umbre''s handle and stealthily killed the coachman.


    ''She is indeed a big nuisance.''


    Muttering inwardly, he broke the ''Past Illusion'' spell from his mind, opened his eyes, and hurriedly looked around.


    "Where is she?" He asked grimly and released his wisdom power to check the surroundings.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t find her anywhere near the surroundings!


    Meanwhile, John showed a startled look on his face and asked.


    "Who are you talking about, Professor?"


    "It''s the silver-haired woman," Professor said coldly and stood up.


    Then, he also searched for Jessie but found no clue.


    "She was just here a while ago-" John abruptly paused as he didn''t notice how she managed to slip away from his sense and widened his eyes in shock.


    ''How did she disappear suddenly? I didn''t even sense any spatial fluctuation nearby.''


    He hurriedly calmed down his mind and asked.


    "Is she the one you are looking for, Professor?"


    "No. That woman used a water spell to block the carriage." Professor furrowed his brows in suspicion and soon frowned.


    ''Something is wrong. Who is the enemy? Why did he create this ident? Is he trying to stop me from going to Rocky Street?''


    But what shocked him was the enemy''sprehension of the ''Future Time.''


    ''No, it must be the ''Time-Loop'' spell that strengthened hisprehension of the Future Time.'' He nodded inwardly and muttered.


    "Let''s go. We''ve no time to waste." He said as he nced at his pocket watch and noticed that it was already 7.20 A.M.


    ''Tsk, even if I find her, I won''t be able to kill her.'' He clicked his tongue in annoyance, turned his gaze towards the few injured ck-armored security guards, and ordered.


    "Take care of this mess."


    Then, he moved towards the nearby ck carriage, opened the wooden door, and walked in.


    John also followed after him, signaled the coachman to start driving the carriage, and stepped inside.


    After that, he closed the carriage door and sat on the rear seat.


    On the other hand, a few more ck-armored security guards moved towards the other carriage and entered.


    Within a few seconds, two ck-curtained carriages drove again and went in the opposite direction.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired young man walked away from the crowd and looked in the direction where the carriages were moving.


    "Well, that ended smoothly." Saying so, he took out a strange rainbow-colored feather from his pocket and stored it in his space ring.


    Then, he adjusted his bowler hat, turned towards the slightly damaged luxurious carriage, and started walking towards it.


    A few secondster, he arrived near the carriage''s door, knocked on it thrice, and muttered.


    "You cane out now."


    The next instant, the carriage door opened with a bang, and soon a beautiful young woman in her twenties walked out of it.


    At that moment, she had already changed her dress into a formal ck one and even held a sheathed dagger.


    Meanwhile, Charles took out a straw hat from his space ring and put it on her head.


    "Let''s go. Oliver should have brought another carriage and must be waiting for us." Saying so, Charles turned around and started walking in the airport''s direction.

 Chapter 556 Fortune Ladys Warning

    Chapter 556: Fortune Lady''s Warning


    Charles and Jessie arrived at a carriage house named ''Alpite Cottage'' a few minutester and spotted Oliver standing at the entrance. A horse-drawn carriage with two white horses appeared on his left side.


    Unlike the previous luxurious one, this one appears to be made of brown wood and decorated with golden lines.


    It was the Hackney Carriage type.


    After seeing their arrival, Oliver gave them a light bow, opened the carriage door, and handed Jessie a crystalline card.


    "It''s 0.94 Arcane Points, My Lady." He added.


    "Oh? It''s expensive here, isn''t it?" Jessie took the crystal from Oliver''s hand and stored it in her pocket.


    ? Then, she stepped forward and walked into the enclosed wooden carriage.


    Meanwhile, Charles stopped next to the carriage gate, shook his head, and spoke.


    "You can get into the carriage. I''ll drive."


    Then, he took the whip from Oliver''s hand, moved towards the carriage''s front, and climbed up to the driver''s seat.


    Sittingfortably in the driver''s seat, he took the horses'' reins and waited for Oliver to get in.


    Once he did that, Charles pulled the reins a bit, made a clicking noise, and started driving the carriage.


    While doing so, he also took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and realized that it was already 7.32 A.M.


    "I must go to Langton Street first." He quietly drove the carriage, turned left, entered the alley on the left, and started driving towards the southern end of the Underground District.


    ...


    Rocky Street, Underground District, Miracle City.


    At that moment, two ck-colored wooden carriages entered Rocky Street, moved towards the end of the street, and soon stopped at a two-storied house''s entrance.


    A secondter, Professor opened the carriage door from inside, walked out of the carriage, and looked at the white-painted house.


    He then nced around, noticed no abnormality on the street, and nodded.


    In the meantime, the silver-haired security guard John and other security guards walked out of the carriages and stood next to him.


    "What are your orders, Professor?" John asked in puzzlement.


    Meanwhile, Professor furrowed his eyebrows, walked towards the fence gate, and was about to open it but stopped.


    At that moment, an eerie ck owl flew from the house''s balcony, circled above their heads, and soonnded on the wooden fence.


    "Who are you?" A feminine voice came out of the owl''s mouth.


    Professor stared at the owl in surprise for a moment and responded.


    "I''m the Director of the Security Department. We are here to investigate a suspect."


    On the other hand, the woman was surprised by Professor''s words and hurriedly responded.


    "I''m sorry for not recognizing you, sir. My husband told me a lot about your past achievements. Wait a minute, I''ll tell him toe downstairs."


    Just as the feminine voice ended, the owl pped its wings, flew back to the building, and soon entered inside through the balcony.


    "Husband? Who is she talking about?" John frowned deeply, opened the fence gate, and started walking inside.


    Taking a look at the yard, the Professor also stepped inside and soon arrived under the porch.


    At that moment, a young man also opened the wooden door from inside and showed his face to them.


    He was a young man in his twenties with wavy blonde hair, a snub nose, and amber eyes, and he wore a casual outfit.


    Upon seeing Professor and other security guards, the young man looked confused, locked his gaze on John, and asked.


    "Did something happen, Captain?"


    John stared at the young man in surprise and asked.


    "What are you doing here, Ezra?"<sub> </sub>


    Ezra got stunned by his words and quickly responded.


    "What do you mean? It''s my house, Captain."


    "We''ve been duped."


    Professor sighed in frustration, turned around, looked up at the sky, and stared at the white clouds in confusion.


    ''Why did he lead us to this house? What is his next destination? Who is he going to meet this time?'' A frown appeared on Professor''s forehead.


    ''No. Something is wrong. That blonde-haired man was chasing after Ezra only when I first met him. Later, I confronted him and was caught off-guard by his time-stop spell. If not for the ''Wish'' spell, I wouldn''t have entered the ''Time-Loop'' spell and learned more about this sneaky enemy. But what is his main goal? It''s to prevent the destruction of the city, right? Yes, that''s why he met Elder Seer and tried to save himst time.''


    ''But I managed to stop everything and even broke the loop. What did Elder Seer tell him before his death?''


    His face was filled with frustration.


    ''What is this guy nning?'' He moved his left hand towards the golden bracelet and contacted someone through themunication device.


    A click noise came from his bracelet a few secondster, followed by a seductive woman''s voice.


    "I was just about to contact you, Fate Professor-"


    Meanwhile, Professor interrupted her and asked in a hurry.


    "Did you find the passenger''s name, Fortune Lady?"


    A tongue-clicking noise came from the other side, followed by a deep sigh.


    "Yes, I just found something interesting." The woman from the other side paused for a moment and added calmly.


    "His name is Charles, Fate Professor. Does it ring a bell? You seemed to have stayed in the same city as him around 25 years ago."


    "Charles?" A surprise shed on Professor''s face.


    Having recalled all the details about Charles in a second, he asked right away.


    "You mean Charles Nightwind? Didn''t he die a decade ago? Sasha told me that she killed him using her ''Love Curse,'' though."


    "No, she didn''t. Charles seems to have survived that ordeal unscathed and even broke free from his destiny. I advise you to act cautiously. There is something else within him that gives me an eerie feeling. One wrong move and everything will be over." The Fortune Lady''s voice sounded deadly serious.


    "He has the power to interfere with our Project Destiny?" Professor suddenly felt that the seriousness of that mortal had risen to ten folds.


    "No! You still didn''t understand, Fate Professor. He isn''t a problem, but that thing within him is the real problem. Moreover, that thing has the power even to alter the course of history itself!"


    "You are making me anxious, Fortune Lady. So, you want me to take that thing forcefully from Charles?" Professor asked.


    "Fool! I felt the gaze of Myxenta when I looked into its origin. Avoid him at all costs and survive. Ignore this freaking mission and leave." The Fortune Lady snapped in an angry tone.


    "Myxenta? Wasn''t she the ''Ancient Goddess'' who sacrificed her own life to create the Hundred Miracle Gold coins? I heard she died around 30,000 years ago, right?"


    "It must be one of the Miracle Gold Coins. I heard that those coins have Myxenta''s will and power in them. Anyway, both the Lawful and Chaotic Gods are paying close attention due to your earlier actions, so be careful."


    Before Professor could ask another question, the Fortune Lady ended her call from the other side.


    "Cowardly old hag." Professor red grimly, reached for a cigar in his pocket, and attempted to take it.


    However, he soon noticed a small paper in his pocket and pulled it out.


    It was a white papermonly used for writing.


    While checking, he recognized two words written in an unfamiliarnguage and tried to decipher them.


    "Luck... No. Good Luck?" His face contorted all of a sudden.


    "Damn it! He is ying with me." He got furious inside and spoke in a cold tone.


    "John, we''re leaving. I will catch him before he does anything serious." He was startled by Fortune Lady''s warning, but he had his own objective.


    ''After all this preparation, I can''t back out now. To control Project Destiny, I must control this city fully. Demons and devils are untrustworthy.'' He shook his head, stepped inside the carriage, and sat down on the leather seat.


    John and others also followed in his footsteps and entered the carriages.


    Before long, two dark-colored carriages moved away from Ezra''s house entrance and went towards the street''s junction.

 Chapter 557 Arayn

    Chapter 557: Arayn


    As the two ck-colored carriages drove away from 88 Rocky Street, the smile on Ezra''s face disappeared slowly and was reced with one of coldness and seriousness.


    He then turned around, walked into the two-story house, and locked the door from inside.


    After that, he stepped into the reception hall, moved towards his right side where the velvet chesterfield sofa was and sat on it with a gloomy look.


    He then raised his head, looked at the front, and saw a strange ckish owl that stood on the ss table.


    After staring at the owl for a few seconds, Ezra opened his mouth and asked.


    "How did you know that the Security Department''s Director woulde here, Arayn? Also, why did you tell me to transform myself into this guy?"


    Instead of a male voice, a female voice came out of his mouth and echoed in the reception hall.


    Simultaneously, his wavy blonde hair turned darker and soon became a brownish one. His hair then started to grow longer, while the waves of his hair became straighter.


    Following that, multiple changes urred all over his body. His olive skin turned fair, his amber eyes turned green, and even his body became leaner.


    If Charles were here now, he would''ve been shocked by his transformation!


    It was the Trickster ss''s shapeshifting ability!


    Within seconds, Ezra had transformed into a beautiful young woman in her twenties.


    She was none other than the Secret Witch!


    Meanwhile, the dark owl tilted its head and opened its beak before speaking in a girl''s voice.


    "Contact your teacher now."


    Although Secret Witch got confused by the owl named Arayn''s words, she didn''t say anything and moved her hand to touch her silver bracelet.


    But all of a sudden, her hands trembled, followed by her legs.


    Simultaneously, tears started to roll down her cheeks like a broken dam.


    "Something bad has happened, isn''t it?" She asked while subconsciously ncing at the dark owl.


    "As expected of someone born from wisdom, you are indeed an exceptional one," Arayn said.


    At that moment, the bracelet in Secret Witch''s hand vibrated and notified her that someone was calling her.


    Wiping the tears, Secret Witch shook her head, hurriedly tapped three times on the bracelet''s top area, and attended the call.


    A secondter, a man''s voice came from the other side.


    "Something bad happened, Sylvia-"


    Before the person from the other side could finish his words, Secret Witch named Sylvia sighed heavily and asked.


    "Is it about my teacher, is it? Lord Rafael?"


    A silence answered.


    A few secondster, Rafael fake coughed to break the silence and began to speak.


    "I''m sorry, my dear child. I failed to protect your teacher- No, I failed to protect my best friend. But I will find the culprit and give him an endless pain-"


    At that moment, Sylvia took a deep breath and interrupted him.


    "I need some time to think, Lord- Father. If you are not in Miracle City, pleasee here as soon as possible. Something big is looming here."


    Meanwhile, Rafael was stunned by her words and finally agreed.


    "I''ll return from the Abyss within a few hours. Until then, stay safe. I''ll also ask Emerson to take a look at the problem."


    Then, he cut off the connection from the other side.


    On the other hand, Sylvia clenched her fist, turned her gaze towards the dark owl, and asked.


    "What do you know? Who killed my teacher, Arayn?"


    Meanwhile, the dark owl let out a strange hooting noise and responded.


    "Even if you know the enemy, what can you do about it with your current strength? Sylvia, you are the wisest person I have ever known. But you aren''t strong enough to handle them."


    Slyvia red at the owl as she heard those words and asked sarcastically.


    "What about you? What can you do with a small body like this? Unlike me, you don''t even have a human body. You may have the memory of some ancient being, but you are still an owl."


    "Hoo-hoo-hoo!" The dark owl got angry at her remark, pped its tiny wings, leaped towards her, andnded on her head.


    Then, it pecked at her center head and spoke in an angry girl''s voice.


    "I can still peck you."


    After a few pecks, the owl stopped its work and finally spoke.


    "It''s the Destiny Conquerors."


    Meanwhile, Sylvia widened her eyes in shock before blurting out.


    "Why? Why did they kill my teacher?"


    "How would I know?" The owl retorted while standing proudly on her head.<sub> </sub>


    On the other hand, Sylvia got angry at herself for being too weak and felt frustrated.


    Her teacher was the one who raised her from childhood and stood by her side all the time. So, his death indeed caused her to break down inside.


    Although her father, Rafael, was a mighty Demigod and the president of this city, he always hid her origin from others. He feared that the Lawful Gods might find her true history, so he raised her in the shadows.


    Although he did that to protect her from his enemies, he became a stranger in Sylvia''s mind.


    ''I wouldn''t be crying like this if that damned father died instead of my teacher. He still hasn''t told me anything about my mother.'' She cursed at Rafael in anger and shook her head.


    Although she had the power to see through anyone''s soul, her eyes weren''t powerful enough to peer into a Demigod''s soul.


    ''He is hiding something and is wary of the Gods all the time.''


    Casting those useless thoughts away from her mind, Sylvia raised her hands, grabbed the owl, moved it closer to her face, and asked.


    "What did my teacher tell you before he went out? I''m sure he must have sensed this danger, right?"


    Meanwhile, the owl shook its head and responded.


    "No, this danger came so abruptly. If not for a mortal''s interference, even I wouldn''t have noticed it and might remain in a clueless state like you."


    Sylvia furrowed her eyebrows as she heard Arayn''s words and instantly realized that this owl was nning something big.


    "What are you scheming, Arayn? You already thought of a n, don''t you?" In truth, Sylvia knew that this owl was also saddened by her teacher''s death but wasn''t showing it openly.


    "You are as sharp as always." The dark owl muttered calmly and then added.


    "But if you want me to help you avenge your teacher, you''ve got to promise me something."


    "What do you want?" Sylvia asked, showing a trace of annoyance.


    Although she had no clue about this owl''s origin, she knew very well that it was a trustworthy friend of her teacher and decided to trust its words.


    "I want to visit a ce called ''Wish Ind,'' Sylvia. But it is located at the farthest end of the Endless Sea, so I need your help to get there." The owl replied calmly.


    On the other hand, Sylvia didn''t find anything odd and agreed.


    "It''s just about visiting a ce; I''ll apany you."


    "All right." The owl nodded its head and continued.


    "For now, we should stay here and wait. The help is on its way."


    ...


    Langton Street, Underground District, Miracle City.


    As Charles drove the carriage into Langton Street, he noticed many abandoned and old houses appeared on the roadsides.


    Some buildings were beyond restoration, while a few appeared to be upied by monkeys and birds.


    Weeds, trees, and vines covered all the surrounding buildings andnds, and the whole area appeared more like a ruin than an ordinary street.


    ''I wonder why did they abandon this street?'' A thought appeared in his mind.


    At that moment, Charles also thought of Professor and chuckled inwardly.


    In truth, 88 Rocky Street was their final destination.


    Elder Seer had informed Charles that only the person named ''Arayn'' could stop the city''s destruction and help him achieve his goal.


    But he knew that such a person could not be an ordinary individual. That''s why he decided to test Arayn first.


    If that person failed even to fool Professor, how could he/she save this city from its doom?


    Although it would be difficult to stop the city''s destruction, Charles had another option to ruin the enemy''s n.


    Rolling the Dice was his next option!


    ''After the system upgrade, I hadn''t rolled the ''Dice'' yet. No, I always kept that as ast option.'' After all, who in the right mind would want to obliterate a floating city by summoning a bunch of asteroids?


    ''If Arayn could evade the Professor''s inquiry, my n would go smoother.''


    Moreover, what was the cheapest way to hide the truth? Create a fake that conceals the real ''truth'' and makes it seem fake.


    ''Even if I openly reveal to everyone that we are heading to 88 Rocky Street next, Professor wouldn''t believe it and dismiss it without even checking. In truth, he might stop relying on the fate power and start using his wits to search me.'' That''s what he wanted.


    He wanted Professor to understand that divination won''t help him in this chase.


    Shaking his head, he looked at the far-away dome-shaped old building and drove there.


    A minuteter, he drove the carriage into the yard of an old church building and parked it at the building''s entrance.


    Meanwhile, Jessie and Oliver stepped out of the carriage and looked around.


    Charles also jumped down from the driver''s seat and adjusted his hat.


    He tied the horses to a nearby tree and shifted his attention towards the church building''s entrance door.


    Although it was a little damaged, Charles felt it would still stand firm for a decade or two.


    "Did wee to the wrong ce?" Jessie asked as she looked at the damaged door and furrowed her brow.


    She soon sensed a few presences from inside and hurriedly signaled Oliver to get back into the carriage.

 Chapter 558 Marvin

    Chapter 558: Marvin


    Charles also felt multiple presences in the Church building and turned his face solemnly.


    He then nced at Jessie and spoke.


    "I want you to contact yourckeyster." He paused for a moment and asked.


    "Will they do suicide missions?"


    Although Jessie got startled by his question, she quietly nodded.


    "Yes."


    "Good. It''s going to be a long and chaotic day then. Be prepared."


    The wooden door opened with a screech just as he was speaking, and soon seven ck-armored men with weapons walked out of the old church.


    He realized that they were Rank-5 Mystics with a mere nce and was surprised.


    ''How did Marvin manage to beat all of them before escaping?'' At that moment, another thought crossed his mind.


    ''Did Professor appoint more guards to stop Marvin''s escape n?'' Charles felt that was the possible exnation.


    While thinking deeply, he looked at the seven security guards and shook his head.


    At that moment, the seven guards also saw Charles and Jessie and moved their hands towards their waists to draw their swords.


    But they soon forgot what to do next and stood motionless on the spot.


    ''These guys are too weak.'' Charles muttered with a sigh as he erased their thoughts.


    He was once scared of these Rank-5 beings.


    But now, they were nothing but weaklings in his eyes.


    Still, he didn''t underestimate them and acted more cautiously.


    Charles knew that these guards must have entered their Inner World and created separate consciousnesses to switch positions to avoid mind-rted attacks.


    Consequently, Charles cast multiple [Burning Thoughts] spells on them and erased their current thoughts. Simultaneously, he released thousands of invisible strings andpletely bound them.


    He then cast the [False Blink] spell, disappeared from where he was standing, reappeared behind them, and knocked them out.


    His actions were too swift, leaving his opponents no time to think!


    Then, he turned around, calmly stepped forward, and walked into the old church building.


    But just as he took the third step, an image of an emerald-green-haired woman''s face appeared in front of his eyes.


    ''Melody? Why did I remember her now? No, a small memory of her suddenly appeared in my mind a while ago.'' He instantly skimmed through the memory and realized that it was filled with her worry about his safety.


    He also saw her wandering alone through the dense woods in those memories.


    ''She is returning to the Magewind City? Isn''t she too reckless?'' He shook his head and decided to focus on the current situation.


    Even if she got captured by the Druids or killed in the Magewind City, he could do nothing.


    ''It is her decision.'' Muttering, he continued to step forward and walked deep into therge hall.


    Jessie also followed him, nced around, and saw broken pews, chairs, and tables everywhere.


    As she took a few more steps into the hall, she suddenly saw blood marks on the ground, touched it with her right hand, and recited a mysterious chant.


    Once she ended the mysterious chanting, she made some ritualistic hand gestures and muttered.


    "Siren''s Eyes."


    A secondter, her eyes glowed in crimson light and showed distinct red lines to her eyes.


    All those lines moved in a zig-zag manner in the church hall, crept towards the opposite wall like some spider web, and entered deep into it.


    "Something isn''t right." Jessie paused as he saw confusion in Charles''s eyes and then exined her [Siren''s Eye] skill.


    "My eyes are not for show, Mister. As long as I have a drop of blood from someone, I can track them down even if they are hiding in another world. When I realized that my younger brother was still alive, I used his blood droplet, did an ancient blood ritual, and gained this eye ability. Moreover, I came to Miracle City mainly because of the clue I got through this ability."


    While saying so, she started walking towards the opposite wall and soon arrived in front of it.


    She saw a detailed map of the Miracle City on the wall and furrowed her brows.


    She then raised her left hand and tapped the X mark region on the map


    The next second, a loud nging sound echoed throughout the hall.


    ''A door?''


    She quietly observed the wall, moved her hand towards a particr area, and pushed it.


    A secondter, a loud creaking sound echoed in the abandoned hall, followed by a bang.


    Then, the wall before them started to move to the side and revealed a metallic door.


    "Sess," Jessie nodded confidently, moved her hand towards the doorknob, and opened it.


    But just as she was about to step inside, Charles raised his hand and stopped her.


    He said, looking deep into the dark underground passage,


    "Don''t be too hasty, Jessie. There is a danger up ahead."


    As he said this, he looked at a particr area and added.


    "Marvin, you cane out now. We aren''t Professor''s allies."<sub> </sub>


    A silence resounded, followed by loud footsteps from inside.


    "H-How did you know my name?" An anxious voice followed a few secondster.


    "I know more than that, Marvin. If you want to save your family, you have to listen to my every word." Charles said coldly and folded his arms.


    Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps echoed continuously, and soon a man in his 30s walked out of the underground passage.


    He had messy ck hair, amber eyes, a shallow nose, and tan brown skin, and he wore a regr linen cloth. He also held a strange pistol and looked at them warily.


    Upon seeing him, Jessie took three steps back and got ready to cast mind-rted spells on the man named Marvin.


    Meanwhile, Marvin stared deeply at Charles and asked.


    "Do you know where my wife and children are, M-Mister? They are being held as hostages."


    "No. But if you listen to our words and do as we say, you can save your family." Charles spoke calmly.


    At that moment, Marvin showed a hesitant look on his face before lowering his pistol.


    "How are you going to defeat Professor? He ns to kill Demigod Rafael today evening."


    "You don''t need to worry about that. But I do need something else from you." Charles paused purposefully and asked.


    "Where is the Chaos Scroll?"


    "Chaos Scroll?! How do you know about it?" Marvin''s face turned pale.


    Truthfully, he found that scroll two weeks ago in an ancient city ruin called the ''Bulbosa Realm of Lightning'' and nned to auction it after returning to the Miracle City.


    However, he was shocked to discover that his wife and two children had been abducted.


    It soon became clear the kidnapper had been after this ''Chaos Scroll!''


    With no other choice, he sought help from his friends and searched for the Chaos Scroll''s origin and value first.


    But because of his carelessness, he soon got caught by the security guards and imprisoned in this abandoned old church.


    "As I said earlier, I know many things about you and Professor," Charles said solemnly and waited for Marvin to take the Chaos Scroll.


    In the meantime, Marvin touched his space ring and took an eerie ck scroll from the ring.


    If it were two weeks ago, he would''ve made some deal with this person before giving the Chaos Scroll.


    However, after suffering endless mental torture from Professor in this abandoned church, he decided not to even ask for a gold coin as a reward.


    All he wanted to do now was save his family first and leave this city as soon as possible.


    Charles wasn''t surprised by his action.


    When he met Marvin at Bronze Lane, he tried his best to conceal the scroll from John and other security guards and was on the verge of turning into a madman.


    He evenmitted suicide in the end.


    Shaking his head, Charles took the scroll from Marvin''s hand, stored it in his space ring, and spoke.


    "All you have to do now is to do as I say,"


    While saying so, he moved towards the right side wall, took out chalk from his space ring, and wrote a name in English.


    "Brooks."


    After that, he turned around and started walking towards the exit.


    Soon, the trio walked out of the old church building and moved toward the carriage.


    Once Jessie and Marvin entered the carriage, Charles moved towards a nearby tree, untied the horses'' reins, and climbed up to the driver''s seat.


    Then, he satfortably on the seat, pulled the reins, and drove the carriage towards Langton Road.


    ...


    A few minutester, one of the guards slowly awoke and noticed that they were lying at the entrance!


    Trying to wake others up, he pped their hands and shouted,


    "Morons! Wake up!".


    "What happened?" A guy groaned but soon sat up with a tensed look.


    "Did someone knock us out? But why can''t I remember his face?"


    At that moment, another guy tried his best to stand up and muttered in puzzlement.


    "But we sensed three people standing outside and came here to check."


    "I have seen a ck carriage, but I cannot recall its exact appearance. It seems vague to me." Another man said and was about to say something but froze.


    "Oh no!" He instantly turned around, opened the wooden entrance gate, and dashed inside.


    Others also understood his words and entered the old building in a hurry.


    They noticed the entrance to the underground prison was wide open and became pale.


    "They might still be inside." A guard said in a panicked tone and ran towards the other side.


    However, another man shook his head and spoke in a gloomy tone.


    "The prisoner has already escaped. I sense no presence from inside."


    He hurriedly took out a bracelet from his pocket and contacted their captain.

 Chapter 559 Brooks World

    Chapter 559: Brooks'' World


    95A Dew Street, Underground District, Miracle City.


    A Hackney carriage entered the Dew Street junction approximately twenty minutester, drove through the lone street road, and soon stopped near a particr mansion.


    After that, Charles jumped down from the driver''s seat and turned his gaze towards the carriage''s door.


    At that moment, Jessie opened the wooden door from inside, stuck her head out, and asked.


    "What happened, Mister? Did we reach our next destination?"


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "Yes, it''s better to move cautiously from now on." He deliberated for a moment as he thought of something and added.


    "Tell Oliver toe out and drive the carriage. Meanwhile, I''ll walk from here on out."


    While hearing this, Jessie nodded her head in agreement and opened the carriage doorpletely.


    Then, Oliver stepped down from the carriage, approached Charles, and took the horses'' reins from him.


    "Wait over there," Charles calmly instructed as he pointed his finger at the opposite road junction and started walking towards the mansion house that appeared more than 500 meters away.


    "Yes, My Lord." Oliver bowed his head, hurriedly climbed up to the driver''s seat, and started driving the carriage.


    Soon, he drove past Charles, then the four-story mansion house, and moved further towards the end of the street road.


    On the other hand, Charles casually took out a bowler''s hat, put it over his head, and slipped his left hand into his pocket.


    Then, he took out a silver pocket watch, flipped open the outer case, and checked the time.


    "8.40 A.M. Hmm, Professor should have reached the Old Church and started deciphering the ''word.'' Let''s see if he gets here on time." He said with a chuckle and soon arrived near the mansion''spound gate.


    Then, he looked up at the four-story mansion and smiled.


    Meanwhile, two guards guarding the entrance noticed his arrival and gripped their spears tighter.


    "Who are you?" A brown-haired man gave him a sharp look and asked him coldly.


    ''Winston Grey.'' He recalled the gatekeeper''s name and decided not to waste any time.


    The next instant, he cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on the two gatekeepers, cast the [False Blink], and disappeared.


    He reappeared inside the mansion''s yard a secondter and walked towards the four-story building''s entrance door.


    All this time, purple mes appeared in the gatekeepers'' [Dark Space] constantly and erased their present thoughts.


    The two gatekeepers stood there silently and didn''t even blink their eyes until Charles opened the entrance gate and walked into the building.


    When they woke up from the strange memory loss state, they did not find anything odd and only thought they had been spacing out!


    Meanwhile, Charles entered the grand hall and noticed that more than 50 Divine Order members were waiting for his arrival. Most of them held weapons in their hands, while others held magic items like staff, wands, etc.


    They seemed to be prepared for the uing battle and looked at him with nervousness.


    Charles also saw a ck-robed mage among the group and raised his eyebrows.


    He appeared to be around 60 to 70 years old, bald head with some white hairs on the sides and a wrinkled face.


    He was none other than Brooks, the main member of the Destiny Conquerors!


    ''Thankfully, Haiden and others haven''t arrived yet.'' Muttering inwardly, Charles raised his hand and conjured a total of ten [Ember Needles] spells.


    Then, he let them hover in the air and took out the [ckened Heart] sword from his space ring.


    He then locked his gaze on Brooks and cast [Burning Consciousness] first.


    At that moment, Brooks noticed a foreign power entering his Inner World and widened his eyes in shock.


    ''Mind Fire!'' He had heard of this me from his master long ago and knew how dangerous it would turn into!


    ''My master warned me to run away if I met such a person in the future. He even called them ''Nemesis of the Mind!" A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''No good. I''ve got to deal with this guy sooner.''<sub> </sub>


    "Attack!" He roared as he sensed the seriousness of the purple me that appeared in his mind and got anxious inside.


    He hurriedly summoned the three golden skeletons and let them move toward Charles incredibly fast.


    Meanwhile, the other Divine Order members unsheathed their weapons and moved toward Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles quietly controlled the [Ember Needles] and let them move in different directions.


    Simultaneously, he took a step towards the left, evaded the [me Spear] that came from his left side, and casually deflected it towards the side with his ckened sword.


    Then, he suddenly disappeared from where he was standing, reappeared in front of a faraway mage, and directly plunged his sword into the grey-robed mage''s chest.


    He disappeared from where he was standing, reappeared behind another mage, and stabbed his chest from behind.


    Although blue notifications appeared in front of his eyes informing him of the extraction of wisdom power, he ignored them and continued to kill.


    For the next ten seconds, his figure disappeared and reappeared like a ghost and killed all the mages first.


    On the other hand, his ten [Ember Needles] also entered some Divine Order members'' bodies, turned them into chaos beings, and killed them.


    But what shocked Brooks was that he couldn''t even concentrate on the battle due to his Inner World being raided by a ''purple human''!


    He let the three Golden Skeletons take care of the fight and entered his Inner World with no other choice. Unlike other necromancers'' worlds, his world was filled with greenery. Although undead monsters, skeletons, and even zombies were roaming here and there, they appeared more like peacemakers.


    Some zombies talked to one another like lifelong friends, and many showed human emotions. If someone looked into Brooks'' Inner World, they would find many houses, huts, and treehouses in the woods.


    Rather than the power of death, what appeared in his Inner World was full of life.


    It was not his fault, though. He was an honest peacekeeper during the Ancient Era, but the invasion of the Lawful Gods changed everything. Humans and other races like Derios, Dwarfs, and Vampires entered the Edhen World and started their massacre. They killed Brooks'' family and friends and even enved them. His nature magic was useless against those Divine Blessed humans.


    Thankfully, his teacher gave him hope at that time and introduced a new path.


    It was a path of necromancy. Brooks knew nothing much about necromancy during that time and always thought of it as evil sorcery. But when he heard from his teacher that he could use necromancy to rescue his family members'' and friends'' souls, he agreed to his request.


    However, he did not abandon the power of nature and life. Instead, he fused the path of necromancy with nature and life and turned his soul into a personal domain.


    By doing so, he skipped the process of turning himself into a pure Lich and remained human.


    However, he suffered a severe bacsh from UnderWorld and was left half-crippled. Unlike the true Lich, he could only borrow a limited amount of death power from the underworld and also lost the power of immortality.


    After bing a unique necromancer, he battled countless invaders and resisted them along with all of the other survivors.


    At the same time, he also saved the captured souls of his family members and friends and turned them into undead beings. After that, he sent them to his unique soul domain and let them live there peacefully.


    Indeed, the undead skeletons and zombies were not some random undead created through his imagination but his family and friends!


    Brooks appeared in the sky a secondter and stared at the purple human with a shocked face.


    But before he could open his mouth, the purple Charles suddenly opened his arms wide and started casting [Fire Seed] and [Knowledge Seeker] spells.


    "Don''t you dare!" Brooks roared, creating a 40-meter long undead dragon out of thin air, and waved his hand.


    Meanwhile, the undead dragon let out a roar, opened its mouth, and released a chaotic me breath at the Purple Charles.


    But Purple Charles raised his hand, shot out a dense purple me ray, and destroyed the iing me without much difficulty.


    Then, he made a mocking grin and uttered.


    "Let''s start."


    Simultaneously, he started casting more spells and releasing them in all directions.


    Purple mes shot out from the humanoid purple Charles and swept into every part of his mind, burning the trees, nts, and even the sand. Some rays flew towards the undead zombies and skeletons and started burning their bodies.


    Thankfully, they weren''t made of memories but from the bones of real skeletons. So, the damage to Brooks'' friends and family members was minimal.


    Still, the purple me enveloped their souls and started erasing some of their memories too.


    At that moment, Brooks noticed that his entire Inner World was burning non-stop and turned pale.


    What stunned him most was that some of his precious memories were being disappeared one by one.


    Finally, without no other choice, Brooks created more undead beasts like dragons and wyverns and started confronting Purple Charles.

 Chapter 560 Sacrifice

    Chapter 560: Sacrifice


    Meanwhile, Charles dodged all the spell attacks cast by the remaining Divine Order members and started killing them.


    After finishing off thest Divine Order member, he calmly shifted his attention towards Brooks and raised his [ckened Heart] sword.


    On the other hand, three golden skeletons stood around Brooks in a circle and protected him.


    "I should finish my job sooner." Charles nodded his head and suddenly dashed forward.


    At that moment, one of the golden skeletons sprinted towards him at an incredible speed, arrived before him in less than a second, and aimed its ck sword at his chest.


    But before it could thrust the sword, Charles suddenly cast [False Field] and [elerate Thoughts] spells and increased his movement speed.


    A secondter, he nimbly evaded the golden skeleton''s sword thrust, moved his [ckened Heart] sword tip towards the skeleton''s shoulder area, and severed one of the greyish threads.


    The other two golden skeletons noticed his scheme and said something in a strangenguage.


    No, it appeared familiar to him!


    ''They are contacting each other through the Nethernguage.'' If he hadn''t absorbed the memories of [Demi-Lich] Reid, he might still be in confusion.


    ''Those skeletons are telling this guy to use sword aura, huh? Let''s see if I can erase this skeleton''s thoughts.'' Muttering inwardly, he locked his gaze on the nearby golden skeleton and cast [Burning Thoughts] on it.


    A momentter, a small purple fire appeared inside the skeleton''s soul and erased its current thoughts.


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face as he saw the golden skeleton freeze for a moment before falling forward.


    But before it could crash onto the ground, Charles made multiple shes in the thin air, cut all theher threads that controlled the ''Soul,'' and released it!


    The other two golden skeletons also suddenly dashed forward to attack him, but they too froze in midair before falling.


    "I didn''t expect that [Mind Fire] spells would render a Legend Rank Mystic helpless-"


    He abruptly stopped speaking, shifted his gaze towards his left eye, and noticed a change in one of the twenty future visions.


    ''Brooks will erase the [Burning Consciousness] spell and return to the real world in the next ten seconds? Moreover, he has a powerful trump card?'' Although he didn''t see any changes around Brooks in the vision, he decided to act more cautiously.


    First, he moved his left hand, released thousands of invisible strings, and let them move towards every corner of the hall.


    Then, he took out the Chaos Scroll from his space ring, tossed it towards the left, and used one of his strings to make it invisible.


    After that, he also took out a strange rainbow feather, wrapped it with another invisible string, and let it disappear into thin air.


    At that moment, he also moved his sword and started shing.


    ''Should I make more preparations?'' His hand shed continuously at the surrounding area, cutting theher threads that controlled the other two golden skeletons as his mind raced.


    When he cut the final twoher threads and released the souls from the golden skeletons, he suddenly thought of something and opened his game interface.


    ''I''ve less than five seconds to prepare!'' He quietly opened his status and checked something unique.


    ...


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Cloner


    Main ss: Rank-5 [ze Sorcerer]


    Sub-ss: Rank-5 [Cloner]


    Physical Body Rank: Radiant Knight Level


    Soul: Demi-God (Mutated)


    Title: Chaos Maker, Savior, me Demon, Fire Angel.


    Health Points: 1050/1050


    Wisdom Points: 27


    Attributes:


    Strength- 28.0


    Dexterity- 29.0


    Constitution- 29.4


    Wisdom-199


    Charisma- 14


    ss spells:


    Curse of the Overlord (Rank-5 spell, Iplete)


    Fire Rain (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Rebirth Body, or Timeless Body (Rank-5 spell, Iplete), Red Tear (Rank-6 spell, Completed)


    Sphere of Invulnerability (Rank-5 spell, Iplete)


    Purple Word (Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Soul Shock (Rank-5 spell, Iplete)


    False Field (Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Wonders- 644


    Cloning- 531


    Eye of the Faceless - 1049


    Unique skills:


    Eyes of the Runes- 930


    Conceal- 60


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 55


    Sharpshooting- 50


    elerate Thoughts- 560 (Present Time)


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Genius


    Darkness: Average.<sub> </sub>


    Time: Low.]


    ...


    ''Wait! How did the Time affinity improve on its own from ''Nil'' to ''Low''? Is it due to the Time Loop spell?'' He was dumbfounded inside.


    Unfortunately, he had to wait another thousand years to use the ''Time Loop'' spell again.


    ''I''m also not-'' He abruptly halted his thoughts, shifted his attention towards the Wisdom Points, and ordered.


    ''Genesis, use all the 27 Wisdom Points.''


    Just as he spoke, a sudden surge of wisdom essence came out of the System Cube, entered his Inner World, and started increasing his wisdom!


    Simultaneously, a row of blue notifications appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Alert! Alert! Alert!...]


    [+1 Wisdom]


    [+2 Wisdom]


    ....


    As his wisdom power crossed 200 points, Charles felt a refreshing feeling and was pleased inside.


    He soon noticed a drastic change within his ''Inner World'' and even realized that he could create a true ''Fire Domain'' without any restraint.


    ''My senses also heightened twofold. Although my body is still weak as a normal Pseudo-Legend Mystic, my mind has already reached a pinnacle level.'' His wisdom power may be lowpared to all other Legend Rank Mystics, but his control over it was much higher.


    ''It''s all because of my soul mutation. If not, I wouldn''t be able to fight a single Legendary Mystic.'' He nodded inwardly and soon realized that five seconds had already passed.


    A secondter, his [Burning Consciousness] spell also stopped sending information from Brooks'' Inner World and seemed to have lost its connection!


    Simultaneously, Brooks opened his eyes slowly and stared deep into Charles''s eyes.


    "You shouldn''t have tried to invade my mind, young man." He said coldly and uttered a word in an ancient yet foreignnguage.


    "**********!"


    As he heard those words, Charles felt an eerie gaze from somewhere far away, followed by a sharp ache in his head.


    He felt a feeling of being watched by ''death'' itself and shuddered a bit.


    Before he had time to blink, seven ghostly forms came out of Brooks'' body and started hovering in the air.


    Although their faces appeared distorted, he felt a sense of wickedness and eeriness from them. What shocked Charles the most was that the ghosts appeared smaller and looked like small kids!


    ''Wait, kids?'' A strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu appeared in his mind.


    ''No good! These mutated souls are capable of manipting Space and Time itself.'' He had seen such an effect during his journey to the Iron City and turned grim.


    Just as he had expected, one of the ghosts suddenly flew in his direction with open arms and tried to hug him. It was a young girl with a half-ripped face, and she even had a strange horn on her forehead area.


    While doing so, she also opened her mouth and spoke.


    "Happie!"


    Meanwhile, Charles felt some of his life energy was being sucked by a mysterious power and turned pale.


    ''Sh*t! She is affecting my lifespan!'' He tried to back away, but the ghost chased after him at an unimaginable speed.


    Without any other choice, he cast the [False Blink] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared more than ten meters away from Brooks.


    At this moment, another ghost let out an eerie giggle and uttered a strange word.


    "Totuwod!"


    The next instant, unique spatial energy appeared out of the ghost''s cloudy form, affected all the surrounding space, and interrupted him from using any spatial spells!


    While Charles was under pressure, Brooks cast a mysterious spell on himself, enchanted his eyes with death power, and peered into Charles''s soul.


    He soon saw the mutated form of his soul and was astounded inside.


    "No wonder you felt so confident about beating me." He paused for a moment and then shook his head.


    "But you''ve underestimated me."


    Meanwhile, Charles kept a considerable distance from the girl ghost and stared at Brooks warily.


    Although he knew Brooks had a powerful trump card, the appearance of seven unique ghosts was out of his expectations.


    While he was contemting deeply, another ghost with a headless body raised its hand and pointed its finger in a random direction.


    Then, it uttered another strange word and released unique Present Time energy.


    A secondter, a strange ripple appeared around the surrounding areas, slowed down the time, and froze everything.


    ''Is this [Time-Stop] spellmon among Legend-Rank Mystics?'' Charles felt bitterness inside.


    ''I don''t have any time to waste.'' He nodded inwardly and manipted one of the invisible strings.


    The next instant, a rainbow-colored feather appeared behind Brooks'' head, turned illusionary, and entered his head!


    Although Brooks noticed something entering his inner world, he couldn''t pinpoint it. Hence, he kept in his mind and focused entirely on the battle.


    Meanwhile, the rainbow feather crept into his consciousness instead of his Inner World and exploded.


    Following that, countless reddish lines of ''Truth'' power emerged from the exploded feather, spread to all directions, and started controlling every area!


    Before Brook could even understand the situation, a strange chain came out of the exploded feather and stabbed directly into his chest region.


    A crushing pain appeared in his head the next second!


    ''Truth Line!'' He had heard of this Rainbow Feather from the Leader of the Destiny Conquerors and turned pale.


    ''Oh no! It can manipte my inner thoughts. If I say a single word about the original n in the open-''


    He didn''t even dare to think about it further and focused his full attention on his Inner World.


    Several areas of his Inner World were still burning purple at that point and looked ravaged.


    Many injured skeletons, zombies, and even ghoul-like humans ran here and there, repairing the broken houses.


    As he saw them, an aching feeling appeared in his heart.


    Eventually, he steeled his heart, opened his mouth, and addressed everyone.


    ''It was a fun journey, guys!''


    A momentter, he retracted his attention from the Inner World, ordered the nearby ghost to undo the Time-Freeze effect, and opened his mouth.


    "For Conquering Destiny!" He announced as he enveloped his body in an eerie ck smoke and exploded.


    He detonated himself not to reveal any information about the Destiny Conqueror''s final objective!

 Chapter 561 Realization

    Chapter 561: Realization


    While Brooks blew himself up, Charles cast the [False Blink] spell on himself, disappeared from where he was standing and reappeared near the entrance.


    Meanwhile, the unique ghosts also started to disappear one by one and were pulled into the Astral Realm.


    After watching the final ghost disappear, Charles breathed out a sigh of relief and raised his hand. He casually reached out his hand, caught something in mid-air, and stored the Chaos Scroll in his space ring.


    He then locked his gaze on the right-side spiral staircase and spoke coldly.


    "You can show yourself now, Ezra."


    Meanwhile, a wavy blonde-haired young man stepped downstairs through the spiral staircase and entered the grand hall.


    He also held an eerie ck sword and appeared sweating profusely.


    "W-Who are you?" Ezra nced at the tens of dead bodies and asked with a stiff tone.


    On the other hand, Charles curled his lips upward and spoke.


    "Don''t worry; your death won''t be so cruel." Before Ezra could open his mouth, he suddenly forgot what to say!


    At that moment, Charles cast the [Burning Consciousness] spell on him and started burning his memories.


    Simultaneously, he disappeared from where he was standing, reappeared in front of him, and snatched the eerie ck sword from his hand.


    "Although I don''t like you, you got some precious memories in your head. So, stay alive for a while." He spoke coldly.


    After that, Charles raised his hand, released countless invisible strings, and bound his body to the nearby pir.


    Following that, he cut off both hands and legs and turned his gaze towards the center of the grand hall.


    At that moment, he seemed to have sensed someone''s gaze from the future and curled his lips upward.


    "Do you want to know my next target, Mr. Fate Professor?" He paused as he walked towards the left side wall, took out blue chalk from his space ring, and wrote a word in English.


    "Asher."


    Once he had written the name, he put the chalk back into his space ring, turned his gaze towards the center of the hall, and gave him an elegant bow.


    He opened his mouth again and said a few more words before disappearing.


    He reappeared outside the building a secondter, adjusted his bowler''s hat, and took out the silver pocket watch.


    Then, he flipped open the outer case, looked at the time, and nodded.


    "8.49. A.M."


    "As he mumbled, he continuously cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on the two gatekeepers and left 95A mansion.


    Charles stepped out onto the paved road sooner, walked away from the gate, and touched his face.


    A secondter, he started to shapeshift and soon changed into the appearance of Melody!


    Then, he cast the [False Blink] spell multiple times, reached the Dew Street Junction in a few seconds, and appeared in front of the ck-colored Hackney Carriage.


    At that moment, Oliver got startled by his arrival and gave him a wary look.


    But before he could ask questions, Jessie opened the door from inside and asked.


    "What is my brother''s favorite dish?"


    Meanwhile, Charles hurriedly recalled the questions and answers she had given him earlier and spoke.


    "Mushroom pasties. Your brother likes veggies most."<sub> </sub>


    "Correct." She opened the carriage door wide and stepped down.


    She then moved towards the front and spoke while looking at Oliver.


    "I''ll do the driving."


    Although Oliver got confused by her strange orders, he didn''t say anything, jumped down from the driver''s seat, and quietly walked towards the carriage cart.


    He then allowed Charles to get in first and followed after him.


    On the other hand, Jessie also nimbly climbed onto the driver''s seat and sat downfortably.


    She then touched her space ring, took out a fedora hat to shield herself from excessive sunlight, and ced it on her head.


    "Let''s go," she pulled the horses'' reins, turned the carriage, and drove it on the opposite road.


    ...


    Abandoned Church Building, Langton Street, Underground District.


    At that moment, a ck-haired young man stood inside the church building''s main hall and looked solemnly at the opposite wall.


    He also held a mysterious red crystal in his hand and was in the middle of reciting a strange chant.


    A few secondster, he finally ended the chant and soon managed to decipher the mysterious word written on the wall.


    "Brooks! He is going after Brooks next." As Professor spoke, hismunication bracelet suddenly vibrated and informed him about the iing call.


    He paused in surprise, tapped on the bracelet a few times, and attended the call.


    A secondter, a familiar, middle-aged man''s voice came from the other side.


    "Sir Professor, Lord Brooks is dead! Even Ezra is tied to the pir and in a half-dead state."


    It was none other than Hayden.


    "Ezra? Wait, when did he go to Dew Street? We met him just a while ago on Rocky Street, though-" Professor''s eyes squinted suddenly.


    ''Something is wrong. I went to Rocky Street at around 8 in the morning, but Ezra should have been on Dew Street at that time, right? How did he appear at Rocky Street?'' He froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    ''Sh*t! The most likely exnation for this is that Charles fooled us earlier!'' At that moment, he shifted his gaze towards the English word written on the opposite wall and frowned.


    "But how can he be here at the same time?" He muttered solemnly and soon started to think.


    He felt puzzled inside.


    ''He appears at two different ces at the same time, has the power to predict and also shows the ability of a shape-shifter.'' At that moment, he reached a daring conclusion about Charles''s ss and turned grim.


    ''As I thought, he is indeed a Trickster ss Mystic. Moreover, I''m not facing a single Charles but multiple ones. That exins how he knew about this abandoned church. He must have sent his clones to different ces and started gathering information.'' At that moment, Professor felt that Charles had been ying with him all this time.


    ''I now understand why heughed at me when I was about to undo the ''Time-Loop'' spell. If I''m not wrong, he must''ve gathered enough information about our ns and even found out what the Destiny Conquerors were truly scheming. He doesn''t even consider me as his main enemy from the very beginning!'' He also recalled Fortune Lady''s warning and went solemn.


    ''Do I have to retreat now?'' He started to hesitate at first but soon shook his head.


    ''He might be a big schemer, but I''ve got many ways to achieve my goal.'' He muttered to himself and then asked.


    "Did he write anything on the walls?"


    "Yes, My Lord. He wrote a unique word in a foreignnguage." Hayden responded from the other side.


    Professor nodded in understanding and added.


    "Wait in the hall for a while. I''lle to Dew Street in a minute." Just as he spoke, he stepped forward and disappeared.

 Chapter 562 An Encounter With The Past

    Chapter 562: An Encounter with the Past


    Within a minute, Professor reached Dew Street, arrived in front of thepound entrance gate, opened it with both hands, and stepped into the yard.


    He quietly walked into the invisible arrayyer, stepped into the porch region, and soon arrived at the building''s entrance door.


    Then, he raised both hands, pushed open the wooden door, and soon stepped into the grand hall.


    Hayden and other Divine Order members stood a few meters away from the entrance and looked for something in those dead bodies.


    Professor also nced at the tens of dead bodies and soon turned his gaze towards the left side pir.


    At that moment, Ezra''s body was tied to the pir, and he had long died due to severe blood loss. But the strange ck marks that appeared all over his body caught Professor''s attention.


    "Curse marks? Hmm, I sense a smell of Hell Fire in those curses." Professor muttered solemnly.


    Meanwhile, Hayden and other robed mages noticed Professor''s arrival and bowed their heads at him.


    "Greeting, My Lord." Hayden stepped forward and started exining the situation.


    "Our men didn''t evenst more than one minute in this battle, My Lord. It''s the first time I''m seeing a person kill a Legendary Rank powerhouse in seconds. From the clues we''ve gathered, we confirmed that the enemy actually forced Mr. Brooks to use his trump card, ''Seven Lives.'' What''s more unfortunate is that even his trump card didn''t seem to have worked on the opponent, leading him tomit suicide."


    Meanwhile, Professor made a p andmented,


    "You are good at deducing clues."


    Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and muttered.


    "Past Touch!"


    Within a second, all the surroundings started to break like mirrors, revealing the battle between Charles and Brooks.


    He calmly watched every scene and soon frowned.


    ''Charles has the power to invade one''s mind? It''s not that he overpowered Brooks in battle, but he made preparations and caught him off guard, huh? No wonder Brooks faced trouble.'' Professor fast-forwarded the past vision until he arrived at the scene where Charles started talking with Ezra.


    "Although I don''t like you, you got some precious memories in your head. So, stay alive for a while."


    Upon hearing those words, Professor froze for a moment before making a guess.


    "Mind Fire! No wonder he managed to force Brooks to the corner."


    While Professor was muttering, Charles raised his hand, released countless invisible strings, and bound Ezra''s body to the nearby pir.


    Then, he cut off both hands and legs and turned his gaze towards the center of the grand hall.


    But suddenly, Charles stopped his footsteps and asked a question.


    "Do you want to know my next target, Mr. Fate Professor?"


    ''What-?!'' This time, it was Professor''s turn to be surprised.


    ''How did he know my real nickname?''


    Before he could understand the situation, Charles started walking towards the left side wall and took white chalk from his space ring. Then, he moved his fingers skillfully and wrote a mysterious word on it.


    At that moment, Professor''s eyes glowed in reddish-orange color and started peeking into the origin of thenguage.


    ''Strange... There is no suchnguage in the explored universe. Could it be? Did hee from one of the Tri-horizon Belts? I can tell that he loves thisnguage from the way he writes. He even thinks in thatnguage. His mother tongue?'' As he was making guesses, Charles had finished writing the word, turned around, and looked at Professor with a mysterious smile.


    Professor gave a grim look and asked.


    "Who are you? You are not Charles Nightwind."


    On the other hand, Charles gave him an elegant bow and opened his mouth again.


    "I''m a ''ghost,'' Professor. If you think of me as Charles Nightwind, I''m Charles Nightwind. If you think of me as Oswald Raven, I''m Oswald Raven. If you consider me as yourself, I''m you. The more you search for me, the more I''ll learn about you. I might be standing next to you right now. I might be Hayden, whom you spoke to a while ago. Or, I might be the security guard, standing 10 meters away from your right side. But there is one thing I''m going to do for sure." He paused for a moment and then added with a smirk.


    "I''m going to ruin your whole n."


    Professor snorted coldly and spoke in an icy tone.


    "You have some big mouth, mortal. Humph, I''ll find you even before our-"


    Before he could finish his words, Charles shook his head and added.<sub> </sub>


    "Good Luck."


    After that, he waved his hand and broke the illusion.


    Professor opened his eyes a secondter and clenched his fist in anger.


    "It''s been a long time since someone touched my nerve." He said in an eerie voice, moved towards the left side wall, and started deciphering the mysterious word.


    A minuteter, he finally deciphered it and soon got stunned.


    "Asher? Who is that?" He hurriedly looked at Hayden and asked in confusion.


    "Do you know anyone named Asher?"


    Meanwhile, Hayden pondered for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "No, My Lord. There is no one in that name."


    "What about the Destiny Conquerors? Are there any members named Asher hiding in that organization?" Fate Professor still felt something was off about this clue and asked.


    "No, My Lord. There are only sixteen official members in that organization. Except for the head of the Destiny Conquerors, we have all other members'' records." Hayden said in a solemn tone.


    On the other hand, Fate Professor closed his eyes, used his fate skill to check the web of fate strings, and soon opened his eyes.


    "Strange... There is indeed a person named Asher hiding in this city. Moreover, he seems to be an important pawn in my n."


    Puzzlement appeared on his face.


    Soon, he shook his head and muttered.


    "I''ll ask John to look into the security guidebookter."


    After that, he stepped forward and disappeared from there.


    ¡­


    In the meantime, Charles satfortably inside the ck-colored Hackney Carriage and looked outside through the curtain gap.


    At that moment, the carriage entered Rocky Street and drove towards the end of the street.


    Within two minutes, Jessie stopped the carriage right next to the entrance to a two-story building and jumped down from the driver''s seat.


    After that, she tied the horses'' reins on the nearby tree, turned around, and adjusted her fedora hat.


    On the other hand, Charles also opened the carriage door and stepped out. Oliver and Marvin followed him and looked at the surroundings in puzzlement.


    Without minding their puzzled gaze, Charles moved towards the wooden fence entrance and was about to open it but stopped.


    At that moment, he sensed a gaze from the second floor and soon furrowed as he saw a ck owl sitting on the balcony handrail!


    In the meantime, the owl suddenly jumped down from the handrail, opened its wings wide, and flew towards him quickly.


    Within two seconds, it arrived above him,nded on his head, and made a light peck before speaking in a young feminine voice.


    "Wee to Arayn''s house. Pleasee inside."


    As it said that, it pped its wings again and started flying towards the balcony.


    "Talking owl?" Jessie was stunned by the owl''s speech.


    The same goes for Oliver and Marvin.


    On the other hand, Charles opened the fence gate and spoke while shaking his head.


    "It''s not just a talking owl. I feel a powerful presence within that owl."


    "You mean this talking owl is Arayn?" Jessie raised her eyebrows and followed him inside.


    Oliver and Marvin also didn''t say a word and quietly followed after them.


    ¡­

 Chapter 563 Mindworm

    Chapter 563: Mindworm


    As Charles and others stepped into the yard, Charles turned his gaze towards Oliver and spoke.


    "Oliver, stay outside and notify us if any soldier from the security department arrives."


    "Yes, My Lord." Oliver nodded his head, turned around, and quietly walked back to the carriage.


    ''What about him?'' Jessie nced at Marvin and asked telepathically.


    ''Marvin has toe with us. I have a suspicion that someone is watching our every movement through his eyes.'' Charles spoke as he moved closer to the front porch.


    ''Someone is controlling him? If so, why aren''t you killing him?'' Jessie''s face turned stiff. She knew how dangerous these mind-controlling spells were and felt warier inside.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and answered.


    ''It won''t solve the root problem. I want to know who is spying on us. We can also learn more about Arayn by bringing Marvin inside. If Secret Witch is smart and powerful like everyone says, she will notice every anomaly and might reveal the culprit''s name.''


    ''Right!''


    Jessie nodded in understanding, then thought of something and asked.


    ''But what if the one spying on us is Fate Professor?''


    ''I have already checked it. If Marvin were controlled by Fate Professor or any of his subordinates, we would have met a lot of trouble on Dew Street itself. It''s apletely new person.''


    In truth, he had been stealing some memories of Fate Professor from time to time through his ''Purple Word'' spell and knew what the other party was doing.


    ''Surprisingly, his wisdom power is only around 200. Otherwise, my spell wouldn''t have activated. Currently, he is dancing on my palm.'' Although all those memories were random and useless, they were enough for Charles to guess his next move.


    ''A new person...'' While Jessie was in deep thoughts, the trio arrived in front of the wooden door and waited for the other party to open the door.


    Soon, a young woman in her twenties opened the door from inside and weed them inside.


    She had long brown hair, fair skin, greenish emerald eyes, and a lean body. Currently, she wore a red-lined white sheath dress and held a unique brown-covered book in her hand.


    "Pleasee in, Mister. We''ve been waiting for your arrival."


    ''Hmm? She already expected my arrival?'' Charles raised his eyebrows, activated his [Wisdom Sight] skill, and tried to look at her status.


    But he couldn''t see through her status at all. Not even her physical attributes were shown on the blue screen.


    ''Genesis, do you have any clue about this anomaly?'' While asking, Charles took a step forward and entered the building.


    [Yes, Host. Her wisdom is higher than yours. Not only that, but she also seemed to have mastered the skill of hiding her information from any prying power.]


    As Genesis spoke in Charles''s mind, Secret Witch Sylvia walked into the reception room, moved towards the nearby Lawson Sofa, and satfortably on it.


    Then, she raised her hand, pointed her finger towards the opposite chesterfield sofa and chairs, and spoke.


    "Please take a seat, Guests."


    "Are you Arayn?" Jessie sat down on the sofa and went straight to the point.


    Charles also sat next to Jessie and waited for the Secret Witch''s answer.


    "Hooooooo!"


    Meanwhile, the ck owl suddenly flew from the second floor while hooting, arrived above Secret Witch, and slowlynded on her shoulder.


    Meanwhile, the Secret Witch raised her hand, stroked the owl''s head, and answered.


    "I''m Sylvia. She is the one you are looking for."


    ''This strange Owl is Arayn?''<sub> </sub>


    Charles shifted his gaze towards the ck owl and stared at it in silence.


    "Arayn? Why do I feel your name appears simr to Goddess Nyara''s name?" He frowned a bit and soon shook his head.


    "Saying this name in reverse does indeed represent ''Nyara.'' But you aren''t Nyara, are you?" His question surprised the ck owl.


    Still, the owl didn''t say a word and silently sat on Sylvia''s shoulder in silence.


    Meanwhile, Sylvia sighed deeply and spoke.


    "She rarely talks-"


    Before Sylvia could respond, the ck owl named Arayn made a strange hooting sound and spoke.


    "Brilliant. But don''t worry; this name trick is to fool the Lawful Gods." Arayn paused for a moment and added.


    "I know why you came here, Charles. Your goal isn''t to save this city but to get something, right? Though you have been in this city for around 2 hours, you know too much information about this city. Have you developed an advanced skill to predict the future? What puzzles me is why did you even go to Langdon Street?"


    "How did you know?" This time, it was Jessie who asked this question.


    At that moment, Sylvia cleared her throat, calmly folded her hands, and answered instead of Arayn.


    "There is some ck rust in your hand, Miss Jessie. These kinds of ck rust are formed only when the ck silver metal remains in contact with the air for too long. "I sense something unusual in that guy''s head." She paused before raising her hand and snapping her fingers.


    In the meantime, Marvin''s face suddenly froze, and his pupil started to erge.


    Simultaneously, Charles and Jessie felt countless gazes from every direction and were startled.


    ''It''s not an array. I feel this gazeing from different parts of this city.''


    Charles activated his left eye, peeked into the future at that moment, and asked.


    "Worm?"


    Just as he asked, a ck illusionary worm came out of Marvin''s forehead, hovered before his face, and started to materialize.


    It had hundreds of strange white eyes all over its body and white rings roughly the size of a thumb, and it looked eerier.


    "Yes, it''s called Mindworm, only found on that particr street due to the remnant power of Dark God Ringer." Sylvia paused, moved her hand, and pulled the Mind Worm towards her telekically.


    Soon, she caught the worm, put it inside a strange ss tube, and stored it in her space ring. During this time, Marvin grew pale and touched his forehead in shock.


    ''It came out of my forehead? Someone is controlling me?'' Fear gripped his heart.


    On the other hand, Sylvia turned her gaze to Charles and asked.


    "We want to know why the Security Department Director is after you guys?"


    ''Sylvia... As expected of the Secret Witch, she has long gathered information about us. Well, I don''t n on hiding anything anyway.'' He let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Long story short, he killed your Teacher. And, if I don''t kill him sooner, he will kill you today at 4.15 P.M."


    s, not a single trace of surprise appeared on Sylvia''s face.


    She closed her eyes, made countless possibilities with the information she had gathered, and even peeked into the future.


    "Even Demigod Rafael will die, right? Did you see the future? But how did your ''Time'' spell bypass the city''s ''defensive'' system?"


    At that moment, Arayn suddenly spoke up.


    "It''s not an imprable defensive system, Sylvia. It must be the ''Time Recall'' spell. I heard that a youngster named Udnir created such a spell to peek into a distant future. But even I didn''t expect to see it here."


    ''Does Udnir seem like a youngster to you? How old are you?'' Charles couldn''t help but be shocked inside.

 Chapter 564 Syreni

    Chapter 564: Syreni


    Charles soon returned to his usual self and decided not to probe this strange owl''s real identity.


    He then let out a deep sigh and answered Arayn''s question.


    "It''s simr to the ''Time Recall'' spell. I want your help to eliminate the Destiny Conquerors and end this grand scheme. If not, these guys will get in my way for sure." He deliberated for a moment and added.


    "I''m also after another person named ''Fate Professor.'' I suspect he is the main culprit behind this whole assassination plot."


    Meanwhile, Silvia looked at Charles for a second and soon shook her head.


    "Eliminate the Destiny Conquerors? You are not even a Legend Rank powerhouse, mister? Do you even know the true strength of that organization?" Silvia asked coldly. Her wisdom eyes indeed showed her that his strength was on par with Legend rank powerhouse.


    But she still felt the person in front of her was nothing but a weakling like her.


    Meanwhile, Charles leaned his back on the soft couch and answered calmly.


    "I already killed one of the sixteen Destiny Conquerors, Miss Silvia. And I do have some information about this group." He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued.


    "First on my hit list is a guy named Mateo. He is a Rune Mage and has a powerful trump card called ''Wizard''s Cube.'' Although I''ve no information about this artifact, I highly suspect it is an intellectual artifact. He is staying in 56A Long Street, Underground District''s northern side..."


    "Second: Gabriel. He is a Fire Mage like me and mastered Soul Fire to an incredible level. He didn''t have any incredible artifacts, but he seemed to have some unique abilities that could even pose a serious threat to powerful Ancient Beings. Although nobody knows where he lives, he regrlyes to the ''Mary''s Milk'' Bar and enjoys his mortal life.


    Third: Joshua...,


    Fourth: Cooper...,


    Fifth: Everette...,


    Sixth: Xavier...,


    Seventh: Ss...,


    Eighth: Axel...,


    Ninth: Jose...,


    Tenth: Beau...,


    Eleventh: Hazel...,


    Twelfth: Conner...,


    Thirteenth: Adam...,


    Fourteenth: Violet...,


    And finally, their leader ''Asher-"


    As Charles said the Destiny Conquerors organization leader''s name, the ck owl suddenly turned stiff and gave him a sharp look.


    "You even knew her name?" It asked in the same feminine tone. Clearly, the ck owl was impressed by the information and looked at him in shock.


    Meanwhile, Charles also stopped midway and asked in surprise.


    "Her? Asher is a girl?"


    In truth, he got all this information from Wisdom-Link with the help of Genesis.


    When Jessie was assassinating the ''Fate Professor''s carriage driver at 7.19 A.M, Charles tried to use the ''Wisdom Link'' and soon found out it was working inside the Miracle City!


    Not wasting such a good opportunity, he decided to gather all the information about the Destiny Conquerors. Moreover, he even collected some vital information from Brook''s Inner World and managed to form a detailed report about each Destiny Conqueror.


    ''But even the Wisdom Link has little information about this ''Destiny Conqueror''s leader.''


    At that moment, he felt that this ck owl was also shrouded by full of mysteries.


    In the meantime, the owl kept staring into Charles''s eyes and asked.


    "How did you find out her real identity? Even Demigod Rafael knew of her real name, though."


    "Secret." Charles also decided not to reveal too much information about him and calmly looked back at the owl.


    A strange silence appeared inside the room.


    After a long silence, the ck owl made a strange hoot noise and spoke.


    "Tell me what you know about Asher."<sub> </sub>


    On the other hand, Charles nodded and answered while shaking his head.


    "Nothing much. I heard that Asher''s abilities are rted to blood, and that''s it."


    At that moment, Jessie furrowed her eyebrows and asked.


    "Could it be she also chose [Blood Maniptor] ss?"


    But Charles shook his head in disapproval.


    "She was a powerful being born during the Ancient Era. But at that time, the mysterious ''Time Angel'' hasn''t even created the ss-Gem pathway."


    At that moment, Silvia thought of something and spoke with a thoughtful look on her face.


    "Then, she might be a Syreni Warlock. I once explored the Tower of Mirrors and learned that an evil Chaotic Race called ''Syreni'' lived during the Ancient Era and controlled the sea and sea-basednds. And, I heard that these Syrenis were well-versed in blood-rted abilities and worshipped a Chaotic Goddess."


    Just as she spoke, Charles turned his gaze toward Jessie and looked at her status.


    ''Is it rted to her blood-rted skill: Siren''s eyes? Wait, I heard that sirens are mythological evil creatures living in the sea and are depicted as beautiful women with tails of fish... Ezra also said about this ''Syreni Race'' and even depicted their appearance as simr to mermaids...''


    "It seems we are after a powerful being this time." He paused as he thought of something, looked at Sylvia, and asked.


    "Do you have a way to contact ''Demigod Rafael'' and inform him about this Destiny Conquerors organization''s leader? We can solve this grand scheme in less than a few minutes if he lends us a hand."


    "Unfortunately, Demigod Rafael isn''t in the Miracle City right now, Mr. Charles. He is currently staying in Abyss and will take more than 5 to 6 hours to reach here." Silvia shook her head and responded.


    "Demigod Rafael isn''t here? Impossible." At that moment, Charles recalled the beginning warning message and frowned.


    ''The message clearly said that ''Steal the ''Draught of the Phoenix'' potion from the Miracle''s museum hall and escape under the watchful eyes of three Demigods.'' I thought the three Demigods were Rafael, Miguel, and Emerson. But now, I highly suspect another Demigod level is hiding in the shadows and watching everyone''s movement...''


    ''Who is it? Destiny Conqueror organization''s leader Asher? Or someone else?''


    As he was in deep thought, Charles suddenly received a piece of information through the ''purple word'' spell and turned her gaze toward the entrance.


    ''When Professor thought about me a while ago, I saw a glimpse of memory showing a food stall name ''Quick Bite.'' He seems to be pissed right now.''


    He instantly turned his gaze toward Jessie and asked.


    "Do you know where the ''Quick Bite'' food stall is located?"


    Surprised by his sudden question, Jessie looked puzzled at first and soon closed her eyes.


    Then, she activated her [Mind Storm] skill and recreated the whole Miracle City blueprint in her mind. After that, she skimmed through all the street food stall names in two seconds and answered.


    "It''s located two streets away from Rocky Street, Mister. We can reach there in 7 minutes if we go by carriage."


    Just as she spoke, Arayn also turned its head towards Jessie and blinked its eyes.


    "Hooot, that Fate Professor is on his way here."


    "Are you sure?"


    Charles wasn''t surprised by Arayn''s words and asked.


    At that moment, his mind started to work at an incredible speed.


    ''How did he find us so soon? Didn''t I mislead him? Did something happen?''


    "He must have seen Ezra along the way. I told you it''s not safe to use his identity often." At that moment, Silvia turned her gaze toward the ck owl and red at it.


    "I didn''t do it intentionally! I thought they would overlook everything and go away sooner." The ck owl protested.


    On the other hand, Charles turned his gaze towards the Secret Witch and the mysterious Owl and furrowed his brows.


    "You know Ezra?" He couldn''t help but feel something was wrong with the whole situation.


    ''Who is Ezra anyway? Although I absorbed most of his memories, I didn''t find a clue about his connection with any of these two. From what I heard from Gatekeeper Windson Grey, he is nothing more than an arrogant punk who happens to have some connection with some security guards. But something feels off about him for sure.''


    Upon hearing his question, Silvia didn''t think much and answered.


    "Well, he dide here often and meet Teacher once or twice a week-" She abruptly paused as she thought of the strangeness and quickly asked.


    "How do you know him?"


    At that moment, everyone in the room realized something wasn''t right and slowly looked at Arayn.

 Chapter 565 Access Cards

    Chapter 565: ess Cards


    "Don''t look at me. I have no information about that guy." Arayn said calmly.


    Meanwhile, Charles let out a sigh of disappointment and decided to leave this ce first.


    "If the Fate Professor caught up to us, it would be impossible to escape from his grasp." Saying so, he stood up from his seat.


    Meanwhile, Silvia also nodded her head before standing up and started walking towards the house exit.


    At that moment, Arayn pped its wings and spoke.


    "I''ll help you lead the way." Saying so, the ck owl flew off her shoulder and started flying outside through the opened window.


    Within seconds, it flew more than 200 meters above the house and spoke to everyone telepathically.


    ''Two security carriages areing from the main road. They''ll be here in 5 to 6 minutes.'' Arayn paused as it observed the surrounding buildings and streets and soon flew back to the building.


    ''It''s impossible to escape from here by carriage.''


    At that moment, Charles, Jessie, and others had already walked out of the house and looked up.


    As the owlnded on Silvia''s shoulder, it looked at Charles and waited for his next words.


    The same goes for Jessie, Silvia, and Marvin.


    Meanwhile, Charles pondered for a moment and shifted his gaze toward Silvia.


    "Do you have a way to stop the Fate Professor from tracking us? I know he can use his ''fate'' power to see into the past and follow us."


    ''If Rh were here, I wouldn''t have asked for her help. But now I have no choice but to ask help from this secret witch.''


    "Leave it to me," Silvia said with a nod and closed her eyes.


    Simultaneously, she touched the bracelet artifact in her hand and activated it.


    A momentter, a strange invisible power swept into the surroundings and erased their past.


    "That''s it." Saying so, she started walking towards thepound gate.


    Charles also walked outside and called Oliver toe out of the carriage.


    "You can leave on your own, Oliver. We are going to our next destination by walking."


    Although the coachman was puzzled by his words, he didn''t say anything and nodded.


    "Then, I''ll return to the mansion house and wait for your return."


    ''Jessie''s mansion house?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and nodded.


    As Oliver drove the carriage, Charles shifted his gaze toward Jessie and spoke.


    "Take the lead, Jessie. Only you know every nook and corner of this city."


    "Okay." Jessie nodded her head in approval and closed her eyes.


    A momentter, the blueprint of the Miracle City appeared in her mind and showed her every possible route.


    "The best possible way to escape is through the sewage passage. Follow me." Saying so, she dashed towards the other end of Rocky Street.


    Meanwhile, Charles and the others didn''t dy a single moment and hurriedly followed her.


    Within seconds, the group reached the end of Rocky Street road and entered the small alley.


    After running for a while, Jessie stopped near a single-storied house and pointed her finger at the nearbymp post.


    "It''s the entrance to the sewage passage."


    As she spoke, she arrived closer to themp post and took out a crystalline blue card from her space ring.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "ess Card? How did you manage to get one?" Silvia asked in surprise.


    "It''s a Volunteer ess Card." Jessie gave a short response and ced it in a particr area on themp.


    After that, she closed her eyes and started muttering strange numbers.


    On the other hand, Charles was puzzled by her action and shifted his gaze towards Silvia for answers.


    Upon noticing his questionable gaze, she took a deep breath and exined.


    "ess Cards are basically for essing the Miracle City''s defense mechanism. There are a total of four types of ess Cards avable. The first one is the Volunteer ess Card. You can easily get this card if you register your name in Sun Tower or the Tower of Curses. Of course, you must spend some arcane points to get them. As long as you have this card, you can get ess to all Stage-5 and Stage-4 areas."


    "Stage-5 and Stage-4?" Charles felt more puzzled.


    "For example, sewage tunnels, Tower Masters'' mansions, magic tower''s lower floors, and a few other administration buildings woulde under this section."


    As she spoke, Charles noticed Jessie had already stopped muttering and shifted her gaze toward the alley road.


    A secondter, a reddish magic circle appeared on the road, followed by an entrance staircase towards the underground sewage.


    "Let''s go." Jessie hurriedly fastened her footsteps towards the staircase and went downstairs.


    Charles, Silvia, and Marvin followed her quietly and soon entered the sewage tunnel.


    Once they entered the sewage tunnel, the reddish magic circle shone brightly and disappeared along with the passage connected to the outside.


    "What about the other ess Cards?" Charles asked as Jessie took the lead.


    "Second one is the Official ess Card. To get this, one needs to be a student of a tower master or the mage of the Sun Tower or the Tower of Curses. You can enter most areas with this card whenever you want." Silvia deliberated for a moment and then continued to exin.


    "Third one is the Master ess Card. I heard that only a handful of people hold this card and are in a higher position than any other in this city."


    "You mean tower masters?" Jessie asked while continuing walking in the tunnel.


    After all, even she knew nothing much about this ess card information and was startled inside.


    ''I thought there were only two types of ess cards avable.''


    "Yes. I heard that there are twelve tower masters in this city, and each holds considerable authority over different departments. For example, my teacher is the head of the Stargazers Department, while Lord Rafael is the Head of the Intelligence Department. The main reason the Destiny Conquerors assassinated my teacher first might be their fear of him sensing the impending danger."


    "What about the fourth ess Card?" Charles asked.


    "It''s the Core ess Card. Unlike the other ones, this one has the highest authority and allows you to gainplete control over this city. But-" She deliberated for a moment and continued with a deep sigh.


    "Its whereabouts are still unknown. Although Lord Rafael managed to take over the Miracle City by force and became the owner a few millenniums ago, he isn''t an absolute ruler. Thest of the 24 Noble Warlords who created this city hid the Core ess Card somewhere in this city and disappeared."


    "So, the ownerless Core ess Card is still in this Miracle City?" Jessie couldn''t help but ask.


    "Yes. Most suspect that the Core ess Card must be hidden in the Tower of Mirrors. Unlike the Tower of Sun and the Tower of Curses, this Tower isn''t a manmade one and holds countless secrets. Even that the Tower of Mirrors has a total of 100yers is nothing but an assumption. To this day, no one has managed to clear the 70thyer." As Silvia spoke, Charles couldn''t help but frown.


    ''It''s vaguely simr to the Mystic Worlds game.'' Charles thought.


    "Tell me more about this Tower of Mirrors."


    "Aren''t you going off-topic?" Arayn asked while tilting its owl head.


    "No. Taking more about the Fate Professor in the open area would only attract his attention. We''ll discuss this in detail once we move to a safe location." Charles said with a smile and turned his gaze towards Silvia.


    Meanwhile, Silvia showed a wry smile and nodded.


    "In truth, there is a legend that says the 24 Noble Warlords weren''t the ones who created this Tower but something else. When they were constructing the Miracle City around 9,000 years ago, this strange Tower started to materialize in the middle of the city and released endless amounts of monsters from inside. Thankfully, the Noble Warlords did their best to protect the residents and started their first exploration. After some research, they learned that the monster would spawn from time to time out of nowhere and even drop strange gems when someone defeats them."


    "ss Gems, isn''t it?"


    "Yes. The myth says this is the first appearance of the ss Gem pathway in Edhen. Like this Mysterious Tower of Mirrors, three more towers appeared in different parts of the world at that time and caused countless confusion. But those three towers were soon monopolized by the Churches."

 Chapter 566 Arayns Secrets

    Chapter 566: Arayn''s Secrets


    "Mystic Tower? I didn''t expect to hear such important information here. Hmm, maybe I can find some clue about ''Earth'' in this tower." Charles muttered with a frown.


    Suddenly, Arayn turned her gaze towards Charles and asked in a surprised tone.


    "Did you say ''Earth''? Strange¡­ Who do I feel some resonance towards that word?" She paused for a moment and soon muttered a few different words.


    "Ki¡­Tu¡­ Gaea¡­Geb¡­ Nm?"


    As the Arayn spoke, Charles''s eyes widened all of a sudden.


    ''Gaea? Gaia? Isn''t it an ancient Greek word for mother earth? Geb is an Egyptian God of Earth, right?''


    "You are from Earth?" He couldn''t help but halt his footsteps and ask in a shocked tone.


    Meanwhile, Arayn went silent for a few seconds and finally spoke.


    "I was the Guardian Deity of Pai Land when I was in my birth world. But it was long ago."


    "Pai Land? What was that?"


    "Pai means a dry area in my native tongue. Although it isn''t a desertnd, rain rarelyes and always appears hot. Still, it was my only home."


    Charles and others suddenly felt a trace of sorrow and sadness in her tone.


    Noticing the strange silence, Arayn let out a hoot and continued.


    "I was summoned to a Higher ne around 10,000 years ago and then I became a wanderer. I lost many things during the past few millennials and even lost some of my memories to search for my way back. Still today, I never found a clue. You are the first one." She paused for a moment and asked.


    "But how did youe to this world? Our home world should be in the Unexplored Universe, though."


    ''Unexplored Universe?''


    "Sun God Abium brought me here through transmigration. As for how he found Earth, I still have no idea. If you want to return to Earth, you can seek help from him." Charles decided to give her some clues. Although they were total strangers, he didn''t feel distant at all.


    ''Wait¡­ She said that she was a Guardian Deity, right? Does that mean she was a God before?''


    If it were before, he wouldn''t have put any thought into those words. But after hearing Arayn''s earlier words, he decided to clear his doubts first.


    "Are you a human? How did you be a Guardian Deity?"


    To his words, Arayn tilted her head and shook her head.


    "I''m the Daughter of Goddess Kotravai. So, everyone in thend worshiped me as a Deity and sought protection from me. Well, I worked as a Guardian for only around 200 years, so I didn''t recall much."


    ''That''s not the answer to my question¡­ Wait. Daughter of Goddess? 200 years? I don''t think any human lived for more than 120 years, though. Although I don''t know when she was summoned from Earth, I can vaguely tell that it should be during the bronze or Iron age. Does that mean supernatural forces existed on Earth at that time? Or did shee from an entirely different world which is simr to Earth?''


    "How was the Earth''s civilization developed when you were summoned to another world?"


    The ck owl blinked her eyes and shook her head.


    "I never traveled through the sea or to the northernnds, so I don''t know about the outside world. But I have seen travelers from Greakam in Kavada port and even conversed with them."


    ''Greakam? Does she mean Greek? So, she was summoned during the Greek Empire? But what is this ce called Kavada?''


    "Does your ce was ruled by kings? Or some local lords?" Charles asked.


    "King Nedunjeliyan. He and his son visited me more than three times during his regime and sang songs for me to get my blessings. Ah, he was such a great poet."


    ''King what¡­? The name itself seems to be difficult to pronounce. Whatever.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    As they were talking like long-lost friends, Jessie suddenly stopped her footsteps as they arrived at the end of the long tunnel and interrupted their conversation.


    "It''s better to leave the sewage tunnel now." Saying so, she put the crystalline card on the metallic wall and started to mutter the same code-like number.


    Meanwhile, Charles also stopped talking and shifted his gaze toward the front.


    A few secondster, the metallic wall shone in the same bright light, turned transparent in a blink, and revealed another staircase to everyones'' sight.


    "Let''s hide our faces from now on," Jessie said solemnly and took out a bunch of hooded robes and white masks.


    "Do we have to wear these masks? Won''t this attract more attention?" Silvia asked with a frown.


    "No." Jessie didn''t exin much and quietly distributed the robes and masks to others.


    After thinking for a moment, she turned her gaze towards Silvia and spoke.


    "It''s better for this owl to hide it in your robe, My Lady. Otherwise, its presence might expose our identity to the Fate Professor sooner."


    "Owl? It? Are you insulting me? I have a name!" Arayn protested in anger.


    "Calm down, Arayn." Silvia patted Arayn''s head and wore the robe and mask.


    After that, Charles, Jessie, and others quietly moved outside through the stairs and soon noticed that they were standing in the middle of an empty road. Only two carriages and a few people appeared in everyone''s sight, and the whole surroundings looked deserted.


    "We are in the Bronze Land, isn''t it?" Charles asked solemnly after ncing around.


    "Yes. Let''s go to a safe location first." Saying so, Jessie started walking ahead for a while and soon entered the left side alley road. Then, she brought everyone deep into the alley road while walking past many houses and shops and soon stopped in front of a bar named ''ck Beer.''


    "Mr. Charles, please avoid eye contact with anyone inside the bar. The same goes for Lady Silvia and Martin. If someone makes trouble for us, I''ll take care of it."


    Charles raised his eyebrows and nodded in agreement.


    Meanwhile, Jessie raised her hands, opened the entrance door, and walked ahead.


    Although the bar was bustling with life a moment ago, it became dead silent when Jessie revealed her face.


    The bar''s reception hall looked more like a banquet hall, and people with different attire were seated inside.


    "What are you doing in my bar,ss?" A cold voice came from the reception hall. The owner of this voice was a tall man with a hook mustache. He was around 40 years old, had straight ck hair, elongated eyebrows, azure blue eyes, and wore a butler suit.


    "Sir. Mike, it''s been a while." Upon seeing the tall man, Jessie revealed a bright smile and waved her hand at him.


    "Tch. The people in this bar are our regr customers, so don''t you darey your filthy hands on them." The tall man named Mike said with a wary look.


    "I didn''te here to look for apanion today. I need to borrow the VIP hall for an hour. Can you allow it?"


    Instead of responding, the man named Mike looked at Charles, Silvia, and Marvin.


    "I can clearly tell your friends look more dangerous than you." He paused for a moment and let out a deep sigh.


    "Haa, use it."


    Saying so, he quietly took out an iron key from the nearby cupboard and gave it to Jessie.


    Meanwhile, Jessie caught the key and started walking towards the staircase on the left side.


    Soon, the group went upstairs and disappeared from the reception hall.

 Chapter 567 Master Access Card

    Chapter 567: Master ess Card


    Within a few seconds, Charles and others entered a grand hall filled with beautiful portraits and unique statues and looked around. Arge chandelier was hung up in the ceiling, giving bright yellowish light to the surroundings.


    Charles also saw a circr table and a few luxurious chairs ced at the center of the hall and moved toward it.


    Soon, he moved towards one of the luxurious wooden chairs, pulled back a little, and quietly sat on it. Like him, Jessie, Sylvia, and Marvin also did the same and silently sat around the table.


    At that moment, Arayn also flew out from Sylvia''s coat and quietlynded at the center of the table.


    After that, nobody spoke a word for the next few minutes.


    "What are we going to do now?" After a short silence, Silvia looked deeply at Charles and asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles tapped his finger on the table and frowned.


    "Before that, we need to do some alterations to the Defensive Mechanism Array." Saying so, he turned his gaze towards Sylvia and continued to ask.


    "What will happen to Master ess Card when the holder dies?"


    "Wait! You are nning on using that to alter the Defensive Mechanism Array? But it''s still impossible." Sylvia shook her head.


    "I don''t think so." At that moment, Jessie thought of something and asked a question.


    "Miss Sylvia, can a Tower Master able to create a safe killing zone in this Miracle City without any ess card?"


    "No. It''s impossible!" Sylvia shook her head.


    "But we have seen a safe killing zone in Dew Street. The enemy had actually constructed arge array over the mansion and made that cepletely isted from the Defensive Mechanism Array." Jessie said in a solemn tone.


    "Dew Street?" Arayn tilted its head in confusion, blinked its eyes a few times, and soon spoke.


    "They are using a mysterious pir to block the array mechanism constantly. Hmm? I saw it when I was on a higher ne once. This pir is one of the inferior versions of the void pir used for suppressing an intellectual artifact or divine being''s will.


    "I tried to get near it in my vision but got myself disintegrated by its repulsive force," Charles spoke solemnly.


    "Of course, you would. Even though it''s an inferior version of the void pir, it is not to be taken lightly. Now I understood how they managed to kill Elder Seer without alerting anyone." Arayn said solemnly in the same feminine voice.


    Although they had more information about the situation, they still needed to learn how to solve it.


    "We need to do exactly like how they killed Elder Seer. But for that, someone has to infiltrate that mansion and take control of that void pir without alerting the enemy. Or, at least, we need to hack the Defensive Array Mechanism using the enemy''s trump card and use it against them!" Charles muttered gravely and looked at Arayn.


    "Can you do it? Elder Seer said you are the only person in this whole city who is powerful enough to change our current situation and destroy the enemy''s n-"


    "That damned loser! He couldn''t even keep his mouth shut when dying, didn''t he?!" Arayn made a loud hoot and cursed at Elder Seer.


    "You can do that?"Sylvia asked in a surprised tone.


    "What can I get in return?"Instead of responding to Sylvia, the owl looked at Charles solemnly and asked.


    Before he could ask her, Arayn opened its beak once again and said.


    "I''ll ask for the payment when the timees. For now, I''ll help you once."


    Although he didn''t understand what that owl meant, he didn''t think much about it.


    "You are going to sneak into the enemy''s house and steal their trump card?" Sylvia showed a worried look and asked.


    Meanwhile, the owl made a hooting noise while pping its wings and leaped toward Sylvia''s shoulder. Afternding safely on her left shoulder, Arayn turned its head towards Sylvia''s face and added.


    "I''m not going to steal anything. I''m only going to alter some of the enemy''s ns and return quickly."


    Suddenly, it thought of something and added.


    "But I still need the Tower Master ess Card to reverse the rune channels in the Defensive Array."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You mean my teacher''s ess Card? But if he died, it should be still in his body, right?" Sylvia suddenly froze and stood up.


    "We need to get it before the enemy does!"


    "It doesn''t work that way." Arayn interrupted her.


    "When the ess Card owner dies, it will disappear and reappear randomly anywhere in this city. Although it is difficult for others to search, I know of a way to track down its location in a few minutes." Saying so, the owl closed its eyes and fell asleep.


    "... Can we really trust this owl?" Marvin finally broke the silence.


    "Do you have another better idea?" Sylvia gave him a cold look.


    Meanwhile, Charles waved his hand and spoke to Jessie.


    "Jessie, I need your help. From now on, you will be acting alone and sending information about the Destiny Conquerors to me without alerting anyone."


    "But how can I find you?"


    "No. You don''t need to." He paused for a moment and spoke to her telepathically.


    "Whenever you found the information of a Destiny Conqueror, think of my face, the information you are going to ry and mutter my name inside your mind. Do it multiple times; I''ll learn about it."


    "Do you think of yourself as some Godly being-?" Her face abruptly froze.


    "Don''t tell me you really have the power to achieve that?!" A chill went up her spine.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled mysteriously and spoke.


    "Don''t worry. I still need a long way to go."


    At that moment, Sylvia heaved a heavy sigh and interrupted them.


    "Uff! Why are you guys still acting mysterious? Anyway, what''s my role in your n, Mr. Charles?"


    Charles thought for a moment and soon formed a n in his mind.


    "You are also a trickster ss mystic, right? I actually want you to change yourself into a security officer and stay close to the security captain named John. He has a mysterious blue stone that could nullify any type of time, fate, or luck-based abilities. When the right timees, I want you to steal it and return it to me. If not for that stone, I couldn''t have killed Demigod Raphael in my vision."


    "You want to take away all the good stuff enemy has and make them crippled without even knowing it, huh?" Sylvia couldn''t help but get more impressed.


    "You don''t know who that professor guy is. He is a very dangerous man. If I want to beat him, I need to use every advantage I have and act more cautiously. One single mistake, not only you but the whole city will be obliterated." Charles said in a grim tone.


    At that moment, a sudden knocking sound came from outside and interrupted their conversation.


    Meanwhile, Jessie showed an annoyed look on her face and stood up while grumbling.


    "I told them not to disturb us for an hour! I really need to teach some lessons to this bar owner."


    While speaking, she arrived in front of the wooden door and opened it slowly.


    A momentter, she couldn''t help but freeze.


    At that moment, she saw not a maidservant but a five-six years old small girl child. She wore a ragged brown gown with sky-blue eyes, crimson hair, and a pretty round face. Although she looked more like a poor child from the slums, her eyes showed something else.


    While Jessie was still confused, the young child moved her hands from her back and gave her a unique golden card.


    Simultaneously, Sylvia stood up from her seat with a dumbfounded look and shouted.


    "It''s the Master ess Card!"

 Chapter 568 Infiltration Of An Owl

    Chapter 568: Infiltration of an Owl


    Charles, Jessie, and Marvin got stunned by her words and soon looked at the owl in shock and amazement.


    At that moment, the girl child gave the unique golden card to Jessie and started running in the corridor.


    "How does that child know we are staying here?" Charles was the first to wake up from the shock and looked suspiciously at that sleeping owl.


    At that moment, he suspected that this owl might have the ability to possess someone forcefully and do all of its work without alerting anyone!


    A few secondster, Arayn slowly opened its owl eyes and tilted its head.


    "Why are you staring at me?" It grumbled slowly and soon shifted its gaze toward Jessie.


    "Give me that card, little girl. I''ll go and start ying with the mortals for a while."


    Saying so, it pped its wings and flew toward Jessie at an incredible speed.


    Once it approached her hand, it grabbed the ess Card using its w-like legs and started flying outside through the corridor.


    As Arayn disappeared from the hall, they couldn''t help but look at each other.


    "So, should I also go and start my stealth work?" Sylvia asked.


    "You can. But you have to be more careful around Professor. Try not to make eye contact with or get close to him. When everyone gathers to pay thest tribute for Elder Seer at the Graveyard, he will take out that mysterious blue stone and give it to someone." Charles paused as he replicated some of those memories and sent them to Sylvia''s mind.


    A momentter, a look of astonishment appeared on Sylvia''s face.


    "These memories look more like reality!" Saying so, she also moved away from the circr table and quietly walked out of the VIP hall.


    Now, only Charles, Jessie, and Marvin stood in silence.


    After a short silence, Charles looked at the ceiling and spoke solemnly.


    "It''s not an easy matter to kill a Legendary Rank powerhouse alone. I need to rank up now."


    "You mean?" Jessie tilted her head in confusion and asked.


    "I''ve beenprehending my spell models during the past five years non-stop and realized that I''ve reached a bottleneck. That''s the reason I desperately wanted to obtain the potion. Now, my soul had already mutated to Demi-God level and even my wisdom power has reached the legendary realm. All I need to do is to drink the potion and rank up smoothly."


    Jessie''s eyes widened as she heard those words.


    ''How is his progression going so steady and fast?'' She was stunned inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his gaze towards Marvin and spoke.


    "Stay here. Once Arayn returns from her mission, tell her to wait here for us. We''ll be back in an hour." Saying so, Charles turned towards the wooden door and started walking towards it.


    Meanwhile, Jessie followed after Charles, and soon both disappeared from the VIP hall, leaving Marvin alone.


    ...


    95A Dew Street, Underground District, Miracle City.


    At that moment, a strange ck owl flew above a particr four-storied mansion building and started circling it from above.


    After a few circles, it slowly descended from the sky and tried to get inside but was stopped by an invisible force.


    "A xenon array?" Arayn made a cold snort, suddenly turned illusionary, and passed through the defensive array like nothing!


    Then, the owl flew towards the mansion terrace and slowly sat on the water tank. After that, the owl closed its eyes, scanned the whole building, and soon noticed a strange energying from the second floor.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The void pir is on the second floor, huh?" Arayn nodded its head, continued to search for a new target, and soon found one.


    That person stood outside a particr room on the second floor and appeared to be guarding it.


    The target was a 30-year-old man with long brown hair, a rough-looking face, azure eyes, and a sharp nose. At that moment, he only wore a regr linen shirt and pants and held a long spear.


    He was none other than Winston Grey, the gatekeeper!


    After Charles massacred most of the divine order members, he became responsible for protecting a particr room inside the mansion.


    "Tch! I thought they would at least give me some mission, but why do I have to guard a room?" He couldn''t help but grumble inside.


    Although he didn''t have to stand in the sunlight all day, he was still dissatisfied.


    "Oh? You don''t like this job?" A seductive female voice echoed in his head, causing his whole body to go stiff.


    Before he could understand the situation, sudden darkness appeared out of nowhere, knocking out his consciousness.


    A momentter, Arayn opened her eyes, moved her right hand, and took a golden card out of thin air. (A/N: I will call Arayn'' Her'' instead of ''It.'')


    Simultaneously, she slowly ced the long spear on the ground and made an illusionary image of Winston.


    She grinned widely, turned towards the metal double door, and touched it.


    Simultaneously, Winston''s body turned illusionary and passed through the defense array enchanted door!


    Within seconds, she appeared inside the secret room and quietly looked around.


    "Statue of Eternal Dawn Goblin, Statue of the Bizzard Void Dragon, Statue Prime Kobalt, Statue ck Eye, and Statue of a Nightmare Devil... They are borrowing power from different void beings and recharging this pir continuously. No wonder my pawns didn''t notice any anomaly." She muttered while moving towards the Statue of Eternal Dawn Goblin and soon made a sly smile.


    "It''s been more than 500,000 years since I met you. Let me borrow a bit more of your power, My friend." Saying so, she suddenly moved her finger, drew a strange rune word, and sent it to the Dawn Goblin statue''s forehead area.


    A momentter, the ck statue turned dark reddish and released strange nullifying power.


    "Oh? You''ve already reached the pinnacle of your kind? Good for you!" A trace of sorrow appeared in her tone as she said those words and started walking toward the next statue. After that, she made simr runes and sent them to all the statues.


    Once she did that, she slowly shifted her attention toward the magic arrays engraved all over the hall.


    "Hmm, this is going to take some time." While speaking, she moved her hand and started writing many rune words in the air before sending them in different directions.


    Simultaneously, she used the ''Master ess Card'' and got ess to the Defensive Array Mechanism.


    She stayed in the room for the next 45 minutes while altering the array formations in the hall and finally shifted her gaze toward the ck pir.


    "Divine Order Organization is indeed full of surprises. Thankfully, I made some preparation in advance." After looking at the void pir, she turned around and walked towards the metal double door.


    Like before, she suddenly arrived closer to the door, turned illusionary, and soon appeared on the other side.


    After that, she picked the long spear from the floor and dismissed the illusion.


    Then, she withdrew her consciousness from Winston''s body and soon reappeared in the owl''s body.


    "Well, that ended pretty smoothly." The owl let out a strange hoot and started pping its wings.


    Before long, it ascended towards the sky without minding the defensive array and flew away.

 Chapter 569 Draught Of The Phoenix Potion

    Chapter 569: Draught of the Phoenix Potion


    Miracle Museum, Merchants'' Market, Miracle City.


    It was around 9.05 A.M.


    A ck-painted four-wheeled carriage arrived before the Museum''s entrance and soon stopped with a screeching noise.


    A momentter, a deep-blue-haired young man and a whirly blonde-haired woman stepped out of the carriage and quietly gazed at the Museum''s interior.


    Charles wore a ck trench coat around his formal white shirt, a monocle on his left eye, and even put on a grey fedora cap over his head.


    Meanwhile, Jessie wore a blue bias-cut gown with golden threads in the borders, high-heeled shoes, and a golden handbag and looked more like a high-ss woman.


    As they walked out of the carriage, Jessie moved closer to Charles and put her arms around Charles before stepping inside.


    At that moment, one of the receptionists bowed his head and quietly invited them in. Unlike thest time, Charles and Jessie walked leisurely and whispered into each other''s ears like lovers.


    After some time, they moved towards the second floor and finally reached the grand hall where they kept the Draught of the Phoenix potion. But instead of moving towards the target, both took their time to look at each antique and finally arrived closer to the red vial sealed in a ss box.


    At that moment, Charles had long released his invisible strings while covering the fake potion bottle and moved it toward the backside of the ss. Simultaneously, one of the invisible strings moved toward the rm siren array and quietly deactivated it.


    Before long, he moved the fake potion into the ss box through the small gap and reced it with the original one.


    After that, he stealthily took the original potion and quietly walked away.


    It took him only ten seconds to steal the potion bottle from the well-protected box!


    ''Last time, I spent over two minutes here and almost messed up.'' While thinking, he touched hismunication bracelet and acted like he was talking to someone telepathically.


    After that, he whispered something in Jessie''s ears and grabbed her hand before moving away from the grand hall.


    They soon returned to the first floor and told one of the receptionists they had to leave.


    After a simple check-up, they left the Miracle Museum and soon moved toward the carriage they came from.


    "Please drive the carriage to 95A Dew Street," Charles said calmly and stepped into the carriage.


    On the other hand, Jessie couldn''t hide her smile as she was amazed by his schemes and followed him.


    Both soonfortably sat on opposite seats and quietly activated the space lock spell.


    "Uff! Why did you tell the coachman to drive the carriage to Dew Street?" Jessie leaned her back on the seat and asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles thought for a moment and spoke solemnly.


    "I''m just using every opportunity to dy Professor''s n, Jessie. Although Destiny Conquerors'' are our target, we must remember that Professor is the main culprit behind this incident. Even during the Graveyard incident, he was nowhere to be seen. I''m damn sure Demigod Raphael''s assassination is also a distraction. His goal might be something bigger."


    "Something bigger?" Jessie went silent for a moment and asked.


    "What is your n?"


    "I wanted to face Professor and kill him first. But that guy has more trump cards and isn''t an easy foe. In truth, I might die in mere ten seconds. But the Destiny Conquerors members are not too hard to kill. I know a lot about them, but they know nothing about me. We''ll use this as an advantage and reduce their number as much as possible. If we managed to reduce their numbers, we might win this battle without facing off the Professor!" Charles said calmly and added.


    "We will leave the carriage once it enters Bronze Lane stealthily." Saying so, he leaned his body backward and closed his eyes.


    "Okay!" Jessie nodded and quietly took out her newmunication ring.


    After that, she connected it using her soul imprint and contacted her trusted subordinate.


    "Vana! Who is it?" A young maiden''s voice came from the other side momentster.


    "Isabe! It''s me, Jessie. I was hoping you could send out our people and gather information about a few people in the Underground District. Can you manage this? I want you only to gather their everyday activities and nothing more."


    Although her subordinate Isabe was surprised by her sudden orders, she responded and didn''t say anything.


    "I''ll do it, Jessie. Do you need anything else?"


    "Nothing much for now. But take care of Oliver''s family and try your best to bail him out of prison. The security forces must have arrested him long ago and might be interrogating him."


    A strange silence appeared from the other side, followed by a cold tone.


    "What are you up to now?"


    Meanwhile, Jessie made a forceful smile and spoke.


    "I''ll tell you in detail when we meet." Saying so, she quickly cut the call and quietly put themunication ring inside her space ring.


    "It seems you made quite a good friend here," Charlesmented casually and soon added with a deep sigh.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s not a bad thing to rely on others."


    Although he had been through many betrayals and schemes, he also realized the importance of relying on others and trusting them.


    ''s, it''s almost impossible for me to trust anyonepletely.'' At that moment, an image of a middle-aged old man shed before his face.


    ''Why did I think of Rh?''


    A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    ''I should finish this mission and take some long rest.'' While muttering, he closed his eyes again and waited for the carriage to reach Bronze Lane.


    A few minutester, Charles suddenly straightened his back, cast ''conceal'' skill on himself, and disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Jessie also touched her golden bracelet and turned invisible.


    As the carriage moved on the speed breaker, one of the carriage doors opened for a second and closed on its own.


    Although the carriage driver noticed it, he didn''t think much about it and kept driving toward Dew Street.


    Meanwhile, Charles and Jessie quietly moved towards the roadside and soon entered the alley.


    After that, both removed their concealing spell and quietly checked the surroundings.


    "We are only a few hundred meters away from ck Beer bar," Jessie said and started walking towards the left side alley.


    Two minutester, both entered the bar like before and soon noticed most customers had disappeared.


    "What happened?" Jessie nced around warily and asked the bar owner Mike.


    Meanwhile, Mike let out a dissatisfied grunt and spoke coldly.


    "Thanks to certain someone''s series of abduction of warlocks, even my normal customers got scared and ran away."


    On the other hand, Jessie breathed a sigh of relief and added.


    "We need another hour. After that, we will leave and nevere back."


    Without waiting for Mike to speak, Jessie walked past him and moved towards the second floor through the circr staircase.


    Charles also didn''t say much and followed her.


    Before long, the duo reached the VIP hall and met with Marvin.


    No, Charles also saw Arayn standing proudly on Marvin''s shoulder and seemed to be gazing at his coat pocket.


    "So, you went to take the Phoenix potion, huh? Drink it quickly and get ready. I only managed to alter the Defensive Mechanism array eight times." She paused for a moment and added in detail.


    "Each error will ur every 45 minutes, so utilize it carefully. The first error will ur at 10. 17 A.M, second at 11.02 A.M, third at 11.47 A.M, fourth at 12.32 P.M, fifth at 1,17 P.M, sixth at 2.02 A.M, seventh at 2.47 P.M, and finally eighth at 3.32 P.M. Kill whoever you want in this particr minute like they killed Elder Seer and try not to get yourself get killed."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles was stunned and soon took out his pocket watch.


    "9.48 A.M.! We only have a few minutes to prepare." Muttering, he turned his gaze toward Jessie and spoke to her telepathically.


    "Jessie, you have to act alone from now on. Do as I said and focus on a single target for every error. Even if I failed to kill one, gather information for the next target and send it to me by continuously thinking about me and the information."


    Meanwhile, Jessie bid farewell to Charles and Arayn and felt the VIP hall.


    On the other hand, Charles quietly moved towards the nearby chair and sat on it.


    At that moment, Arayn pped her wings, flew towards him, and soon sat on his left shoulder.


    "Drink it quickly. I''ll stop any elemental fluctuation from leaving this hall."


    Saying so, it closed its eyes and fell asleep.


    Marvin suddenly felt dizzy at the same time and fell unconscious on the table.


    Before long, Arayn woke up in Marvin''s body and stood up.


    In the meantime, Charles felt that Marvin''s wisdom power and everything became abnormally stronger and were dumbfounded.


    ''He has grown over ten... no, twenty times stronger than before. His [Artificer] ss has been advanced to 5th... No, it''s the 6th Rank [Truth Finder] now!'' At that moment, he realized that the hidden Demigod in this city was none other than Arayn!

 Chapter 570 Rank Up [Bonus ]

    Chapter 570: Rank Up


    "Keep it secret from others. I don''t want to reveal myself to the universe yet." Arayn said calmly and moved towards him.


    ''Not the world but the universe?'' Charles felt more mysteries shrouding Arayn and became warier.


    ''Well, nothing wille out by scared of her.'' Shaking his head, he took the potion vial from his coat pocket and broke the safety rune arrays in the lid.


    After a minute, he finally broke thest safety array and opened the vial.


    Just as the lid fell on the table, a dense amount of mysterious power came from the vial and spread everywhere.


    But before it could spread outside, Arayn waved her hand, released her wisdom power, and blocked it.


    In the meantime, Charles took a deep breath, moved the vial towards his mouth, and gulped it in one go!


    A secondter, a scorching feeling appeared in his mouth, the tongue, and soon in his throat!


    Simultaneously, a dense amount of fire essences emerged from the liquid and quietly spread all over his body. They contained millions of rules, knowledge of all fires, and even some mysterious divine power!


    [Strength increased by 1 point!]


    [Strength increased by 0.9 points!]


    [Dexterity increased by 0.9 points!]


    [Constitution increased by 0.5 points!]


    At that moment, Arayn''s voice echoed in his ears.


    "Use your elemental form spell."


    Without dy, Charles nodded and turned himself into his elemental form.


    A momentter, he felt that all those mysterious fire essences started entering his soul through the strange connection and entered his Inner World in masses.


    [Foreign Fire Essence is entering Host''s soul!]


    [Warning! Warning! The presence of an unknown being''s will has been found in the fire essence!]


    ...


    ''What-?''


    As Charles was panicked by the sudden invasion of a foreign power, Arayn''s voice echoed in his head again.


    ''Don''t stop it from entering your Inner World. It''s the remnant will of the Phoenix.''


    ''Remnant will of the Phoenix?'' Charles pondered for a moment and decided to listen to Arayn''s words.


    A momentter, countless pieces of information entered his mind.


    [Due to millions of rules and knowledge inflow, Host''s Inner World is expanding!]


    [Host''s soul is undergoing a mutation!]


    Simultaneously, Charles felt a bang sound echoing in the depth of his soul, followed by countless pieces of information about all six types of fires!


    At that moment, he sensed that his Inner World had been expanding non-stop!


    He instantly let his consciousness enter the Inner World and appeared before the six stars like spell models.


    When Charles tried toprehend the final parts of the [Curse of the Overlord] spell before, he felt a mountain-like wall blocking him. But now, he understood the whole spell model with a simple nce.


    [Host''s understanding of the Rank-5 [Curse of the Overlord] spell model has reached 100%.]


    [Host''s understanding of the [Fire Rain] spell model has reached 100%]


    [Host''s understanding of the [Rebirth Body] spell model has reached 100%]


    [Time duration has been enchanted up to 1 minute, and the vulnerability status will also be removed.]


    [The [Rebirth Body] spell cooldown has been reduced from one day to one hour!]


    ...


    [Due to the presence of Phoenix''s abundant Rebirth rules in the Fire Essences, fusing them with your [Red Tear] spell model is possible. Would you like to merge it? Yes/No.]


    A strange notification appeared before his eyes, causing him to raise his eyebrows.


    ''The system is asking me to upgrade the spell model now?'' He hesitated for a moment and then decided to choose ''Yes.''


    A momentter, tens of thousands of fire rules separated from different parts of his Inner World and entered the [Red Tear] spell model. [Author''s note: The Rebirth Body spell model is within the [Red Tear] spell model.]


    Although the process was smooth and fast, Charles felt that his [Rebirth Spell] and [Red Tear] spell had been fused and formed into a new unique spell model.


    Unlike before, Charles felt that the restrain to move in the [Time-Stop] had also reduced considerably.


    [Fusion Completed! A new name has been created under the will of the remnant Phoenix!]


    [Rebirth Domain spell has been created!]


    Charles didn''t even have time to look at the spell model as another notification followed.


    [Host''s understanding of [Sphere of Invulnerability] spell has been increased to 100%!]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Host''s understanding of [Purple Word] spell has been increased to 100%]


    [Host''s understanding of [Soul Shock] spell has been increased to 100%]


    [Host''s understanding of [False Field] spell has been increased to 100%]


    ...


    [Due to the mutation in the Host''s soul, the Fire Elemental Affinity level has been improved from ''Genius'' to ''Prodigy''!]


    ...


    [Due to the mutation in the Host''s soul, the Fire Elemental Affinity level has been improved from ''Prodigy'' to Divine!'']


    ...


    [Alert! Alert! Alert!...]


    [Host has met the requirements to Rank Up]


    [Host can consume the [Fire Mage] ss gem or drink [Dusk Shackle Potion] to Rank Up!


    Sess Rate: 99%!]


    After seeing the final notification, Charles breathed a sigh of relief and touched his spatial ring.


    Then, he took a reddish gem from his spatial ring and looked at it.


    "You even have the Fire Mage ss Gem?" This time, Arayn showed a surprised look and nodded.


    "Anyway, now is the best time to consume it. Do it."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded, put the ss gem into his mouth, and gulped it.


    The ss gem shrunk into a minute level a momentter and directly entered his soul.


    [Host has consumed [Fire Mage] ss Gem!]


    Before he could even think, the reddish gem entered his Inner World and dissolved into nothing, releasing a strange, mysterious wave in every direction.


    The next instant, the mysterious wave enveloped his soul and weakened the invisible shackle.


    ''Now is the time.'' Charles didn''t dy momentarily and used his ''wisdom power'' to break the invisible shackle.


    Although he felt like he was first crashing into a mountain, he soon noticed some cracks that started to appear around his soul.


    Before long, the invisible shackle shattered like sses and disappearedpletely.


    [Alert! Alert! Alert!]


    [Host''s physique has reached peak level Radiant Knight Stage!]


    ...


    Upon seeing this message, Charles let out a smallugh and took out another strange red gem from his spatial ring.


    Although it looked like a ss gem, Arayn sensed some amount of Nature Divine power mingled with it and was surprised.


    "It''s not a ss gem but a gem with a mixture of Nature Divine power and Fire Elemental power.''


    While she stared at him in wonder, Charles quietly moved his hand toward his mouth and swallowed it.


    ...


    [Host has consumed the Saint awakening stone!]


    [Strength attribute has increased by 2.1 points!]


    [Dexterity attribute has increased by 2.1 points!]


    [Constitution attribute has increased by 2.1 points!]


    [Host''s physique has entered ''Saint'' Level!]


    In truth, Charles wouldn''t have managed to break the shackle or even strengthen his physique if his soul hadn''t entered the demigod status.


    ''I became much stronger in mere few minutes. ''


    A secondter, he slowly opened his eyes and felt the whole World in a new light.


    At that moment, he felt that his sense also had been heightened by multiple folds and broke into a grin.


    "How many minutes passed?" He quietly turned his gaze toward the right side and asked.


    Meanwhile, Arayn in Marvin''s body gave him a weird look and soon spoke in the same feminine tone.


    "Only ten minutes went by. But you sure have more secrets like me." Saying so, she waved her hand, broke the invisible forcefield that covered the whole mansion, and slowly shifted her gaze toward the sleeping owl on Charles''s shoulder.


    A momentter, she closed her eyes and let her consciousness return to the owl''s body.


    ...

 Chapter 571 Rebirth Domain Spell

    Chapter 571: Rebirth Domain Spell


    Once Arayn returned to her original owl body, she pped her wings and flew up before sitting on Marvin''s body.


    Although it looked like she was alright, Charles sensed her soul bing dim and weak!


    ''She sacrificed her power to help me? But why?'' He couldn''t help but take a deep look at the owl.


    Meanwhile, Marvin also woke up from his unconscious state and stood unsteadily.


    "W-What happened?" He couldn''t help but stutter.


    "Nothing. I just borrowed your body for a while." Arayn said while turning her owl gaze toward Marvin and added.


    "We are leaving, Marvin. I need your help to move around for a while."


    At that moment, Charles also snapped out of his dazed state and asked.


    "Aren''t you worried about Sylvia? Moreover, why did you go this far to help me? I can see that you might notst a year or two!"


    Arayn suddenly turned her head, blinked her eyes a few times, and continued.


    "Worried? She is the child of Wisdom. Hootttt! Don''t worry; she will not die easily. As for my health, I''ve been tricking my death for far too long. More than a million years, to be exact. So, I''ll find a way."


    Saying so, she moved closer to Marvin''s neck and started pecking it.


    Without another choice, Marvin let out a wry smile and bid his farewell to Charles before walking towards the exit.


    Once Marvin and Arayn left the hall, Charles turned his face solemnly and shifted his attention towards his Inner World.


    At that moment, information about a Destiny Conquerors member appeared in his mind as images.


    ''Hmm, Jessie is personally monitoring the target. Wait, my first target is Mateo? Isn''t he a Rune Mage and has a powerful intellectual artifact called ''Wizard''s Cube''? Why did she choose him to be my first target? If I''m not wrong, he is staying in 56A Long Street.'' At that moment, more information about him appeared in his mind.


    ''He met a strange hooded man at 9.52, and both are now heading towards Bronze Lane Street.'' But what surprised him was that the path appeared more familiar to him.


    ''What? Are theying closer to this bar? Did she predict his next action only through information?'' At that moment, he realized that she was a Mind Maniptor!


    ''Could it be she managed to manipte his mind? Or did she manipte the other person''s mind and use him to lure Mateo here?'' Although he couldn''t understand the situation, he knew what to do next.


    First, he took the pocket watch from his space ring, flipped open the outer case, and looked at the time.


    ''10.07 A.M. Not much time has passed.'' He didn''t dare to dy any longer and waved his hand.


    A momentter, two of his incarnation suddenly appeared before him and looked at him calmly.


    One looked more like Prince Julius, while the other looked like Edith.


    Simultaneously, Charles took out the Star Constetion Book and gave it to Edith.


    "When the time turns 10.17, use the Star Constetion book and see if you can find any clue about Asher."


    Saying so, he turned his gaze toward Julius and added.


    "Your job is to hide in my wrist in the form of a tattoo and find a way to steal Wizard''s Cube from Mateo''s neck." Although Charles didn''t know much about the artifact''s abilities, he at least knew that Cube was hidden in his ne and decided to steal it first.


    Just as he spoke, his incarnation suddenly shrank into a butterfly, moved towards his wrist, and attached to it.


    After that, Charles didn''t stay in the VIP hall and started walking towards the wooden door.


    Before long, he left the hall and quietly started walking in the corridor.


    ''Genesis, show me the details of the newly upgraded spell.'' He ordered.


    [Yes, Host!] A cold yet soulless response came from his head.


    A momentter, a blue notification appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Rebirth Domain: Upon casting this spell, this rebirth domain spell will allow the Host to create a unique Domain made of rebirth fire. Within this domain, time moves ten times slower than usual. But with your Rebirth Body, you will not be restrained by the rebirth fire and can move normally.


    Additional effect: You will also gain the ability of rebirth within the domain and can cheat your death once.


    Domain Range: 100 meters radius.


    Duration: 1 minute.


    Cooldown: 1 hour.]


    ...


    ''Wow! It''s simr to Fire Domain but has more advantages. What if I cast [False Field] spell in the rebirth domain? I can move two times faster than normal?'' A strange thought appeared in his mind.


    ''If this experiment is sessful, I can kill the enemies much quicker!''


    He nodded as he reached the staircase and started walking downstairs.


    At that moment, he thought of something and ordered.


    ''Genesis, show me my body status.''


    A momentter, another blue interface popped up before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Cloner


    Main ss: Rank-6 Fire Mage [Legend Rank]


    Sub-ss: Rank-5 Cloner [Pseudo-Legend Rank]


    Physical Body Rank: Saint Knight Level


    Soul: Demi-God (Mutated+1)


    Title: Chaos Maker, Savior, me Demon, Fire Angel.


    Health Points: 1130/1130


    Wisdom Points: 3


    Attributes:


    Strength- 32.0<novelnext></novelnext>


    Dexterity- 32.0


    Constitution- 32.0


    Wisdom-226


    Charisma- 14


    ss spells:


    Curse of the Overlord (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Fire Rain (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Rebirth Body or Timeless Body (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed) and Red Tear (Rank-6 spell, Completed) --> Rebirth Domain (Rank-6 spell, Iplete.)


    Sphere of Invulnerability (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Purple Word (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Soul Shock (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    False Field (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Wonders- 644


    Cloning- 531


    Eye of the Faceless - 1049


    Unique skills:


    Eye of the Runes- 930


    Conceal- 60


    Dark Vision- 50


    Intermediate Dagger Arts- 55


    Sharpshooting- 50


    elerate Thoughts- 560 (Present Time)


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Fire: Divine


    Darkness: Average.


    Time: Low.]


    ...


    ''I finally entered the realm of Legendary.'' Although he still needed to improve, he at least gained some confidence to solo any Destiny Conquerors members.


    While looking at his body status, he went downstairs and soon arrived at the reception hall. At that moment, he subconsciously activated his [Conceal] skill, moved towards the left side hall, and sat on the corner seat.


    Although a few customers were still seated here and there, the bar remained dead silent.


    After ncing at the surroundings, Charles quietly turned his gaze towards two people who sat near the reception table and raised his eyebrows.


    At that moment, both had already held wine sses and appeared to be talking like close friends.


    One was a grey-haired man who looked around 40 years old, while the other was a young man with a handlebar mustache. The gray-haired man wore a unique silver robe, held a bluish gem-embedded staff, had an apple-shaped body, blue eyes, wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, a stronger jawline, and looked around 175 cm tall.


    With a simple nce, Charles noticed a unique bluish-cube-like gem-embedded ne around his neck and confirmed that he was the Rune Mage Mateo.


    The other young man wore a neat butler suit, had ck hair, brown eyes, square face, and looked around 180 cm tall.


    ''But that guy is only a Rank-3 Warlock...'' At that moment, a few pieces of information about the ck-haired young man appeared in his mind.


    ''Amir, 239 years old, has no family or friends and is quick to get into trouble. He was a member of the Unseen Legends organization once but got disqualified after he failed to kill some big shot. Then, he came to Miracle City around 12 years ago and started working as a butler. His current boss is a tycoon living in a mansion at 56A Long Street...''


    ''So, that tycoon is none other than Mateo. No wonder Jessie picked him to be my first target.'' He abruptly froze briefly and soon widened his eyes as he noticed a slight anomaly.


    ''Tch, I don''t have any time to waste.'' He muttered inwardly and shifted his gaze towards the surroundings.


    ''A total of eleven people are staying in this bar right now. Seven are customers, while the rest four are bar waitresses.'' He didn''t see Mike in the reception hall and felt somewhat relieved.


    Although that guy didn''t look strong, Charles felt premonition when they met him earlier.


    ''He might be a powerful Rank-5 Mystic or has an artifact that could threaten the previous me. Anyway, I don''t need to worry about him now.'' While muttering, he quietly took the pocket watch from his coat pocket, flipped open the outer case, and looked at the time.


    ''10.15 A.M.'' He took a deep breath and stood up before walking towards the reception table.


    At that moment, the young man named Amir stood up from his seat while saying something to Mateo and quickly shouted at the waitress.


    "Give us two more sses of mermaid wine."


    Saying so, he moved away from the table and started walking towards the reception table.


    A few secondster, he approached the reception table and soon arrived closer to the waitress.


    At that moment, Charles reached the reception table and quietly turned his gaze towards the grey-haired man in his 40s.


    ''10:16: 04,'' He muttered slowly and turned his gaze towards the young butler.


    Even though he was standing closer to Amir, he didn''t notice his presence and quietly flirted with the waitress girl.


    "What''s your name, sweetheart?" He asked as the waitress girl started pouring the ''mermaid wine'' into two sses.


    Meanwhile, the waitress girl bent her body forward, put the two sses on the tray te, and responded while showing her cleavage.


    "I''m Zoe, My Lord."


    Amir smiled as he grabbed her hands slowly and took the tray te from her.


    "Oh! What a beautiful name you have-" As he was about to turn around while speaking, he suddenly bumped into someone and dropped the te.


    The next instant, he went furious and grabbed the deep-blue-haired young man''s cor, who appeared out of nowhere.

 Chapter 572 Wizards Cube

    Chapter 572: Wizard''s Cube


    "Watch where you are going, a$shole!" Amir cursed at Charles loudly and tried to push him away.


    Meanwhile, Charles couldn''t bnce at that moment due to the sudden push and fell backward.


    [Twelve more seconds before the array goes disable mode. Ten... Nine... Eight...]


    As Genesis spoke in his mind, he slowly grabbed the nearby table and managed to push him forward using his wisdom power.


    At that moment, Amir''s expression froze.


    Although he was only a Rank-3 Mystic, he knew much more about this invisible force and instantly realized that he had messed up.


    ''F*ck! He is a strong mage!''


    "You are asking for it!" Charles turned his face icy cold and spoke.


    s, Amir wasn''t threatened by his words and only stepped back.


    "Even if you are a Rank-5 Mystic, so what? You can''t attack me in this city-" Before he could finish his sentence, the whole reception hall started to turn red and waspletely enveloped in reddish me!


    Simultaneously, the time around them moved ten times slower than before.


    Tables, chairs, and even the people who remained in the bar noticed their bodies were bathed in red me and couldn''t even think faster.


    ''No.....!.... My.... th...ou..gh...ts... a...re....''


    At that moment, Amir noticed that the blue-haired man moved incredibly quickly, pped him on his cheek, andpletely knocked him unconscious.


    In truth, Charles''s mere p broke his neck and made him fly in the air.


    It all happened within a second!


    While Amir''s body was lifting in the air, Charles turned his gaze towards the grey-haired man and cast multiple skills like [elerate Thoughts], [Eye of the Runes], [Burning Thoughts], [Purple Consciousness], and [Curse of the Overlord] skills on him.


    At the same time, his left eye also activated on its own and showed Mateo''s-


    No! Some invisible power came out of his ne andpletely nullified his [Eye of the Runes] and [Eye of the Faceless] skills!


    ''Genesis, find out what happened?'' Charles didn''t dy for a single moment and ordered.


    To his surprise, Genesis seemed to have predicted this and had already shown him a lot of notifications.


    [Enemy''s intellectual artifact sensed the danger through the unique legendary wisdom skill ''See Through'' and cast another Legendary Skill called ''Invisible Guy,'' Host.]


    [Invisible Guy: It''s a unique legendary spell that will allow the user to deflect any probing spell and help him disappear from reality for a limited time. Although he will remain in the physical World, the others will ignore him entirely and sometimes even forget about him as if he had never existed. Duration: 5 minutes. (1/Day)]


    [See Through (Passive Wisdom Skill): It can see through any disguise or danger.]


    But that was just the beginning.


    Suddenly, darkness descended on the grand reception hall and blinded everyone''s vision.


    [Warning! Warning! Warning! Mateo has managed to nullify the [Burning Thoughts] spell using his second Consciousness and cast [Darkness Domain] spell.]


    A momentter, Charles stood before a barrennd filled with strange fire everywhere.


    Even though Charles could feel that his [Rebirth Domain] spell was still active, he noticed that the dark power was slowly corrupting it.


    He sensed a strange premonition at that moment and soon saw all his twenty future visions go nk.


    ''No good!'' He instantly looked at his wrist and shouted.


    ''Julius! Take over my body.'' While muttering, he entered his Inner World and waited.


    [Warning! Warning! Warning! Wisdom Cube seemed to have perceived you as a highly dangerous opponent and cast the ''Eternal Sense Curse'' skill]


    [Eternal Sense Curse: Upon casting, the opponent will lose his sight (Vision), smell (Olfaction), hearing (Audition), sense of touch, taste (Gustation), Proprioception or Spirit suppression (Being able to sense position and movement of the surroundings without relying on vision), and even vestibr sense (responsible for maintaining bnce and spatial orientation).]


    While Charles quietly looked at the description in Inner World, his incarnation went utterly blind and stood there without any idea what had happened.


    It onlysted a second before Charles retook control of his body and opened his eyes.


    Although the surroundings appeared darker and no sign of the Enemy appeared before his eyes, Charles knew that the opponent was still...


    ''Opponent? Who is my opponent?'' A strange thought entered his mind. Simultaneously, he sensed his [Purple Consciousness] inside the opponent''s soul also vanished.


    [Warning! Warning! Warning!....]


    [Host''s mind is manipted by one of the Wizard''s Cube''s abilities!]<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It''s the Invisible Guy skill! No good! All my memories about my opponent suddenly vanished!''


    [I have a suggestion, Host! Even though Wizard''s Cube sensed the danger and protected its master, its master is still under your Rebirth Domain spell effect. If I''m not wrong, he doesn''t have-] Before Genesis could finish her sentence, a strange, chilling sensation spread everywhere from somewhere and started freezing the surroundings.


    [Warning! Warning! The Enemy has cast the [Absolute Zero] spell on himself and nullified your [Rebirth Domain] spell effect! He won''t be affected by the present-time rted spell!]


    [Absolute Zero: This spell can freeze everything around the user for 5 seconds, creating a unique time freeze zone around his body. Using this spell, he can move without restraint in the ''Time Stop'' effect.]


    But Charles didn''t even look at the description and curled his lips upward as he saw a human shadow standing only a few feet away.


    Due to his [Absolute Zero] spell effect, the opponent''s location was exposed to Charles.


    Without waiting, Charles cast [Burning Thoughts] and [Consciousness] spells on Mateo again.


    Simultaneously, he took the ckened Heart sword from his space ring and pierced it toward Mateo''s head.


    But just as his sword tip reached his head, the Wizard''s Cube in his neck made a bluish light and cast another spell.


    Simultaneously, Mateo''s hand suddenly extended forward at an incredible speed and touched his chest.


    [Warning! Warning! Warning!-]


    Before Genesis could warn him, a strange force entered his body, soul, and even his Consciousness and started destroying it.


    ''SH*T-'' That was thest thought in Charles''s mind as his existence became dim!


    The first thing to disappear was his body, Consciousness, and soul.


    No, a single strand of his soul remained floating in the astral realm and seemed to have formed a connection with the Physical World at that moment.


    Even more shocking was that this battlested only around 20 seconds!


    Meanwhile, Mateo noticed that the Enemy''s strange mind spell had disappeared in his Inner World and finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Who the hell was that? How did he manage to attack me without facing any retaliation from the Defensive Mechanism Array?" He asked in a shocked tone and quietly waved his hand.


    A momentter, he returned to the bar and noticed that the strange me hadn''t disappeared.


    s, Amir, the other customers, and the bar waitresses had long incinerated and died!


    ''Get away from this city, Mateo. It''s not safe here.'' A female voice echoed in his head.


    It was none other than Wizard''s Cube!


    "Yes!" Mateo nodded his head and hurriedly walked towards the exit. In truth, he had long sensed someone manipted his butler to lure him here and thought it might be one of the Divine Conquerors like himself.


    But the sudden assassination attemptpletely caught him off guard. If his Wizard''s Cube hadn''t sensed the danger and acted in time, he would''ve long died!


    He quietly left the bar while using the [Shadow Walk] movement spell constantly and entered the Bronze Lane in mere ten seconds.


    At that moment, he also realized that he had already left the range of Charles''s Rebirth Domain spell and breathed a sigh of relief.


    "30 more seconds." A cold yet feminine voice came out of nowhere and echoed deep in his Inner World.


    He soon saw a young woman in her twenties standing under a peach tree shadow and looking at him with a smirk. She had beautiful jade eyes, plump red lips, long auburn hair, fair skin, and a pretty round face. At that moment, she wore a red skirt suit with a ssic and elegant look, a white scarf, and looked more like a model in the air hostess dress.


    Before Mateo could ask a question, she calmly waved her hand.


    A momentter, every drop of his blood suddenly stopped moving inside his body and caused him to fall to his knees.


    "WHO ARE YOU?" He barely kept his Consciousness as sharp pain assaulted all over his body and asked hoarsely.


    At the same time, the Wizard''s Cube reacted due to the sudden danger and cast a new legendary spell called [Nightmare Loop] on the young woman!


    In the meantime, the young woman''s jade eyes turned golden color andpletely resisted the legendary spell like nothing!


    "Unfortunately, illusion or dream-type spells won''t work on me, Cube. Or, should I call you Myxenta''s child?" Before the Wizard''s Cube could activate its unique ability, the young woman curled her lips upward, touched the bracelet in her left hand, and uttered.


    "Destiny Swift."


    A momentter, the ne on Mateo''s neck turned illusionary, disappeared from there, and reappeared in the young woman''s hand.


    Although the Cube tried its best to fly away, the auburn-haired young woman gripped the artifact tightly and started walking toward the fallen Mateo.


    "I''ve been waiting for more than seven millennia to get my hands on you, Myxenta''s child." As she spoke, she approached Mateo and gave him a cold look.

 Chapter 573 Blood Marionette

    Chapter 573: Blood Marite


    Meanwhile, Mateo bit his tongue and muttered in a grave tone.


    "Cloak of the Void!" A secondter, a mysterious force appeared around his body andpletely nullified the blood-curse ability in his body.


    "Oh? You aren''t bad. A Void Dragon''s unique spell, isn''t it?"


    "Who are you?" He asked while taking a step back. Although he looked calm on the outside, he suddenly sensed that his spiritual imprint in the Wizard''s Cube broke all of a sudden and got panicked inside.


    Meanwhile, the young woman shook her head and spoke.


    "You are still nothing without this artifact''s abilities. As for my origin, I''ve been called Blood Queen once, but now I''m only a heartbroken woman." Saying so, she suddenly disappeared from where she stood before and reappeared in his Inner World.


    Before Mateo could locate her in his Inner World, she disappeared again, causing him to be more surprised.


    ''She is still in my Inner World but why can''t I locate her?-''


    Before he could even think, a strange rumbling noise came out of nowhere and shook the whole surroundings! It appeared more like an earthquake and caused the darkness-filled barrennd to split into many ces.


    But what shocked him most was that his whole Inner World started to change from barrennd filled withplete darkness to a new one. Blood rivers started appearing from different parts of the Inner World, followed by three strange scarlet moons in the sky. All those blood rivers split further into multiple channels, forming a web in his Inner World.


    At that moment, he also saw bony skeletons of humans, beasts, and marine creatures like mermaids, sharks, fishes, and strange beings appearing here and there, ultimately turning his Inner World into some hellish domain.


    Upon seeing the strange moons, blood rivers, and creepy bones, he couldn''t help but get shocked inside.


    ''The scarlet moons almost look simr to the ones we see in Edhen World''s sky! Although I don''t know what these blood rivers are, I can clearly see that they are trying to take over my soul from the inside. But how did my Inner World change into a different one in mere seconds? What the hell is happening?'' As he stood rooted on the blood-stained barrennd, one of his consciousnesses suddenly flew from the front while holding a unique crystalline core in its hand and bowed its head.


    ''Thank god! My soul core is still safe in my hands-'' His face abruptly froze as he noticed that his consciousness''s appearance started to change and formed into an auburn-haired young woman.


    Before he could even mutter a take a step forward, she calmly raised her hand towards her mouth, bit her forefinger, and spat a small amount of blood on Mateo''s soul core.


    Then, she let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "Blood Marite!"


    Meanwhile, Mateo felt a strange reverence upon looking at the young woman and instantly lowered his head.


    His previous hostilitypletely disappeared and was reced with reverence, loyalty, and respect!


    "Good! You stay hidden until everything is over and do me a little favor for meter. For now, you should go back to your mansion and rest."


    The young woman spoke like a divine being and disappeared from there.


    A few seconds went by quietly in the Real World.


    All of a sudden, Mateo opened his eyes and looked around cautiously. But unlike before, his eyes appeared soulless, and his face showed no sign of emotion.


    After confirming no one was nearby, he moved his body stiffy and walked hastily towards the right side alley road.


    But as he continued to walk, his walk became steady, and his face and eyes also started to show Mateo''s original emotions.


    At that moment, another figure appeared where Mateo stood before and looked in the direction he went in.


    The figure was around 25 years old, with deep-blue hair, deep-set jade eyes, short eyebrows, a fleshy nose, and an oval face. At that moment, that young man wore the same trench coat as before and covered his head with a fez hat.


    He was none other than Charles!


    A few seconds ago, Charles''s rebirth Domain spell pulled his soul shard hidden in the astral realm into the Physical World and started reconstructing his existence.


    Before long, his physical body and consciousness also returned to their original state and became good as new.


    But what shocked him most was that he found himself sealed deep inside a mysterious sun-like existence when his existence got destroyed earlier, and he felt puzzled!


    ''I shouldn''t have seen such a strange scene, right? Could it be whenever I die in this Rebirth Domain, I''ll not actually die but be transported into that mysterious Rebirth star? So, that''s how this rebirth spell works, huh?'' He couldn''t help but be amazed inside.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After that, he turned his gaze towards the direction where Mateo went and furrowed.


    ''He should''ve long fled from this street, but why did he stand there in a daze? He seems a little strange.'' He also noticed the disappearance of the ''Wizard''s Cube'' in his neck and felt something was wrong.


    After ncing briefly at the surroundings, he quietly raised his hand while thinking of Mateo and spoke.


    "Past Touch!"


    A momentter, the surroundings started to break like sses and were soon reced with the scene where Mateo faced off against the mysterious young woman.


    But the moment Charles saw her face, he couldn''t help but freeze in shock.


    She was none other than Hayley, the air hostess!


    ''What the heck? Howe she is here? Moreover, who is she? Did she manipte me from the very beginning?'' Countless questions whirled in his mind.


    ''From the looks of it, she seems to have some ability to control blood. Also, she waited for a few millenniums to get her hands on Wizard''s Cube... Wait! Child of Myxenta? I think I have heard of this name before. Yes, Goddess Myxenta is the one who created my DIce of Disaster!'' He paused for a moment and soon asked.


    ''Genesis, Show me the information about the ''Dice of Disaster.''''


    [Yes, Host.] A swift response came from Genesis, followed by a row of information.


    ...


    [Dice of Disasters:


    Description: It is one of the hundred Miracle Gold Coins created by Goddess Myxenta to break the bnce of the Universe. Each coin contains the soul shard of the Goddess of Luck and can exhibit mysterious luck abilities.


    Ability: Chaotic Disasters.


    When the user rolls the active Golden Dice, it will produce the power of ''Misfortune'' without relying on any outside force and cause countless disasters to your surroundings. The power of the disasters will depend on the dice''s face with a total number of dots faced upward after rolling. The more the dots face upward, the more disasters you and your enemies will experience.


    Caution: Trying to manipte the Die will result in a backfire.


    Side Effects: As long as the user survives the Disaster, there will be no side effects.


    Usage: 1/Year.]


    ...


    ''So, Wizard''s Cube is actually one of the hundred Miracle Gold Coins, huh? But why didn''t that artifact use its luck-based ability a while ago? Is it because of the cooldown time? Hmm, the [Wizard''s Cube] might also be simr to my Genesis artifact.''


    [Correct, Host. Afterparing my abilities with Wizard''s Cube''s, I concluded that it must have already be a Z-Series Intellectual Artifact. The reason why it did not activate its Miracle ability even after its master was about to die could be because he was only a carrier.] Genesis said calmly in his head.


    ''Carrier?'' Charles asked in puzzlement.


    [Yes, My Host. Unlike normal artifacts, most intellectual artifacts choose its owner themselves. If I''m not wrong, even your ''Dice of Disaster'' did the same when you were in the Faith Realm. But what''s more interesting is that all Intellectual artifacts have a habit of always choosing an anomaly as its next owner. But Mateo appears to be very normal in every way.]


    ''You mean this Wizard''s Cube actually used him as a carrier to stay hidden from others? Could it be? It was waiting for its sessor all this time?'' Charles asked.


    [It is possible, Host.] A short reply came from Genesis.


    Charles nodded his head and went silent for a while. Although he didn''t understand how he didn''t notice Hayley''s scheme or even a clue, he was sure of one thing.


    ''Even though I''m grown powerful, there will always be someone who is much smarter and stronger than me. I actually didn''t expect that Wizard''s Cube artifact to be a very powerful one like my own.'' He heaved a deep breath and soon muttered.


    ''Is it possible for me to get my hands on the Wizard''s Cube?''


    [I advise you not to make any reckless moves, Host. Even if you get your hands on that artifact, it will not choose you as its next sessor and escape. If you try to stop its escape forcefully, it might even sacrifice the whole World''s luck to retaliate against you.] Genesis said in the same cold tone, causing his eyebrows to rise.


    ''Oh? Can you exin in detail?'' Charles got more curious about this sessor thing and asked further.

 Chapter 574 Firstborn

    Chapter 574: Firstborn


    [Yes, Host. To understand more about these Miracle Gold Coins, you must first learn why Goddess Myxenta sacrificed her life to create these artifacts. First, Goddess Myxenta is not a human but a small ck cat. She was one of the first beings born in this universe, along with High Humans, High Elves, Fate Fairies, Ancient Dragons, and Ancient Dwarves. But due to some odd reasons, all the firstborn races suddenly disappeared one day and never returned. Well, except for one single being.]


    ''Myxenta?''


    [Yes, Host. Unlike the other firstborn races, she had a unique trait called ''Universal Luck.'' Some say that it is an ability granted by the universe itself. Was she born lucky? Or did she get it through some schemes? No one knew the answer. Because of this skill, she somehow managed to evade her precarious destiny and didn''t disappear like other ancient firstborn races. Anyway, she didn''t stay still after noticing the disappearance of the firstborn races and started searching all over the nearby worlds. Although she never found a clue about the ancient races, she somehow opened a path to a strange dimension filled with powerful, chaotic beings. It''s a dimension where countless chaotic worlds are arranged in order.]


    When hearing thest sentence, Charles couldn''t help but think of Abyss.


    ''Wait. Chaos creatures didn''t belong to this universe?'' Charles got more interested in that topic and asked in surprise.


    [No, Host. Chaotic Creatures are indeed part of this universe, but they seemed to be in a sealed state all those times. As for who sealed them, no one knew the answer. But after Myxenta opened the seal, they started invading all the nearby World under the leadership of a Supreme Demon and caused destruction everywhere. They conquered countless nes and even turned some worlds into barrennds. They are also the first to find the Divine Path and enve countless souls into their divine kingdoms. Although many ancient warlocks and mages united and resisted their invasion with all their might, the chaotic faction grew more powerful. That''s when Goddess Myxenta used her Universal Luck for the first time and summoned an omnipotent being. Some said that was the Universe''s Will, while others said it was the ''Creator,'' but no one knows its origin.]


    [After summoning that strange being, she asked that strange being to reseal all the chaotic creatures. Unfortunately, that strange being didn''t fulfill her request. Instead, it told her to create a bnced universe and waved its hand before disappearing. But that wave released a mysterious power all over the universe and created unique petals.]


    Charles instantly recalled the appearance of the divinities and muttered.


    "Divinities!"


    [To be more precise, ''Luck'' Divinities. Before that time, this universe had no luck power, and all mortals'' lives were guided by their fate strings and destiny. Even all the World''s Will used the fate power to their advantage and controlled the living beings under their palm. Although some Divine beings used ''Time'' or ''Fate'' divinities to break away from the World''s shackles, it was far from enough to break away the shackles of destiny strings.]


    [After that, Luck Goddess gathered most of the ''Luck'' Divinities and became the second taboo existence. Her power rivaled the Supreme Demon hidden in the Abyss and finally stopped the abrupt invasion of the chaos. She soon formed thewful faction and helped many Lawful Gods to ascend to the Divine Throne. The war between Chaotic Faction and Lawful Faction continued for more than 9 million years and gave birth to dozens of taboo existences, creating more factions and powerful existences! At the same time, the war finally reached a stalemate. All the Chaotic, Neutral, and Lawful members came to apromise and decided to split the explored universe into five parts. They are Origin Domain (Lawful Good), Underworld Domain (Lawful Evil), Watchers Domain (True Neutral), Abyssal Domain (Chaotic Evil), and Hell Domain (Chaotic Good). Everyone agreed not to invade any other domain and cause destruction anymore.]


    ''But that still didn''t stop the chaotic faction''s invasion, right?''


    [Yes, host. Although the supreme demon didn''t attack openly, his subordinates acted independently and started causing trouble for the Mid and Low worlds in the form of a nar invasion. Goddess Myxenta tried her best to stop every nar invasion but failed. Ultimately, she used her life force to split her soul into hundred shards and made Miracle Gold coins before tossing them into different parts of the universe. Although no one knows why she did that, each coin has its goal and aim. For example, Dice of Disaster only focuses on causing destruction, and Abium''s Miracle Star only focuses on using its gathered luck to help the user create new skills or abilities,] Genesis deliberated momentarily and continued.


    [And Wizard''s Cube can help the user turn a bad situation into a fortunate one.]


    ''Oh? So, that''s why Miracle Gold coins choose only the people who have the power to shake the bnce of the universe, huh? Wait. Does that mean each Miracle Gold coin still has the will of Goddess Myxenta in it?'' Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    [Yes, Host. Even your Dice of Disaster coin had the Will of Myxenta. But when you used the miracle spell and created the unique system, Myxenta''s Will merged with me and became a part of me.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I now understand why it''s impossible for me to gather two coins.'' He nodded solemnly and quietly looked at the pocket watch.


    ''10.23 A.M. Now, let''s focus on eliminating the next target.'' Although he now had to worry more about Hayley''s schemes, he decided not to put too much thought into it.


    At that moment, his Edith incarnation suddenly appeared before him and returned the Book of Constetions to him.


    Then, she moved forward and directly entered his Inner World.


    Simultaneously, Charles received a new memory about Asher and soon widened his eyes.


    In that memory, he saw a deep-blue-haired young woman sitting on a throne made of blood-red crystals and appearing more like a queen. She had crystalline red eyes, sharp and long teeth, red scales-embedded hands and cheeks, a unique reddish single horn on the forehead, and a fish-like lower body. Although she looked like a mermaid from the legends, the appearance of red scales, horns, and sharp teeth made him realize she looked more evil and eerie.


    At that moment, he suddenly thought of the Race mentioned by Ezra and Sylvia and muttered solemnly.


    "Syreni Race... But isn''t that Race long disappeared from this World after the appearance ofwful Gods? So, Asher is a descendant of Syreni, huh?" At that moment, Hayley''s face shed before his eyes.


    ''During the earlier battle, she did call herself Blood Queen and also used blood-rted spells on Mateo... Bloodline Spell? Wait.'' His face turned solemn.


    ''I have a vague feeling that Hayley might actually be Asher! But why did she try to enve her own organization member now? Why didn''t she do it before? Could it be because of Wizard''s Cube''s other abilities? Maybe She used me as a scapegoat to take on all the powerful spells and stole it right before my eyes,'' He pondered for a moment and soon decided to research this Syreni Raceter.


    ''Let''s focus on the current mission.'' While muttering, he closed his eyes and searched if Jessie had sent any information about his next target.


    ''Oh? My next target is Violet. She is one of the weakest members of Destiny Conquerors and has no artifacts or unique spells. But she is known for being the smartest character among all the Destiny Conquerors and is considered one of the most highly dangerous people. She is also the newest member of this organization and walks on the Path of Warlock. She is a Mind-Worm Bloodline Warlock and has spells like Mind Invasion, Telekinesis, Dark Shield, Worm Eyes, Parasite Marite, and Memory Steal. There is also a rumor spreading about her saying that she has great foresight about any uing events and always acts quickly. Wait. Mind Worm Bloodline... Worm Eyes...'' He recalled when Sylvia pulled a strange worm filled with eyes from Marvin''s forehead and soon squinted.


    ''What the h*ck? Could it be she was the one who spied on us at that time? But how did she know about us? Moreover, when did she even parasite Marvin? She indeed has such a scary ability and smartness. No wonder everyone calls her as Smartest Character.'' Charles couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    ''I was happy when I realized the next enemy would be the weakest. But now I have a vague feeling this will be a battle of wits. From the looks of it, she seems to have already predicted the danger and is currently residing in her own house. Is it possible to kill her? I can''t use Rebirth Domain for one hour, so I have no choice but to use other skills to confront her. Moreover, I can''t underestimate my enemy like thest time. Although she is the weakest among all the members of Destiny Conquerors, she is still considered a highly dangerous person. My advantage will increase the faster I kill her. If I drag the battle even for a while, I might get killed.''


    While muttering, he put his pocket watch in his coat pocket and started walking toward the airport''s location.

 Chapter 575 Violet

    Chapter 575: Violet


    Charles walked past multiple alleys but soon stopped as he reached a small street named Bell''s Lane and shifted his gaze toward the left side house. It was a small one-storied house with no fence around it.


    The house''s exterior featured a low-pitched roof with wide eaves supported by decorative brackets. The house also had a front porch with decorative pirs, detailing fretwork, a symmetrical design with evenly spaced windows, and a central entrance featuring a decorative door with intricate carvings and stained ss¡ªthe house''s walls made of stone, with decorative cornice.


    Although Violet''s house was still two streets away, something else in this house caught his attention and made him stop there.


    At that moment, he saw a unique board ced in front of the house and strange words written on it.


    Although Charles couldn''t remember whatnguage it was, he strangely felt he could read it using the Eye of the Runes skill!


    He instantly activated his [Eye of the Runes] skill and started reading it after some difficulty.


    ''Kam kalithu eluntha kanagan smbil


    paduthu vaithanna sevvai marungin


    eduthu niruthanna ittu arunchiruneri


    thodutha vaaliyar thunai punar kaanavar


    idukan seiyaathu iyangunar iyakkum


    Kam meemisai aruppan penaathu


    idichura nivappin iyavuk kondu olugith.''


    ''What a strangenguage. But I feel somewhat familiar upon reading these lines. Let''s see what these words say.'' He muttered inwardly and started to decipher.


    ''Without worrying about protection,


    you have traveled a huge distance in time


    with rightful way, near lying boulders (Difficulties)


    that appear like they had been ced on a difficult,


    narrow path that looks like it was set there, on the


    time path where hunters who shoot arrows,


    will be there with their wives, but they do not cause sorrow to


    those who travel on the time path created


    with boulders, but guide them on the path."


    As he deciphered the meanings, he felt this looked more like a prophecy and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''I can vaguely guess this prophecy is some guidance... But who are these hunters? For whom was this prophecy created?'' Just as he blinked his eyes, he noticed that those strange words started to disappear and were reced with an empty board!


    ''What the heck? Someone is watching me all this time?'' A chill went up his spine.


    Simultaneously, the house''s entrance door opened with a creak, and a young woman in her mid-twenties walked out. She was around 160cm tall and had fair skin, slightly wavy ck hair, green eyes, an oval face, and a slim physique.


    She wore a dress with a high neckline and long sleeves made ofce. It also had a fitted bodice entuating her waist and a full, flowing skirt falling to the floor. The skirt was adorned with ruffles, pleats, andyers ofce. The dress also had decorative elements such as embroidery, beading, andce trim.


    She also wore a violet hat with a wide brim, unique violet gloves, and a ck parasol. Overall, her dress appeared elegant and refined, reflecting the fashion of the developed city.


    It was none other than Violet!


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Charles Nightwind. I heard a lot about you." She said with a smile and gave him an elegant bow while taking off her hat.


    Meanwhile, Charles made a forced smile and nodded.


    "I''m surprised by seeing the smartest person of the Miracle City appearing before me, Miss Violet." He paused for a moment while keeping his guard up and asked further in a solemn tone.


    "How did you know I was going toe this way?"


    Meanwhile, Violet shook her head and let out a deep sigh.


    "You just now ranked up to a Legend Rank, young man. Although your spells and intellectual artifact are strong and powerful enough to assassinate a Legend Rank powerhouse like Brooks, they aren''t enough to kill all Destiny Conquerors. As for the answer to your question, I have imnted my worm parasites into more than a million people in this city. I know every action of yours. I know how you killed Brooks, stole the rainbow-colored Truth Line from Fate Professor, and even how the Divine Organization managed to kill the Elder Seer. Come inside; I don''t like fighting you right now."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Saying so, she turned around and started walking inside.


    ''F*ck! Did she truly imnt her worm parasite into a million people and watch everyone''s movements all day? How did she achieve it?'' Charles couldn''t help but be taken aback.


    ? "You don''t need to be so wary of me. Unlike other mystics, the only power I''ve is my mind. As long as you have that purple fire, I can''t control you." Her calm voice came from inside, causing him to frown deeper.


    After a slight hesitation, Charles sighed deeply and decided to walk inside.


    Simultaneously, he took out his pocket watch and checked the time.


    ''10.54 A.M. I still have a few more minutes left.'' He muttered inwardly and looked at the house''s interior while walking in.


    The interior of the house had high ceilings andrge, open rooms. The main living area also had a firece with a decorative mantel. The windows of the house appearedrge and featured decorative mullions. The house also had a separate dining room, one bedroom on the left side, a kitchen, and finally bathroom on the backside.


    Charles also noticed a small garden in the back, with ornamental nts and trees, and was surprised.


    ''She looks like a young woman who enjoys her everyday life peacefully.'' But he knew it might be one of her tricks and decided to remain cautious as he stepped into the living area.


    Meanwhile, Violet stood at the center of the main hall and invited him to sit on thewson sofa ced a few feet away from her.


    "What are you scheming?" Charles asked while scanning the sofa and the surrounding walls and sitting on it.


    Meanwhile, Violet also moved towards the opposite chair, sat on it quietly, and revealed a bright smile.


    "Are you nervous? Wait. Hanna, bring some Angel Wine for our special guest." She turned her gaze towards the kitchen and said calmly.


    Then, she crossed her legs and turned her gaze towards Charles.


    "Do you know why I invite you here even though you n to kill me?" She asked with a smile.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and answered truthfully.


    "I''m not sure. But you must have a method to enve me while talking to me. Some consciousness corruption-type spell?"


    This time, a sh of surprise appeared on Violet''s face.


    "Unfortunately, I don''t have such type of powerful spell. If I had such a spell within my soul, I would''ve long enved more of the Legend Rank powerhouses and taken control of this Miracle city." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "I arranged this meeting not to kill or enve you but to tell you something important. It''s about the true identity of ''Asher.''"


    "True identity?" Charles knew this woman was scheming something and was only dying time but decided to y along.


    "Yes. What do you know about them? I want to know what information you''ve found in this short span of time." Curiousness and a hint of craziness appeared on her face as she asked.


    ''What kind of situation is this? Aren''t I suppose to wait for the right time and kill her? Why does it feels like I''m talking to my long-lost friend?'' Although Charles sensed a small anomaly, he didn''t mind it and decided to answer.


    "She belongs to a Syreni Race and has blood-rted abilities. And I''m also suspecting that she must be a queen of some Syreni kingdom in the past. That must be the reason she called herself Blood Queen."


    "Oh? Not bad! Not bad at all. But why are you keep calling Asher ''Her.'' She is not alone-" Her face abruptly froze as she recalled something and hurriedly stood up.


    "F*ck! I almost forgot that Hanna can''t do kitchen work right now. Wait, I''ll get the ''Angel Wine'' myself." Saying so, she hurriedly approached the kitchen and started making noises by dropping sses and tes.


    "Sorry! Sorry! My hands slipped." She shouted like a clumsy young girl and soon returned with a serving tray with two sses of whitish-red liquids before cing them on the tea table.


    "Please make yourselffortable, Mr. Charles." She said with a smile, took one ss from the tray, and returned to her seat.


    Afterwards, she leanedfortably on the soft couch and sipped Angel Wine.


    Meanwhile, Charles scanned the wine bottle multiple times and checked if any strange poisons or parasites were hidden.


    After confirming that it was safer to drink, he finally took the wine and took a sip.


    But a momentter, he felt his whole body bathed in a warm light and ted. It was an amazing feeling that even made him rx his guard.


    "You like it? Unfortunately, it''s very hard to make this wine in this city. But thanks to you, I managed to get my hands on the main ingredient and made this wine quickly." Violet said with a sigh.


    "Thanks to me? What is the main ingredient?" Charles showed a puzzled look and tilted his head.


    "Hehehe, are you interested in learning about this unique dish? Well, I''ll tell you. Its main ingredient is none other than the human brain! Thankfully, Hanna was nearby when the defensive array went inactive." As Violet spoke, her mouth twisted and formed into a creepy smile, giving goosebumps all over his body.

 Chapter 576 Enslaved

    Chapter 576: Enved


    Charles froze as he heard those words and dropped the ss.


    At the same time, a notification popped up before his eyes, showing the time.


    [Seven seconds before the array goes disable mode... six... five... four... three... two...one!]


    ''No good! She did this on purpose to distract me!''


    Instantly, he tried to spit out the thing he had just drunk, but nothing came.


    At that moment, Violet stepped forward and cast [Telekinesis] bloodline spell on him,pletely making him immobile.


    "You are so easy to manipte, Mr Charles. Just my words caused you to loosen your guard even more." Saying so, Violet looked deeply into Charles''s eyes and muttered.


    "Mind Invasion!"


    A secondter, Charles suddenly sensed a foreign power entering his Inner World and widened his eyes.


    Simultaneously, he also entered his Inner World and soon saw a blob-like monstrous worm hovering thousands of meters above his Inner World. It had more than hundreds of strange ck tentacles around its body, eerie ckish, countless creepy white eyes all over its body, and appeared to be around 100 meters tall.


    The mere presence of the worm in his Inner World caused him to tremble.


    Before he could think further, the monstrous worm opened its mouth and started spitting out countless small worms. Each worm made unique screeching noise and rained down from the sky.


    He watched the eerie scene from the fire pce, which he had created in the middle of seven types of firends, and took a deep breath.


    "Oh? Is this your Inner World? Looks good." A familiar female voice came from above.


    Soon, Violet''s original consciousness appeared above the sky and slowly descended toward thend.


    At that moment, Charles noticed that the small worms had already started eating his memory clouds and quietly raised his hand.


    "You should''ve known why ''purple fire'' is called the ''Nemesis of the Inner World.''" Just as he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it.


    A momentter, tens of thousands of [Knowledge Seeker] and millions of [Fire seed] spells appeared before him and flew toward the sky at an incredible speed.


    Simultaneously, Violet noticed more than five of [Purple Consciousnesses] appeared in her Inner World and started burning her memories!


    Upon seeing such a drastic change, her expression turned solemn.


    But she didn''t panic at all.


    She quietly looked down at thend that almost looked like a fire-elemental ne and cast her next spell.


    "Dark Shield."


    As she spoke, an eerie ckyer appeared around all the worms, her original consciousness, and even her soul, and started blocking his [Purple Fire] like nothing!


    What shocked Charles was that he noticed that even his five purple consciousnesses had disappeared from her Inner World in an instant.


    "See? My spell might not be powerful enough to block your Legend Rank spell, but it''s enough to erase your low-rank spells."


    ''Tsk! I have no choice but to see if that spell works.'' He muttered while looking at Violet''s original consciousness and cast his next spell.


    ''Curse of the Overlord.''


    The next instant, a ck pir of fire came from one of his spell models, passed through the [Dark Shield] spell, and directly stuck Violet''s original consciousness.


    But unlike before, Charles saw more than thousands of eerie dark fire lines coiled around her consciousnesses, which seemed to be altering her thoughts.


    Although she tried to resist, the ''Hell Fire'' did its job perfectly andpletely enved her original consciousness!


    As all those dark fire lines assimted into her consciousness, Violet stopped resisting and looked puzzled.


    After being slightly confused, she looked at her illusionary consciousness and sharply shifted her gaze toward Charles.


    "What did you do?" She asked in a cold tone.


    Meanwhile, Charles curled his lips upward and mocked.


    "Surrender or die."


    "You are too naive-" As she was about to attack him, an invisible force came from the deepest part of her mind and stopped her.


    ''Something''s wrong. Why am I hesitating to attack? No, why am I feeling affection towards him?'' Her eyes grew warier.


    Before she could understand the situation, Charles sent out another order.


    "Remove your ''Dark Shield'' spell."


    "Why do I have to listen to you-?" She had already removed the ''Dark Shield'' spell without knowing her!


    "What the f*ck? What did you do?!" Her face distorted as she screamed at him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In the meantime, Charles snorted coldly and sent out another order.


    "Out. Get out of my Inner World."


    She instantly closed her eyes and withdrew her consciousness from her Inner World as if she had heard a divine order.


    A momentter, Charles opened his eyes to the Physical World and calmly looked at the dumbfounded Violet.


    After a short silence, she quietly returned to her seat and fell on the couch like her whole life was destroyed.


    "I-Is that a consciousness corruption spell?" She asked with a stiff tone.


    On the other hand, Charles looked surprised as he realized she still hadn''t submitted and asked.


    "Howe you are still resisting my spell?"


    Instead of responding, she showed a pained expression and asked with a stiff smile.


    "If you have this spell, you should''ve tried it on Brooks, right? But he didn''t submit but chose to self-destruct himself, am I right?"


    Without waiting for him to nod, she raised both hands and continued.


    "I''m not going to resist you. As long as you promise me to remove this spellpletely and not ask for core secrets of Destiny Conquerors, I''ll be willing to cooperate with you."


    The corner of his lips twitched as he heard such a demand.


    "Are you in a position to make demands?" He couldn''t help but ask coldly.


    Meanwhile, the sorrowful expression disappeared and was reced with a crazy smile.


    "You think I''m that dumb not to make any preparations? I have 1 million lives in my hand. As long as I have the slightest will to resist your enving spell, I''ll detonate my original consciousness and take all the lives with me." She paused for a moment and added.


    "But if someone did some truth divination, they will learn that the cause of 1 million deaths will be because of you and hunt you. And if this news got out, I don''t think all the thirteenwful churches would stay still."


    A silence descended in the main hall.


    After a short silence, Charles heaved a deep sigh and nodded.


    "It seems I have no choice then." Saying so, he calmly raised his hand and cast the [Finger of Destruction] and [Burning Thoughts] spells on her.


    Violet''s eyes widened his shock and horror as the ray of fire appeared before her forehead and entered inside while burning everything.


    Her head burned fiercely and exploded a momentter while sttering blood everywhere.


    But the ring in her hand suddenly shone in golden light and regrew her head back in a blink. At the same time, Violet managed to regain her sense and looked at him angrily.


    "You nned to kill me earlier even though I tried my best to cooperate with you! Haa, forget it." She took a deep breath and muttered.


    "I always wanted the whole World to celebrate me one day. But it seems my time hase already."


    As she spoke, her face, hands, head, body, and legs erged like a balloon and soon exploded, sending scarlet blood and flesh everywhere.


    Charles even saw her original consciousness break down into countless golden particles and disappear slowly.


    [0.2 Wisdom Points have been extracted!]


    But before disappearingpletely, she looked at him with the same twisted smile and added.


    ''You want to know if I added Hanna''s brain to make the Angel Wine? Hahaha. Live in suspense.''


    Meanwhile, Charles gave her disappearing consciousness a piercing re and instantly scanned the surroundings.


    But even after a few seconds had passed, not even a single person died within the Miracle City, causing him to furrow.


    "I thought she would go crazy and kill one million people without a single thought. But it seems she was indeed a kind soul." s, not a shred of guilty feeling appeared in his mind.


    "It seems all these destiny conquerors are scary in their way. If I didn''t have the [Curse of the Overlord] spell, I would''ve long enved by her." He muttered solemnly and stood up from the sofa.


    Then, he went to the kitchen and checked for any sign of murder.


    After confirming nothing inside, he quietly left the house and roamed while waiting for Jessie to send information about the next target.


    Around 11.24 A.M., Charles suddenly received his next target''s information and halted his footsteps.


    ''My next target''s name is Gabriel, and he is also a fire mage. But unlike me, he specializes in Soul Fire and casts different types of soul fire to battle. Although his spells are unknown, rumors say he has a unique ability to transfer his soul from body to body and is almost unkible. As usual, he is staying in Mary''s Milk Bar and is in a fully drunken state. Jessie believes that he is easy prey right now.''


    After reading the information, Charles felt something was wrong.


    ''Hmm, I saw Mateo escaped an hour ago and thought everyone from the Destiny Conquerors might go on an alert mode. But it seems he didn''t say a word about the assassination attempt. Could it be because of Hayley''s blood spell? Did she enve him?'' He pondered momentarily and soon decided to go to Mary''s Milk Bar.

 Chapter 577 Effect Of Angel鈥檚 Wine

    Chapter 577: Effect of Angel Wine


    24C Elm Street, Underground District, Miracle City.


    It was a normal day at Mary''s Milk Bar. Although this bar was not as busty as other popr ones like Wizard''s Tavern, around thirty people stayed at that moment and appeared to be enjoying their drinks or eating.


    At that moment, a blonde-haired man, around 55 years old, sat on the right-side corner seat and ced his face on the wooden table before him. He had unique amber eyes, a square face, straight and short hair, slightly elongated eyebrows, and a small nose. He wore a long gray-colored tunic made of cotton, loose-fitting pants, and a grey cap on his head.


    After a few seconds, he suddenly sat up steadily while leaning on the wooden chair and shook his head.


    "Not enough."


    "I-I need another ss of Jerez... No, bring me a full bottle of Crimson Brandy here, Michael."


    "You still haven''t knocked out yet, Gabi? I thought you would stay silent for more than two hours after drinking the bottle of Blue Jerez, though." A young man in his twenties suddenly entered the bar, walked past many drunken customers, and soon arrived near Gabriel''s table.


    "Hmm? Weston? I thought you went to meet someone urgently. Why did youe back?" Gabriel didn''t even look at his face and quietly nced around before shouting impatiently.


    "Michael! Bring me the bottle of Crimson Brandy sooner."


    "You aren''t the only customer here, Mr. Gabriel! Wait, I''ll go to the storeroom and bring the new bottle." A ck-haired old man with a hook mustache spoke and started walking towards the bar''s interior door. He wore a ck tailcoat, a white waistcoat, ck trousers tapered at the ankles and had a check pattern, and a white, high-cored shirt underneath the waistcoat, with a ck bow tie. He also wore highly polished ck leather shoes, white gloves, and, finally, a ck apron.


    He looked like a high-ss hotel servant and had the aura of etiquette.


    As Gabriel watched Michael leave the hall, he finally turned his gaze toward Weston and frowned.


    "Why are you still standing here? Go and help your father."


    On the other hand, Weston shrugged his shoulders, slowly moved towards the opposite chair, and sat on it.


    Then, he looked around cautiously and spoke while grumbling.


    "I''m not in the mood. Actually, I also want to try the mystic alcohol but my dad won''t allow it."


    "Haha, that''s normal, Weston. Although drinking the mystic alcohols isn''t prohibited for mortals, you can''t try them until you at least be a Rank-3 Mystic. They are so potent and could harm your body and even your soul. Not only that, some of these drinks even induce lucid dream and transport your soul to a unique dream world. Although it does make us feel rxed and feel like reaching heaven, it is also an addictive substance." Suddenly, Gabriel stopped for a moment and then added.


    "Look at my pathetic state right now. Do you really think I want this kind of life? But what can I do? I can''t even forget the past for a moment even after eight millenniums and can only use these alcohols to live in the dreamworld with my loved ones."


    At that moment, Weston suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "Have you heard of a drink named Angel Wine-?"


    "Where did you hear of that ursed drink? Who told you?" Gabriel asked with a solemn tone.


    "I just read about it somewhere in a novel book. Do you know what type of drink it is?" Weston showed a confused look and asked.


    At that moment, Michael returned from the store room and soon ced the Crimson Brandy on the wooden table.


    "Please don''t drink itpletely, Mr. Gabriel. If you get knocked out, you''ll miss the important meeting with your friends at 4.00." Michael said while adjusting his cap and quietly walking away.


    Meanwhile, Gabriel grabbed the bottle with his right hand, opened the tab with his mouth, and poured the drink into the ss bottle.


    "Before learning about that drink, you should know why everyone call that drink as ursed drink, Weston. It''s not about the ingredients that make mages get scared of it, but its effects." Gabriel''s tone was serious.


    At that moment, Weston''s face turned slightly stiff and soon returned to normal.


    "What are its effects?" He asked.


    "Have you heard of elemental corrosion disease? It''s an incurable disease that could affect your whole lineage and make your future descendants'' lives miserable. Hmm, how should I exin? Anyone who drinks that ursed drink will get a curse of depleting elemental affinity. It''s simr like Mage Curse, but is incurable. Although you won''t get affect by drinking it, your children and their children will get affected by this curse and remain as a mortal for the rest of their life. Their elemental affinities will never cross low level and remain to stagnate. How will you feel when your children, grandchildren, grand grandchildren die too quickly while you keep on living like millenniums? It''s sick, right?" Gabriel said while taking the brandy ss and drinking it in one gulp.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Meanwhile, Weston''s face turned sour. Although he tried to conceal his facial expression, he still slightly showed anger and hatred.


    Thankfully, Gabriel was already in his drunken dream and didn''t notice the slight change in his expression.


    Instead, he poured another ss of Crimson Wine and spoke with a flustered face.


    "But there are still some psychos who dare to drink this drink while thinking that its true myth woulde true."


    "Myth? What myth?" Weston squinted his eyes and probed further.


    "Some believed that this drink could cause mutation in the human body and help activate the Human''s progenitor bloodline ability. s, no one knows the real t-" Gabriel suddenly stopped talking and slowly fell on the table.


    Soon, he started to mumble and snore.


    On the other hand, Weston quietly watched the sleeping Gabriel for a moment and slowly took the pocket watch before opening the outer case.


    ''Activating Human''s progenitor bloodline ability, huh? Is he talking about High Human''s bloodline ability? But isn''t Trickster''s ss help one achieve that stage?''


    While muttering, he looked at the time and took a deep breath.


    "11.46 A.M"


    Within a few seconds, a soulless voice echoed in his head.


    [Seven seconds before the array goes disable mode... six... five... four... three... two...one!]


    Weston, aka Charles, suddenly extended his right hand, ced his forefinger at Gabriel''s forehead, and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell as the countdown reached one.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Soul Shock] and [Burning Thoughts] spells on him and directly incinerated his body.


    Although his consciousness seemed to have entered the Dream Realm, his system pulled his soul and silently extracted Wisdom Essence.


    [4 Wisdom Points have been extracted!]


    After killing Gabriel, he didn''t stay there for a moment and directly escaped by casting the [False Blink] spell multiple times.


    After moving more than 500 meters from the bar, Charles finally found an isted gloomy path and quietly walked in.


    At the same time, he looked at the earlier notification and frowned.


    ''I got 2.3 wisdom points after killing Brooks and now 4 wisdom points. But why did I only got 0.2 wisdom points after killing Violet?'' He couldn''t help but mutter.


    [That could only happen if some external force pulled her soul from the system''s grasp without even knowing it, Host.]


    ''An external force? But I saw her consciousness disappear before my eyes, though. Still, her death was indeed strange. She was a cruel woman who would go on any length to harm me and even my bloodline descendants. But why didn''t she kill the millions of parasited people and put the me on me? Moreover, she even gave away a clue about Asher to me. Wait. Maybe she faked her death?'' At that moment, he suddenly thought of his [Rebirth Domain] spell effect and squinted his eyes.


    When Mateo killed him earlier, Charles''s body, consciousness, and even soul got destroyed and reborn a whileter.


    ''I can''t rule out that possibility. There is another thing that seems odd about her actions. I felt like she seems to have looked into my past and even knew about how I made James eat raw meat.''


    Indeed, thest dialogue she spoke before disappearing was simr to what he said to James before killing him!


    ''Was I thinking too much?'' He pondered for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''Anyway, I don''t have time to find the truth now.'' He muttered solemnly, shifted his attention toward his Inner World, and started looking at the information about his next target.

 Chapter 578 Who Is She?

    Chapter 578: Who is ''She''?


    At that moment, a soul traveled through the River of Time in seconds and soon appeared in a world filled with greenery and freshness.


    After a few seconds, a bright sun ascended from the western sky, illuminating the whole world.


    Then, a mysterious divine force came from the sun, enveloped the soul, and started reconstructing its original consciousness.


    The original consciousness of this soul got reborn in the world within a few seconds and appeared good as new.


    After that, the soul form appeared in the physical world and formed into an appearance of a wavy ck-haired woman with green eyes.


    She wore a dress with a high neckline and long sleeves made ofce and had an oval face, slim physique, and fair skin.


    After arriving at this mysterious ce, the young woman in her mid-twenties quietly scanned around and soon shifted her gaze towards the faraway golden pce that appeared at the summit of a lone mountain.


    As she was about to look at its interior through her [Worm Eyes] skill, a sudden burning sensation assaulted her mind and caused her to stagger.


    She instantly realized her mistake and hurriedly knelt on the ground.


    "Forgive me for overstepping my bounds, Lord of the Sun!" She said with a respectful look on her face.


    Simultaneously, she noticed that the space around her began to distort and soon pulled her somewhere.


    Before she could blink, she noticed that the surroundings turned blurry for a second and soon found herself standing in front of a throne hall.


    At that moment, a young elven man sat on the golden throne and gazed at her soul through his amber eyes. He had slightly long blonde hair, monolid eyes, a high nose bridge, an oval face, and pointy ears, and he appeared to be around 20 to 25 years old.


    He wore a tunic, a long shirt-like garment made of silk with long sleeves, a loose-fitting brown surcoat extending up to his knees, ck shoes, and even a unique golden bracelet in his hand.


    That young woman noticed the elf''s presence and instantly knelt on the ground again.


    "This lowly servant greets the Divine One!" She said, trying her best not to look up at the divine figure.


    "Violet... Rise." A cold yet calm voice came out of the young elf''s mouth, causing her body to stiffen.


    "Y-Yes, Divine One." She nodded stiffly and stood up before looking at his feet.


    "I finally managed to have him drink Angel''s Wine potion, Divine One. Although he will hate me to the core now, one day he will realize that I did that to make him reach the pinnacle."


    Meanwhile, Abium showed an amused look and nodded.


    "It seems you have grown fond of him during the past few decades. So, how is he? Is he ready to confront the Wisdom God''s true body?"


    "I wouldn''t say he is ready to face a Demi-god level being yet, Divine One. Although he has grown strong enough to stand on par against a peak level Legend, he is still far away from reaching that realm."


    "Then, we have to wait for a while. It''s better if we postpone our attack to the end of the uing Chaos Era." He paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "What about your original mission? Did you find out who is hiding behind Asher?"


    "No, Divine One. But Charles seems to have some connection with that entity. To be precise, he managed to decipher the words that entity scrambled on a paper once." Violet deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "But in front of Divine One''s true might, that entity will be nothing but an insect."


    "Naive thinking. That entity has already gotten its hand on the Miracle Gold coin. What surprised me was that Miracle Gold Coin didn''t retaliate and likely epted that entity as its sessor. Strange. I heard that even Time God Udnir didn''t manage to get his hand on a Miracle Gold Coin and even experienced its wrath for millennia." Abium fell into deep thoughts momentarily and soon stood up from his throne.


    Simultaneously, he waved his hand and forcefully teleported Violet out of his Divine Kingdom.


    Then, he turned around and started walking towards the strange, mysterious fountain that appeared behind the golden throne. It was a tall fountain with mysterious white clouds surrounding it. It had five unique flower nts, almost like lotus flowers peeking out of the water, and appeared in five different corners. But the petals appeared more like crystals and formed a unique crystalline flower.


    One looked crystalline white, another looked more like a bluish flower, the third looked reddish-orange and radiated sunshine aura around it, and the fourth looked dark greyish and even made the surroundings look ck and white. The final one appeared almost like an unborn flower. Instead of a flower, it appeared more like a bud and only had a few petals.


    If someone looked at this mysterious flower closely, they would find those petals were Divinities!


    Abium quietly stepped towards the crystalline flower and touched it before closing his eyes.


    A momentter, his eyes turnedpletely white and reformed into countless minute eyes.


    At that moment, Abium saw more than 1 million visions, ranging from ten seconds to a distant future, and started calcting the anomalies.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A few minutester, he slowly removed his hand from the crystalline flower and frowned.


    "Anangu? Who is this forgotten Goddess? I think I''ve heard of this name before. Azo, can you tell me when?"


    A strange silence appeared for a while, followed by a mature woman''s voice in his head.


    ''Did you forget the Barekeep Incident,d? That time when you entered someone''s strange dream and met an evil entity.''


    At that moment, his eyes turned white, showing him a single vision.


    In that vision, he saw a ck-haired young woman sitting under a tall tree shadow and appearing to be meditative. She had a Nubian nose, straight long hair that almost reached her waist, ebony skin, and a pretty lean face that captivated his heart in a moment. She wore a long grey cloth draped around the body in a unique style and tied at the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, giving a unique traditional style.


    "She is Anangu?" As he muttered, the young woman in his vision suddenly moved her eyshes, revealing her gem-like bluish eyes.


    Simultaneously, the young woman opened her mouth and started to sing.


    "In the groves of fierce mountains, Ananku wear


    bright flowers and appears in whatever form desired.


    male Owl, along with its female, hoots in the


    Huge, dark town square at this confusing


    midnight time, when she rises and roams in many forms.


    Like an Angel who descends from heaven,


    She wanders mostly with ghouls and spirits.


    She was called a Queen of Ghouls.


    ...


    .


    .


    ...


    Let her descend to this world." [A/N: If you guys read ROA, you will find this simr song in Chapter.51.]


    As the young woman stopped singing, she blinked her eyes twice and suddenly looked up at the blue sky.


    At that moment, Abium suddenly felt a gaze from a distant past and widened his eyes.


    Simultaneously, Anangu''s lips arched upward and formed into a grin.


    "So, you are the young troublemaker from the faraway future, huh? Abium... Myxenta''s favourite child, and also the current owner of the Core of Itera... You need to take a step back this time, child. Prying into my future is not a good thing for you."


    As she spoke, the vision turned blurry and broke into multiple pieces, like broken sses.


    Meanwhile, Abium showed a startled look and looked confused.


    After some time, he closed his eyes again and started looking at the future visions of a brand new timeline!


    "She even escaped from my eyes all this time? She is strong... Much stronger than the Peak level Udnir!" While muttering, he looked at Edhen World''s future and soon squinted his eyes.


    "So that''s how it came to an end. I thought Eddie''s prophecy has a fault but didn''t expect this kind of oue. What a terrible future. Hope Charles achieves my goal and helps me obtain the Wisdom Heart while using this chaos."


    Saying so, he returned to the golden throne and quietly sat on it.


    ...

 Chapter 579 Warning

    Chapter 579: Warning


    Meanwhile, Charles quietly waited in the lone alley road and soon got information about his next target. But unlike before, he got two options from Jessie.


    ''First one is Joshua... He is a Sun Titan Bloodline Warlock with powerful spells like Touch of the Brilliance, Heaven''s Glow, Sun''s Tear, and Light Fury. He also has an intellectual artifact called ''Despair''s Soul'' and is considered dangerous when ites tobat. He also participated in the previous abyssal nar invasion and killed more than 20 legend-level greater demons. He lives in 24A Herald Street and rarelyes out...''


    ''Next is Conner... He is a Dual-elemental Mage with an Ice element as his primary one and is good at schemes. Although Conner has no intellectual artifact, he has multiple extraordinary artifacts and is hard to kill. He stays at Love Street and usuallyes to Free Children''s park for rxation. He fought badly and only acted as a head strategist during the Abyssal nar Invasion.''


    As he further read Conner''s battle skills and achievements, he decided to pick him as his next target. He was not afraid of Joshua, but he didn''t want any misshape like thest time.


    ''My job is not to kill all important figures of Destiny Conquerors but to reduce their numbers.'' As he muttered, he quietly turned around and started walking toward Free Children''s Park.


    He soon found his target sitting on the park bench and quietly waited for the right moment.


    Minutes passed quietly, and soon it was 12.32 P.M.


    At that moment, Charles had already arrived much closer to Conner like a passerby and suddenly turned his gaze towards him.


    Simultaneously, he curled his lips upward and started casting spells like [Burning Thoughts], [Soul Shock], [Purple Consciousness], and [Finger of Destruction] on him.


    Before Connar could even think, his original Consciousness and his soul got attacked by Charles''s spells and went into a frozen state.


    At the same time, his [Finger of Destruction] spell directly entered his head and incinerated him.


    What shocked Charles was that the opponent didn''t even have any artifacts on his body and appeared defenseless.


    As he was about to walk away, a reddish scroll appeared from Conner''s body, hovered in the air slowly, and soon burned in a reddish me. Although it was only a moment, Charles felt that he had just looked at the deepest part of the sun and felt a burning sensation in his eyes!


    ''What-?''


    Before he could even utter a word, a few words appeared in reddish me and disappeared, causing him to stiffen up.


    "Beware of Anangu."


    It was written in English! Moreover, it looked more like Middle English.


    "Sun God Abium!" He couldn''t help but mutter in shock.


    ''Anangu... Isn''t she the ruler of the Third Layer of Hell? I even took a dagger with her name written in Devil''s Tongue, right?'' He recalled when he looted Faith Realm Holy Church''s Museum and quietly touched his space ring. (Ref. ch. 476, 498.)


    He then took out a mithril dagger with unique markings and gripped it with his hand.


    ''Strange... Why did Sun God Abium warn me to beware of this Evil Goddess Anangu? Now that I think about it, why did he write those words in Middle English?'' Charles knew that it wasn''t just for fun.


    ''He doesn''t want others to learn about this entity''s name. But from what I read from the book Cardinal Smith gave me during my stay in Faith Realm...'' He abruptly froze.


    ''Genesis, tell me more about the Rulers of Hell. Just list out the names.''


    [Yes, Host.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Connecting to Wisdom Link!.... Connected Sessfully!]


    [1. Ruler of the First Hell, Xedeus- Aphin. He belongs to the Winged Devil Blooine Race and has 1000 Fallen Noble Devils under him as his subordinates. Each subordinate controls a small domain of the First Hell and always fights for the rightful heir until now.


    Note: The host''s mortal enemy, Red Prince or Red Devil, is one of Aphin''s trusted subordinate Fallen Devils and has a high position in Blood Pce.


    2. Ruler of the Second Hell- Nerva...


    3. Ruler of the Third Hell- Machrach...


    4. Ruler of the Fourth Hell- Rammul...


    5. Ruler of the Fifth Hell- Ormor...


    6. Ruler of the Sixth Hell- Milrel...


    7. Ruler of the Seventh Hell- Ralnu...]


    ''What the heck? Why is the information from Wisdom Linkpletely different from what I read in Faith Realm? Moreover, isn''t Red Prince a Ruler of the Seven Hell? But why does it says he only rules over the 66th Domain of the First ne? Wait.''


    ''The book I read in the Faith ne was a book of the Devil or a fallen angel. But because of the dangers of Nightmare Box, I didn''t pry too much into it and quietly left the Faith ne. If my guess isn''t wrong, that book might be telling information about the past overlords of the Seven Infernal nes. But why does the history was erased from the Wisdom Link itself?'' He couldn''t help but frown.


    What startled him now was that his mortal enemy appeared far more powerful than he had anticipated.


    ''Red Prince seemed to have ruled over the Seventh Hell during the ancient time but now only works as a subordinate of the newly ascended Devil Lord of the firstyer. Something feels so suspicious.'' Charles also remembered the Edhen''s Children Organization''s scheming n called ''Project Destiny.''


    ''Now that I think about it, Lydia also revealed something when I asked her more about Project Destiny, right? Indeed, the Edhen''s Children''s other goal is to steal something. But before she utters the truth, Red Prince''s purple me burned her.'' Even though it happened long ago, he remembered every incident clearly and started making guesses. (Ref. chapter 128).


    ''Hmm, the reason Fate Professor killed Elder Seer and even assassinated Demigod Raphael might be a distraction, as I suspected earlier. But distraction from whom? If I''m not wrong, Demigod Miguel also entered a separate domain during that time and stopped Demigod Emerson from interfering in the battle at Northern Graveyard. So, even if he knew the truth of his father''s assassination or something, he wouldn''t have any time to return to Miracle City without killing Demigod Miguel. That leaves only the Legendary Powerhouses under Demigod Raphael and the Destiny Conquerors'' members. In the past vision, they fought each other, creating aplete mess throughout Miracle City. No, someone hadn''t participated in the battle at all. Asher.'' He suddenly recalled the mysterious air hostess and raised his eyebrows.


    ''Now I''m 90% sure she is the Demigod hiding in the dark and watching everyone''s movement. From Sun God Abium''s warning, she might be that ancient Evil Goddess Anangu.'' At that moment, Violet''s words also appeared in his mind.


    "Why are you keep calling Asher ''Her''? She isn''t alone." That''s what Violet said before running to the kitchen.


    ? ''So, there are two entities hidden in one body? One is Asher, and the other one is Anangu?'' He muttered solemnly.


    ''Hmm, Fate Professor might have created this whole mess only to keep Asher not acting up while he achieves his goal. Unfortunately, I came to this city at the ''right'' timing and messed up his n.''


    ''But why does this mighty Evil Goddess help Asher? Syreni Race. Ezra also said that the Syreni race worshiped a Chaos Goddess, right? Could it be she is the one?''


    He quietly looked at the strange mithril dagger in his right hand and took a deep breath.


    ''From the looks of it, only I know a little more about Anangu than any other. What''s more shocking is that I got her dagger on a strange unknown ne and even brought it to this very city. Destiny? No, I would''ve noticed the destiny string. The only answer to my question is a real master n. Anangu. No wonder even Sun God warned me to be wary of her.''

 Chapter 580 Tower Of Mirrors

    Chapter 580: Tower of Mirrors


    ''So, what should I do now? If I continue killing Destiny Conquerors members, the Legendary Mages under Demi-god Raphael will overpower the remaining Destiny Conquerors and might even force Asher to reveal her presence.'' He paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''But that might make Fate Professor''s job much easier. For now, I should focus on continuing my assassination while trying my best to gather more information. I hope Sylvia infiltrates the Security force sessfully and steals the divination-nullifying stone.'' While muttering, he quietly looked around at the chaotic Children''s Park and let out a cold smirk.


    ''What will you do now, Asher? You''ve been trying to hide all my assassinations from others, but this will be enough to let others know something is wrong, right?'' He muttered inwardly and quietly walked away from that ce.


    ...


    Entrance of the Tower of Mirrors, Magus Center, Miracle City.


    It was around 1.00 P.M.


    A young man in his 30s stood before a tall obelisk tower and looked at its top with wide eyes.


    The Tower was constructed of ck stone that seemed to absorb the light, making it difficult to discern any details. It raised high into the sky, piercing the clouds and casting a shadow over the surroundingndscape.


    The entrance to the Tower was arge, heavy wooden door reinforced with metal. It was so tall that one had to crane his neck to see the top of it, and the door handle was just out of reach for a person of average height. The door was nked by two stone pirs, each with intricate carvings depicting scenes of wars.


    At that moment, many people stood in line before the entrance door and appeared to be waiting for the guards to do the security check before letting them in.


    "This is the first time I''vee to Magus Center." The young man soon retracted his gaze and muttered in a shocked tone.


    He had messy ck hair, amber eyes, a shallow nose, tan brown skin, and wore regr linen clothes.


    He was none other than Marvin.


    At that moment, the strange ck owl on his shoulder made a strange hoot and spoke in a familiar feminine voice.


    "That''s because you aren''t from this city, right? After all, I have never seen many tan-skinned people in this city."


    "You are half-right, Miss. Arayn. But before I tell you about my origin, let me know what we are doing here. Didn''t you tell me you would bring me to my family and save them?"


    Meanwhile, Arayn made a peck on his shoulder and responded.


    "You are underestimating that Professor guy, Mortal. Even if we find out where your family members are currently imprisoned, saving them with your strength is impossible. Moreover, that Fate Professor isn''t going to stay quiet when you show yourself. If not for Charles''s interference in the timelines, I wouldn''t have noticed such a scheme right under my nose. Hoooot! That''s why I''m here to get something important from the 52ndyer."


    "To get something important from the 52ndyer? What lies in that ce?" After hearing Sylvia''s exnation about the Tower of Mirrors, he knew that this Tower held more secrets and got curious.


    Meanwhile, Arayn didn''t mind his curious look and proceeded to talk.


    "It''s a simple card that will change this catastrophic situation into a fortunate one."


    Marvin couldn''t help but widen his eyes in shock.


    "Core ess Card? But how did you know of its location? Also, why didn''t you say it earlier to Charles?"


    "Some things need to be kept secret until the time is right. Use this Master ess Card and get inside." As Arayn spoke, a unique golden card appeared out of nowhere and quietlynded on his hand.


    Although Marvin couldn''t understand what this strange owl was scheming, he followed its words and quietly stepped forward.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A few ck-robed mages and silver-armored guards stood at the entrance, checking everyone''s identity.


    The queue moved quickly, and soon it was Marvin''s turn.


    "Please take out your Tower''s identification card or ess card, Mister." A ck-robed mage gave the owl a weird look and spoke.


    Meanwhile, Marvin took the Master ess Card from his pocket and showed it to him while adding.


    "I''m in disguise right now. Don''t let anyone know I entered the Tower."


    Although the ck-robed mage was surprised by the appearance of the Master ess Card, he didn''t overthink it and quietly nodded.


    "B-But who are you, sir-?"


    Before the ck-robed mage could ask further, he walked past the wooden door and entered the Tower of Mirrors.


    As he entered the Tower, he was greeted by a dimly lit hallway stretching for what seemed like miles. The walls were lined with torches, but the flickering light only illuminated a small portion of the corridor at any given time, creating an eerie atmosphere. He even heard the sound of dripping water echoing throughout the hallway and the asional scurrying of small creatures.


    Before long, he finally saw a few grey-skinned humanoid creatures with pointy ears and sharp noses standing a few hundred meters away from him and appearing to be moving here and there. Although they looked like goblin creatures from the legends, they also had unique horns on their forehead and appeared bare naked. What startled Marvin most was that he even saw them holding clubs and seemed ready for battle at any moment.


    "So, this is the firstyer of the Tower of Mirrors, huh? But these imp creatures are only in infant form." He muttered slowly and advanced, taking a long sword from his space ring. He approached those creatures within seconds and made a few shing movements.


    A secondter, a few heads fell on the stone floor, and painted everything in dark blue.


    "Once you move 100 meters ahead, you will see another path on your right side. Enter that path and proceed for another 500 meters... Then, enter the left side path and walk again for 640 meters before reaching a staircase. That''s the easiest way to go to the next floor." Arayn said calmly while firmly gripping his shoulder using her legs and closing her eyes.


    Meanwhile, Marvin nodded and continued to walk while listening to Arayn''s instructions from time to time.


    Although the first floor was only filled with hallways and corridors and had no strong monsters, Marvin felt like he was walking in a maze for a while. After 15 minutes of walking, he finally stopped at the end of a stone wall and soon frowned.


    "It''s a dead end."


    "Touch the wall with your right hand and recite the words after me. We will manipte the dungeon system and enter the nextyer without facing any boss monster. If we follow the normal route, reaching the nextyer might take a day or two." Arayn said calmly and started reciting a few words in an ancient tongue.


    After a few seconds, the door suddenly turned illusionary, revealing a green forest on the other side!


    "We are at Layer-2 already."


    It was a lush and verdant environment with abundant trees and other vegetation. The forest was teeming with life, birds chirping, insects buzzing, and other creatures scurrying about.


    But as Marvin entered the path and walked deeper into the forest, he noticed that the trees began to take on strange shapes and forms. Some had twisted trunks, while others had branches that curled and twisted like the tendrils of a great serpent. Strange flowers bloomed in the underbrush, emitting a sweet fragrance that filled his senses.


    Before he could get captivated by this natural scenario, Arayn turned her owl head and spoke to him in a cold tone.


    "We don''t have time to go sightseeing. Move to your right."

 Chapter 581 Ashers Hesitation

    Chapter 581: Asher''s Hesitation


    Cypress Street, Underground District, Miracle City.


    As Marvin and Arayn were advancing to the 52ndyer, a young red-haired woman in herte thirties sat on an iron throne in a dark, gloomy chamber and looked at the empty chairs and table ced before her with a lonely face.


    She was none other than Asher.


    Her skin was pale, shimmering silver, like the scales of a fish caught in moonlight. Her hair was a flowing tangle of deep blue strands, like the tendrils of seaweed waving in the tide.


    Asher''s bluish eyes were the most captivating feature, shining like two brilliant stars against the darkness of the deep sea.


    The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, with an almost tangible sense of foreboding. The air was still and musty, with a faint smell of dampness and decay. The walls were rough-hewn stone, and the low ceiling made the space cramped and ustrophobic. The hall was sparsely furnished, with only a few pieces of old, dusty furniture scattered about.


    The few windows were small and barred, letting in only a sliver of light that did little to illuminate the space. The only light source was a flickering candle, casting long, distorted shadows across the walls. The overall effect was istion and despair as if the hall were cut off from the rest of the world and lost in an endless, eternal darkness.


    "My body feels weak and fragile, Divine One. I''m almost at the end of the rope too. But is it the right thing to kill him? He did that to save his kin too, right?" Her voice echoed like music, soft and lilting.


    s, she heard no response.


    But after a few seconds, her eyes suddenly went red, and she even shed a few drops of blood on the table.


    After that, Asher suddenly leaned forward, tapped her fingers on the wooden table, and raised her eyebrows.


    "Oh? Your heart still hasn''t epted the betrayal, Asher? Poor child. Let me sing a song for you then." She muttered calmly and started to sing.


    "On the banks of a river, in a grove of burflower trees,


    He promised to meet me, but he did note,


    And now the rain is pouring down, drenching my body,


    Oh, what can I do without my beloved?


    I thought he was truthful and would keep his promise,


    But now I see that he is like lightning,


    Which shes brightly for a moment and then disappears,


    Leaving behind only darkness and despair.


    He is as fickle as the wind, blowing this way and that,


    And I have left alone, like a crane without its mate,


    Oh, how I long for his touch, his smile, his voice,


    Without him, my life is empty and meaningless..."


    Her voice trailed off slowly and soon descended to an empty silence.


    After another minute of a short silence, she finally looked at the ne in her hand and smiled.


    It wasn''t a smile of joyfulness but sadness and tiredness.


    ''Are you going to use my ''Miracle Core'' ability? That might give birth to a catastrophe that can shift history itself.'' At that moment, Wizard''s Cube''s feminine voice echoed through the hall.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Asher... No, Anangu. You should know Myxenta hates this kind of destruction and chaos. One of the reasons she created us was to stop the chaotic faction members to do any kind ofrge-scale destruction like this.''


    Meanwhile, Asher, aka Anangu, sharpened her gaze toward the Wizard''s Cube and asked a question.


    "Who am I, my sweet child? If you have the will of Myxenta, you should''ve known something about me, right?"


    A silence descended to the hall again, followed by a deep sigh.


    ''Chaos Goddess, Blood Deity, The Lone Princess, Blood Progenitor, and finally Anangu, the first Taboo Existence in the universe''s history and is considered to be an evil Lawful entity that is on part with Supreme Demon. And most importantly, you killed yourself long ago to stop your own madness.''


    "Tch! That title belongs to my brother. But I really wonder if he is still alive out there." Anangu made another deep sigh and then added.


    "The reason my other self killed me was that she knew that damned old man made me evil by birth itself and wanted to help me badly. Although I still have no clue how I got reborn 10 millenniums ago, I''m sure she wanted me to kill that old geezer in the cruelest way. She was such a strong and pure-hearted woman but I didn''t expect even she would end up dead in the hands of a random vampire." A trace of loneliness appeared in her voice.


    ''Your other self?'' This time, it was the Wizard''s Cube''s turn to be surprised.


    "Anyway, the reason I want to activate your core ability is just to start the main event. Whether it will shake the bnce of the world or even the universe solely depend on how my other pawns act. Also, I have ravaged countless nes with my brothers and sacrificed their souls to Hell''s Will itself."


    Although Wizard''s Cube got confused by her words, it didn''t say anything after that and quietly submitted its fate to this evil goddess.


    Meanwhile, Anangu leaned on the iron throne and closed her eyes.


    A few momentster, she again opened her eyes and smiled.


    But unlike before, her eyes returned topletely shining blue and appeared pure as bright stars!


    "I love the song ''she''posed for me. Wait for me, thest Elven Emperor. I need answers. Why did you turn your back on me and even made my whole kin disappear from this world? I''ll not waver anymore." Saying so, she stood up from the iron throne and quietly walked towards the exit.


    ...


    24A Orchard House, Spruce Avenue, Fourth District, Miracle City.


    At that moment, a ck-haired young man in his twenties sat on his cotton bed and appeared lost in thoughts. He held his silver bracelet in his right hand tightly and looked at the stopwatch with a frown.


    ''It''s already 2.30 P.M. But why hasn''t Mateo called me yet? Did something happen to him?'' But what bothered Professor most was that he heard another death of a random Rank-4 Mystic in Children Park and frowned.


    ''Rumors say that it was due to the defense mechanism''s technical default but why am I feeling uneasy? Moreover, Charles''s whereabouts became unknown for a while. Do I have no choice but to rely on that Fortune Lady''s help again? No, she will nag me to leave this city again. Tsk.'' At that moment, the silver bracelet in his hand suddenly vibrated and informed him about the iing call.


    Professor tapped the silver bracelet twice and attended the call.


    "Professor! It''s me, Violet. Our leader wants me to tell you that there is a little change in our usual n. Mateo, Conner, and Gabriel won''t be participating in the final ritual rites. Instead, our leader ns to send Joshua, Ss, and Cooper." A young female voice came from the other side, causing him to furrow his brows.


    "Why?"


    "You should''ve known the truth, right? Because of someone''s selfish scheme, one of our members is already dead. And, our leader doesn''t want any more misshapes or deaths. Mateo and others may be powerful but they are still inexperienced when ites to schemes. But Joshua, Ss, and Cooper are not someone who could die so easily. They have countless ways to evade death and are almost immortal beings. Even I''m starting to feel you are using us in the name of cooperation, Professor. You better keep your promise when Demigod Miguel took full control over this Miracle City." Professor felt Violet''s words were more like a warning for him and sighed.


    ''When I get full control over this city, I''ll definitely erase your pathetic organization from this world.'' He muttered to himself and spoke calmly.


    "That was due to my own negligence. Well, as long as Joshua and others are powerful enough to stall the Five Elders of the Miracle City, it''s more than enough."


    "Good. I''m ending the call now." Saying so, Violet cut off the connection from the other side.

 Chapter 582 Amulet Of Mind Blank

    Chapter 582: Amulet of Mind nk


    Meanwhile, Professor gripped his fist tighter and made a deep sigh.


    ''Destiny Conquerors'' Leader finally made his move. But that doesn''t matter anymore. My only problem now is Charles. Is he really decided to stay quit from this game? I don''t think so-'' He was just about to use his fate power and check for his whereabouts again; his vision suddenly turned blurry and showed him a single vision.


    It was the vision of a 30-year-old man desperately running in the green forest. His ck hair was messy, his tan face was covered in sweat and dirt, and he almost looked like he had gone through many life-and-death situations.


    Professor even saw a familiar strange owl sitting on his shoulder and seemed to be in a sleepy state.


    ''What? A destiny alteration at this time?''


    He blinked his eyes twice and muttered.


    "Marvin? And what is he doing with the strange owl I saw at the Rocky Street. Wait, I started facing difficulty in tracking Charles''s location after he went there... Moreover, there types of alteration visions would only ur when I was about to face life-threatening danger. Does that mean Marvin has the power to change this whole situation?" He couldn''t help but get confused.


    "And, where is he right now? That ce almost looked like some kind of dense forest. There isn''t any dense forest in Miracle City, though. Wait! He is in Tower of Mirrors!" He instantly stood up from his seat and felt more puzzled.


    "But how does his current action affect my n?" At that moment, a certain legend about the ''Core ess Card'' in the Tower of Mirrors appeared in his head.


    ''Could that legend be true?'' His expression turned grim.


    ''What the f*ck! How much did Charles mess up my n? This isn''t in my calction at all!'' He instantly took out a strange ck book from his cupboard and started doing some divination.


    ''I must find out Marvin''s.... No, that strange owl''s destination before I go to the Auditorium.''


    He tried different methods but found only useless information.


    Finally, after an hour of continuous divination, he managed to get an important clue.


    ''Auditorium... What? Isn''t my destination also the same ce? F*ck! Ipletely wasted my time.'' He cursed inwardly, hurriedly checked his silver bracelet, and noticed that multiple calls wereing from John.


    ''There is only 45 minutes left for the final battle.'' He instantly connected his wisdom power with the soul imprint in the silver bracelet and contacted John.


    A few secondster, he heard a familiar voice from the other side.


    "What happened, Professor? I thought something bad happened to you."


    Meanwhile, Professor let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "I''m okay. So, why did you call me this many times? Everything is going ording to the n, right?"


    "Almost everything is perfect, Sir. But the Destiny Conquerors members are acting little strange. From the looks of it, only 8 of them will be nning to participate in our n. As for others, I can''t even find out their current locations." John spoke from the other side.


    "Hmm, its a big problem indeed. The reason I pull this whole stunt is not only to kill Raphael but also to keep the Destiny Conquerors'' leader in check. It seems I''ll have no choice but to stop him myself if he interfers in our n. Anyway, proceed with more caution. I have a vague feeling that more anomalies might appear." Saying so, he cut the call.


    After that, Professor quietly changed his cloth into a single-breasted ck suit and calmly left his house.


    ...


    Bronze Lane, Underground District, Miracle City.


    It was around 3.30 P.M.


    To be exact, it was 3''o clock, 32 minutes, 56 seconds.


    At that moment, a headless charred body stood in the middle of the empty road and slowly fell backward.


    Meanwhile, Charles suddenly appeared a few meters away from the deceased body and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Among all of them, assassinating this person took him more time than ever.


    "Hazel. She had so many tricks up in her sleeves.'' But what shocked him most was that she even had a defensive artifact to block his mind fire from entering her Inner World!


    Moreover, even his [Curse of the Overlord] spell didn''t work on her!


    If not for him pulling her directly into his [Rebirth Domain], she might have already alerted all the powerhouses in this miracle city!


    ''Thankfully, I managed to kill her.'' He slowly walked towards the charred body, bent down his waist, and took the unique silver ne with the amulet from her neck.


    It was the item that made him almost lose his calm.


    He quietly removed the remnant soul imprint of the Destiny Conqueror and imprinted it with his own.


    A momentter, he couldn''t help but get surprised.


    "Amulet of Mind nk: It''s a nature artifact that creates a mental barrier, making the user''s soul form undetectable to others." Although the description was shot, it was enough for him to realize how precious this was.


    "Congrattions, Mr. Abium." A familiar voice suddenly came from the left side alley, and a young auburn-haired woman soon walked out. She had unique jade eyes, long hair tied into a ponytail, a pretty round face, plump reddish lips, and thin eyebrows. She wore a gown-type dress made of unique silk and even held an umbre.


    "Hayley?" Charles was surprised but soon frowned as he looked into her eyes.


    "You are not Hayley, right? Who are you?" His voice turned colder.


    Meanwhile, the mysterious woman in Hayley''s appearance suddenly widened her smile and made an elegant bow.


    "I''ve many names, Mr. Charles. But now, I go by the name ''Anangu.'' You seems to know a lot about me even though I only know about you pretty recently, though. To be exact, I only learned about you this morning." As she spoke, she started walking closer to him.


    On the other hand, Charles went into vignt mode and got ready to cast any spell at any time.


    Noticing his concern and wariness, she let out a chuckle and added.


    "Why are you so vignt? Don''t worry. The city''s defense mechanism has already returned to normal. Even if I thinking of attacking you, I''ll be the one bombarded with level-6 spells."


    "What are you scheming? What do you want?" Charles felt even more anxious as he stared at this strange beauty and asked stiffly.


    Meanwhile, Anangu tilted her head, blinked twice, and soon widened her eyes.


    Then, a mysterious smile appeared on her face.


    "Interesting. So, you didn''t get my dagger from someone else but picked it up, huh? Who is that prankster child?" While speaking, she had already arrived much closer to him and gave him a deep look.


    ''What the heck is happening right now? And how did she even find out about that dagger?'' Although countless questions were whirling in his head, he didn''t think too much about it and decided to give that strange dagger to her.


    Although Hayley''s current strength was only around Rank-5 Mystic, he vaguely felt he wasn''t even an opponent before her.


    As if she had read his thoughts, she chuckled and spoke calmly.


    "No. You''repletely wrong. I''m a lot weaker than you right now. If not, why should I even need to seek help from you?"


    A silence appeared in the Bronze Lane.


    [I advise you not to make her mad and cooperate with her, Host. Although she might be weak, the mere news of her being alive might cause restlessness all over the universe.] Genesis''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''I know that too. But there is something I will never do. It''s working for free.'' He muttered and soon spoke.


    "I can give that dagger to you without any problem. But you''ve to offer me something in return."


    "Oh? What do you want? Although I''m literally broke now, I''ll not break my promise and give you something specialter." Anangu said calmly.


    Meanwhile, Charles pondered momentarily, quickly took out the dagger from his space ring, and gave it to her.


    In truth, he wasn''t even in the mood to negotiate with her now.


    ''I''ve lots of other work to do. Although I have many questions about this coincidental meeting, I''ll try my best to avoid her.'' While he was in muse, Anangu caught the dagger with her soft hand and quietly gripped it while raising the tip toward the sky.


    "You know something, young man. This weapon is actually the one that killed me before. It always seeks blood, chaos, and destruction. Anyway, thanks for bringing this to me. I really didn''t expect Zaqiel to keep this safe all the time."


    Her words suddenly piqued Charles''s interest.


    "Who is Goddess Zaqiel to you? Is she still alive?" He couldn''t help but ask. When he went to Faith Realm, he always felt something was off about her and became more curious.


    "Oh? Zaqiel? Some call her Mother Goddess, while others call her Nature Deity. As for the rtionship between us, it''s more like we are the same. I''m her, and she is me." While speaking, she put the dagger inside her space ring and finally shifted her attention to Charles.


    "She is your clone? Something like that?" Charles asked in puzzlement.


    "It''s more like we are twins. Anyway, it''s time for me to go." She was about to leave but suddenly stopped as she recalled something.


    "If you don''t mind, help me kill Fate Professorter. Go to Auditorium and wait for me there. Meanwhile, I''ll finish some unfinished business and return there on time." Saying so, she hastened toward the nearby gloomy alley and soon disappeared from his sight.


    ...

 Chapter 583 Core Access Card

    Chapter 583: Core ess Card


    52nd Layer, Tower of Mirrors, Miracle City.


    At that moment, Marvin and Arayn finally arrived at the 52ndyer of the Tower and soon noticed the endless ocean ahead of them.


    After looking around, they realized they had reached the bottom of a cliff, and the shoreline they were standing on was the edge of the vast ocean. The water was dark and choppy, and waves crashing against the rocks echoed throughout the cavern.


    Marvin felt a sense of trepidation as he took in sight. He had heard stories of dangerous sea creatures and treacherous currents in this 52ndyer and grew more vignt. Arayn, however, seemed unfazed by the ominous atmosphere. She knew they hade much closer to the destined ce and was determined to press on.


    As they moved along the shoreline, Marvin and Arayn noticed a small boat moored nearby. The boat was made of dark wood and had a single sail. Without hesitation, they climbed aboard and set sail.


    The wind was strong, and the boat was pushed forward rapidly. Marvin struggled to keep the boat steady as they passed through turbulent waters and battled against fierce winds.


    On the other hand, Arayn seemed to enjoy the adventure and even sometimes made hoots to show her excitement.


    "How many hours has it been since we came into this tower?" Marvin asked as he nced around the endless seawater.


    "It shouldn''t be more than 3 hours. Well, we are already about to reach our destination." While speaking, Arayn turned her owl head towards the right side and added.


    "There! It''s the only way to enter my temple."


    At that moment, Marvin also turned to the right and squinted his eyes. Strange dark clouds appeared around that area and let out thundering roars and shes of lightning all over the ce.


    "Why do I see some sort of whirlpool over there? Should we move away?" Marvin asked stiffly.


    "No. Proceed further." Arayn responded and quietly gripped Marvin''s shoulder with her w-like legs.


    As the boat drew closer, the wind started to blow faster and even pulled it toward the center of the whirlpool.


    Simultaneously, shes of lightning came from above and stuck the surrounding waters. Marvin even saw a few sharks and jellyfish-like marine creatures electrocuted by the lightning!


    He instantly knew what to do next. So, he moved his hand up and started writing a few strange symbols in thin air.


    "Rune of Protection." He muttered.


    A momentter, the mysterious symbols started to glow in reddish light, creating a force-field-like structure around the boat.


    Meanwhile, Arayn turned her head toward Marvin and asked.


    "You know about Astialnguage?"


    "Astial? I don''t know whatnguage it is, but I found the strange inscription spells in one of the ruins I explored a few decades ago. Thanks to my unique ss, I can cast some spells without understanding-" While speaking, he suddenly noticed a vague shadow of a horse-like figure within the dark clouds and squinted his eyes.


    "What is that?" He couldn''t help but get startled inside. At that moment, he noticed that the whirlpool had pulled the boat and made the boat circle non-stop.


    "That''s one of the guardian spirits of this Dungeon." Arayn pped her wings and made a strange hood.


    A secondter, the white horse with wings and a strange rainbow horn on its forehead descended from the dark clouds and soon hovered a few feet above the water.


    As it did, the lightning shes also started to reduce and soon disappeared altogether. Following that, the whirlpool also calmed down and made the whole sea appear calm.


    "U-Unicorn!" Marvin couldn''t help but stare at the magnificent creature in amazement. Its long, slender legs soon stepped on the water''s surface and started walking towards them, graceful movements like a dance. Its coat shimmered in the sunlight, a rainbow of colors that seemed to shift and change with every step.


    Its gaze swept past Marvin and soonnded on the ck owl.


    Then, it lowered its head and spoke in a strange ancient runenguage.


    "May I know the reason for your arrival, Lady *******?"


    "Oh? It seems someone still hasn''t forgotten about me yet. Well, I came here to get the core ess card from you." Arayn blinked her eyes and added.


    "I hope you won''t try to test my patience, right?" Even though no expression appeared on the owl''s face, the white Unicorn stepped back subconsciously and asked stiffly.


    "How did you know I have the ''Core ess Card,'' My Lady?"


    Suddenly, Arayn sharpened its eyes and spoke again.


    "What did I say earlier? Don''t test my patience; otherwise, this world will witness my wrath."


    "But the sessor hasn''t even been born yet-" The Unicorn abruptly stopped talking, made a strange spatial crack through its wisdom power, and soon took out a unique tinum card with its mouth.


    "It seems you now understand your position. Even if you are a being with power equal to a demi-god, you are still far weaker than me." Arayn said proudly and shook her head before asking.


    "And, what''s your name? You should be one of the Mirror Lord''s pets, right?"


    "Indeed. It''s a great honor for you to remember our Mirror Lord, My Lady. Unfortunately, he was killed during the Great War of Chaos and lost his divine throne. At the same time, the Elder nepletely consumed his divine kingdom, leaving all the remaining souls at the mercy of all thewful faction gods. Some were chosen to follow other gods, while many entered the Eternal River of Life to reach eternal slumber."


    "But what are you doing in this Tower of Mirrors? Moreover, why does this Tower looks almost simr to Nathen''s Divine Kingdom?" That was the question even Arayn couldn''tprehend.


    ''These Towers'' origin is even more mysterious than the Dungeons. Who created this Tower?'' The normal Dungeon she had adventured in the past was the creation of World Will or Multiple World''s Will. But these unique Towers seemed to be created by something else. The endless monster spawn waspletely illogical.


    What shocked her more was that the souls of the monsters or even this Unicorn seemed to be protected by some higher force and constantly manipting them like puppets.


    "I''m more shocked by this broken immortality power. Unlike the immortality you would gain by making some agreement with the World''s Will, this one ispletely different. Even a High-Rank God can''t kill you by any means, right?"


    "Yes, My Lady. Even I don''t know how I became a Guardian. I only remembered talking to a strange ck shadow and then nking out. Before I knew it, I suddenly found myself standing in this strange Tower. Although I tried to get out multiple times, some invisible force stopped me from leaving this ce." The Unicorn deliberated for a moment and revealed interesting news.


    "The one who made these towers seemed to have been nning this for a long time. I think Abium might be this guy''s pawn to confuse others about the towers'' origin. Although his Miracle Coin might have yed a crucial role in creating these towers, we all know these things can''t be created overnight."


    Meanwhile, Arayn went silent for a moment and spoke.


    "That''s indeed interesting news. This guy might be rted to the one who put a shackle on mortals'' souls. Anyway, send us out of this Tower. I have a lot of work to do."


    The Unicorn made a loud neigh while approving and released a radiant light from its rainbow horn.


    A momentter, Marvin and Anangu felt that the surroundings started to change and were soon reced with an entirely new scene.

 Chapter 584 Adrillon

    Chapter 584: Adrillon


    Adrillon''s outer space, Myxend Sr Family, Ditune Gxy.


    Adrillion was the unique ne located in Ditune Gxy and called Edhen World''s sister ne.


    Although this was only filled with icy mountains and acidic water, many ancient mages and Gods suspect it had a ''Will'' on its own. The main reason for that was the presence of Luck, Fate, and Destiny Domain power in a single ne like the lost ne Itera.


    In truth, it was scarce for two ''Willed'' nes to appear in the same sr family.


    So, this Myxend Sr Family became one of the main targets for the chaos faction members.


    That''s why the nar war happened around 400 years ago. If not for Abium''s arrival to Edhen World, this whole sr system might have long been captured by the Chaos Faction and turned into an uninhabitable region for humans or otherwful beings.


    At that moment, a small spatial ripple appeared in the outer space of the Adrillon and soon formed into a crack. Following that, the space crack widened and became a two-meter-tall void-like portal.


    A secondter, a wavy blonde-haired human in his 40s walked out of the void and looked at the surrounding deep space. He had a round face, pure silver eyes, appeared around 6 feet tall, and had a stern face. He wore a red robe-like armor and even held a strange ss-like book.


    He was none other than Udnir, the God of Time!


    After a swift nce, he finally zeroed his gaze on the strange silvery and soon squinted his eyes.


    "So, this is what attracted all those old monsters, huh? I can vaguely sense their motive. But how are they going to weaken this World''s Will?" At that moment, he recalled the information he got a decade ago.


    "Project Destiny... What is it actually?" He muttered solemnly and was about to scan the others but suddenly stopped.


    "Wait... Something doesn''t feel right about this." He used the wisdom power to push himself towards the Adrillon ne and shot forth like a bullet.


    In mere seconds, he reached the surface of Adrillon and saw greenish gas filled with icy-elemental energy spreading all over the area. What startled him most was that the strange poisonous gas started affecting his skin and even tried to eat his wisdom power!


    "Poisonous gas here could even corrode a demigod in an instant. Not only that, I can also sense a strong disaster curse in this gas. It''s not a god''s work. Moreover, why haven''t this World''s Will attacked me yet?" Although he vaguely sensed some prying power from the deepest part of this, he knew it wasn''t a world Will.


    "That thing inside this ne looks more like a soul. But even a peak High-God''s soul won''t appear this chaotic and powerful. An ancient being? Is that ancient being in slumber?" He hesitated for a moment and soon decided not to do anything funny.


    "I''m not strong enough to even face a Mid-God at that moment. Moreover, this is merely my avatar. Even a Low God can kill me with some underhand methods."


    He quietly cast [Space-Time Leap] spell and appeared outer surface of the Adrillon ne a secondter.


    Afterward, he gazed toward the brightest star on his right side and smirked.


    No, his gaze was focused on a particr.


    "Edhen, the world that holds many secrets and powerhouses... Here Ie." His voice echoed through the void like a divine sentence and spread everywhere.


    A momentter, he cast the [Space-Time Leap] spell again and disappeared from there.


    ...


    Udnir reappeared in Edhen World''s outer space within a few moments and looked around.


    A momentter, a sh of surprise appeared on his face.


    Instead of being only space around the Edhen World, he saw many ck metal-like pirs appear all over the area!


    "Void Pirs! But how did they manage to get this much amount? Each void pirs appears around 300 meters tall." While muttering, he did a quick scan and soon widened his eyes.


    "4,569 Void Pirs! Even the whole Lawful Faction wouldn''t have this much amount of void pirs. This group of monsters are well prepared."


    He also saw a strange forcefield-like structure around the world, making it seem like a protective cocoon.


    "They''ve been weakening this world''s Will for a long time. That means they must have also noticed that the thing in Adrillon''s deepest core is not a Will of that world but an ancient being. But the question is: Are they not after the Adrillon? Why are they weakening this world''s Will? Moreover, what is the role of Abium in this scheme?"


    He saw three eerie reddish moons on the left side and furrowed.


    "Hmm? Those three moons aren''t the original ones but a being''s domain manifestation? I sense some dense Chaos power from there. Domain of Blood? What the heck is happening in this higher ne?" He couldn''t help but get puzzled.


    After that, he quietly hovered in outer space for a few seconds and activated his [Fake Omnisicence Eye] skill.


    A momentter, he saw countless futures in visions and vaguely understood what was happening in this Edhen World.


    "A disaster is about to happen... No, it''s going to be multiple disasters. Should I also make things more interesting?" He curled his lips upward and disappeared from there.


    ...<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Northern Graveyard, Underground District, Miracle City.


    It was around 4.00 P.M.


    Many luxury and patrol carriages arrived at the entrance of the Northern Graveyard and soon parked on both sides of the road. Following that, multiple powerhouses from the Magic Towers,wful organizations, and three Destiny Conquerors members came from the carriages and walked into the graveyard.


    Simultaneously, a blonde-haired man in his 20s stepped out of a patrol carriage and looked around. He had brown eyes, short dark hair, and olive skin, and he appeared to be around 160 cm tall. Compared to all the people, he appeared short and remained unnoticed. He wore a brown frock coat over his white dress and even held a brown umbre in his left hand.


    After ncing around, he quietly shifted his gaze towards the graveyard''s entrance and saw a 45 to 50-years old man with tan skin standing among the crowd of security guards. He had light green eyes and silver hair and appeared taller than him. Unlike the rest, he and all other security officers wore a ck surcoat-type uniform with a symbol of three swords engraved on their chest area and appeared fully vignt.


    He was none other than John.


    Although the young man''s hands started to shake uncontrobly, he hid his fear and walked towards the tan-skinned middle-aged man.


    Meanwhile, John also noticed his arrival and gave him a slight nod.


    Simultaneously, he put his hand into the surcoat pocket and took a unique pebble-like blue stone.


    "I''ll do the checking for him." Saying so, John gestured for that young man toe closer and started checking him.


    At that moment, he also stealthily gave the unique gem to the young man and spoke to him telepathically.


    ''Mingle with the crowd and wait for Professor''s signal, Otis. After crushing this stone, you must take out the other chaos scroll and attack Raphael.''


    ''Y-Yes, sir. I''ll do it.'' The young man named Otis said with a stiff tone.


    ''That''s good.'' John gave a light tap on his shoulder and gestured for him to move in.


    But as Otis walked a few meters away from John, one of the security guards suddenly walked closer to John and spoke slowly.


    "Sir, you forgot to tell him about the dress code. Everyone should wear white dress during funeral ceremony."


    John couldn''t help but blink his eyes in surprise.


    "How did I forget such an important thing? Thanks a lot, Baron." He hurriedly tapped his space ring and took a white frock coat.


    "Go and tell him to put this on." Saying so, he gave the frock coat to Baron.


    Meanwhile, the security officer named Baron chased after Otis and gave the coat to him.


    After that, he also said a few words while helping him remove his ck coat and returned to his post quickly.


    On the other hand, Otis listened to Professor''s telepathic instructions and soon mingled with the crowd.


    At the same time, he noticed three ck-robed mages standing near the coffin and appeared to be reciting a chant in an unknownnguage.


    "Death Ritual. It is indeed a strange and unique ceremony of this Miracle City." He muttered slowly.


    At that moment, a voice came from behind.


    "During the Ancient time, the death mages practiced these types of unique ritual tomunicate with the diseased and prevent the souls from going to the ce of eternal darkness. Some says that this ritual helps the soul to enter the cycle of reincarnation." It was the person who stood next to him who spoke those words.


    He was a young man with straight ck hair, appeared to be around 20 years old, and had a hawk nose, deep blue eyes, and a slightly chubby face.


    "You are?" Otis couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, the young man made a fake cough and spoke.


    "I''m Alex. The one lying in the coffin is actually a distant rtive of mine, you see. He is such a kind and caring old man. But fate seems to be ying a cruel joke on him right now." His voice appeared sorrowful.


    As the young man named Alex started talking, Otis slowly turned his gaze towards the front and slowly put his right hand into the left coat pocket.


    ''Wait! I changed my coat earlier, right? But I actually forgot to take that crystal.'' A look of panic appeared on his face.


    But a secondter, he noticed that nullify crystal was still in the coat''s pocket!


    ''Maybe that soldier shifted the crystal.'' He breathed a sigh of relief and soon turned his gaze towards the right-side graveyard entrance.

 Chapter 585 Blood Moons

    Chapter 585: Blood Moons


    At that moment, he saw two people entering the graveyard and walking toward the coffin area.


    One was a middle-aged man with short brown hair, and the other was a young woman with long brown hair.


    "Demigod Rafael and the Secret Witch are here!" John muttered from his side in a solemn tone.


    Like thest time, Sylvia and Rafael arrived closer to the golden coffin and joined the funeral ceremony.


    On the other hand, the ck-robed mages continued to do the ceremony ritual chanting for the next few minutes and finally stopped it after opening the golden coffin. They then poured cups ofher sake, dropped white clothes, and ced most of Elder Seer''s daily belongings like a watch, eyesses, bracelet, chain, and even his artifacts.


    After that, a ck-robed mage with straight blonde hair stepped forward and looked at the mourners. He appeared to be around radiant golden eyes and a square face and looked around 60 to 70 years old.


    He was none other than Joshua, one of the peak-level powerhouses in the Destiny Conquerors.


    After a quick look, he focused on Otis for a second and then announced.


    "Anyone who walk to take ast look at Elder Seer, do it now."


    As he spoke, many mourners, including Sylvia, moved towards the golden coffin and watched Elder Seer''s face for the onest time.


    Once that was done, Joshua moved towards the left side wooden table, took theher sake bottle, and started pouring the sake into multiple small cups.


    After that, he distributed one cup to Rafael, one to Sylvia, and the other cups to Elder Seer''s distant rtives.


    Then, he bowed his head towards Demigod Rafael and added.


    "Please give your final speech, Lord Rafael."


    Meanwhile, Demigod Rafael drank the sake with a single gulp, took a deep breath, and started giving the funeral speech.


    "I stand here today to pay tribute to a kind soul, an indulgent heart, an endless visionary, and a disciplined mind- the precious person in my life: Albert Zander..."


    As he started talking, Otis heard a telepathic voice in his head.


    ''He will stutter in the middle of speaking, that''s the signal.''


    It was Professor''s voice.


    ''Okay!'' Otis muttered inwardly and waited.


    As Professor had predicted, Demigod Rafael suddenly stopped talking and started to cough like he was choking.


    "You are not here, Albert. But your presence... li-ng-er.. sh..ad..oww! Cough... Cough...!"


    ''This is the signal!'' Otis instantly took the crystal from his coat pocket and crushed it.


    At the same time, he stealthily took out an eerie ck scroll from his space ring and recited a word in a strangenguage.


    A momentter, the scroll turned illusionary and disappeared from his hand.


    On the other hand, Demigod Rafael showed a tense face and slowly turned his gaze toward Joshua.


    "W-What did you do?" He asked stiffly.


    At that moment, Sylvia looked panicked and tried to help Rafael but suddenly froze.


    No, her whole body got frozen stiff like a statue.


    In that instant, the eerie ckish scroll appeared before Demigod Rafael''s face and hovered independently.


    But something happened out of the ordinary when it was about to be torn.


    At that moment, a ray of ck lightning descended from the defensive mechanism array andnded directly on Otis''s head.


    Before he could understand, he was utterly disintegrated into ashes.


    Upon seeing this, Demigod Rafael curled his lips upward and showed a smile.


    At the same time, he took out a potion bottle from his space ring and drank it in one gulp.


    "What did you guys put in this sake? It made my thinking processing a lot slower." He muttered casually and moved towards Sylvia.


    But before he could even take out another potion bottle and give it to her, Joshua snapped out of shock and leaped forward.


    This time, his target was not Demigod Rafael but Sylvia!


    The main reason was that he knew a secret even his leader wasn''t aware of.


    The Secret Witch of the Miracle City was Rafael''s child!


    "Who gave you the permission to move?" A sudden cold voice echoed.


    Simultaneously, a mysterious force encircled the surroundings and influenced everyone''s thoughts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Not only that, this mysterious force even stopped everyone''s movement.


    Within a second, the ordinary mourners, legendary mages, and even Sylvia felt that her mind had been cleared up and returned to a calm state.


    At that moment, the young man named Alex suddenly took out a bluish crystal from his pocket and broke it.


    A secondter, a mysterious wave came out of nowhere and spread in all directions like wildfire.


    At the same time, his face also changed into an oval-faced one, and soon he turned into an appearance of a blonde-haired young woman.


    She was none other than Slyvia.


    The one who stood next to Demigod Rafael was her Clone! After she left the main group, she stealthily infiltrated John''s security force and learned a few things about their motive.


    At the same time, she also met with her clones and perfected this whole plot. Simultaneously, she informed Rafael about this assassination plot and warned him to be more careful during the funeral ceremony.


    Her simple action made the whole situation flip upside down.


    On the other hand, Joshua felt death was looming over his head and hurriedly tried to back away.


    s, the strange, mysterious force was too strong for him to break it.


    In the meantime, Demigod Rafael calmly raised his hand and pointed his finger at his forehead.


    "Insightful Vision." He muttered calmly and soon entered a strange enlightened state for a mere second.


    A momentter, he turned his gaze toward the sky and frowned.


    "Why are you hiding like a rat? Show yourself." He spoke in a cold tone.


    A momentter, the whole sky darkened. No, the scattered clouds and the sky started to appear more in deep crimson color.


    Simultaneously, three red moons appeared in the sky, sending an eerie chill to the city.


    Drops of blood also descended from the sky and started raining. The strange thing was that even Demigod Rafael''s mysterious psychic power couldn''t stop this rain from dropping!


    Following that, the whole surroundings started to change. Trees and nts started to rot incredibly, while many skeletons emerged from the graveyard. Unlike normal skeletons, these skeletons appearedpletely bloodied and emitted a foul smell all over.


    But what shocked everyone was that all those skeletons crawled towards the area where Otis stood before and started to tangle with one another.


    Before long, a bloody throne made of bones appeared before everyone''s eyes.


    Even Demigod Rafael was baffled by this sudden appearance of three blood moons, blood rain, and this blood throne and turned grim.


    On the other hand, a strange whisper of a woman suddenly echoed in everyone''s mind.


    As seconds passed, the woman''s whispers turned into a beautiful song.


    "The lion, broad-shouldered, sharp-nailed,


    Prowls at night, seeking whom he may rend.


    His blood-dyed mouth shows in where he has been.


    So my love, since thou went to leave me lonely,


    Is marked with many a stain where heart''s-blood flowed."


    (A/N: Aingurunooru, one of the ancient poems of my localnguage.)


    As the song ended, a long red-haired woman in her thirties suddenly appeared on the bloody throne and sat like an overlord.


    Then, she gracefully stood up and started walking towards Demigod Rafael like nothing was affecting her.


    As the long red-haired woman approached Demigod Rafael, the crowd around them fell silent, watching with curiosity and fear. She was dressed in a flowing gown of deep blue embroidered with shimmering silver thread and carried a small leather pouch at her waist. Her hair, which reached down to her waist, was a brilliant shade of red, and her eyes glowed with a faint green light.


    Despite her stunning appearance, something was unsettling about the woman''s features. Her jaw was lined with sharp teeth, as a predator''s, and her webbed fingers twitched nervously at her sides. As she reached Rafael, she gave a smile that almost looked eerie and asked in an ancient unknownnguage.


    "Do you still remember me, the Last Elven Emperor?"


    Meanwhile, Rafael widened his eyes briefly and soon returned to his calm state.


    A silence appeared in the graveyard, followed by a deep sigh.


    "I don''t understand what you are saying, Miss. But I advise you to not cause any trouble in my city." He said calmly.


    On the other hand, Asher wore a grim look and shook her head.


    "Of course, you wouldn''t talk. How can you talk after breaking our promise and even making an alliance with the invaders? Not only did you forget to protect my kin but you even ended up losing yours too! Those mother*ckers killed my kins and hunted us for more than two millennia. The reason? It''s because we worshiped the Blood Goddess. But why did they kill all the wood elves? Those poor souls only worshiped nature, right? And, where the hell was you when they needed you the most? After all that, why didn''t you die?!!! Why are you hiding in this sky city like a pathetic loser?" Her words reached every part of the city like a thunderstorm.


    Although no one understood what she was saying, everyone realized it appeared more like a personal quarrel!

 Chapter 586 Auditorium

    Chapter 586: Auditorium


    After a short silence, Rafael took another deep breath and spoke in the same ancientnguage.


    "Blood Queen. I went to the Abyss to search for you, Asher. After you died in my arms, I knew that your soul had returned to the Blood Goddess. I stick on to the final hope and thought of resurrecting you using the biggest treasure I''ve found long ago as a sacrifice. But when I went to Abyss, I couldn''t find your Blood Goddess or her domain. By the time I manage to return to Edhen World, the whole world became a mess. I lost my home, family, and all my kin. If not for Edhen World''s help, I might have ended up going to the front line like others and perished."


    "But that still justify your action of colluding with those foreign Gods." Asher gave him a sharp re and quietly waved her hand.


    A momentter, Asher and Rafael suddenly disappeared, leaving the crowd dumbfounded.


    ...


    Herman Mansion House, 34C White Street, Fourth District, Miracle City.


    It was Jessie''s mansion house.


    The exterior of the Herman House was designed in the Queen Anne style, with a mix of materials, including brick, stone, and wood. The house featured a steeply pitched roof with multiple gables, dormer windows, and decorative woodwork. There were several porches and balconies and a turret on the corner of the house.


    The house''s interior was equally impressive, with ornate woodwork, stained ss windows, and decorative sterwork on the walls and ceilings. The house featured several fireces, including one with arge, ornate mantelpiece in the living room.


    The house''s main floor included a grand entryway, a formal living room, a dining room, a library, and arge kitchen with a butler''s pantry.


    The second floor included several bedrooms and bathrooms, a sitting room, and arge balcony.


    The house also included several unique features, including a third-floor ballroom with a dance floor and stage and a walk-in safe in the basement.


    At that moment, a young blonde-haired woman in her red velvet gown dress stood at the edge of the balcony and looked outside with a confused look.


    No, she was now looking at the three red moons that appeared out of nowhere and soon sensed a strange resonanceing from the deepest of the Inner World.


    "Why do those moons look simr to the ones in my Inner World?" Her voice contained a trace of curiousness and unknown fear.


    ...


    Mystic Hall Auditorium, Magus Center, Miracle City.


    The main auditorium of the Mystics Hall was a circr space with a diameter of 135 feet and a height of 135 feet. It had a seating capacity of up to 5,200 people, arranged in several levels of boxes, balconies, and galleries. The seating was upholstered in plush velvet, and the boxes and balconies were decorated with gold leaf and ornate carvings.


    The stage of the Mystics Hall was arge tform located at one end of the auditorium. It was framed by an ornate proscenium arch decorated with intricate carvings and statuary. The stage could be raised or lowered to amodate different performances and was equipped with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems.


    The auditorium''s walls were decorated withrge panels adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures. Above the panels, the walls were covered in ornate friezes, depicting scenes from ssical mythology and history. The auditorium''s ceiling was also highly decorated, featuring arge circr painting depicting the "Triumph of Magic and runes."


    At that moment, a deep-blue-haired young man stood at the center of the auditorium stage and looked confused. Even though this vast auditorium allowed anyone to enter and tour, only some security guards and cleaners appeared in that hall.


    "But why did Anangu tell me to wait here? This is Professor''s final destination?" As he was muttering, he suddenly sensed a chaotic power sweeping through the whole city like wildfire and widened his eyes.


    At the same time, he closed his eyes, released his wisdom power in all directions, and checked the surroundings.


    No, he checked what was happening in the Northern Graveyard. Like him, all other legendary and pseudo-legendary powerhouses released their wisdom power and probed where the dense, chaotic energy wasing from.


    "Three moons... Throne made of bones... Bloody skeletons... Rotten corpses and fleshes... Blood rain..." A strange sense of familiarity appeared in his mind as he saw those things.


    "This whole thing looks like Jessie''s Inner World? Now that I think about it, one of her consciousnesses actually rebelled against her and tried to take full control over her soul two decades ago, right? I thought those red moons and all the strange incidents were due to her worshiping Moon God Anos. I also felt something out of ordinary when Jessie received [Blood Maniptor] ss gem due to a pure coincidence. But after all thoseter incidents, Ipletely forget about this matter."


    At that moment, quiet footsteps came from the auditorium''s entrance door, followed by a figure of a young woman.


    She was breathtakingly beautiful with striking jade eyes that seemed to sparkle and dance in the light. They were like two precious gems that were so bright they could light up a room. Her eyes were almond-shaped and set beneath perfectly arched eyebrows that entuated their stunning color.


    Her plump red lips were the perfectplement to her striking eyes. They were full and sensuous, with just a hint of a smile ying at the corners. The shade of red was a deep and rich color that made them look even more alluring.


    Her hair was tied back in a loose bun, revealing a few strands of auburn hair that framed her pretty round face. Her hair was soft and shiny, with a natural wave that added to her overall charm. It was clear that she took great care of her hair, and it was a true asset to her already stunning appearance.


    She wore a stunning long gown that hugged her curves in all the right ces. The bodice was tightlyced, cinching her waist and entuating her feminine silhouette. The neckline was high and ruffled, with delicatece detailing that added a touch of elegance to the ensemble.


    The sleeves were long and fitted, ring into a subtle puff at the shoulders. The fabric was soft and supple silk that shimmered in the light, giving her an air of sophistication and luxury.


    The dress''s skirt was full and flowing, cascading down to the ground in a flurry of ruffles andyers. It was made from a heavy velvet material draped beautifully with intricate embroidery and beading, adding a touch of opulence.


    She was none other than Hayley!


    No, Anangu!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It seems you didn''t forget that incident. That''s actually the side effect of Syreni Bloodline. And, those three red moons are mere manifestation of my Inner World. As for Anos, he is nothing but a leech sucking my divine power slowly."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles showed a surprised look and asked warily.


    "But what is it doing up in the sky right now? What are you scheming?" At that moment, he noticed Asher and Demigod Rafael suddenly disappear from the Northern Graveyard and turn grim.


    Meanwhile, Anangu casually strolled on the velvet-carpeted path and stepped on the raised stage.


    Simultaneously, she opened her mouth and started to sing.


    "Nira Kar, the Queen of Life and Nature,


    with an insidious mind, a schemer,


    has vowed to destroy the Blood Queen


    and her army; she will overwhelm.


    In the darkness of night, she plotted,


    with her spies and advisors,


    to ambush the Blood warriors,


    and leave them vanquished and defeated.


    But the Blood Queen, wise and astute,


    has heard of these treacherous schemes,


    and she readied her army for battle,


    to protect his kingdom and her people.


    With cunning and strategy, she countered,


    the plots of her foes and adversaries,


    and emerged victorious in battle,


    ensuring peace and prosperity for hernd."


    As she arrived towards the center of the stage, she looked up at the tall ceiling and continued.


    "But Nira abandoned this world to seek power,


    and returned with multiple foreigners.


    She destroyed the Blood Queen''s Kingdom


    and even killed every Syreni on this.


    But her revenge was only a mere cover.


    They came here for something else."


    "Something else?" Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise and soon noticed something.


    "Wait, Life Goddess Nira isn''t a foreigner but someone from this?"


    At that moment, she stopped singing and answered his question calmly.


    "Hmm, she is indeed born in this world but the World''s Will hadpletely abandoned her after her betrayal. Anyway, the reason I''ve to speed up my n was because I noticed that they even had their eyes on this miracle city-" Before she could finish her sentence, another footstep came from the entrance.


    The one who arrived was a young man in his twenties with long ck hair and an oblong face, and he appeared to be around 180cm tall. He wore a double-breasted ck suit and held a unique mirror in his right hand.


    He was none other than Fate Professor!

 Chapter 587 Confront

    Chapter 587: Confront


    Fate Professor strode confidently into the room, towering over most at the height of 180cm. His sharp features were entuated by an oblong face framed by slightly long jet-ck hair brushed neatly to the side. A neatly groomed hook mustache sat just above his full lips, giving him an air of sophistication. His eyes were his most striking feature: wide-set emerald orbs that sparkled with intelligence and wit.


    His attire was just as impable as his grooming, with a ck double-breasted waistcoat that hugged his frame perfectly, entuating his broad shoulders and lean physique. He wore a pair of elegant Pince-nez sses that sat perched on his nose, adding a touch of refinement to his already polished appearance. Atop his head sat a ck bowler hat, tilted slightly to one side, giving him an air of calm elegance.


    Overall, he exuded effortless confidence, charm, and a keen sense of style.


    "Thanks for ruining my n, Charles." Professor''s calm voice echoed through therge auditorium hall as he stepped in.


    "But who would''ve thought that your action actually benefitted me the most." He paused momentarily, noticing the confusion on Charles''s face, and chuckled.


    "I wasn''t worried much about your presence from the very beginning. But the Destiny Conquerors'' leader''s presence in this city worried me the most. Thanks to your interference, she pulled the Demigod Rafael into her separate domain, making this whole city defenceless."


    As he spoke, he quietly turned his gaze towards the auburn-haired young woman and raised his eyes.


    "A peak fifth-tier [Siren] ss Mystic? What is she doing here-?" Before he could finish his sentence, a strange purple fire appeared deep in his consciousness, erasing his current thought.


    Simultaneously, he felt his blood flow suddenly start to slow down. His heart started to ache while his breath grew wild.


    He instantly blinked his eyes and muttered.


    "Fate Change!"


    At that moment, one of the servants swiping the floor outside suddenly grabbed his chest and fell to his knees. Before he could scream for help, all his blood suddenly stopped moving and caused a cardiac arrest.


    In the meantime, Professor turned his face solemnly and focused his full attention on Anangu.


    "Who are you? That''s not a fifth-tier spell. I definitely sensed the power of divine in it." He said warily.


    Simultaneously, he peered deep into her charming jade eyes and cast a fate-type skill called [Oracle''s Insight].


    A momentter, a mysterious divine power seeped into Anangu''s soul and was about to probe her origin but suddenly disappeared!


    ''What? My divine spell got nullified?''


    "Fate''s Favor!" Professor cast his next spell as he instantly knew that the one within the auburn-haired woman was not a human but a Divine Entity!


    At that moment, Charles suddenly disappeared from where he stood and reappeared a few feet away from Fate Professor.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Soul Shock], [Eye of the Faceless], [Curse of the Overlord], and [Eye of the Runes] skills on Professor.


    Professor felt his soul being damaged by a strange fire and instantly backed away.


    At the same time, he cast [Karmic Bnce], causing a wave of energy to wash over the area and restore the bnce of fate. The damage to his soul instantly healed, and he regained hisposure.


    He cast another spell called ''Fate''s Shield'' and blocked any prying power from entering his soul or consciousness!


    "I see," he said with a small smile, looking at Charles.


    "You''ve grown stronger since ourst encounter. Legendary Realm, not bad." He paused momentarily and then continued,


    "But you should know better than to attack me directly. I am a Fate-type divine being, after all." With a flick of his wrist, he cast [Wheel of Fortune] spell, causing the auditorium to shake as everyone''s fate was altered.


    As the stage shook violently, a deep rumbling sound filled the air, signaling the emergence of something significant. Suddenly, a stunning sight caught everyone''s attention: a mysterious, emerald cube-shaped object had appeared in the center of the stage, towering over everyone at about two meters tall. Every inch of the cube''s surface was etched with intricate engravings, adding to its enigmatic allure.


    With a sharp gaze, Charles immediately recognized the object as Miracle City''s artificial spirit core. The cube hovered effortlessly in mid-air, defying gravity, and radiated a mesmerizing glow.


    "They should''ve hidden the city''s core in a much safer ce."


    Professor said with a smirk and turned his gaze back to Anangu.


    "It seems we have a lot to discuss," he said, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement.


    "I would be honored to learn more about you and your divine powers, Young Lady."


    Anangu remained silent, her expression unreadable as she observed Fate Professor with a watchful eye. She sensed his fate power and decided not to underestimate him.


    "I have no interest in discussing my secrets with you," Anangu finally spoke, her voice firm and unwavering. "And I have no intention of letting you get your hands on Miracle City''s artificial spirit core."


    Fate Professor chuckled, seemingly amused by her response. "You''re a confident one, aren''t you?" he said, his eyes still fixed on her.


    "But do you think you can stop me?"


    Saying so, he quietly raised his hand and snapped his fingers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A momentter, the whole auditorium got enveloped by his ''fate'' power.


    It was his unique fate domain spell!


    Simultaneously, he took a step forward and muttered.


    "elerate."


    The next instant, Charles and Anangu felt Professor''s movement speed be so fast.


    Even after activating the [elerate Thoughts] skill, Charles barely managed to see his movement and instantly cast the [False Field] spell in advance.


    At that moment, Professor took a curved sword from his space ring and sprinted towards Anangu.


    At first, he thought of eliminating Charles. But after seeing Anangu''s strange blood abilities, he decided not to mess around and became quite serious.


    On the other hand, Anangu calmly raised her hand and cast her bloodline spell.


    "Blood Shackle."


    Before Professor could arrive close to Anangu, he felt that his whole body went stiff for a moment and almost stumbled.


    At that moment, Anangu suddenly leaped forward, took a strange dagger out of nowhere, and thrust it towards his chest.


    Upon sensing the danger hidden in that dagger, Professor suddenly curled his lips upward and muttered.


    "Twisted Fate."


    A momentter, a mysterious force suddenly pulled him away and swapped his position with Charles!


    Meanwhile, Charles went deadly pale.


    "Rebirth Domain!" He didn''t hesitate and activated his [Rebirth Domain] spell.


    As the dagger prated his chest, the rebirth domain activated and enveloped the auditorium in a crimson fire.


    He left a strange dizziness and a thought process disturbance a secondter. Not only that, his body, soul, Inner World, and even his consciousness became more chaotic.


    What shocked him most was that even his other consciousnesses felt strange dizziness and confusion.


    While Charles was in the middle of this strange state, Professor suddenly appeared behind him, ced his hand on his back, and muttered.


    "Disintegrate."


    A momentter, Charles''s body was enveloped in a strange ck me and burnt fiercely.


    Before long, not even ashes were left behind.


    But at that moment, Fate Professor noticed that Charles''s soul had disappeared instead of getting disintegrated and became more confused.


    "You think this is time for you to get distracted?" Anangu spoke.


    The next instant, she stepped forward and turned illusionary before disappearing entirely.


    It was one of the Wizard''s Cube''s spells,'' Invisible Man!


    Although Mateo could only activate one daily due to severe restrictions, Anangu wasn''t affected by this restriction.


    In the meantime, Professor suddenly lost all the information about Anangu. He only remembered talking to Charles and a vague image of another person.


    "I killed Charles and confronted this other person, right? But why did I fight him? Moreover, why can''t I remember anything about this person? Who is it? Am I under some spell effect?" He couldn''t help but mutter.


    Simultaneously, he noticed his vision started to blur, followed by hearing loss.


    No! He also lost the sense of touch, taste, smell, and even vestibr sense.


    "Oh no! I''m in a most vulnerable state right now-"


    Before he could finish his sentence, a shing sound echoed in the hall.


    Fate Professor''s head slowly fell and rolled on the floor while painting it scarlet.

 Chapter 588 Control

    ?


    Chapter 588: Control


    But just as Anangu was about to reveal her presence and destroy the ''Fate Domain'' spell, the ''Time'' started to move backward in that particr zone!


    In an eerie twist of fate, the severed head of the Fate Professor rejoined his headless corpse, and the blood sttered around him returned to his body.


    At the same time, Anangu also forgot what had happened earlier and remained in the same position while waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Fate Professor.


    Meanwhile, a smile appeared on Fate Professor''s face.


    Even though he had lost all his six senses, his mind acted calmly and entered a state of absolute focus.


    ''When the enemy attacked me earlier, I first felt a spiritual disturbance from my right-side neck.'' While thinking, he suddenly bent down and dodged the sh.


    But before he could regain all his senses, a sudden spiritual disturbance came from his nape.


    At that moment, an eerie ckish aura-covered dagger appeared above Professor''s nape and decapitated him neatly.


    Like before, his head slowly fell and started rolling on the floor while spattering blood.


    As Professor''s eyes were about to close, the ''Time'' in the surrounding zone began to move backward.


    Like thest time, a simr thing happened.


    But unlike before, Professor bent his waist and dodged Anangu''s first attack.


    ''The enemy''s next will attackse from above.''


    Without waiting for a moment, he suddenly leaped forward like a bullet and soon crashed onto the invisible wall-like structure.


    But simultaneously, he cast a skill called ''Destiny Shield'' and nullified the six senses'' effects.


    His vision, hearing, and other senses slowly returned to normal.


    Only then did he realize that he had crashed into City Core''s defensive shield.


    But Professor still couldn''t find the origin of this unknown enemy.


    ''It''s a spell that could erase the caster''s history from the opponent, huh? I indeed read about such a unique spell but never seen it in person.'' As he muttered, he took out a green candle from his pocket and lit it.


    "You wanna y hide and seek with me?" He asked coldly and ced the candle on the floor.


    At the same time, he took out a piece of paper and a unique pen and started writing a few words.


    Even though he appeared unguarded then, Anangu knew the opponent had alreadyid a trap around him.


    While she was contemting, Fate Professor moved the paper towards the candle and burnt it.


    "Serendipity." He said calmly and soon turned his gaze towards his right side.


    For a second, a sh of surprise appeared on Anangu''s face.


    "You are good." A cold voice came from space, followed by a strange ripple.


    A momentter, an auburn-haired young woman suddenly appeared a few feet away from Fate Professor and stared at him curiously.


    "You lost." Fate Professor said calmly and then added.


    "Reverse Fate-Explode."


    Anangu felt her heart tighten a secondter, followed by increased blood flow. Not only that, but she noticed some strange power-causing mutation all over her body.


    It was Anangu''s blood spell!


    Within two seconds, her body bulged like a balloon and soon exploded, sshing flesh, blood, bones, and brain matter in all directions.


    "That''s what happens when you don''t understand whom you are messing with-" His face stiffened before he could finish his sentence.


    At that moment, he saw all the blood gathered together, soon forming into a small, blob-like thing.


    A heartbeatter, the blood blob began to hover in the air and soon formed into an appearance of an auburn-haired young woman.


    "Surprised?" She made a wide grin and turned her gaze towards the left side.


    "How long are you going to hide in the Astral ne, Charles? Didn''t you promise me that you will help me?"


    A chuckle came from space, and soon a crimson humanoid me started to appear before forming into an appearance of a young man in his twenties.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In the meantime, Professor''s face turned grim.


    Although he vaguely sensed Charles hadn''t diedpletely due to the presence of his domain, he didn''t expect that he still appeared good as new.


    Before Professor could act, he forgot what to do next.


    At that moment, Charles walked calmly towards Professor while continuously casting [Burning Thoughts], [Knowledge Seeker], [Fire Seed], [Purple Consciousness], and even [Curse of the Overlord] spells on him and asked.


    "He is just a clone, but why he does he have an inner World?"


    Meanwhile, Anangu raised her eyebrows and shook her head.


    "There are hundreds of methods to split one''s soul, mortal. And, the easiest way is to rece any mortal''s original Consciousness and take over his soul core." While speaking, she suddenly disappeared from where she stood and reappeared behind Fate Professor while touching his back.


    "Blood Bind," "Blood Curse," "Blood Acolyte." "Domain Break."


    As she spoke, dense crimson smoke came out of nowhere and encircled Fate Professor''s body. Not only that, Charles noticed that this strange smoke was constantly seeping deep into his soul and corrupting him.


    But just as Fate Professor was about to bepletely defeated, his eyelids started to twitch. The strange mirror in his hand suddenly fell and broke into multiple pieces.


    Simultaneously, Charles and Anangu sensed that some mysterious power came out of the mirror and erased all the spells on Fate Professor.


    It was the Mirror Artifact''s spell simr to the ''Destiny Shield.''


    A momentter, he blinked his eyes, instantly used the ''elerate'' ability, and disappeared from there.


    No, he moved incredibly fast and appeared more than 20 feet away from Charles and Anangu.


    ''Sh*t! I''m only a Pseudo-Legendary Mystic while Charles is already a Legendary Powerhouse. At that moment, my Fate Domain spell is also nullified by that woman. F*ck, that auburn-haired woman has some mysterious divine abilities. Do I have no choice but to self-destruct?'' He couldn''t help but get annoyed a little.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly shook his head and started to speak.


    "Professor, why are we fighting? I''m not your enemy, though. Can''t we talk this through and resolve it peacefully? The reason I''m here was to get my hand on the Affinity Potion but I had already achieved my goal." His words were sincere and pure.


    For a moment, a look of hesitation appeared on Fate Professor''s face.


    Meanwhile, Anangu''s voice echoed in Charles''s mind.


    ''Hmm? His Consciousness was already infected by a Hell me spell? Oh? My brother''s spell?'' Anangu blinked her eyes without showing her shocked face and turned her gaze toward Charles.


    ''You mean the ''Curse of the Overlord''? Wait, isn''t that the spell of Fallen Overlord of Hell ne? He is your brother? Seiyon, the White Devil?'' Charles felt their meeting here might not be a strange coincidence.


    ''Abium must have nned everything.''


    In truth, Charles didn''t know that even Abium had no clue about Anangu''s origin.


    ''Forget it. I don''t know how you got your hands on ''Seiyon''s'' spell but treasure it. Use it for good use.'' While saying so, she quietly raised her hands and spoke to Fate Professor.


    "The reason I''m here also is to simply help my friend Asher. She wanted to settle some score with her ex-lover. As long as you promise me not to interfere in their battle, I won''t get in your way."


    "No... Something is wrong." Professor''s eyes squinted as he sensed the abnormal behavior and was about to say something but suddenly forgot.


    "He is resisting," Charles muttered while continuing casting [Burning Thoughts] spell and making Professor''s Consciousness stop thinking further.


    In the meantime, Anangu walked toward the front of the frozen Fate Professor and started reciting a strange chant.


    The chant continued for a while before she took a few drops of his blood and drank it.


    "Ipletely stopped his Consciousness from even thinking and also took control over his soul core. Use this opportunity and absorb all his memories." She paused for a moment and asked.


    "Or should you want to take control over him?"


    Meanwhile, Charles thought momentarily and decided to give up on controlling him.


    Although he could make him his next ve, he didn''t think he had the power to take full control over a God''s avatar.


    ''I''m only a legendary rank. Meanwhile, the real Professor is most like a Mid-God. I''m not even his opponent.'' After that, he quietly released all his Purple me spells and started devouring the defenseless Inner World and Consciousness.


    At the same time, he received a whole lot of information.


    The first important information he got was about coordinates of other worlds like Elder ne, Abyss, Golden Neb, etc. Then, he also got information about Rune Language and Rune Study.


    ''He was actually a peak-level Rune Mage!''

 Chapter 589 Mess

    ?


    Chapter 589: Mess


    The second important piece of information was actually about Project Destiny.


    Project Destiny was to destroy Adrillon and extract its core!


    Unlike the Core of Itera, which only had the domain of Time and Space, this Adrillon ne had Luck, Fate, and Destiny.


    It was the unique ne in the whole universe.


    As long as one gets their hands on the Core of Adrillon, they will have a high chance of reaching the realm of Sovereign.


    But they found that the Adrillon ne hosted an ancient being for its protection and seemed to have some link to the Edhen World.


    When they were puzzled about what to do next, Anos proposed to turn a part of this Edhen World''s Will into an artifact and use it to suppress the ancient being.


    It was a far more reckless n than the one Udnir and other ancient gods executed eons ago.


    But they realized it might be possible when they heard more detail about Anos''s unique artifact and its effects.


    So, they used their every wealth to get nullification stones and started weakening the World''s Will.


    Simply put, this project destiny n started more than 9 millenniums ago!


    ''Wow! Wait, wasn''t it the same time when the foreign Gods invaded this ne?''


    At that moment, another round of important information appeared in his mind.


    It was about the Edhen''s Children Organization and its members!


    Edhen Children''s Organization had 9 members, all of which had infiltrated this world around 9000 years ago. Not only that, but every Edhen Children member had another identity.


    ''1. Fortune Lady Kasoi- Her other Identity in Edhen World is Goddess of Twilight, Ydia- Her domains are Space, Fire, and Luck. She controls a powerful Lawful Organization called ''Sunset Knights.''


    2. Sasha, Goddess of Love, Wealth, and Luck- Her other identity is Goddess of Wealth, Zephine. She also controls an organization called Silver Servants.


    3. Red Devil or Red Prince- His other name is Ithos, God of Dreams and Illusions. Unlike others, his origin was still shrouded in mystery even to Fate Professor.'' Charles paused as he read the memories about Red Prince and soon nodded.


    ''No wonder he managed to manipte Charles''s ancestor''s fake consciousness even when was at his weakest.''


    ''4. Anos, the God of the Moon- His original name is also Anos, and he rarely participated in any meeting. After gaining control over the strange blood moons in this ne, hepletely isted himself and only focused on gaining followers in this world.


    5. The Demon of Misfortune, Theta- Her other identity is Goddess of Truth, Eyer.


    6. Asthar, God of Fate ¡ú His other name is God of Order, Filo, and he controls an organization called Loyal Avengers.


    7. Zegun, Evil God of Blessings and Death¡ú His other name is God of Death, Abus ¨C Undying Ones,


    8. Rhiione, the God of Miracles¡ú Her other name is Goddess of Storm, Edina.


    9. Nedia, The Forgotten Devil- She was also the servant of the Fallen Overlord andter joined Red Prince- Her other identity in Edhen World is Goddess of Earth, Adis.''


    ''What the heck? Almost all Lawful Gods are actually Edhen''s Children organization members!''


    As he further read his memories, he also learned that Life Goddess Nira was the one who invited them to this world.


    She brought the foreign Gods to Edhen World to seek revenge on Syreni Race. Her hatred towards the Syreni Race was unknown, but she was the one who approached Anos and sought his help to defeat an unknown ancient Chaos Goddess. But when Anos reached Edhen World, he learned about the mysterious Luck and Destiny Power in the Adrillon ne and asked others to join hands and explore the new ne.


    They first thought of expanding their faith in this new world but soon changed their thought when they found the secrets behind Adrillon ne.


    They weakened the natives of Edhen World and finally initiated Project Destiny.


    ''Moreover, the presence of more poption in this world is actually strength the World''s Will, huh? Oh? That exins why Divine Order-like organizations came into an existence. Now that I think about it, what about Goddess Rodia and Wisdom God? When did they appear?'' As he was muttering, information about them also appeared in his mind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''They appeared a millenniumter and started interfering with their n. From Fate Professor''s memories, it appears that Wisdom God was the one who brought Goddess Rodia to this world.''


    ''So, Life Goddess Nira is the main culprit for bringing the Foreign Gods to this world, huh? Now I understand why the evil factions and organizations remain and act without any restrain.'' At that moment, he realized how serious the situation was and fell into deep contemtion.


    ''This is far beyond my capabilities. Although I became a Legendary Powerhouse, I''m not even a match for a Demi-god. Although I can''t tell if these reckless gods would seed in their n, I''m damn sure that this whole world will plunge into chaos soon.''


    Just as he was thinking, a sudden bang came from the sky, causing the auditorium to shake violently.


    At the same time, Anangu sharpened her gaze toward the sky and squinted her eyes.


    "An uninvited guest has appeared to this world."


    As she spoke, a strange eerie voice appeared in everyone''s ears and echoed into the depth of their souls.


    "Kekekeke, I''ve found your toy, Abium!"


    On the other hand, Charles''s face turned deadly pale as he realized whose voice it was.


    "Time God, Udnir!"


    He immediately stopped absorbing Fate Professor''s memories and tossed his body to Anangu.


    "Anangu, erase himpletely. After that, you can take control of this city and try your best to stop Udnir from entering the Defensive Array."


    Meanwhile, Anangu made a mysterious smile and walked towards the cube-like city core.


    Just then, an individual who appeared to be around the age of 30 made his way into the hall through the entrance and proceeded to make his way toward the stage. This man had untidy ck hair, eyes that were colored in a shade of amber, a nose that was not very prominent, and aplexion that was a light brownish color. He was attired in simple and ordinary linen clothing.


    On his shoulder was a ck owl, and it appeared it was deep asleep.


    "Marvin? Arayn?" Charles raised his eyebrows and soon turned his gaze towards Anangu.


    "So that''s how it is." A look of realization appeared on Charles''s face as he confirmed that Anangu and Arayn were the same people.


    "Although I have lots of questions to ask, I''m not in a good situation to sit around and have a chat with you." He spoke as he saw a strange silver-like card in Marvin''s hand and added with a smile.


    "Aid me. You promised me a favor earlier, right?"


    "Of course. But I at least need a minute or two to register myself as a new owner. Until then, try your best to survive."


    Saying so, she took the Core ess Card from Marvin using her wisdom power and quietly inserted it into the cube-like city core.


    Then, she opened her mouth and started reciting a strange incantation.


    Simultaneously, two eerie ck wings appeared behind Charles and started pping independently.


    With a forceful push, he shot toward the ceiling like a bullet and soon disappeared.


    A momentter, he appeared more than 500 meters above the city and looked at the invisible defensive array shrouded by dark reddish clouds.


    shes of red lightning constantlynded on the array and created loud noises from time to time. At the same time, drops of reddish liquid fell nonstop like rain and drenched his suit.


    Although this unique blood rain caused an itching sensation all over his body, Charles didn''t even have time to worry.


    "Where are you looking?" A cold yet eerie voice came from behind, causing his face to stiffen up.


    As he turned around, his gaze fell upon a middle-aged man adorned in vibrant red armor, effortlessly hovering in the air. The man appeared to be in his early forties, with a strikingly handsome face that exuded a sense of confidence and strength. His wavy blonde hair cascaded down his broad shoulders in a chaotic yet controlled manner, adding a sense of fluidity to his overall demeanor.


    His facial features were soft and round, giving him an approachable and friendly appearance, while his piercing silver eyes radiated an otherworldly glow that captured one''s attention instantly. As he looked closer, he noticed the man''s eyes were pure and unblemished, with no hint of malice or deceit. It was as if he could see through his soul, and the thought sent shivers down his spine.


    "God of Time!"

 Chapter 590 Blood Throne

    ?


    Chapter 590: Blood Throne


    Herman Mansion house, 34C White Street, Fourth District, Miracle City.


    A few minutes ago,


    When Jessie saw the appearance of three ominous red moons, she knew that this whole matter must have something to do with her Syreni ss and felt a strange sense of attraction towards the northern direction.


    ''That''s where the Northern Graveyard is located. Moreover, I feel something is calling me.'' After hesitating, she quietly jumped from the balcony and soonnded in the front yard.


    After that, she looked up at the reddish sky and frowned.


    Unlike a while ago, multiple figures used flight spells and moved here and there. Also, Jessie sensed many people in ck cloaks were causing chaos in various ces.


    ''What''s surprising is that even the movement array system seems blocked already.''


    "Isabe,e out."


    Just as she spoke, her own shadow started to twist and form into an appearance of a shadowy hooded figure.


    A secondter, the shadowy figure removed the hood and looked at Jessie.


    The shadowy figure''s lean face was shrouded in darkness, lending an air of mystery to her appearance. Her short ck hair framed her face, falling just above her shoulders, with an almost ethereal quality as if it absorbs light rather than reflecting it. The strands of hair had an inky darkness that seamlessly blended with the shadows surrounding her.


    Her deep-set brown eyes were captivating, radiating an intensity that pierced through the darkness. They hold profound wisdom as if they have witnessed ages beyond measure. Her skin appeared to absorb light rather than reflect it, imbued with velvety darkness that seemed to merge effortlessly with the surrounding shadows. It was like she was an extension of the essence of darkness itself, effortlessly traversing the boundaries between realms.


    "The outside appears more chaotic today. What is happening?" She asked in a rough voice.


    "I have a feeling something big is going to happen. So, I want you to infiltrate the Airport and control an airship. This city is not safe anymore."


    "We are leaving the city?" If it were before, Isabe wouldn''t have even dreamed of leaving using forceful means.


    But as she looked up at the crimson sky and all the mystics, she knew everything had changed already.


    A secondter, she nodded and slowly merged with Jessie''s shadow.


    On the other hand, Jessie also touched her bracelet and activated a spell called [Frost Wings].


    A momentter, two snowy wings appeared behind her and pped independently.


    With a swift motion, she took flight, soaring through the sky with remarkable speed towards the northern graveyard.


    Within minutes, she reached her destination and descended gracefully.


    Contrary to before, the vicinity was now drenched in blood and littered with lifeless bodies. Though a few aerial battles still raged at many ces, Jessie paid them no heed as she silently walked toward the bone throne.


    An uncanny sense of familiarity and reverence washed over Jessie''s mind when her gaze settled upon the blood throne.


    At that moment, she felt this throne was made for her!


    But before being captivated by that strange feeling, she cast [Conscious Control] skill on her consciousness and became clear-headed.


    ''That was dangerous. This strange throne actually managed to control my inner emotions. Now that I think about it, this throne looks simr to the throne in my Inner World. No doubt about it. I didn''t get my first ss gem due to mere coincidence.'' Her expression turned grim as she slowly stepped foot on the ground.


    Although a few people noticed her arrival, no one paid any attention to her.


    In the meantime, Jessie quietly walked towards the blood throne and looked at it with a hint of wariness.


    ''Although I don''t know who created this throne, I''m sure this thing is the main reason for the appearance of blood moons.''


    As she was lost in thought, her attention was abruptly drawn to the appearance of three new entities above, causing her to cast her eyes upward toward the crimson sky.


    ''Oh no! Someone is falling!'' Although she didn''t know who it was, she instinctively knew that person was the one who made this throne.


    Without dy, she cast her the [Frost Wings] spell and leaped into the sky.


    Yet, in an instant, an unseen force enveloped her body, rendering her motionless as it froze her ascent.


    ...


    A while ago,


    Amidst a destend where darkness reigned and bones littered the ground, two shadowy figures engaged in a fierce battle in the sky that shook the very foundations of their bleak surroundings. High above them, the crimson sky looms ominously as if eager to witness the oue of the conflict below.


    A relentless downpour of blood rain pours from the sky, drenching everything in a gruesome red hue and adding to the sense of foreboding. Every blow exchanged between the two powerhouses created a shockwave rippled through thendscape, unsettling the already disturbed bones beneath their feet.


    It was a ce of terror, the domain of blood. At that moment, Asher''s presence loomed over the battleground like a vengeful deity, driving Demigod Rafael to fight with a ferocity that suggested his very life was at stake.


    "Cease this recklessness, Asher! We need not continue this battle," Rafael uttered between breaths, his voice heavy with gloom. His formal white attire was now drenched in the blood-red rain, and a deep wound appeared in his left abdomen.


    Meanwhile, Asher hovered ten meters away from Rafael and looked conflicted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    What was truly astonishing, however, was that not a single scratch or wound marred her body.


    Noticing her doubtful gaze, Rafael let out a deep breath and continued.


    "I know you are angry at me for abandoning our people, but I don''t have any other choice."


    While speaking, Asher sensed a sudden vibrationing from the sky and backed away instinctively.


    ''Someone is trying to enter my domain forcefully? Impossible.'' Asher red at the sky and activated her active skill.


    ''Siren Eyes.''


    Her eyes turned a deep crimson momentter, showing her a sense of premonition.


    Simultaneously, she used her wisdom power and started looking for a foreign power in her domain.


    The next instant, she sensed a strange dark shadow manifesting behind Rafael and squinted her eyes.


    In the meantime, a grey-haired old man appeared behind Rafael and locked the surrounding space first.


    The man appeared 80 years old, with deeply lined wrinkles etched into every inch of his face. A long beard, simrly aged and grizzled, hung down from his chin in a wild tangle of grey and white hair. His eyes were dark and pebble-like and, despite their age, seemed to possess deep wisdom and otherworldly quality.


    The man wore a simple, flowing white robe reminiscent of the attire worn by ancient wizards in stories and legends. The fabric was soft and light but looked sturdy enough to have been worn on many adventures. At his side, he held a mage''s staff adorned with arge, glittering purple crystal. The crystal seemed to glow with soft, pulsing light, giving off an eerie aura of destruction and power.


    Rafael also used his [wisdom eyes] skill and soon recognized the figure.


    "Miguel! Where is Emerson?" He asked in a rough voice.


    Upon hearing those words, Demigod Miguel snorted coldly andughed.


    "Haha, you thought that brat would be a match for me?"


    Simultaneously, he raised his wooden mage staff and muttered.


    "Void Strike."


    A momentter, the unique purplish crystal crumbled into tiny particles and formed a ray of dark light.


    Even though it was only a mere light ray, Rafael and even Asher felt threatened deeply.


    Strangely, Demigod Rafael''s eyes shone in bluish light, releasing a unique, mysterious power in all directions.


    When the ray touched Rafael''s chest, his figure suddenly turned blurry and was reced with Asher''s!


    Miguel was startled by the sudden change and backed away while clicking his tongue.


    "Tsk, I didn''t expect my sneak attack to be failed. But why did you sacrifice yourself for that selfish man?" Miguel asked with a frown.


    But at that moment, a look of shock and disbelief appeared on Asher''s face.


    Only then did Miguel realize that Rafael used her as a meat shield!


    A fist-sized hole appeared in her heart, and a strange ck cloud started devouring her flesh, blood, and soul!


    Although Asher tried her best to stop the strange power''s invasion, it was futile.


    Instantly, she knew it would be impossible to save herself from this situation and felt an uncontroble sense of loss and emptiness.


    Slowly, she turned her gaze towards Rafael and asked in a pained voice.


    "W-Why?" Although she hated him to the core, she never really used any deadly skill on Rafael and battled him indecisively all this time.


    In terms of battle power, she had the upper hand all this time but failed to kill or even subdue him due to her weak mind.


    Meanwhile, Demigod Rafael heaved a deep sigh and shook his head.


    "You are still living in the past, Asher. It''s better for you to die now." His voice appeared cold and emotionless, causing a stabbing pain in Asher''s heart.


    "F*ck!" She couldn''t help but curse at herself for being too naive and slowly descended from the sky.


    At the same time, her blood domain started to disappear, slowly allowing them to return to Miracle City.


    As Rafael and Miguel were about to engage in battle, a strange invisible force suddenly enveloped them and stopped their movements.


    Although they could think clearly, both felt a strong invisible force that stopped their bodies from moving even an inch.


    ...

 Chapter 591 An Abrupt Change

    ?


    Chapter 591: An Abrupt Change


    A while ago.


    Mystic Hall Auditorium, Magus Center, Miracle City.


    Two figures hovered 500 meters above the Auditorium building and stared at each other.


    Although it was only a moment longer, Charles felt the time itself appeared to be stopped.


    A heartbeatter, he didn''t hesitate and cast [elerate Thoughts] skill on himself.


    ''Genesis, scan him and also connect to ''Wisdom Link'' to find all information about him-''


    Before he could mutter, Udnir flew towards him at an incredible speed and almost gripped his neck.


    Thankfully, Charles hurriedly cast [False Blink] spell and appeared more than 20 meters away. At the same time, he also cast [False Field] spell and entered into a deep, concentrated state.


    "Not bad. Your reaction speed is almost three times that of a normal Legend Rank Mage." Udnirmented casually and quietly, unsheathed the long sword in his waist.


    Despite its resemnce to a typical sword, its design had distinct differences. One notable feature was the hilt, crafted from a unique ck metal and adorned with numerous red lines along the sword''s length.


    Udnir then pointed it toward Charles and said with a smile.


    "Let''s y until your masteres."


    ''Sh*t! I can''t make a single mistake. I already used my [Rebirth Domain] spell, so my priority now is not to fight with this monster but escape.'' Charles knew his limit and thought about what he should do next.


    Although he already activated his [Faceless Eye] skill and had been watching twenty possibilities of the future all the time, he knew it wouldn''t work against Time God.


    Before he could even think further, Udnir suddenly disappeared for a minute second and reappeared before him.


    A secondter, Charles saw the whole surroundings start to spin.


    No, his head was decapitated at that moment.


    ''Sh*t,'' He cursed as he realized no damage was done to his consciousness and hurriedly grabbed the falling head using his wisdom force.


    Without dy, he put the head on his sliced area and cast the [Soul Heal] spell on himself.


    A bluish me enveloped his whole body a momentter, healing the wounded area before reattaching his neck.


    Simultaneously, he cast the [False Blink] skill twice and reappeared more than 40 meters away from Udnir.


    At that moment, a blue interface appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Udnir ******* ********* ********


    Health Status: Avatar (Suppressed)


    Race: Human


    ss: Low-Rank Time God [Suppressed to Demigod Rank due to nar restriction]


    Title: God of Time, Warden of Time, Eternal Warrior.


    Attributes:


    Strength- 99.9 (???)


    Agility- 99.9 (???)


    Constitution- 99.9 (???)


    Wisdom- 799 (????)


    Divine spells:


    Space-Time Warp (Rank Unknown but suppressed to Demigod Level)


    Temporal Shield ("")


    Age Maniption ("")


    Time Scry ("")


    Time Regression (????)


    Starburst (????)


    Domain of Time and Space (?????)


    Unique Skills:


    False Omniscient Eyes (Rank Unknown)


    Swordsmanship- (Sacred- Rank-7)


    ??????????


    ?????????


    ?????????


    ???????????


    ....


    ''F*cking hell! He is a walking disaster itself.'' Charles''s face turned pale as white as he nced at the information.


    "Hmm? Did you peek at my strength?" Udnir clicked his tongue and was about to raise his sword but suddenly stopped.


    Simultaneously, Charles made a swift decision and muttered inside his mind.


    ''Genesis, roll the dice.''


    Just as he muttered, the whole Miracle City entered a state of an abrupt pause.


    It was not a ''Time Stop'' spell but something else. Although everyone could think without interference, even Udnir could move a muscle.


    A sh of surprise appeared on Udnir''s face for the first time.


    But what shocked him more was that even his ''Fake Omniscient Eyes'' couldn''t peek into Charles''s future.


    ...


    At the same time, an ancient being slumbering deep inside the core of the Adrillon suddenly opened its eyes and made a strange hooting sound.


    "Finally! I can see the destiny threads are breaking. Let the chaos descend."


    ...


    Back to the present...


    After the passing of one second, an illusory dice made of gold materialized before Charles and descended toward the ground. As it neared his feet, it abruptly collided with an invisible barrier and rebounded upward.


    The dice thenmenced a leisurely spin beforeing to a halt, showing a face with six dots.


    Simultaneously, blue notifications popped up before his eyes, one by one.


    [Warning! Warning! Warning!]


    [An abrupt change in the timeline is happening!]


    [Unknown forces are interfering....]


    [A new quest has been generated!]


    ...


    [Quest Title: Stop the Six Disasters<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Quest Giver: Sun God


    Cause: Because of you rolling the mysterious artifact called ''Dice of Disaster,'' six major disasters will happen and shake the bnce of this world.


    Caution: Each disaster will be multiple times stronger than the previous one.


    Goal: Try your best to survive and stop disasters from breaking the bnce of this world.


    Mission Difficulty: Extremely Hard


    Reward: Divinity of Chaos Fire


    Failure: Death


    Time Limit: 20 Years.]


    ...


    [Another quest has been generated!]


    ...


    [Quest Title: Wisdom Heart


    Quest Giver: Sun God


    Goal: Find the true identity of the Wisdom God and steal his Wisdom Heart. More details will be given when you go to the Sun Church.


    Mission Difficulty: Hard


    Reward: Will be given a chance to be the Fire Angel of Time/ Will be given the option to enter any of the seven ''Mystical Worlds''/ Will be given any Midnight level potion


    Failure: None


    Time Limit: 20 years.]


    ...


    [Another quest has been generated!]


    ...


    [Quest Title: Escape from the Pursuit of Time God


    Quest Giver: Sun God


    Goal: Due to unforeseen circumstances, a big anomaly has urred, which resulted in the appearance of Time God''s Avatar. You must escape from this Miracle City within 2 hours and survive his pursuit for the next two years.


    Mission Difficulty: Extremely Hard. Unless a taboo existence or a higher being intervenes, you can''t survive.


    Reward: Your Life.


    Penalty: Death


    Time Limit: 2 Years.]


    ...


    [Another quest is being generated!]


    ...


    [Quest Title: Destiny Throne''s Sessor


    Quest Giver: Ledger Bonere


    Goal: Conqueror all the seven Layers of Destiny Tower and help Rhea Bonere obtain the Ruler Throne.


    Quest Difficulty: Hard


    Reward: Feather of the Phoenix


    Penalty: Death of the sessor


    Time Limit: 20 years.]


    ...


    As the invisible force slowly faded away, Charles finished reading all the quests and went grimly.


    In the meantime, Udnir also noticed the abrupt change in time through his [Fake Omniscient Eyes] skill and looked at Charles in confusion and shock.


    A momentter, his eyes shed a hint of greed as he realized the cause of this change.


    "You also possess a Miracle Gold coin? Now, this is getting more and more interesting." He made an evil grin and raised his hand.


    A secondter, a powerful invisible force appeared out of nowhere,pletely enveloping Charles''s body.


    ''No good! I can''t get caught by this monster!'' As he struggled, a powerful blinding red light descended from the three crimson moons, tore through the defensive array, andnded directly on Udnir.


    It was a Demigod Rank Spell!


    "Humph!" But Udnir didn''t even try to evade as he used his invisible ''time'' power to cover his surroundings and made a small forcefield around him.


    At the same time, a slender young woman appeared behind Charles and used her divine power to negate the invisible power around Charles''s body.


    "I''ll hold him for a while, Mr. Charles. Please escape." A familiar voice echoed from behind, causing him to turn around in surprise.


    The one that appeared behind him was none other than Jessie!


    But unlike before, her aura waspletely different.


    ''Although her strength is the same-'' No, another notification appeared before his face and showed her current personal information.


    "Demigod?" He couldn''t help but show a shocked look.


    Noticing his shocked look, Jessie smiled wryly and spoke while keeping an eye on Udnir.


    "A Syreni named Asher passed down her divine throne to me before her death, mister. Although I''m not even qualified to wield 0.1% of its power, I will try my best to help you escape this situation-" Before she could even finish her words, Udnir suddenly appeared before her and made a vertical sh at her.


    Jessie''s body split into two a momentter and soon exploded while blood was scattered everywhere.


    But a single droplet of reddish blood remained hovering mid-air and expanded in size before forming an appearance of a humanoid figure.


    A secondter, a blonde-haired young woman in her twenties appeared a few feet away from Udnir and showed a pale face.


    ''He is a terrifying monster!''


    Although she managed to survive due to the Blood Divine Throne''s ability, she realized she was no match for him!


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly flew backward and spoke to Jessie through telepathy.


    ''Let''s descend to the ground.''


    Although she didn''t understand why he said that, she didn''t say a word and quietly descended.


    In the meantime, Udnir didn''t even bother with their action and quietly looked at the sky with a frown.


    The broken defensive array was already repaired then, and the whole array glowed in a golden light.


    "Something is wrong about this defensive array." What annoyed him was that all the future visions showed an inevitable disaster about to ur in the next few seconds.


    Although he hadplete confidence in surviving the uing disaster, he didn''t dare to take risks.


    "I should leave this ce." Just as he was about to use [Space-Time Leap] spell, his expression turned grim.


    ary Transverse seal, Inteary Shackle, Cosmic Lock array, Astral Gate Bind, Dream Confinement Charm, Void Portal Array, and Divine Transverse Array. Who the heck created this city? There are seven Divine Arrays cast all over this city solely for stopping anyone from escaping! It isn''t a city but a formidable trap formation!'' He drew a deep breath as he organized his thoughts and saw countless rays of golden lights descending from the array formation throughout the city.


    Anyone who used flying spells or anyone in the middle of battling sensed an impending danger.


    Among the six disasters, the first one finally showed its appearance.

 Chapter 592 First Disaster

    ?


    Chapter 592: First Disaster


    As the golden rays of light descended upon the city, an eerie silence fell over the once-bustling streets. People stopped in their tracks; their gazes fixated on the ominous glow. Anxiety and fear filled the air as they sensed the impending disaster drawing nearer.


    The mighty Mystics who flew up in the sky and battled their opponents were the first to disintegrate into ashes. But it was just the start.


    Following that, shes of ck and purplish lightning randomly descended from the sky, attacking mystics and even mortals.


    Even Charles and Udnir got attacked by multiple Legend Rank spells in two seconds and were utterly dumbfounded.


    Although Charles managed to avoid getting killed in an instant due to his [Eye of Faceless] skill, he was still poorly hurt and looked burnt.


    On the other hand, Udnir was the one who faced most of the Legend Rank spells.


    But even with all these Legend Rank spells, he wasn''t injured. No, the invisible forcefield around his body didn''t even have a crack!


    Meanwhile, Jessie didn''t face any attack and looked confused.


    "What happened?" She asked in a stiff tone.


    "I think the defensive array became malfunction." Charles spoke gloomily and evaded another sh of lightning.


    The sudden disastrous attacksted over 15 seconds, killing over 100,000 people!


    As the rain of spells ended, more than 10,000 Rank 4 Mystics, 200 Rank-5 Mystics, and 11 Legend Rank Mystics lost their lives, giving a heavy blow to the Miracle City''s strength.


    "Tsk, herees the big one." Udnir said coldly and looked at the sky.


    A secondter, a soulless voice suddenly echoed from the sky, followed by a holographic appearance of a single vertical pupil eye.


    "Detected a foreign power interfering with the City Core!"


    The voice came from this mysterious eye, which appeared to be the size of two meters tall!


    Within the eye, countless minuscule shimmering motes swirled and danced, resembling distant stars in a night sky. These specks of light move in a chaotic yet coordinated manner, creating an ethereal and mesmerizing spectacle. It gave the impression that the eye was alive, brimming with an otherworldly power that could pierce through illusions and see beyond the mundane.


    As the eye manifested, a faint, eerie glow radiated from its depths, casting an ominous illumination on its surroundings. This eerie glow bathed the area in an unsettling, bluish hue, evoking a sense of unease and apprehension.


    A secondter, a mysterious wave of spiritual power spread throughout the city and scanned everyone.


    "Defensive array system has been... Error! Error! Error!"


    "Forcefully resisting!..... Resistance failed!"


    "Core ess Card has been detected along with an anomaly."


    "Due to the anomaly, the city core will forcibly restart."


    "A new user named ''Anangu'' has been registered as the ''Lord of the Miracle City.''"


    While saying, the eerie eye blinked and looked down at the city.


    In the meantime, all the mortals and Rank-1 Mystics in the Miracle City had already fallen unconscious. No, almost one-third of them couldn''t withstand the spiritual pressure of this eye incarnation and died due to the explosion of their bodies!


    A total of 8 million people died in a moment, painting the whole miracle city in blood and flesh!


    Just as everyone wondered what had happened, a loud sigh came out of nowhere and echoed deep in everyone''s souls.


    A momentter, a strange ck owl flew up towards the vertical pupil eye while pping its tiny wings and slowly formed into an illusionary appearance of an ebony-skinned young woman.


    "A mere mistake caused the core to kill one third of the poption of Miracle City. Although the damage isrge, it can''t be helped."


    She stood before the vertical illusionary eye, using her ''wisdom power'' tomunicate. Her rich ebony skin exuded a natural radiance,plementing the striking features that adorned her face. The contours of her Nubian nose lent an air of elegance and strength while her straight, lustrous locks cascaded down her back, reaching past her waist. Her face, adorned with a delicate bnce of grace and determination, bore a lean yet captivating allure.


    Beneath her low-arched eyebrows, her eyes shimmered like precious gems, reflecting a mesmerizing shade of deep cerulean blue. They held an enigmatic depth as if carrying the secrets of countless worlds within their gaze.


    She draped herself in a splendid saree at that moment, the fabric flowing gracefully around her form. Its intricate patterns weaved tales of a rich heritage and vibrant culture, enhancing her innate beauty. Adorning her head, a silver crown illustrated with intricate engravings sat perfectly in ce. Around her neck, she wore a unique ne that caught the light and captivated the beholder''s attention. A bluish gem embedded within the pendant emanated a gentle luminosity.


    "Another person with Miracle Gold coin?" Udnir raised his eyebrows and soon turned solemn.


    ''Didn''t the artificial spirit mention her name as ''Anangu'' earlier? Could it be her? Impossible! Legends say that she had disappeared long ago. If this person is really ''her,'' the whole universe might surely go through another cataclysm.''


    Abium may not have known this ancient being, but not Udnir.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He had heard many tales about this ancient deity from many powerful existences and realized he had stepped into something more terrifying.


    ''I''m actually standing in front of one of the most powerful taboo existences in the universe!''


    At that moment, Anangu also gracefully turned around in mid-air and locked her gaze on the Time God.


    "So, you are the child that caused the downfall of Itera, huh?" She nodded her head and added.


    "I will give you ten seconds to make a decision. Escape from this city or you will die."


    A look of hesitation appeared on Udnir''s face, followed by a deep frown.


    ''This city appears to be made of countless array formations and could be considered a dangerous spot in this world. Anyone who enters this city will be under the mercy of the City Owner. Even I''m unsure whether I can escape this city without a heavy injury.'' Although he nned on capturing Charles and using him to find more information about Abium, he decided it wasn''t worth taking the risk.


    ''Moreover, the appearance of this person flipped my whole n. Uff, ancient beings are ancient beings after all.'' He let out a deep breath and spoke.


    "I''ll leave," He said, looking down at the auditorium entrance.


    At that moment, Charles and Jessie had long descended to the ground and stared back at Udnir warily.


    "I''ll remember your face, kid. If we ever happen to again, that will be your end." He let out a coldugh and disappeared from there.


    In the meantime, Anangu slightly waved her hand and shifted her gaze towards the north.


    "It''s time to kick out the unnecessary pests." Saying so, she waved her hand and forcefully teleported two people from the Underground District. One was a brown-haired man in his 60s, while the other was an 80-year-old man with a long beard and wrinkled face.


    They were Demigod Rafael and Demigod Miguel.


    Although both of them had teleported here forcefully, they showed no sign of anxiety and stared coldly at Anangu.


    After a short pause, Rafael noticed his connection with the City Core was wholly cut off and frowned.


    "Who are you?" He asked.


    Meanwhile, Anangu showed an amused look and shook her head.


    "You are not eligible to know my name." She paused for a moment and then added.


    "Both of you must leave this city within two hours. Otherwise, you''ll die."


    A rage shed on Miguel''s face as he heard her words.


    "A mere incarnation dares to mock us?"


    He didn''t hesitate as he released his ''Madness'' Divine Power and tried to suppress Anangu.


    But before he could even blink, his surroundings distorted and formed into an eerie ckish portal.


    A powerful suction force came from behind a secondter, pulling him deep into the void.


    On the other hand, Rafael hurriedly teleported more than 200 meters away from the eerie portal and stared vigntly at Anangu.


    Rafael organized his thoughts and asked solemnly as the portal began to shrink.


    "Why are you doing this?"


    Although he didn''t know who she was, he realized that this being could make him disappear like Demigod Miguel in a fraction of a second.


    In the meantime, Anangu made a soft smile and soon turned into an appearance of a ck owl.


    "Time will tell you the answer." While saying that, she made a strange hoot and flew towards the auditorium entrance.


    ''This owl... Isn''t it always tagging along with Albert? Is it also knew my true identity? Impossible.'' He instantly shook his head and decided to leave the city for now.


    ''Once I gather more information about this being, I will seek the gods'' help and recapture this city. But before that, I need to transfer all the important stuff from the Sun Tower and escape.'' While muttering, he closed his eyes, cast a ''divine'' skill called ''Divine Guidance'', and searched for his son.


    A momentter, he received a divine revtion that Emerson was still alive in a separate dimension and breathed a sigh of relief.


    ''Although he appears heavily injured, it''s not a life threatening situation.'' He nodded his head and vanished from there.

 Chapter 593 New Consciousness

    ?


    Chapter 593: New Consciousness


    Auditorium Entrance.


    As Anangu descended from the sky in her owl form, she quickly circled over Charles''s head and started to sing in a sorrowful voice.


    At the same time, the dark clouds encircled the sky started to let out a sh of lightning and started to rain.


    "Oh! My friend, my bloodpanion,


    You have departed from this world.


    The bond we shared, now broken,


    Leaving my heart shattered and unfurled.


    Weughed together; we wept as one,


    Through joy and sorrow, hand in hand.


    But now, in your absence, I''m left alone,


    Grieving for the loss, unable to withstand it.


    Oh, how we traversed life''s path,


    With dreams and hopes intertwined.


    But fate''s cruel hand has snatched you away,


    Leaving me with memories forever enshrined.


    Your absence echoes through the days,


    A void that cannot be filled.


    I yearn for your presence, my dear friend,


    Longing for the warmth you instilled.


    The world seems bleak and colorless,


    Since you departed from my sight.


    Yourughter, your voice, forever lost,


    Leaving me enveloped in eternal night.


    Oh, my friend, my beloved soul,


    Rest in peace in the realms above.


    Though we are now worlds apart,


    Your memory shall forever be my love."


    Although this song she sang was only dedicated to Asher, everyone who survived the previous disaster listened felt torn up. Some cried loudly, while others hugged their friends'' or family members'' corpses and wept.


    At that moment, the blood moons also started to turn dim and soon vanished from the sky, leaving a dark cloudy sky.


    Meanwhile, Anangu slowlynded on Charles''s shoulder and let out a grieving mumble.


    "Who killed Asher? Rafael or Miguel?" She asked while sharpening her owlish gaze towards Jessie.


    "I-I don''t know. But I saw her blood on Miguel''s dress." Jessie said stiffly and went silent.


    "She was foolish and naive. With the power I lent her earlier, she could have killed Rafael in less than five minutes." Anangu let out a deep sigh and shook her head.


    Meanwhile, Charles quietly observed the whole city using his wisdom power and felt sickening.


    ''I shouldn''t have activated the dice.'' He couldn''t help but feel guilty.


    A strange silence appeared at the auditorium entrance.


    After a few seconds, Charles looked at the ck owl and spoke causally.


    "I didn''t expect your small trick could scare the Time God to run like a mouse."


    Although he was calm on the outside, his heart started to race at an incredible speed.


    ''If I''m not wrong, the next disaster would be multiple times stronger than this one. And I don''t even know when it will start.'' But what caused him to feel anxious was that even he didn''t expect that the first disaster would annihte one-third of the city''s poption.


    At that moment, Anangu tilted her head and spoke.


    "The reason he left this city in a hurry was mainly because he knew a little bit of my past. Although I don''t have any power left in this body, I have already taken control over this Miracle City and can even regain my lifespan a little. As long as I''m staying here, not even a Low God could force his way in." A trace of confidence appeared in Anangu''s voice.


    Meanwhile, Jessie tried her best to calm down her trembling legs and hands and asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But who is he? I thought I was dead when he attacked me." She still recalled the moment when her whole body exploded, went into smithereens, and felt an unknown fear.


    On the other hand, Charles took a deep breath and answered.


    "That guy''s name is Udnir, the God of Time. Even I don''t know much about him. But one thing I''m sure of is his main goal is not me but Sun God. As long as we keep low profile for the next two years, we don''t have to fear him."


    "Oh? Does that mean we are staying in this city for the next two years?"


    "You can stay but Charles can''t stay here for more than 20 hours." Anangu interjected while looking up at the cleared sky and spoke.


    ''Twenty hours? Wait.''


    Charles raised his eyebrows and asked suspiciously.


    "You knew about the uing disasters, don''t you? I''m getting more interested your past." He quickly shook his head and decided to leave this ce first.


    "Can you send me far away from the Miracle city?" He asked.


    "I can but it''s not safer. Once your leave this city, Udnir will definitelye for you. Even if I use City Core''s portal ability to send you far away, he can easily track you down and capture you. After all, he is not only well versed in Time Law but also Space Law." Anangu deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "It would be better if you leave the city without even knowing you. To be precise, you must be someone else." Although her words appeared strange and puzzling, Charles instantly guessed what she was implying and nodded.


    Then, Anangu turned her attention toward Jessie and blinked before asking.


    "You got Asher''s inheritance, right? What did she tell before dying?"


    Upon hearing those words, Jessie turned grim and spoke solemnly.


    "She asked me to live happily and never trust anyone."


    Even though she never met thatdy before, Jessie felt a trace of loneliness and helplessness in Asher''s voice.


    "That silly girl really was foolish and naive till the very end. Well, that''s why I liked her most. I hope she get a good life after reincarnation." She made a hooting sound to show her grievance and added.


    "Child, take a good care of herst gift. If you want to know more about her, go to the Tower of Mirror''s 52''styer."


    Saying so, she pped her wings and quietly flew away from them.


    In the meantime, Charles looked at Jessie and spoke.


    "Jessie, I want you to ry what had happened here to Rh and tell him to strength the security. After leaving the Miracle City, Time God will definitely keep his eye on our Rebirth Tower." He paused for a moment and added.


    "But you should stay here and try to increase your strength. Although this ck owl''s identity is mysterious and suspicious, she doesn''t seem to have ill intention against us. Moreover, you might get some unexpected benefits here."


    Jessie pondered for a moment and agreed.


    She suddenly thought of something and spoke hurriedly.


    "Ah, I already told my friend to take control of an airship in case if we n on leaving this city. You might use it to escape from here."


    "Really?" Charles was delighted by her arrangement and nodded.


    "Then, I''ll be on my own." Saying so, he turned around and walked into the auditorium.


    On the other hand, Jessie stood there for a few more seconds and decided to return to her mansion house. Although she randomly gained a divine treasure, she knew how dangerous it was and felt restless.


    ''First, I will study the mysterious blood throne hiding in my Inner World and then search why Asher chose me as her sessor.'' She muttered inwardly and started walking towards the Magus Center.


    ...


    In the meantime, Charles returned to the auditorium stage and noticed that the City Core had long disappeared. Not only that, but even Marvin seemed to have vanished out of thin air.


    Only Professor''s dead bodyy in the middle of the stage and painted the white floor in blood.


    "It''s time for a new identity." As he spoke, he quietly took a drop of Professor''s blood and created a new Identity imprint in his mind.


    He invoked the imprint in the blink of an eye, unleashing its shapeshifting power and undergoing a remarkable metamorphosis into a youthful figure of merely two decades. Standing approximately 180 centimeters tall, he possessed a slender face with a distinctive elongated shape, entuated by a pair of captivating emerald eyes set wide apart. Cascading down his back, his lustrous locks extended below his neckline, contributing to his enigmatic allure. Slowly, the mustache grew under his will and appeared in hook form.


    After the transformation, Charles quietly removed the pince-nez sses, spatial ring, silver bracelet, and bowler hat from the dead body and wore them. After that, he conjured a me and tossed it on the dead body.


    As Professor''s body started burning fiercely, he quietly sat a few meters away from the pool of blood in the lotus position and closed his eyes before entering his Inner World.


    A momentter, he appeared in the sky and saw seven different firnds connected by a single magma pce in the middle.


    He quietly descended from the sky and soon arrived in front of the pce entrance. Unlike before, he even saw many ornamental nts nted all over the area that looked more like the real world.


    Shaking his head, he quietly spread his wisdom power all over his Inner World and started gathering all the information he obtained from Professor''s consciousness.


    After a few minutes, he gathered all information first and forged them into a new consciousness. Then, he made a few adjustments in his memories and sent the newly formed consciousness out of his Inner World.


    A momentter, Charles opened his eyes in the auditorium stadium and frowned as he looked at the burned corpse.


    "What am I doing here? Who am I? Whose corpse is it? Wait... I''m Fate Professor... No, why can''t I remember my true name?" As he asked, many memories appeared in his mind, causing a sharp headache.


    ''Now I remember! This body''s original soul name is Max Fireborn; born in Riverdale City and became an explorer under my guidance. After some time, I took over this body and reced his consciousness.'' At that moment, he also started to recall about Edhen Children organization and his main goal toe to Miracle City.

 Chapter 594 Departure

    ?


    Chapter 594: Departure


    ''A while ago, I was chasing a sneaky rat named Charles and killed him after battling. But during that battle, I was injured heavily and lost memories. No, something feels off.'' At that moment, Professor (Charles) tried to use his ''wisdom power'' to search the surroundings but felt very hard to do it.


    He also tried to enter his Inner World but felt a strong resistance from his soul. He also tried using the [Fate Swap] skill but felt no effect!


    ''What happened?! Although my body strength remains the same, I think I somehow lost most of my wisdom power, and all abilities. Wait, that''s realistically impossible, right?'' He clenched his fist and punched the floor.


    A momentter, the stage shook violently, and cracks appeared.


    ''Oh? Surprisingly, my strength is still the same. Does that mean I''ve no choice but to increase my wisdom power again?''


    While thinking, he soon noticed another piece of information in his head.


    ''Even though I lost my memories, I can understand why. It must be due to Charles''s Mind Fire. That fire is indeed a scary one.'' By looking through his scattered memories, he also found that he had intended to leave this ce earlier.


    ''I need to leave this city within twenty hours? That means my n must have failed.'' He quietly stood up from the lotus position and stepped down from the auditorium stage. After a while, he left the auditorium and walked towards the Magus Center.


    At that very moment, an overpowering stench of blood inundated his senses, assaulting him from every possible direction and causing him to wrinkle his brow.


    Embarking on the street, he was confronted with a ghastly tableau¡ªa dreadful sight that shook him. The lifeless bodies of countless individuals were strewn along the sides of the road, their presence evoking a symphony of anguished screams and mournful wails that reverberated from all angles, engendering an overwhelming sensation of disorientation and queasiness.


    "What the hell happened when I was passed out? How did they die? Did an ident near the auditorium result in massive death all over the surrounding areas?" He noticed simr scenes as he walked towards the main road.


    "What the hell happened? Don''t tell me the whole city is like this?" He couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    His silver bracelet suddenly vibrated and notified him about the uingmunication call.


    As he used his ''wisdom power'' to attend the call, a familiar voice came from the other side.


    "Professor?! Are you there?!" He could feel a trace of panic in that person''s voice.


    "John? What happened? How did so many people die?" Professor asked in a hurry.


    "You didn''t see the creepy eye?" John asked in a surprised tone.


    Meanwhile, Professor took a deep breath and told him about the memory loss.


    "Although I don''t know how I fell unconscious, I can vaguely tell that it must be due to Charles''sst resort to harm my soul. Anyway, tell me more about the current situation."


    "Yes, Professor. When we were trying to create panic all over the city, the Defensive Array System suddenly got activated and started attacking civilians randomly. All the Divine Order members and even Tower Mages got killed without mercy. But that was just the start." John deliberated for a moment and then continued.


    "After that, a strange eye incarnation suddenly appeared in the sky and told everyone that a new City Lord had been registered. The big ident also happened at the same time. For some reason, the eye incarnation suddenly released its spiritual power all over the city, which resulted in the death of one-third of the city''s poption."


    "Spiritual pressure... Although Legendary Rank or even Demigod Mystic''s spiritual scan could harm damage to a mortal''s body, it won''t kill them like ants. There is only one answer to this. This city core must have the power of True God''s strength!" His expression turned grim.


    "John, find a way to get an airship ticket for me. I need to leave this city within a few hours. Although I don''t know who this new City Lord is, I don''t want to take risks anymore. Damn It, I should''ve listened to that old hag''s advice." Saying so, he cut off themunication call and fastened his footsteps towards the Underground District.


    ...


    Miracle City''s Airport, Underground District.


    Three hourster.


    Professor stood in front of the half-egg-shaped building and quietly walked inside. Unlike before, the whole airport building appeared vacant, and only a few people appeared here and there.


    Meanwhile, John stood next to him and spoke with a thoughtful look.


    "After the big ident, almost all airships were in a hurry to leave this city, sir. But due to the security issues and the death of many airport staffs, none had left the airport yet." He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "Thankfully, I used my identity and asked the airport manager to let one airship leave in advance to inform them what happened here to the outside world. Moreover, I also brought a ticket for you, sir."


    While saying so, he took out a palm-sized id card and gave it to him.


    "Airship ticket? Oh? Ticket number: SE4532453, Zone 3, Seat no: C24. Hmm? Isn''t it Sacred Empire''s airship? Hmm, why do I feel like I''m returning home?" Professor furrowed.


    ''If I''m not wrong, Sacred Empire is controlled by two Lawful Gods: God of Order, Filo, and God of Truth, Eyer. Filo... No wonder I feel somewhat safer. The truth is Filo is my other clone. After all, only his abilities match mine among all thewful gods. I had long guessed he must be my avatar but didn''t dare to get in touch with him for fear of exposing my identity to other members.'' In truth, Edhen Children members were not united. Although their goal was toplete Project X, it was not their only goal. Everyone was scheming behind their back, waiting for every opportunity like a hawk.


    ''I''m Asthar, the God of Fate and also called Fate Professor.'' He quietly stored the ticket inside his spatial ring as he organized his thoughts and soon squinted his eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Now that I think about it, why am I wearing another spatial ring? Maybe Charles''s? Still, why couldn''t I remember anything about the final battle?'' He felt a strange sense of uneasiness.


    ''After returning to a safe ce, I must try to regain my strength and find out what happened before.'' He muttered to himself and quietly stepped into the airport''s terminal.


    Although the security checkups were a bit tighter, he used his identity as Security Departmental Head and moved toward the check-in hall.


    Afterward, he went to the airport receptionist, got the boarding pass, and confirmed that the airship would take off at 7.30 P.M.


    He quietly took out the silver pocket watch and checked the time.


    ''6.20 P.M. There is still more than an hour left for departure.''


    He didn''t stay in the check-in hall and started walking towards the Boarding Gate through the concourse.


    A few minutester, he reached Zone 3 and saw chairs arranged for resting.


    He quietly moved towards the back and sat on the corner seat. The whole hall would have been bustling withughter if it were before. But now, only gloominess and silence appeared. Even though more than 200 people stayed in the hall, only whispers and sobbing were heard.


    After ncing at them awhile, he shook his head, closed his eyes, and waited.


    Minutes passed quietly, and soon it was 7.15 P.M.


    Suddenly, a blonde-haireddy in her blue suit opened the door on the left side and announced.


    "Attention! Ladies and gentlemen. Sacred Wings announces the departure of flight SW45325 to the Sacred Holy Land. We request all passengers booked on this flight to proceed to stand in a queue.


    Boarding will begin shortly. Passengers are reminded to have their boarding passes and identification documents ready for inspection. Please ensure that you have all your personal belongings with you before leaving the gate area.


    Passengers requiring special assistance or families with young children can approach our gate agents for priority boarding.


    Thank you for choosing Sacred Wings, and we wish you a pleasant journey."


    One by one, passengers stood up from their seats and formed a queue. Professor also joined the queue and waited for his turn.


    After 15 minutes of waiting in line, Professor soon arrived near thedy attendant and showed his identification card and flight ticket.


    After getting approval from thedy, he quietly walked through the gate and soon arrived at the airport ramp.


    Following that, he and other passengers quietly moved further on the ramp and soon saw a bluish airship.


    The magnificent airship stood at an impressive height of 100 meters,manding attention and awe from all who looked at it. Crafted with a blend of elegance and mystique, it exuded an air of enchantment that captured the imagination.


    The airship''s hull, constructed from sturdy materials and intricate enchantments, boasts a seamless fusion of artistic design and functionality. Adorned with ornate patterns and decorative motifs inspired by arcane era mythology, the vessel reflects the timeless allure of a bygone era.


    At the heart of the airship were its four colossal magic propellers, each imbued with potent mystic energies. These propellers, spinning gracefully and silently, harness the power of magic to propel the airship through the skies with remarkable speed and maneuverability. They were intricately carved and adorned with glowing runes, pulsating with a soft ethereal glow as they harness the forces of magic.


    The airship''s upper deck featured an expansive observation area, allowing passengers to marvel at breathtaking vistas above the clouds.


    The passengers quietly moved up through the illusionary staircase and entered the airship. Professor also entered the airship and found his seat in two minutes.


    After that, the airship pilot made another round of instruction.


    As the airship prepared for departure, an air of anticipation filled the atmosphere.


    The airship''s four magnificent magic propellers, imbued with ancient runes, emitted a soft pulsating glow.


    As the crescendo of magic built, the airship began to stir. It levitated gently from the tform, defying gravity''s hold. A shimmering barrier enveloped the vessel, protecting it from the elements and harnessing the magical energies within.


    The airship ascended with a graceful motion, guided by thebined efforts of the crew and the enchanted propellers. The propellers spun faster, drawing upon the mystical forces around them. Trails of sparkling energy swirl in their wake, propelling the airship higher into the sky.


    The crew, attuned to the mystical currents, fine-tuned their control over the airship''s navigation and control system. They guided the vessel along its desired path with gestures and focused concentration.


    ...


    [End of Volume 5: City of Miracles.]

 Chapter 595 Sacred Empire

    ?


    Chapter 595: Sacred Empire


    Sacred Wings Airport, West Borough, Holy Land, Sacred Empire.


    15th May, Year 6418, Second Arcane Era.


    The Holy City, the jewel of the Sacred Empire, stood tall and radiant, bathed in the divine light that permeated its streets and buildings. Nestled amidst rolling hills and lush valleys, the city was a testament to the power of the Gods of Order and Truth, whose blessings radiated throughout the whole domain.


    Massive stone walls adorned with intricate carvings depicting tales of righteousness and celestial triumph appeared around thisrge city. These fortifications, guarded by the holy knights, served as a symbolic barrier against chaos and darkness, reinforcing the city''s devotion to the principles ofw and virtue.


    The city streets bustled with activity as the poption of 25 million went about their daily lives under the watchful gaze of the divine. The people, predominantly devout and pious, adorned themselves in simple yet elegant garments, reflecting their dedication to modesty and faith. Holy knights d in gleaming armor patrolled the thoroughfares, their presence a reminder of the city''smitment to protecting the sanctity of its inhabitants.


    The heart of the Holy Cityy within the precincts of the grand cathedral, a towering structure that reached towards the heavens. Its majestic spires pierced the sky, serving as a beacon of hope and reverence for the faithful. The cathedral housed a hierarchy of religious figures, from priests and bishops to the revered archbishops and the supreme spiritual leader of the Sacred Empire, the Pope. These holy figures held immense sway over the popce, guiding their spiritual endeavors and upholding the teachings of the Gods of Order and Truth.


    Within the sacred walls, intricate mosaics and stained ss windows bathed the interiors in a kaleidoscope of ethereal colors, depicting scenes of divine intervention and triumph over darkness. The air inside the cathedral was thick with the fragrance of incense, and the echoing chants of prayers filled the space, creating an atmosphere of profound piety and devotion.


    However, amidst the devout reverence and the divine fervor, a shadow of disdain cast its pall over the Holy City. The people harbored deep skepticism and even a hint of animosity towards the magic arts and those who wielded them. The tales of Arcane Era mages dabbling in forbidden magic and the perceived threat to the order and stability of society fueled this animosity. While not openly hostile, the people''s mistrust of mages created an undercurrent of tension within the city, causing asional conflicts and friction between the magical and religiousmunities.


    At that moment, a 70-year-old man in his golden robe stood at the Sanctuary of the Radiant Order and looked at the two majestic statues vacantly. As seconds passed, the wooden staff, embedded with a divine stone, suddenly released a dazzling light andpletely enveloped the whole Sanctuary.


    At the same time, two different voices echoed in both ears.


    "Disaster ising..... Far dangerous than you think... Beware... Nightmare will descend...."


    "It''s a mortal... ck-hair... Wizard... Kill him... No, capture him..."


    Pope opened his eyes wide and hurriedly shouted as the dazzling light dimmed.


    "Radiant Knights!!!!! Call all Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops immediately. Something terrible is going to happen in this city!"


    ...


    It was early morning, around 6 A.M.


    At that moment, a young man in his twenties walked out of the airport and looked around the surroundings with a hint of curiosity.


    He saw a grand structure adorned with intricate magical symbols and archaic designs. The sprawling airport in the heart of West Borough, Holy Land, was a hub for travelers from far and wide, including renowned mystics and diplomats from various kingdoms.


    As the early morning sun cast its golden rays across thends, Professor took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of mystic energies that permeated the air. His eyes, filled with anticipation and a touch of awe, scanned the surroundings.


    Just as he was about to ask for a way toward the Order Church, his surroundings started to blur.


    A momentter, Professor stood before a crimson pce and was stunned.


    The Crimson Pce stood as a majestic testament to opulence and grandeur, a sight that would leave visitors amazed by its sheer beauty. Situated atop a small hill, the pce exuded an aura of mystique, its crimson-colored walls radiating an otherworldly charm. It was constructed with intricate architectural details, showcasing a seamless blend of artistic mastery and magical enchantment.


    As he approached the entrance, he was greeted by a captivating sight¡ªa magical garden teeming with vibrant life. This enchanted garden was an exquisite fusion of natural splendor and mystical energy. Bathed in a warm, golden glow, it was an oasis of fiery hues, emanating an inviting and exhrating atmosphere.


    The fire elemental herbs and nts that flourished within this magical garden were a sight to behold. Lush crimson roses, their petals seemingly aze with vibrant red hues, released a delicate aroma that mingled with the air, captivating the senses. Towering retrees, tall grass-like nts adorned with flickering mes, danced and swayed to an ethereal rhythm, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.


    In the garden''s center, a majestic fountain of liquid fire took the form of a graceful phoenix, its fiery plumage cascading down in a mesmerizing disy. The sound of crackling mes apanied the gentle flow of the liquid fire, infusing the surroundings with a melodic harmony.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The pathways winding through the garden were lined with moltenva stones, their soft glow illuminating the way. Wisps of ethereal smoke weave through the air, forming intricate patterns as they gracefully float around the garden.


    Although he realized that he was in someone''s Inner World, he didn''t get panic and quietly observed the surroundings.


    ''This Inner World looks more like a Fire Elemental ne. But how did the enemy easily pull my consciousness into his Inner World?'' He couldn''t help but get nervous a little.


    "I thought you would find something wrong with your memory and screw up my n. But you did a wonderful job." A familiar voice came from the castle entrance, causing him to turn around in surprise.


    "Charles? How are you still alive?" He couldn''t help but take a step back.


    At that moment, two more figures appeared behind him. One was a blonde-haired young man, while the other was a ck-haired woman.


    They were Charles''s other two consciousnesses.


    At that moment, Professor felt a strange familiarity from them and soon squinted his eyes.


    "You used Professor''s memories to create me?" He instantly understood the reason for all those missed memories and got angry.


    "Don''t get angry. Although you have Professor''s memories, you are still a part of me." Saying so, Charles conjured a ball of fire and sent it towards him.


    "This is a copy of my memories. Fuse them with you and wait here." Saying so, Charles took control of his body and opened his eyes.


    "Now, where should I go next?" He was well aware of the uing disaster and thought of the next action.


    ''First, I should discard this identity and act stealthily.''


    Muttering, he turned his gaze towards the left side road and walked towards the four-wheeled ck coach.


    Noticing his approach, the brown-haired coachman took off his straw hat, bowed his head while cupping his hand together, and greeted him.


    "Hello! Wee to our Holy City, Mr. Traveler. Are you looking for a ride or need any assistance?" Thankfully, he spoke in Runal Tongue, which made Charles let out a sigh of relief.


    "If there is a good hotel nearby, take me there, mister. It would be great if you tell me more about this city while driving." Charles responded to him in Runal Language.


    "Oh! Then, if you are nning to stay here for a long time, I advise you to learn the localnguage. It''s called ''Naan''. There is also an academy called ''Radiant School'', which allow tourists to attend sses for just 2 Sacred Gold coins per month. If you pick up a three months course, you''ll be fluent in no time. I heard that they also provide free meals and housing."


    "Are you also doing promotion job?" Charles couldn''t help but ask with a chuckle.


    "Not gonna lie, young man. If I help a tourist enrol into the academy, I''ll actually get amission of 20 Silvers. Although it won''t look much to you, it''s actually arge sum for a driver like me."


    As he heard the coachman''s words, he nodded in understanding and opened the coach door before getting in.


    At the same time, he released his ''wisdom power'' towards the surroundings and started listening to everyone''s conversation.


    ''Oh? Only two people are conversing in the Runalnguage while others are speaking in apletely new one. A new localnguage? I can learn it as long as I listen to everyone''s conversation for a period of time.''


    While muttering, he had already listened to more than thousands of people''s conversations through his wisdom power and grasped somemon words in seconds.


    On the other hand, the coachman hopped on the driver''s seat and started driving the coach while telling more information about the Holy City of Sacred Empire.

 Chapter 596 Currency

    ?


    Chapter 596: Currency


    Taking the opportunity, Charles also shifted his attention to the coachman and spoke.


    "Tell me more about this sacred gold coin, Mister. Although I have some, I don''t know how much it is worth." Truthfully, Charles''s other consciousness exchanged all the blood crystals for 2 Sacred Gold coins and 70 silver coins and saved him the troubles.


    "Oh? If you had met any other coachman, you might have got robbed, young man. Anyway, let me tell you. Sacred Gold coins are like expensive currencies. Common people like us never even get a chance to see them. The bottom of the currency is called ''Rocks.'' It''s not some in rock but made of a unique metal called ''Night Iron.''"


    "With one Rock, you can''t even buy a good drink. If you want to have a meal, you should at least have a minimum of 10 rocks. Next currency is called Silvers. Like the same, Silvers aren''t made of silvers but a silver colored magical metal called ''Ether.'' A Silver coin is equal to 1000 Rocks. With 1 silver coin, you can eat three good meals everyday and even stay in a cheapest inn for more than a month."


    "Next is called ''Sacred Gold.'' The unique thing about the Sacred Gold is that each coin was actually blessed by Goddess of Wealth and holds a wisp of her divine power. Some rumors even say that possession of a Sacred Gold brings more fortune. Unfortunately, I only saw that coin twice in my whole life. One Sacred Gold is actually equal to 1000 Silvers. To put it simply, one Sacred Gold is equal to 100,000 Rocks. With that, you could even buy arge house. There is also another currency used by Mystics. It''s called ''Arcane Coins.''"


    "Wait! Arcane currency belongs to Miracle City, right?" Charles couldn''t help but interject.


    "No. Arcane coins don''t belong to any organization or city or Kingdom. It''s a unique credit system created by the First Era Ancient Mages and still is the main currency among all mystics and mages. Every city has the Arcane Society building; you can get your official identity card over there. Ah, I forgot to mention something. If you are a Mage, try your best to keep low profile here. The people and even the Sacred Empire officials don''t wee mages." The coachman said in a low voice and continued to drive.


    On the other hand, Charles yed dumb and asked like a curious kid.


    "What''s the use of Arcane Coins?"


    "I heard from a mage that as long as you register your name in the Arcane System, you will get ess to some type of virtualwork. With the help of the Arcane System, you can trade items with strangers, or even do odd jobs to earn money. As for its value, I heard that even 1000 Sacred Gold Coins won''t be enough to get 1 Arcane Coin."


    "Wow! It looks interesting." He muttered in excitement and started asking more questions.


    On the other hand, the coachman didn''t lose his patience and answered him politely.


    Before long, the coach left West Borough and quietly entered the Central Borough.


    Most expensive hotels, business stores, organization headquarters, guilds, and even academics like Radiant School were located in this Borough.


    A few minutester, the coachman stopped the carriage in front of a four-storied building and jumped from the driver seat.


    "We''ve reached our destination, young man." He said politely and opened the door for Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles adjusted his bowler hat and stepped down.


    "Thanks for the help, Mister." He said while taking a silver coin from his space ring and tossing it to the coachman.


    "Keep the change for yourself." Saying so, he took a step forward and walked towards the hotel.


    As he approached the hotel, he was greeted by a grand entrance adorned with heavy wooden double doors. Above the entrance, a stone-carved emblem depicting dancing fishes captured the attention of passersby.


    Below it was two words written in the localnguage.


    ''Mermaid''s Inn.''


    Inside, the lobby exuded warmth with its polished marble floors, ornate chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, and plush velvet armchairs arranged around a crackling firece. A reception desk awaited visitors, where friendly staff members assisted with check-ins and inquiries.


    As Charles entered the hotel and moved towards the reception desk, one of the staff members bowed his head and asked him politely in a localnguage.


    "How can I help you, sir?"


    Meanwhile, Charles curled his lips upward and spoke like a native speaker.


    "I need a single room for two days. How much does it costs?"


    Surprised by his fluency in Naan Language, the staff member smiled politely and answered.


    "With meals, it cost 450 Rocks, Sir. 30 Rocks for each meals, and the remaining 270 Rocks for room rent."


    Charles nodded while taking a silver coin from his space ring and giving it to the receptionist.


    "Your room is in second floor, sir. This is your key." Saying so, the receptionist took an iron key from the drawer and passed it to him.


    On the other hand, Charles took the key from his hand and started walking towards the left side staircase.


    ...


    Meanwhile, the coachman looked at Charles from outside through the transparent ss door and was stunned.


    "I thought he woulde back and ask my help tomunicate with receptionist. But he actually managed to book the room without any difficulty. Well, it''s time for me to go back and pick up the next tourist." Saying so, he carefully ced the single silver coin into his left pocket and hopped on the driver''s seat.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But as he pulled the horse reins, he felt the coach moving slower than usual.


    ''No, someone is inside the coach.''


    "Who is it? Don''t you know it is rude to get in a coach without driver''s permission?" He asked in a cold tone and slowly parked the coach on the roadside.


    After that, he jumped from the driver''s seat, moved towards the cart''s door, and opened it.


    What he saw inside wasn''t a single person but three people. Two were d in silver armor and helmet, while the other wore a white robe.


    The white-robed man before him seemed to be in his early 60s, with an unattractive, round face and a noticeably overweight physique. His long hair, which cascaded down in a snowy white hue, added to the impression of his age. His weight was estimated to be around 150 kilograms, giving him a robust presence. He was dressed in a simple white robe devoid of a pattern of an outstretched palm where a down rests.


    ''Bishop of Order!''


    His appearance and attire showed that he held the esteemed title of a Bishop, signifying his role as a high-ranking clergy member.


    Upon seeing that man, the coachman''s face stiffened.


    "Please forgive this sinful peasant, My Lord. I didn''t know it was you who was inside the cart." He hurriedly bowed his head and said in an apologetic tone.


    On the other hand, the white-haired Bishop gave him a sharp look and waved his hand.


    "Get in. We have some questions to ask."


    Although the coachman got scared shitless inside, he didn''t refute and quietly entered the carriage.


    As he entered inside, one of the holy knights suddenly locked the door and cuffed his hand using a metallic chain.


    "This is called Chain of Truth. If you tell lie to the following questions, this chain will turn molten iron and burn your hand." The Bishop paused for a moment and continued in a chilling tone.


    " Tell me everything about that ck-haired young man. I want to know each and every details of him."


    Meanwhile, the coachman cursed his rotten luck for being dragged into a troublesome matter and decided to tell everything.


    "I don''t know his name, My Lord. But I do know that he has no clue about our Sacred Empire. From what I observed, he is definitely a wizard but doesn''t have Arcane Identity Card yet. I suspect that he is most likely a low rank roaming mage."


    "Why do you think he is a low-rank mage?" This time, one of the holy knights asked in a pleasant feminine voice. Only then did the coachman notice the holy knight''s bulging chest and realize that this holy knight was a woman.


    "It''s because he came from the Miracle City, My Lady. Anyone who stays in the Miracle City must have the Arcane Identity card. Otherwise, it''s impossible to survive in that ce. But this guy not only doesn''t know anything about Arcane Coins but also have only a few sacred gold coins in his ring. I suspect that he went to Miracle City for some bright future but ended up realizing the hard truth. After all, even themon people over there are pretty much richer than the nobles here-"


    At that moment, the Bishop raised his hand and interrupted him.


    "Stop, we will decide if he is a Low Rank Mage or High Rank one. Tell us about your conversation."


    A forced smile appeared on the coachman''s face.


    Without any choice, he decided to tell everything about Charles.


    After hearing the whole story, the Bishop turned his gaze toward the female Holy Knight and asked.


    "What do you think, Anna? Is he our suspect?"


    Meanwhile, the female holy knight, Anna, went silent momentarily and soon spoke.


    "Although he looks more like a country bumpkin from his words, it''s better for us to keep an eye on him, Lord y."


    "Hmm, then you should watch over him for now. If you find anything abnormal, notify me immediately." Bishop y said in a calm tone.


    "Yes, My Lord." The Lady Holy Knight quietly raised her right hand and touched the same outstretched palm symbol engraved on her chest region.


    A momentter, the silver armor shone in a golden light and turned into a normal white gown.


    The Lady Holy Knight turned into a beautiful young woman within a second.


    The young woman exuded an air of youthful vitality, seemingly in her early twenties. Herplexion possessed a delicate fairness reminiscent of porcin, lending her face an ethereal quality. Vibrant amber eyes gleamed captivatingly, drawing others into their depths. Flowing locks of lustrous, sun-kissed blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her features with a golden radiance. Her glorious and curvaceous figure was entuated by a noticeable fullness in her chest, exuding confidence and allure.


    After giving one light bow to Bishop Cart, she quietly walked out of the carriage and hurried toward the Mermaid Inn hotel.


    On the other hand, the coachman also walked out and hurriedly drove the carriage out of the Central Borough.

 Chapter 597 Divination

    ?


    Chapter 597: Divination


    In the meantime, Charles arrived at the allocated room on the second floor and entered after unlocking the wooden door.


    As he entered the room through a heavy wooden door intricately carved with strange letters and symbols, he was greeted by a soft glow emanating from enchanted crystals on either side.


    The ceiling soared overhead, embellished with intricate murals depicting war scenes and magical battles. borate chandeliers, fashioned to resemble glowing orbs suspended by delicate chains, cast a warm, ethereal glow throughout the space.


    A short flight of wooden steps led to a raised tform adorned with a luxurious canopy bed. The bed frame was intricately carved, featuring ornate patterns and mythical creatures. Soft, richly colored curtains hung from the canopy, providing privacy and adding to the medieval aesthetic.


    "Not bad," Charlesmented as he nced at the luxurious room and quietly moved toward the right side.


    A whimsical wardrobe stood against the wall, its doors adorned with mystical symbols and runal words. When Charles opened, the wardrobe revealed a stunning array of fantastical attire, from flowing gowns and embroidered robes to intricately crafted armor and enchanted cloaks. Each garment radiated an aura of magic, promising the perfect attire for any asion.


    After a small search, he picked up a white gown and a towel from the wardrobe and walked toward the corner of the room.


    He wouldn''t have noticed a hidden door in that ce if he were a normal person.


    A hidden door revealed avish en suite bathroom rivaling the most opulent spas. The centerpiece was a freestanding bathtub carved from a piece of luminous crystal, infused with enchantments that allowed the water to shimmer and change color at one''smand. A walk-in rainforest shower adorned with mosaic tiles depicting lush foliage and cascading waterfalls appeared before his sight.


    ''This hotel looks more like a 5-star hotel on Earth.'' He put the gown and towel on the stand and took a long shower.


    Thirty minutester, Charles finally left the bath, moved towards the bed, and quietlyy on the soft bed.


    "Although I want to sleep badly, it''s not time yet." He had long realized he was being monitored from the next room and fell into deep thought.


    ''Something is indeed wrong. A Holy Knight, huh? Genesis, check her.'' Just as he muttered, Genesis instantly checked her background through Wisdom Link and spoke in a soulless voice.


    ''Searching for Information... She is Anna Tibbott, age 21, and a Rank-2 Holy Knight. She graduated from Radiant School three years ago and became a Holy Knight with the help of Bishop Cart.''


    ''Her father''s name is Michael Tibbott, and he was a Bishop of Order but died when she was young. No information about her mother has been found. Possibilities: Her mother might have died long ago, or her identity must have been erased from the Holy City''s records.''


    ''Searching for additional records in the Secret Chamber of Sacred Library of Holy City... Found new information... Seventeen years ago, Bishop Cart killed Michael Tibbott and Isabe Tibbott under Archbishop Lawrence''s order and covered up the whole incident...''


    ''Found important information... From the records, it is mentioned that Anna Tibbott has a unique ''Pure Soul,'' which attracted the attention of Archbishop Lawrence.''


    ''Pure Soul: Its other name is called ''Champion''s Soul.'' Anyone with this unique soul will easily enter God''s domain and will not face any side effects. Because of this, they will be used as a Sacrifice to activate the Forbidden Magical Array ''God''s Descend."


    ''Along with her, a total of seventeen Champion souls are residing in this city...''


    ''Anna Tibbott also has a younger brother named Roly and he is currently studying in Radiant School...''


    As Charles further heard information about Anna, he couldn''t help but get dumbfounded.


    ''This Wisdom Link is too good at gathering information. But God''s Descend, huh?'' He shook his head and checked the time.


    ''It''s already 7.30 A.M. If I''m not wrong, the next disaster will arrive around 1.00 P.M. But what kind of disaster will it be next time? Is it possible to stop it?'' He quietly took out the Star Constetion book and started a small divination.


    First, he picked up the golden quill, dipped the brush into the ink bottle, and started writing on the mysterious empty page.


    "Artifact: Dice of Disasters... Origin: Created by Goddess Myxenta. Ability: Summon powerful disasters... Current Location: Holy Land of Sacred Empire..." As he wrote important information about the dice, he closed his eyes and entered a strange enlightened state.


    At that moment, he suddenly felt a mysterious pulling sensation and soon found himself standing at the hotel''s entrance while gazing at the sky. But unlike a normal sky, it appeared reddish.


    ''Meteor shower?'' He wondered.


    In a second, the time moved at an incredible speed and stopped at the moment of disaster.


    At that moment, as if summoned by the mystical power, he felt an inexplicable force tugging at his very being. A sensation of weightlessness engulfed him, and before he couldprehend what was happening, he found himself suspended high above the ground, floating in a sky unlike any he had ever seen.


    His eyes widened in astonishment a secondter. The city below him was bathed in a strange reddish light, casting an eerie glow upon thend.


    Soon, a strange force-field-like structure appeared around the city, protecting everyone from the burning crimson ray.


    But it was not just the crimson sky that held his attention. His gaze turned northward, and what he witnessed left him breathless. Dozens of fiery meteors streaked across the sky, burning with intense scarlet light. Descending at an extraordinary velocity, they painted trails of crimson me behind them, like shooting stars on an otherworldly canvas.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    These were no ordinary meteors; they seemed to possess a sinister, chaotic aura, emanating power and mystery. As they hurtled towards the earth below, their fiery descent created a symphony of crackling mes and thunderous roars, shaking the very fabric of reality.


    Charles watched as the crimson meteors neared the ground, their approach causing the air to ripple and form into a supersonic soundwave. As they made contact with the Holy City''s forcefield, a burst of sparks and crimson light erupted, causing all the surroundings to be enveloped in reddish me and explosion.


    A momentter, he woke up from the strange vision and slowly opened his eyes.


    ''Does that mean only the people inside this city will get saved?'' Although he didn''t see the oue of this disaster, he knew very well that not only the Holy City but even the whole Sacred Empire might get affected by this disaster.


    ''I don''t like it. If it wasn''t for the desperate situation, I wouldn''t have activated that Dice of Disaster ability. Now, I don''t want to carry on the guilt of killing too many people.'' In truth, he had already felt a little disturbed by the death of 8 million people in Miracle City.


    ''In this situation, I can only rely on one person.'' He muttered calmly and stood up from the bed.


    After that, he changed his cloth into a formal one and quickly left his room.


    ''Although I can fool others with my shapeshifting spell, I still don''t know if I can fool that madman.'' While muttering, he sent a part of his consciousness towards the ne pendant and studied it.


    ''This ''Mind nk'' artifact is indeed strange. It not only conceals my soul but also seems to have the power to alter my soul form.'' As he further probed the artifact, he soon learned how to control it.


    A momentter, a strange power enveloped his soul and made it look like the soul of a third-tier mage!


    ''Even if a Legendary Mage or Demigod scans me, he won''t find anything abnormal about my soul ranking. But I''m still not sure about that guy.'' He quietly stepped down from the second floor and approached the reception desk.


    Noticing his arrival, the male receptionist bowed his head and greeted him with a smile.


    "How can I help you, sir?"


    "Do you know where Sun Church is located?" Charles asked.


    "Of course-"


    Before the receptionist could respond, a young blonde-haired woman suddenly arrived next to Charles and interjected their conversation.


    "Why are you looking for that run-down ce? Although Sun God might have earned some merit during thest nar war, he is nothing more than a small fly before our Lord''s might." Her voice contained a hint of ridicule and mockery.


    ''Anna? Why is she provoking me? Is she testing me to gather more information?'' As he analyzed everything, he suddenly turned his face cold and snapped angrily.


    "Who are you to judge our Eternal Light''s might? Where was your Lord when the demons descended to our mothend and caused chaos everywhere?"


    "C-Customers! Please don''t start a fight over small issue-"


    Charles didn''t even let him finish as he red at the receptionist and shouted.


    "Small issue?! Mocking my God isn''t a small issue, Mister!"


    On the other hand, Anna was utterly bbergasted.


    ''He is a member of Sun Church? But this guy really has short temper. Wait... Howe he speaks so fluently in Naan?'' Her suspicion rose.


    ''I need to get close to him and find out the origin of this guy.'' She hurriedly made a forced smile and bowed her head.


    "I''m sorry for being rude, Mister. I didn''t mean to make fun our Lord Sun. Even I know that if not for his appearance, the oue of thest nar war might have more disastrous." She paused while peeking at Charles with her left eye and added with a polite smile.


    "As an Apology, I''ll personally escort you to the Sun Church."


    On the other hand, Charles gave her a skeptical look and reluctantly agreed.


    "As long as you don''t say anything ill about Eternal Light, I won''t mind."


    "Thank you, Mister. By the way, I''m Anna, daughter of a former Bishop of Order." She said with a bow.


    ''Wow, she isn''t even hiding her identity.'' Charles also nodded his head and introduced himself.


    "I''m Max Fireborn, an Explorer from Arc Kingdom."

 Chapter 598 A Little Scheme

    ?


    Chapter 598: A Little Scheme


    "A [Historian] ss Mystic? But if you are an Explorer, why do you want to visit Sun Church?" Anna couldn''t help but ask.


    While she was asking the question, Charles had asked Genesis to gather all vital information about the Sun Church of Sacred Empire.


    In two seconds, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    To not make her more suspicious of him, he quietly turned around and started walking towards the hotel''s exit.


    At the same time, he started to speak.


    "I''m not only a [Historian] ss Mystic but also a Fire Mage. So, the one ce that attracts my attention most would be none other than Sun Church, youngdy. Moreover, the reason I came to Sacred Empire is to participate in the Exploration of Star Tomb."


    "You are a Dual-ss Mystic? No wonder I felt something feels off about you." Saying so, Anna hurriedly followed after him and asked another question.


    "But howe you speak our native tongue so fluently?"


    Meanwhile, Charles wore an annoyed expression and asked coldly.


    "Are you dumb? I''m a Rank-3 Seeker. So, of course, I have [Photographic Memory] skill like all other historians. As long as I have somenguage book, learning a newnguage isn''t a difficult matter."


    Anger shed on Anna''s face at Charles''s rude remark. Thankfully, she controlled her temper and quietly nodded her head in understanding.


    Afterward, Charles and Anna took a luxurious carriage and moved towards the East Borough. That''s where the Sun Church was located.


    As they traveled, Anna kept asking useless questions and nagging him nonstop to gather more information.


    ''Damn it; this girl is so annoying.'' He shook his head, used his'' wisdom power'' to stop noise from going out, and started getting serious.


    "Why not tell me about yourself? I''m more curious to know why a Holy Knight is tagging along me."


    Anna''s expression stiffened as he asked that question.


    "H-How did you find out?" She couldn''t help but raise her hand to touch her chest region to activate her Knight''s armor. It was a special defensive artifact specifically gifted to all Holy Knights.


    But before her hand could touch her chest, strange, invisible strings suddenly appeared around her wrist, ultimately stopping her hand movement.


    "Don''t panic. I''m not going to do any harm." Charles paused for a moment and asked.


    "But why are you monitoring me?" Before Anna could open her mouth and tell some lie, she suddenly forgot what to say.


    On the other hand, Charles read the new memory and nodded in understanding.


    ''So, it''s due to divine revtion, huh? They even told the Pope about my outer features.'' He quickly released the invisible grip and gave a sharp look at Anna.


    Meanwhile, Anna panicked inside and tried to call for help, but no voice came out.


    ''No good! He is way stronger than me!''


    A cunning n appeared on Charles''s mind as he saw her breaking into cold sweats.


    "You know, I''m lot stronger than you think. To be precise, I''m as powerful as the Cardinals of your Church." He paused for a moment and added.


    "But do you know why I''m telling you this?"


    As he asked, Anna''s whole body trembled in fear.


    At that moment, she knew that if she did anything stupid, she would die for real!


    On the other hand, Charles studied her facial expression and continued.


    "Don''t worry; I''m not going to kill you or anything. But even if I didn''t kill you, you will be nothing but a sacrifice one day."


    Upon hearing those words, Anna showed a confused look and asked stiffly.


    "What do you mean by that, Mister?"


    "It''s nothing. You have a unique type of soul called ''Champion''s Soul.'' You will be an excellent vessel for your God when he descends to this mortal world." Charles spoke casually.


    "Impossible! You are spouting nonsense to confuse me! Even if it the case, it will be a great honor for me." Anna instantly rebutted his remark and turned her gaze away.


    Meanwhile, Charles leaned his back on the leather seat and continued to speak.


    "I may have crossed the line, but what I told you about your soul is true. Moreover, I also peeked into your past while we were conversing and learned a little secret about your parents-"


    "Stop!!!!!!" This time, Anna used her Knight''s Protection skill to cover her whole body in a golden aura and stared at him with fiery eyes.


    "Don''t say another word about my parents. My father and mother died protecting dozens of people during an escort mission and are still called Heroes of Sacred Empire. You don''t have any right to say their names or learn anything about them." Her voice quivered as she spoke, even under an invisible oppressive power.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But Charles didn''t stop as he extended his hand and touched her forehead.


    At the same time, he closed his eyes and started to speak.


    "Your father''s name is Michael Tibbott and your mother''s name is Isabe, right?"


    "H-How did you know? I never told you about my parents!" Her voice started to break.


    ''Wait... Historian ss mystics have the ability to look into one''s past!'' Doubt started to appear in her heart.


    On the other hand, Charles didn''t stop spouting nonsense and made up an alternative story to fool her.


    "They indeed loved you and your younger brother. Hmm, strange... Why are they arguing with someone? A fat guy? Oh? It looks like there seems to be a disagreement with that guy... I''m going to move forward a little in ''Time.'' Oh? Your parents are running in the dense forest... Your mother is hugging a young child and showing a panicking look... They are chased by ck shadows? No, they are ck armored knights. But why are they chasing your parents? Hmm? A few more knights came from the front and surrounded your parents."


    At that moment, Anna stopped resisting and looked at him, shocked. Her heart raced nonstop.


    ''No one else knew my younger brother was also with them when they die. But Bishop y said that he was the one taking care of Roly during this escort mission, though.''


    "A-Are you telling the truth?" She couldn''t help but interject.


    ''But who are those ck-armored Knights? Radiant Knights? No, he must be trying to manipte me! There is no way Radiant Knights would do something for no reason-''


    She remembered Charles''s earlier words about her unique soul and felt conflicted at that moment.


    "Oh no. Someone shot a dart at your mother''s shoulder from behind. More attacksing from all side and forcing them to a corner. Finally, a sharp metal arrow suddenly appeared from the front and entered your mother''s forehead... She died while hugging the child."


    Charles paused as tears fell from Anna''s cheeks.


    "W-Why?" She couldn''t help but ask in a grief tone.


    "Let me see who plotted this." Charles said calmly and then took a deep breath.


    "I can finally see who shot the arrow. It''s a white robed fat man. Due to dim darkness, I can''t see his face. Hmm? There is also another figure standing behind him. He is wearing a red robe and looks around seven meters tall. Oh? He looks around 40 years old and wearing golden rings in all ten fingers."


    "That''s Archbishop Michael!" Anna said in a shocked tone and turned pale.


    On the other hand, Charles quietly opened his eyes and stared back at Anna.


    "So, what''s your answer?" He asked.


    In the meantime, Anna felt despair and started wiping her tears.


    After that, she didn''t say a single word and quietly sat on the opposite seat in silence.


    Before long, the carriage reached East Borough and soon arrived at Sun Church.


    "You can wait here in the carriage until Ie back. If you truly believe my earlier words, don''t do anything stupid things like going directly to Bishop y and ask him about that incident. I''ve seen such stupid people doing those dumb things and getting beaten to death several times."


    "I won''t," Anna said in a forced voice and closed her eyes.


    On the other hand, Charles stepped out of the carriage and looked at the hundred-meter-tall sun church.


    "Wow. This building looks more ancient."


    The exterior of the Sun Church showcased the rich heritage of ancient architecture. Constructed with sturdy stone masonry, the building had weathered the test of time, carrying the weight of centuries on its walls. Though worn by years of exposure, the stone blocks exuded a sense of resilience and history.


    The church''s facade featured a prominent entrance framed by a massive arched doorway. The arch, reminiscent of Arcane Era architecture, was adorned with intricate carvings and embellishments. Delicate gargoyles and decorative motifs adorn the exterior, lending an air of mystique to the structure. The stone walls rose vertically, punctuated by narrow windows with stained ss panels that depict religious scenes and mythical figures.


    Stepping into the interior of the Sun Church was like traveling back in time. The dimly lit space, with its ancient stone walls and aged wooden beams, exuded a sense of solemnity and reverence.


    The nave stretched out before Charles, nked by rows of wooden pews worn smooth by countless worshippers over the centuries. The high vaulted ceiling, adorned with intricate ribbed arches, created a sense of verticality, drawing the eye upward.


    The interior walls of the Sun Church feature faded frescoes and religious paintings, their colors muted by the passage of time. These artistic remnants provided glimpses into the church''s rich history and offered a sense of the devotion that once filled the space.


    At the end of the nave, he saw a tall golden statue of a young elven man. The young elven man depicted in the statue stood with confidence and poise. His form was sculpted precisely, showcasing a lithe and athletic physique befitting the elven race.


    As Charles walked closer to the statue, he felt an invisible prying sensation.


    Before long, he arrived before the statue and closed his eyes to pray.


    A momentter, he felt a mysterious pulling sensation and soon found himself standing in a white space.


    No, he saw a dazzling light ahead in the form of a human form and felt a burning sensation in his eyes.


    "You are finally here, Charles. I''ve been waiting for your arrival." Abium, aka the Sun God, finally spoke.

 Chapter 599 Abiums Gift

    ?


    Chapter 599: Abium''s Gift


    Charles tried his best to look at the human figure made of scorching light and asked.


    "Is there a way for me to return to Earth?"


    "I didn''t expect your first question would be this one." Abium deliberated for a moment and added with a nod.


    "Yes, you can. Although it''s only been around 10 years since you died, many things might have changed over there. (A/N: Time difference between Earth and Edhen World is around 1:2.) The ghost organization you were in part of was entirely annihted due to interference of ASIS seven years ago and even your former friend Angele got arrested for human trafficking. As for your organization leader, hemitted suicide."


    "You intervened?" Charles asked. After all, he knew how the Ghost organization worked and was well aware of the dealing with the Australian government.


    "No. I didn''t. But after your transmigration, government changed. Surprisingly, an indigenous Australian became a higher official and sought revenge for the massacre of his vige people."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles fell into deep silence and soon sighed.


    "It seems I don''t need to return there. Anyway, is it possible to stop the uing disasters?"


    "I wouldn''t have given out a mission if it isn''t possible to stop, right?" Even though Abium''s appearance was made of pure light elemental energies, Charles saw a grin on his face.


    "Thankfully, your strength is still low. If you were a Rank-9 [Crimson Paragon], the disasters would be more severe than this." Abium said calmly.


    ''Crimson Paragon?''


    Meanwhile, Charles furrowed his brows at the new ranking name and asked further.


    "Can you tell me about the ''Wisdom Heart'' mission?"


    "This is a very secret mission. Although the other Gods, including Nyara, are thinking that I''m after Wisdom God''s divinities, but my real goal is to get the Wisdom Tree''s heart. And, only he knew where that Wisdom Tree is located."


    "Wisdom Tree? Wait... World Tree of Edhen World disappeared after the First Arcane Era and there are still many people, including Gods, going to the Endless Sea to search for its location..." A look of understanding appeared on Charles''s face.


    "So, who is this Wisdom God?"


    "You remember Demi-God Raphael? He is thest Elven Emperor and also the Wisdom God. And, he actually married the Guardian of Wisdom Tree a few millennium ago and gave birth to a unique existence called Wisdom Child recently. You have met her before."


    Charles''s face froze as he heard those words.


    ''Sylvia? I always thought something was off about her, but didn''t expect her to be something unique.''


    "Anyway, I''ll attack Raphael''s Divine kingdom within two years and drive him back to the Edhen World. After that, you''ll have twenty years to capture or kill him and learn more about this Wisdom Tree''s location. If you manage to find the Wisdom Tree, you just need to steal the ''Wisdom Heart'' from it." Abium''s words made him at a loss.


    "Isn''t the World Tree a part of Edhen World? Will the ''Will of Edhen World'' allow me to act as I please?" Charles asked.


    Meanwhile, Abium shook his head and spoke.


    "What made you think that the World Tree belongs to this world? And, what made you think that this World Will is actually Edhen World''s true will?"


    Noticing the puzzling face, Abium let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "World Trees are nothing but parasitic organisms, Charles. Don''t you find it strange that Edhen World has a Will on its own but not Earth? In truth, even Edhen World was nothing but an empty habitablend during the Age of Origin Time. But some outer force intervened and made these world Trees to control over all the worlds and the life forms. After that incident, these World Trees kept sucking all the life essences released by all living organisms and has grown powerful enough to even take care of tens of High Gods at once. Although they hadn''t reached the realm of Sovereignty, they are as powerful as the ''Phoenix'' you saw inside the Red Sun. Low World, High World, or Supreme World, the ''Will of these Worlds'' are omnipotence in that particr world but they are nothing but caged parasites in reality."


    Abium''s words made Charles look at the world from a new perspective.


    "Who is this outer existence that intervened?" Charles couldn''t help but get more curious.


    "I have limited knowledge on the subject, but I am certain that these entities cannot directly interfere. Are you familiar with Earth''s Theory of Multiverse? It bears a resemnce to what I am referring to. However, our Universe is not boundless but rather a finite realm. Surprisingly, we have only scratched the surface, having explored less than 1% of our vast Universe. Just like our Universe, I specte the existence of numerous other realms governed by truly sovereign beings."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "This is getting more and more interesting." Charles nodded his head.


    "As for the interference of the World''s Will, you don''t have to think too much about it. At that time, it won''t even have any time to spare a nce at you." Abium said in a mysterious tone.


    "Then, it''s good. And, I want a little change in my reward. Instead of giving me the coordination of any one of the Seven Mystic Worlds, I want the coordination of Elder ne."


    "You sure you want to go there? Unlike here, High Gods and Taboo Existences roam everywhere. Even Legendary Mages are nothing but cannon fodders duringrge scale battles between Guilds and organizations. But if you go to any one of the Seven Mystical Worlds, you might get some opportunities to strengthen yourself." Abium suggested.


    On the other hand, Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "If I''m not wrong, you picked up the souls who only yed the Mystic game, right? If so, all the important items might have already been scrapped out by the other transmigrators. Moreover, I don''t need any artifacts to rely on. What I need is a good environment and opportunistic ce." He suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "Do you know where can I get my next ss Gem? If possible, can you tell me about the rank name?"


    "You can get that thing only in Mystic Tower. Even that one has to be ''Fire'' rted one. That''s why I made a suggestion to let you go to one of the Seven Mystical Worlds. Although more than dozens of Mystic Towers are there in Elder ne, all of them are controlled by powerful organizations and Guilds. So, it''s impossible for a Legendary Mage like yourself to even join a Low Rank guild over there. But if go to any one of those seven worlds, you will have an easier time to rank up further." Abium''s words made him ponder deeply.


    Noticing the hesitation, Abium went further and added.


    "Another thing is you might even have a chance to get your hands on a unique Fire Law when killing Nightshade Raven or Abyssal Crow."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles''s face changed.


    "Nightshade Raven... Isn''t it the Final Boss monster of Garden of Undead? And, Abyssal Serpent is actually a Deity of Fallen World."


    ''The ''Mystic Worlds'' game has Seven World maps. Each world is more difficult than the previous one and has several restrictions. Also, each world''s power system differs from others, making the game moreplicated. Although every yer initially yed only to experience the realistic virtual game, many became addicted to it because of thisplicated world-building. But even exploring a single world would take more than six months in ytime. Even after ying for three years continuously, I only managed to clear 4 out of seven world maps. What''s more amazing is that I only know a few hidden pieces of information. But as far as I know, the highest rank artifacts I got over there are mostly Legendary ones. The same goes for all yers.''


    Upon seeing him in deep thought, Abium made a fake cough and spoke.


    "I made the Game Worlds simr to let the selected transmigrates have some advantage. But don''t expect it will be like in the game. The real world will have more mysteries and even have many powerful hidden existences."


    Abium''s words made Charles fall into deep thoughts again.


    "Then, my obvious choice would be Garden of Undead. Although it''s difficulty is so high and I also haven''tpletely cleared that map, that map indeed has some unique items. Wait." Charles paused for a moment and asked.


    "Is the transmigirator still alive in Garden of Undead?"


    "Unfortunately, he died two years ago. Although he managed to get past lots of struggles and even became a Rank-5 Mage, he ended up relying too much on System Artifact''s strength and died. As for other participants, some chose to live a normal life, while others are still causing chaos here and there. s, you are the only one who managed to reach the realm of legendaries in a short amount of time." Abium paused for a moment and also continued with a smile.


    "Moreover, I''m way more impressed by how you and Lord Rh managed to create a unique System artifact that could even cause the Gods to tremble fear. But keep in mind that Miracle Coins can bring both Fortune and Disasters together."


    "I understand." Charles nodded in agreement and then asked the following question.


    "What should I do with Udnir? He seems to be searching for you non-stop."


    Upon hearing those words, Abium thought for a moment and shook his head.


    "I expected his arrival, but not this early. Well, as long as you keep yourself hidden, he won''te and look for you. After all, his goal is not you but me." He suddenly recalled something, created a strange golden badge of thin air, and tossed it to him.


    "This badge has a few ''Fire Law'' power and also some information about ''Fire Pathway.'' This will be my final gift to you. With this badge, even the Pope of Sun Church will bow his head and listen to your every word. Anyway, it''s time for us to part away." He suddenly remembered something and added.


    "Ah, the badge also has a special coordination. Once you get the Wisdom Heart, you should keep it with yourself ande and find me at the specific coordination after a span of 1000 years."


    The surroundings shimmered as he spoke and broke into millions of light particles.

 Chapter 600 Golden Shield

    ?


    Chapter 600: Golden Shield


    A momentter, Charles found himself standing in front of the tall gigantic golden statue of Abium.


    "Oops, I forgot to ask about Anangu." He clicked his tongue and soon looked at the crimson badge in his hand. A radiant sun symbol was proudly disyed at the center of the badge. The sun was meticulously designed with borate rays extending outward, representing brilliance and warmth.


    Charles quietly turned towards the left side, walked towards the front pew, and took a seat.


    After that, he closed his eyes and used his ''wisdom power'' to probe the Crimson Badge.


    A secondter, he found his consciousness hovering in space. No, he saw a unique golden shield of pure fire and realized that this must be Abium''s gift.


    ''A Lawful Fire Spell, huh?'' Even though it appeared more like a knight''s shield, Charles felt millions of essence streaks arranged in order like bees. Each of those streaks contained thousands of Fire Rules and looked much moreplicated.


    As he looked deep into the unique shield spell, he felt that a mini world was hiding deep inside the shield and appeared to have some mysterious power.


    ''This spell seems in but has a mysterious power and appear much strong. When I was in Rebirth Star to heal my soul, I only managed toprehend around 1300 Rebirth Fire Essence Streaks. Even that took me more than four years. Although I increased my Fire affinity to Divine Rank now, I can''tprehend all the millions of Essence Streaks in a short time. If my guess is right, it will take around 20 to 30 years.'' But he would be invincible among the same Rank once hepletelyprehended this spell.


    Shaking his head, he retracted his gaze from the Shield Spell and looked around.


    ''This badge looks more like a small storage ring. But I can also feel the power of Present Time inside.''


    As he nced around, he soon saw two blue-covered books hovering a few feet away from him.


    With a simple leap, he arrived before the two books and picked up the one on his right side.


    "Domains of Explored Universe and Unexplored Universe."


    While muttering the title, he quickly flipped the pages and read thebels first.


    "Explored Universe-


    Split into seven Domains.


    Origin Domain (Lawful Good Domain)- Elder ne, High Worlds inhabited by normal people, and other worlds...


    Underworld Domain (Lawful Evil Domain)- Underworld ne and other undead nes...


    Watchers Domain (True Neutral Domain)- Four supreme Elemental nes and other normal elemental nes...


    Abyssal Domain (Chaotic Evil Domain)- Abyss and the worlds conquered by chaotic beings during the Ancient and nar wars...


    Hell Domain (Chaotic Good Domain)- Hell ne and the nes conquered by the devils...


    Cluster of Mystery (Unknown)- Location unknown.


    Blood Domain (Chaotic Neutral)- River of Eternal Life, Blood River, and its surrounding nes..."


    After reading the titles, he skimmed through the book and decided to read them in detailter.


    Charles also nced at pages rted to the unexplored domains and started to understand a small amount of information about it.


    After that, he picked up the other book and soon read the title out loud.


    "Fire Pathway."


    Unlike the other book, the information about the Fire Mage pathway appeared to be specifically written for him.


    Abium also mentioned how the ancient mage path spell model helped magesprehend the secrets of rules and even exined them in detail.


    "Moreover, me Rules are the basic foundation for every spell. As long as one manages to turn any me ''Rules'' into an ''Essence Streak,'' they will have a higher chance of entering the Realm of Legendary. But if you want to improve further and be a Rank-7 [Ember Archwizard], all seven spell models must have more than one or more Fire Law. Otherwise, you will be stuck in this Realm for ages. On average, each Fire Law has a minimum of 1000 me Essence Streaks and is hard to master. That''s why most of the Ancient Mages are stuck in this Rank and never get the chance to be a Rank-7 Existence."


    ''Oh? Does that mean the ''Red Tear'' was a single Fire Law? Now that I think about it, my [Rebirth Domain] spell contains more than 4000 me Essence Streaks now. Does that mean I have already mastered more than 3 Rebirth Fire Laws?'' While thinking, he suddenly turned his gaze toward the Sun-like Shield and started thinking.


    ''Unlike my Rebirth Spell, this one has more than a millions of Essence Streaks. If I fullyprehend this spell, it will have more than 10,000 Fire Laws! This shield spell is too powerful and precious!''


    He hurriedly turned his attention towards the ''Fire Pathway'' book and started to read further.


    "If you manage to enter the Realm of [Ember Archwizard], your next step should be to create a unique Realm with the help of Fire Laws. A single Realm contains more than thousands of Fire Laws. Only by creating each Realm of all spell models, you can advance further and be a Rank-8 [Inferno Archon]. In this Realm, you will be able to use ''Inner World Descend'' ability and make the Inner realms into reality for a period of time. The red moons in the Edhen World''s surface are actually a part of the peak level being''s ''Inner World Descend'' ability."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As he read these words, he subconsciously thought of Anangu.


    ''Wow! Does that mean she is actually a Rank-8 existence?''


    He quickly turned his attention toward the following paragraph and continued to read.


    "To further advance and be one of the peak existences of the universe, you must create thousands of realms byprehending all kinds of fires and create countless realms of each fire in your Inner World. It will be like you need toprehend hundreds of thousands of Fire Laws and make them as a part of your soul. When you be Rank-9 [Crimson Paragon], you''ll turn all the imaginary worlds into reality just with a single thought and even maintain them for endless amount of time."


    But the words didn''t end there.


    "Although I don''t know how to break past this realm, I vaguely suspect that the fusion of all spell models into one and form a ''Domain Expansion Universe'' will be worth a try. It''s basically like your whole self will be a separate universe, and you''ll be the creator of that universe. Well, this is how I perceive how a Sovereign Realm Being will feel like."


    As Charles finished reading thest like, he couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    ''Abium is not an ordinary being. He even knew the end path of the Sovereign Realm and appears too mysterious. Is he also a peak-level Existence? If so, why is he running away from Udnir?'' He slowly withdrew his consciousness from the crimson badge and opened his eyes.


    "Currently, I''m not even equal to a speck of dustpared to Paragon-like Existences. Not to mention, Sovereign realm beings." He shook his head and slowly stood up from his seat.


    After that, he stayed no longer in the Sun Church and quietly walked out.


    Just as he moved out, he saw the silk-curtained luxury carriage standing ten meters from the Sun Church entrance and appeared to be waiting for him.


    As he walked closer, the coachman, who was puffing out a mouthful of smoke, suddenly noticed his arrival, threw the cigar towards the roadside, and bowed his head.


    "Drive the carriage to Central Borough." Charles waved his hand and spoke while walking closer to the carriage door.


    "Do you want to return to Mermaid''s Inn, My Lord?" Coachman asked.


    Charles suddenly noticed something was wrong with his question and halted his footsteps.


    "Is there a problem?"


    "N-No, My Lord. It''s just... Nothing, My Lord. I''ll start the carriage." The coachman said in a stutter and hurriedly moved towards the driver''s seat.


    On the other hand, Charles opened the carriage door and entered.


    Although Anna still sat in the same position as before, she appeared moreposed than earlier and gave him a stiff look.


    "I still don''t trust your words." She said, breaking the silence.


    On the other hand, Charles put his fingers on his lips to keep her voice low and released his wisdom power to cover the surroundings.


    After blocking any sound from leaving the cart, he quietly sat on the opposite seat and spoke.


    "It''s okay to speak now. As for whether you trust me or not, I don''t really care. I told you about your parents'' death and your unique soul simply out of pity, nothing more."


    A strange silence appeared in the carriage.


    "So what should I do now? You must have some sort of n, right?"


    "Humph, if I want, I can simply capture Archbishop Michael and force him to spill everything before you." Charles paused for a moment and continued with a mischievous smile.


    "But what''s the fun in that?"


    ''Damn it! He is toying with me. But if what he said is truth, I have no choice but to seek his help.''


    At that moment, Anna suddenly thought of something and asked stiffly.


    "Are you the one the whole Empire is after?" If she hadn''t guessed that, even after all this time, she knew she would be a literal idiot.


    "Well, I can say that I''m about to bring some disaster to this ce. But don''t worry. I''m nning on stopping it myself." Charles said calmly and hurriedly added.


    "But before that, I want you to kill me. To be precise, I want your help with faking my death. Can you do it?" Although she didn''t understand what Charles was scheming, she reluctantly agreed.


    What was strange was that she seemed to have gotten a peculiar trust in Charles!

 Chapter 601 Provoking

    Chapter 601: Provoking


    "But how do we start?" Anna asked.


    On the other hand, Charles retracted his wisdom power and spoke to the coachman.


    "Drive the Carriage to South Borough." Upon hearing those words, Anna''s eyes squinted.


    "Slum Borough? Why do you want to go there?" She couldn''t help but get more curious.


    On the other hand, the Carriage Driver didn''t listen to his orders and spoke back.


    "Customer, the Carriage has already reached the Central Borough, why not go back to Inn first and then go to the South Borough?"


    "Oh? So, you don''t have to alter your n to arrest me? I shouldn''t talk to Radiant Inquisitor like that, right?" Charles''s response made the coachman fall silent.


    After a short silence, the coachman, the Radiant Inquisitor, asked in a cold tone.


    "How did you find out? Did Anna tell you? No, it should be the Bishop of Sun Church!"


    Charles let out a chuckle and shook his head.


    "Don''t worry; I''m not going to run away."


    "You shouldn''t even think of running away, Mr. Max. We have all information about you. Although you are only under observation, I can easily dispose of you under the pretence of investigation." The Radiant Inquisitor stated in a cold tone.


    After that, he drove the carriage deep into the Central Borough and stopped at Mermaid''s Inn after fifteen minutes.


    Then, the Radiant Inquisitor climbed down from the driver''s seat, moved towards the carriage door, and opened it.


    "Get out," He said coldly.


    On the other hand, Anna was utterly dumbfounded by the current situation and looked at the Inquisitor in shock and confusion.


    Noticing her gaze, the Inquisitor smiled lightly and exined.


    "We received a report from many of the passengers of Airship SW45325 that a devastating disaster happened at the Miracle City. After some investigation, we also found out that that airship was the first one to leave the Miracle City." He paused for a moment and then added.


    "Surprisingly, our Pope also received a divine revtion this morning saying that ''Nightmare'' is about to descend upon thisnd. That was also the moment when this Airship from Miracle City arrived at the Holy City. This can''t be a mere coincidence."


    "But why him, Sir? Although he has the same characteristics as what Lord Pope mentioned, he isn''t the only one with simr characteristics." Anna first stepped out of the carriage and spoke.


    "Like I said, he is only under watch now. Like him, more than twenty five members are under house arrest. But among them, his identity is bit special even in the Miracle City." Inquisitor paused and signaled Charles toe out quietly.


    Meanwhile, Charles sighed deeply and walked out.


    "I''m innocent, Mister Inquisitor. Although I was the Head of the Security Department until yesterday, things are not looking good at Miracle City now. Not only was Demigod Rafael kicked out by a mysterious identity named Anangu, but even the defensive array system also kept going malfunctioning. Even before the big incident, arge ident happened at the airport''s main building security array and killed lots of people. So, that ident has nothing to do with me or any other passengers." He said while raising both his hand up.


    "We''ll decide after a thorough investigation. For now, you have to do what I say and never even try to escape. Or else, you''ll die." The Radiant Inquisitor kept a cold face and spoke threateningly.


    On the other hand, Charles looked irritated at the Inquisitor''s attitude and asked in a provocative tone.


    "What if I don''t? You think you can stop me? Do you really think you can do as you please?"


    ''Oh no. This guy is short tempered and also a powerful figure. Although Radiant Inquisitor is a Rank-4 being, he still isn''t a match for him!'' Anna soon realized that this guy was using this chance to get into a fight with Radiant Inquisitor and decided to intervene.


    After all, if something terrible happened to Inquisitor, she might get dragged into the investigation.


    "Please be patient, Mister. I promise that as long as you stay in your room, nothing bad will happen to you." She also signaled Inquisitor to back down and led Charles into the hotel.


    Under the watch of the Inquisitor, both entered the hotel and soon went to the second floor.


    On the other hand, Inquisitor gave a deep look at Charles''s back and furrowed.


    ''I don''t like that guy''s attitude. Although his current strength is only around Rank-3, why did Archbishop Michael warn me to be careful around him? Tsk, I will sneak into his roomter and observe him stealthily.'' After muttering, he suddenly became transparent and soon disappeared from there.


    In the meantime, Charles returned to his room and pondered what to do next.


    First, he decided to discard Professor''s identity because it might expose his location to Udnir.


    ''Although Abium said I don''t need to be too cautious of Udnir, I don''t dare to take any risks. At first, I thought of relying on Anna''s help to fake my death. But after seeing that Inquisitor''s attitude towards me, I changed my mind.''


    ''And my next worry is the uing disaster. Although there is still no sign of any abnormalities in the sky, I want to take precautions. From the earlier vision, I vaguely suspect that each meteorite would be around the size of a school building. If it was on Earth, even a single school-building-sized meteorite would result inrge-scale global catastrophes. But here, it''spletely different. Although the damage caused by these meteorites would still be catastrophic, there are many external figures like World''s Will and divines might intervene and lessen the velocity. And, if I can break all those massive objects into small pieces before before it reaches the atmosphere, all might disintegrate before reaching the ground.'' He quickly nodded and was about to stand up from the bed but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, he noticed someone sneakily entering his room through the balcony.


    ''He couldn''t even wait for few minutes?'' Muttering inwardly, he let out a yawn and ordered Genesis.


    ''Genesis, gather all information about Sacred Empire''s illegal activities and show me in the form of text.''


    As he ordered, more than hundreds of blue notifications popped up in front of his eyes.


    ''Wow, so many information.'' As he started reading the information, his expression darkened.


    The first information itself was about ''ve Auctioning.'' Simply put, the Sacred Empire''s fourth Cardinal managed the trade and business-rted stuff and even conducted a ''ve Auction'' once a month. But the unique thing about this was that the ones who auctioned were not from Edhen World but another ne!


    ''So, Sacred Empire also shows interest in exploring other nes and seems to have already conquered a Low ne called ''World of Wild.'' But from the looks of it, this world inhabits are also humans called ''Barbarians'' and looks primitive. The reason they are in high demand in the market is actually because of their strong physical strength. Even a normal Barbarian human has the strength of ten people, huh? Interesting.'' After that, he looked at other information and noticed not only human trafficking but the Sacred Empire''s core official members were also involved in drug dealings, Corruption, Suppression of Mages, Human Experiments, and even the killing of young mages in the name of Evil Persecution.


    After reading for more than 15 minutes, he sighed deeply and muttered.


    "It''s so boring here. Hah, these crazy religious a**holes are going nuts. All I did was just to escape from that horrible ce, but they are treating me like a criminal. Tsk, if it had happened at the Miracle City, I would''ve even shaved this so-called Pope''s head and make him kneel before me."


    "Ah, now that I think about it, didn''t I read information about Pope''s little secret? Yes, I read that he was a eunuch of the Star Empire few hundred years ago. But heter betrayed the Empire while revealing many secret documents to Order Church and became a Bishop-" He abruptly stopped talking and shook his head.


    "What am I doing saying those things out loud. Thankfully, no one is nearby. If not, I might have been killed for saying sphemous things." At that moment, he seemed to have recalled something and continued to mutter.


    "I wonder if the guy named Cardinal Leon is still in rtionship with the holy knight named ''Anderson''. Although I don''t have any prejudge against gay couple, what will happen if someone really found out that he isn''t a straight guy?"


    As Charles started talking, Inquisitor''s face changed from anger to embarrassment and hate. The more he heard Charles''s loud mutters, the more he felt he needed to eliminate this guy!


    ''Even a single rumor will create a great chaos in this city. Whether he is saying truth or lie, I need to eliminate him.''


    At that moment, Charles suddenly read another piece of information about an Inquisitor''s wife and smirked inwardly.


    "But that Inquisitor from earlier is indeed an arrogant scum. Humph, if he acts like that around his woman, she might even run away from him. Wait, now that I think about it, there is also a secret scandal I heard from John two months ago, right? He said that his pdin friend Hunt actually managed to seduce an Inquisitor of Order''s wife and has been enjoying his life for the past two years. I wonder how they are doing right now."


    At that moment, Inquisitor''s face suddenly froze.


    ''Wait, Hunt? Isn''t he the Rank-3 [Pdin] of Life Church who lives next to my house? But doesn''t he have a beautiful wife named Charlotte?'' But as he further heard Charles''s words, he finally lost his cool and leaped toward Charles while unsheathing his sword.


    "I''m going to kill you, bastard!"

 Chapter 602 Fake Death

    ?


    Chapter 602: Fake Death


    Finally, Charles saw the Inquisitor''s real face and was slightly surprised. He was a young man in the prime of his twenties, blessed with sleek chestnut locks and piercing sapphire eyes, and stood at an approximate height of 175 cm, exuding an aura of confident presence. The Inquisitor donned a regal ensemble adorned with a billowing ck cloak embellished with intricate silver embroidery and a gleaming silver breastte.


    As Inquisitor dashed towards him at an incredible speed, Charles calmly activated his [elerate Thoughts] skill and observed him.


    Simultaneously, a blue notification popped up before his eyes, showing a row of information about the Inquisitor.


    ¡­


    Name: Edwin Davis


    Race: Human


    ss: Rank-4 Inquisitor


    Attributes:


    Strength- 22


    Dexterity- 21


    Constitution- 24


    Wisdom- 30


    ss Skills: Righteous Pursuit, de of Truth, Purge Corruption, Sacred Shield.


    Unique skills:


    Advanced Swordsmanship- Swift Silver Stab.]


    ¡­


    ''Oh? He even mastered swordsmanship to an advanced level? And what is this Swift Silver Stab?''


    ''It''s a High level swordsmanship technique, host. It will allow the swordmasters to enter a state of swiftness and even allow them to even teleport to a short distance.''


    By the time Genesis exined to Charles, Edwin had already arrived much closer to him and attacked him madly with his sword.


    Charles adjusted his body strength simr to that of a Rank-3 Mystic and barely dodged the sword attack.


    At that moment, Edwin showed an enraged look and shouted.


    "You are dead! Not only you badmouthed His Holiness, but you even went further and almost made me doubt my wife!!" With bloodshot eyes, he activated the [Inquisitor] ss''s [Righteous Pursuit] skill and increased his overall speed temporarily.


    "Let''s see how you are going to dodge this time." He said coldly, channeling strange light energy into his sword.


    A secondter, a golden aura formed around the sword''s edges and glowed intensely.


    On the other hand, Charles suddenly leaped towards the left and started staggeringly running towards the balcony.


    "Humph! Trying to escape?"


    Edwin let out a coldugh, almost arrived behind him in a second, and shed his sword.


    A secondter, the sword made a rippling noise and flew toward Charles''s neck at an incredible speed.


    But before the aura de could cut his neck, Charles bent his body and barely managed to evade it.


    No, Edwin saw a sharp cut on the left side neck and grinned.


    "Now, let me kill you without any pain." He said while licking his lips and kicking him.


    Meanwhile, Charles crashed on the handrail and coughed up.


    At the same time, he used his right hand to stop the bleeding and tried to stand up.


    "W-Why are you attacking me all of a sudden? Aren''t you afraid of my background?" Charles asked while showing a hint of fear on his face.


    "Humph. You yourself said that Miracle''s City ownership had already transferred to another person. Even if I kill you now, there is no way the new Miracle City owner will care about it." A mocking grin appeared on Inquisitor''s face.


    Meanwhile, Charles turned his face pale and angrily red at the Inquisitor.


    "You may be stronger than me, but I''m not easily bullied!"


    Saying so, he raised his right hand and conjured a reddish ball of fire.


    Although it appeared only around the size of a human head, it released a strange fire elemental fluctuation, causing the surrounding temperature to rise.


    Edwin''s eyes squinted as he saw the terrifying ball of fire.


    "Heathen! No wonder you sphemed His Holiness without any fear! It turns out you are also the follower of wicked power. Now, I can kill without any fear of facing punishment from the higher-ups."


    He grabbed both hilts as he spoke and activated his unique skill called ''Purge Corruption.''


    A blinding sunshine ray suddenly burst out from the tip of his sword and shot at incredible speed toward Charles.


    On the other hand, Charles showed a frightened look and tried to toss the fireball at the uing beam.


    A secondter, the sunshine beam and Charles''s fireball collided, creating a loud explosion and a shockwave.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The whole balcony and the wall exploded into pieces the next moment while Charles was thrown out of the building.


    On the other hand, Edwin was also pushed back by the shockwave and staggered a bit.


    "That guy''s spell is so powerful!'' He saw how that fireball managed to stop his ''Purge Corruption'' skill and became more resolute in killing him.


    Without any dy, he gripped his sword tighter and jumped down from the second floor.


    Within two seconds, hended on the ground and hurriedly searched for Charles. He knew the explosion wasn''t enough to kill him and searched the surroundings like a hawk.


    In a split second, he saw a ck-haired young man desperately running in the southern direction and dashed forward.


    "You are not going anywhere!" Edwin let out a coldugh and chased after him. But to his surprise, he noticed that this criminal was faster than him and seemed to know the routes well.


    The chase continued like a cat and mouse for the next few minutes. Finally, Charles reached the South Borough with the help of Genesis and quietly moved forward.


    As he ventured into Slum Borough, he found himself standing at the entrance of a gloomy alley. The towering structures on either side were leaned precariously. The smell of decay hung in the air, mingling with the acrid tang of garbage and forgotten dreams. Dpidated wooden crates and discarded debris litter the alley, forming makeshift barriers and hiding ces for the destitute souls seeking refuge from the unforgiving world outside.


    Charles walked in a zigzag manner and finally halted his footsteps as he found a quiet ce.


    Even though it was only 9 in the morning, not even a single soul was seen nearby.


    Edwin also arrived behind him while breathing heavily and appeared enraged.


    "It appears to be true that even a cornered rat will exhibit defiance." His cold voice echoed through the gloomy alley.


    On the other hand, Charles slowly turned around and raised his hand to cast a spell.


    In a split second, more than twenty balls of fire came out of thin air and flew toward Edwin.


    But Edwin calmly evaded the fireballs and shook his head.


    "Your fire magic is only to burn wooden huts and woods." He mocked while showing his fingers at the nearby palm tree huts.


    "N-No! This is not the end. I still have my trump card." Charles spoke hoarsely and raised his hand again.


    "Humph! You are too slow." Before he could cast his trump card spell, Edwin suddenly disappeared from there and appeared behind Charles.


    At the same time, he moved his long sword at an incredible speed and directly stabbed him from behind.


    Before Charles could open his mouth, a sharp sword covered in crimson blood appeared on his right chest.


    "H-Have mercy!" A desperate cry rang out of Charles''s mouth as he fell to his knees. His eyes widened, and his breath grew hard.


    "Toote," Edwin ced his left leg on Charles''s back and pulled his sword back before sheathing it.


    On the other hand, Charles opened his mouth to cry, but no words came out.


    Like a helplessmb, he slowly fell on the dirt road and breathed heavily.


    Upon seeing him dying, Edwin walked closer to Charles''s face and ced his foot on his neck.


    "If you hadn''t badmouthed His Holiness and even spouted nonsense about my wife, I would''ve let you see tomorrow."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles showed a bitter smile and barely managed to spit out a few words.


    "I didn''t lie. All the words I said were truth."


    "You still haven''t learned your lesson, didn''t you?" A ruthless expression appeared on Edwin''s face as he pressed his leg harder and directly broke his neck.


    Charles''s body shook violently like a beheadedmb for the next few seconds and slowly went silent.


    "Finally dead, huh?" Edwin spat on his dead body and quietly moved away from it.


    At that moment, he noticed the fire spreading toward the surrounding huts and fiercely burning everything in its path.


    Not only that, the nearby burning hut suddenly crashed on the corpse and started embracing it in a strange bluish fire.


    "It seems I don''t need to inform Slum leader Nicole to dispose of his corpse." Edwin shook his head and quietly walked away from there.


    Seconds passed, and slowly cries and shouts of women and children came from a distance.


    The fire spread all the surrounding areas and caused great chaos in the slums.


    Within the burning hut, a small human figure started to take shape and soon walked out of the burning fire.


    He was a deep-blue-haired young man in his mid-twenties and appeared bare naked.


    "Faking death is more difficult than battling a legend rank powerhouse." Hemented casually and took out a casual dress from his space ring.


    After changing into a normal linen cloth, he wore a ck hooded robe over his dress.


    "My next job is to stop the disaster. I should go and take a closer look at the uing disaster." As he muttered, he quietly manipted the surrounding spatial energy through his false fire and teleported from there.


    A secondter, he appeared thousands of meters above the Holy City and looked up at the clear blue sky.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Wings of the Fallen Angel] spell, pped the wings forcefully, and shot upward.

 Chapter 603 History

    ?


    Chapter 603: History


    After a few minutes of flight, Charles finally reached Edhen World''s troposphere and felt a little hard to breathe.


    But as he waved his hand, his whole body was enveloped in reddish me and released a radiant red light.


    It was his elemental form.


    At the same time, he released his wisdom power, covered more than 100 km in a split moment, and manipted the space elemental energies through the false me.


    He disappeared from there a secondter and reappeared at the other end.


    He traveled more than 1000 km in a few seconds and appeared in deep space.


    Unlike thest time, he didn''t face any resistance or difort.


    Even though theck of air caused his body to feel pressure, he used his wisdom power and created a forcefield around his body to protect himself from the vacuum pressure and radiation.


    ''Although I can enter Astral Realm and travel without facing any physical obstruction, it is more dangerous.'' Although Astral Realm was not entirely a separate realm like Dream World, it couldn''t influence much in the physical world.


    Unlike Charles, astral beings could only enter the physical realm under certain circumstances.


    ''Of course, Demi-god level beings are an exception, though.'' He shook his head and activated the ''me Teleportation'' by manipting space again.


    He reached the exosphere in less than 30 seconds and teleported towards the inteary space.


    It was terrific speed.


    After that, he continued to teleport and soon saw the strange hundred-meter-tall ck pirs in space.


    ''Genesis, can you guess who put these things here?''


    [Insufficient data... Connecting to the ''Wisdom Link'' of Edhen World...]


    [Found a clue... From the historical records of the First Arcane Era and Miracle City''s Arcane Records, the void pirs appeared around 10,000 years ago. A strange catastrophe urred all over the Edhen World in Year 6280, First Arcane Era, and caused earthquakes. When Arcane Era mages investigated this incident, they found the void pirs all over the world''s outer space.]


    ''When did the Foreign Gods and their believer invade thisnd? Also, how did Arcane War start?'' Charles asked while suspending himself in the deep space.


    [It wasn''t an invasion at first but migration, Host. But before that, the otherworldly Lawful Gods conspired with the Arcane Empire''s ''Noble Warlords'' faction and formed some agreement to keep the Arcane Empire''s Royal Family in the dark. After that, they established different Churches in other human kingdoms, created the ''Holy Alliance'' secretly, and started gaining the masses'' recognition. At the same time, they also preached about Mage as evil, submitted valid proofs about taboo magics, and created mass fear among the people. When the Royal Family of Arcane Empire and other Ancient Mages sensed the threat of the Holy Alliance, it was already toote. Rebelling within the Empire became moremon, followed by the Betrayal of 24 Warlords. Before the Royal Family could stabilize the situation, the Holy Alliance openly dered war on the Arcane Empire to purge the evil and invaded. The Arcane War started in the middle of the Year 6530 andsted until Year 6582.]


    [The battlested more than 50 years and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of million people. But therge-scale inteary migration happened just when everyone thought it was over. Races like Dwarfs, Derios, and Vampires, which were new to thisnd, came in masses and started settling over in different parts of the invaded Arcane Empire. They are the major participant in the war against wood Elves and Syreni race.]


    ''Wait! Dwarfs? Vampires? Why haven''t I heard of them? Moreover, what does it mean by Derios?'' Charles couldn''t help but interrupt.


    [Dwarfs and Vampires withdrew from this world after destroying Elves and Syreni races, Host. Although the reasons are unknown, the Will of the World somehow intervened and forced them to leave. As for Derios, they are a unique human race and are not much different from normal humans. So, they were allowed to remain in this world. But their unique thing is that they can inherit unique abilities like shape-shifting, Vision, Trickery, etc.


    "Shapeshifters? Future vision? Trickery? High human bloodline abilities?" Charles asked with a frown.


    [Yes, Host. They are indeed average humans but can inherit any one of the bloodline abilities of the High Human. This often happens with Royal Elves too. Unlike Derios, the Royal Elves inherit High Elves'' bloodline abilities.]


    ''I didn''t expect there is such a race to exist among the humans in Edhen World. But where are they actually? Why haven''t I met a single one of them yet?''


    [Their poption is meager in number, Host. From the records, seventeen Derios families came to Edhen World during migration and started mingling with the masses.]


    ''Can you search for them through Wisdom Link?''


    [Searching... Insufficient information!]


    [Connecting to Wisdom Link... Searching for information about seventeen Derios families... Found eleven family names out of seventeen. They are Moonstone, Fletcher, Hawthorne, Alder, Holmes, Lockwood, Winchester, Fairchild, Truelord, Kensington, and Pentagon. From the current records, all these families are still in high positions in all kingdoms, ruling most of the humans in disguise. The Fairchild family is actually rooted in Miracle City and controls most of the Underworld business.]


    ''Heh, they are the real rulers of this world, huh?'' He muttered inwardly and continued to ask questions.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''What happened after the First Arcane Era?''


    [At the end of the First Arcane Era, Mages and anyone with ties with mages were driven out of the fallen Empire. Meanwhile, Lockwood and Hawthorne took over the Arcane Capital and turned it into the Holy Land of Order and Truth. Till today, it remains the Holy Land of Order and Truth.]


    ''What happened to the remnant mages? I read from Brook''s memories that they did retaliate against Churches even after the end of the First Arcane Era, though.''


    [Yes, Host. After winning against the Ancient Mages, the Holy Alliance remained silent for over two decades and focused on internal affairs. On the other hand, the human kingdoms realized that the Holy Alliance was growing faster and secretly helped the remnant mages to give trouble for the Holy Land continuously.]


    ''What about the betrayers? Noble Warlords.''


    [They moved to the south and built the first Floating City. Although no one knows how they got the blueprint of Ancient Sky City, many guessed they must have gotten it from thewful Gods. That''s how Miracle City came into existence.]


    ''What about the Divine Beasts? Why did they kill it?''


    [Searching for clues... Found the answer from Miracle City''s Arcane Records... They killed the Divine Beasts to take the Magic Stone to power the Miracle City, Host.]


    ''Oh? The history of Arcane Empire is indeed a pitiful one.'' He shook his head and decided to focus on the current situation.


    For the next 30 minutes, he moved in deep space while manipting the space and also used the ''Foresight'' skill to learn about the trajectory of the uing Meteorite. Although he traveled more than 150,000 km in thirty minutes, he still couldn''t reach the Red Moon ahead of him.


    After another few minutes, he finally managed to move past the Red Moon and further into deep space.


    After three hours of traveling in space, he finally saw a strange light moving towards the Edhen World and smiled.


    At that moment, he had flown around 1 Million km and only saw a bright star instead of Edhen World!


    As he used his [Foresight] skill to peek into the future, his vision turned blurry and showed a small dot moving in his direction.


    It appeared more like a speck of dust, making it almost invisible.


    ''Finally!'' He exhaled fire through his nostril and quietly waited in the deep space.


    After some time, he finally saw the same minute dark thing moving in his direction.


    As seconds passed, the speck of dust slowly became more visible and soon appeared more like a fist-sized object.


    But as time passed, the object grewrger andrger and looked more like Moon in eerie dark color.


    After that, the size erged and finally arrived much closer to him.


    After a few more seconds, the meteorites finally entered his wisdom power range.


    ''Its size is about the diameter of 15 km!'' Shit! This is more than the size of the ''Chicxulub Impactor,'' which caused the extinction of Dinosaurs on Earth!'' As he further studied the Meteorite, he noticed it was made entirely of iron and other strong elements.


    ''Stony Meteorite... It is also flying at the speed of 20km/sec.'' He instantly realized how difficult it would be to stop this thing and turned grim.


    In a few more seconds, the Meteorite finally arrived much closer to him and looked more like an enormous mountain!


    Just as it was about to crash on his body, Charles suddenly disappeared from there, appeared on top of it, and grabbed a grip tighter.


    Before long, he was also dragged along with the Meteorite.


    But he didn''t dare to waste a moment and hurriedly activated his [Eye of the Runes] skill.


    A momentter, his wisdom eye observed every nook of therge mountain and started showing the weakest areas.


    ''There are a total of seventy weak spots in this Meteorite. As long as I attack these weak points, I can break them into small pieces.'' He muttered solemnly, raised his finger towards the left side, and cast [Finger of Destruction] spell at a particr area.

 Chapter 604 Crimson Orb

    ?


    Chapter 604: Crimson Orb


    A brilliant ray of crimson fire shot forth from Charles''s fingertip in a split second, precisely targeting the weakened area. However, much to his disappointment, no significant changes urred aside from a few fragments of iron shattering.


    ''This iron-like material seems different from the norm. It might be a meteorite containing some unique metal,'' Charles pondered. Even a normal ''Rank-3'' fire spell could reach temperatures of approximately 2000¡ã Celsius, easily piercing through ordinary iron.


    ''Moreover, my current [Finger of Destruction] spell could reach around 6,000¡ã Celsius. Even a Diamond would melt in seconds.''


    To Charles''s surprise, two additional weak points materialized within the shattered region.


    "Genesis, can you identify the type of metal present here?" Charles inquired.


    [It is known as ''Night Silver,'' Host. It is considered one of the rare metals in the universe, simr to White Gold. Rumor has it that Night Silver can absorb chaotic energy and fire. Due to its unique properties, many members ofwful factions are willing to pay hefty sums, even tens of Emperor Silvers, for a ton of Night Silver. It is also used as a building material in various urban Space Hubs.] Genesis informed him.


    ''Even in the Space Hub, one ton costs only 10 Emperor Silver? In truth, that is quite expensive,'' Charles muttered, recalling his conversation with Homunculus Vera regarding the cost of purchasing a house in the Halo Floating City Space Hub.


    "But my concern lies in how to destroy this monstrous mountain. If it were a regr stone meteorite, it would have been shattered by now," Charles contemted.


    ''I don''t believe it is impossible to stop this meteorite. If I utilized all the stored fire elemental energy in my Inner World,pressing it into a concentrated fire essence, I might stand a chance to slow down its velocity. However, even that might not be sufficient to pulverize this meteorite,'' Charles mused, delving into his knowledge and experience for a solution. Increasing the temperature of his fire spell could provide him with a more formidable arsenal against future challenges. Unfortunately, he didn''t know how to achieve that in the current situation.


    "Speaking of the earlier vision, why did I sense chaotic energy when those twenty-plus meteors descended from the sky? Night Silvers are capable of absorbing chaotic energy and fire, correct?" Charles redirected his gaze toward the meteorite.


    No, he did more than that. His wisdom extended deep into the meteorite, exploring every nook and cranny. Soon, he discovered a small fist-sized reddish core hidden within the heart of the meteorite, deducing that the chaotic fire must be connected to it.


    ''Unfortunately, I cannot obtain it without destroying the entire meteorite into multiple pieces. Although I could shatter at least one-tenth of this meteorite by activating my ''Rebirth Domain'' spell, the oue would remainrgely unchanged,'' Charlesmented.


    At that moment, Charles recalled something crucial and hastily reached for his space ring. Within seconds, he retrieved a crimson orb, cradling it in his palm.


    ''I discovered this small crimson orb when I returned to the Edhen World. Not only did it preserve my clone body, but it also retained a significant portion of my shattered consciousness. Upon investigation, I sensed a considerable amount of Rebirth Fire capable of manipting the present time hidden within it. I am confident it can enhance my Rebirth Domain spell,'' Charles thought. Although he intended to use this crimson orb after resolving all problems, he decided that further dy was unnecessary.


    Firstly, he calcted the remaining time until the meteorite could reach Edhen World''s surface.


    ''It is moving at 18 to 20 km/sec. This means it will take approximately 15 to 20 hours to reach Edhen World. I had anticipated the meteorite strike to ur today after the vision, but it appears it will transpire tomorrow. Nheless, this provides me with extra time,'' Charles mumbled, allowing his consciousness to immerse itself within the crimson orb.


    Within seconds, he found himself in a spacious room-like area brimming with tens of thousands of swirling essence streaks. Each streak pulsated with the power of Rebirth Fire.


    Without wasting time, Charles directed the crimson orb into his Inner World, positioning it before his ''Rebirth'' spell model. He then proceeded to extract a me Essence streak from the orb. Simultaneously, he extended his consciousness towards the Crimson Pce, instructing one of his other consciousnesses to take control of his physical body.


    With his focus on the spell model, Charles dedicated himself to strengthening the ''Rebirth Domain'' byprehending the Rebirth me Essence streaks. Unlike his time in the Rebirth Star, hisprehension speed elerated exponentially¡ªrather, it increased by a factor of a hundred. It was not only due to his strengthened ''Divine'' Rank Fire Affinity but also due to him constantly using the power of the Rebirth Fire to speed up the process. He assimted the first Rebirth me streak in five seconds and promptly extracted the subsequent ones. Second, third, fourth... Charles remained suspended in the ethereal space, devoting hours toprehending the new me essence streaks.


    Twelve hours had passed when Charles finally snapped out of his deep concentration. During this time, he had assimted 8640 rebirth me essence streaks and acquired over 8 Rebirth Fire Laws. Combined with the Fire Laws he had previously mastered, Charles now possessed expertise in 10 Rebirth Fire Laws.


    ''What''s truly astonishing is that I have only scratched the surface of the Rebirth Fire Laws hidden within this crimson orb,'' Charles shook his head, concluding hisprehension process. Only then did he notice a significant change in a section of his Inner World. He observed that one of the sevennds, separated by rivers ofva, had expanded more than tenfold and looked more like arge continent.


    Curious, Charles also probed his [Rebirth Domain] spell and discovered that the domain range had increased to a diameter of 1000 meters, and the power over ''Present Time'' had also intensified.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Time will now flow twenty-five times faster within this domain. Moreover, its duration has been extended to five minutes. Although the cooldown remains the same as before, I can aplish much within these five minutes,'' Charles thought. After that, he promptly regained control of his body from his other consciousness and stowed the ''Crimson Orb'' safely within his space ring.


    Observing his surroundings, Charles noticed that the meteorite had shifted closer to the Red Moon.


    ''I need to hurry,'' he muttered. Conjuring multiple rays of fire spells, Charles directed them toward the weak points.


    As anticipated, only two small head-sized Night Silvers shattered, while the remaining areas exhibited a mere crack.


    ''Now that I think about it, meteorites typically undergo ionization processes, right? When a meteorite enters the atmosphere, it experiences intense heat and pressure due to airpression. This will cause the outeryers of the meteorite to heat up and vaporize, creating a luminous trail of superheated air and ionized gas known as a meteor or shooting star. The high temperatures reached during atmospheric entry cause the atoms and molecules in the meteorite to lose or gain electrons, resulting in the ionization of the gas surrounding the meteorite,'' Charles mused in thoughts.


    Under normal circumstances, achieving an ionization process without oxygen molecules would be nearly impossible.


    ''However, this is not Earth. In space, I can summon fire from my Inner World, making it possible,'' Charles realized, focusing his mind. He summoned his Rebirth Domain, materializing his vast ''Mind World''¡ªan ethereal Fire Realm adorned with swirling mes of various hues.


    Within this domain, he became invulnerable and even increased his spell power to unimaginable levels. Drawing upon this tremendous power, Charles extended his hand and channeled the essence of chaos fire, molding it into a concentrated beam of scorching heat.


    With a swift motion, he directed the fiery rays toward the weakened area of the Night Silver meteorite. The intense mes collided with the metal''s surface, instantly vaporizing the surrounding particles and illuminating the area with a dazzling light. The onceckluster gray surface of the meteorite now glowed brilliantly as the ionization process took effect.


    As the meteorite interacted with the fiery energy, a transformation urred. The atoms and molecules within the Night Silver began to lose and gain electrons, resulting in the ionization of the surrounding gas. The phenomenon created an electrically charged field enveloping the meteorite, crackling with vibrant energy.


    Charles marveled at the spectacle before him. The meteorite, now cloaked in a pulsating aura of charged particles, seemed to pulsate with newfound energy. He understood that this ionization process weakened the Night Silver''s structure, rendering it more susceptible to his destructive powers.


    Seizing the opportunity, Charles unleashed a barrage of fire spells, targeting each weakened area. The mes'' intense heat and chaotic energy influenced the metal''s ionized state, gradually breaking it down. He maneuvered around the colossal meteorite, relentlessly casting his fire spells.


    With each spell, cracks appeared across the meteorite''s surface, unveiling its vulnerable interior.


    Undeterred, Charles persisted, pouring all his concentration and power into dismantling the colossal mass before him. The relentless onught of mes continued, unyielding in its quest to reduce the meteorite to mere fragments. Gradually, the cracks expanded, spreading throughout the Night Silver Meteorite''s structure like a fierywork of veins.


    As the final spell collided with the weakened core, a resounding boom echoed through the vastness of space. The meteorite fractured into countless pieces, resembling a shattered constetion against the backdrop of stars.


    However, Charles''s tion was short-lived as he noticed over twentyrge fragments, each resembling a towering building, continuing their trajectory towards Edhen World. Among them, he caught sight of a unique ''reddish core'' attached to one of therger fragments and hastened to pursue it.


    Within seconds, he closed in on therge building-sized fragment and used his ''wisdom power'' to gradually stop its momentum. Meanwhile, the other medium-sized meteorites had already sped past him, hurtling toward Edhen World. Charles disregarded them, focusing solely on the core meteorite, determined to obtain the fiercely burning reddish cluster of chaos fire concealed within a crystalline structure.


    ''It appears to be sealed within a Time Crystal!'' he muttered inwardly, promptly storing it within his space ring.


    "As for the shattered Night Silver fragments, I will returnter to retrieve them," Charles said, focusing on the remaining medium-sized meteorites. He understood that the debris from the shattered meteorite could still pose a threat if left unchecked.


    After several minutes of pursuit, Charles finally caught up with the remaining meteorites and systematically destroyed them one by one. He also sought to decelerate their velocity, allowing them to orbit harmlessly in space instead of drawing closer to Edhen World.


    Satisfied with his efforts, he teleported multiple times and finally returned to Edhen World.


    That day, the second impending disaster that loomed over the Sacred Empire vanished without a trace.

 Chapter 605 Secret Chamber

    ?


    Chapter 605: Secret Chamber


    While Charles was in the middle of stopping the Disaster, many things happened in the Sacred Empire''s Capital City.


    The first one was the assassination of Bishop y. Although no one knew who assassinated him, this incident caused pressure among the higher-ups. After all, it had been almost 15 years since such a simr incident happened, which confused everyone.


    What was more coincidental was that Bishop y was Bishop Michael''s best friend, which brought in lots of suspicions and questions about the killer''s intention. Some even linked both incidents and suspected that the same person killed both. Because of this, the High Ups of the Sacred Empire increased security all over the city and even sent six holy knights and a deacon to protect Bishop y''s family members.


    The second important news in the city was the killing of a foreign guest by the Order Church Official member in broad daylight. Although no one had witnessed the killing, many people in the Holy City saw Inquisitor Erwin chasing after Charles. Not only the Inquisitor killed a guest of the Empire, but he also caused great chaos in the South Borough by burning multiple houses in a slum street, which infuriated many people.


    Andst, the incident that attracted many powerhouses from different parts of the Edhen World was the announcement of the opening date of the Star Tomb by Lawful Alliance. Star Tomb was not a mere small tomb but a Dungeon. Although it wasn''t a powerful dungeon like Lost Tombs, it was still one of the true Dungeons connected directly to the main World. Like all other dungeons, this one also had a severe entry restriction and could open only once a century.


    Because of this, only a few people talked about it.


    But that didn''t mean anyone had forgotten about it. When the Star Tomb openedst time, a major magical beast breakout happened, resulting in countless deaths. So, the appearance of Star Tomb''s entrance was both an opportunity and a danger.


    s, only those with a rare artifact known as the ''Key of the Star'' could unlock the entrance to the Star Tomb and enter.


    During the First Arcane Era, all of these keys were once in the hands of the Arcane Empire and always kept in secrecy. But after the fall of the Empire, the keys fell into the hands of Churches and other powerful families. For now, only seven Lawful Churches and five powerful mage families hold the Key of Celestial Stars.


    But even the Key Holders couldn''t break some rules of the Star Tombs.


    For each key, only ten people were allowed to enter. Even they had to pass the trials before even entering the true dungeon. Otherwise, it would result in the total death of the whole team.


    Word of the opening of the Star Tomb spread like wildfire more than a month ago and had already reached the farthest corners of the Edhen World. Explorers, Mages, and all other ss Mystics came from all over the ce and gathered at the Sacred Empire''s headquarters, their eyes gleaming with anticipation and their hearts yearning for glory.


    Legends spoke of the great treasures hidden within itsbyrinthine halls, guarded by formidable creatures and traps.


    There was also a rumor that the rise of the former Star Empire was mainly due to a powerful artifact from this Star Tombs. Although it ended up destroyed by the schemes of outsiders, the Empire''s history and achievements had yet to be disappeared from the annals of time.


    Holy Cathedral of Order and Truth, Central Borough, Holy City, Sacred Empire.


    It was around 8 P.M.


    Hidden beneath the hallowed grounds of the Cathedraly a secret underground chamber shrouded in an air of mystique and guarded heavily. This ndestine space, essed through a concealed entrance, unveiled arge hall of solemn grandeur where important meetings were held.


    As a young man in his twenties stepped into the chamber, the subdued lighting cast eerie shadows upon the worn stone floor. His sapphire eyes darted around, observing the ancient unknown texts on the walls and ceilings.


    Four sturdy stone pirs rose from the corners, supporting the weight of the chamber above, their rough surfaces telling tales of centuries gone by. The pirs stood as silent sentinels, symbolizing the strength and resilience of the hidden truths kept within this sacred space.


    A round table sat in the center of the chamber, weathered by the passage of countless years. Twelve chairs surround it, their ornate designs disying the craftsmanship of a bygone era. These chairs, worn but sturdy, have witnessed the gathering of minds and the shaping of ndestine ns.


    The stone walls stood tall and firm, serving as a backdrop and canvas for the chamber''s enigmatic stories. Paintings depicting wars and conflicts adorn the walls, capturing heroic battles of mages and pivotal historical moments. Although steeped in a touch of artistic exaggeration, the scenes portrayed carry a hint of secret.


    However, as time had eroded the chamber''s secrets, some paintings suffered a peculiar fate. Faded and vague, their colors have faded into obscurity, leaving only hints of their once vibrant hues.


    At that moment, three figures cloaked in crimson robes upied the distant end of the concealed chamber. Their attention shifted silently towards the young man, their eyes fixed upon him as he crossed the threshold into the sacred hall and arrived closer to them.


    All of them clutched books tightly, exuding an ethereal presence. On the right stood a towering figure, reaching seven feet in height. With aplexion as fair as freshly fallen snow and fiery auburn locks, his broad forehead entuated his piercing amber eyes. Despite his age of 50 to 60, his visage held an air of wisdom and authority. The golden rings adorning each finger hinted at the opulence, while his countenance projected an unwavering sternness tinged with an unyielding arrogance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Positioned in the center, an elderly gentleman stood, his diminutive frame hinting at the weight of years. His bald head gleamed under the light, contrasting against his olive-toned skin. The contours of his face showcased a strong jawline, entuated by a distinct X-shaped scar etched onto his chin. His appearance exuded the essence of wisdom, resembling the archetypal sage of old.


    On the left stood a robust figure radiating strength and vitality. In his forties, he had wavy blonde hair that cascaded in unruly waves. His paleplexion contrasted with his rugged features, defined by bushy eyebrows that framed his piercing gaze. Calloused hands, weathered bybor, told tales of perseverance and hard work, while numerous scars adorned his palms and fingers, symbols of past struggles and battles fought.


    They were all Archbishops of the Order.


    When the young man arrived closer to the round table, he first went on his knees and greeted the man on the left side.


    "Greetings, Lord Victor Hawthorne!"


    "Just because Ie from Hawthorne family, you don''t have to kneel down and respect me like a king, Erwin. In Cathedral, I''m nothing more servant of the Lord of Order. Just mere bow is more than enough." He deliberated for a moment and soon changed the topic.


    "Do you know why I called you here?"


    Upon hearing those words from Victor, Efwin went stiff for a moment, slowly standing up, and answered with a forced smile.


    "Lord must have called me here to give me punishment for causing chaos in the Slums and also for killing the guest of a foreign kingdom."


    "Not entirely wrong, but I also called you for another matter. Anyway, I thought you always act calmly but what happened? Why did you kill that man? If not for the Miracle City''s ownership changed suddenly due to an unknown reason, things would''ve gotten more serious. In the worst case scenario, even I might have faced some severe punishment in the Family Elders meeting for selecting a troublesome guard under my wings."


    Erwin''s face turned purple as he heard those words.


    "I-I''m ashamed for not controlling myself back then, My Lord. But that human knows lots of secrets. Leaving him alive would''ve resulted in much more devastating consequence-"


    Before he could end his speech, the elderly bald man stroked his long white beard and interrupted.


    "Hohoho, interesting. A mere Rank-3 Mage from Miracle City knows lots of our Empire''s secrets? I love to hear what he said, which made you act impulsively." Although his voice sounded more carefree, Erwin strangely felt a cold shiver in his spine.


    "L-Lord Magnus!" Erwin hurriedly bowed his head and answered.


    "He not only knows about the ''ve Auction'' happening in the night market but also said something about ''World of the Wild.'' Although I don''t understand his words, I vaguely suspected that it must be secrets behind the Barbarian ves under the control of our Empire''s Nobles."


    A frown appeared on the elderly man''s forehead.


    "What are you talking about? World of the Wild? Even I hadn''t heard of anything like that, though. Aren''t those barbarians captured in an Ind of the Endless Sea and transported to our Empire with the help of Azure Federation? Although they are useful tools for carrying heavy objects, those guys are nothing but primitives. If not for thenguage barrier and strict aristocratic contract terms, even I would''ve brought a few as bodyguards."


    At that moment, Victor heaved a deep sigh and shook his head.


    "It''s a cover up to fool the masses. I heard from my father once that the World of the Wild is a secret world upied by our Sacred Empire and has lots of resources over there. But it''s a secret only a selected few working under Cardinal Fourth and two family members knows. If I''m not wrong, even the puppet Pope knows nothing much about it." He deliberated for a moment and added gravely.


    "This is not something even Archbishops like us could handle. If the news of us knowing about the truth of the ''World of the Wild'' reaches Cardinal Fourth''s ears, we might be branded as sinners and hanged. Forgot about everything." Victor shook his head and asked further.


    "Did you kill that man properly? He shouldn''t be left alive after all. But the question is: who leaked the Sacred Empire''s top secret to the Miracle City?"


    "I stabbed his heart and even burnt his corpse, My Lord. As for how he knows about the secrets even we don''t know of, I also have no clue about it," While answering, Erwin decided not to casually tell the other secrets Charles muttered in the hotel room.

 Chapter 606 Hawthorne

    ?


    Chapter 606: Hawthorne


    Meanwhile, Victor nodded in understanding and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "As long as he is dead, there is no problem. Now, let''se to the main topic. I called you here hoping you could do something for me. I was supposed to participate in the uing Star Tombs exploration, but something unexpected happened. Due to someone''s intervention, one of the Elders of my family struck down my name on the list and reced it with someone else. Due to his Legend Rank and his firm position in the family, not even Patriarch questioned his decision."


    "Aren''t you the direct descendant of Hawthorne? Why would they not allow you? If I''m not wrong, you participated in the Star Tomb Dungeonst two times, too, right? Won''t you have great advantages if you enter again?" This time, the one who asked this question was the tall, auburn-haired man.


    "You don''t understand how the Elders handle my family''s affairs, Archbishop Lawrence. Although I''m already a Rank-4 [Archbishop] and a Rank-5 [Dream Creator] Mystic, I''m still weaker than many of the descendants of the Hawthorne family. Not only that, my family is strict when ites to age. They think that younger ones have more opportunities than older people. That''s why they decided to discard me this time." A hint of anger could be seen in Victor''s tone.


    After a short pause, Victor turned his gaze towards Archbishop Lawrence, then at Archbishop Magnus, and finally shifted his attention towards Erwin.


    "That''s why I want you guys to help me eliminate one of the participants."


    Upon hearing his words, everyone''s expression turned grim.


    They all knew the Hawthorne family was one of the most powerful families on the continent and even had many Legend Rank experts!


    "If we got found out, not only us, even our families and rtives, will disappear. The risk is too high, Victor. Although you have been my friend for more than 200 years and even helped me countless times, you can''t just send me and my family to death like this." Lawrence refused instantly.


    Meanwhile, Victor shook his head and spoke.


    "The person, you guys, are going to assassinate is not a member of Hawthorne but an adopted orphan. They will only imprison you if they find the truth somehow."


    "Ronan? Weren''t his parents died during thest nar war and then adopted by the Elder of the Hawthorne family? Isn''t he amoner, though? Howe your family Elders even dare to send an outsider to Star Tombs? I even heard he was being treated as a servant even though he already had a good reputation in the Holy City. Aren''t they afraid of him betraying the family after getting all the benefits?"


    "Yes, even many within the family are dissatisfied by that Elder''s decision, but his strength is too strong. They say that if the current Patriarch dies unexpectedly or resigns from his post in the future, he will take his position and be the next Patriarch. What made everyone restless was that if Ronan somehow obtained some treasure during this exploration and made a big contribution to the family, Elder''s faction strength might grow even stronger within our family. I won''t be surprised if he forcefully takes back Patriarch''s position and be the next head of the family." Victor''s tone was cold.


    "Hmm, it seems even one of the most powerful families in this continent can''t escape the internal power struggle," Magnus said calmly and finally agreed.


    "If we manage to assassinate that guy, we will get support from the other Elders of Hawthorne and might receive more benefits. Let''s agree to his request." Saying so, Archbishop Magnus closed his eyes to gather information about Ronan in his ''Inner World.


    "I heard he is also a Dual ss Mystic like you and had already be a Rank-5 [Fierce Light] Mystic two years ago. But even if he is a Rank-5, his [Healer] ss isn''t suitable for battle. Also, if the three of us work together, it''s way easier to kill him." Magnus said while stroking his beard.


    "But both of you can''t kill him." Victor pointed his fingers at Archbishop Magnus and Lawrence and then added.


    "The one who delivers the final blow should be Erwin. Although our family has no High-Rank Seer ss mystics, we all imprinted our soul aura in an ancient artifact within my Family''s Ancestral Hall. Due to Elder''s intervention, even Ronan''s soul imprint was also registered in that artifact. When a family member dies, the Patriarch can see the skill the enemy used to kill our family member. If you guys use any Priest-rted skills or your other attack skills, it will expose our schemes in seconds."


    "But Erwin won''t get caught?" Lawrence raised his eyebrows in confusion and looked at the Radiant Inquisitor deeply.


    ''From what I''ve gathered, this guy is just an average Inquisitor with no family background. If I''m not wrong, his family came from the far south a few decades ago and settled in Sacred Empire.''


    A crafty smile appeared on Victor''s face.


    "Erwin, show them your sword skill." He turned his gaze towards Erwin and ordered.


    "Yes, My Lord." Erwin nodded as he unsheathed his sword and suddenly disappeared from there.


    Before Lawrence could blink, Erwin appeared behind him and pointed his sword tip at his back.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It all happened in two seconds, which caused Lawrence and Magnus to widen their eyes in shock.


    "Sword skill! Does he know a sword skill? Moreover, it''s not an average skill but a powerful one!" Magnus said in a shocked tone.


    "That skill... Teleportation? No, I didn''t feel any spatial elemental energy. If I sensed any spatial energy maniption, I could''ve reacted in time and cast [Sacred Shield] spell." Lawrence said in an astonished tone and continued toment.


    "Sword skills are even rare in arge family like yours. Although I don''t know how Erwin got a hold of such a powerful technique, it''s enough to make him stand out among the same Rank Mystics."


    "Yes. Anyway, I''ll tell you more details about Ronan." Saying so, Victor continued exining Ronan''s daily routine and other details.


    After thirty minutes of discussion, they finally decided to assassinate Ronan tomorrow.


    "But you seem to be taking much risk, Victor. If we fail to kill him, things might get moreplicated for you in the family." Magnus said as they were about to disperse the secret meeting.


    "I know, my friend. But I must go to the Star Tomb this time." Victor''s tone was firm.


    Lawrence noticed something strange about his current activities and soon widened his eyes as he thought of something.


    "You found something therest time but couldn''t get your hands on it?"


    On the other hand, Victor didn''t hide anything and gave them a vague answer.


    "Yes. I found something that could change my fate and help me enter the realm of Legends and be Rank-6 [Dream Lord]."


    "No wonder you dare to take risks," Lawrence said with a nod and sighed.


    Upon noticing his sigh, Victor raised his eyebrows and asked.


    "What happened? You seem unhappy. You don''t like me entering the realm of Legends?" He said jokingly.


    "Nah. Unlike you, I need to contribute significantly to the Church of Order if I want to Rank Up and be a Rank-5 [Cardinal]. Even if I be a Cardinal, my strength won''t be as strong as an average rank-5 powerhouse." Lawrence said with a bitter smile.


    "Why not focus on your other ss? Unlike me, you also chose to walk on the path of dual-ss mystic, right? If I''m not wrong, you are a [Ranger] ss mystic before joining the Church 300 years ago, right?" This time, Magnus interjected.


    "Humph. I was too naive back then. Thinking that it would be easier to rank up in a matter of a century in both sses and be a Legendary Powerhouse. The reason I joined the Order Church is actually to extend my lifespan. I''m already 830 years old and only have around 200 years left to live. Although I became a Rank-4 [Hawkeye] more than three hundred years ago, I''ve reached a bottleneck just after ranking up."


    After hearing Lawrence''s words, Victor fell into deep silence and finally thought of an idea.


    "Although it''s improper, can you tell me about your skills? I will look into my family library and learn how to master the [Bowman] ss skills."


    Archbishop Lawrence''s face brightened up as he heard Victor''s reassuring words.


    "My skills are Eagle Eyes, Absolute Stealth, and Master Marksmanship. Although Eagle Eye allows me to see even small insects miles away, I don''t know how to use it to aim the arrow perfectly. Whenever I used my bow and locked my target using [Eagle Eyes] skill, I couldn''t even hit arge target. Also, my absolute stealth became useless after bing a [Priest] ss mystic. My height increased up to seven feet, and I also got muscr. With this sturdy body, I''m more suitable to be a Warrior ss Mystic." Michael finally shook his head and continued.


    "That''s why I''m now focusing on increasing my lifespan by bing a Cardinal sooner."

 Chapter 607 Assassination

    ?


    Chapter 607: Assassination


    Victor was surprised by his bold idea and soon found another problem.


    "But all four Cardinals'' positions are firm within the Church of Order, right? Unless someone dies, you won''t get an opportunity to be a Cardinal."


    "Well, Victor," Lawrence began with a sly smile, "while it''s true that the positions of Cardinals within the Church of Order are typically considered quite secure, there might just be a way to create an opportunity for myself."


    Intrigued, Victor leaned in closer, his eyes fixed on Lawrence, urging him to continue.


    "You see," Lawrence continued, "while the death of a Cardinal would indeed create a vacancy, it''s not the only way for a new Cardinal to be appointed. The Pope, who has the ultimate authority in appointing Cardinals, can also choose to elevate individuals based on their merits, achievements, or even as a strategic move to shape the Church''s future direction."


    Victor''s surprise turned into curiosity. "So, you''re saying you have a chance to be a Cardinal without waiting for a vacancy?"


    Lawrence nodded. "Indeed, Victor. It''s rare but possible. If I can demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities, show a deep understanding of Church doctrine, and make significant contributions to the Church, I may catch the attention of the Pope. Remember, the Church values Money, Reputation, and, most importantly, the ''Chosen Ones.'' What will happen if I present the Pope with the gift of ''Five'' chosen ones in one go?"


    "Champion Souls?! All Churches have been searching for these unique souls all over the World but only found quite a few. The reason they established an orphanage in every vige all over the World is also to keep in check on the mortals. But even after all this research, they only managed to find a few. Even our Church of Order has only seven now, while the Church of Truth has five. The same goes for all other churches in our World." Victor went silent for a second and added.


    "If what you said is true, you might even gain a favor from our Lord and get a special privilege." After all, Victor knew how important Chosen Ones were to the Churches and became more curious about how he managed to get his hand on them.


    At that moment, Magnus suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "I forgot to ask something. But did you find out anything about who assassinated Bishop y?"


    "Unfortunately, no. But I know this is an insider''s work." Lawrence heaved a deep sigh and continued.


    "I handled this matter to Deacon Smith. So, we might get some results by the end of tomorrow." While speaking, he took out a pocket watch and checked the time.


    "It''s gettingte. Let''s meet at Mari Inn around 7 A.M. Afterward; we will proceed with the n and carry out our assassination."


    "Right!" Magnus nodded his head and then added jokingly.


    "Instead of wearing shady clothes, disguise yourself as someone else ande without attracting anyone this time."


    "Humph, you should think of a method to cover your shining mountain head. Otherwise, the whole city will recognize you roaming in disguise."


    "Don''t you dare! Tsk, I''m leaving." The elderly man Magnus let out a snort and hurriedly walked towards the chamber''s exit.


    After that, Lawrence, Erwin, and Victor also bid farewell and dispersed from there.


    ...


    As nned, Lawrence, Magnus, Erwin, and Victor gathered at Mari Inn the next day. The Inn was a cozy establishment known for its discreet and private atmosphere, making it an ideal meeting ce for discussions of sensitive matters.


    Lawrence arrived first, dressed in simple attire that allowed him to blend in with themon folk. He sat near the window, his eyes scanning the room as he waited for the others to arrive. He had meticulously nned every detail of their operation, and now it was time to set their n into motion.


    Erwin was the next to arrive, his tall figure towering over the crowd as he approached Lawrence''s table. Despite his imposing presence, he wore a cloak that concealed his features, ensuring that he remained inconspicuous. He greeted Lawrence with a nod and took a seat across from him.


    A few minutester, Victor and Magnus entered the Inn together. Magnus had taken Lawrence''s advice to heart and had covered his bald head with a hat, effectively disguising his distinct appearance. They joined Lawrence and Erwin at the table, and the group began discussing the final details of their mission.


    Lawrence unfolded a map of the city, marked with various points of interest and strategic locations. He pointed to a spot out of the city wall.


    "Our objective is to eliminate Ronan quietly and swiftly," Lawrence exined, his voice low and filled with wisdom power, making it impossible to reach any outsider''s ears.


    "Ronan would asionally hunt in the Northern Woods, so you should assassinate him in the woods. He also got a mission from Elder Council today to eliminate some thieves near Rar Vige." Victor spoke.


    Erwin leaned forward, his voice equally determined. "Our best opportunity will be when he is tired and rtively vulnerable during his return journey."


    "No. We''ve to make it quick. Although patience is good regarding the assassination, we can''t dy. After all, variables are bound to happen when we wait." Magnus shook his head in disapproval.


    After some discussion, Lawrence, Erwin, and Magnus stood up and quietly left, leaving Victor alone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''All that''s left for me to do is wait for the good news.'' Victor nodded inwardly and soon left the Inn.


    ...


    It was around 10 A.M.


    A strange human with scarlet wings flew from the sky and soon stopped above a dense forest. He calmly scanned the surroundings and soon saw a familiar city.


    "I didn''t expect I would get lost after returning to Edhen World," Charles muttered.


    "But still, I didn''tnd on the other side of the Edhen." He let out a chuckle as he gazed at the Holy City of Sacred Empire and soon released his ''wisdom power'' to the surroundings.


    In a split moment, his wisdom power covered more than 100 km of surroundings, allowing him to perceive what was happening. Although he wasn''t powerful enough to notice every detail, he saw some interesting things happening in many areas.


    ''Thieves are ransacking a vige... A Rank-2 Magical Beast is chasing a pair of beauties... Some moron is singing in the middle of the forest... A Shadow Panther is waiting in the tree branch... Three guys are attacking a young man...? Assassination? Wait, Silver Stab skill? Erwin?'' Charles instantly got curious about what they were up to and disappeared from there.


    He appeared more than 500 meters above them a secondter and calmly watched the assassination.


    Although the young man tried his best to heal his wound and battled against three skilled assassins, Erwin suddenly appeared behind him and ambushed him.


    Like when Erwin stabbed Charles, he made a simr attack and killed him in a blink.


    After that, the trio erased their trails and disappeared from there.


    Charles watched everything like a spectacle and slowly descended from the sky.


    A few secondster, hended beside the dead body, changed himself into elemental form, and entered the Astral Realm.


    The next instant, he saw a young man, in his soul form, looking at his corpse in rage and anger.


    "Why? I didn''t do anything wrong! Why did they kill me?" His voice echoed in the astral realm.


    "Maybe you offended someone and got in someone''s way?" Charles spoke while squatting behind the young man and transforming into his soul form.


    Surprised, the young man turned around and stared at Charles. His foggy eyes showed curiosity and shock.


    "You can enter this mysterious astral realm? Who are you? A Necromancer?" He asked stiffly.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and spoke casually.


    "I''m a Mage. On my way to the Holy City, I saw something interesting and decided toe here and check." He paused for a moment and asked.


    "Do you know Erwin Davis? He is one of the assassins who killed you just now."


    Upon hearing those words, Ronan widened his eyes in shock and almost shouted in rage.


    "Damn it! It''s Victor, after all! I shouldn''t have listened to Elder Aurelius and epted the mission to enter the Star Tombs! I served the Hawthorne family more than 400 years like a servant, but all I got in return was nothing but empty words!"


    ''Hawthorne family?'' Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise and decided to gather more info.


    "You are a servant of the Hawthorne Family? What kind of family is it?"


    At that moment, Ronan stopped talking to himself and gave him a strange nce.


    "Before that, what will happen to me? Can you please save me, Mage?"


    ''He sure is calm even after his death. It should be expected after living for hundreds of years, though.'' Charles didn''t want to give this youngster and spoke truthfully.


    "Your soul''s connection with the body had long severed. You can''t return alive unless someone casts a legendary ''Resurrection'' spell and reattachs the link. As for your first question, your soul will soon enter the Divine Kingdom or the Eternal River of Life. Although I don''t know what will happen to the souls who enter God''s divine kingdom, I do know some information about the Eternal River of Life-" Before he could finish speaking, a strange eerie ck shadow suddenly appeared behind Ronan''s soul form.

 Chapter 608 Fortune Hidden In The Disasters

    ?


    Chapter 608: Fortune Hidden in the Disasters


    While cloaked in darkness, the strange figure appeared more like a skeleton and held a strange scythe. Its skeletal frame was visible through the tattered robes that draped around it. The robe was ck as night, seemingly absorbing all light that dared to touch its fabric, giving the being an ethereal and otherworldly presence.


    ''Grim Reaper?!'' Charles''s face stiffened. It was the first time he had seen such a being roaming in the Astral Realm, and was deeply startled.


    The Reaper''s hood obscured its face, leaving only a void of darkness where the featured should be. Within the depths of the hood, two glimmering pinpricks of light, like cold stars, burned with an icy intensity. These eyes held mystery as if they had witnessed the passing of countless souls throughout the ages.


    Long, bony fingers extended from the sleeves of the robe, the skeletal structure a haunting reminder of mortality. On the one hand, the Reaper held a scythe, symbolizing the inevitable end. The de of the scythe was sharp and gleaming, capable of severing the thread of life with a single stroke. It glinted with an eerie luminosity as if infused with the essence of the souls it had imed.


    As the Grim Reaper moved, its steps were silent, as if it was merely a spectre drifting between realms. An aura of stillness and foreboding surrounded it, causing the air to chill and his heart to race. Time stopped as if the Reaper existed outside the bounds of mortal perception.


    Once the Grim Reaper arrived closer to Ronan, it casually grabbed his soul and turned it into a small white bead in a blink!


    After that, it suddenly turned its attention towards Charles and tilted its skeletal head.


    "You aren''t supposed to be here." It spoke inher tongue.


    Before Charles could reply, it suddenly raised its scythe and shed at him.


    Thankfully, Charles reacted in time and turned into his elemental form, leaving the Astral realm hurrying.


    "A mortal capable of passing the Astral boundary?" It muttered before turning around and disappearing from there.


    On the other hand, Charles reappeared in the Physical World and felt a strange tingling sensation in the depth of his soul.


    Without even checking, he had already known that it was due to himing close to his death just a moment ago. Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead as he finally managed to calm down.


    "That being''s strength is too abnormal and scary. If I hadn''t left the Astral Realm, that grim Reaper might havepletely killed me.'' He drew a deep breath and decided to leave the woods first.


    ''But why did it turn Ronan''s soul into a white bead? Could it be this Grim Reaper is the one who manages souls?'' A question arose in his head.


    ''I should ask Rh about it when I return to Rebirth Tower.'' He thought to himself.


    After that, he covered his body with a ck hood and started walking deep into the woods.


    Yes, he still had one more job to do.


    That was to find a good identity to conceal himself in this city for a while.


    Although he wanted to use Ronan''s identity to infiltrate the Hawthorne family and learn more about the past foreign gods'' invasion, he felt it was not worth taking the risk now.


    ''I want to find a peaceful ce and focus onprehending the ''Rebirth Essences'' and the ''Chaos Fire'' essence. And choosing Ronan''s identity will only bring troubles. I need not experience or information about the past but a peaceful atmosphere and time to improve my spells.'' His vision broadened considerably after talking with Abium and learning more about Fire Pathway.


    ''I thought Brooks and all other Destiny Conqueror members were peak legendary-level powerhouses, but I was wrong. I have observed that none of them evenprehended around 10 Fire Laws. If they had achieved that feat, they would be powerful enough to squash me like a bug.'' But there was something else that bothered him a little.


    ''Genesis, does the Dice of Disasters has the ability to bring not only disasters but also a hidden fortune?'' He couldn''t help but ask as he recalled the ''Chaos'' fire deep in the meteorite.


    [Insufficient information, Host!] An instant response came, causing his lips to twitch.


    ''I''ve some quick questions. Are you the ''Will of Dice of Disaster'' or the ''Will of System Cube'' artifact created by Abium?'' He asked while observing the surroundings through his wisdom power and saw more than 1000 people roaming in the Northern Woods.


    Some were picking herbs, some were attacking magical beasts in groups, and a few were scouting the surroundings.


    While Charles was searching for a suitable target, Genesis began to speak in his mind.


    [I''m both, Host. Although I have the ''Will of the Dice of Disaster,'' my soul was formed due to the presence of ''System Cube.'' Not only that, a few outside powers like ''Wisdom,'' ''Time,'' and ''Luck'' helped me mature rapidly and be a unique existence in the universe.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Even though you are a ''Will of the Dice of Disaster,'' you don''t know how the ability works?'' Charles still felt something was off and asked.


    At the same time, he found a young kid surrounded by a group of silver-armored guards hunting a Rank-2 Magical Beast and instantly frowned.


    ''All the guards are only around Rank-2 while this young teenage boy is just a Rank-1 [Swordsman] ss Mystic. Aren''t they courting death? Moreover, why are they keeping the young boy vulnerable?'' As he was mumbling, Genesis answered him.


    [Indeed, Host. I can''t find any information about the ''Disaster'' ability to bring fortunes.]


    ''Tsk, forget it.'' He shook his head and decided to check it during the next disaster.


    In truth, Charles always found it suspicious why Goddess Myxenta created this ''Dice of Disaster'' artifact.


    ''Unlike other Miracle Gold coins, which can bring fortunes to the users, this artifact does the opposite. Will a powerful Goddess who sacrificed her soul to create these Miracle Gold coins do something stupid like creating an artifact of destruction?'' From what he had learned about her, she seemed to be on the very good side, which caused him to think more deeply.


    ''I thought of using this Miracle Gold Coin''s ability to harm great damage to my enemies and benefit from it. But the appearance of ''Chaos Fire'' hidden in the meteorite changed my thoughtspletely. If my spection is right, every disaster is more like a mission. The harder the mission, the more fruitful the reward will be.'' Although his current guess might bepletely wrong, he didn''t mind checking it out next time.


    While thinking, he had already arrived much closer to the area where the young boy and tens of guards were battling a Rank-2 Magical Beast and activated the ''Conceal'' skill on himself.


    The thing that they were battling against was a unique Magical Beast called ''Dread Marauder.''


    Standing at a towering height of over 4 meters, the Dread Marauder was hulking and muscr, with bulging veins visible beneath its thick, leathery skin. Its grotesque appearance was entuated by mottled and darkened flesh, which hinted at its dark and sinister nature. Jagged scars and tattered remnants of clothing drape its body, bearing testimony to past battles and encounter with unfortunate victims.


    The Marauder''s facial features were twisted and deformed, disying a menacing grin that exposed rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its eyes, glowing with an evil crimson hue, reflected a sadistic hunger for pain and suffering. Thick, matted hair cascaded down its broad shoulders, adding to its intimidating presence.


    Although the guards tried their best to use siege-type skills and made it unmovable for some moments, it soon broke free from the siege and threw off more than three people in the air. Before the guards could regain their position, it activated its bloodline '' Blood Charge'' ability and rammed into the fallen guards.


    Thankfully, all the guards managed to evade the fatal blow by using their defense skills and backed away from Dread Marauder.


    On the other hand, Dread Marauder turned around with its bloodthirsty look and let out a roar.


    Simultaneously, it activated the second bloodline ability and covered its body in reddish color.


    Upon seeing the sudden change in the monster''s body, the guard captain curled his lips upward.


    Hurriedly, he turned his gaze towards the right side and spoke.


    "As I thought, it isn''t an average Rank-2 Magical Beast but a mutated one, Young master. As long as we kill this, Lord Baron will recognize your merit and might award you with some artifact." He spoke like a scammer trying to coax a naive man and added.


    "While we use the siege skill again, find a way to strike the red scar on its chest region. It''s the weak point of Dread Marauder-"


    But before finishing his words, he noticed that the young master was nowhere to be seen!


    "That cunning motherf*cker! He escaped silently?" He cursed loudly and signaled his teammates to back away.


    "It seems he noticed our n to make him fight this monster head-on." The guard beside him whispered in a low voice.


    "Humph. So what if he noticed? He is only a fourth child of Baron Cedric and also a child of a maid. It''s so foolish of him to think that Lord Baron would favor him if he managed to y some Rank-2 Magical Beast and Rank-1 Magical Beasts with a few guards. Back off, everyone! We should go back and report what happened here to everyone. After this incident, the Silvercrest family will only have three heirs." A cold smirk appeared on the Guard Captain''s face.


    "What about young master?" Another guard asked in anxiety.


    "We are only in the outer region, so he will be alright. Even if he gets eaten by a magical beast, Lord Baron won''t give a damn about that peasant. In truth, he finds this kid''s presence very bothersome after his mother''s death." The guard captain spoke calmly and quietly, backed away from the Dread Marauder''s territory.


    ...

 Chapter 609 Zephyr

    ?


    Chapter 609: Zephyr


    As the guards cautiously retreated from the borders of the Northern Woods, a youth with a shock of blonde hair, approximately fifteen years of age, darted with urgency into the heart of the forest. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt halt; his gaze fixated on an enigmatic disturbance in the distance. Standing at about 160 cm, he possessed aplexion of fair hues, deep emerald eyes, an unremarkable physique, and a hawk nose.


    "Oh no! A magical beast?" Cursing under his breath, he sought refuge behind the sturdy trunk of a nearby tree, cautiously unsheathing his long sword. With both hands tightly gripping the hilt, he drew a deep breath, attempting to steady his racing heart.


    Simultaneously, the entity lurking several meters away from the young boy also became aware of his presence and began advancing toward him. Through the mirrored reflection of his sword, the young boy caught a glimpse of the beast''s distinctive form and nearly let out an astonished gasp.


    The creature stood at an imposing height of approximately three meters, disying humanoid characteristics. Its single eye resembled a gleaming, bluish gem, while its body exuded a bulky, fatty appearance. In its hand, it clutched an unsettlingly strange club, adding to the sense of impending danger.


    Unperturbed by the obstacles in its path, the Corrupt Giant effortlessly tore through vines and vegetation, its snout raised as it sniffed the air, seeking its prey.


    With a sinking feeling of despair, the young man closed his eyes briefly, realization washing over him.


    "It''s a Corrupt Giant," he murmured, a sense of hopelessness creeping into his thoughts.


    But before he could think of a way to escape this situation, the Corrupt Giant suddenly raised its club and directly smashed it at the tree trunk.


    In a blink, the wooden club broke the three into it and smashed the young boy''s body.


    Like a wooden block, his body was flung to the right side and crashed onto a rock.


    If he were a normal person, he would''ve died on the spot and gone into smithereens. But thankfully, his strengthened body managed to withstand the impact and barely kept him alive.


    His breath turned rougher while his feet and hands went numb.


    ''This is the end, huh?'' A whisper crept out of his mouth, followed by a strange darkness.


    s, he gritted his teeth and tried to grasp the sword hilt in his hand.


    Indeed, he still hadn''t loosened his sword grip and appeared determined.


    Watching this from the shadows, Charles couldn''t help but get impressed.


    "You have a good heart,d. I''ll save you once." He quietly walked out of the tree shadow, conjured a ball of greenish-blue me, and tossed it on the young boy''s chest.


    A secondter, the soul fire enveloped him, and started healing all the wounds at an incredible speed.


    At the same time, Charles turned his gaze toward the towering humanoid Giant and snapped his fingers.


    The next moment, the whole Giant was enveloped in a crimson me and burning fiercely. Although it desperately tried to escape, the fire burned the Giant and killed it in seconds.


    After killing the Corrupt Giant, Charles turned his gaze towards the young man and walked towards him.


    "What''s your name, kid?" He asked, smilingly.


    "I-I''m Zephyr Silvercrest, Mister Mage." He said while standing up unsteadily and hurriedly bowing his head.


    "Thank you for saving my life, Sir!"


    He paused momentarily while cautiously looking at the fallen Giant and asked.


    "Is it truly dead, Sir?"


    "Yes. You don''t have to worry about it." Charles waved his hand and probed him.


    "So, what are you going to do now? Do you want me to escort you back to the Holy City?"


    Meanwhile, Zephyr made a forced smile and shook his head.


    "T-There is no one there for me, Sir. My mom died a month ago, and then everything changed. My father-" He gritted his teeth in anger and continued.


    "That man didn''t evene to bury my mother and just sent some guards to do the funeral work. But I thought it was due to the noble''s reputation and followed my mother''s advice to work under him. At first, he talked nicely and even gave me a Swordsman ss gem. But after his fight with his first wife, I noticed he started to distance himself from me. But suddenly, he visited me a few days ago and promised I would be given a chance to be his heir."


    "But he asked you to prove your worth, huh?" Charles instantly saw through that Baron''s n.


    "Y-Yes. As long as I can earn some contribution, he promised to give me the position of an adviser and will also tell everyone that I''m his fourth son. That''s when a guard suggested me something. He said I might get equal respect as Baron''s other sons if I achieve something big like killing a few Rank-2 magical beasts. But after we entered the woods, I started to learn that all those guards were trying their best to harm me secretly. Before fighting the ''Dread Marauder,'' we killed more than 3 Rank-1 Magical Beasts and another Rank-2 Magical Beast. s, the Guard Captain and other guards kept saying these weren''t enough to make Baron Recognize my achievement and push me into the corner. That''s when I realized their true goal and decided to escape."


    "So, what''s your n?" Charles folded his hands and asked.


    "I-I don''t know, Sir. But I n on going to some vige andying low for a while. After some months, I''ll travel to other ces and try to survive alone." Zephyr said while lowering his head.


    In truth, it was just a random idea that came to his mind then.


    ''But I don''t know how to get out of this forest. I also have no money to survive.'' At that moment, he suddenly looked at the Corrupt Giant and asked with some hesitation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Can I take the Corrupt Giant''s magic stone, Sir? If I meet you in the future, I''ll return it."


    An amusing smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "You are smart but also a naive child." He quietly removed his old space ring and transferred all important items to Professor''s space ring.


    After that, he took out a pouch full of normal gold coins used in the southern kingdoms, one Sacred Gold Coin, and a few Silvers and stored them in the space ring. Then, he erased his spirit imprint and gave it to Zephyr.


    "I''ll give you this ring as my gift. From now on, you are a student of Rebirth Tower." Saying so, he took out a normal gold coin and imprinted a small part of his ''Will'' into it.


    He also infused some rebirth me into it and made the whole coin appear to be made of moltenva.


    "Go to the Iron Kingdom in the far south and find a way to enter the Tower of Rebirth. Once you enter the Tower, take out this coin and say, "Zera." After that, the Tower Spirit will take care of rest." Saying so, Charles gave the imprinted gold coin and added.


    "Don''t ever lose it, okay? Although the amount I kept in this ring isn''trge, it will be enough for you to travel to the southern kingdom by carriage."


    After that, he stealthily took a drop of Zephyr''s blood from the nearby leaves and made an identity imprint.


    "For safety purposes, you should also take a fewmon Magic Stones with you," Charles said before moving towards the fallen Corrupt Giant and dismantling the corpse.


    After a minute of searching, he finally found a pure whitish crystal the size of his thumb finger and gave it to Zephyr.


    For the next few hours, Charles roamed through the Northern Woods, killed more than a dozen Rank-2 Magical Beasts, and gave all of them to Zephyr.


    What surprised Charles was that Zephyr knew a lot about magical beasts and even told him which parts were precious for making potions and artifacts.


    While listening to his words, Charles also asked about Zephyr''s personal history, family members, and even histe mother. Although Zephyr was confused by his question, he didn''t mind telling his sad past.


    Once, he got so emotional and cried non-stop for a while.


    On the other hand, Charles kept listening to his words and memorized every detail. Not only that, but he also asked ''Genesis'' to start gathering all information about Baron Cedric and his family members.


    Around 1 P.M, he finally told Zephyr that it was time for them to part away and calmly grabbed Zephyr''s shoulder.


    Before Zephyr could understand, he cast [me Teleportation] spell and brought him away from there.


    Zephyr only saw a blur before noticing that both were hovering in mid-air!


    "I-I feel nausea-"


    Before he could say those words, he saw the surroundings twisted eerily.


    After a few times of teleportation, he brought Zephyr out of Sacred Empire and put him near a small town known as ''Night Fort.'' It was a border town between Sacred Empire and another small kingdom called ''Goldencrown.''


    After telling him to be wary of thieves and scammers, Charles quietly disappeared and soon returned to the Sacred Empire.


    It was around 4 P.M.


    Charles reappeared in the Northern Woods again, quietly activated the identity imprint, and shape-shifted himself into a blonde-haired young boy.


    After that, he mimicked his voice and changed his cloth into an average-quality ones.


    "Next is to adjust my strength." He calmly closed his eyes and adjusted his body to that of a Rank-2 Mystic.


    "I can''t go empty-handed to Silvercrest mansion." He released his'' wisdom power'' and scanned the surroundings.


    Surprisingly, he saw the ''Dread Marauder'' snoring under a tall tree and decided to hunt it.


    As he walked closer to the Magical Beast, it woke up and tried to attack him.


    s, Charles raised his fingers, cast [Finger of Destruction] spell, and made a hole through its head.


    After that, he took a sharp silver knife from his space ring and started tearing the hardened skin.


    "From what Zephyr told me earlier, Despair Marauder''s eyes are very important for making potions. He also said its skins can be sold at a good price in the market. But I can only take a part of its skin to not expose me possessing a spatial ring." Muttering, he got into work and first skilfully took out its eyes. After that, he put it in a ss bottle and put them in a small leather bag.


    After that, he cut the skin into the perfect size and took a small part. At the same time, he also took out the Magic Stone from its heart region and noticed that its size was almost as big as his fist!


    ''It''s almost the size of Perfect Crystal.'' After that, he pulled out the magical beast''s teeth, fangs, and heart and even extracted some of its blood into a small ss container.


    Once hepletely gathered all the precious materials, he put them in a separate leather bag and put it over his shoulder.


    Then, he turned around and started walking toward the Holy City.

 Chapter 610 Baron Cedric

    ?


    Chapter 610: Baron Cedric


    A fair-haired adolescent boy, approximately 15 years of age, casually strolled along the bustling thoroughfare, eventually reaching a shop called ''Myriad Smith.'' d in an ordinary linen garment, he wrapped a ck cloth around his head, exuding the appearance of an average youthmonly encountered in both the Western and Eastern Borough.


    He shouldered a worn leather satchel at that moment, disying signs of fatigue and weariness.


    Noticing his arrival, a brawny-looking male shopkeeper sized him up and down and asked in a rough voice.


    "What do you want,d? If you aren''t here to buy anything, scram." His tone was harsh.


    "I''m here to sell," Charles said without minding his cold look and calmly took out a 15 cm long ckish tooth.


    "Hmm? A Magic Beast''s tooth? Dread Marauder''s tooth? It is also a mature one." The shopkeeper inspected the tooth in mere seconds and hurriedly invited him into the shop.


    Charles didn''t say another word and calmly followed him.


    As Charles stepped into the dimly lit interior of the shop, he found himself surrounded by an eclectic assortment of swords, spears, shields, and peculiar weapons. Shelves lined with curious trinkets and shelves stacked with many unique magical materials created an atmosphere of mystery and enchantment.


    As he looked around, the shopkeeper took a monocle from the nearby drawer and asked.


    "Where did you get this thing, kid? If you tell me the location, I''ll buy this tooth at 20 Silvers."


    Charles showed a cocky smile and slowly put down the baggage on the table.


    "I hunted it." He said and opened the baggage, revealing all the stored materials inside.


    Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper let a shocking gasp and soon gave him a deep look.


    "You don''t look strong, though." He said before shaking his head.


    "It doesn''t matter." Saying so, he inspected every item and finally spoke.


    "Although you brought some good stuff, your dismantling skill is the worst. The eyes have many scratches, the skins are not cut in line, and even blood extraction is done poorly. I''ll take everything wholesale for 750 Silver coins. Even though the items are below average, many alchemists will only buy it at half price."


    Charles knew this man was lying to make more profit but didn''t mind.


    "Okay. But I want a good sword aspensation for ripping me off. After all, even the damaged eyes will sell for 400 silvers. Not only that, all twenty teeth, skin, fangs, and blood will sell for 1 Sacred Gold coin without any problem." He said with a smirk.


    "Tsk, so you indeed know the market value of these items." The shopkeeper finally realized this young man was ying him and admitted his defeat.


    "I lost. Take any good sword on the second shelf. Each one cost no less than 500 silvers." He said before putting all the dismantled items in a separate box.


    On the other hand, Charles used his faceless eye and checked every sword''s information.


    After a short search, he finally found a reddish ''Scimitar'' made of a hard metal called ''Red Rock.''


    ...


    [Name: Moonfire


    Item: Weapon (Red Rock)


    Rank: Rare


    Durability: 650/650


    Weapon Skill: Dash (Once/Day).]


    ...


    The de of the Scimitar bore a rich crimson hue reminiscent of moltenva flowing through the veins of the earth. Its surface was adorned with intricate etchings and patterns that seemed to flicker and dance like mes, further enhancing its enigmatic allure.


    ''A simple rare weapon costs 640 silvers.'' He picked up the Scimitar and a sheath without a second thought and walked toward the front reception desk.


    At that moment, the shopkeeper had already put the silvers in a leather pouch and gave it to him.


    "You''ve good eyes,d. Suppose you managed to hunt any simr Magical Beasts, feel free toe here. I''ll buy it at the market price." The shopkeeper said with a polite smile.


    "I''ll think about it," Charles nodded his head, took the empty baggage, and quietly walked out of the smithy.


    Silently, he reached into his baggage, extracting additional skins of the Dread Marauder from his space ring before carefully stowing them away. With that done, he hailed a modest wooden carriage and traveled towards the heart of the Central Borough, where the Silvercrest family mansion was.


    Within minutes, the four-wheeled carriage stopped before the grand entrance of the three-story mansion. The ornate iron gates marked the threshold of a world steeped in opulence and intrigue. Stepping down from the carriage, Charles settled the carriage fees with the coachman, offering a nod of gratitude, before proceeding purposefully towards thepound gate.


    Upon noticing his approach, the gatekeeper showed confusion and a shocked look and hurriedly bowed.


    "G-Greetings, Young Master."


    Even though Zephyr''s mother was amoner, he was still a child of Baron Cedric and a part of the Silvercrest Household.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So, the gatekeeper didn''t even try to say anything against him and hurriedly opened thepound gate.


    On the other hand, Charles calmly waved his hand and entered the yard, filled with ornamental nts and flowers.


    As Charles walked through the well-manicured yard, he inhaled the sweet fragrance of the flowers that filled the air. The meticulously maintained gardens were a testament to the wealth and care bestowed upon the Silvercrest estate.


    Reaching the mansion''s main entrance, Charles was greeted by the imposing figure of the butler.


    ''He must be Butler Nigel.'' He guessed.


    In a crisp ck suit, the middle-aged man''s stoic expression softened slightly upon seeing Charles.


    ''Butler Nigel was the only person who was nice to Zypher in this mansion house.''


    "Wee back, Young Master Zypher," Mr. Nigel said, his voice carrying an air of formality. "Your father has been eagerly awaiting your return."


    It was, of course, a lie to make Zypher feel not down.


    Charles nodded, acknowledging the butler''s words.


    "I''ll go and meet him now," Charles said while carrying the worn-out baggage.


    "B-But why don''t you take a bath and change your clothing, Young Master? Meeting him with this outfit might leave a bad impression on Lord Baron." Nigel suggested.


    "No need for that. I''m not going to meet Lord Baron but my father." Charles''s cold voice echoed through the entrance as he entered the mansion.


    At that moment, not only Butler Nigel but even a few guards and maids, who had been overhearing their conversation, felt something changed about the usual timid boy.


    Passing through the grand entrance, Charles found himself in the opulent foyer adorned with marble columns, intricate chandeliers, andvish tapestries. His footsteps echoed through the spacious hall as he approached the main living quarters and went to the second floor through the split staircase. Then, he stepped into the left side hallway and soon arrived before the office room.


    He calmly raised his right hand and knocked it twice.


    "Who is it?" A rough yet gentle voice came from the other side, causing Charles to raise his eyebrows.


    "It''s me, Zypher." Charles didn''t even call him ''father'' and said rudely.


    A strange silence appeared for five seconds, followed by a deep sigh.


    "Come in," Finally, Baron Cedric responded.


    Meanwhile, Charles kept his eyes cold, grabbed the doorknob before turning it downward, and opened the door.


    Upon entering the study room, Charles finally saw Zephyr''s father, Lord Cedric Silvercrest.


    He was a man in his sixties, with hair that had turned grey over the years, a face that showed subtle lines of age, aplexion that bore the fairness of his skin, and a pair of brown eyes entuated by his extended eyebrows. He adorned a ck surcoat over his elegant attire in that particr instant, appearing engrossed in writing with a traditional wooden quill.


    Even after Charles entered the room, he didn''t nce at him and continued to write.


    ''This guy sure looks down on this kid.''


    "I''m back, Father."


    Cedric stopped writing and looked at Charles with a cold gaze.


    "Guard Captain Keh said you ran away during the fight against a magical beast and almost caused the whole squad to get annihted. Is it true?"


    "They tried to harm me by putting me in a harmful position multiple times, Father-"


    "You always call me Lord Baron and never even dare to look into my eyes straight. But now you are not only calling me father casually, but you are also even talking back. Who permits you to speak?" Sharp words came out of Baron Cedric''s mouth, causing Charles''s lips to twitch.


    ''This guy is so arrogant.'' Charles shook his head before walking towards the table and putting the baggage on the table.


    "What do you think are you doing?" Baron Cedric''s face darkened at his rude behavior.


    Charles sighed and calmly added while taking a few steps back.


    "Look inside."


    Although Charles''s rude words slightly angered Baron Cedric, he controlled himself and opened the baggage.


    A secondter, he couldn''t help but let out a gasp as he saw the thick dark skin of a magical beast and also a fist-sized Magic stone!


    "A Perfect Magic Stone? No, although it still hasn''t reached perfect rank, its worth should be more than 20 Sacred Gold coins." After all, Magic Stones were always precious materials for Artisan ss Mystics and Alchemists.


    After taking a good look at the stone, he slowly turned his gaze toward his son and frowned.


    "Where did you steal it?" That was the next sentence that came out of his mouth.

 Chapter 611 Barons Apology

    ?


    Chapter 611: Baron''s Apology


    At that moment, Charles was pretty annoyed by Baron Cedric and instantly unsheathed his sword.


    A momentter, he stepped forward and suddenly shed his sword at the left side wooden cupboard.


    In a split second, his sword edges glowed in a sunshine color and cleaved the whole cupboard into two.


    "Intermediate-level sword aura? Y-You already reached Rank-2 [de Dancer] ss? Impossible! How did you get the ss gem?" Baron Cedric couldn''t believe his words.


    In truth, Charles covered the sword''s outer surface with hiswful fire and imitated the ''Intermediate Sword Aura'' to fool Baron''s eyes. With his Intermediate Dagger Arts, pulling off such a simple sword stance was easy for him.


    "You don''t believe me? Father, if you still don''t acknowledge me as your son, I''ll be willing to move away from Silvercrest Household and enroll in Radiant Academy."


    "You think Radiant Academy will open for everyone? Only geniuses will be able to get recognition-" He abruptly stopped there and realized how old his illegitimate son was.


    ''He is only 15 years old but already reached Second Rank Mystic. Not only that, he even somehow managed to y a peak level Rank-2 Magical Beast, which is almost unheard of. He could be a genius among geniuses in the whole city. Could it be someone helping him?'' Multiple thoughts whirled in his head.


    s, he became clear head in a second and decided not to lose such precious treasure. Among his other three sons, only his second son became a Rank-2 [Holy Knight] ss Mystic and had already be an official church member. s, he ranked up only at 35, which was average among mystics. As for his eldest and the third son, both were still stuck in Rank-1. That was why Baron decided to let his Eldest son inherit the Noble Title and make him a noble. At the same time, he also made a good path for his third child and let him be a merchant.


    It was all going well for his children until one of the maids he slept with became pregnant.


    What was worse was that she hid it in fear of Baron forcing her to abort the child, making things moreplicated.


    By the time he realized it, it was already toote.


    Before the news leaked, he arranged a small marriage ceremony and married her before making her his concubine.


    s, his first wife and other children didn''t like her and drove her out of the Silvercrest Household in a few months.


    Baron also didn''t chase after her and almost forgot about her and his illegitimate child.


    Although he asionally sent some money out of pity, he never went out and looked for her again.


    But a month ago, the news of her death arrived and caused him a headache.


    He also learned that his illegitimate son would be an orphan if left behind and decided to let him return to the mansion.


    After all, he was still a bit guilty about the past.


    He thought his wife and his children would''ve forgotten about the past and might give him some space to live in the mansion. But a big fight broke out between him and his first wife after he secretly gave him a ''de Wielder'' ss gem and made him a Rank-1 Mystic.


    The fight between husband and wife reached his father-inw''s ears and caused a greatmotion in Duke''s household. In truth, this Baron noble title itself was a dowry for marrying into Duke Eldrakar Household. So, he had no choice but to lower his head and listen to every word of Duke Eldrakar.


    At the end of the discussion, Duke forced him to sacrifice his illegitimate son if he wanted to retain his noble title andnd.


    Although Baron Cedric was a bit sad, he didn''t mind sacrificing his fourth son, whom he had no attachment.


    That''s why he made a small scheme to send him to the Northern Woods to die.


    ''s, things have be much moreplicated now.''


    If he had be a Rank-2 [Sword Dancer] Mystic at 35, like his second son, he would still try to think of a way to eliminate him.


    ''But the young boy standing before me has the potential even to be a Rank-5 Mystic! If he is nurtured properly, I might negotiate with Order Church to let him be a high-rank officer and rise to the position of Count.'' Greed appeared in his mind.


    After some thought, he decided to take things smoothly and spoke.


    "Zephyr, I apologize for not seeing your true potential and making your life miserable all this time. As an apology, I''ll give you the guest house located in West Borough. Although I still can''t make you the heir of the Silvercrest Family or give you my wealth, I''ll try my best to find a better position in Order Church and present you with a government position in the future."


    ''You don''t have a shame, do you?'' Charles gave him a cold look and sighed.


    Although he could make this man''s life miserable in a blink, his real goal was not to cause trouble and involve himself in any trouble.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I understand your concern and will dly ept your gift, Father," Charles said, bowing his head.


    "Good. You can go back and tell Nigel toe here. After I discuss something with him, he will bring you to the new house and help you with everything."


    "Yes, Father." Charles bowed his head and quietly walked out of the room.


    ''Thank goodness he didn''t find anything odd about me. No, I think he never really paid any attention to Zephyr in the past. Otherwise, he would''ve noticed something feels off about me and acted cautiously.'' He nodded inwardly and went downstairs before informing Butler Nigel about Baron Cedric''s order.


    On the other hand, Butler didn''t dy a single second and hurriedly ran to the second floor to look for Baron.


    Soon, he entered the study and bowed his head in greeting.


    "Nigel, I want you to go with Zephyr and help him stay in the guest house for now." He paused for a moment and then added in a low voice.


    "Also, send an invitation letter to Duke Eldrakar and invite him for another discussion." A cold look appeared on Baron Cedric''s face.


    "You finally changed your mind, My Lord?" A relieved smile appeared on his face.


    On the other hand, Baron Cedric leaned on the chair and spoke casually.


    "That kid has already be a Rank-2 Mystic. If he is nurtured properly, I can use him as my trump card and might increase my status."


    A trace of disappointment appeared on Nigel''s face as he heard those words. He knew how heartless Baron was to his illegitimate son but still felt angry inside.


    Unaware of Butler Nigel''s inner emotions, he let out a satisfyingugh and spoke.


    "I had no choice but to lower my head before Duke Eldrakar all this time. But now I have a precious treasure, so I will not let myself be a mere servant of the Duke Family from now onwards."


    "Humph, once Duke finds out that my fourth son has already be a Rank-2 Mystic, he will have no choice but to shut up."


    "M-My Lord, wouldn''t he get angry and try to eliminate the potential threat to control you?" Butler voiced his concern.


    "No. That man won''t go to that length..." He paused as he recalled his order to kill his illegitimate son only a few days ago and facepalmed.


    "He will try to assassinate him. Haa, tell Guard Captain Keh and his squad members to follow after Zephyr to West Borough and protect him at all costs. It will also be a punishment for not doing their job properly."


    "Guard Captain Keh? My Lord, I don''t think it''s a good idea-" Butler Nigel was about to oppose but soon shut his mouth as he saw Baron Cedric''s darkened face.


    "I''ve overstepped my bounds, My Lord. I''ll tell Captain Keh to get ready to move out." Butler let out a bitter smile and spoke.


    "You can go back now." Baron waved his hand and thought deeply about how he should exin everything to Duke Eldrakar.


    ''That man is already a Legend Powerhouse and could squash me like a bug if I overstep my bounds. On the other hand, I''m only a Rank-4 [Blood Warrior] ss Mystic and have no backing.'' He pondered for a while and soon decided to lower his head again.


    ''Although ruthless, he cares a lot about his other grandchildren. If I convince my wife and my other three sons, things will go smoothly.'' He muttered inwardly and started thinking of some excuse to convince his wife.


    ...


    On the other hand, Butler Nigel reunited with Charles at the mansion entrance and hurriedly brought him to the carriage house.


    Along the way, he met with a member of Keh''s team and told Baron Cedric''s new order for their team.


    Within a few minutes, arge wooden carriage engraved with a silver-wolf symbol left the Silvercrest Mansion and started moving towards the West Borough.


    A strange silence appeared inside the carriage as the carriage moved on the dirt road.


    After some time, Butler Nigel quietly removed the curtain cloth to look outside and asked in a low voice.


    "Do you hate Lord Baron, Young Master?"

 Chapter 612 New House

    ?


    Chapter 612: New House


    Charles raised his eyebrows and soon nodded.


    "I truly understand the reason for hating him, Young Master. But please understand that he is in a position where he can only take orders like a servant. Although he held the Noble position for namesake, he is a mere puppet."


    "Duke Eldrakar?" Charles had already known the rtionship between Baron Cedric and Duke Eldrakar and asked.


    "Yes, Young Master. Unlike your Father, he is a ruthless and narrow-minded person. Although your Father''s plea can save your life for a few more years, he will always see you as a thorn in his eyes. Be careful not to get near him at all costs." He paused for a moment and then spoke gravely.


    "If possible, try to enroll in Radiant Academy and be an elite student. That way, you can even avoid any assassination attempts."


    "Didn''t Father already send Guard Captain Keh and his team members to protect me?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    "That''s why I''m more concerned about your safety, Young Master. Although Lord Baron doesn''t know his true character, I know Keh very well. If someone pays some good amount, he will pay no heed to anything." Butler said in a solemn tone.


    "I''ll keep that in mind," Charles said with a nod and decided to make him be an obedient ve for him.


    ''I n on keeping a low profile and staying in this ce for the next two years. So, I need some good servants to do all the odd work. Although this Butler is most suitable for that job, it can''t be helped.'' As for his enrollment into the Radiant Academy, he still had yet to decide.


    ''Genesis, give me some information about Radiant Academy.'' He ordered.


    [Yes, Host. In the year 2405, Second Arcane Era, Radiant Academy was founded by Samuel Lockwood and has been under the management of the Lockwood Family...]


    ''Skip all the useless information. Can I find any sword techniques? I need to learn a good technique and find a way to master this thing called ''Aura.'' Although I managed to fool Baron Cedric, I must be careful around high-rank mystics.''


    [Searching for information rted to sword arts... Found it!]


    [There are thirty beginner-rank sword techniques, 6 Intermediate-Rank Sword techniques, and one upleted High-Rank Sword technique stored on the top floor of Heaven''s Library, Host.]


    ''Oh, can anyone read it?''


    [No, Host. Only the ''Elite'' Students are allowed even to enter the top floor. Moreover, there is also a Legend Rank powerhouse guarding the Library, so it''s impossible even to sneak in.]


    The corner of Charles''s lips twitched as he noticed ''Genesis'' had answered his next question.


    At that moment, Charles thought of something and asked.


    ''Now that I think about it, why couldn''t I level my dagger skill? Is it due to my Average rank ''Darkness'' affinity?''


    [Yes, host. Although your dagger skilles under sword affinity, it also strongly influences the darkness element. To make things worse, not only is your sword affinity average Rank but even your ''sword'' affinity is Low Rank, causing your dagger skill to stagnate for a long time.]


    ''Thank goodness I didn''t pick up ''Thief'' ss after transmigration.'' He muttered and soon asked.


    ''Is there a way to improve my ''Darkness'' affinity rank? I also want to improve my sword affinity and learn a good sword or dagger art.''


    [Yes, Host. There are multiple ways to improve one''s low-level elemental affinity. The first option would be buying a darkness elemental affinity potion. Although the price will be high for Rank-1 or Rank-2, you can easily get them if you hunt some Rank-4 or Rank-5 Magical Beasts and sell them for Sacred Gold coins. The second option is to do a sacrificial ceremony to the Will of the Shadow or Darkness Realm and get help from it...]


    Genesis also gave him more ways, but he felt they were hard to achieve.


    ''The first option is the best one. So, what about increasing my ''Sword'' affinity? Can it be done with potion?''


    [No, host. Unlike elemental affinity potions, no alchemist can create a sword affinity potion using materials. But many records say that perfecting understanding of sword techniques could allow one to gain ''Sword Enlightenment'' and improve one''s sword affinity level. That''s why Sword Path is considered to have unlimited potential.]


    ''Nah, I''m not interested in bing a Sword Path Mystic after bing a powerful mage. I want a way to perfect my disguise and not get exposed.'' While he was chatting with Genesis, the carriage made multiple turns and soon entered a street called ''Crystal Lane.''


    Before long, the carriage reached the end of the street road and stopped in front of a small single-storied house surrounded by a smallwn.


    As the carriage parked at the house entrance, Charles and Butler Nigel also stepped out of the carriage and looked at the house surrounded by greenery.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The single-storied house stood gracefully at the end of Crystal Lane, its charming presence enhanced by the serene surroundings.


    The front of the house featured a weing porch adorned with intricately carved wooden railings. Climbing vines snaked up the supporting pirs as if nature sought to embrace the dwelling. A cozy swing, swaying gently in the breeze, added a touch of whimsy to the entrance, inviting passersby to pause and savor the tranquility of the surroundings.


    The exterior walls, painted in a soft hue reminiscent of the morning sky, exuded a sense of tranquility andfort. Delicate shutters framed the windows, their white paint contrasting against the gentle tones of the facade. Flower boxes adorned the sills, overflowing with blossoms that spilled their vibrant petals, infusing the air with their sweet fragrance.


    "This house looks so good. Why didn''t Baron let me live here before? Problems would''ve been solved pretty easier." Charles muttered as he opened the fence gate and stepped on thewn. Before long, he and Bulter Nigel reached the house entrance and opened the wooden door.


    Charles soon stepped in and found himself in a haven of cozy charm. The interior boasted an openyout to foster a sense of togetherness and conviviality. Evening sunlight poured through therge windows, casting a warm glow upon the hardwood floors that spanned the space.


    The living area, adorned with plush sofas and overstuffed armchairs, was centered around a crackling firece, serving as a good ce for rxing.


    Adjacent to the living area, a spacious dining room beckoned with an elegant wooden table adorned with delicatece and fresh flowers in an exquisite centerpiece.


    "The flowers look new... Who manages this house?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    "This is a guest house managed by a maid named ''Ste.'' She is also your mother''s friend so you may have met her before. She will be the one who will do all kinds of chores and even take care of your daily necessaries, Young Master."


    "Oh? It seems my Father has some big n to use me." Charles said with a smile and quietly walked towards the nearby sofa before sitting down.


    After that, he gave Butler Nigel a curious look and asked.


    "But I don''t think my father will allow me this live in this luxurious environment without expecting anything in return, right?"


    "You have guessed it right, Young Master. He wants you to be a Rank-3 [Blood Swordsman] before you reach 30 years old. Until then, you can stay in this house or enter the Radiant Academy to improve yourself."


    "Okay. You can tell my Father I''ll not disappoint him." He paused for a moment and also added.


    "Also, I will enroll in Radiant Academy after two months. Until then, I''ll stay here and focus on improving my skills."


    Saying so, he stood up from the sofa, quietly moved to the bedroom, and decided to rest.


    On the other hand, Butler Nigel stayed in the house for the next two hours, told the maid Ste to take care of all necessary needs of Zephyr, and even warned Guard Captain Keh not to make anything hard.


    After that, he told everyone to take good care of Young Master Zephyr and left around 7 P.M.


    ...


    The next day.


    17th May, Year 6418, Second Arcane Era.


    It was around 7 A.M.


    Charles woke up after a long sleep and slowly sat up.


    "I slept for more than 12 hours." He checked the time with his stopwatch and slowly stood up from the wooden bed.


    After that, he moved towards the bathroom and freshened himself up. Then, he took a shower and changed his cloth into a new one.


    "I should go and eat something." He had long noticed a 30-year-old woman cooking in the kitchen and went to the main hall.


    He also checked the surroundings with his'' wisdom power'' and noticed only one guard was sitting on a wooden chair under the tree shadow in thewn.


    ''Butler Nigel''s words are indeed true. Except for this soldier, the Guard Captain and his other teammates are nowhere nearby.''


    Shaking his head, Charles first moved towards the dining hall and entered the kitchen.

 Chapter 613 Bishop Of Sun

    ?


    Chapter 613: Bishop of Sun


    upon noticing his arrival, Ste bowed her head and greeted him with a warm smile.


    She possessed aplexion that exuded a delicate radiance,plemented by captivating brown eyes and lustrous blonde locks cascading around her face. Her countenance boasted a charmingly rounded shape, further enhanced by a gracefully refined nose and elegantly short eyebrows. Standing at an approximate height of 160 cm, she exuded an aura of motherly.


    In that particr instance, she donned a striking ensemble consisting of a sleek ck gown, an apanying apron, and a slightly disheveled white toque adorning her head, bearing the marks of her culinary endeavors.


    "Good morning, Zephyr. It''s been only a month since I saw you, but you almost look unrecognizable." She walked closer to him and hugged him.


    "I''m sorry for not being there after your mother passed away, young child."


    ''Now that I think about it, Zephyr mentioned her yesterday. Although she came to see her mother asionally, Zephyr''s mother stopped getting closer to her for fear of troubling her. And, Zephyr always called her Aunt.''


    As the information appeared in his head, he gave her a polite smile and spoke.


    "It''s alright, Aunt."


    "Please wait a few minutes; I''ll finish the cooking sooner."


    "Take your time, Aunt," Charles said while waving his hand and returning to the living hall.


    After that, Charles quietly sat on the sofa and waited awhile.


    The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air as Charles settledfortably onto the sofa in the living hall. He nced at the elegant clock on the wall, noting that thirty minutes had passed since he entered the kitchen. With a satisfied smile, he rose from the sofa and returned to the dining hall.


    As Charles entered the dining hall, his eyes fell upon the beautifully arranged dishes on the table. Each te showcased a colorful array of vors, enticing his taste buds. Ste stood nearby, a proud expression gracing her face as she observed her culinary creations.


    "Everything looks incredible," Charles remarked, his voice filled with genuine admiration. He approached the table and took a moment to appreciate the artistry disyed in the food before sitting.


    Ste''s warm smile widened, and she humbly replied, "Thank you, Zephyr. I hope you enjoy your meal. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"


    Charles shook his head, appreciative of her diligence and attention to detail. "No, Aunt. You have already done a fantastic job. Please, join me. It would be delightful to have yourpany."


    Ste''s eyes shone with gratitude as she pulled out a chair and sat across from Charles. The two engaged in light conversation, sharing memories as they savored the delectable vors. The atmosphere was filled with a sense of camaraderie and warmth.


    While eating, Charles suddenly recalled the moment when he was with his mother, Eve, at Riverdale and felt a little emotional.


    ''Haah, I miss her. Although I had only been with her for a while, she was the only person who loved me and even sacrificed her life to save me.'' He soon shook his head and continued to eat.


    Once he finished breakfast, he told Ste not to disturb him for a while and returned to his bedroom.


    After that, he took out the ''Crimson Orb'' from his space ring, entered his Inner World, and started focusing onprehending the remaining rebirth fire.


    He remained in the same position for the next ten hours and focused onprehending thousands of Rebirth Fire Essence Streaks.


    Although hisprehension speed lessened due to unknown reasons, he still managed toprehend four Rebirth Fire Laws and saw a slight change in his Inner World.


    ''The Rebirthnd has berger once again.'' Around 5.00 P.M, he finally stoppedprehending the ''Rebirth Fire'' and decided to go out.


    After informing Ste, he left the house, took a carriage, and moved to Sun Church.


    Within 30 minutes, he arrived at the Sun Church and stepped in.


    As he walked into the nave, he was greeted by many people. Some were praying before the tall statue of the Sun God, while others were silently sitting on the pews and seemed to be discussing in low voices.


    Charles serenely surveyed his surroundings, his gaze traversing the environment until it settled upon a man of middle age d in splendid robes of shimmering gold. Standing a mere few meters away from the majestic statue of the Sun God, the gentleman exuded an aura of wisdom and authority. His countenance, framed by a neat crop of fiery red hair, boasted a square-shaped face that exhibited the marks of life''s experiences. A snub nose sat prominently upon his visage, lending a touch of charm to his features, while his olive-toned skin conveyed a testament to sun-kissed journeys.


    At that precise moment, his attire spoke volumes of his elevated position within the lesiastical hierarchy. The man donned the regal garments of amice, alb, cincture, stole, and even a resplendent mitre adorned his head, proiming his esteemed rank. Furthermore, held confidently in his left hand, he wielded the emblematic crozier, symbolizing his religious authority and responsibility.


    Charles quietly stepped onto the aisle, turned a left turn, and soon arrived closer to the middle-aged man.


    Upon seeing a young boy walking towards him, the middle-aged man smiled politely and greeted him.


    "Good evening, child. May the ''Eternal Light'' bless you."


    Meanwhile, Charles pressed his hands together before his chest and responded.


    "Praise the Sun God, source of Life and Light."


    The middle-aged man''s smile brightened as he saw the respectful look on the young boy''s face.


    "How may I help you, young child?" He asked.


    On the other hand, Charles calmly took a golden badge from his space ring and gave it to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I came here to meet Lord Bishop under the guidance of ''Eternal Light'' to discuss something important."


    ''Eternal Light?''


    Although Bishop of Sun was puzzled by his action and words, he quickly took the badge from Charles''s hand and probed it using his wisdom power.


    But before his wisdom power could probe the badge, he suddenly found himself standing in front of a pure mass of light elemental energy.


    Without hesitation, he withdrew his wisdom power and widened his eyes in shock.


    Although he didn''t know what happened then, he vaguely saw the silhouette of ''Sun God'' in that pure mass of light-elemental energy and waspletely overwhelmed.


    "W-Who are you, young child?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, Charles made a nce around the surroundings and asked.


    "Can we speak privately?"


    "Of course! Please follow me." Bishop didn''t even dare to make him wait as he returned the golden badge and brought him near the chalice where the vestry room was located.


    The vestry room, adorned with religious artifacts and symbols, exuded an aura of tranquility and reverence. The air was imbued with a faint scent of incense, adding to the solemn atmosphere within the room. Bishop of Sun gestured for Charles to sit on one of the ornate chairs. In contrast, he settled into the opposite, his expression a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.


    As they sat facing each other, Charles took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.


    "You must be curious about why I''m holding an artifact with a strong aura of Eternal Light, am I right?" He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "But before we go into the topic, let''s introduce ourselves first."


    Upon hearing those words, the Bishop of Sun realized how rash he was and hurriedly apologized.


    "Please forgive me for acting rashly, Young man." He bowed his head and continued.


    "I''m Orion, the only Bishop managing this sun church for the past four hundred years."


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded his head and introduced himself.


    "I''m Zypher, an illegitimate son of Baron Cedric Silvercrest."


    "Illegitimate son of Baron Cedric?" Bishop couldn''t help but frown.


    ''This boy isn''t a direct lineage but an illegitimate son. Moreover, he is only a son of a baron. There is no way our Lord gave this badge to him.'' A strange suspicion appeared in his heart.


    "How did you get that badge? Did you steal it from someone?"


    The corner of Charles''s lips twitched as he heard those words.


    "Do you think anyone can steal the badge with the aura of Eternal Light?" Charles suddenly turned serious and asked.


    At the same time, Bishop Orion felt an invisible pressuree out of the young boy and made him suffocate!


    To Bishop Orion''s eyes, Charles was nothing but a mere Rank-2 young child. So, he knew that the cause of this invisible pressure was not this young child but something else.


    ''No good! I angered our almighty Eternal Light!'' He instantly stood up from his seat and knelt on the floor.


    "Please have mercy on this sinful man, Divine One!" He almost prostrated on the ground and trembled all over.


    On the other hand, Charles casually took out the golden badge and spoke.


    "I''m not Eternal Light himself. But you can think of me as his chosen one." His mere words caused Bishop Orion''s eyes to widen even further.


    "Stand up. I came here because I want to enter the uing Star Tombs exploration. Can you manage to get me one seat?"


    Bishop Orion slowly stood up from the prostrated position, folded his hand together, and responded humbly.


    "Although it''s difficult with the power of my authority, I will directly write a letter to Cardinal Damian and get a seat for you. But-" He deliberated for a moment and added.


    "Cardinal might not believe my words and mighte here personally to check if the badge is authentic, Your Highness."


    "Let hime and check the badge whenever he wants. Also, don''t let anyone know I''m the Chosen One of Eternal Light. It will only bring me more trouble." Charles said in amanding tone.


    "This old man understands, Your Highness."

 Chapter 614 Oracle

    ?


    Chapter 614: Oracle


    "Good." Charles nodded pleasantly and decided to utilize the golden badge''s authority.


    "I also might need a few more things. Can you help me with those?" He asked.


    "As long as within this old man''s power, I''ll not disappoint you, Your Highness. Please ask anything." Although Bishop Orion didn''t like being ordered around by a young kid, he didn''t dare to talk back and responded.


    Meanwhile, Charles thought for a second and spoke.


    "The first thing I need is the ''Darkness'' affinity potion. I want a potion to help me increase my darkness affinity to genius rank, at least.''


    ''Genius rank? This kid has a big appetite.''


    "Those potions are only concocted by Grandmaster Alchemists of Ancient Mage pathway, Your Highness. Only Cardinals or Lord Pope can order a Grandmaster Rank Alchemist to concoct such potion." Bishop Orion instantly shook his head and responded.


    Charles raised his eyebrows and soon shook his head.


    "At least, get me a potion that could help me increase my affinity up to Exceptional (Good) rank."


    "I''ll not disappoint you, Your Highness." Bishop Orion responded stiffly and soon asked.


    "Is there anything else?"


    Charles smiled slyly and nodded.


    "I want a sword or dagger technique. Darkness or Fire rted techniques suit me more, so please get me any one of those."


    ''This kid is shameless!'' Bishop Orion couldn''t help but get angry inside.


    Unfortunately, he had no choice but to listen to this kid''s every demand.


    "Although I don''t have any Sword technique, I can ask someone from the Holy See of Eternal Light to send a High-Ranked one." Of course, he would do that only after Cardinal Damian confirmed this young kid''s authentic identity.


    "Oh! That would be good." Charles nodded his head and added.


    "If I want anything elseter, I''ll send my servant to inform you." Saying so, he stored the golden badge in his space ring and stood up.


    After that, he didn''t stay in the Sun Church and left hurriedly.


    On the other hand, Bishop Orion escorted him out of the Sun Church and hurriedly returned to Sacristy.


    Meanwhile, feeling confused and ufortable, Bishop Orion quickly returned to the Sacristy. He needed to contact Cardinal Damian and confirm the identity of this brave young individual who dared to make such demands. Although he disliked being at the beck and call of a mere child, Bishop Orion understood the importance of his position and the potential consequences if he mishandled the situation.


    Arriving at the Sacristy, Bishop Orion wasted no time, activated the long-distancemunication artifact, and contacted Cardinal Damian, rying the encounter with Charles in great detail. He also emphasized the young man''s insistence on acquiring a Darkness affinity potion and a sword or dagger technique rted to Darkness or Fire.


    "You didn''t offend him, right?" That was the first question from the other side, causing Bishop Orion to open his mouth wide.


    After a slight pause, Bishop quickly recovered from the shock and asked in confusion.


    "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"


    A short silence appeared from the other side, followed by a deep sigh.


    "Our Holiness received an oracle from the Lord of Eternal Light yesterday. ''Behold, a chosen one shall seek shelter within our sacred abode, for his destiny intertwines with ours. Let us not falter in our duty, for we hold the key to his fate.''" As Cardinal Damian finished his words, an abrupt silence descended in the Sacristy.


    "H-He is the chosen one of our Eternal Light! What should we do, Your Majesty?" Bishop Orion asked in a stutter.


    "Of course, we will fulfill our duties without any mistake. First, I''ll send an Extraordinary Rank Sword technique through Amber Tradingpany. It will arrive in less than two days."


    "Extraordinary Level Sword technique?" Bishop Orion couldn''t help but let out a gasp in shock.


    "Isn''t it too precious to give away to a Baron''s illegitimate son-?"


    "Idiot. That young boy is not an illegitimate son anymore. Keep in mind that the Lord of the Eternal Light chose him. I feel his identity might be much more mysterious than we think." Cardinal Damian deliberated for a moment and added.


    "Go to his house and tell him he can participate in the uing Star Tombs exploration without any problem."


    At that moment, Bishop suddenly recalled Charles''s earlier words and spoke.


    "But the ''Chosen One'' doesn''t seem to want to reveal his identity to anyone yet, Your Majesty."


    "Oh? He is indeed a smart one. Then, send the message stealthily." Cardinal Damian responded.


    "What about the affinity potion, Your Majesty?" Bishop Orion asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Taking an affinity potion is not an easy matter. From the looks of it, our ''Chosen One'' seems quite ignorant of how the human body works. First, give him the ''Exceptional Rank affinity potion and observe the changes within his body. As for giving ''Genius Rank potion,'' I''ll check his body before going to the Star Tombs and then decide." Cardinal Damian''s voice was deadly serious.


    After discussing a few things, Cardinal Damian finally ended the call, giving Bishop Orion some air to breathe.


    ...


    Unaware of Bishop Orion''s discussion with Cardinal Damian, Charles strolled on the street road while buying a few things like dresses and soon overheard news that caught his attention.


    It was the assassination of Bishop y!


    ''This sure is suspicious. Did thatdy Holy Knight do it?'' He instantly shook his head.


    ''Although she acts brave, she doesn''t dare to do it. Hmm, I should go and ask her myself.''


    First, he took the pocket watch from his space ring, flipped open the outer case, and checked the time.


    ''It''s 6.15 P.M.'' He waited for the sky to darkenpletely and quietly entered a dark alley.


    Then, he took out a hooded robe from his space ring and wore it. At the same time, he changed his appearance into ''Prince Julius'' and sent out an order to Genesis.


    ''Genesis, tell me where Anna Tibbott''s house is located.''


    [Searching... Found the information. Anna Tibbott and her younger brother live in West Borough''s Mystic Mirth Lane. Her house number is 53A.]


    ''Oh? She is also living in the West Borough, huh? Then, it''s easier for me to infiltrate.'' He nodded inwardly and fastened his footstep towards the Mystic Mirth Lane.


    After a few minutes of walking, Charles finally reached Mystic Mirth Lane and soon arrived in front of a two-storied house surrounded by a wooden fence.


    Charles first cast [Conceal] skill on himself and went into stealth mode.


    After that, he calmly opened the fence gate, stepped on the concrete path like a cat, and soon arrived in front of the wooden door.


    But instead of knocking it, he first released his wisdom power and checked who was inside this house.


    ''Only Anna is inside, and she seems to be in the middle of cooking.'' He didn''t waste any time as he cast [False Blink] spell, disappeared from there and reappeared inside.


    At the same time, he touched his face, activated the identity imprint, and changed his face into ''Professor.''


    After that, he calmly walked on the soft floor and entered the living hall while looking around.


    The walls were adorned with delicate tapestries depicting scendscapes and intricate patterns. Soft, plush carpets covered the wooden floor, providing afortable surface to walk on. The hall was well-lit, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, casting a soft glow illuminating the space.


    The centerpiece of the living hall was arge, ornate firece made of polished marble. A crackling fire danced within it, emanating a gentle warmth that filled the room.


    The furniture in the living hall was tastefully arranged, creating an inviting seating area. Plush sofas and armchairs were upholstered in rich fabrics, their deep colors adding a touch of elegance to the room. A low wooden coffee table adorned with decorative trinkets stood in the center, showcasing the house''s attention to detail.


    After a quick look, he moved towards the wooden armchair, sat on itfortably, and started moving it back and forth.


    Unaware of his arrival, Anna was cutting potatoes and suddenly froze as she heard a wooden creaking noise from the living hall.


    Anna''s heart raced as she tried to discern the source of the noise. She tightened her grip on the kitchen knife, her knuckles turning white. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, and the recent news of Bishop y''s assassination only heightened her anxiety.


    Indeed, it wasn''t she who assassinated Bishop y but someone else!


    In truth, she even got strange nightmares daily after Bishop''s death and felt an uncontroble fear of the darkness itself.


    She carefully set the knife down and moved towards the living hall, her steps cautious and measured.


    As Anna entered the living hall, she widened her eyes in surprise and shock as she saw a familiar-looking man sitting in her armchair.


    "Mister Max Fireborn?" She finally breathed out a sigh of relief and soon asked.


    "How did you escape from Radiant Inquisitor? I knew you were still alive!"


    She almost shouted in joy and greeted him stiffly.


    On the other hand, Charles smiled in response and pointed his finger at the opposite sofa.


    "The reason I came here in a hurry was to ask about the assassination of Bishop y. Did you do it?" He didn''t beat around the bush and asked her directly.


    On the other hand, Anna showed a grim look and responded.


    "I didn''t do it, Mister Mage. But I''m suspicious of two people."

 Chapter 615 Savings

    ?


    Chapter 615: Savings


    "In truth, Bishop y''s death appears too mysterious and suspicious. No one entered his room while he was sleeping, nor did we find any traces of blood. He seems to have died while in deep sleep." Anna said with a solemn look and sat on the opposite chair.


    "He died while sleeping? Dream-rted abilities?" Charles couldn''t help but voice out his thoughts.


    "I, too, thought of that, Mr. Mage. After some deep analysis, I found out that there were two suspects. The first suspect is none other than Archbishop Victor. As far as I know, he is the only one walking on the path of [Dreamer] ss Mystic. But there is no enmity between these two. Moreover, Victor is a close friend of Archbishop Michael."


    "What about the second suspect?" Charles interjected.


    "The second suspect is none other than Bishop himself." Anna''s words caused Charles to furrow his brows.


    "You think hemitted suicide?"


    Anna shook her head at Charles''s guess and answered.


    "I suspect something from the Dream Realm pulled his consciousness and killed him. Although my guess might be wrong because I have no valid proof for my words, I greatly suspect this is the reason."


    Charles went silent for a second and fell into deep thought.


    ''Even if he faced a powerful nightmare creature in Dream World and got his original consciousness erased, he wouldn''t have died. Instead, he would''ve entered aa state and remained bedridden.''


    After some time, he looked at Anna and asked.


    "There might be a reason for you to suspect like that, right?"


    Anna''s face stiffened slightly.


    "I''ve been getting nightmares recently. No, I can''t say if it is a nightmare or something else." She paused for a moment and then added gloomily.


    "But I sometimes feel like a ghost has been after me."


    ''Ghosts? Maybe it''s not dream-rted ability but astral power? I think it''s better to avoid the trouble and let the authorities handle it.'' Charles muttered to himself and decided to give her some hints.


    "It might not be Bishop y who entered the Dreamworld, but the other way around."


    "You mean he was killed by a Nightmare Creature? But I never heard of a Nightmare Creature capable of entering the Physical Realm and harming mortals." Anna said in confusion.


    "I''ve met a person''s fake consciousness roaming in the Dream World and capable of entering the Physical World for some time. So, there is nothing impossible in this universe." He deliberated for a moment and then added coldly.


    "Dreamworld isn''t the only ce out there with terrifying creatures. Don''t forget the mysterious Astral Realm."


    "Bishop was killed by a Dreamworld or Astral Realm creature, huh? If I had heard your words a few days ago, I would''ve scoffed it off." She shook her head and thanked him.


    "Thank you for reminding me of the danger. Although I don''t know why a Nightmare Creature appears here, I don''t want to risk searching for its whereabouts. Can you tell me what I should do next, Mr. Mage?" After discovering the truth about her parent''s death, she didn''t feel much emotional about Bishop y''s death. Although her younger brother cried for a whole day, she instead felt relief.


    ''s, the main culprit is still alive. Archbishop Lawrence is not something I even dream of opposing.''


    As if Charles had read her thoughts, he chuckled and spoke.


    "As I said, I''m not interested in your revenge story. At the same time, I''ll give you a few suggestions. If you listen to me, you will get your revenge in the future and have the chance to change your fate from bing a vessel of some god."


    Before she could say something, he calmly raised his hand, pointed a finger, and spoke.


    "First, change your faith and be a member of Sun Church. As far as I know, you won''t be used by the Sun God as a vessel. But if you do that now, not only ''Archbishop Lawrence'' will imprison you, but he might use your brother''s life to threaten you. He killed your parents to get a hold of you in his possession, so he will do anything to achieve it."


    Charles paused for a moment and spoke.


    "Second, don''t rely on fake origin pathway."


    "Fake origin path?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.


    "Yes. [Knight] ss, [Clerk] ss, [Shadow Killer] ss, and [Healer] sses under the ''Fake Origin'' path. Although these are the sses I know of, there might be more sses like these in other worlds. As long as one consumes any ss Gems given by a particr god, they will slowly be a ve to this god. Even if you try to change your faith in the future, you''ll not only receive divine punishment; your soul might even get forcefully taken away to God''s Divine Kingdom."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, Anna couldn''t help but widen her eyes in shock.


    "Did I already be his ve?" She asked stiffly.


    "You are only a Rank-2 [Holy Knight] ss Mystic. If I''m not wrong, this pathway is more like a brainwashing technique. When you rely more on this god''s power, your soul will be addicted to that divine power and be a ve of the particr god you worship. From now on, avoid ranking further and stay as [Holy Knight] ss Mystic." Charles paused for a moment, scanned her body affinities, and continued.


    "But you still have a way to ovee the situation. If you be a [Poet] ss Mystic, you have a bright future." In truth, Charles saw she had a [Prodigy] level ''Music'' affinity!


    ''It''s a strange affinity, but it''s not something to be taken lightly.'' After staying in this world for over two decades, Charles realized that each ss Pathway was unique and had limitless potential.


    "Music affinity? Although many said I have a beautiful voice, how can it help me with my current situation?" She furrowed her brows and asked in suspicion.


    On the other hand, Charles waved his hand and spoke.


    "Don''t take any pathway lightly. Anyway, all I can give you is a suggestion. As for how you utilize it, it''s all up to you."


    Saying so, he ced his hands on the sofa arms and stood up.


    "Anyway, I''ll not be meeting you for a while. So, try your best to ovee all the obstacles and stay alive."


    As he spoke, he suddenly turned blurry and disappeared, leaving Anna alone in the main hall.


    On the other hand, Anna stayed in the same ce for a while and heaved a deep sigh.


    "Fake Origin path, huh? I''ve never even heard of something like this. But I have no choice but to trust his words." She slowly stood up from the chair, moved to the bedroom, and quietly moved underneath her bed.


    She then ced her hand on the cold floor and tapped on a particr area multiple times.


    A few secondster, a single floor tile suddenly lifted, revealing a hidden hole.


    Meanwhile, Anna extended her hands into the small hole and grabbed something before taking it out.


    It was a round box the size of a watermelon and appeared ckish.


    After taking the box, she hurriedly moved out underneath the bed and quietly stood up.


    After that, she tapped her fingers on the top region and turned the box upside down.


    Suddenly, the box began to shake and rumble as Anna started shaking it. With a burst of energy, the box lid was forcefully pushed open, revealing its hidden treasure. A cascade of golden coins, glimmering and sparkling, started pouring out from the box, filling the surrounding area with a mesmerizing sight.


    Each coin had intricate engravings and patterns, reflecting the attention to detail in their creation. The coins emitted a soft chiming sound as they tumbled and collided with one another, creating a harmonious melody that added to the enchantment of the scene.


    Some rolled on the floor, crashed onto the walls, and slowly fell.


    If Charles had seen this, his jaw would''ve been dropped.


    When thest gold coin fell, Anna put the empty box on the bed and sat on the floor cross-legged.


    Afterwards, she picked up the gold coins individually, counted them, and put them inside the wooden box again.


    "These are my parent''s lifelong savings. I can''t use them recklessly." In truth, she had already spent more than 36 Sacred Gold coins on her studies at Radiant Academy.


    ''After bing a Holy Knight, I never touched this box and only used my sry for Roly''s studies. I always thought of using this money only when it was necessary. But I didn''t expect that day woulde so soon.'' She continued counting the coins for a while and returned thest to the box.


    "There are a total of 156 Sacred Gold coins remaining. It''s more than enough for us to live a luxurious life over a few decades." But she knew her life was more important than mere gold coins.


    "Now, I must buy a [Poet] ss gem from any trade union." Although she didn''t know the value of a Rank-1 ss Gem, she guessed that it should be only around 5 to 10 Sacred Gold Coins.


    After taking only 10 Sacred Gold Coins, she closed the lid and ced the box safely under her bed.


    Afterwards, she kept the Sacred Gold Coins in the cupboard and went to the kitchen.

 Chapter 616 Shadowstep Dance

    ?


    Chapter 616: Shadowstep Dance


    Meanwhile, Charles returned to the guest house in Crystal Lane at West Borough and startedprehending the ''Rebirth Fire Essences'' in his Inner World.


    To outsiders, it would appear he was fooling around in his bedroom. But he was trying his best to understand the secrets of Rebirth me.


    Two days passed in a blink.


    It was around 9 P.M.


    During the two days, he spent most of his time trying toprehend more ''Rebirth me Essences'' but soon felt that he had reached a bottleneck.


    Although he still managed toprehend four more Rebirth Fire Laws, he soon realized it was his limit.


    At that moment, his ''Rebirth Spell model'' had already grown as strong as one kilometer in radius and appeared more like a mini-sun within his Inner World!


    Moreover, his Rebirth Domain''s diameter had increased up to 5 km!


    If not for the mutation of his soul, Charles felt that this mini-sun might''ve enveloped his whole existence.


    ''I can''t make more progress due to theck of ''Wisdom Power.'' Not only that, but I also need to stopprehending Rebirth me and focus my attention on other spell models.''


    Despite being a newly ranked Fire Mage, his understanding of ''Rebirth Fire'' had grown stronger than any legendary mage!


    It was to the point that he reached the threshold of the Legendary Realm.


    He knew that excessiveprehension might damage his body and soul and decided to stop.


    ''But the reason theprehension of Rebirth me Essence became easy for me might be due to the soul mutation by the rebirth me and the increased fire affinity. When reconstructing my broken soul, I''ve been exposed to the Rebirth Star for a long time and even got some benefits during every death too.'' He felt that theprehension of other spell models wouldn''t be simple like this one and decided to check it out.


    But before he could take out the golden badge from his space ring, he suddenly sensed a foreign presence entering the house in stealth mode and frowned.


    At that moment, a cloaked human figure stealthily entered thewn and walked toward his bedroom.


    Upon seeing this, Charles hurriedlyy on the soft bed and covered himself with a quilt.


    Within a few seconds, the human shadow entered his room and walked toward the table on the left side.


    ''He isn''t here to assassinate me?'' Charles also felt no hostility from this person and decided to observe him.


    On the other hand, the human shadow took out a strange leather book and a small ck vial from his space ring and ced them on the table. After that, he also took a sealed letter from his pocket and put it underneath the book.


    Once done, he turned around, looked deeply at Charles''s bed, and hurriedly walked towards the window.


    Then, he jumped out of the room and stealthily left the house.


    ''He is a Deacon of the Sun Church?'' Charles easily guessed the intruder''s identity and sat up in a hurry. Afterward, he stepped out of the bed and moved towards the table.


    Soon, he lit the nearbymp and focused on the book.


    "Shadowstep Dance." He calmly picked up the brown-covered book and flipped it open.


    At the same time, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    [Name: Shadowstep Dance


    Technique: Sword Technique.


    Affinities: Darkness, Shadow, Void.


    Rank: Extraordinary.]


    Although the information was short, it was enough for Charles to understand how good this technique was.


    ''An Extraordinary Sword Technique... I didn''t expect the Sun Church to be willing to give me an Extraordinary Level sword technique without batting an eye.'' He opened the first page and started reading it.


    The first few pages were only about how to use the technique in theory. But after that, Charles saw nothing but empty pages.


    ''A fake book?'' He furrowed his brows and probed it further.


    After probing for more than an hour, he suddenly realized that some mysterious shadow force was hidden within the mysterious nk paper and was stunned.


    As he delved deeper into his exploration, Charles discovered that the shadow forces within the nk pages were not just a passive presence but an active entity responding to his intentions and thoughts. It was as if the shadow was alive, waiting for someone with the right affinity to unlock its secrets.


    Excitedly, Charles realized he had stumbled upon a unique form of knowledge, a hidden technique concealed within the book''s pages. This discovery surprised him, and he eagerly continued his investigation.


    As he turned the next nk page, his mind became attuned to the shadow force, and slowly, intricate patterns began to manifest. The patterns depicted fluid and graceful movements, hinting at a dance-likebat style. Charles realized that the technique required mastery over the sword and a profound understanding of the darkness element.


    He carefully absorbed the details of each movement, memorizing the intricate steps and the apanying sword techniques. Gradually, he started to piece together the fragmented knowledge, feeling a connection to the art of Shadowstep Dance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Suddenly, the book turned into a streak of darkness and directly entered his head.


    Before long, the unique streak entered his Inner World and transformed into a sword-like energy. It hovered along with the spell models and appeared to be merged with the void itself.


    At that moment, a blue notification popped up before his eyes.


    [Sword Technique: Beginner-Level Shadowstep Dance has been learned!]


    [Beginner [Sword Aura] skill has been learned.]


    [It is possible to merge Intermediate Level [Dagger Arts] skill with [Shadowstep Dance] skill. Would you like to merge it?]


    ''Yes.'' Charles nodded in response.


    A secondter, another notification popped up before his eyes.


    ...


    [Intermediate Level [Shadowstep Dance] sword technique has been learned!]


    [Intermediate [Sword Aura] skill has been learned.]


    [Shadowstep Dance''s First Skill has been unlocked: Beginner Level [Shadow Stealth] has been learned.]


    [It is possible to merge User''s [Conceal] skill with the [Shadow Stealth] skill. Would you like it to merge?]


    ''Yes.'' Charles again replied with a nod and started merging the [Conceal] skill with the [Shadow Stealth] skill.


    As seconds passed, he deeply understood the [Shadow Stealth] skill and felt he could bepletely invisible in the darkness.


    ...


    [User''s mastery over Shadow Stealth has been increased]


    [Beginner Level Shadow Stealth skill has been upgraded to Intermediate Level.]


    ...


    "I didn''t expect my dagger arts skill and conceal skills to be merged with the Shadowstep Dance technique." He muttered and opened his eyes.


    Then, he took the vial filled with dark liquid and inspected it.


    "Oh? It is indeed an Exceptional level affinity potion. Bishop Orion didn''t disappoint me at all." He said while removing the lid and pouring it into his mouth.


    A secondter, a burst of dark essence entered his body and spread like electricity.


    Charles could feel the dark essence coursing through his veins, intertwining with his Fire elemental energy. It was a potent surge of power, and he could sense his affinity for darkness growing stronger by the moment. The transformation was almost palpable as his eyes glowed with a faint Obsidian shade.


    As the darkness essence settled within him, Charles realized that it had a profound effect on his understanding of the Shadowstep Dance technique. The intricate patterns and movements he had absorbed from the book seemed toe alive in his mind as if the darkness was guiding him through the steps.


    He stepped back from the table, his body moving with an innate grace and fluidity. With a flick of his wrist, the Moonfire Sword appeared in his hand, its de shimmering with a sunshine aura.


    It was Intermediate Sword Aura!


    Charles took a deep breath, feeling the surge of power within him, and began to perform the Shadowstep Dance.


    Each step he took was like a waltz, with the shadows seamlessly blending with the darkness around him. He moved incredibly fast, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. The sword in his hand sliced through the air with precision, leaving behind trails of shadow and light.


    Charles lost himself in the dance, his mind fully immersed in the art ofbat. Every movement felt natural like he had been practicing this technique for years. He could sense the darkness responding to his every thought, enhancing his speed, agility, and stealth.


    Time seemed to lose meaning as Charles continued to dance, his body and soul perfectly attuned to the shadows. Hours passed, but he remained unfazed, fully absorbed in his newfound power.


    After so many hours, Charles finally stopped his dance movement and uttered a single word in exmation.


    "Incredible."


    "With this, I don''t need to worry about my true identity being exposed." He said with a smile and stored the Moonfire sword in his space ring.


    After that, he focused on the sealed letter and flicked his fingers. A secondter, his hand moved gracefully like a shadow and took the letter in a sh.


    After a quick look, Charles opened the seal and took out the letter.


    "Oh? Cardinal Damien agreed to my request to enter Star Tombs. Not only that, he even promised that I''d get full support from the Sun Church during the exploration. I thought things would goplicated, but I didn''t expect he would agree without hesitation. But still, I need to be very careful around the Sun Church." Although Abium had been helping him in all possible ways, Charles felt it was necessary to guard against even a close friend.


    ''He is only a benefactor to me. He might have no hostility towards me now, but that can''t be said in the future. Moreover, not all Sun Church members will have good intentions like this Cardinal Damien.'' He conjured a ball of me, burnt the letter in a sh, and finally took the ''Golden Badge'' from his space ring.


    "It''s time to construct my second Legendary Rank spell."

 Chapter 617 Information

    ?


    Chapter 617: Information


    Charles gazed intently at the Golden Shield spell, its intricate patterns glowing brightly. With a determined expression, he carefully pulled the spell from the Inner space of the Golden Badge and absorbed it directly into his Inner World. As the shield entered, it hovered near the ''Sphere of Invulnerability'' spell, its radiant energy pulsating with immense power.


    With a precise focus, Charles activated the [elerate Thoughts] skill, unprecedentedly enhancing his mental faculties. As the effects of the skill took hold, he seamlessly transitioned into his elemental state, shrouding his entire Inner World with the essence of Rebirth Fire. Immersed in this fiery aura, he entered a deep state of concentration, his mind attuned to the profound secrets of the shield-like spell.


    Within the confines of his Inner World, time seemed to flow differently, moving more than fifty times faster than the outside world. Charles marveled at this tremendous advantage afforded to him through his understanding of the Rebirth me. His voice whispered as he contemted the immense potential it held.


    However, his undivided attention shifted away from the elerated passage of time, focusing solely on a single essence streak within the shield. Charles knew thatprehending the power of Lawful Fire would take time. Unlike other fires, this one possessed an unusual calmness, its movements flowing gracefully like a gentle stream of water. Simultaneously, a peculiar sense of protectiveness emanated, capturing Charles''s curiosity and intrigue.


    Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and finally, an entire day had passed within his Inner World. However, Charles felt as if he were staring at an imprable rock, only grasped around 700 Lawful Fire Rules fully.


    Although only half an hour had passed in the outside world, it still felt agonizingly slow to him.


    ''But there''s no helping it,'' he sighed deeply, resolving to continue hisprehension within his Inner World.


    At the end of the second day, he finallyprehended the first Lawful Fire essence streak, causing him to almost shout in joy.


    ''One hour has passed in the outside world. While rtively slowpared to theprehension speed of the Rebirth me, this is still considered abnormalpared to other mages,'' he nodded inwardly, determined to press on.


    Meanwhile, his other consciousness, ''Julius,'' took control of his body and began practicing sword arts outside. Like a lofty prince, he visited thewn daily and even sparred with the guard soldiers to maintain appearances. Although Julius only did this to deceive the watchful eyes of the Baron, his activities also caught the attention of Duke Eldrakar.


    Unaware of the outside world, Charles remained focused onprehending the Lawful Fire spell. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before he knew it, one year and three months had passed within his Inner World.


    Yet, in the outside world, only 18 days had psed.


    Regrettably, he had only managed toprehend 350 Lawful Fire Essence Streaks. What startled him, even more, was the gradual slowdown in hisprehension speed as the days passed.


    "Ick wisdom power," he muttered, opening his eyes and looking around.


    "Why am I sitting on thewn, even in the scorching noon?" At that moment, memories of ''Julius'' flooded his mind, causing him to furrow his brow.


    "That consciousness certainly enjoys fooling around," he shook his head, deciding it was time to visit the Sun Church.


    "If I recall correctly, tomorrow morning is when individuals from various factions and churches gather to explore the Star Tomb Labyrinth. I should gather information about the Star Tomb," he pondered.


    He returned to his room, took a refreshing bath, and dressed formally. Then, he left the guest house and went to the Sun Church by carriage.


    Before long, he arrived at the Sun Church, walking down the aisle until he reached the nave, where he met with Bishop Orion. Upon seeing his arrival, Bishop Orion froze for a moment before hastily running toward him, causing onlookers to be startled. Whispers filled the air, and a few intrigued noblemen turned their attention to the 16-year-old young boy before them.


    "I''m delighted to see you here," Bishop Orion said, his voice filled with genuine warmth.


    "Let''s talk somewhere private." Charles noticed the gazes of more than 50 people in the nave and decided not to get attention anymore.


    "Please forgive my rash action," Bishop Orion noticed his mistake and apologized in a low tone before bringing him to Vestry.


    While walking in the hallway, Bishop Orion quickly looked at Charles and spoke with a ttering smile.


    "I have heard of your remarkable progress in sword arts during the past two weeks, Holy Son of the Eternal Light."


    "Call me Zephyr, Bishop Orion. If someone overhears you calling me as ''Holy Son,'' it will only bring me more trouble." Charles narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly.


    "This old man understands your concern, Mr. Zephyr," Bishop Orion made a stiff smile and bowed before asking.


    "May I know the reason for your visit?"


    "Ie seeking knowledge about the Star Tomb Labyrinth. Tomorrow''s gathering has piqued my curiosity, and I wish to learn more before going in." Charles didn''t beat around the bush as they entered the Vestry and went straight to business.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What type of information do you seek, Mr. Zephyr?" Baron Orion invited him to sit on the luxurious chair in front of a wooden round table and then stood humbly behind him.


    On the other hand, Charles pondered for a moment and spoke.


    "I want information about who will enter this Star Tomb. Not only that, but I also want to know what type of Dungeon this is."


    An awkward smile appeared on Bishop Orion''s face as he scratched his head in embarrassment and spoke stiffly.


    "This is our Sun Church''s second time participating in this exploration. Moreover, thest time the exploration team met with a disastrous inside the Star Tomb, leaving no information before their deaths." He paused momentarily, moved towards the left side shelf filled with books, and added.


    "But we''ve been gathering information using spies for thest few decades and discovered that this Star Tomb Dungeon seems to be a unique realm between our Physical World and Nightmare Realm. So, the possibility of anyone encountering a powerful Nightmare Creature within this realm is so high. But many who entered this Dungeon said this Dungeon also has Magical Beasts and Humanoid Creatures from different races."


    "Nightmare Realm?" Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    On the other hand, Bishop Orion took a bunch of books from the shelves and ced them on the round table.


    "These are books written by the survivors of the Star Tombs. Of course, all the important information has been removed before publishing, so you can only find general information here."


    Charles nodded at Bishop Orion''s words and soon asked.


    "Who will be apanying me during this exploration from Sun Church?"


    Bishop shook his head and spoke.


    "Due to the limited seats, only ten members, including the Celestial Key holder, can enter. As for who are all, even I don''t have authority to know about it, Mr. Zephyr."


    "Will Cardinal Damian participate in the Exploration?" Charles asked.


    "Of course. He is the Celestial Key holder, after all. But the one who apanies should be Archbishop-level powerhouses. I wouldn''t be surprised if another cardinal also participates in the expenditure." Bishop Orion answered truthfully.


    Suddenly, he thought of something and added.


    "But there is ''someone'' in this city who participated in this exploration multiple times and likely know more about the hidden information of Star Tomb than anyone else. He was supposed to be removed from his family''s exploration team this time. But by sheer luck or someone else''s plot, the person about to go to the Star Tomb met with an ident in Northern Woods and died, resulting in ''him'' being taken into the exploration team. You can meet him under my rmendation letter and try your luck. From what I heard, he seems to be on odd terms with his family elders and is searching for a good and trustedpanion during the uing exploration."


    "Oh? Who is it?" Charles looked at Bishop Orion and asked.


    "His name is Victor Hawthorne, an Archbishop of Order Church and also a main descendant of the Hawthorne family."


    "Hawthorne family? Hmm, Victor Hawthorne..." Charles suddenly paused as he recalled Anna''s words.


    ''Isn''t he the guy with dreamer ss Mystic and a close friend of Archbishop Michael?''


    "What is the name of that person who died?"


    Charles''s question startled Bishop Orion.


    He thought for a moment to recall his memories and soon spoke.


    "That person was pretty famous too. Although an orphan, he was taken into Hawthorne Family Elder when he was younger and epted as a Hawthorne family member. His name is Ronan."


    ''As I thought, that assassination plot seems to be nned by Archbishop Victor. Hmm? If Archbishop Victor had gone to the Star Tomb multiple times and gained fortunes, why is he still risking his life to go to that dangerous ce? As far as I can tell, he even went to a length to offend an elder of his family by killing the elder''s adopted son. Something feels off.'' He instantly knew this Archbishop Victor might know some important information and decided to check it out.


    "Hmm, thanks for the information, Bishop Orion. Although I want to meet him and try my luck, it''s better to conceal my identity." Charles said while shaking his head.

 Chapter 618 The Holy Knights Daring Display

    ?


    Chapter 618: The Holy Knight''s Daring Disy


    As if Bishop Orion had realized something, he hurriedly bowed his head and spoke.


    "Please wait a minute, Mr. Zephyr. I''ll go and bring something from Sacristy." Before Charles could ask what it was, he dashed out of the Vestry and soon returned with a silver bracelet embedded with golden crystal in his hand.


    "After I voiced the problem about your identity to Cardinal Damian, he sent this here from the Holy See of Sun. If you wear this, you''ll be identified as a First Order ''Holy Knight'' of the Sun Church. With this identity, we can avoid suspicions when entering the Star Tombs. Of course, many will be puzzled by how an illegitimate son of a Baron bes a Holy Knight of Sun Church; we can say that you concealed your identity to protect yourte mother." Baron Orion said with a sincere smile.


    On the other hand, Charles took the bracelet from Bishop Orion''s hand, inspected it swiftly, and put it on his left hand.


    "Sun Armor?"


    Muttering, he injected some of his ''wisdom power,'' imprinted the artifact with his spirit imprint, and soon activated the artifact''s function.


    In a mere instant, the silver bracelet emitted a brilliant, radiant glow, illuminating the surroundings with a golden hue. The light expanded outward as Charles watched, encasing his entire body within its ethereal embrace. He could feel a tingling sensation coursing through his veins as the mystical energy of the bracelet intertwined with his spirit power.


    As the light subsided, Charles found himself adorned in a remarkable suit of armor. The armor possessed a metallic silver sheen, it''s surface gleaming with an otherworldly brilliance. Intricate golden patterns decorated every inch of the armor, weaving an borate tapestry of symbols and designs that seemed to dance and flicker with an inner life.


    The armor formed a protective shield around Charles, epassing him from head to toe. It molded itself to the contours of his body, fitting him with impable precision.


    "Impressive," Charles muttered as he deactivated the armor skill and added before standing up.


    "Then, I''ll be taking my leave."


    On the other hand, Bishop bowed his head and apanied him up to the Church''s exit to send him off.


    While Charles was leaving the Sun Church, news of him talking secretly with Bishop Orion entered Baron''s ears.


    "Are you sure it is Zephyr, Keh?" Baron Cedric asked as he leaned on the wooden chair. At that moment, he was in his study room and appeared to be signing tax documents.


    On the other hand, a well-armored man nodded his head and responded.


    "One of my colleagues saw him entering the Sun Church with his own eyes again, My Lord. Moreover, he said Bishop Orion seems to hold Zephyr in high regard."


    He was none other than Guard Captain Keh. The guard captain, approximately 35, possessed distinct physical features that set him apart.


    His wavy blonde hair cascaded down his head, lending casual elegance to his appearance. However, his crooked nose immediately drew attention, adding a rugged charm to his otherwise handsome countenance. Above his piercing gaze, his eyebrows were naturally angled, hinting at a determined andmanding demeanor.


    The guard captain boasted fair skin, indicating limited exposure to the sun''s harsh rays. This fairness entuated the intensity of his blue eyes, which held a mix of authority and vignce. Though chiseled, his facial features disyed a hint of weariness.


    A physique honed through years of training was evident as his muscr body filled out the iron-ted armor he wore.


    "Hmm, what is the connection between my illegitimate son and the Sun Church? I need someone to monitor his activities," he murmured, immediately shaking his head and issuing a newmand.


    "Bring him here right away. I want to talk to him personally," he dered with a cold smirk. Though he had initially considered offering benefits to the unfortunate child and keeping him under his control for future advantages, he had a change of heart.


    "That child has not only mastered a mysterious sword technique but has also sought out another alliance. We must stop him in his tracks and ensure his absolute obedience. Otherwise, he will undoubtedly turn against us," a cold determination flickered in his eyes.


    At that moment, he finally understood why his father-inw had repeatedly urged him to eliminate the child.


    "It seems young ones are indeed difficult to tame," he sighed, shaking his head as he issued a ruthless order.


    "Take the ''Wolf Knights'' with you. If he refuses toply, you have my permission to incapacitate him immediately and bring him back barely alive."


    Meanwhile, Keh promptly knelt on the floor and bowed his head.


    "I will not disappoint you, My Lord," he assured humbly.


    With those words, he hastily rose and took his leave from Baron Cedric. Subsequently, he went to the main hall on the ground floor, where he sought an audience with the Mistress of the Silvercrest Household. He recounted the events that had transpired in the study to her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Next, he proceeded to the Mansion''s backyard and requested the presence of neen ''Wolf Knights,'' asmanded by Baron Cedric.


    Before long, a squad of twenty cavalry knights, donning their elite iron armor, departed from the mansion house and marched towards the East Borough. Unbeknownst to Charles, trouble was brewing as he leisurely strolled along the main street, procuring the necessary items for his impending journey.


    Despite his ability to endure prolonged periods without food, he purchased provisions such as rations, vegetables, dried fruits, spices, and more. He also visited a cksmith shop named ''Myriad Smith'' and acquired iron knives, daggers, and spears.


    Although the expenses amounted to around 100 silvers, Charles was okay with spending the money. He then proceeded to a dressing shop where he purchased twenty sets of clothes, neatly storing them in his space ring.


    As he stepped out of the dressing shop, he was surrounded by twenty cavalry knights d in iron armor.


    Their equipment bore peculiar engravings depicting wolves, and though their strength only ranged between Rank 2 and Rank 3, Charles maintained aposed expression and queried coldly,


    "Why are you surrounding me?" His voicecked emotion, eliciting a chuckle from one of the cavalry knights.


    Charles instantly recognized the individual and inwardly snorted.


    Meanwhile, that particr cavalry knight dismounted his horse, removing his iron helmet to reveal his handsome face to the onlookers. Drawing his sword, hemanded,


    "Lord Baron summoned you, Zephyr. He has even granted permission to incapacitate you should you defy my orders."


    With these words, he swung his sword, enveloping it in a radiant aura of sunlight¡ªa disy of intermediate sword aura.


    Observing this spectacle, Charles couldn''t help but smile.


    "Baron Cedric is truly living in his fantasies," he remarked calmly, touching the silver bracelet and activating the Sun Shield artifact.


    Within seconds, a dazzling golden light engulfed his entire body, forming a protectiveyer of sunshine. Simultaneously, a silver armor with golden patterns materialized, covering him from head to toe.


    Gasps and murmurs of astonishment rippled through the streets. At that moment, the cavalry knights and spectators realized that the figure donning this armor was a Holy Knight.


    "Y-You! H-How did you be a Holy Knight?" the Guard Captain, struggling toprehend the situation, nearly stuttered.


    Despite his superiority in strengthpared to a Rank 2 Holy Knight, the discrepancy in their social statuses was vast. Even Baron Cedric had to show respect to a Holy Knight, let alone a mere Guard Captain.


    ''I need to regain control of the situation. If I had known this, I wouldn''t have recklessly epted the Duke''s gifts!'' the Guard Captain cursed internally, swiftly unsheathing his sword.


    However, before he could utter a word, Charles''s figure blurred like a shadow, reappearing behind Keh.


    "Disappear," was the final word Keh heard before a ray shot forth and severed his neck. The next moment, his head soared through the air, sttering blood in all directions beforending on the dirt road.


    A stunned silence descended upon the street as soldiers and onlookers stood in shock at the young boy''s brutal act. With a casual demeanor, Charles wiped the blood from his sword using a discarded cloth and sheathed it. He then shifted his gaze toward the well-armored cavalry and spoke calmly,


    "I have already be a Holy Knight of the Eternal Light. Inform my father to restrain himself from acting impulsively, or he may meet the same fate as this fool."


    With those words, Charles began walking towards the West Borough.


    Charles''s bold actions soon reached Baron Cedric''s ears, causing him to be furious.


    s, he soon restrained himself as he learned that Zephyr had already be a Holy Knight of Sun Church and fell into deep thinking. Although he didn''t know the motive behind Zephyr''s action, he decided not to make an enemy out of him for nothing.


    "But that brat will surelye for my head when he bes a Rank-3 [Pdin]." Baron Cedric mused, a hint of concern tainting his thoughts.


    "Hmm, I need to ask for my father-inw''s help again." Though he detested being controlled like a marite, he had no other viable options.


    "Nigel, send a letter to the Duke and arrange a meeting as soon as possible. Things are spiraling out of control," hemanded, addressing the poor butler.


    Although Nigel longed to voice his opinions, he recognized the boundaries of his position and could only offer a nod inpliance.

 Chapter 619 Charlotte

    ?


    Chapter: Charlotte


    42D El Road, West Borough, Holy City.


    The time was approximately 2:30 P.M.


    On the tranquil street, a single-story house stood with quiet dignity. Against this backdrop, a young man, who appeared to be around 25 years old, found himself standing. His presence seemed somewhat out of ce amidst the serenity of the surroundings as he silently approached the fence gate. With practiced ease, he deftly unlocked the gate and entered.


    The young man possessed a countenance that demanded attention. His most striking featurey in his deep-set jade eyes, which shimmered with an intensity hinting at hidden depths of emotion. Short eyebrows framed his piercing gaze, lending an air of determination to his face. A fleshy nose sat proudly in the center, exuding self-assurance, while his oval-shaped visage added an underlying elegance and symmetry.


    d in a sleek ck formal suit, the young man exuded sophistication and refinement. Each tailored line entuated his lean frame, hinting at a quiet strength beneath hisposed exterior. However, it was his choice of headwear that truly set him apart. A top hat, the epitome of refined taste, sat snugly upon his head, concealing his short blue hair.


    Before long, he arrived at the wooden entrance gate, raised his right hand, and knocked on it three times.


    A few seconds passed, and soon a beautifuldy opened the door from inside and cast a deep gaze at the uninvited visitor. She was around 35 years old, boasting an apple-shaped figure that entuated her generous curves, particrly her ample bosom. Her long, flowing blonde hair cascaded down her back in loose waves as if recently freed from a haphazard braid. The strands danced with a yful wildness, adding to her untamed beauty.


    Her sun-kissed oliveplexion glowed warmly as if touched by the sun''s gentle rays. Deep-set amber eyes, reminiscent of autumn''s golden hues, held a stunning depth and intensity. They seemed to carry the wisdom of age and experiences, yet a mischievous spark flickered within.


    Her attire spoke of a free-spirited nature. She wore a loose-fitting white shirt adorned with delicate flowers along the border, adding a touch of whimsy to her ensemble. The shirt embraced her figure, emphasizing her curves while offeringfort and ease. A long, gypsy-style skirt gracefully swirled around her legs, its vibrant patterns and colors mirroring her vibrant personality.


    "Long time no see, Lady Charlotte," the young man suddenly inclined his body forward and greeted her with a smile.


    Surprised, Charlotte greeted him with a nod and furrowed brows. Though she couldn''t recognize him, she felt a sense of familiarity.


    "Please forgive me for not recognizing you, young man. May I ask who you are?"


    A chuckle escaped from Charles''s mouth. He removed his top hat, ced it over his chest, and introduced himself.


    "I am Charles Nightwind, My Lady. You may not have recognized me due to the twenty-year gap, but we indeed met in Riverdale City-"


    Before he could finish his words, Charlotte widened her eyes in shock and stuttered.


    "C-Charles?! Is that you? Oh, Holy Mother of Life!" Charlotte almost covered her mouth in shock and hurriedly invited him in.


    "P-Pleasee in. How long has it been? Hunt always talked about you whenever some news came from the Arc Kingdom." As she spoke, she guided him to the main hall and gestured for him to sit on therge, ornate sofa.


    Meanwhile, Charles settledfortably on the sofa and inquired,


    "Are you still in contact with Bishop Reynolds and others? How are they doing?"


    Charlotte fell silent for a moment and then sighed. "A lot has happened in these past twenty years, Charles. Although Bishop Reynolds is still alive, he has reached the end of his life due to a curse from the Sinful Demon. It will be a miracle if he lives for another five years."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles instantly recalled Reynolds mentioning the curse during their discussion of Eddie''s prophecy, and he nodded solemnly.


    "I will go to Riverdale City in two years. If he is still alive, I will try to find a way to remove the curse." While unsure if his soul fire could burn a demon''s curse, he intended to try it.


    At that moment, Charlotte wore a hesitant expression and added, "I advise you not to visit that city anymore, Charles. After your mother''s death, the Life Church took over your property and even turned your house into a secret base. I have heard rumors of illegal and taboo research taking ce there."


    "Oh? They must be exploring the Dream Realm using the ''Nightmare Stone.''" Charles waved his hand, unaffected by their secret activities.


    Suddenly, he thought of the ACES team leader and asked, "What about Lady Emilia? Has she managed to regain her life force?"


    "Her unfortunate situation turned into a blessing. After she lost her life force, her strength increased tremendously. She has already be a Rank-4 [Mind Maniptor] and is now the Elder of the Weathering Shadows organization. However, her lifespan is still short, and she might reach the end in a few decades."


    "Oh? She is still alive, but I didn''t expect her to face such struggles." Charles felt a tinge of sadness and continued,


    "What about Be Collins? Last I heard, she entered the Dreamforce Lair but never returned."


    Charlotte looked puzzled and shook her head. "Although I have heard of her in the past, I didn''t even meet her when I was in Riverdale City, Charles. So, I have no information about her."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She paused, recalling something, and added, "But a civil war erupted in the Arc Kingdom, resulting in the death of many people in Riverdale City. Even Baron Ethan Walker met his end against a Count''s right-hand man and died an honorable death. Hunt''s partner, Robb, also perished during the war." Although Charlotte maintained a calm expression, a trace of emotional disturbance flickered in her eyes.


    Charles realized she felt saddened by Ethan''s death. ''Now that I think about it, she married Ethan Walker for her mission and lived with him for a while as his second wife. But herplicated rtionship status doesn''t interest me much. Let''s get to the main topic.''


    "Why are you all here in the Sacred Empire?"


    Charlotte remained silent for a while, giving him a prating look. "Before I answer your question, Charles, I want to know your strength. I want the truth."


    Charles smiled and pointed his finger towards the cathedral visible through the window gap.


    "If the Pope and I were to battle, I''m 100 percent confident I can hold my ground against him for more than 2 minutes. Beyond that, it might result in my death." Charles spoke honestly. Afterprehending over 16 Rebirth Fire Laws, his understanding of the Rebirth Domain had reached a pinnacle level. Though he stillcked the power to stand against Udnir, he could employ some tricks against the Pope of Order andst more than 2 minutes.


    ''And when the chaos era descends, I might even be able to kill him,'' he thought, though he didn''t voice it aloud. The uing arrival of the Chaos Era remained unknown to anyone.


    ''Of course, many Gods might have already noticed the changes in destiny, though.''


    Charlotte froze momentarily, her expression stiffening. "You have already entered the realm of Legends?" Her disbelief was evident.


    Charles nodded and replied, "Although I have entered the realm of Legends, I still have a long way to go."


    Charlotte was stunned by his progress and asked, "Does that mean you avenged your mother''s death?"


    "I have only half-avenged her death. Many perpetrators are still roaming in this world," Charles replied coldly.


    Though she didn''t understand whom he was referring to, Charlotte nodded silently.


    "Anyway, I can rest assured that you have grown much stronger. We are here to steal an ''Intellectual Artifact'' called ''S-13,''" Charlotte revealed without hesitation, surprising Charles.


    ''An S-Rank Intellectual Artifact? Genesis, gather more information about ''S-13,'''' Charles mentallymanded.


    [Yes, Host. The Intellectual Artifact called ''S-13'' also goes by the name ''Stormheart''s Whisper.'' Its information and abilities are unknown, but rumors suggest that anyone who possesses this artifact can be a true Immortal (endless lifespan). Its first owner was an ancient Three-Eye Titan with thunder abilities capable of even destroying Demigods. Around 50,000 years ago, he ended up gravely injured and stumbled upon this high ne, where he eventually died. That''s how ''Stormheart''s Whisper'' came to thisnd.]


    "Stormheart''s Whisper, huh? Are you doing this to save Lady Emilia?" Charles asked, surprised by the revtion.


    "Yes," Charlotte replied with a determined expression. "Lady Emilia''s time is limited, and she wishes to find a way to prolong her life. ''Stormheart''s Whisper'' is rumored to have the power to grant immortality. If we can obtain it, there might be a chance to save her. In truth, Archbishop Abel was the one who sent us here to gather more information about this artifact."


    Charles leaned back on the sofa, deep in thought. Immortality was a coveted power, but he understood the artifact''s dangers. It could distort one''s desires and drive them to madness if not being careful.


    ''After all, Intellectual artifacts are not something that could be easily tamed.''


    Nevertheless, he couldn''t deny the importance of saving Lady Emilia, a dearrade who had suffered so much.


    After contemting, Charles looked at Charlotte and said,


    "I will help you in this endeavor. Lady Emilia deserves a chance at a longer life. However, you must proceed with caution. The acquisition of such a powerful artifact is bound to attract attention and pose numerous challenges."


    Charlotte nodded, appreciating Charles''s support. "Thank you, Charles. The ''S-3'' is currently in the possession of the Sacred Empire''s Royal Family. It is stored within the Imperial Vault, heavily guarded and protected by powerful enchantments. It won''t be easy to retrieve it."


    A mischievous glint appeared in Charles''s eyes as he formted a n.


    "I''ll help you steal it. But-" Charles paused as he thought of something and soon added.


    "After using its ability on Lady Emilia, I''ll take that artifact myself." He still wouldn''t forgive the Life Church for scheming against him and his mother in the past and decided to give them their own medicine.


    Although Charlotte wanted to refute, she could only swallow her words and nod reluctantly.

 Chapter 620 Tortured

    ?


    Chapter 620: Tortured


    After thinking, Charlotte became aware of her rudeness and swiftly inquired, "I just realized, would you prefer coffee or tea?"


    With augh, Charles responded, "If it''s feasible, I''d appreciate some fruit juice, Lady Charlotte."


    Charlotte smiled warmly at Charles and nodded. "Fruit juice it is. Please make yourselffortable while I prepare it for you."


    As Charlotte made her way to the kitchen, Charles took the opportunity to observe his surroundings. The main hall exuded elegance and sophistication with its polished marble floors and intricately carved wooden furniture. The walls were adorned with paintings, each depicting scenes from different eras, hinting at a rich history and a deep appreciation for art.


    While Charles waited, his thoughts wandered back to the past and his encounters with Hunt, Emilia, and the others in Riverdale City.


    Lost in his thoughts, Charles was startled when Charlotte returned, carrying a tray with a ss of refreshing fruit juice. She gracefully ced it on the coffee table before him and sat opposite him.


    "I hope the fruit juice is to your liking," Charlotte said, her amber eyes filled with curiosity.


    Meanwhile, Charles picked up the ss and sipped, savoring the sweet and tangy vor.


    He nodded appreciatively. "It''s delicious, thank you."


    "So, why did you choose to visit us? You didn''te here just to find out why we are here, right?" Charlotte asked.


    Charles smiled, took another sip, and spoke.


    "Half-right. Although I discovered your whereabouts due to sheer coincidence, I came here for a purpose. I want all information about the Sacred Cathedral and church members if possible. More precisely, I want information about Archbishop Victor and the Hawthorne family."


    "You are after Archbishop Victor?" Charlotte froze for a moment and soon nodded.


    "Although they aren''t the Royal Family, they still hold considerable authority in this City and have a great background. So, we gathered all information about them too." She stood up and hurriedly went to the left side room.


    Before long, she returned with many documents and ced them on the coffee table.


    On the other hand, Charles picked them one by one and flipped through them. As he started reading the first document, he was genuinely impressed by their information-gathering ability.


    Not only they recorded Victor''s abilities, they even went further and wrote about his history, habits, hobbies, and even personal things.


    "Impressive." Charles took the following document and continued reading it. But this was about Hawthorne family information. For the next three hours, he stayed in Charlotte''s house and gathered all the information about Sacred Empire, Royal Family, Order Church, Truth Church organization, and all Church official members. Although he had an omniscient-like system to help him gather important information, he realized it only had records of important events.


    For example, when he searched for clues about Anna''s mother earlier, he found no clue.


    ''s, Life Church''s information-gatheringwork is something else.'' In truth, Charles had long known that Hunt and Charlotte weren''t the only ones from the Withering Shadows Organization.


    "How many of you are here?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte showed a hesitant look and soon sighed.


    "I don''t know why, but I can''t bring myself to lie to you." She said with a weak smile and added.


    "So far, 12 Official Squads are working in the shadows and helping us with everything. Besides that, 250 plus Low agents infiltrated the Sacred Empire around five years ago and are still doing their best to act as spies in every part of the City."


    "Low agents? You mean?" Charles showed a puzzled look and asked.


    "They are mortals with excellent battle skills. Some became servants, some married influential officials, and others became government officials. Even so, 99% of them will be discarded once this mission ends. In truth, a few are already facing misfortunes and barely clinging to their lives. This is the dark reality of being an agent of Withering Shadows." Charlotte suddenly turned her gaze towards the entrance door and continued.


    "The agent staying in the opposite house also faces the same fate. She had a pretty good life until two weeks ago, and everything was perfect. Sometimes, she even said she would quit being a spy agent and live a happy life with the Inquisitor she had married. But for some unknown reason, her husband has tortured her like a maniac for the past two weeks. Although he is short-tempered and gets angry quickly, this is extreme. We don''t know why he suddenly became so violent and ruthless. Although I want to go and intervene, I have no choice but to watch everything in silence."


    She said with a hint of sadness in her tone.


    "He found out her identity?" Charles asked.


    "I don''t think so. If he actually found out she was a spy, she would''ve long been transferred to the Radiant experts and be a corpse already. I feel like he was torturing her just to vent his anger on someone else."


    "She truly is unfortunate, then. Will all agents be discarded once the mission is over?"


    "Yes. When we finish our mission, the Sacred Empire will retaliate and start the mass hunt. At that time, these mortal agents will be the scapegoats for us to escape."


    "The Life Church is ruthless. Can''t they also escape with you guys?" Charles asked.


    "It''s a very risky move. What will happen when hundreds of people suddenly quit work and leave the City? It will not only raise suspicion, it might even expose us." Charlotte said calmly.


    "Hmm, what a trouble job you guys are doing." Charles truly felt pity for all the scapegoats and shook his head.


    "Anyway, I think this information should be more than enough," Charles said as he stared at hundreds of enclosed documents before him and slowly stood up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You are leaving already? Hunt will be overjoyed if he knows you are here, though." Charlotte paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "Why not stay here today? We may celebrate our little reunion."


    "Although I want to enjoy our little reunion, I''m also on a tight schedule, My Lady. But I''ll stay in this City for the next two years so that we can celebrate another time." Charles said apologetically.


    "That''s a relief." Charlotte nodded her head and also stood up from her seat.


    After that, Charles bid farewell to her and quietly left the house.


    But as he walked out of the fence gate, he slowly turned his attention towards the single-storied house on the opposite street road and scanned it.


    His'' wisdom power'' enveloped the house in a blink and observed everything.


    At that moment, a young woman in her mid-twentiesy on the bed, butt naked, and seemed to be sleeping in the bedroom. No, he saw her legs and hands were tied, and she appeared to be beaten badly.


    Charles halted his footsteps as he saw bruises all over her back and even burn marks on her chest.


    ''She was indeed pitiful.''


    Charles knew she would be in deep trouble if she were left untreated.


    ''It''s Erwin''s house, right?'' He also saw Inquisitor''s marriage portrait in the living hall and confirmed his guess.


    "But why is she in this state? I thought he loved her truly, though. Wait, was it due to my provocative words?" He couldn''t help but feel guilty. In truth, she wasn''t in a secret rtionship with Hunt at all. He actually made that up to provoke Erwin.


    When Charles searched for information about Inquisitor Erwin, he learned that his wife was a follower of Life Church and a spy sent by Withering Shadows five years ago to gather information about the S-13 Intellectual Artifact.


    And she was one of the low-rank mortal agents.


    ''What should I do now?'' If he saves her by casting soul fire, it would not only raise suspicion, but it might even expose Hunt''s and Charlotte''s identities.


    ''Tsk, why am I even hesitating?''


    Charles nced around to see if someone was watching him and quietly entered the nearby alley.


    A secondter, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared inside the single-storied house''s living room.


    Then, he took a step forward and moved toward the left side. Before long, he entered the bedroom and arrived closer to the young woman.


    Upon closer inspection, he observed her dire state. Her disheveled crimson hair framed a pair of dark brown eyes, while her fair skin was marred with numerous bruises. A celestial nose, once intact, now bore the visible signs of a fracture. The wounds that covered her body obscured any trace of her once-beautiful face.


    After a quick scan, he conjured a ball of blue me and tossed it onto her body. A secondter, the blue me suddenly enveloped her body as a whole and started healing her wounds and bruises at an incredible speed.


    Before long, not a single bruise on her skin remained.


    "Good," Charlesmented as he removed the ropes on her legs and hands.


    A gasp leaked out of the young woman''s mouth as she felt the disappearance of the pain and slowly opened her beautiful eyes.


    The next instant, she touched her face, hands, and all other body parts and soon burst into tears.


    But she soon realized another person was standing before her and hurriedly covered her naked body with the quilt.


    "W-Who are you, Mister?" She stuttered before realizing something and then asked.


    "Are you the one who healed me?"


    "Indeed," Charles nodded and inquired, "But how did you end up in this state? Who did it?"


    A bitter smile appeared on her face.


    "W-Who else do you think? Of course, it''s my Erwin." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to hold back her emotions and continued.


    "I-I don''t know what happened, but he suddenly became violent. Whenever he returned home, he started abusing me and never even talked about it once. I pleaded with him every day, but nothing changed."


    As she spoke, she buried her face in the white quilt and wailed like a small kid.


    On the other hand, Charles waited for her to calm down and soon asked.


    "What''s your name?"

 Chapter 621 Pursuit

    ?


    Chapter 621: Pursuit


    "Evelyn." She said stiffly.


    "Good. From now on, do as I say." Saying so, he moved closer to her and said a few things in secret. After that, he cast the [me Teleportation] spell and disappeared.


    Meanwhile, Evelyn slowly walked out of the bed and nced around.


    Strewn across the floor were her undergarments, which she began to gather and put on. Taking her time, she carefully fastened the bra strap, ensuring a proper fit. Then, using a woodenb, she meticulously ran it through her hair, gently arranging it into a neat bundle.


    Amidst these actions, Evelyn''s gaze shifted towards the wall clock; her eyes fixated on its hands as they indicated the passing of time.


    ''5.45 P.M. I only have a few more minutes to decide whether to trust that mysterious man''s words.''


    At that moment, her mind was in utter chaos.


    A while ago, Charles gave her two options before leaving. The first option was to trust his words and seek help from his friend in Crystal Lane. After that, he promised that she would not only get a free life but also be free of any harassment from Edwin. And the second option was to forget everything about him and stay here as Edwin''s wife until her death.


    "He just left like that. But can I trust him?" She asked herself before realizing what would''ve happened if he hadn''t healed her.


    Only a split second was enough for her to decide her following action. Although she loves Erwin wholeheartedly, she doesn''t want to die a dog''s death.


    "I-It hurts so much." She wiped tears from the corner of her eyes and became more determined.


    "I must escape from this house before Edwin returns, leaving a few trails behind. My destination is a single-storied house in Crystal Lane." She hurriedly moved towards the wardrobe, packed a few dresses, and wore a long blue gown.


    ''Usually, Edwin wille home only at 7.30 P.M. But from what I heard from his friends, his duty ends around 6.00 P.M. Although I asked him why he alwayseste multiple times, he never gave me a proper reply.''


    Shaking her head, she walked towards the living hall, took her purse from the top of the ornate sofa, and hastened towards the entrance.


    Upon reaching the entrance, she wore her ck leather shoes, locked the wooden door, and moved towards the fence gate.


    But just as she walked out of the house, she saw a young man in histe twenties standing on the opposite roadside and waving his hand at her.


    ''Curse my luck! Isn''t he a Holy Knight of Order directly working under Edwin? Why is he here this early?'' Although she couldn''t remember his name, she knew he lived in the same street as them and asionally returned home with Edwin.


    ''Wait, does that mean Edwin will alsoe sooner?'' Fear gripped her heart.


    At that moment, the Holy Knight noticed her acting strange and approached her.


    As he walked closer, he saw therge leather bag in her left hand and asked in concern.


    "Where are you going at this hour, Lady Evelyn? You seem to be in a hurry."


    Meanwhile, Evelyn showed a forced smile and made up a lie.


    "I received a letter from my mother that my grandmother died yesterday. So, I''m leaving in a hurry." She paused as she took an iron key from her handbag and gave it to the young Holy Knight.


    "When my husbandes home, can you give this key to him and ry my message?"


    Upon hearing those words, the young Holy Knight froze momentarily and soon asked.


    "B-But Sir Edwin said you were an orphan before."


    "This is my adopted parents," Evelyn said in a hurry and started walking towards the wooden rental carriage parked a few hundred meters away from the house entrance.


    Although the young Holy Knight was about to stop her and ask more questions, he soon stopped himself and decided to ask his superiorter.


    Meanwhile, Evelyn drew closer to the carriage, her footsteps echoing against the surrounding silence. As she reached the vehicle, she opened its door and swiftly entered, settling inside. Without dy, she conveyed her intended destination to the coachman, providing him with the necessary instructions.


    Simultaneously, the coachman grasped the horse reins, his hands confidently guiding the steed. As the reins were pulled, the carriage lurched forward, setting its wheels in motion, and slowly began its journey along the main road of West Borough.


    As the carriage disappeared from the young Holy Knight''s sight, he soon saw another carriageing from the other side.


    In stark contrast to the rustic wooden carriage that had preceded it, this particr carriage exuded an air of sophistication and refinement. Its exterior gleamed with a meticulous polish, reflecting the sunlight mesmerizingly. But what truly captured the attention was the emblem adorning its side¡ªa striking depiction of a majestic, goat-like mythical creature. Intricate runes, skillfully etched into the carriage''s surface, created an aura of charm and order.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As the carriage stopped before the holy knight, a young man in his twenties stepped down from the carriage and gave him a curious look.


    "What are you doing here, Samuel?" The young man asked.


    "Greetings, Sir Inquisitor! You barely missed your wife, sir. It seems a big incident happened at your father-inw''s house, so she gave the house key to pass it to you and left the home." The Holy Knight stated while passing the key to Edwin.


    "What are you bbering?" Edwin got the key from Samuel and soon asked what happened.


    After listening to his short exnation, Edwin couldn''t help but get more confused.


    ''I hurt her every day to check if she had a secret lover visiting when I wasn''t there. But I never thought it would be true! I understand.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes. At that moment, thest shred of emotion and love hidden in his heart hadpletely vanished.


    "Where did the carriage go?" he inquired.


    Though puzzled by the question, Samuel didn''t dwell on it and simply gestured towards the path taken by the wooden carriage.


    "Excellent," Edwin responded, a chilling smile ying on his lips as he climbed into the carriage and issuedmands to the coachman.


    "Head swiftly towards the main road of West Borough. She couldn''t have gone too far."


    "Very well, My Lord," the coachman acknowledged, cracking his whip and urging the horses to elerate as the carriage raced forward at a remarkable speed.


    ...


    Crystal Lane, West Borough, Holy City.


    It was around 6.35 P.M


    Even though the sun had disappeared from the western sky a while ago, the sky still glowed with a lovely yellow color. It looked pretty and made everything around it seem magical. The sky''s brightness against the darkening backdrop made it even more special, and it felt like nature was giving us a wonderful goodbye before the night took overpletely.


    Around this time, Charles returned to the guest house and sat inside the bedroom while observing the surroundings.


    Although only two guards stood at the house entrance, he sensed more than thirty suspicious figures were monitoring the house from different sides.


    ''4 people staying in the opposite Inn and watching the house through the window, while another six people standing near the street food shop and keeping a close eye on the house.'' He also sensed ten more people hiding on the neighboring house''s terrace using some strange stealth skill and appeared to be getting ready for a fight.


    ''Surprisingly, sixteen out of twenty are Rank-2 Mystics while the remaining four are Rank-3. Isn''t this too much for monitoring me?'' He couldn''t help but furrow.


    He knew they were sent by Baron Cedric to keep an eye on him and felt confused.


    All of a sudden, he stood up and disyed a radiant smile.


    "She is finally here."


    At that very moment, a young woman with vibrant crimson hair dashed into a narrow alley connected to the adjacent street. She hastened her steps with a sense of urgency, determined to reach Crystal Lane before Edwin could catch up to her.


    "If I hadn''t encountered that Holy Knight, things wouldn''t have turned out like this," she murmured under her breath, her gaze fixated on the deep gash marking her left shoulder. A surge of pain apanied the sight as blood spurted out, staining one side of her blue gown, creating a gruesome spectacle.


    ording to the instructions given to her by the mysterious individual, escape from Edwin''s clutches seemed promising if she followed the suggested n. It appeared that a smooth departure was within her reach.


    However, her wellid n was abruptly disrupted when an unforeseen Holy Knight unexpectedly materialized, obstructing her path and dashing her hopes of a swifter getaway.


    Although she eventually managed to outwit the Holy Knight, her triumph was short-lived as Edwin intercepted her amid the road.


    Just as the wooden carriage she had been counting on approached the intersection of Crystal Lane, Edwin''s carriage emerged on the scene, effectively bringing her progress to a halt and thwarting her escape.


    Fortuitously, a suddenmotion nearby provided a momentary distraction and allowed her to slip away unnoticed. She swiftly made her way toward Crystal Lane, propelled by adrenaline.


    Regrettably, her respite was short-lived as she fell victim to Erwin''s sword attack, resulting in her current wounded state.


    ...

 Chapter 622 Confront

    ?


    Chapter 622: Confront


    Unknown to Evelyn, Edwin stalked her from a little far away and quietly approached her like a predator.


    He was waiting for the real culprit who dared to steal his woman.


    ''Is it the Pdin? Or someone else?'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    In the meantime, Evelyn ran like her life was on the line and finally reached Crystal Lane. Afterward, she entered the street road and started moving deep west while walking past the houses, stores, and inns.


    Although a few noticed her running wounded, none volunteered to help her.


    On the other hand, Evelyn finally arrived at the end of Crystal Lane and soon found the house guarded by two well-armored guards.


    ''This is the house that mysterious mage mentioned.'' Hope appeared in her eyes.


    She soon walked towards the fence gate but was stopped by the guards.


    The guards, noticing Evelyn''s wounded state and disheveled appearance, immediately raised their spears, barring her path. Their stern expressions and unwavering stance made it clear that they would not let her through without a proper exnation.


    Evelyn, her breath ragged and her heart pounding, quickly realized that she needed to think on her feet ande up with a convincing story. She took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself despite the pain coursing through her body, and spoke in a determined yet pleading tone.


    "Please, I need your help, Sirs," she implored, her voice tinged with desperation. "I''vee a long way, running from a dangerous man. He''s been tormenting me, and I fear for my life. The mysterious man I met mentioned seeking assistance here. I beg of you, let me inside."


    The guards exchanged nces, their expressions betraying skepticism and concern.


    After a short pause, one of the guards shook his head and spoke.


    "I think you''vee to the wrong address, Mam. This is the guest house of Baron Cedric Silvercrest, and the one staying in this house now is his fourth son."


    Evelyn showed a confused look and didn''t know what to do.


    "What''s themotion outside?" A mature woman''s voice came from the house, and soon a blonde-haireddy in her ck gown stepped out.


    With a stern yetpassionate gaze, thedy took in the sight of Evelyn standing before the guards. Her eyes lingered on Evelyn''s wounded shoulder, and a flicker of concern passed through her features. She approached them with purposeful steps, her presencemanding attention and respect.


    "What is happening here?" she inquired, her voice carrying authority. Her gaze shifted from the guards to Evelyn, assessing the situation before her. "Who is this woman, and why is she in such a state?"


    One of the guards spoke up, addressing thedy. "Lady Ste, this woman ims to be seeking help. She says a dangerous man is pursuing her and that a strange man directed her to this house for assistance."


    Although she was a servant like a guard, her position was much higher, and she also had some connection with Zephyr. So, the guard didn''t dare to act rudely and spoke politely.


    Lady Ste''s expression softened, and she turned her attention back to Evelyn. "Is this true? Who is this man, and why are you running from him?"


    Evelyn took a moment topose herself, her eyes meeting Lady Ste''s with a mixture of fear and determination. She spoke with urgency, her voice trembling slightly. "His name is Edwin, an inquisitor of Order. He''s been tormenting me, causing me pain and suffering. I managed to escape, but he was relentless in his pursuit. I don''t know where else to run, and a mysterious man I met spoke of finding help here."


    Lady Ste''s brows furrowed as she listened attentively, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She nced at the guards, silently conveying her decision. "Allow her inside," shemanded firmly. "We shall hear her story and assess the situation further."


    The guards hesitated momentarily, exchanging a nce, before stepping aside to let Evelyn pass. With a grateful nod, Evelyn entered the premises of the guest house, her eyes scanning the surroundings as she followed Lady Ste.


    Once they entered the house, Lady Ste led Evelyn to a sitting area, motioning for her to sit on an ornate couch. She settled into an adjacent chair, her gaze fixed on Evelyn with a mix of empathy and curiosity.


    "Now, tell me everything," Lady Evelyn urged, her voice gentle yet firm. "Start from the beginning. Who is this Edwin, and why has he been pursuing you?"


    Evelyn took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and began recounting the events that had led her to this moment. She spoke of her marriage to Edwin, then about the sudden change of his character, leading to abuse and torment.


    "I-I think he believed I was unfaithful to him, even though it was never true," Evelyn exined, her voice quivering with suppressed emotion.


    While the due were talking inside the living hall, a young man arrived at the house entrance and caused the guards to be more vignt.


    Before the young man could get closer to the fence gate, both guards gripped their spears righter and pointed the tip towards the front.


    "Halt!" One of the guards shouted in an authoritative tone.


    On the other hand, Edwin couldn''t help but nce around.


    ''Something feels off about this house. Why did shee here? Who is staying here?'' Not only did the guards'' strength appear high, but he also noticed a few more powerful mystics standing on the opposite roadside, watching his movement.


    Edwin''s instincts told him he had stumbled upon a ce of great importance, and his curiosity was piqued. He had been cautiously tracking Evelyn, hoping to find her secret lover. Seeing her seek refuge in this heavily guarded house only heightened his determination to learn the real truth.


    However, Edwin was no fool. He understood the need for caution in such a situation. He couldn''t afford to make rash moves that jeopardized his chances of reaching Evelyn.


    Keeping his emotions in check, Edwin assumed aposed demeanor and slowly approached the guards barring his path. He kept his hands visible and his expression neutral, not wanting to give away any indication of his true intentions.


    "I mean no harm," Edwin stated calmly, his voiceced with a hint of authority. "I am searching for someone important to me. If she has sought shelter within these walls, I implore you to allow me to speak with her."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The guards exchanged nces, their eyes narrowing as they assessed Edwin''s demeanor. They remained vignt; their spears still pointed in his direction.


    "You must understand, sir, that the safety of the upants within this house is our utmost priority," one of the guards replied, his voice firm.


    "We cannot simply grant ess to anyone without proper authorization or a valid reason. Who are you, and why do you seek entrance?"


    Edwin met their gazes with unwavering determination, his cold glint returning to his eyes. He knew that he had to tread if he wanted to gain their trust and find a way to reach Evelyn.


    "My name is Edwin, and I''m also the inquisitor of Order Church," he replied, his voice steady. "The woman you are guarding, Evelyn, belongs to me. We have a history; I believe she has been deceived into seeking refuge here. I am merely trying to understand the situation and ensure her safety."


    The guards remained cautious, their expressions unyielding. It was clear that they were not easily swayed by his words alone.


    Just as the tension was about to escte, a 16-year-old young boy, who had been listening intently from nearby, emerged from the nearby tree shadow and approached the entrance.


    "Young Master!" Both guards hurriedly turned around and bowed their heads.


    Without minding them, Charles sharpened his gaze toward Edwin and asked.


    "Who is she to you?" His voice containedmand.


    ''Young master? Is he a son of a noble? Although I can kill him and make a fake report, this kid''s father might report it to the Royal Family and cause some trouble for Archbishop Victor.'' Edwin furrowed and began to contemte.


    But after a short ponder, he decided to use his authority and find the truth himself.


    "She is my wife, youngd. And I can arrest you if you don''t cooperate with me." Saying so, he took out a golden badge from his pocket and showed it to him.


    It was indeed a badge of Order.


    But before Edwin could say more, Charles suddenly moved his right hand like a shadow and gripped the sword hilt on his waist.


    ''Damn it; this kid is not listening.''


    Upon noticing the sudden change, Edwin backed away and unsheathed his sword.


    "You want to fight me?" He said while enveloping his sword in a sunshine aura.


    A smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''You think I want to fight you?'' A familiar young man''s voice suddenly reverberated inside Edwin''s head, causing his whole body to stiffen.


    He had heard of this voice before.


    ''Who is it? Wait, it''s Max Fireborn, whom I killed a few weeks ago! But how is he still alive? Moreover, where is he?'' His eyes darted around, searching for the enemy.


    "Where are you looking?" Charles asked, taking arge step while unsheathing his sword.


    ''T-This! This young boy... Why is he suddenly appear more like a powerful expect?''


    Before he could blink, the young boy before him suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind him.


    "I haven''t forgotten the Silver Stab skill''s effect on my heart," Charles whispered, calmly thrusting his sword at an incredible speed and stabbing his heart from behind.


    In the meantime, Edwin finally realized that this young boy was actually Max Fireborn and got horrified. He tried to say some words but suddenly forgot what to say.


    "And the reason I lured you here is for another purpose." As Charles spoke, he cast [Purple Consciousness] spell and let it enter his Inner World.


    He also cast other purple mes and started devouring his memories.


    While doing so, he quietly pulled the sword back, removed the blood stains, and let Edwin fall on the dirt road.


    Although alive, his body remained motionless like a doll and showed no emotions. Only the blood continuously sprayed on the dirt road and reddened the area.


    "This will be a lesson for anyone who dares to cause trouble for me," Charles said in a chilling tone and turned his gaze towards the neighboring house terrace.


    At that moment, the guards and all the 20 spies monitoring from different areas were utterly stunned.


    They thought Zephyr got lucky when killing Keh. But now they realized how naive they were.


    Unlike Keh, the person lying on the road was a Rank-3 [Inquisitor] and could be considered an expert of Order Church!


    But even he died without knowing how, which caused an unknown fear in everyone''s heart.

 Chapter 623 Change Of Plans

    ?


    Chapter 623: Change of ns


    "Dispose of the body," Charles said as he noticed Edwin''s body had gone motionless and turned around before walking towards the house entrance.


    At that moment, one of the guards showed a hesitant look and spoke concernedly.


    "But he seemed to be an Inquisitor of the Order Church, Young Master. I fear things will be more difficult for you if we don''t handle the incident properly. Should we inform Lord Baron about this?"


    "Even if I tell you to stop, will you listen to my words?" Charles snorted coldly and continued to walk.


    At that moment, in his Inner World, there was countless information about Erwin''s daily life, his rtionship with Archbishop Victor, and Order Churches'' secrets appeared.


    Soon, Charles also learned about the secret meeting they held under the cathedral''s hidden chamber and was astounded.


    ''So, Archbishop Victor knows a secret location of a powerful artifact in Star Tombs that could even help him be a legendary powerhouse, huh? Last time, he failed to get his hands on it due to the time limit and decided to try again. But an anomaly like Ronan appeared and ruined his n at thest moment. Left with no choice, he used his friends'' help and assassinated him.'' From Archbishop Victor''s perspective, everything would go ording to his n if he managed to enter the Star Tombs.


    But little did he know that Edwin had long sold this secret to someone else.


    At that moment, some confidential information that was so important appeared in Charles''s mind, causing him to halt his footsteps.


    ''Genesis, why the information about Edwin looks so differs from what you gave me before?'' He couldn''t help but ask.


    [It might be due to a fake record being ced in the Administration office, Host. I use ''Wisdom Link'' to bypass any hidden array and gather information from all forms of histories and personal documents. But I only found a single piece of data in the Administrative Identity Office in Edwin''s cast. So, the possibility of his information being forged was also very high. Moreover, he also seemed to have kept his personal history hidden even from his original consciousness.]


    ''You sure arete to inform such an important detail.'' Thankfully, Charles had learned his lesson long ago and acted independently from the very beginning.


    He stood still, his mind reeling from the information that had flooded his consciousness. The revtions he had stumbled upon within Edwin''s memories were of utmost significance, potentially altering the course of his ns.


    At that moment, he realized that Edwin had been intricately connected to the higher echelons of the Order Church. To be precise, he was the son of a Head Deacon, a Legendary Rank Powerhouse!


    ''No wonder he became a Rank-4 Inquisitor at such a young age.''


    ''Genesis, tell me who will participate in the Star Tombs Exploration team from Order Church.''


    [Yes, Host. Ten people will participate in the uing exploration mission. They are First Cardinal Luke, Head Deacon Colt, Fourth Cardinal Roman, Archbishop Ryan, Archbishop Jose, Radiant Sword Ruby, Holy Maiden Zoe, Champion Knight Lucy, Champion Knight Delh, and finally, the Holy Son of Order.]


    ''Oh? Not only a Holy Maiden but even two champion knights and Holy Son of Order?''


    "Lord Baron must be informed," the guard behind him insisted again, sensing the weight of the situation. "The Order Church will not take this lightly, Young Master."


    Charles, deep in thought, snapped out and furrowed. He understood the gravity of the information he possessed and the potential consequences. However, he also knew that involving Baron Silvercrest couldplicate matters further.


    After a momentary pause, Charles made a decision. He turned to the guard, his gaze firm and determined. "No, I will handle this myself," he saidmandingly. "But before that, you must ensure that no information leaks this street."


    As he spoke, his eyes suddenly darted toward the ten people hiding on the neighboring house terrace and the opposite road.


    At that moment, all those people who were watching Charles felt impending danger.


    "I''ll give you guys ten seconds. Before the time ends, all twenty of you must stand before me. Otherwise, prepare for the consequence." He said in an icy tone.


    If it were before, the spying guards would''ve scoffed him off and acted like they didn''t hear a thing. But after witnessing the Inquisitor''s brutal death, they didn''t dare to take this young boy lightly and hurriedly walked out of their hiding spots.


    Before long, twenty people in different attires ran towards thewn and arrived before him. They lined up in an orderly manner and stood with stiff expressions.


    The corner of his lips curled up as he saw their action.


    "Well-trained soldiers... To be precise, you must be the members of the Wolf Squad, right?"


    Charles''s piercing gaze swept across thewn, and his eyes carefully examined each person present. As he observed the soldiers standing before him, his attention fixated on a particr individual¡ªa man who stood out from the rest with his sturdy build andmanding presence.


    Estimating the man to be in his forties, Charles noted the slight greying at the temples of his short, ck hair, adding a touch of maturity to his appearance. The man''s piercing blue eyes held a sense of wisdom and experience, reflecting a depth of knowledge that surpassed his years.


    "Hmm, you aren''t one of them," He raised his eyebrows and asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Who are you?"


    Upon hearing his words, the muscr man turned stiff and responded anxiously.


    "I-I''m D-Duke Eldrakar''s men, Young Master. My name is Theo, and my job is to monitor and report everything to Lord Duke once a week."


    ''He is quite honest.'' Charles nodded while raising his hand and waving it.


    A secondter, twenty-two ck streaks of fire came out of his hand and shot toward each person''s brows. Although no one saw the ck streaks of fires, they strangely felt an invisible power entering their heads.


    But Charles again cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on everyone, erasing his earlier action from their memories.


    "Now listen up, everyone. From today onwards, you will listen to my everymand and work under me."


    The guards exchanged uncertain nces but strangely respected Charles''s authority and nodded in agreement.


    "First, bring the dead body inside," Charles instructed, his voice appearing low volume. "Make it seem like he is still alive so that outsiders won''t think he died already. Wait, I''ll help you."


    Although his words confused the guards, none dared to disobey and acted instantly.


    More than five guards hurriedly ran outside and tried to take his body. At that moment, Charles released the invisible strings and made his hand twitch and move.


    Gasps and shocking mutters came from onlookers as the guards carried his body inside.


    After that, they ced the body in the middle of thewn and returned to their position.


    On the other hand, Charles squatted beside the body, took a drop of his blood, and made an identity imprint. After that, he stood up and gazed at the muscr soldier.


    "Theo, go to 34A Master Street in Central Borough and ry a message to that mansion''s Lord. Tell him he muste to the Northern Woods at 3.00 A.M. sharp if he wants his son back."


    "Once you ry this message, return to your position and act like nothing has happened." He said calmly, turned his gaze towards the dead body, and added.


    "As for the corpse, burn it until not even bones are left behind." Saying so, he quietly turned around and started walking towards the house.


    Although Ste invited him for a talk, he didn''t waste his time while saying an excuse and directly returned to his bedroom. As for Evelyn, he didn''t care much about her future.


    ''As far as I know, she will be taken under custody by the Radiant Knights for investigation and will undergo some interrogation.'' But whether she could use her wits and get a new life or get caught by the Radiant Knights was all in her hands.


    Of course, the Radiant Knights would alsoe to arrest him within a few hours or by tomorrow morning if Edwin didn''t walk out of the house, though.


    But Charles had his ns.


    Even if things get messed up, and the Radiant Knightse to arrest him, Charles could simply use the ''Sun Armor'' bracelet and inform them that he was a member of the ''First Order'' Holy Knights!


    Within the Sun Church, First Order Holy Knights were considered an elite team with the authority tomand an archbishop to do work for them. They would only obey the Pope of the Sun and had absolute power in the Sun Church.


    ''But I should use that identity as ast resort.'' While thinking, Charles returned to his room and sat on the bed.


    "Hmm, it would be helpful if I get a helper." He muttered and soon thought of his clone.


    "I wonder what he is doing." He almost forgot about that unfortunate clone and decided to contact him.


    He closed his eyes, connecting his consciousness with the soul shard, and soon sent a memory.


    It wasn''t a detailed message but a sentence in Morse code.


    Once he sent the message, he calmly opened his eyes and started taking out the books he got from Bishop Orion.


    After that, he randomly picked up a book, flipped the cover page, and started reading it. For the next two hours, he remained in the same position and read the books at an incredible speed. The first few books were mainly about the Star Tomb''s unique atmosphere, different types ofyers or dimensions, and the unique nightmare creatures the authors faced.


    ''It seems people entering the Star Tombs are teleporting to different areas randomly. So far, the authors have mentioned five different types ofnds; each seems connected by a teleportation circle. But the difficulty is finding the teleportation appears harder than finding a needle in the haystack.''

 Chapter 624 Information On Star Tombs

    ?


    Chapter 624: Information on Star Tombs


    As Charles continued reading the books, he suddenly stumbled upon a book written by a mage he knew.


    To be precise, the author of this book was none other than Eddie Nightwind!


    ''Ancestor of Nightwind Family...'' Charles furrowed his brows and continued to read.


    Unlike the other authors, Eddie said he had entered a uniquend filled with beetles and mantis-like creatures and experienced his near-death experiences multiple times.


    Charles was surprised when he heard something none of the others mentioned in their books. It was a secret that caught his attention.


    "Whenever you enter the Star Tombs," Eddie exined, "you''ll encounter the Guardian of the Dungeon, who will then transport you to a unique ''Sub-Level'' Area at random. In this area, even Legendary Rank Magical Beasts roam freely. Strangely, nobody seems to have spoken about this to others before. I suspect the Guardian erases participants'' memories when leaving the Dungeon. Fortunately, I have a Dream Restore skill that allows me to remember everything that happens. Additionally, it''s important to note that magical beasts are not the only enemies in the Sub-Level. Participants must be cautious of encountering hostile humans as well. One can progress to the First Layer of the Original Dungeon only by sessfully clearing this area. Clearing the area doesn''t mean killing a mutant monster but ratherpleting the mission assigned by the Guardian. Each individual will have a unique mission, making it impossible to rely on the assistance of others,"


    Eddie also mentioned that peak Rank Legendary Magical Beasts would guard each level within the Dungeon. It would require multiple Legend Rank Humans to take down a single beast.


    Continuing with the information, he borated in the book, "The first fouryers of the Dungeon are distinct and contain numerous hidden treasures. The firstyer is ruled by a fallen god named Phobes, where nightmare creatures capable of inducing deep fear dwell. Engaging them is not particrly challenging, but a single mistake could prove fatal. Upon moving on to the secondyer, it is governed by a fallen god called Erebus and inhabited by shadow creatures. Interestingly, Nightmare Creatures can be found in all fouryers. Next, we have the thirdyer, known as ''Pai.'' Though I couldn''t ascertain the name of the fallen god associated with it, this entire realm is filled with desert regions and blood-sucking creatures. One must be cautious of sand monsters and unexpected storms that have the power to rend legendary beasts into multiple pieces. Unfortunately, myrades and I reached this point before deciding to give up on further exploration."


    He then revealed, "The Pentagon and the Amber Church, however, have delved into the fourth and fifthyers and possess knowledge of secrets that surpass any other church or powerful family. You might wonder why only the fifthyer, right? Legends say that the Star Tombs contain more than tenyers, but humans from the Edhen World have been unable to progress beyond the Fifth Layer due to the Boss. Surprisingly, the Boss of this Layer is not a legendary beast but a Demi-God Level Divine Beast,"


    Eddie also shared additional information about the magical creatures he encountered in the first threeyers, including their weaknesses.


    Charles read the book for the next few minutes and greatly understood the Star Tombs.


    ''He revealed more information than the other authors.'' Hemented casually and continued to read the other books.


    By the time he finished reading the book, it was already 10.30. Around this time, Theo had also returned from his mission and told him that he had sessfully ryed his message to Head Deacon Colt.


    But after his return, more than 50 people stealthily entered Crystal Lane and closely watched the single-storied house.


    On the other hand, Charles didn''t mind their arrival and started ordering Genesis to gather every participant''s personal information.


    Although some information might be fake, he knew most of them would be authentic and decided to memorize each small info.


    When doing that, he also learned a few hidden pieces of information about Star Tombs. The most important information that caught his attention was the appearance of otherworldly beings from the fourthyer onwards. He also learned a rumor about the appearance of ''Otherworlders Gathering City'' in the Seventh Layer and became more curious about the purpose of this Dungeon.


    ''Who created this Dungeon? World''s Will? But the appearance of otherworldly beings from the Fourth Layer contradicts this theory.'' Although he didn''t know the Dungeon''s true purpose, he realized it was a great opportunity to improve oneself!


    After some time, he finally finished gathering enough information about the Star Tombs and made a few goals in this expenditure.


    His first goal was to increase his Wisdom Power to a great margin by killing Legendary Magical Beasts. Only then could heprehend more Fire Laws and progress.


    As for his second goal, it was to snatch Archbishop Victor''s treasure.


    Of course, it wasn''t an easy task because of the information leak.


    ''But if I manage to subdue Head Deacon Colt using Edwin''s life, I might be able to achieve it.'' Just as he muttered, Charles suddenly looked at the Southern Direction and felt a sense of familiarity.


    "He is here." He let a deep sigh, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and disappeared from there.


    ...


    Outer Region of Northern Woods.


    It was around 3. A.M.


    A mysterious figure materialized, emerging from the oppressive cloak of darkness, suspended high above the earth by more than a hundred meters. Surveying the vast expanse thaty below, the enigmatic individual took a quick, calcted glimpse of their surroundings. With a deliberate motion, the figure slowly raised both hands, gradually peeling back the concealing fabric of his hood. As the hood fell away, it unveiled a countenance weathered by time, seemingly belonging to an individual who had witnessed centuries of life''s trials and tribtions.


    The face bore testament to the ruggedness of its owner, showcasing reddish eyes that held an air of profound intensity. Short brown hair adorned his head, entuating the striking contrast with the rough-hewnplexion. A crooked nose added character to the visage, while low-arched eyebrows framed the prating gaze that hinted at the wisdom gained through experience. The broad expanse of the forehead spoke of a thoughtful and pensive mind, while a remarkable feature was nestled just above the upper lip. This luxuriant walrus mustache extended outward in impressive profusion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He was none other than Head Deacon Colt.


    Although he came here alone in fear of alerting the enemy, his eyes held absolute confidence and ruthlessness.


    "Where are you hiding, rat? If you don''t show my son, I''ll kill you and your entire family!" His cold voice echoed in the air and created ripples.


    s, no response came at all.


    Just as Head Deacon Colt was about to lose his temper, he suddenly sensed a strange spatial fluctuation a few hundred meters ahead and turned his gaze sharply.


    A bluish crack appeared within the woods a secondter and formed into a portal at 2 meters in diameter.


    "A Spatial Mage?" He was stunned inside.


    After all, not even a legendary mage would dare to roam inside the Sacred Empire in fear of persecution. But someone before him was roaming inside the capital and even kidnapped his son!


    While he was in shock, two people walked out of the spatial portal. One was a 16-year-old boy, while the other was a young man in his twenties.


    Although both stood beside each other and appeared friendly, he felt a strange sense of uneasiness.


    Even though he saw his son, he didn''t move closer to them and quietly observed the duo from the sky.


    ''I don''t sense any change in my son, but the young boy standing beside him isn''t normal. If I''m not wrong, he must be using an artifact to shapeshift into apletely different person.'' But he could see this young man had no soul form.


    "A mere clone puppet, huh? This spatial mage sure is a crafty one." He snorted coldly and continued observing them.


    On the other hand, Charles and ''Edwin'' walked in the woods while talking like they were discussing something important and soon stopped at the area where no trees were around.


    Then, Charles suddenly looked up at the dark sky and smiled.


    "You''ve watched enough, right? Come down; I''ve something important to talk to." He said with a smirk.


    "Oh? You sure have some confidence, rat. Do you think you are in a position to negotiate with me after showing my son?"


    At that moment, Edwin suddenly waved his hand and shouted.


    "Father, don''t do anything reckless. In truth, I was the one who nned this meeting."


    Upon hearing those words, Colt''s heart''s strange doubt grew.


    ''Is he my son?'' He instantly became alert and asked a question.


    "Who is your mother?"


    A strange smile appeared on Edwin''s face as he heard that question.


    "Lara Davis, ady of Count Household from the Arc Kingdom. The reason I married Evelyn is also to make the fake identity more real."


    "Not bad. But it''s easy to learn Edwin''s origin if you are a forbidden mage who dwells in the secret of prying one''s memories." Still unconvinced, he made strange gestures while moving both hands in clockwise and uttered.


    "Come out," Just as he spoke, a small mirror appeared before him, hovering in midair.


    "Mirror of Honesty," Edwin said, looking annoyed.


    "Oh? It seems you are my son. But I still can''t trust you fully." He waved his hand as he spoke and let the unique mirror descend toward the duo.

 Chapter 625 Alliance [Bonus ]

    ?


    Chapter 625: Alliance


    Within a few seconds, the unique Mirror appeared before Edwin and sent a ray of dazzling yellow light directly toward his head.


    Simultaneously, Head Deacon Colt descended from the sky and asked.


    "What''s your original name?"


    "Mathew Jonas." An instant reply came from Edwin''s mouth, causing Head Deacon Colt to rx.


    ''The mirror is not turning red.'' He felt relieved inside and continued to ask.


    "Where and when were you born?"


    "13th July, Second Arcane year 6338. I was born at Shephred''s Vige, Duke Winder''s territory, Arc Kingdom." Edwin''s reply was so swift and calm. In truth, the one speaking to Colt was not Charles''s original consciousness but a new one created with memories of Edwin himself!


    So, this new consciousness truly believed that he was Edwin himself and responded calmly.


    For the next few minutes, Head Deacon Colt asked multiple random questions and finally rxed his guard.


    "Tsk, do you know how worried I became when I got the news that you got injured and captured by some random noble''s son?" Colt said with a worried voice and soon shook his head.


    "Now, tell me. What are you scheming with this mage?" He asked while pointing his finger at the young boy standing a few feet away.


    On the other hand, Edwin shook his head and spoke.


    "It''s more like a temporary agreement, father. As long as we agreed to his request, he promised me that he would not only help us get Victor''s artifact but also give us the location of another treasure in the thirdyer and might find a way for you to be a Cardinal."


    ''Cardinal...'' It was more like a dream for every Order Church higher-ups, so Colt was indeed tempted.


    "But why should we believe his words?" Still, he wasn''t convinced by Edwin''s words and asked.


    Charles gave him a polite smile at that moment, stealthily cast [Curse of the Overlord] spell, and spoke.


    "You can use the Mirror to check if my words are true."


    Head Deacon Colt''s eyes narrowed as he considered Charles''s proposition. The Mirror was a powerful artifact that could reveal the truth by reading the opponent''s thoughts and gathering information from the outside world. It had been passed down through generations within their Order and was known for its unwavering uracy.


    ''Even if he uses a puppet clone to talk to me, it can influence reality and confirm his words directly.'' He was well aware of how powerful mystics like him could create other consciousnesses to conceal their true thoughts and pondered.


    "Fine," Colt conceded, his voiceced with caution. "But if you''re lying, you''ll face the consequences."


    Charles nodded, his expression remainingposed. He understood Colt''s skepticism and knew that gaining his trust wouldn''t be easy. Nevertheless, he was confident in his intentions.


    The Mirror floated before Charles, emanating a soft, pulsating light. With a wave of his hand, the Head Deacon activated its power, causing the Mirror''s surface to shimmer and ripple like water.


    At the same time, he started asking questions.


    "Is the information you told us about the other artifact true?"


    "Yes," Charles responded.


    ''No response, which means he is telling the truth.'' Colt nodded inwardly and asked the next question.


    "How are you going to help us? You know only selected people can enter the Star Tombs, right?"


    A smile crept on Charles''s face.


    "I''ve my ways." He kept his words short, causing Colt to furrow.


    ''He really can enter the Star Tombs? Who is backing him?''


    "Who are you working for?" He couldn''t help but ask in cautiousness.


    "None. I''m only after benefits." Charles''s words made Colt fall into deep thoughts.


    ''Hmm, he must have bribed any of those church''s higher officials to get a seat. If he is a roaming mage, then it''s easy for us to kill himter.'' He thought.


    "But what are you after?"


    "I''m mainly after the Legendary Magical Beasts." That was Charles''s main goal, so the Mirror didn''t react.


    "Moreover, there is no reason for you to reject my proposal, Mr. Colt. The only thing I want from you after entering the Star Tombs is to keep updated about your location."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "How can I do that? Once we enter the Star Tombs, nomunication method will work. Moreover, we will be transported to differentyers." Colt asked in confusion.


    Instead of responding, Charles calmly raised his hand, touched his face, and started to shapeshift.


    "S-Shapeshifting? You are a member of the Royal Family?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    ''Royal Family? If I''m not wrong, Lockwood should be the Royal Family of the Sacred Empire.'' Charles paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "I''m not from the Royal Family. My real name is Charles Nightwind, and this is my original look."


    As Charles spoke, Colt noticed that the Mirror remained still and confirmed that this guy was telling the truth.


    ''Charles Nightwind... I never heard of such a name before. Who is he? I need to look into his background.''


    While he was in deep thought, Charles started to speak.


    "Now, if you want to pass on some information, just think of my face, the content you want to ry and say my name. Do it multiple times, and I''ll be able to understand the content."


    Upon hearing those words, Colt stared dumbly at Charles for a few seconds and spoke skeptically.


    "Nonsense! I never heard of such a divine spell in my life."


    At that moment, Charles suddenly received new information from Clot and broke into a wide grin.


    "You sure are impatient, Mr. Colt. You are thinking about Holy See''s thirteenth secret chamber where series artifacts are being sealed."


    A strange chill, filled with goosebumps, crept up to his heart and caused his whole body to go numb.


    Colt felt stuck by a lightning bolt and stood rooted on the spot for more than ten seconds.


    ''T-This... Who is this mage? He is not only mysterious but also appears more like a Godly figure. I need to be careful.'' He was well aware of the mysterious ancient mage and decided to act cautiously.


    "I appreciate your honesty, Charles," Colt said sincerely. "We share amon goal, and it seems we can benefit from this alliance. But let me be clear, any treachery or deceit will not be tolerated."


    Charles nodded; his gaze was unwavering. "I assure you, Head Deacon, my intentions are genuine."


    Unknowingly, Colt started to feel a strange sense of sincerity and honesty from Charles and decided to support him fully.


    Colt then regarded Charles briefly before turning his attention to Edwin, silently observing the exchange.


    "Edwin, you''ve shown remarkable judgment and resourcefulness in forging this alliance," Colt remarked a hint of pride in his voice.


    "I trust your judgment in this matter but remember to stay vignt. We cannot afford any mistakes."


    Edwin nodded, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I understand, Father. I won''t let you down."


    At that moment, Charles thought of something and spoke.


    "Also, keep Edwin''s disappearance hidden until the expenditure is over. Call off all your men from Crystal Lane."


    Colt thought for a moment and agreed.


    With their doubts resolved and an agreement reached, Charles and Edwin bid farewell to Head Deacon Colt and left the woods by creating another portal.


    On the other hand, Head Deacon Colt stood there pondering for a while and finally left.


    ...


    The next day dawned upon the Holy City, its streets abuzz with an unusual air of excitement and anticipation. A bustling hub of activity had reced the once-serene atmosphere. Adventurers, explorers, and mystics from far-flung corners of the world had flocked to the city, creating a vibrant tapestry of cultures and backgrounds.


    While the grandeur and mysteries of the Star Tombs Dungeon were known only to the privileged few who could gain ess, a multitude of individuals had gathered in the Holy City, eager to partake in the forting beast waves that would ensue after the opening of the dungeon''s entrance. The allure of magical beast remains, low-rank artifacts, and the opportunity to test their mettle against formidable adversaries had drawn them like moths to a me.


    Recognizing the gravity of the situation and the potential dangers lurking within the dungeon, thewful Churches had set aside their differences and joined forces. They had rallied over a hundred thousand holy knights, forging a special defense force to safeguard the Holy City and its inhabitants. This unprecedented unity demonstrated the significance of the impending threat and the need for unwavering protection.


    The impact of the Star Tombs Dungeon''s opening had rippled beyond the city''s walls. The nearby viges and towns had been evacuated days prior, and their residents relocated to temporary shelters within the secure confines of the Holy City. The authorities prioritized their safety, ensuring they were spared from the imminent perils that apanied the dungeon''s awakening.


    The royal guards stood watchful and vignt on the towering ramparts encircling the Holy City. Their steely gazes scanned the horizon, alert to any signs of danger. The weight of their responsibility was evident in their stern expressions and the poised readiness with which they held their weapons. Knowing the impending challenges, they were prepared to defend the Holy City and its inhabitants at all costs.


    Within the Holy City''s borders, the convergence of adventurers, mystics, holy knights, and the unwavering presence of the royal guards created an atmosphere tinged with excitement and tension.

 Chapter 626 Set Out

    ?


    Chapter 626: Set Out


    Sun Church, East Borough, Holy City.


    It was around 8 A.M.


    A young person, possessing an intricate blend of fair shades in theirplexion, entered the Sun Church with a sense of purpose. Passing through the narthex, a weing entrance, he continued into the foyer, a transitional space that bridged the church''s exterior world and the inner sanctum. With determined steps, the youth finally arrived at the heart of the church, known as the nave. Here, he beheld a scene where only a small gathering of individuals stood before themanding pulpit, attentively listening to the eloquent words of a middle-aged man dressed in a vibrant red robe.


    Taking a closer look at the red-robed man, one would notice his striking physical features. Standing at an impressive height of approximately 190 centimeters, he possessed amanding presence. His long, flowing blonde hair cascaded gracefully around his face, framing a countenance defined by a round nose and meticulously groomed short eyebrows. His skin, a shade of olive, exuded full of vitality. However, what truly captivated the gaze was his eyes, which shimmered with a pure, golden hue resembling precious orbs of sunlit splendor.


    Upon noticing the young boy''s arrival, the middle-aged man stopped speaking and smiled.


    "Greetings, Mr. Zephyr," He paused momentarily and soon asked him telepathically.


    ''Or should I say ''Greetings, Charles Nightwind?"


    ''Oh? This guy is not simple at all. He can see through my shapeshifting skill and discern my identity with a simple gaze.''


    Charles sharpened his gaze at the middle-aged man and soon nodded.


    "Just call me ''Zephyr,'' Mr. Damian."


    "Haha, I''ll do it then." He said with a boomingugh and started walking down from the pulpit.


    He soon walked through the group of young priests and arrived before him in a few seconds.


    "I''m honored to meet you." He cupped his hand together and bowed his head.


    ''He is purposefully doing this.'' He sighed deeply and changed the topic.


    "Who are all going to enter the Star Tombs?" Charles asked while ncing at the group of young priests.


    "No, they are here to send me off. The ones who will enter the Dungeon with us are those." Damian said while pointing his finger at the group of eight people who werezing sitting in the middle pew of the nave.


    Damian pointed the finger at the eight individuals reclining in the middle of the nave and started walking toward them. Among them, the two people caught Charles'' attention, exuding an air of refined elegance reminiscent of a Victorian-era gentleman.


    Their formal attire was a sight to behold, showcasing meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail. With their dignified poise, they donned tailored suits in rich shades of burgundy, adorned with intricate golden embroidery that traced elegant patterns along thepels and cuffs. The fabric, a fine blend of silk and velvet, caught the light, shimmering with brilliance. A monocle rested delicately upon one of the men''s right eye, adding an air of sophistication to his already striking appearance.


    "The one wearing the monocle is Tucker, while the other is Jett. Both are Fire Mages and rarely wear the old-fashioned mage robes." Damian introduced the duo first and turned his gaze toward Charles.


    "He is the one I mentioned before. His name is Zephyr, the newly appointed First Order Holy Knight."


    "Oh? He won''t be a bother during this mission, right?" The one who was wearing the monocle said while arching his long eyebrows. At that moment, his unique reddish-brown eyes palpitated and seemed to be scanning his body to see if anything was unique about him.


    "Even I''m unsure if I can hold off against any legendary beast." The other guy named Jett also muttered with a nod and put on the newsboy cap to cover his messy brown hair.


    At that moment, another voice came from Jett''s left side.


    "This brat isn''t simple, Jeff. He is hiding his strength." Said the middle-aged man, wearing golden attire.


    Another two members sat beside him in the same golden attire, their regal presencemanding reverence.


    ''They must be Archbishops!'' Charles guessed.


    The Archbishops radiated an aura of divine authority in their golden vestments. Their dresses were adorned with ornate brocade, woven with shimmering gold and silver threads. borate patterns depicted sacred symbols and religious motifs, serving as a testament to their esteemed positions within the church hierarchy.


    "As you can see, they are Archbishops of Sun Church and only have the strength of an average Rank-4 Mystic. But with the grace of our Eternal Light, they will have the power to go on even par with multiple Pseudo-Legendary Beings or even a Legend Rank Powerhouse. So, don''t take them lightly." Damian said and then looked towards the Head Deacons sitting further ahead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Contrasting the opulence of the Archbishops, the Head Deacons stood cloaked in hooded ck robes that obscured their features, lending an enigmatic air to their presence. The fabric, of the highest quality, flowed gracefully around their forms, hinting at a concealed elegance within. Embroidered in silver thread along the edges of their robes were runic symbols, whispered to hold mystical significance, marking their roles as custodians of ancient knowledge and secrets.


    "They are Head Deacons and could be considered as our main force. All of them are Legend Rank Powerhouse and have considerable battle experiences. Although another Cardinal was supposed to apany us this time, a random variable appeared and caused quite a damage to our Holy See. So, he had no choice but to take a step back and focus on capturing that culprit." Damian said while turning his face solemnly.


    "An unexpected variable?" Charles raised his eyebrows and probed.


    "We don''t know who this culprit is, but he seems to be attacking all the Sun churches in Azure Federation and even managed to kill quite a dozen bishops. So, Cardinal ke decided to take this problem into his own hands and withdrew from this mission."


    "I understand," Charles said with a nod.


    Meanwhile, Damian pped his hands to gather the other members'' attention and spoke.


    "It''s almost time for the Star Tombs'' gate to materialize, guys. Let''s not waste any time and proceed."


    "Yeah, I''m also tired of waiting," Tucker said, standing up while adjusting his monocle.


    Following him, Jett, three Archbishops, and the other three Deacons also stood up from their seats and started walking toward the aisle.


    Exiting the Sun Church, ten individuals emerged into the bright sunlight that bathed the East Borough. Their purposeful strides carried them towards the waiting carriages stationed just outside the church''s imposing entrance.


    The carriages, adorned with intricate carvings and gilded ents, exuded an air of luxury and elegance. The polished wood gleamed under the sunlight, and the ornate detailing hinted at the craftsmanship that had gone into their creation. The horses harnessed to the carriages were not normal but appeared magical creatures, their coats shimmering with a healthy sheen, ready to transport the group on their sacred quest.


    With practiced efficiency, Charles and others embarked on the carriages, finding their designated seats. The spacious interiors of the carriages offeredfort and respite, a brief respite before they faced the challenges ahead. While embroidered with delicate patterns, the lush upholstery provided a touch of luxury.


    As the carriages began to move, the rhythmic sound of hooves against the cobblestone streets filled the air. The Holy City slowly passed, its bustling streets and awe-inspiring structures serving as a backdrop to their departure. The passersby, catching glimpses of the distinguished upants within the carriages, paused momentarily, their expressions filled with curiosity and reverence.


    The procession continued its journey, making its way towards the Southern Gate.


    Before long, the two carriages finally reached their destination and soon stopped near the City''s entrance gate.


    Afterward, Charles and others slowly stepped down from the carriages and gathered outside the city gate.


    But what shocked Charles was the number of well-armored Holy Knights ahead.


    ''The Churches brought hundreds of thousands of soldiers just to protect this city from the magical beast wave, huh.'' He muttered inwardly and turned his gaze towards the other groups.


    Like them, eleven different groups also stood at the entrance and looked imposing. Among the eleven groups, seven belonged to different Churches like Order Church, Amber Church, Life Church, and others, while the remaining five belonged to the five powerful families. The members of the churches wore different unique robes and emitted fierce auras. Meanwhile, the people from five powerful families wore formal attires and didn''t carry swords or weapons.


    "Their formal attires aren''t simple ones but magically enchanted equipment. So, don''t underestimate them." Cardinal Damian arrived beside Charles and spoke.


    "Okay. But who are they?" Acting ignorant, Charles showed a curious look and asked.


    "They are five powerful families in this whole world. They are Hawthorne, Pentagon, True Lords, Fairchild, and Holmes."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles couldn''t help but smirk inwardly.


    At that moment, Cardinal Damian sharpened his gaze toward one particr group and spoke gravely.


    "If we get any chance, we must eliminate the True Lords at all costs."


    "Oh? Do you also have an enmity with them? Don''t worry about the grudges and focus on surviving the uing disaster." Charles looked up at the southern blue sky and spoke.


    Unknowingly, one of his eyes suddenly turned crystalline, showing him multiple future visions.

 Chapter 627 Towering Pillar

    Chapter 627: Towering Pir


    "You? What do you mean?" Taken aback by Charles''s words, Cardinal Damian showed a surprised look and gave him a deep look.


    Although he knew Charles appeared strong and mysterious, his words made a strange chill in his heart.


    Instead of responding, Charles returned his gaze toward far southern woond and asked.


    "Whenever Star Tombs entrance appears, will there be any appearance of a towering pir?"


    "Towering Pir?" Cardinal Damian gave a thoughtful look and soon spoke.


    "No," Damian replied, shaking his head solemnly.


    "ording to the ancient records, it is stated that once every hundred years, a massive metallic gate, towering at a height of 5 meters, materializes. This gate opens, unleashing a powerful surge of magic that ripples through the surrounding area. Simultaneously, numerous cave-like structures around the gate serve as portals for otherworldly creatures and magical beasts. These creatures emerge endlessly, their numbers reaching into the tens of thousands. Although most of these beasts are of a rtively lower rank, hovering around Rank-4, their sheer quantity poses a threat. Even legendary powerhouses can fall prey to these relentless creatures without caution."


    As Damian shared this information, a sense of caution permeated the air. Charles listened intently, absorbing the gravity of the situation. The prospect of facing countless otherworldly monsters and the uncertainty of the uing encounter weighed heavily upon them all.


    "Hmm," Charles murmured, his brows furrowing as he contemted the situation. "Something feels different this time. We must be prepared for the worst-case scenario."


    Even as the words left his lips, a sudden, blinding light pierced through the sky, descending from the distant southern horizon. The radiant beam illuminated the surroundings, casting an ethereal glow upon thend. A surge of magical energy pulsed outward in all directions, causing the very fabric of reality to tremble.


    The sudden eruption of energy reverberated through the air, jolting Damian and sending a shockwave of astonishment rippling through the assembled members. It wasn''t just the Sun Church''s followers who were taken aback; representatives from various other churches and influential families, who had gathered on this momentous asion, stood in awe and disbelief at the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.


    As the dust settled and the blinding light gradually subsided, the onlookers witnessed a sight that defied their wildest imaginations. Against the southern horizon, amidst the residual haze, a towering structure emerged¡ªa unique and unsettling tower that seemed to defy thews of scale and proportion. Its height stretched upwards, appearing to reach into the clouds, dwarfing all surroundingndmarks and structures. The tower''s formidable presence cast a foreboding shadow over thend, its very existence an enigma that stirred a sense of wonder and trepidation within all who beheld it.


    Thousands of meters in height, the tower loomed with an eerie aura, its form shrouded in mystery. It exuded a mystical essence as a gate to a realm beyond mortalprehension. Its architecture defied conventional design, with spiraling patterns and intricate carvings adorning its surface, captivating the eye while simultaneously inspiring a sense of unease.


    "What the hell is that towering structure?" Damian said with a disbelief look and slowly turned his gaze towards Charles.


    "How strong are you, Zephyr?"


    At that moment, he realized that this young boy wasn''t just a man hiding his strength but a true powerhouse who could see the future!


    "Strong enough to survive," Charles said with a smile and slowly turned his gaze towards the right side city wall.


    In that pivotal moment, as the crowd stood in awe of the towering enigma on the horizon, an elderly figure moved toward the edge of the city wall and looked ahead. d in garments befitting his distinguished stature, the 80-year-old manmanded attention with his presence alone. His long, flowing white beard cascaded down his chest, a testament to the wisdom and experience that had shaped his many years. With an air of solemnity, he raised a telescope-like artifact to his eye, focusing his gaze on the faraway tower that dominated thendscape.


    Despite his advanced age, the man carried himself with remarkable poise and grace. Standing at approximately 170 centimeters in height, he possessed a lean yet resilient physique that belied the passing of time. His fair-skinned face bore the marks of a life well-lived, adorned with the telltale signs of wisdom etched into the delicate lines and wrinkles that crisscrossed his features.


    Upon closer inspection, one would be drawn to a unique symbol emzoned on his forehead¡ªan intricate star, its meaning veiled in secrecy and significance.


    The elderly figure donned a regal attire that mirrored his esteemed status. A red cassock, mozzetta, and papal sash draped his form, symbolizing his authority within the religious hierarchy. Yet, it was a unique amulet that hung prominently around his neck, bearing the unmistakable emblem of a goat''s head, eliciting a sense of intrigue and curiosity.


    Completing his ensemble, the elderly man wore a miter, a ceremonial headdress that denoted his position of authority within the religious order.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "His Holiness is here," Someone from the crowd shouted, causing everyone standing at the entrance to go silent.


    The murmurs in the crowd subsided as all eyes turned toward the elderly figure standing atop the city wall. The recognition of His Holiness, the supreme leader of the Order Church, sent a ripple of reverence through the gathered masses. Even Cardinal Damian, Charles, and the other group members couldn''t help but feel a sense of awe in the presence of the religious leader.


    His Holiness, known as Pope Ss, slowly lowered the telescope from his eye, his gaze still fixed on the towering structure in the distance. He had seen many Star Tombs entrance manifestations in his lifetime, but never had he witnessed a tower of such magnitude and mystique. It signaled that their uing trials would be unlike anything they had experienced before.


    With a regal air, Pope Ss suddenly stepped on thin air and descended from the city wall, moving towards the front beforending at the entrance. The crowd parted respectfully, allowing the pontiff to pass through. As he approached, his robes billowed in the gentle breeze, creating an aura of majesty around him.


    Once he arrived at the center of the crowd, he pointed his finger at the towering structure and spoke.


    "Nothing changes in the n. However, the appearance of this strange tower seems a bit of trouble, so be careful after entering the Dungeon. The Beast wave will begin in five to ten minutes. Before it starts, the Celestial Keyholders and the participants should move ahead and enter the Dungeon."


    "Yes, Your Holiness." Almost everyone responded in unison.


    "Now, go ahead. A group of elite Holy Knights will follow you closely and intercept any beast that dares to block your path." He said in a loud tone and gestured for everyone to move.


    With a sense of urgency, Cardinal Damian was the first to respond to the situation, swiftly rising from the ground. Engaging his divine powers, he invoked the ''Sun''s Wings'' spell and propelled himself forward like a speeding bullet. Tucker, Jett, three Archbishops, and three Head Deacons quickly followed suit, employing their flight spells to pursue Cardinal Damian.


    Meanwhile, the other eleven groups,prising individuals with unique abilities, utilized different movement spells or skills to make their way toward the imposing structure.


    ''I should also follow suit.''


    Drawing upon his wisdom power, Charles effortlessly suspended himself in the air and shot forward, matching the velocity of a bullet.


    As the group neared the towering structure, the vibrant grasnds gradually faded from view, making way for a dense forest that now surrounded them.


    As Charles continued his flight towards the towering structure, he unleashed his wisdom power, allowing it to envelop his surroundings and scan everything within its reach. What he discovered startled him¡ªa total of seventy-two mysterious caves were scattered around the structure. However, what shocked him was that the magical beasts emerging from these caves were not of Rank-4, as expected, but of Rank-5¡ªa significantly higher level of power.


    Although their numbers were currently only around a hundred, Charles instinctively knew this was merely the beginning. Furthermore, he observed a formidable Rank-6 Magical Beast near the entrance, positioned at the base of the dark and imposing structure. This sight furrowed his brow, indicating the severity of their situation.


    At that moment, he noticed a few groups decelerating their flying speed, expressing their concerns. Charles deduced that some mystics from influential families had likely noticed the presence of the magical beasts and decided to let others clear the path for them. Reflecting on this, he lightly touched the silver bracelet adorning his wrist, activating its power to engulf him in shining golden armor.


    With the armor covering his entire body, even his face was concealed by the helmet, effectively hiding his identity from prying eyes. Although a few individuals noticed his actions, they paid no further attention, regarding him as another participant in the chaotic scene. After a brief moment, two eerie wings of ckish me materialized behind him, fluttering independently.


    Before anyone could recall or recognize who he was, Charles forcefully pped his wings and elerated at full speed, swiftly overtaking the others. It didn''t take long for him to catch up with Cardinal Damian, and he immediately ryed the crucial information.


    "There''s a Legend Rank Magical Beast guarding the entrance,"


    He announced, surprising Damian, who turned his gaze towards the ck wings and furrowed his brow.


    "You''re a Fire Mage?"

 Chapter 628 Verdant Grove

    Chapter 628: Verdant Grove


    Damian shook his head and continued to speak.


    "If what you said is true, then we should move faster and enter the Dungeon before more magical beasts spawn out of those caves and surround us." Noticing the concern in his eyes, he chuckled and added.


    "You are underestimating the Church members too much. Although we look powerless outside, we are the strongest force here. As long as the connection with our god remains stable, not even a demi-god-level powerhouse could kill us without putting in a hard fight."


    "Borrowing divine power from your god, huh?" Charles nodded thoughtfully and continued to fly.


    As they moved closer towards the strange towering pir, a few flying magical beasts like Shade Griffons, Nightmare Ravens, Bloodwing Eagles, and Fearstorm raptors flew from the ground and started attacking them.


    But thanks to a squad of Holy Knights, who were closely following them from behind, they managed to avoid being dyed and advanced closer toward the towering pir.


    After a considerable journey, the Sun Church, the Order Church, and the Amber Church groups eventually reached their destination¡ªthe base of an imposing, towering dark pir. As they arrived, their eyes were drawn to a massive five-meter-tall entrance gate before them. Although already open, this gate seemed to resemble more of a mystical portal, a gateway to an entirely different dimension.


    However, their progress was hindered by the presence of a formidable obstacle. In front of the gate, blocking their path, stood a mysterious creature¡ªa darkish wolf. This creature stood at an imposing height of approximately two meters, its presence exuding an air of power and mystery. Its body was adorned with peculiar leaf-like patterns, giving a bizarre appearance. To add to its enigmatic nature, the wolf even protruded a bluish horn from its forehead, further emphasizing its uniqueness and mystical nature.


    Utilizing the chance, Charles gazed at the wolf and inspected it.


    ''Nightmare Wolf... It has bloodline spells like Dream Invasion, Shadow Veil, Dreadful Slumar, Fear Visage, Nightmare Burst, and Spectral Phantasm.''


    Simultaneously, he noticed a strange thing about the portal and soon widened his eyes.


    ''We are already under its ''Shadow Veil'' spell.''


    As Damian was about to step forward and attack the Magical Beast, Charles telepathically spoke to everyone from Sun Church.


    ''I''ll stop its movement for two seconds; use that chance to move towards the portal. But once you reach the portal, move ten steps to the left and run into the ck wall. That''s where the real portal is located.''


    Although they were puzzled by his words, Damian nodded and spoke.


    "Trust him."


    "Go," Charles said while looking at the wolf and casting [Burning Thoughts] spell on it.


    Meanwhile, Damian and others didn''t hesitate momentarily and sprinted incredibly toward the wolf.


    Before the wolf could wake up from an empty mind state, they had already arrived closer to it.


    Surprised by their sudden arrival, the dark wolf instinctively opened its mouth and fixed its gaze on one of the three Archbishops.


    Within a brief period, the entire gathering witnessed a startling transformation unfolding before their eyes. The Archbishop, known for his flowing blonde locks and serene countenance, underwent a grotesque metamorphosis akin to a grotesque scene out of a nightmare. His once slender form began to distend like an inting balloon, expanding in size with each passing moment. What stood before them was now a towering, monstrous figure, reaching an imposing height of three meters.


    The Archbishop''splexion underwent a profound alteration as his skin assumed a ghastly shade of brownish red, resembling the hue of dried blood. His once lustrous golden hair lost its shine, cascading down in clumps as if gued by decay. Teeth that were once ordinary and unassuming sharpened into jagged, menacing fangs, upying a greater portion of his menacingly altered face. The transformation extended beyond superficial changes, as his entire physique mutated, contorting into a dreadful form.


    In a surreal disy, two additional heads sprouted from his broadened shoulders, each grotesquely distorted and bearing a visage distorted with primal rage. As the trio of heads bellowed in a cacophony of wild roars, the sheer ferocity of their vocalizations reverberated through the air, leaving an unsettling feeling in the hearts of those who bore witness to the ghastly transformation. The once noble and serene Archbishop had been transformed into a nightmarish horror, a chilling embodiment of dark power and uncontrolled savagery.


    "M-Monster!" One of the archbishops tried to attack the newly transformed monster, but Charles shouted and stopped him.


    "We are facing an illusion. Don''t attack him and run towards the portal." In truth, that blonde-haired Archbishop didn''t notice anything anomaly about his appearance and ran after Damian madly.


    ''It seems this nightmare spell influenced everyone''s thoughts and let us attack our ally.''


    Furrowing, Charles again cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on the Nightmare Wolf and tried to stop it. But unlike before, he noticed that this Nightmare Wolf resisted it.


    ''As expected of a Legendary Magical Beast, it''s not an easy job to stop it.'' Before he could even mutter, the Nightmare Wolf turned its gaze towards Damian and others and chased after them.


    As the group, led by Cardinal Damian, drew nearer to the portal, a sudden turn of events unfolded. Charles, who had been strategically positioning himself, utilized his [Burning Thoughts], [Fire Seed], and [Purple Consciousness] spells to hamper the Nightmare Wolf''s movements again. The potent spells lingered, causing the formidable creature to move sluggishly and exhibit signs of confusion.


    In a surprising twist, Charles vanished from his previous position and materialized directly before the bewildered wolf.


    "Activate the Celestial Key and enter. I''ll follow you guys soon."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Saying so, he cast [elerate Thoughts] skill and observed its movement very slowly.


    Simultaneously, Charles calmly extended his hand and invoked the power of the [Golden Shield] spell. Instantaneously, a remarkable transformation urred as a solid, shimmering shield of gold materialized out of thin air. While standing at an impressive height of one meter, the shield levitated between Charles and the Nightmare Wolf, serving as an imprable barrier and safeguarding him from the creature''s malevolent intentions.


    Meanwhile, Nightmare Wolf growled, opened its terrifying mouth, and cast its bloodline spell ''Nightmare Burst.''


    A powerful ray filled with pure Nightmare Law power shot out from its mouth and moved toward the shield at an incredible speed. Even though this small ray appeared more like a light ray, one would see that each strange streak of essence hidden in the spell held a unique person''s terrifying nightmares!


    Even a single streak of essence entering anyone''s soul would result in them entering aa for months.


    A secondter, a banging sound echoed at the base of the towering pir, sending shockwaves in all directions.


    No, it wasn''t a mere shockwave but scattered Nightmare Streak Essences!


    But what shocked everyone at the scene was that the strange golden shield managed to block every nightmare power and stood like a mountain!


    On the other hand, Charles, Damian and others had long disappeared from there!


    Slowly, the golden shield started to tremble and soon burst into pure golden fire before vanishing.


    Noticing its prey being escaped right under its nose, the Nightmare Wolf let out an angry howl and turned his gaze towards the other group.


    "F*cking Lunatics! I knew those Sun Church bastards would do something reckless like thest time!" Amber Church''s Cardinal shouted in a raging voice and hurriedly took a wooden staff from his space ring to prepare for battle.


    ...


    As Charles jumped into the void-like portal, he soon found himself caught in a swirling space vortex. The tumultuous motion disoriented him momentarily, but soon he noticed a faint glimmer of light at the opposite end of the vortex. Determined to escape this chaotic space, he pressed forward, maneuvering through the treacherous currents of the space tunnel.


    With each passing moment, Charles drew nearer to the source of light, and eventually, he arrived at a small opening resembling a fissure in space. As he emerged from the vortex, he was abruptly expelled into the vast expanse of the open sky. The sudden transition startled him, causing him to lose his bnce in mid-air.


    Reacting swiftly, Charles invoked his ''wisdom power'' to restore stability and control. After that, he regained hisposure and stabilized himself in the air.


    But at that moment, he noticed a strange sensation. No, it was more like a new memory appeared in his head.


    Simultaneously, a new quest popped up before his eyes.


    [Quest Title: Find ten ''Star Totems.''


    Mission: You must find ten Star Totems hidden in this ''Verdant Grove'' Demine before nightfall and offer them at the altar of Snake Deity Naga.


    Sess Reward: Portal to the firstyer of Star Tombs Dungeon, A Clue to Star Crown.


    Failure: Return to Edhen World.


    Time Limit: 9 Hours, 11 Minutes, 25 Seconds.]


    ...


    ''Someone managed to etch a memory in my Inner World without alerting me? Now that I think about it, Eddie Nightwind mentioned meeting the Dungeon''s guardian in his book.'' But what surprised him was that he didn''t even sense any anomaly.


    Shaking his head briskly to clear his thoughts, Charlesposed himself and directed his gaze toward the picturesquendscape. Thend stretched out in its splendor, a vibrant tapestry of lush greenery sprawled as far as the eye could see.


    In the distance, majestic mountain ranges punctuated the horizon, their peaks reaching toward the clouds. The melodious symphony of cascading waterfalls added a touch of ethereal beauty to the scene, their crystalline streams glistening in the sunlight.


    As Charles''s eyes scanned the panorama, they fell upon a small, tranquilke nestled at the heart of this idyllic terrain, its ssy surface reflecting the pristine surroundings.


    Yet, amidst the serenity and tranquility of thisnd, Charles couldn''t escape the faint echoes of cries and roars that reverberated through the air. Curiosity piqued, he slowly turned away from the captivating beauty ahead and cast his eyes upon the vast expanse of untamed wilderness behind him.


    The endless expanse of uncharted territory seemed to stretch out in all directions, harboring myriad unknown creatures and hidden wonders. The distant calls of animals, a primal symphony of life, were a constant reminder of the untamed nature of this vast realm.

 Chapter 629 Nightstalker

    Chapter 629: Nightstalker


    "It''s truly a ce devoid of any human activities." Charles muttered slowly and descended from the sky. Before long, hended on the grassynd and released his wisdom power in all directions.


    As Charles extended the reach of his wisdom power, its invisible tendrils gradually spread through the surrounding environment, reaching out to unravel the mysteries hidden within. However, as the wisps of his power reached further, they inadvertently caught the attention of a peculiar creature lurking in the vicinity.


    A four-eyed panther, towering at an impressive height of two meters, possessed an uncanny awareness that surpassed that of ordinary beasts. Its keen senses detected a disturbance in the fabric of the invisible energy, prompting it to shift its focus toward Charles abruptly.


    Caught off guard by the sudden attention directed towards him, Charles found himself momentarily startled.


    ''A Legend Rank Magical Beast? No, it''s only a peak Pseudo-Legend Magical Beast.''


    Before he could organize his thoughts, a low, menacing growl emanated from the shadows behind him, instantly shattering the calm atmosphere. The growl carried a weighty sense of danger, causing Charles''s expression to shift from curiosity to utmost seriousness.


    It was the same four-eyed panther!


    ''How did it manage to appear behind me? Instant teleportation?'' Charles didn''t hesitate momentarily and activated the [elerated Thoughts] skills.


    Simultaneously, he activated his [Eye of Faceless] and [Eye of Runes] skills, turned around in a blink, and observed its every movement.


    At that moment, the four-eyed panther released its wisdom power and merged it with the shadows.


    It was more like a domain spell!


    As long as Charles was within this domain, it could sneak behind him anytime and kill him soundlessly.


    At that moment, a row of information about the four-eyed panther appeared before Charles''s eyes.


    ''Nightstalker, the Harbinger of Shadows...'' But what startled him most was that his [Eyes of Runes] skill couldn''t see through its bloodline spells!


    ''It not only has shadow domain spell but also strange teleportation. I need to be careful.''


    Charles''s mind raced as he assessed the situation and prepared for the imminent battle. The Nightstalker, with its piercing four eyes, crept closer, its massive form exuding an aura of darkness and malice. Charles knew that this would be no ordinary confrontation.


    Although he had battled Legend Rank Powerhouses and even won one-on-one, he knew the difference between a Legendary human and a Legendary Beast.


    ''To kill a Legend Rank Beast, you need at least more than five legend rank mystics. Although this magical beast is only at Peak Pseudo-Legend Rank, I can''t act carelessly.'' As he readied for battle, his body radiated dense fire elemental energy, causing a rippling me effect.


    It appeared more like his Inner World was starting to manifest in the real world.


    Charles readied himself and turned solemn as the crimson mes flickered around him.


    Not wasting a moment, he unleashed his first move. With a sweeping motion, he calmly raised his hand and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell at the Nightstalker.


    But to his surprise, Nightstalker moved sideways like it was drifting, enveloped its body in darkness, and disappeared like it was never there before!


    At that moment, Charles received two notifications about the bloodline spells it used.


    ''Shadowsteps and Umbral Veil.''


    What annoyed him was that even his ''Eye of Runes'' skill couldn''t find any anomaly around him.


    ''Tsk, I can''t rely on Eye of Runes.'' Charles blinked and focused on the twenty future visions unfolding before his eyes.


    At first, it showed different types of futures, but as seconds passed, it slowly stopped at a particr one.


    ''In five seconds, more than fifty shadow tendrils will appear from the nearby tree shadows andpletely bind my body.'' He also saw a glimpse of Nightstalker''s location in the vision and decided to ambush it.


    His instincts kicked into overdrive as he processed the information provided by his visions. He had five seconds to evade the imminent onught of shadow tendrils andunch a surprise attack on the elusive Nightstalker. With unwavering determination, he swiftly formted a n of action.


    Without wasting a moment, Charles entered a deep-concentrated state and was ready to cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell at any moment. He focused on a particr area, preparing to strike at the heart of the Nightstalker''s shadowy existence.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As the seconds ticked away, Charles remained alert; his senses heightened to their fullest extent. The surrounding environment seemed to shift, the shadows growing darker and more sinister as the Nightstalker prepared to unleash its onught.


    Just as his visions had foretold, many shadow tendrils burst forth from the nearby trees, their malevolent energy seeking to entangle Charles''s body and render him helpless.


    Anticipating this precise moment, he activated his [False Blink] spell and disappeared.


    In a sh, Charles''s body faded into a crimson human form, easily bypassing the encroaching tendrils. He reappeared behind the Nightstalker, positioning himself strategically for a surprise attack. In his hand, the flickering mes of the chaos fire intensified, imbuing his next strike with an intensified fury.


    As the Nightstalker turned to face its assant, a cascade of fiery energy erupted from Charles''s outstretched hand. The Finger of Destruction spell surged forth, converging on the Nightstalker with unrelenting force. The reddish chaotic me sought to pierce the beast.


    But the Nightstalker was no ordinary opponent. It effortlessly evaded Charles''s attack in a disy of supernatural agility, shifting through the darkness with unnatural grace. The spell passed through empty air, leaving Charles momentarily stunned.


    Undeterred, he quickly adapted to the situation. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a barrage of [Fireballs], spells infused with chaotic fire energy aimed at the Nightstalker''s new position. The balls exploded upon impact, shrouding the area in a chaotic fire, momentarily disorienting the beast.


    Seizing the opportunity, he activated the Rebirth Domain, momentarily slowing time around himself and the Nightstalker.


    Within this slowed temporal space, Charles darted forward, his movements enhanced by the effects of the False Field.


    As he closed the distance, he unleashed a devastatingbination of spells and skills. The air crackled with me energy as he conjured fire spells to restrain the Nightstalker''s movements, limiting its ability to evade his attacks. Simultaneously, he cast the [Soul Shock] spell, sending waves of soul fire surging through the creature''s soul, temporarily immobilizing it.


    Charles swiftly closed the gap between them as the creature broke free from his restraints, surging with dark power. With a masterful disy of agility and precision, he positioned himself directly in front of the Nightstalker, his eyes gleaming.


    Taking a deep breath, Charles coldly gazed at the magical beast and cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell. This potent spell enveloped the Nightstalker''s mind in a haze of confusion, momentarily burning its thoughts. Taking advantage of this momentarypse, Charles swiftly followed up with the devastating [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    In an instant, a thunderous explosion echoed through the air, resonating with the force of raw firepower. The Nightstalker''s colossal form trembled as a fist-sized hole materialized in its forehead, evidence of the devastating impact of Charles''s spell. A profound silence descended upon the battlefield as the majestic four-eyed panther slowly toppled, its once formidable presence diminished.


    The surrounding air grew heavy with the weight of the fallen beast as it hit the ground with a resounding thud. A palpable stillness settled over thend, punctuated only by the sight of the fatal wound that adorned the Nightstalker''s forehead. The significance of Charles''s victory reverberated through the atmosphere, a testament to his unwavering determination and formidable powers.


    As Charles stood before the fallen Nightstalker, his breathing steady and gaze fixed upon the lifeless form, he couldn''t help but feel relief and aplishment.


    At that moment, a notification popped up before his eyes.


    [3 wisdom points obtained!]


    ''Oh? I didn''t expect I would get five wisdom points for killing a Pseudo-Legend Rank magical beast. How much will I get after killing a true Legendary Magical Beast?'' But he knew it wasn''t an easy matter. Although he managed to kill this beast easily, he knew it wouldn''t work on a true Legend Rank Magical Beast.


    ''Some magical beast like Nightmare Wolf might even grow resistance to my trump card spell and nullify itpletely. At that time, I might end up in a vulnerable position.'' Shaking his head, Charles moved closer to the fallen corpse, took a sharp knife from his space ring, and started skinning it.


    After that, he dissected the corpse and soon took a small head-sized eerie ckish crystal from its heart region.


    ''Perfect... No, it''s Fairy Rank Crystal.'' He nodded thoughtfully and started observing the crystal.


    ''Why do I feel shadow essences hidden in there?'' As he further observed the crystal, he soon learned that this magical crystal had spell model imprints.


    ''I should give it to Rh and let him analyze it.'' He nodded thoughtfully and started exploring Verdant Grove.


    In stark contrast to his previous encounters, Charles exercised caution and refrained from haphazardly unleashing his wisdom power upon his surroundings. Instead, he moved with a measured step, deliberately choosing a random direction as he navigated the unknown terrain. His primary objective, without a shadow of a doubt, was to embark on a quest in pursuit of the ''Star Totems.''


    After a rtively short time, he drew nearer to the sereneke, its crystal-clear waters shimmering under the gentle touch of the sun''s rays. The tranquil atmosphere surrounding theke resonated with the seeker''s purpose, heightening his anticipation for whaty ahead. During this moment, his wandering eyes fell upon a sight that stirred his curiosity¡ªan ancient structure standing proudly but dpidated amidst the untouched beauty of the surroundings.


    To his initial surprise, he soon discovered that it was not merely a ruin but rather a temple¡ªa sacred abode that had stood the test of time. The temple''s weathered facade disyed a tapestry of faded colors as if longing to recount the stories of bygone eras. Intricate carvings of snakes adorned the stone walls, whispering secrets of forgotten rituals that once permeated the air within those sacred walls.


    With cautious steps and a mind filled with wonder, Charles approached the temple''s entrance. The heavy snake-patterned wooden doors, aged and weary, seemed to beckon him forth as if aware of his purpose and ready to reveal the hidden treasures.


    ''A temple of Snake Deity?''


    He cautiously crossed the threshold into the sanctuary and soon arrived at the sanctum sanctorum.

 Chapter 630 Serpent

    ?


    Chapter 630: Serpent


    In the heart of the sacred sanctorum, an awe-inspiring sight greeted Charles¡ªa magnificent crystalline statue meticulously crafted to depict the ethereal beauty of a young woman. While standing tall andmanding attention, the statue exuded an aura of enchantment that captivated his eyes. The woman frozen in time appeared to be in her prime, her age ambiguously poised between youth and maturity, perhaps somewhere in her twenties or thirties. Cascading down her shoulders were abundant tresses of curly hair, each strand resembling sinuous serpents, lending an air of mystique to her countenance.


    As Charles''s gaze met the statue''s face, a mesmerizing spectacle awaited¡ªa pair of eyes resembling gemstones, shimmering with a kaleidoscope of colors. Like radiant rainbows dancing within the depths of those precious orbs, the eyes possessed an otherworldly allure, drawing observers into a realm of profound fascination. The woman''s visage, frozen in eternal grace, emanated a serene aura that seemed to hold secrets of ancient wisdom and deep understanding.


    While adorned in a flowing, floor-length gown, the statue exuded an air of regality and elegance. The fabric draped gracefully around her form as if touched by a divine hand. The gown''s intricate design, meticulously carved into the crystalline structure, entuated the woman''s slender figure and added a touch of ethereal splendor to her presence.


    Charles stared at the captivating figure for a moment and soon turned his gaze toward the murals and inscriptions drawn on the walls.


    Although he didn''t understand thenguage, his Rune Eye activated and tried deciphering it.


    ''My Rune Eye isn''t powerful enough to decipher an unknownnguage. The reason I manage to decipher thenguage written on Violet''s house entrance is mainly because of its origin. Although I still couldn''t guess whichnguage it was or whichnguage family does it belong to, I know that it originated from Earth. But thisnguage lookspletely unknown to me. It doesn''t have any rtion with Nether Language, or Rune Language, or any Edhen Worldnguage.'' He muttered solemnly and soon shook his head. After that, he turned his attention toward the altar table behind the crystalline statue and noticed ten unique empty bowls arranged in order.


    But what startled him was he saw a small ckish egg ced at the center of the table and looked eerie.


    "Is it some kind of resurrection ceremony?" He voiced out his thoughts and decided not to disturb the altar.


    After that, he quietly walked out of the ruined temple and started his exploration. Although he met three more Pseudo-Legend Rank Magical Beasts along the way, he managed to kill them without any difficulty and even found something unique.


    ''All the elemental stones I got from these Magical Beasts have unique strange spell imprints. No, there seems to be a small lifeform made of pure essences living within those crystals!'' At that moment, a strange thought appeared in his head.


    ''Could it be? Are they Star Totems?'' Surprised by this discovery, he continued his journey and started hunting all the Pseudo-Legendary Magical Beasts.


    Seven hours had passed since he hunted the eighth Magical Beast!


    ''I only have 2 hours left.'' He muttered while moving towards the mountain range that appeared before him. To be precise, his next destination was the waterfalls.


    ''That''s where I sensed a very strong presence a while ago.''


    Charles pressed forward, his anticipation mounting as he approached the majestic waterfalls within the mountain range''s heart. The rushing sounds of cascading water echoed in his ears, inviting him to witness the natural splendor that awaited him.


    As he drew closer, the air grew cooler, and mist enveloped his surroundings. The waterfalls, an awe-inspiring sight, revealed themselves in all their grandeur. Water gushed in torrents from great heights, crashing against the rocks below, creating a symphony of nature''s might and grace.


    Undeterred by the awe-inspiring power of the cascading waterfalls, Charles strode forward, his every step resonating with an unyielding determination. As he entered the vicinity, a peculiar energy enveloped him, tingling against his skin and quickening his pulse. His sharp eyes narrowed, scanning the area with unwavering focus, eager to unravel the being concealed within. And then, amidst the tumultuous rush of water, a sight unfolded before him that stirred a mix of astonishment and intrigue.


    Within the turbulent currents emerged a mesmerizing figure, its sinuous form undting with grace and purpose. This majestic creature, resembling a serpent, captivated Charles''s gaze. Stretching an impressive length of approximately 40 to 50 meters, it possessed an awe-inspiring presence.


    Its body, seemingly as massive as an elephant, was adorned with splendid crystalline green scales, glistening in the cascading sunlight. While radiating an otherworldly allure, the serpent-like being sported gem-like eyes that shimmered with a kaleidoscope of rainbow hues, reflecting its profound connection to the elements.


    As Charles continued to observe in rapt fascination, he noticed a striking feature adorning the creature''s neck. A peculiar monocete hooded pattern, intricately woven with intricate detail, graced its underside, further enhancing its enigmatic allure. This intricate design appeared as if meticulously crafted from the purest emerald, a testament to the creature''s elegance and inherent mystique.


    ''Chinese Dragon... No, it''s winged Serpant.'' He muttered slowly and drew a deep breath in shock and astonishment. His astonishment and shock weren''t due to its majestic appearance but to its strength.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was a True Legend Rank Magical Beast!


    ''Come closer, my child!''


    The air was heavy with an eerie stillness as the whisper, barely audible yet strangely enticing, reached Charles''s ears. Its mysterious allurepelled him, almost against his will, to take a step closer. The voice was inexplicably captivating, drawing him in with a subtle but irresistible force.


    As if fate had a darker twist, Charles discovered something even more astonishing. Unbeknownst to him, he had unwittingly fallen under the influence of a captivation-type bloodline spell. The spell exerted supernatural control,pelling him to move towards the nearby water source, its enchantment woven deeply into his very being.


    ''No good! It''s actually managed to influence my consciousness without even knowing!'' He barely understood the situation before his consciousness became aplete puppet of the Serpent.


    Simultaneously, the magnificent serpentine creature sensed Charles''s approach. It gracefully departed from its position near the mesmerizing waterfalls and elegantly slithered towards his direction, its serpentine form undting with a grace that defied exnation.


    Soon enough, the Serpent arrived before him, its head held high and its body hovering above the ground. Its iridescent scales shimmered in the ambient light, captivating the eyes with a mesmerizing disy of colors. With a deliberate motion, it coiled its midsection in mid-air, forming an intricate structure surrounding Charles like an otherworldly embrace.


    As the serpentine creaturepleted its ethereal encircling, it fixed its piercing gaze upon him, peering deep into the very depths of his soul. Its eyes held a mysterious power, as if they could read the memories hidden within his mind.


    With a deliberate and unhurried motion, the Serpent extended its forked tongue towards Charles, glistening with a potent venomous liquid. Like a sinister caress, the serpentine appendage slithered around his neck, encircling him in a subtle, constricting grip. The danger lurking within the Serpent''s actions became evident in that instant.


    Within a fraction of a second, a peculiar and unsettling substance, an eerie liquid formed of pure darkness essence, infiltrated Charles''s body. It flowed through his veins, navigating towards the core of his being¡ªthe sanctuary of his mind. Once there, it began its insidious work, permeating his consciousness and initiating a vicious poisoning that reached depths beyond the physical realm.


    Simultaneously, in a disy of ominous intelligence, the Serpent tapped into its bloodline ability to read the very memories that shaped Charles''s existence. It delved into his past, uncovering the secrets and experiences that molded him and gaining an intimate understanding of his fears, desires, and vulnerabilities. In a convergence of mystic forces, the strange poison forged an enigmatic symbiotic connection with Charles''s consciousness, intertwining their essences in an eerie unison.


    Under the Serpent''s dominion, Charles''s consciousness became a puppet, bound to obey the whims andmands dictated by the ancient creature. Helpless and overridden by the Serpent''s influence, every thought, decision, and word Charles spoke would be subject to the Serpent''s control.


    The sovereignty of his will and agency would dissolve in the face of this overpowering authority, leaving him at the mercy of the Serpent''s desires.


    Havingplete dominion over Charles''s consciousness, the Serpent''s focus shifted inexorably toward his Inner World. It recognized that by utilizing Charles''s consciousness as a conduit, it could prate the depths of his Inner World and seize control over his soul core, ultimately granting itself the means to escape from its current confinement, bound to this strange dimension.


    It reveled in the prospect of liberation, relishing the possibilities beyond these shackles. Yet, its grand aspirations were swiftly shattered.


    Just as the Serpent prepared to traverse into Charles''s Inner World, a peculiar sight caught its attention within the confines of its own serpentine body. A sudden and inexplicable manifestation of a purple fire emerged, igniting its memories and causing them tobust and disintegrate in a searing ze. Unlike Mages and Mystics who possessed Inner Worlds, the Serpent had its soul and consciousness intricately entwined with its physical form, a product of its evolution as a Magical Beast or Bloodline Warlock. This absence of a separate Inner World made the fire''s assault on its memories all the more devastating, leaving the Serpent in frustration and fury.


    Driven to an enraged madness by Charles''s interference, the Serpent unleashed a piercing hiss that reverberated through the air. Its wide, venomous maw opened menacingly, poised to rend the miniature human in a disy of raw savagery. Yet, before it could advance any closer, a sudden shift urred in the surroundings.


    The very fabric of time itself seemed to decelerate, gradually grinding to a halt until all motion ceased.


    An ethereal transformation began to unfold within Charles. His half-dead pupil contracted briefly before bursting into a vibrant crimson me.


    Within seconds, his entire being became enshrouded in this fiery cloak, transforming him into an elemental entity resembling a demonic being born of the very essence of me.

 Chapter 631 Hunt

    ?


    Chapter 631: Hunt


    As Charles reflected on the recent events, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief. The situation had been difficult, and he had narrowly escaped the clutches of the Serpent''s control. Even though the entity that had been controlled was merely his other consciousness, the realization that the Serpent had managed to infiltrate his Inner World sent a shiver down his spine. If he had sumbed to its control, the consequences would have been disastrous.


    Shaking off the lingering shock, Charles decided to assess the situation more carefully. Activating his ''Rune Eye,'' he focused on the frozen colossal Serpent. In seconds, his eye meticulously analyzed the Serpent''s immense body, revealing over twenty potential weak points. However, Charles disregarded most of these vulnerabilities, concentrating on a few. He imbued his Moonfire Scimitar with the ''Intermediate Sword Aura'' power and the Rebirth Fire.


    Charles had gained crucial insights during his previous encounter with Professor, realizing that he could only harm someone while they were under the effect of the ''Time Stop'' ability through physical means. Nothing else would respond to his will except for his Rebirth me, but itcked the capacity to inflict substantial damage on opponents. At best, it facilitated his rebirth through the Rebirth Domain spell and also granted him enhanced cognition and movement speed, surpassing his adversary twentyfold.


    While contemting the predicament, Charles pondered various strategies to ovee the challenge. Eventually, he devised a n. Charles resolved to infuse the Rebirth me into his weapon andbine it with Sword Aura. By doing so, he believed the Sword Aura would remain unaffected by the temporal stasis of the Time Stop zone, ensuring its stability. Moreover, Charles entertained the idea of fusing the Rebirth me with other spells, intending tounch a unique and unexpected assault on his opponent. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of such a task, recognizing that it would require a profound understanding of the Rebirth me and various other mes.


    With a determined expression, Charles fixed his gaze upon the Serpent''s left eye and propelled himself forward. A brilliant sunshine sword aura, tinged with fiery crimson mes, enveloped the edges of his Scimitar as he gracefully moved through the thin air. Closing the distance rapidly, Charles swiftly arrived before the monstrous head of the Serpent. Drawing the Scimitar back slightly, he executed a precise and calcted thrust.


    Although his sword movement appeared deliberate and sluggish, there was an undeniable precision to it. Nothing obstructed its path as it sliced through the air with deadly uracy. In an instant, the fierce crimson mes that cloaked the Scimitar''s de pierced through the Serpent''s left eye, prating deep into its flesh.


    No blood sttered as he withdrew his Scimitar and tilted it precisely, causing the blood stains to scatter mid-air. Afterwards, Charles moved slightly, arrived before the Serpent''s other eye, and attacked simrly.


    Like thest time, the Scimitar moved like a water flow, directly prated the other eye, andpletely blinded the Serpent without even knowing it.


    Once he was done, Charles didn''t stay still as he moved below and aimed his sharp Scimitar at the unique monocete hooded pattern.


    ''The neck region of a snake is rtively thinner and more flexible than the rest of its body. While this allows the snake to perform its characteristic hooding behavior, it also makes the neck a potential weak spot.'' His thoughts raced as he read the Serpent''s weakness. Although light emerald-like scales covered the neck and looked more like a hardened rock, Charles didn''t hesitate and shed at its neck horizontally.


    Charles remained undeterred despite only inflicting shallow wounds with his Intermediate Sword Aura. He knew the ''Time Stop'' ability would cease in just thirty seconds, but he also recognized that this timeframe was sufficient to cause significant damage.


    With unwavering determination, Charles fixed his gaze on the Serpent''s neck region and unleashed a relentless flurry of shes. Each stroke of his sword was executed with meticulous precision, tearing through scales and flesh alike. The air filled with a surreal spectacle as reddish droplets of the Serpent''s blood suspended mid-air.


    As the ''Time Stop'' ability neared its end, the Serpent''s neck region bore the unmistakable hue of crimson. The umtion of wounds was evident, and the once-pristine surface had transformed into a grisly tableau of violence.


    In response to the loss of its vision and the mounting pain, the Serpent emitted a piercing hiss that reverberated through the air. Its body writhed in uncontrolled fury as the Serpent''s instincts urged it to retaliate berserkly.


    Charles waved his hand and summoned his ''Rebirth Domain'' spell. At the same time, he returned to his human form, cast [Soul Heal] spell on himself, and detoxified the poison that prated his body.


    After that, he activated the [Faceless Eye] skill and released invisible threads in all directions.


    He released more than thousands of invisible threads from both hands and made them coil around the gigantic Serpent''s body.


    At the same time, he cast [Fire Rain] spell and summoned a strange crimson cloud up in the sky.


    Although Serpent had lost its vision, it still used its wisdom power and sensed the danger from the sky. So, it didn''t hesitate and started to flee by abruptly slithering towards the waterfalls.


    As the Serpent attempted to flee, it was trapped by the thousands of invisible threads Charles had released. The threads bound tightly around its body, restricting its movement and preventing it from escaping. The Serpent''s struggles grew more frantic as it realized it was trapped, its massive form thrashing against its invisible restraints.


    Unperturbed by the Serpent''s resistance, Charles manipted the threads with precision and control. He tightened the grip, ensuring the Serpent''s movements became increasingly restricted. At the same time, he moved at an incredible speed andunched countless [Finger of Destrution] spells toward all its weak points.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With each passing moment, the invisible bindings grew stronger, constricting the Serpent''s body and further impeding its attempts to break free.


    Meanwhile, above them, the crimson cloud summoned by Charles began to release its payload. Droplets of fiery meteorite-like rain descended from the sky, falling upon the Serpent''s entangled form. Each massive ball of fire carried the intense essence of the Chaos me, scorching the Serpent''s exposed scales and searing its flesh.


    The binding threads, Purple Consciousness within its mind, and the scorching rain fire proved a formidable onught. The Serpent''s agonized cries filled the air as it writhed and twisted, desperately trying to shake off its invisible restraints. However, Charles had meticulously calcted his actions, leaving no room for the Serpent to escape its impending doom.


    As the seconds ticked away, the Serpent''s struggles weakened. Its movements grew sluggish, and its strength depleted. The invisible threads tightened their hold, further constricting its body and squeezing the life out of the once-mighty creature.


    Finally, with onest feeble attempt at resistance, the Serpent sumbed to its fate. Its body fell limp, its consciousness extinguished.


    [15 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    ...


    "Oh? That''s not bad," Charles said as he opened the status and discovered that he now possessed 42 Wisdom Points.


    ''Genesis, use all the umted wisdom essence and enhance my wisdom power,'' hemanded.


    [Certainly, Host,] Genesis replied.


    Instantly, Charles sensed a substantial influx of wisdom essence flowing into his Soul, fortifying it.


    His wisdom power surged from 226 to 268 in seconds, bringing about a remarkable transformation within his Inner World.


    "However, the reason I triumphed over this Magical Beast was not solely due to my abilities, but rather thanks to the ''Time Stop'' ability," he sighed deeply, dismantling the creature''s corpse. Before long, he retrieved a dark greenish magical crystal of considerable size, storing it in his space ring. He also extracted poison from its fangs and preserved a few sturdy scales.


    With his taskpleted, Charles opened the quest icon and noticed only a few minutes had psed.


    After bidding farewell to the captivating waterfalls, Charles embarked on his quest to locate the final magical beast. However, he abandoned concealing his presence this time, opting to unleash his wisdom power in every direction. With a surge of energy, he summoned the [Fallen Angel''s Wings], unfurling the majestic ckish fire feathers that shimmered with a hint of ethereal luminescence.


    Ascending by pping his wings, he gracefully took to the evening sky, traversing the vast expanse with a sense of liberation. The wind whispered through his hair as he scanned the sprawlingndscape beneath, his sharp eyes eagerly searching for any sign or trace of the elusive creature ahead.


    After an arduous search, Charles''s perseverance paid off as he eventually stumbled upon a majestic sight amidst the expansive wilderness. While dominating thendscape, a colossal, four-meter-tall creature stood resolute on two powerful legs. Its muscr physique exuded an aura of primal strength,manding attention and instilling a sense of awe.


    Atop its broad shoulders rested a head reminiscent of a mighty bull, adorned with two formidable horns curved menacingly into the sky. The horns, gleaming with an eerie luster, bore witness to countless battles and spoke volumes of the creature''s indomitable spirit. Eyes, burning with an intense, fiery crimson, pierced through the darkness, radiating an unsettling aura of malevolence.


    The creature''s body was enveloped in thick, coarse fur, a dark shroud that cloaked its immense form in an air of savage grandeur. Its sinewy, sinew-streaked limbs showcased tremendous power, each culminating in hooves that could shatter the ground beneath them. Its skin, a testament to its formidable nature, possessed a hue akin to weathered brown yet had the hardness and resilience of a diamond, serving as an impervious armor against would-be assants.


    While grasped firmly in its mighty hands, the creature wielded a peculiar metallic axe, its de glinting ominously under the sun''s rays.


    "Another Legend Rank Magical Beast?" Charles''s face stiffened.

 Chapter 632 Minotaur

    ?


    Chapter 632: Minotaur


    To Charles''s astonishment, even as he cautiously closed the gap to a distance of merely a kilometer, the magnificent sight before him remained oblivious to his presence.


    But it was engrossed in a relentless pursuit of a wild boar, its massive form cutting through the wilderness with primal determination.


    This unexpected revtion filled Charles with a mix of surprise and newfound courage. Intrigued by this curious turn of events, he resolved to gather more information by subjecting the creature to a careful scan. With a surge of confidence, he released his wisdom power, directing its probing energy towards the Minotaur''s imposing figure.


    The Minotaur momentarily paused its pursuit, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion of an unknown power scanning its body. Sensing a disturbance in the air, it slowly turned its attention towards Charles''s direction, its bull-like snout sniffing the surroundings with keen senses. In an instinctual response, the creature let out a primal roar that reverberated through the wilderness, a warning to any potential threats.


    With immense strides and thunderous footsteps, the Minotaur resumed its pursuit of the wild boar. Its muscr form moved with unexpected grace, cutting through the dense undergrowth and pushing its physical limits in its relentless hunt. Each step exuded an air of primal power and determination as the Minotaur narrowed the distance between itself and its intended prey.


    In a disy of raw strength and agility, the Minotaur closed the gap between itself and the wild boar, its massive axe at the ready. It brought the weapon down with a mighty swing, aiming to end the chase and im its well-deserved meal. The force behind the strike was enough to fall trees and shatter boulders. With a swift motion, the wild boar stood no chance and was cleaved into two.


    Setting its majestic axe aside, resting it casually on its broad shoulder, the Minotaur began to tread in an unpredictable path, dragging the weighty carcass of the wild boar behind it. Each stride exhibited a grace that belied its massive size, leaving a trail of awe and bewilderment.


    Meanwhile, Charles maintained his vantage point high above, hovering in the expansive sky, a mixture of surprise and confusion across his face. Observing the Minotaur''s seemingly oblivious and unrefined behavior, he couldn''t help but voice his bewilderment, questioning the creature''s intelligence.


    ''I had anticipated that beings of Legend Rank, such as this Minotaur, would possess great intellect, but this disy contradicts my expectations,'' Charles mused, his voice filled with intrigue and a touch of disappointment.


    At the same time, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    [Name: ????


    Race: Minotaur


    Rank: Legend Rank


    Age: 5,408 years


    Health: Normal


    Affiliation: Chaotic Evil


    Title: None


    Attributes:


    Strength: 43


    Agility: 33


    Vitality: 49.9


    Chaos Power: ????


    Wisdom Power: ????


    Bloodline Spells:


    Bull''s Charge, Skin Hardening, Roar of Thunder, Might of Berserk, Chaos Breath, Revitalizing Burst.]


    "Oh? An abyssal being?" Charles said, his voice filled with curiosity and a hint of surprise. The sight before him was formidable, and he knew dealing with it wouldn''t be easy. Although he possessed the capability to kill the abyssal being, Charles understood that it would require a considerable amount of time and effort.


    ''With the aid of the Skin Hardening and Revitalizing Burst, this creature will not meet its demise unless I sever its headpletely,'' Charles contemted. However, he recognized his limitations in terms of physical strength. Despite his other abilities and skills, hecked the sheer power needed to overpower the abyssal being with brute force alone.


    After careful consideration, he reached into his belongings and retrieved a leather sac filled with the potent venom of a Serpent. He meticulously applied the poison along the edges of his trusty Scimitar, ensuring that each stroke was infused with its deadly essence.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With his weapon now prepared, Charles gradually descended from the sky, gracefully approaching the ground. Finally, he touched down a few hundred meters away from the imposing figure of the Minotaur.


    As Charles arrived, the Minotaur also became aware of his presence. It dropped the lifeless wild boar it held in its powerful grip; its attention focused on the intruder. The creature''s reddish eyes gleamed with an intense radiance, reflecting an ominous glimmer of chaotic energy.


    ''From this point onward, I must remainpletely focused and strive to inflict shallow wounds at least,'' he thought. Activating his unique skill [elerate Thoughts], Charles entered a deep state of concentration, sharpening his senses and enhancing his mental agility.


    Simultaneously, he activated two additional skills, [Rune Eye] and [Faceless Eye], which granted him extraordinary perception and analytical capabilities. Through his left eye, Charles witnessed a myriad of twenty different future visions, glimpses into the possibilities ahead. Meanwhile, his right eye revealed the weaknesses of the Minotaur, providing him with crucial insights into how to exploit its vulnerabilities.


    In contrast, the Minotaur tightened its grip around its massive metallic axe, enveloping its entire body in a strange, chaotic reddish aura. It charged towards Charles with incredible speed, disying a ferocity matched only by its sheer power.


    Charles stood his ground, his Scimitar poised and ready to meet the oing assault of the charging Minotaur. His eyes focused with unwavering determination as he analyzed the creature''s movements, searching for the perfect opportunity to strike.


    Anticipating the immense strength and power of the Minotaur, he knew that a direct confrontation would be unwise. Instead, he relied on agility and quick thinking to outmaneuver his formidable opponent. As the Minotaur closed in, Charles used the ''Shadowstep'' skill and swiftly sidestepped, evading the initial swing of the creature''s mighty axe.


    With his agile movements, Charles positioned himself behind the Minotaur, taking advantage of its momentary vulnerability. Seizing the opportunity, he imbued the Scimitar with Intermediate Sword Aura and lunged forward, unleashing a precise and swift strike with his venom-infused Scimitar.


    The de swiftly cut through the air, aiming for a vital spot on the Minotaur''s exposed back. However, the creature''s instinctual reflexes proved formidable as it deflected Charles'' attack with a swift twist of its muscr body, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal blow.


    But Charles had long seen its following action, activated his ''Shadowstep'' skill, enabling him to move silently and undetected towards a nearby tree. As he approached the tree''s shadow, his figure gradually grew fainter until it disappeared entirely from sight.


    The Minotaur, taken aback by the sudden disappearance of its adversary, emitted a deep growl of frustration. Its powerful grip tightened around the massive axe, its muscles tensing in anticipation of an attack. Fueled by anger and confusion, the creature swung its colossal weapon wide, aiming to strike at the tree where Charles hadst been seen.


    In that split second, a surge of chaotic energy erupted from the edge of the Minotaur''s axe. The raw power of untamed and unpredictable chaotic force surged, manifesting as a formidable shockwave. It pulsed through the air, rippling with magical energy that defiedprehension.


    It was no ordinary shockwave. It embodied pure chaotic energy, an overwhelming wave of destructive power. It expanded rapidly, resembling a blinding light that radiated with an intense and unstoppable force. With each passing moment, the wave strengthened, spreading like wildfire and consuming everything in its path.


    In mere seconds, the devastating force of the chaotic energy wave ravaged thendscape, reducing everything in its vicinity to mere fragments. The once-vibrant surroundings sumbed to its wrath as trees were uprooted, rocks shattered, and the earth trembled under its devastating might. The path of destruction extended for more than two kilometers, leaving behind a deste expanse where life had been erased.


    The creature stood amidst the aftermath, its heaving breaths filled with anger and awe at the magnitude of the chaos it had unleashed.


    Meanwhile, Charles, having utilized his skill and quick thinking, had managed to evade the Minotaur''s attack and find refuge in the shadows. Hidden from sight, he watched as the destructive power of the chaotic energy wave decimated the surroundingndscape.


    ''Its instinct is so good, giving me no opportunity to give a shallow wound.'' But everything was still within his calctions.


    ''I''ve only one chance. I''m going to aim for the deep scar on its chest.'' Charles thought, his mind racing. Despite his uncertainty regarding whether the Minotaur could also develop immunity to his Burning Thoughts spell, he couldn''t afford to be careless. The stakes were too high, and failure was not an option.


    With a resolute nod, Charles braced himself and swiftly dashed towards the Minotaur''s back. Upon sensing the sudden shift in his killing intent, the creature instinctively turned towards its left, raising its massive axe in preparation for another strike.


    But just as the Minotaur prepared to swing its axe with full force, a peculiar purple fire erupted within its mind, erasing its current thoughts and causing it to enter a half-dazed state. Confusion clouded its eyes, and its movements faltered momentarily, granting Charles a fleeting advantage.


    Seizing the opportunity, he enacted the [False Blink] spell. In an instant, he closed the remaining distance to the Minotaur, taking a stance with his Scimitar pulled back, ready to strike.


    Charles thrust his Scimitar toward the Minotaur''s chest with precision and speed. Though the Intermediate Sword Aura alone couldn''t deliver a deep wound, its purpose was different this time¡ªto allow the venomous poison to enter the Minotaur''s bloodstream.


    The de made contact with the creature''s flesh, and the venomous essence seeped into its veins. Despite the shallow wound, the poison''s potency ensured that it would have asting and debilitating effect on the Minotaur.


    In an instant, the Minotaur snapped out of its dazed state, its anger resurfacing as it realized what had transpired. It growled fiercely, its eyes narrowing with fury and determination.


    However, before Charles could safely retreat from his sessful attack, the Minotaur abruptly stretched out its massive arms and unleashed a mighty roar that reverberated with thunderous intensity. The sound waves generated by its roar rippled outward at supersonic speeds, creating a shockwave that propagated in all directions.


    The shockwave swept through the surroundings, causing the air to tremble and distort. The forceful impact of the sound waves created a destructive force capable of shattering objects and rending the very fabric of reality. Trees were uprooted, rocks were pulverized, and the ground quaked under the immense power unleashed by the Minotaur.


    s, Charles had long cast the [Golden Shield] spell and reduced the impact to an incredible level. He anticipated the approaching shockwave with heightened perception and swiftly executed a nimble backflip.

 Chapter 633 Poisoning

    ?


    Chapter 633: Poisoning


    Meanwhile, the Minotaur, its attention drawn to Charles, observed him closely. To ensure its advantage in the impending confrontation, the Minotaur unleashed the [Might of Berserk] bloodline spell upon itself. As the chaos energy coursed through its veins, a profound transformation urred. Its once menacing eyes now glowed with a deep, darkish shade of red, while its already imposing horns grew evenrger, exuding an aura of heightened power. The creature''s hands and legs swelled with increased muscle mass, further augmenting its already formidable physique.


    Simultaneously, a uniquely dense and chaotic aura erupted from the Minotaur''s skin, swirling around it in a tumultuous disy of energy. Gradually, the chaotic aura condensed into a deep-reddish, protective structure resembling an ethereal shield. This newfound barrier enveloped the Minotaur as an additional defense against potential harm.


    Before Charles could react or strategize his next move, the Minotaur swiftly squatted down, summoning the [Bull''s Charge] spell. In an instant, the creature propelled itself forward with astounding velocity, closing the distance between them in a blur. The sheer speed of the Minotaur''s charge was almost inconceivable, leaving Charles in awe and a sense of impending danger.


    Charles realized that his only hope of keeping up with the Minotaur''s lightning-fast movements was his unique skill, [elerated Thoughts]. Without this skill, he would have been utterly overwhelmed and unable to keep pace with the Minotaur''s rapid assault.


    As Charles assessed the situation, a realization washed over him. Evading the impending attack seemed next to impossible. The Minotaur''s assault was swift and relentless, leaving Charles no means of escape or defence. Furthermore, he was acutely aware that he still required over twenty minutes to cast the [Rebirth Domain] spell, a time frame he did not possess at this critical moment. A sense of urgency gripped him as he realized the gravity of the situation, his expression turning grim.


    Although Charles maintained his position behind the golden shield, he doubted its ability to withstand the direct onught of a Legendary Magical Beast such as the Minotaur.


    With astonishing speed, the Minotaur arrived before Charles, its hulking figure dominating the space. Its gigantic metallic axe loomed overhead as it prepared to strike. It brought it down without dy with a thunderous impact onto the Golden Shield spell Charles had hastily conjured.


    The sheer force of the Minotaur''s attack reverberated through the surrounding wilderness, filling the air with a loud sound that echoed in all directions. The impact created a supersonic shockwave, rippling outward with incredible speed, disturbing the tranquillity of the once-serenendscape.


    Although the [Golden Shield] magic spell withstood the initial onught, it became evident that its power was insufficient to withstand the Minotaur''s relentless assault. The subsequent attack was imminent, and Charles was ill-prepared for what woulde.


    In a fraction of a second, he was sent hurtling backward like a projectile, propelled by the force of the blow. His body collided forcefully with an unforgiving rock, causing a sickening crash reverberating through the surroundings.


    Undeterred by the impact it had inflicted, the Minotaur let loose a roar that shook the very foundations of the earth, an intimidating disy of its indomitable will. With lightning speed, it charged forward, instantly closing the distance between itself and Charles.


    In stark contrast to the Minotaur''s ferocity, Charles slowly rose to his feet, determined to flee. In a desperate bid to regain his strength, he cast the ''Soul Heal'' spell, channeling the soul fire into his own being. And as if that weren''t enough, he cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings], empowering himself with ckish me wings that sprouted from his back.


    Just as the Minotaur drew nearer, Charles summoned every ounce of strength and pped his newly acquired wings with tremendous force. Propelled by this sudden surge of power, he ascended rapidly into the sky, soaring higher and higher, distancing himself from the Minotaur''s reach.


    Yet, even with Charles soaring above, the Minotaur refused to relinquish its relentless pursuit. Its massive form continued to hurtle forward with unfathomable speed, an unyielding force that seemed unstoppable.


    Upon reaching the precise spot where Charles had stood mere moments before, the Minotaur abruptly crouched down,unching its powerful legs skyward. Ascending to a considerable height, it employed its inherent wisdom to manipte its trajectory, defying gravity and soaring even higher.


    Simultaneously, the Minotaur opened its formidable jaws, focusing its gaze on Charles.


    Charles had long seen the uing attack, turned around mid-air, and tried to cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on Minotaur.


    But to his surprise, nothing happened!


    Minotaur cast the [Chaos Breath] spell with deadly precision, conjuring a searing burst of reddish fire. The fiery projectile surged towards Charles from behind, resembling a scorching ray aimed at his vulnerable back. Instantly, it closed the distance, tearing through one of his ckish me wings and disintegrating his left hand upon impact.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Yet, against all expectations, Charles managed to maintain hisposure. Instead of sumbing to the Minotaur''s assault, he calmly pivoted mid-air, utilizing his ''wisdom power'' to remain aloft. Taking advantage of this respite, he cast the [Soul Heal] spell again, harnessing its revitalizing energy to restore his wounded body.


    In the blink of an eye, the miraculous power of the spell took hold. Flesh, bones, blood vessels, and tissues started to merge, gradually reconstructing a new arm to rece the one that had been mercilessly torn.


    "That was dangerous," Charles calmly muttered, recognizing the immense danger before him. Withposed determination, he raised his index finger, casting the [Finger of Destruction] spell upon the imposing figure of the Minotaur.


    In a synchronized disy, Charles simultaneously cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] again, granting himself ckish me wings that allowed him to ascend even higher into the sky, gaining a tactical advantage.


    Meanwhile, the Minotaur, wielding its colossal axe, deflected the menacing Ray of Chaotic me that surged towards it. Gradually, the mythical creature descended to the ground, maintaining itsposure amidst the chaotic onught.


    However, as the Minotaur gracefully touched down, an acute awareness drew its gaze downwards,pelling it to fixate on the wound that marred its mighty chest. Though the damage appeared minuscule, the inherent regenerative powers of the Minotaur proved futile in healing it, resulting in a relentless flow of crimson fluid staining its rugged exterior.


    In a persistent act, the Minotaur extended its left hand towards the injury, emanating a bellowing roar reverberating through the sky. Undeterred by the setback, the beast embarked on a purposeful stride, determined to reach where it had tossed the lifeless remains of a Wild Boar.


    Before long, the Minotaur arrived close to the discarded carcass. With a deft motion of its left hand, it retrieved the boar''s lifeless form and continued its determined trek toward a distant waterfall.


    Yet, after traversing a few more meters, an abrupt realization seized the Minotaur''s attention¡ªan rming eruption of peculiar blisters began to manifest across its formidable frame. Filled with a potent blend of fury and frustration, the beast emitted a guttural growl,prehending that these unsightly blisters were a direct consequence of a venomous poison coursing through its veins.


    Without wasting another moment, the Minotaur harnessed the power of another formidable bloodline spell [Revitalizing Burst]. In an instant, an intense surge of chaotic energy emanated from the creature''s heart region, swiftly suppressing the poisonous affliction that gued its entire being.


    As the blisters gradually receded under the overpowering influence of the revitalizing energy, the Minotaur heralded its triumph with a deep bellow, signaling its unwavering determination to press forward.


    Continuing its relentless march, the Minotaur ventured forth for several more minutes until it reached the vicinity of a modest hill. At the very base of the incline, a rugged cavern carved into the rocky terrain beckoned its attention. Without hesitation, the indomitable creature entered the cavern''s depths to rest.


    On the other hand, Charles maintained his aerial position, hovering in the expansive sky as he calmly observed the Minotaur''s entry into the dark and foreboding cavern below.


    Aware of his limited time, Charles solemnly muttered to himself, his voice filled with urgency. "I only have around 1 hour and 45 minutes to activate the altar."


    With this realization, he waited a few more minutes, patiently biding his time for the cooldown of the [Rebirth Domain] spell.


    While Charles waited, the insidious poison coursing through the Minotaur''s veins began to take effect. Initially, the venom of the Serpent affected the creature''s senses, causing a gradual deterioration in its sight, hearing, and sense of smell. In addition, the wound on its chest showed no signs of healing, resulting in continuous blood loss.


    Despite consuming half of the wild boar to satiate its hunger, the Minotaur experienced dizziness and fatigue. Unbeknownst to the beast, the venom had already prated its body, beginning to affect its internal organs. Its heart rate slowed while its mind grew increasingly foggy and disoriented.


    Within just 30 minutes, the Minotaur began to feel an intense burning sensation throughout its entire body, unleashing painful, thunderous roars that shook the very foundations of the surrounding hill.


    Although the Minotaur''s innate regenerative abilities, coupled with the protective properties of the [Revitalizing Burst] spell, continued to heal its wounds and provide some level of defense, it proved insufficient. While the creature wasn''t in immediate danger of losing its life, its strength had been significantly diminished.

 Chapter 634 Unyielding Will

    ?


    Chapter 634: Unyielding Will


    It was at this crucial moment that Charles, descending slowly from the sky,nded before the entrance of the rocky cavern. With a calm and determined demeanor, he raised his hand and conjured multiple balls of fire, hurling them into the cavern''s depths.


    In response, a furious roar erupted from the darkest recesses of the cavern, apanied by a resounding thud reverberating throughout the area. The Minotaur was enraged by Charles'' actions and swiftly emerged from the cavern''s mouth, clutching its formidable metallic axe tightly in its hand.


    Before long, the Minotaur reached the entrance of the rocky cavern, raising its axe high in the air as it charged toward Charles with unrestrained fury. Although its footsteps became unsteady, it didn''t show any sign of stopping and ran madly.


    Recognizing the threat before him, Charles hesitated to directly face the Minotaur''s attack, even considering its weakened state. Instead, he swiftly turned on his heels and started running towards the vast wilderness. With nimble agility, he darted through dense woods, skillfully evading poisonous vines and swaying tree branches while maintaining his trajectory toward the location of their earlier battle.


    In contrast, the Minotaur grew increasingly incensed and relentlessly pursued Charles.


    After a brief time, Charles finally reached the area where the intense battle had previously transpired. With unwaveringposure, he turned around, his gaze fixed upon the formidable figure of the Minotaur looming before him.


    With a swift and practiced motion, Charles drew the Moonfire Scimitar from its sheath, its gleaming de reflecting the ambient light. He then wasted no time as he made a snap, casting the [Rebirth Domain] spell.


    In the blink of an eye, a surge of dense fire-elemental energy radiated from Charles, engulfing the entire vicinity in a fiery crimson ze. The mes licked hungrily at the nearby trees, causing them to catch fire and burn with intense heat. Even the scattered rocks strewn about seemed to transform into glowing embers, adding to the zing spectacle.


    Caught off guard by the sudden inferno that enveloped its surroundings, the Minotaur instinctively slowed its relentless stride. Its bloodshot eyes fixated on Charles, a mixture of surprise, confusion, and fury reflecting within them.


    However, before the Minotaur fullyprehended the situation, Charles vanished from his previous position, seemingly dissolving into thin air. In the next millisecond, he reappeared near the beast, closing the distance with unparalleled speed.


    Utilizing his remarkable agility and honed swordsmanship, Charles infused his Scimitar with an intermediate sword aura. With a swift leap, he propelled himself toward the Minotaur''s face, his de poised for a devastating strike. In a fluid motion, the razor-sharp edge of the aura-coated Scimitar sliced through the air, aiming directly at the creature''s neck.


    While the strike was not deep enough to cause a mortal wound, it managed to cleave through the Minotaur''s tough tissues, even grazing the outeryer of its blood vessels. A sharp pang of pain reverberated through the beast''s left side neck, eliciting a guttural roar of anguish.


    Just as the Minotaur registered the searing pain, Charles''s figure abruptly vanished from its immediate vicinity. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the creature, strategically repositioning himself for the next phase of their confrontation.


    In a disy of extraordinary power, hundreds of minuscule needles materialized before Charles, eachposed of pure chaotic fire. With calcted precision, the needles embarked on a swift trajectory, converging towards the already wounded left-side neck of the Minotaur. Like a swarm of relentless insects, they closed in, their fiery tips poised for impact.


    Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the Ember Needles, Charles seized the opportunity tounch another swift sh at the Minotaur''s back. As his de cleaved through the air, the Ember Needle spells found their mark,nding on the creature''s vulnerable wounds one by one. The chaotic fire enveloped the Minotaur''s entire face in an instant, intensifying its pain and confusion.


    Overwhelmed by the sudden onught, the Minotaur reeled, unable to react effectively as multiple wounds appeared across its body in rapid session. In a mere span of two seconds, its once-mighty form became a canvas ofcerations.


    Empowered by the Rebirth Domain, Charles moved with astonishing speed, twenty times faster than the Minotaur. He relentlessly targeted the creature''s weak points,unching a barrage of attacks. Though the wounds he inflicted werergely superficial, blood sprayed forth from the Minotaur''s body, staining the ground with its life force.


    As ten seconds passed, the Minotaur''s entire being took on a reddish hue, its flesh marred by countless de wounds. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Minotaur resorted to its ''Skin Hardening'' skill, seeking to envelop its body with a protective reddish chaotic aura.


    However, Charles''s relentless assault proved too much for the creature''s defense. He continued to target the wounded areas, slicing deeper and exacerbating the Minotaur''s agony. Despite the beast''s desperate attempt to retaliate by wildly attacking its surroundings, Charles remained unscathed, skillfully evading each strike with his [Faceless Eye] skill. Predicting the Minotaur''s movements with utmost rity, he danced effortlessly around the beast''s fearsome metallic axe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As two minutes psed, Charles''s relentless onught bore fruit. He sessfully severed the Minotaur''s lower limb tendons, causing the creature to teeter on the brink of losing its bnce. Yet, to his astonishment, the Minotaur disyed an indomitable will, refusing to yield. Even as its body was skinned and torn in various ces, it remained standing, clutching its axe in its right hand and steadfastly guarding its heart and head.


    Undeterred by the Minotaur''s unwavering resolve, Charles intensified his assault. With each passing second, his attacks grew more ruthless and severe. Fueled by a newfound focus, he cast the [Purple Consciousness] spell to invade the beast''s mind, further destabilizing its already wavering defenses.


    As Charles delved deeper into the Minotaur''s mind, utilizing the potent influence of his [Purple Consciousness] spell, he aimed to erase the creature''s memories with remarkable efficiency. However, to his surprise, he discovered that the Minotaur did not rely on its memories as a foundation for its actions. Instead, it operated purely on instinct, driven by an innate primal nature that superseded the need for recollections.


    This revtion left Charles both intrigued and perplexed. The Minotaur seemed devoid of intricate battle tactics or strategic maneuvers, relying solely on its formidable bloodline skills. Despite Charles''s relentless assault on its memories, he couldn''t shake the feeling that the creature before him remained unchanged.


    This realization instilled in Charles a sense of respect for the Minotaur''s primal nature. Despite the erosion of its memories, the beast''s innate abilities and sheer determination shone through, demonstrating an unyielding spirit that transcended the confines of mere recollections.


    By the end of five minutes, the Minotaur''s severed tendons and damaged nerves left it unable to maintain its bnce. Reluctantly, it knelt upon the ground, its once-mighty form reduced to a broken and bloodied testament to its unwavering determination. Yet, even in its weakened state, a continuous growl echoed from its mouth, a haunting reminder of the primal fury that still resided within.


    Simultaneously, the effects of the Rebirth Domain spell dissipated, causing the mes that had once engulfed the surroundings to recede into nothingness. Charles, cautious and aware of the lingering danger, cautiously retreated from the Minotaur''s presence, maintaining a watchful eye on the seemingly defeated creature.


    "GRRRRRRRRR!" Letting out a furious growl that resonated with primal rage, Minotaur slowly shifted its gaze towards Charles, a glimmer of defiance flickering in its eyes. Despite the severity of its damaged nerves and tendons, the Minotaur made a valiant effort to grip its beloved weapon, its favored metallic axe.


    However, the extent of its injuries proved insurmountable. Tremors coursed through its weakened limbs, rendering its grasp feeble and unsteady. Frustration etched upon its rugged features, the Minotaur''s resolve remained unbroken. It unleashed a surge of pure chaotic energy from its heart, enveloping its entire body in a swirling vortex of power. With renewed determination, it tightened its grip on the axe, employing it as a crutch to support its faltering form as it rose from its kneeling position.


    Once again, the Minotaur crouched, readying itself for another berserk assault. However, the creature''s movementscked its former agility and finesse. Its actions now appeared sluggish and predictable, starkly contrasting to the relentless speed it had exhibited earlier.


    Seizing the opportunity presented by the Minotaur''s diminished agility, Charles effortlessly evaded its axe attack with calm and calcted movements. With aposed demeanor, he raised his hand and summoned a crimson cloud high into the sky. Within seconds, the once-serene atmosphere transformed as giant fireballs, each measuring a meter in diameter, rained down from the crimson clouds, resembling celestial meteorites descending upon the battlefield. The surroundingndscape was bathed in the searing heat of the inferno.


    Simultaneously, Charles unleashed a barrage of spells. Hundreds of Ember Needles materialized, converging upon the Minotaur from all directions, their fiery tips poised for impact. The Finger of Destruction spell joined the onught, its destructive force aimed at exploiting any weakness in the nearly defeated creature.


    For the next fifteen minutes, Charles unleashed an unremitting assault upon the Minotaur, channeling all his remaining energy and power into each strike. His spells and attacks relentlessly assailed the beast from all angles, driving it to the brink of copse.


    Finally, an opportunity presented itself¡ªa fleeting opening in the Minotaur''s defenses. Charles, his focus unwavering, seized the moment and pierced through the creature''s heart with a precision strike. Agonized cries reverberated from the Minotaur''s mouth as it relinquished its grip on the metallic axe, its hand instinctively covering the grievous wound that now marred its chest. Like a drunken figure stumbling in disarray, the Minotaur faltered, its strength ebbing away.


    Exploiting the vulnerable state of the Minotaur, Charles summoned yet another round of spells. His attacks now focused on the creature''s head, relentlessly assaulting it from all directions.


    Following the relentless onught of Charles'' final round of attacks, the indomitable Minotaur, once the epitome of raw power, gradually sank to its knees. Bloodshot eyes, clouded with pain and defiance, gazed out into the chaotic battlefield. With an air of resignation, the creature''s massive frame descended to the bloodied ground, every movement entuated by a resounding thud that echoed through the air.


    Though weakened and ravaged by countless wounds, the Minotaur valiantly clung to its fading life force. Itsbored breathing punctuated the silence, each inhtion bing more arduous than thest. Time seemed to stand still as the beast grappled with its mortality, fighting against the inevitable.


    Yet, as its strength waned and its life force dwindled, the Minotaur''s final moments arrived. With onest exhtion, it released its final breath.

 Chapter 635 Stealing

    Chapter 635: Stealing


    [16 Wisdom Points Obtained!]


    As the notification of acquiring Wisdom Points shed before his eyes, Charles dismissed it with a flicker. His attention swiftly turned to the fallen Minotaur corpse, its formidable presence now reduced to lifeless remains. Closing the distance with simple strides, he approached the fallen creature, prepared to extract the precious treasures thaty within.


    With deft precision, he swiftly removed the head-sized reddish magic crystal from the creature''s heart region, its pulsating energy a testament to its formidable power. Satisfied with this valuable find, Charles harvested the horn, carefully extracting it with practiced finesse. Each movement was deliberate, ensuring no singleponent of the fallen beast went to waste.


    Charles''s gaze shifted skyward as he stored the harvested treasures within his space ring. A flicker of judgment lit his eyes as he summoned the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell. With a powerful thrust, he propelled himself upward, leaving the remnants of the fallen Minotaur behind.


    Ascending into the open sky, Charles soared higher, navigating the air currents that guided him toward his next destination. It didn''t take long before he reached his desired location¡ªthe grandke in the middle of the wilderness.


    Gradually descending, Charles made a gracefulnding at the entrance of the ruined temple. A profound sense of solemnity washed over him as he stepped past the broken statues and crumbling stone walls.


    Undeterred by the decaying facade, Charles pressed forward, traversing the main hall with measured steps. His gaze soon settled upon the sanctum sanctorum, the heart of the temple''s spiritual power.


    Stepping across the threshold, Charles stood before a crystalline statue, an ethereal representation of a young woman. His eyes, however, were drawn beyond the statue to the altar table behind it. The table held an air of significance, each detail meticulously crafted.


    Approaching the table, Charles looked at the bowls, each adorned with a unique imprint etched within its depths. The closest bowl bore the imprint of a Lizard, while the subsequent bowls disyed imprints of a Monkey, a Serpent, a Bull, and so on.


    A flicker of realization ignited within Charles as he contemted the purpose of these bowls.


    ''So, I must ce the magic crystals in the correct order,'' he mused silently. Retrieving a fist-sized ck crystal from his possession, he carefully nestled it within the bowl marked with the imprint of a panther. He meticulously followed the prescribed sequence with each subsequent crystal, his movements deliberate and purposeful.


    With each crystal ced in its designated bowl, the air within the sanctum sanctorum shifted subtly. A strange invisible ripple came from the crystalline statue a secondter, causing the whole temple to vibrate.


    With a final, purposeful cement, Charles positioned thest head-sized magic crystal within its designated bowl. Instantly, the temple quaked with such intensity that the ground beneath him seemed to tremble in response. Walls vibrated, and ancient stones groaned as if awakening from a long slumber.


    As the temple convulsed, the sanctum sanctorum became awash in an ethereal radiance, its brilliance blinding in its intensity. The divine energy that had long been dormant within the sacred space surged forth, cascading like a waterfall of shimmering light. The very air seemed to vibrate with the power that permeated the room.


    Simultaneously, the magic crystals, vessels of unique essences, began to shine. The dormant energies contained within each crystal were unleashed in a harmonious symphony. One by one, these ethereal essences converged, drawn maically towards a mysterious snake egg resting at the heart of the altar table.


    As they entered the egg, a transcendent transformation unfolded and caused a strange mutation to ur to the unborn snake.


    Meanwhile, the almost empty magical crystals levitated from their resting ces and ascended toward the ceiling. In a celestial dance, they converged, their luminous presence growing as they merged into a single entity.


    Within mere seconds, a mesmerizing sight met Charles'' eyes¡ªa radiant, fist-sized crystal imbued with a splendid rainbow of hues. The colors danced and shimmered within its crystalline depths.


    Before he could fully process the magnitude of this urrence, the crystalline statue at the center of the sanctum sanctorum erupted in a blinding burst of light. The rainbow crystal, now transformed into a radiant key, seemed to be summoned forth by this divine beacon. As if guided by an invisible force, the key gracefully made its way toward Charles, descending gently into the cup of his outstretched palm.


    As the mysterious rainbow key settled within his grasp, Charles couldn''t help but feel a tingling resonance coursing through his being.


    ''A key?''


    Charles didn''t waste a moment as he released his wisdom power and analyzed it.


    ...


    [The Key of Star Monarch''s Tomb.]


    ...


    ''Star Monarch''s Tomb? Who is this Star Monarch? Is this the clue?'' He furrowed his brows. His thoughts, however, quickly shifted as his gaze fell upon the fist-sized egg nestled at the center of the ancient table.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Driven by curiosity, he unleashed his wisdom power, allowing his senses to prate the depths of the egg. Within its delicate confines, a small lifeform slumbered, oblivious to the world around it. As he observed, an inkling of realization dawned upon him. The earlier infusion of essences had strengthened the very essence of this creature.


    ''Could this be an incarnation of the fallen snake deity?''


    Yet, as Charles delved deeper into his analysis, he made an intriguing discovery. The slumbering entitycked consciousness¡ªa vital aspect that defined sentient beings.


    A sudden revtion interrupted his contemtion as a fragment of divine power, originating from the crystalline statue, appeared in one of his future visions. The mere presence of this divine fragment was suffocating, filling the sanctum sanctorum with an otherworldly aura.


    ''So, the statue harbors a divine consciousness,'' Charles surmised, his mind quick to unravel the intentions at y. He invoked the [Golden Shield] spell with a decisive wave, enveloping the vulnerable snake''s egg in a protective barrier. Simultaneously, he retrieved the crimson orb from his space ring, extending his hand toward the center of the altar table.


    In response to his actions, the divine consciousness within the statue reacted with a surge of fury, unleashing a powerful shockwave aimed directly at Charles. Undeterred by the fragment''s assault, Charles scoffed, his resolve unshaken.


    He conjured another golden shield, fortifying his defense against the divine onught. Seizing the moment, he gently picked up the palm-sized white egg, carefully cing it inside the confines of the crimson orb.


    A calm and collected smile yed upon Charles'' lips as he spoke into the vast space of the sanctum sanctorum.


    "I shall take this egg as a gift," his words echoed softly, a deration of his intentions.


    With his gaze lifted toward the ceiling, he addressed the unseen presence that had watched over him throughout his journey.


    "Guardian, I have fulfilled the sub-level quest," he announced, acknowledging the higher power that Eddie Nightwind had spoken of.


    Though he had yet to reach the realm of Divines, he had long sensed the gaze of a higher entity upon him, and now he offered his aplishments as evidence of his progress.


    In the blink of an eye, Charles vanished, his entire being engulfed in a radiant golden light that whisked him away from his previous location.


    Simultaneously, the entire expanse of Verdant Grove quaked with an unprecedented force. Mountains trembled, their rocky formations dislodging and descending in cascades of debris. Even the once serene waterfalls and rivers altered their course, caught up in the upheaval unfolding within the realm.


    Then, a towering pir of light ascended towards the heavens, crashing against the invisible forcefield-like barrier that sealed this dimension. The impact reverberated throughout; following that, a woman''s anguished scream pierced the air, her words spoken in an unfamiliarnguage.


    Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, a young woman with a distinct blueplexion sat in quiet contemtion. Her features were striking, appearing around thirty years old, with ample curves and alluring greenish orb-like eyes devoid of pupils. Her round face boasted sharp, pointy ears, and she appeared to be around three meters tall.


    Draped in a flowing gown-like dress, she perched upon a worn wooden chair, fixated on the head-sized crystal orb before her. This woman was none other than the First Guardian of Star Tombs.


    Observing the crystal orb intently, one would discover that it offered a clear view of the events unfolding within Verdant Grove. With a chuckle, the blue-skinned woman addressed the scene before her.


    "Stop it, Naga. There is no need to fault him for his overwhelming ambition," she remarked, her voiceced with amusement. She continued,


    "Do not fret. Your opportunity wille soon, perhaps even sooner than you think."


    Her words stirred a deep-seated rage from within the confines of the small dimension as a voice seethed with venomous curses.


    "Do not utter another word, you wretched creature! Had I not lost my divine throne and perished, I would have torn the flesh from your bones!"


    Unfazed by the outburst, the blue-skinned woman snapped her fingers, silencing the cursing voice, and calmly shifted her gaze toward the wall.


    However, it wasn''t the wall that held her attention. Instead, her gaze extended far beyond, fixing upon the distantnd where Charles had reappeared.


    "A fascinating seed has arrived," she murmured, her toneced with intrigue.


    "Yet, he remains too weak to capture the attention of the stars." Shaking her head with a hint of disappointment, she withdrew her gaze.

 Chapter 636 Water Mage

    ?


    Chapter 636: Water Mage


    A slender figure suddenly materialized in the depths of a densely forested area, emerging as if from thin air. This person, seemingly around 15 years of age, possessed a head of blonde hair, captivating deep emerald eyes, and a prominent hawk-like nose. d in a standard formal shirt and pants, this individual possessed an aura of elegance.


    He was none other than Charles.


    Taking in his surroundings with aposed demeanor, Charles surveyed the scene, his eyes attentively scanning the environment. To his astonishment, he observed that not only were the surrounding trees appeared darker and like towering giants, reaching heights of nearly 100 meters, but even the sky above bore a somber hue of grey. The dim sunlight struggled to prate the colossal trees, casting an eerie ambiance over the entire area.


    "This ce resembles the Nightmare Realm," Charles muttered, his brow furrowing in concern. Sensing the gravity of the situation, he cautiously extended his wisdom power into the surroundings. Mindful of the dangers he had encountered during his previous encounter with Nightstalker, he exercised restraint and limited his scan to the immediate vicinity, epassing an area of approximately 1,000 meters. he had learned his lesson and had no intention of drawing the attention of any creatures lurking nearby.


    Within moments, a subtle ripple of energy emanated invisibly from Charles, spreading throughout the surroundings, epassing everything within its reach.


    He soon sensed a multitude of menacing creatures lurking nearby. Among them were seven wolf-type monsters, their fierce forms instilling a sense of dread. Twelve shadowy humanoid creatures lurked in the shadows, their figures obscured and enigmatic. Three peculiar beings with human heads and snake-like bodies slithered ominously, their presence unnerving. Seven grotesque worms, resembling monkeys with hideous faces, writhed with an unsettling energy. And finally, a monstrous horse with three heads and twelve legs loomed before him, a nightmarish sight to behold. Despite their ssification as Rank-5 Beasts, Charles couldn''t help but be taken aback by these creatures'' sheer variety and intensity.


    ''As Eddie had warned me, this particr level of the Star Tombs appears to hold even greater dangers than the previous sub-level.'' Charles nced upward and noticed the presence of strange gigantic birds hovering in the sky, reinforcing his decision to proceed with utmost caution. Taking a moment to steady himself, he activated his [Shadow Stealth] skill, disappearing into the shadows seamlessly. At that moment, he also retrieved the Moonfire Scimitar from his space ring and secured the de at his waist.


    But at that moment, a sudden surge of water-elemental energy emanated from his left side, swiftly followed by a powerful gust of shockwave. The abruptness of these urrences hinted at an ongoing battle nearby. Charles''s expression turned solemn as he contemted the situation.


    After a brief pause, he turned his gaze toward the source of the shockwave and began to advance. However, with each step he took, his figure gradually faded and merged seamlessly with the surrounding tree shadows, rendering him virtually invisible.


    Several minutes passed as Charles silently maneuvered past numerous magical beasts, his stealth ensuring he remained undetected. Eventually, he arrived at a vast grasnd-like area, where his attention was captivated by a colossal six-legged ck spider. Towering at a staggering height of 30 meters, the spider relentlessly attacked a diminutive human figure. Its numerous eerie ckish eyes, jaw-like mouth, and peculiar wings bestowed an air of otherworldly dread upon it.


    Realizing that he was witnessing a battle against a Legend Rank Magical Beast, Charles narrowed his eyes,prehending the gravity of the situation. To his surprise, the humanbatant effortlessly evaded every attackunched by the monstrous spider andunched swift counterattacks in return. Despite the distance separating them, Charles managed to discern the human''s features with rity, furrowing his brow in puzzlement.


    "A woman?" he mused, sensing a faint familiarity in her countenance. She possessed long ck hair, silvery eyes, a lean face, thick eyebrows, a sloping forehead, and an aquiline nose. The lines on her face hinted at a life well-lived, cing her age somewhere between 60 and 70 years old. Adorned in a neat blue robe, she bore a symbol on her garment¡ªa circle with six pointy stars resembling a wheel. But what caught his attention were the bluish crystalline wings behind her. Even though it was a mere spell, it appeared more like real wings and even shed snow-like feathers asionally.


    ''She is a Legend Rank Powerhouse from the Life Church? Water Mage?''


    Lost in his thoughts, Charles was abruptly interrupted by an urging voice from the front. "Stop staring at me and help me a bit,d."


    ''Well, I should help her.'' Recognizing the importance of seizing the opportunity to gather more information about this particryer, Charles was determined to help her. He propelled himself forward without hesitation, his strides filled with purpose and anticipation.


    Simultaneously, he cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] and swiftly ascended toward the sky. In five seconds, he closed the distance between himself and the spider, fixating his gaze upon its menacing form. With unwavering precision, he extended his index finger towards its head and cast the [Finger of Destruction] spell.


    From the tip of his finger, an intense and concentrated beam of chaotic me materialized, surging forth with a purposeful trajectory. The scorching ray found its mark, inflicting a deep wound upon one of the spider''s eyes, causing it to recoil in pain.


    Having executed his initial attack, Charles swiftly adjusted his position, pping his wings to suspend himself mid-air. His voice carried through the air with calm assurance as he addressed.


    "I can momentarily freeze its thoughts for a second or two, ma''am. Seize this opportunity and deliver a devastating blow." Charles was well aware that his Chaos me alonecked the power to inflict a fatal blow upon this formidable Magical Beast, and thus he entrusted the task to capable hands.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Satisfied by Charles''s words, the ck-haired woman swiftly distanced herself from the battlefield. Her arms extended wide as she uttered incantations in an ancientnguage distinct from the Runal dialect. Despite his focus on the battle at hand, Charles couldn''t help but notice that the woman''s incantations resembled the Lark Language.


    In an instant, a dense concentration of ice-elemental energy converged around the ck-haired woman, merging into the form of a spear. The translucent spear of ice gradually transitioned into a crystalline state, emanating a frigid aura that froze the surrounding grasses.


    "Now," the woman spoke with a deep resonance, signaling the climax of her incantation. With a release of her will, the spider, already aware of her impending attack, attempted to evade by pping its eerie wings. However, in a peculiar turn of events, it suddenly seemed disoriented, its actions faltering and half-dazed.


    Meanwhile, the spear,prised solely of pure ice-elemental energy, hurtled forward with the swiftness of a bullet, finding its mark directly upon the spider''s forehead. In an instant, the spear erupted, unleashing hundreds of concealed ice essences that scattered in all directions, enveloping the colossal arachnid.


    Not content with freezing the exterior, the ice essences prated the spider''s body, wreaking havoc upon its internal functions. Its movements became sluggish as the freezing effect took hold.


    A piercing cry from above abruptly interrupted Charles, poised to capitalize on this moment and unleash his fiery onught.


    His attention was drawn skyward, where a massive eagle-like creature, measuring 40 meters in height, descended with great force. Its talons firmly sped the frozen spider, and with a mighty beat of its powerful wings, it generated shockwaves that reverberated throughout the vicinity, propelling them both in a different direction.


    At that pivotal moment, Charles and the ck-haired woman were taken aback as their attention was drawn to a startling sight. More than thirty birds, adorned with deep-ck wings, emerged in pursuit of the majestic eagle. The sheer size of these avian creatures left them momentarily stunned, questioning why these crows appeared to be of such colossal proportions.


    A mix of shock and disbelief colored the ck-haired woman''s voice as she muttered,


    "Crows? But why do they look so gigantic?"


    As her words hung in the air, the crows swooped in from behind,unching a coordinated assault on the eagle, their intent clear¡ªto force it to relinquish its prey.


    Yet, the eagle emitted a piercing screech in defiance, soaring higher into the sky, seemingly unfazed by the onught of the crows. It pressed on, resolute in protecting its hard-earned prize.


    Charles, however, understood the gravity of the situation all too well. With a deep breath, he swiftly descended, recognizing the imminent danger. Heprehended that once these magical beasts realized their chances of securing a portion of the giant hawk''s spoils were dwindling, they would undoubtedly redirect their attention towards him and the ck-haired woman, potentially giving chase.


    Without hesitation, Charles enacted the [Shadow Stealth] skill, skillfully melding his figure with the surrounding environment, striving to evade the prying eyes of the pursuing beasts. It was a race against time to find a secure location where they could take refuge and strategize their next course of action.


    Assessing the situation with a calm demeanor, the ck-haired woman advised,


    "Your current concealment skill might not suffice to elude the vignt gaze of those creatures. We must locate a haven to hide and deliberate our next move." Her words carried an air of certainty as she traversed the path leading deeper into the dense, towering woods.


    Charles acknowledged her wisdom, nodding in agreement, and promptly followed in her footsteps. As they drew nearer to the sanctuary of the thick forest, a lingering curiositypelled him to inquire,


    "If I may ask, ma''am, are you perhaps rted to the esteemed Lightning Mage Rachael?"


    A look of surprise manifested on the ck-haired woman''s countenance, momentarily breaking herposed facade.

 Chapter 637 Problem

    ?


    Chapter 637: Problem


    "You know Rachel?" Jade''s voice carried a mix of surprise and intrigue.


    Before he could nod, she let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "You are correct; I am her mother''s elder sister Jade. She has not left the Ember Kingdom in the past eighteen years and has been on a search for someone. Now that I think about it, she also entrusted me with finding an artifact capable of curing a dream-rted curse. Do you know what she is up to?"


    When hearing about Rachel''s connection to the Ember Kingdom, Charles''s mind buzzed with questions. A memory shed before his eyes, an image of an elderly man he had encountered before.


    ''Didn''t Oswald Raven journey to the Ember Kingdom to negotiate with the Nightwind Family regarding the Dream Curse afflicting the Raven Family?'' Charles''s intuition pieced together the events of the past eighteen years, prompting him to release a heavy sigh.


    "It''s aplex tale, Lady Jade. But rest assured; I will visit the Ember Kingdom in due time and resolve that issue once and for all." Charles evaded delving into the details, opting instead to change the subject. "Now, may I inquire about thisyer?"


    Jade''s gaze remained vignt, scanning their surroundings, as she responded, "You may call me Jade. Before I reveal the answer, could you rify which faction you belong to?" She maintained her cautious demeanor, seeking information while keeping a watchful eye.


    "I am a First Order Holy Knight of the Sun Church," Charles replied solemnly, his true allegiance hidden behind his current guise. "Though I am in disguise, I mean no harm to anyone from the Life Church."


    Meanwhile, Jade retrieved a worn leather map from her space ring, opening it wide as she began to speak. "Sun Church, I suspected as much. But your fire spells appear indeed unique. This Layer is a hundred timesrger and significantly more dangerous, unlike the previous subyer. To make things worse, I cannot draw upon the ''Divine Power'' bestowed by the Divine One of Life." Pausing for a moment, she continued in a solemn tone, "While you possess strength, the chances of survival for you and your group are slim. No, nearly all churches will face a devastating blow this time."


    Jade''s foreboding words fully captured Charles''s attention. Sensing the situation''s gravity, he asked, "What do you mean?" Detecting the shift in her tone, he sought rification.


    "Even I am uncertain why this is happening, but something hinders our ability to ess the Divine Power. Have you attempted to utilize it?" Jade asked, her confusion evident.


    "No, Lady Jade. I am a Fire Mage from the Sun Church, and I do not rely on the power of the Divine to cast spells," Charles rified, correcting her misunderstanding.


    Curiosity glimmered in Jade''s eyes at his revtion.


    "Oh? This is the first time I have encountered a Fire Mage from the Sun Church who does not utilize any Divine Power." She gave him a questioning look before continuing.


    "In any case, I suspect that this predicament is connected to the appearance of the massive pir in the Edhen World. As the Star Tombs Dungeon fully materialized, our World Will may have reacted by blocking divine interference and all other divine powers. If my assumptions are correct, this situation bears simrity to the time of the previous nar Invasion. This Star Tombs and even the other Dungeon entrances may have also appeared throughout the Edhen World."


    "Other dungeon entrances?" Charles couldn''t help but get startled.


    "It''s understandable that you are unaware of the other dungeon entrances. This peculiar phenomenon urs only once every few centuries and persists for two decades," Jade exined, her tone tinged with a hint of gravity. "During this time, the gods lose their control over believers. Their divine powers cease to function, and even divine revtions cease to appear, cing the churches in a precarious position. We refer to this period as the ''Chaos Era.'' Thest urrence took ce approximately 400 years ago." While speaking, Jade swiftly dispatched a Rank-5 [Ice Shard] spell, obliterating a Rank-4 ostrich-like Magical Beast that obstructed their path, decapitating it with precision.


    "There are more than ten hidden dungeon entrances scattered throughout the Edhen World," Jade continued, her words punctuated by caution. "Each of these dungeons is linked to different dimensions and holds both dangers and opportunities. Furthermore, each Dungeon possesses unique characteristics and imposes severe restrictions, making entry a privilege granted to few. Now, let us focus on the present situation. As soon as the churches realize that it''s impossible to summon the ''Divine Power,'' they will likely abandon their efforts to activate the teleportation gates and instead strive to survive within thisyer for the next 30 days."


    Charles remained attentive, walking close to Jade as he sought further understanding. "Why 30 days? Is it a time limit?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes," Jade affirmed. "Upon entering a dungeon, one must locate and activate the teleportation gate in eachyer to progress further. However, suppose one desires to exit the Dungeon entirely. In that case, they must remain within the sameyer for 30 days and await the intervention of the Dungeon Guardian, who will teleport them out."


    Charles absorbed the information, gaining a deeperprehension of the challenges presented within the First Layer of Star Tombs.


    "In thisyer, you will encounter many mysterious Legendary Magical Beasts throughout, necessitating utmost caution when employing your wisdom power," Jade warned, her voiceced with seriousness. "Trust should be extended sparingly, even toward your fellow church members." Her words struck Charles with profound surprise.


    "Not even members of the Sun Church?" Charles inquired, unable to conceal his astonishment. While he maintained vignce toward all, Jade''s candidness caught him off guard.


    Jade let out a sigh. "Truly, if you were not acquainted with Rachel, I would have gone my separate way after a brief exchange. Allow me to pose a simple question. Suppose we stumble upon ancient ruins or tombs and discover precious artifacts or potions. What would you do? Would you surrender them without putting up a fight? Naturally, you would seek your fair share." Pausing momentarily, she conjured a ball of water, swiftly transforming it into a barrage of ice needles scattered in various directions, neutralizing the lurking, shadowy eyes. Afterward, she resumed speaking with conviction.


    "But here, in thiswlessnd, only the victor reaps the rewards, while the defeated perish. Furthermore, only some people you meet might be human. Some dangerous Nightmare creatures lurking in thisnd cannot only shapeshift by eating the corpse but can even retain the corpse''s memories and abilities. So, it''s almost impossible to discern who the real person is or who is a Nightmare Creature."


    "I understand," Charles nodded solemnly and decided what to do next. Although he had Rune Eye ability to discern the identity of any person or beast, he didn''t dare to rely too much on it.


    And the next thing that made him think deeply was his next course of action.


    ''Should I advance and reach a higher Layer or stay here for the next 30 days and leave?'' As he was thinking, a sudden memory appeared within the deepest part of his Inner World. It was the memory of Head Deacon Colt, Edwin''s father!


    ''He has reunited with two Order Church members and is going to Dream Pce? Hmm, Dream Pce is located in the farthest North, huh?''


    Charles furrowed his brows and suddenly asked.


    "How do we find the direction?"


    "That''s an excellent question," Jade remarked, appreciating Charles''s curiosity. "Whenever you venture into a newyer of the Dungeon, gazing upwards and scanning the sky is crucial. Look for the presence of a sun, a moon, or an exceptionally bright star. Most of these dimensions feature at least one or two other stars. When there is a single star, it follows a predictable path, revolving consistently. This allows you to discern the rising side, which corresponds to the east, and the descending side, which aligns with the west. However, in the case of two stars, they typically rotate in opposite directions. Identify the star that shines the brightest among the two in such instances. By doing so, you can effectively navigate your surroundings and minimize the risk of bing disoriented or lost within the Dungeon."


    Charles had been observant of the sky''s movements throughout their journey, and it didn''t take long for him to deduce that they were heading in a western direction.


    "Why are we traveling westward?" Charles inquired, seeking an exnation for their chosen path.


    Jade, surprised by Charles''s astute observation, nodded approvingly before responding. "You have a keen eye. We are heading westward due to a prior agreement among all members of the Life Church. Before entering this Dungeon, we collectively decided to rendezvous at a specific location in the western territory. If my calctions are correct, it should take us approximately four to five days to reach our destination by foot."


    Charles couldn''t help but express his concern. "Does that mean it will be nearly impossible for Sun Church members to join the gathering?"


    A chuckle escaped Jade''s lips as she replied. "That is precisely why I mentioned that your church''s survival will prove challenging. Unlike other churches, the Sun Churchcks privileged inside information. In this unforgiving environment, no other church will willingly share crucial information without some form of payment or exchange. Understanding that even the smallest pieces of information hold great value here is crucial. Those who possess a monopoly on information stand to gain significant advantages."


    ''So, the reason she gave all this crucial information is only because of I''m an acquaintance of Lady Rachel, huh?'' Charles could only nod at this situation and follow her closely.

 Chapter 638 Encounter

    ?


    Chapter 638: Encounter


    As Charles and Jade continued their arduous journey through the Nightmare Land, the atmosphere remained shrouded in a peculiar gloominess despite the brightness of day. The towering trees cast long shadows, and dark, eerie clouds loomed overhead, intensifying the chilling and somber ambiance. Their trek became even more challenging when a sudden downpour drenched the surroundings, further adding to their difficulties.


    As they continued their walk, Charles divulged some information about his true identity to Jade, revealing that he was once a member of Withering Shadows. However, he opted to keep his actual name concealed, only sharing his current alias.


    Jade expressed her surprise, remarking, "Interesting. I didn''t expect the Life Church to let you leave the organization. Based on my understanding, the higher-ups in our church rarely allow such departures." She voiced her thoughts while maintaining a steady pace.


    In response, Charles emitted a cold snort before speaking.


    "They have nothing to gain by eliminating me. They failed to uphold their promises and went so far as to seize my family''s property under the guise of an agreement. Though it doesn''t bother me much, I will return one day and deal with all those schemers."


    Jade halted in her tracks, a realization dawning upon her. "Hmm? Why did they confiscate your family property?" she questioned, her curiosity piqued. Then, a thought crossed her mind, and she inquired, "By any chance, are you a descendant of Eddie Nightwind?"


    Jade''s knowledge took Charles aback. "You knew about Eddie?" he asked, surprise evident.


    "Of course. He was a legend," Jade replied, exhaling deeply. She continued, "The one who confiscated your family''s property was Cardinal Albert of the Life Church. I heard about arge-scale expenditure in Riverdale City approximately two years ago. From the information I have gathered, more than 40 Rank-4 individuals, seven Rank-5 individuals, and even two Legendary powerhouses ventured into the Dreamworld to confront a formidable entity. Though the oue remains unknown, Cardinal Albert significantly increased his power following that incident and is nning to participate in the uing election for the next Pope Candidate."


    "Cardinal Albert? And why did he enter the Dreamworld? Why was he after my family''s house?" Charles questioned, his brows furrowing. He knew their interest in his house must be connected to something else within the Dreamworld.


    "That house is no ordinary abode,d. It is a gateway to the Dreamworld known as the ''Dream House,'' one of Eddie''s creations," Jade exined. "From what I have gathered, Cardinal Albert had been preparing to obtain control over the Dream House for quite some time. As for why he ventured into the Dreamworld, you should seize an opportunity to inquire directly from him." A mysterious smile apanied Jade''s words.


    A realization struck Charles. "So, he also entered the Star Tombs with you?" he asked solemnly.


    "To be precise, Cardinal Albert is the leader of this expedition and has already attained a level of power where he can contend with a Demi-God-level powerhouse. Therefore, it''s best not to provoke him without cause," Jade warned, her tone conveying the gravity of the situation.


    Curiosity tinged Jade''s final question as they ventured into a peculiar area filled with dpidated buildings, ancient trees, slithering vines, and murky wends. The surroundings exuded an eerie atmosphere as they continued their walk.


    "So, what is your goal? Are you nning to join our team?"


    "I don''t believe the other Life Church members would wee me as warmly as you do, ma''am. I should part ways once we reach a safe location," Charles responded, aware of potentialplications.


    "I agree. And if you intend to seek revenge on Cardinal Albert, do it outside this Dungeon," Jade concurred, preparing to take a step forward. However, she abruptly halted, sensing that Charles had stopped moving.


    Turning around in confusion, Jade questioned, "What happened?" She extended her wisdom power to survey the surroundings, cautiously searching for any lurking dangers.


    Simultaneously, she retrieved a peculiar bluish coin adorned with an ancient symbol engraved on its surface from her space ring. Without hesitation, Jade hurled the coin toward a ruined building on the right side of their path.


    Meanwhile, Charles focused on the future visions revealed by his ''Faceless Eye'' skill, preparing to cast the defensive spell [Golden Shield] immediately.


    "Although I don''t sense any immediate presence, there is something dangerous lurking here," Charles stated, his gaze shifting towards the towering branches of the trees ahead, scrutinizing for any anomalies.


    "Are you sure-?"


    Before Jade could respond, her words were cut short by a deep gash across her neck. In an instant, her head was severed from her body!


    Simultaneously, an eerie, ckish humanoid silhouette materialized before the decapitated Jade, emanating a sinister aura akin to a cursed presence. This creature stood approximately 7 feet tall, wrapped in tattered, ck garments. Its emaciated figure featured skeletal limbs and a hunched posture. Despite the passage of time, its eyes emitted an eerie glow, piercing through the darkness. The creature''s tattered clothes were stained with reddish blood, adorned with ancient symbols. It gripped an ancient longsword in its hand, exuding a formidable aura.


    An unexpected turn urred as the creature prepared to raise its weapon and cleave Jade''s body in two.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jade''s decapitated head and body transmuted into a pool of water, sshing onto the humanoid creature in a bewildering transformation. However, the water swiftly crystallized, transforming into pure ice essences that ensnared and immobilized the creaturepletely.


    In the meantime, Jade reappeared where she had tossed the bluish coin, summoning a giant orb of water and skillfully shaping it into a shield-like structure for protection.


    Sensing the imminent danger, Charles quickly retreated, closing the distance between himself and Jade. He activated his [elerate Thoughts] skill, augmenting his mental processing speed while simultaneously activating his ''Rune Eye'' to analyze the creature before them.


    ''I can only discern its Rank and ss name. I cannot perceive its attributes and its abilities,'' Charles understood that this creature was not one to be underestimated.


    "Damn it, it''s the Nightmare Guardian," Jade eximed, finally identifying the creature. She added, "It''s impossible to defeat this creature with our current strength, kid. We should retreat."


    Judging by Jade''s words, Charles asked, "Is it truly that powerful?" He believed that with theirbined efforts, they might have a chance at victory.


    "You don''t understand, kid. It would take more than ten Legend Rank Mystics to defeat it. Moreover, this ce is more like its domain, and it will continue to revive endlessly," Jade exined, emphasizing the futility of their situation.


    Realizing the futility of their predicament, Charles concurred with Jade''s assessment. He swiftly retreated, watching the Nightmare Creature as it struggled to break free from the icy constraints.


    After traversing for a few minutes, Charles and Jade retreated from the deste, ruinednd, finally stumbling upon a small cavern hidden beneath a cascading waterfall.


    "We should rest here for a while and then decide on our next course of action," Jade suggested as she entered the dimly lit cavern, its walls damp and echoing with the sound of water.


    Seizing the opportunity to bring light into their temporary refuge, Charles conjured a ball of fire, allowing its warm glow to illuminate the cave''s interior.


    Curiosity burning within him, he asked, "So, what was that creature we encountered? And how do you know it can endlessly revive?"


    Rather than providing an immediate response, Jade retrieved apact cot from her space ring, cing it gently on the cavern floor before taking a seat. Her actions spoke volumes about her desire forfort and rxation, a subtle indication that answers would note freely.


    "You shouldn''t expect information without offering something in return, kid," Jade replied cryptically. "All I can disclose is that the creature will remain station in that ruined ce, attacking any intruders who dare to trespass. Killing such a formidable being is no simple feat, even for a group of Legend Rank Powerhouses." Her words remained deliberately vague, withholding further details about the creature and its purpose.


    Understanding her intent, Charles decided not to press for more information.


    "Very well, I will also rest for a while," he acknowledged, settling into a decision.


    Employing her adeptness in water magic, Jade cast a spell to create a protective forcefield-like structure around her cot formed from cascading water droplets. Contentedly, she reclined, finding sce in the sheltered respite.


    Meanwhile, Charles retrieved a sturdy wooden chair from his space ring, positioning it near the cavern entrance. Taking a seat, he allowed himself a moment of contemtion.


    Furrowing his brow, he pondered.


    ''Though unspoken, it is undeniable that the creature guards something of great importance. However, how can I hope to defeat a Magical Beast of Legend Rank that possesses the ability to revive endlessly?'' His worry and frustration were palpable, amplified by the fact that he could not sense the creature''s presence. It had managed to conceal its aura entirely, potentially possessing an invisible or teleportation-based ability.


    Charles silently thanked his vision skill, as it had saved them from falling into a dangerous situation.


    ''I am still too weak to face that creature head-on,'' he admitted, a sense of determination welling within him. ''Nevertheless, I refuse to surrender so easily.''


    To restore his energy and nourish himself, Charles retrieved several pieces of dry meat and various vegetables like onions, tomatoes, and potatoes from his space ring. He procured a bottle of oil, a frying pan, and ground ginger and garlic, arranging them neatly on the cavern floor. With careful consideration, Charles began preparing a meal, the sizzling sounds and inviting aroma filling the cavern as he cooked.

 Chapter 639 Progression

    ?


    Chapter 639: Progression


    Having prepared a nourishing and gratifying meal, Charles savored each bite, the vors dancing on his pte. As he finished hisst morsel, he became aware of the encroaching darkness outside, the fading sunlight giving way to the cloak of night. Recognizing the need for vignce in this unfamiliar and treacherous realm, hemanded his other consciousness to take control of his physical form and maintain a watchful eye over their surroundings.


    With his physical self tended to, Charles turned his attention inward, stepping into the depths of his Inner World. Clutching the ''Golden Badge'' tightly, he flew up towards the dark sky, casting a spell. A surge of energy rippled through the Inner World, activating the ''Rebirth Domain.'' In this Inner realm where time held no sway, he manipted the flow of time, elerating it to its utmost limits.


    Before long, Charles arrived at the area where the hexagonal-structured spell model was located and focused on the Golden Badge. Soon, he reached a concentrated state and delved into the rules of ''Lawful Fire'' Essences. With unwavering focus, Charles immersed himself in studying andprehending the Fire Rules. Guided by his heightened [Rune Eye] skill and profound understanding of the Fire, he unraveled the essence of ''Lawful Fire,'' peering into its fundamental nature with every passing moment.


    Minutes stretched into hours, and hours dissolved into days as Charlesprehended with utmost focus.


    ...


    Several hourster, Jade stirred from her slumber, awakening from her nap.


    At that moment, it was already the next day morning.


    Feeling refreshed, she prepared herself to resume their journey, invigorated by the cascading water that refreshed her body.


    "Are you nning to apany me or continue on your own?" Jade inquired, her voice carrying a note of curiosity as she rinsed her face under the cascading water.


    In a blink, Charles stopped what he was doing in his Inner World, took control of his body, and stood up.


    He then pondered her question for a moment, considering his options.


    "I will remain here for a while and then proceed towards the northeast," he responded vaguely, keeping his ns rtively ambiguous.


    "Oh? In that case, be wary of the Corpse Devourers in that direction," Jade cautioned, her expression tinged with concern. She reached for a nearby towel, gently patting her wet face to dry it. Then, she retrieved an aged parchment from her space ring, tossing it in Charles'' direction.


    "This is a map of the Twin Lords'' hideout, also located in the north-eastern direction. I stumbled upon that ce by chance during a previous encounter butcked the necessary strength to defeat the Lord monsters residing within. Although I want to explore that ce, the Life Church has assigned me a crucial mission in the Second Layer. So, I have no choice but to abandon that pursuit. However, given your abilities, I believe you might have a chance," Jade revealed, her generosity surprising Charles.


    Grateful for her unexpected gesture, Charles received the map with astonishment and appreciation, his eyes scanning its intricate details.


    As Jade prepared to depart, she gathered her belongings and approached the cavern''s entrance. Before disappearing, she turned to face Charles again, offering parting words of encouragement.


    "Strive to survive and return safely to the Edhen World. Our paths may cross again in the future."


    She stepped out of the cavern, vanishing into the distance.


    Left with a renewed sense of purpose, Charles was grateful for the encounter with Jade.


    ''What should I do now?'' Charles furrowed his eyebrows and soon thought of increasing his ''Wisdom Power.''


    ''Genesis, can you search for information about this Layer using your ''Wisdom Link''?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [It''s impossible, Host. To ess Wisdom Link, you must be in a World with will on its own. Also, world inhabitants must be advanced enough to store information in physical objects like books, murals, stone tablets, etc. Although Dungeon had already materialized and its entrance had already be a part of Edhen World, it is still impossible to gain ess to ''Wisdom Link.'']


    "Got it," He shook his head and decided to go out.


    Emerging from theforting confines of the cavern, Charles embarked on a quest to test his mettle against the formidable creatures that roamed this Nightmare Realm. With a determined gaze and a steady stride, he ventured into the unknown, his senses heightened and attuned to the slightest whisper of magical energy that permeated the air.


    His first encounter came swiftly, a Crocodile-type Magical Beast lurking near the cascading waterfall. Its sinewy form coiled withtent power, its razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light. Undeterred by the creature''s imposing presence, Charles unleashed his spells and attacked it. With calcted precision and swift movements, he engaged in a battle of wits and strength. But the battle didn''t evenst more than a minute as he ruthlessly attacked its weaknesses and killed it.


    Having triumphed over the Crocodile-type Magical Beast, Charles knew that he had merely scratched the surface of his hunting expedition. After that, he pressed onward, venturing deeper into the verdant woods that stretched before him. The forest hummed with hidden life, an orchestra of whispers and rustling leaves guiding his path.


    Navigating the dense undergrowth, Charles scoured the woods for elusive prey. His keen eyes discerned the subtlest traces of wisdom power or any elemental aura, leading him to his quarry. With methodical precision and unwavering resolve, he engaged in a deadly dance with each formidable adversary he encountered.


    Though tempted by the allure of Legendary Rank Magical Beasts, Charles exercised caution and maintained a safe distance. He recognized the peril of challenging these mythical creatures, aware that the consequences of a hasty encounter could be dire. Instead, he focused on the Rank-4 and Rank-5 Magical Beasts that crossed his path, honing his skills and steadily increasing his Wisdom Power.


    As the sun dipped below the horizon, marking the end of the first day of his hunting expedition, Charles stood as a victor amidst the twilight. The tally of his triumphs was formidable, for he had managed to hunt down seven Rank-5 magical beasts and twenty-four Rank-4 Magical Beasts, elevating his wisdom power to a remarkable level of 301.


    Yet, even in the face of this aplishment, Charles knew that his journey had only begun.


    As twilight painted the sky in hues of purple and gold, he sought sce within the sanctuary of the cavern nestled beneath the majestic waterfall. With a silentmand, he relinquished control to his other consciousness, allowing it to assume the caretaker role for his physical body. The transition was seamless, a seamless passing of the torch as he retreated into the depths of his soul.


    Charles stood before a magnificent spectacle within the depths of his Inner World. The glow of the seven spell models illuminated the darkened expanse. With a flicker, he retrieved the Golden Badge from his possession, its gleaming surface resonating withwful fire energies.


    He used his wisdom power and pulled out the Golden Shield from it.


    Afterward, Charles activated the ''Rebirth Domain'' and devoted himself toprehending the essences hidden in the Golden Shield.


    Focused and unwavering, he fixated on a single streak of Fire Essence within the spell model. As he delved deeper into the secrets of the Lawful Fire, he entered a state of profound concentration, enveloped in a sense of security that transcended physical boundaries. It was as if he stood in the heart of a radiant inferno, shielded from harm, his connection to the Lawful Fire growing stronger with each passing moment.


    Within the sacred space of the spell model, the Lawful Fire Spell Model underwent a remarkable transformation. Brand new essences sprouted and blossomed, their vibrant hues radiating with a captivating brilliance.


    Although hisprehension of the Lawful Fire Essences had thus far yielded a count of 47 after spending countless hours immersed in its mysteries within his Inner World, Charles recognized the significance of this progress. Each essence understood was a step forward, a testament to his unwavering dedication and unwavering pursuit of mastery.


    With a seamless transition, Charles reimed control of his body, stepping out into the world again to hunt. Though it felt like a mere half-day had passed within the depths of his Inner World, he was acutely aware that a full twelve hours had psed in the realm outside. Time,


    Undeterred by the fleeting nature of time, Charles embarked on a relentless hunt for magical beasts, his purpose resolute and unwavering.


    Days passed into one another, blending seamlessly as a week slipped by in the blink of an eye.


    As the week drew to a close, Charles found sce in the exponential growth of his wisdom power. Each day, he would set his sights on a modest number of six to seven Rank-5 Magical Beasts, their formidable presence met with calcted precision. His'' wisdom power'' surged to new heights through these encounters, reaching 460 points.


    During these seven days, Charles''s nocturnal endeavors took a distinct turn. At night, when the worldy shrouded in darkness, he immersed himself in studying andprehending the Lawful Fire. His understanding of the Lawful Fire elemental essence soared to unprecedented heights during these sacred hours.

 Chapter 640 Ignis Sanctuary

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    Chapter 640: Ignis Sanctuary


    Charles''s grasp of the Lawful Fire Essences achieved a remarkable milestone at this pivotal moment. Within a mere week, his diligent efforts had yielded theprehension of an astounding 370 additional Lawful Fire Essence Streaks. The sheer magnitude of this achievement was awe-inspiring, doubling the potency and efficacy of the earlier Golden Shield.


    Enveloped in newfound enlightenment, Charles stood on the precipice of greatness.


    Within the depths of his understanding, he reconstructed the Lawful Spell and created a unique spell called ''Ignis Sanctuary.''


    ''Although this spell is iplete and hasn''t reached Law power, it can still take on a direct hit from a Peak-Stage Legendary Magical Beast.'' Muttering inwardly, he walked out of the cavern and cast the spell.


    When invoked, the ''Ignis Sanctuary'' spell manifested a powerful and intricate coverposed entirely of Lawful Fire Essence. This golden forcefield-like shield extended outward, epassing an area of approximately five meters in radius, creating a sanctuary of protection. The radiant mes of the Lawful Fire Essence danced and flickered, forming an imprable barrier that could repel malevolent forces and ward off any impending threats.


    In the following fifteen minutes, Charles delved into a series of experiments, meticulously observing the effects of the ''Ignis Sanctuary'' spell. He studied its workings with unwavering focus, paying close attention to the interactions between the Lawful Fire Essences and their protective properties. Through his analysis, he better understood the spell''s capabilities, limitations, and potential applications. Satisfied with hisprehensive study, he finally released the ''Ignis Sanctuary'' spell, dispersing the force-field-like shield and allowing the Lawful Fire Essences to return to their dormant state.


    While the ''Ignis Sanctuary'' provided a formidable safeguard within its boundaries, Charles was aware of its limitations.


    The first limitation was its short time limit.


    ''It activates only for around fifteen minutes.''


    The second limitation was its defensive weakness.


    Although it also offered exceptional defense against physical attacks, magical assaults, and even curses, he understood that certain specialized spells, such as his Soul Shock spell, could bypass its protective barriers easily.


    ''I also wonder if this spell could block my ''Purple Fire'' and even the ''Dream Rted'' abilities.''


    Despite this knowledge, he remained undeterred, knowing that with further refinement and development, the ''Ignis Sanctuary'' could evolve into a formidable Legendary Spell or even a genuine Demi-God Level Spell.


    Lost in contemtion, Charles gazed up at the cloudy sky, his mind filled with curiosity and ambition.


    ''Genesis, how much wisdom power is needed to reach the peak realm of Legend Rank?'' he inquired, his eyes focused and determined.


    In response, Genesis offered a calm and measured reply,


    [It varies from person to person, Host. However, unlike ordinary mages, you possess exceptional capabilities. In the Rebirth Domain spell alone, you managed toprehend over 15 Fire Laws, and in your subsequent spell, you swiftly grasped 700 Fire Essences. With time, you can evenprehend four or more Fire Laws in each spell, rendering you invincible among those of the same rank. Nevertheless, pursuing firews necessitates substantial ''wisdom power'' to stabilize your soul. As such, I cannot determine the amount of wisdom power required to reach the peak level.]


    "So, you don''t know?" Charles shook his head and asked a different question.


    "Tell me how much wisdom power is needed for an average Mage to reach his peak rank."


    [It should be around 400 to 500 wisdom points, Host.] An instant response came from Genesis.


    ''Hmm, doesn''t that mean I already reached that realm?'' But Charles knew this wisdom power wasn''t enough for him to construct his new [Ignis Sanctuary] spellpletely!


    "I can only take things slowly," He muttered solemnly, his gaze fixated on the distant woods. The weight of time bore heavily upon him, and a sense of urgency gnawed at his resolve. The desire to delve deeper into the mysteries of Lawful Fire burned within him, yet time constraints loomed over his aspirations like a shadow.


    The realization of his limitations settled upon him like a heavy cloak, and with a resolute shake of his head, he acknowledged the impossibility of his lofty ambitions. Time, an elusive and precious resource, slipped through his fingers like grains of sand, leaving him yearning for more.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''Time, huh? I should also check if I can unravel the chaos me hidden in the time crystal.''


    Reluctantly, he retreated to the familiar confines of the cavern, his shelter from the Dungeon''s relentless march.


    In the past week, Charles had dedicated himself not only to personal growth but also to maintaining a watchful eye on the world beyond his seclusion. Through the conduit of his ''Purple Word'' spell, he remained connected to Head Deacon Colt, the bearer of crucial information. Updates flowed into his Inner World, vividly depicting the Order Church''s movements.


    It was revealed that six members of the Order Church, eight of the Hawthorne Family, and three of Amber Church had assembled at the Dream Pce, embarking on a formidable quest to conquer a domain presided over by the fallen Priest of Dream God known as Pathmaker. The gravity of their mission did not escape Charles, and he noted that Archbishop Victor had also joined their ranks, his actions thus far disying no signs of deviation from the norm.


    A subtle understanding took hold in Charles''s mind.


    ''From what I have gathered so far, only Order Church and Amber Church seem to be nning on leaving the Dungeon after raiding the domain ruled by Pathmaker. Meanwhile, Hawthorne Family will temporarily ally with Fairchild Family and embark on their journey to the nextyer. But when will Victor make his move? He seems to have noticed something is off and decided to act cautiously. Now that I think about it, we have yet to learn about what he is after. Tsk, I should focus on strengthening myself first.''


    Furrowing, he summoned a ball of fire, casting its warm glow upon the cavern''s recesses, illuminating the hidden recesses of his thoughts.


    With purposeful intent, he reached for the Crimson Orb,


    With careful deliberation, Charles directed his attention towards the hiddenpartment within the Crimson Orb, his fingers moving with purpose as he extracted the delicate snake egg from its confines. As he held it delicately in his palm, the egg radiated an otherworldly evil aura, a vessel teeming with potential and uncertainty.


    While contemting the egg''s fate, Charles understood the precarious bnce it hung upon. If a new consciousness failed to emerge within a specific timeframe, the soul housed within would relinquish its connection to the mortal ne, drifting towards the next cycle of reincarnation.


    The weight of responsibility settled him as he recognized the urgency of finding a suitable consciousness to inhabit the delicate vessel.


    At that moment, an image of a particr snake, the Shadow Princess, danced before his eyes. Simultaneously, he also thought of the information Jade mentioned about the Life Church''s expenditure on the Dream World.


    ''After all these years, why am I thinking of that snake?'' After bing a Legendary Mage, his understanding of the future had reached a formidable level.


    A suspicion took root in his thoughts.


    ''Could it be that the formidable opponent, the one whom the Life Church had battled fiercely against in the Dream Realm, held the key to breathing new life into the egg? Shadow Princess was that formidable opponent?''


    The prospect ignited a spark of curiosity within him, the desire to uncover the truth burning brightly. A resolve formed, a n taking shape in his mind. Should an opportune moment present itself, he vowed to seek out the Cardinal of Life to inquire about the fate of the Shadow Princess.


    Securing the egg once more within the confines of the Crimson Orb, he carefully stored it in his space ring, a precious treasure awaiting its destined purpose.


    Having cast the protective shield of [Ignis Sanctuary], Charles shifted his focus to a fist-sized reddish, crystalline object retrieved from his space ring. Seemingly unremarkable in appearance, little did he know of the profound power it held within.


    Intrigued by the object''s hidden potential, he held it in his hand, a tingling sensation coursing through his fingertips as he contemted its true nature.


    Closing his eyes, Charles used his ''wisdom power'' to probe the inneryer of the crystalline object. As his consciousness delved deeper, he discerned that this was not an elemental crystal but a manifestation of pure temporal energy. However, just as he began to uncover the true nature of the crystal, a peculiar sensation washed over him. His thinking process inexplicably slowed down, leaving him disoriented and struggling to maintain rity of thought.


    Realizing the seriousness, Charles swiftly transformed himself into elemental form, utilizing the [elerate Thoughts] spell to elerate his mental processes. With his perception heightened, he attempted again to probe the crystal''s secrets. To his relief, his consciousness encountered no obstacles or restrictions this time.


    However, in a sudden and unexpected turn of events, a powerful suction force emerged from within the crystal, drawing his entire elemental form into its depths.

 Chapter 641 A Strange Crystal Dimension

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    Chapter 641: A Strange Crystal Dimension


    In seconds, Charles was transported at an extraordinary speed, arriving in a new realm where he stood in the presence of a colossal reddish ball of fire. Although this fiery sphere paledpared to the majesty of the actual Sun, its immense size left Charles awe-struck.


    ''I feel like I''m floating in the water.''


    Observing the enormous fireball, he estimated its radius to be roughly 0.5 to 1 kilometer, dwarfing his diminished form.


    Within the heart of the object, a peculiar sight greeted him¡ªa strange and eerie ck orb lurking at the center like the pupil of some unseen creature.


    A chill ran down his spine, his senses tingling with intrigue and trepidation.


    A wave of unease washed over him as he scrutinized the peculiar formation. Though the ck orb remained motionless, devoid of discernible effects, its presence alone was enough to unsettle hisposure.


    Gathering his wits, Charles made a conscious effort to regain hisposure. Rationality prevailed as he recognized that, thus far, there were no signs of consciousness or any other anomalies apanying this strange manifestation.


    Assured of his safety for the time being, he allowed his gaze to wander, surveying the area for any additional peculiarities or hidden dangers that might lurk nearby.


    As Charles took in the scene before him, he marveled at the boundaries that confined the fiery sphere within a vast crystal. Its presence was awe-inspiring,manding his attention and curiosity. Beyond the crystal''s confines, he cast his gaze further, beholding the cavern''s ceiling stretching out in the distance. A small, star-like fireball hovered in mid-air, its luminous glow radiating an ethereal ambiance.


    It was the fireball he cast a while ago!


    While contemting the crystal''s nature, Charles found himself enticed by its enigmatic properties. It was unlike any Time Crystal he had encountered before, suggesting a different essence altogether¡ªperhaps another dimension.


    But the true fascinationy in the colossal ball of fire that dominated his field of vision. Questions swirled within his mind, each more intriguing than thest.


    ''How had this immense fireballe to be trapped within this dimension? Could it be more than a ball of fire¡ªa powerful being''s body part?'' The memory of the Phoenix Bird cocooned within the Rebirth Star resurfaced, offering a tantalizing possibility that the seemingly impossible might be within reality.


    Deep in thought, Charles contemted his next course of action. The mysteries within the crystal dimension beckoned him, but he knew that returning to the outside world and gauging the passage of time was of utmost importance. He quickly released his wisdom power, channeling it to propel himself upward.


    Though his movement appeared sluggish, each moment brought him closer to the edge of the crystal dimension. After an hour of patient hovering, he finally reached the threshold and felt the familiar pull of transition. In the blink of an eye, Charles materialized within the dark, gloomy cavern, his elemental form again solidifying.


    Startled, he observed as the fireball in the cavern flickered and vanished with a soft poof. The stark contrast in time flow between the dimension and the outside world became evident, leaving him in awe of the vast difference.


    "I knew the time inside this dimension moved slower than the outside world, but it appears the discrepancy is far greater than I anticipated," he murmured. Eager to measure the disparity precisely, Charles retrieved a stopwatch from his space ring. cing it carefully on a nearby chair, he checked the time to gauge the extent of the time divergence.


    As the time on the stopwatch revealed thete hour of 9:45 P.M., Charles found himself engrossed in contemtion. His gaze shifted from the bright daylight outside to the dimness of the cavern, a stark reminder of the stark contrast between the surface world and the enigmatic depths of the dungeonyer. Furrowing his brows, he pondered how the passage of time within thisbyrinthine realm differed from the world he knew so well, yet he quickly dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. Such questions could be answered in time; he had a more pressing task for now.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Moving forward with determination, Charles carefully retrieved the reddish crystal from its ce and positioned it alongside the stopwatch. The juxtaposition of the two objects held a significance that only he could fathom. Taking his seat before the chair, he closed his eyes and channeled his wisdom power towards the outeryer of the crystalline structure.


    Within seconds, a familiar sensation gripped him, pulling him away from the confines of the cavern and propelling him through the time-space at an astonishing speed. The fabric of reality seemed to warp around him as he traversed the unknown, his destination drawing closer with each passing moment.


    Finally, the rush of motion ceased, and Charles stood again before the colossal reddish ball of fire. However, there was little time for contemtion or exploration. Understanding the urgency of his mission, he swiftly moved to ascend once again, determined to uncover the secrets thaty beyond. Another hour of travel psed, and with each passing moment, he neared the culmination of this enigmatic dimension.


    At longst, the familiar pull seized him, wrenching him from the confines of the small dimension and depositing him back into the familiar cavern. The transition was seamless as if he had never left.


    In the blink of an eye, Charles reappeared in the very spot he had departed from, a surge of anticipation coursing through him. With a sense of urgency, he quickly retrieved the stopwatch from the nearby chair and nced at its face.


    The time read 9:45 P.M.


    Only a second had psed within the strange dimension, causing him to startle. Though initially taken aback, Charles''s analytical naturepelled him to confirm this astonishing revtion. He checked the time repeatedly, each nce documenting the stark contrast between the world within the crystal and the reality outside.


    Gradually, he absorbed the implications of this time disparity, his mind reeling at the implications.


    "One hour outside equates to 140 hours in this peculiar dimension," he murmured, a mixture of excitement and trepidation filling his being. The enormity of this crystal dimension stirred a daring thought within him, fueling his curiosity and ambition.


    The idea formed in his mind like a flickering me, its brilliance illuminating the path ahead.


    ''Should I seize this opportunity to delve into the chaotic depths of the Chaos Fire and create yet another spell model?'' he contemted. The notion sparked a surge of determination within him, overpowering any trace of hesitation. With unwavering resolve, he settled back into the chair, poised for another plunge into the enigmatic realm.


    Once again, he traversed the boundary between dimensions, entering the strange world that held the colossal ball of fire at its core. Suspended in the air, he allowed himself to hover in the presence of the mesmerizing chaos fire essences, their radiant brilliance captivating his senses. Amidst the sea of boundless potential, he focused on a single essence, honing his concentration to a fine point.


    Within the depths of his focused concentration, Charles''s Rune Eye sprung to life, its power activated in response to the intricatework of rules and structures that permeated the single streak of Chaos Fire Essence. The intricate patterns and interconnections danced before his Rune Eye, each detail unraveling in a mesmerizing disy of insight and understanding.


    As time passed, the seconds melted into minutes, minutes into hours, and seventeen hours swiftly slipped away. Yet, despite the considerable duration, Charles had only grasped a fraction of the profound wisdom hidden within the Chaos Fire Essence Streak. Undeterred by the relentless passage of time, he pressed on with unwavering determination. Hours turned into days, days into weeks, and finally, after two months, Charles stopped hisprehension.


    In this secluded space, cut off from the outside world, he had immersed himself in the study of the Chaos Fire Essence. Each day was marked by relentless pursuit as he delved deeper into the mysteries contained within each streak. Gradually, his efforts bore fruit, and hisprehension expanded, leaving him with 31 Chaos Fire Essence Streaks firmly grasped within his understanding.


    Charles departed from the strange time dimension with a sense of aplishment and satisfaction. Slowly, he opened his eyes, the weight of his newfound knowledge lingering in his mind. Without hesitation, he ascended, leaving behind the timeless expanse that had consumed his focus for so long.


    Though only ten hours had psed in the world outside, Charles remained vignt, acutely aware of the need to stay alert and cautious.


    In the span of a heartbeat, Charles reemerged within the familiar gloom of the cavern, his senses attuned to the surroundings. His wisdom power extended, diligently scanning the area for any signs of danger that might have emerged during his absence.

 Chapter 642 Chaos Eye

    ?


    Chapter 642: Chaos Eye


    With a sigh of relief, Charles concluded that the immediate vicinity was devoid of any lurking creatures. Taking swift action, he skillfully stowed away the chair, stopwatch, and all other traces of his presence, leaving the cave to appear abandoned and undisturbed by any living soul.


    His following action led him deeper into the cavern, carrying the reddish crystal in his grasp. Each step echoed softly in the darkness as he ventured further. Finally, he reached a secluded spot, the end of the cavern. Carefully, he buried the reddish crystal onto the dry sand, its surface gleaming in the faint illumination.


    Seating himself in a position of tranquility, Charles crossed his legs and sent his wisdom power into the very heart of the crystal.


    In the blink of an eye, Charles vanished from his previous location, leaving the cavern shrouded in an even deeper gloom. Time seemed to stand still as he traversed the vast expanse, his elemental form traveled at an incredible speed. And then, like a me rekindled, he reemerged before the magnificent sight of the gigantic ball of fire, its fiery brilliance captivating his gaze.


    Within the depths of the strange dimension, Charles embraced the chaotic dance of the mes, his mind and soul attuned to the intricacies of the Chaos Fire. With each passing moment, he delved further into its essence, hisprehension expanding and evolving. The mes whispered secrets as new knowledge flowed through his veins like moltenva.


    ...


    Time in the peculiar dimension seemed to stretch and warp, crawling forward at an agonizingly slow pace. While a mere ten days had psed in the outside world, Charles had traversed the corridors of this confining realm for an astounding four years. Every second, minute, and hour was filled with relentless dedication as he tirelessly delved into the depths of the Chaos Fire Essences, their vtile essence fueling his insatiable thirst for knowledge.


    In those four years of ceaseless endeavor, Charles seized every precious moment, extracting understanding from the chaotic dance of the mes. The me''s enigmatic secrets unfurled before him and revealed the intricate nature of the Chaos Fire. His relentless pursuit bore fruit as he sessfullyprehended a staggering 650 Chaos Fire Essences, a remarkable achievement that fueled the creation of another Legendary Spell model within his Inner World.


    While his progress in Chaos Fire may not have matched his rapid strides with Lawful Fire and Rebirth Fire, Charles recognized the extraordinary opportunity presented by his time within this confined dimension. Slowly, he opened his eyes, the deep reddish glow of a strange crimson-eye pattern materializing on his forehead. His brows furrowed in contemtion as he grappled with naming his newfound spell.


    "What should I call this spell? Chaos Eye?" he muttered softly, his voice filled with awe and uncertainty. Determined to explore the boundaries of his powers, he soared upward, propelling himself toward the end of the small dimension. With a burst of elemental energy, he emerged from the dimension, reappearing at the furthest reaches of the cavern.


    Gently unearthing the once-buried crystal, Charles carefully returned it to his space ring, the weight of its power palpable against his skin. Transforming back into his human form, he embarked on the journey towards the cavern''s entrance, each step deliberate and careful.


    Arriving at the cascading water, he allowed the refreshing droplets to wash away the dirt on his body. Emerging cleansed and rejuvenated, he exchanged his worn garments for a new ensemble, the ck fabric seamlessly blending into the shadows of the surrounding cavern.


    After that, Charles stepped out of the cavern, venturing forth on the path leading to the domain of the "Nightmare Guardian."


    He ventured into the thick woods in no time, his gaze fixed upon the cloudless, radiant sky above. With each step, he drew nearer to where the ruined buildings stood. As he cautiously proceeded and reached the area where they had previously been attacked, he cast a vignt nce around, acutely aware of his surroundings.


    Simultaneously, Charles directed his attention to his left eye, meticulously examining all twenty visions.


    "Not a single sign of an anomaly," he solemnly muttered, his voiceced with determination as he walked further.


    However, as he took the fifth step, he suddenly noticed a peculiar transformation within his visions. Each sight disyed distinct and diverse glimpses into possible futures, causing him to furrow his brow.


    At that moment, Charles activated his [elerated Thoughts] skill, honing his mental faculties and preparing himself for the imminent battle. As time seemed to slow down, seconds ticked by, and the leaves in the air gracefully swayed to an unhurried rhythm.


    Upon reaching the eleventh second, an invisible attack materialized out of thin air, aimed directly at Charles''s neck.


    Swiftly, he reacted, transforming his form into that of an elemental being. A sharp cut appeared momentarily around his neck but healed itself.


    At that precise instant, an eerie humanoid figure, emanating a dark, ckish aura, materialized before him, brandishing an ancient, elongated sword poised to cleave him in two.


    Yet, just as the Nightmare Guardian was about to unleash its attack, Charles cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell, erasing its current intention. Despite also attempting to employ the [Knowledge Seeker], [Fire Seed], and [Purple Consciousness] spells, all of these spells dissipated into thin air, yielding no discernible effect.


    Undeterred, Charles focused on the Nightmare Guardian''s Head and invoked the [Chaos Eye] spell. Within an instant, a peculiar eye-shaped imprint manifested on Charles''s forehead, emanating a dense, chaotic ray infused with pure Chaos Fire Essences.


    The intense, chaotic ray had already reached its countenance before the Nightmare Guardian could fully regain itsposure from its half-dazed state. The next moment, the chaotic fire forcefully prated its forehead and erupted, releasing torrents of chaotic fire essences in all directions.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    In a mere blink of an eye, a colossal fire explosion reverberated throughout the vicinity, enveloping not only the Nightmare Guardian and Charles but also the dpidated buildings, trees, and vines surrounding them. As the tumultuous mes gradually subsided, Charles remained the sole figure standing amidst the dested ruins.


    "It died just like that?" What startled him was the notification that appeared before his eyes.


    [Target Eliminated! 5 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    ''Only 5 Wisdom Points? Does that mean the earlier shadow being was a clone?'' He furrowed his brows for a moment and noticed even its weapon disappeared as if it had never existed.


    ''I need to be more careful.''


    Engrossed in his thoughts, Charles deliberated on his next course of action, realizing the need for increased caution. With this newfound resolve, he proceeded to tread more carefully. Charles continued his journey over the following few minutes, traversing through a maze of dpidated buildings. During this time, he had an astonishing revtion¡ªthe deste surroundings he had entered were, in fact, an abandoned city.


    "However," he mused to himself, "it appears to have been deserted following the demise of the Dream God. More likely, its Divine Domain must have been transported here and fused with this dungeon." As Charles ventured deeper into the city, he observed the remnants of broken street roads, towering structures reduced to ruins, and even watchtowers, all bearing witness to a past abruptly cut short.


    Intrigued by the fate of the city''s inhabitants after the fall of the Divine, he couldn''t help but ponder their ultimate destiny. At this very moment, his attention was captivated by the sight of a grand, pce-like edifice that stood conspicuously intact. Determined, he quickened his pace and directed his footsteps towards the impressive structure, driven by an unquenchable curiosity.


    However, just as he was about to approach the pce, an instinctive intuitionpelled him to halt abruptly, his gaze keenly fixed on the left side. A premonition surfaced within him, warning of an invisible attack that would swiftly sever his head should he dare to take another step forward.


    Despite the Nightmare Guardian''s stealthy presence and the absence of any discernible manifestation of its power, Charles, guided by his [Faceless Eye] skill, managed to pinpoint its location through his vision. Reacting instantaneously, he unleashed the [Burning Thoughts] spell upon the concealed foe, anticipating a swift victory.


    Yet, to his astonishment, nothing happened. The spell proved futile against the enigmatic adversary. Before Charles could even blink, the seven-foot-tall humanoid figure surged forward, closing the distance between them in a mere half-second. Even with his honed mental abilities granted by the [elerated Thoughts] skill, he struggled to keep up with its lightning-fast movements, causing his vignce to intensify.


    As the formidable figure drew nearer, it abruptly utilized its leg to propel itself skyward, wielding its weapon with both hands. Simultaneously, an eerie greenish aura enshrouded the sword, causing the air around them to quiver with apprehension.


    Although Charles had never encountered such a menacing sword technique before, he dared not underestimate it. With unwavering resolve, he swiftly raised his hand and invoked the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell, seeking protection in the face of impending danger.


    In the blink of an eye, a potent force-field-like fire materialized around Charles, epassing an area of approximately five meters in radius. The mes shimmered with an ethereal brilliance, forming a protective barrier that shielded him from immediate harm.


    A mere secondter, the ancient sword, wreathed in its ominous aura, collided with the resilient shield of the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell, triggering an explosive shockwave reverberating in all directions. The sheer force of the impact sent tremors through the surrounding environment, shaking the very foundations of the ruins.


    As Charles contemted his next move, another humanoid shadow abruptly sprang forth from a nearby dpidated building, wielding an ancient longsword.


    It was yet another Nightmare Guardian, a formidable adversary.


    Swiftly and with uncanny agility, the second Nightmare Guardian soared through the air, closing in on Charles from above. Its ancient sword, cloaked in the same unsettling greenish aura, descended upon the protective force field with a powerful sh, testing the limits of its resilience.


    The sh of their attacks created a whirlwind of destructive shockwaves that rippled through the immediate vicinity. Both Nightmare Guardians, unrelenting in their assault, unleashed an array of peculiar and enigmatic sword skills, relentlessly battering the defensive barrier with increased force.


    What startled Charles was the relentless onught and the coordinated and calcted maneuvers of the Nightmare Guardians. Unlike other magical beasts, these beings acted with purpose and coordination, skillfully targeting the areas of the protective shield that showed signs of weakness.


    Before long, despite the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell sessfully fending off countless sword skill attacks, it exhibited visible cracks in certain regions. Exploiting these vulnerabilities, the Nightmare Guardians intensified their assault, their strikes growing more potent and precise.


    With mounting pressure, the once-unyielding five-meter radius protectiveyer fragmented into innumerable shards, showering the surroundings in a dazzling cascade of golden me.


    In the face of this relentless onught, Charles had no respite. Without a moment to spare, he witnessed two formidable beings of legendary rank hurtling toward him at an astonishing speed.

 Chapter 643 Battle

    ?


    Chapter 643: Battle


    Contrary to sumbing to panic, a mischievous smile gradually appeared on Charles''s face, betraying his unyielding resolve in the face of danger.


    While the two Legendary Beings madly assaulted the seemingly impregnable barrier of the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell, Charles remainedposed, focusing on discerning their vulnerabilities. After careful analysis, he identified a potential weakness.


    "Despite theirck of a soul, I sense a shard of soul within each of them," he surmised. As the enemies drew nearer, Charles raised his hand calmly and snapped his fingers.


    In an instant, a powerful surge of soul fire emanated from Charles''s very being, rippling outward as a devastating shockwave, targeting and assaulting the hidden soul shards within the bodies of the Nightmare Guardians.


    Without warning, both Nightmare Guardians erupted in a cataclysmic explosion, their forms disintegrating into an ethereal mass of shadowy dream energy, dissipating into thin air.


    While observing the oue, a cold glint flickered in Charles''s eyes. At the same time, he absorbed the realization that the weakness of these clonesy within their soul shards. However, his triumph was tinged with disappointment when he discovered that he had only gained seven wisdom points from their defeat.


    ''I wonder how many more adversaries wille to challenge me next time,'' he mused inwardly, contemting the trials that awaited him. Undeterred, he resumed his journey, advancing towards the pce ensconced amidst towering trees and fortified walls.


    As he drew closer to the magnificent structure, he was amazed by its splendid beauty. It was no mere pce but a remarkable amalgamation of a heavily fortified castle and a regal pce seamlessly fused into a singr architectural marvel.


    The Castle''s exterior was adorned with tall spires, decorative turrets, and intricate stonework, creating a visually captivating sight. The facade was predominantly white,plemented by red and brown ents, and the overall effect was an unrealistic and enchanting ambiance.


    As Charles approached the Castle, he was greeted by the outer fortifications, which consisted of tall stone walls and defensive towers. Walking through the main gate, he entered the expansive courtyard, which was the Castle''s heart.


    The courtyard of this Castle was a spacious and meticulously maintained area that offered a glimpse into the Castle''s rich history. It was surrounded by the Castle''s main buildings and provided ess to various rooms, galleries, and attractions. The courtyard''s architecture blended different styles, reflecting the Castle''s evolution over the millenniums.


    The most prominent structure within the courtyard was the Castle''s main building. While rising high above the castleplex, the pce-like building symbolized the Castle''s grandeur.


    With a sharpened gaze, Charles directed his attention towards the entrance staircase of the main building, only to find nine Nightmare Guardians stationed there, effectively blocking his path. Yet, a lingering sense of foreboding unsettled him as if more of these nightmarish foes lurked in the vicinity, unseen but undoubtedly threatening.


    ''From their organized formation, it is clear they have prepared for this confrontation,'' Charles pondered silently. However, before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, one of the Nightmare Guardians swiftly contorted its body and lunged toward him with extraordinary speed.


    Simultaneously, the Guardian extended its grip upon the ancient sword, wielding it with a sweeping motion that unleashed an eerie greenish aura, enveloping the entire length of the de. An instant, a searing cut materialized on Charles''s neck, causing a crimson spray of blood to stain the verdant grass beneath.


    Yet, even before his head could be severed from his body, a pure and vibrant fire, tinged with shades of ''Greenish-Blue,'' enshrouded Charles, swiftly healing the wound with swiftness. Undeterred by the invisible attack, Charlesposed himself and activated his [elerated Thoughts] skill, enhancing his mental acuity as he fixated his gaze on the specific Nightmare Guardian before him.


    Meanwhile, the other eight Nightmare Guardians began to disperse, strategically encircling Charles while maintaining a cautious distance of over 15 meters between themselves and their fellow guardians. Charles keenly noted this pattern, recognizing that they were likely testing the effective range of his attack spells. Determined to end this dangerous encounter swiftly, he steeled his resolve.


    As the Nightmare Guardian closed in, Charles remained calm, channeling his energy to cast the [Soul Shock] spell, explicitly targeting the concealed soul shard within the Guardian''s form.


    True to his expectations, the Nightmare Guardian underwent a rapid transformation, dissolving into a pure manifestation of shadowy dream energy, ultimately vanishing along with its ancient longsword.


    [4 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    Yet, amid this vanishing act, another Nightmarish Guardian stepped forward, crouching low and swiftly dashing towards Charles. Its sword, too, became shrouded in the unsettling greenish aura, indicating the imminent danger that loomed before him.


    Analyzing the dire circumstances he found himself in, Charles acknowledged the strategy employed by the Nightmare Guardian. With eight seconds needed to cast the [Soul Shock] spell again, he realized the urgency of finding a swift resolution.


    However, before he could formte a n, the Nightmare Guardian closed in, raising its ancient sword to deliver a potentially devastating sh.


    Yet, a protective barrier materialized around Charles as a small force-field-like structure and covered him. This was not the familiar [Ignis Sanctuary] spell but the Rank-5 [Sphere of Invulnerability] spell.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Having sessfully constructed the model for the Lawful Fire Spell, its defensive capabilities had reached their pinnacle. The [Sphere of Invulnerability] could effortlessly withstand one or two Legendary rank spell attacks without difficulty.


    Charles acknowledged the unsuitability of the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell for closebat, which spurred him to prepare for the next round of battle.


    Unfazed by hesitation, the Nightmare Guardian unleashed its shing attack with formidable force. de shed against the protective barrier and resounded through the courtyard, apanied by a reverberating shockwave. To Charles''s surprise, the sheer brute strength of the assault propelled him backward, forcing him to retreat more than five steps.


    Frustration welled within him as he pondered his limited options. Would he be left with no choice but to unleash his full power? His eyes darted towards the towering building that stood firmly before him, squinting in contemtion.


    At that very moment, a sudden change in the near future manifested through the ''Faceless Eye'' skill, casting an ominous pall over Charles''s face. His expression turned grim as he realized the impending peril¡ªa flurry of multiple sword attacks from all directions, threatening to slice him into minuscule pieces. The coordinated attack orchestrated by the Nightmare Guardians amplified the gravity of the situation.


    ''They seem to possess a unified consciousness across their multiple bodies,'' Charles deduced, fullyprehending the direness of the circumstances. Without hesitation, he swiftly activated the [Rebirth Domain] spell.


    In an instant, the sky transformed into a haunting shade of bloody red, followed by the emergence of crimson mes that engulfed the surroundings. Trees, grass, and even the walls ignited in a zing inferno while the ground split open, spewing moltenva from deep within the earth.


    The very atmosphere crackled with the energies of fire elementals.


    Startled by the sudden cataclysmic change, the Nightmare Guardians momentarily faltered, affording Charles a brief respite. Entering a state of deep concentration, he waved his hand, dissipating the [Sphere of Invulnerability] spell, and locked his unwavering gaze upon the towering Nightmare Guardian before him.


    A crimson eye imprint materialized on his forehead, emanating a dense and chaotic ray of fiery energy. Before the bewildered Nightmare Guardian couldprehend the situation, the crimson ray pierced its head, triggering a devastating explosion that propagated through its form, generating a rippling shockwave reverberating through the surrounding space.


    [3.5 Wisdom Points Obtained!]


    Without a second thought, Charles disregarded the notification before him, fixing his unwavering gaze upon one of the encircling Nightmare Guardians. Fueled by determination, he propelled himself forward, a motion streak through the air.


    His entire being underwent a dramatic transformation in perfect synchrony with his intent. His human form transformed, giving way to a pure manifestation of fire elemental energy. Reconfigured into the likeness of a humanoid creature, he now possessed striking azure and crystalline eyes that gleamed with otherworldly brilliance. His body, muscr and imposing, bore the mark of immense power. He also grew more than 7 feet tall and appeared as tall as the Nightmare Guardian. Most unsettling, a third eye, bearing reddish pupils, emerged on his forehead, hinting at his deep connection to the Chaos Eye spell. A pair of eerie ck wings also sprouted from his back, lending him the appearance of a formidable and sinister entity, evoking imagery of the demonic.


    With an unwavering motion, Charles surged forward, propelled by their immense power. With unparalleled speed, he traversed the distance between himself and the targeted Nightmare Guardian, bridging the gap in mere moments, arriving before the enemy with an almost swiftness.


    Due to the effect of the Rebirth Domain, Charles''s movements appeared as a dazzling streak of light before the watchful eyes of the Nightmare Guardians. In moments, the scene unfolded before them with surreal rity.


    Without warning, Charles released his invisible threads, swiftly ensnaring the targeted Nightmare Guardian''s neck and limbs, immobilizing its every motion.


    With amanding wave of his hand, Charles shifted his focus towards another nearby Nightmare Guardian,unching himself forward while dragging the captive adversary along.


    Repeating this process meticulously, he effortlessly replicated his previous feat, ensnaring the subsequent Nightmare Guardian and swiftly subduing the remaining adversaries.


    In a remarkable disy of efficiency, he sessfully entangled all the Nightmare Guardians with his invisible strings within eight seconds, gathering them in the center of the courtyard, where they now stood restrained and incapacitated.


    Having achieved this pivotal feat, Charles redirected his gaze towards the imposing main building, a coldness glint in his eyes.


    "You have watched more than enough. Come out," Charles said coldly and raised his hand.


    With a snap of his fingers, an instantaneous surge of bluish-green fire surged forth from his very being, materializing into a powerful and concentrated wave. This zing torrent of energy homed in on the hidden soul-shards within the Nightmare Guardians, its destructive force aimed at obliterating their essence.


    Thunderous explosions resonated throughout the courtyard in the blink of an eye, each eruption apanied by a dazzling disy of radiant power.


    The previously eerie and foreboding humanoid figures now burst apart in a cacophony of explosive bangs, unleashing torrents of dream energy that surged in all directions, rippling through the surrounding space.

 Chapter 644 Guardian

    ?


    Chapter 644: Guardian


    [5.0 Wisdom Points obtained]


    [3.1 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    [4.5 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    [4.3 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    [3.5 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    [4.7 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    [3.4 Wisdom Points obtained!]


    As Charles looked at the notifications, a human-like being suddenly appeared at the entrance of the pce building and stood while holding a gold-hilted ancient sword in its grip.


    As Charles looked deeply, he noticed the being had a simr facial structure to a woman and looked around 30 years old with ample curves.


    She was pretty tall, around seven feet in height. Her skin had a unique deep-blue color that contrasted with her facial features. She had greenish orb-like eyes devoid of pupils and looked eerie. Her face was thin, with sharp lines and a determined expression. She also had long ears that gracefully extended from the sides of her head, giving it a mysterious appearance. Her forehead was broad, with a strange circr pattern at the center.


    At that moment, she was dressed in flowing gown-like cloth, exposing no part. What caught Charles''s attention was the ne she wore around her neck. The ne had a hexagonal symbol, which added an element of mystery and fascination to its appearance.


    Even though the woman stood about 50 meters before Charles, he couldn''t feel her presence. It seemed that she wasn''t there and blended perfectly with her surroundings.


    No, Charles realized that she was using dream essence to hide her true form, manipting his mind!


    His Rune Eye emitted a soft, bluish light, allowing him to see through the illusion and catch a glimpse of her true body!


    Through his Rune Eye, Charles discovered that what he saw was just a lifelike illusion created by the hidden one standing two meters behind it.


    Without dy, Charles released his ''wisdom power'' to examine and understand the woman''s true form. Within seconds, the Rune Eye skill provided him with detailed information, revealing herposition and attributes. Meanwhile, the illusionary woman continued down the staircase entrance with a casual stride.


    As she moved, she opened her mouth and spoke in apletely unfamiliarnguage, filled with unintelligible sounds to Charles.


    "I don''t understand what you''re saying," He responded calmly, keeping hisposure while he looking at the information.


    [Name: Azoth Somn


    Race: Nightmare Numen


    Gender: Female


    Age: 450,958 Years


    Title: Guardian of Reverie, True de.


    ss: Dream Lord (Suppressed)


    Attributes:


    Strength: 49.9 (???)


    Constitution: 49.9 (???)


    Agility: 49.9 (???)


    Wisdom Power: 506.00 (????)


    ss Skills:


    ?????, ?????, ?????, ??????, ??????, ??????.


    Unique Skills:


    Grandmaster-Level Swordsmanship, ??????, ??????, ?????.]


    Overwhelmed by Azoth''s incredible strength, Charles took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the uing battle.


    ''To win this battle, I must first get closer to Azoth''s true body. No, Can I even have a chance against this being? Should I retreat? No, I must try.''


    He focused on the illusion of Azoth before him, determined to confront the challenge with courage.


    With a surge of power, Charles''s third eye, the source of his Chaos Eye spell, pulsed with energy. Suddenly, a powerful ray of chaotic fire burst forth from his eye, directed at the illusory Azoth.


    As Azoth reached thending, she swiftly halted her movement, sensing the imminent attack. Reacting quickly, she raised her sword, surrounded by a strange purplish aura. The surrounding space was distorted under the influence of her potent aura, heightening the tension in the confrontation.


    Azoth gracefully and deliberately executed a sword technique, aiming to intercept the iing chaotic fire ray. Her sword shed with the fiery energy the next moment, resulting in a momentary sh of opposing forces.


    In a surprising turn of events, Charles witnessed Azoth''s sword skill prowess. Not only did her de effortlessly cut through his Chaos Eye spell, shattering it into multiple essence fragments, but she also released an invisible de that targeted Charles himself, a hidden threat concealed within the chaos of battle.


    Charles''s [Faceless Eye] showed a detailed vision of the uing attack. But instead of blocking it, Charles decided to face it head-on to confirm something.


    A sharp and vertical cut appeared on Charles''s body a momentter, dividing him into two halves. The sight of this wound was apanied by an intense and unbearable pain that seemed to prate the depths of his soul. The next moment, Charles cast the Soul fire spell and forced his elemental body to fuse again.


    Although he suffered no physical harm, the pain resonated deeply within him.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''It can cause injury to my soul.'' He also realized that no sword intent was hidden behind the earlier attack and was just a pure dream power.


    Realization struck Charles as heprehended the true power of Azoth''s Dream Illusion. But he ultimately realized that he was being studied by the opponent all this time and grew more cautious.


    ''Azoth is checking my abilities and gathering all information about me using her illusion clone and dream clones.''


    It was the first time Charles found himself in a genuinely life-threatening situation.


    Frustration consumed him as he recognized the urgent need for information about Dream-ss Mystic abilities. Recalling his past encounter with Eddie''s clone, Charles contemted his next move, seeking a solution to the present challenge.


    ''She possesses a total of six dream-rted skills. Fortunately, she has already used one to summon shadows from her dreams. However, I must understand her remaining abilities before I find myself hopeless,'' Charles pondered. At that moment, his Rune Eye flickered intensely, allowing him glimpses of something within his surroundings.


    Although invisible to the naked eye, Charles''s enhanced vision detected a peculiar, undting energy in the air. Silently, he traced the source of this energy, discovering unique patterns of dream energy emanating from Azoth''s true body, exerting a mysterious influence on the surroundings.


    [It''s a dream skill called ''Imaginary Control,'' Host!] Genesis''s voice echoed in Charles''s mind, shedding light on the origin of his recent torment.


    ''So, that''s how she managed to harm me earlier. Although the injuries were not physical, the pain reached deep into my soul,'' Charles contemted, frustrated by hisck of knowledge about countering this spell.


    ''Is there any way to break it?'' He asked.


    [The only way to break the spell is to defeat the ''imaginary being'' before you, Host,] Genesis advised.


    ''Not the original body but the illusionary clone?''


    [I advise you to be more careful of this clone''s abilities, Host. After all, Clones can also borrow a part of the original owner''s power and exhibit extraordinary feats.]


    ''I know-'' Charles was about to nod but suddenly froze as he sensed a part of his memories disappeared.


    ''No good! She is stealing my memories.''


    Reacting swiftly, he crouched down and propelled himself forward with newfound speed that surpassed Azoth. Understanding the urgency, he realized he had approximately three minutes left until the Rebirth Domain dissipated. So, he decided not to waste a single moment and acted swiftly.


    As he sprinted toward the base of the staircase entrance, Charles cast another round of the Chaos Eye skill.


    Once again, Azoth deflected his spell using her purplish sword aura. Simultaneously, sheunched an invisible de toward Charles, seemingly moving slowly.


    However, Charles cast [Sphere of Invulnerability] spell and blocked it.


    Simultaneously, he cast [False Blink] spell, disappeared from where he stood, and appeared before the illusionary Azoth.


    Before Azoth could react, he cast the [Chaos Eye] spell again, sending a chaotic fire ray toward its eye.


    At the same time, he cast the [Soul Shock] spell and attacked the soul shard hidden within the illusion.


    Although an invisible power appeared out of nowhere and tried to protect the soul shard, the Soul Fire bypassed the barrier and gave some damage to it.


    A momentter, the illusionary Azoth turned stiff and remained motionless.


    At that moment, the chaotic ray had already reached Azoth''s forehead and released all the chaotic fire essence, creating a small explosion from within.


    A strange ripple appeared as the Illusionary Azoth''s existence became pure dream power and disappeared from there.


    At the same time, a loud pping came from above, causing Charles to furrow.


    Slowly, the real Azoth walked out of the building''s shadow and revealed her face.


    "Nice to meet you, Charles Nightwind." She spoke in Blen Language.


    "You aren''t bad as I thought." She said with a chuckle and turned around.


    "Come in; you can take one treasure from my pce treasury as a gift and use the teleportation portal to move to the next level."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles froze momentarily and furrowed while not letting his guard down.


    Noticing his wariness, she giggled and waved her hand while walking ahead.


    "I''m one of the twenty-fifth guardians of this Dungeonyer. Without my permission, you can''t go to the nextyer."


    "What made you think that I will believe your words?" Charles still looked at her back with wariness and asked.


    Azoth suddenly halted her footsteps and turned around, revealing her beautiful face.


    "Tsk, why am I always getting the silly ones? If you force me to unsheath my sword, I''ll give you my sword as a present and agree to form a contract with you. To be precise, you''ll get a new ''Key of Celestial'' to enter and exit this Dungeon once in a century. How is my proposal?"


    Although Charles didn''t understand if the being standing before him was the real Guardian or some monster, he decided to utilize his chance and kill it.


    Azoth shook her head and spoke as if she had seen through his naive thoughts.


    "Naive,"


    A momentter, Charles''s vision turned blurry and turned nk. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that he was still standing in the middle of the courtyard; surrounding him were seven Nightmare Guardians!


    Before him was another Nightmare Guardian raising its gigantic sword to split his head open.


    A strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu crept up into his mind.

 Chapter 645 Grace

    ?


    Chapter 644: Grace


    ''What the heck? Time Loop?'' Charles''s expression stiffened.


    [It''s not a ''Time Loop'' spell but more likely a Nightmare Loop spell, Host.]


    ''Nightmare Loop?'' Charles also noticed that the Rebirth Domain had already activated and became more serious.


    ''So, she didn''t lie earlier. Tell me more about how this spell works, Genesis.'' Charles asked while casting the Chaos Eye spell on the Nightmare Guardian before him, incinerating itpletely.


    [Unlike the ''Time Loop'' spell, both parties will retain their memories upon death and continue respawning at a particr time and ce. It will happen until one of their souls gets shattered. Moreover, this spell doesn''t twist the time but only creates a realistic illusion-type loop.]


    ''So unless my soul or the guardian''s soul got eradicated, this Nightmare Loop would not end, huh?'' Although he could trick his death with the ''Rebirth Domain'' spell, Charles felt he needed to do something else.


    ''My Rebirth Domain spell won''tst forever. Two and a half minutes is the best I can maintain.'' He decided to go all out.


    At that moment, all the Nightmare Guardians started moving away from him and raising their swords.


    Charles also realized what they were up to and instantly dashed towards the main building. Although they tried to send sword attacks to intercept him, he cast [Shield of Invulnerability] spells and blocked them easily. At the same time, he cast [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from where he stood before and reappeared at the pce building''s entrance gate.


    Caught off guard by his sudden appearance, the illusionary Azoth was startled and lifted her sword, preparing to strike at him. However, she becamepletely still when Charles cast the [Soul Shock] spell, immobilizing her.


    Simultaneously, he used the [Chaos Eye] spell, directing his gaze towards her forehead and unleashing a ray of chaotic fire.


    Before the illusionary Azoth could fully recover from her dazed state, the chaotic fire had already prated her mind, causing it to emit fiery chaos essences in all directions.


    A momentter, an explosion erupted at the entrance of the building, creating a wave of powerful vibrations.


    Undeterred by the st, Charles remained focused on the true Azoth, who stood beneath the shelter of the portico. He dashed forward without hesitation.


    In an instant, he stood before her, retrieved his Moonfire sword from his storage ring, and enveloped it with a radiant aura resembling sunshine.


    "Why are you relying on your sword when you are only an intermediate sword aura user?" She asked curiously and waved her hand.


    An invisible ripple-like wave appeared out of nowhere and pushed him away.


    ''Genesis, activate the ''Time Stop'' spell.'' Charles ordered.


    As he spoke, a powerful wave came from the deepest part of his soul, enveloping the surroundings in a blink.


    Everything around Charles, even Azoth, stopped momentarily and froze in time.


    An instantter, a reddish rebirth me appeared around the edges of the Moonfire Scimitar and covered the Intermediate sword aura.


    Charles stepped forward and raised his scimitar while aiming at Azoth''s chest.


    Then, he moved closer toward Azoth, pulled his hand a bit, and thrust the scimitar forward.


    Although Azoth managed to nullify the ''Time Stop'' effect on her body and mind, it was toote to evade the direct thrust.


    The next instant, Charles''s Scimitar pierced her chest and appeared on the other side. But what shocked her most was that the strange me around the scimitar managed to harm her soul form!


    Without dy, Charles pulled the sword back as the bluish blood droplets hovered midair and stepped back.


    ''Genesis, deactivate the ''Time Stop'' spell now.'' He ordered.


    A secondter, another invisible ripple came out of his body and spread all over the surrounding areas before nullifying the ''Time Stop'' spell.


    As bluish blood drenched Azoth''s chest and fell in droplets, Charles casually sheathed his sword and returned to his human form with a grin.


    "Is this more than enough?"


    Meanwhile, Azoth gasped for air while holding her wounded chest and nodded.


    "I-I''ve underestimated you, kid." She said while cing her grip on her sword and suddenly unsheathed it.


    At the same time, the wound on her chest suddenly disappeared as if no attack had happened before!


    A momentter, a blinding eerie ckish-purple ray came from the sword tip and directly entered Charles''s body.


    Within a second, countless sword essences started attacking his cells at a molecr level, destroying his body into a puddle of blood, flesh, and bones.


    No, those sword essences even entered the Astral ne and shattered his soul.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Unfortunately, you are still under the ''Nightmare Look'' spell." She said coldly and shook her head in disappointment.


    At that moment, the ''Nightmare Loop'' also ended, revealing her standing a few feet from where she was.


    "Another disappointment-" She was about to sheath her sword and turn around, her purple shrank abruptly.


    "Why is his fire domain still there?" She furrowed.


    At the same time, the puddle of blood, flesh, and bones started to envelop in crimson me and disappeared from there.


    Two secondster, a small new reddish me appeared out of nowhere and hovered at the ce where Charles had died before.


    Soon, it erged and formed into a humanoid figure with two strange horns and a third eye.


    A momentter, the humanoid figure started to transform again and formed into an appearance of a blue-haired young man.


    Although Charles was almost invincible against Legend Rank Powerhouses, he knew well that he had no chance against this woman.


    Not only were her physical attributes high, but even her Dream Rted skills were also bizarre.


    ''Thankfully, my little n worked.'' He couldn''t help but take a deep breath to ease away the pain he sensed a while ago.


    Meanwhile, a stiff expression appeared on Azoth''s face.


    She had seen and heard of many bizarre things in her lifetime, but this was the first time she witnessed a human reappearing even after his soul was shattered.


    "Who the hell are you?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    Instead of responding, Charles made a soft grin and spoke.


    "I hope you will keep your promise."


    A deep sign leaked out of her mouth.


    "Of course, take it," She said while sheathing the ancient long sword to the hexagonal symbol engraved sheath and gave it to him.


    "But be careful of her temper. She would make the wielder go crazy whenever she got angry and even devour the blood essence."


    "She? Is it an Intellectual artifact?"


    Charles asked as he caught the sword, pulled it out from the sheath, and inspected it.


    [Name: Grace


    Title: The Madness Unbound


    Rank: Intellectual artifact (???)


    Details: The de was forged by a forgotten Rune Creator named ''Shepherd'' eons ago and has been wielded by many hands. But everyone who wielded this de met with the curse of madness and died mysteriously. Although no one knew how the forgotten Rune Creator Shepherd created this intelligent de, it is short-tempered and seeks blood whenever it gets hungry. This de also caused even the Gods to take a step back.


    Abilities: ?????, ??????, ???????.]


    As Charles was looking at the information, Azoth smiled lightly and spoke with a nod.


    "Eons ago, in a time lost to the annals of history, a remarkable de came into existence. Forged by the skilled hands of a long-forgotten Rune Creator named ''Shepherd,'' this weapon emerged from the depths of time itself. It passed through the hands of numerous individuals, each sumbing to a grim fate overshadowed by an insidious curse: madness and enigmatic demise.


    The de''s origins remain shrouded in mystery, leaving its creation by Shepherd an enigma for the ages. Yet, its nature reveals itself most disturbingly. This intelligent de possesses a vtile temperament, its patience dwindling to naught in the face of hunger. When the de thirsts for blood, an insatiable desire will awaken,pelling it to seek its sanguinary sustenance. Those who dare to brandish the cursed weapon will be at the mercy of its capricious nature. They will tread a treacherous path with every swing, teetering on the precipice of sanity."


    "Isn''t this a cursed sword?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    Just as he spoke, an ear-piercing noise came out from the de and caused his eardrum to rupture in a second.


    "See, I told you, didn''t I? This is just how shemunicates. And she''s not a cursed sword but an incredibly powerful being who surpasses you and me. The deaths of other powerful individuals weren''tpletely caused by her but rather because they were too arrogant andcked sufficient strength." Azoth paused for a moment as she thought of something and turned around.


    "After looking after Grace for the past 300,000 years, I''ve learned she possesses three different abilities. The first one is called Madness Berserk. It temporarily doubles the wielder''s spells and innate abilities. However, once the ability wears off, the wielder has to pay the price with their lifespan or risk being consumed by the power of madness."


    "The second ability is linked to the sword itself. In simple terms, Grace asionally shows you her past battles with previous wielders in the form of powerful nightmares. Although this helps you improve your swordsmanship by learning from those experiences, you might be trapped in the nightmare, giving way for Grace to take hold of your body. So, be careful. Also, don''t underestimate those sword techniques."


    "Finally, the third ability is named ''Void.'' I only used it once during the battle against the Chaos God''s avatars, and unfortunately, I died at the end of that battle. However, I still remember how I defeated a Low God''s avatar with just three swift shes and even managed to wound the true body of God. But thatst ability is more like a double-edged sword. Once you use this ability, your soul will shatter in ten seconds." She paused as she looked at the surrounding mes and added with a strange smile.


    "But now that I think about it, your unique rebirth ability might be key to nullifying this side effect."

 Chapter 646 Partnership

    ?


    Chapter 646: Partnership


    "Although your words make sense, I don''t want to use the third ability unless I was pushed into a cornered situation," Charles said while shaking his head and was about to put the sword into his space ring but stopped as he noticed resistance from the ancient long sword with a golden hilt.


    "She doesn''t like to be stored in a space ring or any other dimensional ring. You must carry her around all the time." Azoth said.


    A look of annoyance appeared on his face.


    "Can''t she transform herself into a ring or bracelet?"


    "Unfortunately, no. But Grace can disguise herself perfectly and won''t even attract the attention of a Divine. So, you don''t need to be scared of being chased by multiple powerhouses." Azoth said in a reassuring tone.


    On the other hand, Charles heaved a deep sigh, stored the Moonfire Scimitar into his space ring, and put Grace on his waist.


    "Although this sword looks troublesome, I''ll take it instead of letting it rotten in this dungeon," Charles said calmly, shifting his attention towards the pce entrance hall.


    As he stepped into the hall, he was immediately struck by its impressive features and intricate details. The entrance hall was typically designed to be spacious and weing. It had a high ceiling and expansive dimensions, creating a sense of grandeur. The hall also appeared rectangr, leading to other areas of the pce. Ornate sto appeared on the ceilings and walls, featuring motifs such as floral patterns, geometric designs, and heraldic symbols.


    The hall was illuminated by three elegant golden chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. These lighting fixtures provide a warm and weing glow, enhancing the overall ambiance of the space. The floor of the entrance hall was covered in intricately patterned tiles, adding to the visual appeal of the hall and creating a sense of durability and solidity.


    The entrance hall''s walls were adorned with tapestries, paintings, and other forms of artwork. These pieces depicted a different civilization''s historical events, their families, and even scenes of battles of legendary beings, adding a touch of beauty and cultural significance to the space. Within the entrance hall, Charles also saw a designated area for receiving guests near the bifurcated staircase and noticed multiple sofas were arranged in order.


    While impressed by the beautiful architecture, Charles quietly walked in and soon asked a question.


    "So, there are more guardians in the First Layer? What is your purpose?"


    Azoth closely walked by his side and spoke casually.


    "Although I can''t tell you the purpose of this Dungeon, this ce has both opportunity and danger. And the reason for multiple guardians within the First Layer is mainly the gateway to the outside worlds. Only those who form an agreement with the Guardians in the First Layer can enter and exit this Dungeon. Once you move to the nextyers, only one person will act as a guardian for eachyer and will not interfere or interact with any participant. And don''t even try fighting any of them if you don''t want to see the next moment."


    Her final sentence appeared more like a stern warning to Charles.


    Charles nodded as he continued to walk towards the bifurcated staircase and asked the next question.


    "Do I have to enter the Second Layer now? Or can I enter whenever I want?"


    "It''s your choice. After you be a Celestial Key Holder, you''ll be more like a half-member of this Dungeon. That''s how you can enter this Dungeon and even invite some friends to join you." Azoth responded while creating a crystalline key out of thin air and gave it to him.


    "Usually, I never showed interest in getting involved with participants from different worlds and only contracted with two persons for hundreds of thousands of years. But around 400 years ago, one of the guardians contracted with a newly arrived elf and managed to leave the Dungeon. To be precise, he defied the Dungeon''s ********* with the help of this Elf and escaped. Like me, after that incident, all other guardians also started showing more interest in the new participants and thinking of a way to escape this confinement."


    Upon hearing those words, Charles could only think of one person.


    "Sun God Abium, huh? He is truly a troublemaker."


    "Yes! He is the one that changed thew of this Dungeon and even caused great chaos in the Seventh Layer!" Azoth abruptly paused for a moment and soon asked curiously.


    "But how did you know it was him?"


    "I''m from the same world as he is staying right now. And the period you mentioned earlier also corresponds with the time he arrived at the Edhen World. So, I made a rough guess." Charles said as he sat on the nearby sofa and continued as he crossed his legs.


    "But I never expected his arrival to this ce." In truth, Charles had been pondering how the Sun Church got its hands on a new Celestial Key 100 years ago. But after hearing Azoth''s words, he could easily guess it was Abium''s doing.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''Although I don''t understand his intention, I will utilize this chance.'' While thinking, he turned his attention toward Azoth and spoke.


    "I got what you are thinking. Although I''m weak now, I''ll grow stronger in the future. As long as you help me with something, I''ll try to bring you out of this confinement."


    Azoth also sat on the opposite sofa and nodded.


    "I''ll do as long as it is within my limitation. In return, I want you to reach the Thirty-Seventh Layer of this Dungeon within the next few millenniums and get your hands on an artifact called ''Soul Confinement'' in the Soul Guardian''s possession. But you must be strong enough to stand toe-to-toe against a Low-Rank God."


    "What is this Soul Confinement artifact? Moreover, how manyyers does this Dungeon have?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    ''I thought it was only a tenyer dungeon, but I never expected it to be this many.''


    "Soul Confinement artifact is a power to erase one''s presence even from the taboo existence itself. If I want to leave this Dungeon, I must get my hands on that artifact and change its function. We''ll talk in detail about thister. The answer to your second question is that most Dungeons have around 70yers, but this one only has around 59. And, some powerful Dungeons, like Abyssal Dungeon and Lost Tombs, have around 99 Layers and remained unconquered for ages." Azoth''s words piqued Charles''s interest more.


    "Just who created this Dungeon? For what purpose?" He couldn''t help but voice out his inner thoughts. s, Azoth remained mute and didn''t utter a word about it.


    ''There are many wonders about these Dungeons. And the Mystic Towers also popped out a few millenniums ago and appeared more mysterious.'' He quickly shook his head and decided to improve his strength first.


    "Are anyyers with Fire elemental creatures residing in this Dungeon? Or, I want some treasure with at least one or two fire-elementalws." Charles went straight to the point after realizing that he wasn''t in any position to change the future of this unfortunate guardian.


    "You mean the Unique Fires?"


    Azoth pondered for a moment and nodded her head.


    "Ayer with Fire elemental Creatures... If I remember correctly, the Boss of the Fourth Layer is an Infernal Bird called ''Devil Crow.'' It''s a peak Legendary Creature with insaneprehension over the Hellfire and can even turn the wholeyer into hellish fire. Wait, there must also be another strange artifact within thisyer that can erase one''s memory using some mysterious fire. Although it was our Fallen Lord''s favorite item, it fell into this Dungeon along with the Divine Kingdom and must be hidden somewhere in thisyer."


    ''Purple Fire?'' Charles raised his eyebrows and asked further.


    "Can you tell me more about this artifact? Is it an intellectual artifact like this sword?"


    "Of course not." Azoth shook her head and continued.


    "Intellectual artifacts aren''tmon as magical beasts, Charles. It''s a nature artifact with the fusion of three elements hidden inside. Although it doesn''t have a will on its own, its power can rival an intellectual artifact''s power. And one of these fused powers is the strange fire with a memory-devouring ability." She waved her left hand as she spoke and created a realistic illusion.


    A momentter, an image of a silver bracelet-like object with three beads appeared before his eyes. One bead appeared an eerie ckish color, the center appeared greyish, and the final was pure purple.


    "This bracelet? It looks more like you would see anywhere in the market." Charlesmented jokingly.


    "Don''t underestimate this artifact''s power. Besides the purple me and a powerful, strange dream ability, it has a unique power to devour an enemy''s attacks. Now that I think about it, a book about this artifact''s history was written by Lord Phobes in the pce library. You can go to the second floor and search for it on the third shelf." Azoth answered.


    ''It''s a piece of excellent information.'' Charles nodded with gratitude and asked further while talking out the parchment.


    "Do you know what this ce is? Is there anything important hidden there?"


    Azoth took the parchment from Charles''s hand and inspected it slowly. After some time, she shook her head and responded.


    "Nothing much, I think. But if you want to check it out, you can explore that ce within the next twenty days." Saying so, she returned the parchment to him and stood up.


    After that, she told him to look for her on the third floor if he needed anything and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 647 Library [Bonus ]

    ?


    Chapter 647: Library


    Charles ascended from thefortable sofa and walked toward the second floor, guided by the bifurcated staircase. The steps beneath his feet echoed through the empty corridor as he approached the entrance of the vast hall that housed the library.


    An awe-inspiring sight greeted him as he pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Therge hall stretched before him, adorned with row upon row of towering shelves, each meticulously lined with books. The shelves seemed to reach towards the tall ceiling, their contents beckoning with whispers of knowledge and adventure.


    The room was illuminated by a soft, warm light that filtered through the tall windows, glowing gently on the library''s treasure trove. The air carried a faint scent of aged paper and ink, creating an ambiance that only a library can provide¡ªa sanctuary where the past intertwines with the present.


    Casting a nce around the library, Charles directed his steps toward the third shelf. Determined to find the book that Azoth had mentioned, he meticulously scanned the rows of books that lined the shelf.


    Minutes ticked by as Charles methodically searched for the specific book he sought. Finally, his eyes alighted upon a weathered volume, its cover fashioned from sturdy leather. With anticipation, he retrieved the book from its resting ce, cradling it in his hands.


    "The Secrets Scribe - The Whispers of a Glutton," Charles read aloud, his voice resonating with curiosity and intrigue. Intrigued by the title''s enigmatic suggestion, he carefully opened the aged pages of the book, eager to study.


    However, his initial enthusiasm quickly gave way to a somber demeanor as he delved deeper into the text. The contents revealed a profound truth: not even the fallen God Phobe, with all his wisdom and power, had fullyprehended the origins of the true nature of the artifact. The elusive source of its power remained shrouded in mystery, leaving Charles stunned.


    "Although this artifact has no consciousness or soul, I strangely felt a sense of creepiness whenever I used it at the beginning. It was as if I was being watched by something terrifying. That''s when I thought of learning about its origin and trying to decipher its secrets..."


    "I got this artifact near the Eternal River of Life while exploring the cosmos and thought this might be formed due to some coincidence while absorbing the remnant power of the strange purple me. But as I further analyzed this artifact, I soon discovered that each bead of this nature artifact might contain a brand new world. With such a possibility, I first tried to send one of my avatars to the purple bead and thought of exploring it. Unfortunately, I lost contact with the avatar when it entered this strange bead. I did the same thing to the other two beads, but the results were the same. So, each bead must be a new world controlled by some powerful will than my avatars. Although I''m not sure about this theory, I''m damn sure that there is something more to this mysterious bracelet." He also detailed its abilities and warned future generations not to enter inside recklessly.


    ''But the question is where to find its current location?'' Charles thought momentarily and decided to spend his time in the library for the next few days.


    ''Unfortunately, I don''t have any skill like ''Eidetic Memory to copy the images and recall everything instantly.'' He shook his head and searched for books about the Dream God Phoebe''s divine kingdom''s geography, important ces, artifact locations, etc.


    By the end of the fifth day, he had read most of the books that had information about the First Layer and felt quite a bit of understanding of the First Layer.


    ''I also got a map of the Fallen Dream God''s divine kingdom.'' Charles quickly took the map from the nearby shelf and spread it on the floor. After that, he first checked his current location and nodded in satisfaction.


    ''All the ces appear the same as before. But instead of people, the whole dimension became infested with magical beasts and nightmare creatures.'' Nodding, he took out a quill pen and started thinking of possible locations of the hidden bracelet.


    After analyzing through information, Charles made some guesses and marked three ces.


    "First is the ''Dark Garden.'' It''s located in the farthest south and is guarded by countless Nightmare Beings called ''Dream Goblins.'' Those who entered this domain have their memories gone missing and their mind going crazy. So, there is a possibility that this ce has this mysterious bracelet hidden.


    The second location is called ''Dream Pce.'' It''s the ce where one would experience memory loss over a due time and is considered both a safe and dangerous ce. If anyone stays within this Pce for over two days, they will be forcefully teleported out of it and even robbed of their memories.


    Finally, thest location is the ''Graveyard of Stealers,'' located in the northeast region. That''s also the ce where Corpse Devourers are located. I must check this area first because of Corpse Devourers'' ability to mimic the dead peoples'' memories and abilities."


    He also received information about Order Church''s current whereabouts from Head Deacon Colt.


    ''Three days ago, the three groups defeated the Fallen Priest Pathmaker at the Dream Temple little to the north of the Dream Pce and discovered many ancient treasures, artifacts, and even a powerful intellectual artifact. Surprisingly, Archbishop managed to sneak out without anyone noticing and never returned. So, they are still debating whether to chase after him or leave for the Second Layer.''<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    But Charles wasn''t bothered much about them anymore.


    ''I should focus on finding the bracelet first and move to the nextyer.'' He picked up the map, stored it in his space ring, and left the library. Before long, he left the Pce and started his journey to the Graveyard of Stealers.''


    Unlike before, Charles didn''t hide his presence and started marching in the northeast direction at full speed.


    At the same time, he killed all the Rank-5 and even a few Legendary Magical Beasts and reached the ''Graveyard of Stealers'' territory at the end of the third day.


    At that moment, Charles stood at the summit of a lone hill and gazed at the eerie forest full of withered trees and nts.


    "From now on, I must be cautious of any creature up ahead.'' He muttered solemnly and gazed towards the blue interface before his eyes.


    ''After killing 35 Rank-5 Beasts and 6 Legend Rank beasts, I earned 76 Wisdom points. Adding to the points I obtained by killing Azoth''s dream clones, I now have 120 Wisdom Points!'' He didn''t hesitate and ordered Genesis to pour all the ''wisdom power'' into his Inner World.


    A secondter, another intense change urred within his Inner World, expanding his overall senses and power.


    ''580 wisdom points!'' He couldn''t help but take a deep look at his status screen.


    But he vaguely perceived that he still needed more than 500 wisdom points to reach the peak stage of the Legendary Realm.


    ''At that time, I might even be powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Demi-God realm powerhouses!'' He wasn''t talking about the Popes of different Churches but the true Demi-Gods like Rafael, Emerson, and Miguel.


    He soon shook his head and stepped down from the summit of the lone hill.


    After a few minutes of walking on the rocky mountain, he reached the base and gazed at thend devoid of life. After a slight pause, he released his wisdom power and scanned the surroundings.


    ''I only sense some unique worms and snails hiding in the rotten woods and withered trees.'' After confirming no dangers nearby, he slowly stepped onto thend and started walking ahead.


    But as he walked past over three hundred meters, he suddenly halted his footsteps and turned towards the left side woods.


    At that crucial moment, Charles''s gaze fell upon a man of approximately 40 years old who was rapidly approaching him. The man''s countenance betrayed a deep panic etched onto his rugged face. Wavy strands of blonde hair cascaded down, framing his features, while a pair of piercing amber eyes flickered with a mix of fear and determination. Thick, bushy eyebrows furrowed with concern, emphasizing the intensity of his emotions. On his calloused hands, evidence of numerous battles could be seen as scars and testaments to his trials. The man was dressed in a flowing priest robe, colored in a vibrant shade of red, which billowed with his hurried movements. Notably, he tightly grasped a long sword, ready to face whatevery ahead.


    "Archbishop Victor Hawthorne?" The name escaped Charles''s lips with immediate recognition, despite having never met face to face. Intrigued, he shifted his gaze to the area behind the Archbishop, eager to unravel the unfolding scene.


    To his astonishment, Charles beheld a remarkable sight. More than a hundred dogs, towering at an impressive height of approximately 2 meters, raced relentlessly in pursuit of the Archbishop. However, it was their size that caught his attention. These dogs possessed a distinct and unsettling appearance: their skins were pitch ck, their bodies robust and muscr like that of bulls. A peculiar horn protruded from their foreheads, adding to their formidable presence. Perhaps most disturbing, each dog sported a third eye beneath the horn, glowing with a reddish hue.


    As they closed in on the Archbishop, the dogs exuded an overwhelming powerparable to average Rank-5 Magical Beasts. Their collective aura resonated with menace, imposing a palpable threat to all who encountered them.

 Chapter 648 Dream Whisper

    ?


    Chapter 648: Dream Whisper


    "Help!" Archbishop Victor shouted as he saw a young man standing still and dashed forward.


    On the other hand, Charles first activated the [Rune Eye] skill, scanned him in a blink, and checked his status.


    ''Thankfully, he isn''t a Corpse Devourer.''


    With amanding gesture, Charles summoned the power of the [Rebirth Domain] spell, unleashing a torrent of crimson mes that consumed the entire surroundings. In a heartbeat, the mes licked at the withered trees, desated nts, and decaying wood and transformed them into a zing inferno that crackled and roared with unrelenting intensity.


    But this was just the beginning.


    Charles extended his hand and summoned a multitude of ember needles. They materialized in the air before him, glowing with fiery brilliance. With calcted precision, he directed the needles towards the formidable gathering of more than a hundred Rank-5 Magical Beasts surrounding Archbishop Victor.


    Astonishment filled Archbishop Victor Hawthorne''s eyes as he beheld the extraordinary spectacle unfolding before him. The ember needles, guided by Charles''s will, converged upon the unsuspecting Magical Beasts. In an instant, the air erupted with thunderous explosions as more than a hundred beasts were engulfed in a storm of fire and fury. The resulting congration painted the entire area in a mesmerizing hue of crimson, creating an awe-inspiring disy of destruction and power.


    All this happened in less than three seconds, causing a strange, unsettling feeling to Victor.


    At that moment, Archbishop''s mind was filled with full of questions.


    ''W-Who is this young man? An otherworldly traveler?'' He knew that not even the Pope of Order Church had this power and felt a strange fear.


    He soon snapped out of the shock and hurriedly got closer to Charles.


    "Thank you for saving my life, Your Excellency. B-But may I ask who you might be?" Upon arrival, he gave him a deep bow and asked in Rune Language.


    Charles didn''t respond as he nced around and undid the ''Rebirth Domain'' spell. Then, he opened the blue interface and checked that he only obtained 35 Wisdom Points.


    ''What happened? I should''ve gotten more than 200 wisdom points, right?'' He asked Genesis without even bother looking at Victor.


    [It''s due to the limited slots in the ''Soul Tricker'' function, Host. Whenever you kill a human or magical beast, I will briefly capture their souls before they enter the astral ne and extract much of their Life Essence, aka the Wisdom Essence. But the highest amount I can capture should be at most 10 souls. That''s why you only got 35 wisdom points this time.]


    Charles furrowed his brows and soon shook his head.


    ''It seems I need to hunt them slowly.''


    He then ordered Genesis to increase his wisdom power and soon felt a small change within his soul as it reached 615.5.


    After that, he finally turned his attention towards the confused Archbishop, stealthily cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell, and ordered.


    "Go and collect all the magical crystals from the corpses."


    "Pardon?" Stunned by his sudden order, Archbishop Victor tilted his head and gave him a puzzled look.


    On the other hand, Charles snorted coldly and said.


    "I said go and collect the magical crystals."


    ''Damn it, who does he think he is?''


    "D-Do you know who you''re speaking to?" Archbishop Victor Hawthorne stammered, his disbelief evident in his voice as he struggled toprehend the audacity of the young man before him.


    Charles fixed his gaze upon Archbishop Victor, his expression unyielding. "I am well aware of who you are, Archbishop Victor Hawthorne," he stated firmly.


    "But now, I have little interest in titles or authority. I seek the magical crystals, as they hold immense value in the market."


    Confusion and frustration swirled within the Archbishop as he grappled with the situation unfolding before him. He thought the young man before him was an otherworldly traveler, but his earlier wordspletely dismissed the possibility.


    ''He is speaking fluently in Naan Language! He is a resident of Sacred Empire.'' But what caused him to startle deeply was the immense power he possessed.


    ''He is not just an average Legendary Mage but a peak-level powerhouse. From the Earlier Domain Spell, I can tell that his strength should be no less than Patriarch of my Hawthorne family.'' As those thoughts whirled in his head, he decided to obey his current order.


    Reluctantly, Archbishop Victor turned around and moved closer to the scorched remains of the Rank-5 Magical Beasts. With a mixture of trepidation and curiosity, he cautiously collected the Fist-sized ckish magical crystals scattered amidst the charredndscape¡ªeach crystal pulsated with raw darkness energy, emanating a vibrant glow.


    ''There are 114 Perfect Rank Magical Crystals, enough to buy a whole kingdom in Edhen World!''


    As Archbishop Victor carefully gathered the magic crystals, an undeniable sense of greed washed over him. However, he quickly recognized the danger of sumbing to such desires and wisely chose not to act rashly.


    After securing the crystals inside a sizable leather bag, he approached Charles and respectfully ced it before him.


    "Excellent work," Charlesmended with a nod, acknowledging Victor''s efforts.


    After that, he picked a few crystals from the bag, gave them to Victor, and continued, revealing his intentions.


    "From now on, you shall serve as my porter. As a reward, I shall grant you 5% of all the spoils we acquire."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Victor''s mind raced with calctions as he caught the magic crystals with both hands.


    ''5%? That would amount to nearly six Rank-5 Magical Crystals!''


    While this might not be a significant haul for a Legendary Powerhouse, it would undoubtedly give Archbishop Victor enough wealth to purchase a small barony within the Sacred Empire.


    Victor lowered his head once more without hesitation, expressing his profound gratitude.


    "I am deeply grateful for your boundless generosity, Your Excellency."


    Charles waved his hand dismissively and turned to the destendscape of withered trees and nts.


    "You possess less strength than a mere Rank-5 Magical Beast. So, why have you ventured into this dangerous ce? What is it that you seek? Dare I assume you have lost your way?" Although Victor contemted answering affirmatively, a sense of foreboding suddenly gripped him.


    ''If I lie, he will surely dispose of me without hesitation!'' he thought, forcing a smile onto his face.


    Archbishop Victor''s forced smile apanied his response as he reluctantly revealed the truth.


    "I am in pursuit of an ancient artifact known as the ''Dream Whisper,'' Your Excellency."


    "Dream Whisper?" Charles inquired, his brow furrowing in curiosity.


    "Yes, Your Excellency. It lies hidden within the Second Chamber of the Graveyard of Stealers. During our previous expedition to this ce, I inadvertently stumbled upon a mysterious cavern leading to an ancient underground pyramid. It was there that I discovered the presence of some extraordinary artifacts. However, obtaining a single item from the Graveyard of Stealers is arduous. I spent more than 25 days within that chamber, exerting every effort to acquire an item capable of aiding my breakthrough to the next realm. Regrettably, due to my limited ''wisdom power'' and inadequate understanding of dream power, the Dream Whisper rejected me and expelled me from the chamber," Archbishop Victor recounted, wearing a bitter smile.


    "So, you have returned prepared, hoping to try your luck again?" Charles queried.


    "Yes, Your Excellency. Although my understanding of Dream Power remainscking, my wisdom power has doubled in strength over the past century, reaching its pinnacle. I am now fully confident in my ability to tame that artifact sessfully," Archbishop Victor replied, exuding confidence in his capabilities.


    "Okay. While I explore the other areas, I suggest you go to the second chamber and see if you''re lucky enough to tame it," Charles said, sounding eager. He paused momentarily, thinking about something, and then continued with a cunning smile.


    "Don''t worry; I won''t try to steal your artifact. These special things have a way of choosing their owners, so I can''t take it forcefully," Charles confidently imed, even though he knew it wasn''t true.


    While there was some truth to the idea that intellectual artifacts choose their owners, Charles had his way of making them obey him, even if they didn''t want to.


    ''But if that artifact is useless to me, I''ll better give it to Rh and let him take care of it.''


    Without knowing what Charles was thinking, Victor nodded seriously and spoke ttering, saying,


    "Once again, thank you for being so generous, Your Excellency."


    Ignoring the ttery, Charles gestured for Victor to lead the way, showing he was ready to follow.


    In response to the gesture, Victor nodded in agreement and took the lead, acting as the guide.


    The duo ventured deeper into the destendscape, traversing the charred remains of the once-vibrant forest. The air hung heavy with foreboding as if the atmosphere whispered tales of forgotten powers and lost civilizations.


    Charles even stumbled upon ruined buildings and encountered a few Rank-5 Magical Beasts.


    But he didn''t take much time and killed them mercilessly.


    For the next two days, both roamed in the forest devoid of life, discovered many ruined ces, and even met a Legend-Rank Magical Beast called ''Dread Lion.''


    Although Charles managed to kill it in the end, it almost took him more than six hours to make it exhaust its strength and kill itpletely.


    At the same time, Charles created a fake story for his background and started getting closer to Victor, slowly enving his mind.


    At the end of the second day, Victor started revealing more information about the Graveyard of Stealers and even told him that ''Dream Whisper'' was one of the three intellectual artifacts hidden there.


    But what caught Charles''s attention most was the information about arge underground city underneath the Pyramid.


    "The reason I ended up trapped in the Second Chamber is due to the fierce chase of the inhabitants of that city. But I wonder why they live underground. Maybe it was an illusion?"


    ''An underground city filled with people, huh?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon asked.


    "How long do we have to travel?"


    "We will reach the destination within a day, Your Excellency. If you see any small oasis-like area, please inform me. The entrance cave is located only a few kilometers from that oasis." Victor recalled the memories and spoke.


    "Oasis?" Charles raised his eyebrows and nodded.


    The duo once again continued their journey while discussing random things and finally arrived at a unique oasis-like ce surrounded by tall trees and lustful nts the next morning.

 Chapter 649 Order Church

    ?


    Chapter 649: Order Church


    But as Charles and Victor approached the oasis, both stopped their footsteps and looked up ahead.


    At that moment, Victor''s gaze was captivated by the sight of a young woman gracefully immersed in the shimmering water.


    Even though they were more than 500 meters away from her, he saw her beautiful structure and paused in surprise.


    The gentle ripples caressed her enchanting form, creating a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow. Her beauty was breathtaking, causing Victor to lose himself in admiration momentarily.


    The young woman possessed a mane of lustrous ck hair that cascaded down her back, its glossy strands glistening under the sunlight. Her eyes, a rare and striking shade of russet, held a mysterious allure as if they held secrets waiting to be unraveled. Framing her delicate features was a triangr face, lending an air of elegance and sophistication to her appearance.


    Her porcin-like skin, pale and ethereal, glowed softly against the backdrop of the tranquilke. As Victor continued to observe, his attention was drawn to her round lips adorned with a subtle natural hue. They exuded a gentle and inviting charm, adding to her overall allure.


    Estimating her age to be around 20, he marveled at the youthful radiance that enveloped her. Every aspect of her being seemed to be in perfect harmony, creating an alluring vision of beauty.


    "Holy Maiden Zoe of the Order Church? Why is she here?" Victor finally woke up from the captivating sight and asked stiffly.


    "Hmm, not only her but some people from Order Church are also here," Charles said as he released his wisdom power and let it spread through the whole surroundings.


    ''But if the Order Church members are here, why didn''t I receive any news from Head Deacon Colt?'' Only then did Charles notice Head Deacon Colt was nowhere nearby.


    ''They split up and asked one group to follow Victor?''


    At that moment, Charles''s attention was caught by four people standing about two hundred meters away. They were engrossed in chatting while looking at the faraway hill.


    Among them, there was a man who stood out the most. He wore a beautiful golden robe with a long white beard flowing down his chest. Though he looked around 70 years old, he had a strong and tall body, about 190 cm tall. He held a silver staff that seemed to have divine power in his hand.


    ''He must be the Cardinal of the Order Church.'' Charles thought and then shifted his gaze.


    Soon, he noticed a young woman with shiny ck hair in her twenties. At that moment, she wore a grand white armor-like dress and looked more like a Lady Knight. The dress had intricate silver designs and gold decorations, indicating her high status in the Order Church. It fitted her perfectly, offering both protection and flexibility in a fight.


    Next to her was a man in his forties, wearing a ck robe and standing about 150 cm tall. He seemed low-key and mysterious, with deep blue eyes, short brown hair, and two daggers hanging from his waist.


    ''He looks more like an assassin. Maybe a Head Deacon like Colt?''


    But the fourth person in the group caught Charles''s attention the most. Unlike the adults, this young boy appeared to be only 15 years old. Surprisingly, he had red hair and eyes with multiple colors. Despite being quite short, around 140 cm tall, there was an undeniable sense of power and danger emanating from him.


    Suddenly, it seemed as though the young boy sensed Charles looking at him and immediately locked eyes with Charles. In a strange interaction, Charles somehow managed to scan the boy and learn a lot of information about him.


    ''A Rank-6 Dual ss Mystic? Is he 7,420 years old? What the heck? Isn''t he an old man? But why does he look like a young boy?'' Charles couldn''t help but wonder how someone so powerful could be in the body of a young boy. The mystery surrounding the boy deepened even further.


    "W-What should we do, Your Excellency?" Victor''s face tensed up in rm as he noticed that they had been stealthily followed. His mind raced with questions as confusion etched across his features. How had these individuals managed to reach the oasis before them?


    Meanwhile, Charles attempted to ease the tension by waving his hand and stepping forward with reassuring words.


    "Don''t panic. As long as I''m here, no one will harm you," Charles paused for a moment and then added,


    "Also, act like I''m an otherworldly human in front of them to keep my identity hidden."


    Although Archbishop Victor didn''t understand why Charles wanted to hide his identity, he didn''t ask further and agreed.


    At the same time, the Holy Maiden Zoe also became aware of the approaching figures and quickly made her way toward the nearby shore. She hurriedly dried herself off with a white towel and draped a blue robe over her body. With her wet hair tied up in the towel, she hurried to join the other members of the Order Church.


    Not far away, the Cardinal, the Radiant Knight Ruby, the assassin robed Head Deacon, and the Holy Son of the Order Church had also taken notice of the neers and began walking towards them.


    Charles and Victor, on the other hand, continued their journey around the oasis, eventually reaching the opposite side. However, when they were about 50 meters from the Order Church members, the Cardinal of the Order Church abruptly raised his crozier and issued a stern warning.


    "Stop! We will attack if you take one more step forward."


    "W-Wait! Your Eminence, please don''t attack us. I''m Victor Hawthorne," Victor called out in panic, hoping to defuse the tense situation.


    He quickly added, "We aren''t here to cause any trouble. Our goal is..." But as he spoke, Victor suddenly realized how close he was to revealing crucial information and immediately halted his words, freezing in apprehension.


    "I know who you are, Victor." Cardinal finally revealed a cunning smile and added.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "You should''ve known why we are here by now, right?"


    Upon hearing those words, Victor''s face turned ashen.


    ''They indeed followed me, huh? But how did they know this exact location? Could it be someone from the Hawthorne family who helped them?'' At that moment, an image of a certain elder shed before his eyes.


    ''He must have revealed some information about ourst expenditure to the Order Church to achieve his revenge.''


    After a short pause, Victor closed his eyes and then asked.


    "What do you want?"


    "Hohoho, what else do you think we want from a mere Dream Creator?" Cardinal touched his white beard whileughing and then added.


    "Tell us all the information about the secret treasure you found here. Hmm? Who is this youngd?" Only then did Cardinal look at the young man and furrowed.


    "Even your helper is only a Rank-5 Mystic? Tsk."


    Due to Charles''s [Amulet of Mind nk] nature artifact, his current wisdom power was concealed to the power of a Rank-5 Mystic, making him look weaker than Archbishop Victor.


    Upon hearing those words, Archbishop Victor slowly nced at Charles and showed a bitter smile.


    "I''m sorry for his rude remarks, your excellency." He said stiffly and hurriedly took out a greyish gem-embedded wooden staff from his space ring, ready for battle.


    "Oh? It seems this little guy got some confidence, huh?" The smile on the Cardinal''s face faded and was reced with coldness.


    Although he and his church members had lost their connection with their god, they still had so many aces up in their leaves.


    So, he didn''t even think of Archbishop Victor as a threat and decided to capture him.


    With that thought in his mind, he raised his hand and was about to cast a Light Spell called ''Luminous Bind'' but suddenly froze.


    The red-haired young boy stepped forward and stopped Cardinal at that moment.


    "What happened, Lord Jamie?" Cardinal asked stiffly.


    "He isn''t a normal young man. Even I''m unsure if I can take him on in a one-on-one battle." The young boy named Jamie whispered slowly and turned his attention towards Charles.


    Then, he looked deeply at him and asked with a bow.


    "May I know who you are, Mister? Why are you helping a member of the Hawthorne Family?"


    On the other hand, Charles opened his mouth and spoke in English.


    "That''s none of your business."


    Not only Cardinal but even Jamie and others were stunned inside.


    "An otherworldly human being? But didn''t Amber Church and others say they will only appear at Fifth Layer?" Holy Maiden said, showing a trace of curiosity.


    "But he is truly talking in anguagepletely alien to Edhen World." This time, the Radiant Knight named Ruby spoke.


    "Unlike thest time, there are many anomalies. So, it''s not an impossible thing for an otherworldly human to appear in the First Layer itself." Jamie added.


    A look of frustration appeared on Cardinal''s face.


    "What should we do?" After hearing Jamie''s earlier words, he felt that it was impossible to force Archbishop Victor to give up on the information about the secret artifact and fell into deep thoughts.


    Meanwhile, Jamie also pondered deeply and shifted his attention towards Victor.


    "Why don''t we move together and split the reward 50:50? I heard from Hawthorne Elder that this Graveyard of Stealers is a base of many Corpse Devourers. So, instead of acting alone, why not ally? If you fear our betrayal, we n to perform a ''Divine Oath'' before you." He proposed a bold agreement.

 Chapter 650 Three Passages

    ?


    Chapter 650: Three Passages


    ''Tell them to make an oath in the name of ''God of Order'' saying that they should not do anything harmful to you or me during this exploration. Also, negotiate with them that whoever gets an artifact or item first will be its owner.'' Charles said telepathically to Victor.


    Archbishop Victor nodded and spoke.


    "All of you must take a Divine Oath in the name of God of Order and promise that you will not attack us until this exploration ends. Also, whoever gets any new artifact or treasure will be the sole owner of it. No one should ask for a share."


    At that moment, Cardinal furrowed his brows for a moment and asked.


    "What if we find the treasure at the same time?"


    "That will naturally belong to us," Archbishop Victor shamelessly spoke, causing bulging veins on Carinal''s forehead.


    "Stop it, Luke." Finally, the red-haired boy named Jamie raised his hand and stopped the confrontation.


    "We will agree to your request. But once we enter the exploration site, you must split up and move independently."


    "Agreed," Victor nodded his head in agreement and added.


    "It''s not some ruined site, but the entrance is a cavern."


    "Then, we''ll perform the ''Divine Oath'' ritual now," Jamie said before signaling hispanions to get started.


    After that, the people from the Order Church sat on the ground and performed a small ritual to make a divine oath.


    Although no magical thing happened as they finished performing the divine oath, Charles strangely felt a mark appear on everyone''s soul.


    Victor loosened his guard and moved closer to them after theypleted the ritual.


    "So, which way is the secret cavern then?" Cardinal Luke asked impatiently.


    Victor looked around, analyzing the surroundings, and pointed toward a direction. "That way. Follow me, and we shall proceed."


    With the agreement settled and the path decided, the united group moved cautiously but purposefully toward the mysterious secret cavern. After an hour of walking, Charles and others finally noticed the wind started to blow fiercely, causing the dusky sand to cover the surrounding withered trees.


    But what startled everyone was that some mysterious force was obstructing them from scanning further ahead!


    "Your wisdom power won''t work from here onwards. From now on, be careful of getting lost in this stormy wind and follow me closely," Victor said while ncing around the surroundings continuously and asionally putting strange marks on the nearby trees and woods.


    But as they walked further, they all noticed a strange towering pyramid standing on their left side which looked more like a towering mountain.


    "Pyramid? Is that the ce? But why are we moving in a different direction?" Holy Maiden asked while furrowing her brows.


    "This wholend is not some randomnd but a magical array. Whenever you try moving closer to that Pyramid, you will get farther. When west explored this ce, mypanions got lost in the sandstorm and went farther away from the Pyramid. Only I found a strange cavern and entered the Graveyard of Stealers." Victor spoke solemnly.


    "What does it look like?" Holy Maiden asked, showing keen interest.


    "You can see for yourself in a while," This time, Victor decided not to reveal too much information and abruptly ended the conversation.


    Then, he stepped forward and continued the journey through the harsh winds.


    After a few minutes of walking, they all found themselves standing in front of a rocky cavern.


    The cavern''s opening revealed itself as a formidable archway, stretching to a height of approximately four meters. Its dark and rugged exterior bore a resemnce to the gaping maw of an ancient alligator, its rough surfaces hinting at the countless eons it had withstood against the test of time.


    As they approached the cavern''s mouth, an eerie darkness seemed to emanate from within, casting a shadowy veil over the entrance. The group felt a tingling sense of uncertainty and anticipation as they peered into the depths thaty ahead.


    Stctites hung like icicles from the cavern''s ceiling, their sharp and jagged formations hinting at the unfathomable age of the cave. Stgmites rose from the ground, forming natural pirs that seemed to guard the path further into the darkness.


    "This is where the entrance of the Graveyard of Stealers. Once we walk in, be prepared for any ambushes." Victor said calmly and stepped forward while talking out a magicalmp from his space ring.


    As he lit themp, the gloomy dark cave was suddenly illuminated in yellowish light, revealing the interior.


    The group also stepped into the dark cavern, their senses heightened as they navigated the gloomy passageway. The air inside was heavy with anticipation, and each footfall echoed throughout the ancient space.


    As they delved deeper into the cavern, they soon reached a passage created with stones and y. The rocky walls were adorned with strange symbols and hieroglyphs, telling stories of a forgotten era. The enigmatic atmosphere filled them with wonder and awe but also stirred a sense of caution in their hearts.


    Victor led the way with unwavering determination, relying on his previous knowledge of the location to guide them through the maze. He asionally paused to study the intricate markings on the walls, which seemed to hold valuable information about the secrets concealed within the Graveyard of Stealers.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "You know of thisnguage?" Radiant Knight Ruby asked as she got closer to the strange writing patterns and tried to decipher them.


    "Last time, I found a stone with Runalnguage and this strange ancientnguage called ''Fsech.'' After copying all the characters, I returned to Edhen and started deciphering this newnguage. Although I''m only at a beginner level, it''s enough for me to read the inscriptions on the stone walls." Victor spoke confidently and soon said.


    "The above inscription is a notice. After we walk for two thousand footsteps, we will stumble upon three passages. This earlier notice tells me to choose the right pathway. And, I have decided to take the middle pathway."


    At that moment, everyone realized it must be the same pathway he had chosen previously and nodded.


    "What about the other two passages?" This time, it was Jamie who asked the question.


    "Let me see. Hmm?" Victor stood there for a while and soon added, after deciphering the words,


    "The left pathway will lead to the underground city called ''Zarack'' while the right one will lead to the gate of Stardust."


    "Underground City? Gate of Stardust? What are they?" Holy Maiden asked curiously.


    "I don''t know." Victor shook his head and added casually.


    "But if you want to explore, go ahead."


    A trace of annoyance appeared on Holy Maiden''s face. But due to her position as Holy Maiden, she could only let out a sigh and keep her mouth shut.


    "Victor, can''t you give some respect to your superiors?" This time, Cardinal Luke asked while showing his dissatisfaction.


    "Your Eminence, I''m not disrespecting ''Holy Maiden'' or anyone. I''m saying that I really don''t know anything about that ce." Victor said with a forced smile.


    While they were arguing, Charles kept his keen senses attuned to any hidden dangers that might lurk in the shadows.


    ''My wisdom power hasn''t been blocked, but its range reduced dramatically. More likely, this divine power is suppressing my strength.'' However, he still felt uneasy about the strange divine power capable of altering the surrounding atmosphere and suppressing his wisdom power!


    "Stop chatting. Let''s go." Jamie urged as Victor and Cardinal had already started a fight.


    With no other choice, Victor stopped talking back and moved ahead.


    The Cardinal, Jamie, and the assassin-like man followed closely behind, their eyes scanning for potential traps or adversaries that might lie in wait. Their experiences as skilled members of the Order Church gave them an edge in anticipating potential threats.


    On the other hand, the Holy Maiden, Charles, and the Radiant Knight Ruby followed the group while maintaining a few feet distance and looking out for any dangers from behind.


    As Victor had said earlier, the passageway was split into three when they reached around 2000 feet.


    "Which way should we go, My Lord?" This time, Cardinal Luke asked Jamie.


    This time, Jamie didn''t answer in an instant and kept pondering.


    "We''ll first explore the middle pathway with Victor and the otherworldly human and then move to the other regions."


    Upon hearing those words, Cardinal was about to refute but soon shut his mouth.


    "We''ll follow yourmand, My Lord." He said with a nod.


    "Then, don''t go to the Second Chamber. That ce is for me." Victor said anxiously and fastened his footsteps.


    After what felt like an eternity of winding passages and numerous turns, they finally reached a vast chamber at the end of the long passage. The room was unlike any they had seen, filled with magnificent statues, swords, shields, and even rare artifacts, each holding a fragment of the past''s forgotten glory.


    The sight left them speechless, and for a moment, they could only stand in awe of the wondrous spectacle before them. Glimmering jewels, ancient relics, and intricate artifacts adorned every corner of the chamber, casting mesmerizing reflections in the soft light provided by Victor.


    Their eyes met in amazement, understanding that the secrets of the pasty within their grasp. However, the atmosphere quickly shifted from wonder to caution, for they were not alone in the chamber.


    A group of shadowy figures emerged from the darkness, their intent unclear. They appeared to be explorers seeking to im the treasures within the Graveyard of Stealers.


    The tension in the air was palpable as both groups sized each other up.


    "Who are you guys?" Victor was the first one to step up and ask.


    At that moment, Cardinal Luke raised his staff and got ready to cast an attack spell on them.

 Chapter 651 Second Chamber

    ?


    Chapter 651: Second Chamber


    In the meantime, the opposing groupprised two females donned in ck robes, a tall human bearing a peculiar third eye on his forehead, a young woman of 5 feet in height with wolf ears and tails, and an elf with flowing blonde hair.


    Upon noticing their presence, they also went into alert mode and went into battle position.


    As everyone was in a tense situation, Jamie frowned a bit and noticed a strange divine power around their standing area.


    "An illusion spell?" He muttered before raising his hand and waving it. A momentter, a dense air-elemental energy appeared around his hand, formed into a one-meter-long de-like structure in a blink, and flew towards the group at an incredible speed.


    Before the other group could react, the invisible de sliced through their bodies and broke the illusion!


    "H-How? I felt they appear so real!" Victor muttered.


    "That''s because of our sealed wisdom power. But unlike you guys, I can still use the wisdom power to some extent and search whether they were physical objects." Saying so, Jamie nced at the indifferent-looking otherworldly human and shook his head.


    "Let''s search this chamber to see if we find something valuable first and then move forward."


    "May I go ahead to the Second Chamber?" Victor felt they might return to their words and decided to hurry to his final destination.


    Although Jamie wanted to refute, he soon noticed Charles was following Victor and decided not to say anything.


    After getting silent approval from the Order Church members, Victor didn''t hesitate and started walking toward the other end of the chambers.


    Before long, he entered another rocky underground passage and hurried toward the next destination.


    Charles also closely followed him while looking out for hidden dangers and soon noticed a bright light ahead.


    "So, how many chambers are there?" He asked in a low voice.


    "I''m not sure, your Excellency. But four tall statues will be standing in the Second Chamber, and each statue will transport you to a different room. I suspect each has a unique artifact like Dream Whisper." He paused while ncing back at the long passageway to see if they were following behind and whispered.


    "But once you enter this room, you won''t be able to leave without taming the artifact. Last time, I was trapped in that ce for more than 25 days and then returned to Edhen World with nothing."


    Charles nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. The artifacts within the sealed rooms could be both powerful and dangerous, and they required careful handling. The prospect of discovering such potent relics excited him, but he was also mindful of the potential risks.


    Victor''s anticipation grew as they approached the Second Chamber''s entrance. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the challenges ahead.


    Within the next few seconds, both reached the exit and entered the Second Chamber. The sight before them was just as Victor described.


    As Victor and Charles stepped into the Second Chamber, they were immediately struck by its awe-inspiring grandeur. The chamber wasrge and domed, with intricate carvings adorning the walls, depicting ancient battles, celestial beings, and mystical creatures. The ceiling seemed to vanish into darkness, giving an illusion of an infinite height.


    As Victor mentioned earlier, four unique statues stood at the center of the second chamber and looked imposing. Each statue was a remarkable work of art, standing tall at around 5 meters and appearing gigantic. They were crafted from a glistening ck stone that seemed to shimmer with a faint magical aura. The details etched into the statues'' features were remarkably lifelike, evoking a sense of beauty and eeriness.


    The first statue depicted a regal male figure d in armor, with a sword held firmly in one hand and a shield in the other. The eyes of the statue glowed with an ethereal light as if it were alive, surveying its surroundings.


    The second statue portrayed an enigmatic and serene feminine figure adorned in flowing robes that seemed to merge with the air around it. Its hands were positioned meditatively, and its eyes were closed, conveying a deep sense of wisdom and inner peace.


    The third statue depicted a fearsome and majestic creature¡ªa winged lion with sharp ws and an intense gaze. Its wings appeared ready to take flight, and its expression conveyed strength and courage.


    The fourth statue, ced apart from the others, presented a mysterious and elusive figure. With a hooded cloak that concealed its features, it merged with the shadows around it. A staff was clutched in its hand, and its presence exuded an air of secrecy and mystique. This statue gave off an aura of secrecy and enigma.


    "Which one did you pick upst time?" Charles asked as he walked closer to the center of the chamber.


    A smile appeared on Victor''s face.


    "Of course, it''s the statue of that beautiful woman, Your Excellency."


    While saying so, he soon arrived before the female statue, bowed his head while raising his hand, and touched its feet.


    A momentter, a blinding golden light descended from the woman''s eyes and enveloped him.


    Victor turned into pure golden lights in the next instant and disappeared from there.


    "I didn''t even sense a minute of elemental power from the earlier blinding light. Divine Power? No, I felt something else. Maybe that''s the full extent of thew power or even higher power like realm creation?" He felt curious.


    He soon shook his head and focused on the other three figures.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    First, he looked at the muscr man''s statue but didn''t feel any liking. Then, he slowly shifted his gaze toward the Winged Lion and detected a strange resonance.


    ''Winged Lion can help me?'' Just as he was about to take a step forward, Grace suddenly let out a fierce screeching noise and directly attacked the lion statue!


    ''What the heck?'' Grace never tried tomunicate with him all this time and remained in his waist like a normal sword. If not for Azoth''s earlier words, he wouldn''t have believed her as a sword that had killed numerous owners before.


    ''But why is she acting like that? She doesn''t like the winged lion? But I can''t give up, though.'' He tried to take a step forward again but suddenly stopped.


    At that moment, a sharp cut appeared on his neck!


    ''F*ck!'' The corner of his lips twitched as he stepped back, conjured a bluish ball of me, and healed the wound.


    "Forget it; I''ll choose the fourth statue." He said with a deep sigh and started walking towards it.


    Before long, he arrived before the cloaked statue, raised his hand as Victor did, and touched the statue''s left foot.


    A momentter, Charles noticed that his vision started to blur and soon found himself standing in a small 10*10 feet room.


    A small wooden cot was ced at the center, and a skeleton covered in a ck robey on it.


    "He died while sleeping?" Charles approached the cot and noticed rotten skin and fleshes had already dposed, leaving traces on the cot and robe.


    But what made him take a deep look was the skeletal bone. Even though it had been dead for who knows how long, he felt a strange divine power circling it.


    "Remnant will of the previous owner?" He muttered.


    ''You have the smell of Periyon.'' An ancient voice echoed in his head.


    ''Hmm, it''s not from you but from the thing inside your space ring, huh?'' The voice continued.


    At that moment, the crystal dimension stone suddenly appeared from his space ring and hovered mid-air.


    ''Hmm, it''s the Eye of Destruction and Chaos... No, this one looks like an imitation of Periyon''s third eye. Where did you get this,d?''


    Although Charles was slightly surprised, he remained calm and answered the ancient voice.


    "I found it deep within a Meteorite. And, may I ask who you might me, Sir?"


    ''Hohoho, you are a polited.'' The voiceughed, which almost caused the whole room to shake, and continued.


    ''I was called ''Esim'' during my time and have often been hailed ''Archfiend Esim'' by the Gods, Demons, and Devils. Now, my name is not important. What''s important is: Are you eligible to carry on my inheritance?''


    "Inheritance? I thought I would get an artifact here, though." Charles voiced out his thoughts.


    ''Humph, what can an artifact do? Although it will help you at some stages, it is nothing but a mere tool-'' Before he could finish his words, a sharp de released from Grace and cut the skeleton''s neck into two.


    A strange silence appeared in the room, followed by a loud ancient voice''s gasp.


    ''Holy mother of Corruption and Creation! What kind of sword is it? I sense the power of madness, Nightmare, and even boundless void from it. Surprisingly, it can even cut my neck bone in one attack.'' Shock and astonishment could be seen in the ancient voice.


    Meanwhile, Charles touched the sword hilt and gave it a light pat.


    "Please forgive her, Lord Esim. She doesn''t talk and has some bad temper." Charles said apologetically and asked.


    "So, what does your inheritance have? Can it help me in any way? You should''ve known that I''m already walking on the path of Fire Mage."


    ''Worry not. The inheritance I''m giving you is not something that could interfere with your pathway but help you achieve far more great things in the future.'' As the ancient voice spoke, a strange bluish-gem-like thing suddenly materialized before Charles and hovered mid-air.


    ''This stone is my lifelong research and achievement. It''s called ''Sage''s Gem'' and can deduce anyplicated questions or problems and help you understand everything better.''


    "Is this like my Rune Eye skill?"


    ''No. Your rune eye only allows you to perceive objects or living things more clearly with information rted to it and only helps you find their weaknesses. But my ''Sage''s Gem'' is the heart of wisdom itself.'' The ancient voice said proudly.

 Chapter 652 Skills Of Sages Gem

    ?


    Chapter 652: Skills of Sage''s Gem


    "How do you want to check if I can receive this inheritance?" Charles looked at the hovering bluish gem and asked.


    ''Simple. Use your knowledge of Rune and tryprehending the ''Wisdom'' Essences hidden within this Sage''s Gem. If you canprehend up to 10 Wisdom Essences and unlock the first five skills within the next ten days, this ''Sage''s Gem'' inheritance will be yours.''


    ''From what I can see, the highest number you canprehend with your [Rune Eye] skill is only 1 wisdom essence. Even that needed a terrificprehension speed.'' He paused for a moment and soon added mysteriously.


    ''But there are times when miracles happen. If you grasp a tiny bit of the essence of Sage''s Gem, you may have a chance to increase yourprehension and analytic speed multiple times.


    ''An Impossible task, huh? Unless a person''s wisdom affinity is around Genius or Prodigy rank, it''s almost impossible for any person to achieve such a result.''


    Charles furrowed his brows, caught the ''Sage''s Gem'' in his hand while cing the Crystal Dimension stone on the cot, and sat on the cold floor.


    At the same time, he activated his [Rune Eyes] and [elerate Thoughts] skills and focused his sole attention on the ''Sage''s Gem.''


    Minutes paused as he focused on a single streak of Wisdom Essence and started analyzing the mysterious ''Wisdom Runes.''


    After 15 minutes, Charles finally grasped the secret of the first streak and managed toprehend it.


    At that moment, he also unlocked the first skill of this ''Sage''s Gem'' called ''Enigmatic Unraveling.''


    This skill would allow Charles to decipherplex riddles, puzzles, and mysteries at incredible speed, unlocking the secrets of ancient enigmas.


    ''But even with my ''elerate Thoughts'' skill, it''s taking more than 15 minutes toprehend a single streak of wisdom essence. If I''m not wrong, I need more than 10 days toprehend a Wisdom Essence.''


    In truth, what Esim said about his ''Rune Eye'' skill was not wrong. With that skill alone, he would need more than 6 to 7 hours toprehend a single streak of wisdom essence. But his [elerate Thoughts] skill sped up hisprehension spell multiple times and skyrocketed his progression speed.


    ''But this is just the start.'' As he muttered, he instantly turned his appearance into elemental form and hurriedly directed his consciousness to the Crystal Dimension stone.


    At that moment, the Will of Esim was startled deeply by the appearance of elemental form and soon turned serious as he analyzed the me.


    ''What a monstrous genius! Did you manage toprehend more than 10 Rebirth me Laws? How in the world did you achieve it? Moreover, how old are you actually?'' He couldn''t hide his shock at all.


    "I''m turning 48. But after traveling different worlds, the real age might be longer than this. Still, I haven''t touched Century yet."


    While Esim was still in shock, Charles opened his mouth and added again.


    "Don''t be surprised yet." Saying so, he suddenly shrunk and disappeared from there.


    ''He entered that strange sealing dimension? Aren''t he afraid of being frozen in time along with that Eye incarnation?'' As those words came out of his Will, Esim suddenly realized the main effect of the rebirth me.


    ''He can move in the Time Freeze zone? Is he a Reincarnator?'' A strange doubt appeared in his Will.


    While Esim was racking his mind, Charles arrived before the giant fireball and turned his attention toward the blue gem on his palm.


    Once again, Charles cast [Rune Eye] skill and started toprehend the wisdom essence streaks.


    Although he took over 2 hours toprehend the second wisdom essence streak this time, he wasn''t discouraged.


    ''I can feel my understanding of solving problems and deciphering the secrets are increasing a little.'' With that thought, he again focused on the ''Sage''s Gem'' and continued theprehension.


    After a day of hard work, he soon unlocked the second skill called the ''Analytic Enchantment'' skill.


    ''This skill can break down and analyze magical enchantments and even curses, unraveling their nature and effects, finding the means to dispel or strengthen them.'' New information about the [Analytic Enchantment] skill flowed into his head and was etched deep in his soul.


    Charles didn''t waste any moment and continuedprehending the Wisdom Essence Streaks.


    One week passed in a blink of an eye.


    At that moment, he had alreadyprehended 100 Essence Streaks and unlocked the third Sage''s Eye skill called [Mystic Algorhytm].


    ''This skill can recognize and decipher magical algorithms, unlocking the hidden structures and rules governing mystical spells and rituals.'' Due to this skill, hisprehension speed increased drastically.


    Within a month, he managed toprehend more than 800 Wisdom Essence Streaks and unlocked the fourth skill called ''Phantasmal Analysis.''


    ''With this, I can analyze and interact with illusions and phantoms, distinguishing between reality and illusion in a world of deception.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    ''This old man''s skill is far better than my Rune Eye.'' Of course, he was nowprehending all the new wisdom streaks and transforming his Rune Eye into an advanced level.


    Four and a half months passed within the Crystal Dimension while only a day had passed outside.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    During this time, Charles had not only managed to grasp a small amount of ''Core Essence,'' he even gained a little enlightenment and alreadyprehended 3604 Wisdom Essence Streaks!


    ''I almostprehended 4 Wisdom Essences in such a short time.'' But if he had yet toprehend the Rebirth me or construct the ''me Body'' spell at the start, he might have failed miserably by now.


    ''Thank goodness I listened to Bishop Reynolds''s advice.'' He let out a deep breath and continued.


    Another four and a half months passed inside the crystal dimension.


    ''Myprehension speed indeed improved dramatically. I can now even read the flow of all the Wisdom Rules and could predict the flow of their function.'' At that moment, Charles had alreadyprehended 10 Wisdom Essences and finally unlocked the fifth skill of ''Sage''s Gem.''


    "Mythos Decoding... It''s an ability to decipher ancient mythologies and legends, extracting and applying hidden knowledge to contemporary situations." He muttered as he absorbed all the information about the fifth skill and decided to leave the crystal dimension.


    One hourter, Charles suddenly appeared in the small room, returned to his human form, and took the Crystal Dimension stone from the cot.


    ''You managed to stay in the ''Time Freeze'' zone for two days. It''s really surprising.'' Esim''s ancient voice echoed in the room.


    ''So, how many wisdom essences did you manage toprehend?''


    Instead of responding, Charles looked at the skeletal figure and activated his ''Rune Eye'' skill.


    Almost a dozen new wisdom essences circled inside his eyes a secondter, and he started analyzing the skeletal figure.


    "You are poisoned before your death?" Charles asked while raising his eyebrows. At that moment, his eye showed some foreign energy residing within his bones and gave him a clue about the poison.


    "Wait, it''s not a poison but some sort of curse?"


    Instead of a response from Esim, a strange silence appeared in the room.


    ''Young man, you are more than eligible to inherit my lifelong treasure skill. Use it wisely, and never search for me. After all, it will only lead to more trouble for you.'' The ancient voice suddenly turned solemn and then added.


    ''I hope you live an endless life and achieve your dream. Goodbye.''


    As he spoke, Charles suddenly felt his vision turned blurry and felt a suction feeling.


    Before he could blink, he stood in front of the hooded state. At the same time, he saw another item hovering before him and slowly descended toward the floor.


    It was the ck robe that Esim had worn before!


    "That old man should''ve at least sent me off with some warm words." As Charles spoke, he extended his right hand and caught it from falling on the ground.


    Then, he activated his upgraded ''Rune Eye'' and analyzed it.


    ...


    [Name: Robe of the Shadowed Sage


    Rank: Pseudo-Intellectual


    Description: The Robe of the Shadowed Sage is an elegant, flowing robe crafted from arcane silk and shadowy threads. Its dark, deep indigo color absorbs light, making the wearer appear almost cloaked in darkness. Intricate patterns of ancient runes, representing knowledge and protection, are subtly woven throughout the fabric. Though it doesn''t have a will, it was created by merging the essence of wisdom and rune arrays, resulting in a symbiotic-type being.


    Abilities:


    1. Wisdom''s Insight: The user gains heightened wisdom and intellect when wearing the robe. It grants the ability toprehendplex puzzles, decipher enigmatic texts, and see through illusions with remarkable rity. The robe is a conduit for ancient knowledge, enhancing the wearer''s understanding of magic and history. (Cooldown: Nil)


    2. Veil of Shadows: The robe can draw upon the essence of shadows, allowing the wearer to meld into the darkness at Will. While in dimly lit or shadowy environments, the wearer can be nearly invisible, moving with near-silent footsteps and evading the notice of others. (Cooldown: Nil.)


    3. Eclipse Shield: As a defense mechanism, the robe can create a temporary barrier of shadow energy that absorbs and nullifies iing magical attacks. The shield''s strength depends on the wearer''s wisdom and concentration, making it a formidable defense against various magical threats. (Time Limit: Itst up to 5 seconds. Cooldown: 1/1 Hour.)


    4. Shadowstep: The wearer can momentarily teleport from one shadow to another by channeling the robe''s power, traveling through short distances with incredible swiftness. This ability proves valuable for both escape and surprise attacks. (Cooldown: 1/10 seconds)


    5. Ancient Ward: When the wearer faces overwhelming life-threatening danger, the robe can automatically trigger an ancient Demi-God Rank warding spell. The ward forms a protective barrier around the wearer, repelling enemies and harmful forces until they recede or the wearer finds a safer location. (Cooldown: 1/10 days)


    Bonding and Limitations:


    The Robe of the Shadowed Sage is not an artifact anyone can wield. It bonds with those who exhibit wisdom, intelligence, and a strong sense of moral bnce. The robe recognizes and resonates with those who seek knowledge for the greater good and are willing to wield its powers responsibly.


    However, the robe''s poweres with a cost. Prolonged use of its shadow abilities can weigh on the wearer''s spirit, making them susceptible to darker temptations and inner turmoil. The wearer must exercise caution not to sumb to the robe''s allure, remaining steadfast in theirmitment to wisdom and protection.]

 Chapter 653 Purple Star

    Chapter 653: Purple Star


    ''A Pseudo Intellectual artifact? So, ites under the same rank as the first system artifact, huh?'' Charles nodded his head and imprinted it with his wisdom power.


    Although a slight resistance appeared initially, the artifact soon recognized him as its owner.


    ''Now, let''s see what they are up to.'' Charles muttered and quietly looked in the direction where the Winged Lion statue was standing.


    At the statue''s base, three people sat on the ground and looked in his direction. They were Cardinal Luke, Radiant Knight Ruby, and the assassin-robed man.


    Soon, Radiant Knight Ruby stood up hesitantly and walked towards him.


    "Why bother asking him? He won''t understand a word." Cardinal Luke said with a trace of annoyance. He would''ve long raised his staff and captured him if not for Jamie''s warning.


    "Speaking isn''t the only option. And he is the only one who came before everyone." Radiant Knight Ruby spoke and started making hand signs.


    She first made a handshape with her dominant hand and touched her chin, then moved her hand forward and slightly downward. She then held an open handshape near her chest, moving it in a small circle. After that, she made handshapes on both hands, with her palms facing each other, and moved her hands forward together. Following that, she started with her dominant hand near her non-dominant shoulder, moved her hand down, and slightly outward with a twisting motion.


    ''When will ourpanions return?'' Charles instantly recognized what she was saying with the help of the ''Enigmatic Unraveling'' skill and soon understood the pattern of her signnguage.


    With a nod, Charles held both hands out in front of her, palms down and fingers slightly apart.


    "They?" Radiant Knight Ruby widened her eyes as she understood the otherworldly man was using the same signnguage and carefully followed his hand movements.


    After a short period, she understood what he was saying and muttered.


    "They will never return?" She froze for a moment and asked hurriedly using the same signnguage.


    "Why is that?"


    "Unless they managed to get the inheritance, it''s impossible for them to leave the room," Ruby muttered as she followed his hand movements and continued.


    "But they won''t die. When the duration ends, they will be teleported out of the Dungeon and appear in Edhen World..." At that moment, Charles stopped making hand signs and started walking toward the statue of the woman.


    ''Will he seed?'' He thought for a moment and shook his head.


    ''If the test is as hard as mine, only that young boy named Jamie has a chance. Even it''s only around 5%.'' After some thought, he walked past all the statues and moved toward the small metal gate on the other end of the chamber.


    "W-Wait, sir! Please let''s move together." Ruby chased after him, but Cardinal stopped her.


    "Let him go on his own, Ruby. Even if we work together, he will not be of any help." Upon hearing Cardinal Luke''s words, she could only nod her head and give up on persuading him to join their team.


    At that moment, the silent-looking assassin-robed man also chuckled and spoke.


    "Moreover, that path only leads to the necropolis. The only things within the coffins are nothing but piles of bones and sand." In truth, they had long checked the third chamber and found nothing remarkable. Not only that, but they also noticed no further passage to any other room and returned to the Second Chamber disappointedly.


    As they were chatting, Charles arrived before the metal door and opened it with a light push.


    He slowly stepped forward with anticipation, crossing the threshold into the mysterious, enigmatic, narrow passage ahead.


    As he ventured deeper into the dimly lit passage, the shadows seemed to dance around him, and the echoes of his footsteps reverberated in the confined space. Minutes passed, each one feeling like an eternity. Charles navigated through the twistingbyrinth of the passage, his only guiding force being the faint glimmer of light that shone from a distance, hinting at the final destination that awaited him.


    But what made him frown a bit was that the destination remained the same ce even after walking for more than two hours.


    Suddenly, Charles stopped his footsteps and tried to perceive any mysterious energy in the surroundings. At the same time, he also activated his ''Faceless Eye'' and noticed something was manipting him.


    ''Why did I suddenly fall in those future images? Did I get injured? Wait, I see arge hole in my chest area.'' He furrowed his brows and instantly activated the ''Phantom Analysis'' skill.


    As the seconds ticked, the world around him seemed to undergo a surreal transformation, as if reality was bending and reshaping. The scenery he had known just a moment ago now dissolved and morphed into an entirely new and unfamiliar setting.


    His surroundings were nd and unremarkable in the previous illusion, nothing more than an empty passage stretching into the distance.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    However, in this newly altered reality, a startling scene greeted him. Standing tall and imposing, just a few feet away were two humans d in gleaming silver armor. These armored figures held long spears, their sharp points aimed directly at his chest, creating an aura of tension and danger.


    What struck him most about these enigmatic beings was their striking appearance. Their long blonde hair cascaded down their shoulders, framing faces that bore an otherworldly beauty. Moreover, they had a unique third eye on their foreheads and looked vertically upside down. Their ears, elongated and pointed, hinted at their connection to a different lineage or race. Their finely chiseled features, including sharp noses and dark skin, gave them an air of regal distinction as if they were the guardians of an ancient and noble heritage.


    Before he could look closer, a bolt of chaotic ck lightning came from one of the spears and flew toward him at an incredible speed.


    But just as it was about tond on his chest and incinerate him, a dense amount of shadow energy came from his ck robe and created a forcefield-like structure.


    A momentter, the ''Eclipse Shield'' took form and nullified the bolt of ck lightning.


    ''They are Corpse Devourers? And, both of them have the strength of Rank-6?'' Charles''s eyes squinted sharper as he scanned them for a moment.


    Without dy, he cast the [Chaos Eye] spell and attacked the Corpse Devourer on the right side. But to his surprise, the one on the left seemed to have sensed his attack beforehand and pulled hispanion toward its side.


    Although the Chaos Eye spell gave a deep wound on the Corpse Devourer''s shoulder, it wasn''t fatal enough to kill it.


    ''Both are moving co-ordinately. If not for my wisdom skill, I would''ve really thought of them as real beings.''


    But he wasn''t fazed by their action and focused on the wounded Corpse Devourer.


    Simultaneously, he cast another round of [Chaos Eye] spell and sent a dense, chaotic ray towards its head.


    "*^$^%*$" The other Corpse Devourer shouted in a strangenguage and covered its body in a crystal-likeyer.


    But suddenly, it noticed itspanion''s eyes turned motionless like a doll and tried to reach out its hand to save it.


    s, it was already toote.


    The fierce chaotic ray entered its head and exploded before the Corpse Devourer''s hand could touch itspanion''s shoulder.


    A heartbeatter, it was sent up in the air and crashed onto the rocky wall.


    Slowly, it fell to the ground and let out a painful groan.


    "So, you guys can evenmunicate, huh?" Charles waved his hand as he spoke and cast [Purple Consciousness] on the remaining Corpse Devourer.


    But just as his ''Purple Consciousness'' entered the Corpse Devourer''s Inner World, Charles''s eyes widened.


    At that moment, Purple Consciousness saw not a person''s inner world filled with memories but a strange star made of pure mind fire!


    But what startled Charles was the dozens of strange purple rings circling the star, which looked fascinating and beautiful.


    As his Purple Consciousness was about to get closer to take a detailed look at this unique star, a sudden omnipotent power appeared around his Consciousness and froze himpletely.


    At the same time, Charles''s connection with the Purple me was cut off abruptly.


    ''An omnipotent consciousness?''


    As he muttered, the Corpse Devourer''s body suddenly twitched and was soon enveloped in a purple me.


    "Found you!" Charles''s lips curled upward as he gazed at the burning Corpse Devourer and then resumed walking.


    A few minutester, Charles walked more than a kilometer and emerged into a vast and hauntingly eerie chamber, the final destination of his perilous journey. To his surprise, there was no ceiling above him, and the pitch-ck expanse of the night sky loomed overhead, a stark contrast to the confined walls he had traversed moments ago.


    Within this ancient necropolis, where history and legends intertwined, he beheld an awe-inspiring sight that left him speechless. Hundreds of hero stones adorned with intricate carvings and engravings were meticulouslyid out throughout the chamber, immortalizing the brave deeds and valorous acts of long-forgotten warriors and heroes.


    The atmosphere was charged with reverence and solemnity as if the spirits of these brave souls still lingered among the stone memorials.

 Chapter 654 Karr Beings

    ?


    Chapter 654: Karr Beings


    ''Hmm, only hero stones are ced everywhere, and each of them is inscribed in an unknownnguage. Strangely, I feel a familiarity with thisnguage.'' As he muttered, he tried deciphering it with his ''Rune Eye'' but noticed something odd.


    ''I need more information about thisnguage. Although thisnguage is part of anguage family I learned, I still can''t guess which one. Moreover, the time gap between thatnguage and this ancientnguage seems to be too long. If I can enter the underground city, I might find more clues about thisnguage. But from where did those two Corpse Devourerse from?'' Charles muttered with a frown and was about to turn around and leave but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, he saw ten meters tall rectangr stone standing tall in the middle of the Cemetery and was surrounded by a total of 9 statues. It wasn''t a hero stone but something else.


    All the statues belonged to men, and each was holding books in their hands.


    ''Isn''t this the stone Victor mentioned while we were on the way? But didn''t he also say that he never went past the Second Chamber? He lied to me?'' Charles also recalled the information about him mentioning the ancient underground city.


    ''He told me that he saw many humans living in the underground city. That guy definitely hid this on purpose. If I''m not wrong, there must be a secret way to reach the ancient underground city from this Cemetery.'' Charles soon arrived before the tall stone and noticed twonguages written on it.


    ''It''s like Rosetta stone.'' Charles nodded his head, activated [Mythos Decoding] skill, and started deciphering thenguage of this ancient underground city using Rune Language.


    In a few minutes, he not only decoded most of the words written on the stone wall but even managed to gain a deeper understanding of the ancient city''s history.


    At that moment, he also found the reason for the strange familiarity.


    "Thisnguage belongs to the same family of Astial Language I learned in the Faith Realm. If I''m not wrong, it originated from the Origin Nexus ne, right?" He furrowed his brows and suspected that the fallen Dream God might be an inhabitant from that Origin Nexus world.


    "Dream God''s Divine City." He soon started to read what was written on the Rosetta stone and realized that the stone tablet depicted an ancient battle between Dream God Phoebe and some Foreign Gods'' alliance named ''Cocor.'' The stone also provided more information about the inhabitants of this realm, their civilization, knowledge, culture, and so on.


    In this ancient and mystical nightmare realm, its inhabitants bore the race name ''Karr,'' and their spokennguage was known as ''Vamii.'' For countless millennia, they called the city of ''Katbi'' their home, a ce that had stood as the Divine Pce under the watchful eye of the Dream God. Despite the divine nature of their surroundings, the various races dwelling within this realm led lives akin to a paradise, their existence harmoniously intertwined with the ethereal beauty.


    However, the curious phenomenon of unique reincarnation sets this realm apart. Once every few hundred years, a cyclical process unfolded, granting its inhabitants the opportunity for extraordinary rebirth. This intricate cycle allowed the followers of the Dream God Phoebe to experience reincarnation in a manner unlike that found elsewhere. The nature of this unique rebirth held a deep mystery, one that had puzzled many for generations.


    Due to this reincarnation cycle, the Dream God Phoebe''s strength reached exponential heights. As each follower underwent their transformation, the collective energy of their experiences nourished the Dream God, elevating Phoebe''s divine power to unprecedented levels.


    Yet, Charles couldn''t help but be captivated by the question that arose in his mind at that moment¡ªhow did the unique reincarnation of the followers lead to such an increase in the Dream God''s power? The implications of this connection between the two seemed profound, hinting at a deeper purpose and intery.


    In that instant, Charles recalled the ''Eternal River of Life.''


    ''Could it be Dream God Phoebe used that bracelet''s power to achieve a simr effect?'' He also thought of the strange gigantic purple sun, which his Purple Consciousness had witnessed a while ago, and thought that this strange dimension must be within one of the three beads of the bracelet.


    Soon, he shook his head and continued to read.


    This stone momentum mentioned the stories of sess and greatness in the olden days. But as he read further, there was a mention of the sad part. Over ten thousand years, the people here enjoyed their lives to the fullest. However, destiny had other ns, and two terrible disasters urred, leaving scars that would be remembered for a long time.


    The first tragedy happened when foreign Gods arrived and invaded this realm from their divine kingdoms. They not only wanted to kill Dream God Phoebe but also wanted to take control of thisnd and upset its delicate bnce. The battles that followed were fierce and ruthless, and many brave Saint Heroes lost their lives while trying to protect their homes and loved ones.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    As if the first disaster wasn''t enough, another cmity was on the horizon. The Dream God Phoebe, who used to be kind and caring, changed drastically. No one knows why this happened, but the consequences were terrible. Phoebe''s kindness turned into anger, and the once-loved god became unpredictable and dangerous. There was even a change within his ''Divinity,'' resulting in the appearance of Nightmare Creatures within the realm. This sudden change brought fear and uncertainty to the realm, leaving the people confused and afraid.


    ''This monument seems to hold a significant part of the realm''s history, and it was probably ced here before the final battle.''


    Afterpletely reading the stone momentum, Charles moved to the nearby hero stones and the statues and started looking at the glyphs and strange words-like patterns inscribed on them.


    ''These looks like an old form of thenguage written on the Rosetta stone.'' Charles didn''t face any difficulty and deciphered them easily.


    Although most of them depicted only the ancient battles of their heroic battles, some possessed unique will with hidden information about their skills.


    ''Although most of the skill information is only around Rare and Extraordinary level, they are still valuable treasures.'' Unfortunately, he didn''t have much time to decipher all those skill information.


    ''My goal is to find out how those two Corpse Devourers appeared here.'' He stayed in the Cemetery for the next two hours and finally managed to find a unique pattern behind the Rosetta Stone.


    "A magic circle pattern?" He instantly activated the [Mystic Algorithm] skill and soon looked at the pattern with a new vision.


    He saw fascinating patterns in the form of spatial rule and the Vamii ancientnguage within those lines and started to understand the hidden structures and rules governing this Magic Circle.


    ''A teleportation magic circle, huh?'' Although he had less knowledge about rune study, he at least knew how to activate it.


    Slowly, he walked closer to the stone, infused his wisdom power towards the center of the pattern, and started reciting the words written on the outeryer of the magic circle.


    As Charles started to recite those words, the mysterious magic circle suddenly trembled and the words and strange patterns within the circle started to glow in a golden light.


    By the time he ended the chant, the ground below him suddenly glowed and released a dense amount of spatial elemental energy.


    In the blink of an eye, Charles experienced a sudden and disorienting shift in his surroundings. In a mere second, he went from the dimly lit passage to apletely different realm. As he gathered his bearings, he found himself standing at the heart of a peculiar sight¡ªthe center of four ancient stone pirs that seemed to emanate an aura of mysterious energy.


    The ambiance of this realm was drastically different from what he had encountered before. The sky above him was illuminated with a radiant brilliance akin to daylight, casting a warm and golden glow on everything below. Thendscape around him was adorned with intriguing stone houses, each disying unique architecture that spoke of an ancient and forgotten civilization.


    Amidst this enigmatic setting, Charles'' attention was drawn to a grand and imposing structure that loomed before him like a beacon of knowledge and power. It appeared to be a majestic temple, its architecture, unlike anything he had seen in the mortal world. Intricate carvings adorned its walls, depicting a variety of animals and humans in various poses, each seemingly telling a story of their own.


    The statues that adorned the temple were of a diverse array of creatures, from mythical beings to ordinary animals, each with an air of majesty and significance. Some of the statues depicted majestic winged creatures, while others bore the likeness of regal warriors and wise schrs. Each statue seemed to have its own symbolism and purpose, giving the temple an aura of sacredness and profound wisdom.


    As Charles took in the awe-inspiring sight before him, he felt a palpable sense of reverence and curiosity tugging at his heart.


    But before he could take a deep look at the surroundings, his attention was drawn to a group of Karr standing at the entrance of the temple. Some wore silver armor while the rest were dressed in robes and linen outfits. If not for Charles''s Rune Eye skill, he would''vepletely believed that they were actual Karr beings.

 Chapter 655 Unexpected Discovery

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    Chapter 655: Unexpected Discovery


    ''Unlike the guards, all of them are only Rank-3 beings.'' Charles touched the robe, activated the [Veil of Shadows] skill, and slowly blended with the nearby stone pir''s shadow.


    With a calcted and swift movement, he also activated his ''Shadow Stealth'' skill, instantly plunging himself into invisibility, effectively blending with the shadows that enveloped the surroundings. Concealed from view, he advanced stealthily towards the imposing entrance of the temple; his senses heightened as he surveyed the situation within.


    A remarkable sight met his eyes as he approached the temple''s entrance. A vast congregation of Corpse Devourers had gathered inside, at least a thousand strong. What was most intriguing was that a significant portion of them possessed only the strength of Rank-2 or Rank-3 beings, which raised numerous questions in Charles''s mind.


    Despite his curiosity, he hesitated briefly before making a decision. Ultimately, Charles steeled his resolve and entered the temple through the monumental entrance tower, treading cautiously yet undeterred. As he ventured deeper, the grand pavilion appeared, adorned with multiple stone pirs supporting the expansive hall. Within the pavilion, numerous devotees sat, engrossed in conversations with each other, and Charles couldn''t help but notice the presence of lively children running and ying amongst the pirs.


    The most bewildering aspect of this sight was how the Corpse Devourers seemed to behave like ordinary Karr beings, disying no clue of their true nature. This observation piqued Charles''s curiosity even further, leading him to believe that they lived as if they were from the distant past, exhibiting customs and habits akin to the Karr beings of ancient times.


    Eager to unravel the secrets of this peculiar underground city, Charles recognized that he needed to immerse himself in the world of the Corpse Devourers to glean valuable insights. A thought urred to him¡ªcould he transform into a Karr being using the Corpse Devourer''s blood?


    Intrigued yet unsure of the oue, Charles furrowed his brows in contemtion and employed the [Purple Consciousness] spell on a specific Corpse Devourer. As expected, his Purple Consciousness manifested itself before the purple star within the Corpse Devourer''s Inner World, granting him a glimpse of its essence before swiftly vanishing.


    Despite this revtion, he recognized that his shapeshifting ability could not burn the memories of the Corpse Devourer. Their unique souls were intrinsically linked to a mysterious dimension of the Purple Sun, leaving him in deep thought.


    But his genuine concern was how to search for the ''bracelet'' in this strange ancient city.


    After contemting his next move, Charles departed from the temple, venturing into the unknown expanse of the ancient underground city.


    As he stepped onto the y-paved road, curiosity propelled him to explore further, seeking to uncover the secrets shrouded within this mysterious realm.


    To his astonishment, Charles soon realized that the residents of this underground city remained entirely oblivious to the existence of the outside world. They lived in istion, detached from knowing whaty beyond the confines of their subterranean abode.


    As he strolled along the bustling streets, the sight of numerous people engaged in their daily activities caught his attention. Merchants lined the roadside, selling an array of fascinating items, including peculiar essories, exotic fruits, sulent meats, and an assortment of vegetables that were entirely unfamiliar to him.


    The sheer number of inhabitants dwelling in this hidden city astounded Charles. He estimated the poption to exceed 100,000 Corpse Devourers, leading him to question whether this entire city was a part of the Dungeon. His furrowed brow betrayed the depth of his contemtion as he pondered the true nature of this enigmatic ce.


    Intriguing possibilities flooded his mind, including the notion that this ancient city might be a pocket dimension, a realm separate from the conventional understanding of reality. However, Charles couldn''t dismiss the perplexing encounter with the Silver-armored guards he had battled earlier. The presence of those guards raised questions regarding the level of awareness among the Corpse Devourers within this peculiar domain. Were higher-ranking Corpse Devourers the only ones privy to the knowledge of the outside Dungeon?


    Lost in thought, Charles eventually arrived at a slum-like street situated in the city''s farthest reaches. With a specific purpose, he began searching for a suitable target. His intentions were clear¡ªhe sought to assimte himself further into the life of the Corpse Devourers, toprehend their world, and, ultimately, to find the elusive ''bracelet'' that held the key to unlocking the secrets of this cryptic and ndestine realm.


    After tirelesslybing through thebyrinthine streets of the underground ancient city, Charles''s persistence pays off as he stumbles upon a heartrending scene. Amidst the bustling cityscape, he discovered an orphaned youth, alone and vulnerable, lying inside a weathered and quaint abode made of ancient red bricks. The tiny house''s roof, reminiscent of a sheltering coconut tree, was adorned with conical-shaped leaves, lending an air of rustic charm to the humble dwelling.


    ''He is a perfect target to take over.''


    With a simple movement, he suddenly disappeared from where he was before and arrived inside the small room. After that, he quietly looked at the 6.5 feet tall youth sleeping soundlessly on the stone b and unsheathed the long sword.


    Before he could even act, Grace suddenly sent out a sharp de-like energy and decapitated him in a blink!<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    As the headless body twitched, bluish-green blood sttered all over the stone b and dirtied the floor.


    "Why did you kill him? I could''ve tried the ''Burning Thoughts'' spell on him to see if I can erase his memory." Charles grumbled.


    Instead of listening, Grace absorbed a small amount of the youth''s blood and stopped.


    A strange monotonous voice echoed in his head in the Runal Language a momentter.


    ''Horrible.''


    "Oh? You can actually talk? I thought you are a mute-" Before he could utter, a sharp pain appeared on his neck, causing him to swallow his words.


    ''Damn it, this sword is hard to control and quite dangerous too.'' Charles conjured the blue me and healed the wound on his neck first.


    Following the intense action by Grace, Charles carefully sheathed his weapon, its gleaming de now resting. After that, he turned his attention to the decapitated youth lying lifeless.


    Seeking to unravel the mysteries of this underground city and the enigmatic beings that inhabited it, Charles knew that creating an identity imprint was crucial. He took a drop of the youth''s bluish-green blood and let it drop on his right palm.


    A remarkable transformation began to unfold when the drop of blood touched his skin. Charles''s once deep-blue hair slowly started to shift in color, transitioning into a vibrant and captivating emerald green hue. Simultaneously, his stature changed significantly, growing taller and more imposing until he stood at an impressive height of 6.5 feet.


    Charles''s facial features also underwent a metamorphosis, his previously oval face assuming a more striking triangr shape, entuated by a broad andmanding forehead. Yet, the most extraordinary change urred at the center of his forehead.


    As Charles was in awe, a visible gap emerged between his brows, followed by the formation of an intricate eyelid. In seconds, a strange bluish third eye materialized on his forehead, radiating an otherworldly glow that seemed to hold ancient secrets.


    Upon utilizing his newly acquired identity imprint, Charles experienced an astonishing revtion. The world before him now appeared in an entirely different light, diverging from his previous vision. Notably, he could perceive the environment in a broader spectrum, as if he could observe the ceiling without needing to look upward.


    However, this newfound perception was apanied by a puzzling observation. Charles''s sharp intellect made him realize that everything he saw through his third eye was in ck and white, starkly contrasting the world''s vibrant colors as perceived by his regr vision. This enigma furrowed his brows as he sought toprehend the reasons behind this discrepancy.


    As he continued to investigate, Charles discerned that only his third eye disyed the world in this monochromatic manner, leaving him to wonder about the significance of this unique sight.


    ''Not only that, but this third eye can allow me to see more than ten times as my original vision. Is it a racial trait?''


    Despite this peculiarity, Charles managed to harness the power of his identity imprint effectively. He sessfully transformed his appearance to that of the Karr youth he had observed earlier, allowing himself a moment of relief.


    Amidst these thoughts, Charles couldn''t help but draw a remarkableparison between the Corpse Devourers'' ability and his own ''Shapeshifting'' skill. It became evident that the Corpse Devourers not only replicated memories and skills but could even imitate their imprinted identities'' gic traits. This realization left him in awe, viewing the Corpse Devourers'' skill as an enhanced and evolved version of his shapeshifting ability.


    Eager to further explore the implications of this profound revtion, Charles retrieved a mirror from his space ring and carefully affixed it to a nearby brick wall. He used the mirror to observe his transformed appearance, contemting what to do next.

 Chapter 656 Plan

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    Chapter 656: n


    ''First, I need to gather information about this youth. After that, I will try to move to the center of this city and see if I can find traces of the bracelet named Whisper of Gluttony.'' Charles first disposed of the body and erased all the blood trials on the stone b.


    ''Unfortunately, I can''t rely on Genesis this time.''


    Shaking his head, he searched the small house to find any book or manuscript but found only utensils for cooking, dry wood, a few vegetables, dried meat, etc.


    ''From the looks of it, this young Karr is most likely a mortal. He indeed doesn''t seem to have any family nor do have any friends.'' Charles even observed outside the house and noticed a few other utensils like a shovel, sickle, axe, rake, and grape hoe used for farming were ced near the entrance.


    ''So he is a farmer? Then, there must be somend document hidden somewhere.'' He again scanned the house and soon found a small loft made using in wood a little above his head.


    Charles slowly flew above using his wisdom power and soon saw a bag made of unique fabric.


    He pulled it towards him telekically with a wave and descended to the ground.


    After that, he opened the bag and took out four manuscripts that almost looked like palm leaves.


    Charles opened the small one that only had around 20 leaves and started reading it.


    ''Hmm, this manuscript says about the agreement between the Poet Tasar Pabe and a karr named Flinar Miramaris about a songpetition?'' Charles stared at the manuscript for a while and continued to read.


    ''So, this kid''s father lost to the poet Tasar Pabe in a songpetition and ended his life due to shame? Moreover, even his mother died because she couldn''t ept his death. What the heck is wrong with this family? Who would die over a songpetition?'' He felt so ridiculous after reading the first manuscript.


    ''No, it''s almost impossible for anyone to die just because of a loss in a songpetition. Something is fishy.'' Charles noted Tasar Pabe''s name and decided to check on himter.


    ''But I can''t also rule out the possibility of this whole race being emotionally weak.''


    After that, Charles took out the other manuscript and started reading them.


    ''It''s not anynd documents but only information about this youngster''s family called Miramaris?'' Charles read them individually and soon learned some information about this youngd.


    ''His name is Vesryn Miramaris, age 46, worked under the Poet Tasar for ten years and was chased out of his school due to a little fight between students. After that, his father confronted Poet Tasar and fought a song duel.'' These were the only information he managed to get from all the manuscripts.


    After that, he also took a wooden box from the bag and unlocked it. He saw inside not old manuscripts or scrolls but seven square-shaped red metals.


    ''What are these?'' Looking at the metal''s outer structure, he saw a crown symbol carved on one side while the other symbolized a leaf.


    ''Maybe currency?'' Charles furrowed his brows as he put them in his space ring and decided to change his cloth. First, he removed his cloth, took a traditional-looking red-colored thoub cloth from the nearby shelf and wore it. After that, he made his way out of the small house and entered the y-paved road.


    Charles followed the path, moved towards the main road, and soon arrived at the city''s center.


    After that, he found a suitable space to hide his presence, cast [Shadow Stealth] skill and became invisible.


    For the next 12 hours, Charles stood in the same ce and continued to listen to everyone''s conversation. By the time the sky darkened, he had learned more about this city''s customs,mon things, and even some crucial information about the city''s ruler.


    The first thing that piqued his interest was the city''s unique hierarchy system and its ruler.


    ''Like Edhen World, the one who governs this city was a King. Moreover, his name is the same as Dream God Phoebe''s name. But instead of nobles, the ones who hold higher positions in this city are Nine Poets and Four Guardians. The nine poets are called the ''Sage Heroes'' and held the authority even to strip the King from his position. But they are loyal to King Phoebe and would even give their life to make him smile.'' What made him startle deeply was Karr''s other unique trait.


    ''They never lie and always speak from the bottom of their heart. They also hate anything that harms one''s body and try their best to resolve the problems peacefully. Now I understand why even the song duel caused Flinar tomit suicide.''


    ''The next is the Four Guardians. Strangely, I also overheard the name of Esim from many people, making me think that this whole city is the recreation of the past.'' Charles also learned of the unique currency system called ''Athma.'' The seven Red Square metals in his pocket were called ''Thees'' aka ''Bloods'' and were the lowest rank currency. With seven Bloods, one could barely stay in an Inn for seven days. The next rank currency was called ''Gatham'' aka ''Emeralds'' and was the middle-Rank Currency. One Emerald was equal to 10,000 Bloods. And, finally, thest Rank Currency was called ''Nikkam'' aka ''Ruby.'' One Ruby''s value was equal to 10,000 Emeralds.


    ''If this city is a recreation of the past, whose doing is it? Is it the will of the Dream God Phoebe?'' Charles shook his head. He knew that even the Will of a God doesn''t have this much power to create such an absurd dimension within the dungeon.


    ''I suspect that this is the doing of the bracelet artifact itself. But why did it make these tens of thousands of Corpse Devourers act as Karr beings?'' Charles slowly walked out of the shadow of the tall building and turned his gaze towards the faraway dome-shaped towering building.


    It was the pce of this Divine City.


    ''If I''m not wrong, Dream God Phoebe''s Corpse Devourer should reside there. But how powerful will he be?'' A hesitant look appeared on his face.


    If the ruler of this dimension were as powerful as Demigod or even higher, Charles would''ve no choice but to run away for his life.


    ''One single mistake, I might even get myself surrounded by multiple-level Legend Rank powerhouses and end up captured.'' After battling the two Legend Rank Guards and observing the people for the past 12 hours, Charles learned that Legend Rank powerhouses weremon in this city.


    Moreover, Charles also noticed a power level between the Legend Rank powerhouses. They divided the Legend Rank into four levels: Novice, Intermediate, Expert, and Master. The Guards Charles battled in the passage came under the'' Novice'' section and mostly relied on sword or spear skills and divine spells. The Intermediate level people were well-versed in sword or spear skills and had attained high knowledge of Divine Spells. They were eligible to work as Pce Knights or advisors of Night Sage Heroes and Four Guardians.


    ''If I''m not wrong, Holy Maiden of Order Church, Radiant Knight Ruby, the Assassin man, and even Cardinal Luke woulde under this section.''


    The third Rank was called the ''Expert'' realm. The people in this Rank had already attained the power of Law in all fields and had already created uniquew spells or skills.


    ''From what I''ve gathered, all the Nine Sage Heroes and the Four Guardians reached this realm long ago and have been considered the pirs of this Divine City. Although I''m not sure how powerful they were during the destruction of Dream God Phoebe''s divine kingdom, I''m sure they are at least Rank-7 or Rank-8 powerhouses. But now, their power should be only around mine and the young-looking boy named Jamie.''


    And the final Rank was called the ''Mastery'' realm. And the only one who attained that stage in this city was the young version of the Dream God Phoebe, the Dream God''s Corpse Devourer.


    ''Even if this Dream God isn''t real, his strength should be no less than a Demigod. Without any n, I can''t defeat him.'' A frown appeared on his forehead, causing the third eye''s pupil to shrink.


    Charles pondered deeply and soon devised a n to enter the pce.


    ''I need to be a famous poet in a short period. And, the song must be good enough to attract the attention of everyone in this city.'' Unfortunately, he wasn''t a good singer. No, his singing might cause the Sage Heores to die of heart attacks.


    So, with no other choice, Charles withdrew that reckless n.


    ''The next thing is to stealthily kill one of the nine Sage Heroes and enter the pce using his identity. But what will happen after that? I can''t stay here for a long time.'' He sighed deeply and decided to find the bracelet''s location first.


    ''My next destination is the Library of Sages. But I should return home and go there the next morning to not make anyone suspicious of my identity.'' Charles nodded and quietly returned to the small house in the farthest corner of the ancient city.

 Chapter 657 Poet Griven

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    Chapter 657: Poet Griven


    The next day.


    Charles walked out of his house early in the morning and went to the library of Sages located four streets away from his home.


    The library was an impressive sight, standing tall at four stories high. Its construction was primarily of stones, giving it a sturdy and ssic appearance. It took on a fascinating dome-shaped structure at the center of the building, evoking a sense of grandeur and importance. Surrounding this central dome were four towering stone pirs resembling lookout points, adding a touch of architectural majesty to the overall design.


    Upon entering the library, Charles found a diverse collection of books spread across its floors. The first floor was dedicated to subjects like history, literature, and mythologies, offering visitors a chance to delve into the rich tapestry of Karr stories and knowledge.


    But what startled him was not a single person appeared before his sight. Not even a guard stood at the entrance or a receptionist.


    ''I heard that public library opens for everyone, but I didn''t think this ce would be this vacant. Moreover, because of their racial trait of living honestly, there is no need to fear theft. I should use this chance and gather as much knowledge as possible.''


    Ascending to the second floor revealed an intriguing array of books that catered to specific interests and skills. Here, the collection included works rted to basic mathematics, exploring the foundational principles of the subject. Additionally, the library delved into the enchanting realm of magic and its rtion tonguage. Charles also found resources on sword arts, spear arts, warrior skills, and other practical disciplines. Moreover, the second floor also housed essential knowledge about basic divine arts.


    The third floor took Charles on a journey through more profound and esoteric knowledge. Famous history books covering significant events and turning points in civilizations were avable. The library also delved into the realm of nar travels and other dimensions. Among the most intriguing offerings on this floor were books concerning unique inheritances, mysterious legacies passed down through generations and their profound implications. Moreover, there were resources on high-ranked divine arts for those aspiring to reach greater heights in their magical journey, offering insights into the divine and its connection to mortal life.


    Charles spent more than five hours on the third floor for the next few hours and finally found some information about the Bracelet called ''Whisper of Gluttony.''


    ''Dream God Phoebe got this treasure 30 years ago when exploring the outer space and announced it as a national treasure. From the looks of it, he is always wearing it.'' He closed the book made of skin parchment and noticed that not even a single person entered the library all this time.


    ''It is a good ce to increase my knowledge.'' Charles quickly picked up literature books from all the shelves and stored them in his space ring one by one. From basic to profound, he took everything from the shelves and kept 10,000 books!


    ''Although I still won''t be able to reach the realm of Sage Heroes'' knowledge, I can at least make them impressed by my knowledge and get closer to everyone. After all, bing a poet is the only Dream God Phoebe''s weakness.'' Charles muttered slowly and took the Crystal Dimension stone from his space ring. After that, he put it on the nearby wooden shelf, changed himself into elemental form, and soon disappeared.


    For the next two days, Charles stayed in the Crystal Dimension and increased his knowledge of literacy of the Karr people and their history to an unpredictable level.


    Two dayster, Charles returned to the third floor and checked the surroundings first. After finding no one was nearby, he stored the Crystal Dimensional stone in his space ring and returned all the books he picked up earlier to the exact ces.


    After that, he quietly left the library and walked towards the fourth district. But as he started walking, he strangely noticed that every person''s casual talk appeared more like a poetic verse. The more he heard, the more he realized that even the street song seemed as beautiful as the dream song of a musician.


    ''This isn''t a city of Corpse Devourers. Every people, their actions, even their steps, contain a rhytm of emotions and poetic.'' It looked more like a Heaven for poets. More importantly, the emotional positive soul essence released by each and every essence appeared pure, which startled him greatly.


    ''I should hurry up and start my n.''


    His next destination was, of course, to meet the poet Tasar Pabe''s mentor. He wasn''t there to settle the score for this youth''s past but to enve him with the [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    ''From the information I have gathered so far, he is actually a student of one of the Nine Sage Heroes. So, my target is not Tasar but his master. His house is located in Golden Track Street, Fourth District.'' Before long, Charles arrived at a house surrounded by a two-meter-tallpound gate and walked towards the grand entrance.


    As Charles approached the house''s grand entrance in Golden Track Street, he took a deep breath and changed his facial expression into a humble one.


    Pushing the gate open, he walked through the serene courtyard adorned with colorful flowers and lush greenery.


    Reaching the entrance, Charles knocked on the massive wooden door. After a brief moment, the door creaked open, revealing an elderly Karr man with silver hair and a serene expression. He wore a simple yet elegant robe, and his eyes held a hint of wisdom that betrayed his years of experience.


    "Greetings, esteemed master," Charles said, bowing respectfully.


    The elderly Karr man sized him up and down and asked.


    "Pray, might I inquire, who dost thou be?"


    "I, Vesryn Miramaris, a humble poet, once graced the halls of renowned Tasar Pabe''s tutge. Today, I arrive at this sacred house to beseech thy counsel and divine inspiration, O great poet, and thy revered mentor, whose wisdom I yearn to embrace. Pray, may I have the honor of meeting this esteemed master, and partake in discourse that shall kindle the embers of my aspirations?"


    The elderly Karr regarded Charles keenly, his eyes seemingly peering into his soul. Silence passed before he spoke, his voice hinting of kindness and depth.


    "Hail, youthful Vesryn Miramaris, I am Master Griven, and to Tasar Pabe, a guide I stand. A joyous asion, indeed, to embrace a kindred poet in pursuit of inspiration''s grace. Enter, I beseech thee, and within these walls, let us converse, and thy aspirations divine we shall trace."


    Charles followed Master Griven inside the elegant house, where they settled in a cozy room adorned with various poetic scriptures and literary treasures. Master Griven offered Charles a seat, and they engaged in a heartfelt conversation about poetry, philosophy, and the art of expression.


    The more they talked, Griven got more and more convinced that this young man had wisdom far surpassing his own. Even simple words he spoke contained hidden meanings and deep insights.


    "Thy verbiage doth surpass my humble voice, youth. Mine astonishment lingers, forsooth, at thy exclusion from my student''s abode, for trivial cause. How wondrous, that thou art more versed in the art of grace than mine own venerable mentor? Pray, impart thy wisdom upon me, that I may glean insight from thy eloquent ways."


    A radiant smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Speak with the eloquence of a sweet-sounding flute, and listen to the desires of noble hearts. Acquire the strength of true knowledge, like the radiant sun, and lead with unwavering conviction. The beginning of wisdom lies in the art of expression; sess in this world is rooted in its pursuit, Master Griven."


    Charles skillfully weaved his way through the conversation, subtly casting the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on Master Griven, hiding his true intentions beneath the facade of an aspiring poet.


    As the conversation flowed, Charles noticed that Master Griven''s eyes sparkled with newfound enthusiasm and inspiration.


    "Thy word, young Vesryn, doth stir a symphony of passion and profoundness," Master Griven acimed, his voice a symphony of reverence and praise. "I divine that thy poetic odyssey hath but begun, and I find myself humbled and privileged to share in this sacred part."


    ''Although I want to fasten my n and meet one of the Nine Sage Heroes sooner, I need to act more carefully.''


    Charles thanked the master for his kind words, concealing his tion at the sess of his n.


    As he was about to stand up and leave, Master Griven suddenly looked up into his eyes and spoke.


    "Enveloped in your profound wisdom, thou art worthy, even as a schr, to grace my revered Teacher Almar Quidi''s hallowed halls. Should your time permit, might thou deign to apany me to the esteemed House of Melodic Words? It''s a dwelling where symphonies of verse intertwine with ethereal musings."


    A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''My thoughts reached his mind? Maybe because of the [Curse of the Overlord] spell?''


    "Such a gracious invitation befits my deepest gratitude, Esteemed Master," Charles spoke, a respectful bow apanying his words. He then rose with poise and respect, ready to embark on this esteemed journey of poetic enlightenment.


    With a friendly spirit, Master Griven gently held Charles''s hand, and together, they went on a beautiful journey through the city''s charming streets. The stone paths seemed to hold poetic secrets, as if every brick and stone whispered old songs and beautiful lines.


    As they walked, the air itself felt filled with poetic inspiration, carrying soft verses that seemed to float and move around them. The gentle breeze touched their cheeks like a creative muse, sparking their imaginations.


    The streets were lined with charming houses and colorful gardens, creating a peaceful scene that matched the poetic atmosphere. Vibrant bouquets seemed to bloom harmoniously with the verses that filled the air, creating a beautiful tapestry of beauty and art.


    As they continued their poetic walk, the setting sun cast a golden glow over the surroundings, giving the city an otherworldly radiance. The warm sunlight embraced the city, painting the streets in shades of amber and saffron.

 Chapter 658 Sage Hero

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    Chapter 658: Sage Hero


    At the end of the street, they stood before a tall square building that was a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship. Unlike the other stone buildings in the city, this one was crafted from pure crystalline rocks, each facet reflecting the glimmering sunlight like a constetion of stars.


    The building stood like a circr tower, soaring majestically into the sky, its height reaching a staggering 300 meters. Its magnificent presence touched the heavens as if aspiring to reach the clouds. A sense of awe washed over Charles as he gazed up at the towering structure, captivated by its grandeur and allure.


    Circr staircases, like spiraling verses of an intricate poem, gracefully adorned the exterior of the building, leading to each floor with an aura of charisma. Each step held the promise of ascending to new heights of knowledge and artistic brilliance.


    It was a sight unlike any other, an architectural marvel that seemed to embody the essence of poetry itself. Master Griven beamed with pride as he observed Charles''s awe-struck expression, knowing that this sacred abode of poetic wisdom would leave an indelible mark on his young protege''s poetic journey.


    "Wee, dear Vesryn, to the House of Melodic Words," Master Griven said, his voice carrying the reverence befitting this extraordinary ce. "Within these crystalline walls, the symphonies of verse intertwine with the dance of ethereal musings. Prepare yourself, for here, thy poetic soul shall ascend to heights unimagined."


    The House of Melodic Words stood as a sanctuary of verse, a sacred dwelling where symphonies of poetry intertwined with ethereal musings.


    As they approached the entrance of the House, Charles felt an inexplicable energy in the air, akin to the harmony of celestial notes converging.


    ''Divine power... I sense a strange divine power from the center of this building. It''s so pure and sacred.''


    He couldn''t help but be in awe of the aura that surrounded this esteemed abode, where the very essence of poetry seemed to reside.


    Crossing the threshold, he found himself amidst a stunning sight. Intricately carved verses adorned the walls, each line a masterpiece of poetic expression. Books and scrolls were neatly arranged on shelves, showcasing the wisdom of countless poets who had sought sce within these hallowed halls.


    Under the guidance of Master Griven, he made his way into the Elder Hall, the center of the main building, where the Sage Hero Elre Sylcyne was residing.


    After arriving in front of a tall wooden door, Master Griven knocked on it twice and spoke.


    "O wise Teacher Elre, a humble disciple stands before your presence, beseeching an audience with thee."


    A strange silence appeared briefly, followed by a pleasant male voice.


    "Griven, how often do I tell you to talk normally?" The man behind the door spoke in a general non-poetic voice and added with a chuckle.


    "The door is open; get in. I wonder whom you brought this time."


    ''Thank goodness. Finally, I can talk normally.'' Charles also breathed a sigh of relief as Griven pushed open the door and walked in.


    Charles also walked behind him and looked at the grand Elder hall curiously.


    The decorations inside the hall were lovely, with beautiful tapestries showing scenes from old poems and stories. Soft candlelight made the room feel cozy and warm.


    At the center of the hall, sitting on a finely carved wooden chair, was the respected Sage Hero Elre Sylcyne. He looked distinguished, with his silver hair flowing down like moonlight. His eyes held a deep knowledge, like ancient wells that had quenched the thirst of many seekers.


    He donned a robe of exquisite craftsmanship woven from the finest silken threads that glimmered like moonlit strands at that moment. In his hand, he wielded a staff wrought from pure silver, its surface etched with intricate patterns that seemed to dance and shimmer with a life of their own. Adorning his head was a crown fashioned from the same precious metal, an emblem of his noble status and wisdom.


    Though his countenance exuded a youthful aura, as if untouched by the passage of time, his form revealed a frailty that belied his apparent age. His once-vigorous frame appeared meager and skeletal, hinting at a hidden ailment he bore with silent strength.


    When Master Griven and Charles entered the room, Sage Hero Elre greeted them with a warm smile. He seemed both humble and authoritative, which made him truly great.


    ''A Rank-6 Mystic with immense divine power residing in his body... But I can''t find which ss he belongs to.'' While muttering, Charles locked his gaze on Sage Hero Elre and stealthily cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell. What startled him was that the other party didn''t even sense an anomaly.


    "Wee, dear guests," Elre said, interrupting his thinking. "I sense a strange connection with you, young man. Tell me, what brings you to this special hall of poetry?"


    ''So, he perceived the spell but considered it some wisdom connection?''


    Charles stepped forward, feeling excited. He carefully spoke to the Sage Hero.


    "Esteemed Sage Hero Elre Sylcyne, I am Vesryn Miramaris, a humble poet who once learned from the famous Tasar Pabe. Today, I am here to seek your guidance and wisdom. Your reputation as a wise and poetic soul is known far and wide, and I humbly ask for your insight."


    Sage Hero Elre''s eyes twinkled with amusement at Charles''s eloquence. He motioned for Charles toe closer and sit opposite him.


    "You speak well, young Vesryn Miramaris," he said warmly. "I sense that you have great potential in the realm of poetry. Tell me, what passions drive your soul? What do you see and feel that inspires your poetry?"


    Feeling grateful for the sage''s interest, Charles replied, "In the depths of my soul, I long to write verses that paint the beauty of life in all its colors. Gentle and intense emotions guide my pen as I write on parchment. I see unseen worlds and hear melodies that demand to be captured in words."


    Sage Hero Elre nodded appreciatively, acknowledging Charles''s passion.


    "Your enthusiasm, young poet, is the source of poetic brilliance," he said. "Exploring emotions and embracing the unseen opens doors to boundless creativity. As a Sage Hero, I will guide you in your poetic journey and share wisdom gained through many years of experience."


    "Teacher?" Master Griven''s eyes widened as he heard those words.


    ''Teacher epted him as his student in few seconds? I knew there was something special about him, but I didn''t expect the Teacher to ept him right away. He must be a prodigy who will achieve great things in the future!'' His heart stirred.


    Meanwhile, Charles bowed his head, eyes full of determination and passion.


    And so, time passed like verses of a grand song. Charles eagerly absorbed the poetic knowledge from Sage Hero Elre Sylcyne''s words. The sage shared stories of his poetic adventures, the challenges and sesses that marked his path, and the profound insights he had gained throughout his life.


    Listening intently, Charles realized that he had found a good pawn and a kindred soul to listen to his every word. By the time the sky darkened, he hadpletely enved both the Teacher and Student duo.


    "Teacher, can I able to meet all the other Sage Heroes? I dream of getting the title of Imperial Songsmiths from our Divine King Phoebe."


    "Imperial Songsmith title? You have a big vision, Vesryn." Elre let out a chuckle and soon turned his gaze towards Griven.


    "Bring our new prodigy to the Soeers meeting at the Royal Pce tomorrow. Although getting the title of Imperial Songsmith is even a dream for me, I''ll at least introduce him to my fellow Sages and let them know of his incredible talent."


    "Indeed, venerable Teacher, my heart brims with eager anticipation to witness the graceful dance of his poetic prowess, surpassing each prodigious soul in turn and ascending to the summit of wordsmiths." A smile of pride adorned Master Griven''s face, radiating his joy and admiration for the young poet''s potential.


    After talking, Charles and Griven bid farewell to Sage Hero Elre and left the Elder Hall.


    As the whole city was shrouded in darkness, Charles returned to the lone house and quietlyy on the stone b.


    ''Three days have passed, but I still didn''t find out the true origin of these Corpse Devourers. I only have a few days until one month period ends.'' He pondered deeply and thought of enving all the Sage Heroes.


    ''Thanks to their pure, honest racial trait, even the slight suspicion bes a plus point for me. As long as I utilize this chance, I can enve all the Sage Heroes and convince them to let me meet the Corpse Devourer of King Phoebe.'' But he knew it was challenging to fool the Demi-God-level powerhouse.


    ''Even though he isn''t the real one, I suspect he might also have memories of the real Dream God Phoebe. Only by fooling him can I get the Bracelet.'' But what worried him most wasn''t the Dream God Phoebe or the Four Guardians but the Bracelet itself!


    ''If that Bracelet is capable of recreating the whole ancient city with people to protect itself, it won''t be willing toe under me without a fight. But even Dream God Phoebe said that he only felt the eerie gaze from all those three beads but not any type of retaliation.'' At that moment, a strange thought urred in Charles''s mind.


    ''What if the omnipresent-like being within these three beads is sealed inside?'' Even the mere thought sent made his face stiffen up.


    ''I should worry about it after getting the artifact first.'' He shook his head, took out the Crystal DImension stone, and focused on improving his [Chaos Eye] spellprehension in his free time.

 Chapter 659 A Shadow

    Chapter 659 A Shadow


    Chapter 659: A Shadow


    In the center of the city, on Noble Street, stood the Royal Pce, an impressive building with a shiny white dome. It was much taller and more grand than the other nearby buildings, clearly showing its authority and power.


    The pce had a strong castle-like protection wall, and the elite Karr guards were responsible for security. They were stationed at the four entrances, looking tall and watchful, with spotless uniforms and gleaming weapons in the sunlight. They seemed fully dedicated to their duty.


    However, if someone observed closely, they would notice something odd about the guards. Despite their calm appearance, their expressions and bodynguage clearly showed worry and concern. They asionally nced toward the pce''s interior, seemingly more focused on what was happening inside than any external dangers.


    Perhaps something of great importance was urring within the pce walls, causing tension and apprehension among the guards. It was evident that the situation inside was of paramount importance, and even the stalwart protectors of the pce could not hide their unease.


    At that moment, Charles, Elre, and Griven arrived at the pce''s northern entrance and were slightly startled by the guards'' anxious look.


    "What''s happening? Moreover, why there are so many guards stationed outside?" Charles asked as he realized a little abnormality.


    ''As far as I know, only a handful of guards are stationed at each entrance all the time, and even that too for a formality. But why did they strengthen the security?''


    Meanwhile, Griven hurriedly ran towards one of the guards, asked him about the situation, and returned with a grim look.


    "It doth appear that two Celestial Guards, tasked to venture beyond this realm and vigntly guard the slumbering heroes, hath vanished into the abyss of mystery, leaving nary a trace to unravel their fate," his voice carried the weight of solemnity and concern.


    "Celestial Guards? Slumbering Heroes?" Charles made his face innocent and asked curiously.


    "They are the selected ''Guards'' chosen by our Divine King and are responsible for guarding the entrance and exit to the outer world. Without their permission, no one can enter or leave this world. Even we knew nothing much about the Celestial Guards, and only our Divine King has full control over them." Elre said while gripping the silver staff and walking toward the entrance.


    ''Hmm, even the disappearance of two legend rank guards make the guards restless, huh?''


    On the other hand, Charles walked closer behind him and decided to probe him more.


    "Outer World? What is that? You mean there is another ce simr to where we are staying, Teacher?"


    At that moment, a trace of confusion appeared on Elre''s face.


    "Outer World means the world outside this one. Although I haven''t gone outside, I heard lots of tales about the dangerous monsters and nightmare beings roaming over there. Even our Divine King told us about the dangers lurking in that ce and warned us not to even talk about it to anyone." He froze for a moment and soon muttered.


    "But what''s wrong in learning about it?"


    "What about other Saint Heroes, Teacher?" This time, Griven asked while showing a trace of confusion.


    "No, they also haven''t gone to that ce either. Only our Divine King''s Celestial Guards went once in a moment to check the ce and return after two or three days through the ancient teleportation circle ced near the ''Temple of Dreams.'' This has been happening for centuries but no one cared much about it. But this is the first time death happened." Elre spoke thoughtfully and noticed they had already walked past the courtyard and fountain, reaching the pce''s main building''s entrance door.


    "From now on, refrain from talking about that topic. Talk anything after entering the Hall of Poetry." Saying so, he crossed the reception room, entered the long corridor, walked past manyrge halls like the Dining Hall, Banquet Hall, Music Room, Hall of Poetry, and Library, and finally arrived in front of a three-meter tall metallic gate.


    "Griven, bring Visryn to the Hall of Poetry and introduce him to all other Sage Heroes. Meanwhile, I''ll go and greet our Divine King."


    As he said, he walked closer to the three-meter-tall metallic door and pushed them open.


    Although Charles was eager to look into the Throne Room, he refrained from acting rashly and quietly followed Griven.


    The Hall of Poetry greeted Charles with an atmosphere of reverence and camaraderie. The walls were adorned with beautiful tapestries depicting scenes of poetic inspiration, and soft candlelight bathed the hall in a warm, inviting glow.


    Arge wooden round table was ced at the center of therge hall, and around twenty Karr beings sat in their respective seats and appeared to be in the middle of fierce discussion.


    As they stepped inside, the other Sage Heroes focused on the neers. Each was a master poet, renowned for their exceptional literary prowess and artistic aplishments. Their faces carried the weight of wisdom and experience, yet they looked upon Charles with curiosity and intrigue, sensing a new presence among them.


    ''Among them, there are eight Expert level Legend Rank powerhouses. The rest are only around Rank-4 and Rank-5.'' But Charles wasn''t intimidated by them at all.


    As they scanned his body with their wisdom power, Charles also released his wisdom power and scanned them. Some thought of his action as rude, while others brushed it off. After all, they hadn''t faced any betrayal or wicked schemes, resulting in them not even thinking of the possibility of him being an imposter.


    Although Griven was startled by his action, he also didn''t say anything and grasped his shoulder to inform him to retract his wisdom power.


    On the other hand, Charles utilized this chance and started casting the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on every one of them.


    Some showed a trace of curiosity at the sudden disturbance in their emotions, while the rest didn''t even notice the effect of the spell and slowly focused their attention on the neer.


    Griven took the lead, introducing Charles to the esteemed poets individually. "My esteemed Masters, allow me to present Vesryn Miramaris, a prodigious poet whose eloquence and depth of insight have already impressed our revered Master Elre Sylcyne."


    "A prodigy? Moreover, Elre was impressed by his poems?" A shocking gasp echoed within the hall, followed by whispers.


    ''He is speaking normally now?'' The corner of Charles''s lips twitched.


    "A prodigy? Moreover, Elre was impressed by his poems?" A shocking gasp echoed within the hall, followed by whispers.


    Meanwhile, Charles bowed respectfully before each of the Sage Heroes, showing a humbled look to be in the presence of such literary luminaries. Their gazes scrutinized him, evaluating the young poet who had captured their colleague''s admiration.


    One of the Sage Heroes, a man with an aura of grace and gentility, smiled warmly at Charles. "Wee, young Vesryn. We are delighted to receive one with such poetic promise. May your words be a symphony of inspiration that resonates with the hearts of all who hear them."


    "Thank you, esteemed Sage," Charles replied with genuine gratitude. "It is an honor to stand before all of you, who have woven verses that have touched the souls of countless hearts."


    Another Sage Hero, a man with a distinguished air, spoke with a twinkle in his eye. "Ah, the enthusiasm of youth, eager to set forth on a poetic journey. Embrace your passion, for it is the beacon that will guide you through the realms of verse."


    Charles nodded while hiding his true intention. After a short introduction, Griven arranged a seat for Charles and sat beside him.


    The gathering continued with discussions about poetic styles, the intery of emotions and imagery, and the delicate bnce between structure and creative freedom. Charles found himself fully immersed in the conversations. asionally, he voiced his opinions and started getting everyone''s attention. Even though what he said were mere blunt verses, all of them strangely got impressed by each one and felt a sense of insight and enlightenment.


    A strange weave of spider webs crept into everyone''s mind and started manipting them under the will of Charles.


    Three hours passed in a blink of an eye.


    At that moment, Master Elre Sylcyne returned, his presencemanding attention. The Sage Heroes greeted him with respect, and Charles noticed a contemtive expression on Elre''s face.


    "What happened, Teacher?" He asked.


    Elre was about to say something but soon shook his head and approached the seat beside him. Then, he sat beside him, leaning on it with a confused face.


    After his arrival, the Hall of Poetry also turned solemn. Strangely, a Sage Hero named Elred suddenly voiced out his thought.


    "Although we never involve ourselves in the outer world''s matter, I''m really curious about what happened to the two Celestial Guards. Are they really dead?"


    His words caused everyone in the hall to go into abrupt silence. Slowly, everyone looked at each other and turned their attention toward Elre Sylcyne.


    "What do you think of this matter, Elre? I heard you went to make an audience with our Divine King a while ago. Did our Lord say something about this matter?" Elred asked, his expression showed curiosity.


    A deep sigh leaked out of Elre''s mouth.


    "As usual, he told me not to talk about it. I''m feeling our Divine King is hiding something from us." Even though his voice appeared very low, everyone in the hall heard it clearly and felt a strange eeriness.


    A smirk appeared on Charles''s face.


    "I don''t think our Divine King hide it to fool us. He might be worried about us and thought of prioritizing our safety first." He turned his face seriously and spoke.


    "But we should at least know the root cause of this problem, right? We are not somemoners but Sage Heroes who hold the position to even appoint a new Divine King. We have every right to know of this matter." Another Sage Hero interjected.


    "Orist, don''t say some absurd thing likemoners and Sage Heroes. In the presence of Divine King, we all are the same." Elre said sternly.


    Although he spoke firmly, a strange doubt on their DIvine King started to etch in the deepest part of his consciousness. Elre and everyone in the Hall of Poetry started to doubt Divine King''s action.


    A shadow of darkness sprouted even within the Royal Pce on that moment.

 Chapter 660 Throne Hall

    Chapter 660 Throne Hall


    Chapter 660: Throne Hall


    The meeting ended quietly after that, and every Sage Heroes left the Royal Pce with doubts and confusion.


    Charles, Griven, and Elre also walked away from the Royal Pce and approached the House of Melodic Words.


    While walking, Elre finally couldn''t hide his doubts about the Divine King Phoebe and spoke.


    "I think our ''Divine King'' seems to be hiding something from us. Although he is doing this to protect us, he should at least try to give us some exnation, right? When I asked him about this matter in the audience, I sensed a hint of shock and surprise on his face. He must have been shocked by my bold decision to ask him directly. But why did he show a surprise look? It was as if he had never expected such a question from me from the very start."


    "This actually gives me a strange creepy feeling, Teacher. I''m not sure if I''m thinking right, but something indeed feels off." Charlesmented as they walked on the y-paved road.


    "Creepy feeling?" Elre stopped his footsteps and looked at Charles questionably.


    "Don''t feel offended or angry by what I''m about to tell you, Teacher." He paused while ncing at Griven and Elre and then continued after getting an approval nod.


    "I feel like he even knew what Teacher and all the other Sage Heroes were thinking. Your every move, your thoughts, and might be even your future." Charles''s voice became low as he finished speaking.


    "Taboo Magic?" Elre''s eyes squinted.


    "Impossible-" Before he could deny it, Charles spoke.


    "I have a n to check if he is manipting everyone or not, Teacher."


    "A n?" Griven also turned his face solemn and warned him sternly.


    "Refrain from jesting, dear Vesryn. Even the esteemed Teacher and other Sage Heroes dare not utter a word of dissent in the presence of our Divine King. Speaking against our monarch is considered the gravest of transgressions in this realm of ours, fraught with solemn consequences and shadows of ill intent."


    "What about the outer world? Aren''t you guys also curious about what this outer world is? You believe whatever he says is true, but what if the outer world is not a dangerous ce but has endless opportunities? What if the outer world has more profound genius poets and could be capable of even manipting the surroundings with a single verse?" Charles induced their curiosity. Although Karrs were easy to be manipted and believe whatever he told, he also knew of their stubborn character and their obession for poems, literature, and thirst for knowledge.


    "Are you sure there are some poems that could actually influence the surrounding environment? Isn''t this a dream for every poet to achieve such a magnificent mastery in poetry?" Elre asked with an excited look.


    "I''m not sure if I''m eligible enough to talk about poetry but I really think there is one thing missing whenever we explore the wonders of poetry. Even the mere verse of Sage''s poem can cause a deep resonance in one''s soul. But what if we add something called music?"


    "Music? What''s that? Are you talking about our singing style?" Elre asked as if he was hearing this for the first time. The same goes for Griven.


    Indeed, when Charles researched the Karr beings in the library, he learned that there was no such thing called musical instruments. Even the word music was nowhere to be found. They only used their vocal to sing those verses and evenpeted with each other to see whose poetry and voice was more beautiful. They also wanted to sing in a pin drop silence.


    "Music is a pleasant form of sound. It can be created naturally and artificially. For example, when we beat a mud pot, it creates a strange noise. When we beat a silver pot, it gives another noise. When someone uses these pots as instruments and makes rhythmical noises, it will produce a thing called ''Music.'' The more you explore this, endless amounts of music will be born. And when youbine poetry and music, a miraculous song will be born." His words made Elre and Griven open their eyes wide in shock.


    "I know you are tempting us but your words actually make more sense." Elre soon returned to his calm state and continued.


    "I''ll ask all the Sage Heroes toe to the Royal Pce tomorrow and seek an audience together. Instead of doubting our Divine King, it''s better for us to ask him and clear our doubts."


    "What if our Divine King still refuses to talk?" Griven asked.


    "I don''t think he can stay quiet after that. Although we nine Sage Heroes never spoke or acted against our Divine King, we are capable of even stripping him off his throne-" Elre suddenly paused as he sensed a strange evilness in his tone and shook his head.


    "What am I even saying? Anyway, he will clear our doubts tomorrow and might even take us to the outer world to show the real truth." Saying so, he stepped forward and continued to walk.


    Charles sensed his [Curse of the Overlord] spell was weakening and decided to stop pushing further.


    ''I need more time to make himpletely believe my words. But this is more than enough.'' Charles muttered inwardly and followed after him.


    That day went smoothly for Charles. Thanks to Griven''s hospitality, he stayed in the House of Melodic Words and waited for the next day.


    As usual, the morning sun brightened the city and created a wonderful day for all the citizens.


    But at that moment, a strange solemnity appeared within the Royal Pce.


    Due to Elre''s sudden letter, the Sage Heroes and the four Guardians attended this urgent meeting in the House of Melodic Words.


    Charles was also seated among the group and curiously looked at the young man in his 30s. He had straight blonde hair, amber eyes, a unique multi-colored third eye, pale skin, and appeared to be around 7.5 feet tall. Unlike the Sage Heroes, he wore a unique ck robe like the one he received days ago and even held an hourss.


    He was none other than Esim!


    As everyone was discussing, a tall silver-armored Karr man suddenly opened the door with a push and announced.


    "His Majesty has approved of your request and invited everyone toe to the throne hall right way." His words appeared stern and cold.


    "Let''s go." Elre was the first to stand up from his seat and approached the House of Poerty''s exit. Then, other Sage Heroes, their disciples, and even the four Guardians stood up from their seats and walked towards the door.


    Before long, a group of 30 people arrived before the 3-meter tall metallic entrance gate and waited patiently.


    "Enter!" A booming voice came from inside, causing everyone''s face to turn grim.


    Even Elre showed a hesitant look at first and soon took a deep breath to calm down his heart.


    After that, he walked closer to the metallic gate, raised both hands and opened it.


    As the metallic gate swung open, the group of poets and Guardians entered the grand Throne Hall, which exuded magnificence and authority. The hall was adorned with intricate designs and opulent decorations, and at the far end, on a raised tform, sat the Divine King Phoebe.


    The Divine King was a regal figure with a presence thatmanded respect. He had long, flowing hair that shimmered like the stars, and his eyes held a deep wisdom that seemed to see beyond the surface of things. But unlike other Karr beings, his third eye remained closed and showed a sense of mystery. He was draped in a splendid robe adorned with symbols of star and moon, and he wielded a silver scepter, a ckish gems embedded crown on his head, and finally, a unique bracelet with three orb-like beads in his left hand.


    As the Sage Heroes and theirpanions approached, the Divine King''s gaze fell upon them, his expression unreadable. There was a tense silence in the air, and the weight of their questions hung heavy on their minds.


    Elre stepped forward, his voice steady and unwavering. "Your Majesty, we seek thy wisdom and enlightenment regarding the matter of the missing Celestial Guards and the outer world."


    The Divine King regarded them with an air of serenity, though a hint of something unreadable lingered in his eyes.


    "Oh, even the other wise Sage Heroes are curious, huh? This is an important matter that I have kept secret to protect our world and keep it peaceful."


    He gestured for them to approach closer, and the group moved to stand before the Divine King''s throne. Charles noticed Esim, the Guardian, slowly stepped onto the raised tform, whispered something in Divine King''s ears, and stood beside the throne.


    The Divine King continued, his voice resonating through the hall. "The Celestial Guards are an essential part of our world''s protection, tasked with guarding the boundaries between our realm and the outer world. As for the outer world itself, it is a realm shrouded in mystery, a ce where untold wonders and dangers ''Essential for this world''s protection? Even though their strength is only so-so, how can they protect this realm? Even the group from coexist."


    ''Essential for this world''s protection? Even though their strength is only so-so, how can they protect this realm? Even the group from the Order Church can easily take care of them. Instead of relying on the Celestial Guards, it''s better to send one or two expert-level Legend Rank outside right? And I''m also curious about the Corpse Devourers that Jade talked about.''


    Charles felt a spark of curiosity, and he dared to speak. "Your Majesty, may we know more about the outer world and the purpose of the Celestial Guards?"


    His words made Divine King to froze. Slowly, he searched for the voice and locked his gaze on Charles.


    A faint smile yed upon the Divine King''s lips.


    "Being curious is a good thing, young Karr. The outer world is a different ce that exists beyond our own, where there might be other realms and creatures. It''s a ce of possibilities and dangers, where knowledge and riskse together."


    He paused momentarily, and everyone could feel the weight of unspoken truths in the air.


    "As for the Celestial Guards, they were created to serve as a bridge between our realm and the outer world, to maintain the bnce and protect us from external threats."


    Elre and the other Sage Heroes listened intently, their expressions contemtive. It was clear that the Divine King''s words held weight and truth, yet a sense of mystery left them unsettled.


    "If Celestial Guards can be capable of traveling to the outside world, why can''t we go and take a look too? Compared to the strength of Celestial Guards, all the Sage Heroes and Four Guardians are multiple times stronger, right? Your Majesty?" Charles said with a smile, interrupting everyone''s thoughts.


    "No!" Divine King Phoebe said firmly and mmed the metallic scepter on the ground.


    The next instant, the whole throne hall fell into an abrupt silence.

 Chapter 661 Tension

    Chapter 661 Tension


    "Why, Your Majesty? It''s not that we don''t trust you, but we also want to share the burden with you." Elre said after a short silence.


    Meanwhile, Sage Heroes and the other three Guardians nodded in approval and waited for the Divine King Phoebe to speak up.


    A deep sigh leaked out of his mouth.


    "It seems someone has corrupted your mind." His words startled not only Elre and other Sage Heroes but even Charles.


    ''He found out with simple retaliation actions of Sage Heroes? This guy is sharp.'' At that moment, his gaze coincidentally met with Divine King Phoebe. Although he only looked at Charles for a split second, he seemed to have sensed something and abruptly looked at Esim.


    After a swift look, he returned his gaze toward Charles and revealed a faint smile.


    "Interesting. I sense a trace of Esim''s wisdom in your eye. Did you get his inheritance? Who are you? An outsider?"


    "Inheritance? I never even took a personal disciple, Your Majesty."


    A cold snort escaped from Divine King Phoebe''s lips.


    Then, he nced at all other Sage Heroes and Guardians and spoke.


    "We will discuss this matter again, so let''s end the audience here. Everyone, except that young Karr, Esim, and Elre, can leave the Throne Hall now."


    Although everyone was puzzled by King''s sudden order, no one hurriedly dared to talk back and tried to leave the Throne Hall.


    But before they could turn around, Charles cleared his throat and spoke.


    "I''m the real Vesryn but had an opportunity to leave this confined dimension and see the truth with both eyes, Your Majesty."


    Divine King Phoebe frowned and shook his head.


    "It''s impossible for you to leave this dimension. Moreover, your lies won''t work on me."


    ''I know that too. But these words aren''t for you to hear.''


    Charles gripped the sword hilt and spoke again.


    "I indeed got the inheritance from the Shadowed Sage Esim, Your Majesty. But he isn''t the clone standing beside you but the real one who was poisoned to death eons ago."


    "What are you talking about, Vesryn?" Elre asked in puzzlement and distanced himself from Charles and the Divine King!


    Unknowingly, Elre felt that the trust in Divine King was bing meager.


    At the same time, Sage Heroes, the other three Guardians, and even the disciples backed away and looked at Charles and the Divine King in suspicion and confusion.


    Instead of responding to Elre, Charles calmly took a ck robe from his space ring and wore it over his linen-like gown dress.


    "This is also another gift I got from Esim." As he spoke, he locked his gaze on Esim and asked.


    "Does it look familiar, Mr. Esim? No, it looks more refined and elegant than you are wearing, right?"


    "T-This... I sense my shadow essences and even wisdom essences in it." Confusion appeared on Esim''s face.


    A secondter, he suddenly disappeared from where he was standing and arrived before Charles.


    "Where did you get this, young Karr?"


    "You should ask the person sitting on the throne, Mr. Esim." Charles smiled lightly and spoke.


    At that moment, everyone turned their gaze and looked at the Divine King in silence.


    Nobody spoke a word, but the tension in the throne hall peaked.


    Finally, after a long silence, Divine King Phoebe stood up from his seat and gripped his scepter tighter while sharpening his gaze at Charles.


    But before he could act, Esim released his wisdom power and stood before Charles, blocking Divine King Phoebe''s spiritual attack.


    Although he hadn''t met this young Karr before, the presence of his shadow essences and wisdom essences proved that he had some connection with him.


    "What are you doing, Esim? Why are you protecting him? He might be an intruder." A cold voice came from Divine King.


    "Even if he is an intruder, I want to know how he got his hands on that robe and my inheritance, Your Majesty. Please allow me to talk to this young Karr and let this problem resolve peacefully. There is no need to harm him."


    "What Guardian Esim said is correct, Your Majesty." Elre also took a step forward and arrived before Charles.


    At the same time, the Sage Heroes in the throne hall also got closer to Charles and began to prepare for the battle.


    A look of amazement appeared on Divine King''s face for the first time.


    "There has never been a time in the annals of history when a single Sage Hero dared to speak against me. But I''m amazed you protect an intruder instead of listening to my words."


    "I''m not an intruder. But after hearing your earlier words, I suspect you might be the one." Charles said loudly and backed away two steps.


    As his words resounded in the Throne Hall, everyone''s heart started to waver. The trust they had put in their King began to weaken slowly.


    ''One final touch, everything will fall into my hands.'' Charles muttered inwardly and patiently waited for Divine King Phoebe''s next action.


    At this moment, Divine King Phoebe lost his calm and shouted angrily.


    "Celestial Guards! Arrest everyone. And kill that stupid puppet before he bbers something else."


    As he spoke, more than 50 Silver-armored guards suddenly appeared in the hall and encircled the group in seconds.


    "Now it hase to this situation; I have no choice but to erase everyone and recreate from the beginning." He paused for a second and added in a serious tone.


    "I don''t want to let the situation out of control and lose myself like my old self."


    Upon hearing those words, everyone in the throne hall felt that the person before him was not their true King but someone else!


    "W-Where is our Divine King? What did you do to him?" Elre asked in a shocked tone.


    "I''m your Divine King." Divine King said with a booming voice and gestured the guards to act.


    Meanwhile, Charles activated his [Phantasmal Analysis] and scanned the surrounding guards.


    ''Only 25 of them are real ones. The rest are only realistic illusions created by the Divine King.'' But Charles knew that even the illusion clones might have power equal to Legendary Rank powerhouses.


    At that moment, he scanned the ''Divine King'' and looked deeply at the status.


    ''He has six Dream-rted skills, two unique skills, and three Divine Skills.'' But what made him more worried was the artifact in his wrist.


    ''Due to some mysterious power, I can''t scan it. If I''m not wrong, I feel the same divine energy when entering the Graveyard of Sinners.''


    He pondered momentarily and decided to let the Guardians and Sage Heroes handle this situation.


    Meanwhile, Esim and Elre finally chose to face reality and went into battle mode.


    "You guys take care of those Celestial Guards. Meanwhile, we will stop this imposter and find the truth ourselves after defeating him." Elre spoke to the Sage Heroes and gripped the silver staff.


    A momentter, mysterious wind essence enveloped the Throne Hall and approached all Sage heroes, Guardians, and other disciples.


    Within a moment, a strange wind elemental streak infused Charles''s and others'' bodies and enchanted their body strength and speed two folds.


    After that, Elre raised his silver staff and cast another spell called ''Airlock'' to seal Divine King Phoebe''s movement.


    Simultaneously, he cast another spell and forcefully teleported [Divine King] from the pce to somewhere else.


    Then, he tapped the staff twice on the ground and vanished from that spot.


    At that moment, Esim cast the [Shadow Veil] spell and disappeared from there.


    ''Hmm? Elre teleported Divine King 30 kilometers away from this city. Nice move.'' Charles instantly released his wisdom power and started watching everyone''s next action.


    Although Divine King and the other two disappeared from there, none of them lost He instantly cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on the [Celestial Guard] and tried to erase his current thought.


    theirposure and focused on the opponents before them.


    Within a second, the Sage Heroes, Guardians, and other disciples acted under the order of Elre and released different kinds of magic and divine spells toward the Celestial Guards. Some spells causedrge-scale effects and destroyed walls, pirs, and ceilings.


    But Charles widened his eyes because the Sage Heroes'' disciples battled like kids ying with sticks. Although they cast their magic spells, their aims were far off. Also, their eyes didn''t even have a hint of killing intent.


    ''Only the Sage Heroes are doing okay.''


    On the other hand, the Celestial Guards looked more aggressive and ruthless. Within five seconds, they managed to kill three disciples of Sage Heroes and even wound a Sage Hero.


    ''Are they really battling? At this rate, they will be of no help.'' Charles frowned deeply and decided to try something.


    First, he focused on one of the Celestial Guards and noticed he was fighting a Sage Hero and an illusion clone.


    He instantly cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on the [Celestial Guard] and tried to erase his current thought.


    The next instant, the Celestial Guard stood at the same ce instead of evading the uing [Fire Tendrils] spell and was soon caught by it.


    When he woke from the dazed state, the Sage Hero cast another fire spell called [Fire Storm], enveloping the silver armored guard in a dense me, instantly burning him.


    ''So my ''Burning Thoughts'' spell can indeed work on the Corpse Devourers.'' Charles nodded inwardly and went into stealth mode by cast [Shadow Veil] spell and Shadow Stealth skill.


    After that, he stealthily helped the others'' battles and eliminated all the Celestial Guards in less than a minute.


    ''Now, let''s focus on the main battle.'' He calmly muttered in the shadows and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 662 Devouring

    ?


    Chapter 662: Devouring


    A secondter, Charles reappeared 25 kilometers away from the city and went into stealth mode again.


    After flying for a while, he finally saw Divine King Phoebe battling against the silver-haired Elre in mid-air.


    Unlike the other battle, this one looked like a battle between Wind Mage and a Summoner.


    Strange Nightmare creatures appeared out of nowhere and attacked Elre physically. Not only that, but Divine King also used strange Dream-rted skills and attacked him mentally.


    But Elre remained steady and intercepted every attack. Even when Elre got pushed into a corner, an Eclipse-like Shield appeared around him and protected him from all spells.


    s, as minutes passed, Elre showed a sign of fatigue.


    "You can''t win against me, Elre. Give up." Divine King Phoebe spoke coldly and cast the next spell.


    A secondter, a strange dizzy feeling appeared within Elre, causing him to lose focus for a split moment.


    "Wind Resonance!" Elre cast the next spell as he noticed he would be in a dangerous position the next moment and heightened his sense and perception to incredible feet.


    Divine King Phoebe cast the next spell as if he had expected, resulting in a strange crack in the space above their head.


    After a moment passed, a massive pir emerged from the sky, filled with swirling, greyish light that seemed to pulse with chaotic dream energy. The pir slowly descended, like an otherworldly monument, and encased Elre within its enigmatic aura.


    In an attempt to safeguard Elre from the impending onught, Esim swiftly cast the powerful [Eclipse Shield] spell. However, despite the shield''s shimmering protection, it proved futile against the overwhelming force of the mysterious pir.


    As the pir of light lingered in the air for a few more seconds, Elre''sposure shattered, and he let out piercing screams of both pain and horror. The enigmatic energies prated his being, causing unimaginable anguish and terrifying visions to assail his mind.


    By the time the pir of dream energy vanished from there, Elre''s face showed a trace of panic and fear. Even though he still hovered mid-air, his hands and legs trembled continuously.


    "D-Demon! W-Who the hell are you?" He asked with a pale face.


    "What did you see, Elre?" Esim''s voice came from his left side.


    "That youngd is right, Esim. This guy isn''t the Divine King we knew. He used taboo magic on me just now to probe my memories. Not only that, I even saw horrifying nightmare creatures eating me."


    "Taboo magic? Humph, the original me is far worse than you dream of." Saying so, he again attacked Elre with another spell called ''Dreamcatcher Snare'' to drain his vitality.


    But thankfully, Esim finally arrived before Elre and cast his secret spell.


    A secondter, a strange glowing light appeared from the deepest part of his heart and formed a strange illusionary hexagonal structure around him.


    "Elre, I''ll be taking the lead from now on." He spoke while conjuring a shadowy staff out of thin air, touched Elre''s left hand, and cast a strange spell.


    Then, he raised his hand and released a dense essence of shadows into the surroundings.


    "Web of shadows to restrict my movement?" Divine King suddenly opened his mouth and cast a spell called ''Nightmare Cry.''


    A secondter, a mysterious divine energy came from his mouth andpletely erased the ''Shadow Energy'' from the surroundings!


    What startled Esim was the density of the divine power in that earlier spell.


    "Demi-God level spell? It still has yet to reach that stage. Elre, please take care of everyone."


    While speaking, he no longer hesitated, cast the [Shadow Walk] spell, and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared behind Divine King Phoebe a secondter, raised the shadowy staff, and cast the final spell.


    "Dark Eclipse Domain."


    A momentter, Esim''s whole body turned into pure shadow energy, enveloping the surroundings for a while.


    The next instant, Divine King Phoebe felt that the whole world darkened. His wisdom power was also cut off, as well as his hearing, touch, and other senses.


    ''He sacrificed his life force to create this domain? No good, this shadow force is absorbing my wisdom power! What kind of spell is this?'' A strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu appeared within his mind.


    As every second passed, he felt a strange sensation of losing something from his body.


    At that moment, Esim drained his wisdom power and stabbed him all over.


    ''Esim is hell-bent on killing me now.''


    As the gravity of the situation dawned upon Divine King Phoebe, he made a decisive move by unlocking his closed third eye. The eye had an eerie appearance, resembling a pitch-ck ball that emitted an uncanny and unsettling aura, which seemed to pervade the surrounding atmosphere.


    Simultaneously, the strange ckish bead inside his Bracelet glimmered faintly, establishing a mysterious connection with Divine King''s third eye. There was an inexplicable link between the two, and the bead''s energy seemed to merge with the awakened eye.


    Within the span of a single second, an incredibly powerful suction force surged forth from the opened third eye. It devoured everything in its path, drawing in and absorbing the very essence of the Dark Eclipse Domain spell that had enshrouded the area. In an instant, the spell''s shadows and darkness were pulled into the depths of the Divine King''s eye, and the domain vanished without a trace.


    Not only that, but the strange eye also absorbed Esim''s consciousness andpletely devoured him.


    As Divine King Phoebe managed to break free from the suffocating grip of the Dark Eclipse Domain spell, an uncontroble surge of pain assaulted his mind. The intensity of the torment left him momentarily disoriented, and he instinctively reached for his forehead, trying to grasp what was happening.


    However, before he could even nce at the source of the pain, something even more bewildering urred. The strange suction force that had been unleashed from his third eye did not dissipate; instead, it grew stronger. This force now exhibited an insatiable appetite, pulling nearby nightmare creatures toward him as if drawn by an irresistible ma.


    In an astonishing disy of gluttony, the awakened third eye began devouring everything in its vicinity¡ªnightmare creatures, rocks, sand, trees, and even the very air seemed to be consumed by its insidious power. The eye''s size expanded at an rming rate, almost covering Divine King''s entire forehead, leaving him looking almost fearsome and alien.


    A painful scream reverberated from Divine King Phoebe''s mouth as the third eye expanded further.


    "W-What in the world is this?" Elre was scared shitless by the sudden appearance of the eerie eye on Divine King''s forehead and hurriedly ran away to warn the others.


    On the other hand, Divine King Phoebe tried his best to take control of the third eye but had no effect!


    "SOMEONE, HELP ME!"


    Before he could think, he noticed that the surroundings started to slow down and came to an abrupt halt.


    But thanks to the strange ck eye, he barely managed to think.


    ''W...h....a...t.... i...s... H....a...p-'' Before he could even process his thoughts, the young Karr he had seen in the Throne Hall arrived before him.


    No, he soon noticed that the young Karr started to transform and change into a being made of pure reddish me.


    ''E...l...e...m...e....n...t...a...l-?''


    ''I''ve watched enough.'' Charles spoke telepathically to Divine King and unsheathed the long sword.


    Then, he calmly raised the sword and shed at his neck.


    Even though he had decapitated the Divine King''s head, the third eye on his forehead tried to devour Charles!


    ''Humph, the suction force is not strong enough to devour me.'' He once again raised his sword and shed at the strange third eye.


    As the sword got closer to the eye, Grace released a pure madness essence towards the tip of the edge and covered herself in a ckish-red aura.


    A secondter, the de cut through the eye like paper and severed the strange link between the third eye and the ck bead of the Whisper of Gluttony.


    ''That''s good.'' Charles slowly raised his sword again and cut Divine King Phoebe''s left hand.


    As bluish-green blood droplets were hovering in mid-air, Charles casually extended his hand and removed the Bracelet from him.


    ''Genesis, you can stop the time-stop spell now.'' He ordered and backed away a few feet in mid-air.


    At the same time, a strange ripple came out of his body and caused the ''Time-Stop'' effect to go null.


    On the other hand, the already decapitated Divine King Phoebe released a unique divine energy and reattached the severed head to his body. Although he managed to reattach his head, he noticed that his body had be skinnier and even had numerous wrinkles.


    He instantly realized that the disappearance of his wisdom power caused his body to age rapidly and even demoted his Rank to Pseudo-Legendary Realm!


    Although he could still use one Legendary Spell, he would be forced into a situation where his whole existence might vanish.


    "Stop daydreaming and answer my following questions." Charles''s cold voice broke his thoughts.


    Only then did he realize that he was still on the battlefield and warily gazed at the me elemental being.


    "W-Who are you?" He asked in a stiff tone.


    "You are in no position to ask such a question," Charles spoke as he deactivated the spell and became the young Karr.


    "Why did you say no one can leave this dimension?"


    A silence appeared. But after a few seconds, Divine King realized his position and answered.


    "It''s not that I''m not stopping anyone from leaving this dimension. But anyone who leaves this dimension willpletely lose their mind and be a cruel beast. They won''t even remember anything and attack anyone who stands in their way. Moreover, they even eat the corpses and be Corpse Devourers."


    ''So, the roaming Corpse Devourers are the previous Celestial Guards and the scapegoats sent outside as an experiment, huh?'' Charles furrowed his brows and slowly shifted his attention toward the strange Bracelet in his hand.


    ''But my question is: Who is he? Is he the Will of the Fallen Dream God Phoebe? Or a puppet made by this artifact? Then, who are these Corpse Devourers? What''s their purpose?''


    "I want the reason. Why is it that you can''t leave this ce?"


    Meanwhile, Divine King Phoebe showed a hesitant look and soon revealed the truth.


    "T-That''s because we aren''t Karr beings anymore. Although you think of yourselves as Karr beings, you all are clones of the real ones I''ve created with the help of corpses."


    ''So he is indeed responsible for creating the Corpse Devourers.''


    Nodding, Charles asked his doubt.


    "But why did you create them? Why made this whole city a heaven-like thing? Why does everyone trust each other to the point that there is no hint of wickedness in this city? Is it rted to the Bracelet in my hand?"


    A surprised expression appeared on Divine King''s face.


    "Before answering that question, may I have some questions too? What''s your purpose? Are you a Karr Being? If you knew about this Bracelet, can you break the seal and let me out?" He asked in a trembling voice.


    ''He also wants to leave this dimension but couldn''t? So, he isn''t responsible for this strange phenomenon but something else.'' At that moment, Charles''s gaze locked onto the Bracelet.


    A smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "I''m neither a Karr Being nor a Corpse Devourer." He raised his left hand, touched his face, and started to shapeshift into his real human form. His third eye slowly vanished, his height reduced drastically, and multiple changes urred on his face.


    The Divine King Phoebe waspletely stunned when he returned to true form.


    "I''m a Human from a High ne called Edhen," Charles said calmly and added.


    "Now, tell me why you created this city. And, who are you? A separate consciousness of Dream God Phoebe?"

 Chapter 663 Leaving

    ?


    Chapter 663: Leaving


    "Yes," Divine King confirmed. "But I didn''t create this dimension; my original self did. It''s a powerful dimensional seal to control the Bracelet. The appearance of Nightmare Creatures in the outside world is because of the Bracelet, which absorbs evil emotions from living beings."


    "So, Dream God Phoebe created this unique dimension to seal away the Bracelet and made you a guardian?" Charles asked.


    Divine King nodded and exined further. "As he had long perceived his death, he made sure to hide this Bracelet from anyone and even extracted a small portion of his divine power to create me as a guardian. Moreover, he didn''t even trust his own consciousness and attached me to the dimensional seal itself. So, I couldn''t even leave this dimension for a second. But he didn''t expect his Divine Kingdom itself would be pulled into a Dungeon and be a hunting ground for explorers from different dimensions after his death."


    "But why did you create the Corpse Devourers?" Charles further questioned.


    A forced smile appeared on the weary-looking face.


    "After some time in this dimension, I got bored of loneliness and decided to create a new race simr to Karr beings using the artifact. I also made soul puppets, recreating each soul''s past with dream recall ability. After countless trials, I recreated my home city. However, the people I created, the Corpse Devourers, have a w. They can''t stay outside the dimension for more than two days; otherwise, they turn into crazed beings, devouring everything in their path and absorbing souls, creating new personalities and abilities within themselves."


    ''That also exins why the souls have the Inner World of Purple DImension. He must have created soul puppets using the Purple Dimension as a base.'' Charles nodded thoughtfully and asked further.


    "How can I leave this dimension? Also, can I take this Bracelet outside?"


    "You can use the teleportation circle in the Pce and leave this dimension. And you can also take this Bracelet outside. But the more this Bracelet is exposed to people''s negative emotions, it will influence not only the user but it will also influence the people around. Even my original self got influenced by this artifact and became twisted at the end. And, this is just one of the abilities." Divine King Phoebe said patiently and asked stiffly.


    "Can you find a way to save me?"


    "Unfortunately, no," Charles said as he summoned the chaos eye on his forehead and sent out a ray of fire.


    Before the Divine King could even move, the chaotic fire made a deep hole in his forehead, destroying his body from within.


    Within two seconds, the Divine King Phoebe was erased from existence.


    Charles calmly brushed off the dust on his shoulder and turned around before looking at the ancient city.


    Then, he activated the [Veils of Shadows] spell and spoke.


    "My goal has been achieved already. I should leave now."


    As he spoke, he cast the [me Teleportation] spell, disappeared from there, and reappeared inside the Royal Pce''s Throne Hall.


    At that moment, arge crowd had gathered all over the Pce, and multiple powerhouses were gathering at the House of Poetry, listening to Elre''s narration of what had happened earlier.


    "Hmm, what will happen if I take this Bracelet and leave this dimension? Will they disappear?" He thought as he scanned the Pce and soon found an underground basement-like hall beneath the Throne Hall.


    "From the looks of it, this whole dimension seems to be built by the power of Dream, so I don''t think they will die soon. And if my guess is right, the reason the Corpse Devourers be crazy after leaving this dimension might be due to the severed link between them and the Bracelet and exposure to outside negative emotions. If I stop the connection from this Bracelet to their souls, they might die. Tsk, it doesn''t matter to me anyway."


    After a swift scan, he found the entrance to the underground basement behind the throne and quickly entered through the secret door.


    Before long, he arrived at a gloomy underground hall filled with stone statues and soon focused on a strange ck stone wall at the center.


    "It looks simr to the one I saw outside." As he spoke, he activated the ''Mystic Algorhytm'' skill and started deciphering the magic circle pattern.


    After a few minutes, he finally memorized the activation pattern, infused the stone with his wisdom power, and started chanting in the Vamiinguage.


    By the time he finished the incantation, a golden glow had appeared beneath his foot and enveloped him.


    A momentter, his figure turned illusionary and disappeared from there.


    ...


    Soon, Charles reappeared in the familiar underground necropolis and cautiously scanned the surroundings.


    After confirming no one was nearby, he breathed a sigh of relief and soon noticed something odd.


    "I can use my wisdom power to scan here?" He slowly turned his attention towards the Bracelet with three beads in his hand and sensed that the strange feeling of prying by some divine power had also vanished.


    "Maybe I can put soul imprint on it and try to probe it?" He asked himself.


    At that moment, Grace also sent a part of her wisdom power and tried to touch it.


    Although nothing happened after she sent her wisdom power towards it, she suddenly relieved herself from Charles''s grip and hovered mid-air. She then released a powerful madness aura to cover herselfpletely.


    The gold-hilted long sword was covered in reddish-ck aura-like smoke within a second. Even though Charles couldn''t see what she was experiencing, he sensed a strange vibration.


    "She is trembling in fear?" A shocked expression appeared on his face.


    He instantly tried to release his wisdom power and attempted to probe the reason behind it.


    But the next second, a powerful invisible force came from Grace and almost gripped his neck.


    "Don''t!" A voice almost like a woman''s scream suddenly echoed in his head like a bell.


    For the next few minutes, Grace hovered mid-air while covering herself in the darkish madness aura and finally descended, slowly revealing her gracious look.


    On the other hand, Charles caught her with his right hand and ced her on his waist.


    "You are still trembling? What did you see?" He asked in a surprised tone, but no response came from her.


    Shaking his head, he put the Bracelet in his right hand and walked towards the Second Chamber.


    But unlike before, he didn''t see a single soul.


    ''Hmm, did the Order Church members leave?'' He furrowed and soon decided to leave. Returning to the First Chamber, he navigated through the narrow passageway to the cave''s exit.


    Charles carefully observed the surroundings as he walked through the dimly lit cave, ensuring he was not walking into any potential danger. Remembering Victor''s actions from earlier, he proceeded without encountering any difficulties, efficiently making his way toward thend besieged by stormy winds.


    Despite the fierce gusts that howled around him, Charles remained resolute and continued towards the direction where the Oasis was located. His keen observation earlier proved advantageous as he managed to avoid any treacherous terrain or sudden dangers, allowing him to arrive at the isted Oasis merely half an hourter.


    With the Oasis behind him, Charles shifted his gaze toward a distant hill, standing alone amidst the vast and destendscape.


    Without any dy, he once again marched forward and went in the direction where the Ancient Ruined Reverie Pce was located.


    Three more dayster, he finally arrived at the towering castle-like Pce in the ruined city and entered the main hall.


    At that moment, Azoth remained in the main hall and soon spoke as she saw him walking inside.


    "I thought you woulde at thest moment."


    "How many days still remaining?" Charles asked.


    "Two more days. But if you want to leave thisyer, I can help you." She suddenly stopped for a moment, focused his attention on Grace in his waist, and furrowed.


    She hurriedly stood up from her seat, grabbed the sword, and asked with a frown.


    "Why is she trembling?"


    Instead of responding, Charles raised his right hand and showed the Bracelet.


    "Wow, you managed to get that artifact?"


    "It''s a long story." Charles sighed deeply and started exining what had happened in that dimension.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect you even managed to get Esim''s inheritance too! But after hearing your exnation, I roughly understand the reason behind our Lord''s change in personality." Azoth nodded solemnly and then asked.


    "What are you going to do with this? If I''m not wrong, this Bracelet will also influence its user and even turn the people around it into nightmare beings, right?"


    "I''m not sure. From how Grace acted after trying to scan it, I''m sure this Bracelet might be even more terrifying than any artifact I''ve seen so far. So, I''m nning to give it to a friend of mine and let him decide if it is safe to use." Charles said as he thought of Ruh.


    "Oh? That''s a good idea too." Azoth also nodded in agreement and asked.


    "So what is your answer? Do you want to go to the Second Layer now? Orter?"


    Charles pondered for a moment and soon decided.


    "I''ll not dy any longer. You can send me to the Secondyer now."


    "Safe journey then." Azoth didn''t even wait for him even to blink. She manipted the surrounding spatial element and forcefully teleported him.

 Chapter 664 Caspian

    ?


    Chapter 664: Caspian


    Second Layer, Dungeon of Star Tombs.


    The Shadow Dimension was a mysterious and eerie ce, always covered in darkness as if it were the deepest night. The sky was empty of daylight but adorned with a strange sight - twenty-four stars that emitted a faint glow, creating a dim and ghostly light that didn''t dispel the darkness.


    Thendscape of this strange dimension was filled with twisted and mutated trees, their gnarled forms reaching toward the sky like ancient guardians of darkness. Sinister and unnatural nts grew all over the terrain, born from the essence of shadows. Among them were tall, eerie mushroom-like nts that thrive by absorbing the elemental energy of darkness that filled the air.


    The vegetation in this dimension was not only eerie but also dangerous. Each nt had a hidden malice that thrived in the absence of light. Some had deadly thorns capable of piercing even the strongest armor, while others released a toxic aroma that ensnared unsuspecting creatures.


    The realm was also inhabited by creatures that thrived in darkness. These beings seemed shaped by the shadows around them, lurking in the dark with an almost tangible sense of malice. Their forms were shadowy and vague, moving almost imperceptibly, and their glowing eyes shone like embers in the night.


    These shadow creatures moved with otherworldly grace, gliding silently through the darkness, and their presence was often only revealed by the eerie echoes of their movements. Some were cunning tricksters, enjoying ying deceptive games, while others exuded fear and terror, enveloping their prey with relentless dread.


    At that moment, a young man sat on a towering tree and looked at the surroundings warily. He was around 30 years old, had ck hair, and wore a dark-cloaked robe.


    He also held a bow and arrow and surveyed the surroundings like a hawk. Suddenly, the bracelet in his hand vibrated and alerted him about the uing call.


    He hurriedly touched the bracelet and attended the call.


    "How is the situation over there, Caspian?" A voice came from the other side in Blen Tongue.


    ''Cardinal Benedictus?''


    "Nothing out of ordinary, Your Eminence," The young man named Caspian said as he thought of something and soon added.


    "But it seems most of them from other churches had indeed left the Dungeon. Even after guarding for ten days, we still couldn''t find our target."


    "Don''t worry. ''He'' wille to the Second Layer if he wants to progress further and help Pontiff Leander IV in the future election. And, he isn''t a man who will hide away from his enemies." From the other side, Cardinal Benedictus spoke as if everything was under his control.


    "What about Lady Jade? Did she agree to help you if an internal fight broke out within the church?"


    "Unfortunately, no. And she isn''t a person I can take on casually. Although I''m lot stronger than her, she has some ties with Fairchild Family. Hurting her will not only damage my reputation within the church, it might anger that family. It''s not worth taking the risk."


    "Even with the help of that being sealed in your ne?" Caspian asked as he had witnessed the might of that nightmarish being and still felt a shiver running down his spine.


    "You arepletely mistaken about that being''s power,d. Although it looks invincible in thestyer, its power would be diminished here. Not only that, it could also stay in this world for only a span of 5 seconds due to it being a Nightmare Creature. It means it only has fake Consciousness with no soul." Cardinal exined.


    "Can''t we force it to stay for a long time, Your Eminence?"


    "Unfortunately, any being without a soul will be crushed by the ''Will'' of the world or this Dungeon''s environment. And it also lost its connection with the Nightmare World after we captured it and has been weakening day by day. After a year or two, it will use up all the stored-up energy and might disappear." Cardinal Benedictus said casually.


    "So, we have to act before that, huh?" Caspian nodded in understanding and was about to ask about something else but froze.


    At that moment, he saw a bright light appear more than 2 kilometers away from where he was hiding and soon spoke.


    "Another group entered the secondyer, Your Eminence."


    "Another group? Who are they? How many members?" Cardinal asked.


    Meanwhile, Caspian climbed further up on the ancient tree while cutting the slithering branches with his dagger and soon zeroed his focus on the particr area.


    "Oh Mother of Life, it''s not a group, Your Eminence. Only one person arrived."


    "One person? Impossible! Not even I dare to explore alone in this Dungeon. Look carefully, there must be a few people arrived with him." Cardinal said.


    "But he is alone, Your Eminence. And he looks quite young too." At that moment, he noticed the other person using his ''wisdom power'' to scan the surroundings and widened his eyes.


    "He is only a Rank-5 Mystic? How in the world did he survive the Nightmare Layer and even arrive here?" A look of astonishment appeared on Caspian''s face.


    "Are you sure?" Even Cardinal Benedictus was startled and soon ordered coldly.


    "Capture him if possible and search if he has anything valuable. If you find nothing worth, dispose him off. There is no use of pest like him to waste the opportunity to enter this ce."


    "Okay, Your Eminence. I''ll call you after settling this matter." Caspian said calmly and ended themunication call.


    With a wicked glint in his eyes, he made a decision. He would test the intruder''s abilities before deciding whether to capture or eliminate him. Drawing his bowstring taut, he aimed the metallic arrow at the young man below.


    The intruder, still unaware of the lurking danger, continued to scan the surroundings with his wisdom power. He seemed focused and cautious, as if he knew the dangerous nature of the Second Layer. His appearance puzzled Caspian even more - how had someone of his rank survived the Nightmare Layer and reached this far?


    Taking a deep breath, he steadied his aim, infused the darkness elemental energy into the tip of the arrow, and released it. The metallic projectile streaked through the air with deadly precision, headed straight for the young man''s leg. But just as the arrow was about to strike its target, the young man seemed to sense the imminent danger. He evaded the arrow with a sudden twist of his body, causing it to miss its mark.


    Caspian''s eyes widened in surprise and admiration. The young man''s reflexes were impressive, far beyond what he would expect from a Rank-5 Mystic. He was intrigued, and a hint of excitement surged through him.


    But the excitement soon disappeared as he noticed that the intruder''s presence suddenly vanished!


    "It''s rude to attack someone from behind, you know?" A voice came from above his head, causing Caspian''s whole body to tense up.


    ''W-What? When did he arrive?'' Before he could look up at the figure hovering in midair, a strange invisible force enveloped his body and entangled his neck like a snake.


    ''F*ck! His wisdom power is far more powerful than Cardinal Benedictus! He isn''t a Rank-5 nobody but a Demi-God level powerhouse!'' He felt like he was standing in front of the Piff of Life and felt uncontrble fear.


    Meanwhile, the young man casually descended from above and soon hovered a few feet before Caspian.


    "Who are you? Why did you attack me?" Charles asked.


    Before Caspian could respond, he casually nodded as he erased his current thoughts and raised his eyebrows.


    "Cardinal Benedictus? Life Church? Interesting. I was about to go on my way after giving a warning, but now I changed my mind." As he spoke, he gripped his neck, cast [Purple Consciousness] spell on Caspian, and burned his memories.


    But as he further burned the memories, theplexion on his face turned gloomy.


    "I thought strange when I suddenly recalled Shadow Princess a few weeks ago but didn''t expect them to capture her and even use her as some object." If it were anyone else, he wouldn''t have reacted much emotionally.


    "But she is actually born from my imagination. Although I promised Jade not to trouble the Life Church members, they asked for it." Charles spoke coldly and snapped Caspian''s neck.


    A legendary Rank powerhouse died without the time or energy to retaliate.


    After that, he took a droplet of blood from Caspian and made an identity imprint. Then, he transformed into a 30-year-old-looking man and changed his clothes.


    Following that, he also took the bow, quiver filled with arrows, and a dagger made of ck metal and equipped them.


    ''Although my sword might attack others attention, I can fool them by saying I only got this sword from the young man.'' Nodding, he also picked themunication bracelet from the dead body and used his wisdom power to activate it.


    A few secondster, Cardinal Benedictus''s voice came from the other side.


    "Did you find anything important? Who is he?"


    Meanwhile, Charles mimicked Caspian''s voice and spoke.


    "He seems to be from the Sun Church group, Your Eminence. After finding out that he was only a son of baron, I disposed him off. Except for a good long sword, he had nothing within him."


    "Oh? A member of Sun Church, huh? Then, there is no need to even report to the Church administration. Okay, you cane back now. It seems Richard had found a clue about our Target''s current location." Cardinal Benedictus said solemnly and ended the call.


    "Hmm, they seem to be nning to assassinating someone from Pontiff Leander IV''s faction." But he didn''t care much about their internal struggle.


    Slowly, he descended from the sky and quietly made his way toward the direction where Cardinal Benedictus and others were camping.

 Chapter 665 Cardinal Benedictus

    ?


    Chapter 665: Cardinal Benedictus


    Charles traveled through dense ancient woods, encountering more than five Rank-5 shadow beasts along the way. Finally, he emerged into a in area. Theplete darkness initially disoriented him, but with the help of Caspian''s memories, he found his way to the correct destination and saw a distant bright light.


    While standing more than two kilometers away, arge ruined fortress-like building loomed before him. It was adorned with hundreds of fire torches, casting an eerie glow. Additionally, fourrge magical lights were strategically ced on the fortress''s four corners, bathing the surroundings in a bright yellowish light.


    From the information Charles acquired from Caspian''s memories, he learned that the Life Church members had been using this ruined fortress as their base for the past ten days while searching for a man named ''Oberon.'' Initially, Cardinal Benedictus nned on killing Oberon in the firstyer of the dungeon, but they could not locate him.


    Subsequently, they moved to the secondyer and split into four groups to intensify their search for Oberon. While Cardinal and Caspian remained at the base, Water Mage Jade, a Head Deacon, another Cardinal named Richard, and a Withering Shadow Leader Garret, along with a Holy Maiden and an Ice Mage Falken, ventured to different locations in their pursuit of Oberon.


    ''Caspian seems solely focused on scanning the surroundings and checking for any nearby individuals,'' Charles thought. ''If I''m not mistaken, Richard and another person must have returned to the fortress to report their findings. Time is of the essence; I shouldn''t waste much time in thisyer.''


    With determination, Charles hastened his steps toward the fortress. But as soon as he walked on the strange grassy in, a frown appeared on his forehead.


    ''Why do I feel strange gazes? A spell?'' He slowly nced around and soon noticed it was the gazes of rat-type monsters from the nearby bush.


    Shaking his head, he continued to walk, soon arrived at its gatehouse entrance, and began removing the rocks that were used to block the way. His silent and swift movements allowed him to slip inside unnoticed.


    But as he walked inside, he noticed the surrounding area was filled with greenery. Beautiful nts, trees, and vines with poisonous hooks popped out of the ground everywhere and covered all over the ce.


    Thanks to the hundreds of torches and four 1 to 2-meter radius balls of fire suspending on four sides, the inside of the fortress looked more like a day. Charles stealthily navigated through the passageways, taking care not to step on the vines or nts in the yard, and soon arrived at the keep.


    At that moment, three types of wisdom power came from inside and probed him. Once they found out it was one of theirpanions, they stopped examining him and retracted their wisdom power.


    Meanwhile, Charles entered the keep and soon reached the Great Hall, where three figures sat in the middle. The hall appeared slightly damaged on the roof, with a fewrge holes in the corners. There were also statues of strange humanoid beings carved on both sides of the walls, which gave off a unique foreign atmosphere.


    At that moment, six wooden chairs were ced at the center of the hall, one slightlyrger than the others and looking decorated. On it sat a 70-year-old-looking man in a golden robe who was conversing with two other people sitting on opposite chairs.


    The old man had long grey hair, a slightly wrinkled pale face, a celestial nose, thick eyebrows, and bluish eyes. He wore a miter on his head and a unique silver ne.


    ''Cardinal Benedictus.'' Charles quickly recognized him and slowly shifted his attention toward the other two people in the hall.


    One guy appeared to be around 40 years old with short blonde hair, while the other one was a young woman in her long white gown. She covered most of her body and head with a scarf, only showing her pretty oval face.


    ''They must be Richard and Holy Maiden.'' But Charles sensed that the Holy Maiden was a Rank-5 [Fierce Light] Mystic and a Rank-6 [Learner] ss Mystic.


    ''Eye of Thousands... No wonder I felt the eerie gaze from those rat monsters.''


    ''Although her [Fierce Light] ss looks good, it''s actually a fake origin ss. So, she can''t use any of its skills without divine power.'' After a swift analysis, Charles confirmed that her power was only around Novice Legend Rank, like Caspian. Charles also scanned Richard as he walked towards them and noticed that he was in a simr situation as the Holy Maiden.


    ''If they have divine power, their overall strength would be shot up to intermediate level. It''s actually good anyway.''


    On the other hand, he noticed Cardinal Benedictus''s power appeared more domineering.


    ''He is a Rank-5 [Cardinal] and a Rank-6 [Woond Sage]. He has some powerful nature spells and could be hard to deal with.''


    As he was in deep thought, Cardinal turned his gaze towards him and spoke.


    "Caspian, we are leaving this fortress by tomorrow."


    "Do they locate Oberon''s location? Where is he now?" He asked in surprise and soon arrived before Cardinal.


    "We have learned that he has been staying with the Pentagon family. Although it''s unexpected, I don''t think they will oppose us if we use of him some crime." Cardinal spoke as he looked at the Holy Maiden and asked for a suggestion.


    "What should we do now, My Lady?"


    At that moment, Charles sat on the chair beside the Holy Maiden and tried to act like he was eager to listen to what the Holy Maiden was about to say.


    At the same time, he activated the [Hands of Wonders] skill, released an invisible thread, and stealthily sent it toward Cardinal''s neck.


    Like a slithering snake, the invisible thread slowly moved from his fingertip, descended towards the rocky floor, and started moving towards Cardinal''s chair.


    Soon, it moved up on the chair, went up to Cardinal''s cor, and finally reached the ne''s sp.


    Meanwhile, the Holy Maiden thought of the solution and started talking.


    "Our best solution should be a soft and legal approach. First, someone from our group has to meet a member of Pentagon member coincidentally and gets severely injured while fighting him. If possible, sacrificing someone should work even better." As she spoke, she nced at Charles and asked with a smile.


    "What do you think, Caspian? Can you do it?"


    Charles''s face stiffened as he heard those words.


    ''What the f*ck? Is she actually asking her own member to die?'' Before he could think, she slowly looked at Charles''s left hand and furrowed.


    "Why are you moving your fingers strangely?" Her question caused Cardinal and Richard to turn their attention toward him, giving him slight anxiety.


    "I''ve been practicing a new technique to make my arrow''s uracy reach even higher. Due to this technique, my fingers will go numb quickly and might even get swollen. So, I have no choice but to keep exercising my fingers."


    A surprised expression appeared on Cardinal''s face.


    "I didn''t know you have been working hard to improve your skills even during your free time, Caspian. When we return to the Church, I''ll give you a befitting reward."


    At that moment, Richard noticed something odd and asked.


    "But won''t you usually pull the arrow string using your right-hand fingers?"


    A silence descended in the hall.


    "Tsk, it seems I really need more training with my acting skills." Charles clicked his tongue and stood up from his seat.


    Simultaneously, he raised his left hand and grabbed something in mid-air.


    "What are you doing?" Cardinal felt something was off about him and touched the bracelet on his wrist to cast a defensive spell at any moment.


    On the other hand, Charles started closing all his fingers, except the middle finger, towards his palm and smiled.


    "You''ll understand in a while."


    As everyone was dumbfounded by his action, he finally enclosed the middle finger, cast [me Teleportation] spell, and enveloped himself in a reddish me before disappearing!


    "Imposter!" All three cried out in shock and stood up from their seats.


    "How did this happen? I have been monitoring Caspian even before he entered the fortress but didn''t sense anything odd!" Holy Maiden said in a shocked tone.


    "Someone must have killed him after..." He suddenly thought of the earlier incident and cursed loudly.


    "It must be the Sun Church member! But he said that guy was just a young man and only has the strength of Rank-5 Mystic."


    "But why did hee all the way here? Just to get found out by us?" Richard asked.


    At that moment, Holy Maiden noticed something was missing from Cardinal''s neck and pointed her fingers with wide eyes.


    "It''s your ne, Cardinal!"


    "My ne?" Cardinal was also startled by her words and hurriedly grabbed his neck to check if his ne was still there.


    The next moment, his face turned pale as a white sheet!


    After a short silence, he finally screamed and woke up from the shock.


    "He stole it! Go GO! Without that ne, it''s almost impossible for us to defeat Pontiff! Chase after him."

 Chapter 666 Shadow Princess

    ?


    Chapter 666: Shadow Princess


    Second Layer, Dungeon of Star Tombs.


    Charles reappeared more than 10 kilometers from the fortress and quietly looked up at the brightest star in the dark sky.


    ''From what I learned from Caspian''s memory, the teleportation circle to the nextyer is located in the southern direction. But no one has gone to the thirdyer yet due to the presence of a Rank-6 Magical Beast named Abyssal Hound. Hmm, I should go there and leave thisyer first.'' Although he wanted to kill Cardinal Benedictus and others, he had little time to fool around.


    ''I already spent 29 days in this dungeon. If my guess is right, the next disaster will ur after another 30 days. But my real question is: Where will the next disaster ur? If I stay in this dungeon during the disaster time, will it ur here? Or in Edhen World?'' He clearly remembered that the previous disaster urred where he stayed. Not at the Miracle City.


    Shaking his head, Charles wore the ck robe over his casual cloth, activated the [Veil of Shadows] skill, and blended with the darkness.


    Then, he didn''t leave any trace behind and quietly moved to the south.


    After traveling for more than 50 kilometers in a span of 2 hours, he finally found a small cavern and scanned the surroundings.


    After confirming no dangers nearby, he activated his [Dark Vision] skill and went inside.


    Then, he satfortably on a rock and finally unveiled the ne from the invisible strings.


    After that, he released his wisdom power and checked the ne.


    "Nebulous Dreamkeeper Pendant? It also has a spiritual imprint infused with divine power?" Charles saw mysterious patterns of spiritual imprint in the ne and furrowed.


    But as he analyzed it with his [Mystic algorithm] skill, he cracked theplex pattern of Cardinal''s spiritual imprint.


    He remained in the same ce for more than 10 hours and finally erased the spiritual imprint of Cardinal Benedictus!


    ''If Rh sees what I''m doing now, he will pass out in shock.'' Even he knew how precious these wisdom skills were and decided not to utter a word to the outside world.


    ''Now, let see how Shadow Princess is doing in this Ne.'' Charles probed deeper with his wisdom power, made a spiritual imprint, and soon noticed a strange suction forceing from within.


    ''A gateway for only consciousness to pass through?'' He didn''t resist the suction power and soon found himself standing in a gloomy dark forest. A bright sun was hung up in the sky but appeared dimmed due to dark clouds. He also noticed an eerie silence in those surrounding trees and furrowed.


    ''A dream space? I still feel the connection with the necklcace.''


    ''Charles? Is that you? You''vee to see me?'' A surprising voice of a young woman echoed in his ears.


    "Who is it? Shadow Princess?" Charles asked as he nced around but found no one.


    ''I''m d you still remember me. It''s been more than 5,000 years since I saw you.''


    ''5,000 years?'' At that moment, a vast shadow appeared above his head, and he slowly looked above.


    A secondter, he couldn''t help but feel a suffocative feeling as he witnessed something titanic.


    A breathtaking and awe-inspiring creature unfurled its majestic form in the shadowy expanse of the sky. It was a Winged-Serpent with an enigmatic presence that stretched an astounding length of around 1000 meters. Its very existence defied thews of nature, a convergence of serpentine grace and mysterious power.


    The serpentine body of this magnificent creature was adorned with scales of a strange hue - an eerie fusion of ck and blue that shimmered and danced with an iridescent glow. These scales, as if plucked from the midnight sky itself, rippled and undted with a subtle.


    Atop its regal head rested a singr marvel - a cone-shaped gem that emanated a soft, celestial light, bathing the surrounding skies in a beautiful glow.


    The Winged-Serpent''s expansive and powerful wings stretched out from its sides like a pair of immense tapestries woven from the fabric of dreams. Beneath its regal head, it also possessed a captivating pattern that traced along its throat and neck, reminiscent of the iconic hood.


    At that moment, the gigantic figure tilted his head towards the forest and looked directly at Charles.


    "You''ve grown monstrously strong." Although he was surprised when he read Caspian''s memories, he wasn''t expecting her true form to be much more powerful and domineering.


    "What rank are you?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    ''I''m not aware, Charles. But other than Hypnagor, Noxamor, and Sombroth, I haven''t met anyone strong enough to threaten me yet.'' Upon hearing those strange words, Charles couldn''t help but get more puzzled.


    "Who are they?"


    "They are the Dream Lords I''ve met in the Nightmare World. They are far more powerful than me and could erase me with a snap." She said with a hint of fear in her voice.


    "But how did you end up getting captured by the Life Church members?" Charles asked with a frown.


    "Captured? Who? No, didn''t you see where this ce is? I''m still in the dream world. Although I couldn''t travel beyond the Domain of Nipher for more than 20 years due to some restriction, I felt that restrction has been lifted up for the past three years. And the only reason I made an agreement with the people from the Edhen world is to explore outside of dream world. But what I didn''t expect was your sudden arrival."


    ''She didn''t know about her being captured in that strange ne? Could it be that ne is a gateway to enter and exit the dream world? No, Cardinal said that her power would drain slowly and be disappear one day. She felt this whole realm belong to the Dream World because of that ne''s ability to recreate the Nightmare Domain and pulled her into it without even knowing her! It''s more like a temporary ce for nightmare beings to stay.'' At that moment, he realized how bizarre and terrifying this artifact was.


    "But how did you manage to leave this Dream World to help the people from the outside world?" Charles asked.


    At that moment, a strange ring embedded with eerie ckish stone appeared out of thin air and hovered before him.


    ''That man from some Church said that whenever this ring shines, I just need to infuse my dream power to it. Then, this ring will do the rest and transport me out of this world. It''s has the same mechanism as Dream Walk ability.''


    Charles nodded his head and soon spoke.


    "I''ve a way to give you a true body of a baby snake and also soul with no consciousness. Can you able to posses it? Although you will lose your ability temporarily, you can enter and leave the Physical World whenever you want."


    "Really?! You have a way?" A thundering voice echoed from the sky, causing heavy stormy winds to spread everywhere.


    "I don''t know if this works. But it''s better to try it out." Charles paused for a moment and then added.


    "When this ring shines again, leave this ce ande to the outside world." Saying so, Charles focused on the connection to the ne and soon disappeared from there.


    A momentter, Charles opened his eyes within the cave and hurriedly took out the crimson orb from his space ring.


    Then, he sent his wisdom power into the crimson orb and took out the strange snake egg.


    ''Thanks to the rebirth me, no changes happened to this snake egg.'' He muttered inwardly, focused on the ne again, and started analyzing its other function.


    ''It''s indeed more like a pocket dimension. As long as I think of pulling something out from this domain, the ne will throw it out. They must have fooled her with some tricks.'' He clicked his tongue and sook thought of pulling the Shadow Princess out.


    A few secondster, a sudden crack appeared more than 1000 meters above from where Charles was hiding and started to erge.


    Soon, an illusionary image of a gigantic winged snake, around 1000 meters long, slithered from the deep void and released a powerful wave in every direction.


    At that moment, monsters, magical beasts, humans from Edhen World, and even the boss monster, Abyssal Hound, suddenly sensed a sense of dread and shivered.


    Cardinal Benedictus, the Holy Maiden, and Richard also sensed an oppressive dreadful aura from the direction and halted their footsteps.


    No, they couldn''t even move their muscles and felt an invisible power gripping their neck.


    Suddenly, a strange woman''s voice echoed in their heads.


    ''I don''t need you anymore.''


    As the voice ended, Cardinal Benedictus suddenly noticed his facial muscles started to show more wrinkles. Within three seconds, he turned into a lean, skinny old man on the verge of death. The same goes for Holy Maiden and Richard. They also lost most of their lifespan in those three seconds and turned into 50 to 60 years old looking, people.


    But thankfully, the invisible dreadful power retracted and soon vanished from the surroundings.


    "W-What in the world is that?" Cardinal''s voice echoed more like a trembling old man''s voice. He soon looked at his skin, checked his current appearance, and was horrified. The same goes for Holy Maiden and Richard!


    "I-I think we have provoked something we shouldn''t have, Cardinal Benedictus." Holy Maiden said stiffly and gave a deep look at his current appearance.


    "It seems your n to be the next Pontiff has be an impossible dream." She said with a pitiful look on her face.


    Although she lost most of her youth, she could still live more than thousands to two thousand years. But Cardinal Benedictus''s situation had be very dangerous.


    "Your life force has almost extinguished, Cardinal."


    On the other hand, Cardinal Benedictus remained in the dense woods and couldn''t wake up from the shock.

 Chapter 667 Abyssal Hound

    ?


    Chapter 667: Abyssal Hound


    After a powerful disy, Shadow Princess quietly turned her gaze down and focused on the palm-sized egg on Charles''s hand.


    "You have no time to fool around. Enter this egg soon." Charles said in an urging tone and walked out of the cavern.


    On the other hand, the gigantic illusionary winged snake suddenly turned into a beam of light and directly descended towards Charles''s palm. But as she moved closer, the ray of light shrunk into a small one and soon entered the snake egg.


    After that, Charles noticed that her presence disappearedpletely!


    ''She entered the empty soul already. As long as she found the soul core, she will be the true owner of this body and soul.'' Charles took a leather bag from his space ring and ced the egg in it.


    ''Let''s wait for her to hatch into a new being.'' He carefully ced the bag on his back and walked towards the south.


    Although he bumped into many Rank-5 and even a few Rank-6 shadow creatures, no one dared to attack him. No, all the monsters tried to avoid him, and some even ran away.


    ''What the heck? Is it due to Shadow Princess''s presence?'' Even though shepletely hid within the soul, the mere dreadful aura she released in the thirdyer made every creature guard up.


    Thanks to this, Charles''s journey became even smoother.


    At the end of the second day, he reached the southern border of the Second Layer and saw a gigantic mountain cave, which seemed to be a gateway of the Abyss itself. At that moment, its entrance was shrouded in an eerie mist that seemed to writhe and pulse with sinister energy.


    But thanks to Charles''s [Night Vision] skill, he clearly saw the cavern''s interior. With a flick of his finger, he conjured a ball of fire and let it hover more than a few feet above his head, illuminating the surroundings.


    Its entrance was framed by gnarled, shadowy rock formations that seemed to reach out like fingers, their jagged edges casting eerie silhouettes against the dim light. The air around the cave was thick with a damp chill, hinting of earthiness and an undertone of something more ominous.


    As Charles stepped deeper into the cavern, the walls closed around him, the narrow passage leading him further into the heart of the mountain. The walls were rough and uneven, their surfaces marked by the passage of time and the elements. Here and there, patches of luminescent fungi emitted a faint, ghostly glow, casting faint glimmers of light upon the path.


    The floor beneath his feet was uneven, with asional dips and rises, giving the impression of a natural, meandering path carved by the passage of water long ago.


    The cavern''s walls opened up suddenly, revealing a vast chamber that stretched into darkness, its farthest reaches lost to sight. Stctites hung from the ceiling like icicles of stone, their pointed tips seemingly reaching for the ground below. The chamber seemed to pulse with a faint, ethereal light, like the faint glow of distant stars seen through a heavy mist.


    At the center of the chambery a circr tform, its surface adorned with intricate, swirling patterns that seemed to shift and change with every flicker of light.


    "Teleportation circle!" Charles''s eyes widened.


    But what made him halt his footstep was a 2-meter-tall ck hound standing at the center of the teleportation circle and growling at him with its fierce red eyes. It had six legs and long ears and released a strange chill whenever it exhaled the air.


    At the same time, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: ????


    Race: Abyssal Hound


    Rank: Legend Rank (Peak)


    Age: 503,500 years


    Health: Normal


    Affiliation: Chaotic Evil


    Title: Hell''s Guardian, Mount of the True Devil, Void Walker.


    Attributes:


    Strength: 49.9


    Agility: 49.9


    Vitality: 49.9


    Chaos Power: 1,998


    Wisdom Power: 999


    Bloodline Spells:


    Soul Drainer, Shadow Cloak, Abyssal Howl, Void Walking, Abyssal Evasion, Umbral Pulse, Eldrich Sight.


    Unique Skill: Astral Chain, Body of the Void.]


    ...


    ''It has two unique skills.'' As he gazed at the skills, another round of information about each spell appeared, causing him to furrow deeper.


    While analyzing, he stored the leather bag in his space ring and got ready for the battle.


    At that moment, the Abyssal Hound suddenly disappeared from its standing and reappeared behind Charles.


    Charles had long known of its action and tried to intercept its thoughts with his ''Burning Thoughts'' spell.


    But to his astonishment, it didn''t work.


    He also tried invading its mind with [Fire Seed], [Purple Consciousness], and [Knowledge Seeker] spells but found out those spells weren''t working on the Abyssal Hound.


    At that moment, it also sensed his action and leaped towards him, opening its chilling mouth wide.


    But just as it was about to bite him, an Eclipse Shield of shadowy energy appeared around him and blocked it from getting near.


    Instead of backing away, its fierce red eyes emitted a strange darkish red pulsing energy, releasing a unique dark essence towards the Eclipse Shield.


    It was the bloodline spell called ''Umbral Pulse.''


    A momentter, the strange dark energy entered the shield and disrupted the flow of shadow energy, breaking the defense spell instantly!


    At the same time, the Abyssal Hound also opened its mouth wide and released a bone-chilling abyssal aura to the surrounding.


    Within a moment, a strange ice essence appeared out of nowhere and started restricting Charles''s movement!


    Utilizing the opportunity, the Abyssal Hound again opened its mouth and tried to bite his head.


    Charles had also long sensed the danger and quickly cast the [Soul Shock] spell on the Abyssal Hound, directly inflicting damage to its soul.


    Simultaneously, he turned around and cast the [Chaos Eye] spell.


    A momentter, a reddish chaotic ray of fire came out of his forehead and flew towards the Abyssal Hound at an incredible speed.


    When the Abyssal Hound had managed to disperse the soul damage paralysis effect, the reddish ray of fire filled with pure chaos essences had already arrived before its forehead.


    But before the fire could pierce through its head, the Abyssal Hound suddenly moved towards the left side at an amazing speed and evaded the spell attack mysteriously.


    ''Abyssal Evasion spell?'' Charles clicked his tongue and waved his hand.


    A secondter, the surroundings were enveloped in crimson fire, causing the chilling air to disperse.


    Slowly, the rocks started to melt and formed into purevas. At the same time, the nearby mutated nts and trees also burned in fierce light and illuminated the whole cavern chamber.


    Meanwhile, the Abyssal Hound''s movement speed had be extremely slow.


    But thatsted only for a few seconds. A momentter, a strange bluish aura appeared out of nowhere and enveloped the Abyssal Hound, allowing it to move normally.


    ''Body of the Void? So, it has ability to even nullify any time rted spells, huh.'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon noticed that the Abyssal Hound suddenly vanished from its spot.


    ''Tsk, it''s tricky to handle.'' Just as he spoke, he noticed all the future visions in Right Eye showing him standing in the same ce before getting devoured by the Abyssal Hound.


    ''It has another ability to restrict my movement? Astral Chain?'' Before he could analyze the situation, strange invisible chains appeared out of nowhere andpletely enveloped him.


    At that moment, it managed to bind his soul form, causing his whole body to stiffen.


    The next instant, the Abyssal Hound suddenly appeared before him and opened his mouth to bite his head off.


    But out of nowhere, an invisible forcefield-like structure appeared and blocked the Hound from biting him.


    It was the ''Ancient Ward'' spell.


    ''But why didn''t it appear in my earlier visions?'' Although he was curious about this spell, he decided to research on itter.


    Infuriated, the Abyssal Hound let out a fierce growl and released an eerie Umbral Pulse energy to disrupt the defensive shield.


    But as the eerie energy touched the defensive shield, it vaporized!


    ''Wow, this defensive spell is something else!''


    At that moment, Charles also managed to release his soul form from the Astral Chain and unsheathed the long sword.


    Sensing the uing danger, the Abyssal Hound didn''t hesitate to cast the [Shadow Cloak] spell and disappeared.


    A cold glint appeared in Charles''s eyes as he saw its sneaky action.


    "Grace, lend me a hand." Just as he spoke, a lot of life force was sucked away from his soul, resulting in him losing more than ten years of lifespan!


    But Charles knew that it was just an appetizer for Grace!


    ''I''m not strong enough to use this sword yet.'' As he muttered, he noticed a fierce reddish aura from the long sword thatpletely enveloped his body. At the same time, he sensed that the whole rebirth domain became more powerful, allowing the speed of time flow to be doubled again.


    Not only his abilities but even all his physical attributes were also doubled.


    ''What the heck? My physical attributes have actually crossed 64!'' Charles didn''t hesitate as he waved his left hand, activated [Hands of Wonder] skill, and released more than ten thousand invisible strings to the surroundings.


    All of them moved like minute snakes and formed strange web-like patterns. In a blink, Charles discovered where this Abyssal Hound was hiding and sprinted forward.


    At the same time, he cast the [False Field] spell, [Eye of the Faceless] skill, and even analyzed its every action using the Rune Eye skill.


    Thanks to his doubled physical attributes, Charles arrived before the Abyssal Hound in a second and raised his sword.


    Although the ''Abyssal Hound'' tried to use the ''Abyssal Evasion'' spell, many invisible web-like strings suddenly spiraled around its legs and stopped its movement.


    As it was about to use the ''Void Walking'' spell, a strange purple fire entered its consciousness and erased its current thoughts.


    Before it could wake up from the shock, Charles shed the sword vertically and cleaved the Abyssal Hound into two.

 Chapter 668: Causality Manipulation

    Chapter 668: Causality Maniption


    As the Abyssal Hound''s corpse fell, the strange madness aura around the surroundings started to dim andpletely vanished in two seconds.


    Only then did Charles notice a strange anger and coldness appeared within him. But thanks to the Mind nk amulet, the effect seemed significantly less. He quickly snapped out of that peculiar feeling and looked at the sword.


    ''Hungry!'' An eerie voice came from Grace.


    A momentter, arge amount of suction force came from the hilt region and started sucking his life force madly. Before he could even blink, he lost 100 years of his lifespan!


    Thankfully, Grace stopped sucking his life force after that and went into a deep slumber.


    ''I lost 100 years of lifespan for a single battle.'' But the good thing was he managed to learn something from this.


    ''I can''t use the sword carelessly. Not only it sucks my soul, it even influences my thoughts. I might have been in a difficult state if my soul hadn''t mutated. But after the soul mutation and bing a Rank-6 [Fire Mage], my life span has increased by around 90,000 to 100,000 years. And my resistance to the mind-rted abilities also increased.'' Charles only felt a change within his soul and soon shook his head.


    After that, he dismissed the Rebirth Domain and turned his attention towards the center of the chamber where the strange circr pattern was drawn.


    "Instead of letters, I only see strange patterns of creatures and birds within the circles." While muttering, he soon approached the teleportation circle and stepped into it. Then, he used the ''Mythos Decoding'' skill and tried to decipher it.


    But all of a sudden, the strange patterns started to glow in bluish light and started enveloping the whole circle.


    At the same time, Charles felt a strange pulling force out of nowhere and transporting him somewhere.


    No, he noticed it was a strange invisible hand that grabbed his body like a toy and transported him into deep space.


    ''I''m suffocating.'' He held his breath and covered his body in a red tear.


    ''But where am I getting transported? Aren''t dungeonyers arranged in a tower-like area?''


    Before he could look deeply at the surroundings, the space before him suddenly cracked and became wide as a human could pass through.


    Meanwhile, the invisible hand moved him closer to the spatial crack and dropped him into it.


    A secondyer, Charles felt the suffocating feeling start disappearing and found himself falling from the cloudy sky.


    Without dy, he released his wisdom power and regained his momentum. Then, he slowly descended toward the ground and noticed it was a desert-likend all over the ce. Whenever he looked, the only thing that appeared before his sight was sand and rocky mountains.


    ''I should find a safe ce to rest for a while and then think of a way to go to the nextyer. When the next disaster happens, I must arrive at the fourthyer and prepare. Moreover, I vaguely feel that my next wisdom skill can help me achieve my goal.'' While thinking, he reached the sandy ground and started walking randomly.


    At the same time, he thought of the information he got from Eddie Nightwind''s book.


    ''Paind filled with Sand Monsters and blood-sucking creatures. Eddie also warned the explorers to be more careful of sudden sand storms that could even kill a Legendary Magical Beast in a span of seconds.'' He suddenly paused as he observed the surrounding air and noticed dense wind elemental essence flowing everywhere.


    ''I should be careful and not provoke any magical beasts.'' He muttered inwardly and continued to walk.


    But after traveling only for thirty minutes, he was met with an obstacle.


    Amidst the desert''s vastness stood four imposing Magical Beasts near prickly pear-type mutated nts. At two meters tall, they were scorpion-like in appearance, their bodies adorned with a greenish hue that shimmered in the sunlight.


    When these creatures were set in motion, a dangerous dance began. They released potent purple poisons into the air with every step, a silent warning to their enemy. This toxic aura surrounds them, a reminder of their deadly nature.


    But their power didn''t stop there. These beasts held the desert''s elements in their grasp. With their bloodline spell, they summoned storms that shook the surroundingnd. Winds howled, sands whirled, and the desert bowed to theirmand.


    ''Although I''m powerful enough even to kill a Peak Level Legendary Magical Beast, I''m still not strong enough to take four at once.'' He knew his limit and decided to withdraw from there.


    After that, he continued his journey but soon noticed that most of the monsters that appeared along the way were scorpion-type.


    ''Is there a nest nearby?'' He dared not stay in that region and moved towards the faraway small hill.


    He finally reached a newnd after traveling for more than 10 hours in the desert.


    After that, he explored many ces and encountered many kinds of Magical Beasts like Mirage Shifters, Sandfire Serpents, Sand Golems, Desert Veilweavers, etc.


    But what startled him deeply was that every being he encountered within thisyer was Legend Rank Being!


    ''No wonder Eddie and his team members couldn''t progress further. But I''m shocked how the Amber Church, Pentagon Family, and others reached the fifthyer.''


    While traveling, he encountered many ruined ces, like buried houses, temples, and even half-buried fortresses. He discovered many pebble-sized stone tablets with unique carvings of birds, animals, and marine creatures.


    He also saw many strange patterns and symbols on every stone tablet and tried to decipher which civilization lived there using the [Mythos Decoding] skill.


    After analyzing everything for over a day, he finally decoded the information hidden in every seal.


    ''This Paind is a domain of a fallen Goddess who rules over the domain of wind and storms. Strangely, there is no mention of her name.'' But with the help of those seals, he managed to grasp a few important locations of this dimension.


    ''Those are the important locations of twelve subordinates of the fallen goddess. But those areas might be in ruins already.'' After some thought, he decided to take things slowly.


    ''I already spent more than two days here but have yet to find a clue about the teleportation circle to the fourthyer. For now, I will find a safe location and focus on improving my strength.'' He first found a ruined dome-shaped temple, entered while looking at the half-destroyed pirs, and soon entered the sanctum sanctorum. Thankfully, the temple wasn''t damaged much as outside.


    Inside the sanctum, he found no statues or religious altars but only a square ck stone.


    ''Is this a symbol?'' He quietly sat beside the ck stone, took the crystal dimension stone from his space ring, and put it near the rock.


    He also took out a pocket watch and put it beside the square stone.


    After that, he turned into his elemental form, focused on the crystal-dimension stone, and soon disappeared.


    A momentter, he reappeared before the gigantic Sun made of pure chaotic fire and then took out the Sage Gem from his space ring.


    He then focused on the small bluish gem and tried toprehend more wisdom essences to unlock the sixth skill.


    But unlike before, hisprehension speed had increased even Whenprehending Mythos Decoding skill, it took him over 2 hours to understand a single wisdom essence streak. But now, he higher.


    Whenprehending Mythos Decoding skill, it took him over 2 hours to understand a single wisdom essence streak. But now, he only took one hour and 45 minutes.


    As he further tried to understand every wisdom rule, hisprehension of the wisdom power increased.


    Time passed slowly.


    Hours turned days, days turned weeks, and even months passed quickly.


    On the other hand, Charles focused solely on hisprehension andprehended 1150 wisdom essence streaks in a single month.


    ''I need almost one month toprehend a Wisdom Essence, huh?'' He nodded inwardly and continued toprehend more wisdom Essences.


    Once again, he went into deep seclusion within the Crystal dimension.


    Time moved at an incredible pace within the Crystal Dimension as hisprehension progression increased daily.


    At some time, he also entered a strange enlightened state and managed to grasp some of the secrets of the next skill.


    "Causality Maniption... It''s an ability to manipte causality, altering the sequence of events to create a desired oue.'' Even though the description was simple, Charles managed to understand the true potential of this skill and continued to understand it.


    Twelve years passed within the Crystal Dimension.


    But even after all this time, he onlyprehended around 100 Wisdom Essences.


    ''If I want to receive the full effect of this skill, I need to understand more than 1,000 Wisdom Essences. Unfortunately, Ick time.'' He shook his head and hurriedly left the Crystal Dimension.


    A secondter, he reappeared within the ruined temple and noticed nothing much changed in the surroundings.


    Then, he took out the pocket watch and noticed more than 16 days had passed.


    ''It''s time to leave thisyer.''

 Chapter 669: Hatching

    Chapter 669: Hatching


    On a fine day under the scorching sun, a young kid, around 16 years old, walked on the drynd with a tired look.


    He was around 160 cm tall, with short blonde hair, emerald eyes, and a hawk nose. At that moment, he wore a ck robe over his casual dress and held a long sword at his waist.


    He also carried a leather bag in his other hand and even looked at the bag from time to time.


    Unlike pure desert sand, the ground around him appeared harder and even had some nts like cactus, vines, and even grasses. Some desert trees would appear in his sight from time to time, but he had no time to stay in one ce to rest.


    "It''s been more than two days since I started continuing my journey. But I still haven''t met anyone from Edhen World yet. Are they still in the Second Layer?" Charles couldn''t help but frown.


    What worried him most was the sudden attack of asionally bloodsucking sandworms from the ground.


    ''They seem to be tracking my movement all the time.'' He muttered inwardly and looked up at the clear blue sky.


    ''My other worry is the Falcon-type magical beasts circling in the sky. A falcon beast caught a Legend Rank six-legged insect just a few minutes ago and took it like it was nothing. From that moment onwards, more falcons started circling above my head and seemed to be keeping a close eye on me.''


    While pondering what to do next, he suddenly heard an egg-cracking sound from his leather bag and widened his eyes.


    ''It''s finally time for her to wake up, huh?'' With a hint of excitement, he hurriedly nced around and soon found an Acacia tree a few hundred meters away.


    Without dy, he walked towards the tree and sat under the tree''s shadow.


    After that, he waved his hand and cast the [Ignis Sancturm] spell around him to protect himself from an unexpected attack.


    Then, he took the palm-sized snake egg from the leather bag and noticed a small crack on the top.


    As the crack on the egg widened, a faint bluish light emitted from within. Charles watched in curiosity as the tiny creature inside the egg pushed its way out, revealing itself as a small snake with shimmering bluish-ck scales. At that moment, its size was around 50 cm long and looked very thin.


    The baby snake stretched its neck and let out a soft chirp as it shook off the remnants of the eggshell. Its eyes, a brilliant shade of emerald blue, blinked open and fixed on him.


    Charles also noticed the strange blue embedded in its consciousness form had appeared, giving a unique beauty.


    "Can you talk, Snake Princess?" He asked.


    On the other hand, she tilted her head and opened her mouth to say something, but only a hissing sound came.


    Then, she shook her head, slowly coined around his hand, and started slithering towards his neck.


    Before long, she coiled around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.


    Meanwhile, Charles gently tapped her forehead and checked her status.


    ...


    [Name: Shadow Princess


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Shadow Basilisk (Vessel of Naga)


    Rank: 1 (??)


    ss: Nightmare Snake (????)


    Sub-ss: Shadow Weaver


    Health Points: 10/10


    Attributes:


    Strength- 1


    Dexterity- 1.2


    Constitution- 1.1


    Wisdom-????


    Charisma- 25


    ss skills:


    Dream Hiss


    Memory Steal


    Nightmare Poison


    Dream Walk


    Recall of Dreams


    Dream Control


    Subss skills:


    Shadowmeld


    Illusionary Mirage


    Eclipse Gaze


    Unique Skills:


    Life Steal.]


    ...


    ''Even after her power regressed, she is very powerful.'' Charles quietly looked at the status and decided to continue the journey.


    But just as he took a few steps, he noticed a group of people wasing his way from the north. Even though they were a kilometer away, he saw their every movement.


    At that moment, the group leader also noticed his presence and made an invisible forcefield structure around their group to block his wisdom power to stop his scan!


    ''I sense a bit of divine power. He is more powerful than Order Church Holy Son.'' Charles paused in surprise and quietly waited for them to arrive.


    After waiting a few minutes, he finally saw a group of eight members walking with a tired look.


    The one leading the group was a 40 years-old-looking man with a stern gaze and authoritative aura. He appeared muscr, with a long sword, short blue hair, hazel eyes, and broad shoulder. He wore a cotton cloth, like a robe, and even covered his face with a white scarf to protect himself from the sand and dust. Charles also nced at others and noticed most wore abaya-type ck gowns and looked tense and vignt.


    As they arrived closer, all of them stopped their footsteps and looked at Charles with vignt.


    After a short pause, the leading man bowed his head.


    Then, he took a deep breath and spoke in apletely strangenguage.


    "%($u% #*o$ #&$o$y# #y$u $&>>/."


    ''This is not anguage of Edhen World. Did they mistake me for a man from another world?'' Charles pondered for a moment and decided to y with them.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about." He decided to speak in English to confuse them even more.


    A silence descended.


    But Charles didn''t stop there as he thought of something and spoke in a broken Rune Language.


    "I mean no harm. I got lost exploring the Dungeon and ended up in apletely differentyer."


    At that moment, a ck-haired man from that group noticed he was talking in an ancient Rune Language and informed the leader.


    eyebrows and asked in Blen Tongue.


    "He seems to have been lost in the dungeon and ended up in a "True Lord Alistair, he is speaking in Ancient Rune Language. Although it''s hard to understand the ent, I can barely understand what he is saying."


    "Oh? What did he say, Rowan?" The man named Alistair raised his eyebrows and asked in Blen Tongue.


    "He seems to have been lost in the dungeon and ended up in a differentyer." The ck-haired man named Rowan answered politely and soon added with a smile.


    "From the looks of it, he is just an amateur, My Lord. Why not capture him and get something from him?"


    "Don''t act stupid. He might look like a kid but is as strong as me. Don''t provoke some random person without knowing their true background." Alistair warned the other person sternly and continued.


    "Tell him that we will help him to reach up to the fourth Layer."


    "Isn''t that too much of a burden for us, Alistair?" This time, another person with blonde hair intervened.


    "You know nothing, Nyx. This type of person must havee from arge background, possibly from Elder ne or a veryrge Higher ne. We should never be narrow-minded during this time and try to forge friendships with them." He said with a trace of disappointment and turned his attention towards Charles.


    Meanwhile, Rowan went closer to Charles, said what Alistair told him earlier, and even gave him a book.


    "What is this?" Charles asked.


    "This was the book I used to study Rune Language when I was younger. You can use it to learn ournguage." Rowan said.


    On the other hand, Charles flipped through the book and noticed it was actually in Blen Tongue.


    "I''ll learn it during my free time," Charles said with a smile and introduced himself politely.


    "I''m Charles, came from a High ne called Earth. And I will not be a burden during our journey."


    As Rowan tranted what he said, Alistair couldn''t help butugh loudly.


    "He is indeed a good man. Rowan, stay with him until we reach the Fourth Layer and help him learn the Blen Language. Also, ask more about his background when you get closer." Saying so, he slowly shifted his attention toward the small baby snake on his neck and raised his eyebrows.


    "Why is he putting a baby snake around his neck? A pet?"


    "That seems to have been born only a day ago," Nyx nodded.


    "Whatever. As long as this kid stays with us, the chance of us reaching the fourthyer will be an easy task." Alistair added.


    "You said the same thingst time. But we couldn''t even beat the Fallen Jinn and ended up retreating." Nyx snorted coldly.


    "Unlike before, I came here well-prepared. Last time, we couldn''t even discover the Jinn''s abilities and were forced to retreat by its single spell. But thanks to the gift from Nightwind Family Elder, I have a high chance of clearing thisyer." A proud look appeared on Alistair''s face.


    At that moment, Charles also overheard their conversation and got a good understanding of who they were.


    ''So, they belong to ''True Lords,'' huh?''


    After learning their origin, he decided to take care of themter.


    On the other hand, Alistair took the lead again and continued walking towards where Charles came from and even looked at a strange ancient map from time to time.


    Charles also put a hold on his n and continued to follow them.


    As they traveled, Alistair and others didn''t confront any group of Legendary Magical Beasts and moved more cautiously.


    Even with such cautiousness, some Magical Beasts sensed their presence and attacked them. But thanks to Alistair''s strange ''Divine Spell,'' they faced no life-threatening situation.


    After a day-long travel with this group, Charles finally discovered the secret behind Alistair''s divine abilities.


    ''He isn''t borrowing the divine power from his god. I''m sensing a powerful divine energy within his body. Is he walking on the path of Divines?'' He wondered.

 Chapter 670 Divine Pathway

    ?


    Chapter 670: Divine Pathway


    ''I want to know how the power levels of Divine Pathway work. Even though Udnir, Raphael, Emerson, and Miguel belonged to the same Demigod Rank, Udnir didn''t consider others a threat. And I''m also wondering how they differ from the Thirteen Churches'' Popes. Are they more powerful than Popes or on equal terms? And how strong I''m now?'' Questions whirled inside Charles''s head.


    At the same time, he started eavesdropping on everyone''s conversation and gathering information about the True Lords groups.


    After staying with them for a whole day, he learned about the other groups'' current situation.


    Only Life and Amber Churches reached the Second Layer among the seven Churches. But for some unknown reason, Life Church withdrew from their exploration after reaching the Second Layer and chose to leave the Dungeon of Star Tombs. On the other hand, Amber Church and True Lords family groups departed from the Second Layer and came to the Third Layer around five days ago.


    ''Fairchild, Hawthorne, and Pentagon families are still exploring the secondyer and mighte within a day or two. Before they arrive, Alistair and others seem to be nning on soloing the Boss Monster and moving to the fourthyer.'' But what startled him was that the True Lords group also seemed to have battled the Abyssal Hound and even lost two of their members!


    ''After I killed the Abyssal Hound, it respawned? Now that I think about it, I also didn''t receive any wisdom points after killing it, right?'' He muttered inwardly and continued to speak with Rowan while following the leading group.


    Whenever a battle happened, he didn''t reveal his magic spells and only used his sword skill, sub-ss, and unique skills to battle against the magical beasts.


    But even that was more than enough for everyone to recognize his strength.


    Another thing that startled everyone was that Charles learned the ''Blen'' Language at an incredible speed, causing everyone''s jaw to drop.


    "You are a genius among geniuses, even in a world like Edhen." Alistair could help but praise.


    "Although his progression speed was still palepared to Sun God, he has a good potential indeed." Nyx also said, not giving anypliment.


    "Humph, you hated that elvend when he rose to power and even gave him trouble by sending an assassin just to test his strength, right? You got some nerve to bring his name here." Alistair said coldly and continued.


    "Don''t take Nyx''s words to heart, Charles. You are still young and have a bright future than all of us. One day, you might reach a higher realm and be a ruler of a powerful world."


    "I''m ttered by your words, Mr. Alistair. But my true goal is not to rule any world but reach the peak of strength." Charles spoke perfectly in Blen''s Tongue, causing others to smile wryly.


    "What a humble youngd. I''m envious of your parents. If I have a chance to meet them one day, I''ll present them with the most beautiful gem in our world as a token of my friendship."


    "Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Alistair. Both died long ago, so your wish will nevere true." Charles said calmly and soon shook his head.


    "So, how are you guys nning on defeating the Fallen Jinn? Won''t it be easy if you guys joined other groups you mentioned earlier to clear thisyer?" He diverted the topic.


    "Hmm? You guys don''t face limitation? Interesting. Only ten members can use the teleportation circle after defeating the boss monster in the first fouryers. And once the Boss got killed, respawning would take more than a week. That''s why we always act separately. Although we were worried about how to defeat the thirdyer boss monster, your presence here gives us lots of advantages." Alistair said with a smile.


    "I''m d to help, Mr. Alistair," Charles said with a nod and soon asked as he thought of something.


    "So, how strong are the other groups? Are they also having the same strength as you guys? If you aren''tfortable, you can choose not to say anything."


    "Hmm, it''s not a big secret. Pentagon is the strongest among the powerful families, with one Demigod-rank Expert and Seven Legend Rank Experts. Even those in Legend Ranks are more powerful than me."


    "Legend Rank? Demigod? Can you borate? In my world, there is apletely different ranking system." Charles decided to create a fake world with the information he had from the Mystic Worlds game.


    ''I''ll use the world map ranking of the Garden of Undead as a base.'' He muttered inwardly and spoke.


    "In my world, the rank system is based on levels. The world will reward the Mystics with experience and strength for every level. We also have to go on adventures often and gain more experience to improve our life force. After every ten levels, the Mystics will reach a bottleneck and need a life-and-death experience, potions, or ss gems to break it." Upon hearing those words, Alistair was utterly shocked.


    "A world with a unique level system, huh? So, what''s your current level?"


    His sudden question surprised Charles.


    ''If I''m a yer, my level should be around 65 or 66. That''s because I still need to construct other spell models and almost rely on high wisdom power and artifacts.''


    "My current level is 66. But I n on reaching Level 70 in a decade or two." He said with a firm tone.


    "Hmm, if your strength is Level 66, mine should be only around 65 or 66," Alistair said with a thoughtful look and soon added.


    "And the one leading the Pentagon team leader''s strength should be around level 69 and had already achieved perfection in hisw powers. Although he hadn''t reached the realm of Arch ss, he is still one of the top powerhouses in the Edhen World."


    "Arch ss?" Charles asked.


    "Yes, Arch ss is considered Rank-7, but no one has yet reached that stage in Edhen World. We say Archwizard for Mages, Arch Warlords for Warlocks, and Arch Mystics for other sses. Other than Pentagon, the Fairchild team leader''s strength should also be Level 69. As for Hawthorne''s team leader, his strength shouldn''t be less than me." Alistair exined.


    "Then, what about the Demigod you mentioned earlier? I also sense a strange energy emitting from your heart. Is this the power of faith?" Charles''s question surprised Alistair again.


    "So, your world has no gods, huh?" He gave him a deep look and soon let out a smile.


    "You know the faith power, but not knowing about Demigod means you haven''t met any Gods yet. It''s not surprising. Even the world we came from had no gods before a few millenniums. This pathway is a ''Divine Pathway,'' taboo in many worlds. Unlike Mages and Mystics, we use the power of faith to strengthen ourselves. And you can choose to follow this pathway whenever you want. But once you consume a particr divinity, it''s impossible to take it out."


    Upon noticing the puzzled look on his face, he let out a deep sigh and continued.


    "For example, I consumed the ''Divinity of Hunting'' and gained a DIvine skill called ''Harvest Blessing.'' As long as an opportunity arises in the Dungeon, my skill can allow me to reap more rewards. And people call some who consumed one ''Divinity'' as ''Godkind.'' Although we are like normal people, we have the Divinity trump card and won''t die easily. The next rank of this pathway is called what we call ''Demigod.'' They are people who consumed more than 5 Divinities of the same Domains and are already capable of forming the Peseudo Divine Kingdom. Due to this, their strength should vary from person to person. Someone with around 100,000 believers in his Divine Kingdom will be stronger than an average Legend Rank Mystic. But what if a Demigod has believers of 1 Million? 2 Million? Their strength should be almost equal to your own."


    "Can''t we just sneak into their Divine Kingdom and destroy the believers? That way, we can kill him easily, right?" This time, Rowan asked.


    "No. The divine Kingdom is more like God''s personal Inner World. If you enter inside, it''s almost impossible to get out. Moreover, most believers within that divine Kingdom are also a big problem." Nyx also joined the conversation.


    "That''s why even if you Rank up to be an Archwizard, never pick up a fight with a Demigod or a True God and enter his Divine Kingdom recklessly," Alistair said seriously and then continued.


    "Although I don''t know how one bes a Low God, I think it should be something to do with consuming more divinities of the same domain. The five families like Hawthorne, Fairchild, True Lords, Pentagon, and Holmes remain the top five powerful families in the Edhen world because every family has a ''Demigod'' level powerhouse as a trump card."


    ''Heh, I thought only the Empires have Demigod-level powerhouses. Interesting.''


    "So as long as I didn''t enter the Demigod''s Divine Kingdom, I can still stand on equally against a Demigod, right?" Charles asked.


    "It''s better to stay the Demigod''s background before making such a move. What will you do if that Demigod has believers of Billions?"


    At that moment, Charles thought of Udnir''s avatar.


    ''He is indeed right.''


    "Let''s go."


    Soon, Alistair changed direction and led everyone toward the east.


    At that moment, the sun had descended, givingplete darkness to the surroundings.


    "We will camp here," Alistair said as they arrived near a group of acacia trees, desert lilies, and palm trees and then added.


    "We are only 5 kilometers away from our original destination. Whether we should battle the Boss right after orter depends on the vote I will conduct tomorrow."

 Chapter 671 Camping

    ?


    Chapter 671: Camping


    As the sky darkened, everyone built tents around a tall Acacia tree and started making a campfire at the center.


    At the same time, Nyx took an ancient book from his space ring and started reciting a strange chant.


    After chanting for over an hour, he finally poured all his wisdom power into it and activated the book''s ability.


    A momentter, a forcefield-like structure appeared around them and covered an area around 200 meters in diameter.


    Charles witnessed his every movement as he built his tent and soon realized this spell was more than ten times asplicated and powerful than [Ignis Sanctuary] spell!


    ''This guy is almost as powerful as me. I should use this chance to get closer to all the members and cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on them.'' With that thought, he moved towards the nearby tent and started helping one by one while conversing fluently in Blen Tongue.


    Due to most of their devotion to theirnguage, it was very easy for Charles to get closer to them.


    At the same time, he stealthily cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on everyone and started influencing their minds.


    As the campfire started, he drank with everyone and even cooked good Earth food, impressing them thoroughly. Even Alistair joined the party and shared toasts with Charles.


    The only one Charles couldn''t get close to was Nyx. Even when he voluntarily went to talk with him, that man walked away like a rude neighbor.


    ''It seems he isn''t easy to deal with.'' He muttered as everyone enjoyed the food and quietly returned to his tent.


    At that moment, the sleepy Shadow Princess had already awakened and was always looking at him.


    ''Maybe she is hungry? But what do snakes eat?''


    [I advise the host to give her small magical insect and lizard-type beasts as food.]


    ''Wow, I thought you went into mute mode all this time.'' Charles said jokingly and nodded.


    After that, he released his wisdom power and checked if any lizards or insects were nearby.


    Thankfully, he found more than three small scorpions, two fist-sized beetles, and two garden lizards and gave them to her as food.


    But he soon learned her appetite was huge as she instantly devoured them. Other members also noticed his action and offered help.


    "What type of snake is she, Charles? Even though she looks so small, she already ate enough for her tummy to explode." Rowanmented with augh.


    "She is a Rank-1 Magical Beast I picked up in the previousyer. But I now consider her as my family."


    "You are a strange one. Come on, let''s go out and search for some good prey. I''m also looking forward to enjoying a cigar."


    "You can''t smoke here?" Charles asked.


    "Lord Alistair won''t say anything, but Lord Nyx is very strict. If he finds out I have a smoking habit, he will not only show a cold attitude, he might even give me more work as a punishment."


    "It''s hard indeed."


    While saying so, Charles left the safe zone with Rowan and searched for Snake Princess''s food.


    A big moon-like star hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over the drynd as Charles and Rowan ventured around. The air was thick, and the distant sounds of nocturnal creatures added an eerie ambiance to their surroundings.


    Rowan led the way with his keen tracking skills. Charles followed closely behind, and his mind was upied with thoughts of his next n.


    "So, Charles," Rowan began, breaking the silence as they carefully navigated through the drynd. "What''s your story? How did you end up here, in the Dungeon of Star Tombs?"


    While talking, he took out a cigar from his pocket and lit it with a matchstick.


    Meanwhile, Charles contemted the question for a moment before responding. "It''s a long tale, Rowan, filled with twists and turns. But to put it simply, I''m after something called ''Star Monarch''s Key.'' Do you know something about it?"


    "Star Monarch? I never heard of such a thing. But I''m sure Alistair might know something. But ask him when Lord Nyx is not around." Rowan released a puff of smoke in the air and then continued to walk.


    Meanwhile, Charles smiled faintly and nodded. "You''re right, my friend. I''ll do as you say."


    As they conversed, the two men continued their search for suitable prey for the Snake Princess. The dry seemed to respond to their presence, with nocturnal creatures darting through the shadows and foliage. Eventually, they stumbled upon a small clearing where a group of lizard-like creatures with iridescent scales were engaged in a territorial dispute. Although their size was only around 60 cm tall, they still looked deadly while releasing poisonous gas into the surroundings.


    "Venom Emberlizards! I didn''t expect to see such precious things roaming in this dimension." Rowan muttered in a low tone.


    "Precious? Aren''t they just Rank-1 Magical Beasts?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.


    "Even though they are Rank-1, the poison in their outer skin could kill even a Legend Rank in seconds. But what is more amazing is that they are rare creatures and only live in harsh environments. Even after living for over 5000 years, I''ve only seen it thrice in the market."


    "What are they useful for?" Charles asked.


    Rowan gestured for Charles to wait, and he silently notched an arrow onto his bowstring. With a steady hand and focused gaze, he released the arrow. But as the arrow fired from the bowstring, it suddenly turned into a pure greenish arrow and multiplied like clones, striking more than tens of the creatures with pinpoint uracy. The others scattered, and Charles marveled at Rowan''s precision.


    "That was impressive," Charles remarked, genuinely impressed by Rowan''s skill.


    Rowan grinned. "It''s due to years of practice, my friend. Now, let''s collect our precious food."


    "We are going to eat it?" Charles asked in surprise.


    "The Emberlizards'' flesh can be rendered edible and very effective on our body through aplex process that involves harnessing their innate magical properties. The process includes subjecting the lizard''s body to specific enchantments, which neutralize the venom and transform it into alchemic food. The meat of the Emberlizard, once prepared correctly by a high-rank Potion master, can be a miraculous food that could even increase one''s strength permanently. Lord Alistair will be surprised when he sees these." Saying so, Rowan walked closer to the fallen Emberlizards and started spraying some potion on them.


    "Try not to touch it with your hand and store a few inside your space ring. Although I neutralized the potions, it''s better to be extra careful."


    Under Rowan''s guidance, Charles approached the fallen creatures and retrieved four.


    "When we return, don''t tell them you have these Emberlizards. Although Lord Alistair is a good man, others might think of doing something stupid. Especially, Lord Nyx is a very narrow-minded person and selfish." Rowan warned Charles and stored the rest in his space ring.


    After that, they kept hunting more than a few lizards and stored them in Rowan''s space ring.


    As they returned to the campsite, Rowan continued to share tales of his experiences within the dungeon and even gave a few important information about thisyer.


    Upon their return, the campfire was still aze, and the members of their group were engaged in lively conversations. Alistair greeted them with a nod while giving a questionable gaze toward Rowan.


    Instead of responding, Rowan took a bunch of Venom Emberlizards'' corpses from the space ring and dropped them near the campfire.


    "You guys hunted these?" Alistair widened his eyes and soon nodded.


    "Good. Store them inside your space ring. You might get some big rewardter from the Patriarch."


    Rowan looked hesitant and nced at the snake coiled around Charles''s neck.


    Upon noticing his gaze, Alistair made an amusing smile andughed.


    "So, you want to give a lizard to Charles''s pet? It''s your treasure. And I can see Charles also helped you hunt this, right? Go on."


    "Yes, this should keep our scaly friend satisfied," Rowan replied, his gaze drifting to where the Snake Princess was coiled, her eyes gleaming suddenly.


    Before the others could even blink, she disappeared from Charles''s neck, reappeared near one of the Venom Emberlizard, and devoured it with a swift, fluid motion.


    Not only Alistair, even Charles barely managed to see her movement speed.


    "I-Is she a Rank-1?" Alistair instantly realized that the snake pet before him was not some baby snake but something more powerful than him!


    At that moment, Rowan arrived closer to Alistair and whispered something in his ears.


    "Star Monarch?" He abruptly grabbed his chest and almost yelped out in sharp pain as he spoke those words.


    "My Lord? Are you okay?" Rowan was panicked and called out in rm.


    Tears rolled down from Alistair''s cheeks as he gasped for air and soon noticed that the pain was starting to fade away.


    "I-I''m okay. Strange, I never felt this much pain in my life."


    He suddenly paused for a moment and turned his attention towards Charles. Then, he massaged his heart region and started muttering.


    "Even saying the name makes the ''Divinity of Hunting'' within my heart quiver in fear. The person who possesses this title shouldn''t be normal." He said in a solemn tone and fell into deep thought.

 Chapter 672 Star Monarch

    672 Star Monarch


    Chapter 672: Star Monarch


    "Charles, although I never heard of Star Monarch, I indeed have some spection about this ''Monarch'' title," Alistair said after thinking.


    "You have someone in mind?" Charles''s curiosity was piqued.


    At that moment, Alistair turned his gaze towards Rowan and spoke.


    "Have you heard of the origin of the fallen Star Empire? The man who created that empire also entered this tower long ago and found some great fortune after entering Fifth Layer. Although no one knew why he kept the empire name as ''Star Empire,'' many thought it must be him showing respect to the Dungeon of Star Tombs. But what if he did that to show respect to the ''Star Monarch''?"


    "You are saying Star Monarch is the fallen God of the Fifth Layer, Lord Alistair?"


    "No, Fifth Layer''s fallen god was called Nether God named Moravian and ruled over the domain of Death, Soul, and Shadow. This person is something else. He is someone more powerful than any fallen God." As he spoke, he subconsciously pressed his chest and added.


    "My heart never ached even when I uttered the name of the High God and other fallen gods. Simply put, this person might be the creator of this Dungeon itself."


    His words caused strange silence in the group.


    Noticing everyone''s gaze, Alistair let out a fake cough and spoke.


    "This is only my spection. I might be wrong. But Charles should focus on searching for yourpanion in the fourthyer and try to move to the fifth. You might get some answers over there."


    "What about you guys?" Charles asked.


    "After killing the Fallen Jinn, we will enter the fourthyer, explore it for the next 30 days, and leave with whatever we find. That''s as far as we can go with our current strength." Alistair said with a chuckle and soon added while standing up.


    "Let''s go. We should get some sleep before the final battle."


    Saying so, he turned around and started walking towards the farthest tent.


    Meanwhile, Charles also bid his farewell to Rowan and returned to his tent.


    After that, he quietly took a mat from his space ring,y on it using a pillow to support his head, and started thinking.


    On the other hand, the Shadow Princess silently moved toward his chest and started sleeping like a harmless child.


    ...


    The next morning.


    Nine people packed their belongings and started gathering under the tree.


    "Let the vote begin," Alistair raised his voice and continued.


    "Those who want to attack the fallen Jinn today should raise their hands."


    Just as he spoke, six people raised their hands, including Rowan. The only ones who didn''t raise their hands were Charles, Nyx, and Alistair himself.


    "This is surprising," Alistairmented with a smile and slowly turned his gaze toward Nyx before asking.


    "What''s your thought on this? You don''t want to attack the Fallen Jinn today?"


    "If we attack now, the result will be the same asst time. First, I want you, me, and Charles to confront Fallen Jinn alone and try to use the ''item'' you got from the Nightwind Patriarch on it. After gathering enough information, we should retreat and make a perfect n to kill it without any failure. This way, we can avoid heavy casualties on our side." Nyx said in a solemn tone.


    "What do you think about his n, Charles?" Alistair asked while gazing at him.


    Meanwhile, Charles thought for a moment and spoke.


    "Why not do both? First, we will attack the Jinn to find its information and let the other members join the battle. After all, Magical Beasts are also intelligent beings capable of adapting to the situation more. The more we try to learn about it, the Fallen Jinn might also learn about us."


    "You are indeed right." Alistair nodded in agreement and decided to follow his idea.


    Afterwards, the group prepared for departure while sharing Charles''s n and started their journey.


    But as they walked closer, Charles noticed that more vegetation appeared slowly. Before long, everyone saw argeke-like oasis up ahead, surrounded by giant trees and nts.


    "From here onwards, only the three of us will move ahead and confront the Fallen Jinn. Last time, it appeared as we approached the Oasis and killed three of our members in a single ice-type attack." Alistair warned everyone.


    After that, Alistair, Charles, and Nyx left the group and went ahead. As they moved closer, Charles felt a chilling winding from the direction of the Oasis and even noticed the whole dry group appeared wet. There were even strange ice knives the size 5 to 10 meters long scattered all over the surroundings and melting slowly.


    Not only that, but he also sensed a strange invisible gaze from the northern direction.


    ''That''s probably the gaze of the guardian. But I don''t see any being''s presence from the Oasis.''


    At that moment, Alistair and Nyx also seemed to have noticed the traces of battle outside the Oasis and nced at each other.


    "It seems someone came here way ahead of us. And this battle should''ve happened four to five days ago." Alistair''s tone appeared solemn.


    But what startled Charles was that they spoke in Lark Language.


    ''It seems they don''t want me to understand what they are saying.'' Unfortunately, Charles had long learned Lark Language and could understand each word clearly.


    "I thought only our team didn''t choose to explore the lower levels and solely focus on reaching the fourthyer. But who could it be? Amber Church?" Nyx asked.


    "No, they still haven''t left this thirdyer yet. I contacted the Cardinal only this morning and informed him we will go to the nextyer first." Alistair paused for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    "I know who this group is. It must be the Holem Family."


    "Holem... I thought they were strong, like our family. Didn''t you say the same?" Nyx asked while furrowing.


    "Don''t forget the Holem family still is in contact with their ancestor family line in another ne. I suspect they might''ve gotten some help from them." Alistair said with an understanding nod and soon asked.


    "Now that I think about it, the Nightwind family also has some connection with the Holem family, right?"


    "It was in the past, not anymore. After the death of Eddie''s daughter, the whole Holem family went into hiding in fear of fierce retaliation from Eddie and only revealed themselves after his disappearance. From that time onwards, the Nightwind family hadpletely lost their trust in them and severed their ties." Nyx said as he continued to walk closer toward the Oasis.


    "Eddie, huh? If he is still alive, the Nightwind family might have be one of the top powerhouses like us. Unfortunately, the whole family is declining. Even when a genius like Harry appeared, those useless older morons didn''t know how to nurture him." Alistair said while taking out an amulet from his space ring.


    "Humph, don''t forget the one who ordered his assassination was none other than your brother. Moreover, thatd didn''t know where to poke his nose. Not only he colluded with the Wisdom Church, but he even tried to use his skill on our ''Pure Bloodlines.'' If the news of our secrets is revealed to the outside world, it might cause great chaos." Nyx said in a severe tone and soon added with a sigh.


    "That Nightwind family sure is troublesome. I also heard some news about Harry''s son a few years ago. It seems he caused quite a stir in the Arc Kingdom and even caused some trouble for the Amber Church. But he seemed to have offended a powerful expert and died. That''s what I read in the news article published by Ember Royals."


    While talking, the trio finally arrived before the Oasis and noticed no sign of life.


    "What should we do now? Should we wait-?" Before Alistair could finish his words, a strange hexagonal magical pattern appeared inside the Oasis and shone in a bluish light.


    Charles was the first to react as he cast the [Circle of Invulnerability] spell and created a fire force field around his body.


    "Get ready. Guardian seems to have made some change and resurrected the Jinn much earlier." He warned them and backed away.


    At that moment, the bluish light also dissipated from the Oasis, revealing a blue-skinned humanoid figure standing in the middle of the water. The Fallen Jinn appeared to be around 2.5 to 3 meters tall and had a strange eerie single eye at its forehead, two ck pupilless eyes, long ears, a sharp nose, and even a purple pant-like dress.


    A blue icon appeared before Charles''s eyes, revealing the creature''s status.


    ...


    [Name: ?????


    Race: Fallen Jinn


    Rank: Legend Rank (Peak)


    Age: 730,234 years


    Health: Normal


    Affiliation: Chaotic Evil


    Title: Lord of Storm and Ice, Champion of the Garden.


    Attributes:


    Strength: 49.9


    Agility: 49.9


    Vitality: 49.9


    Wisdom Power: 899


    Bloodline Spells:


    Frost Embrace, cial Mirage, Hoarfrost Prison, Blizzard''s Wrath, Ice Domain, Chaos Ice Storm, Frozen Elegy, Zero Touch.


    Unique Skill: Elemental Summon, Bloodthirsty.]


    ...


    "Do it, Alistair," Nyx said as he took the ancient book from his space ring and started reciting a few words.


    Two secondster, a strange invisible wall-like defensive structure appeared before them.


    In the meantime, Alistair also held the amulet in his hand tightly and activated its unique ability.


    A secondter, a powerful invisible wisdom essence came from the amulet, spread towards the tall Jinn, and tried to analyze it.


    Upon sensing the unknown energy, the Fallen Jinn finally opened its third eye and locked its gaze in their direction.

 Chapter 673 Fallen Jinn

    673 Fallen Jinn


    Chapter 673: Fallen Jinn


    In a blink, a strange, powerful ice elemental energy came from the Fallen Jinn and started spreading in all directions, freezing the water, trees, and nts.


    Even more strange was that the [Circle of Invulnerability] defensive spell couldn''t block the ice energy! The same goes for Nyx''s defensive spell!


    "Alistair! Did you find out anything?" Nyx urged while casting a few more defensive spells to stop the ice energy from entering their bodies.


    "I see it now. It has a domain spell rted to ice elemental energy, an illusion spell, a strange spell cube that imprisons anyone who touches it, icy blizzard rain with strange poison in it, an ice-storm spell, and finally, an absolute zero domain spell that could even freeze our thoughts."


    "So, it''s indeed an ice-type monster! Who would expect this desert domain''s boss monster to be aplete ice Jinn?" A grim look appeared on Nyx''s face.


    Upon noticing the grim situation, Charles decided to give them an offer.


    "I can freeze its thoughts for a moment. Use that chance to cast any curse-type spell."


    "Mind control spell?" Alistair nced at Charles and spoke while nodding.


    "Nyx, use that forbidden curse spell."


    "But I must touch the Fallen Jinn with my bare hand to cast it!" Nyx red at Alistair.


    After a short pause, he gritted his teeth in anger and cursed.


    "Damn it; you better pay me 20% of the total spoils when we leave the dungeon." Saying so, he suddenly waved his hand, moved away from the defensive shield spells, and faced the mountain of ice elemental energies flooding toward him.


    At that moment, Charles looked at Nyx''s left side and spoke to Nyx telepathically.


    ''We are already under its illusion spell. At this moment, it is standing 20 feet away to your left side.''


    Although he didn''t trust this young man from another world, he heeded his warning and acted swiftly.


    As Charles cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on it and erased its current thought, Nyx used a movement skill and closed the distance between him and the Fallen Jinn in a matter of a second.


    By the time the Fallen Jinn woke up from the confused state, Nyx had already arrived before it.


    At that moment, he took a wooden staff from his space ring and pointed it toward the Fallen Jinn''s chest.


    A secondter, abination of darkness and mind energy came out of the staff and entered the Fallen Jinn''s body.


    "Fractured Mind," Nyx said coldly and backed away.


    With the spell "Fractured Mind" taking effect, the Fallen Jinn''s previouslyposed expression twisted into one of agony. Its icy energy began to fluctuate erratically, the spreading ice slowly receding. The elemental energy threatening to freeze everything in its path started dissipating.


    The attack would only go in a different direction whenever it tried to regain its rationality and cast its bloodline spells at Charles and others.


    Nyx''s curse had sessfully disrupted the Fallen Jinn''s control over its abilities. The once-unstoppable torrent of ice energy turned into feeble sparks, leaving behind a scene of melting ice and a bewildered creature struggling to regain its focus.


    Alistair and Charles stood ready, waiting for any signs of counterattack, but it seemed that Nyx''s well-timed curse had taken the Fallen Jinn by surprise. The creature stumbled back, its form flickering as if caught between different illusions. Desperation and confusion yed across its crystalline features, and it let out a chilling wail that echoed through the frozenndscape.


    Utilizing this opportunity, Alistair cast [Galeforce Rush] skill and summoned a powerful gust of wind to propel forward with incredible speed, leaving a trail of swirling currents.


    In a second, he arrived before the tall Fallen Jinn, raised his long sword, and covered the edges in a radiant greenish-purple aura!


    ''He has almost reached Grandmaster level swordsmanship.''


    A momentter, a powerful aura of wind and thunder energy came as an arc and directly attacked the Fallen Jinn''s chest, leaving behind a deep wound.


    "Back away; it''s going to use a storm skill!" Charles warned him before he could give the Fallen Jinn more wounds.


    With no other choice, he made a backflip and started withdrawing.


    "Nyx, tell others toe and join the fight now. Otherwise, we will also be forced into a cornered situation."


    As he spoke, he suddenly saw the surrounding wind get fiercer. Not only that, the wind soon surrounded the tall Jinn and started whirling around its body like a tornado.


    "Backaway! The wind seems dangerous." Alistair also sensed the danger and grabbed Nyx before backing away further.


    At that moment, the tornado became even bigger and released gigantic ice knives in all directions. Each icy de appeared as big as a person, destroying everything in its path.


    Simultaneously, the tornado became gigantic and started reaching the clouds itself.


    At this moment, the other members of the True Lords group also arrived and joined the fight.


    "Everyone, attack the center of the tornado with everything you got." Alistair shouted as he cast a swirling wind barrier spell around each member and cast another spell called [Lightning Surge].


    The next instant, his whole body was empowered with lightning arcs, enchanting his speed and reflexes by multiple folds.


    Before others could even blink, he disappeared from where he was and soon arrived closer to the tornado.


    Meanwhile, multiple Legend Rank spells came from different directions and were bombarded by the rampaging tornado and the Fallen Jinn.


    But surprisingly, the Fallen Jinn managed to avoid most of the fatal attacks due to the whirling tornado, casually raised its icy hand, and received the sword attack from Alistair.


    Shockwaves and ripples in the air came from the center of the Oasis as the Fallen Jinn and Alistair engaged in a fierce fight.


    As the fight dragged on, Alistair cast a few more wind spells and nullified the gigantic tornado from 11:50


    inside.


    As the fight dragged on, Alistair cast a few more wind spells and nullified the gigantic tornado from inside.


    But what shocked everyone was that even when the Fallen Jinn was fighting Alistair, it found an opening even when it was disoriented and imprisoned two members in hexagonal ice cubes!


    After fierce exchanges, the Fallen Jinn released another round of powerful ice-elemental energy, forcing Alistair to retreat.


    "I can''t kill it alone!" Hended right next to Charles and spoke gravely.


    "What a powerful Magical Beast!" Charles couldn''t help but mutter in surprise.


    But his attention was soon drawn by Rowan.


    "F*ck! I can''t break this cube! If we don''t do something, everyone will die." He shouted and attacked the cube with a powerful archery skill.


    But even his rank-6 skill left only a scratch.


    At that moment, he suddenly heard a voice in his head.


    ''Rowan, avoid the attack from the left side in 5 seconds. We are again fallen into its illusion.''


    "Damn it! It broke free from Lord Nyx''s curse?" Rowan cursed loudly and focused his full attention on his left side. When he felt a slight disturbance in the air, he didn''t hesitate momentarily and leaped into the sky by jumping forcefully.


    At the same time, he observed the path from where the attack came, drew another arrow from his quiver, and ced it on the bow.


    The next instant, a powerful surge of wind elemental energy and a bit of space elemental energy fused around the arrow as the arrow released at an incredible speed.


    A momentter, the arrow tore the space itself, entered the void, and appeared before the Jinn''s chest.


    A loud painful shrill of a beast echoed as the metallic arrow pierced through its chest and appeared on the other side.


    Utilizing this opportunity, Alistair also arrived before the Fallen Jinn and attacked it with a powerful sword attack.


    But to his shock, the Jinn''s body suddenly turned into an ice sculpture and was soon broken into pieces by his attack.


    "Where did it go? Is it also have some clone-type ability?" His voice grew solemn.


    ''This must be an elemental summon skill to substitute for its body.'' Charles analyzed the surroundings and soon sensed a disturbance behind Nyx.


    ''Nyx, bend your body forward and roll down twice.'' He instantly warned his telepathically.


    Startled, Nyx didn''t hesitate and did as Charles told him.


    s, his movement speed was nowhere near close enough to the Fallen Jinn''s speed.


    When he did the second roll, a sharp two-meter-long spear came from the group and pierced his heart directly.


    "ARRGGGG!" A painful scream echoed in the frozen Oasis.


    "NO!" Before Alistair could move and help him, Nyx''s whole body was enveloped in a strange hexagonal ice cube, ultimately imprisoning him.


    "Do not panic. We can still save Nyx and others." Charles said in a solemn tone and started giving out orders telepathically.


    ''Leif, use your [Venon Cleansing] spell on Evander and protect yourself with the [Radiant Barrier] spell.''


    ''W-Who are you? H-How did you know my spells?'' The man named Leif was deeply startled by Charles''s words but soon decided to listen to his words.


    As Leif was casting two spells, Evander received another order from Charles.


    ''Evander, when the Fallen Jinn appears behind Leif and attacks him from behind in three seconds, use your [Gale de] spell on it.''


    The same goes for all other members, including Alistair!


    Listening to Charles''s orders attentively made their cooperation more refined.


    Thanks to the help, istair found a big opening in ten seconds and cleaved the Fallen Jinn''s left hand using a skill called [destorm sh]!


    But even that wasn''t enough to slow down Jinn''s relentless attacks.


    As the battle proceeded, the sky turnedpletely dark as strange clouds enveloped the surroundings, resulting in icy rain. The surroundings also froze in iceyers, recing the sandy desert areas.


    At the same time, more and more people got hit by the Fallen Jinn attacks and were forced into a cornered position.


    "Charles, help me freeze its thoughts for a moment. Otherwise, we might all die here." Alistair felt how naive he had been, thinking that learning about the Fallen Jinn''s bloodline skills would be enough to win the battle.


    "We have yet to see its worst abilities." Just as Charles spoke, another strange ice elemental energy spread to the surroundings and started invading everyone''s mind.


    This time, Rowan was the first to get affected by this strange ability.


    "I-I s-e-e-i-n-g s-l-o-w-"


    It was the ''Zero Touch'' bloodline spell!

 Chapter 674: Fourth Layer

    Chapter 674: Fourth Layer


    Within moments, Rowan and all other True Lords team members were frozen by the ''Zero Touch'' spell and became ice statues.


    Only Alistair and Charles stood on the battlefield and faced the Fallen Jinn.


    "It seems this expenditure is also a failure," Alistair muttered with a bitter smile and soon noticed his thoughts also getting affected by the Zero Touch spell.


    Although he still had the energy to kill the Fallen Jinn, the final result would be he ended up in a critical situation.


    ''I should pull all my frozenrades into my dimensional ring and back away.'' He muttered inwardly and ready to move.


    "Not yet." Interrupting his thoughts, Charles calmly unsheathed his sword and cast the [Rebirth Domain] spell.


    A secondter, the surroundings started to change as the crimson fire appeared all over, slowly melting the ice.


    At the same time, Charles disappeared and reappeared before the Fallen Jinn.


    ''No, he didn''t disappear. He is moving faster.''


    His movement appeared incredibly fast, causing Alistair to widen his eyes in surprise.


    Although the ice domain energy around the Fallen Jinn slowed Charles''s movement, it wasn''t enough to stop him.


    While raising its single arm, the Fallen Jinn infused ice elemental energy around its fist and made it into a pure crystalline one.


    Then, it uttered a strange word and punched it toward his head.


    But Charles cast [False Field] spell and doubled his speed again.


    In a blink, he disappeared from where he was standing before and reappeared behind the Jinn.


    Simultaneously, he cast [Burning Thoughts], [Fire Seed], and [Purple Consciousness] spells and started disturbing its mind.


    At the same time, he raised the long sword and made a vertical sh, cleaving the Jinn into two.


    Bluish blood sttered all over the melting ice as the cleaved bodies fell with a loud thud.


    "Tsk, no wisdom points." Charles sheathed his sword and quietly nced around.


    A silence descended to the battlefield.


    "You hid your abilities well," Alistair said solemnly after a short deliberation, walking closer toward the Fallen Jinn.


    "I just did what any person would do, Mr. Alistair." Charles shrugged his shoulder and soon spoke.


    "Compared to the Abyssal Hound from the secondyer, this Fallen Jinn was more than two times stronger."


    Alistair nodded his head and spoke with a thoughtful look.


    "The more we move to the upperyers, the stronger the Magical Beasts will be. I wouldn''t be surprised that most of the Legend Rank Magical Beasts from the Fourth Layer would be as strong as this Fallen Jinn."


    "But how strong the Boss Monster of Fourth Layer will be?" Charles asked.


    Alistair went silent upon hearing those words.


    "Even beating this Fallen Jinn seems like a dream to me, Charles. Anyway, be careful of the Boss of the Fourth Layer."


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Alistair. Even if it is two times stronger than Fallen Jinn, I''ll think of something and kill it." Charles said with a reassuring tone.


    On the other hand, Alistair shook his head and spoke gravely.


    "It won''t be a simple matter. Even though Pentagon Family, Amber Church, and others reached the Fourth Layer, none even revealed the information about the fourthyer or the Boss to their family head. From what I''ve heard, they only shared the wealth and artifacts they got from the fourthyer and never leaked any information. I suspect the Boss of the fourthyer might not be as simple as you think. Challenge the nextyer''s Boss only after you reunite with yourrades or get help from a strong team like Pentagon. Specifically, the team leader''s power should be around Level 69 in your world''s power ranking."


    "I''m indeed far from reaching that point." Charles nodded his head in agreement and started increasing the temperature around them.


    Thanks to his Rebirth Domain, the ice that froze the other members started to melt slowly, releasing them individually.


    Alistair also helped the others and started giving healing potions to the severely injured ones.


    But only Nyx ended up in critical condition.


    Although he was still alive thanks to the ''Life Potion,'' his original consciousness had disappearedpletely, resulting in him entering aa state!


    "We can only wait for his soul to form a new consciousness and let him wake up as a new person. Although he would lose some of his memories, it''s far better than dying." Alistair said in a regretful tone and turned his gaze towards Rowan.


    "Can you stay in thisyer and bring Nyx to the Edhen? ''m not sure if we can protect him in the nextyer."


    "Won''t it be more dangerous for him? What if he ended up encountering any other group?" Charles asked.


    Alistair let out a chuckle and said in a reassuring tone.


    "He has a secret item that could hide his presence from this world. Unless he reveals himself, even a Demigod-level powerhouse will find it hard to track him." Saying so, he also took out his Dimensional Ring, transferred essential items to his other space ring, and tossed it to Rowan.


    Meanwhile, Rowan walked closer to the sleeping Nyx and stored him inside the Dimensional Ring.


    "I will pray for your safe return, Lord Alistair." Rowan turned his face solemnly and bowed his head.


    Alistair nodded and ordered everyone to gather at the center of the Oasis.


    Slowly, Charles and others gathered at the center of the Oasis and soon noticed a dense spatial elemental energy appearing around the surroundings.


    After a short time, a deep crack appeared in the space and soon formed into an appearance of a 2-meter-tall bluish portal.


    "Let''s go." Alistair was the first to jump into the spatial portal and disappear into the void. After that, Charles and the other members also vanished into the portal.


    "Hope they get something good treasures in the fourthyer. Otherwise, the whole expenditure will be a failure." Rowan muttered as he touched his ne and soon disappeared from there.


    ...


    Land of Wicked Souls, Fourth Layer.


    It was a realm that only had scorching fires and violent heat waves. As Charles and others entered thisyer, andscape of unfathomable devastation and infernal chaos unfolded. The surroundings looked barren, with rocky hills and strange chaotic nts. Rivers of moltenva snaked through the terrain, their fiery currents shifting and writhing in a dance of destruction. The ground beneath was a treacherous expanse of jagged rocks, charred earth, and ashen remnants of whatever once existed.


    The air was heavy and smothering, choked with suffocating smoke that rose from the chasms ofva. The sky was an eternal, ominous shade of crimson, illuminated sporadically by bursts of infernal mes that licked at the horizon.


    "Even the air feels suffocating and hard for us to breathe," Alistair said solemnly, ncing around to check if they were safe.


    At that moment, Charles also checked the surroundings and asked.


    "What do you guys nning to do from now on? I''m nning to search for mypanions."


    Meanwhile, Alistair pondered for a moment and soon spoke.


    "We will find a safe ce to rest and then think of a way to gather more information about thisyer."


    "Then, I''ll move on my own and search for mypanions," Charles said with a smile.


    "I wish you good luck, Charles. Also, be careful of otherworldly travelers. Not everyone would be kind enough to help a stranger for no reason." Alistair said.


    "I''ll keep that in my mind, Mr. Alistair. If an opportunity arises, I''ll visit Edhen ne and share some drinks with all of you." Charles soon bid farewell to the ''True Lords'' team and departed randomly.


    ...


    Charles continued walking on the rocky terrain while observing the surroundings and soon saw argeke made ofva a few kilometers ahead. He also saw a strange fortress-like building standing at the top of the nearby hill and slowly halted his footsteps.


    At the same time, he sensed someone''s presence from the left side and turned his gaze towards that direction.


    No, his eyes soon zeroed at the crimson sky.


    The other being also seemed to have noticed his presence and was flying in his direction at an incredible speed.


    Before long, an adult human male descended gracefully, his boots making near-silent contact with the ground a hundred meters distant from Charles. As his feet settled, he directed a piercing gaze toward him, the intensity of his scrutiny cutting through the air.


    This man stood approximately 1.8 meters, his frame exuding an aura of confident poise. His skin, the shade of pale ashes, seemed almost to capture the moonlight. The most striking feature, however, resided in his eyes ¨C a mesmerizing shade of violet, running vertically like the twilight hues of a dusky sky.


    When his lips parted in a half-smile, they revealed an intriguing secret ¨C sharp, elongated canine teeth that peeked beneath the curve of his lips.


    His attire, too, spoke volumes, a formal ck suit that clung to him as if it were a part of his very essence.


    "A human from another world?" As Charles muttered, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Dorian Obsidian


    Race: Vampire


    Pathway: Warlock


    Rank: Marquise (Rank-6)


    Age: Immortal


    Health: Weakened due to the presence of the chaotic sun


    Affiliation: Neutral Evil


    Title: Lord of the Scarlet Eclipse


    Attributes:


    Strength: 35 (45)


    Agility: 31 (43)


    Vitality: 39 (49)


    Wisdom Power: 540


    Bloodline Spells:


    Soul Larceny, Phantom Familiar, Bloodmoon Ritual, Life Drain, Vampiric Revenant, Hypnotic Gaze, Sanguine Maniption.


    Unique Skill: Blood Alchemy, ndestine Thievery, Undying Artistry, Void Maniption, ]


    ...


    ''A vampire?'' Charles''s face stiffened.


    Before he could even blink, strange energy came from those purplish eyes, affecting his consciousness.


    Meanwhile, the Vampire named Dorian stepped forward and started walking towards him while asking a question in apletely differentnguage.


    "*%u%%( *%o$( $*(%?"

 Chapter 675 Demon Fortress

    Chapter 675 Demon Fortress


    Chapter 675: Demon Fortress


    ''I can''t see clearly. No good.'' As Charles was confused by the sudden Hypnosis, the Shadow Princess tightened her body around his neck and let out a hiss at the Vampire.


    Even though it was a baby snake''s cute hiss, a strange invisible power came along with it and broke his spell!


    At that moment, Charles woke up from the spell effect and was stunned by the Shadow Princess''s help.


    Simultaneously, he locked his gaze on Dorian and attacked his consciousness.


    As soon as Dorian took the third step, he suddenly forgot how to take the next step and stood dazed.


    Meanwhile, Charles continued to cast the [Burning Thoughts] spell on his consciousness and arrived before him in an instant.


    Simultaneously, he unsheathed his sword and ced it on Dorian''s neck, giving him a superficial wound.


    But before Dorian could think of a way to resist, he realized that his Inner World was being invaded.


    At that moment, a strange purple human started destroying his memories with a peculiar purple me, causing chaos everywhere. Whenever his clone consciousnesses tried to intervene, they all got devoured by the strange purple me instantly.


    "@$*I%U! @$*I%U!" Realizing the situation, Dorian instantly decided to surrender and raised both his hands.


    "Good choice." Charles curled his lips upward and removed the sword from his neck.


    After that, he let the drop of Dorian''s blood fall onto his palm, made an identity imprint, and asked a question in Rune Language.


    "Can we talk now?"


    Dorian stepped back, realizing the enemy''s proximity, and nodded stiffly.


    "That''s good." Charles smiled and cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    Then, he sheathed the long sword and spoke casually.


    "Don''t look stiff. If you answer my questions, I''ll let you go."


    "How can I trust your words?" Dorian asked angrily but soon swallowed his words.


    A cunning smile appeared on his face.


    "Oh? It seems you indeed realized your position. Indeed, you don''t have a choice to begin with." Charles said with a chuckle and soon asked while pointing his finger at the faraway fortress-like building.


    "My first question: How many strongholds like that are there in thisyer?"


    Even though Dorian wanted to give a false answer, something within him warned him about the danger and made him restless inside.


    Humans, and the remaining three belong to neutral viges where all Lawful races gather."


    ''Tsk, I shouldn''t make any reckless decision.''


    "This Layer has twelve Strongholds, My Lord. Thousands of people from different worlds and races inhabit each Stronghold. The fourth Layer is a merging point for explorers from different worlds. Among the twelve Strongholds, three belong to the demon race, two belong to devilkin, three belong to elves, one belong to Humans, and the remaining three belong to neutral viges where all Lawful races gather."


    "Oh? Twelve Strongholds, huh? But what about the time limit? Who rules these strongholds? Can you tell me more?" Charles asked with a frown.


    Meanwhile, Dorian nodded his head and answered.


    "Each stronghold is being ruled by a Commander. Unlike the previousyers, you can stay here if you form an oath with Lord Nyxen and might even be selected to go to the nextyer once he gains enough trust."


    "Lord Nyxen? Who is he? Didn''t we have to kill the Boss of the Fourth Layer to move to the next Layer?" Charles''s curiosity piqued.


    "Kill Lord Nyxen?" Dorian couldn''t help but give him a weird nce before shaking his head.


    "It has been more than five millenniums since someone managed to kill him. But you don''t have to worry about not going to the fifth Layer. If you convince him by showing your abilities, he will allow you to enter the fifth Layer."


    ''Oh? Lord Nyxen is the Devil Crow, huh? But how can I get my "I can''t say anything about it. Once I say anything rted to the Oath, I''ll-" Dorian abruptly paused and went silent.


    hands on the Wicked me if I can''t kill the Devil Crow? Will it teach me if I show my Wicked me spells? No way.''


    "Now that I think about it, you said something about Oath, right? What is it?" Charles asked.


    "I can''t say anything about it. Once I say anything rted to the Oath, I''ll-" Dorian abruptly paused and went silent.


    "Oh? You don''t want to tell? Then, I''ve no choice then." Charles instantly cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on him and erased his current thought.


    ''Oh? If I reveal anything rted to Oath to anyone, even his soul will be extinguished by a strange ck me?''


    "Argh!" As Charles was reading the memory, Dorian suddenly let out a screeching noise and fell to his knees.


    Simultaneously, a strange ck me enveloped his body, burning him fiercely! Like a devouring me, the ck me burned the clothes, flesh, the artifacts he possessed, and even bones!


    What startled Charles was that the ck me managed to burn the Purple Consciousness within Dorian''s Inner World!


    ''The ck me even entered his Inner World?'' No, he noticed even his soul form was being burned!


    In a few seconds, Charles noticed nothing was left behind in the area where Dorain stood.


    ''He was erased from the existence itself. This spell is almost as powerful as Rh''s Erase Existence!'' Charles drew a deep breath and slowly sat on the nearby rock.


    ''I''ve made up my mind. This spell, I want it at all costs. But how?'' He suddenly thought of the ''Causality Maniption'' skill.


    ''This skill enables me to manipte causality, altering the sequence of events to create desired oues or prevent disasters.'' He activated the skill without dy and soon noticed a strange connection with the profound wisdom.


    Random information in images appeared before his eyes one by one.


    The first was an image of a sealed coffin within a dark chamber; the second was a drunken winged Demon; the third image was about a secret tunnel leading to a chained towering tree made of bones and flesh; the fourth image was a strange spatial rift being controlled by a group of humans in bluish robe with eye pattern on their chest region, and finally, the fifth image was a ckish Egg nested in arge underground cave!


    ''Visions? No, this looks more like information that could help me achieve my goal.'' However, Charles knew he needed more information about each image and decided to look for clues.


    Then, he activated the identity imprint and transformed himself into Dorian. After that, he changed his clothes into a ck formal, miming Dorian''s earlier appearance.


    ''But the problem is memories. Except for name and title, I know nothing about him.'' He thought momentarily and decided to sneak into the fortress ahead.


    He slowly released his wisdom power and hovered up to the sky.


    He then manipted the wisdom power and flew towards the direction of the fortress. Before long, he flew past thevake and soon arrived closer to the sturdy fortress on a small hill.


    As he approached the fortress, Charles observed the surroundings in detail. It was a massive, dark stone structure adorned with intricate carvings and symbols that exuded an aura of power.


    Massive gates, wrought with intricate runes and sinister motifs guarded the entrance. Fiery braziers illuminated the door, casting flickering shadows that danced across the formidable walls. The fortress''s exterior was adorned with monstrous sculptures and grotesque reliefs, showcasing the demons'' fascination with the macabre and the arcane.


    The atmosphere around the fortress was tense, with Demon Guards stationed at various points, eyeing anyone who approached with suspicion. Every corner bore a sense of watchfulness, with watchtowers and battlements offering sweeping views of the surroundingndscape, including the nearbyvake glowed with an otherworldly radiance.


    As Charles approached the Fortress Entrance gate, the two winged humanoid demons with snake heads nodded and greeted him in the abyssalnguage.


    Charles gave a nod and continued to walk into the fortress.


    Simultaneously, he cast the [Shadow Stealth] skill and started observing the surroundings while roaming.


    The interior of the fortress was just as imposing as its exterior. Long corridors stretched before him, lit with eerie purple torches that cast strange shadows on the walls. The air was heavy with sulphur and an odd metallic scent. Charles couldn''t help but feel a bit tense as he walked deeper into the fortress.


    Passing by various rooms and chambers, he could hear snippets of conversations in differentnguages¡ªAbyssal, Nether, and others entirely foreign. The fortress seemed like a hub of activity, with mostly demons, some devils, undead, and even beings from various chaotic races mingling and doing their business.


    ''Each one of them is as strong as me! If my identity got found out, there is no way I can leave this ce alive.''


    Charles maintained hisposed facade as he continued to explore, searching for any opportunities to gather more information. He knew that to impersonate Dorian and gain ess to information about the visions, he needed to have a solid understanding of Dorian''s connections, alliances, and any secrets he might have held.


    For the next few hours, he roamed inside the fortress stealthily and finally grasped some understanding of the Abyssal Tongue. Thanks to that, he also managed to find out Dorian''s personal information and even the ranking of Demons in the Demon Fortress.


    ''Dorian belongs to the scouting squad called ''Shadowstalkers'' and has been assigned to monitor the Lava Oasis region and its surroundings. In the scouting Squad, there are seventy-two demons from different chaos races. Like the Scouting squad, there are eleven different groups out there. They are guebearers, Voidshifters, Summoner Enves, Dread Commandos, Soul reaver Cavalry, Death Archers, Abyssal Knights, Cursed Sorcery Coven, Bloodbound Berserkers, Hellfire Bringers, and finally, the Infernal Legion, where the rest of the demons belongs. And the one who leads this whole group is a Demon Commander named ''Drakaroth the meheart.'' The total poption of this Demon Fortress is 1253 Demons!'' As Charles learned how strong this single Demon Fortress was, he couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    ''For now, I should focus on finding the Drunken Winged Demon and gather more information.'' He thought inwardly.

 Chapter 676 Blackiron Stronghold

    Chapter 676 ckiron Stronghold


    Chapter 676: ckiron Stronghold


    As Charles was wandering in the Fortress''s main building corridor, he suddenly froze as he sensed a cut-off connection of the [Curse of the Overlord] spell.


    ''Someone from the True Lords group died just now.'' Before he could even mutter, he noticed another cut-off connection.


    In one minute, a total of five people died from that group!


    ''It seems only Alistair is still alive.'' Although Charles vaguely sensed where he was right now, he didn''t know which state he was in.


    ''Tsk, I thought of using them to find out the location of other strongholds, but they died without even fulfilling their roles. Well, I had no n on keeping them alive in the first ce, so nothing changes. At least Alistair is still alive.'' While thinking, Charles suddenly saw a tall humanoid demon with crystalline skin walking in his direction. The demon was around 2 meters tall, had pure white eyes and snowy hair, and looked like a frozen human.


    "Dorian, Shadow Leader summoned everyone from your team. Currently, he is staying in the northern outpost tower." The Ice demon approached him closer and spoke in an ordering manner.


    ''Oh? The leader of Shadowstalker? Something is not right.'' Instead of thinking deeply, Charles turned around and left the main building without even responding to the Ice demon.


    On the other hand, the Ice Demon looked at his back with a confused gaze and slowly focused on the small creature coiling around his neck.


    ''Why is he keeping his familiar even when inside the ckiron Stronghold? Now that I think about it, isn''t his favorite familiar a Shadow Eagle? When did he rece it with a snake? Hmm, it''s only a rank-1 beast? He is acting a little strange.'' Although he was curious about Dorian''s behavior, he didn''t think much about it and quietly walked away.


    Meanwhile, Charles paid no attention to the Ice demon''s gaze and quietly moved to the northern side of the castle.


    As he walked towards the northern exit and entered the outer yard, he saw many demons moving tens of magical catapults, siege weapons, and even controlling four-meter-tall gargoyles.


    ''This Stronghold''s strength is terrifying. If this Demon group enters Edhen world, it won''t even take a day to wipe out the humans off the map. Of course, that would only happen if the Gods stopped interfering. Now that I think about it, what''s this stronghold name?'' While thinking, he also eavesdropped the nearby demons'' conversation and soon furrowed.


    ''Invasion of Elves? Are the demons preparing for a defensive battle? I need more information.'' He muttered inwardly and fastened his footsteps towards his destination.


    Within a minute, he reached the Fortress''s northern entrance and soon walked toward the direction where the northern outpost tower was located. Unlike the normal outposts, the outpost towers were attached to the Fortress and had been equipped with strange ballistas.


    ''No, they are three timesrger than usual and seem magically enchanted.''


    Before long, he arrived in front of a circr towering building made of ck stones and moved to the top through the circr staircase. Charles climbed the winding stone staircase of the northern outpost tower, each step echoing in the enclosed space.


    As he reached the top, a massive iron door greeted him. Etched with ancient symbols and adorned with glowing runes, it seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.


    With a deep breath, he pushed the door open and entered the room beyond. It was a vast, circr chamber with a domed ceiling. Although more than a dozen demons stood inside the building, a purple-skinned humanoid in a dark robe-like dress stood at the center of the room, which caught his attention most. The being appeared only around 1 meter tall, slim and had no human-like facial structure. Instead, it only had jaw-like teeth extended from small ears, a bald head, and no eyes or nose.


    ''He belongs to the Voidweaver race.'' Charles quietly scanned him and noticed most of his bloodline spells were all shadow-rted.


    Before him was a group of elite demons from different races, each emanating a palpable aura of power. These were the members of the Shadowstalker team, a covert group of demons known for their stealth and cunning in carrying out the Fortress''s darkest missions.


    After entering the room, Charles hurriedly joined the group and waited.


    Meanwhile, the Voidweaver scanned the demons before him and soon focused on Charles.


    "It seems everyone from the Gram Team has arrived. Dorian, I heard aint from Gorg that you returned much earlier than usual and never even submitted a report. Did something happen?"


    Charles had long expected this question, so he didn''t show any nervousness and spoke.


    "Nothing out of the ordinary happened, Lord Vorloth. After seeing nothing anomaly, I left my Blood Familiar near the Lava Oasis and let it monitor the surroundings."


    "Oh," Vorloth didn''t say anything and changed the topic.


    "Around two hours ago, our team''s Chronomorph Naptr saw a bad vision and warned me to prepare for battle. Although I don''t know why he got such a revtion, I sent someone to notify the Lord Commander. If his predictions are correct, a big war might break out."


    ''Chronomorph? A name?'' As Charles was confused, one of the demons let out an eerieugh and spoke haughtily.


    "Kekeke, why are you taking his words seriously, Lord Vorloth? He is only a Greater Demon of the Chronomorph race and could be considered the city''s lowest rank. Although he is a good strategist, I haven''t seen him giving any divine prophecy like others in his race. Do you not know that receiving divine revtion from Gods or Demon Lords is impossible? Moreover, he isn''t a High-Rank Demon to get attention from the Demon Lord of Dreand."


    At that moment, another ice demon stood beside that demon, shaking his crystalline head, and spoke.


    "Did you hear our Lord''s words? He said Naptr received a vision through his bloodline skill."


    At that moment, Vorloth also nodded his head and spoke.


    "It''s better to be prepared. The Elves might be plotting something big. While Lord Commander prepares for the uing war, your job is to infiltrate their camp and learn what they are scheming. Dorian, Agrath, Sozrun, and Sestran will infiltrate Silvermoon Citadel; Thelmored, Agmizak, Olgron, and Jur''gadoch will enter the Obsidian Fortress. And the rest of you will be infiltrating the Celestial Hold."


    After a few words, Vorloth ordered everyone to prepare for their missions and dismissed the meeting.


    On the other hand, Charles also quietly walked away from the Northern Tower and pondered what to do next.


    ''It seems I''ll be dragged into something bothersome. If I want to achieve my goal, I must follow the clues. Going to Elves'' base is a pointless thing.'' But he can''t just leave the Fortress now.


    ''Thankfully, all other three demons appear to be infiltrating the Silvermoon Citadel independently.'' Truthfully, Demons never even trust their fellow members and always act independently. The reason they all bowed to the Demon Commander wasn''t because of patriotism to this Stronghold or kinship but respect for the strong.


    ''I need to find the drunken Winged Demon first.'' At that moment, an image of a two goat-horned human-like demon with eerie ck wings appeared before his eyes.


    ''Even though I only saw that image briefly, I remember his face clearly.''


    While the other Shadowstalker squad demons were preparing for the infiltration, Charles roamed inside the Fortress stealthily and searched all over.


    ''He isn''t here. That means he might stay in one of the other two Demon Strongholds.'' He got permission to use the Fortress''s Demoness Achieve, thanks to his sudden mission. Surprisingly, most of the other demons he saw in the Nothern Tower were actually in the Archive!


    He spent over 5 hours in the Archive and gathered basic information about the other two Demon Strongholds.


    ''One is ruled by the Demon Commander named ''Pale Night,'' while the other is ruled by a Demon Warlord named ''Kaz.'' Both peak Legend Powerhouses have ruled the demon Strongholds for thousands of years. What''s surprising is that even after being permitted the Devil Crow Nyxen to leave this Dimension, they chose to stay.'' Charles knew that no demon would do that unless they got something more beneficial here or were under the absolute control of the Devil Crow itself.


    Then, he moved to the nearby shelf, which had maps and information books about important locations, and memorized everything.


    He also gathered information about the major factions or teams in each Stronghold and quietly left the Archive.


    After that, he left the Demon Stronghold without any trouble and noticed that the surroundings had gotten dark.


    ''I should leave before others notice my presence.''


    His next destination was the nearby Demon Stronghold named ''War Castle,'' located around 200 km away.


    Although it might look far away, this was the closest Stronghold.


    After walking away from the Demon Stronghold, Charles didn''t try to hide his power as he summoned the [Fallen Angel''s Wings], pped his wings forcefully, and flew towards the War Castle at an incredible speed.


    Although he met a few Chaotic Magical Beasts and even Nightmare Beings, he didn''t confront them and increased his speed.


    As he further traveled, he noticed more chaotic energy in the air, making it even harder for him to breathe. Not only that, the vegetation also appeared more frequently and formed forest-likends.


    After flying for around 1 hour, Charles suddenly stopped mid-air ''No wonder the other two Demon Commanders aren''t willing to leave this Dimension. It''s a treasure house.'' Charles dared not go to and turned his face solemnly.


    At that moment, a forest with no boundaries appeared before him.


    ''Ancient Thicket. It''s a forest between War Castle and ckiron Stronghold and home to countless Legend Rank Magical Beasts, Monster tribes, and ghostly and nightmare beings. For the past few thousand years, ckiron Stronghold and Warcastle have been using this forest as an energy source and hunting the magical beasts non-stop.'' In truth, more than four simr forests were located in this Dimension and had been unexplored for thousands of years.


    ''No wonder the other two Demon Commanders aren''t willing to leave this Dimension. It''s a treasure house.'' Charles dared not go to the forest''s interior and quietly flew above the outer region while casing [Shadow Stealth] spell on himself.


    For the next few hours, he traveled in the sky stealthily and soon saw arge Castle-like area surrounded by strange purple fog.


    He slowly descended from the crimson-dark sky and soonnded on the y-paved path.

 Chapter 677 Bone Tree

    <h4>Chapter 677 Bone Tree</h4>


    Chapter 677: Bone Tree


    Ancient Trinket


    At the Innermost core of the ancient forest, there stood a mountain range touching the dark, cloudy sky.


    Upon observing closely, one would find that this mountain range appeared circrly, protecting the center in around a 50 km radius.


    At that moment, a shadowy humanoid demon with eerie dark wings suddenly appeared at the top of one of the mountains, releasing his wisdom power to let everyone know his arrival.


    He appeared around 190 cm tall, had two goat-like horns, a clear human facial appearance, reddish brown hair, and ebony skin, and wore a ck cloak.


    "The clouds are blocking my vision." He spoke in an ancient abyssal tongue and waved his hand.


    A momentter, the white clouds that covered the whole mountain dispelled, giving him a clear view.


    s, what followed him were countless roars of anger from different mountains.


    But a sudden gust of wind came from the northern direction and silenced the roars.


    Meanwhile, the demonic being narrowed his eyes and focused on a particr direction.


    A few secondster, a monstrous winged lizard with shiny ck and red scales popped out of the faraway white cloud and flew in his direction.


    It was more than 120 meters long and 50 meters tall, making him look more like an ant.


    It was a Chaos Dragon!


    "I''ve been waiting for your arrival for ten years, Azgan. What took you so long? Did you get any Imperial Whiskey?" The Chaos Dragon spoke in ancient dragonnguage as it arrived above the winged Demon and slowly pped its wings tond on the mountain''s peak.


    "It''s hard to fool the eyes of Pale Night Witch, Mirigon. One wrong move and our millennium years of hard work will go into dust." The winged Demon named Azgan said with a smile and slowly ascended.


    "Lead the way; I''ve something urgent to report to the Lord of the Chaos."


    "Oh? I thought you came here to spend your boredom. Did something happen?" Mirigon asked and pped its wings to cause a powerful gust of wind in all directions.


    "You will know soon enough." Demon Azgan kept his words short and asked further.


    "So, how is your n going on? Did the humans find any loophole in the Dungeon''s structure?"


    "Well, they said they managed to find the core of this Dungeon Layer through some form and even used some trickery to fool the Guardian''s eyes for a second before retreating. If I give out an order, they will invade the core room and break the Dungeon''s defensive array. At that time, Our Lord of Chaos could directly enter here and seed in his n."


    The Dragon''s words made Azgan''s eyes widen.


    ''I didn''t put any hope on this Dragon''s little experiment. But the humans are indeed oddballs who would do anything for wealth.''


    "Fascinating. Things will be more interesting in the following days, it seems. Let''s go, Mirigon."


    He urged the Dragon to move.


    Before long, the Chaos Dragon rose and guided the Demon towards the central in.


    An old pce made of glittering gems and crystalline rocks stood at the center of thend, surrounded by towering mountains and woonds. Even though it was dark outside, the whole building shone in rainbow color and illuminated the surroundings in magnificent rays of light.


    As Azgan and Mirigon approached the Crystal Pce, they could feel the oppressive aura emanating from it. The air seemed to thicken as they arrived closer, and the very air around them seemed to vibrate with an evil energy.


    Guarding the entrance to the pce were two colossal stone golems, each standing over fifty feet tall. Their bodies were etched with ancient runes, and their eyes glowed with an eerie blue light.


    Azgan and Mirigonnded before the golems, and Azgan raised his hand, revealing a ck gemstone amulet. He held it up to the golems, and they scanned it with glowing eyes. After a moment, the golems stepped aside, allowing the duo to pass.


    "Let''s go and greet the Lord now," Azgan said, causing the dragon to flinch.


    "Me too?" A surprised voice could be heard from the majestic creature''s mouth.


    "Of course. Although your mind isn''t powerful enough to endure Our Lord''s gaze for a long time, you won''t be a puppet. But be careful when we meet the lord. Never utter a word unless I say so."


    Azgan said with a smile and quietly signaled the dragon to get ready.


    On the other hand, Mirigon pped his wings lightly, and his whole being shrunk at an incredible speed.


    Before long, he transformed into an appearance of 2-meter tall lizardman-like appearance.


    Then, he took a ck robe from his space ring and wore it over his naked body.


    After that, both arrived closer to the entrance and walked in.


    Inside the Crystal Citadel, the surroundings starkly contrasted with the foreboding exterior. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings and colorful murals depicting scenes from the history of the Abyssal realm. Crystalline pirs rose high into the ceiling, refracting the light in a dazzling disy of colors.


    As they ventured deeper into the pce, they reached a grand chamber at the heart of the Crystal Citadel. At the center of the chamber was a throne of pure chaos energy, constantly shifting and changing form. Upon the throne was a figure shrouded in darkness and swirling mist.


    Azgan and Mirigon approached the throne, and Azgan bowed respectfully. "I''m here to meet our Lord, Master."


    A short silence appeared, and soon, the shadowy figure spoke deeply from within the swirling mist.


    "Opening the Gate frequently might expose his location to Devil Crow."


    "A big anomaly has appeared. I''ve got a vague feeling that this anomaly has some information to counter the Devil Crow."


    "An anomaly? Hmm,e back quick." While saying so, the shadowy figure raised its hand and waved it.


    First, a strange invisibleyer enveloped the rainbow crystal pce and blocked any mysterious and even divine power from entering.


    Then, a bluish crack appeared in the middle of the throne chamber and formed into a portal.


    "Let''s go," Azgan said solemnly and leaped into the portal. Mirigon also followed after him and soon found himself in a dark, gloomy cavern. The cave ceilings were filled with sharp stctites and seemed to be filled with bone-chilling icy aura.


    "It''s cold here." The Dragon said grimly and soon looked ahead at the area where the dim light wasing.


    "Follow me." Azgan cautiously nced around and hurriedly moved towards the light.


    After walking for a while, both soon reached the chamber and found a towering tree of bone and flesh.


    It was around 200 meters tall, had a 10 to 15-meter-wide trunk almost resembling Titan''s bone, and even had different bones forming stems and branches. But what made Mirigon grim was the image of blood dripping down from the fleshy leaves. Strangely, he saw unique eye patterns on each leaf and appeared creepier.


    "I-Is it the Lord?" Mirigon asked in a stiff tone but soon felt a mysterious gaze.


    At the same time, he felt millions of eyes looking at him from every corner of the cave and shuddered.


    Then, all of a sudden, a strange ice-chilling whisper echoed in the air.


    "Why did you bring a lizard? I know you wouldn''t bring someone without any reason... So, what is it?"


    Even though Azgan hade to this ce multiple times, he couldn''t help but get anxious.


    "I brought some good news, My Lord. This Dragon''s subordinates found a way to enter the Fourth Layer''s Core room and disrupt the Guardian from interfering. Although this will only dy the guardian briefly, I think even a small amount of help is worth it."


    "Who are those smart, reckless puppets? Winged Devils? No, those are proud creatures and never bow down to a lizard. Elves, Demons, and Dwarfs are out of option. Humans, huh? They indeed have no fear when ites to research." A deep sigh came from the ancient bone tree.


    "But why did youe here in a hurry? This isn''t the time to leave your post, right?"


    Upon hearing the question, Azgan nodded his head and spoke.


    "I sensed an anomaly in thisyer, My Lord. He might have some crucial information to help us achieve our goal much sooner."


    "A Taboo Existence? No. If a Taboo Existence arrived, the wholeyer might have already been in chaos. Hmm, can you get in contact with him?" The ancient voice asked.


    Azgan shook his head and answered.


    "I have no idea about his whereabouts. But he seems to be looking for me."


    "Oh? Go back and try to get in touch with him sooner. If you find a single piece of useful information, notify me right away." Just as the voice spoke, another spatial crack appeared behind them.


    Before they could even think, a suction force came from the slowly forming portal and pulled them in.


    Azgan and Mirigon disappeared a secondter, leaving the ancient bone tree in the chilling darkness.


    ...


    A few secondster, Azgan and Mirigon appeared in the middle of the crystal pce''s throne chamber and looked up at the shadowy figure.


    "It''s done, Master. I''ll be taking my leave soon." Azgan said as he bowed and took out a yellowish-red vial from his space ring.


    "Please ept this as my parting gift." Saying so, he used his wisdom power and sent it to the shadowy figure.


    On the other hand, the shadowy figure caught the vial and let out a chuckle.


    "Hmm, Titan''s Blood? This looks more like the blood of a Rank 7 Sun Titan!" He paused for a moment and soon added.


    "You should return to the War Castle quickly. Pale Night might notice your disappearance."


    "Yes, Master." Azgan agreed.


    After that, both didn''t stay in the Castle''s Throne hall any longer and left in a hurry.

 Chapter 678 Alistair

    <h4>Chapter 678 Alistair</h4>


    Chapter 678: Alistair


    Baston Fort.


    It was also known as the Fourth Layer''s strongest Stronghold and stood as a remarkable testament to human ingenuity amid a challenging and dangerous environment. Nestled within a vast, featureless expanse of terrain, this unique human Stronghold was meticulously constructed with an unwavering dedication to ensure the safety and security of its inhabitants.


    Although the human poption residing inside this Stronghold was merely around 800, the magical equipment and the magical arrays inscribed all over the Stronghold were powerful enough to withstand even a blow from a Low-Rank God''s true might!


    Unless a true God descended to this Dimension, no magical creature, or even the Guardian, could enter inside.


    It was around 5.00 A.M.


    Even though the brightest sun-like star of thisyer hadn''t shown itself, the surroundings appeared more like a dawn sky.


    At that moment, a lone human figure, around 40 years old with short blue hair, hazel eyes, and broad shoulders, walked on the rough terrain and slowly moved close to the towering fortress-like building.


    He was none other than Alistair.


    But unlike before, his current appearance looked miserable. He had multiple wounds, along with arge w mark, on his chest and appeared tired.


    Upon noticing the arrival of an unknown guest, two guards, who stood at the top of the fortress walls, suddenly jumped and descended towards the ground with weapons in their hands.


    One was a blonde-haired man with a gigantic body, while the other one was a robed man with a lean physique.


    "It seems this is your first time arriving. Which world are you from?" The blonde-haired man asked with a stern tone in runenguage.


    Although Alistair understood that the person was speaking in runenguage, he didn''t understand a word and stood with a confused face.


    After a short pause, he gathered his thoughts and spoke.


    "I''m Alistair, from Edhen World."


    "Edhen? Which group do you belong to, Mister?" This time, the robed mage-like man stepped forward and asked in Naan Language.


    ''Thank goodness!'' Alistair felt like he had finally met the savior of his life and responded politely.


    "I''m the leader of Truelords Exploration team, Sir. But due to an unexpected ident, all our members got killed by a devil-like raven bird."


    His words surprised the robed mage and the Muscr Guard.


    "To think they would end up meeting the final boss without evening to the base." The muscr guard said with a look of pity.


    On the other hand, the robed mage let out a deep sigh and introduced himself.


    "I''m Maverick, a member of the Holem Family. Come inside; I''ll bring you to the stronghold leader and let him check if you have already gone through the process of sacred oath."


    "Sacred Oath?" Although he didn''t understand what he was saying, he vaguely guessed that it must be some procedure to keep everything happening here confidential.


    At that moment, the tall gate behind them opened with a creak, giving a fresh air filled with pure mana from inside.


    "Let''s go." Maverick turned around and started walking into the Stronghold.


    On the other hand, Alistair suddenly thought of someone and asked.


    "Sir, did a young kid named Charlese by? If I''m not wrong, he said he came from a High ne called ''Earth'' and also mentioned a different level system."


    "Earth? Different level system?" Maverick got intrigued by those words and asked.


    "Can you exin more? Also, where did you meet him?"


    Alistair didn''t hide anything and exined about Charles and his facial characteristics.


    "Hmm, this is the second anomaly appearing in the loweryers during the past few centuries. Well, it''s not something we need to be worried about. If that kid named Charles manages to survive in thisyer, he wille here before this month''s end. So, don''t worry."


    As they converse, the trio entered the Baston Fort and soon moved to the center building.


    ...


    War Castle.


    This formidable citadel was yet another bastion overseen by the Demon Commander known as Pale Night. Enclosed within a robust stone fortification towering over 7 meters in height, it boasted six watchtowers strategically stationed around its perimeter, with a solitary gateway serving as its sole point of entry.


    Upon crossing the threshold, the interior of this Stronghold revealed a scene reminiscent of a miniature town. A prominent feature within the heart of this infernal settlement was a towering stone castle, its imposing structuremanding attention and awe. Surrounding this central building, an array of hundreds of dwelling units sprawled out like a cluster of beehives, each housing demons.


    Creating a distinctive path around the War Castle, a four-meter-wide circuit meandered its way from the outermost ring of houses, connecting all the residences and anciry structures to the imposing entrance of the central Castle. This circr roadway served as a vital artery, facilitating the movement of the Stronghold''s denizens and forming a vital nexus.


    Although it was a military base of Demons, it had a unique atmosphere. Demons with different battle attire entered and exited the Castle from time to time and gathered near the center. There was even a marketce to sell and buy materials near the Castle, making the atmosphere more lively. Creepyughs and shouts of demons echoed everywhere. If someone observed the Demon stronghold closely, they would notice it was actually a vige of rowdy demon adventurers. There were no military rules like the other fortress, nor did any strict order. Most demons would wake up early in the morning, check their equipment, and go hunting in the Ancient Trinket forest in groups. Some elite Demons hunt in the Forest for days, while many return before nightfall. Only a few Demons stay inside the Castle and watch over the outpost.


    One of them was a Demon named Bornaz. Due to his weak strength and cautious nature, he only hunted weak monsters near the Castle and barely earned enough abyssal stones to survive in this forsaken ce.


    At that moment, the young blue-skinned humanoid demon stood on the northeastern outpost, suddenly looked up in the southern direction, and sensed something from a faraway ce.


    ''It''s time.'' A smile appeared on his face.


    He was none other than Charles in disguise. After taking over this demon''s identity, he decided toy low in the War Castle and took the guard mission along with four other demons.


    ''Alistair finally reached the Human settlement. Now, I only have 5 more days until the perfect time for the great ''Disaster'' to ur.'' Charles muttered inwardly.


    From what he understood from previous disasters, he could confirm that these Disasters were urring due to his presence and also at a specific time interval. Even if he didn''t act and stay silent, it would happen on its own and cause significant damage to this wholeyer. As for how big this disaster would be, not even a Divine can predict. The only thing he could do was to gather information through the future images he gained from the ''Causality Maniption'' skill and alter the future events to his benefit.


    ''So far, I already found two clues of the earlier images.''


    The first one was the Winged Demon named ''Azgan.'' From what he had heard about him from other demons, he belonged to an Assassin squad called ''Vanquishers'' and never really cared much about missions, nor did he listen to the Commander. He was a heavy alcoholic and always got into a lot of fights. There were even many demons who called him by the nickname ''Imperial Fool.''


    ''But the most interesting thing about him was that no one knew when he came to this War Castle. Some even said that he had been staying here even before the current Commander took her position. Although I tried to talk to him more than three times in the past two days, he didn''t even respond properly.''


    Then the second thing was about the ''Sealed Coffin.'' After staying in the War Castle, Charles had gone through many books rted to the Fourth Layer and marked a total of five ces as possible locations to find the mysterious sealed coffin. Those locations were basically unexplored for more than a millennium by Demons and other races and were highly dangerous to explore alone.


    There were three locations in Ancient Trinket Forest: one located 200 miles away from the Human Fortress, and finally, thest ce was the base of the Devil Crow.


    ''I can''t go to the deepest core of the Ancient Trinket Forest alone, nor can I go near the base of the Devil Crow. So, my first destination should be the ce near the Human Fortress.'' He also felt that going to the Human Fortress would benefit him more.


    ''Anyway, I must take that Sealed Coffin before the time of the disaster. As for what it can do or how I can benefit by obtaining it, I know nothing of it. But one thing I''m sure is that I must follow these clues to achieve my goal.'' Muttering solemnly, Charles looked at the faraway ancient Trinket forest region shrouded by fog and suddenly asked in Abyssal Language.


    "Have any of you gone near the deepest part of this Ancient Trinket Forest?"


    "That''s impossible. Even if we go by group, it would take almost a week to reach the inner Forest. As we move further, we will also encounter Legend Rank Magical Beasts in groups frequently. Why are you asking this suddenly, Bornaz?"


    "I''m just asking out of curiosity," Charles said and went silent. For the next 10 hours, he took turns with other demons to watch the surroundings and was finally relieved from the duty.


    After that, he left the outpost along with other demons and started walking towards a pub located in the southern direction.

 Chapter 679 Meeting

    ?


    Chapter 679: Meeting


    After a few minutes of walking, Charles arrived at a single-story building and walked in while opening the tavern door.


    Laughers and shouts reached his ears as he saw multiple demonsughing loudly and chatting inside.


    "Oh? That annoying new drinker is here again." Ady with two horns on her head spoke as she poured a ss of unique wine and passed it to the winged demon sitting before her.


    Without minding herment, Charles walked closer to the table, sat on the wooden chair near the winged demon, and spoke while ncing at the nearby ss.


    "A ss of Imperial Wine, please."


    His words caused the winged demon to frown a bit.


    ''Oh? He finally reacted.''


    "What do you want, young demon?"


    As the subus demondy poured another ss of imperial wine, Charles turned his face towards the winged demon and spoke calmly.


    "Sealed Coffin."


    "Sealed Coffin?" Azgan gave a puzzled look at the young demon and shook his head.


    "I don''t even understand what you are talking about."


    Instead of getting disappointed, Charles took the ss of wine from the table, took a sip, and added.


    "Then, do you know anything about a chained tree made of bones and flesh?"


    Just as he spoke, a powerful invisible force made of wisdom power came from the winged demon and enveloped the whole pub. His action alerted all the demons staying in the pub, but everyone soon rxed as they noticed the origin of the invisible power.


    At the same time, the wine ss in Azgan''s hand broke into multiple pieces, spattering the imperial wine on the table.


    Upon noticing the emotional fluctuation in Azgan''s eyes, the pubdy cleared her throat and suggested.


    "If you want to talk something private, use the VIP room in the backside." Saying so, she pointed her finger at the left side door.


    Meanwhile, Azgan gave a cold look at Charles for a moment and stood up from his seat. Before long, he turned around, walked towards the left side door, and entered.


    Charles also followed him without saying a word.


    When Charles entered the room, the wooden door shut and locked from inside.


    "Are you the irregr?" Azgan went straight to the point. In truth, the one in his position during thest two days was his clone. So, he didn''t know anything about Charles''s previous encounter with him and was considerably startled by his swords.


    ''I know that the irregr was searching for me all this time. But I didn''t expect him to find me so soon.''


    Instead of responding, Charles walked towards the round table ced at the center and sat on a wooden chair.


    Then, he touched his face and changed his appearance into a human.


    On the other hand, Azgan was frozen stiff for a moment and couldn''t hide his shock any longer.


    ''A Human? I heard that some of the High-Human bloodline warlocks could change shapes like shapeshifters and even have the power to perceive the future. Hmm, no wonder he finds me sooner.''


    "Are you a High Human?" A hint of deep interest shone within his eyes.


    Charles nodded and conjured a small ball of eerie ckish me, letting it dance on his palm.


    ''What is this me? Why is it so familiar? It is almost simr to the me of Nyxen''s.'' His ck pupil shrank for a moment before returning to normal.


    ''A Fire Mage and also a High Human Bloodline Warlock... So, he is walking on the path of the ss Gem pathway, huh? A Dual ss Mystic. But why is he revealing too much information about him?''


    "Aren''t you showing your weakness too easily? If I say a word about you, not only the demons in this pub, every demon in this Stronghold will chase after you and capture you." His cold voice echoed through the room.


    A chuckle escaped out of Charles''s mouth.


    "I read a folk story about the war that took ce in thisyer long ago. Legends say that a ck sun appeared out of nowhere in the chaotic sky and annihted every living being in thisyer. Have you heard of it?"


    "Of Course. I''ve." In truth, Azgan was one of the survivors of that great disaster, which still instilled a great fear in his eyes.


    "But what does it have to do with the current situation?"


    A cunning smile appeared on his face.


    "This ck me can grow as strong as that ck sun as long as I allow it to devour the negative energy hidden all over this ce."


    "Humph, do you think you are as powerful as that Devil Crow?" Azgan snickered.


    "Of course not. But I''m not weak enough to get killed by a mere crow."


    Before Azgan could refute, Charles leaned on the chair and added.


    "Moreover, if I''m afraid to even show my true face to my future partner, I''m not worth enough to work with you." Charles paused for a moment and asked.


    "So, you have some connection to the Bone Tree, right?"


    "How do you know?" Azgan asked while not revealing any emotions like before.


    ''He is the irregr I sensed a few days before. But how much does he know about our n?''


    Charles also kept his face poker and revealed his intention.


    "I not only know about the Bone Tree, but I also know about the mages of the Ambers from the Human Stronghold."


    ''What?! My rtionship with the Human leader is a secret only known to a selected few people! How did he find out about this?''


    "What is your aim?" He asked warily.


    "I''m after the Devil Crow''s ''Oath'' spell." Charles didn''t hide anything at all and answered truthfully.


    "Are you serious? Do you think that damned Crow will give away its inheritance easily? Even if we managed to capture it, it would onlymit a suicide attack." Azgan refuted.


    ''I know you will say that. Do I have to rely on the power of bullshitting?'' Charles took a deep breath and spoke again.


    "What if I n to lure it away from its nest and even seal it?"


    A deep silence descended to the VIP room.


    But instead of asking for further information, Azgan took a deep breath and asked another question.


    "What do you want in return?" He knew there was no free lunch and asked him honestly.


    "Nothing much. I want your help to explore a ruined ce located 200 km away from the Human Fortress."


    "200 km away from the Human Fortress? Isn''t it the location of the base of Devil Crow?" Azgan furrowed.


    "No. I''m nning on exploring a ruined underground temple located north of the Human Settlement. Meanwhile, the base of Devil Crow is located far south."


    Azgan pondered for a moment before taking out a metallic badge with the symbol of a vertical eye from his pouch and tossing it to him.


    Charles caught the eye badge with his right hand and instantly sensed an invisible power around it.


    ''Divine power... Strangely, I feel a sense of familiarity. The eye symbol also gives me an eerie feeling... Hmm, I sense the power of wealth, fate... and Love. Don''t tell me-?!" His gaze sharpened as he zeroed his attention on the eye symbol.


    Simultaneously, he recalled the Amber Church.


    ''Sasha... So, her follower is an ally of this demon? But Amber Church hasn''t reached thisyer yet, right?'' At that moment, another name popped up in his mind.


    ''Holem!'' Although he was pretty much annoyed to work with his enemy''s servant, he decided to use them first and take care of everythingter.


    While he was in deep thought, Azgan spoke.


    "Please put your spiritual imprint in it. A dragon friend of mine gave this a high-ranking Oath Token of a Divine. This strange token has the power to evade your fate once and even give you a small amount of wealth whenever you need it. As long as you show it to the leader of the Human Settlement, he will try his best to fulfill your wishes. But you better be careful not to betray us. Otherwise, you will face heavy consequences."


    ''Tsk, the consequence is a love curse and a powerful one.'' But Charles didn''t have any n of betraying them at all.


    ''Also, I can let Shadow Princess erase my spiritual imprint when using the rebirth Domain spell andpletely escape being found out. In truth, whenever someone dies, their spiritual imprint bes weakened to an unimaginable level. As long as a Rank-1 or Rank-2 uses their spiritual power, they can erase his spiritual imprint easily.'' With that thought in mind, he made a spiritual imprint on the oath token before Azgan''s eyes and put it in his pocket.


    "I give you two important information about the Devil Crow. First, it has an egg, which might be its only weakness. Second, the one I asked you at first, the Sealed Coffin. From what I''ve been researching, that coffin might be a big help to seal the Devil Crow."


    His words made the winged demon fall into deep silence.


    ''Egg? Does Devil Crowy eggs? But I haven''t heard of such news from anyone. Even our Lord doesn''t know this! Maybe it''s a key to its resurrection? Also, sealed coffin, huh?''

 Chapter 680 Lord Of Chaos

    ?


    Chapter 680: Lord of Chaos


    Around five millennium years ago, a young prodigy emerged from the ''Edhen'' World and participated in the Star Tombs Dungeon. Although people from the Edhen World had been participating in the Star Tombs Dungeon since the first Arcane Era, none managed to move past the fourth Layer.


    Moreover, the Lord of that time was not the Devil Crow but the Tree of Bones and Fleshes, aka the Lord of Chaos. It was a unique Arch-Lich being born from the Undead ne and gained the power to rule over Death and Corruption.


    Although it rose to be a Divine being, it didn''tst long due to its unfortunate encounter with a Star Being.


    In 2 seconds, the Lord of Chaos'' divine kingdom and his divine throne were destroyed and even forcefully assimted to create this Dungeon.


    What was more unfortunate was that it became the boss of this Fourth Layer. Although it gained the extra power to resurrect endlessly within this domain, it wasn''t an omnipotent being and had no freedom.


    The young prodigy of the Edhen World confronted the Lord of Chaos around five millennia ago and defeated it quickly. After that, he used the teleportation Circle and became the first person from the Edhen World to go to the Fifth Floor.


    Going by the usual logic of the Star Tombs Dungeon, the Lord of Chaos would have been resurrected within six months and continue to do its duty as the boss monster.


    Unfortunately, something else happened just as the young prodigy left for the fifth Layer.


    A sudden ck sun appeared in the Fourth Layer''s sky and blocked the Chaos Sun. Following that, it started absorbing all the evil and wicked emotions within this Layer and soon exploded, resulting in countless deaths of different races.


    The surviving beings soon became a ve of a devilish being in the name of the Sacred Oath Contract.


    That devilish being was none other than Devil Crow, aka Lord Nyxen.


    By the time the Lord of Chaos resurrected, the whole Layer became that being''s control.


    What was terrifying was that the Devil Crow even took control of the Teleportation Circle and became a firm ruler.


    Shockingly, the Guardian of this Layer also ignored this matter.


    Although the Lord of Chaos still had the power to resurrect, it soon realized that it was not an easy feat to defeat the Devil Crow anymore because of therge number of subordinates under its control.


    From that day onwards, the Lord of Chaos went into hiding and waited for an opportunity to regain its lost throne with a few of its trusted aides.


    ''If the Devil Crow indeed hasid an egg or created it through experiment, it must be very important to it. Truthfully, the base of Devil Crow has already be a part of that crow''s domain, increasing its power twofold. Not only that, but its strange oath method to enve all the demons and other living beings from different nes also made it invincible in this ce. But what our Lord fear most is the Guardian of this Layer. Although he looks neutral on the outside, the Devil Crow managed to tamper the Teleportation circle with the Guardian''s help. I think we need to rethink our whole n. The previous n to use the humans to stop the Guardian from interfering was only an extra. From the very beginning, the Lord of Chaos and his only friend, Chaos Knight, aka my master, were nning to confront both the Guardian and the Devil Crow by themselves. Meanwhile, the ck Dragon race will try their best to stop the humans from interfering. Because of the reckless and suicidal mission, this n was postponed multiple times already. But if the information given by this young human is true, we might have a chance to turn over the whole situation.''


    "Then, I''ll take my leave." Charles stood up from his seat, walked towards the wooden door, and suddenly stopped as he recalled something.


    "Don''t dy too long. Five days." As he spoke, he quietly opened the door and walked away, leaving the winged demon in deep silence.


    ''Five days? Is he for real? How can we form a n in five days?'' But he soon stopped overthinking and decided to ry everything that happened here to the Lord of Chaos and his master.


    ...


    On the other hand, Charles quietly left the pub and started walking towards the War Castle''s entrance gate through the paved road. Before long, he silently left the War Castle and entered the Ancient Trinket forest. After that, he cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell and flew towards the southern direction, where the Human Settlement resided.


    Another day passed as he continued to travel at an incredible speed.


    At noon of the next day, he finally saw arge fortified fortress standing in the middle of a vast terrain.


    "Finally, I can get some fresh air." He took a deep breath and started to shapeshift into a young kid, around 16 years old. His blue skin began to fade and was reced by olive skin, his eyes became an emerald color, his bluish-green hair turned blonde, and even his height was adjusted to 160 cm.


    After that, he took out the ck robe and wore it over his stiff dress made of the fur of a beast.


    Then, he slowly descended to the ground andnded on the rough, barrennd. Although a few greenish nts appeared here and there due to somewhat pure mana in the surroundings, all those nts were still affected by the chaotic air and appeared mutated.


    Taking a deep breath, Charles took a step forward and started walking towards the Baston Fort.


    As Charles approached closer to the fort''s entrance, two figures flew from above the fortress wall andnded before him.


    One was a sturdy, blonde-haired muscr man, while the other one was a lean, robed mage.


    "Wee to Boston Fort, Mage Charles from Earth." The robed mage walked forward and said with a polite smile.


    "You know me?" Charles blinked his eyes in surprise and asked, even though he knew how they knew about him.


    "A day ago, a friend named Alistair returned to the Baston Fort and asked us for information about you. He also told us to give you some guidance if you stop by. Well, I can tell you where he is staying right now." The robed mage paused for a moment and soon introduced himself.


    "By the way, I''m Maverick, a member of the Holem Family. It is one of the influential Mage families in the Edhen World and has a powerful Demi-God backing." He said with a boasting tone.


    Charles nodded his head and introduced himself.


    "I''m Charles from Earth. Mr. Maverick, can you please guide me to Alistair? I also want to meet the leader of this base to ask something important."


    "Commander Erwin isn''t someone anyone can meet." The muscr man interjected.


    "Don''t mind him. I''ll get an appointment with him sooner and send someone to inform you." Maverick said calmly and waved his hand.


    A secondter, the tall metallic gate before them started to open, revealing a grand sight to Charles''s eyes.


    As Charles walked into the fortress, he saw a pure bluish sky with multiple stars hanging everywhere. Not only that, he even saw an endless amount of greenery and even mountains far ahead.


    Instead of small tents or military houses, what he saw were thousands of single, two-storied houses, and even mansion houses. Not only that, he even saw many strange human-like beings with no souls walking everywhere.


    "Lord Erwin is a powerful Alchemist and also a Rune Mage. After he found this base for Humans, he made his pocket dimension into a haven for everyone and even allowed people to buy houses inside. And to make things easier for us, he even created arge number of homunculus and rented them out using elemental crystals as basic currency."


    "Impressive." That was all Charles could say as he saw the grand sight.


    "So, where is Alistair staying? As long as you tell me the address, I can go by myself and look for him." Charles said as he noticed that there were only around five long streets in the pocket dimension.


    "He bought a new house on the fourth street. If you go on this road, you will find door numbers at every house''s entrance. Alistair''s house number is 24C." Maverick said while pointing his fight at a particr street junction.


    Meanwhile, Charles thanked him and started walking in the direction of Fourth Street.


    He quietly walked on the smooth concrete road while taking a look at both sides and soon arrived before a single-storied house with a smallwn in the front. Tworge trees shadowed the porch entrance and appeared to be weing the visitors,


    Charles first opened the fence gate and started walking on the grass-surrounded pathway.


    Before long, he arrived in front of the entrance door and knocked it twice.


    After a few seconds of waiting, a short blue-haired man with broad shoulders opened the door from inside and weed him with a smile.


    "Good to see you again, Charles," Alistair greeted him.

 Chapter 681 Homunculus

    <h4>Chapter 681 Homunculus</h4>


    Chapter 681: Homunculus


    "What happened to you, Mr. Alistair?" Charles asked as he looked at the w scar on his naked chest. Although Alistair managed to heal the severe wounds with the help of potions, it still gave him a huge scar.


    A bitter smile appeared on Alistair''s face as he turned around and invited him in.


    Then, he started to speak.


    "After parting away, we moved to the southern direction with the information we gathered from all these years. But instead of reaching Baston Fort, we ended up moving further away and reached a strange mountain cavern. It looked almost simr to the second floor''s boss area. That''s where we met our nightmare. It''s the Devil Crow!" He gulped down his saliva as he recalled a terrifying scene and spoke with fear in his eyes.


    "It was a 100-meter tall shadow-like bird! Before we knew it, the entire shadow shrouded our surroundings and enveloped us in darkness. At the same time, I saw the huge shadow smash Evander and kill him in a second. Although we tried to fight back, it soon turned into a one-sided massacre. Only I managed to escape with a teleportation scroll and made my way back to this ce. No, I should say that monster might have left me alone on purpose." He still recalled the prying sensation he felt all the way from that cave to the Baston Fort and trembled.


    "Everyone from your team died?" Charles showed a shocked face and soon spoke sadly.


    "I''m really sorry for your loss, Mister. So, what are you nning to do next?" He asked while walking inside the living room and sitting on the sofa ced on the side.


    "What can I do? Although the expedition to this fourth floor met with a great failure, it was a good lesson for me. At least I realized how terrifying the fourth floor is. Once I get back to Edhen World, I will share more information with the family and prepare for the next time exploration. I''m sure our next exploration will be a big sess." Saying so, Alistair also sat on the opposite sofa, suddenly thought of something, and asked.


    "Did you take the ''Sacred Oath'' yet?"


    "Not yet." Charles shook his head.


    "Me too. Currently, I''m still pondering over what to do next. Should I go back without making the Sacred Oath or make the ''Sacred Oath''? Now that I remember, did you meet yourpanions yet?" Alistair asked.


    "I don''t think you can leave thisyer without making the ''Sacred Oath.'' As for mypanions, I indeed met one person. Thanks to him, I managed to find the Human Settlement quickly." Charles lied without hesitation.


    "So, what do you n on doing from now on? Will you join yourpanions and proceed to the 5th floor? Or, go back to your home world?" Alistair asked while taking out a bottle of wine and pouring it into the sses ced on the coffee table.


    Charles didn''t respond instantly. He showed a troubled look as he took one ss of wine and sipped.


    Then, he cleared his throat and spoke.


    "Before going to the fifth floor, I n on exploring a ruined temple situated 200 km away from this settlement. Thanks to mypanion''s help, I might have an easy time talking with the Commander of this base and borrowing a few helpers. Would you like to join this expenditure?"


    His invitation surprised Alistair.


    "Think of it as a repaying the help you did to me in thestyer," Charles added.


    "Hmm, I need to think." Alistair pondered for a moment and soon asked another question.


    "Can you tell me more about the ce we are going to?"


    Charles nodded in agreement and exined.


    "We are going to a ce called ''Fortress of Soul Graves.'' In truth, our goal is to enter the temple at the center of the Soul Graves ruins and search for a strange coffin. Once we get our hands on the coffin, we must end the expenditure and return. And whatever you find along the way will belong to you. The same goes for all the participants."


    Upon hearing Charles''s words, a frown appeared on Alistair''s face.


    "Hmm, your words are too simple. How difficult is this mission? How many Legend Rank Beasts will be there? And how many people will be participating in this expenditure?" After facing the Devil Crow and experiencing a near-death situation, he became extremely cautious of thisyer.


    ''I really can''t me him for his cautiousness. Even if I faced the Devil Crow, I might have been severely injured or ended up using Grace''s ''Void'' ability before dying.''


    "To tell you the truth, the ce I''m nning to explore is one of the five great forest regions like Ancient Trinket and also an unexplored area for the past few millenniums. Although the ruin is located not in the deep region, it is still a dangerous ce and will take more than three days to travel inrge numbers."


    ''More importantly, I''m not 100% sure of finding the Sealed Coffin.'' But there was one thing he was sure of.


    Soul of Graves was the only ce name that implied death.


    After hearing his exnation, Alistair closed his eyes for a while and soon sighed.


    "Although I want to explore and get some precious treasure to make up for the loss, I can''t take this gamble, my friend. It is indeed a tempting offer, and I''m also well aware of yourbat abilities. But if I somehow die in this exploration, our Truelords family will lose the game against all other families. We already lost many elite members. If I also died without revealing any information about the fourthyer, the family would end up sacrificing arge number of geniuses to get to this ce in the future. It''s not worth taking the risk."


    "I understand," Charles also nodded in agreement and gave up on persuading him.


    "Hmm, although it feels awkward, why not stay in this house until the exploration preparations are over?"


    "Okay." Charles didn''t refute Alistair''s offer and agreed to stay. After that, he continued to converse with Alistair for a while and soon heard a knocking sound from the entrance.


    Alistair hurriedly went to receive the guest and soon returned to the living room.


    "It''s Maverick''s homunculus, Charles. She is waiting at the entrance for you to escort you to the Commander''s residence."


    "Oh? I didn''t expect him to get an appointment so soon." Charles said with a surprised tone and stood up from the sofa.


    "Of course, he will. After I told him how you handled the situation in the thirdyer battle, he became more interested in you. Not only that, you came to thisyer from apletely unknown world. So, even Commander Erwin will be interested to learn about your world customs and knowledge. After all, the more connections with people from different worlds, the more advantages one will get in many things."


    Charles wasn''t interested in any of those rtionships. After all, he fabricated this whole fake story with his past life memories.


    ''More importantly, it seems only some particr worlds are connected to this fourthyer. Hmm, up to 3rdyer, the dungeon seems only connected to the Edhen World. But after 4thyer, more worlds seem to intersect. Then, does that mean all other world peoples also have gone through simryers before reaching this fourthyer?'' While thinking deeply, he arrived at the entrance and soon saw a ck-haired youngdy in her silver armor. If not for no sign of a soul within her flesh body, Charles would have found it difficult to distinguish if she was a human or an artificial being.


    "Agatha greets Mage Charles!" She hurriedly bowed her head and greeted him in a mechanical voice that was almost simr to a young maiden''s.


    "Guide me to the Commander Erwin''s residence." Charles gave a curious look at her face and ordered.


    "Yes, Mage Charles. Please follow me." Saying so, she turned around like a real knight and started walking on the concrete pathway with stiff movements.


    Before long, she reached the wooden fence, opened the wooden gate, and started walking on the concrete road.


    Although Charles tried to converse with her by asking some questions, she only responded with yes or no.


    ''It''s more like an AI. But it seems to only obey one order at a time and doesn''t seem suitable for the conversation itself. Compared to Zera, this one barely has any self-thinking capacity.'' While he was thinking, the homunculus named Agatha led him all the way towards the end of the fourth street and then stopped in front of a three-storied pce-like mansion.


    Charles also noticed that all other street roads were also connected to the front square of the tall mansion, almost simr structure to the War Castle.


    He soon turned his attention towards the mansion and stepped forward.


    But what startled him was the appearance of many homunculus within the mansion as he entered through thepound gate. Starting from gatekeepers standing at the entrance, the guards, gardeners, maids, butlers, and even chefs were all homunculus!


    While looking at the unique beings with curiousness, he walked past the fountain, arrived under the mansion porch, and stepped into the main building. He soon entered the main hall and saw a grey-robed man sitting on the sofa in the middle. He appeared to be around 70 to 80 years old, had a wrinkled, pale face and long white hair, and looked thin.


    Even though he looked like he was breaking down at any moment, Charles sensed a refined and pure wisdom power radiating from his body.


    He was none other than the Commander of this Stronghold, Erwin!

 Chapter 682 Commander Erwin

    <h4>Chapter 682 Commander Erwin</h4>


    Chapter 682: Commander Erwin


    "A guest from another world, huh? I heard that you wanted to meet me. Can you tell me the reason?" The old man asked as he crossed his legs and looked sharply at Charles.


    While walking closer, Charles took out the metallic badge with a vertical eye symbol and spoke.


    "I came here under the order of Azgan." Saying so, he tossed the badge to Erwin and added.


    "And I''m nning to explore the Soul of Graves."


    "Soul of Graves? Also, when did you meet that Ancient Demon?" A surprised expression appeared on Erwin''s face as he inspected the ring like he was reading something and furrowed.


    "Hmm, you indeed formed an oath through this ring. And the conditions seem to be favoring you most. Why did that Demon agree to a condition like this? Azgan will never do something reckless unless it''s of great importance or an urgent situation. Also, why would you want to go to that dangerous ce? If you don''t tell me the truth, I might not help you with everything." Erwin said solemnly.


    At that moment, Charles thought of another image of humans in robes with eye symbols on them and furrowed.


    "Before answering your question, can I ask you something else?"


    Although Erwin was confused by his question, he said nothing and waved his hand.


    "Go on."


    "Are you a follower of Amber Church from the Edhen World?"


    "Oh? You already learned much about our world, huh? Even though I never revealed myself as a person from the Edhen World to anyone, how did you find out?" Erwin asked the question and slowly turned his gaze towards the badge in his hand.


    "Hmm, interesting. You noticed the eye symbol and guessed it, huh? But are you really from another world?" A strange suspicion appeared in his eyes. At the same time, his eyes turned golden color and released some divine power in his direction.


    Although Charles didn''t understand what type of divine power it was, he vaguely sensed that it might have something to do with distinguishing whether he speaks truth or false.


    But Charles wasn''t afraid at all.


    "I''m from another world called ''Earth.''" He answered.


    "Hmm, you are telling the truth. That means you must have met a member of Amber Church in otheryers then." Erwin said with a nod.


    At that moment, Charles decided to toss out another bite.


    "If you help me achieve my goal, I will help you grand your freedom from the Sacred Oath."


    His words stunned the Commander.


    A deep silence appeared in the hall, followed by a strange divine power spreading everywhere. Before Charles could even blink, the whole mansion was covered by a powerfulyer of divine power thatpletely isted them from the outside world.


    "How sure are you? Kid, this isn''t just aughing matter. As long as you help us from that damned bird, we''ll be forever indebted to you. Not only humans and demons, but even the elves, dwarves, and all other races." Erwin''s calm andposed appearance was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his face was filled with full of seriousness and vignce.


    "The reason I came to this Layer is not to fool around but to get my hands on this Sacred Oath spell model. So, my final goal just lines with your goal too. As long as we work together, it''s not a big deal to kill or capture the Devil Crow." Before Erwin could ask more questions, Charles continued to throw out another bait.


    "Also, I gave an important information to Azgan. As long as he uses that information properly, he will be able to lure away the Devil Crow from its base. To be precise, the Lord of Chaos will personallye out of his hiding and fight the Devil Crow himself."


    Erwin finally raised his right hand to stop him from throwing out more baits and spoke.


    "Please give me an hour to think this through. What you revealed is too much for this small head to handle."


    "Then, I''ll return to my friend''s home and wait for your reply." As he spoke, he finally released his wisdom power to the surroundings and enveloped himself in a crimson me before disappearing.


    "Teleportation? No, why did he turn into me before disappearing? What kind of unique spatial spell is that?" Erwin couldn''t help but get shocked by his disy of power.


    After confirming that no trace of Charles''s magic was left, he waved his hand and brought a mirror from his spatial ring.


    After that, he infused his wisdom power into it and activated the mirror.


    A momentter, the whole mirror shone in a radiant light and soon revealed a dark scale of a horn.


    "Hmm? Human Mage? I was just about to call you." A thundering voice came from the other side.


    Soon, the scale, no, the figure that blocked the mirror''s view, moved back and showed its face. It was none other than the Chaos Dragon, which Azgan met two days ago.


    "It''s been a while, Mirigon," Erwin said as he waved his hand and went straight to the point.


    "Why did you give my Sacred Oath Token to that Ancient Demon? He used it to form a contract with another human and even sent him to me. The reason I called you urgently is that he said some absurd words, which startled me greatly."


    "Well, I also don''t know much about this matter. But why not ask Azgan yourself? He is here with me right now." Just as Mirigan spoke with his gigantic mouth, he used the wisdom power and tilted the mirror on the other side.


    A secondter, Erwin saw an almost seven-meter-tall winged demon with goat horns standing near the Chaos Dragon''s head and looked at him with a smirk.


    "It''s been a long time since we have exchanged greetings, human Commander. So, what do you want to ask me right now?"


    Erwin went silent momentarily, took a long breath, and asked while gritting his teeth.


    "That human from another world... Charles. Is he telling the truth? Is it truth that he has a way to kill that damned bird?"


    "He might be or not. I can''t say for sure unless I enter the Cave and see that thing for myself." Demon Azgan said calmly.


    "What thing?" Erwin asked in surprise and soon realized that Charles had intentionally not mentioned any information about it!


    "Hmm, it seems he trusts demons more than humans. Well, I understand him too. After all, it was your kind that first betrayed this Layer''s true Lord and sided with that wicked bird." Azgan said while shaking his head and soon added.


    "Don''t worry about anything. Help the human with everything you have. Maybe it''s finally the time to strike back." As soon as Azgan spoke, he waved his hand and broke themunication mirror on the other side.


    Upon seeing the connecting being cut off, Erwin went into a deep silence.


    "Not only this human named Charles, but even that Demon didn''t trust me a single bit. Well, it''s understandable, after all." As he muttered, he instantly summoned ten more simr mirrors and activated all themunication artifacts.


    A secondter, multiple faces from different races appeared in all those mirrormunication artifacts.


    "Human Wizard? Why are you contacting us? Is there anything important?" An elvish woman with golden hair asked in a cold tone.


    "If you don''t give me a reasonable exnation, I''m going to start a war with your base right away." A pale-faced woman with red eyes and a unique third blue eye spoke coldly.


    "Don''t be too harsh on that weak human. He must have some reason after all." This time, the one who spoke was a formal ck-suited man with a bowler''s hand on his head. But unlike humans, he had strange red eyes and sharp teeth like a vampire.


    Although a few people from other mirrors also showed dissatisfaction, they soon went silent as Erwin raised his right hand and cleared his throat.


    First, he looked at the pale-faced woman and spoke.


    "The problem started from your base, Pale Knight."


    "What do you mean?" A deep, murderous intent came from the mirror, causing it to shake fiercely.


    "Azgan is still in contact with the Lord of Chaos as we suspected. And from the looks of it, that group had already nned to lure the Devil Crow and kill it."


    "WHAT!???? Are they out of their minds? Damn it, if they start a fight, we will also have to help that damned bird due to that f*king sacred oath! Why did they do it?" A furious roar erupted from Pale Knight''s mouth.


    Othermanders also voiced out their simr thoughts and started discussing.


    "Everyone, please be quiet." Erwin finally couldn''t bear the noisy atmosphere and spoke.


    "I think we should ally ourselves with the Lord of Chaos this time and get rid of the Sacred Oath and that Damned Devil once and for all."


    "What do you mean?" The elvish woman furrowed before asking further.


    "Don''t you know that it''s almost impossible to disobey that damned bird''s summon?"


    A chuckle escaped out of Erwin''s mouth.


    "You guys underestimated me too much. Although it''s almost impossible to break the Sacred Contract Oath, there are many loopholes to use it. Surprisingly, that dumb bird didn''t create separate contract oaths for everyone and made simr ones. Although the contract mentions that we must participate if Devil Crow summons us, what if we didn''t receive a summon?"


    "What do you mean?" Pale Night asked.


    Erwin curled his lips upward and spoke coldly.


    "Usually, Devil Crow summons us every year through the contract link. What if we weaken the link using a special artifact and iste ourselves for a particr period of time? We can indeed stop anymunication in theory. Although it''s a reckless move, if the Lord of Chaos, Azgan, and his other group members managed to kill the Devil Crow, the Sacred Contract will be invalid. Moreover, we can also gain our freedom."

 Chapter 683 Expenditure

    <h4>Chapter 683 Expenditure</h4>


    Chapter 683: Expenditure


    "Is it really possible?" Pale Night asked with doubtful eyes.


    "Well, it''s theoretically possible. But even if we fail, we should at least make that damn bird suffer a terrible loss." Erwin said in a solemn tone.


    Although they showed a hesitant look at first, Pale Night, the vampire, and the Elven woman were the first ones to agree. Following that, the othermanders also decided to support this n and soon cut off themunication.


    Once again, the main hall fell into an abrupt silence.


    "Hmm, the question is: Who will betray us and side with that Devil Crow?" He let out a deep sigh.


    "I think no one will be stupid enough to mess up this great opportunity."


    "But before that, I should do something about the human from another world. Although I want to help him whole heartedly, his final goal somewhat unsettles me. If he really get his hand on the ''Sacred Oath'' spell model, he might be the next Devil Crow. Moreover, he seems to have more secrets. Should I personally apany him to this expenditure and find out?" A n formed in his mind.


    But he soon shook his head and decided to give up.


    "Let Nick and Heath take care of this matter. Hmm, I also need to send at least 100 members to support him in this expenditure."


    "Now, if the n really goes as expected, I also get the ''Eye of God'' team ready to stop the Guardian from interfering the main battle."


    As he spoke, he released his wisdom power to the surroundings and soon found Charles in one of the houses on the fourth street.


    At that exact moment, Charles, who was sitting in Alistair''s house, suddenly looked in the direction where the mansion was located and smiled.


    A momentter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me, disappeared from there, and reappeared before Erwin.


    "You have an interesting me teleportation ability," Erwin said with a chuckle and went straight to the topic.


    "The preparations will be ready by tomorrow evening. A total of 100 people will apany you, along with my two trusted aides. And all of them are Legend Rank Powerhouses with years of battle experience. You can use them at your disposal."


    "That''s good." Charles nodded his head and added.


    "But be careful of getting in my way. If your men dares to trouble me, I won''t be polite." Although Erwin looked far stronger than Alistair and all the other mages he had seen in this dungeon, he still had multiple ways to deal with him.


    ''A single question with the ''Burning Thoughts'' spell can at least harm him easily due to the penalty of the Contract. Well, I don''t think he doesn''t have any mental resistance artifact topensate for the weakness.'' Shaking his head, Charles again enveloped his body in me and disappeared from there.


    After that, he returned to Alistair''s house in the fourth street and took a long rest. Following that, he also went to the library in the Baston Fort and started gathering information about the Fortress of the Soul Graves and the dense forests. He also kept notes on what type of Magical Beasts residing in the Forest, learned about any dangerous areas orirs of the Magical Beasts, and so on.


    ...


    The next day, around 4 P.M.


    A hundred people stood outside the Baston Fort and looked at the blonde-haired young kid with curiosity and confusion.


    Meanwhile, Charles stood before them with a stern look and slowly turned his attention towards the two ck-robed mages standing beside him.


    One was a chubby-faced fat man with golden hair, while the other was a tall, muscr man with short ck hair.


    "Nick... Tell me more about the expenditure team."


    The chubby-faced man named Nick took a step forward and spoke.


    "Our team has a total of 100 elite Battle Mages, Sir. Under the order of Commander Erwin, we will follow your everymand until this expenditure is over."


    Charles raised his eyebrows and scoffed inwardly.


    ''He doesn''t give any information about his team, huh? Well, I don''t need his help anyway.'' As soon as he muttered inwardly, countless rows of blue icons popped up before his eyes and showed everyone''s personal information.


    "Hmm, ten Light Mages, seven Dark Mages, fourteen Warlocks with different bloodlines, Five Water Mages, Nine Fire Mages, Eleven Thief ss Mystics, Ten Ranger ss Mystics, Two Druids, twenty Soldier ss Mystics, Four Madkillers, Four Swordsmen, and finally four Knights. And you two are the only Dual ss Mystics, am I right?"


    His words caused Nick to feel like his whole body was being seen through.


    Charles then turned his gaze towards the hundreds of people and spoke thunderingly.


    "Dark Mages, four warlocks with stealth-rted abilities, a Druid with taming skill, and Thief ss Mystics will work together and form a Scout team. I''ll further divide the Scout team into four groups; each responsible for scouting all four directions every 15 minutes and reporting back to me. Next is the Support squad. Two people with Curse-removal skills from Light Mages, Three from Water Mages, a Druid with nature healing abilities, and the Seven-Headed Python Warlock with poison removal skills will be joining the Support Squad. Then, the Long Range Attack Squad will beposed of Nine Fire Mages, Eight Light Mages, Two Water Mages, and Ten Ranger ss Mystics, with Nick being the Leader. And finally, the short-range Attack Squad will beposed of the rest of the Warlocks, Soldiers, Madkillers, swordsmen, and Knights, with Heath being the Leader."


    Upon hearing those words, not only Nick and Heath but almost everyone was surprised.


    Under the leadership of Charles, the Expenditure group departed from the Baston fort and moved towards the Fortress of the Soul Graves.


    After traveling for more than four hours in the rocky terrain, they finally saw the forest region and mountain range far ahead. Although a few Chaos Magical Beasts attacked them, they were instantly taken care of by the Swordsman Attack Squad.


    By the time they reached the entrance of the dense Forest, the Darkness had also arrived.


    Charles wasn''t a fool to enter the Forest in Darkness. So, he told everyone to stop at the entrance and start building tents.


    None of them disobeyed his words and decided to take a rest.


    The next morning,


    The Expenditure group finally entered the dense Forest and approached the Fortress of the Soul Graves.


    Thanks to Charles''s leadership, they didn''t face any difficulty killing Legend Rank Magical Beasts and advanced incredibly.


    But what startled Charles was his wisdom power increased whenever the Attack Squad members killed a Magical Beast.


    The group hunted more than 1300+ Rank-5 Magical Beasts and Seventy Legendary Magical Beasts at the end of the day and crossed around 50 km deep into the dense Forest.


    When the Darkness descended, Charles used the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell and made arge protectiveyer around the surroundings.


    Although some Legendary Magical Beasts attacked the shelter more than seven times, Charles, Nick, and Heath were enough to fend off them.


    Following that, the next day''s expenditure also went smoothly, without having any causality.


    But on the third day of their expenditure, a first causality urred. It was an ambush of a Legendary Lizard-type Magical Beast. It not only concealed its appearance but even. Its wisdom power makes it almost impossible to recognize its presence.


    If Charles hadn''t noticed the change in one of the future visions on time, the whole scouting team might''ve been annihted.


    After that, the expenditure team''s progress started to slow down drastically. Just after the Lizard-type Magical Beast attack, more than 400 Rank-5 Wolf-type Magical Beasts with Five Legendary Humanoid Wolf-Headed Magical Beasts as their leaders attacked them.


    But what made Charles startle more was a mutant Humanoid-Wolf with rainbow-colored eyes.


    "It''s almost as strong as the Fallen Jinn we faced in the previousyer."


    Although Charles was prepared for such arge-scale Monster wave, it was still too much for him to handle, even with hundreds of Legendary Mystics.


    Countless Legendary Spells, glowing arrows infused with skills, and aura energies flew out from their base and descended upon the uing monsters, creating massive explosions everywhere. If they were normal and low-rank Magical Beasts, they would''ve turned into meat pastes in mere seconds. But all thoserge-scale attack spells managed to kill only dozens of Rank-5 Beasts.


    What was more annoying was that the Humanoid Magical Beasts also stepped up to face the most potent spells and blocked them.


    "Nick, Heath, Joseph, and David. You guys take care of one each and stall for time. Meanwhile, I will kill that Rainbow-Eyed Wolf Beast."


    As he spoke, he instantly cast [Fallen Angel''s wings] spell and flew up to confront the Boss. On the other hand, Nick and others also followed after him and faced each Humanoid Wolf Beast.


    But Charles didn''t dare to waste any time as he unsheathed Grace and activated its first skill, ''Madness Berserk.''


    Thanks to the special effect, his attack spell powers, and even his status doubled. Charles didn''t waste a moment as he overpowered the Rainbow-eyed Humanoid Wolf by sacrificing his lifespan and ended the battle in less than 20 seconds!


    Although the death of the Leader caused massive panic among the four other beasts, the low-rank ones didn''t waver at all.


    With no other choice, Charles first joined Nick and others and started killing the remaining Humanoid Wolves.


    After that, he also joined the rest of the mages and eliminated all the wolves.


    The battlested for more than three hours. Although Charles''s team managed to win the war thanks to his intervention, they still lost over half of the close-range attack Squad and three Warlocks.

 Chapter 684 Astral Being

    <h4>Chapter 684 Astral Being</h4>


    Chapter 684: Astral Being


    "Among the 45 people in the Close Range Attack Squad, only 24 survived. It isn''t a good oue." Nick said as he started storing the dead bodies in his space ring.


    Although the death of 21 people may be a small sacrifice for Charles, the rest of the expenditure squad felt the opposite.


    They had been seeing each other every day and staying in that small Fortress for more than a year. But seeing them dead without even achieving anything made everyone furious.


    Charles also noticed the gloomy atmosphere but didn''t say anything.


    Even though he killed the Mutant Humanoid Wolf and helped others in a short time single-handedly, the other legend-rank people couldn''t even defeat 400 Rank-5 Magical Beasts, which disappointed him.


    ''Nick, Heath, and the other four Legend Rank Mystics are the only one who is as powerful as Alistair and could be considered Expert Level. On the other hand, my power should be equal to Master Level Powerhouse when using Berserk State. But I also end up losing a few years of lifespan. So, it''s not a good idea to use this ability frequently. As for others, their power should be only around Intermediate. Now that I think about it, not everyone is as powerful as Alistair in the Truelords Expenditure team. s, they are still strong enough to defeat Jinn alone. Hmm, I shouldn''t have expected everyone in this group to be as powerful as Alistair.'' A trace of disappointment appeared on his face.


    ''I should n carefully with their strength in mind from now on.'' But thanks to this battle, his wisdom power reached 900 points already, far surpassing any normal Legend Rank powerhouses!


    "We can''t stay in this ce any longer. The blood of Magical Beasts might attract the attention of the nearby beasts. Also, it''s almost evening." Charles paused as he saw Nick and others dismantling the beast corpses and added.


    "Take only the magic stones from the Rank-5 Magical Beasts. Also, you can keep the spoils of four Legend Rank Humanoid Wolves. I will only take the mutant one." Saying so, he walked closer to the 3-meter-tall gigantic Humanoid Wolf and took the Legend Rank ''Fairy'' Rank Magic Stone from its heart. It was as big as a human head and appeared crystalline blue color.


    ''A water elemental Magic Crystal, huh.'' He quietly stored it in his space ring and also kept the beast''s eyes, heart, teeth, and even skin.


    Once everyone took their spoils of war, the group again marched towards the Fortress of the Grave of Souls.


    As the sun descended below the horizon, casting long shadows across thendscape, the group began to discern the presence of a vast fortified town in the distant reaches of their field of vision. The town''s imposing appearance immediately captured their attention, its features partially obscured by the towering trees that surrounded it like a natural fortress. These colossal trees, with their gnarled branches and dense foliage, formed a tangled, intricate canopy that veiled the town''s walls and gave the entire scene an otherworldly and almost surreal quality.


    Underneath the veil of nature''s camouge, the town seemed almost unrecognizable, its architecture hidden by the web-like intricacies of the foliage. The imposing walls that encircled the settlement were barely discernible, their stonework and fortifications merging seamlessly with the natural environment.


    But what made Charles halt the expenditure was a strange, familiar energy in the surroundings. Although he couldn''t pinpoint it, he decided to act more carefully.


    "We will camp here tonight and explore the fortress tomorrow." Although Charles wanted to push forward, he knew that there might be even more dangers lurking inside and grew more alert.


    Once they found a safe spot, Charles and others lit arge campfire, its mes dancing in the darkness, providing warmth and hope amid their losses.


    Charles also cast the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell and protected the surroundings.


    ''I need toprehend morewful firews and perfect this spell. Although it''s good for protection, it can''t withstand a few blows from a Legendary Magical Beasts.'' He muttered as he gazed at the towering walls and furrowed.


    Even though the sky had only darkened a while ago, he suddenly noticed that the whole appeared as dark as midnight.


    ''Something doesn''t seem right.''


    ''But I can''t recklessly release my wisdom power and alert anything hiding within the Fortress. Should I go alone and scout myself?'' Although the scouting squad was the most suitable for this job, he felt a strange sense of unease just by looking at the eerie ce.


    ''Fortress of the Grave of Souls... Even the name gives me creeps. From what I''ve gathered information about this ce, it was originally a main temple of an unknown god. At first, I thought that the strange Bone Tree was a fallen God, but it was only a Boss monster. It''s the same as the Fallen Jinn and that strange Dog.'' As he was in deep thought, the chubby-faced man named Nick walked closer to Charles and greeted him.


    Even though Charles looked more like a young kid, Nick didn''t dare to underestimate him.


    ''He is a terrifying monster! Even Commander Erwin needs more than a few minutes to win against that mutant Humanoid Wolf. But he just overpowered it and killed it in 20 seconds.'' At that moment, he recalled the order Erwin gave him before they left for this expenditure.


    ''Once the mission is over, he asked us to kill him if an opportunity arises... Tsk, I can''t even find an opening all this time, so there is no way we can kill him. What''s surprising is he never shut his eyes once these days and always keeps his guard against everyone.''


    "What is in your mind, Mr. Nick? You seem troubled by something." Charles didn''t nce in his direction and spoke while zeroing his attention on the Fortress.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Nick smiled awkwardly and spoke in uneasiness.


    "What should we do about the tomorrow''s expenditure? Thanks to your help, we have managed toe this far. But can we seed? From what I heard from Commander Erwin, this Fortress is a Temple of a Goddess who rules over death and is hard even to go near."


    "Have you guys ever explored this ce before?" Charles asked in curiosity.


    "Not us, but Commander Erwin once tried to enter this forbidden zone along with 200 Legend Rank powerhouses but stopped midway due to theplete disappearance of the scout squad. And he said that some powerful winged creature guarded this Fortress and was overwhelmingly powerful. Now that I think about it, he also said the more we try to get closer, the harder will it get." Nick said in a grim tone.


    "Overwhelmingly powerful? Even Commander Erwin isn''t a match for that enemy, huh?" Charles fell into deep thoughts as he heard Nick''s words.


    ''Actually, I thought no being could match me other than the floor boss, but I''m deeply mistaken. If what Commander Erwin said is true, even the ''Madness Berserk'' skill might not give me any advantage. Could it be that being is a Guardian? Tsk, what should I do now?'' He furrowed his brows and soon made up his mind.


    "Nick, I''ll scout the area first and return in two hours. If I don''t return, you can take your men and go back."


    "Without your help, we might not be able to return, Sir."


    Charles shook his head and touched the Dreamkeeper Pendant.


    A secondter, a small, tiny snake appeared out of thin air and slowly slithered to his shoulder.


    He casually touched the Shadow Princess''s head with his fingers and patted it.


    "Things are going to get dangerous for a while. Stay with him for a while." Charles said as he pointed his finger at Nick and gave the pendant to him.


    "Take care of my pet until I return." Saying so, he calmly grabbed the Shadow Princess and moved her towards the Nebulus Dreamkeeper Pendant.


    At that moment, Shadow Princess sensed his worry and hurriedly went inside the secluded dream ce.


    Without dy, Charles enveloped his body in a crimson me before turning into pure elemental form. The next second, he disappeared from where he stood and entered the astral realm.


    But the next instant, he couldn''t help but stiffen up.


    At that moment, he saw a gigantic cloudy shape of a strange humanoid astral figure that appeared at the center of the Fortress. It was more like a giant woman with a spear in her right hand and a shield in her left hand. What fascinated him more was that the tip of the strange spear pierced a ck void-like thing and seemed to push it to the deep void through a spatial crack in the sky. Even though the astral figure or the ck Void-like thing was not moving, Charles knew that strange being was not something he could face right now.


    ''But from the looks of it, is this look like the whole surroundings were under the influence of the ''Time Stop'' spell?'' A strange thought crept into his mind.


    ''Now that I think about it, the familiar energy I sense was the ''Present Time'' power.''

 Chapter 685 Sun Titan

    <h4>Chapter 685 Sun Titan</h4>


    Chapter 685: Sun Titan


    After looking deeply at the gigantic astral form, he suddenly looked at the sword in his waist and showed a surprised look.


    ''Hmm, I thought Grace couldn''t get into the Astral ne because she is an intellectual artifact, but I worried for nothing.''


    He then gave onest look at Nick and others and started walking in his soul form towards the Fortress of Soul Graves.


    "Hmm, as I move closer to the fortress, I feel the power of Present Time getting stronger." Charles continued to walk towards the fortress-like ruined town and soon arrived at the gigantic broken stone gate.


    "Hmm, why do I feel a strange prying sensation?" As he stepped into the ruined town through a small gap in the stone gate, he suddenly felt an immeasurable amount of pressure appear out of nowhere and scan him.


    Simultaneously, he felt an eerie gaze from the center and looked up.


    At that moment, the cloudy astral figure''s face was looked in his direction, giving him an eerie goosebumps!


    "No good! That being noticed me!" He thought the astral being was sealed in the ''Time-Stop'' zone, but his judgment was utterly wrong.


    ''Can she also move?''


    As he was in deep thinking, a strange voice echoed in the depths of his mind.


    "&%$) $*%& %*(($&%," Unfortunately, he couldn''t even understand a word of that being. But he knew that this voice belonged to a female.


    ''A newnguage?'' Charles furrowed his brows and soon decided to try runenguage.


    "Can you talk to me in Rune Language?"


    "Yes, Human. I can talk in Rune." The woman responded quickly and soon added.


    "Please help me once, Mortal. I swear in the name of Ancestor of Sun Titan that I, Thera, will never harm you for the rest of my life."


    "Sun Titan? Seal?" Charles stared at the gigantic figure for a second and soon asked.


    "Then, what are you actually battling against? What is that gigantic round thing?" It was as the size of 3 meters in diameter and was radiating endless chaotic energy to the surroundings. But as Charles looked closer, he noticed that the gigantic dark round was a force field-like structure. Within the structure, he saw a vague silhouette of a humanoid being.


    "It''s an Evil God. A creation made by the Supreme Demon for invasion against the other nes. They only seek destruction and chaos. I came to get some treasure but ended up releasing an Evil God that was sealed in some damned coffin. With no other choice, I used a unique ''Time-Space'' seal in the astral ne and sealed myself with this thing for more than 15,000 years. I was hoping that some powerful Mage or even the Guardian will appear and release me, but nothing happened. You are the first person who wasn''t affected by the ''Time-Space'' seal and can walk in the sealed Astral ne like it was nothing." He could feel the astonishment in her tone.


    ''15,000 years? If what she said is true, she is basically an explorer like me and might help me achieve my goal.'' But before that, he had to confirm something.


    "What are you nning to do with this evil god? If I unseal the Time Space seal, won''t it escape and cause destruction?" Charles asked.


    A silence answered.


    In truth, the reason Thera sealed herself with the released Evil God was to stop it from harming the innocent people in this dimension. But as years passed, she grew lonely in this ce and became numb to feelings.


    Noticing the silence, Charles let out a chuckle and spoke.


    "I also don''t really care about the people from different races in this dimension. As long as you promise me help capture a being called Devil Crow, I''ll help you with whatever you want."


    "You! Aren''t you worried that releasing this Evil God will harm your fellowrades?" Thera asked in a surprised tone.


    "Comrades? Except for a little friend of mine, all those guys are not that much important to me." Charles said while shaking his head and asked further.


    "So what do I have to do now?"


    "Move to the center of this town and enter the Temple of Souls. After that, go to the Sacrum Sanctorum and look for the hidden door. It will directly lead to the Chamber of the Dead. At the end of the chamber, you will not only find a ck Coffin but also my original body in real world. But be careful, though. Once you enter the real world, you might get corrupted by the chaos power released by the Evil God."


    Charles nodded his head.


    He then looked around the surroundings and saw long, crumbled buildings covered in vines and nts.


    But what startled him more was that he saw the fallen tree leaves, birds, and even some magical beasts that remained frozen due to the ''Time Stop'' seal.


    ''Hmm, this ce has been frozen in time for more than 15,000 years, huh? But how did no one notice yet?'' Charles also noticed a group of humans with eye symbols on their robes were frozen there, standing near the stone wall. He even saw a guy frozen in mid-air.


    ''It seems he tried to jump to the nearby building using some skill but entered the ''Time Stop'' seal range.'' Shaking his head, he continued to walk on the ruined pathway. As he moved ahead, he started to see some two or even three-storied buildings in perfect condition and guessed there must be some magical formation to keep the building from getting ruined over time.


    After walking for another 15 minutes, Charles finally managed to see a conical-shaped building with the symbol of a scythe at the top of the building. Unlike other buildings, it was encircled by three-meter-tallpound walls and had many strange statues of animals, birds, humans, and other races.


    Charles quickly arrived before thepound wall entrance and quietly passed through the door like a ghost.


    A secondter, arge empty ground filled with weeds appeared before his eyes. Without dy, he stepped forward and moved towards the temple. Before long, he arrived in front of the temple''s entrance door and again passed through inside like a ghost.


    "Ugh, I actually took three days to open that magical array enforced door. But how can you move this far without getting any strain in your physical body?" Thera asked while grumbling and trying to gather more information about him.


    On the other hand, Charles didn''t even consider responding to her question and continued to walk in the gloomy, dark temple hall. Multiple Stone pirs supported the main hall of the temple and made the temple''s interior look more grand.


    Charles cautiously walked towards the center of the temple and soon arrived before the Sanctum Sanctorum,


    "This is it." Charles again passed through the door and soon arrived in front of a strange statue of a woman with six hands. Each hand had unique weapons like a sword, spear, scythe, etc., and looked intimidating.


    "This was the Goddess of Death, whom once ruled this divine realm long ago. Although she had fallen from the divine Throne, I don''t think her soul perished or even entered the Eternal River of Life. When I released the Evil God from that strange Coffin, I sensed an eerie gaze from this statue. No, it was more like an eerie cold gaze that sent shiver down my spines."


    "Even though she had fallen from the Divine Throne, she can still sense this far?" Charles couldn''t help but ask. Although he could get a small amount of information if they mentioned his name while thinking about him, he was still far from reaching such a level.


    "That''s why I ended up using my trump card and stopped the Evil God from leaving in fear of getting hunted by this Goddess. But now, I felt staying here is more painful than the fear of getting hunted by some fallen Goddess."


    ''This Sun Titan sure is an unfortunate one.'' Charles activated the [Enigmatic Unraveling] skill and quickly found the hidden door.


    After that, he didn''t stay in the Sanctum Sanctorum and hurriedly walked closer to the hidden door made of magical patterns. But he didn''t unlock the door through normal means and directly passed through.


    A secondter, a gloomy staircase appeared before his eyes.


    Thanks to his ''Night Vision'' skill, he didn''t face any difficulty walking down the gloomy staircase. Before long, he arrived in front of a gigantic underground chamber supported by a row of iron Pirs. Strange murals and carvings were depicted on the walls on both sides, showing the deep history hidden behind this temple and this fourthyer itself.


    ''If I have extra time, I can use ''Mythos Decoding'' and learn a lot of secret about this temple and the Goddess of Death herself.'' Unfortunately, he was already racing against time and didn''t dare to dy any longer.


    ''I don''t know how the Disaster will ur but I must escape this ce before I got myself tangled up in the destruction.'' He thought to himself and continued to walk ahead.


    But after walking for a while, he finally stopped before arge elevated tform.


    As he had seen in the vision image, he saw an eerie ck coffin at the center of the tform, and looked ominous. He also saw a golden-haired woman, who appeared twice the size of Charles''s original body, sitting in a meditative position near the Coffin and seemed to be holding a disk-like ss artifact.

 Chapter 686 Steal

    <h4>Chapter 686 Steal</h4>


    Chapter 686: Steal


    A few hours ago,


    A goat-horned Winged-Demon stood at the summit of a lone hill and looked at a fairway mountain range with a solemn tone. Next to him stood a towering dragon with ck and reddish scales who appeared ready to flee.


    "Are you really going to enter the Devil Crow''sir now, Azgan?" The Dragon, Mirigon, asked in a stiff tone.


    "This is the right moment, my friend. And even if I got captured, nothing will change for everyone." Saying so, he recited a unique chant in an abyssalnguage and first activated a powerful Concealing ability.


    "Chaos Veil."


    Then, he took a pendant from his space ring and wore it over his neck before activating its effect.


    It was a unique ability called ult Nullification. Using this ability on oneself would nullify any attempts to discern the demon''s powers, leaving behind an ult void that swallows all inquiries.


    Then, he ripped a unique abyssal scroll, which he took from his spatial ring. After that, he threw a dark elemental crystal into the magical formation that appeared under his feet.


    A momentter, Azgan''s existence started disappearing from Mirigon''s eyes.


    No, he suddenly forgot whom he had met before and showed a dumbfounded look.


    "Why am I here? I feel like I have forgotten about someone so important!" He felt that the forgotten person''s image appeared blurry and was startled.


    But as he recalled what he did beforeing here, Azgan''s face and all the things he discussed with him started to unveil themselves.


    "What a terrifying spell! I might have forgotten about his existence if I hadn''t known him for a long time. Then, I should inform the Human Mage Commander to prepare for the big show."


    As the Chaos Dragon was ready to go back and do his part of the n, Azgan descended from the mountain and flew towards the direction of the Devil Crow''s Lair.


    The wind whispered as Azgan, now concealed by the Chaos Veil and ult Nullification, soared through the darkened skies toward the ominous Devil Crow''s Lair.


    His journey soon led him through treacherous mountain passes and shadowy valleys. Thendscape around him seemed to blur and warp, responding to the enigmatic concealment that veiled his existence. The Devil Crow''s Lair entrance loomed closer at the base of a gigantic mountain, looking it more like a mouth to the abyss itself.


    As Azgan approached their entrance, he noticed the subtle shifts in the air¡ªan unsettling stillness that hinted at the eerie power within. The mixture of unique Darkness and Chaos power dwelled all over the entrance, giving him a strange sense of uneasiness.


    ''I''ve to be more careful from now on. A tiny bit of my wisdom power or even my breath can expose my location.'' Holding his breath, he stepped on the rough surface like a feather and started walking.


    Entering the Lair, Azgan navigated itsbyrinthine corridors, guided only by the mystical intuition that whispered within his hidden form. ult Nullification continued to guard his presence, ensuring that even the most cunning demonic entity dwelling within remained oblivious to his intrusion.


    For more than 30 minutes, he continued to walk in the strange cavern-like structure and soon noticed he finally reached the deepest part of the cavern.


    Finally, Azgan discovered a forbidden chamber pulsating with otherworldly energy deep within the heart of the Devil Crow''s Lair. In the center, the ominous gigantic figure of the Devil Crowy on its nest made of bones and skulls. Its eyes, gleaming with infernal intelligence, locked onto Azgan.


    No, its gaze was currently focused at the cavern''s entrance.


    As he hesitated, a powerful wisdom power came from a faraway region. It even caused a strange, chilling sensation to the surrounding air, alerting the Devil Crow even more.


    That wisdom power felt so familiar to Azgan, causing his devious lips to arch upward.


    ''Lord of Chaos has finally revealed his presence. Now, what will you do, Devil Crow?'' Azgan quietly stood in silence and waited for the Devil Crow''s following action.


    Just as he had expected, the Devil Crow let out an angry screech, pped its gigantic, eerie dark wings, and shot toward the cavern''s entrance from inside. It didn''t even mind the hanging Stgmites in its way and pushed through. Before long, the gigantic Devil Crow arrived at the entrance, let out another angry screech while releasing wisdom power in all directions, and flew towards the direction where the powerful wisdom power came from.


    ''I can finally do my job properly.'' Azgan quietly walked towards the Devil Crow''s nest and soon saw a unique egg-shaped thing.


    ''That human irregr is indeed telling the truth.'' Although it was around the size of his head, he strangely felt a unique life essence within it.


    He hurriedly walked closer to the nest and took the gigantic ckish Egg with his demonic hands.


    Just as he tried to walk away, a strange sense of prying sensation appeared from somewhere.


    Simultaneously, a thundering shout of the Devil Crow, filled with pure wisdom power, echoed in every corner of the Fourth Layer.


    "You dare to steal my Egg?"


    Azgan''s heart skipped a beat as the resonating voice echoed through the cavern, a voice that bore the weight of the authority of the Devil Crow. The Devil Crow, now searching for the powerful entity, halted mid-flight.


    "I knew this wouldn''t be easy," Azgan muttered under his breath, cradling the egg-shaped object in his demonic hands. The prying sensation grew stronger as he tried to escape the nest. At that moment, he realized some connection must be shared between this Egg and the Devil Crow.


    With a calcted move, Azgan activated another concealed ability¡ªEphemeral Eclipse. The surroundings plunged into a momentary darkness, distorting the perception of reality.


    Although it momentarily cut off the strange connection between the Devil Crow and the Egg, Azgan knew it wouldn''tst long.


    ''I need to leave this cavern first.''


    He swiftly retreated, navigating thebyrinthine corridors with the stolen Egg in tow. The pulsating energy within the Egg seemed to have some separate consciousness as it tried continuously to find a way out of the dark power concealing its location.


    ''As I thought, this Egg must be some kind of trump card for that Devil Crow.''


    As Azgan reached the cavern entrance, the Devil Crow, soaring in the dark sky, let out a furious roar. Its eyes glowed with an infernal rage, and its wings beat against the air as it prepared to demolish everything in its path.


    Suddenly, it sensed a tiny presence at the cavern''s entrance and plunged from the dark sky like a rocket.


    ''No good! I need to escape.''


    Swift as a phantom, Azgan glided through the Lair''s entrance and soared into the darkened skies.


    "Where do you think you are going? Whoever you are, you can''t escape from my grasp as long as you hold the Egg. Give up and surrender." An eerie, hoarse voice reached Azgan''s air as he pped his wings hard and flew in the direction of the Ancient Trinket forest.


    "Like hell, I will give up aftering this far." He shouted back at the monstrous, eerie crow.


    Like a cat and mouse, the chasested over 30 hours. Azgan and the Devil Crow flew incredibly fast like a sonic boom, and rippled the air.


    The continuous ck me attack from behind made Azgan flee in more desperation. He knew that even a single mistake could cost his life and continued to fly madly.


    After some time, he finally saw the outer region of the Ancient Trinket forest and was ted.


    But simultaneously, he felt the Devil Crow''s presence suddenly appear above his head, its wrathful cries echoing through the darkened skies.


    "I finally caught up to you!!! Let''s see who is going to save you now!" A cold voice reached Azgan''s ears, and a strange fear gripped his heart.


    Simultaneously, he saw that the Devil Crow''s gigantic metal-like w moved at an incredible speed and almost arrived above his head.


    Just as he felt his head was about to be destroyed, a strange invisible power pulled him away and saved him.


    Soon, an appearance of a gigantic 30 to 40-meter-tall tree made of eerie bones and flesh appeared in mid-air, sending chilling power in all directions.


    The Lord of Chaos manifested in the skies above, a towering tree of eerie bones and flesh that exuded an overwhelming primordial power. The Devil Crow momentarily halted in its pursuit and screeched in frustration as it retracted its leg.


    Azgan, still holding the stolen Egg, felt relief as the Lord of Chaos gazed upon him. The invisible force that had pulled him away from the Devil Crow''s wrath was a testament to the Lord''s intervention.


    "You dare to interfere, Lord of Chaos!" the Devil Crow spat, its voice dripping with defiance.


    The Lord of Chaos responded with a resonating voice that echoed through the Fourth Layer, "This realm is mine to govern from the very beginning, and its inhabitants always dance to the rhythm of chaos. Your petty squabbles disrupted the harmony I have woven and caused a huge disarray."


    With its branches extending like tendrils of shadow, the colossal tree radiated a mysterious power that seemed to impose order upon the chaotic energies surrounding it. Despite its formidable might, the Devil Crow hesitated in the face of the Lord of Chaos.


    Azgan, seizing the opportunity, retreated safely from the confrontation.

 Chapter 687 Breaking the Seal

    <h4>Chapter 687 Breaking the Seal</h4>


    Chapter 687: Breaking the Seal


    Hidden Chamber, Temple of Death, Fortress of Soul Graves.


    Charles stood in front of the ck coffin and asked.


    "So, how should I break this ''Space-Time seal''?"


    "You just need to use your sword to break it." A swift reply echoed in his ears, causing his lips to twitch.


    "You don''t have to worry about it. The sword in your waist is more than enough to destroy the artifact." Thera answered calmly.


    With a nod, Charles walked closer to the golden-haired woman in a meditative position, walked out of the astral ne, and reappeared in the real World.


    Simultaneously, a mighty wisdom power came from a faraway region and entered the Space-Time sealedyer. Charles even sensed a strange, chilling sensation in that wisdom power and got more alert.


    "It''s not the power of the Evil God. It''s the Lord of Chaos, the Boss of this realm!" Thera said in a solemn tone.


    At that moment, the Evil God seemed disturbed by the foreign power and released a strange energy from the coffin.


    A secondter, Charles felt countless voices and screams of humans, demons, and other strange creatures echoing in his head.


    Slowly, an eerie whisper of a woman echoed in his head.


    ''Let me see what you are hiding-'' Before the voice could etch deep into Charles''s mind, a sharp pain appeared on his neck, causing him to wake up from getting his thoughts corrupted.


    It was Grace''s interference.


    Even though he was still in elemental form, he felt a sharp pain and was deeply startled.


    "Wow, you have such a sweet possessive sword." Thera couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Shaking his head, he turned his gaze towards the coffin and sensed no wicked or corrupted energy was moving in his direction.


    "What...? That Evil Entity is afraid of your sword?" Thera asked in confusion.


    "You are a lot talkative."


    Charles clicked his tongue, walked closer to Thera''s original body, and took the disk-like ss artifact from her hand.


    Then, he moved two steps away from her and put it on the floor.


    "But what with your Fire Elemental Form? Howe you aren''t affected by the Time Stop Seal even in physical World?" Thera asked questions continuously.


    Not bothered by her nagging, Charles unsheathed the long sword in his waist and slowly moved it towards the ss Artifact.


    As if Grace had already realized his motive, she vibrated excitedly and released an invisible power.


    The next instant, the long sword directly cut the disc artifact into two and broke the Space-Time seal.


    A momentter, a powerful rippling force came out of the Disc Artifact and released in all directions before nullifying the ''Time-Stop'' effect in the ruined fortress town.


    Unfortunately, Charles didn''t have any luxury to observe the surrounding changes as he sensed a suffocative feeling appeared in the Chamber.


    It was the Evil God''s aura again!


    But this time, it appeared more powerful and wicked.


    At the same time, the golden-haired woman also woke up from her meditative state and gasped for air.


    "''Gasp'' Finally!! I can finally feel the feeling of breathing!!! Oh, I feel my body after a long time." She said in an excited tone and soon sensed that the eerie ck coffin''s lid suddenly started to open up.


    "Now, this is where the real fun begins." She said as she stood up unsteadily and added.


    "We should leave before that thing fully released with its true body-!" Before she could finish, Charles released invisible strings from his hand and enveloped the ck Coffin.


    But he soon realized that his invisible strings were starting to tear due to the powerful force within the coffin.


    "Let me help you," Thera said as she approached the ck coffin, conjuring unique chains of purewful me and sealing the coffin in all directions.


    "This chain should be enough to hold the Evil God inside coffin sealed for 30 minutes."


    "That''s more than enough." He muttered inwardly and instantly released his full wisdom power, enveloping more than 100 kilometers in a blink.


    Even the scanning caused a mysterious ripple and created strange shockwaves in all directions.


    After his wisdom power reached 900 points, he had far surpassed the realm of Legendary and had reached a new height.


    The current Charles could go on toe to toe against Demi-God Rafael or DemiGod Miguel from the Miracle City.


    Of course, he still wasn''t strong enough to face Udnir, but he wouldn''t be beaten one-sided likest time.


    In a moment, Charles saw countless magical beasts in many parts of this dense forest, Nick, Heath, and others in the outside camp, and he even managed to see a few shadow-cloaked people tracking down the path they traveled through.


    Like him, Nick, Heath, other peoples, and even the magical beasts sensed an unknown force scanning them and showed different reactions.


    The shadow-cloaked people shirked in shock and looked terrified by the invisible pressure. Meanwhile, the most powerful Magical Beasts residing in the forest were angry and provoked. Not only that, but many even locked on the location where he was standing by releasing their wisdom power and rushed towards the Fortress of Soul Graves.


    On the other hand, Nick, Heath, and others looked dumbfounded and pale as they sensed countless wisdom powers scanning the surroundings.


    "Hmm your spirit power is truly astounding and boundless. But what are you doing? What would you gain by attracting the attention of countless magical beasts by simply revealing your location? I wouldn''t be surprised if some demons or other beings decided toe after you. Also, why are you blocking the Demon Lord from leaving the coffin?" Thera nced at him with a puzzled look.


    "I need this coffin. But at the same time, we both aren''t strong enough to beat it."


    "That''s true for sure." Thera nodded in acknowledgment.


    "That''s why I''m nning on letting the magical beasts fight this Evil God or whatever and steal the coffin stealthily." Saying so, he created a bluish portal before him and was about to step in but suddenly froze.


    A secondter, he heard a thundering voice filled with pure wisdom power, causing the whole air to ripple.


    "You dare to steal my Egg?"


    "Whose egg? Whose voice is that?" Thera was baffled by the sudden voice and looked in the direction where it originated from.


    "It must be the Devil Crow''s voice. Azgan must have entered itsir and stole its egg. Perfect timing." A grin appeared on Charles''s face.


    Not minding Thera''s confused gaze, he stepped forward and disappeared into the portal.


    Thera also walked towards the portal and soon disappeared from there.


    A secondter, Charles and Thera emerged from the portal outside the ruined city and swiftly soared through the air toward the direction where the camp was situated. The atmosphere crackled with an impending tension, and the powerful ripple of Charles''s wisdom power still lingered, affecting the surroundings.


    Thera, flying alongside Charles, couldn''t help but express her curiosity. "You mentioned letting others fight the entity within the coffin. Are you nning to involve the camp members and the magical beasts in this conflict?"


    "They aren''t strong enough to face such being. No, from the very beginning, my goal is not to fight entity but use to for my own gain." Charles''s words made her more puzzled.


    "Don''t think too much about it." He calmly manipted the wisdom power and flew faster.


    As they approached the camp, the expressions of Nick, Heath, and the others reflected a mix of confusion and concern. The unusual pressure in the air, coupled with Charles''s abrupt emergence, left them puzzled.


    Charlesnded gracefully in the center of the camp, and the gathered individuals instinctively created some distance, sensing the powerful aura surrounding him. Thera descended beside him, causing more suspicion and confusion among the people.


    "Sir Charles! Why did you release your wisdom power and provoke the magical beasts? If we don''t escape now, a swarm of magical beasts mighte after us!" Nick said in a tense look and slowly turned his gaze towards Thera. Her tall physique made them mistake her for a Demon.


    "You guys don''t have to be wary of her." As Charles spoke, he turned his gaze towards Nick and added.


    "Our goal is alreadypleted. Tell yourmander that I''ve already conquered the Fortress of the Souls of Grave. We are returning to the Baston Fortress."


    "You conquered it? That quickly?" Nick couldn''t hide his shock at all.


    Soon, he snapped out of himself, walked closer to him, and returned the ''Nebulous Dreamkeeper Pendant.''


    Meanwhile, Charles took the pendant from Nick and spoke.


    "You''ve done a great job. You guys should pack your things and move away from this ce."


    "What about you, sir?" Nick asked in confusion.


    "I still have one more job to do. But don''t worry about me. Tell Commander Erwin that I''ll be leaving thisyer soon too."


    As he spoke, he noticed countless provoked magical beasts from the deepest part of the forest were swarming towards the fortress from all directions.


    Nick and Heath also realized the situation and decided to escape first.


    Soon, they gathered their members and retreated from the camp area.


    Upon seeing the group leaving hurriedly, Thera couldn''t help but ask.


    "Won''t they get attacked by the Magical Beastsing from their opposite side? The best option right now is to hide ourselves and only escape when the Magical Beasts'' attentions are drawn to the Evil God."


    "Nothing changes. Even if they survive now, most of them will die sooner." Charles said with a mysterious grin and then added.


    "You also try to hide somewhere safer. Also, take this pendant with you. My friend is staying in the pendant, so please be careful."


    "Where are you going?" Thera asked as she noticed that he was transforming into the fire elemental form. She soon widened her eyes in realization.


    "Be careful not to attract that being''s attention when stealing the coffin."


    "I''ll be more careful." Charles nodded attentively, disappeared from there by enveloping himself in reddish me, and entered the Astral ne.


    Then, he didn''t stay there and quickly returned to the Soul Graves fortress.

 Chapter 688 Gathering of Magical Beasts

    <h4>Chapter 688 Gathering of Magical Beasts</h4>


    Chapter 688: Gathering of Magical Beasts


    As Charles entered the city, he was stupefied by an amazing scene that happened near the ruined walls.


    At that moment, more than a dozen humans looked at each other in confusion and continued stealthily exploring the ruined city.


    Little did they know they had been trapped in the ''Time Space Seal'' for countless years!


    Not bothered by their presence, Charles slowly walked toward the Temple of Death.


    At the same time, he looked up at the sky and noticed that only a gigantic spatial crack was visible.


    ''When I broke the Time Space seal, both Thera and the Evil God returned to their original bodies, huh?'' He pondered deeply and decided not to get too close to the Temple.


    After all, the Evil God could also move in the astral ne and might take note of his presence.


    Minutes passed slowly, and soon, an ear-piercing roar came from the sky. Before long, a 7-meter-tall magical beast with an eagle head flew from the east, soonnded on the ruined Temple''s entrance by pping its gigantic wings, and made another ear-piercing roar. It had golden feathers all over its lion body and looked domineering.


    "Griffin!" Charles quietly observed the gigantic being and noticed it was stronger than the mutated rainbow Wolf beast he had battled earlier.


    A few secondster, another magical beast intruded the Temple by smashing everything in its path and soon stopped a hundred meters before the Griffin. It was a snake with a body and a face of a young female. Her eyes appeared a strange purplish color, and each hair strand looked more like small minute snakes.


    "Now, Medusa?" Charles dared not to look at the being and shifted his attention towards the sky.


    Soon, a 12-meter-tall gigantic red dragon, a divine horse with a rainbow horn on its forehead, a massive ck panther, a nine-headed hydra, and a steel-like skinned Minotaur appeared individually.


    Each one was more powerful than the mutated wolf and excluded a terrifying aura. Surprisingly, none of them even showed aggressiveness towards each other and quietly looked in the direction of the Temple''s sanctum Sanctorum. From the nce, Charles understood that these beings were the Kings of this Jungle and appeared to have some mutual understanding.


    But what surprised him more was that the Divine Unicorn Magical Beast noticed his presence and stared at him with curious eyes for a while.


    s, it also shifted its attention towards the Temple''s Sanctum Sanctorum and let out a neigh.


    The next moment, the whole sky was darkened.


    No, something appeared in the sky and blocked the sun itself.


    Charles looked upward and soon opened his mouth wide, seeing countless winged Griffin and dragons circling the sky, blocking the sunlight.


    At the same time, different kinds of Magical Beasts poured from different directions, smashed all the buildings while killing any being in their path, and soon gathered at the center of the ruined town.


    Before long, thousands of Legendary Magical Beasts gathered before the Temple''s entrance and stood behind those seven Kings of the Jungle.


    It was a mythical sight to be seen.


    Suddenly, the ground shook, followed by a terrifying, wicked energying from the deepest part of the Temple and spreading through the surroundings like rippling waves.


    In a blink, the wicked power traveled through every part of the fourthyer and alerted every being.


    Even the Devil Crow and the Lord of Chaos stopped their battle and looked in the direction where the wicked energy originated from.


    Even though it was only a wicked energy wave, it made every being tremble in fear and panic.


    "Demon Lord?!!!" A trace of panic could be seen on Azgan''s face.


    "Devil Crow, we have to settle our score a littleter. I know you made some deal with the Guardian of thisyer to bring me down. But let''s put aside our grudges and take care of this higher being with the help of the Guardian." A chilling voice came from the gigantic bone tree.


    "Humph, I don''t need your or that damned elf''s help to take care of this intruder. Wait and watch; I will handle this new trouble in a few minutes." Devil said as it pped its gigantic wings and flew up in the direction where the wicked wave came from.


    At the same time, it used the ''Sacred Oath'' spell and summoned all the Demons, Devils, Humans, and other races to gather near the Baston Fort.


    Although it was puzzled by its summon to the Commanders not working properly, it didn''t think much about it and proceed to fly.


    "Tch, dumb bird. We will also follow him and see what that thing is!" The towering bone tree also spoke and flew up in the sky.


    ...


    Underground Basement, Mansion House, Baston Fortress.


    In the dark underground, six ck-robed mages stood at the center of the basement chamber and were preparing to conduct a ritual. They covered their heads in the hood and had an eye tattoo symbol on their arm and chest regions.


    A unique reddish hexagonal-shaped magic circle glowed in crimson light, was inscribed below their feet, and looked ominous.


    There were also more than six head-sized bluish crystals ced at each edge of the magic circle, gathering dense spatial energy to the center of the magic circle.


    Commander Erwin and another six-robed mage stood outside the magic circle and carefully observed the process.


    Suddenly, Commander Erwin heard a vibrating sound from the ring in his right hand and furrowed before muttering.


    "My Curse ring is blocking the telepathic message from reaching me through the Sacred Oath. Does that mean it has started already?" Although he still didn''t know about the outside situation, he could vaguely tell that the main battle had started already.


    "But this is a good thing." He said solemnly and added.


    "Proceed with the n. Open the portal to Guardian''s Sanctuary and start the invasion." He said in a solemn tone.


    Meanwhile, all the six ck-robed mages suddenly opened their mouths and started reciting a strange chant in a foreignnguage.


    As the chant continued, more spatial energy poured towards the center of the magic circle and started to take shape into a small spatial crack.


    "Coordination to the Guardian''s Sanctuary has been set." One of the mages spoke and maintained the magic array circle formation.


    On the other hand, the small spatial crack started to widen and soon formed into arge bluish portal.


    But Erwin dared not jump into the portal and took a spear from his spatial ring.


    Then, he aimed at the portal and tossed it with full force.


    Like an arrow, the spear whistled and entered the void before disappearingpletely.


    A secondter, he heard a ng and plop noise from the other side, causing his lips to rise.


    "It looks safer to go. Let''s go." Erwin and all the other six mages didn''t miss the opportunity as they rose from the floor and shot towards the opened portal at an incredible speed.


    Before long, they disappeared into the portal, leaving dead silence in the underground chamber.


    ...


    Core Room, Fourth Layer, Star Tombs Dungeon.


    A golden orb floated in the middle of a pool and appeared to be moving here and there due to the small ripple of water.


    But all of a sudden, a spatial crack appeared above the golden orb and started to erge.


    Then, a strange ck spear came out of the portal, directly crashed onto the golden ring, and made a loud noise.


    After that, the spear flew while stabbing the golden orb and crashed onto the rocky surface.


    A secondter, a giant rock boulder fell into the pool, creating a plop noise.


    A strange silencested for a moment.


    Then, Commander Erwin and the other robed mages leaped out of the portal and soon found themselves standing in the middle of a water pool. But the pool wasn''t located in a forest or normal ce but inside an isted cavern. If not for the sparkling bluish gems hanging up in the ceiling and illuminating the surroundings, they wouldn''t be able to see anything.


    They also saw rocks and a few greenish nts at the edge of the pool and showed a puzzled look.


    "Where are we? The coordination didn''t work?" Commander Erwin asked with a frown.


    "Look over there, Erwin." One of the robed mages spoke while removing the ck hood and pointing his finger at the other side of the pool.


    They soon saw a small ind-likend and a small house made of wood.


    But what startled everyone was the appearance of an elf standing at the house''s entrance. He had long blonde hair, a lean body, olive skin, and amber eyes, and he wore in white clothes. He also held a wooden bow and looked at them sharply.


    He was none other than the Guardian of the Fourth Layer.


    "How did you guys enter this ce?" He asked in elvish tongue, picked up an arrow from the quiver, and aimed directly at Commander Erwin.


    But before he could pull the string, a strange, wicked power swept through the whole cavern and caused a suffocative feeling.


    Not only that, but a powerful bang echoed from somewhere and caused the whole cavern to tremble fiercely.


    Rocks and the illuminating blue crystals fell onto the pool one by one, followed by a strange silence.

 Chapter 689 Evil Goddess

    <h4>Chapter 689 Evil Goddess</h4>


    Chapter 689: Evil Goddess


    "W-What was that?" Even Commander Erwin couldn''t keep his face calm and showed a trace of panic and shock. The earlier wicked power was so strong that it almost caused his thoughts to corrupt momentarily.


    Hispanions were also in a simr situation and showed terrified looks.


    On the other hand, the elvish male also looked in the direction where the wicked energy came from and turned grim.


    "F*ck! It''s the power of a Demon Lord! There is such a being sealed in thisyer?" His face showed a trace of anxiety and worry.


    "But which moron released such a being? I should take care of it while it''s still weakened." He spoke in the same elvish tongue and gazed toward the few human intruders.


    "Although I don''t know how you guys came here, I''m not in a mood to y with you all. Before I could get angry, disappear from my eyes." As he spoke, an abnormal power strong enough to crush their bodies appeared in that cavern and made everyone tremble.


    But as Commander Erwin and others turned towards the portal, they noticed it had disappeared.


    Only then did the Elvish man turn his attention towards the ck spear stabbing into the cavern wall and go pale.


    "D-Did you guys break the Core already?" It was the key to this isted dimension and a gateway to the outer world!


    This Elvish man could leave this sealed domain and enter the Fourth Dimension at any time because of that core.


    It was almost impossible to enter this ce or leave without the core.


    "But how did you guyse here in the first ce?" He stared at the humans with a dumbfounded look and soon turned his attention toward the outside world.


    "Fourth Layer is done for!" That''s all he could say at that moment.


    ...


    Hidden Chamber, Temple of Death, Fortress of Soul Graves.


    As the Magical Beasts gathered outside the temple, the me chains that sealed the ck coffin slowly disintegrated into pure energy and disappeared.


    Slowly, the lid of the ck coffin started to move and soon fell on the cold floor.


    After that, an eerie ckish humanoid being sat up from the coffin and made a creaky cough.


    Then, it slowly stood up and stepped out of the coffin.


    At the same time, the eerie ckish humanoid being started to transform and form into an appearance of a female.


    She had long, lustrous ck hair, crimson red eyes, pale skin, two eerie ck horns, a jet-ck tail, and a lustful body that could even tame Legendary beings. Once she transformed into a humanoid appearance, strange ck liquids came out of nowhere and formed into a jet-ck dress.


    An eerie chuckle echoed as she took a deep breath and looked upward before raising her hand.


    "Even after eons of time, there are always a bunch of insects that dare to stand in my way." She said coldly and snapped her fingers.


    A momentter, an eerie, wicked ck energy came out of her fingers and shot up towards the ceiling.


    The next instant, Charles and all the Legendary Creatures sensed a dreadful amount of chaos energy and retreated in shriek and panic.


    The gathering energy was so powerful that it caused the surrounding space to crack at multiple regions.


    Then, an incredible scene unfolded before everyone''s eyes.


    A towering pir of ck light enveloped the temple and shot towards the sky, sending rippling waves in all directions.


    Everyone in the Fourth Layer felt a strange sense of dreadfulness and hopelessness.


    Even the Legendary Unicorn, Dragon, and other five creatures showedplete submission and stood there frozen.


    Charles stared at the scene unfolding before his eyes and soon noticed a gigantic spatial hole appeared in the area where the pir of light crashed.


    A beautiful ck-haired figure slowly ascended from the gigantic pit and hovered 100 meters above the ground.


    She calmly gazed at the thousands of legendary monsters and stepped in midair.


    She disappeared a secondter and reappeared before the proud Golden Griffin.


    Then, she calmly raised her hand and made a flick on its forehead.


    The next instant, the Golden Griffin''s head exploded with a bang, sttering blood and brain matter in all directions.


    But it was just the start.


    Before the other Magical Beasts could retaliate or escape, the ck-haired woman conjured a ckish scythe out of thin air and shed at the Minotaur on its left side.


    A sharp, invisible power came out of the scythe and split the Minotaur into two.


    But before the Evil Goddess could move her scythe again, the Unicorn stepped forward and enveloped the whole surroundings in a white fog.


    As if time itself turned back, the destroyed Griffon''s head and body, and the already split Minotaur started to re-attach and appeared as good as new!


    "Please cease your actions, Evil Goddess Vespera. We will not block your path, so please calm your anger and leave this ce as soon as possible." A young child''s voice came from the Unicorn and spread through the surroundings. Even though the Unicorn spoke in ancient Abyssal Language, Charles somehow managed to understand the meaning behind its words.


    As soon as the Unicorn spoke, the Evil Goddess stopped her action and sharpened her gaze toward the Unicorn before making a yful grin.


    "Oh? Aren''t you the cute little pet of *******? Hmm? I can''t pronounce her name?" A severe expression reced her yful smile.


    "Humph, I despise listening to a beast''s order. A beast should lick my feet and beg me to pet, not talk back." As she spoke, she once again waved her scythe at the Minotaur.


    But unlikest time, Minotaur activated its bloodline spell and covered its body with a crystallineyer of ice to protect itself from the uing attack.


    s, the Minotaur''s body was split into countless pieces the next moment and sttered like raindrops.


    Then, Vespera disappeared from where she stood and reappeared behind the Medusa. Before the young girl in snake body could respond, she felt her whole surroundings start to spin.


    On the other hand, Vespera turned into a streak of shadow and moved like lightning. Wherever she moved, more than a dozen of Legend Rank Magical Beasts'' heads or bodies split into multiple pieces and exploded like watermelons.


    A massacre started at the entrance of the Temple of Souls!


    In fifteen minutes, most of the Magical Beasts in the Ruined Town had been wholly massacred.


    Only Griffon, Unicorn, and a few other Legendary Magical Beasts stood frozen at the entrance and quivered.


    Charles observed the gruesome scene unfolding before him with a heavy heart. The Evil Goddess Vespera, released from the ck coffin, was wreaking havoc upon the Legendary Magical Beasts with unparalleled cruelty. Her power seemed boundless, effortlessly dismantling their defenses and shattering their bodies.


    The Golden Griffin, Unicorn, and others stood frozen, witnessing the destruction of their kin. The air was thick with a sense of despair, and Charles knew that standing against Vespera was futile in their current state.


    "P-Please help us, savior from the Human World." A pleading whisper suddenly echoed on the battlefield.


    At that moment, the white Unicorn looked directly in the direction where Charles was hiding and bowed its head while pleading.


    Evil Goddess Vespera also noticed the Unicorn''s action and chuckled as she gazed at the space.


    "Unfortunately, he is also no match against me." Even though she only gazed at Charles for a split second, he still felt like an enormous python was staring at him.


    ''She is most likely as powerful as a True God or the Avatar of Udnir. I''ll surely die if I step out of the Astral Realm.''


    While Charles was worrying about how to act from now on, the Evil Goddess continued her assault against the remaining Magical Beasts and started her massacre again.


    Among all the legendary beasts, only the Unicornsted against the Evil Goddess''s attacks for more than 30 seconds before getting decapitated by the ck scythe.


    Vespera stood in the middle of the corpses of magical beasts and bathed herself in the blood.


    Once she was done killing the Unicorn, she slowly turned her gaze towards Charles and smirked.


    Then, she took a unique ck orb out of nowhere and tossed it towards the sky.


    The next second, a powerful suction force appeared out of nowhere, pulling all the nearby souls from the astral realm.


    Even Charles was pulled towards it by the strange invisible force and was startled deeply.


    But thanks to his ''Demi-God'' Rank Soul, he resisted the pulling force and felt at ease.


    Within a few seconds, all the Magical Beasts'' souls got sucked into the ck orb and sealed inside.


    Then, the ck orb slowly descended from midair andnded on Vespera''s hand.


    "Not enough to summon the ''Will of Abyss'' and get my reward."


    After storing the ck orb in her dimension, she again turned her gaze towards Charles and spoke.


    "Let''s meet again someday." Saying so, she slowly ascended to the sky and flew in the direction where the Human Settlement was located at an incredible speed. Charles remained in the same ce for a few more minutes and finally stepped out of the Astral Realm.


    "What a terrifying monster! I can barely stand against one of those King Magical Beasts, but she killed them like chickens! Vespera, huh? I''ll look into her history once I get back to Edhen World." He muttered as he returned to his human form and walked towards the Temple of Souls.


    But right now, instead of a temple, what appeared before his eyes was a gigantic pit. Without any hesitation, he jumped into the massive pit and soon found himselfnded on the Chamber of Dead.

 Chapter 690 Battle at Baston Fort

    <h4>Chapter 690 Battle at Baston Fort</h4>


    Chapter 690: Battle at Baston Fort


    After a swift scan, Charles saw the opened ck coffin lying a few meters away from him and walked toward it.


    "I finally got this coffin. But did I make the right choice by releasing such an evil being?" He furrowed his brows and soon shook his head.


    "While she causes a mess in thisyer, I will reap all the benefits and go to the next floor sooner." He quickly touched the ck coffin and scanned it.


    A secondter, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Eternal Coffin


    Rank: Unknown


    Description: The Eternal Coffin was one of the seventeen cursed artifacts created by Goddess of Death ******** to seal away the Supreme Demon *******''s Minions, but it waster forgotten due to the passage of Time.


    Abilities:


    1. Eternal Seal: The Eternal Coffin can create an unbreakable seal that transcends time and space, trapping even the most powerful entity in a timeless prison.


    2. Abyssal Suppression: The coffin emanates an otherworldly aura that suppresses the chaotic energies of the sealed being, preventing any attempts to escape or influence the mortal realm.


    3. Cosmic ckout: Once activated, the coffin plunges its surroundings into a cosmic ckout, rendering it invisible and undetectable by any means, ensuring the absolute secrecy of the imprisoned being''s location.]


    ''Wow! Isn''t this almost simr to the ones Azoth mentioned before?''


    Charles quickly stored the Eternal Coffin and moved out of the chamber.


    Soon, he arrived outside and looked at the thousands of corpses.


    "Bloodline Essences....!!! I drink!" Grace''s voice echoed in his head all of a sudden.


    "So, you drink bloodline essences, huh?" Charles nodded as he unsheathed the sword and moved towards the nearby corpse.


    Then, he released the wisdom power and leviated it.


    At the same time, he aimed the sword at the corpse''s chest area, enveloped the sword in an Intermediate Sword aura, and made a deep cut.


    As Grace started absorbing the bloodline essences from the corpse, Charles manipted the wisdom power and took a head-sized reddish crystal from it in two seconds.


    He then moved towards the nearby corpse and took out the next elemental crystal.


    For the next two hours, he remained in the town''s ruin, continued to take out the elemental Crystals, and stored them in his ring.


    "I got a total of 1358 Fairy Crystals, 553 being Legend Rank Elemental Crystals and 805 being Pseudo-Legend Rank Elemental Crystals. Along with other crystals, I can have around 2000 Fairy Crystals." He also wanted to bring and sell the corpses at a high price but realized that his storage ring was almost filled.


    ''Once I return, I should take the Pocket Dimension and carry it all the time.'' Nodding inwardly, he turned his gaze towards the direction where the Human Settlement was located.


    "I should go too." He cast [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell, covered his back in eerie ck wings, and pped it forcefully.


    He flew up in the sky a secondter and soon hovered 300 meters above the ground.


    Then, he released his wisdom power and searched the surroundings.


    "No magical beasts in the surrounding 5 kilometers. Hmm? I also sense the Pendant''s location. Thera?" Although she hid her presence well, even from the Evil Goddess, Charles still managed to see her thanks to his spiritual imprint in the artifact.


    A secondter, he disappeared from there and reappeared more than two kilometers away from the ruined city.


    Then, he slowly descended from the sky andnded beside a towering tree.


    At the same time, Thera also deactivated her concealing artifact and revealed her presence before cautiously walking in his direction.


    Meanwhile, Charles gave a deep look at Thera and asked in a solemn tone.


    "How did you hold the Evil Goddess in Space-Time seal for over 15,000 years?"


    A chuckle escaped from Thera''s lips as she returned the Pendant to Charles and started to speak.


    "If she weren''t sealed in that coffin and weakenedpletely, I wouldn''t have managed tost for more than a few seconds. And thanks to my specialty in Souls, I even managed to block her soul from leaving this coffin."


    Charles nodded in understanding and wore the Pendant.


    "So, what should we do now?" Thera asked.


    "Hmm, we are going after the Evil Goddess and check out the situation," Charles responded after thinking.


    Although he wanted to avoid meeting her again, he had no choice if he wanted to achieve his goal.


    "I''m pretty sure Devil Crow and all other Commanders might have already been aware of this Evil Goddess''s existence. A big battle might happen sooner." Charles said as he pped the wings and rose to the sky.


    Thera also created foggy wings out of nowhere and pped them forcefully before ascending to the sky.


    ...


    Baston Fortress.


    At that moment, the entrance of the Baston fortress was filled with thousands of Demons and Devils, hundreds of Humans, Elves, Dwarves and many more races.


    All of them were Legend Rank powerhouse and appeared well equipped.


    Although many chaotic races showed open hostility to other races, they couldn''t even dare to fight due to the Order through sacred oath.


    Suddenly, a gigantic shadow of a bird appeared in the sky and soon appeared closer to the fortress.


    Before long, a 20-meter-tall gigantic bird with eerie ck feathersnded before the army of humans, demons, and other races and gazed at them with crimson eyes.


    "I don''t see the presence of any Commanders here. Where are they?" The bird asked in an ancient voice.


    At that moment, a human-like demon with crimson eyes and bat wings stepped forward and answered.


    "Lord Erwin said that they have been secretly preparing to ambush the enemy when the right time arrives, my Lord. He asked us to act as decoy."


    Surprisingly, Devil Crow didn''t suspect a thing and nodded its head in understanding.


    "Then, I''ll face the intruder head-on and give them a big opportunity. Meanwhile, you guys should support me from behind." Devil Crow said as itpped its wings and cried fiercely before releasing its wisdom power in all directions.


    "Oh? A Subi?" The Devil Crow let out a snort and waited patiently.


    Minutes passed slowly, and soon, everyone saw a small figure flying from the cloudy sky beforending a few hundred meters away from the gathered army.


    The next instant, Human Mages, Elven Archers, Demons and Dwarves with Rune weapons, and all other races used their long-ranged weapons and aimed at the small female figure.


    She looked around 170 cm tall, had eerie ck horns, and wore a fitting ck dress, revealing her big blossoms. At that moment, she held a ck scythe and gave a yful smile to everyone.


    Just by looking at her beautiful figure, the males from humans, demons, elves, and other races were captivated by a strange charm power andpletely dropped their guards. Even some females were affected by this strange energy and showed signs of dropping their weapons.


    "What are you guys doing?" A roaring screech emerged from the Devil Crow as it released its wisdom power and blocked the strange power from influencing everyone''s thoughts.


    "What a bad bird to interrupt my amusement." Evil Goddess Vespera said while licking her lips and moving like a shadow.


    With a swift motion, Vespera arrived before the giant Devil Crow and swung her ck scythe, the air around her twisted with chaotic energy. The Devil Crow cawed defiantly, its gigantic wings unfolding as it prepared for battle.


    The two powerful beings shed, unleashing a storm of energy that sent shockwaves across the battlefield. Demons, humans, elves, and other races watched in awe and fear as the sh unfolded.


    Devil Crow unleashed bursts of infernal mes, countering Vespera''s dark energy. Vespera, in turn, disyed immense agility, evading attacks with ethereal movements. The battlefield became a chaotic symphony of magic, elemental forces, and otherworldly powers.


    Everyone observed the battle closely, realizing the significance of this moment.


    "We should join too!" The vampire from earlier shouted and tried to intervene but soon saw a sudden shift in the battle.


    Suddenly, Vespera''s movement increased twofold, causing multiple sharp wounds on Devil Crow''s body. Like a shadow, the Evil Goddess suddenly arrived above the Devil Crow''s body and made a sharp sh at one of its wings.


    A shrilling, painful craw echoed through the dimension as Devil Crow couldn''t endure the soul-tearing pain and staggered pathetically.


    Just as Vespara was about to attack the Crow again, a gigantic tree of bones and flesh suddenly appeared in the sky, released one of its strange vines of ckish bone, and pulled the Devil Crow to the other side.


    "Chaos Lord!!!! I don''t need your help!" Devil Crow roared as it tried to stand up steadily and enveloped its body in pure ck mes.


    "Dumb bird, she is just toying with you. I don''t know who this higher being is, but neither you nor I are a match against her." Lord of Chaos said grimly, turning his attention towards the Evil Goddess and asking.


    "Please calm your anger and not attack my people without mercy, Your Majesty. We''ll listen to your every demand and act obediently."


    "Humph! Are you begging for your life now? Pathetic!" Devil Crow retorted and started gathering a strange orb of ck fire in its beak region.


    "Oh no! That dumb bird is going to use that ck Sun spell!" Lord of Chaos said in a startled tone and tried to stop him.


    A look of surprise appeared on Vespera''s face for the first time.


    "Interesting! I never thought I could see Seiyon''s unique me here." But she shook her head and snapped her fingers.


    A secondter, all the negative energies hidden within the surrounding environment suddenly gathered towards Vespera''s hand and formed a pure ck orb.


    "Unfortunately for you, I''m pretty much an expert in manipting all the negative energies." As soon as she spoke, the ck fire orb slowly became dim and soon vanished, causing everyone in the battle to widen their eyes.

 Chapter 691: Explosion

    691 Explosion


    Chapter 691: Explosion


    Lord of Chaos also realized it was impossible to convince this evil being to leave the dimension and decided to join the battle.


    At that moment, the Demons, Humans, and other races also realized how terrifying the Evil Goddess was and hurriedly backed away to the Baston Fortress.


    The same goes for Devil Crow. After losing one of its wings, it didn''t dare to stay near the battlefield and stealthily returned to its base.


    ''I''m not acting cowardly. If I fight this being at my base, I can trample it and kill it ruthlessly!'' With that thought, it created a fake wing of pure ck me and flew toward the south.


    Unbothered by the shameless Devil Crow''s retreat, the Lord of Chaos slowlynded on the ground and unleashed an intense wave of icy energy, creating an aura of freezing temperatures around itself. This ability encased the Evil Goddess in ice and hampered her movements.


    Even though the Evil Goddess Vespera was covered in many crystallineyers of ice, she calmly titled her scythe and released a unique darkish red aura around it.


    A secondter, a scorching heat wave came from the scythe and started melting the ice at an incredible speed.


    As those Ice crystallineyers melted, Vespara calmly stepped onto the rocky ground and raised her scythe.


    A secondter, she made a vertical sh at the gigantic tree and released a powerful invisible force in its direction.


    A deep vertical cut appeared on the Lord of Chaos''s tree trunk in a blink, almost splitting it into two!


    But all of a sudden, a dense, chilling energy came out of the trunk and enveloped its body in a fog. The icy essence within its body activated, rapidly sealing wounds and reconstructing damaged tissues. In two seconds, the Lord of Chaos appeared healed entirely.


    At the same time, the Lord of Chaos suddenly opened two creepy eyes in its trunk and locked its gaze on the Evil Goddess.


    Simultaneously, its roots started slithering towards the Evil Goddess at an incredible speed and attacked her from all sides.


    Although the Evil Goddess easily deflected the roots and even severed them with her ck scythe, she soon realized that strange roots had the power of death and life, making it almost impossible to sever thempletely.


    Whenever she cut down a root, it again reattached to the root and even healed the cut region.


    Simultaneously, a strange soul power came from its creepy eyes, entered the astral realm, and started affecting Vespera''s soul.


    If Lord of Chaos had used that power on Devil Crow or even Charles, it would''ve worked perfectly and corrupted their souls.


    Unfortunately, Vespera''s soul was more like a boundless sea.


    She quickly saw through the strange soul power trying to invade her soul and blocked it with a minute force field.


    Upon realizing that even its trump cards weren''t working against her, Lord of Chaos used his every inch of death power and cast the next spell.


    A mighty, skeletal hand crept out of the rocky ground the next moment and tried to grasp Vespera.


    Vespera smirked as she observed the skeletal hand reaching for her. With a swift motion, she twirled her ck scythe and shed through the bony fingers, dispersing them into a cloud of bone fragments. The Evil Goddess then stepped forward, her movements fluid and ethereal.


    The Lord of Chaos, undeterred, summoned more skeletal hands, creating a nightmarish army of grasping bones. They emerged from the ground, attempting to seize Vespera and bind her in an unyielding grip.


    However, Vespera was not to be trapped so easily. She danced between the skeletal hands with uncanny agility, her ck dress billowing around her. Each swing of her scythe sent ripples of chaotic energy, shattering the skeletal limbs as if they were fragile twigs.


    After a while, Vespera finally cut down thest gigantic skeletal hand and turned her attention towards the tree of Bone of Flesh.


    "ytime is over, Tree." A cold smile appeared on her face.


    Even though it was just a casual smile, the Lord of Chaos sensed death loomed over its head and tried to move away.


    But she once again raised her scythe and casually shed at the Gigantic Tree. Unlike before, a terrifying arc of dark light came out of the scythe and became asrge as 20 meters long.


    The massive, dark arc cut through the Lord of Chaos like a hot knife through butter, tearing apart its bone and flesh structure. A shockwave of chaotic energy emanated from the scythe, creating a rift in the very fabric of the dimension.


    The Lord of Chaos convulsed and shuddered as its colossal form disintegrated¡ªthe dark arc carved through the skeletal trunk, severing it into two halves. The eerie eyes that had observed the battlefield with malevolent intent dimmed, and the icy essence within the tree evaporated.


    Vespera, surrounded by the remnants of her destructive power, stood unscathed amidst the chaos she had unleashed. The Baston Fortress, witnessing the cataclysmic battle, fell into a stunned silence. The various races, demons, and humans alike, watched in awe and trepidation.


    Once an imposing force of death and ice, the Lord of Chaos nowy defeated and scattered across the battlefield.


    The Evil Goddess turned her gaze towards the direction of the fortress, her crimson eyes piercing through the onlookers.


    Although most had already entered the Baston Fortress, a few stood outside the fort wall and appeared to be waiting.


    "They are making my job easier."


    Saying so, she turned into a shadow of dark light and disappeared from there.


    Within seconds, heads of demons, humans, and all other races began to fly up in the air, causing crimson blood to spurt in all directions.


    But before she could enter the fortress, a defensive force-fieldyer suddenly appeared and covered the whole Baston fortress.


    Even though the Evil Goddess Vespera was more like a Godly being, even her scythe attack couldn''t pierce through the force-fieldyer.


    "Let''s see how long this petty shield is going to protect you," She said coldly, relentlessly attacking the invisible force field.


    There wasn''t even a scratch that appeared during the first few minutes.


    But as time passed, a crack started appearing at the entrance and began to erge.


    "As I thought, the Fortress owner is a powerful Rune Mage. Tsk, Although I don''t want to use my 17:03


    divine power yet, I have no choice." Evil Goddess made a casualment and started gathering all her divine power towards the tip of the ck scythe.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in desperation, a gigantic bird with pitch-ck feathers flew up in the sky towards the far south.


    But all of a sudden, a gigantic three-meter-tall woman appeared before the Devil Crow and punched its face with full power.


    A powerful shockwave shook the sky, causing the Devil Crow to dizzy for a second.


    "Oh? I''m still not getting used to my usual body." Thera said coldly, took out an eerie ck coffin from her pendant, and opened it before the Devil Crow''s head.


    Before the Devil Crow could even wake up and see the face of the enemy, an invisible power pulled its whole consciousness and body.


    A secondter, the Devil Crow stood in a space with nothing but darkness!


    "Where am I?" It tried to use its wisdom power but couldn''t. Not only that, but it also couldn''t use its bloodline spells.


    Panic surfaced on the crow''s face.


    On the other hand, Thera closed the coffin andpletely sealed it using chains made of pure me.


    After that, she stored the coffin back to her spatial pendant and turned her gaze toward the direction where the War Castle was located.


    "I hope nothing goes wrong," Thera said solemnly and continued to fly toward the Devil Crow''sir.


    ...


    In the meantime, a goat-horned, winged demon flew towards where the War Castle was located and stood halted as it noticed the sudden appearance of a ck-robed human.


    "Who are you?" Azgan asked stiffly and soon widened his eyes as he remembered that face.


    "Charles!!!!" An angry growl came out of the demon''s mouth.


    "Don''t get angry, Azgan. Didn''t you want to overthrow Devil Crow Nyxen''s rule and rece your Lord? Thanks to the appearance of an anomaly, things became easier." Charles paused momentarily and soon asked while releasing his wisdom power.


    "As per the deal, shouldn''t you fulfill the contract and return the egg to me?"


    The next instant, Azgan''s face stiffened.


    ''What?! He is this strong?" Even he felt suffocated by the pressure of wisdom power and turned grim.


    Azgan soon released his wisdom power to stop getting pressured and spoke with a shudder.


    "But you didn''t help at all! And because of you, this wholeyer is done for! Even Lord of Chaos stood no chance against that being."


    "Even if your Lord is dead, he will be resurrected after six months, right? So, why are you getting angry over that? As for the people, the deal between us is not to save people but to kill or seal the Devil Crow." Charles spoke annoyedly and raised his hand before opening his palm.


    Azgan also knew it was impossible to talk this out and reluctantly took an eerie ck egg from his space ring.


    Then, he took it with his right hand and threw it at him.


    On the other hand, Charles caught the egg, scrutinized it, and stored it inside his ring.


    Afterward, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there, leaving the ancient demon in abrupt silence.


    ...


    A few secondster, Charles appeared at the area where Thera battled the Devil Crow and smiled.


    "It seems she also seeded in capturing the Devil Crow," Charles muttered with a smile and was about to teleport but suddenly froze.


    The next instant, a terrifying explosion resounded from the north, causing him to turn around in surprise.


    Almost touching the ck sky, a gigantic mushroom cloud appeared where the Baston Fortress was located!


    "Damn it, this looks more like a Nuclear Explosion!" He drew a deep breath, released his wisdom power towards the south, and instantly teleported.

 Chapter 692: Hall of Stars

    692 Hall of Stars


    Chapter 692: Hall of Stars


    The skies over the Baston Fortress were engulfed in an ominous mushroom cloud, casting a shadow over the once-thriving battlefield. The explosion''s shockwave rippled through the air, carrying the echoes of destruction far and wide.


    Evil Goddess Vespera stood within the dust and gazed at the gigantic pit with an evil smirk.


    The earlier attack caused the whole Baston Fortress and even the pocket dimension to crumble into dust!


    Everyone in the Fortress, including demons and other races, was killed in the explosion and disappeared!


    After looking at the gigantic pit for a second, she took out a ck marble-like crystal and tossed it upward.


    The ck marble floated more than five meters high in a blink, released strange divine power, and started extracting the dead souls!


    Most souls desperately tried to escape by swimming in the astral realm but couldn''t.


    Slowly and steadily, all the legendary powerhouses'' souls were sucked into the small ck marble andpletely vanished from the astral ne.


    Once the process was done, the ck marble slowly descended from the sky and quietlynded on Vespera''s palm.


    "Hmm, still not enough." As she spoke, her gaze swept past distance in a blink and looked at the nook and corner of the Fourth Dimension.


    "Oh? Is that human with Shepherd''s sword leaving already? Hmm, should I nip the bud before it blooms? No, I shouldn''t mess with Sherperd''s creations." She instantly shifted her attention to the other side and looked at the Guardian''s room.


    "Guardian of this Dungeon is trapped in the core room? It seems some humans entered the core room and messed up. Well, things work better for me then." A ruthless smirk appeared on her face.


    "Let''s me hunt every soul of this ce and return them to the abyss!" Her form slowly turned into a shadow as she spoke and disappearedpletely.


    ...


    Far away in the south, a human in a ck robe traveled through treacherous mountains and shadowy valleys while pping his eerie me wings and soon arrived before a gigantic mountain.


    At the base of the gigantic mountain, he saw a familiar tall female standing before the mouth of a gigantic cavern.


    pping the wings to slow the momentum, Charles made a circle in the air and descended towards the mountain''s base.


    Before long, hended right behind Thera and felt a suffocative feeling in the air.


    "Did you get what you want?" Thera asked while gazing at the gigantic clouds rising in the sky and taking out the ck coffin from her spatial pendant.


    "Yes. We should escape before shees here to search for us." Charles said as he took the ck coffin from her hand, stored it in his space ring, and stepped into the eerie dark cavern.


    After entering, Charles and Thera navigated through thebyrinth corridors and noticed that the cave was filled with dense, chaotic energy.


    "Thera, do you have any information about the next Layer? I heard that the boss of that Layer is a Demi-God, though." Charles asked as he observed the cavern''s interior.


    "Fifth Layer is and of undead. But before you enter that Layer, you will be teleported to the ''Hall of Stars.''" She suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "Do you have any Star Monarch''s Key, right?"


    "How did you know?" Charles asked in surprise.


    "Well, I''ve one of them too. Whenever you enter this Dungeon, the guardians in the first Layer will pick a potential explorer and reward them with Star Monarch''s Key. It means anyone who possesses this key is powerful enough to move across fouryers and enter the fifth one. That''s where the real start of the Dungeon is."


    "What is the Hall of Stars? Also, what''s the use of Star Monarch''s Key? And who is this Star Monarch?"


    "Hall of Stars is a reward ce for this Dungeon. Only those who possesses a ''Star Monarch''s Key'' will be able to enter that ce. Unlike other explorers, you can enter the Hall of Stars after clearing every fiveyers and will also be able to leave this dimension willingly. And as long as you have a Star Monarch''s Key, you can use it to pick any one reward. It''s more like a Beginner''s reward. As for who this Star Monarch is, it''s not a single person but multiple people. I also know nothing much about them. But what I know for sure is that many of their legacies are hidden in this Star Tombs in the form of rewards." Thera deliberated for a moment and then added.


    "Also, you''ll be given an option whether to leave the Dungeon or continue the journey. I advise you to leave the Dungeon after getting the reward ande back next time to face the Fifth Layer''s boss."


    "Oh? The boss of the Fifth Layer is that strong?" Charles asked.


    "Its strength should be as strong as the Evil Goddess we''ve met before. Of course, I''m talking about the current weakened Evil Goddess, not her true strength."


    While talking, they made multiple turns and soon arrived at the deepest part of the cavern.


    Arge chamber surrounded by rocky walls appeared before their eyes at the end of the pathway.


    At the center of the chamber was a nest of bones and skulls of magical beasts and humanoid beings.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was a bluish magic circle pulsating beside the nest, gathering spatial energy continuously.


    "This must be the portal to the Hall of Stars," Charles muttered solemnly, walking closer.


    Although he wanted to explore this cavern and search for any loot, he didn''t dare to dy any longer.


    Just as he stepped into the magic circle, it sent out rippling spatial waves and enveloped the surroundings in bluish light.


    "Then, I think it''s time for us to part away." Thera also stepped on the magic circle, took out a jade token with a symbol of the Rising Sun engraved in it, and tossed it to him.


    "If you ever go to Elder ne, visit this ce. We might be able to see each other in the future."


    Charles barely managed to catch the token and soon felt that the whole surroundings started to spin.


    Before he could blink, a powerful suction force pulled him towards somewhere.


    Instead of resisting the force, Charles followed it and noticed him passing through a wormhole.


    He soon found a crack in the spatial passage and jumped out.


    A secondter, Charles stood in the middle of a luxurious mansion hall filled with rows of weapons, artifacts, potions, and even strange organs sealed in jars arranged at multiple tables.


    Each table was covered in strange force-field-like ss and appeared well protected.


    "Wee to the ''Hall of Stars,'' Human from Edhen World. It seems you made quite a mess in the fourth Layer." A strange, childish voice came from above, causing him to look up.


    ''Rune Language?''


    At that moment, a grey goblin dressed in a golden robe descended from above andnded before him.


    "You are?" Even though the grey goblin looked only around 120 cm tall and appeared weak, Charles felt apletely different feeling.


    ''It''s far stronger than me. I feel like I''m looking at a boundless void.''


    Not bothered by his stare, the goblin revealed a creepy smile with its red teeth and spoke.


    "I''m Clerd, an overseer of the Hall of Stars on the Fifth Floor. Do you like you use your ''Star Monarch''s Key and get a suitable reward?"


    Charles nodded as he took out the rainbow key from his space ring and showed it to Clerd.


    "Hmm, it''s a key to Star Monarch of Dream Tomb, huh?" Clerd suddenly waved its hand and added.


    "You can take one reward from the Third table. I won''t reveal any information about the item you select, so choose it wisely." Clerd said calmly and started walking towards the table.


    Meanwhile, Charles followed the goblin and soon arrived before the gigantic table covered in a mysterious force field.


    He saw seven types of weapons, multiple armor, gauntlets, boots, helms, and even rings and pendants within the forcefield ss. Even though he couldn''t inspect them due to the presence of the forcefield ss, he vaguely felt that each was a priceless treasure.


    What caught his attention most was a crown with a ck gem embedded at the center.


    ''But I already have enough artifacts.'' He slowly turned his attention toward the next section on the table.


    More than 50 potion vials were ced in order and looked different from each other.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t guess which potion they were and felt troubled.


    ''If I choose an useless potion, everything will go to waste.''


    Slowly, he shifted his attention towards the next section.


    It was a section filled with nothing but organs preserved in ss jars.


    Among those jars, his attention was instantly drawn to an eerie crystalline eye with countless minute divisions.


    ''It looks almost simr to my eye but like an upgraded one!'' Charles was quick for a second and spoke.


    "I''ll take this eye."


    "Oh? It''s the Monarch of Myriarch''s Eye. Excellent decision." Clerd said with an impressed look and waved its hand.


    A momentter, therge jar containing the crystalline eye disappeared from the table and reappeared in Clerd''s hand.


    "Take it," Clerd said as it passed the ss jar to Charles.


    Meanwhile, Charles took the ss jar from Clerd and stored it in his spatial ring.


    On the other hand, Clerd didn''t even give him any time to think and asked the following question.


    "So, where should you want to go next? Do you want to go to the fifth floor? Or do you want to return to your world?"


    "I want to return to Edhen World." Charles didn''t hesitate and responded calmly.


    Just as he spoke, a strange spatial crack appeared behind him and formed into a bluish portal.


    A secondter, a powerful suction force appeared out of nowhere and pulled him into the void.


    The portal remained open for two more seconds and slowly closed like it never existed.


    "If he had learned a little bit about Alchemy, he could''ve taken the Bloodline of the Monarch of Myriarch. Well, he at least selected the Myriarch''s eye as his reward." The goblin shook its head and slowly ascended in the air.


    "I should go and greet the desendant of Sun Titan next."

 Chapter 693: Return

    693 Return


    Chapter 693: Return


    Entrance of the Star Tombs, Holy City''s Territory, Sacred Empire, Edhen World.


    A deep-blue-haired young man, around 25 years old, suddenly arrived at the entrance of the Star Tombs dungeon and looked at the surroundings cautiously.


    Once Charles confirmed no presence nearby, he let out a rxed smile and shifted his attention toward the faraway city.


    His gaze peered into the faraway distance and observed everything.


    Even though the city walls appeared damaged, he still saw countless humans walking in and out of the entrance.


    ''So, they managed to withstand that beast wave, huh?'' He also sensed the presence of his clone and another familiar person within the city and furrowed.


    ''Who is this other one? It''s not my ''Curse of the Overlord'' spell. But I sense a strange link.''


    "What should I do next? Do I have to hide my presence like before?" He asked himself.


    Although he was far from standing equally against Udnir, he wouldn''t go down without a fight.


    ''And if I use Grace''s ability, I might be able even to kill Udnir''s avatar.'' He thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    ''I have too many enemies in Edhen World. Other than Abium and Goddess Rodia, all other gods are scheming something big. It''s not a good idea to reveal my strength right now.'' Moreover, he eagerly wanted to construct other spell models sooner and fuse the newly obtained ''Eye'' with his original one.


    With that thought, he calmly raised his left hand and started to shapeshift.


    Before long, he transformed into a 15-year-oldd with emerald eyes and aplexion of fair hues. He had short blonde hair, an unremarkable physique, a hawk nose, and deep eyes and looked around 160 cm tall.


    Once he transformed into Zephyr, he calmly released his wisdom power and hovered up in the sky.


    Simultaneously, he cast the [Fallen Angel''s Wings] spell and started flying towards the direction of the Holy City.


    After flying more than ten minutes, he arrived closer to the city gate andnded on the ground.


    Then, he took a silver coin from his spatial ring and walked towards the tall entrance gate.


    Although the gatekeepers tried to inquire about him, he quietly gave them a silver coin and bribed them not to record his entry.


    As soon as he entered the city, Charles noticed a strange atmosphere. Although many people were there, he barely saw any Holy Knights or guards. He also sensed a darkness looming over the citizens'' faces.


    ''Did something happen? I don''t see any happiness in the city at all. It''s as if everyone in the city lost something precious.''


    Instead of going to the house on Crystal Lane Street, Charles quietly wandered around the market street and started gathering information about what had happened while he was away.


    He first inquired about how much time had passed since the tower appeared.


    ''As I thought, it has been over two months since I left the Edhen World. Hmm, the disaster happened after two months this time. Then, the next disaster should appear in two years.'' He quietly looked up at the bright sun and continued to ask about other changes.


    During this time, a lot of things had changed.


    After the appearance of Dungeon towers in different parts of the world, there was a sudden increase in the number of magical beasts worldwide. Although most of the magical beasts were cleared by the armies of the kingdoms and empires, the destruction they caused was still massive.


    The next thing was about the loss of faith in the Lawful Churches.


    What caused the Churches to lose face among the citizens was the sudden diminution of divine power among the believers of Lawful Churches.


    To be precise, all the ''Fake Origin ss'' Mystics, like [Knight] ss and [Priest] ss, started to lose their strength drastically, and some of their ranks even regressed.


    For example, an average Rank-5 [Deacon] became much weaker and could barely stand against a Rank-4 Mystic.


    This incident made more people aware of the ''Fake Origin ss Gem Pathway.''


    Although the Fake Origin ss Mystics could still use ''basic divine spells and skills, their overall battle power had diminished drastically, creating panic among all the higher-ups of Churches.


    Facing such a disaster, most Churches decided to go into seclusion.


    Due to the Churches not dispatching Holy Knights and their priests, all the Kingdoms and empires faced more pressure to meet the magical creatures.


    Lots of ordinary citizens died in every kingdom, resulting inplete dissatisfaction with the Lawful Churches.


    Two months ago, the Order Church even lost thousands of Holy Knights, more than 30 bishops, three Archbishops, and one Cardinal!


    ''But I don''t think the Churches became weaker just because of losing their divine power.'' After all, he knew very well that their true strength didn''t lie in the ''Fake Oriign ss'' Mystics but in the seventeen families!


    ''They are the True Rulers of thisnd.''


    Another exciting news that caught his attention was the Hawthorne Family.


    A big coupe had happened within the family, resulting in the death of three Elders and the Patriarch.


    Within two days, Elder Aurelius took the position of the leader and became the Patriarch of the Hawthorne Family.


    ''Hmm? Isn''t he Ronan''s Teacher? Even after Victor killed that guy, Elder Aurelius managed to keep his position within the family and even took over the position of the Patriarch, huh? Then, what happened to Victor? Or did he get killed by Elder Aurelius? Did he die within the Dungeon?'' A frown appeared on his forehead.


    As he further investigated, he discovered that Victor returned with Order Church members and was directly promoted to a new Cardinal by the Pope!


    Moreover, the Sun Church, Life Church, Fairchild, and Hawthorne families also returned. But Sun Church lost all of its members except for Cardinal Damian and a fire mage.


    Life Church also met a misfortune, resulting in their Team Leader being cursed by some powerful being and almost losing his life forcepletely.


    Only the Fairchild Family, Hawthorne family, and Order Church sustained minimum losses.


    ''It seems Hawthorne be more powerful. Thanks to that and the new change within the family, Hawthorne Family and Order Church are at odds. Hmm, it seems Victor made some agreement with the Order Church to protect himself.'' Although he was still under the influence of the ''Curse of the Overlord,'' Charles noticed that the spell effect had also been significantly weakened.


    ''Well, I should leave him be for now.'' After all, Charles knew that whatever he got from the Dungeon wouldn''t be helpful to him.


    He pondered momentarily and decided to meet up with his clone.


    ''Tsk, I can''t use wisdom power to check his exact location.'' But as he further walked towards the clone, he couldn''t help but get stunned.


    ''He is staying at the Crystal Lane? Moreover, that familiar presence also stays with him.''


    Charles continued to walk towards the end of Crystal Lane and arrived at the single-storied house.


    ''Hmm? The guest house is locked outside? So, Baron thought I had died after entering the Star Tombs?''


    But Charles still noticed his clone was sitting in the reception room and seemed to be conversing with another person.


    ''Strange... Why can''t I see that person''s face even with my ''Eye of Faceless''? It''s as if he doesn''t even exist in the first ce.''


    At that moment, his clone and that other person also noticed his presence at the entrance and looked in his direction.


    "You are back!" His original voice came from inside, causing Charles''s lips to twitch.


    He turned into a crimson me with a light footstep and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, he reappeared inside the reception room and looked around.


    At that moment, his clone sat on the Lawson sofa ced on the side and appeared to be in the middle of drinking alcohol.


    After giving a shift look at the clone, Charles turned his attention towards the other person sitting on the opposite side.


    A middle-aged man sat on the ornate sofa and appeared to be around 50 years old; he had arge frame, a face covered with slight wrinkles, and wore spectacles.


    He had slightly long brown hair, amber eyes, a fit muscr body, and appeared to be around 183 cm tall.


    He wore a brown frock coat over his formal white shirt, covered his head with a bowler hat, and covered his hand in ck gloves.


    "Rh? No wonder I couldn''t see who my clone is talking to." Charles said with a smile.


    "It seems you''ve grown much stronger than thest time." Rh stood up from the sofa and walked closer to him.


    "But your growth speed is too terrifying. Anyway, I received your ''Will'' from that Zephyrd a month ago and came here quickly. But I only managed to find your clone and learned that you had already entered the Star Tombs Dungeon." He paused for a moment and asked in a solemn tone.


    "So what happened at the Miracle City? How did you encounter Udnir''s avatar? Also, why did you leave you alone?"


    A forced smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    After that, Charles didn''t hide anything and told him what happened after entering the Miracle City.


    "Wow, Time Loop spell? But you survived Fate Professor''s scheme and escaped from Udnir?" Rh was stunned entirely inside.


    Meanwhile, Charles thought of the mysterious being and asked.


    "What do you think about that Goddess ''Anangu''? Have you heard of such being?"

 Chapter 694: Shepherd

    694 Shepherd


    Chapter 694: Shepherd


    Rh shook his head and responded.


    "No. It is the first time I''ve heard about this Goddess. If my guess is wrong, she might be one of the forgotten Ancient Gods of the Primordial Era. To be precise, this Era ended more than 100 million years ago. That''s also when ancient Beings like Ancient Titans, High Humans, High Elves, Ancient Dwarves, and many ancient beings walked around. Each of their strengths surpassed the High Gods and was more like a walking disaster. But I heard that they all disappeared one day. The only person who survived that time was the Goddess Mxyenta." He paused for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "After the Ancient Beings disappeared, many powerful ancient gods rose to the Divine throne to retaliate against the Chaos beings and waged wars over many parts of the Universe. Anangu might be one of those beings. If I''m not wrong, Mother Nature, the Main Goddess of Easica World, is also one of those ancient Gods."


    "Mother Nature Goddess? You mean Zaqiel?" Charles asked before he recalled the conversation with Anangu.


    "When I encountered her, she said, ''It''s more like we are the same. I''m Her, and She is me.''"


    Upon hearing those words, Rh furrowed his brows and soon shook his head.


    "Her past seems to be too mysterious. But you might find a clue from that strange nt in the pocket dimension. It has the power of ''Mother Goddess Zaqiel.''"


    Charles nodded his head and asked the main question.


    "So, what is the purpose of your visit? You didn''te here to check on me, right?"


    "Haha, indeed. The reason I came here is not only to check on you but also to visit an important ce. Do you want to tag along?"


    "Important ce?" Charles''s interest was piqued.


    "Yes. I want to return to the Nightwind Family and take the ''Darkness Elemental Crystal'' from the Ancestral Hall to restore my spell model." Rh''s words made Charles grip his fist subconsciously.


    "Of course, I''ming. I''ve some unfinished business with those bastards!" A cold look appeared in his eyes.


    "But before that, we need to visit a ce and fulfill one of my promises," Charles said while regaining his cool and turning his attention toward the clone.


    "What have you been doing all this time? Last time, I didn''t have enough time to even chat with you."


    Only then did the Clone Charles halt his drinking and turn his gaze towards him.


    "Me? I''ve been helping Vrie and also became vice-captain of the Gold Demon Pirate crew. Also, I enjoy seafood, drinking with friends, and gazing at the night sky. I''m like the current living style."


    ''What happened to him?'' Charles stared at his clone with a dumbfounded look.


    Rh couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    "Hahaha. Stop looking at him like that,d. He is acting very normal. Only you always get into trouble and always stir up chaos everywhere."


    "It''s not like I wanted to cause trouble everywhere." Charles shook his head and added.


    "If you want to continue your life, go on. But help me whenever I am forced into a situation where I can''t handle it alone. Also, your soul shard is evolving independently and can already extend 50% of 17:08


    my original power. So, be careful not to get corrupted by any strange power and end up attacking me can''t handle it alone. Also, your soul shard is evolving independently and can already extend 50% of my original power. So, be careful not to get corrupted by any strange power and end up attacking me from behind."


    "I''m not that dumb."The Clone Charles stood up from his seat, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared before leaving a few words.


    "I''m going back to the Azure Federation. Don''t call me unless it''s something so important."


    "What a unique clone." Rh couldn''t help but speak.


    "What did you find about him unique?" Charles gave the old man a strange look. In his eyes, his clone was nothing more than an ordinary person with no motivation.


    "Unlike you, he cares a lot about others. He apanied me to many restaurants like a grandson for the whole month and even chatted with me about different things. That child is caring, emotional, and sometimes smart too. He looks like your pr opposite."


    "I''m caring too," Charles said, recalling how he had cared for those kids during their hard times and even got attached to Rh.


    "Caring, my ass. You are cold, emotionless, and overly smartass," Rh red at him and shifted the topic.


    "So, where do you want to go?"


    "42D El Road, West Borough." Saying so, Charles touched his face and started to shapeshift into his original look.


    Before long, hepletely transformed into a blue-haired man and appeared to be around 24 years old.


    "Hmm? What''s on your waist? Although I noticed it earlier, it seems to be hiding its power."


    "She is ''Grace,'' a powerful weapon I got from the Star Tombs Dungeon. From what I''ve heard from the Guardian, she seems to be a creation of some ancient Rune Master named ''Shepherd.'' Do you know him?"


    "Shepherd?!" Rh''s eyes widened.


    "Is she shepherd''s creation?" He couldn''t help but try to move his hand towards the sword.


    Grace noticed his action and instantly got triggered, releasing invisible des at Rh.


    Surprisingly, the invisible des started disintegrating into red smoke before touching his outer skin, causing Charles''s mouth to widen.


    At that moment, Charles noticed the refined wisdom power covering his body like a force-fieldyer and looked invincible.


    "How strong are you in the past, old man? Even I couldn''t see through your true strength."


    "I was an ancient Arch-Wizard of Three Elements and currently holding a soul of ''Divine Hand.''" Rh said with a proud smile.


    "Divine Hand?" Charles was puzzled by that title and gave him a confused look.


    "My soul is currently holding the knowledge of a Rank-8 Historian ss Mystic. But with my current body, I can barely call myself a Rank-5 Wonder Discoverer. s, even with my broken soul and spell models, my wisdom power is still around Rank-7." Rh said, with a trace of sadness in his eyes.


    Charles also knew what he was currently thinking and sighed.


    "Is there no other way but to use the ''Fake Reincarnation Technique'' and restart as new?"


    A silence appeared in the room.


    After a short deliberation, Rh shook his head and answered.


    "I already made some ns with Zera and prepared for reincarnation. But that should be myst resort. You are lucky to get your hand on ''Shepherd''s'' creation,d. That guy is an Ancient Rune Mage capable of creating artifacts defying Gods. He is even a legend among the Ancient Mages and has be one of the peak existences more than a million years ago. From what I''ve heard from the rumors, he was captured by Lawful Gods for selling weapons to Evil Gods and Demons and imprisoned in the Prison of Time Axis ever since. It would be a miracle if he ever exited the prison."


    "Wow, do the Lawful Gods have to go this far?" Charles frowned and soon walked towards the entrance door.


    Then, he used an invisible string to unlock the door from the other side and opened it.


    "Let''s go. I also want to ask you about something along the way."


    "What do you want to ask me?" Rh followed after him while adjusting his hat.


    "What do you know about Monarch of Myriarch?"


    "Hmm, Monarch of Myriarch? If I''m right, it''s the name of the Rank-8 Trickster ss. Why did you ask?"


    "I got the eye of a Monarch of Myriarch as a reward from the Star Tombs. Is it possible to transnt my current eye with this one?" Charles asked, pointing his finger at the crystalline ''Eye of Faceless.''


    "Oh? An upgraded version of your eye, huh? It is indeed possible for me to transnt this eye to you. But you might need to stay in one ce for over ten years, doing nothing. Are you okay with that?" Rh asked.


    "That''s okay. I n on not going anywhere for a while and focusing on constructing the remaining spells andprehending them one by one." While speaking, Charles started to walk toward the Central Borough.


    "That''s good then." Rh also followed him closely and soon asked.


    "So, what happened in the Star Tombs?"


    "It''s a long story. But I got many things as rewards." Charles then started narrating everything he did in the Star Tombs and even told him about the Evil Goddess.


    "Although I know nothing about the Evil Goddess Vespara, I''ve heard of those with the Title Star Monarchs. If I''m not wrong, twenty ancient Star Monarchs ruled different parts of the Universe at the beginning of the ''Age of Origin Time.'' Some Monarchs were pure evil, while the others remained neutral. But as more and more time passed, they all ended up dying at the hands of either the Lawful Faction or Chaotic Faction. But I didn''t expect Star Tombs to be a ce where the inheritance of Star Monarchs resides. You better not lose the Key and miss the opportunity." Rh said solemnly.


    While talking, they reached the West Borough''s El Road and soon arrived before a single-storied house.


    "Who is staying here?" Rh asked as Charles raised his hand and knocked on the door thrice.

 Chapter 695 Hunt

    Chapter 695 Hunt


    Chapter 695: Hunt


    A few secondster, the door opened, revealing a familiar fair-skinned man to Charles. He appeared to be around 40 years old, had silver hair, simr silver eyes, a rough face, and was 170 cm tall.


    He wore a in grey robe, held a cigar in his mouth, and showed a confused look.


    After two seconds, Hunt recognized Charles and widened his eyes.


    "Charles?!"


    "You seem aged a little, Mr. Hunt. How are you doing these days?" Charles broke into a wide grin.


    "You''ve grown up, Charles!" Hunt slowly dropped the cigar from his mouth and hugged him tightly.


    "I''m sorry for your loss, kid. Lady Eve was such a caring mother and also a good friend to us. But we didn''t expect things to turn bad in a few days."


    "I''m alright now, Mr. Hunt. Although I still miss her, we can''t turn back the ''time,'' right?" Charles said with a chuckle and added.


    "Anyway, I heard you guys are on a mission from Lady Charlotte two months ago. So, I''m here to help you guys."


    "Haa, in a few years, a youngd has already be a Legendary Powerhouse. The future is so unpredictable."


    Hunt finally released him from his grip and invited him to the living hall.


    "I didn''t expect you to return so soon, Charles." As they entered the Living Hall, a pleasant voice came from the kitchen, and soon, a blonde-haireddy in her beautiful gown walked out of the kitchen.


    "I came here to fulfill the promise, Lady Charlotte," Charles said with a smile and greeted her with a bow.


    "Please sitfortably and talk with Hunt about the details of the mission, Charles. I''ll go and bring something for you guys to eat." Charlotte said with a bright smile, gazing towards Rh before asking.


    "And who might this be?"


    Before Charles could open his mouth, Rh sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and spoke while leaning on the long, ornate couch.


    "I''m Rh, his teacher."


    "Oh! I didn''t know Charles had a teacher. Are you also a Legendary Mage, Sir?" Charlotte asked with a hint of nervousness.


    "Hmm," Rh simply nodded his head.


    "Would you like anything to drink?" She asked.


    "Anything is fine for me." Rh waved his hand and looked at Hunt before asking.


    "So, are you guys nning to steal something or what?"


    Charles nodded his head and spoke.


    "It''s an S-Rank Intellectual Artifact."


    "Hmm, S-Rank Intellectual Artifact, huh? Do you think it''s easy to tame an S-Rank artifact,d?" Rh asked with a frown and soon warned him.


    "The reason they are called ''S-Rank'' is not only because of their abilities but also due to their scheming mind. Can you tell me more about this artifact?"


    Hunt was stunned by Rh''s words and hurriedly responded.


    "It''s a Series artifact called S-13, suspected to have the ability to grant immortality to anyone."


    "Bullshit. Do you think immortality is easy to obtain without any sacrifice? Impossible. It might strengthen one''s life essence and increase one''s lifespan. Charles, what do you think?"


    Charles also nodded his head in approval and gave a little exnation about the artifact.


    "I also researched this artifact through ''Wisdom Link'' and found some important information. The S-13''s real name is Stormheart Whisper, and it has unknown abilities. But there are rumors about this artifact giving the user an endless lifespan. Not only that, but this artifact was in the possession of a Three-Eyed Titan long ago. But for some reason, that Titan ended up in this ne and died, leaving ''Stormheart Whisper'' behind."


    ''Stormheart Whisper...'' Although Charlotte had mentioned this name before, he thought Charles might have made it up on the stop.


    ''But I didn''t expect he has the power to find out the artifact''s original name!'' Hunt finally realized that the person before him wasn''t a kid anymore.


    "Three-Eyed Titan? Then, that artifact mustn''t have chosen its owner yet." Rh nodded solemnly and added.


    "As long as you use the ''Past Touch'' skill, you might able to peek into its past and get some helpful information like Titan''s name or other secrets. If you y your cards right, you might get ownership.


    "But it''s not easy to infiltrate the Royal Pce, Sir Rh. Although I''m grateful for your help, getting our hands on the S-13 is still difficult. After all, it is in a much-secured ce." Hunt interjected.


    At that moment, Charles thought of something and asked.


    "Can you tell me about the true strength of the Lockwood Royal Family?"


    Hunt nodded as he sat on the nearby wooden chair and spoke.


    "Compared to Hawthorne, Lockwood Royal Family is far below in strength. But unlike the Hawthorne family, the Lockwood family is the main pir of the Order Church itself. Moreover, there are still three Legend Rank Elders within the Royal Castle who always stay in the Pce."


    "Who are those three Legend Rank powerhouses?" Charles asked.


    "One is the Emperor named Madison of Sacred Empire, the second is Patriarch of the Lockwood Family, and the third person is an Elder named Finley."


    "There is an Emperor in this Sacred Empire? I thought the Pope was in the highest position." Rh showed a dubious look.


    "That''s because he is an emperor in the name only, Sir Rh. And from the information we''ve gathered, he mostly never interacts much with Nobles and acts more like a puppet Emperor. But his strength is the real deal."


    Charles pondered for a moment and shook his head.


    "If it were two months ago, I would''ve thought twice before even nning on how to steal the artifact. But I don''t need to act more cautiously. Mr. Hunt, can you give me a detailed report of this artifact''s location?"


    "Are you nning to enter the Royal Pce alone and steal the artifact?" Hunt was startled deeply and slowly turned his gaze towards Rh.


    "Don''t look at me. Charles will be the one stealing that artifact. Also, don''t worry about his safety. At this moment, even the Pope of Order isn''t a match for him." Rh waved his hand and spoke.


    "What?! Butst time, you said you can stand against the Pope only for around 2 minutes." At that moment, Charlotte entered the living room, ced tes full of sliced fruits on the tea table, and spoke in shock.


    "I''ve been improving my strength constantly." Charles didn''t n on exining anything further and kept his words short.


    "You sure are growing at a monstrous rate," Charlottemented in a dumbfounded tone and then added.


    "You shouldn''t get overconfident just because you became a Legendary Powerhouse, Charles."


    "Her words are indeed true. We should gather more information first." Rh also nodded in approvement.


    Then, Hunt took a deep breath and started to speak.


    "Then, I shall exin it in more detail. Currently, 25 members of Whithering Shadows infiltrated the Royal Pce in the form of servants, chefs, guards, cleaners, and so on. Only one person saw the Artifact two years ago and confirmed its appearance. But even he managed to see its appearance from a faraway ce only for a split second." Hunt paused for a moment and continued in a solemn tone.


    "The S-13 is currently being put in the Pce Treasury and guarded by three powerful Magic Enchantment Array Locks. The First Lock, called ''Disruption Divine Array,'' canpletely stop teleportation, divination, Astral, stealth, or other movement-type spells, making stealing almost impossible. This arraypletely covered the Royal Pce, making it impossible to infiltrate. The second Magic Enchantment Array lock is called ''Bloodline Lock.'' You need to be a direct descendant of the ''Lockwood Family,'' it is almost impossible even to enter the Royal Pce Treasury. And even the Patriarch can enter the pce treasury once per year. Finally, the third Magic Enchantment Array Lock is called ''Time Lock.'' A mysterious spell will be activated if someone touches any of the artifacts without the Patriarch''s or the Emperor''s permission, and will be frozen in time. Although the third Array Lock seems exaggerated, we dare not to rx our guard and still think of a way to tackle that lock."


    "Oh? The bloodline lock seems a little troublesome, but I think I can manage as long as I have a drop of blood from any one of the direct descendants of the ''Lockwood Family.''" Charles suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "How many direct descendants are there in the Lockwood Family? Can I get a drop of any of the descendants'' blood?"


    Hunt was startled by his strange request and soon nodded.


    "Although it''s a little difficult, it''s not impossible to get the blood of any direct Descendant. If I''m right, the fourth and sixth princes will always go hunting every Friday in the northern woods. We can use that opportunity to make some ident and stealthily get a few drops of blood from any of those princes."


    "That''s a good idea." Charles nodded.


    After that, Hunt also exined the royal family''s history and gave a detailed report about the spies working in the Pce.


    Charles listened to his every sentence and finally chose a perfect target.


    "I also want a few drops of Cyrus''s blood and learn more about his daily activities. He is the Crown Prince''s assistant, right? He had considerable authority in the Royal Pce and a good reputation among all the servants and Royal Knights. If I use his identity, I can easily steal the artifact."


    "What are you nning, Charles? How can you infiltrate the Royal Treasury with only the blood of a direct descendant?"


    Instead of answering, Charles shrugged his shoulders and added.


    "Also, tell the people working as spies to leave the City while I enter the Royal Pce. By the time I walk out of the Royal Pce, even you guys shouldn''t be staying in the territory of Holy City. If you do, then even I won''t be able to save you."

 Chapter 696 Decision

    Chapter 696 Decision


    Chapter 696: Decision


    Charles''s words made Hunt think deeply.


    In truth, they had been working on this mission for years and were already 80% close to being sessful.


    As long as they figured out a way to bypass the ''Time Lock,'' they could seed without relying on Charles''s help.


    Unfortunately, time wasn''t on their side.


    ''But if Charles somehow fails this mission, our years of hard work will go into dust.'' A hesitant look appeared on his face.


    "Don''t hesitate, Hunt. In truth, our n to steal the ''S-13'' is a reckless one and might cost the lives of countless people. Even if we seed, most will not survive the Church''s mad hunt. On the other hand, Charles promised not only to get the artifact by himself but even to give us time to form an escape route. And even if he fails the mission, I''m 100% sure he can at least escape safely. Although we might lose years of hard work, isn''t our life more important than a mission to extend a single person''s lifespan?"


    Charlotte''s words made Hunt fall into deep thoughts.


    Upon seeing this, Charlotte shook her head and spoke.


    "Well, you guys decided on the nter. But don''t leave in a hurry likest time, Charles. I''ll go and prepare lunch now." Saying so, she again went to the kitchen and started cooking.


    On the other hand, Hunt also asked a few more questions about his n and finally agreed. At the same time, he started asking questions about how he lived these days and shared what he went through.


    Hunt also talked about what changes had happened within the Life Church and even persuaded him not to seek revenge on the Life Church for a single person''s mistake.


    Charles could only smile wryly and swiftly changed the topic.


    Like this, they kept chatting for the next two hours.


    During this time, Charlotte made a grand lunch for everyone and invited them to the dining hall.


    After a long time, Charles felt like he had returned to his home in Riverdale City and quietly sat on the guest seat.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte took the bowls individually and started serving dishes like Roasted Beef, Chicken and mushroom pie, oxtail soup, Shepherd''s Pie, and dessert and fruit drinks.


    As they started eating, Hunt suddenly looked at Charles and asked.


    "Charles, can you at least help Father Reynolds from his suffering?"


    "It''s not the right time for him to return there, dear. I know you want to save Father Reynolds, but things will get moreplicated if Charles returns to that city. Moreover, that ce will only bring him bad memories." Charolette objected to Hunt''s request.


    Charles also knew no one was there for him anymore and felt lost.


    ''But should I pay a visit to the old house? I don''t want that ce to be tainted by these scheming bastards any longer.'' He took a deep breath and finally made up his mind.


    "Old man, we are going to the Riverdale City once this mission ends. After settling some scores with the Life Church, we will move to the Ember Kingdom." A cold glint appeared in his eyes. At this moment, only a few people or organizations could stand in his way all over the Edhen world.


    And Life Church wasn''t one of them.


    "Are you sure, Charles? Cardinal Albert has already returned to Riverdale City and seems to be pressuring Archbishop Abel to give up on this ''Stormheart Whisper'' artifact. I suspect he might scheme something if he knew of your return. After all, your property holds much importance to him right now."


    Charles quietly chewed the roasted beef, swallowed it slowly, and spoke.


    "Lady Charlotte, that ce is filled with memories of my mother. All this time, I was so powerless even to do something. But now, I''ve enough strength to protect at least that ce from being tarnished."


    His words made Charolotte fall into silence.


    "And I also want to meet that greedy father and help him a bit," Charles said calmly and continued to eat.


    Once the lunch was over, Charles and Rh bid farewell to the couple and decided to leave.


    Once both walked out of the single-storied house, Rh couldn''t help but look at him with different eyes.


    "You still have some warm side, huh?"


    "You know very well how important that ce to me is, old man," Charles spoke solemnly and soon looked in the direction where the Sun Church was located.


    "Our next destination is to visit the Sun Church and let everyone learn that ''Zepher Silvercrest'' has returned from the Star Tombs Dungeon."


    "Why do you want to inform Zepher''s is still alive? Isn''t it better for him to stay in the Rebirth Tower and increase his strength stealthily?" Rh asked with a frown.


    "No. This world is going to enter the Era of Chaos. And it''s also the time for Heros to be born." A mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    "Rh, I want to experiment on something."


    "What are you nning,d?" Rh asked and soon widened his eyes.


    "Don''t tell me you are thinking of some crazy n again."


    "It''s not a crazy n, old man. While the Thirteen Gods are forbidden from interfering in this world, I want to use this as an opportunity to uproot all the churches from this world using these heroes. Well, I''ll leave Sun Church and Night and Day Church and wipe out the rest."


    "That''s the craziest n I''ve ever heard,d. If you do that, almost all the Gods will descend into this world ande for your head when the era ends."


    "Humph, you think I don''t know that? But I''ve got a n on my own." Charles said as he touched his face and started to shapeshift.


    Even though multiple passersby noticed his shapeshifting, they only showed momentarily surprise and panic and soon returned to usual as if they hadpletely forgotten about it!


    "Haa, shapeshifting in the opened area? You aren''t even afraid of anything now, aren''t you?" Rhined from behind and let out a deep sigh.


    They continued walking on the paved road and took a carriage.


    Before long, the Carriage left El Road, went to the East Borough, and finally arrived at a tall, sturdy stone masonry.


    After paying the carriage fees, Charles and Rh walked out of the Carriage and started walking towards the Church. Soon, the duo walked past the stone gargoyles and decorative walls, entered the Church''s interior, and stepped into the Nave.


    Then, they walked on the smooth aisle without minding the gazes from the dozens of people from both sides and soon arrived before the golden statue of a young elven man.


    "Zephyr?!! You are alive, as Cardinal said! Oh! May the ''Eternal Light'' bless you!" A surprised voice came from the left side, causing Charles to turn around with a smile.


    The owner of that voice was a middle-aged man d in a splendid shimmering golden robe. He had fiery red hair, a square-shaped face, a snub nose, and olive skin.


    "Bishop Orion!" Charles greeted him.


    Then, he graciously raised his right hand, ced it on his chest, and bowed at him while responding.


    "Praise the Sun God, the source of Life and Light." He paused for a moment and soon asked.


    "How are you, Bishop Orion? How is Cardinal Damian doing?"


    Bishop Orion made a deep sigh and shook his head.


    "Although he and Tucker returned safely, the loss this time was still a huge, Mr. Zephyr. Not only that, but we only learned very little information about the firstyer. So, Cardinal Damian returned to the Holy See of Sun under the order of Pontiff and is training in istion."


    "Can we talk in more detail privately?" Charles asked as he noticed many people were looking in their direction.


    "Of course," Bishop Orion hurriedly nodded him and brought Charles and Rh to the chalice where the vestry room was located.


    "Same room?" Charles nced at artifacts and hurriedly sat on the ornate chair. Rh, on the other hand, walked towards a spear made of iron-type metal sealed in a ss box and started looking at it deeply.


    "Umm, who is that, Exhaled One?" Bishop Orion gave him a polite bow and asked in a much respectful tone.


    "Oh, don''t mind him." Charles waved his hand and asked.


    "Did Cardinal Damian leave something for me?"


    Bishop Orion nodded and answered.


    "Unlike others, Cardinal Damian believed that you must be still alive and gave me a ''Genius Rank Darkness Affinity'' potion to give you." Saying so, he touched his space ring, took out a ck vial, and gave it to him.


    As Charles caught the vial, Bishop took out an empty notebook, a quill, and an ink bottle and gave them to him.


    "He also wants you to write important information about the ''Star Tombs'' dungeon."


    "Hmm, I have information up to the fifthyer, but nothing else is free, right?" Although he didn''t know why Sun God Abium hadn''t revealed any information to his believers, he decided to use the information to his advantage.


    "What do you want, Sir Zephyr?" Bishop asked.


    At that moment, Rh''s voice echoed in Charles''s head.


    ''Kid, tell him that you want this spear.''


    A surprised expression appeared on Charles''s face.


    ''You want that spear? Isn''t it only a Common Rank spear?''


    ''Hoho, even your wisdom eye can''t see its true worth, huh? It''s a nature... No, it inherited the will of some powerful ancient being for millions of years and formed into a nature artifact,d. Although I don''t know how it ended up here or even got created, it''s indeed a Nature Artifact weapon. To be precise, this weapon is more like an evolution-intellectual nature artifact.''

 Chapter 697 Strange Spear

    Chapter 697 Strange Spear


    Chapter 697: Strange Spear


    ''Wow!'' Charles was impressed by Rh''s words and hurriedly spoke.


    "That spear is more than enough for us." Charles pointed his finger at the sealed spear in the ss box and asked further.


    "But do you know how it got here?"


    Although Bishop Orion didn''t find anything special about that spear, he sensed that there must be a secret to it.


    ''But I can''t even refuse his request.''


    "You can take that spear, Exhaled One. As for how it got here, multiple rumors say that it was a spear personally used by Sun God during his beginner days and waster given to a warrior named Leon. Yearster, Warrior Leon put this weapon in the auction, iming that it was used by the Sun God once. We also investigated it and confirmed that the Sun God indeed used a spear during thest nar war at the beginning and decided to buy it for 400 Sacred Gold Coins. From that day onwards, we stored this weapon in the Church and almost forgotten about it."


    As Bishop Orion was speaking, Rh touched the ss case and stored it in his spatial ring.


    On the other hand, Charles focused on the empty notebook and started writing important information about eachyer. He also wrote about the guardians, the secret inheritance ce he explored in the firstyer, eachyer''s boss name, their abilities, and so on. He also wrote information about the Hall of Stars and even mentioned the fifthyer''s boss being a Demi-God Rank.


    "This is all the information you guys needed. Also, it''s better to send Mages and normal mystics than fake origin ss mystics."


    "Yes, Exhaled One." Bishop Orion listened to his words and soon got the notebook from him.


    "Then, tell my father that I''ll be going away for a while and return after a year or two," Charles said coldly and turned his gaze towards Rh before asking.


    "My work here is done. What should we do next?"


    "Let''s rest for a while. And I also want to listen to a detailed answer about that Evil Goddess you released and the Titan woman." Rh responded calmly and started walking towards the Room''s exit.


    Charles also followed after him, and soon both left the Sun Church.


    After that, they moved to the Central Borough through a chaise carriage and soon arrived at the front of the Mermaid''s Inn.


    Charles and Rh entered the four-storied building and arrived at the reception desk before booking two rooms.


    After getting the room keys, both moved to the second floor and walked on the long corridor.


    While walking, Rh thought of something and spoke.


    "Charles, I''ll be studying that spear for a while. Meanwhile, you should finish all other work in this city and find me here." "You seem to be so attached to that weapon all of a sudden." Charles narrowed his eyes.


    "Humph, what do you know? As long as I research about it by peeking into the past, I''ll be able to awaken it from its long slumber. Although it may look more like a scrap metal, I have a vague feeling that this weapon will be one of the most powerful weapons in the whole universe." Rh said with a hint of excitement.


    "You do imagine a lot. It may be a powerful weapon like Grace one day, but bing one of the most powerful weapons in the whole universe isn''t even funny. Are you exaggerating too much?" Charles couldn''t help but give him an odd look.


    "You have no idea about the evolution-type weapons,d. Well, you will find out soon enough." Rh spoke as he arrived before a wooden door, inserted the silver key into the keyhole, and unlocked it.


    Before Charles could even say anything, he walked inside and locked it.


    "Haa! Whatever." Charles shook his head and started walking towards the next Room before taking the silver key out of his pocket.


    He quickly entered the Room, locked the door from inside, and went towards therge bed ced at the center of the Room.


    Then, he removed ''Grace'' from his waist and ced her on the bed.


    After that, he sat on the cold floor, took out the ''Genius'' darkness affinity potion vial, and opened it.


    After a slight hesitation, he moved the vial towards his mouth and gulped it in one go.


    A feeling of swallowing dirt water appeared in his mind, causing his face to twist.


    At the same time, a burst of dark essence entered every nook and corner of his body and strengthened the link of darkness with his soul.


    At the same time, his understanding of the ''Shadowstep Dance'' Sword Technique had reached another height.


    Charles remained in the same ce for the next two hours while observing every little change within his body and finally opened his eyes.


    He soon noticed that a bunch of notifications had appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Host''s Darkness Affinity has been increased from ''Extraordinary'' to ''Genius'' Rank]


    [Host''s Mastery over Shadow Stealth skill has been increased!]


    [Intermediate Level Shadow Stealth Skill has been upgraded to ''Advanced Level.'']


    ...


    Charles was about to open his eyes, but suddenly, a giant suction force came out of Grace and pulled his consciousness somewhere.


    A secondter, he found himself standing before a single-storied house with a barn house attached to its side.


    The house was surrounded by nothing but empty grasnd, few trees, a small carriage, and a well.


    Only a few cows and a horse tied inside the barn house, causing him to furrow his eyebrows.


    ''Where am I?''


    He also looked at himself and noticed that he was actually in in clothes and holding a wooden sword in his hand.


    What startled him deeply was that he couldn''t use any of his skills or spells!


    "What kind of strange dream is this-?"


    Before he could mutter, Charles''s attention was swiftly drawn to a wood-hitting noise from behind.


    He slowly turned around and saw a well-trained young man in histe twenties standing before a dummy made of pure iron and hitting it using his wooden sword. He appeared to be around 165 cm tall, with broad shoulders, fair skin, a triangr face, monolid hazel eyes, and long ck hair. He wore a in linen cloth and kept swinging the sword like a madman. But whenever he shed his wooden sword, his sword movement was perfect, fast, and silent, like a shadow.


    ''Hitting a metal with a wooden sword to practice swordsmanship?'' Charles was baffled by this situation.


    But as soon as the wooden sword reached the target, a strange sense of cruelty and savagery reced the previous sword movement.


    As the sword collided with the iron dummy, the wooden sword managed to leave a small scar!


    ''I didn''t even see any sword aura. If he even used the beginner''s sword aura, he could''ve cut the iron dummy like nothing.'' But this young man achieved this with a simple sword swing without any technique or aura!


    ''Wait, isn''t that Grace?'' Only then did Charles see a familiar sword with a hexagonal symbol sheath hanging on his waist and came to a realization.


    ''Is this what Azoth mentioned about linking oneself to the sword? But she also said that it''s more like a nightmare. If I didn''t manage to fulfill the requirement, I might end up getting swallowed by Grace!'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    Charles quickly shook his head, walked closer to the young man, and followed his movement.


    As the young man practiced the same movement for the next two hours while trying to increase the range of the cut, Charles also mimicked his every action and tried the same.


    s, he barely made any improvement.


    On the other hand, the young man went inside the barn house, released the cows into the empty field, and continued to practice.


    Charles continued to observe the man''s swordsmanship until the darkness descended and soon noticed that the young man had tied the cows again and started milking them.


    Once he milked all the cows, he poured them into arge barrel and transported them using the small cart somewhere. Although Charles tried to follow him, he felt some invisible force obstructing him.


    ''Hmm, it looks like Grace is showing this man''s past with her skill and allowing me to learn sword arts from him.'' Charles looked in the direction where the cart went by and slowly turned his gaze towards the iron dummy.


    Then, he raised his wooden sword and tried the young man''s sword movement.


    Although he mimicked the first part directly and moved his sword swiftly and faster, he couldn''t copy the simr ruthlessness and savagery from him.


    In a blink, his sword directly crashed into the dummy and broke into two pieces.


    Strangely, the wooden sword disappeared a momentter and reappeared as good as new in his right hand.


    ''Wow, I now feel at ease.'' Charles took a deep breath and tried the same technique hundreds of times.


    But all those times, he ended up failing miserably, causing him to feel frustrated.


    Three hourster, that young man came back to the single house and continued his training in the darkness for another three hours.


    Then, he went to his sleep and started taking rest.

 Chapter 698 Dream

    Chapter 698 Dream


    Chapter 698: Dream


    On the other hand, Charles stood in the same spot and continued his practice. While practicing, Charles noticed no fatigue, hunger, or sleepiness.


    ''Does that mean I can use all the time to practice?'' A firm look appeared in his mind.


    Hours passed, and soon it became day.


    After releasing the cows and the horse into the field, the young man returned to the training ground and continued his practice.


    Charles also mimicked his action and continued to practice madly.


    Days passed slowly, and soon; it became a week since he came to this unique nightmare ce.


    All this time, he practiced simr swordsmanship every moment and improved his posture to a perfect state. s, his sword improvement was barely shown as his wooden sword broke continuously, causing a strange anger to swell up within his heart.


    ''This is making me frustrated.'' He grumbled angrily and made another swing.


    At that moment, a sudden breakthrough appeared in his training.


    Unlikest time, his weapon didn''t break at all!


    Although he couldn''t see anything around the sword, Charles felt a powerful force in that attack.


    ''Anger is the key?'' But it wasn''t easier to get angry.


    And Charles was always a cautious and cool-headed person.


    ''Well, it''s not like I won''t get angry at all.'' As he muttered inwardly, he suddenly thought of his best friend in the past life and felt a surge of blood entering his head.


    An uncontroble anger appeared in his eyes, causing him to cloud his judgment.


    At the same time, he raised his sword and swung it at the iron dummy.


    A strange invisible power covered the sword''s edges and radiated a pure-blood aura-like energy.


    The next second, Charles''s swing cut the iron dummy into two and left arge crack on the ground, releasing an energy-like sword shockwave.


    At the same time, Charles felt a sense of fatigueness and dizziness and almost stumbled.


    Only then did he realize how he acted strangely and that something was manipting his thoughts.


    ''Is this Grace''s doing?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    ''Damn it, I didn''t expect that even thinking about the past hatred could induce such a mysterious power.'' But thanks to this incident, Charles understood that relying only on anger wouldn''t work at all.


    ''I need to control the power of anger and fuse it with the sword technique.'' An understanding expression appeared on his face.


    After that, he continued to practice with the young man for the next three weeks and even made a ''scratch'' on the Iron dummy.


    But even after achieving the same feat as the young man, Charles couldn''t leave that ce.


    ''Is this some nightmare? But what is the requirement to leave this ce?'' Charles pondered deeply and decided to push further.


    Weeks passed quietly as both practiced the same technique over and over again.


    But unlike the other young man, Charles didn''t even rx a moment and focused on his training day and night.


    Two years passed in a blink.


    In those two years in the nightmare dream, Charles improved his sword technique and cut the iron dummy to the deepest part!


    On the other hand, the muscr man standing beside him only managed to cut around 2 inches deep.


    But Charles discovered during this time that the man standing beside him had no affinity to the sword at all.


    Due to that, his progress had been slowed down a lot.


    Days continued to pass, and another two years went by.


    Finally, Charles managed to control the invisible power caused by his anger entirely and cut the iron dummy into two!


    The next instant, he noticed that the whole surroundings started to break like a broken mirror and crumbling everywhere.


    Charles took onest look at the man and saw a strange aura appear around his wooden sword.


    ''Oh? He finally managed to create his ''Basic Aura." Even though Charles didn''t even know his name, he strangely felt a bond with him.


    A secondter, he opened his eyes in the Mermaid Inn''s booked room and sighed in relief.


    Then, he looked in the direction where ''Grace'' was lying and felt annoyed.


    "You should warn me before doing something like that, Grace," Charles said coldly and stood up.


    On the other hand, Grace slowly rose in the air, suddenly flew towards his neck, and stopped as the sharp edge was about to touch his skin.


    At the same time, a strange blood thirst came from the sword, causing Charles''s lips to twitch.


    "What a bad temper you have." He quietly moved past her, grabbed the sword hilt, and gripped it.


    Then, he calmly raised the sword, enveloped the sword with ''Intermediate'' Sunshine Aura, and made a simr movement.


    Simultaneously, Charles felt a strange sense of power entering his soul from Grace and caused a strange closeness with the sword.


    At the same time, he felt that the sunshine aura became more refined, turned into a shade of orange, and soon became a deep reddish color.


    A secondter, a bunch of notifications appeared before his eyes.


    [Host''s understanding of ''Sword'' has unlocked the ''Sword'' affinity!]


    [Host''s sword affinity has been increased from ''Nil'' to ''Intermediate'' Rank.]


    [Host has unlocked ''Advanced Sword Aura.'']


    [Host''s Shadowstep Dance swordsmanship has been improved from ''Intermediate to ''Advanced'']


    [Host''s Shadostep Dance has been fused with the ''Swordsmanship of Abyssal Insanity sh'' and formed into a unique one.]


    [Please name this new swordsmanship!]


    ...


    ''Naming the swordsmanship?'' Charles furrowed his brows and nodded.


    ''Swordsmanship of Madness.'' A cold smile appeared on his face as he looked at Grace.


    At the same time, he opened the game interface and looked at his status.


    ...


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Cloner


    Main ss: Rank-6 Fire Mage [Legend Rank]


    Sub-ss: Rank-5 Cloner [Pseudo-Legend Rank]


    Physical Body Rank: Saint Knight Level


    Soul: Demi-God (Mutated+1)


    Title: Chaos Maker, Savior, me Demon, Fire Angel.


    Health Points: 1130/1130


    Wisdom Points: 0


    Attributes:


    Strength- 32.0


    Dexterity- 32.0


    Constitution- 32.0


    Wisdom-954


    Charisma- 14


    ss spells:


    Curse of the Overlord (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Chaos Eye (Peak Rank-6 spell, Iplete) [650 Chaos Fire Essence]


    Rebirth Domain (Rank-6 spell, Completed.) [15 Fire Laws]


    Ignis Sanctuary (Rank-6 spell, Iplete) [700 Lawful Fire Essences]


    Purple Word (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Soul Shock (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    False Field (Peak Rank-5 spell, Completed)


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Wonders- 730 (Rank-5)


    Cloning- 626 (Rank-5)


    Eye of the Faceless - 1201 (Rank-6)


    Unique skills:


    Sage''s Eye-Casualty Maniption (Rank 6)


    Shadow Stealth- Advanced (Rank-3)


    Dark Vision- 50 (Rank-1)


    Swordsmanship of Madness- Advanced (Rank-3)


    Sharpshooting- 50 (Rank-1)


    elerate Thoughts- 700 (Rank-5)


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Sword- Intermediate


    Fire: Divine


    Darkness: Genius.


    Time: Low.]


    ...


    ''Wow, I have improved a lot. But it''s still not near enough to reach the Peak Legend Level. And I also need to practice more of my subss skill and rank up to Legend Rank.'' Charles nodded inwardly and checked the time.


    ''From the looks of it, it seems only a few minutes have passed since I entered that strange nightmare dream.'' After some thought, hey on the bed and started napping.


    For the next two days, Charles spent all day either sleeping or practicing his swordsmanship.


    After two days, Charles returned to 42D El Road and met with Hunt and Charlotte around 9. A.M.


    "This is the blood of the Fourth Prince named ''Ricardo Ver Lockwood,'' Charles," Hunt said as he passed him a blood-filled vial. Then, he also took out another vial from his pocket and gave it to him.


    "This one is Cyrus''s blood. He is staying in the Royal Pce and wille out in the afternoon to deliver the Crown Prince''s letter to Duke Eldrakar''s Granddaughter Hallie. That might be the right chance for you to take his position. Once you enter the Pce, please meet up with the Crown Prince to deliver the letter and then return to his chamber. After that, you can disguise yourself as the Fourth Prince and start your n." Hunt''s words made Charles furrow his brows.


    "It seems you aren''t clueless as it seems, Mr. Hunt," Charles said as he understood that Hunt must have already thought of the shapeshifting ability and nodded in understanding.


    "But won''t they find it suspicious if I directly go to the Royal Treasury without informing them beforehand?"


    "Don''t worry about it. Our other spies in the Pce will take care of this matter. In truth, we have already used the Fourth Prince''s name, got a Royal Seal from the Patriarch of Lockwood, and reced it with a fake one." Hunt said reassuringly and took out a golden-colored badge with a bow and arrow symbol inscribed.


    Charles nodded in understanding as he caught the badge and said.


    "It will be easier for me then. Anyway, you guys and other spies should get moving."


    "Umm, most of the spies are already leaving the city, Charles. But the spies in the Royal Pce will remain in the Pce and be sacrifices. I know you want to save everyone, but the mission will be impossible for you if they suddenly leave the Pce. And once you steal the artifact, don''t try to y hero and leave immediately." Charlotte said solemnly.


    ''Oh? She thought I would end up sacrificing myself for the spies?'' The corner of his lips twitched. In truth, he didn''t even care much about the other spies'' lives.


    ''Well, seeing them looking at me in good light is nice.'' Hiding his inner thoughts, he nodded solemnly and spoke.


    "I''ll not do anything reckless, Lady Charlotte."


    Charles carefully examined the vials of blood in his hands.


    "Alright, I''ll move in the afternoon after Cyrus delivers the letter. On the other hand, you guys should leave this city immediately," Charles said, addressing Hunt and Charlotte.


    Hunt nodded. "Don''t worry, we''ll be leaving through the Southern Gate stealthily in an hour. Just focus on getting the artifact and getting out safely."


    "Then, let''s meet at the Riverdale Cityter." Charles bid his farewell to the couple and quietly left El Road.

 Chapter 699 Royal Palace

    Chapter 699 Royal Pce


    Chapter 699: Royal Pce


    Charles spent the morning preparing for the mission. He first went to the Central Borough and bought a luxurious dress only royalty and high-ss nobles wore. Charles then disguised himself using the Shape-shifting ability by absorbing the blood droplet, taking on the appearance of Cyrus. It was a delicate process, ensuring every detail, from the tone of voice to how he walked, matched the real Cyrus, even though he had never seen him upfront. The art of deception was his greatest ally.


    At this moment, he appeared as tall as 175 cm, had a rough face, slightly tanned skin, silvery eyes, straight ck hair, and looked around 35 years old. He wore a ck hooded robe over his formal ck suit and looked shady.


    As the afternoon approached, Charles, now disguised as Cyrus, calmly stood at the Central Borough''s main roadside and looked at the passerby carriages.


    Suddenly, he saw a unique golden-curtained luxurious carriage with the symbol of a bow and arrow g attached on the top.


    ''It''s carriage of the Royal Family.'' He suddenly took a step forward and walked towards the running carriage.


    He also saw the coachman''s outer appearance and instantly realized the coachman''s identity. ''He is Jay.'' A veteran soldier of the past but now became a personal carriage driver for the Crown Prince.


    As the horses approached, they suddenly got frightened by looking at Charles and stopped while raising their front legs, neighing loudly.


    Although Jay tried to control the horses, they kept acting aggressively and even tried to run in panic.


    Thankfully, he was a skilled coachman.


    He pulled the reigns tightly, tapped on their thighs to calm their fear, and slowly parked the carriage on the roadside.


    Then, he recalled the hooded moron who caused this mess and tried to search for him.


    But to his surprise, he was nowhere to be seen!


    "What happened, Jay?" A voice came from the carriage, causing him to turn around in a hurry.


    "It''s nothing serious, Sir Cyrus. It''s just our horses got frightened by looking at a thief. But now, they are all okay." As he spoke, he suddenly saw a hooded man simr to the one who crossed the road to the other side and shouted.


    "There he is, Sir Cyrus!"


    "It''s gettingte, Jay. Forgot about him and drive faster." Jay suddenly heard Cyrus''s annoying voice from inside and almost got flustered.


    ''What happened to Sir Cyrus? Why is he speaking like he is angry at someone?'' He furrowed his brows and soon shook his head.


    "Okay, Sir Cyrus." He hurriedly whipped the horses and drove the carriage towards the ''Royal Pce.''


    Meanwhile, Cyrus, aka Charles, who had reced the original person, leaned on the seat within the enclosed luxurious carriage and revealed a mischievous smile while removing the hooded cloth.


    The carriage rumbled forward, its wheels ttering on the cobbled streets as it approached the Royal Pce. Inside, Charles, disguised as Cyrus, reveled in the sess of his impromptu diversion. He nced out from the confines of the luxurious carriage and saw the bustling streets of Central Borough slowly fading away.


    Charles took a moment to inspect the carriage''s interior. The opulent upholstery and intricate golden decorations spoke of the Royal Family''s wealth and stature.


    Charles''s mind remained calm and steady as the carriage continued its journey toward the Royal Pce. He knew he had to act quickly before the Legendary Powerhouses or the guards discovered the ruse and raised the rm.


    ''From the information Hunt gave me, it''s easier for the current me to get near the ''Royal Treasury'' and even enter inside with the authority as the Fourth Prince. But I need to fool the two pseudo-Legendary guards and be cautious of the Elder, who has be the guardian of the Royal Treasury.'' Charles quietly took out another vial from his space ring, let a drop of blood in his palm, and absorbed it.


    A secondter, the identity imprint of the fourth prince appeared in his mind, along with his current image and characteristics.


    ''The Royal Pce is sorge that it almost covered more than a street. Each prince has a separate mansion-like room and never shows interest in politics or wealth. They always act like pampered boys and rarely even show interest in mysterious and powerful artifacts. If the Fourth Prince directly goes to the Royal Treasury, it will raise suspicion.'' But the earlier ident gave spies the reason to convince even the Elder.


    ''I''ll tell him that I need a defensive artifact to my liking to not end up in an injured situation like before.''


    His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the carriage suddenly stopped even before entering the pce''spound gate. Alert to the change, Charles swiftly stored the vial in his space ring.


    Outside, the carriage door creaked open, and a royal guard peered inside. His eyes fell on Charles, who looked up with a questioning gaze.


    "Why have we stopped?" Charles asked, mimicking the cold tone of the real Cyrus.


    The guard hesitated but replied, "There''s an inspection at the pce gates, Sir Cyrus. It won''t take long."


    Charles concealed his expression and nodded. "Make it quick, then. I have urgent matters to attend to."


    The guards checked inside the carriage and soon looked at the sword in his waist.


    ''Hmm? Wasn''t Sir Cyrus used a spear as his main weapon? I heard he has been learning swordsmanship from the Crown Prince himself recently. Hmm, he must have brought a new weapon.'' The guard didn''t put too much thought into it, nodded, and closed the carriage door, signaling for the coachman, Jay, to resume the journey.


    As the carriage continued toward the pce gates and entered the beautiful front yard filled with flowers and ornamental trees, Charles quietly opened the curtain. He looked outside at the gigantic pce building, which looked more like it was made of gold.


    The sunlight glinted off the golden spires and intricate carvings of the Royal Pce, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.


    The carriage approached the pce gates, where guards in resplendent armor stood vignt. Another inspection went through. But nothing happened as Charles kept his face calm.


    After a small check, the guards, satisfied with their inspection, allowed the carriage to proceed.


    But Charles knew the most challenging part of his missiony ahead¡ªthebyrinthine corridors leading to the Crown Prince''s study and the Royal Treasury.


    He chose Cyrus as the target not only because of his position within the royal family but also because the Crown Prince''s room was close to the royal treasury.


    The carriage rolled through the grand courtyard, adorned with fountains and sculptures, drawing closer to the heart of the pce. Charles couldn''t help but marvel at the grandeur, even as he calcted each step precisely.


    Upon reaching a majestic entrance, the carriage slowed to a stop. Charles prepared to disembark. The guard at the entrance approached with an air of deference.


    "Sir Cyrus, His Highness is currently in the study. He awaits your presence," the guard informed, bowing respectfully.


    Charles acknowledged the information with a nod and responded. "I shall be there shortly."


    As the carriage door closed, Charles slipped out with a sealed letter with a golden seal on top, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He found himself in avishly decorated corridor adorned with tapestries depicting historical events and portraits of esteemed ancestors. The air was tinged with the scent of incense, adding an air of solemnity to the atmosphere.


    He deliberately navigated the corridors, avoiding direct eye contact with passing servants and guards.


    Before long, he arrived before a tall door made of ancient wood, raised his hand, and knocked on it twice.


    The door swung open, revealing the Crown Prince''s study


    ¡ªa room adorned with rich tapestries, rare artifacts, and shelves filled with ancient scrolls and books. The Crown Prince, seated behind an intricately carved desk, looked up as Charles entered. He appeared to be around 30 years old with a big mustache,bed ck hair, and unique white eyes.


    He was the Crown Prince of Sacred Empire, Jason Ver Lockwood!


    ''Is he a Seer?'' A strange peering sensation appeared in his heart.


    But he soon realized that the person before him was a Rank-2 Mystic.


    With a simple scan, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    ''He is a Rank-2 [Instructor] and a Rank-2 [Sword Dancer]. But interestingly, he indeed has the Rank-2 [Disguiser] ss''s skill called ''Prevision.'''' But prevision would only allow him to see up to 0.5 seconds into the future.


    It could greatly help him during battle, but not in the current situation.


    "Sir Cyrus, you''re here sooner than expected," the Crown Prince remarked, setting aside his quill.


    Charles inclined his head respectfully. "Your Highness, I did not wish to dy." Saying so, he ced the sealed letter on the table and bowed his head politely.


    "Oh? Did Hallie give a reply, too? So, how is she doing? Is there anything troubling her?" The Crown Prince smiled as he picked up the letter and quickly opened the seal.


    ''As I thought, he is truly in love with her, huh? Although I read in the report that both exchange letters multiple times weekly, no one knew this secret other than a few close aides of the Crown Prince.'' Charles concealed his facial expression and responded.


    "She asked a lot about you, Your Highness. Also, she asked you to talk with her father about your love rtionship."


    "How should I casually talk about these things with the Duke?" Crown Prince Jason showed a troubled look and soon dismissed Charles.


    "You can go back and do your work, Cyrus. I need to be alone for a while."


    "Yes, Your Highness." Charles nodded solemnly, bowed his head again, and hurriedly left the study.


    ...

 Chapter 700 Infiltration

    Chapter 700 Infiltration


    Chapter 700: Infiltration


    After leaving the Prince''s study room, Charles turned towards the left, looked at the long corridor, and soon saw two guards standing at the end.


    Giving them a swift look, Charles turned around and walked in the opposite direction.


    After walking for a while, he walked across a few rooms, came to an open garden within the pce, and finally reached the Crown Prince''s resting chamber on the other side.


    Unlike other ces, only a few people coulde here, like the headmaid, Cyrus, and other royal family members.


    So, Charles didn''t see anyone nearby and directly entered the room, unlocking it.


    After that, he used the shapeshifting skill and transformed into the fourth prince.


    After a brief interval, a young man of approximately 20 years emerged from the chambers of the Crown Prince. Casually, he surveyed the garden surroundings with aposed demeanor. Standing at a height of about 180 cm, he possessed a slender physique, fairplexion, an oval face, striking blue eyes, and neatly groomed short ck hair.


    Although he looked healthy, his left hand was bent slightly and bulging, indicating that it hadn''t healed from the injury yet.


    But to not show any sign of injury, he wore a formal dress.


    At that moment, Prince Ricardo, aka Charles, adorned in a regal velvet ensemble, wore a deep burgundy velvet frock coat with intricate gold embroidery along thepels and cuffs. The coat featured tails that gracefully swept the floor. Beneath the coat, he donned a crisp white waistcoat with delicate floral patterns, and his trousers matched the deep richness of the coat. Completing the ensemble were polished leather boots and a cravat made from the finest silk, adding a touch of refinement to the overall attire.


    The only thing that looked old-fashioned was the sword on his waist and the pendant and amulet around his neck.


    Thankfully, it wasmon for people like Royalty to hold artifacts always, and they didn''t stand out much.


    After adjusting his dress, Charles entered the opposite corridor and walked toward the Royal Treasury.


    Like before, Charles quietly walked past multiple rooms, even went past the Crown Prince''s study, and soon arrived closer to the two silver-armored guards with golden spears in their hands.


    "Your Highness!!" As soon as they saw him walking closer, they instantly knelt on the floor and greeted him with a bow.


    "I want to enter the Royal Treasury," Charles said while showing a grave look.


    Guards nced at each other and looked at his injured left hand while standing up.


    "Elder Finley said you will arrive only in the evening, Your Highness." One of the guards said with a hesitant look.


    "Hmm? Is there a problem? Well, I thought ofing here after some time. But I don''t want to dy any longer." Charles said while touching his left hand.


    "There is no problem, Your Highness. You can enter the Royal Treasury. Meanwhile, I''ll go and inform the Elder." The other guard said apologetically and hurriedly moved forward.


    On the other hand, the other guard took out arge metal box from his space ring and presented it to him.


    "Please put your weapon and other equipment inside this box before entering the Royal Treasury, Your Highness."


    Charles quietly nodded his head and talked to Grace telepathically.


    ''Stay in the box for a while. I''ll be back.'' Saying so, he opened the box and put his sword, spatial ring, pendant, Ringet, and all other artifacts into it.


    After closing the metal box, Charles walked towards the gigantic metal door inscribed in countless rune characters and array symbols and activated the [Mystic Algorithm] skill.


    A secondter, he saw aplicated magic structure engraved on the door, filled with fifty-two array circles inside.


    ''Although I do not know much about Rune Arrays, I can tell that even my skill will take more than an hour to analyze itpletely.'' Unfortunately, he doesn''t even have any time.


    As Charles''s eyes started decoding them, he calmly walked closer to the door, raised his hand, and ced it on it.


    Simultaneously, he stealthily took a blood vial from his space ring, opened it using an invisible string, and even made the bottle appear invisible.


    The next instant, one of the fifty-two arrays suddenly activated, sent a needle-like energy towards his thumb finger and made a slight wound.


    As blood droplets came out of his finger, a strange force appeared out of nowhere and tried to pull the blood droplet towards the door.


    But Charles easily released his wisdom power and stopped the blood from moving. At the same time, he moved the invisible vial towards the blood droplet, tilted it a bit, and allowed a drop of real Prince Ricardo to fall.


    Instead of dropping on the floor, the blood droplet hovered in the air for a moment, moved closer to the metallic door, and soon got sucked into the particr magic array circle.


    The next instant, all the nearby arrays activated one by one and made a creaking noise.


    Slowly, the gigantic metallic door opened on its own and revealed a chamber filled with hundreds of weapons, shields, ornaments like rings, pendants, bracelets, etc, and even strange crystals. Each item was sealed in ss cubes separately, and the whole floor was inscribed in countless rune array circles.


    "You have one hour to pick up your desired artifact, Your Highness. If you don''te out of the Treasury, Elder Finley will open the door and walk in." As Charles stepped into the chamber, the guard said loudly from behind.


    Soon, the Pce Treasury door shut independently,pletely isting Charles from the outside world.


    ''So, it''s a separate dimension, huh?'' Charles gazed at the countless rune circles inscribed everywhere and quietly took out the royal seal before looking at the artifacts individually.


    Although most were around Extraordinary Rank ones, Charles soon found some artifacts with consciousness hidden within them. Each of them had artifact name and appeared well secured.


    ''Seventeen are pseudo-intellectual artifacts with barely enough consciousness, and five are real Intellectual artifacts.'' But what surprised Charles was that the Churches ssified the pseudo-intellectual Artifacts as Series-A Artifacts and the other intellectual artifacts as Series-S. ''I also see a Pseudo-Intellectual artifact being a Series-S Artifact. Why is that?'' It was a strange eye-like orb with mysterious symbols around it.


    ''Maybe the Churches didn''t ssify the artifacts based on their strength but the danger they pose?''


    ''I can feel some of them already know my existence.'' If not for the sealed sses, they might have tried different spells on Charles and tried to control him already. But Charles''s goal wasn''t one of them.


    He walked past many artifacts like swords, spears, shields, rings, crowns, etc, and soon arrived at the other end of the treasury.


    His gaze soon shifted towards a strange gigantic ss cube next to the wall.


    Inside the cube was gigantic ring enough to fit his whole body. It was a golden ring with countless strange dark patterns engraved everywhere, looking like some spider web.


    As Charles walked closer, the consciousness hidden within the Ring woke up and released a strange wave of mysterious energy, trying to stop him from getting closer.


    ''I know this will happen.'' Charles chuckled and released his wisdom power to protect himself.


    Before long, he arrived before the ss cube, took out the royal seal, and ced it on the ss.


    A secondter, multiple array circles inscribed all over the ss cube activated and started scanning the royal seal.


    A few secondster, aclicking noise came from the cube, and soon the cube''s topyer started to disappear, allowing Charles to take a clear look.


    A strange suction force came out of nowhere and tried to pull his consciousness somewhere.


    Charles focused his mind and resisted the pulling force, maintaining control over his consciousness. Cube''s topyer continued to dissipate, revealing the mysterious golden ring within. The dark patterns on the ring seemed to writhe and pulse with an otherworldly energy.


    As Charles observed the ring, he sensed its powerful ancient presence. The consciousness hidden within the artifact appeared powerful and gave him an eerie sense of anxiety. It felt like a dormant intelligence waiting for the right moment to attack.


    "Interesting," Charles murmured, his eyes fixed on the enigmatic ring. He carefully extended his hand towards it, and as his fingers touched the surface of the ss, he could feel a subtle vibration in the air.


    The moment his hand made contact with the ss, the ancient consciousness within the ring surged, reacting to his presence. The dark patterns on the golden ring began to glow, emitting an ethereal light that illuminated the chamber. A voice echoed in Charles''s mind, resonating with a powerful aura.


    "Who dares to awaken the Titan''s Circlet, Epialos?" The voice seemed to reverberate through Charles''s very soul, causing him almost to stumble.


    Remainingposed, Charles activated the ''Past Touch'' spell.


    A heartbeatter, he noticed that the surroundings started to change, and soon he found himself standing before a giant human with a pulsating third eye.


    The giant human was around 15 meters tall, wore powerful metallic armor, muscr body, ebony skin, and had strange jaw-like sharp teeth. He also held a gigantic silvery battle axe in his right hand, wore a helm to cover his head, and gauntlets, and looked warily at the dark cloudy sky.


    Suddenly, a powerful sun-like light passed through the clouds, descended from the sky, and crashed a few meters before the three-eyed Titan.


    As the golden light started to dim, Charles managed to see a silhouette of another gigantic human with the size of around 12 meters tall. But unlike the three-eyed titan, this titan''s skin appeared much fairer, it had a strange golden horn on its forehead, and held a long broadsword.


    "Astrape! ******* ******* *******!" A powerful, strange voice came from the gigantic human, who appeared to be the descendant of the sun itself.

 Chapter 701 Titans Circlet

    Chapter 701 Titan''s Circlet


    Chapter 701: Titan''s Circlet


    Charles only managed to recall the first word, as the remaining ones appeared strange and hard to pronounce.


    As the three-eyed titan was about to respond, it suddenly sensed a gaze from behind and turned around.


    At the same time, the Sun Titan also shifted its gaze and directly looked in the direction where Charles was standing.


    A momentter, Charles felt his whole body get electrocuted by lightning and felt the whole surroundings start to shatter.


    Not only that, but he felt an unbearable burning sensation in his mind and almost shouted in shock.


    The next instant, Charles opened his eyes in reality and felt a sense of dizziness.


    ''What the hell was that? Those two titans managed to see me looking at them?'' But it wasn''t Charles''s first encounter with such a situation, so he calmed down quickly.


    Only then did he notice Epialos trying to pull his consciousness somewhere.


    "Astrape," Charles said a single word with the same pronunciation as the Sun Titan, causing Epialos to stop its action abruptly.


    "Where did you hear that word? Who are you?" A powerful, bloodthirsty aura came from the ring, as Epialos asked.


    A smile crept on Charles''s face.


    At the same time, he cast the ''Inspect'' skill on the artifact and stared at its abilities.


    [Artifact Name: Titan''s Circlet, Epialos


    Title: Stormheart Whisper


    Rank: Intellectual Artifact


    Nickname: S-13 (Astrape''s Ring)


    Definition:


    It was one of the seven intellectual artifacts created by an Elder Dwarf to give his only friend Astrape, and has been infused with the power of Life, Wind, and Lightning in the beginning. But, due to the sudden death of Elder Dwarf, Elder Dwarf''s only disciple took the job ofpleting the artifact and even tried to steal it for himself. But this action gave birth to the seed of wickedness within the newly born intellectual artifact, forming a new ability trait.


    (Set Intellectual Artifact 1/7)


    Rumors say that gathering and fusing all seven artifacts will give birth to a powerful ******* artifact.


    Restriction:


    This artifact will only ept a Titan or a bloodline descendant of a Titan as its owner and even has the stubborn trait of the Elder Dwarf.


    Abilities:


    1. Extraordinary Vitality (Lifeforce Resonance):


    Stormheart Whisper possesses a unique ability to channel and infuse its possessor with extraordinary vitality. This vitality enhances physical and mental resilience and can permanently extend the bearer''s lifespan for around 100 years. It taps into the elemental essence of life itself, allowing the wielder to swiftly recover from any injuries or curses and maintain a peak state of well-being. (Cooldown: 1/Year.)


    2. Thunderbolt Fury:


    S-13 wields a fearsome attack ability known as "Thunderbolt Fury." This lightning-infused power allows the possessor to unleash devastating electrical strikes upon their foes. The lightning element not only delivers powerful and precise attacks but also has the potential to paralyze or disrupt the energy systems of adversaries.


    3. Zephyr Dance:


    Stormheart Whisper allows the wielder to control and manipte the winds with finesse. "Zephyr Dance" enables the possessor to move swiftly and gracefully, even amid battle. This wind maniption can be used defensively to deflect attacks or offensively to create razor-sharp wind des that cut through obstacles and enemies.


    4. Tempest''s Embrace:


    The artifact provides a powerful defensive ability known as "Tempest''s Embrace." This ability creates a protective shield of swirling winds and charged particles, forming an imprable barrier against physical and magical attacks. The shield adapts to the intensity of the threat, offering a versatile defense mechanism.


    5. Whispers of Malevolence:


    Stormheart Whisper harbors a dark and mysterious power known as "Whispers of Malevolence." It allows the possessor to manipte the masses during his speech and invoke a sense of absolute loyalty or hatred within the people''s minds. This power can be used strategically duringrge-scale wars, disrupt the opponent''s focus, and create an aura of wickedness that weakens their resolve.]


    ...


    ''Whispers of Malevolence... This ability is almost like the ''Sacred Oath'' spell. And although this artifact looks powerful on its own, I don''t think it will stay in my hand even if I force it to.''


    "If you want to know the answer, follow me quietly. As long as you fulfill a promise of mine, I''ll let you go on your own and search for choosing your new owner." Charles said coldly.


    "Kekeke, interesting. You are not the descendant of this trashy Lockwood family but a human with the power to see through things, huh? Humph, even if you didn''te here to release me, my new owner will be here in a decade or two and take me in." Epialos said calmly and started to shrink on its own to the size of a normal ring before hovering before him.


    "Well, I''ll help you once anyway. I have a strange feeling that you will meet my new master shortly." Epialos said in a mysterious tone, causing him to furrow his brows.


    Then, Charles casually extended his hand, caught the ring, and turned around.


    At that time, Epialos suddenly made a sniffing noise and muttered.


    "Strange... Why do I smell the scent of my owner''s enemy''s blood on you? Hmm, did you encounter any Sun Titan in the past?" The artifact''s words caused Charles to widen his eyes.


    "You can tell just by sniffing?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "Well, we share some strange bonding. Anyway, let''s get out before those filthy fake believerse after us." Epialos said in an irritated tone.


    Charles shook his head and started walking towards the Royal Treasury entrance door. Although he could take more artifacts with him, that would expose his real identity.


    It''s not a big deal to kill three Legend Rank Powerhouses. But I don''t know what other restrictive arrays are ced all over the Royal Pce. I shouldn''t be too greedy.'' He muttered inwardly and continued to walk.


    A few secondster, he arrived before the tall door and soon heard a creaking noise.


    The heavy door swung open slowly, revealing a dimly lit corridor before his eyes.


    Charles also saw the guard staring at him wide-eyed and calmly stepped out.


    "You came back, Your Highness? It hasn''t been even two minutes passed, though." He asked with a dubious look.


    "Unlike others, I don''t usually take time to decide." Saying so, Charles showed the golden ring to the guard and added.


    "I picked up a powerful artifact with a defensive spell engraved inside. Tell Elder Finley I''ll stay in my room and familiarize myself with this artifact."


    As Charles spoke, he walked towards the metallic box, opened it with both hands, and started equipping his other artifacts.


    "But it''s better for you to report it to Elder Finley before you go, Your Highness. Antony will bring Elder here quickly if you wait a few minutes." The guard tried to stop him, but Charles waved his hand and started walking in the opposite direction while saying.


    "It''s not a big deal. Tell him I''lle on my own and report it back."


    Although the guard wanted to stop him, he couldn''t due to his lowly status.


    Meanwhile, Charles quietly returned to the Crown Prince''s chamber while walking past many people and changed himself back to Cyrus.


    Then, he hurriedly left the Crown Prince''s chamber, walked on thebyrinth corridor, and soon reached the pce entrance gate.


    Thankfully, Jay hadn''t left the ce and was in the middle of talking with Royal guards.


    Upon noticing his arrival, he hurriedly ran towards him and bowed before inquiring.


    "Sir Cyrus, why did youe back?"


    Charles kept his face stern and spoke with a thoughtful look.


    "His Royal Highness wants to send a banquet invitation letter to Duke Eldrakar. Let''s go, Jay."


    Although Jay didn''t understand why the Crown Prince was suddenly inviting Duke Eldrakar to a banquet, he didn''t dare to ask and hurriedly nodded.


    The Royal Guards also overheard the conversation and started discussing it among themselves. Although they didn''t know the rtionship between the Crown Prince and Hallie, they had already guessed something was happening between the Crown Prince and the Duke''s Household.


    Unbothered by their curious looks, Charles hurriedly walked towards the golden curtained carriage and entered inside.


    On the other hand, Jay went to the driver''s seat and started driving the carriage towards the outer courtyard. After a simple checkup, the carriage moved out of the courtyard and quietly left the Royal Pce.


    Before long, the carriage entered the main road and quietly moved through the Central Borough.


    But all of a sudden, Jay suddenly noticed the eerie silence within the carriage and stopped the horses.


    "Sir Cyrus? Are you there?" He asked as he slowly parked the carriage on the roadside.


    But no reply came from inside, causing him to furrow.


    He instantly jumped down from the driver''s seat, walked towards the carriage door, and knocked on it twice.


    "Sir Cyrus? Are you alright?" He asked in anxiety and soon opened it.


    The next instant, he couldn''t help but get startled as he noticed that Cyrus was nowhere to be seen!


    "Strange... Where did he go?" Without knowing what to do next, Jay stood on the road momentarily and decided to return to the Royal Pce.


    "Should I inform the Royal Guards and let them handle this matter? Could it be that the Crown Prince sent a secret order to him? It''s possible."


    Jay thought to himself and fell into a dilemma.

 Chapter 702 Riverdale City

    Chapter 702 Riverdale City


    Chapter 702: Riverdale City


    After stealing the Titan''s Circlet, Charles returned to Mermaid''s Inn and soon arrived before a wooden door on the second floor.


    Then, he calmly raised his hand and knocked on it thrice.


    "Old man, I''m back already. Open the door." He said.


    "Wait a second,d." Rh''s voice came from the other side, and soon the door opened with a creaking noise.


    "You finished your job already?" Rh asked as he opened the door.


    Instead of responding, Charles opened his palm and showed the golden ring to him while entering inside.


    "Oh? A powerful intellectual artifact indeed." Just as he spoke, he seemed to have looked into the artifact''s past itself and asked.


    "So you are the creation of Elder Dwarf Hjuldar? But why do you possess a wicked essence?"


    "You know Master Hjuldar?!" A shocked voice came from the golden ring.


    "Anyone who entered Elder ne would never forget this legendary name. Even though he died more than a hundred millenniums ago, he is one of the top Rank Runesmiths and could be considered as Master of Creation. And his creations are even circling around that higher ne and giving a hard time even for the Gods. Although his achievements can''t bepared to Lord Shepherd, he is still a respected Runesmith among all Ancient Mages." Rh said in a solemn tone.


    "You guys familiarise each other after we leave this City. Before the Royal Family notices that one of their precious artifacts has been stolen, we should get out of here." Charles said as he walked towards the center of the room and saw the iron spear was quietly hovering in the air. He also saw many rune characters hovering all over the spear and appeared to be coiling around it.


    "So, how is your research going, old man? Do you still think this piece of metal is working spending your time on?" Charles asked, even though he knew this artifact might be something unique on its own.


    "Humph, it''s not an easy matter to study an evolution-type artifact. I need more than a decade to find out at least how it works and evolves. Only then can I think of a method to rank it up little by little." Rh said as he walked back, arrived closer to the iron spear, and quietly stored it in his space ring.


    "Let us depart at this moment," Rh suggested. Then, he initiated his stride towards the wooden entrance door, prompting Charles to follow closely behind. The duo swiftly exited the room, making their way back to the ground floor. There, at the reception, they returned their keys before bidding farewell to the Mermaid''s Inn.


    Their journey continued as they secured a four-wheeled carriage, navigating through the bustling streets of the Central Borough. Before long, the carriage arrived at the Southern Gate, marking a transition in their venture.


    As they disembarked from the carriage at the Southern Gate, Charles and Rh found themselves amidst a group of merchants who were also leaving the Holy City. With a shared purpose, the pair joined this eclecticpany, journeying westward along a dusty trail.


    Upon distancing themselves from the Holy City and parting ways with the merchants, Charles and Rh ascended into the sky. Thendscape unfolded beneath them as they soared into the horizon and started flying in the direction where the Arc Kingdom was located.


    "How far is the Iron Kingdom from here?" Charles asked as he manipted his wisdom power and started flying in the air.


    "It should be around 34,000 km. But if we fly 10 seconds per kilometer, we can reach at the end of the fourth day. It took me around five days to reach the Sacred Empire from the Iron Kingdom."


    "But we don''t have to waste that much time, right?" Charles asked as he stopped flying.


    "Oh, I forgot you can use that invisible me to teleport." Rh also halted his flying and looked at his back.


    "Yes," Charles nodded while releasing his wisdom power in all directions and covering more than a 100 km radius.


    Then, he manipted the ''False me'' and created a me Portal before jumping into it.


    "I need to check into this false me when I''ve enough free time," Rh muttered as he also stepped into the me portal and soon disappeared from there.


    A secondter, the portal slowly shrunk into the size of a small pebble andpletely disappeared.


    Following that, they continued this procedure, passed through the Blood Empire, more than a dozen small kingdoms, and finally reached the Iron Kingdom. But instead of returning to Rebirth Tower, both again teleported from there, passed through the Moon Kingdom, and finally arrived at the outskirts of Riverdale City.


    Bothnded on the outskirts of Riverdale City and started walking in the direction of the entrance gate.


    "This brings back memories," Charles said as he gazed at the seven-meter-tall fortress-like stone wall encircling the City.


    "So, what are you nning to do?" Rh asked.


    "Let''s go to the Life Church and visit Bishop Reynolds first," Charles spoke and fastened his footsteps towards the entrance. Although they didn''t have any Arc Coins, they managed to enter the City by paying two Iron Gold coins and noticed many things had changed.


    The first thing that caught Charles''s attention was the gloominess that loomed over every citizen''s face. What startled him deeply was that he saw many beggars as they walked into the City.


    The second thing that caught his attention was the number of mystics in the City increased. Not only that, but he saw more than a dozen Rank-3 Mystics roaming here and there in the streets.


    ''The security in the City seems tighter. Pdins, Bishop Rank members, and even other ss mystics are appearing everywhere.''


    He also overheard about the strict taxws implemented by the newly crowned King. After asking Gensis to look into the Wisdom Link, he managed to get a gist of the current situation.


    The First Law was the wealth Tax on Noble Estates. In a bid to consolidate power and further subjugate the noble ss, the King of Arc Kingdom named Arion Stormarc imposed a wealth tax on their extensive estates, houses, andnds. Nobles were required to annually contribute sixty percent of their umted wealth, includingnds, precious metals, and valuable artifacts. Failure toply resulted in severe penalties, confiscation of assets, and potential exile. This measure ensured that the King maintained a firm grip on the economic resources, suppressing any possible opposition from the influential nobility. Due to this, the Nobles had no choice but to squeeze out themoners'' money from their pockets firmly.


    Second was the Labor Tax on Peasants. Exploiting thebor force to bolster the royal treasury, the King instituted a harshbor tax on the peasant poption. Peasants were mandated to devote a significant portion of their time and effort to state-directed projects, such as constructing grand monuments, fortifications, or infrastructure. Failure to meet the imposedbor quotas resulted in heavy fines, forced conscription into the royal army, or even envement.


    The finalw was the Artifact Tithe on Mystics: Seeking to harness the power of mystics and curb potential opposition from those with arcane abilities, the tyrannical King enforced a stringent artifact tithe. All wizards, sorcerers, Mystics, and even influential organization members were required to surrender a portion of their enchanted artifacts, spellbooks, and mystical relics to the royal treasury. Failure toply led to imprisonment, confiscation of magical assets, or even execution. The only exception was the members of the Lawful Churches.


    ''And Count Vossenburg, the current ruler of this City, is one of the closest allies of the current tyrannical King and also became the owner of the Riverdale City after the civil war. Currently, he controls three major cities like Riverdale City in the Eastern Arc Kingdom and possesses wealth and power equal to that of Marques.''


    While gathering information, the duo traveled through the main road, walked across many streets, and finally arrived at Ivy Street, where a dome-shaped building with four white pirs on each corner was located. Two silver-armored guards stood at the entrance and were holding spears in their hands.


    As Charles and Rh walked closer to the building, they didn''t stop them from entering and even greeted them with a bow.


    "Hmm, do you n on interfering with the Arc Kingdom''s current situation?"


    As Charles and Rh entered through the nave, Rh looked at therge number of people gathered inside and asked.


    "I have no interest in mortal''s business now. But I n on settling here for a few years." Charles said as he walked on the aisle of the main chamber and soon arrived before an elevated stage at the front.


    "You want to stay here? Not in the Rebirth Tower?" Rh couldn''t understand his motive and asked in puzzlement.


    "This ce holds much importance to me, old man. I don''t care about the people or the ruler, but I want to stay in my house for the next few years and then leave this world permanently. Will youe along?" Charles''s words made Rh halt his footsteps.


    "You want to leave this world? But where do you n on going?" Rh inquired.


    Charles went silent for a moment as his gazended on the familiar white statue made of unique rock.


    The woman in the statue wore a flowing blouseplemented by a long tulip skirt and elegant footwear. She had big blue eyes and long curly hair, and she wore a gentle smile.


    If he were in the past, he would''ve pped his hands together and prayed to the Goddess Nira out of reverence and sacredness.


    But he felt nothing now.


    After a short silence, Charles finally spoke.


    "I n on visiting a world called ''Garden of the Undead.''"

 Chapter 703 Reynolds

    Chapter 703 Reynolds


    Chapter 703: Reynolds


    A voice came from the left side before Rh could ask more about it, causing them to turn around.


    "May the Blessing of Eternal Life be with you!"


    At that moment, a white-robed young man in his thirties walked towards them while holding a book and inquired.


    "You don''t seem like a believer of Life, Sirs. Can you tell me the purpose of your visit?"


    ''This guy must be a newly appointed bishop.''


    Charles stealthily cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell as he observed the young man and asked him directly.


    "Do you know Bishop Reynolds? I came here to look for him. I heard that he had been sick for a long time due to a curse and came here to check if I could be of any help."


    "Bishop Reynolds? Oh, you mean that sick old man? Well, he is still alive and has been under the surveince. But don''t call him Bishop anymore. After getting involved with some demon, the Higher-ups had long stripped him of his title and put him as an assistant to Head Deacon David. If you want to meet that man, you can go to the secret house at 45 El Street." A trace of annoyance appeared on the young man''s face as he said those words.


    "45 El Street?" Charles sharpened his gaze at the young man and asked further.


    "Is Cardinal Benedictus also there?"


    Although the young Bishop was puzzled by his question, he didn''t put too much thought into it and answered truthfully.


    "Of course not. Cardinal always stays in the newly built base outside the City and rarelyes out. Although he was cursed by a powerful being when he entered the Star Tombs Dungeon, he seems to have already found a clue to cure that curse. If I''m not wrong, he also brought some of his friends from the headquarters a while back and is conducting an important experiment. I advise you to not go near that ce, sirs."


    ''Second base outside the City? Did they also turn our vi into a secret base?''


    Charles couldn''t help but want to go right away and strangle everyone''s neck.


    "Then, we will be taking our leave." He didn''t want to stay in the Life Church any longer, turned around, and started walking towards the exit.


    As the duo walked out of the Life Church, they moved to the main road, entered El Street after a few minutes of walking, and soon arrived before a familiar two-storied building surrounded by a sturdy concrete wall.


    As Charles observed the house, he noticed no alterations had been made, and it looked as good as before.


    But as he further observed, he noticed six people staying inside the house.


    ''One stays in the kitchen, three in the second floor''s bedroom, and the rest two stay in the living hall. Hmm, I also see some kind of ritual circle engraved in my bedroom. No, it looks like some kind of spatial array.''


    "Heh, they made a ''Dream nar Array'' in that small room, huh? They have been exploring the Dream World using the link fake Eddie created. Let''s go." Rh spoke from behind as he observed the house.


    Nodding, Charles quietly walked closer to thepound gate, opened it, and entered the small yard in the front.


    Before long, he arrived at the wooden entrance door and knocked on it twice.


    A silence followed for the next few minutes, and soon, the door opened with a loud noise.


    A white-robed man in histe thirties opened the door from the other side and gave them a puzzled look. He had a pale face, blue eyes, and a stern look. He was the high priest of Life Church and was assigned here as an assistant to Head Deacon David.


    "You are?" He asked with a frown. Even though Charles was a legendary powerhouse, he hid his strength pretty well and looked more like a mortal. So, the high priest didn''t consider him a threat and only gave him a cold look.


    "I''m Charles Nightwind, the owner of this house," Charles responded.


    "Your house?" A ridiculous smile appeared on the high priest''s face.


    "Do you know where you are, young man? This is the property of Life Church and has been named under Cardinal Benedictus. I think you came to the wrong address." The high priest said coldly and was about to shut the door but suddenly froze.


    No, he forgot what to say next and stood in a daze.


    "I don''t want to stain the floor in blood again." Charles calmly pushed him to the side and stepped inside the house.


    On the other hand, Rh released his wisdom power and instantly knocked the high priest unconscious.


    Then, both stepped into the house and soon entered the living room. At that moment, shezily sat on a wooden chair and was in the middle of talking to someone in the kitchen.


    She appeared to be around 20 years old and had flowing blonde hair, a beautiful heart-shaped face, and crimson eyes.


    "Even after almost bing blind, you still haven''t given up on that weird habit, aren''t you? You are getting more and more addicted to that drug, old man."


    "Humph, what do you know? All these years, I''ve been using these leaves as a catalyst to enter our Goddess''s sanctuary and get blessings. You are just jealous that you can''t enter the sanctuary like me." An old man''s voice came from the kitchen.


    "That''s called delusion, old man. You think those cannabis leaves are doing any good for you-" As the youngdy was about to refute, she suddenly saw two people entering the living room.


    Upon noticing their arrival, she instantly stood up from the wooden chair and unsheathed her sword.


    "Who are you guys?" She asked in a threatening manner and enveloped her sword in a crimson red aura.


    But before she could step forward, she noticed that some invisible power stopped her from moving.


    "A Rank-3 [Blood Swordsman] and also a Rank-4 [Inquisitor], huh? But thanks to the loss of divine power, your power has been regressed to Rank-3." Charles calmly walked into the living hall as he manipted the invisible strings to control her every movement and looked around.


    "Hmm, you guys not only removed our favorite sofas but even my mom''s favorite portraits?"


    As Charles spoke, the silver-armoreddy realized that the enemies were far stronger than her and instantly shouted.


    "HELP!"


    The first one to reach the living room was none other than the grey-haired, wrinkled old man from the kitchen. He was around 80 to 90, with a weak physique, deep-set amber eyes, a square face, and a hawk nose. He wore round sses and even held a rolled dried leaves in his hand. Even though he lookedpletely unrecognizable and appeared more like a drunkard, Charles instantly guessed who it was.


    He was none other than Bishop Reynolds!


    He staggered out of the kitchen while holding a wooden walking stick and soon looked in their direction.


    "Mary?" He blinked his eyes multiple times while adjusting his ss and tried to walk but almost stumbled.


    "Are you alright?" Although he managed to see three vague silhouettes, he couldn''t pinpoint who they were and shouted.


    "Lord David? Some guests havee to visit us. Pleasee down." He shouted to warn others and stuffed the rolled dried leaves into his mouth.


    Slowly, his vision became more precise, giving him some sense to stand up steadily.


    At the same time, three more people also came from the second floor through the spiral staircase and got closer to the silver-armoreddy.


    "Who are you?" A man in a ck robe asked as he took a dagger from his spatial ring and went into battle mode. He was the most powerful among the people in the house and could even go toe-to-toe against a normal Rank-5 being.


    But even the Head Deacon couldn''t help but step back in nervousness upon seeing the young man before him.


    ''He looks ordinary in every way but I can''t even find a single weakness.'' A strange sense of uneasiness appeared within him.


    The other two red-robed men also arrived between the silver-armoreddy and Charles, taking their staffs from their spatial rings.


    "Don''t you know this is the property of the Life Church?" One of the red-robed men, around 40 years old, also asked with a stern look.


    "Interesting." Charles chuckled as he walked past the group and soon arrived before the wrinkled old man.


    "I never expect to see you in such a condition, Father Reynolds." He said with a smile.


    "You are...?" Reynolds was confused by his words and soon noticed that his face appeared familiar.


    "Oh? It seems you''ve forgotten about me. Well, let me introduce myself again then." Charles paused for a moment and added.


    "My name is Charles Nightwind. Two decades ago, I and my mother lived in this house and even had full ownership of this ce. But when did our house be the property of the Life Church, Father Reynolds?" Even though Charles spoke smilingly, everyone in the living room felt a strange invisible power gripping their hearts.


    "C-Charles?!!! Are you Charles?" At that moment, his vision slowly returned to normal, causing him almost to tear up.


    "Y-You are Charles!" He raised his hand and touched his cheek with the callus-filled hand.


    "You know him, old man?" The ck-robed man asked as he looked at Reynolds suspiciously.


    Only then did Reynolds calm down and speak.


    "P-Please refrain from harming anyone, Charles. I know the Life Church has done injustice to you and failed to keep your promise, but this is not something either I or you can solve."


    A deep sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth.


    "The reason I''m not taking against any of them is not because I''m weak. I just don''t want to stain the floor again in blood. You do understand what it means, right?"

 Chapter 704 Demonised

    Chapter 704 Demonised


    Chapter 704: Demonised


    The memory of Charles''s gruesome killing incident surfaced in Reynolds''s mind.


    "Expect for Reynolds, all of you should leave the house. Whether you inform the Cardinal hiding in my estate or even the Pope himself, I don''t care." Charles paused as he looked in the direction where his vi was located and instantly released his wisdom power.


    The next instant, everyone in the city, even Cardinal and his other friends staying in the Wind Vi, suddenly felt suffocating.


    Although it onlysted for two seconds, Cardinal and his other friends realized that they were gazed at by a Legendary Powerhouse and hurriedly looked in the direction of Riverdale City.


    Head Deacon David was so familiar with this kind of oppressive force and knew that they had offended someone they shouldn''t.


    ''Even His Holiness''s spiritual aura isn''t as powerful as this!''


    He dropped the dagger and instantly bowed his head, greeting him.


    "Head Deacon of the Life Church greets his Excellency."


    Charles didn''t even look at him as he removed the invisible strings from the silver-armoreddy and added.


    "You guys have 5 minutes. If anyone other than Bishop Reynolds stays in my house, I''ll not hesitate to slit your throat."


    "W-We''ll leave immediately, Your Excellency!" Head Deacon David turned pale as he heard the warning and hurriedly stood up.


    "We are leaving," He nced at the other two red-robed men and the Silver armoreddy named Mary and urged them to follow him, leaving Reynolds dumbfounded.


    As Head Deacon David and others reached the entrance and helped the High Priest wake up, Charles thought of something and added,


    "Also, inform the Cardinal of yours that Charles Nightwind is here for a small talk. Tell him I''m also holding S-13 if he refuses toe."


    "Yes, Your Excellency." Head Deacon didn''t even turn around as he grabbed the half-unconscious High Priest and dragged him out of the house.


    Before long, all the Life Church members left the house and hurriedly moved to the Life Church.


    "They finally left. I thought they would argue back, but this is good." Charles nodded satisfactorily and waved his hand, casting the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell.


    A momentter, a golden forcefield-like structure made of purewful me suddenly appeared outside the two-storied house and enveloped it.


    "Now, let''s see what to do with your current situation." Charles finally shifted his attention towards Bishop Reynolds and continued.


    "Take off your robe, Father. I''ll take a look at how messy your current body is."


    A hesitant look appeared on Bishop Reynolds''s face. At that moment, countless questions were whirling in his head, wondering why the Head Deacon bowed his head towards Charles. But he soon shook his head and removed the eyesses first.


    After that, he put the wooden cane on the nearby table and slowly took off his white robe.


    The next instant, Charles couldn''t help but widen his eyes.


    Wrinkled dark skin with creepy vertical eye patterns appeared all over his body, and his whole upper body seemed to be invaded by some spider-like ck webs. At the center of his heart region was a strange transparent egg-like orb structure filled with nothing but reddish liquid. He saw a fist-sized fleshy thing floating within the egg and appeared to be incubating. But as Charles looked deep, he soon realized it looked more like a tiny humanoid creature.


    Whenever Bishop Reynolds''s heart beat, the transparent reddish orb also resonated and glowed eerily asionally.


    "Demonised." Rh instantly identified the cause and muttered solemnly.


    "It looks more like a Parasite. It seems to be sucking his life force continuously and growing. Do you know what is happening in his body, old man?" Charles also observed the unique mutation happening in Reynolds''s body and asked.


    "Yes. Currently, his body is infected by a demon''s parasite. When his life forcepletely vanishes, the parasite inside that orb will hatch and be a new demon with Reynolds''s soul." Rh answered solemnly.


    "Is it like recing his original consciousness and taking over the soul Core itself?" As Charles spoke, he instantly cast the [Purple Consciousness] spell and sent it into Reynold''s Inner World.


    A secondter, the Purple Charles entered Reynolds''s Inner World, stood in a destend, and noticed his eerie dark surroundings.


    But all of a sudden, an overwhelming force appeared from ahead, causing the Purple Charles to almost fall.


    But he instantly created a shield of purple me, blocking the pressure, and looked ahead.


    The next instant, the Purple Charles saw an eerie, towering humanoid monster with three creepy heads start walking in his direction.


    Suddenly, the three-headed humanoid monster''s left side head''s creepy vertical eyes blinked, instantly attracting Purple Charles''s attention.


    A secondter, Purple Charles''s Consciousness was enveloped in the same purple me and slowly vanquished, leaving no trace behind.


    "Charles... No, John Browning... What an interesting toy. Hmm? Why do I feel a familiar presence?" An ancient voice resounded from the endless void as it tried to probe further but suddenly met with a severing connection.


    At that moment, all the eerie vertical eye patterns on Reynolds'' body started to vibrate and blinked for a moment before returning to normal.


    Upon watching this, Charles felt eerie goosebumps all over his body and stepped back.


    At the same time, Rh released his wisdom power and waved his hand while dropping a unique golden ring with seven leaf patterns.


    "Seven Leaf- Activate!"


    As he spoke, the whole living hall was enveloped in reddish light, blocking the eerie probing power from Reynolds'' body.


    Soon, countless rune arrays appeared under Reynolds'' feet, wrapping him whole.


    Before long, those mysterious rune arrays disintegrated into countless rune words, aligned in a straight line, and crept toward his body like slithering snakes. Then, all those lines settled onto those vertical eyes and started blocking them.


    As the reddish lightpletely vanished from the living room, Charles rxed a bit and spoke in a grim tone.


    "It''s a Divine''s probe, isn''t it? I also felt someone''s stare from somewhere."


    "I noticed it, too. And its stare is so powerful that it almost made me think of that Time God monster. Strangely, I felt it somewhat familiar." Rh paused for a moment and soon looked at Charles.


    "But aren''t you attracting too many enemies? For twenty years, I felt no threat in the Rebirth Tower and enjoyed a rxed life. But it hasn''t been even a few days, but I almost attracted another monstrous enemy." At that moment, he felt like Charles was a natural disaster.


    "I didn''t do anything on purpose," Charles grumbled inwardly and soon asked.


    "But what the heck was that? My Purple Consciousness also died in a blink and didn''t send any information from Father Reynolds'' Inner World. Moreover, everyone said that all Gods couldn''t interfere in this world and couldn''t contact its believers, right? Then, how does this make sense?" He had never experienced anything like this when invading someone''s inner world and was startled greatly.


    "No. I saw a simr situation when I tried to send my Consciousness to the mysterious Purple Bead."


    A strange silence appeared in the living room.


    After a short deliberation, Rh let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Charles, the demon that infected Reynolds isn''t something we could handle. And the same goes for this man. He is beyond saving now."


    "Can''t we just extract this orb and separate it from his body? As long as I use my soul me, I don''t think saving him is hard for us." Charles suggested.


    "That''s where you are wrong,d. Unlike us, Demons born in the Abyss can''t reproduce. Do you know why chaotic beings like Demons invade other nes instead of staying in their home? The whole Abyss ne doesn''t have any concept of the reincarnation cycle. Whenever a demon dies, its soul will either be enved by another demon or enter the Eternal River of Life to go through reincarnation naturally. In a sense, the soul of that demon will be given a chance to be reincarnated as a human or any other being in nes other than the Chaotic nes like Abyss. What will happen if more and more demons die and enter the Eternal River of Life? It will result in a scarcity of souls. That''s why the Demons can''t reproduce. Even if they gave birth to a new demon, they will always be born dead."


    "So, that''s why they invade other nes and capture the souls of other beings, huh?" A look of understanding appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Yes. Currently, Reynolds''s body, Consciousness, and soul have already been demonized and be a part of an abyssal being. He is transforming into a chaotic being. So, killing that parasite is no less than killing Reynolds." Rh said in a solemn tone.


    As Reynolds heard those words, he couldn''t hide the shock and almost fell while staggering.


    "I know this will happen one day." His rough voice echoed in the living room as he moved to the nearby table and took the cane.


    Then, he slowly sat on the cold floor and leaned on the wall.


    Although he didn''t break downpletely, Charles saw his whole body trembling and shivering.

 Chapter 705 Death

    Chapter 705 Death


    Chapter 705: Death


    "Charles, I''m sorry for not keeping the promise. If I had tried a bit harder, I could''ve stopped your property from falling into Cardinal''s hand." Reynolds''s voice was filled with regret and bitterness.


    "Kill me and let my soul enter the Eternal River of Life than falling into the hands of some demon, Charles. All this time, I hoped that there would be a way to save myself from this situation. But after hearing this mister''s exnation, I realized how naive I''ve been all this time." Tears dropped from the corner of his eyes and drenched his wrinkled face.


    "Is there no other way? What if we use Stormheart Whisper''s ability to extend his lifespan and think of a way to remove the demonization?" Charles hesitated.


    Upon seeing this, Bishop Reynolds couldn''t help but let out a bitter smile.


    "I always thought of using you even when you are in a precarious situation. But you didn''t hold any grudge and still trying to help me. What a pathetic man I was." His voice grew rough as he noticed that the runes that were blocking the eye patterns started to break slowly.


    "It seems that Demon is forcefully taking over my body. Kill me, Charles." Bishop''s voice grew hoarse.


    At that moment, he suddenly thought of something and added.


    "The Sinful Demon is still lurking in this City and waiting for the right time, Charles. And one more thing, this Demon has some connection with the Crown you possess."


    "Crown?" Charles was stunned by Bishop''s words and asked in puzzlement.


    "The Sinful Demon appeared only after the arrival of the Holem Crown in this City. I don''t think it''s a mere coincidence."


    "Bullshit!" Rh couldn''t help but re at him.


    "You think I will collude with some demon to cause chaos? Humph, don''t you dare me me for your own mistake."


    As Rh spoke, he noticed that the rune characters surrounding his body started to crumble at an incredible rate.


    "Arrgghh!" Bishop Reynolds screamed as blood spurted out from those creepy eyes and spoke in a stutter.


    "O-One more request. Please take care of my only child." As his words ended, Reynolds''s eyes turnedpletely blood red and showed signs of insanity.


    "Hurry up,d. Don''t let the Demon take control of his body and soul. I don''t want to witness the Descend of Demon from Abyss using a puppet body."


    A deep sigh leaked out of Charles''s mouth. "I also don''t want to dirt the floor with blood again. Moreover, not with an ally''s blood."


    Taking a deep breath, he walked forward, unsheathed his long sword, and directly shed at Bishop Reynolds'' neck.


    "Farewell, Father!"


    Eerie dark blood sttered everywhere as Bishop Reynolds'' head rolled over and soonnded at the kitchen entrance.


    He didn''t even have the power to scream as a strange dark aura surrounded his body and tried to take the shape of a humanoid figure with three heads.


    But Rh didn''t wait for the Demon to take over the dying bodypletely and instantly moved closer.


    He then squatted down, ced his hand on Reynolds''s chest region, and uttered.


    "Erase Existence!"


    A secondter, a powerful dark force came out of his hand and started disintegrating the dying body, the spattering blood, and even the rolling head.


    In a moment, Reynolds''s consciousness waspletely erased from the Existence itself.


    But before Rh''s dark power could erase the demonized soul, another invisible force came out of nowhere and pulled it into the astral realm.


    "Tsk, that demon still managed to take his soul back." Reynolds clicked his tongue and shook his head.


    "My spell''s power has regressed a lot."


    Meanwhile, Charles looked at the area where Reynolds''s body was before and sighed.


    "It seems I still have a long way to go. Although I wanted to search for the Sinful Demon or whatever, I don''t it''s my job." Charles quietly looked around and noticed that the living area looked rather empty.


    "Rh, can you install a teleportation circle in this house, so I can directly enter the Rebirth Fire from here?" He asked.


    "Sure." Rh nodded inwardly and then added.


    "We can do it after we return from Ember Kingdom."


    Nodding, Charles calmly gazed at the entrance and spoke.


    "It seems it will take some time for the Cardinal to arrive here." Saying so, he walked towards the spiral staircase, went to the second floor, and soon reached his bedroom.


    But as soon as he reached the bedroom, Charles noticed something was off and halted his footsteps at the entrance.


    In the middle of his room, a sizable magical ritual circle had been etched, with a thumb-grey crystal resting at its core.


    Rh also followed him closely from behind and spoke as he looked inside.


    "It seems they only use a divine array circle to maintain the link between the Nightmare World and the real world. Strange. This whole room is being merged with the Nightmare Realm,d."


    "Same thing that happened in the Star Tombs Dungeonyers?" Charles asked.


    "Yes. Hmm, if we don''t do something to stop this, some powerful nightmare creatures might escape from the Nightmare Realm and enter here. That thing happened in Dream God Phoebe''s divine realm might reur." Rh said as he slowly gazed at the three-beaded bracelet on his wrist.


    "And I''m not sure how this unique bracelet of your will influence this ce. In the worst case scenerio, the whole City or even this Kingdom might merge with the Nightmare Realm in a span of few years. At that moment, not even the ''Will'' of this world will find it hard to stop this nightmare invasion."


    "It seems we have to find a way to seal off this ce and also this bracelet from influencing the outside world." Charles felt that he had involved himself with another troublesome matter again.


    "Don''t worry. It''s way easier for me to severe the link from this house to the Nightmare Realm." Saying so, he walked writing rune characters in thin air.


    In the meantime, Charles quietly moved a little away from the divine array circle and patiently waited for Rh to break it.


    ...


    After being chased out of the 45 El house, the Silver Armored Lady Knight Mary, Head Deacon David, the High Priest, and the other two priests returned to the Life Church in a hurry and informed the Bishop.


    After that, Mary took the horse from the nearby carriage house, left the City in a hurry, and soon entered the dense woods.


    She followed the lone dirt road in the woods for more than 15 minutes, entered fertilends, and soon saw houses from time to time.


    Before long, she saw a lone three-storied mansion building surrounded by a three-meter tallpound gate. Even thepound gate was entirely made of Iron and didn''t even allow her to peek at what was hiding inside.


    ''I heard that many inhumane experiments are being conducted in this ce. There are several missing cases also filed in the City''s administration but no one dared to take this request and find out the cause. I also heard that there is some strange deal going on between Count Vossenburg and Cardinal Benedictus.''


    While thinking, she arrived before the entrance gate and was instantly stopped by two knights d in iron armor. Both appeared as tall as 6 feet, had muscr bodies, and held spears in their hands. One had unique red hair, while the other one had long ck hair.


    Even though she was as powerful as peak Rank-3 Mystic, she shuddered at their mere gazes.


    "Are you a Knight from the Life Church? What are you doing here?" The Red-haired Knight instantly recognized the symbol on her armor and asked while pointing his spear at her throat.


    ''They are Rank-4 Mystics.'' Unlike the Fake Origin ss Mystic like her, they were true Rank-4 Mystics and looked domineering.


    She even sensed the invisible power around them and was amazed.


    Butpared to the moment when she faced Charles, this looked more like child''s y, and she wasn''t intimidated at all.


    Mary instantly jumped from the horse, bowed her head, and answered.


    "Two mysterious men took over ''that dream house'' in El Street and asked His Eminence toe right away."


    "Mysterious men? That earlier wisdom scan was one of their doing?" The other ck-haired Knight asked with a frown.


    "Yes. Both looked pretty strong and even made Lord David scared." Mary responded.


    Upon hearing those words, both nodded their head and allowed her to enter inside.


    "His Eminence is currently in an important meeting. But I don''t think he will scold you once you mention the reason." The red-haired Knight paused as he recalled something and warned her before opening the tall metal gate.


    "Also, when you enter thispound, you might see strange things. But don''t get distracted by them and continue to walk."


    Meanwhile, Mary gave the horse rope to the red-haired Knight and quietly stepped into the vast courtyard.


    But as soon as she stepped inside, she felt that the whole surroundings appeared greyish color. It was as if the color seemed to have dimmed and appeared more like ck and white.


    But what startled her most was she saw many strange creatures like chickens with no heads, two-headed goats, horses with two tails, and even a human-faced monkey running here and there, giving her eerie goosebumps. She even saw the trees had creepy eyes and looked more like monsters from the nightmare itself.

 Chapter 706 Cardinals Anxiety

    Chapter 706 Cardinal''s Anxiety


    Chapter 706: Cardinal''s Anxiety


    Awakening from the initial shock, Mary found herself standing at the entrance of the majestic mansion. She proceeded through the expansive porch, eventually reaching the grand main hall. Inside, a gathering of more than six individuals engaged in what appeared to be a significant discussion.


    Seated prominently on thevish Lawson sofa in the middle of the hall was a slender older man, his face etched with wrinkles. He sported long grey hair, a distinguished celestial nose, bluish eyes, and thick eyebrows. Adorned in a glorious golden robe and with a miter resting on his head, he grasped a silver cane in his left hand. This figure was none other than Cardinal Benedictus.


    Mary''s attention swiftly shifted to the left side sofa, where two individuals sat with a serious demeanor. Among them was a 70-year-old man with blonde hair, and beside him, a middle-aged woman elegantly attired in a long white gown. The woman covered her head with a ck scarf, revealing only her oval face. These figures were none other than Richard and the Holy Maiden.


    Across from them, on the opposite sofa, three more individuals dressed in golden robes were engaged in what seemed to be a weighty discussion.


    But the thing that made her more nervous was the constant screams and cries of women and childrening from the underground.


    ''What the heck are those sounds? Is this ce some kind of secretboratory?'' A strange sense of fear and uneasiness appeared in her heart.


    As Mary entered the main hall, she started hearing their conversation more clearly.


    "What are we going to do? Should we ask help from His Holiness?" Holy Maiden spoke.


    "He won''t help us. Also, he must be very mad about us holding Oberon as captive." Richard shook his head.


    "Haa, what does he want from us? I don''t think that Legendary Powerhouse released his wisdom power out of curiously or anything. You guys still remember the oppressive feeling? I never even felt such power in my lifetime." Cardinal Benedictus said while controlling his shaky hands.


    At that moment, everyone noticed footstepsing from the entrance and looked in the direction where Mary was.


    "You are?" Cardinal Benedictus asked with a frown.


    Hiding her flustered face, Mary instantly bowed her head and answered.


    "I''m Mary, the only adopted daughter of Reynolds, Your Eminence. Lord David asked me to ry important information to you."


    "Is it something to do with that Legendary Powerhouse''s presence?"


    "Yes, Your Eminence. And he already took full control over that house in El Street and is constantly saying it belongs to him."


    "Hmm? Isn''t this vi and that house I took after the death of a woman from the Nightwind family? I even asked permission from the main family to use this house, though. So, who is this guy dares to even oppose the Life Church?"


    Mary hesitated for a second and soon added.


    "He said his name is ''Charles Nightwind,'' Your Eminence. And he also said that he has something called ''S-13'' in his hand."


    "S-13? Wait, Charles Nightwind?" Cardinal''s eyes widened. He wasn''t new to this name.


    ''I read the report of him causing ruckus in Moon and Iron Kingdom. But I heard that he got killed two decades ago, though.'' He furrowed his brows and fell into deep thoughts.


    "If he really has S-13, I don''t think he will give it to me. And from the looks of it, he seems pretty angry about me taking over his property. Without the blessing of ''Divine'' and the loss of my health, it''s still difficult for me to face a legendary powerhouse alone." He still recalled the oppressive power and nced at his friends.


    "I''m not strong enough to even face a normal Legendary Mystic. He is way out of my league." Holy Maiden raised her hands and gave up on confronting such a powerhouse.


    Others also shook their heads and lowered their heads.


    "It seems I''ve no other choice but topromise with him. Also, if I didn''t return in two hours, destroy this vi and escape."


    "What about you, Your Eminence?" Holy Maiden asked.


    "I''ve the teleportation scroll with me. As long as I have enough time, Ican easily escape." Cardinal Benedictus said solemnly and stood up.


    Cardinal Benedictus''s decision hung in the air, creating a heavy silence in the room. Mary observed the expressions of the individuals present, realizing the severity of the situation. The constant screams from the underground only added to the tension, creating an uneasy atmosphere.


    After some thought, Cardinal Benedictus made up his mind and decided to return to Riverdale City.


    After that, they didn''t stay in the Wind Vi and hurriedly left the mansion. While Mary hopped on the horse, Cardinal Benedictus left the vi with his carriage.


    ...


    Back at the El Street house, Charles and Rh continued their efforts to sever the link between the Nightmare Realm and the real world. The runes and symbols glowed as Rh chanted incantations, his hands moving skillfully through the air.


    Meanwhile, Charles observed the process, deep in thought.


    Suddenly, a surge of energy rippled through the air, causing Charles and Rh to pause. The atmosphere shifted, and they exchanged nces, sensing something had changed.


    Simultaneously, the dream stone in the center of the array circle broke and shattered into pure powders.


    "All done. But I still feel the power of dream realm in the surroundings. It might take some time topletely disappear." Rh spoke solemnly and turned around.


    Charles nodded as he moved towards the window, looked outside at the group of knights and robed priests gathered at the entrance, and spoke.


    "This is more than enough for now. All that is left is to wait for Cardinal to arrive."


    Saying so, he covered the window using a curtain, turned around, and soon walked out of the room.


    Then, Rh and Charles returned to the ground floor and patiently waited for Cardinal Benedictus to arrive.


    After waiting more than an hour, a luxurious red-curtained carriage arrived before thepound entrance gate, and soon, an older man with long grey hair stepped out of it.


    The older man wore a golden robe, a miter on his head, and held a silver cane in his hand ¨C unmistakably, it was Cardinal Benedictus. His presence carried an air of authority, and the knights and priests immediately bowed as a sign of respect.


    Instead of greeting them, Cardinal instantly looked at the forcefield-like fire spell encircling the whole house and tried to touch it.


    But before his hand could get near, he strangely felt a severe burning sensation and retracted his hand.


    "This is indeed a Legend Rank Spell! Even my powerful attack spell won''t have any effect on it." He could tell without even experimenting on the forcefield.


    At that moment, Charles walked out of the house, approached Cardinal Benedictus, and quietly stopped at the golden forcefieldyer, creating a tense atmosphere that settled over the courtyard.


    Cardinal''s eyes suddenly turned white as Charles approached him and tried to look into his astral form.


    A secondter, his eyes saw a well-refined silhouette of Charles and instantly felt an oppressive feeling.


    He felt an endless amount of power emitting from the astral form for a second and was baffled.


    ''Goodness!''


    Charles also noticed him trying to pry his soul and instantly blocked him with his wisdom power.


    The next instant, Cardinal felt a sharp, invisible force gripped his heart and other organs and staggered.


    He felt his internal organs being ruptured and soon vomited a mouthful of blood, causing panic among the surrounding people.


    Thankfully, Cardinal Benedictus healed his body using the ''Nature''s Heal'' spell and gave Charles a deep look.


    ''What a terrifying monster! He could''ve killed me with his wisdom power alone!'' Cold sweat dripped on his forehead.


    "If you cherish your life, don''t try to look into me again." A cold voice came out of Charles''s mouth.


    "Charles Nightwind," Cardinal Benedictus began, his gaze slowlyposed, "I see you''ve taken control of this property. What is the meaning of this, and what is your purpose?"


    Charles met the Cardinal''s gaze squarely. "You have some nerve after taking over my property without even consulting me, Cardinal." He paused as he waved his hand, created a gap in the forcefield for a person to pass through, and added.


    "Only you are allowed to enter."


    His words angered all the Holy Knights and priests around him.


    "Stop! I''ll take care of this matter." Cardinal instantly raised his hand, soothed everyone''s anger, and entered the forcefield.


    "Follow me," Charles quietly resealed the forcefield-like spell and started walking back to the house. Cardinal followed him closely and soon found himself standing in the living room.


    But his attention was instantly drawn to the 40-year-old man sitting on the wooden chair.


    Even though he didn''t release his wisdom power to check on him, he felt an immeasurable amount of aura emitting from him.


    ''He is a monster too!''


    Charles nced at Cardinal Benedictus calmly, allowing the weight of his presence to settle in the room. Rh, who sat nearby, observed the unfolding situation with a watchful eye.


    Though taken aback by the intensity of Charles''s power, Cardinal Benedictus managed to cool down his head.


    ''Even if he is a Legendary Powerhouse, he has no experience in battle or social skills. As long as I talk with him for a while, I''m sure I''ll get away from this situation alive.'' His cunning mind started to act.


    He acknowledged the situation''splexity and realized that the man before him was not to be trifled with. So, his only way to solve the current situation was not using strength but with wits.

 Chapter 707 Doomsday Avatars

    Chapter 707 Doomsday Avatars


    Chapter 707: Doomsday Avatars


    "You are Charles Nightwind, the one presumed dead two decades ago," Cardinal Benedictus stated, his voice measured. "What brings you back from the shadows, and why have you taken control of this property?"


    Charles gestured for Cardinal Benedictus to take a seat. "Sit, and we can discuss matters peacefully. But be aware that this ce is shielded, and any attempt to use force or magic might lead to undesirable consequences."


    Cardinal Benedictus hesitated for a moment before taking a seat opposite Charles. The room was filled with an air of tension as they started the conversation.


    In truth, it was a one-sided order to Cardinal.


    "Here are the few things you need to follow from here onwards. First, I don''t recall selling my home to the Life Church. Although I made a deal with Life Church to keep my mother safe, you guys failed miserably. So, this property and the wind vi you are currently staying still belong to me." Charles said as he observed Cardinal''s facial reactions and added.


    "I''ll give you guys 10 days. Before the time ends, all of you should pack your belongings and scram away from there."


    "You can''t do this to me-" When Cardinal was about to refute, he suddenly sensed a sharp pain appearing in his neck and instantly touched it.


    A sharp cut appeared on his neck, causing blood to spurt out the next moment.


    ''What the heck? I didn''t even see him taking out his sword and sheathing it again! F*ck, I messed with the wrong person.'' Cardinal''s face turned pale.


    "I''m not negotiating with you, old man. It is an order."


    Cardinal Benedictus could only nod and kept his ears sharp.


    "Second, it is something to do with the punishment for you tarnishing the ce I cherish most. Of course, you must die topensate. But before I tell you about how you should die, I will tell you what would happen if you fail to keep your promise." A cold smirk appeared on Charles''s face as he ordered Genesis and started looking into Cardinal Benedictus''s family status.


    "Benedictus Greykeeper... Born from a renowned noble family in the Rogue Throne Empire 530 years ago, he has twelve siblings, two wives, seven children, and twenty-one grandchildren. Your weakness is your family members, especially your two sons and their children. And you have a great reputation in the Rogue Throne Empire noble circle. Hmm, you also have greed for power and wealth, especially the greed for the power to rule over the masses like a King. Wait, you have a secret deal with an Organization named Divine Order?" Charles abruptly stopped and showed a deep look before walking closer to Cardinal Benedictus.


    "It''s been a while since I heard that name. But what does a Life Church member want to achieve by colluding with an Evil Organization like Divine Order? Well, it seems you are having a mutual rtionship with them."


    As Cardinal was about to refute, he suddenly forgot what to say and showed a dubious look.


    "Oh? Count Vossenburg is a member of Divine Order? Interesting. I first thought of using you for my benefits but I changed my mind now." Charles didn''t even hesitate as he cast the [Purple Consciousness] on Cardinal Benedictus and started erasing his memories.


    Although Cardinal managed to wake up from the deep state and tried to retaliate, Charles didn''t give him any chance at all. Once again casting [Burning Thoughts] spell to erase his current thoughts, Charles unsheathed the sword and made shes at him.


    A secondter, both his hands slowly fell, sttering blood all over the floor.


    "Someone said he doesn''t want to taint the floor with blood a while ago." Rh showed an amused look andmented from behind.


    "I was nning on doing that only. But after learning Cardinal has some connection with the Divine Order members, I thought of investigating more thoroughly. Although I''ve confronted this Divine Order group multiple times already, I still found no clue about Project Z or Edhen''s Children''s true motive." Charles responded calmly and continued to invade Cardinal Benedictus''s Inner World.


    At the same time, many secret information started to appear in his head one by one.


    The first thing that caught his attention was actually the information about particr rank members in the Divine Order cult called ''Doomsday Avatars.'' They had infiltrated every nation long ago and were already holding power as equal to the King. Some even became rulers of some kingdoms and were secretly gathering forces.


    For example, the newly enthroned monarch of Arc Kingdom was also a Doomsday Avatar and had power equal to Legendary Powerhouse.


    Just by hearing the word ''Avatar,'' Charles thought of Sasha and Fate Professor.


    ''Now that I think about it, didn''t the Divine Order members from the Miracle City also try to take control over the city instead of killing everyone? From their original motto, their ultimate goal should be erasing all the lifeforms from this ne, right? If so, why would they want to control the masses under the order of Fate Professor?'' He also recalled the moment when Sasha tried to take control of Rhea.


    ''Wait... Does that mean all other kingdoms'' rulers have also been reced by the Divine Order members secretly? What are those bastards nning?'' A grim look appeared on his face.


    As Charles further read the memories, he actually learned that Cardinal Benedictus was in the middle of conducting an important experiment to fuse humans with nightmare creatures to increase their strength temporarily. In truth, he explored the Nightmare Realm only to search for a powerful ally but ended up discovering a big secret in the dream mansion of Eddie Nightwind.


    It was the creation of ''Nightmare Soldiers.''


    It was more like the Warlock Method but with severe side effects.


    As long as a human fuses himself with a Nightmare Creature, his original would underground a unique mutation and gain the creature''s abilities, strength, and even a part of its memories.


    But as time progresses, the nightmare creature takesplete control over the body and bes a mindless humanoid beast.


    s, even a normal human could retain his rationality for more than two years after fusing himself with a Nightmare Creature.


    After finding out such a secret method to strengthen even a mortal, Cardinal decided to make a profit out of it.


    He decided to make Nightmare Soldiers and sell them to Count in exchange for wealth.


    Of course, he needed many human experiments in the beginning. But thanks to Count taking over Ethan''s territory, his job went easier.


    So far, he had made around 200 Nightmare Soldiers and even took a bulk order of about 5,000!


    ''Are they preparing for arge-scale war?'' Confusion appeared on his face.


    After some time, Charles finally erased most of his memories, gripped the old man''s neck tightly, and snapped it before dropping it on the floor.


    The old body twitched for a few seconds and slowly went motionless.


    After that, Charles dragged the corpse all the way from the living room to the yard and directly dropped it outside the forcefield, causingplete silence among the crowd.


    Then, argemotion broke out.


    "Oh my god!!!!" "Murder!!" "Inform the Guards!" As the Holy Knights and priests unsheathed their weapons to confront him, themon people got panicked by Charles''s action and started backing away.


    "Tell Life Church that this is the result of opposing me," Charles stated arrogantly.


    At that moment, Mary suddenly stepped forward while unsheathing her sword and asked angrily.


    "What about my father? Where is he?"


    "Oh? You must be Reynolds''s child." Charles quietly observed her for a second and soon shook his head.


    "He is no more. Although I tried to save him, but he couldn''t make it."


    "Y-YOU!" Mary''s eyes went bloodshot as she heard those words.


    "You killed my father too?!!!!" She instantly enveloped her sword in a reddish sword aura and directly shed at the forcefield fire to cut it.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t even bulge a bit.


    She recklessly attacked the forcefield and slowly knelt on the ground while crying.


    "When you get strong enough to face a Legend Rank powerhouse,e to the Rebirth Tower and find me. Well, you can also avenge your father by killing me then. Oh, that will happen only when you be powerful enough, though."


    Saying so, Charles didn''t stay at the entrance and returned to the living room.


    "She is going to hold a grudge against you,d."


    "I will tell her the truth when shees to the Rebirth Tower. Also, if she knows the real truth, she will go after the demons and end up getting killed in the back alley. I couldn''t save that greedy man but I at least want to keep hisst wish true." Charles said solemnly and then heaved a deep sigh before talking.


    "My work here is done for now. Although I want to dig for more information about the Divine Order by capturing the Count, there are better times than now. And from the looks of it, those guys are already in control of the major forces and kingdoms.


    "And if what you said about the Lawful Gods being true, they are already in full control of this Edhen World. Except for the Azure Federation, Rogue Throne, Blood Empire, Iron Kingdom, and the Miracle City, the rest of the ces are already under their palm." Rh said in a grave tone.


    "Don''t forget that anything can happen in the remaining ces too. Although I don''t know what those bastards are nning, I''m going to mess up everything with the help of this Chaos Era." Charles said firmly and then added with a cold glint in his eyes.


    "Let''s go to the Ember Kingdom and finish our business first."


    "I''ve been waiting for that all day. We could''ve finished this businesster on." Rh grumbled and stood up from the chair.


    Meanwhile, Charles waved his hand, manipted the false me, and created a me portal.


    A secondter, both jumped into the portal one by one and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 708 Ember Kingdom

    Chapter 708 Ember Kingdom


    Chapter 708: Ember Kingdom


    18th August, Year 6418, Second Arcane Era.


    City''s Outskirts, Royal Hope City, Ember Kingdom


    Two figures suddenly appeared more than two kilometers from the gigantic city, surrounded by a tall fort wall.


    One was a blue-haired young man, while the other was a brown-haired middle-aged man.


    "Hmm, you should refrain from using wisdom power,d. Unlike other kingdoms, this ce holds many legendary powerhouses and even one Demi-God." Rh spoke as he gazed at the towering city.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded, stepped on the grassynd, and asked while entering the paved road.


    "Can you tell me more about the Nightwind Family? How many members are there? Who is my grandfather? Also, who is the Patriarch?"


    "I thought you might''ve already gathered more information about them through the wisdom link." Rh paused a moment and soon added with a chuckle.


    "Although I''m still clueless about which branch of the family you belong to, I at least know a few things about the Nightwind Family. Listen carefully,d. The Patriarch of the Nightwind Family is an older man named Diego. If I''m right, his current age should be around 1200. He is an old fox with lots of shrewd thoughts and a dangerous person in this whole city. To keep his position as the Patriarch, he killed two of his brothers and even crippled his younger sister around 1000 years ago. Anyone who shows a little more progression than an average mystic within the Branch Family would either get tied to politics or be assassinated stealthily."


    ''He is a ruthless man, huh?''


    His words made Charles furrow his brows.


    "Harry Nightwind was also killed by one of his schemes, isn''t it?" Charles asked.


    "Harry? Oh, your biological father. I think it is highly likely." Rh pondered for a moment and then added.


    "Eddie also said that Deigo tried simr things to assassinate him. But thanks to Eddie joining the Withering Shadows Organization in his earlier days, he evaded all other assassinations and finally became a Legend Rank powerhouse. He could''ve rooted out the bad seeds in the family but chose not to get involved in the family affairs. Also, Eddie always told me that getting involved in family affairs might cost his life. But when I think about it, he is just a scared cat."


    ''I think Eddie did that to protect his loved ones." Charles easily understood Eddie as he also went through a simr situation in the beginning.


    ''Moreover, the Patriarch and elders seem to have absolute control over the family itself. Otherwise, they wouldn''t dare to assassinate the only Legend Rank Mystic of the Family. And from the information I''ve gathered, this Patriarch might be a main puppet of the Truelords. To please them and keep his position steady, he is going on any length.''


    "Howrge is the family? And why does no one else oppose the Patriarch if he is such a wicked person?" Charles further inquired as they strolled on the paved path.


    "There is a strict family hierarchy within all the nobles'' families of the Ember Kingdom, and everyone must follow this rule as if it is a rule of the royals. Before that, let me tell you who the bosses of this ce are. The one who controls this whole Kingdom is a total of three factions. The First Faction belongs to the Royal Family faction,posed of Royalties, some Nobles, and even a few powerful Mages and Mystics. It is the strongest faction in the city and has a firm hold of this whole Kingdom itself. The Second Faction belongs to a particr group of families called the five Guardian Houses. Each house has a rich history and powerful trump cards, so even a Legendary Powerhouse has to think twice if he wants to make any trouble with one of them." Rh exined in detail.


    Charles''s gaze sharpened.


    "Nightwind Family is one of them?"


    "Spot on. In truth, the Nightwind Family is a ''Margrave'' Rank Noble Family and is one of the five pirs of the Kingdom." Rh answered.


    "What about the third faction?"


    "It''s the Cathedral of the Wisdom Church. This ce is also the headquarters of the Wisdom Church. However, they didn''t show interest in the Kingdom''s internal affairs when I was staying here, which appears to have changed significantly recently."


    ''Wisdom Church?''


    "What about the other families of the Guardian Houses? Also, do you know anything about Truelords?"


    "No. Although I don''t know anything about that ''Truelord'' secret organization, I have some information about the other four houses and the Royal House. Among the five Guardian Houses, the Curran Household is the most influential and powerful one and holds the title of ''Grand Duke.'' Next in line is another ''Duke'' Rank family called Ashford, who manages most of the shops, merchandise, and all magic-rted things like potion materials, artifacts, etc. Among the five Houses, they are the wealthiest. The third strongest household is Undergrove; they are the shadow of the city itself and involve themselves in information gathering, auctioning, underworld business, and all other shady works. After being promoted from ''Margrave'' to ''Duke'' Rank around 300 years ago, they be the most corrupt and are always ruthless. And the fourth one is Dustfinger. It is the other ''Margrave'' Rank Family, like Nightwind, and is the secret protector of this Kingdom. They are silent ones and only really show little interest in any businesses. But this whole family is a den of deadly assassins. On the outside, they look weaker than other families but are always feared by everyone. They are all more powerful than the Nightwind Family and have an immense reputation in this Kingdom." Rh exined in detail.


    "What about the Royal House?" Charles asked further.


    "The Royals are called Amos, the most secretive family in the Kingdom, and have many mysteries around them. Although they never revealed their true strength, I''m sure they must have at least two or three Legend Rank Mystics in their possession."


    Rh''s words made Charles frown deeply.


    "So, if I attack the Nightwind Family without warning, all other families ally and stop me?"


    "Only the other Guardian Houses will. That''s why I n on using a different approach." Rh said as he folded his hands and continued walking.


    "In truth, infightings happen all the time within the family. As long as you prove yourself to be a member of the Nightwind Family, no other family will interfere. You can either wipe out the whole family or forgive them at that time. It''s all up to you to decide." Although Rh''s words appeared reassuring, Charles strangely felt something was off.


    "Well, I don''t think there is a person who could face us alone in the Nightwind Family," Charles said as he walked closer to the city gate and soon saw arge queue in the front.


    "So, can you tell me more about the Nightwind Family? Like how many elders are there, how does the Patriarch control the people of the Nightwind Family?"


    "Within the Nightwind family is one Main Family and more than 10 Branch Families. In truth, although the members of the Branch families retain their name as ''Nightwind,'' they were nothing more than some officials and soldiers to serve their Patriarch."


    "But the members of the Branch Families also consider themselves nobles, right?" Charles questioned.


    "Of course. Anyone named ''Nightwind'' will have equal respect as the main branch members outside. However, their position within the family is moreplicated. Only when the Patriarch dies will the Branch Family members have the power to fight for the head position. Although they could still fight for the Elder Position every ten years, it has lots of politics."


    "It looks like a family with many internal problems," Charles muttered as he took out an Iron Gold coin and passed it to the gatekeeper.


    Although the gatekeeper refused to take the money, he let them enter the city after some persuasion.


    After that, both quietly entered the city and started walking toward the Royal District.


    In the Royal Hope City, there were a total of five districts.


    They were Aurora Land, Celestial Market, Back District, District of Wisdom, and finally the Royal District.


    The District Charles and Rh entered just now was called ''Aurora Land,'' where the mostmoners reside.


    Aurora Land was a bustling district with narrow streets filled with merchants peddling their wares, children ying games, and the aroma of various street foods wafting through the air. Charles observed the lively atmosphere as they walked through the crowded streets.


    Rh continued his exnation, "Now,d, the internal politics of the Nightwind Family is abyrinth. The Main Family, led by the Patriarch, holds the highest authority, but the true power lies in the hands of the Elders. Five prominent Elders form the Elder Council, and they have a significant say in the family''s decisions. They are skilled in strength and adept at political maneuvering."


    Charles absorbed this information, realizing that navigating the Nightwind Family''splexities would require strength and strategic thinking.


    As they moved deeper into the city, the buildings became more refined, and the streets wider. The second district they entered was known as ''Celestial Market.'' It was a hub formerce, filled with high-end shops, luxurious inns, and exclusive establishments catering to the elite.


    "Remember,d, things get even trickier once we reach the Royal District. The Nightwind Family''s estate is heavily guarded, and gaining ess won''t be easy. We need a n," Rh cautioned.

 Chapter 709 Elder Seal

    <h4>Chapter 709 Elder Seal</h4>


    Chapter 709: Elder Seal


    "It seems you still think of yourself as a ve of the Nightwind Family, old man. From what I see, you are even powerful enough to handle the avatar of that Time God." Charles said as they finally arrived closer to the Royal District.


    "You don''t know how terrifying that guy is,d," Rh said with a coldugh.


    "I''ve encountered him already. As far as I can tell, he is stronger than any Demi-god I''ve met and could be considered the most powerful person. But if I make ns, I don''t think I''ll die without putting a fight." Charles said as he gripped Grace''s hilt.


    An amused smile appeared on Rh''s face.


    "I''ll tell you a secret only a few people know,d. If he regained his former strength one day, only a handful of them in this universe could even stand against him. And even his mere avatars can kill the Gods'' true bodies like nothing. That''s why: If you meet him even in the faraway future, don''t fight him at any cost. You can fight him if you reach the realm of Paragon. But until then, you should know your limits and always act cautious."


    ''Tsk, I wanted to act openly and make the world realize who Charles Nightwind is. But I have to agree with what Rh said.''


    Charles nodded even though he didn''t want to agree and soon noticed they had arrived closer to the Royal District.


    While walking, he suddenly touched his face and slowly rxed his muscles and body.


    Simultaneously, a change appeared in his overall strength.


    "Hmm, you will enter the Nightwind Family mansion as a Rank-4 Mystic, huh? What are you scheming,d?" Rh couldn''t help but ask.


    "At first, I thought of entering the mansion and killing all the elders and Patriarch with my bare hands. But after learning about the family''splex political struggles and listening to your earlier warnings about Udnir, I decided to act cautiously. Moreover, I also want to find out some mysteries hidden in this city:


    Find out why the Wisdom Cathedral is here instead of Miracle City.


    Find out more about this kingdom''s Royal Family. If the Doomsday Avatars have already reced the Arc Kingdom and all other kingdoms'' rulers, there should also be one in this Ember Kingdom, right?


    Learn more about the Truelords family and find out why they killed Harry.


    Why does my ''Wisdom Eye'' scare them the most? And finally, I want to know what happened to Oswald. And why is Lady Rachel still staying in this city?"


    "Hmm, showing yourself as a low-key Mage and discovering everything about the Nightwind Family from the inside, huh? But will they even believe you being Charles Nightwind?" Rh pondered and soon added.


    "But your methods work for me, too. This way, I''ll have an easier way to enter the Nightwind Ancestral Domain. That''s where the thing I want mostly sealed by Eddie Nightwind." As Rh spoke, he adjusted his strength and showed himself to be a Rank-5 Mystic.


    "Now, I''m nothing more than a Rank-5 [Mystery Man] ss Mystic," Rh said calmly, quietly took out a golden badge with an eerie ckish symbol engraved at the center, and passed it to Charles.


    "This is Eddie''s Elder Seal. If one possesses this seal, one can enter the Nightwind Family and temporarily be a Guest of the House Nightwind. It has the same authority as an Elder and could be used for various purposes."


    Charles caught the badge-like seal made of an amber-colored gem, inspected it for a second, and soon noticed a strange dream power was imbued in it.


    "It has the power of Patriarch Diego''s soul imprint. Moreover, the seal itself is made of a unique metal called ''Night Amber'' and is hard to replicate without the help of a master craftsman."


    While speaking, both arrived closer to the entrance.


    Unlike the other districts, the entrance was guarded heavily by armored knights and even had a separate check-up to pass through.


    As soon as they arrived closer to the check-up, a tall blonde-haireddy in her silver armor stepped forward and blocked their path.


    She scrutinized Charles and Rh sternly, her eyes lingering on Charles for a moment longer.


    "Halt! State your business in the Royal District," shemanded, her voice firm and authoritative.


    Maintaining hisposure, Charles spoke confidently, "We are here to visit the Nightwind Family estate. I have matters to discuss with the Patriarch."


    The knight''s gaze intensified, and she gripped the spear. "Do you have any proof or invitation?"


    Charles nced at Rh, quietly took out the badge, and passed it to her.


    "It''s the Elder Seal of the Nightwind Family."


    The knight scrutinized it, scanning the seal, and soon widened her eyes as she sensed a familiar energy from within.


    ''It''s the imprint of a Rank-5 powerhouse.''


    After a moment, she nodded and handed the badge back. "You may proceed. But be warned, any disturbance or deviation from the authorized path will be met with severe consequences."


    Charles nodded in acknowledgment, and they passed through the checkpoint into the Royal District. The atmosphere here was noticeably different ¡ª the buildings were grander, and the streets were wider. Guards patrolled the area with a heightened sense of vignce.


    As they approached the Nightwind Family estate, a massive mansion surrounded by walls and guarded by more knights came into view. The Nightwind crest adorned the entrance gate.


    Rh whispered to Charles, "Remember,d, keep your wits about you. The Nightwind Family''s internal politics are a treacherous web. Approach the Patriarch cautiously, and make sure you present yourself convincingly."


    Charles nodded. They approached the entrance, where two guards stood watch.


    "I am Charles. I am here to meet with Patriarch Diego to discuss an important matter," Charles announced, his voice projecting authority and giving the Elder Seal to one of the guards.


    The guards exchanged nces before one stepped forward, took the seal, and scrutinized it.


    Unlike the Royal Guard, the guard at the gate had seen this type of seal from the Elders multiple times and instantly recognized it.


    "Where did you get this seal?" One of the guards instantly unsheathed his sword, pointed his sword tip at Charles, and asked coldly.


    "Don''t let them move a step, Ivan." The other guard said in a hurry and left to ry the message about the arrival of two mysterious people.


    Charles and Rh stayed at the entrance for the next thirty minutes and waited.


    After a long time, the gates creaked open, granting them entry into the Nightwind Family estate.


    Arge courtyard filled with greenery and unique gardening nts greeted them.


    "You may enter now." The guard returned the Elder Badge to Charles and whispered something in the other guard''s ears.


    Only then did the guard named Ivan retract his weapon and allow them to pass through.


    Charles and Rh went through thepound gate, softly treading the polished pathway crafted from pristine granite stones. They passed by the grand fountain positioned at the heart of the courtyard, its waters shimmering in the ambient light. The subtle sounds of sshing water apanied their quiet steps as they neared the imposing four-storied mansion. Its architectural grandeur emanated an air of aristocracy and history.


    Entering the mansion, they found themselves in a spacious foyer adorned with intricate tapestries and elegant furnishings. The atmosphere exuded wealth and prestige, a testament to the Nightwind Family''s status within the Ember Kingdom. Charles and Rh continued their journey through the opulent corridors, guided by the silent whispers of the mansion''s history.


    The mansion''s interior was opulent, withvish decorations adorning the halls. As they proceeded deeper, Charles noticed the intricate design of the family symbol embedded in the floor¡ªa winged night owl.


    Finally, they reached a spacious chamber where an elderly man with silver hair, a tall figure, a broad forehead, a square face, and sharp eyes sat on an ornate throne. He wore a blue robe over his body, ced his hand on his jaw while leaning on the throne, and looked at him with a hint of curiosity.


    Five sofa-like chairs were also ced on the sides, and five people in different attires sat on their respective chairs.


    ''Four men and one woman.'' Suddenly, Charles sensed a strange, chaotic energy from one of the four men and furrowed his brows.


    He was a handsome young man, around 25 years old, with shining blonde hair, captivating red eyes, and an oval face. He wore an elegant blue surcoat over his formal attire and looked at him with charming eyes.


    For a second, Charles sensed a strange power influencing his Inner emotions and was slightly surprised.


    Simultaneously, a row of information appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Ekemir


    Race: Human/???


    ss: Chaos Maker


    Sub-ss: Mind Maniptor


    Attributes:


    Strength- 25


    Dexterity- 29


    Constitution- 32


    Wisdom- 154


    Charisma- 24


    ss skills: Chaos Body, Corrupt Invasion, Breath of Chaos, Demon''s Eye, Wicked Mind Seed, Corrupt Mist of Blood.


    Subss skills: Fate Swift, Unpredictable Mind, Mind Walking.


    Unique skills: ?????.]


    ...

 Chapter 710 Explanation

    <h4>Chapter 710 Exnation</h4>


    Chapter 710: Exnation


    Charles also checked all other Elders in two seconds but noticed no abnormalities found among them.


    ''But an interesting imposter is lurking around.''


    At that moment, Patriarch Diego looked at Charles with a calcting gaze. "Charles... Are you the one who brought the Elder Ring? How did you acquire it? And what business brings you to my estate?"


    Charles quietly shifted his gaze towards the Patriarch and bowed his head before asking.


    "I have some questions I must ask all the Elders and the Patriarch of the Nightwind Family. Can I?"


    A strange silence appeared in the hall.


    "And what questions those are?"


    Charles didn''t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.


    "Do you remember Harry Nightwind from the Nightwind Family, Patriarch?"


    "Harry Nightwind from one of the Branch families? Ah, that genius who falls victim to the Raven family''s schemes? Isn''t that the case you take on personally, Elder Luna?" The Patriarch''s inquisitive gaze swept across the gathering until it settled on the young woman elegantly positioned at his right side.


    With a cascade of wavy blue hair framing her face, her deep blue eyes held a certain enigmatic allure. The features of her round face reflected a youthfulness that contradicted her actual age, seemingly frozen in her mid-twenties.


    d in a flowing green robe draped gracefully over her form, she exuded an air of quiet sophistication. The circr sses perched on her nose lent an intellectual charm, hinting at the depths of wisdom behind those youthful eyes. In her delicate hand, she cradled a book, a symbol of the knowledge she possessed.


    However, appearances were deceiving, for beneath the facade of youthfulness, she concealed the wisdom of 240 years. A prodigious mind, she had earned the de of being considered a genius of the century. Despite her remarkable individuality, external forces intervened in her life. Faced with political pressures and persistent persuasion from her parents, she waspelled to enter a matrimonial alliance with the Patriarch''s first son, integrating into the main family. Theplex intery of fate and familial obligations marked a chapter in her life that belied the simplicity of her outward appearance.


    "Yes, Lord Diego." Luna nodded her head and answered while adjusting her sses.


    "But even after interrogating the head of the Raven Family for two decades, I have yet to find the real cause of Harry''s death." At that moment, she suddenly gazed at the young man standing before them and raised her thick eyebrows.


    "Your name is Charles, right? Wait. Harry''s son, whom that vixen Eve took away, also has the same name." Her eyes went wide-eyed as if a sudden realization stuck on her face.


    "Y-You are that child?" She couldn''t hide her shock at all.


    ''Strange... From how they are reacting, the Nightwind family doesn''t seem to have known our whereabouts and is still interrogating Oswald Raven. Are they faking it? Or did the Truelords'' family conceal all the information from the Patriarch himself?''


    At the same time, the other Elders and even the Patriarch were startled by this information and showed different expressions like shock, confusion, and anger.


    ''I understand the shock and confusion, but why does Elder Luna show anger? Moreover, there is no hostility at all.''


    Although no one showed hostility, Charles didn''t trust anyone in that chamber.


    At the same time, he also didn''t like being interrogated and asked the following question.


    "And does anyone know what happened to Martin Nightwind?"


    "Martin Nightwind..." Elder Luna seemed to have recalled something and soon frowned.


    "Charles.... It''s you!" Elder Luna instantly stood up, released her wisdom power, and tried to put force on him.


    But all of a sudden, another mysterious power appeared in the hall and blocked the power from getting near Charles.


    Only then did everyone in the hall shift their attention to Rh and gauge his strength.


    ''Rank-5 Powerhouse! How couldn''t I see through his strength before?'' Even the Patriarch of the Nightwind family looked startled and became more curious.


    "Please refrain yourself from interfering, Your Excellency. Although I don''t know what kind of rtionship you have with the son of a traitor and also a killer of his bloodline, we need to take him into custody and interrogate him." Patriarch said in a grim tone and slowly stood up while showing dominance.


    "Hohoho, forgive this poor man for not knowing his ce andck of manners. My name is Rh, and I am Charles Nightwind''s only teacher. Although it''s rude to interfere in your business again, I can''t stand by when my student is forced and imprisoned, right? Moreover, do you think my student killed Martin Nightwind without any reason? Instead of imprisoning him, why not look for the cause of his action? I want to make a suggestion." Rh said while taking a step forward.


    Patriarch looked down at the brown-haired man with a frown and felt a strange sense of uneasiness.


    "Go on." He said after a short dy and quietly sat down.


    "Yes, Lord Diego. Instead of acting abruptly, why not just hear his reason and then decide? After all, my student and his mom ran away from the Nightwind family a few decades ago and lived in hiding all those years. So, why did hee out of hiding and start killing a member of the Nightwind Family?" Rh''s question made the Elders, and Patriarch fell into silence. It was easy to guess what Rh was trying to imply.


    "You are right." Patriarch nodded and soon shifted his attention towards Charles before waving his head.


    "Go on and tell us the reason."


    Charles gave a polite bow at the Patriarch and spoke further.


    "On June 5th, Year 6396, me and my mother were kidnapped by some people under the leadership of a man named James and went through physical torture. When I managed to defeat him after great struggle and even saved my mother, I found out that he was ackey of Martin Nightwind." Charles started narrating the following incidents about how he ended up joining the Withering Shadows and also told them about thend problem in which Eddie Nightwind used to live.


    "And soon after, my mother was killed brutally by Martin Nightwind and his friends. Thanks to their relentless pressure, I was forced to flee the city and hide under my teacher''s shadow." Charles said as he pointed his finger at Rh and then added.


    "And when my grandfather Oswald found out the whereabouts of my mother''s killers and invited me for the hunt, I wholeheartedly agreed and killed everyone with their help. Now, tell me, what wrong did I do?" Charles asked while sharpening his gaze at Elder Luna.


    "Although what you did is justifiable, you should''ve returned to the house and asked for our help instead of taking things into your own hands." Patriarch gazed at the young man for a while and asked.


    "Then, the reason you came here is to find out why Martin killed your mother, right?"


    "I''m also here to prove my mother''s innocence and came here to find out the real culprit. As far as I know, the one who killed my father isn''t my mom but someone else." Charles stated boldly, causing the hall to go into abrupt silence again.


    "Although what you said is quite reasonable, I still can''t determine whether you are speaking the truth or false." Patriarch Diego turned his gaze towards Elder Luna and ordered further.


    "With the information Charles gave you right now, dispatch a new team and investigate more thoroughly on Martin Nightwind and his family members. Also, send a letter to Undergrove and ask them to gather all information about Charles and the incidents in Riverdale."


    "Then, what should we do with them? Should we let them stay in the guest house, Lord Diego?" One of the elders with a big moustache and bald head asked.


    "Let Lord Rh stay in the Guest house, Michael." Patriarch quietly looked at Charles and then added.


    "And lock up Charles in the underground prison until all investigations are done. But you shouldn''t interrogate him or anything, Luna."


    "Yes, My Lord."


    "I also agree with this suggestion." Rh voluntarily agreed, causing a strange silence again.


    Despite the weight of the situation, Charles maintained aposed demeanor, acknowledging the decisions made regarding his temporary confinement. Elder Luna followed the Patriarch''smands with a stoic expression.


    Patriarch Diego addressed Rh with a measured gaze, "Your amodation is arranged, Mister. You''ll be taken to the guest house shortly. As for Charles, he will be confined while we conduct a thorough investigation. Rest assured, justice will prevail."


    With a nod, Rh silently epted the arrangements, understanding the delicacy of the situation. The Patriarch signaled for guards to escort them to their respective destinations.


    As Charles was led toward the underground prison, he couldn''t help but contemte theplex web of Nightwind Family politics. The revtion of his identity rattled the elders, and he couldn''t ignore the strange vibes emanating from Ekemir, the Chaos Maker, among them.


    ''Thanks to their awesome acting, I confirmed that they have a hand in my mother''s death.''


    What made him sure that the Patriarch was lying and doing a stunt was that he never mentioned where they were hiding all the time!


    ''But he ordered Elder Luna to get information from the Undergrove family about me and the incidents in Riverdale. If I hadn''t deliberatelyid out bait, they would havepletely convinced me.'' He was deeply impressed by their acting.


    ''And my other concern is that guy named Ekemir. And from the looks of it, even the Patriarch seems to think of him as one of the Nightwind Family members. His deceiving abilities and mind-maniptive skills are troublesome indeed. Should I start enving Elder Luna and get all the information from her? Well, I''m not in a rush anyway. So, I think it''s better to take things slowly.'' Moreover, Charles consideredprehending the ''Causality Maniption'' skill to its fullest in his free time.


    ...

 Chapter 711 Real Faces

    <h4>Chapter 711 Real Faces</h4>


    Chapter 711: Real Faces


    As Charles and Rh were escorted to different locations, the chamber fell into deep silence again.


    "Charles Nightwind is still alive... Didn''t you say he died while fighting some Mage from Iron Kingdom?" Patriarch Diego nced at Elder Luna and asked.


    "That''s what we found in the report that came from Undergrove. What should I do with him now, Lord Diego?" Luna asked.


    "Keep him in the jail for two more days and then let him out. With his current strength, he can''t do anything against us." Patriarch Diego''s words stunned everyone.


    "We are letting him live? What if he finds out that we are the one who killed his father?" The bald Elder named Michael asked.


    "Charles isn''t the problem. But that man named Rh is. Even though he had stayed behind Charles all the time, I didn''t even notice him being a pseudo-legendary Mystic. Until that man leaves, we shouldn''t touch Charles." Patriarch Diego said solemnly.


    "Why don''t we summon all the Mages from our Magic Tower and kill him with full strength?" Elder Michael asked.


    Unlike the other Guardian Houses, the Nightwind Family''s strength lies in the Magic Tower built next to the mansion.


    "As long as you say a word, we can mobilize all the Mages of our family and bombard the house with powerful spells. I don''t think he can survive the attack of our Magic Tower." Michael said with a confident tone.


    "You don''t understand what I''m worried about." Patriarch took a deep breath and spoke.


    "When Luna attacked Charles using her wisdom power, he didn''t even lift his finger and shattered her force like nothing. I have never seen someone from the Rank-5 realm doing this and dominating the opponent." As he spoke, he looked at Elder Luna and asked her opinion.


    Elder Luna went silent for a moment and spoke after some hesitation.


    "Although I felt like I was standing equally against him and even wanted to oppress him using force, my gut feeling suddenly stopped me. No, it''s more like a woman''s instinct. If I had attacked him head-on, I might have lost my life. That was the feeling I felt for a moment."


    Taking a deep breath, she again continued.


    "He is most likely the Ancient Mage we heard about in the past. Although his strength seems to have regressed, he is definitely capable of battling multiple Mystics of the same rank, Michael. On the other hand, Patriarch and I are normal ss Gem Mystics and aren''t confident enough to battle him. And it''s always better to study our opponent before acting."


    "She is right. So, you shouldn''t try provoking Rh and get into any fight."


    "Yes, My Lord." Elder Michael nodded his head and went silent.


    Meanwhile, Patriarch Diego turned his gaze towards Ekemir and asked.


    "Jasper, send a letter to the House of Truelords and seek their advice about the current situation. Now that I think about it, did any good newse from the explorers who entered the Star Tombs Dungeon?"


    "From what I''ve heard, Elder Seer Daisy prophesied an oracle stating that the Truelords Exploration team might have faced misfortune. If this oracle became real, it would cause a hugemotion all over the kingdom." Ekemir, under the disguise of Jasper, responded.


    "Haa, I expected a simr situation. I bet there will be a big change in this kingdom soon. It might be time for us to rise and increase our Rank to Duke. As long as we make some significant achievement, we can manipte Travis to show favoritism and increase the ranking of our household!"


    The Patriarch released a profound exhale, his weariness evident in the heavy sigh that escaped his lips. Shifting his focus, he directed his gaze toward another elder within the assembly.


    This Elder, seemingly in the twilight of his seventh decade, bore the distinctive marks of time etched upon his countenance. Long strands of white hair cascaded down his shoulders,plemented by an equally impressive white beard that framed his weathered face. Deep lines and creases marked his skin, narrating tales of a lifetime of experiences. Almond-shaped eyes, carrying the weight of wisdom, peered out from beneath the veil of age, revealing the depth of his insights.


    Despite the years that had sculpted his appearance, the Elder possessed a lean and enduring physique, a testament to the resilience forged over time. Draped in a simple white robe, he exuded an air of fatigue as if the burdens of the years had settled upon his shoulders.


    "What is the current situation in the Royal Pce, Kyle? I heard that Travis is acting strange after being crowned as a King. The reason we put him as a puppet king is mainly because of him being a dumb child. But if he dares to act recklessly and cause unnecessary mess, warn him that the House of Guardians will take back the luxury he enjoys."


    The Patriarch''s utterance bore a weight of solemnity as he cast a gaze upon the fifth Elder.


    The fifth Elder emerged as a man entrenched in his forties, a stalwart figure with a physique that bespoke a life of physical rigor. His robust build, characterized by broad shoulders and a muscr frame, suggested a strength honed through years of disciplined endeavors. A crown of short, jet-ck hair adorned his head,plementing the intensity of his pure ck eyes, which seemed to harbor a depth of experience and wisdom. Standing tall, hemanded attention with a stature that affirmed his presence in the assembly.


    The contours of his face formed a distinct triangle, a testament to the sharp angles that defined his features. d in arge ck surcoat that enveloped his white shirt, he exuded an air of authority and purpose. While positioned right next to his seat, a broadsword stood as a symbol and an extension of his martial prowess.


    "Baker, your job is to stay next to that man named Rh and keep him in check until the Truelords respond. I hope they will dispatch a Legend Rank powerhouse to kill him, so stay vignt until then."


    "Yes, Lord Diego." The man named Baker hurriedly responded.


    "Elder Luna, how is the progress going about cracking the Ringer Demi ne''s Array? That is thest area Eddie visited before returning and disappearingpletely. That bastard knew I would cover for his legacy and decided to seal itpletely!" A hint of anger appeared in his eyes.


    "After centuries of anticipation, I discovered a brilliant individual within my own family. I invested all my resources in Harry, sending him to the Wisdom Church to acquire their esoteric skills and find the ''key codes'' needed to dismantle the array of the demi ne. But that bastard gave the secret key code to the Raven family before dying at my own hands. If not for that old moroning here voluntarily and trying to make a deal to free his family members from the dream curse, I would still be thinking of how to deal with this mess. Just when I thought I had already eliminated all the people close to Harry, Charles suddenly appeared here like a ghost." His frustration was visible in his tone.


    Meanwhile, Elder Luna let out a deep sigh and spoke.


    "Unfortunately, we can''t crack the array without the help of a Rune Master or a high-ranking member of Wisdom Church, My Lord. From the interrogation I did on Oswald with Elder Jasper''s help, I found out that Harry indeed gave the key codes to Oswald before his death and shared some more secrets. Although the Dream Curse we put on his family members weakens his will considerably, he is still clinging on to some hope."


    "That should be that Lightning Mage Rachel. She has been targeting our household for the past fifteen years and even used her influence to disrupt our businesses. She knew Oswald got caught and is being held in the underground prison and is doing everything to get him out. Even two weeks ago, Curran Family Elder told me to not be too harsh on Oswald and release him sooner." Patriarch said while gritting his teeth in anger.


    "As long as he loses the final hope, he will break downpletely and allow Elder Jasper to enter his Inner World." Elder Luna paused for a moment and made a bold suggestion.


    "Why shouldn''t we invite that Mage and imprison her in the name of investigation?"


    "Her aunt is a Legendary Powerhouse of Life Church, Elder Luna. If we do something stupid like imprisoning her, the whole household might disappear in a day." Patriarch''s words made everyone in the chamber widen their eyes.


    "I never knew that woman has such a powerful background." Elder Luna instantly erased the thinking of capturing her and started to think of an alternative way.


    At that moment, the Elder named Kyle suggested another idea.


    "What about Charles? What if we use Charles to break down Oswald''s hopepletely? After all, Charles is Oswald''s grandson and Eve''s only son. What will happen if we torture Charles in front of his eyes? I don''t think he will hold on to that secret any longer and might spill everything on his own."


    "But if that Mage Rh finds out we are torturing his only student, he might go on a rampage," the Patriarch said worriedly.


    "We aren''t going to kill Charles, My Lord. After two days of torture, we can just heal him using a potion and let him out of the prison. Moreover, we have Elder Jasper to alter his memories. So, there will be nothing for us to worry about." Kyle''s suggestion made the Patriarch think deeply.


    "Haa, be it then. Elder Luna and Jasper will go to the Underground Prison immediately and start working on this matter. I want to see some good results in the next two days."


    Upon hearing the Patriarch''s approval, Elder Luna and Elder Jasper stood up from their seats and nodded in agreement.


    "We''ll leave right away." Saying so, both hurriedly walked out of the chamber and started walking in the long corridor directly connected to the underground prison.


    Meanwhile, Patriarch Diego also dispersed the meeting quietly.


    ...

 Chapter 712 Key

    <h4>Chapter 712 Key</h4>


    Chapter 712: Key


    In the underground Prison Hall, at that very moment, a young man of 25 years found himself being escorted by two guards, each step echoing through the narrow staircase that spiraled downward into the dark basement.


    As they descended, the oppressive atmosphere of the underground prison enveloped them. With hands bound, Charles exchanged nces with the guards and stealthily cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on both.


    "How long have you guys been working in this ce?" He started the conversation as they walked down.


    The flickering torches on the damp stone walls cast eerie shadows, revealing the worn steps beneath their feet.


    After a short silence, a bald guard answered without finding anything odd.


    "I have been working here for over fifty years, young man. Why did you ask that?"


    "I was just curious." Charles shrugged his shoulder and then added with a trace of disappointment.


    "But do you know something? I''m also a member of the Nightwind Family. Well, the Elders and Patriarch didn''t think of me as one."


    His words startled both guards.


    "You are a member of the Nightwind Family? But why haven''t I seen you in the family?" One of the guards with blonde hair asked in suspicion.


    "That''s because I lived far away from this ce and never came to this ce before. Although you may not know me, you might have heard of my parents." Charles continued the conversation.


    "Your parents?" The bald guy asked.


    "Yes. My father''s name is Harry Nightwind, and he is said to be a genius of the Nightwind Family. But a few decades ago, he was assassinated in his house. What''s more funnier is that the Nightwind Family put the me on my mother and tried to execute her. Things might have gone differently if not for her leaving the house while taking me." Charles said emotionally.


    "Harry Nightwind? I think I also heard of that story." The blonde-haired guard seemed to have recalled something and spoke.


    "Many from the branch families were also dissatisfied when the Patriarch and others med the assassination on Harry''s wife. But that news soon died out."


    "But it''s hard to imagine you are the son of Harry. But when looking at your face closely, you indeed resemble him." The bald guard said as if he had still recall Harry''s image clearly.


    "So, why are you getting imprisoned now?" The other guard asked as if he was talking to a friend.


    Charles let out a bitter smile and ryed what had happened in the main chamber.


    "Oh? You are the one who killed Lord Martin, huh? Wait, what about that prisoner Elder Luna and Elder Jasper have been interrogating all this time?" The bald guard showed a surprised look and asked himself.


    "Did the Elders make him a scapegoat because they didn''t find the killer all this time?" The blonde-haired man also showed a puzzled look and asked.


    At that moment, Charles showed a face of realization and muttered in shock.


    "Oh my god! Could it be him?"


    "You have a guess, Charles?" The blonde-haired guard asked.


    "Yes. If I''m not wrong, that person should be my maternal grandfather. When we killed Martin and his friends, he told me that he nned toe here to make a deal with Nightwind Family to release his family members from a strange Dream Curse." As Charles spoke, the bald guard''s eyes widened.


    "No way... I also heard him crying and begging Elder Luna to release his family members asionally." The bald guard spoke truthfully.


    "Then, can you show me where he is imprisoned?" Charles asked further.


    "He is imprisoned at the farther end of the prison. Even though he has the power of Rank-5 Mystic, Elder Luna drained his vitality using poison and made him weakened to an incredible level. I''m still wondering how he survived all the tortures he had gone through." The bald guard said in pity.


    "Although we can''t show him to you, we will find a way for you to meet him when the shift is about to end." The bald man said as he looked ahead and added.


    "Okay, be quiet from now on. There should be some patrol guards moving in the corridor, so it''s better to avoid any suspicion."


    Soon, they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a long, dimly lit corridor. The air was heavy with the scent of mildew and despair. Iron-barred prison cells lined the corridor on both sides, each containing its own silent story of confinement. The asional moans and whispers from within hinted at the destion that pervaded this underground realm.


    The guards led the young man through the narrow passageway, passing by the upants of the cells, some worn and haggard, others still defiant in their silent resilience. The clinking of chains echoed, amplifying the grim ambiance of the corridor.


    They finally arrived at a cell at the far end of the corridor. The guards, obscured by shadows, unlocked the heavy door and asked Charles to enter.


    "Don''t worry, Charles. We''ll try our best to give you good food and rmend to the jailer to take special care of you. If you don''t talk back to him, everything will be alright." The blonde-haired man said in a reassuring tone and locked the door.


    "I''ll be waiting," Charles answered.


    As the door creaked shut, the metallic ng of the lock reverberated through the corridor, sealing him in darkness.


    Alone in the cold, damp cell, Charles surveyed his surroundings. The feeble light filtering through the small, grated window revealed the bleak confines of his new abode. The air inside was thick with despair, and the echoes of distant footsteps and muffled conversations served as a haunting backdrop to the solitude that now enveloped him.


    "This dungeon indeed seems to hold many prisoners," Charles muttered as he walked towards the stone bed at the center of the cell and quietly sat on it.


    "Well, I thought they would try to take my artifacts but didn''t do it at all." In truth, he put most of his artifacts in his space ring and only held Grace at his waist. But thanks to her hiding nature, even the Patriarch only considered that a mere Common Rank weapon.


    After contemting, Charles released his wisdom power, allowing its potent energy to permeate the immediate surroundings. As the ethereal force extended, he meticulously examined the condition of each prisoner confined within the underground cells.


    A revtion unfolded as Charles discovered the existence of twenty captives, their plight concealed in the darkness beneath the surface. However, amidst this collective suffering, one inmate, situated in the distant recesses of the prison cell, seized his attention.


    Upon closer scrutiny, Charles''s discerning gaze settled upon an older man with flowing white hair, his frail form ensnared by chains that seemed to tighten with eachbored breath. The man''s body bore the cruel evidence of mistreatment ¡ª wounds, blisters, and burns adorned his skeletal frame, painting a grim tableau of torment. He appeared on the verge of physical copse, his thinness entuated by a wrinkled oval face, barely-opened amber eyes, and delicate, sparse eyebrows.


    This beleaguered soul was none other than Oswald Raven.


    Charles was instantly enveloped in a crimson me, disappeared from his cell, and reappeared in the farther prison cell, where Oswald was imprisoned.


    "I''m sorry for noting here sooner, grandfather," Charles said as he walked towards the chained Oswald, conjured a ball of soul me, and tossed it at his body.


    Oswald barely had enough time to see the neer''s face before the blue me appeared before his eyes and enveloped him as a whole.


    As the me continued to burn, Oswald felt the pain started to reduce drastically. Not only that, but the wounds, blisters, and burns began to heal quickly by recing new tissues with the dead ones. Although it didn''t dissolve the poison in his body, it actually managed to heal most of the injuries, allowing himself to finally take some breath.


    The process took over ten minutes toplete.


    By the time the blue me vanished slowly, Oswald finally managed to take a clear view of the savior and soon widened his eyes.


    "C-Charles? How did youe here-? ''Cough.''" A hoarse yet tired voice came out of Oswald''s mouth.


    "I voluntarily got imprisoned here for killing Martin Nightwind. Once I find out the truth behind my father''s death and your imprisonment, I''ll leave and show them what the real hell looks like." Charles said in a chilling tone.


    "D-Don''t trust anyone from the Nightwind family, Charles..." Suddenly, Oswald''s eyes widened.


    "Hohoho, you bastards almost caught me off-guard! Trying to use illusion this time?" Oswald gave him a sharp re and spat on his face.


    "Bastard, do you think I''m easy to be manipted?"


    Charles was stunned by Oswald''s action and furrowed.


    ''This old man thinks of me as an imposter, huh? Also, the reason the Nightwind Family imprisoned him isn''t due to the death of Martin Nightwind? There seems to be more secrets to it.''


    "Although it''s not the right thing to do, I have no other choice now, Grandfather," Charles said as he wiped his face and asked while casting the [Burning Thoughts] spell on him.


    "Why did they imprison you?"


    As Oswald was about to deny it, he suddenly forgot what to say and entered a confused mode.


    On the other hand, new information appeared in Charles''s mind.


    ''Oh? They are after the Array cracking code key of Ringer Demine from Oswald?''

 Chapter 713 Answers

    <h4>Chapter 713 Answers</h4>


    Chapter 713: Answers


    "What is an Array Cracking code key? Who made it, and for what purpose?" Charles continued to ask questions.


    Another round of information appeared in his mind, causing his eyes to widen.


    ''The Array Cracking Code key is a detailed pattern of weak points in the Array Circle that prohibits anyone from entering the Ringer Demine. One must learn the Wisdom Skill called the [Rune Eyes] to analyze and destroy that Array. The one who created the ''Array Cracking Code Key'' is Harry himself." Charles continued to ask more questions and managed to learn the secrets that had been puzzling him all these years.


    "Diego sent Harry to learn the secret of ''Wisdom Church'' skill but got betrayed. But I still don''t understand why Harry betrayed the Nightwind Family and even gave the important code key to the Raven Family." Charles muttered with a frown and asked further while burning his current thoughts.


    "Why did Harry betray the Nightwind Family? Why didn''t you give the secret code key to the Patriarch?"


    ''Oh? Harry seems to have learned another secret in those Array circles on the Demine''s entrance. The creator of that Array wrote a warning not to break the Array, saying that it could lead to disastrous consequences. On the other hand, Patriarch of Nightwind Family was hell bent on opening the array and even showed greediness for the legacy of Eddie. With no other choice, Harry decided to give the secret to someone he trust most. So, Raven trusted Harry''s words and decided not to reveal anything to Diego. But that changed when Diego used ''Dream Curse'' to put all Raven Family members to an endless slumber. After a long time of pressure from the Nightwind family, Oswald finally decided to exchange equally using the secret key code. Still, he didn''t expect Patriarch Diego to imprison him the second he entered. Then, Oswald changed his mind and waited for Rachel to find a way to release him from this ce.'' But what startled him was how Oswald knew Rachel was still trying to save him.


    As he further read his memories, he couldn''t help but get startled.


    ''A spy from Withering Shadows is working for her?''


    "Hmm, I now understand what is happening here," Charles muttered slowly, asking the final question.


    "Where is that Code Key located?"


    ''Oh? Is it actually with Rachel? No wonder she has been staying in the Ember Kingdom and doing everything to save him. Well, considering her background, there is no way Nightwind Family could make a move on her.'' Although he doesn''t know when both became best buddies, their friendship truly amazed him.


    "Hmm, other than the Truelords'' intention, I learned everything already," Charles muttered as he stopped asking questions, unsheathed the long sword, and shed at the iron chains.


    His sword edges released a ray of reddish aura and cleaved the chains into countless pieces, releasing Oswald from being chained.


    Metallic pieces crashed onto the cold floor one by one and caused nging sounds.


    "What happened?" "I heard those sounds from thest cell." "Go and inform Elder Luna." Voices of guards came from the corridor, and soon, multiple running footsteps could be heard.


    At that moment, Oswald seemed to have woken up from the strange state and stared at him in confusion.


    "W-Who are you?" He couldn''t help but ask in nervousness.


    "Keep your eyes wide awake, old man. I''m going to get you out of this dark prison." Saying so, Charles turned around and sheathed his sword.


    Simultaneously, he opened his palm and released invisible strings towards the iron bars.


    Like slithering snakes, those invisible strings moved towards the iron bars at an incredible speed and coiled around the iron bars.


    As he pulled his hands, those invisible strings bent the iron bars and slowly made a gap enough for a human to pass through.


    Slowly, Charles stepped out of the prison cell and soon saw more than twenty soldiers in iron armor running in his direction while holding different kinds of weapons in their hands.


    He also saw the bald guard and the blonde-haired guard among the group.


    As they approached him, a tall guard hurriedly pointed his spear at him and ordered.


    "Who are you? Kneel on the floor and surrender yourself!"


    While speaking, he tried to step forward and get closer to the young man but suddenly noticed a strange feeling.


    At that moment, he felt his legs and hands stopped moving alone!


    "W-What happened-?" Before he could mutter, he sensed an invisible string coiled around his neck and started tightening.


    "H-Help!"


    He slowly turned towards his sides and asked for help from other guards but soon noticed that all of them were in the same situation!


    Everyone felt that their whole body was being controlled by some invisible strings and was scared shitless!


    Muffling sounds soon started to echo as they all noticed that the invisible strings around their necks tightened slowly.


    "C-Charles? Why are you doing this?" The bald guard asked tremblingly, dropping the sword in his left hand.


    But instead of responding to his question, Charles''s gaze swept past all the soldiers and soonnded on the two people walking in his direction.


    It was Elder Luna and Ekemir.


    As Charles stood there, the invisible strings maintained their grip on the immobilized guards. The tension in the air was palpable as the approaching figures of Elder Luna and Ekemir drew nearer.


    Elder Luna, with her sharp eyes, quickly assessed the situation. She recognized Charles but was perplexed by the unseen force that had subdued the guards.


    ''I don''t sense any mana or wisdom power... But why are the guards frozen like dolls?'' She knew that all the guards in the Underground Prison were around Rank-3 and some even Rank-4 Mystics!


    ''Isn''t he a Rank-4 Mystic? How is he doing it?''


    "Charles Nightwind, what is this?" Elder Luna demanded, her gaze locking onto him.


    Charles turned to face her and smirked. "This? No, Elder Luna, just a little demonstration of my abilities. You see, I''m not an ordinary Mystic like you guys think. I came here not to get toyed around by you guys but to see whether my grandfather is okay."


    Ekemir, who had been walking alongside Elder Luna, raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, I possess abilities beyond yourprehension," Charles replied cryptically. "Now, let''s have a little chat."


    Elder Luna, despite her usual calm demeanor, couldn''t help but feel a sense of unease. She exchanged a wary nce with Ekemir before nodding. "Speak, but know that you are still within the confines of our power."


    Charles chuckled. "Oh, I''m well aware of your power, Elder Luna. But let''s not pretend that you''re in control here." With a mere thought, he tightened the grip of the invisible strings on the guards, causing the invisible strings to cut.


    The guards screamed one by one as blood started dripping from their necks and drenching their armor. Fear and panic were evident in their eyes as they stared at Charles pleadingly.


    Upon seeing such a scene, Elder Luna couldn''t remain calm and shouted.


    "Please stop harming the innocent people, Charles. We can negotiate."


    "Innocent people?" A ridiculous smile appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Among the guards standing before me, there is not even a single person who hadn''t killed in his life." Charles pointed his finger at the guard closer to him and asked.


    "How many people have you killed so far?"


    Before that guard could try to gasp for air, Charles answered.


    "53."


    "See? Before we talk about the important matter, we should do something about these noises." Charles suddenly pulled his hands and caused the invisible strings to move and tighten at incredible speed, cleaving everything in their path.


    A secondter, more than twenty heads suddenly detached from the bodies and flew up toward the ceiling, spraying blood in all directions.


    "Now, about this imprisonment and the secrets you''ve been keeping from the outside world," Charles began, his eyes locking onto Elder Luna. "I''ve learned quite a bit from my dear grandfather."


    Elder Luna''sposure wavered momentarily, but she quickly regained control. "You can''t trust him, Charles. We are doing this for the rise of our Family."


    Charles raised an eyebrow. "Is it? I know about the Dream Curse, the Array Cracking Code Key, and the secrets hidden within the Ringer Demine. I even know that Diego used the curse to put the entire Raven Family into an endless slumber to get his hands on the key code."


    Elder Luna''s eyes narrowed, and Ekemir''s expression darkened. The revtion hit a nerve.


    "You''ve been digging into matters that don''t concern you, Charles Nightwind," Ekemir warned.


    Charles grinned. "Oh, but they do concern me. The Nightwind Family''s secrets are intricately linked to my Family''s tragic history. I''ve had enough of your petty schemes."


    Elder Lunaposed herself and sighed. "What do you want, Charles?"


    Charles paced a few steps, arrived before Elder Luna, and answered. "You see, I made a vow to someone long back. When James attacked me, I warned him that if Martin came after my Family again, I would enter his bedroom and slit his wife''s throat one day. Then, I would go for his sons'' necks and daughters'' necks. Once done, I would shave Martin''s head, cut his cock, and eventually put him on the road bare naked." He paused for a moment and soon sighed.


    "Unfortunately, I really can''t take revenge on Martin now. I killed him already, after all."


    Elder Luna felt her heart start beating abnormally faster. At that moment, she knew that they had messed with a terrifying psychopath and turned pale.

 Chapter 714: Truelords

    714 Truelords


    Chapter 714: Truelords


    Charles continued with a smile.


    "But aftering here, I realized that the main culprit is not Martin but the Nightwind Family''s five elders and the Patriarch."


    ''I have to kill this man right now! Or else, the whole Nightwind family will face a disaster!'' She instantly released her wisdom power and tried to pressure him.


    At the same time, Ekemir also cast the [Mind Walking] skill and tried to enter his head.


    But a momentter, he noticed that his consciousness couldn''t even get near Charles.


    Luna also felt a gigantic mountain standing before her and was startled.


    Charles slowly released his wisdom power and revealed a bit of his power.


    "M-My God! Y-You are a Legend?!" Panic and fear surfaced on Elder Luna''s face as her legs trembled. In a moment, she falls to her knees and is directly prostrated on the bloodied floor.


    Charles didn''t even spare her a nce and turned his attention towards Ekemir.


    "Now, can you tell me which side you belong to? How and why did you infiltrate the Nightwind Household and act as Diego''s son?"


    Before Ekemir could open his mouth, he suddenly forgot what to say and entered a confused state.


    "Oh? A loyal servant of Truelords?'' Charles''s eyes suddenly squinted as he found another piece of information.


    ''Ekemir infiltrated this house more than five decades ago after killing Jasper and is observing the Nightwind Family.''


    "Wait... James indeed said to my mom that ''Truelords'' would send more members to kill me even if he got killed. And from the looks of it, the Nightwind Family didn''t have any interest in chasing down my mother and killing us. But why did Jamese after us? Is it just a maniptive order from the Red Prince to lure out Rh from the shadows? No, I fear what he said about my inheritance skill is true. The Nightwind Family desperately needed the wisdom skill to unlock the Array Circle to the Demine. If they had known that Harry had passed down his wisdom skill through inheritance, Patriarch Diego would have tried his best to keep me in this mansion. On the other hand, there is a high chance that the Truelords had a hand in this scheme." The more he thought, the more headache he felt.


    At that moment, Elder Luna raised her head and spoke hurriedly.


    "Truelords? Impossible! Wait, Charles... There is something I need to tell you. In truth, Martin Nightwind acted on his own two decades ago and didn''t even have any connection with members of the Truelords. Even we were confused as to why he went after your mother and always got confused. If the ''Truelords'' really wanted you and your mother to be dead, they would''ve at least sent a few Rank-5 Mystics like us. Not some butler and thugs."


    "Whether the Truelords scheme or not, I n on digging out the truthter by myself. But that doesn''t change the fact that you guys killed my father." Charles spoke coldly.


    "Can you at least spare me? I didn''t do anything wrong at all!" Elder Luna pleaded.


    Charles shook his head and spoke icily.


    "I nned on razing the Nightwind Family and killing everyone. But after some thinking, I realized that only a handful of people are in the wrong. I''m a forgiving person, after all. So, I''ll let you live. Instead, I''ll kill your husband, your two daughters, three sons, and your parents."


    As soon as his words ended, Elder Luna almost gasped in shock and tried to grab his legs.


    "Oh no!!! Don''t kill any of my family members!" Her body quivered as she kept her head low and begged.


    On the other hand, Ekemir also felt that his whole disguised form started to tear up and reveal his real face.


    His young skin became hard, shining golden hair turned greyish color, captivating red eyes became pure ck, and even his oval face started to change and turn into a square one.


    Within seconds, he returned to his original look, causing Elder Luna''s mouth to open wide.


    "W-Who are you?" She couldn''t help but get tensed up. After all, she had been working with him for years, thinking that he was the son of Patriarch Diego, and was deeply startled!


    "He is a [Deceiver] ss Mystic."


    Saying so, Charles cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell on Ekemir and asked the most important thing he wanted to learn.


    "Tell me more about the ''Truelords.''"


    ''Hmm, it''s a business organization solely owned by one family called ''Truelords.'' The owner of the Truelords business organization is unknown; the Manager''s name is Raymond Truelords, and the thirteen Council Elders all belong to the same Family. The Family owns manypanies and has close ties with the Amber Church. In this Ember Kingdom, they are the ones who decide who should rule this kingdom, who should be promoted, and so on through the five major Guardian families.''


    "Their rtionship with Nightwind Family?"


    "Partners? No, it''s more like all the five families are servants of the Truelords.'' Charles continued to ask about the Truelords''s assets.


    ''The Truelords own the three biggestpanies in the world and are shareholders of many small and intermediatepanies. Their main revenuees from ''Ember Liqueur Company,'' Shade Alchemy Tower, and Amber Bank... Amber Bank?''


    "What is the rtionship between Truelords and Amber Church?"


    "The Truelords and Amber Church have been allies for centuries. The pir of Amber Church, Pontiff Vermillion, is a close associate of the Truelords, Pentagon, and Holmes families. They coborate on various matters, including influencing political decisions, economic ventures, and controlling the smaller Kingdom like Ember..." Charles continued to ask questions about Truelords'' Patriarch, Council Elders, and then about the Ember Kingdom''s Royal Family and understood the whole kingdom''s political struggles well.


    ''Other than the Truelord Organization''s real owner, I got everyone''s information.'' Charles nodded as he raised his hand, pointed his finger at Ekemir''s forehead, and cast the [Ember Needle] spell.


    A momentter, a reddish ember needle came out of his finger, directly entered his head, and exploded from within, spattering his blood, skull bones, and brain matter in all directions.


    Ekemir didn''t even understand what had happened as he found himself standing in the Astral Realm the next second, watching his headless body dancing on the bloodied floor.


    "Now, tell me how to undo the Dream Curse." Charles sharpened his gaze towards Elder Luna and asked.


    "It''s a unique curse spell formation created by ''Eddie Nightwind.'' As long as the caster is alive, it''s impossible to undo the spell. No, it''s more like this spell made all the Raven Family members'' consciousnesses enter the nightmare realm and sealed them permanently. Even if we undo the spell, there is a high chance their consciousness had long perished in the Nightmare Realm, and their bodies must have entered a state ofa. They will only wake up if their soul creates a brand new consciousness. Even if you don''t undo the spell, his family members will wake up in a decade or two."


    "Y-You demons!" A hoarse voice came from behind.


    "Death of one''s consciousness is as good as death of a person! Even if they open their eyes, most will have lost memories and endure many struggles." Oswald clenched his trembling hand and punched the nearby wall.


    "I''m sorry." That''s all Elder Luna could say in this situation.


    "Why aren''t you killing her,d?" Oswald slowly walked closer to Charles and asked.


    Meanwhile, Charles shook his head and spoke coldly.


    "I want to. But simple death isn''t enough."


    "I want her to suffer, to feel the agony that me, you, and Raven''s Family endured. Death is an easy way out for her, and I won''t grant her that mercy," Charles replied, his eyes glinting with a dark resolve.


    Oswald nodded, understanding the depth of Charles''s pain and the desire for retribution.


    "Then, what do you n for her?" Oswald asked.


    Charles took a moment to contemte, his mind working through the possibilities. Finally, he spoke with a chilling calmness, "I''ll strip away everything she holds dear¡ª


    her Family, her status, her power. I''ll make her experience the void of loss, the emptiness that engulfs you when everything you love is taken away. Death will be a reprievepared to the hell she''ll endure."


    Elder Luna, still on her knees, trembled at the ominous words. The gravity of her actions and the impending consequences weighed heavily on her.


    "Please, Charles, have mercy! I beg you!" she pleaded, tears streaming down her face.


    Charles remained unmoved, "Mercy is a luxury you robbed from my Family. Now, face the consequences of your choices."


    As he spoke, Elder Luna suddenly felt her world darkened.

 Chapter 715: Despair

    715 Despair


    Chapter 715: Despair


    By the time Elder Luna woke up, she found herself lying in the smooth bedroom bare naked. She looked outside through the ss window and noticed that the bloody moon illuminated the interior with red light, giving her a strange, uneasy feeling.


    Next to her was a forty-year-old man with a muscr body, deep blue hair, a round face, and sharp eyebrows.


    He was none other than Leo Nightwind, her husband.


    Along with them, she also noticed two more women lying on the other side of the fat man, cuddling each other. One was around 40 years old, while the other appeared around 30.


    They were Leo''s first and second wives.


    ''H-How did Ie here?''


    She hurriedly reached out her hand toward the muscr man''s chest and checked his heartbeat. Then, she checked if the other two were alright and breathed a sigh of relief.


    ''But how am I here with my husband? Didn''t Charles knock me out?'' She quietly left the bed, wore the white robe on the nearby table, and started walking out of the luxurious bedroom.


    "A-ARgh." Suddenly, a scream came from behind, causing her to halt her footsteps.


    She slowly turned around and soon saw her husband struggling with all his might, but some invisible force still seemed to have bound him.


    She also saw a sharp cut on his neck region, causing blood to gush out from it.


    "W-What happened?" One of the women woke up due to the man''s scream and asked in panic.


    The other woman also woke up from her slumber and tried to check if he was okay.


    Elder Luna observed the chaotic scene with a mixture of confusion and horror. Leo, her husband, continued to struggle against the unseen force that bound him while blood seeped from the fresh wound on his neck.


    The two women, awakening to the rming situation, joined in the desperate attempt to free Leo. Panic filled the room as the reality of their vulnerability became apparent.


    Elder Luna rushed back to Leo''s side, eyes scanning the room for any sign of danger. "Leo?"


    Leo, gasping for breath, managed to utter a few words before his neck suddenly cleaved into two. "It... it was a ghost!"


    "C-Charles!" Elder Luna instantly realized it was Charles''s doing and soon saw her husband''s blood droplets start to ascend one by one and form into a number.


    ''8,''


    "W-What the hell?" The woman in her 40s showed a pale face and felt there was a ghost in the bedroom.


    Before Elder Luna could sort the situation out, another scream came from the nearby room, causing her face to go pale.


    With a restless face, she dashed out of the room, passed through the long corridor, and soon arrived at the next-door room.


    It was where her first son was staying with his wife.


    "Thiago," She called to him, but no response came. Only the crying sound of a young woman echoed.


    Elder Luna pushed open the door, her heart pounding in her chest. The sight that greeted her sent a shiver down her spine.


    She saw Thiago, her son, lying on the bed in the dimly lit room. His lifeless eyes stared into the void, and his body bore the marks of a violent struggle. His wife, a young woman, sat on the floor, cradling their child, tears streaming down her face.


    "No¡­ no¡­ Thiago!" Elder Luna rushed to her son''s side, desperate to find any sign of life. But it was futile.


    The number'' 7'' formed from droplets of blood hovered in the air of Thiago''s lifeless body.


    Elder Luna, overwhelmed by grief and shock, could hardly register the gravity of the situation. Charles''s method of retribution was not just about taking lives; it was about making each death a profound and haunting experience.


    "Charles¡­ you monster!" Elder Luna muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes burning with sorrow and anger.


    Suddenly, a voice echoed in the room, chilling her to the bone. "Elder Luna, move faster if you want to save the rest."


    She turned to find Charles standing at the doorway, his eyes colder than ever. Before she could open her mouth and shout, he turned into a crimson me and disappeared.


    "Oh no! Enzo and Milo! They are in danger!"


    Driven by a renewed sense of urgency, Elder Luna staggered to her feet, her grief momentarily overridden by the need to protect the remaining members of her family. Without sparing another nce at her son''s lifeless body, she hurriedly rushed out of the room, her robe flowing behind her.


    Down the corridor, she raced towards the rooms where Enzo and Milo, her other two sons, stayed with their families. Panic gripped her heart as she imagined the horrors Charles might unleash upon them.


    As she approached the next door, she hesitated momentarily, her hand trembling over the handle. She knew that whatever awaited her on the other side could shatter her soul even further.


    Elder Luna swung the door open by summoning thest shreds of her strength. The room was dimly lit, and the air was thick with tension. Enzo and his wife were already woken up and were holding swords in their hands.


    The earlier scream had woken up most of the people in the mansion.


    "Mom, what''s happening?" Enzo, the second of the four brothers, asked with confusion and concern.


    "H-He is killing us. We need to leave right away." Elder Luna panted heavily and spoke with fear in her eyes.


    "Who?" Enzo asked.


    But before Elder Luna could respond, two more screams came from one of the outside guest houses.


    "Mom and dad!!! F*ck!" Elder Luna''s face turned white.


    "Oh no! Milo and his family are also staying with them!"


    Enzo, realizing the urgency, didn''t waste any time. He immediately grabbed his wife, and the three rushed out of their room, following Elder Luna down the corridor. Panic spread through the mansion as more family members awoke to the horrifying reality of Charles''s revenge.


    As they reached the mansion''s entrance, Elder Luna turned to Enzo with desperation in her eyes.


    "We need to find a way stop him from killing us, Enzo."


    Just as they were about to head towards the guest houses where the screams had originated, her heart started beating faster.


    Enzo, Elder Luna, and other family members rushed to the guest houses. The scenes inside were gruesome ¨C bodiesy strewn across the rooms, blood painting a dreadful picture of tragedy.


    At the entrance, two beheaded heads of elderly peopley, both of their eyes wide open and filled with fear.


    "MOMM!!!! DADD!!!" Elder Luna''s cry resounded through the yard as she staggered and fell to her knees.


    "6, 5?"


    Two numbers pained right next to the heads, giving a horrifying experience to everyone.


    "Where are Milo and his family?" Elder Luna asked, scanning the rooms with dread.


    "M-Mom!" Ezno suddenly pointed his finger at the tall ceiling and shouted with trembling hands.


    Elder Luna also looked up and soon saw her third son hanging in mid-air without any rope, his head turned in an opposite direction. His eyes were almost popped out, and his tongue came out, revealing the misery he had gone through before death.


    They also saw the number ''4'' drawn in blood on his forehead and were horrified.


    "B-But who are the other three?" Enzo asked with a hint of fear in his eyes.


    Suddenly, he noticed some invisible force coiling his neck and touched it.


    "M-Mom! I think my time hase," His voice filled with fear as the invisible thread cut the outeryer of his neck, causing blood to stter in all directions.


    Elder Luna instantly released her wisdom power and tried to perceive the invisible force but found no clue.


    Before she could blink, the invisible stringpletely cleaved her son''s neck and killed him on the spot.


    "F*ck!" Despair filled her eyes as she understood Charles''s revenge and felt hopelessness.


    ''Oh no! My other two kids are not even 20 years old yet!''


    She quietly knelt on the bloodied floor and screamed.


    "Don''t kill the other two, Charles. They are too young and never even did any wrong. Please kill me instead."


    A strange silence appeared in the guest house, followed by a sharp sound.


    The next instant, Elder Luna noticed that her arms started flying up andnded right before her parents'' heads.


    A secondter, some invisible power cut her two hands into countless pieces, making them into chopped meat.


    Before she could even scream at the unimaginable pain, a shadow appeared before her, waved something at her legs, and disappeared.


    The next instant, her legs were also cut into multiple parts, leaving a bloody mess.


    "I ept your plea. But let other knows that this is just the beginning." A chilling voice echoed in her ears and soon disappeared.


    Elder Luna, now crippled and surrounded by the remains of her family, felt the weight of Charles''s merciless vengeance. The air in the room was thick with the scent of blood, and the horrifying reality of the massacre struck her with unparalleled horror.


    In her desperate plea to spare her remaining two children, Elder Luna had offered herself as a sacrifice.


    ''I almost lost everyone close to me and even became a cripple!'' As far as she knew, only the Pope of Life Church had the power to heal her crippled hands and legspletely.


    But it was entirely out of her reach!

 Chapter 716: Keaton

    716 Keaton


    Chapter 716: Keaton


    "You have made a big mess," a brown-haired middle-aged man said while standing on the terrace of the mansion building, looking at what was happening in one of the guest houses.


    "But is it essential to kill family members?" Rh further asked as a crimson humanoid me suddenly appeared beside him and started forming into a deep blue-haired human.


    "This is the lightest punishment I''m giving for their mistake. If they had killed Royalty instead of my father, what do you think would''ve happened to the Nightwind family right now, old man?" Charles asked.


    Rh went silent for a moment and soon answered truthfully.


    "The whole Nightwind Family, including elders, women, children, and even the servants, would''ve been dragged out of the house and executed on the spot."


    "Then, there is no problem, right? I won''t touch any innocent. I''ll only kill people who havemitted murders and have connection with the Truelords." Charles said as he moved his hand, manipted the invisible strings, and started the massacre stealthily.


    Screams and cries continued to echo in the Nightwind mansion as multiple people belonging to the Main family started dying one by one. All of them were strangled to death by some invisible force, causing restlessness among the family.


    The whole mansion fell into an uproar.


    "W-What the heck is happening?" Patriarch Diego stood at the mansion entrance and observed the entire massacre that happened in his domain with wide eyes.


    "I can''t even sense the enemy''s presence. Who is it?" At that moment, Rh''s face appeared in his mind.


    "Could it be that man''s doing?" He shifted his attention to the guest houses and soon noticed that Rh was not there. But what shocked him was Elder Michael, whom he had dispatched to monitor Rh, was still in the guest house''s living room andzily sitting on the sofa.


    "That bastard! Even after hearing this much noise outside, he is stillzing around. No, something is not right."


    He instantly flew towards the guest house, arrived before the entrance, and walked in, opening the door with a bang.


    "What happened, Patriarch?" Elder Michael asked as he waspletely unaware of the outside situation.


    Only then did Patriarch Diego notice that the living hall appeared in eerie silence. The cries and screams from different parts of the mansion were nowhere to be heard.


    "A big massacre is happening outside, Michael. Where is Charles''s Teacher?" Patriarch asked with a sense of urgency.


    "He is staying in the bedroom. I''ve been monitoring him all this time." Michael said as he pointed his finger at the opened bedroom.


    Patriarch Diego turned around and soon saw Rh sitting on the bed, apparently in deep meditation.


    "But why can''t I sense his presence through my wisdom power?" As he spoke, he walked closer to the bedroom and slowly entered it.


    At the same time, he felt like he was entering some different dimension and became startled.


    At that moment, he noticed that Rh didn''t show any sign of alertness and became more confused.


    "Something is not right." As he spoke, he moved much closer and soon touched Rh.


    The next instant, Patriarch and Michael noticed that the surroundings suddenly distorted and broke into countless mirrors!


    Instead of Rh, what they saw inside was an empty room.


    "It''s seems like some kind of realistic illusion." Patriarch Diego said solemnly and moved outside.


    "Come with me."


    Michael nodded quietly and followed him from behind.


    But as soon as he walked out of the guest house, his expression turned into shock and soon into disbelief.


    "W-What the hell happened?" He instantly released his wisdom power and checked the whole surroundings.


    "So many of our family members are dead?" As he further checked, his expression turned pale as a white sheet.


    In the corner room of the mansion, he saw his son being hung in the mid-air and appeared to be lifeless!


    "O-Oh, my god!!! Patrick!!!" But as he further checked, he noticed his third son was also dead in his room.


    "W-What the hell happened here?" He felt stupid for not even realizing what had happened outside all the time.


    "The enemy is far stronger than us and seems good at ying tricks." Patriarch Diego clenched his fist in anger and added grimly.


    "But his actions puzzled me more. I don''t know why he did this massacre, but he only killed particr people. Mostly, he only killed the ones who had ties with ''Truelords.'' Elder Lucy and I are the ones who lost almost everyone from the family. I lost my first and second son, my wife, and even grandsons."


    "I''m going to find that bastard and kill him brutally!" Elder Michael said as he took out the broadsword from his space ring.


    "I already sent some men to other Guardian Houses and asked for their help. In the meantime, we should gather all our forces. You go and bring Kyle from the Pce. If possible, seek some aid from the His Excellency Keaton." Patriarch Diego said with a sense of urgency.


    "His Excellency Keaton? Isn''t that too much to catch a killer in our own house? Wait, you think the enemy is a Legend, Patriarch?" Michael''s face turned stiff.


    "It''s highly likely. If not, how could Elder Luna lose to him in fractions of seconds? Anyway, I''ll go to the Magic Tower and bring the mages. We''ll meet again in 30 minutes in the living room. If you encounter that guy along the way, don''t confront him alone." Patriarch Diego warned Michael, used his wisdom power to hover in the air, and moved towards the tall cylindrical building beside the mansion.


    On the other hand, Michael also manipted his wisdom power and started flying toward the Royal Pce.


    ...


    Thirty minutester, people from the Nightwind Family were gathered inside the living hall. Patriarch stood on the elevated tform while Michael and Kyle stood behind him.


    Around thirty people stood before the Patriarch and Elders; some wore robes, while others appeared in formal attires.


    Abruptly, with a resounding creak, the entrance gate of the living hall swung open, drawing the immediate focus of those within. Stepping into the hall with a noticeable fragility in his physique was an elderly man, his hair stark white against his age-worn features. He was approximately 70 years old and possessed aplexion that spoke of the passing years, with a pallor that entuated the wisdom etched on his face. His eyes, unique in their crystalline rity, caught the ambient light as he moved further into the space. He gripped a sleek ck cane in his left hand, a testament to the support he sought in his advanced age. d in a simple white gown-like garment and matching pants, he seemed to embody the essence of vulnerability, resembling more an unassuming elderly figure than a powerful presence.


    He was none other than one of the five Royal Mages of the Ember Kingdom!


    Once the mages and other mystics noticed who this guest was, they instantly stopped chatting and bowed their heads.


    "Greetings, Your Excellency!"


    Even Patriarch Diego, Kyle, and Michael stepped down from the elevated tform and bowed their heads.


    "So, who are you searching for?" Keaton scanned the surroundings and soon asked. At the same time, a powerful ripple came out of his body, spread through the whole mansion, and observed every minute detail.


    In a moment, Keaton noticed two people standing on the terrace of the mansion building and smiled.


    "Found you!" But before he could try out his spell and sneak attack on them, an overwhelming pressure appeared in the living hall and caused him to squint his eyes sharper.


    At the same time, his eyes suddenly shone in silver light and showed him the uing events.


    In a blink, he saw a total of twenty visions. But he soon became horrified because his head flew right away whenever he tried to attack the humanoid crimson me in those visions.


    In the meantime, one of those two figures on the terrace suddenly enveloped in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    A secondter, a sudden me appeared before his eyes and soon started to erge. Before he could even blink, it became a humanoid me and turned into a blue-haired young man.


    "Oh? You are a rat from Truelord Family?" Charles asked with a cold gaze.


    Even though the young man appeared harmless, Keaton realized that the oppressive wisdom powering from him was too terrifying!


    ''My sixth sense is screaming!!! Oh my god! His wisdom power is as powerful as Lord Franco and Founder Joe! No, he might be even stronger than them. I''m no match against such person.'' His mind went nk.


    ''F*ck! Whom did these Nightwind bastards offend? If you want to die that badly, do a mass suicide. Why invite me into this mess? Sh*t! I need to deescte the situation and apologize!''


    "Charles?" Patriarch instantly identified him at that moment and took the sword from his space ring.


    As he was about to attack him, a sharp ice de came out of Keaton''s hand and cleaved Patriarch''s wrist.


    "A-Argh!! Y-Your Excellency?" Puzzlement appeared on the Patriarch''s face.


    Before he and others could understand the situation, Keaton suddenly knelt on the floor and bowed his head.


    "Have mercy, My Lord! I didn''t know that Nightwind Family offended a Legendary Figure and even involved me in this mess."

 Chapter 717: Reorganize

    717 Reorganize


    Chapter 717: Reorganize


    "I have some questions. As long as you answer me truthfully, I''ll let you alive." Charles said coldly.


    "Yes, My Lord." Keaton didn''t dare to look up and see his face and kept kneeling.


    "Why did the Truelords kill Harry Nightwind?" Charles asked.


    "Who is it, My Lord? I don''t even know such a person existed." Keaton instantly answered and slowly looked up.


    ''W-Why is he asking me this question? D-Did he also know the truth of our race like Harry? No good, I need to warn Founder Joe!''


    Meanwhile, Charles squatted down and looked at him with a cold smile.


    "You see, I also entered the Star Tombs two months ago and coincidentally met with the members of the Truelords. And thanks to their open mindedness, I overheard a conversation between Alistair and Nyx." Just as Charles spoke, Keaton widened his eyes and soon blurted out.


    "You''ve met Alistair? H-How is he, My Lord? Is he still alive?"


    ''How did he know Alistair?'' Confusion appeared on Keaton''s face.


    "Oh? So you are the brother he mentioned when he was talking with Nyx. But Nyx said something else too. What was it again? Ah, he said that the one who ordered the assassination of Harry was none other than his brother. Can you please exin why he said those words?"


    Keaton was about to deny it, but Charles added a single word.


    "Derios."


    Keaton''s whole body stiffened up.


    It was due to the exposure of the Truelords Family''s secret and the impending danger.


    Instinctively, he released a sudden bust of ice elemental energy and tried to cast an Ice shield spell.


    "Hey, did I give you permission to act on your own?" Charles asked as an illusionary ''Crimson Eye'' appeared on his forehead, releasing a ray of pure chaos fire.


    Before Keaton''s shield spell could manifest, the chaotic fire ray passed through the gap, directlynded on his forehead, and disintegrated his head into pure ashes!


    "What the f*ck is wrong with these morons? Just to hide their racial identity, they even go to such lengths to kill someone." Charles red at the remains of Keaton and slowly turned his gaze towards Patriarch Diego.


    "On the other hand, you guys are even worst. If not for Rh telling me to hold myself back and also having the same family name as you guys, I might have razed this whole mansion to the ground." Charles spoke as he started walking to Diego and unsheathed the long sword.


    "Not only did you not hesitate to kill your own family member but you even tried to wipe out my Mother''s Raven Family by cing a Dream curse on everyone. From today onwards, you are no longer the Patriarch of Nightwind Family."


    Then, he made a swift sh and cut down both his hands into countless pieces.


    "Arghhh!" Diego screamed in pain, but Charles didn''t stop as he moved his sword again and cut down his legs, too!


    "Humph, cowardly bastard. Be a cripple for the rest of your life and atone for your sins." He ordered.


    "NOO!!!! Help!! Somebody!!!"


    As Patriarch Diego was screaming and crawling on the floor, Charles turned his attention towards the bald Elder Michael.


    "I know you hate me for killing your two sons. But they and you are the one to be med for bing the puppets of Truelords." Charles paused as he stared deep into his bloodshot eyes and made a swift sh at his neck.


    "If I leave you alone, I can tell that you might do something reckless and trouble me in the future. So, f*ck off to the underworld."


    In a blink, Elder Michael felt his whole surroundings were turning upside down and soon felt darkness invading his vision.


    He died before he could even understand the situation.


    Charles quietly turned his attention towards thest Elder without minding the dancing corpse.


    "Kyle, you are the only one who barely did anything to anyone. You neither helped anyone nor did harm them. What should I do with you?"


    The old man trembled as he couldn''t withstand the pressure from Charles and soon fell to his knees.


    "Have mercy on this poor old man, Your Excellency!"


    "I feel like a viin for making the elders beg for life. Is it? But if I kill you now, this whole Household might end up getting destroyed by others." Charles pondered for a moment and soon came up with an idea.


    "I give you one year time, Kyle. In that short span of time, you must gather everyone from the Nightwind Family and go to the Iron Kingdom. That way I will have an easier time watching over this guy." Charles said as he red at Diego.


    "Also, the young children from Nightwind family should be sent to the Rebirth Tower and study there for ten years of time. Whether they be a powerful mystic or remain as mortal, it''s totally up to the kids to decide. And only those who are appointed by Iron Kingdom''s Queen will be the Patriarch in the future. That''s all I can do for this family."


    Suddenly, he recalled something, looked at Diego, and asked.


    "Do you know where my grandparents are? I mean my paternal grandparents. From what I''ve heard from Eve, they are the ones who helped her to escape from the Nightwind Family, right?"


    Diego''s face turned pale as soon as he heard those words.


    He didn''t even dare to look at him and lowered his head.


    Meanwhile, Charles vaguely understood the situation as he looked into the records with the help of Genesis and heaved a deep sigh.


    "Heh, they were executed in the name of treason for helping a traitor of the family, huh? Tsk, should I have razed the whole mansion?"


    "P-Please! Have mercy on me, Charles!" Patriarch Diego couldn''t hold it anymore and fawned on the floor by banging his head.


    "Pathetic!" Charles kicked him on the chest and turned his attention towards Kyle.


    "Put him in the prison cell and lock him up for the rest of the life. Give him the worst food only once per day and never let anyone talk to him. I want him to live until the end of his lifespan only by starving and loneliness."


    "I''ll do as you say, Your Excellency!" Elder Kyle said with a bow.


    "Hmm, now my worry is what to do with the current situation." Charles pondered for a moment and sent out another order to Kyle.


    "From now onwards, no one should be leaving or entering the mansion until tomorrow morning. Ah, if my grandfather Oswaldes back with the Lightning Mage Rachel, let them in."


    Saying so, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there, leaving the whole main hall in utter silence.


    Nobody dared to move a muscle for the next few minutes and silently looked at each other.


    ...


    On the other hand, Charles reappeared on the terrace of the mansion building and stood right beside Rh.


    "My job here is almost done, old man. We can leave as long as you take care of the business in the Ancestral Hall." Charles said as he looked at the faraway golden pce.


    "Almost over? There is still a job left for you to do?" Rh asked as he slowly hovered in the air and started to descend from the terrace.


    "Yes, I want to do some investigation on that Ringer''s Demine. You should''ve known about it, right? This whole mess happened mainly because of that ce." Charles also released his wisdom power, slowly ascended in the air, and followed him.


    "Oh? Then, our destination is the same. I sealed my Spell Matrix crystal in that dimension only." Rh said as he stepped on the smooth grass and looked at the crowd at the mansion''s entrance. Most of them were members of branch families, guards, and servants.


    "Wait... Are you the one who made that array circle to seal off the entrance to the Ringer''s Dimension?" Charles asked with a frown.


    "Of course I am. That dimension is a Demine used for nar travels by Eddie and his friends. But when Eddie entered a ne called ''Fallen World,'' he met the ''World Devourer.'' That bastard already knew the danger ahead but wanted to look into it to satisfy his curiosity. Although I tried my best to save him, he sacrificed himself and opened up a small gap for me to escape. After I returned to the Ringer''s Demine, I managed to severe the Portal link between the Fallen World and the ''Ringer''s Demine'' and even decided to seal the entrance to the Edhen World. So, howe did you know about this ce?" Rh asked.


    "It''s a long story." Charles took a deep breath and told about all the schemes running within the Nightwind Family.


    "Hoo! That Diego sure is a cowardly bastard. When Eddie became a Legend, he always talks to him with ttery and even used him to gain the title of ''Duke'' in this Kingdom. Although the Nightwind Family got demoted to Margrave in thest few hundred years, I always thought Diego only has greed for money and title. So, he was trying to get Eddie''s items from the Ringer''s Demine, huh? Unfortunately, Eddie died in that unknown foreign ne without leaving anything behind." Rh said with a trace of disappointment.

 Chapter 718: Ringers Demiplane

    718 Ringer''s Demine


    Chapter 718: Ringer''s Demine


    "Let''s go then. I''m curious about this Demine, too." Charles said as he flew towards the mansion''s right side, where the cylindrical magical tower building was located. It was a seven-story tower with a dome-shaped structure on the top.


    "There is nothing much special. If not for my help, they wouldn''t even seed in creating a nar Teleportation Array." Rh also followed alongside Charles, and soon both arrived at a 300-meter tall white tower.


    Before long, Charles and Rh arrived before the Magic Tower and walked in while knocking down the guards at the entrance.


    The ground floor was nothing but an oversized foyer with a magical chandelier hunt at the center of the ceiling, illuminating the whole area in bright yellowish light.


    "Where is that entrance to the Ringer''s Demine located?" Charles asked.


    Instead of responding, Rh raised his hand and pointed his finger at the ceiling before opening his mouth.


    "Teleport."


    A secondter, two magic circles appeared under Charles''s and Rh''s feet, enveloping them in white light.


    A secondter, Charles and Rh stood before a mysterious wall resembling a portal door. The magic portal gate stood as an awe-inspiring marvel, seamlessly integrated into the wall with a diameter of precisely 2 meters. Crafted with meticulous precision, it radiated an otherworldly aura. The surface of the gate was a seamless expanse of obsidian-ck material, cool to the touch and adorned with intricate, glowing runes that seemed to dance with spatial elemental energy.


    Multipleyers of forcefield arrays encased the portal in an invisible embrace, creating a mesmerizing disy of shifting energy patterns. These protectiveyers formed a transparent, shimmering barrier that enveloped the gate, giving the impression of a mystical cocoon safeguarding the secrets. The forcefield glowed in various hues, ranging from a serene azure to a vibrant violet, depending on the magical energies coursing through it at any moment.


    Upon closer inspection, the runes etched onto the surface of the gate revealed aplex and ancient script, hinting at the potent spells and enchantments that bound approached the forcefield array and touched it with bare hands.


    16:38


    the portal''s magic. The runes pulsed softly, synchronized with the subtle hum emanating from the depths of the gateway.


    Without even activating his wisdom eye, Charles could tell that the Array of circles engraved to cover the entrance was beyond the norms.


    "Hmm, there is indeed a sign of someone trying to tamper it," Rh spoke as he approached the forcefield array and touched it with bare hands.


    "It''s called ''Multi-force Arcane Array.'' Unless you are a Rank-7 Rune Mage, it''s almost impossible to break it. But it''s actually surprising that your father managed to decode this whole Array and even activated the warning message I engraved."


    Once he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and started reciting a change in runenguage. At the same time, the firstyer of the forcefield began to break at multiple ces and soon started to crumble like broken sses, releasing dense spatial energy in all directions.


    But Rh didn''t stop at all. He continued reciting the chant and broke theyers one by one.


    As he finally broke the finalyer, the whole room was enveloped in dense spatial energy, causing spatial disturbance in multiple areas.


    "Eltedaf!" Rh suddenly walked closer to the gate and uttered a unique word.


    A momentter, all the spatial energy gathered inside the room suddenly sucked towards the gate and soon pushed it open, revealing a gigantic portal.


    "This is the gateway to the Demine." Rh spoke as he took a step forward and walked inside.


    Charles gazed at the opened portal with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. The gateway seemed topletely nullify his wisdom power, making it impossible for him to even try destroying it. The air around it felt charged with magical energy, and the swirling vortex within the portal hinted at the vastness on the other side.


    Rh gestured for Charles to follow, and together, they stepped through the threshold. The moment they crossed into the portal, a surge of energy enveloped them, distorting their surroundings and warping their senses. The transition was disorienting, and for a brief moment, Charles felt as though he was suspended in the void. But after a quick check-up, he found a light ahead and instantly moved forward.


    A heartbeatter, Charles found himself standing in andscape that defied description. The surroundings werepletely dark; the sky was filled with countless stars and a strange, deep, bluish, moon-like star. The ground beneath his feet felt solid, yet it radiated a dense dark energy that resonated with the very essence of the Demine.


    Charles instantly activated his [Dark Vision] skill and was soon stunned.


    Before them, a surrealndscape filled with nothing but eerie nts and trees; towering crystalline structures also rose from the ground, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the surroundings dimly. Strange flora with petals, unique mushrooms that shimmered in iridescent colors adorned the darkness, and strange worm-like creatures crawled here and there.


    "This is the Ringer''s Demine," Rh exined, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a sense of familiarity.


    "Don''t try to touch any of the worms here, each one contains a hint of consciousness of a fallen Dark God named Ringer. Even though he had been fallen from the divine throne, his divine kingdom was shattered into countless pieces and spread across all over the universe, along with his consciousness."


    "Oh? Now that I think about it, I heard about such a name when I was in the Miracle City." Charles said with a frown and soon focused on a single worm. It appeared to be around 1 inch long, round-shaped body, and seemed to have a pattern of a closed eye on its back.


    Just as his wisdom power touched the worn, it suddenly stopped moving and shivered.


    Simultaneously, the strange closed-eye pattern on its back suddenly started to change and formed into an open-eye-like one.


    On the other hand, all the strange worms that crawled in the woods, ground, mushrooms, and even the crystals suddenly stopped moving and slowly nced in his direction.


    A secondter, Charles felt countless eerie gazes from all those worms and a strange sense of disgust and uneasiness.


    "Don''t let your guard down,d. Even though you became a Legend Rank powerhouse, you are still nothing in front of a God. They are the strangest beings in this universe and are scary too. This Dark God is also a terrifying one and was once reached the pinnacle in strength. Not only that, but his true body is actually a worm called ''Mind Worm'' capable of invading one''s consciousness and even controlling other Gods." Rh said with a hint of worry.


    "Anyway, let''s not mess around and go to Eddie''s base first." Saying so, Rh took a step forward and started walking in the direction of another greyish tower located more than a kilometer away from them.


    Charles nodded, acknowledging Rh''s warning about the eerie consciousnessden worms and the potential dangers of the fallen Dark God''s influence. He followed closely behind Rh as they navigated through the surrealndscape of the Demine, the strange creatures and dark flora creating an otherworldly atmosphere.


    The journey through the Demine was not without challenges. As they walked, the ground beneath them seemed to shift, and the ambient magical energies yed tricks on their senses. Shadows moved independently, and the distant crystalline structures asionally emitted eerie sounds that echoed through the darkness.


    After a considerable walk, they reached the greyish tower, which appeared to be the entrance to Eddie''s base within the Demine. Unlike the magical tower they had entered from the Edhen ne, it had a more foreboding and ancient presence. The structure was carved from a dark stone that absorbed the ambient light, giving it a solemn appearance.


    Rh approached the entrance and inspected the intricate runes engraved on its surface. Charles noticed that these runes differed from those on the portal gate, carrying a distinct energy hinting at powerful protective wards.


    "This is actually a tower belongs to that Dark God. Eddie found it when he got into this dimension and soon picked it as his base Demine. Let''s go inside."


    Without hesitation, Charles and Rh entered the dark tower, the heavy doors closing behind them with a resounding thud. The tower''s interior was dimly lit, with a bluish glow emanating from strategically ced magical sources. The air felt thick with ancient energy, and Charles couldn''t help but feel a sense of mysteries hidden in the carvings on the stone walls.


    The atmosphere shifted as they ascended through spiraling staircases and passed through winding corridors. The ambient magical energy intensified, creating an almost palpable tension. Rh guided Charles with confident strides, leading him deeper into the heart of Eddie''s base within the Demine.


    Eventually, they reached a vast chamber at the pinnacle of the tower. The room was adorned with arcane rune symbols and magical arrays, and arge circr tform dominated the center.


    But Charles''s attention waspletely drawn to the head-sized crystal ced on the altar-like pir at the center of the chamber.


    "This ce is the nar Teleportation Array Circle." Rh exined as he walked towards the altar-like pir.

 Chapter 719 Easica World

    ?


    Chapter 719: Easica World


    "What is that crystal?" Charles asked as he looked at the head-sized blue crystal on the altar-like pir.


    "Is it a Tower Core?"


    "No, it''s the map crystal. We use this crystal to pinpoint the location of a ne and then use the nar Teleportation Array. In this Universal map, I''ve recorded most of the habitables. So it''s easy for us to travel between nes." Rh said as he touched the map crystal.


    A secondter, the surroundings started to change and soon showed arge projection that enveloped almost the whole hall-like chamber, showing stars and strange clouds.


    Charles couldn''t help but marvel at the intricate details of the Universal Map projected by the crystal. It disyed gxies, nebe, and various celestial bodies in stunning rity. Rh manipted the projection, zooming in on specific clusters of stars ands.


    "We are currently in the Ringer''s Demine, which is situated in a star cluster called ''Hezen,'' only a few light years away from Edhen. I''ve established awork of these nar Teleportation Arrays at more than a hundred nes, allowing me to traverse vast distances across the universe. If not for the contract, I would''ve long left this ne and found a way to return to human with the help of my friends from Easica World." Rh exined, his fingers dancing across the holographic representation.


    As they observed the map, Charles noticed several highlighted points, each corresponding to a different ne or dimension. Rh pointed at one of the marked locations.


    It was a giant ball of Fire.


    A secondter, the whole projection started to shimmer before vanishing and was reced with a new three-dimensional map. The giant ball hovered a little above the map crystal, and surrounding it were small sphere-shaped objects.


    With a light tap, Rh zoomed towards the fourth sphere object. A bluish, much simr to Earth, appeared before Charles''s face. But with a single nce, he noticed that it was a different and patiently waited.


    Rh showed a bright smile and spoke.


    "This is Easica, the ne where I hail from. And that''s also where we are going right now."


    As he spoke, he clicked on the Easica, touched the map crystal, and dismissed the hologram.


    "We are going to Easica ne now?" Charles asked in a surprised tone.


    "You think I kept my secret in this domain? Would Eddie have stayed still if he had found out that I was trying to recover my strength? Although he isn''t as ruthless as the ancient Mages, he is still a man who never leaves any loopholes behind. If not for Eddie dying in the Fallen World, I might still be working for Nightwind Family as a ve artifact."


    Saying so, Rh walked forward and moved towards the metallic gate that was located a few meters from them.


    "I''ll go and check if the Tower Core still has energy left." Saying so, he soon arrived at the metallic door, pushed it open, and entered a small 10x10-foot room.


    Charles also saw a simr bluish crystal ced on a stone table through the gap and quietly stood in the same ce.


    Meanwhile, Rh touched the blue crystal, activated the core by chanting a strange incantation, and finally took out a bunch of blue elemental crystals from his space ring. Although most of them were around fist-sized ones, he couldn''t help but show a trace of disappointment.


    "These spatial crystals aren''t enough for long-distance nar Travel. Charles, do you have some?" Rh asked.


    "Of course, I have a lot." Charles hurried towards the core room and soon arrived before him while taking out a small head-sized crystal.


    "Oh? A Fairy Crystal... From the looks of it, it looks more like a peak rank Rank-6 Magical Beast." Rh didn''t ask further as he grabbed the crystal and ced it on the table.


    "This should be enough for us to travel once."


    "But won''t we get stuck there? I have a lot of things to do here." Charles said.


    "Don''t worry. My secret pocket dimension should still be in the Easica ne. As long as we find it, we will have an easier time getting out of that ce and returning here." Rh spoke as he tapped on the empty air to create runes and sent them into the Tower Core.


    A few secondster, the tower core started to shine in bright bluish color and started sucking all the elemental energy within the Perfect Crystals and even emptied the Fairy Crystal.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The next instant, arge blue icon, simr to the system interface, appeared before their eyes.


    It showed different options like spells, defense, maps, and so on.


    Rh touched the spells options, scrolled down the lists of spells shown in the interface, and finally stopped at the name ''nar Teleportation Spell.''


    "Let''s go," Rh spoke as he clicked the spell and hurriedly walked back to the hall.


    Charles also followed him closely, and both soon arrived at the center of the hall.


    Just as they reached the center, the whole nar Teleportation array under their feet started to shine.


    Soon, arge amount of spatial energy started to gather behind them and soon formed into a spatial crack.


    The spatial crack expanded, creating a swirling vortex of energy that seemed to defy thews. The ambient spatial energy in the room intensified, and a soft hum resonated through the air. Charles and Rh stood at the epicenter, surrounded by the luminous array of the nar Teleportation spell.


    Rh chanted an incantation in the ancient runenguage, his voice resonating with power. The runes on the floor glowed brighter, and the spatial crack widened, revealing glimpses of the darkened void.


    Without hesitation, Rh gestured for Charles to step into the portal. As they entered the swirling vortex, the energy enveloped them, distorting their surroundings and warping their senses.


    A momentter, Charles and Rh found themselves pulling into a sizeable vortex-like wormhole.


    The swirling vortex of the wormhole seemed to warp the fabric of space itself, creating a surreal and mesmerizing disy of colors and patterns. The currents of energy carried along Charles and Rh, their surroundings shifting as they traversed the dimensional bridge.


    The sensation was disorienting, akin to being caught in the vortex. The colors around them blurred, and spatial distortions yed tricks on their senses. For a moment, it felt as if they were suspended in a cosmic dance, moving through the vast wormhole.


    As the journey continued, Charles glimpsed fleeting images of other nes, each with its uniquendscapes and inhabitants. The ethereal visions passed by in a surreal cascade, leaving an indelible mark on his mind.


    Amidst the kaleidoscope of cosmic energies, Rh maintained a focused demeanor, navigating the currents of the wormhole with practiced precision. He seemed attuned to the ebb and flow of the dimensional currents, guiding their passage through the interconnected spaces.


    After what felt like an eternity and a fleeting moment simultaneously, the vortex began to dissipate. The transition was abrupt, and Charles found himself standing on solid ground once again. Thendscape around them had transformedpletely, reced by a vibrant and familiar scenery.


    The air was crisp, and the sky overhead disyed a warm palette of colors as the sun dipped below the horizon. Gentle breezes carried the scent of flora, and the sounds of nature enveloped them. They were no longer in the darkened realm of Ringer''s Demine but had arrived in Easica, Rh''s home ne.


    "Is this your home world? It looks much simr to Edhen." Charles released his wisdom power and checked the surroundings.


    Rh nodded with a nostalgic smile. "Yes, this is Easica. It might share some simrities with Edhen, but each world has its unique charm and features. Although it has been more than 20,000 years since I left this ne, it still looks the same."


    They flew through a lushndscape, passing by vibrant meadows and serene rivers. The air was filled with the soothing melodies of unseen birds and the asional glimpse of colorful creatures added to the enchantment of the surroundings.


    "We should find the nearest habitable city." Saying so, they continued to travel in the air.


    After traveling for more than fifteen minutes, they finally saw a magnificent city with a golden-painted circr tower at the center.


    The City sprawled out beneath them, its architecture a harmonious blend of natural elements and magical craftsmanship. Gleaming towers stretched towards the sky, adorned with intricate designs that seemed to dance with ethereal energy. The streets below were bustling with diverse inhabitants, from elegant elves to sturdy dwarves, all coexisting in a vibrant tapestry of life.


    "This ce is supposed to be a vast forest," Rh furrowed. "But now it seems like and filled with different races. That''s strange. I always saw humans, dwarves, and elves fighting amongst each other."


    They descended gracefully towards the heart of the City, catching the attention of some curious onlookers. As they touched down near the golden tower, Charles couldn''t help but feel the hum of magical energy in the air.

 Chapter 720 Maze

    ?


    Chapter 720: Maze


    "Genesis, connect to the ''Wisdom Link'' and gather information about the city with Golden Tower. I also want more information about this Easica World now." Charles ordered.


    [Yes, Host!]


    [Trying to connect to the ''Wisdom Link.'']


    [Error... Error... Error.... Reconnecting... New world''s Wisdom Link has been found.]


    [Connection Sessful!]


    [The new world is conformed to be a High ne called ''Easica World.'']


    [Gathering information about the city with Golden Tower under the order of Host.]


    [Found the answer. The City with a Golden Tower is said to be an ancient port city named ''Amara City'' located in the stall Woond. It is also said to be the second capital of the Bidora Empire. Its history is more than 8,000 years old and was built by the Angel of Time. Although the city''s strength has been weakened due to the absence of the Angel of Time in this ne for more than six millennia, it was still under the protection of Nature Goddess Helena...] Charles quietly read the information and was stunned a little.


    "This city was built by the Sun God Abium?" He slowly turned his attention toward the tower and noticed a powerful presence from inside.


    Before he could blink, that presence disappeared.


    "May I know your purpose of visiting Amara City, uninvited guests from the other world?" A cold voice of a young girl came from behind, causing both Rh and Charles to be surprised inside.


    Charles slowly turned around and soon saw a young woman in her twenties. But what surprised him most was her unique fox ears and long tail. She had deep-set blue eyes, olive skin, a square face, and long golden hair that almost reached her hip. She wore a bluish long gown with a sheathed short sword in her left hand.


    While thinking of an answer, he also cast the [Inspect] skill on her and scanned her.


    ...


    [Name: Umi


    Race: Foxkin


    Rank: Demi-God (Bloodline Warrior)


    Title: Champion of Goddess Nyara


    Attribute:


    Strength: 89


    Agility: 95


    Vitality: 93


    Wisdom: ????


    Bloodline Spells:action


    Absolute Touch


    Crystal Zone


    Frozen Domain


    Ice Needle Descend


    Domain of Mist and Snow


    Ice Network


    Skills:


    ??????


    ??????


    ???????.]


    ...


    While Charles analyzed her, Rh stepped forward, bowed his head, and spoke.


    "We came from a faraway high ne called ''Edhen World'' and means to harm this ne or this city. I came here to search for my belongings and nothing more, Your Highness."


    On the other hand, the young woman named Umi slowly turned her attention towards Rh and furrowed.


    "Why do I feel like I have seen you before, mister?" She asked as she walked closer and stared at his face for a few more seconds.


    All of a sudden, her bluish eyes widened.


    "Mr. Rh?" She couldn''t help but ask in a perplexed look.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You know me?" This time, it was Rh''s turn to be surprised.


    "We entered your pocket dimension when I was a little kid and met your incarnation. We also went to an undead ne under his request and barely managed to return alive." Umi said as she recalled the long-lost memory and soon added while bowing.


    "Without your incarnation''s help, neither me nor big brother Abium would''vee this far and be Godly beings."


    An awkward smile appeared on Rh''s face.


    "I didn''t expect that my little gift to the future generation would end up supporting that Taboo Existence and his friends," Rh said with a nod and soon asked.


    "Do you know how did you guys enter my pocket dimension? Moreover, is it still there? Due to the long time, I almost forgot most of the ces of my home world."


    "I understand, Mr. Rh. Actually, it''s not that far. We found your pocket dimension right next to the Barekeep City. But after we left the pocket dimension, we lost contact with that ce." Umi said as she slowly ascended from the ground, manipting the chilling wind.


    "Follow me."


    Saying so, she slowly turned around mid-air and shot towards the extensive mountain range.


    Rh and Charles nced at each other and slowly ascended before following her.


    The trio soared through the skies, led by Umi, towards the mountain range in the distance. Thendscape beneath them transformed as they left the city behind, heading towards the untamed wilderness of the stall Woond. Towering trees with thick canopies stretched out below, and the air was filled with the vibrant sounds of nature.


    Before long, they arrived at the mountain range, filled with icy caps and chilling winds, and slowly ascended further to cross it.


    Soon, the trio moved to the other side of the mountain range and saw a vastnd full of greenery and vegetation.


    "This is Peral Dukedom; it was once a Kingdom ruled by the Lockridge Family but has now be a part of the Bidora Empire," Umi exined as if she was an acting guide for the due from another world and continued to fly.


    "I heard from Big Brother that the Lockridge family did something bad to the Ancient Bidora Empire and even erased it from existence. But Big Brother revived the Bidora Empire after meeting Empress Athena and letting her rule over this southern Continent. She is the sweetest person in the world and always cares for me like her own child." Umi continued to talk like a little kid, causing Charles to furrow.


    As they continued to travel while passing through many small towns and cities, Umi started exining how she met Abium, what happened during the Chaos Era, and so on.


    After talking for a long time, the trio finally arrived at a small city next to another mountain range.


    "This small city is called Barkeep City; it''s where I first met Nicus Brother and Abium Big Brother." Umi slowly descended towards the city wall and soonnded on it, alerting the nearby soldiers.


    Then, she looked up at the cloudy sky and snapped her fingers.


    A secondter, the sky started to get darker, and soon, snow descended. The falling snowkes added a serene beauty to the scene as Umi manipted the weather. The city of Barekeep became adorned in ayer of soft white in a few minutes, and the inhabitants marveled at the sudden change.


    Soon, many started recognizing Umi and waving their hands at her while shouting cheerfully.


    "It seems you are more like a celebrity here," Charlesmented.


    "Ie to this city once a month to y with Nicus Brother''s grandchildren and always roam around here and there."


    While talking, Charles, Rh, and Umi descended into the city, drawing curious nces from the residents. The atmosphere felt festive, and the locals continued to bow their heads at Umi or greet her with flowers.


    "Barekeep City has a unique charm," Umi exined as they walked through the snowy streets. "The people here are resilient, and the city has a rich history."


    The trio traversed the winding streets, passing market stalls and quaint shops. Umi''s presence continued garnering greetings from the townsfolk, and she responded with warmth and familiarity. The snow continued to fall gently, creating a picturesque setting.


    As they approached the city''s center, Umi led them to arge courtyard dominated by a towering statue. It was a statue of a muscr warrior with a broadsword on his back. But what surprised Rh was the third-eye-like pattern on the statue''s forehead.


    "Three-Eyed Titan?" Charles asked.


    "Big Brother Nicus is walking on the path of Warlock. But he and Big Brother Abium are not here at this moment. They both left this ce for too long. Sister Helena said we might have to leave this ce in a decade or two to help my big brother." A trace of sorrow could be seen in her tone.


    "So, what are we doing here?" Rh asked, confused by her actions.


    "No. Whenever Ie to this city, I alwayse to this statue to see the face of Nicus Brother," Umi said with a smile and slowly rose in the sky, alerting the nearby people.


    But none paid much attention as if they had used to seeing hering here and leaving.


    "Let''s go." She was suspended more than 200 meters above the city and flew towards the tall conical-shaped mountain.


    "This is the ''Mountain of Perished.''" While saying so, Umi flew closer to the mountain''s base and soonnded near a unique maze-like cavern.


    "This is the Mysterious Maze that was connected to the Pocket Dimension. We entered this maze and picked up strange red gems before entering the altar room."


    "Ah! I finally remember this ce." Rh slowly moved towards the mysterious maze''s entrance and touched the wall before releasing his wisdom power into the cavern.


    "Hmm, the multi-transfer Teleportation array is still active."


    Just as he spoke, the dark cavern suddenly got enveloped in a golden light and soon returned to normal.


    It was covered with dirt and debris and appeared pitch-dark. Many vines were hanging on the cave''s ceiling, covering the bright outside light and leaving this cave in perfect darkness.

 Chapter 721 Runeth鈥檚 Incarnation

    <h4>Chapter 721 Rh''s Incarnation</h4>


    Chapter 721: Rh''s Incarnation


    "Let''s go," Rh said as he stepped forward and walked into the pitch-ck cavern.


    "But it''s an empty cave now. There was no mysterious maze too." Umi showed a confused look and spoke.


    "It''s not that the entrance disappearedpletely. I just hid it until certain conditions were met." Rh exined as he walked further into the cavern.


    Meanwhile, Charles conjured a ball of fire, let it hover mid-air, and followed Rh closely.


    Although Umi was confused by his words, she didn''t ask many questions and hurriedly followed the duo.


    But as they walked further, the rough walls became smooth and shiny. The shrubs and the weeds that upied the ground disappeared and were reced with white marble. Magicalmps were also attached to the walls, giving brightness everywhere.


    "Why did you made this maze anyway, old man?" Charles asked as they walked in.


    "Oh? It''s one of the seventeen inheritance ground of mine in seventeen different nes and each one has a secret of mine. This one has theplete essence spell model replica of Erase Existence spell. You should also do the same whenever you face an obstacle in your rank up. You never know what happen to us in this vast universe after all." Rh answered.


    "But why haven''t you taken any disciples before? Or did you have already?" Charles further inquired.


    "Unlike other mages, I rarely take disciples by myself. Instead, I will always let the destiny decides. Not even gods can manipte with their fate strings to get my inheritance." Rh said proudly.


    "Aren''t you the one who got turned into a crown artifact by a divine?" Charles scoffed.


    At that moment, Umi started to talk while looking at Charles.


    "Now that I think about it, do you guys know my big brother Abium? Whenever I mentioned his words, he always acted surprised or showed more interest."


    ''I thought of her as a na?ve and yful girl but I was wrong. Even though she seems to have met Rh''s incarnation, she has been observing us all this time and keeping an eye on our every movement.''


    "Actually, I met your big brother two in the world where we came from. Do you want to know more about him and his current situation?" Charles asked.


    "Hmm? No. Although it''s been a long time since I met my both big brothers, I''ve been talking with them every day. It''s just that I''m not bothered asking where they are what they are doing right now." Umi responded casually as he cautiously nced at the walls made of rocky sand and soon added.


    "Found it." She hurriedly walked towards the wall, clenched her fist, and made a light tap. The next second, a part of the wall broke and started falling on the ground, revealing a mysterious red gem filled with unique rune patterns.


    "This is the key to enter the pocket dimension. We''ve to gather 12 more gems in the maze and then enter the altar room." Umi exined solemnly.


    "Oh? You know this trick?" Rh stopped his footsteps and asked. It was one of the few tricks to enter the pocket dimension, but he never told anyone. Unless someone was fortunate, finding all thirteen gems in this maze and entering the altar room is almost impossible.


    ''Moreover, my incarnation is the one who decides whom to enter the altar room.''


    If someone enters the altar room beforehand, they might teleport to the other side of the continent or the cave entrance. Another restriction was that one could enter this Maze cavern only once every ten years.


    "Big Brother Abium was the one who told us to collect these gems. At that time, my mom was there too." Umi clenched her fist while biting her lips and added.


    "Those moments were my precious ones in my whole life."


    While she was talking, Rh found another gem and put it in his pocket. Then, he stopped his footsteps as he saw the pathway splitting into three and added.


    "Let''s split up and search."


    Both Charles and Umi also halted their footsteps and agreed.


    "But be careful that you can''t use your wisdom power here. I made such aplicated security array to protect the pocket dimension." Rh added as he chose the center path and walked ahead.


    "Interesting."


    Charles chose the left path and continued to walk inside the maze while searching for the unique gem. But as he walked further, he couldn''t help but be stunned as he saw the pathway splitting up again.


    Without even a dy, he chose the left path with the help of his visions, continued to walk in, and soon found a red gem. For the next few minutes, he continued to roam in the maze, found three more red gems, and soon arrived at a sizeable chamber-like area with multiple intersecting paths.


    But the tall metallic door at the end, which had runic inscriptions and weird engravings, made him halt his footsteps.


    "Oh? It seems you came earlier than me. So, how many gems did you collect?" Rh asked as he walked from one of those pathways.


    "Four." Charles''s words surprised him.


    "Ah, I forgot you have the vision skill to fight the right path." Rh nodded his head and soon arrived beside him while adding.


    "We still need six more gems. Let''s wait until that foxkin arrives."


    After waiting a few minutes, Umi returned through one of those pathways and showed a sad face while giving the gems.


    "I only managed to get three gems in total."


    "This girl''s luck is good indeed." Rh smiled as he got the gem from her and turned towards Charles.


    "We''ll stay here. You go and pick up the rest with your vision skill."


    Charles didn''t say anything as he activated the sixth sense skill and soon found the right path.


    He once again entered the maze and continued his search. After an hour of long search, Charles finally managed to gather the rest of the three gems, returned to the chamber-like hall, and gave them to Rh.


    On the other hand, Rh walked closer to the metallic door and touched it. The next instant, the iron door distorted as if it had never existed and disappeared, revealing an altar room to everyone.


    "That was the door of the past? So, it never existed to begin with!" Charles said with a shocked tone.


    "Haha, you should know that I chose Historian sster due to my curiosity about the ''Past Time.'' I''ve been researching it since when I was a Tri-Elemental Mage." Rh said as he stepped into the altar room and soon walked towards the center of the altar table without minding the thirteen stone pirs in a circle.


    He first touched the blue crystal at the center of the altar table and moved toward the nearby stone pir. Once he approached the table, he took one red gem and put it on the iron pot above the small stone pir. He continued to put all the other twelve gems in the remaining ones and arrived before the altar table.


    At the same time, the whole room began to vibrate fiercely, followed by cracking noises from the red gems.


    As the red gems started to disintegrate, dense spatial elements gathered at the center of the altar room, creating a spatial crack.


    Soon, the crack expanded and formed into a big bluish portal.


    "Let''s go." Rh said as he stepped into the portal and soon disappeared from there. Umi and Charles also followed him behind and went in.


    Soon, all three stood in the middle of a dense forest.


    Charles released his wisdom power in every direction and soon noticed a few goblins were nearby.


    "Is this the pocket dimension?" Asking, he also looked up at the gigantic sun.


    "An artificial Sun? Wow, you actually managed to create an artificial sun?" He couldn''t help but get surprised.


    "That''s a spell of my friend. I made some alterations and let it stay in the sky forever." Rh spoke as if it was normal and soon sharpened his gaze towards a particr direction before uttering.


    "Teleport."


    A secondter, three magic circles appeared below their feet, enveloped them as a whole in spatial elements, and forcefully teleported them.


    The next moment, Charles and others stood in a 16x16ftrge chamber. Many magicalmps appeared all around, illuminating the whole area in bright light. The walls and ceilings were adorned with pictures of legendary creatures, giving a sense of uniqueness.


    But what startled Charles was that he saw a simr scene he encountered in the Hall of Stars. Countless artifacts, potions, books, and strange materials were ced inside ss cubes and showcased everywhere.


    Charles walked towards the nearby table and inspected the artifacts sealed inside. Although a powerful force tried to block his wisdom power, his wisdom skill easily bypassed the invisible blockingyer and started analyzing the items one by one.


    "Nightmare Touch... Hand of Midas...Cloak of Destiny... "As he looked at the artifacts, he was momentarily stunned.


    "Some of these artifacts are rare even in Rebirth Tower-" Just as he spoke, Charles sensed a presence from behind and instantly turned around.


    Soon, he saw an illusionary figure of a middle-aged man standing a few feet away from them and showing a stunned face. He had blonde hair, amber eyes, a round face, elongated thin eyebrows, and a muscr body. He wore a golden robe with a dragon symbol engraved and looked familiar.


    "Old man? Is he your incarnation?" Charles asked.

 Chapter 722 Leaving

    <h4>Chapter 722 Leaving</h4>


    Chapter 722: Leaving


    "Indeed, he is." As Rh responded, Umi suddenly stepped forward, bent her waist towards the Incarnation, and bowed her head.


    "Thank you for the ne you gave me that time, Mr. Rh! Without it, I wouldn''t be standing here right now." She said emotionally.


    "Oh! Aren''t you thatss tagged along with that elf?" The Incarnation asked with a frown and soon turned his attention towards Rh.


    "d to see you are still alive and kicking." The Incarnation suddenly stopped momentarily and walked closer to him before asking.


    "Hmm, it''s not your real body, is it?"


    Rh let a deep sigh and spoke with a bitter smile.


    "Many things happened after I left the Easica World 25,000 years ago. During such time, I fought a Divine and was reduced to such state."


    "What about Zera?" The Incarnation asked.


    Instead of responding, Rh only lowered his head and became silent.


    It was as if there was a mutual understanding between Rh and his Incarnation in that silence.


    But as the moment passed, two drops of tears came out from the corner of his eyes.


    "I-I''m sorry!" That''s all Rh could say.


    "Don''t be. Her death is not caused by you or any of us. Anyway, you better find a way to return to your normal state and at least get revenge for all of us. After all, our opponent is not someone anyone could even dream of battling." The Incarnation said.


    "Attacking the Guardian of the Eternal River, huh? If that damned bastard wasn''t after Zera''s High Elf trait, she would be still alive and well." A trace of anger appeared on Rh''s face.


    After a short dy, Rh slowly shook his head and spoke.


    "I first need to restore my spell models. Is that Spell Matrix Crystal still there?"


    "You mean the Void Dragon''s Bloodline Spell Copy?" The Incarnation paused for a moment and soon widened his eyes.


    "You actually replicated that Bloodline Spell to an elemental one?"


    "It took me 2,000 years to reconstruct andprehend everything. But that spell model is barely holding on due to lots of damages I received during the ''Fake Reincarnation'' Process. But as long as I have the Void Dragon''s Spell Model replica, I can reconstruct it again." A confident smile appeared on Rh''s face.


    The Incarnation nodded, walked past many sealed ss tables, and soon arrived in front of a gigantic ss box with a golden dragon symbol engraved.


    Rh, Charles, and Umi quietly followed him from behind and soon looked into the ss box.


    Charles looked at the ss box and noticed more than five items were ced inside. The one closest to him was a ck crystalline cube, which almost resembled the one he got from the meteorite. But instead of a fire orb, what he saw within was an eerie ck orb-like fire.


    No, it wasn''t a fire orb but a hexagonal-shaped spell model. Charles also saw a vial filled with blood, an eerie white Eyeball that was almost the size of a human head, a Crimson Egg, and finally, a monocle.


    "Although you are the one who said we shouldn''t touch any final rewards of the Three Archons, it seems we indeed have no choice here." The Incarnation arrived closer to the ss box, opened the ss manually, and quietly took out the spell matrix.


    "Take this and go back."


    Instead of responding, Rh walked closer to the ss box and took the vial and the monocle.


    "I''m taking these two too. Bloodline Essence of Void Dragon and Head Archon''s monocle."


    "Why do you need those?" The Incarnation couldn''t help but ask.


    "These two are the most expensive things in this whole dimension. Did you take a disciple or something?"


    "No. I needed both of these. Once I leave here, I don''t know when I will return back. Moreover, I also lost every artifacts I had to those damned Divines of Holmes Family. If I ever ended up in a dangerous situation, I at least want to have some back up to rise again." Rh said in a solemn tone.


    Although his Incarnation wanted to speak up, Rh shook his head and spoke solemnly.


    "These are essential for me, so don''t argue. Although its not the right thing to take the three Archons gifts to the Easica people for myself, I also don''t have a choice here. Hope they will forgive me in the future."


    With no other choice, his Incarnation gave up on arguing and turned his attention towards Charles.


    "Who is this brat?"


    While storing the things in his space ring, Rh turned his gaze towards Charles and said with a smile.


    "Thisd is more like my student. Well, he may one day be the most dangerous person in this Universe maybe." Rh said jokingly and then looked at Umi before speaking.


    "A piece of advice,ss. Your bloodline is being corrupted by the Divine Power. Although relying on divinity to improve your rank is a good choice, it will slowly turn you into the puppet of the power itself. Hmm, you are using Ice and Snow divinities toprehend the secret knowledge within your bloodline spell models, huh? If you want to improve further from your current condition, go to the Elder ne and look for the Demi n. Don''t use the Divinities anymore."


    "Divinities? I never used those." Umi said in confusion.


    "Strange. But your bloodline indeed has dense amount of divine power, though... Wait, now that I think about it, I heard that those four Beast Gods used some forbidden spell to split their divine power and bloodline essences and gave them to their descendants. So, you are one of those descendants, huh?" Rh nodded as he thought of something and added.


    "Well, try going to Elder ne. You might find some good result."


    Then, he looked back at the head-sized crystal ced at the hall''s center and started walking towards it.


    On the other hand, Charles released his wisdom power and looked at the different materials first.


    "Most of the other materials here are not suitable for a Legend Rank Powerhouse." Upon seeing him searching for anything good, the Incarnation said calmly.


    "I thought so, too." Charles nodded in acknowledgment.


    "Let''s go, Charles. It''s time to return to Edhen." Rh spoke as he arrived before the crystalline orb and touched it.


    "Coming."


    As Charles moved towards the orb, a simr blue screen appeared before his eyes.


    "Wait! Give me some Elemental Crystals before going back. It''s getting difficult to manage this ce with only magic stones." Rh''s Incarnation said from behind.


    "Charles, give him some," Rh spoke as he continued to look at the blue screen. On the other hand, Charles touched his space ring and dropped 10 Fairy Elemental Crystals in all elements, causing the Incarnation''s eyes to widen in shock.


    "Did you rob a dragon''sir or something?" He couldn''t help but ask from behind.


    "It should be a God''sir. He took the spoils of an Evil Goddess and escaped. Although that doesn''t much to those wicked beings, it''s a forbidden rule not to take the spoils of any Gods."


    "That''s basically inviting a disaster on oneself!" Even the Incarnation was baffled by Charles''s courage and said.


    "Don''t say it. He actually is a walking disaster."


    Shaking his head, Rh waved his hand, summoned a magic circle to cover the entire area, and let all the elemental crystals be absorbed into the core.


    After that, he summoned a simr illusionary projection of Universal Map and started searching by writing the coordinates in rune characters.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly thought of something and asked.


    "Now that I think about it, how are you using this nar teleportation Array, old man? I heard that even Udnir took more than two decades to reach Edhen from a faraway ce, right?"


    "Hoho, I''m going to hack the Hyperweb Space Travel pathways and use my original id to travel without spending any Emperor Coins. Basically, we are fooling the Lawful Organization to directly entering their Hyperweb Space Vortex and exit before others find out about our travel. In truth, this Hyperweb space vortexwork doesn''t belong to the Lawful Alliance Organization or anyone. They simply seized this travelwork and is exhorting money from all the passengers from the Universe."


    Saying so, Rh zoomed in on a particr blue and clicked it.


    Then, he again clicked another spell icon and activated the ''nar Teleportation'' spell.


    "Let''s meet again someday," Rh said. As soon as Rh spoke, a dense spatial elemental energy gathered at the hall''s center and formed into a spatial crack.


    Before long, the crack expanded again and turned into a deep bluish portal.


    Without wasting time, Charles and Rh jumped into the portal and disappeared from there, leaving Umi and Rh''s Incarnation behind.


    Charles and Rh once again found themselves going through the vortex of the wormhole. Like thest time, they travel for a long time before exiting the wormhole.


    A secondter, they found themselves standing in a vast grasnd.


    "Oh? We are back to Edhen already!" Charles scanned the surroundings and spoke.

 Chapter 723 Origin of False Flame

    <h4>Chapter 723 Origin of False me</h4>


    Chapter 723: Origin of False me


    "It seems we are in the Blood Empire''s territory," Rh spoke as he looked at the faraway city with seven Magic Towers soaring up to the clouds.


    "So, what should we do now?" Charles asked.


    "I''m going back to the Ember Kingdom and take back the Ringer''s Demine entrance key. After that, I''ll return to the Rebirth Tower and will be istion for a decade or two." Rh said as he slowly ascended towards the sky and then added.


    "Don''t worry about anything. I''ll also bring the Nightwind Family to the Iron Kingdom. Meanwhile, you should go back to Riverdale City or the Rebirth Tower and focus on improving your strength."


    "Do you need my help to get there?" Charles asked as he also ascended to the sky.


    "Nah, I can manage," Rh said before controlling his wisdom power and flying up into the sky.


    Meanwhile, Charles remained in the same ce for a while and decided to return to the Rebirth Tower first.


    "The only one remaining is Red Prince. As long as I kill him, I can avenge Eve wholeheartedly." Unfortunately, he was still weak enough to face an Evil God-like existence.


    Without dy, he opened a portal by manipting his false me, stepped into it, and soon disappeared.


    ...


    Rebirth Tower, Iron Kingdom.


    After a few hours of travel, Charles arrived before an 800-meter-tall golden tower and slowly descended outside the invisible forcefieldyer, startling knights and young mystics entering and leaving the tower.


    Just as the nearby guard was about to unsheath his sword and point it in his direction, an illusionary female figure appeared before Charles and bowed her head in greeting. She had long silver hair, blue eyes, and elongated ears and appeared to be around 25 years old.


    "Wee back, Tower Master!" Zera said with a smile.


    "Send me to 24th Layer, Zera," Charles ordered.


    Just as he spoke, the space around him started to distort and forcefully teleported him from there.


    A secondter, Charles appeared in a familiar luxurious bedroom hall and looked around.


    Then, he moved towards the red-painted wardrobe that was ced right next to the luxurious bed, opened it with both hands and took out a blue robe.


    Afterward, he went to the opposite side, entered the bathroom, and bathed.


    More than 30 minutester, he returned from the bathroom in his blue-robed attire and quietly sat on the bed.


    "Hmm, Zera, are you there?" He asked.


    A secondter, Zera appeared right next to him in her illusionary form and bowed her head.


    "Yes, Tower Master."


    "Just call me ''Charles.''" Charles waved his hand and added.


    "I''m nning on constructing the remaining spell models. Can you show me the list of spell models?"


    "Of course, Charles." Zera quickly spoke and summoned a notebook-sized blue interface before his face.


    Charles saw the familiar seven folders along with seven different types of fire names.


    He soon clicked the ''Mind Fire'' option and noticed only one spell option.


    ''Eternal me Seed, huh? It''s a spell capable of entering one''s main consciousness and interrupting their Thinking Process by burning their memories every 5 seconds, making it almost impossible for the enemy to battle. The Eternal me Seed remains in one''s consciousness for more than an hour by slowly consuming their memories and is almost impossible to erase forcefully, like a strong curse. Even Gods find it difficult to tackle this spell and consider it one of the most powerful curse spells in the Universe. As the User''s understanding of Mind Fire increases, the duration of this cursed spell would also increase.'' Charles couldn''t help but let out a stunned expression on his face.


    "This is indeed a powerful curse spell. Although ''Burning Thoughts'' is good, it won''t work on people who are more powerful than me. On the other hand, this spell seems to be working fine even if the opponent is a Godly being. Damn, just with these mind fire spells, I can easily capable of destroying any Legend Rank powerhouse from within." Thanks to his current wisdom power, he was an invincible existence in the same rank!


    Charles nodded with a pleased smile and moved to the next spell option.


    "Soul Fire, huh?" He opened the option and soon squinted as he read the description.


    "Cleansing Fire: Spell Description: Cleansing Fire purifies the soul by enveloping it in a Soul me essence. This me can burn away chaotic energies in one''s body, mind, soul, and negative emotions and even purify soul curses. The process is akin to a spiritual cleansing. Oh? If I had this spell, I wouldn''t be affected by the ''Love Curse.'' Hmm, I could also have saved Father Reynolds. A hint of regret appeared in his eyes.


    "No, even if I manage to purify the curse, the being behind his curse seems to be a very powerful entity. In the end, I might have ended up getting the wrath of another enemy. Hmm, I should at least help his adopted daughter to not feeling any guilt." He shook his head and shifted his attention to the next spell option.


    "Overlord of Domination: Dreadful Domination surrounds the target with ck mes that instill a sense of overwhelming fear and submission. Those affected be paralyzed by dread, willing to obey anymand to escape the torment of the engulfing shadows. Unless the opponent is one rank higher than the caster, it''s almost impossible to escape from the Domination spell." As Charles read this spell''s description, he was pleased.


    "Not bad, not bad at all. Each one of the spell is amazing in their own way." He muttered solemnly and turned his attention towards the final spell.


    "False me, huh?" Among all the other spells, this one was the weirdest and strangest.


    "Next is ''False me.''" Just as he touched the option, the crimson badge in his space ring came out of its own and started hovering before his eyes, startling him greatly.


    "Abium''s gift badge? Why did ite out-?"


    Before Charles could mutter, his vision turned blurry for a moment, and soon, he found himself standing inside the space ring-like void.


    He soon saw the Golden Shield spell model hovering ten meters away and furrowed.


    ''Why am I here?''


    ''I summoned you here under the order of Abium,d.'' A mature woman''s voice echoed in his head, stunning him.


    But he didn''t lose his calm and started analyzing the situation briefly before questioning.


    ''Who are you? Wait... The Present Time I felt inside this badge when I first entered... This ce has a connection with Sun God''s Divine Domain?''


    A stunned silence appeared from the other side, followed by a heavy sigh.


    ''No wonder that brat thinks so highly of you. I''m Azo, the keeper of Itera and also the Abium''s personal assistant. Also, your badge is a replica of the ''Fire Angel of Time''s Ring'' and connects to the Divine Throne Room. The reason I contacted you is mainly to warn you not to use the ''False me'' recklessly. The more you use it, the more it will start to gain consciousness on its own and might even devour you.''


    ''Can you borate more?'' Charles asked with a frown.


    ''Yes. False me is an invisible me capable of manipting all other elements and is also the root cause of the birth of other mes like ''Mind Fire, Soul Fire, Hell Fire, Lawful Fire, Chaos Fire, and Rebirth me.'' For example, there was only a single fire at the birth of the Universe which is called ''Origin Fire.'' But a part of Origin Fire got separated by growing own consciousness and became invisible like a shadow before searching for other elements to satisfy its curiosity and greed. It first tried to consume many different elements and rejected by the other elements itself. But over time, it ended up consumed a wisp of a higher being''s consciousness, ended up creating a ''Star of Purple'' filled with nothing but Fire capable of devouring memories and even consciousness!''


    ''Star of Purple?'' Charles suddenly thought of the strange, endless star within one of those beads of a strange bracelet he obtained in the Star Tombs Dungeon.


    ''Then, it consumed the power of Life, Death, Chaos, Power of Justice, and even Wicked thoughts and created entities with Soul Fire, Rebirth Fire, Chaos Fire, Hell Fire, and Law Fire. The Phoenix you saw within the star is a creation of this False me. The reason that Star of Purple is sealed inside that bead is also because of its dangers. Also, the ''Chaos Eye'' you have in that crystal dimension is also part of a being called ''Pyralis,'' which formed through this same process as the Phoenix. But unlike the Phoenix, it has a bad temper and has caused a lot of destruction. If I''m not wrong, Seiyon might have killed that ''Being'' long ago and separated its body parts before sealing them in different parts of the Universe.'' Azo spoke in a solemn tone within his head.


    Meanwhile, Charles was greatly startled by this information and felt a strange wariness.


    ''It might be a coincidence if I got the ''Chaos Eye,'' but the ''Purple Star'' in the bead?'' His eyes turned colder as he stared at the vacant space before asking.


    ''It''s all Abium''s doing, isn''t it? What is his n? I don''t think the mission to bring the ''Wisdom Heart'' to some coordination is his main objective.


    Azo remained silent for a few seconds and soon spoke.


    ''I can''t say much. But a great war this Universe never seen before is going to erupt. Be prepared for that. If you want to survive, do your best to improve and wait.'' As soon as she spoke, Charles noticed that the strange Present Time within the badge started disappearing, causing him to frown deeper.

 Chapter 724 Remnant Will of the False Flame

    <h4>Chapter 724 Remnant Will of the False me</h4>


    Chapter 724: Remnant Will of the False me


    Within a second, Charles let his consciousness return to the real world and stared at the ''False me'' spell option.


    "Zera, bring out the ''False me'' spell model." He ordered.


    "Yes, Master." Zera waved her hand, instantly brought out aplex hexagonal cube-like box out of thin air, and gave it to him.


    Before he could touch it, a sudden burst of invisible energy came from the cube and directly appeared above Charles''s forehead.


    The next instant, the invisible energy entered his head, passed through the dark space, and entered his Inner World.


    Simultaneously, Charles received information about this spell.


    ''False me''s Will: It''s ast remnant will of a certain False me Consciousness and can manipte Spatial Elements. As long as the user manages to absorb the False me Essences within the Will, you will be able to gain the ability to travel from one space point to another. Caution: The more the user uses the False me, the more it bes a separate existence.''


    A stunned expression appeared on his face.


    Without hesitation, Charles entered his Inner World and searched for the remnant will of the False me Consciousness.


    It is almost invisible to the naked eye, so he barely recognizes the traces left behind.


    Charles furrowed his brows as he enveloped his whole Inner World in Wisdom Power and soon looked up at the invisible False me spell model.


    ''So it wants to be a part of my spell model and then slowly take over its control from me, huh?'' Although he didn''t understand the concept of the spell models and their links to his soul and body, he instantly saw through the remnant Will''s n.


    First, he cast the [elerate Thoughts] on himself and then enveloped the whole Inner World in Rebirth me, elerating the flow of time more than 20 times faster.


    Without dy, he flew towards the dark sky at an incredible speed and quickly caught up to the ''remnant Will of the False me.'' It appeared more like a blob of slime and burned continuously.


    Upon noticing his arrival, it tried to move away by manipting space, but Charles firmly grasped it with both hands.


    "What a fascinating being." He muttered solemnly, directly probed it using his wisdom power, and more than 4000 me essences were fused to form a cluster of an invisible me.


    He didn''t hesitate as he arrived before the False me Spell model and startedprehending the False me essence in the remnant will. Although it tried to escape multiple times, Charles firmly grasped it and focused onprehending a single essence.


    He hovered before the spell model for over six hours and finallyprehended the first False me Essence. Just as heprehended the me essence, an invisible me essence came out of his consciousness, directly entered the hexagonal spell model, and fused with it.


    Charles focused on the next False me essence and continuedprehending it. On the other hand, one of his other consciousnesses took control of the main body and started doing physical work.


    Time flowed as he grasped the nature of the False me even more and started reconstructing his False me Spell model.


    Hours turned days, days turned weeks, and soon it became more than 40 months.


    Around this time, Charlespletely absorbed all the False me Essences and destroyed the wiggling blob with a firm grasp.


    The next second, his invisible false me Spell model became muchrger and looked more like a gigantic hexagonal ss.


    After absorbing the remnant will, Charles also understood its natural ability.


    ''I can tap onto the Space Point with the help of the False me and travel at a far away distance than now. For example, it''s possible for him to travel tens of Light Years in a few seconds.'' Although he still had a lot of questions about the space points and all, he decided to ask Rhter.


    After constructing the spell model, Charles didn''t stay in his Inner World and quietly left.


    A momentter, he opened his eyes in his bedroom and noticed that Zera was nowhere to be seen.


    "How many days has been passed?" He asked out loud.


    A secondter, Zera appeared before him and bowed her head before replying.


    "It''s been 62 days, Master."


    "Oh? Exactly two months, huh?"


    Charles nodded his head and stood up from the bed.


    "Can you prepare some food for me? It''s been more than three months since I ate good food." He asked.


    "Yes, Master. I''ll get them from the canteen in two minutes." Zera said with a nod and disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Charles went to the nearby wardrobe, took a white robe, and went to the bathroom to wash up.


    When he left the bathroom, Zera suddenly appeared in the dining room with arge te filled with multiple dishes.


    Charles sat down at the dining table, the aroma of the dishes wafting through the air.


    Zera gracefully ced the te before him, a mix of delectable and visually appealing dishes.


    As he indulged in the first bite, vours exploded in his mouth, and he couldn''t help but savour the taste. It had indeed been a while since he enjoyed a good meal.


    Zera, standing nearby, observed Charles with a hint of satisfaction and soon asked. "Are you nning to construct other spell models, Master?"


    Charles nodded. "Yes. I need to construct the remaining spell models soon andprehend them slowly. But before that, I also needed to take some rest."


    Saying so, he continued to eat and soon finished everything.


    Afterward, he returned to the bedroom and slowlyy his head on the soft pillow.


    As Zera took the tes and bowls, Charles thought of something and asked.


    "Did that old man return from the Ember Kingdom?"


    "Yes, Master. He came back more than 40 days ago and even brought your family members. And he also asked me to enrol all the kids from Nightwind Family as Rebirth Tower''s students." Zera responded instantly.


    "Good. Although I don''t particrly appreciate helping the Nightwind Family, they have the same surname as me. Please take care of them from now on." Charles said with a smile.


    But this time, Zera went silent instead of responding, causing him to furrow.


    "Is there something on your mind?" He asked.


    "Yes, Master. I think Master Rh is nning on doing the False Reincarnation. When hees back from the istion, I have a feeling that he will do the ''False Reincarnation'' and disappear from us." Zera said with a hint of worry.


    ''Oh? That old man managed to create a Tower Spirit with emotions!'' Hiding the surprise, Charles focused on the information she told him.


    "How do you know?" He asked.


    "For the past few years, he has been solely focusing on creating a powerful array circle capable of even stopping the ''Mind Fire'' from entering his Inner World and erasing his memories. Just two days ago, hepleted the full array circle." Zera answered.


    "But he isn''t nning on doing the False Reincarnation, right? Is he reconstructing the ''Erase Existence'' spell model? When we returned from Easica ne, he told me he would be in istion for a decade to reconstruct his spell model. So, don''t worry about him leaving the Tower right away." Charles waved his hand. Although he understood her feelings, he knew that Rh also had no choice.


    He would forever be stuck in the Crown as an artifact if he didn''t go through false reincarnation.


    Even Charles doesn''t want him to experience such a fate.


    "He is not reconstructing his spell model but focusing on analyzing that strange spear he brought earlier, Master." Zera''s words surprised him.


    "That spear? He indeed told me that it is a valuable artifact." He pondered for a moment and soon asked.


    "Do you want to apany him too?"


    Zera went silent for a few seconds and soon nodded.


    "If possible, I''ll dly go with my creator, Master."


    "Interesting. Then, we''ll give Rh a big surprise." Charles also agreed with her and then added.


    "Let''s discuss this another time. For now, I need some good rest."


    Zera smiled radiantly and bowed before taking the tes and bowls away.


    Meanwhile, Charles closed his eyes and fell into deep thoughts.


    ''Reincarnation, huh? Entering the Eternal River of Life is not an easy matter. Although I don''t know how he achieved itst time, I''m sure he lost many things and, even the spell models. Even if I send an incarnation with him with purple me essence, there is no way it can stop the mes of Eternal River of Life.'' He instantly thought of the Purple Star inside the bead and thought of a strange idea.


    ''If what Azo said was true, the Purple Star might also have a consciousness. If I can form some agreement with it, I might be able to create a spell that can even stop the Mind Fire in the Eternal River of me from entering one''s soul.'' But he knew it was the worst possible idea.


    ''I''m damn sure that the being sealed inside the bead is no less powerful than the Phoenix bird itself.'' Even thinking of looking at such a being gave him eerie chills. He soon let a deep sigh and decided to take some rest for now.

 Chapter 725 Ophira Seraphine

    <h4>Chapter 725 Ophira Seraphine</h4>


    Chapter 725: Ophira Seraphine


    The next day, Charles woke up around 8. A.M. freshened up a bit and called out Zera.


    "Bring out the ''Eternal me Seed'' spell model." He ordered.


    Like before, a purplish gem-like crystal appeared out of thin air and hovered before him.


    But before Charles could take it, Zera suddenly froze as she looked at the wooden table and soon asked.


    "What is that, Master? I sense the presence of a being inside that pendant."


    Charles was surprised by her words and soon chuckled.


    "That''s the child I''ve been raising for a while now. Snake Princess,e out." He called out.


    Just as he spoke, a small dark portal appeared above the pendant, and a 2-meter-long snake slithered out.


    "This is?" Zera was surprised by the snake''s appearance and asked.


    "Where did you get this snake, Master?"


    "She is a friend of mine from the Dream World. But she was only a consciousness back then. On the other hand, she now has a suitable vessel." As Charles spoke, the Snake Princess opened her mouth and whispered in the air while sticking her tongue out.


    "Hiss... I couldn''t improve in that ce. Something is obstructing my growth." Her feminine voice echoed all over the room.


    Zera became curious about the Snake Princess and walked closer to her.


    "That''s because you are walking on the path of bloodline." She paused for a moment and asked.


    "What''s your name, Young Lady?"


    The Snake Princess tilted her head and responded in confusion.


    "I don''t have such a thing. But this human usually calls me ''Shadow Princess.'' Now that I think about it, I also saw such a thing in the soul I possessed. Let me check the memories." Saying so, the Snake Princess closed her eyes and appeared to have entered her Inner World.


    "Shouldn''t you give her a proper name, Tower Master? Even if she was born from the collection of memories, you should''ve given her a proper name." Zera turned her gaze and looked at Charles with a questionable gaze.


    "I thought about it too." Charles pondered while showing an awkward smile and soon asked.


    "How about Belinda?"


    Zera thought for a moment and agreed.


    "Hmm, Belinda sounds good."


    On the other hand, the Snake Princess opened her eyes and shook her head.


    "Ophira Seraphine. That''s the name I found this in the soul I possessed."


    "You like it?" Charles asked.


    "I don''t know." The Snake Princess showed a confused look and tilted her head.


    "You must not change that name, Master. If that name was already engraved on the soul she possessed, that''s her identity itself. Even if you give her a new name, I won''t be as good as the original one." Zera said.


    "But I don''t see any changes when I use the [Inspect] skill." Charles couldn''t help but get confused.


    "Inspect skill isn''t omniscient, Master. And it also gathers information based on your knowledge sometimes, so its uracy varies too." Zera''s words made him puzzle more.


    "Well, if she is okay with that name, she can use it however she wants," Charles said while giving up on persuading.


    But this time, Ophira slowly moved closer to Zera and asked.


    "What is the bloodline pathway? Do you know a way to improve my physical strength?"


    Meanwhile, Zera scanned her body and answered.


    "Your body belongs to the Shadow Basilisk bloodline. It would help if you had the bloodline essence of a Rank-2 or above Rank Shadow Basilisk. As long as you absorb the bloodline essences, you can rank up and improve further. Until then, try your best not to use any of your ss skills."


    She then looked at Charles and asked.


    "Can I look after this child, Master? She needs to learn lots of things about the world, too."


    ''Hmm, that''s a good choice too. I''m bad at caring for others, so I''ll leave Ophira to the Tower Spirit.''


    Charles waved his hand and focused on the purple crystal containing the Mind Fire''s spell model.


    "I''ll not disappoint you, Master," Zera said while bowing her head, taking Ophira and even the pendant with her, and disappearing from the room.


    Meanwhile, Charles caught the crystal, entered his Inner World along with it, and soon reappeared before the Mind Fire spell model.


    "Let''s focus on constructing the spell models now. Hmm, this one contains around 5,000 Mind Fire Essences, huh?''


    Then, he focused his full attention on the crystal and concentrated on a single Mind Fire essence.


    To his shock, it took him over 13 hours toprehend a single Mind Fire Essence.


    ''So,prehending the Mind Fire is challenging, huh?''


    Charles didn''t waste a moment as he cast the [Rebirth Domain] spell and activated the [elerate Thoughts] skill beforeprehending.


    For the next seven and half years, Charles stayed in his Inner World and continued constructing the [Eternal me Seed] spell.


    By the time he finished constructing the spell model, more than four months had passed in the outside world.


    But Charles didn''t stop there.


    He picked up the next spell model called ''Cleansing Soul Fire Spell'' and started constructing it.


    Thankfully, it only took him two months toplete.


    After that, he also picked up the ''Overlord of Domination'' spell and constructed it for the next two months.


    At the end of the 11th month after his return from the Star Tombs Tower, he constructed all the spell models entirely.


    What was more shocking was that hisprehensive speed had far surpassed any Mage''s, thanks to his ''Divine Rank Fire Affinity'' and Sage''s Eye skills.


    Charles then took out the ''Crystal Dimension stone'' and started focusing onprehending the Chaos Eye spell.


    But instead of going to his Inner World, he entered the Crystal Dimension and focused on improving his ''Chaos Eye'' spell byprehending more Chaos Fire Essences.


    Even though the time flow within the Crystal Dimension was far surpassed his Inner World, he barely made progress.


    Like thest time, he stayed more than four years within the Crystal Dimension and onlyprehended another 600 Chaos Fire Essences. But thankfully, only ten days had passed in the outside world.


    Utilizing this opportunity, Charles again entered the Crystal Dimension and stayed there for more than 16 years.


    To be precise, Charles spent 40 more days in the Crystal Dimension and devoted himself toprehending the Chaos Fire Essences.


    When he walked out of the Crystal Dimension again, Charles hadprehended 4,300 Chaos Fire Essences, creating 4 Chaos Fire Laws!


    He soon reappeared in his bedroom and slowly moved towards the bay window.


    Then, he activated his [Eye of the Faceless] skill and looked into the twenty different futures of the next twenty seconds.


    "Oh? Chaos Fire shattered the forcefield before even the four firews touched it, huh? Also, the spell''s speed far surpassed any spell.'' Charles nodded inwardly and decided to focus himself on the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell next.


    He took the Golden Badge from the space ring, entered his Inner World, and startedprehending the Lawful Fire to strengthen the spell.


    Another two months passed in the outside world as he fully upgraded the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell.


    It had been around one year and three months since Charles came to the Rebirth Tower.


    "I finallyprehended all seven spell models to the fullest." He muttered inwardly and checked the progress.


    ...


    [Name: Charles Nightwind


    Health Status: Normal


    Race: Cloner


    Main ss: Rank-6 Fire Mage [Legend Rank- Peak]


    Sub-ss: Rank-5 Cloner [Pseudo-Legend Rank]


    Physical Body Rank: Saint Knight Level


    Soul: Demi-God (Mutated+1)


    Title: Chaos Maker, Savior, me Demon, Fire Angel.


    Health Points: 1130/1130


    Wisdom Points: 0


    Attributes:


    Strength- 32.0


    Dexterity- 32.0


    Constitution- 32.0


    Wisdom-954


    Charisma- 14


    ss spells:


    Overlord of Domination (Peak Rank-6 spell, Completed) [3,400 Wicked Fire Essences, 3 Laws]


    Chaos Eye (Peak Rank-6 spell, Completed) [4,300 Chaos Fire Essences, 4 Laws]


    Rebirth Domain (Rank-6 spell, Completed.) [15,400 Rebirth Fire Essences, 15 Laws]


    Ignis Sanctuary (Rank-6 spell, Completed) [4,100 Lawful Fire Essences, 4 Laws]


    Eternal me Seed (Peak Rank-6 spell, Completed) [5,000 Mind Fire Essences, 5 Laws]


    Cleansing Soul Fire (Peak Rank-6 spell, Completed) [3,500 Soul Fire Essences, 4 Laws]


    False Fire (Unknown) [4,200 False Fire Essences, 4 Laws]


    Sub-ss skills:


    Hand of Wonders- 800 (Rank-5)


    Cloning- 626 (Rank-5)


    Eye of the Faceless - 1201 (Rank-6)


    Unique skills:


    Sage''s Eye-Casualty Maniption (Rank 6)


    Shadow Stealth- Advanced (Rank-3)


    Dark Vision- 50 (Rank-1)


    Swordsmanship of Madness- Advanced (Rank-3)


    Sharpshooting- 50 (Rank-1)


    elerate Thoughts- 700 (Rank-5)


    Elemental Affinity Level:


    Sword- Intermediate


    Fire: Divine


    Darkness: Genius.


    Time: Low.]


    ...


    Charles stared at the progression and was satisfied exceptionally.


    "My current aim is to improve my subss skills and Rank up. If I want to improve my cloning skills, I think I need to do actual cloning. As for the ''Hand of Wonder, I think I can improve by constantly using the strings. Now that I think about it, didn''t I give the nullify stone to Rh to make some useful weapon?" He thought to himself and soon noticed Zera appearing in the main hall.


    "You have a visitor, Tower Master." She said while bowing her head.


    "Visitor?" He raised his eyebrows and further inquired.


    "Who is it? If it''s not something important, send them away."


    "It''s Queen Rhea, Master. She visited the tower more than ten times in thest few months and kept asking to meet you. But because you focused fully on constructing the spell models, I had no choice but to stop her from disturbing you." Zera said solemnly.


    "Rhea?" A surprised expression appeared on his face.


    ''Now that I think about it, I never met Rhea or Noah after returning from the Faith ne, right? I also want to check on the child from the Fire Elemental ne. Hmm, how are things going over there?''


    "Lead the way." Charles didn''t think much as he slowly stood up from the bed and added.


    "Where is she? I''ll meet her right away."


    "She is staying in Level-22nd Guest Hall, Master. If you agree, I can bring her here immediately." Zera suggested.


    "No. I''ll go meet her," Charles said as he walked towards the wardrobe, opened it slowly, and picked out a formal dress.


    Then, he removed the robe and wore a white shirt, ck pants, a red waistcoat, and finally, the robe of the Shadowed Sage, which almost looked like a frock coat.


    Once he was done, he moved towards the table and looked at the bunch of artifacts ced there.


    He first wore the ''Mind nk'' Amulet over his neck, then Titan''s circlet, and finally kept Grace in his waist,


    A secondter, he released his wisdom power, enveloped his body in a crimson me, and disappeared from there.

 Chapter 726 Rhea

    <h4>Chapter 726 Rhea</h4>


    Chapter 726: Rhea


    Charles reappeared in a guest hall filled with multiple sofas at the center and looked at the youngdy sitting in one of those sofas while crossing her legs. She had long blue hair, azure eyes, and pale skin, and she appeared to be around 20 years old. She wore a long blue-colored gown-type dress made of white satin and embroidered with gold and silver threads.


    As she noticed Charles appearing in the Guest Hall, she hurriedly stood up and bowed her head.


    "Greetings, Mr. Charles. It''s been a while since we saw each other."


    Charles nodded, walked towards the opposite sofa, and sat down.


    At the same time, he cast [Inspect] skill on her and observed her strength.


    ''Oh? Rank-5 [Moon Walker], huh? Her improvement has far surpassed the ordinary people. As long as she has given enough time, she will be a Legendary Powerhouse too.'' But what surprised him was an owl hovering around her soul in the astral realm.


    ''Are they the ancient spirits?''


    "What is the purpose of your visit? It isn''t just to greet me, right?" He asked, not showing any past feelings for his disciples.


    Rhea also sat down on the sofa and started to speak.


    "Before I go to the main topic, thank you for helping Jessie in the Miracle City. She said that she would stay there for a decade and return after taking over full control of the Divine Throne."


    "I understand." Charles didn''t think much about her decision and waved his continued with the main topic.


    "The main topic is about a certain Prophecy." Rhea started as she took a deep breath and spoke.


    "It''s about the Legacy left behind by the First King of Iron Kingdom, Ledger Bonere. Some say it''s an ancient Magic Tower, and a few legends say it has the power to change one''s destiny. s, no one knows for sure. But two decades ago, the four guardian spirits of the Bonere Family passed down a strange prophecy to the High Priest. Let me first tell you the prophecy lines." Saying so, Rhea started to utter the words in a strange, unique rhythm.


    "Born in the Iron, but rise in the Moon.


    She has three hearts but only two hands.


    When she returns, her arrival will shake the home.


    Chaos will descend, as well the opportunities.


    She will rise to be a true Monarch,


    Whenever she takes a step, citizens will kneel.


    Not out of respect but out of hunger and fear of death.


    She will extend her hand to save the kingdom from its doom.


    Tell her to beware, beware of a Divine.


    That one will stick to her, to steal her life.


    Save her; she will save you.


    Let her rest for a while, along with her heart.


    When the hearts grow, she will lose one.


    But if Fate allows, the lost heart will find me.


    And I will give the Legacy to it.


    Wait for the Destined Day."


    "I''ve read this prophecy too. So, what are you implying?"


    "I think we''ve found this Ancient Tower. It''s in Duke Andy of Griffon Household." Rhea said as she took a document from her space ring and passed it to Charles.


    "But when we tried to investigate more about the Ancient Tower, all our attempts went futile. Even the most elite members of the Silent Nightmare organization disappeared." She showed a hint of hesitation and soon added while bowing again.


    "And I heard from Jessie that you have already entered the realm of Legendary. So, I came here to seek your help, Mr. Charles."


    Meanwhile, Charles furrowed his brows and asked.


    "Isn''t that Griffon family the descendant of Marcus Griffon? After his death, his family shouldn''t have posed any threat to you to eliminate them, right? Why did you keep them this long?"


    A bitter smile appeared on her face.


    "It''s not that we haven''t tried, but we couldn''t. Even Lord Rh said not to enter their territory unless it was essential. That''s why the Magic Tower of Iron is still standing." She said as she looked at the faraway Tower through the opened window.


    "Oh? That old man said that? Interesting." Charles slowly stood up from his seat and started walking to the window.


    "If Rh stopped you guys from interfering, it must be serious. It seems Sasha''s other puppet is still lurking in this city." A cold glint appeared in his eyes. He knew very well that she wasn''t a person who would easily give up on the Destiny Tower and pondered.


    "We can''t attack that territory right now. Wait for nine more months. A big opportunity will arise." Charles said as he looked up at the blue sky and asked further.


    "What about the Legacy? Did you find any information about Titus? If the prophetic words are true, he will return from death, right? Is his body still preserved well?"


    "Lord Rh helped us to preserve his body in a strange crystal to slow down the time, too. But till today, we haven''t gotten any information about Titus''s reappearance. I-I don''t care about the Legacy. All I want is for him to return in one piece." Rhea said while clenching her fist.


    "Even if we take control of the Ancient Tower, there is no point in entering without the key. And from what I''ve gathered so far, this Tower seems to be a Dungeon, too, and appeared almost the same time as the others. And without the key, I don''t think anyone can enter inside." Charles paused for a moment and soon added.


    "And this Dungeon must have connected to all four of you. So, inform Noel and Jessie to return to the Iron Kingdom after nine months to participate in the new Expenditure."


    Rhea nodded solemnly and spoke.


    "I''ll do as you say, Mr. Charles. Then, what should we do about the Griffon Household?"


    "Leave them alone for now." Charles didn''t put much thought into a measly household and focused on another matter.


    "I also need a favor from you. When you return, inform Abel Wilson of Life Church toe and meet me if he wants to save his sister."


    "Emilia Wilson?" Rhea also knew of the misfortune she had encountered during the Iron Kingdom''s civil war and felt sorry for her.


    "I''ll pass this message to him." She answered and stood up from her seat.


    After that, she bid her farewell to Charles and left the guest hall.


    On the other hand, Charles slowly gazed at the Iron Tower and furrowed.


    "I shouldn''t waste my time from now on. There are only nine more months left before the next disaster strikes."


    A secondter, he enveloped his body in a crimson me and disappeared from there.


    ...


    A momentter, Charles reappeared in his room and took the Sage''s Gem from his space ring.


    "Zera," He called out.


    A secondter, an elven woman in her illusionary form appeared before him and bowed her head.


    "Do you need my help, Master?"


    Charles nodded and took a ss jar containing a Crystalline Eye from his space ring.


    "Give this jar to Rh and tell him to see if he can transnt this eye to me." He said.


    "This is? An eye?" Zera looked clueless and puzzled while looking at his Eye of Faceless.


    "Why do you need to transport this eye, Master? Do you have any problem with your current eye?"


    Charles shook his head and exined.


    "If I go by the normal method, upgrading my High Human bloodline might take decades or even centuries. Moreover, the vision skill is the most difficult to upgrade. But with this Myriarch''s Eye, I can skip a rank itself."


    "Oh? Myriarch... Is it the Trickster ss''s 7th-rank name?" She nodded her head in understanding.


    "I''ll send this to the underground basement and inform Master Rh about it." Saying so, she disappeared from there.


    Meanwhile, Charles focused on the Sage''s Gem and then took out the Crystal Dimension stone.


    After that, he changed into his elemental form and entered the Crystal Dimension.


    He reappeared before the gigantic Sun made of pure, chaotic fire a momentter and then took the Sage Gem from his pocket.


    He then focused on the small bluish gem and triedprehending more essences.


    Surprisingly, hisprehension speed had increased even higher thanks to his increased wisdom power.


    As he tried to understand every wisdom rule further, his wisdom eye started to glow continuously.


    Time passed slowly.


    Hours turned days, days turned weeks, and even months passed quickly.


    On the other hand, Charles focused solely on hisprehension andprehended the remaining 2600 wisdom essence streaks during the next two months.


    Time moved at an incredible pace within the Crystal Dimension as hisprehension progression increased daily.


    The more he understood the casualty maniption skill, the more he realized how powerful it was.


    ''To fully utilize this skill, I must gather information about everything. To be precise, I must know all the world''s information to utilize this skill fully.''


    At the beginning of the third month, he entered a strange, enlightened state and managed to grasp some of the secrets of the next skill.


    "Eldritch Analysis!"

 Chapter 727 Enlightenment

    <h4>Chapter 727 Enlightenment</h4>


    Chapter 727: Enlightenment


    ''But I have a long way to achieve that.'' Currently, Charles onlyprehended 102 ''Wisdom Essences'' of the Rank-6 [Causality Maniption] skill.


    ''Even though the time in the Crystal Dimension moves 140 times faster than the outside, it is still not enough toprehend the rest of 4000+ Wisdom Essences, I think.'' He soon shifted his attention towards the Sage''s Gem and continuedprehending the Causality Maniption skill.


    Within the Crystal Dimension, the time moved quietly.


    Before, it took him a month toprehend a Wisdom Essence, but now it has been 28 days.


    Like a passing cloud, the time started to move drastically.


    Charles felt like he had been staying in the Crystal Dimension for an eternity!


    Although he wanted to leave this ce and take some rest to cool down the stress of being alone, he endured everything and continued toprehend.


    Slowly, years passed.


    Five years became ten, ten became twenty, twenty became forty, and finally, eighty years passed!


    ''I should stopprehending and return to the Magic Tower.'' Even though he had been staying here without any outside information, he knew there was only an hour or two before the next Disaster.


    As Charlespletelyprehended the 1080th Wisdom Essence, he noticed that his [Casuality Maniption] skill triggered on its own.


    At that moment, his wisdom eye became more and more beautiful, like it had been carved out of a sapphire gem!


    Charles, immersed in understanding the Causality Maniption skill, felt a surge of enlightenment coursing through his being.


    At that moment, Charles felt a sudden connection with ''Genesis'' and was startled deeply.


    [An unknown error urred!]


    [ERROR!!!! ERROR!!! ERROR!!!!!]


    [Host''s wisdomprehension has reached beyond the power of a Mortal!]


    [Host''s existence has been upgraded from the level of ''Irregr'' to ''Pseudo-Taboo Existence!'']


    [Edhen World is looking at you interestingly!]


    [Edhen World has sent a wisp of its power!]


    [Warning!!! Warning!!!]


    [The Host is temporarily entering into a state of bing a higher being!]


    [Wisdom Link has been connected to the Host!]


    As the Wisdom Link merged with his newfound skill, the vastness of information from the Wisdom Link flooded his consciousness.


    A momentter, a powerful wisdom power emerged from the Crystalline Dimension and spread throughout the surroundings.


    But unlike Charles''s wisdom power, this one appeared more like a wave of wind and continued to expand.


    The wave covered Iron Kingdom, Moon Kingdom, Arc Kingdom, Ember Kingdom, and Unexplored Forest and even expanded to the Blood Empire in a blink!


    Although this strange wave of power remained there briefly, it alerted every legendary person, even the Demi-God Powerhouse, Blood Emperor!


    But before others could track down the origin of this power, it vanished like it never existed to begin with.


    Only four Doomsday Apostles and the Blood Emperor managed to see a glimpse of the origin and were deeply startled.


    "World''s Will has finally made a move!" Sasha''s voice echoed as she stood on the Griffon Household Mansion''s balcony and looked at the faraway Rebirth Tower solemnly.


    Although Sasha didn''t know what happened inside that Tower, there was one thing she was sure of.


    "There is a troublesome existence staying in that Tower right now. That Ancient Mage?" She instantly shook her head. Although he was a troublesome existence, too, he never showed any interest in worldly affairs and always stayed low-key.


    ''If Fate Professor''s words are true, then Charles returned, huh? I didn''t expect him to survive my love curse.'' A trace of anxiety appeared on her face.


    ''But this time, I won''t underestimate him.'' She clenched her fist and was about to turn around but suddenly froze.


    She hurriedly looked up at the blue sky and soon widened her eyes.


    "What is that strange uneasiness? Is the Chaos Era about to start?" She showed a confused look.


    Meanwhile, Charles''s inner world was filled with a lot of information.


    In that fleeting moment, he transcended the boundaries of a mere mortal and became a God himself. His senses expanded beyond the limit, reaching into the very essence of the truth itself. The interconnected threads of wisdom wove through him, and he became a conduit of knowledge.


    The room he stood in blurred as the Wisdom Link connected him to the world''s pulse. Charles perceived the intricate details of every being, from the humble inhabitants of a rural vige to the mighty Demi-God Blood Emperor and other beings. Though he absorbed only a fraction of the information, it transformed his perception, unveiling the world in a kaleidoscope of understanding.


    After a moment of strange enlightenment, the [Wisdom Link] connection has been removed from his soul, returning him to the original state.


    Charles slowly blinked as he stared at the gigantic Chaos Eye and hurriedly left the Crystal Dimension.


    Once he stepped into the room, he saw Zera standing near the bed and seemed to be waiting for him.


    "What happened?" He asked.


    "I sensed a powerful being''s wisdom powering from this room and came here in a hurry to check on, Master." She paused as she looked at the strange red crystal and asked further.


    "Did something happen? Was it your doing?"


    Instead of responding, Charles closed his eyes and rearranged all the gathered information in his Inner World.


    With a simple look at the information, he learned what everyone was doing within that domain.


    "Hmm, something like that. So, Jessie and Noel have already returned and are staying in the Royal Pce, huh? Good timing." He nodded in understanding and added.


    "Send someone to inform Rhea and others that we will meet an important guest. Tell them to meet at the Tower''s entrance in two hours."


    "Yes, Master." Zera instantly responded even though she was clueless about who the guest was.


    On the other hand, Charles thought of something and asked the date.


    "What day is today? Ah, it''s 14th May, Year 6420, Second Arcane Era. What a strange coincidence."


    Saying so, Charles quietly walked towards the bay window and looked at the Iron Tower before smirking.


    "Archmage Marcus, huh? Although I want to finish him off, Titus should take the revenge personally." His perception of the world changed drastically thanks to him absorbing the new information.


    "I also understand something important. This Edhen World is indeed selfish and uses anyone to achieve its goal. And it helped me now because it understood that I had the same goal." But there was not a hint of worry or anxiety.


    Instead, his eyes showed a hint of cruelty and brutality.


    "First, you helped Sasha kill me, but now you want my help to defeat them? Hehe, what a strange fate of y."


    Then, he slowly looked up at the blue sky and activated the [Casuality Maniption] skill.


    A momentter, he saw many images in the form of visions and was greatly startled.


    "The time hase." Saying so, he kept looking at the blue sky and seemed to think deeply.


    ...


    Crystal Lane, West Borough, Holy See of Order and Justice, Sacred Empire.


    At that moment, a middle-aged man, who appeared to be around 40 years old, stood before the single-storied house and showed a curious look on his face. He had wavy blonde hair, a soft and round face, and silvery eyes, and he also wore red armor.


    He was none other than God of Time, Udnir.


    "This is where Charles has been staying, huh? Hmm?" At that moment, his eyes turned crystalline, showing him countless futures.


    "So, he finally decided toe out, huh? This sneak rat has been ying hide and seek for too long." Udnir said coldly, cast the [Space-Time Warp] spell, and disappeared from there.


    ...


    Abium''s Divine Kingdom.


    A blonde-haired Royal Elf sat on the golden throne and slowly raised his hand.


    "Let the Chaos Era beings." Saying so, he stood up from his throne seat and disappeared before uttering.


    "I''ll be back in a moment, Azo,"


    ...


    In the meantime, the sun suddenly became bright red and released a strange sr storm toward the Edhen World.


    A powerful force of chaotic energy passed through the space at the speed of light and soon reached Edhen World''s outer surface.


    Then, the sr res crashed onto the strange pirs that appeared all over the Edhen World''s outer surface and destroyed them individually.


    As thest rectangr pir of the strange metal disintegrated by the power of the sr re, a strange cocoon-like forcefield appeared around the Edhen World, protecting itself from the sr re, too.


    Simultaneously, a middle-aged man in his red armor appeared in the deep space, a little further away from the area where the exploded parts of pirs were scattered around, and quietly gazed in the direction of the sun.


    At the same time, a gigantic re ray flew in his direction at an incredible speed, transformed into a me serpent midway, and opened its wide mouth to swallow Udnir as a whole.


    "Using the Sun''s energy to attack me, huh? Aren''t you looking down on me too much?" Udnir slowly raised his hand and made a snap.


    The next instant, a strange invisible ripple came out of his body, spread through the surroundings at an incredible speed, enveloped Edhen World and even the nearby asteroids, red moons, and even thes, and abruptly halted everything''s movement.

 Chapter 728 D茅j脿 vu

    <h4>Chapter 728 D¨¦j¨¤ vu</h4>


    Chapter 728: D¨¦j¨¤ vu


    "It''s good to see you, Senior." A royal elf suddenly flew out of the mouth and soon stopped as he reached a few feet from Udnir.


    The corner of Udnir''s lips twitched as he unsheathed his sword.


    "Why are you still hiding in your Divine Kingdom? Instead of sending out your avatar, you shoulde here by yourself." Udnir said coldly.


    Meanwhile, Abium made a light bow and said apologetically.


    "It isn''t the right time for us to battle, senior. I know you are angry over me snatching Itera. But in reality, she is the one chose me."


    "You sure spout such nonsense after stealing three of my sacred relics." Udnir didn''t even say a word as he suddenly disappeared from where he stood and appeared before Abium.


    But before his sword''s edge could touch Abium''s neck, a strange invisible power descended out of nowhere and enveloped him.


    Udnir instantly realized it was also ''Time'' Divine Power and widened his eyes.


    "Itera!! You already manage to take control of her?" He asked and soon noticed that Abium had already moved more than 2 meters away from him.


    ''His understanding of time is far exceeded than I thought. Moreover, it''s only an avatar. Where is his main body? If I don''t find his main body, it''s almost impossible to get the Core of Itera back.'' Udnir furrowed and soon noticed Abium was not even ready to battle.


    "Although I love to battle you, now is not the right time, senior. Until we meet again, stay here and wait for me." Abium said with a smirk and soon added as he looked at the Edhen World.


    "Ah I forgot to mention, it seems Edhen world has also awakened fully and also seemed to have regained most of her strength. I suggest you not enter her domain."


    "So, that was your true motive toe here, huh? But was it you who put those void pirs all over the world? What are you nning?" Udnir asked with a frown.


    He hadn''t seen that many void pirs before and became curious about how Abium obtained it.


    ''If we had this much void pirs, we could''ve achieved our goal without much sacrifice. After all, all those ancient monsters were much stronger than me too.''


    "I''m not the one who put these void pirs. It has to be either the ''Nine Beings'' or someone else." Just as Abium spoke, a portal opened behind him and pulled him inside.


    Although Udnir wanted to follow him, he refrained himself from doing so.


    "That guy sure is nning to lure me into his Divine Kingdom." Udnir shook his head and slowly turned his attention towards Edhen World.


    "Nine Beings, huh? I''m also wondering about their scheme too. But I feel there is more to it." As he spoke, he turned his gaze towards the direction of Adrillon.


    "Edhen''s Children, huh? This whole is going to its doomsday soon."


    He soon shook his head, retracted his ''Time Divine Power,'' and disappeared.


    ...


    Rebirth Tower, Iron Kingdom.


    Charles slowly retracted his gaze from the sky and soon looked at the quest reward iron that appeared before his eyes.


    [Quest Title: Escape from the Pursuit of Time God


    Quest Giver: Sun God


    Goal: Due to unforeseen circumstances, a significant anomaly has urred, which resulted in the appearance of Time God''s Avatar. You must escape from this Miracle City within 2 hours and survive his pursuit for the next two years.


    Mission Difficulty: Extremely Hard. Unless a taboo existence or a higher being intervenes, you can''t survive.


    Reward: Your Life.


    Penalty: Death


    Time Limit: 2 Years.]


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Reward: Congrattions for keeping your life safe!]


    ...


    Charles''s lips twitched as he looked at the question reward icon.


    "Well, I no longer have to worry about facing the Time God." He breathed a sigh of relief and soon enveloped his body in a crimson me before disappearing.


    A secondter, Charles reappeared at the Tower''s entrance, startling the guards and the students.


    Charles quietly walked towards the entrance gate without minding others and patiently waited.


    More than an hour passed, and soon, a luxurious red-curtained carriage came from the city''s interior before stopping at the entrance.


    Soon, three people stepped out of the carriage one by one and greeted Charles.


    But what caught Charles''s attention was the two people behind Rhea.


    One was a blonde-haired young woman in a ck sheath dress, while the other was a muscr man with silvery eyes and short blonde hair.


    ''Is that Noel? He lookspletely different person with his unique eyes.''


    His chubby face was nowhere to be seen, and he emitted so much bloodlust.


    Charles instantly scanned him and soon widened his eyes.


    ''He already became a Rank-5 [True de] and also became a Rank-5 [Dream Creator], huh?'' But what caught Charles''s attention was the title.


    ''Sessor of the Star Emperor?''


    "Greetings, Mr. Charles! It''s nice to see you again." Jessie bowed and greeted him, causing him to turn his attention to her.


    ''Oh? She already became a Rank-5 [Siren] ss Mystic? With her Rank-5 Sub ss, she is almost as powerful as a beginner Legend Rank mystic. But her life pathway seems to have changed to ''Divine Pathway."


    "Good to see you again. So, how did you get the ''Siren ss Gem'', Jessie?" Charles asked.


    "I didn''t, Mister." She paused for a moment and soon added.


    "Miracle City''s owner took a liking to me and helped me break the shackle. After that, she took ''Sylvia'' to the Tower of Sun and went into istion."


    "Oh? Did you discover her motive for controlling the Miracle City?" Charles asked as he knew Jessie didn''t stay there to hide from Udnir but to gather more information.


    A smile crept on her face.


    "Yes. From what I''ve learned so far, she seems to be a little fond of the Destiny Conquerors organization leader and chose to help me as her sessor. After that, she made me the Tower Master and asked me to take control of the security before disappearing. Thanks to the authority, I managed to gather enough information about her origin too. After some deep analysis, I learned that Anangu took control of the Miracle City to get her hand on two things. One: Sylvia. Two: It has something to do with Demigod Rafael. Also, she seems to be nning to go to an ind in the Endless Sea. If I''m not wrong, it''s an ind called ''Last Ind.''"


    A solemn look appeared on Charles''s face.


    "Last Ind? Isn''t that ce my clone stayed for a long time before my soul shattered? Why is she going there?" She had the most mysterious origin among the beings he had encountered so far and even scared Time God Udnir to retreat.


    ''Her schemes are well nned and thorough too. If I had been not careful, I might have be one of her pawn and got killed in the battle to obtain the ownership of the Miracle City.''


    "Investigate more about it. But don''t make it too obvious and get caught." Charles warned her.


    "I already did a little research on this matter, Mister." Jessie nodded and gave him a little exnation.


    "I went to the Tower of Mirror''s 52nd Layer a few months ago and learned much about that Ind. There is a legend says that anyone who goes to that Ind will have a big change in their life. Some says that Ind gives miracles, while some says it leaves the people with endless sorrow. Also, that Ind was starting ce of Chaos during the First Arcane Era. It''s more like a story of love triangle."


    "Love triangle?" A strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu appeared in his mind.


    "Yes. From the looks of it, Asher was the queen of Syreni Race and fell in love with an Elven Emperor. They started dating openly, resulting in opposition from humans and elves due to Asher being a chaos being. But things changed due to the scheme of a human woman out of jealous. In the end, humans and elves invaded the Blood Pce and killed Asher resulting in her bing an eternal servant for a forgotten Ancient Goddess named Anangu. Broken by the heartbreak, Elven Emperor left the ne and went to Abyss to look for her soul. On the other hand, Humans and elves formed alliance and started hunting the Syreni in masses. By the time a savior arrived, the Syreni race had gone extinct in Edhen World."


    "Savior? You mean Asher came back from the dead?" Charles was puzzled by this story and asked.


    "No. To save the Syreni race, a powerful being seemed to havee to this first and confronted the ''Will'' of the world out of anger. Not only that, but she also resurrected ''Asher.''" Jessie suddenly recalled something and soon added.


    "The Syreni race seems to have worshipped her for countless years and the people of that time revered her as ''Chaos Goddess.'' But what was the result of the battle between the Will of the World and the mysterious being is still unknown. But one thing I''m sure is that the mysterious being is none other than the Anangu herself."

 Chapter 729 Titus

    729 Titus


    Chapter 729: Titus


    "Why did you ask us toe here, Mr. Charles?" Rhea asked as she noticed that they had already gotten into the conversation.


    "Oops, I almost forgot about it." Charles was about to say something but suddenly frowned as he noticed Zera appeared behind him and called out.


    "Something urgent happened, Tower Master! Myl went to the fire elemental ne but hasn''t returned yet."


    "Myl? That Night Goblin girl?" Charles asked while turning around.


    "Yes. It seems the connection between two leaves has been cut off." Zera responded.


    "Is she okay? Last time I saw Myl, she already became Rank-3 [Ember Wizard] and a Rank-3 [Arcane Archer]. So I don''t think she ends up in a bad situation just because of the link between the traveler''s leaves cut off." Rhea said as she recalled the unique goblin child.


    "Is it the World''s Will? Didn''t Rh say it''s almost impossible for it to pry into Level-0?" Charles asked.


    "That''s because this ne''s World Will has been in a weakened state all this time,d. But now, she seems to have gainedplete control over this world. So, my array can''t hide anything from her. She is in her prime state." Rh also appeared behind Zera and spoke.


    "But why would she block the Traveler''s leaves?" Charles asked in confusion. From what he had heard, even demons and devils could easily create portals to enter the Edhen World during the Chaos Era.


    The only beings she stopped from entering the Edhen were beings above Demigods.


    "Then, is there any existence far more powerful than Demigods staying on the other side and wanting to sneak in here?" Jessie asked.


    "It''s not entirely impossible. But given the current situation, I don''t think we can do anything about it." Rh shook his head and added.


    "Let''s hope nothing goes wrong over there."


    "That Fire Elemental World''s will is the only being helped me without expecting anything in return. Tsk, this bitchy world really annoys me to the core now." Charles''s eyes red up in anger.


    But he also knew that he couldn''t do anything about the current situation and pondered deeply.


    At that moment, Rh noticed their gathering and became curious.


    "What are you guys up to? Is it some get together?" He asked.


    Charles made a forced smile and shook his head.


    "He came back from the dead. But he is hiding in the shadow." Charles spoke as he looked at the faraway woods.


    "M-My brother?!" Jessie instantly caught on and looked toward the woods.


    "B-But why isn''t heing to meet us?" An anxious look appeared on her face.


    "You better brace yourself," Charles spoke as he quietly released his wisdom power and ascended in the air.


    "Thatd really likes to keep everything secret to himself." Rh grumbled and followed after him.


    Jessie, Noel, and Rhea also nced at each other in confusion and decided to follow them, leaving Zera behind.


    They slowly flew across the grasnd and soon arrived above the nearby woods.


    But the group continued to fly while moving past many viges and farnds.


    After flying more than a few minutes, Charles slowly descended and soonnded before a tall banyan tree.


    "Banyan tree... Isn''t this the ce where Griffon family killed Daisy?"


    Jessie''s expression stiffened as she recalled the unforgettable memory of this ce.


    "This is... Why are we here, Mr. Charles?" She asked whilending beside Charles.


    Rhea and Noel alsonded next to her and nced around.


    "But we don''t see anyone here," Rhea said.


    "Not in the Physical Realm." Charles spoke as he enveloped his body in a crimson me and turned into his elemental form.


    Then, he entered the Astral realm and soon saw a skeletal figure in a tattered ck robe sitting under the banyan tree trunk.


    It was around 2 meters tall, had a gigantic skeletal frame, wore an eerie hood to cover its head, and looked exactly like the grim reaper he saw years ago.


    Charles instantly scanned him and was greatly startled by the information that appeared before his eyes.


    ...


    [Name: Titus Jonas


    Race: Undead


    Main ss: Rank-6 Shadow Weaver


    Sub-ss: Rank-5 Evil Cleanser


    Title: Servant of the Death


    Attributes:


    Strength- 49.0


    Dexterity- 49.0


    Constitution- 49.0


    Wisdom-380


    ss skills:


    Ebon Evasion


    Shadow Teleport


    Dark Domain


    Sub-ss skills:


    ??????


    ?????


    ?????


    ??????


    Unique skills:


    ?????


    Master Swordsmanship


    ??????]


    ''Oh? Most of his skill names are showing question marks. It means he learned skills unique from the Underworld.'' Charles analyzed while looking at the status.


    Upon noticing Charles''s arrival, that skeletal figure slowly looked up and stared at him with its soul-fire eyes.


    "Who are you?" it asked as it grabbed the scythe from the ground. It was about to stand up but suddenly froze.


    At that moment, it identified the humans standing a few meters away from it and became frozen in shock.


    "It''s been a while, Titus." Charles opened his mouth and waved his hand.


    Titus stood in the same ce for a while and soon snapped out of the daze.


    "You are? How did youe here?"


    "I''m Charles. Didn''t youe here to reunite with your sister and friends? Why are you staying here?" Charles asked.


    "I-" Titus opened his skull mouth and was about to say something but soon shook his head.


    "I''m not Titus anymore. The only reason I came here is to deliver the legacy to Rhea under the order of Ledger Bonere." Saying so, Titus touched his space ring, took out a unique book from it, and gave it to him.


    It was covered in gold and even had a unique keyhole at the top.


    "This is the gift left behind by Master Ledger for his sessor and the people of this world. When Rhea reaches the finalyer, she has to use the Ruler''s Key to open the book and getplete control over the Destiny Tower. You guys only have 20 years time." Titus said solemnly.


    Charles caught the book and tried to inspect it but couldn''t because a strange divine power was blocking it.


    "Aren''t you going to say ''Hi'' to your sister? She and the other two has been waiting for your return all these years." Charles said.


    "Kehkehkeh, meet them? With this body?" A cracklingugh came out of the skull mouth.


    "I''ve long forgotten the feeling of touch and even emotions, Mr. Charles. Although I still have some feelings for the person I cherish, those feelings are getting away day by day. And I also don''t want to be tangled by the emotions and move on. I''ve a duty to perform in the Underworld." Titus spoke without any emotions.


    ''It seems he has no intention of seeing Jessie and others.'' Although Charles respected his decision, he didn''t want his disciple to be tied to some underworld duty and be a puppet knight of some undead being.


    "I respect your decision, Titus. But if you really want to go back, at least meet your sister and friends for once and then return."


    Titus hesitated for a moment and soon agreed.


    Then, he raised his scythe and shed at the empty air. The next instant, a vertical gap appeared in the space, allowing him to pass through the astral realm barrier directly.


    Meanwhile, Jessie, Rhea, and others suddenly saw a sh in the space, followed by a skeletal hand.


    Before long, a ck-robed, two-meter-tall skeleton with a scythe walked out of the Astral Realm and arrived at the physical world.


    Simultaneously, Charles left the Astral Realm, arrived beside Titus, and returned to his human form.


    Nobody spoke, but everyone understood that the gigantic skeleton gave off a sense of familiarity.


    Titus stood there with an emotional look for a few seconds and soon stepped forward before opening its skull mouth.


    "Sister."


    Jessie''s whole body stiffened. Even though it had been more than two decades, she had always remembered her brother''s voice.


    "T-Titus?" Her lips quivered.


    "W-What happened to you? Why are you in this state?" Jessie''s face turned pale as white.


    "A-Are you really our Titus?" Rhea walked closer and tried to touch him but stopped as she heard his words.


    "I came here to give the legacy to you, Rhea. Your ancestor Ledger Bonere asks you to make the right decision and lead the world to the right path." Saying so, Titus turned his attention towards Charles and asked him to give the present.


    Meanwhile, Charles nodded and quietly gave the golden-covered book to Rhea.


    But Rhea''s mind was entirely preupied by Titus''s action.


    Although he was still the Titus she knew, Rhea felt distance in his words.


    ''His voicecked emotions and feelings. He talks as if I''m nothing more than a long lost friend.''


    "W-What the hell happened to him?" Jessie couldn''t hold back her tears and fell to her knees.


    "Is there no way to bring him back to his original body? Isn''t it still stored in the Rebirth Tower?" Noel asked in a solemn tone.


    Charles shook his head and spoke.


    "It seems he already became a servant of the Death. But even so, we shouldn''t give up. Although he lost his body, the person hidden within this skeletal body is none other than Titus. You guys better not break down and stick together always."


    At that moment, Rh thought of something and made a suggestion.


    "Hmm, although it''s impossible for Titus to return to his body permanently, we can use the clone method to let him possess a new body and live the normal life whenever hees back to Edhen."

 Chapter 730: Anger and Frustration

    Chapter 730: Anger and Frustration


    "I''m okay with this body of mine. After staying in the Underworld for more than 20 years, I''ve grown ustomed to this body. In truth, I have no feelings for any. The only reason I came back to Edhen was to give the Legacy and also to check if you guys are okay." Titus interrupted, causing everyone to turn their attention towards him.


    "L-Leaving? ''Sob'' But are you okay with leaving us once and for all? Are you okay with leaving me all alone?" Jessie asked with a trembling voice.


    Meanwhile, Rhea also gritted her teeth and shouted.


    "Then, what about the ones who killed Daisy? What about the one who killed our master? That Griffon family and their ancestor! They are still roaming around with a proud look on their faces! What about the one who caused all this mess? Don''t you at least want revenge?"


    "Griffon family? Didn''t you guys kill Andy Griffon already?" Titus asked as he recalled the moment Edith arrived there before he died.


    "He died but his descendants and even his ancestor are still alive. More than that, the current head of the Griffon family also has the same name as thest one. It''s as if they made that young child be the head to mock us." A furious look appeared on Rhea''s face.


    "The reason we are holding ourselves back is because we want you to avenge Daisy''s death." Noel also muttered.


    Meanwhile, Titus stood in silence for a few seconds and turned around.


    "The one who killed Daisy is her brother and Andy Griffon''s daughter Laney. I have long avenged her death by killing her brother and even the helper Laney. There is nothing here for me to get angry about."


    At that moment, Charles closed his eyes and made a deep sigh.


    "The one who caused this whole mess is a Divine named ''Goddess Sasha.'' She has the power to manipte fate and even uses the strange power of love. The moment you have fallen in love with Daisy, you have long be a puppet of her. The reason your progression hindered and caused you to give up on the pursuit of strength was also because of her. She is also the one who tried to take control of Rhea to get the Legacy."


    Jessie, Rhea, and even Noel also knew of this matter and didn''t show any surprise.


    But Titus was stunned a bit.


    "Now that I think about it, where is our Teacher?" He asked as he recalled Charles''s Will had told him about the schemes of the divine.


    A silence appeared in the area.


    "H-He is no more. After your death, he confronted Archmage Marcus and died while protecting us. We are on our own." Noel answered with a bitter look.


    A strange sense of loss appeared in Titus''s mind. But he didn''t lose himself in anger and calmly analyzed the situation.


    "Even if we became Rank-5 Existences, aren''t we still an ant to even think of killing a Divine? Although I became a peak Rank-5 Existence, I''m nothing more than a guard soldier in the Underworld. In that ce, even a Legend Rank powerhouse is nothing more than a leader of a small unit. Even Rhea''s ancestor is only around Rank-7 and is working under the Cursed Eye."


    As Jessie was about to say something, Charles suddenly turned his gaze toward the direction of the east and squinted.


    "I sense someone looking in this direction. It''s Sasha." He instantly identified her and noticed she was only looking at them.


    ''So, they want us to make the first move, huh.''


    "Careful, her current strength is above Rank-6," Rh warned him and soon added.


    "And from the looks of it, she is expecting our reunion. So, what are you nning now?" Rh asked.


    Charles thought for a moment and soon shook his head.


    "There is nothing to think about. We should act now rather than dying it."


    "Now?" Rhea asked stiffly.


    "I didn''t prepare anything. If we n to go to war against the Griffon family, we should at least mobilize the Royal Army.


    "Sasha has been waiting for Titus to bring back the Legacy." Charles paused as he looked at Titus and added.


    "Although you have grown stronger, you are still under the influence of someone else. The same goes for Rhea. The more we move under someone else''s Will, they will always be one step above us and could make us a chess piece at any moment. If you want to gainplete control over yourself, be strong and eliminate any possible threat."


    "Any possible threat... I feel like I''m talking to Teacher Oswald." Titus recalled the moment he spent with his teacher and finally decided.


    "I have indeed given up on living myself as human, but that doesn''t mean I don''t cherish my sister and friends. And if there is indeed a way to eliminate this divine being, I''ll do my best to help you guys."


    Charles''s words also made Jessie realize what happened at the Miracle City. Even though she obtained the Divine Throne of Blood, her chance of entering the realm of Divine and bing the true powerhouse is very minute.


    ''If I want to protect the people I cherish, I must be much stronger.'' Rhea and Noel also became firm and decided to end this scheme once and for all.


    "We have lost many things and even our happiness because of that bitchy divine. I''ll even sacrifice my life to kill her." Rhea said with a ruthless gaze.


    "You don''t have to sacrifice anything. I''ll take care of Sasha. Meanwhile, you guys do your best to take care of the Griffon Family and the Mages from the Iron Tower." Charles paused for a moment and soon added.


    "And be careful of Archmage Marcus. He is still alive and scheming something behind."


    As Charles spoke, he manipted the wisdom power and started hovering in the air.


    Rh, Jessie, and others also hovered in the air and hurriedly followed him toward the Griffon Territory.


    ...


    Underground Basement, Iron Tower, City of Iron.


    At that particr moment, an elderly man with white hair, estimated to be around 80 years old, positioned himself in front of the entrance to a dimly lit underground chamber. His gaze was fixed upon an unsettlingly mysterious book, enveloped in an eerie ck cover, which rested upon a weathered wooden table before him. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The man''s facial features were distinctive, characterized by a square-shaped face, an aquiline nose, piercing azure eyes, and lengthy eyebrows that added a sense of gravity to his countenance. His attire consisted of a grey robe draped over his aging form, and in his left hand, he clutched a peculiar crystal, its enigmatic nature evident from its unique appearance.


    He was none other than Marcus Griffon!


    Twenty years ago, he had almost lost his body and ended up in a critical situation. If not for the appearance of a mysteriousdy named Sasha, he would''ve died that day and be a part of history.


    But he returned from death thanks to the mysteriousdy Sasha resurrecting him and even attaching the soul link to his physical body.


    Although he had to sign a ve-like abyssal contract with that woman, he never regretted it.


    Moreover, he benefited a lot from this agreement.


    ''I became a Legend Rank powerhouse!'' Although he was still a Rank-5 [Reality Warper] in the Main ss, his anomaly Sub-ss had made a significant breakthrough.


    ''I can control souls as my puppets through the strings and control them under my will. Also, my soul spells are also became much stronger. Even if a Grim Reaper appears before me, I won''t fear him.'' A cold glint appeared in his eyes.


    The crystal in his left hand suddenly vibrated and shone in a bright blue light.


    "Oh? Lady Sasha is calling? Did something happen?" He muttered in confusion and activated themunication crystal.


    A captivating vision materialized before him in the blink of an eye¡ªa stunning depiction of a young woman. Yet, it wasn''t a mere sight; it resembled more of a sophisticated projection as if conjured by some divine force.


    This mysterious woman initiated the encounter with a profound gaze that seemed to prate his very soul. Swiftly surveying her surroundings, she gravitated towards a dark-covered book on a table. Her presence conveyed an aura of curiosity as if drawn by an unseen force emanating from the enigmatic tome.


    "Red Prince''s authority?" She asked.


    The woman, appearing in herte twenties, possessed a striking countenance defined by long auburn locks that cascaded gracefully around her shoulders. Her azure eyes set closely together, conveying a depth of emotion that added to the moment''s mystery. Faint eyebrows and an elongated nose framed her face with subtle elegance.


    Her attire, a glorious blue gown adorned with an array of gems, exuded an otherworldly charm, entuating her enchanting presence. She held a distinctive flute in her hand, its design hinting at an origin from realms beyond the ordinary.


    "Lady Sasha!" Marcus instantly bowed his head and greeted her before adding.


    "I also don''t know much about this book, My Lady. I got it when killing ady named Edith."


    "Not interested to hear your story. Anyway, it''s time for you to do your part. The time hase." She said, slowly averting her gaze from the mysterious book.


    Sasha soon thought of something and added.


    "Also, ''he'' also came back from the death and looks more powerful. I won''t be able to help you this time. Try your best to kill those four brats and obtain the Legacy for me. Meanwhile, I''ll settle score with Charles once and for all."

 Chapter 731: Grimoire

    Chapter 731: Grimoire


    "Charles? You mean that old man I battled 20 years ago?" Marcus asked.


    "Both are the same. But you should worry about yourself. Unlike 20 years ago, all those four kids have grown strong enough to even face off a Legend Rank Mystic. I even heard the news that a young kid named Noel managed to kill a Legend Rank member of the Unseen Legends." Sasha warned him again.


    "Prepare everything ande to the Dreamforge City in 30 minutes." Saying so, she cut off the connection from the other side, resulting in the illusionary projection turning into light particles.


    Once the crystal returned to normal, Marcus slowly turned his attention towards the ck-covered book and furrowed. "Should I have no choice but to use it?"


    He took this strange book after defeating a woman named Edith 20 years ago and decided to do some research. After his resurrection, he focused on his sub-ss and researched the mysterious artifact continously.


    After some trial and error, he learned it was a grimore of a higher being.


    "Although I haven''t used it for fear of being cursed or taken over by another will, it seems I have no choice but to gamble." He muttered as he walked closer to the ck-covered book and picked it up.


    "Normally, one needs to sacrifice a part of their life force to awaken the sleeping grimoire and then make some contract with the higher being to which this grimoire originally belongs. As long as that higher being epts the contract, I''ll get a big boost of support from the other side. In exchange, I have to sell my soul." But he had already made a ve-like agreement with Sasha. Even if he didn''t sell his soul, he would be under her for his lifetime like a puppet.


    "Haa, I should ask the Professors to gather up and prepare the teleportation array circle." He muttered as he took out a silver ring from his space ring and contacted someone through the spiritual imprint.


    A few secondster, a female voice came from the other side.


    "Hello, Lord Marcus! Do you need something?"


    "Liana? Can you gather other professors and prepare the Teleportation Array circle? I have to go to Dreamforge City in 30 minutes to attend an urgent matter." Marcus said solemnly.


    "Y-Yes, Lord Marcus. I''ll go call others now." Without waiting for his response, the Mage named Liana cut off the call.


    "Should I bring the professors too?" Marcus thought but soon shook his head.


    He knew that they wouldn''t even stand against a normal Rank-5 Mage and might be baggage for him.


    "Now, all that''s left is for me to get more trump cards to survive this ordeal."


    Saying so, he took out a knife from his space ring, made a small cut on his palm, and let a few drops of blood fall onto the ck-covered book.


    In two seconds, Marcus noticed that the fallen blood droplets started to creepily absorbed into the book, causing the ck-covered book to vibrate slowly.


    At the same time, Marcus felt a sudden headache out of nowhere and almost stumbled.


    Simultaneously, he felt that the surroundings started to crack and soon shattered before enveloping him in absolute darkness.


    In a blink, Marcus stood in an empty void and felt his heart beat as loud as drums.


    "Are you the one who awakened me?" A creepy male voice came from the void. Even though the being spoke in a foreignnguage, he managed to understand the meaning behind it.


    He only flustered for a moment and soon bowed his head.


    "I''m a mortal from Edhen World, Your Excellency. Even though I don''t know who you are, I came here in the hope of finding help to save my pathetic life."


    "I''m nothing more than a fragment of my Will infused within the book. Hmm, why do I sense the power of Sasha in you?" The voice went silent for a moment and soon added.


    "Go on. Use me wisely and help her."


    A secondter, Marcus noticed the surroundings started to crack again and soon found himself returning to the underground hall. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Before he could even open his eyes and look around, a strange, eerie ck me enveloped his body as a whole and started burning him.


    "Argh!!" Marcus screamed due to pain and asked for help, but no voice escaped through the metallic door. He slowly fell as he sensed the burning sensation that appeared all over his body and tried his best to brush off the ck me.


    But soon, he noticed that no me appeared at all!


    s, the burning sensation remained, causing him to scream continuously. Moreover, a sharp headache appeared in his head, causing him to grab his head with both hands and fall onto his knees.


    Drops of blood started dripping from his nose and mouth and painted the concrete floor.


    The pain remained in his head and body for more than 15 minutes before disappearing.


    At that moment, Marcus had already vomited blood all over the floor and felt like he had undergone a significant change.


    Although no changes appeared on his body, he felt that his sense had sharpened to a considerable level.


    "What did that strange voice do?" A strange fear crept up to his heart.


    He slowly stood up, removing the bloodied grey robe, and looked at the wooden table to search for the book.


    But instead of the ck-covered book, he saw an empty wooden table.


    "W-What happened?" He hurriedly closed his eyes and soon noticed a simr book was floating in his mind.


    Simultaneously, a foreign power entered his mind and sent him information about this book.


    "It''s hiding in my dark space?" But what stunned him more was the information about this book and the new abilities he could borrow from it.


    It was a Destiny Series Grimoire book. Thanks to the authority of the higher being, he could borrow some of its power and use it during life and death. Although all the mysterious spells could be borrowed only once per month, he felt it was worth the sacrifice.


    ''Destiny Life-Revive, Destiny Life- Heal, Destiny Life- Nullify, Destiny Life- Sacrifice, Destiny Life-Thoughts Dissary.'' Although Marcus had yet to learn how good the Grimoire''s abilities were, he decided to use them only in an urgent situation.


    "I know the artifacts I possess won''t do any good against those kids or Charles. Haa, I should get going." He sighed deeply, wore another robed dress, and started walking towards the exit door of the underground basement.


    He soon entered the long corridor of the Iron Tower, moved to the staircase, and started flying towards the seventh floor. Unlike the Rebirth Tower, the Iron Tower didn''t have any artificial spirit or teleportation circles to travel from one floor to another.


    Due to theck of rune technology, the Iron Tower lost the most talented mages and mystics.


    Shaking those useless thoughts away, Marcus soon arrived at the top floor and noticed more than ten blue-robed mages standing in the teleportation hall. Nine mages stood at every corner of the array circle and were already chanting in ancientnguage.


    Meanwhile, only one woman stood at the hall''s center and wrote strange numbers on the floor using red blood-like ink. She was a brown-haired woman in herte twenties and wore a unique red robe.


    Next to hery a fist-sized blue crystal shiningand releasing dense spatial-elemental energy in the air.


    "Lord Marcus, I almost finished writing the coordinate to the Dreamforge City and got everything ready." She said as Marcus walked into the grand hall and continued to write the coordinate numbers on the floor.


    A few secondster, she finished writing the coordinate number and hurriedly stepped away from the teleportation array circle.


    Meanwhile, the dense spatial elemental energy continued to gather at the center of the hall and soon formed into a strange crack.


    At that moment, a mysterious power came from the blue crystal, scanned the whole teleportation circle, and soon mingled with the gathered spatial energies.


    Soon, a small crack appeared in the space and formed into a 2-meterrge portal.


    "Thanks for your hard work." Marcus quietly waited until the portal became stable and started walking closer.


    He soon stepped into the portal and disappeared from there.


    He reappeared more than 400 meters above the ground a momentter and started falling in the air.


    But he seemed to have expected such a situation as he released his wisdom power and bnced his movement.


    He lowered his gaze gradually, allowing his eyes to settled upon the vast expanse of the ground beneath. There, sprawling before him, was a colossal city, enclosed by imposing walls that rose to a towering height of six to seven meters.


    In stark contrast to the Iron City, the Dreamforge City revealed a distinct architecturalyout. It featured a singr entrance, a departure from the multiple ess points of its metallic counterpart. Moreover, the city was epassed by expansive waterbodies reminiscent of a grand river. However, upon closer inspection, one would discern the presence of mutated crocodiles and mysterious marine magical beasts, their forms lurking beneath the surface.


    "They are already mobilising an army and seems to have gone in a defensive mode." Marcus muttered as he manipted the wisdom power and moved towards the entrance fortress-like area.


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